Basketball Intelligence For 3/27/25
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
Sweet Sixteen players who deserve more of a spotlight as the Draft approaches: Derik Queen, Labaron Philon, Tahaad Pettiford, Tyrese Proctor, and Alex Condon.
Nick Agar-Johnson, No Ceilings
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BKN: Nets improve NBA lottery chances after ugly loss to lowly Raptors
Brian Lewis, NY Post
BOS: Rookie Baylor Scheierman stayed confident and now is ‘coming into his own’
Jay King, The Athletic
BOS: No Jayson Tatum, no problem: Celtics rout Suns to extend win streak to seven games
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
BOS: 4 takeaways as Celtics crush Suns
Brian Robb, Mass Live
CHI: Lonzo Ball planning to return to Bulls for final postseason push
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune
CLE: Ty Jerome can save the spirit of this misguided NBA award
Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com
DEN: The Bucks were missing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but they managed to keep it close most of the night in Denver.
Bennett Durando, Denver Post
DEN: Not quite 100% Nikola Jokic was surprised with how well the impingement in his left ankle responded to nearly two weeks of rest
Vinny Benedetto, Denver Gazette
DEN: Nuggets title hopes hinge on a total uncertainty: It's all about the margins
Ben Handler, Nugg Love
To be a great team, the Nuggets need to be getting consistent, supplemental performances around the two stars. We’ve seen that when defenses ramp it up against Denver, they pack the paint, throw bodies at Jokic, and dare the Nuggets to beat them with shooting.
The Nuggets’ secondary offensive players are not bad shooters. In fact, many are shooting a high percentage. But outside of Michael Porter Jr., none of them are volume shooters, nor are they impacting a defense or changing the spacing with gravity.
It’s a major issue and a total wild card on a nightly basis. Porter Jr. is the best of the bunch, but he has been prone to disappearing acts, especially in the playoffs, plus he has been in a huge slump since the All-Star break. Aaron Gordon is shooting 45% from three on the year, but he barely attempts 3 a game and those are shots the defense will live with.
The same could be said about Christian Braun and Peyton Watson. Both players have shot the ball well, but they are hesitant and reluctant shooters who don’t intimidate opposing defenses. Russell Westbrook is more than happy to let it fly, but that’s the last guy that Nuggets fans want to see shooting threes in the playoffs.
For the Nuggets to make a deep playoff run, they are going to have to get a nice run of consistent, confident shooting from several of these players. It’s certainly not impossible, but it’s hard to trust. Other teams have much more reliable secondary options that will be clearly on display in the playoffs.
IND: Bennedict Mathurin swings wildly
Samson Folk, Basketball She Wrote
IND: Lakers stun streaking Pacers in final seconds
Shakeia Taylor, The Athletic
LAC: Leonard, Harden deliver Clippers key road win
Justin Russo
LAL: Lakers edge Pacers on buzzer-beating tip-in to end skid
Khobi Price, OC Register
Held to three points through three quarters, LBJ does his best work in the fourth and tips in a Luka Doncic miss as time expires for a 120-119 win that halts a three-game losing streak
LAL: Lakers narrowly escape Pacers 120-119
Eric Koreen, The Athletic
LAL: LeBron James’ tap-in at the buzzer snaps Lakers’ three-game losing streak
Dan Woike, LA Times
LAL: How a free throw turned LeBron James’ night around and led to a win
Dan Woike, LA Times
MIA: Andrew Wiggins on leaving Warriors, adjusting to Heat
James Jackson, The Athletic
MIL: Without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Bucks fall to Nuggets
Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel
MIL: What’s next for Bucks after Lillard’s diagnosis
Eric Nehm, The Athletic
NYK: Knicks Clipped at MSG
Tommy Beer, Knicks Centric
NYK: Outmanned: The Knicks are running out of healthy bodies.
Jonathan Macri, Knicks Film School
NYK: The Knicks should be NBA’s poster child for one reason
Stefan Bondy, NY Post
ORL: Consistency has helped Magic's shooters find their rhythm
Philip Rossman-Reich, World R Squared
ORL: PODCAST: Previewing Magic-Kings game with Philip Rossman-Reich
Ray LeBov/Nick Agar-Johnson, Kings Weekly Podcast
The rest of today’s team-specific stories as well as leaguewide & draft-related stories follow for paid subscribers