TEAM-SPECIFIC STORIES
BKN: Jacque Vaughn held the Nets accountable. Now they’re rolling
Kristian Winfield, Daily News
BKN: Simmons’ dynamic defense key to Nets’ winning streak
Ethan Sears, NY Post
BOS: Q&A: Marcus Smart
Mark Medina, NBA.com
New to BI? Sign-up for a low-cost - $5/month or $50/year (that is 14 cents per day!)- paid subscription for access to the full BI newsletter, including the team-specific and league-wide stories sections as well as free agency news, draft insights, and takeaways from the previous day’s games. *** If you are a free subscriber, please consider upgrading to paid status, entitling you to the entirety of BI ***
DEN: Surging Nuggets tap immense potential as Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray get healthy
Mike Singer, Denver Post
MEM: The NBA’s future will be on display with Ja Morant on Christmas Day
Ben Golliver, Washington Post
MIA: Coach Spoelstra remains optimistic that struggling Heat offense will improve
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald
NYK: How RJ Barrett broke out of brutal shooting slump before eruption
Zach Braziller, NY Post
ORL: Bol Bol thriving for Magic
Bobby Manning, Boston Sports Journal
PHI: Tyrese Maxey and his family's incredible Christmas comeback story
Maya Jones, ESPN
PHI: Harden has run the Sixers’ offense to near perfection during the team’s seven-game win streak
Paul Hudrick, Liberty Ballers
WAS: Kuzma continues to level up in second season in D.C.
Luke Askew, Wizards.com
LEAGUE-WIDE STORIES
Lakers, Mavericks grapple with their stars shouldering too much of the load
Kyle Goon, OC Register
Adventures in low usage
Harlan Schreiber, Hoops Analyst
THE DRAFT
The Curious Case of GG Jackson
Derek Parker, Sports Illustrated
NBA HISTORY
Every year we see retrospectives regarding the greatest NBA Christmas day performances (usually a “top ten”). For whatever reason, would-be historians typically neglect to include what is likely the best of all: Wilt Chamberlain’s 23 block game on national TV against the Suns in 1968:
FOUR YEARS AGO TODAY: from the BI archives
Have a great Christmas, everyone