Basketball Intelligence For 2/5/26
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BOS: Ron Harper Jr. started his first-ever NBA game on Wednesday night — and had a standout game in an improbable Celtics win over the Rockets
Noa Dalzell, Celtics Blog
BOS: Payton Pritchard embraces bench role as Celtics adapt after Anfernee Simons trade
Jay King, The Athletic
CLE: Cavs clobber Clippers
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
CLE: Game Night Observations: Starting the New Era with a Bang and the Lonzo Ball Trade
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot
CLE: Donovan Mitchell opens up about James Harden-Darius Garland trade
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
CLE: Seven ways James Harden will help the Cavs this season
Jackson Flickinger, SBNation
DAL: Trading Anthony Davis paves the way for Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg-led future
Mike Curtis, Morning News
DAL: Luka Dončić trade will never make sense, but dealing Anthony Davis turns a page
Fred Katz, The Athletic
DEN: Takeaways from Denver’s double-overtime loss at Madison Square Garden
Vinny Benedetto, Denver Gazette
DEN: Nuggets blow past Nikola Jokic minutes restriction, but Jalen Brunson makes them pay in 2OT thriller
Bennett Durando, Denver Post
DET: Selling low on Jaden Ivey is actually a great sign for the Pistons
Brennan Sim, Fansided
HOU: Observations from blowout loss to Jaylen Brown-less Celtics
Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle
HOU: ‘Edge is missing’ for Rockets
Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle
HOU: The Rockets have been quiet as the NBA trade deadline nears. That may be for the best
William Guillory, The Athletic
IND: With the season derailed by injuries, Indiana’s focus has shifted to cap management, a long-term answer at center, and deciding on Bennedict Mathurin’s future
Scott Agness, Fieldhouse Files
LAC: Darius Garland introduced; Clippers throttled by Cavs
Justin Russo
LAC: Sloppy Clippers buried by Cavaliers to begin post-Harden era
Janis Carr, OC Register
MIN: Anthony Edwards’ heroics lift Timberwolves out of trade rumor-induced fog
Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic
MIN: Timberwolves use big fourth quarter to rally past Toronto
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
NYK: The Knicks get their best - and wildest - win of the season.
Jonathan Macri, Knicks Film School
NYK: Knicks extend winning streak to 8
Kristian Winfield, Daily News
OKC: As Jared McCain joins Thunder, the rich get even richer
James Herberts, CBS Sports
OKC: Thunder, down to just eight players, falls short against San Antonio Spurs
Justin Martinez, The Oklahoman
PHI: McCain’s time in Philly was marked by immediate promise and zapped by knee and thumb injuries that required surgery and sidelined him for 11 months
Gina Mizell, The Inquirer
PHX: Devin Booker’s stability an anomaly in NBA’s player-movement era
Shaun Powell, NBA.com
SAC: Grizzlies spoil De’Andre Hunter’s debut as Kings lean into youth movement
Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee
SAS: 3 takeaways as Spurs survive shorthanded Thunder squad missing eight players
Jeff McDonald, Express-News
SAS: Playing more relaxed, Spurs rookie Carter Bryant turns in solid outing
Tom Orsborn, Express-News
TOR: Raptors’ sloppy fourth quarter leads to collapse
Michael Grange, Sportsnet
WAS: What the Anthony Davis trade means for the Wizards’ future
Josh Robbins, The Athletic
LEAGUEWIDE
What do terms like ‘apron’ actually mean?
Danny Leroux, The Athletic
PODCAST: NBA Media Landscape Discussion
Ray LeBov/Brendon Kleen, No Weak Stuff
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