Basketball Intelligence For 3/13/25, Part Two
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
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*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
How the Pacers did better in giving the Bucks their best shot(s)
LEAGUEWIDE
2025 NBA Playoffs: Standings, bracket and clinching updates
NBA.com
Predicting how NBA standings will look at end of season
Shaun Powell, NBA.com
What to watch for each squad down the stretch.
Winners and losers from Week 20 of the regular season:
Lorenzo Reyes, USA Today
Rookie Ladder: Zaccharie Risacher surging as season winds down
Steve Aschburner, NBA.com
5 Steals From The Second Round Of The 2024 NBA Draft
Mat Issa, sportscasting.com
They’re fighting again: “stronger men, super competitive mindsets, tired minds, and less trust in the system”
Henry Abbott/David Thorpe, True Hoop
BI: btw, multiple former officials have told me that another reason for “late whistles” is that when the foul is obvious but not called by the official in whose zone it occurred, another official will call it after waiting a beat on the assumption that the first official missed it because his/her vision was screened out.
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BOS: Thunder stand as most daunting roadblock for Celtics’ 19th title
Conor Ryan, Boston.com
BOS: Al Horford was destined for greatness. His mom knew it all along.
Noa Dalzell, Celtics Blog
BOS: Luke the Kornector: the art of spacing without shooting
Azad Rosay, Celtics Blog
IND: How the Pacers did better in giving the Bucks their best shot(s)
Caitlin Cooper, Basketball She Wrote
"As a group, we missed a lot of open ones," Tyrese Haliburton told reporters of the team's 13-of-39 shooting on threes after making the biggest and toughest shot of the game. "We feel really comfortable. We got a lot of good looks, like a lot of good looks. There's probably an advanced stat that Caitlin will write about."
IND: Siakam Is Putting Together An All-NBA Season
Esfandiar Baraheni, sportscasting.com
LAL: What’s going on with all the Lakers’ injuries?
Dan Woike, LA Times
MIA: Heat-Clippers film notes: Harden ISOs, Bogdan cooking everyone, a lot of Wiggins on offense, PNR offense struggling
John Jablonka, Simply Ballin
MIN: DiVincenzo Has Made A Boundless Impact Since His Return
Jonah Maves, Zone Coverage
NOP: Why the Pelicans will NOT have multiple first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft
Andy Quach, Pelicans Debrief
NYK: Shamet’s decision to eschew surgery in offseason paying off for Knicks
Stefan Bondy, NY Post
NYK: Knicks 114, Blazers 113 (OT)
Jonathan Macri, Knicks Film School
NYK: How the Knicks have gotten back a whole new Mitchell Robinson since his ankle surgery
Stefan Bondy, NY Post
ORL: Magic fight to be the physically dominant team again
Philip Rossman-Reich, World R Squared
PHI: Sixers fail upwards in 105-118 loss to Raptors
Zach Ciavolella, Philly Sports Network
Two heated rivals took to the hardwood the night of Wednesday, March 12. But this wasn’t the traditional rival game, as the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors — or, at the very least, their fans — were both actively hoping to come out of this game with a loss. Despite losing the game, the Sixers won the tank battle, failing upward ever closer to a top draft pick this summer.
POR: Trail Blazers Lose Heartbreaker to Knicks in Overtime
Sean Highkin, Rose Garden Report
TOR: Raptors beat 76ers as rivalry takes on different meaning
Michael Grange, Sportsnet
The Raptors did their part to execute the mission. When veteran centre Jakob Poeltl lined up for the tip — after sitting out two of the past three games for rest — he was making his 335th NBA start. Joining him on the floor were Jared Rhoden (making his second NBA start), Jamal Shead (third) and 10-day signee Colin Castleton and rookie Jamison Battle, who were getting their first NBA starts. Not playing for Toronto were regular starters Scottie Barnes (finger), Immanuel Quickley (rest), RJ Barrett (personal reasons) and Gradey Dick (knee, bruised sit bone). Also out were regulars Ochai Agbaji (ankle) and Ja'Kobe Walter (thigh strain). Brandon Ingram (ankle) remained out and the Raptors' most effective reserve, Chris Boucher, didn't check in and hasn’t seen the floor in two weeks.
The Sixers' injury and inactive list was just as long and top-heavy, but it didn’t matter. Even though Poeltl was held to 17 minutes and Shead was glued to the bench after 12, perhaps because the Raptors were plus-17 with the rookie on the floor as he dished five assists while repeatedly splitting the Sixers defence. But even while playing 38-year-old Garrett Temple, Lawson and Rhoden at point guard for all of the second half, Toronto couldn’t out-tank Philadelphia.
For whatever reason, the Raptors' gathering of youngsters and players trying to gain traction in the NBA has proven more effective than their opponents'.
BI: All-too-common type of game this time of year: management wants to lose, players want to win. Result: weirdness & sometimes hilarity
TOR: The Raptors pull off the most unsuccessful tank game of all time
Chelsea Leite, Raptors HQ
“Tanking” apparently isn’t in the vocabulary of fringe roster guys trying to carve a place out in the NBA
TOR: Raptors Pull All the Levers But Can't Lose to 76ers in Crucial Lottery Showdown
Aaron Rose, Sports Illustrated
It wasn’t Game 7 against the 76ers. If anything, it was the complete opposite. Call it the anti-Game 7. Two teams battling as hard as they could to lose Wednesday night, each eyeing the fifth-worst record in the NBA and the 42.1% chance at a top-four pick that comes with it.
The problem is someone had to win and on Wednesday it was Toronto Raptors who reluctantly clinched a 118-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Scotiabank Arena.
THE DRAFT
The Enigmatic Egor Demin
Stephen Gillaspie, No Ceilings
Top NBA Prospects Shine in Conference Tournament Action
Rafael Barlowe, NBA Big Board