Basketball Intelligence For 12/24/23
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BKN: Suggestions To Fix Nets’ Sputtering Starts (And Finishes)
Steve Lichtenstein, Steve’s Newsletter
BKN: Nets snap five-game skid by handing Pistons record-tying 26th consecutive loss
Mark W. Sanchez, NY Post
BOS: Jayson Tatum plays through pain as Celtics offense keeps taking off
Jared Weiss, The Athletic
BOS: Jayson Tatum returns to score 30 points as Celtics rout Clippers
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
BOS: Center Neemias Queta’s value to Celtics increases with every performance
Gary Washburn, Boston Globe
BOS: Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'
Bobby Krivitsky, Sports Illustrated
CHA: More injury shuffling for Hornets. What Charlotte said after short-handed loss to Denver
Rod Boone, Charlotte Observer
CHI: Bulls' 3-game win streak snapped by shorthanded Cavaliers
KC Johnson, NBC Sports
CLE: Cavs prove battle tested despite being plagued by injuries in win over Bulls
Ethan Sands, cleveland.com
DAL: In his return from one-game absence, Doncic Leads Dominant Mavs Win Over Spurs
Grant Afseth, Sports Illustrated
DAL: Popovich Speaks on How Doncic 'Destroys' Defenses
Grant Afseth, Sports Illustrated
"He just destroys whatever defense is thrown at him," Popovich said of Doncic. "And I think he must be underestimated as an athlete. You know, you look at him and he looks like he ate a couple too many donuts, sometimes. You don't think of him as an athlete athlete. But talk about, beyond basketball IQ, just a feel for the game, making decisions at exactly the right moment."
Doncic's precise pace and footwork on his drives often prevent him from being placed in a tough situation deep in the paint without a plan to complete the play, were highlighted by Popovich. The control Doncic has is something any coach would like to teach and instill into a player, but he does it in a way that cannot be taught.
"You teach your players not to play in a crowd, for instance. He doesn't even get close to that because he's already two iterations earlier. He did what he was supposed to do, and it's his IQ and his total kinetic view of the court. He knows where everybody is all the time. He understands all those spatial relationships, and he's not jumping out of the gym, he's not blowing by you, but as I said, he uses that body and understands how to put people in positions they cannot handle.
"Every time I watch him play, I'm more amazed at what he gets done because he does it so consistently," Popovich said. "Guys can do what he does now and then, but he does it every night. He's a special young man."
DEN: Nuggets don’t allow field goal first 11 minutes of second half in wild win over Hornets
Bennett Durando, Denver Posr
DET: Pistons match NBA single-season losing streak record with 26th straight defeat
James Edwards III, The Athletic
DET: What Monty Williams missed with Pistons turnover talk
Aaron Kellerstrass, Piston Powered
GSW: Klay Thompson’s hot hand and patience fuels Warriors’ five-game win streak
Shayna Rubin, Mercury News
GSW: Warriors extend win streak to five, regain winning record
Shayna Rubin, Mercury News
GSW: How did the Warriors get Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 57th pick?
Anthony Slater, The Athletic
IND: 'That’s the future of the league': Pacers' lack of size on the wing magnified against modern-built teams like Orlando
Scott Agness, Fieldhouse Files