Basketball Intelligence For 3/20/25
Luka and the Lakers continue to let it fly, Mamu Mamu has an otherworldly performance, the Pels leave the Wolves howling, and more...
*FEATURES OF THE DAY*
Zion Williamson, LaMelo Ball and a few more interesting factors on the NBA's 5 worst teams
Dan Devine, Yahoo! Sports
Celtics sold for $6.1 billion, highest price in North American sports history
Mike Vorkunov/Jay King/Jared Weiss, The Athletic
BASKETBALL INTELLIGENCE NETWORK
Dark Alley All-Stars
Evan rants about arbitrary accolades while Aaron claims he loves historical stats—right before botching a big one. We work in a Ricky Davis reference (10:41)! Somewhere around the conversation about Steph's possibility of making it to 5,000 career threes, Aaron's audio starts acting right (
Cavaliers Preview with Chris Fedor/Recap and Preview
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com joins Ray and Nick to preview the upcoming game between the Sacramento Kings and the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. They discuss the changes to the Cavs since last season, Evan Mobley and his injury status, and the impact of Kenny Atkinson, among other topics. Then, Ray and Nick recap the last three games fo…
TEAM NEWS
ATL: Trae Young's murky Hawks future becomes even less clear with projected NBA Draft pick
Eamon Cassels, Fansided
It's not impossible that Young and Jakucionis could co-exist, but it's far from a guarantee. Jakucionis' main selling points are his playmaking, shot creation, and size. While adding a guard with size next to Trae is ideal, Jakucionis' playmaking and creation abilities could make it challenging for him to fit next to Young. It's worth noting that Jakucionis' active off-ball play would be an upgrade over past backcourt pairings, specifically Dejounte Murray. Still, Jakucionis thrives with the ball in his hands.
BOS: Breaking Down Kristaps Porzingis' Mismatch Hunting and Post Play vs. Nets
Adam Taylor, Celtics Chronicle
CHI: Bulls guard Kevin Huerter taking old-school approach to Sacramento return
Joe Cowley, Chicago Sun-Times
CHI: The Giddey Conversation Pt. II: Legit improvements or unsustainable shooting?
Will Gottlieb, Allchgo
BI: Since the Zach LaVine trade on February 2, in 16 games, Giddey is averaging 20.8 points and 6.8 assists on 51.1% from the floor and 48.7% from distance on 4.8 attempts per game.
CLE: Game Night Observations: Inconsistent Basketball, Shooting Slumps and Minute Management
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot
CLE: Cavs' chances of joining exclusive fraternity vanish with 123-119 setback to Kings
Chris Fedor, Cleveland.com
CLE: Why Donovan Mitchell is enjoying the Cavs' three-game losing streak
Chris Fedor, Cleveland.com
DAL: Brandon Williams Giving Mavs a Glimmer of Hope
Joseph Amoateng, The Lead
DAL: Anthony Davis seems hell-bent on foiling the Mavericks' attempted tank job
Mat Rutkowski, Fansided
DEN: 3 takeaways from Denver's loss in Los Angeles
Vinny Benedetto, The Denver Gazette
DEN: Nuggets can’t recreate magic without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray in blowout loss to Lakers
Bennett Durando, The Denver Post
DET: 5 reasons why the 'boring' Detroit Pistons are worthy of your attention (and Shaq's too)
Dan Devine, Yahoo! Sports
Just one problem with that: While Chauncey Billups was synonymous with the Pistons throughout the 2000s, leading the franchise to six straight Eastern Conference finals appearances, a pair of NBA Finals and the 2004 NBA championship, and while he is currently an NBA head coach, he is not the coach of the Detroit Pistons. Billups, in fact, coaches the Portland Trail Blazers. J.B. Bickerstaff coaches the Detroit Pistons — and has done so with such aplomb that he’s probably going to wind up at or near the top of a lot of Coach of the Year ballots come season’s end. (Though presumably not Shaq’s, if he has one. Is he going to get one? Do those come with G14 classification?)
DET: Cade Cunningham banks Detroit Pistons past Miami Heat, 116-113, in final second
Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press
GSW: Jimmy Butler: The Milwaukee Nightmare Returns in Warriors Gold
Daniel Hardee, Dub Nation HQ
GSW: Preview: Is Jimmy the Klay for Draymond’s defense?
Punk Basketball, Dub Nation HQ
IND: Why the Pacers continue to be pure cinema
Caitlin Cooper, Basketball, She Wrote
MIA: Heat President Pat Riley, at 80, is . . . still on the clock
Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel
MIA: Heat’s skid hits nine after painful last-second loss to Pistons. Takeaways and postgame reaction
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald
MIN: What Did We Learn About the Wolves On Their 8-Game Winning Streak?
George Fallon, Zone Coverage
MIN: Zion Williamson blitzes Minnesota as Timberwolves drop second straight
Jace Frederick, Pioneer Press
MIN: Timberwolves let one get away against the not-quite-last-place Pelicans
Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune\
Remaining Team Stories, Leaguewide, NBA Draft, and History of the Game for paid subscribers