Basketball Intelligence For 12/15/23
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
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TEAM-SPECIFIC
ATL: Shorthanded Hawks must ‘play big’ to overcome size limitations
Lauren Williams, AJC
BKN: Nets fall to Nuggets
CJ Holmes, Daily News
BKN: Nuggets show out Nets in another West Coast rout
Brian Lewis, NY Post
BOS: Celtics have won 12 in a row at home, but for Joe Mazzulla it’s a daily mindset
Jay King, The Athletic
BOS: How the Celtics flipped the script on defense against the Cavaliers
Adam Taylor, Celtics Blog
BOS: If a shot doesn’t fall in the forest, it still makes a sound in the Celtics box score
Bill Sy, Celtics Blog
“Y’all corny watch the game,” Jaylen Brown replied.
The curt online comment was to an ESPN infographic on Instagram pointing out that Brown did not record an assist in consecutive games against the 76ers and Pacers.
“That’s one of the most misleading stats of all-time,” Mazzulla said bluntly after Brown dished out four assists in the Celtics comeback win over Cleveland. “You know what has to happen for you to get an assist?”
CLNS’ and CelticsBlog’s Bobby Manning replied, “made basket.”
“Yeah, so what we look at are potential assists. It’s one of the most misleading things to say that a guy didn’t get an assist. That doesn’t mean he didn’t pass. That doesn’t mean he didn’t make the right read. It just meant that on his potential assist opportunities, those shots didn’t go in. And I think that’s what’s important for our guys. What does success look like? Jaylen averaged five and a half potential assists in those two games.”
BOS: Derrick White has played his way into critical part of Celtics’ mix
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
CHI: Coby White in full control of balancing act
Joe Cowley, SunTimes
“He knows, ‘OK, the way for me to impact getting guys shots and playing the point guard is through penetration and playing downhill, but when I get the ball on the perimeter and I’ve got a shot, I’ve got to take the ones that are there,’ ” Donovan said. “I think he’s done a really good job lately of balancing the responsibility of being a point guard, the responsibility of being true to himself and being the player that he is.”
“This dude is amazing,” DeRozan said. “I’m just glad people are starting to see how talented he is, how much of a competitor he is. I’ve said it before — I worked out with him all summer, and just to see how much he wants it, how he asks questions, how humble he is about the approach, it’s amazing to see his growth and see the things that he does.”
CHI: Bulls down Heat as Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Nikola Vucevic come up huge
KC Johnson, NBC Sports
CHI: How Coby White's growth in reading defenses benefits Bulls
KC Johnson, NBC Sports
CHI: Takeaways from the Bulls’ win over the Heat
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune
CLE: Cavs’ losing streak reaches three
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
CLE: The Cavaliers are having a weird season
Mike Anguilano, Fear The Sword
DAL: Luka Dončić is still the orchestrator, but Mavericks’ supporting cast deserves props too
Tim Cato, The Athletic
DAL: Dante Exum's second act with the Dallas Mavericks is going very well
Kevin Reyes, The Step Back
DEN: Christian Braun downplays best dunk of NBA career, more concerned with defense after Nuggets down Nets
Vinny Benedetto, Denver Gazette
DEN: Nuggets’ “D” dominates Nets
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post
DEN: Nuggets defend homecourt, win 124-101 vs Brooklyn Nets
Ryan Blackburn, Mile High Sports
GSW: Where do the Warriors go from here? The next 20 games could decide a lot
Anthony Slater, The Athletic
GSW: After Draymond Green suspension, the clock has started on this Warriors season (and beyond)
Shayna Rubin, Mercury News
GSW: Warriors make lineup change but not the one you expect
Ian Levy, The Whiteboard
IND: We knew Tyrese Haliburton would be good, but how good? The data behind his rise
Seth Partnow, The Athletic
LAC: James Harden was the story as Clippers Overcome Warriors
Justin Russo, Russo Writes
LAC: Harden powers Clippers past Warriors for their sixth consecutive win
Andrew Greif, LA Times
MEM: The Grizzlies have been dealt a rough hand with a plethora of absences this season. Here are some things we've learned about players that have had increased minutes and responsibilities
Parker Fleming, SubTsak
MIA: What Thomas Bryant and Jamal Cain did for the Heat on Wednesday that is ‘never easy’
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald
MIA: Heat falls down big early, loses to Bulls
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald
MIL: Can Bucks tension-filled victory over Pacers bring them closer together?
Eric Nehm, The Athletic
MIN: Wolves get a big road win
Jake Paynting, Howls And Growls
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MIN: Reid, Towns Combine For 48 Points In 15-Point Comeback Win
Tyler Metcalf, Canis Hoopus
MIN: Wolves top Mavs as Naz Reid drills seven three-pointers
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
NOP: Trey Murphy scorched the Wizards in the Pelicans' best scoring night of the season
Christian Clark, The Advocate
NYK: Julius Randle’s passing for Knicks is hitting new levels
Fred Katz, The Athletic
NYK: Film Findings: How Julius Randle Turned His Season Around
Jared Dubin, Last Night In Basketball
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PHI: Kelly Oubre Jr. is back from fractured rib, and pleased by early returns
Gina Mizell, The Inquirer
Oubre, who missed 11 games after a hit-and-run incident, is gaining confidence every night: "Every time I test it and it doesn’t hurt, I know that I can do it. I unlock that in my head."
SAS: Details, margins of error, and inflection points in the era of Wembanyama
Matthew Tynan, Corporate Knowledge
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UTA: Are Jazz finally finding their footing?
Tony Jones, The Athletic
UTA: Though the deck was stacked against them, the Jazz came alive against the Trail Blazers
Sarah Todd, Deseret News
UTA: The Utah Jazz are running some wacky defenses — and they’ve been working. This is why
Andy Larsen, Salt Lake Tribune
UTA: As Keyonte George goes out with an injury, fellow rookie Taylor Hendricks makes a big impact
Eric Walden, Salt Lake Tribune
WAS: Roadmap for a Rebuild: How the Wizards are ‘leveling up’ off the court
David Aldridge/Josh Robbins, The Athletic
Links to Leaguewide and 2024 Draft stories and a tribute to George McGinnis follow below for paid subscribers