Basketball Intelligence For 1/3/26
The day's best basketball news and reporting.
FEATURE OF THE DAY
It’s been easy to wonder whether Suns knew what they were doing. Turns out, they did
Doug Haller, The Athletic
TEAM NEWS
ATL: Hawks continue momentum with road win over Knicks
Lauren Williams, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BOS: Don’t confuse Luka Garza’s game as just hustle
Bill Sy, Celtics Blog
BKN: Nets fans should be grateful for these 5 things
C.J. Holmes, The Guam Daily Post
It’s clear that Brooklyn didn’t just draft a bunch of randoms in June. They drafted a direction. Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf have each had their own moments already, some in spurts with the big club and others in extended G League runs. You can see their confidence growing. You can see the outlines of what they might become. And that’s not even getting into Noah Clowney’s third-year leap.
For a franchise that’s spent years chasing stars, there’s something refreshing about watching a young core learn, fail, respond and slowly figure out what they can be. Yes, they’re raw. Yes, they’re inconsistent. But they’re also the clearest sign of long-term hope the Nets have had in quite some time.
CHA: GAMENOTES: Regular Season Game #34 Charlotte Hornets (11-22) at Milwaukee Bucks (14-20) - January 2nd, 2026
Doug Branson, Every Hornets Boxscore
CHI: Undermanned Bulls slam their way to second straight win, beating Magic
Joe Cowley, Chicago Sun-Times
CLE: Game Night Observations: Growth, Offensive Stagnation and a Return to Action
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot
CLE: The Cavs know they’ve found a hidden gem, and this is only the start for Jaylon Tyson
Tony Pesta, Fear the Sword
CLE: Why one game won’t — and shouldn’t — change Cavs’ rotation plans
Wine and Gold Talk Podcast, Cleveland.com
CLE: Cavaliers’ only offseason win was an addition almost no one paid attention to
Caleb Crowley, King James Gospel
