Basketball Intelligence For 12/31/23
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BKN: Nets’ struggling defense has its work cut out against Thunder
Brian Lewis, NY Post
BOS: Shooting struggles mount again for Jayson Tatum
Bobby Manning, Celtics Blog
BOS: Kornet shows he can really play in addition to cheering on his fellow Celtics
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
BOS: Kornet Finds Fulfillment In Team-First Celtics Mentality
Jason Ounpraseuth, NESN
CHI: 5 takeaways from win over the 76ers
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune
CHI: Bulls lean into a new tradition: Thor’s hammer award for defensive output
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune
CHI: Bulls finish 9-5 December with improved play at both ends
KC Johnson, NBC Sports
CLE: What the Bucks are saying about the Cavs
Robert Fenbers, cleveland.com
DAL: Aggressive Josh Green, fresh Luka Doncic lead Mavericks to road victory over Warriors
Brad Townsend, Morning News
DET: How Pistons’ historic losing streak gave Cade Cunningham a reintroduction to the NBA
James Edwards III, The Athletic
DET: The end of the Pistons’ 28-game losing streak
Sean Corp, Detroit Bad Boys
DET: Cunningham helps Pistons bust 28-game losing skid
Omari Sankofa II, Free Press
GSW: Warriors exit 2023 with a wobbly 15-17 record and a demoralized vibe
Anthony Slater, The Athletic
GSW: Doncic found answers against the Warriors’ coverages — both sound and poorly executed
Joe Viray, Golden State Of Mind
Luka Dončić has far past proved that whatever coverage he sees, he most likely has an answer for it. But this season has been different, as if he’s taking his coverage-busting powers to a whole new level. No matter what you throw at him — being conservative, taking a risk by being aggressive, etc. — Dončić not only has an answer for them; he makes you look absolutely stupid for making those decisions, even if they objectively aren’t.
After the game, Steve Kerr was asked how coverage decisions were made against Dončić.
“We tried to mix it up on him,” Kerr said. “We single covered him, we switched... we tried a lot of different things, but he’s a brilliant player, had a phenomenal game. I thought the mistakes we made defensively in the first half especially were on our switches. We weren’t communicating. We had some good stretches where we were getting stops and our switches were good, and then our communication broke down. We started getting two on the ball and he picked us apart. He was fantastic tonight.”
GSW: Kerr vexed by Warriors' lack of 'grit,' says team 'not there yet'
Kendra Andrews, ESPN
GSW: Warriors' logical lineup change doesn't fix issues in loss to Mavs
Monte Poole, NBC Sports
GSW: Warriors have on-court chemistry issues that may be too late to fix
Shayna Rubin, Mercury News
IND: How Tyrese Haliburton exploited his own mistake: even when he commits a turnover, he still finds the advantage
Caitlin Cooper, Basketball She Wrote
IND: Pacers get record-setting night from Tyrese Haliburton in victory over Knicks
Akeem Glaspie, Indy Star
IND: Led by historic night from Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers take down Knicks for third-straight win
Tony East, Sports Illustrated
LAC: Kawhi Leonard’s uncertain injury status leaves Clippers little choice but to hold the line
Law Murray, The Athletic
LAL: Lakers’ comeback attempt falls short against Timberwolves
Khobi Price, OC Register
MIA: Jaime Jaquez Jr. proving 4-year college players can impact NBA immediately
Krysten Peek, Yahoo Sports
MIA: Takeaways from road loss to Jazz
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald
MIN: The Wolves Should Find Minutes For Leonard Miller
Markos Tsegay, Zone Coverage
MIN: Wolves beat Lakers 108-106 after wild ending at Target Center
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
MIN: Two moments where emotions got the better of the Timberwolves in Saturday's victory over Lakers
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
NYK: The Knicks are a better, more well-balanced team today than they were yesterday. And they still possess the draft capital to improve the roster tomorrow
Tommy Beer, What’s On Tap
NYK: CAA, OG Anunoby and the Knicks next chess move
Tom Haberstroh, The Finder
NYK: Depleted Knicks ripped by Pacers after making blockbuster trade
Peter Botte, NY Post
NYK: Depleted Knicks run out of gas in loss to Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
Kristian Winfield, Daily News
ORL: Q & A: Jalen Suggs
David Aldridge, The Athletic
PHI: Sixers vs. Bulls takeaways
Keith Pompey, The Inquirer
PHI: 3 observations from loss to Bulls
Noah Levick, NBC Sports
PHO: Beal’s return allows Devin Booker to play more off ball
John Voita, Bright Side Of The Sun
TOR: The Raptors address every need in Immanuel Quickley
Louis Zatzman, Raptors Republic
TOR: How RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley will immediately impact the Toronto Raptors
Chelsea Leite, Raptors HQ
TOR: Raptors’ 2023 ends fittingly with OG Anunoby trade and historic loss to Pistons
Eric Koreen, The Athletic
TOR: Barrett won’t replace Anunoby, but he can help Toronto’s rotation
Louis Zatzman, Raptors Republic
UTA: Keyonte George leads fourth quarter hot streak to lift Jazz past Heat
Sarah Todd, Deseret News
UTA: The biggest improvement in Keyonte George’s game? His growing confidence
Eric Walden, Salt Lake Tribune
Links to in-depth analyses of the NYK-TOR trade follow below for paid subscribers