Basketball Intelligence For 2/23/25, PART ONE
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
Lakers dial up defense on Jokic to defeat Denver Nuggets
Vinny Benedetto, Denver Gazette
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BKN: Trendon Watford thrives at point guard down stretch in Nets’ win
Brian Lewis, NY Post
CLE: Cavs love that Evan Mobley has belief he can be NBA's best
Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal
DEN: Luka Doncic, new-look Lakers dominate Nuggets to end Denver’s 9-game win streak
Bennett Durando, Denver Post
DEN: Nikola Jokic says Nuggets might have “tricked ourselves” with 9-game win streak
Bennett Durando, Denver Post
DEN: Lakers dial up defense on Jokic to defeat Denver Nuggets
Vinny Benedetto, Denver Gazette
JJ Redick showed his hand when it comes to defending Nikola Jokic before his first game in Denver as the Lakers coach and still won.
“You try to limit his touches,” Redick said before the Lakers’ 123-100 win Saturday at Ball Arena that ended Denver's nine-game win streak. “That’s what it comes down to. He’s so big. He’s so smart. He can really play angles well off-ball to get the ball. Obviously, it’s hard.”
A swarming Lakers defense made the three-time Most Valuable Player look pedestrian by preventing him from getting the ball. Jokic finished with another triple-double with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, but he only took seven shots, making two. He did most of his scoring damage at the free-throw line, where he made 8 of 10 attempts.
“It speaks to their aggression, their physicality and our inability to handle it. That ultimately falls on me to get a team ready to play. We were outplayed tonight. We were outcoached tonight,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “For Nikola to only get seven shots, that should never be the case. Give them credit. They cross-matched, they doubled him every time. They fronted him on the elbows. They wouldn’t let him catch the ball. What’s the best way to stop a player? Don’t let him touch it. They did a hell of a job of that tonight.”
GSW: Surging Warriors like their new starting lineup that is small but succeeding
Anthony Slater, The Athletic
LAL: Observations From The Win Against the Nuggets
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball
LAL: Luka Dončić looks like ‘killer’ for first time since Lakers trade
Jovan Buha, The Athletic
LAL: Luka Doncic, LeBron James dazzle in Lakers’ win over Nuggets
Khobi Price, OC Register
LAL: Doncic dominates as Lakers finally end eight-game losing streak in Denver
Dan Woike, LA Times
MIN: Looking Back on What Flip Saunders Accomplished
Joe, Behind The Coaching
NYK: The latest from Coach Thibs and a few other Knickerbockers
Antonio Losada, Posting And Toasting
ORL: What Orlando Magic's "three seasons" really say about the team
Philip Rossman-Reich, World R Squared
The Magic have had a wild season already. A season built on optimism, frustration and now determination. Wherever the Magic finish, they have a lot to consider as they examine their next steps
The rest of the team-specific stories as well as leaguewide and draft stories follow for paid subscribers