Basketball Intelligence For 12/21/25
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BOS: Erik Spoelstra thinks Celtics’ Derrick White is NBA’s most underrated player
Conor Roche, Boston.com
BOS: Celtics rookie looks like hidden gem of NBA Draft after win over Raptors
Brian Robb, Mass Live
BOS: Hugo! Hugo! Hugo!: Everyone’s favorite rookie makes his mark
Paul Flannery, Hoopology
CHA: Hornets’ Offense Plagued by Season-High TOV’s and Inefficient Shooting in Loss To Pistons
Sam Perley, Hornets.com
GSW: Butler, Curry help Golden State survive Green ejection
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News
GSW: Jimmy Butler: “There’s ways I can give people the ball… that’s on me to do that more often”
Poor Man’s Commish, Let’s Go Warriors
GSW: Turnovers and unreliable help plague Warriors
Punk Basketball, Dub Nation HQ
IND: After ‘a lot of hard nights’ James Wiseman pleased to be back with Pacers
Dustin Dopirak, Indy Star
LAC: Clippers beat depleted Lakers to end 5-game skid, home-court drought
Janis Carr, OC Register
LAL: Observations: Game 27 Vs. Clippers
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball
LAL: Takeaways from loss to Clippers
Thuc Nhi Nguyen, LA Times
LAL: Doncic leaves Lakers’ game against Clippers with leg contusion
Khobi Price, OC Register
MIN: Timberwolves have ‘best, most complete game’ of the season after Chris Finch’s ejection
Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic
NOP: Zion leads healthy Pelicans to fourth straight win
Chris Lambert, Pelican Debrief
NOP: With Zion Williamson on the bench, Pelicans show potential preview of next era
William Guillory, The Athletic
PHI: Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Jared McCain finding chemistry
Tony Jones, The Athletic
POR: Clutch defense, Shaedon Sharpe’s dunk lift Trail Blazers to close win over Kings
Joe Freeman, Oregon Live
SAC: PODCAST: Mid-December 2025 Sacramento Kings Recap and Preview
Ray Lebov/Nick Agar-Johnson, Kings Weekly Podcast
Ray and Nick break down the most recent run of basketball for the Sacramento Kings as 2025 draws to a close, before previewing the games for the Kings in the week ahead. They start out by discussing the ins and outs of an 0-3 week for the Kings, including the encouraging recent overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers that they previewed with Joe Freeman of the Oregonian/OregonLive in the previous episode. Then, they discuss some of the most recent comments from head coach Doug Christie on the state of the rotation for the Kings. Finally, they preview the games in the week ahead, including another showdown with the Portland Trail Blazers.
NOTE: This was recorded after game one and before game two of this two game set
SAC: Kings fall to bottom of Western Conference with another loss to Blazers
Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee
SAS: How are the Spurs shooting the ball through 27 games?
Paul Garcia, The Spot Up Shot
TOR: Without Jakob Poeltl, Raptors are forced into small-ball identity
Eric Koreen, The Athletic
LEAGUEWIDE
These NBA lineups aren’t getting enough shine — and could meaningfully improve their teams if deployed more frequently
Christopher Kline, Fansided
Each Team’s Biggest Problem Right Now
Grant Hughes, Bleacher Report
Two-Way Watch: Intriguing G-League Players
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops
The Pull of Gravity: Taking a Look at the NBA’s New Stat
Jacob Suttton, JSutt Hoops
Shea Serrano tackles Michael Jordan’s numerology and Dennis Rodman’s brilliance in ‘Expensive Basketball’
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune
PRO HOOPS HISTORY
Wilt blocked 23 shots in the 1968 Xmas day nationally televised game vs Suns
BI NOTE: Each year around this time multiple sites publish retrospectives on the “best” Xmas day performances. And each year they all overlook what is arguably the “best” of all. I watched it live on TV and still have difficulty believing what I saw!! 15 blocks in the second half!! The Assn didn’t track blocks back then. The FULL-GAME “record” for blocks is 17 by Elmore Smith, set in October 1973 in the first season the stat was tracked. - Ray LeBov
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