Basketball Intelligence For 3/2/23
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BKN: Nets outmuscled by Pistons
Lucas Kaplan, Nets Daily
BOS: Jaylen Brown said he should have done more against Cavaliers’ defensive approach, and other thoughts
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
CHA: Mark Williams shows he’s not damaged goods in first game in Charlotte since nixed trade
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer
CLE: Cavaliers have the length to compete with Celtics
Brendon Ulen, Fear The Sword
CLE: What is Okoro's role?
Caleb Crowley, King James Gospel
DAL: Lillard, Antetokounmpo lead Bucks past Mavericks
Eddie Sefko, Mavs.com
DAL: Kyrie Irving is having a renaissance season when the Mavericks needed it most
Oliver Fox, SBNation
DAL: A 10-day contract was plenty of time for Moses Brown to make an impact on the Mavericks
Mike Curtis, Morning News
DEN: Michael Malone defends Nikola Jokic by taking technical foul 49 seconds into game: “That is not the game plan moving forward to stop us”
Bennett Durando, Denver Post
Michael Malone must not like the view from the visiting team’s bench in Detroit.
For the second season in a row, he was prepared to spend his annual visit to Little Caesar’s Arena alone in a windowless room, instead of in his usual space on the Nuggets’ sideline. “Be ready to coach,” he told David Adelman, his lead assistant.
It was 49 seconds into the game.
Malone thought his technical foul Friday against the Pistons was “one of the quicker techs I’ve ever gotten.” It was certainly one of the loudest, judging by both its immediate timing and the broader statement it symbolized.
“I was just going to let those three officials know that I’m not gonna allow that to happen tonight, where they’re just going to grab, hold, impede Nikola Jokic,” Malone said after Denver’s 134-119 win. “That is not the game plan moving forward to stop us or Nikola.”
DET: 5 moments that sparked the Pistons shocking turnaround
Omari Sankofa II, Free Press
DET: Pistons rebound to blow out Brooklyn Nets
Omari Sankofa II, Free Press
DET: Pistons win ugly behind big game from Jalen Duren
Sean Corp, Detroit Bad Boys
GSW: Loss to 76ers provides graphic proof why Warriors paid Butler
Monte Poole, NBC Sports
They looked as they did before Butler arrived Feb. 8 and instantly lifted their sagging spirits. Lost and uncertain. Active but unproductive. And that applies to offense and defense.
Brandin Podziemski, who benefits greatly from Butler’s presence, strayed from his assured approach and seemed profoundly unsettled. In 25 minutes, he scored five points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field, including 0 of 3 from deep, and finished a team-worst minus-16.
Moses Moody, also thriving since Butler’s arrival, scored 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, including 2 of 4 from distance, and finished minus-10.
Draymond Green missed four layups and still finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists – and a team-high four turnovers.
The absence of Butler left too many Warriors grasping for their games and catching futility. They missed 14 shots considered layups by the NBA. The point-of-attack defense was poor, there were lapses in transition and they also reverted to overhelping and failing to read opposing personnel. Philly, 24th in 3-point shooting at 34.6 percent, shot 57.6 percent beyond the arc.
With a chance to escape the NBA play-in tournament box and move into sixth place in the Western Conference, they looked like the team that was in 10th place three weeks ago.
HOU: Rockets' offense sputters in loss to Sacramento Kings, spoiling Fred VanVleet's return
Danielle Lerner, Houston Chronicle
IND: Should the Pacers double their trouble against mismatches?
Caitlin Cooper, Basketball She Wrote
IND: Pacers waste 'sensational' performance from Pascal Siakam
Dustin Dopirak, Indy Star
LAL: Lakers getting value out of two-way roster spots
Khobi Price, OC Register
MEM: Frustration in Grizzlies' locker room after poor defensive showing
Damichael Cole, Commercial Appeal
This was the second time since the All-Star break they had given up more than 45 points in the second quarter. After the game Saturday, it was something multiple Grizzlies players made note of as frustration mounts over the defensive effort and intensity.
"Energy is not there," forward Santi Aldama said. " . . . I can sit here and just say it's there, but it's not. It's clearly not. We're just letting teams punk us every single night, and then we make up for it and we just hope the coin flips our way. We can't play that way. We're not that team that needs a little bit of luck. We normally set the tone and we haven't been doing that."
MEM: Aldama: Grizz not ‘respecting the game’ fuels frustration
Drew Hill, Daily Memphian
MIL: Win over Mavericks highlights exactly why Bucks traded for promising big man
Dalton Sell, Behind The Buck Pass
BI Comment: Impressive performance, no doubt aided by the absence of AD, Gafford, & Lively
MIN: Timberwolves’ brutal loss to Utah Jazz fuels a troubling season narrative
Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic
NYK: Knicks’ ability to win close games gives hope for potential playoff matchup vs. Celtics
Stefan Bondy, NY Post
NYK: Mitchell Robinson’s return has already raised the Knicks’ ceiling
Kristian Winfield, Daily News
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