Basketball Intelligence For 3/28/25
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
THE BASKETBALL INTELLIGENCE NETWORK
RefMasters w/Sony Tiwari
Ray LeBov and Nick Agar-Johnson talk with Sony Tiwari, Co-Founder and CEO of RefMasters, a platform created to educate people on officiating. The three discuss the mechanics of the platform and the community fostered around it, as well as several different areas of discussion regarding refereeing habits and common misconceptions of officiating.
*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
What you think you know about Chris Finch isn’t close to who he truly is
Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune
TEAM-SPECIFIC
ATL: Hawks fall to Heat despite historic night from Trae Young
Lauren Williams, AJC
CHI: Giddey’s half-court buzzer-beater stuns the LA Lakers. 4 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls’ improbable win.
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune
BI: The late-game team performance brought back memories of TMac & Reggie
CHI: Josh Giddey’s half-court dagger and triple-double are signs of Bulls’ grit
Darnell Mayberry, The Athletic
CHI: Final 5:21 MUST-SEE ENDING Bulls vs Lakers
NBA.com
CLE: Kenny Atkinson’s toughest coaching dilemma: How significantly will rotation minutes shrink in the playoffs?
Ethan Sands, cleveland.com
CLE: NBA should listen to Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson re reviews and challenges
Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com
“I sympathize with you guys,” Atkinson said. “I sympathize with the fans, like the reviews and the challenges. I prefer the game flowed more. And I thought we were getting that way with the NBA where we’re shortening the games, and it’s got to go. But every review you’re sitting there for seems like forever. It just kills it for the crowd, it kills it for the players.
“However they can limit those reviews, including the challenges, I’m voting yes. The game’s gotta flow better. There’s too much stoppage, in my opinion.”
CLE: Game Night Observations: Donovan Mitchell's Playmaking and Jarrett Allen's Dominance
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot
DAL: Kai Jones suffers another injury, but Mavs win pivotal game at Orlando to leapfrog Suns
Mike Curtis, Morning News
DAL: Kai Jones has been a very impactful player for Mavs
Dwain Price, Mavs.com
DAL: Jaden Hardy’s hot hand helps Mavericks’ to win against Magic, shows potential impact
Mike Curtis, Morning News
DAL: Mavericks show ‘fight’ against Orlando, grab lead for final Play-In Tournament spot
Christian Clark, The Athletic
DAL: 3 takeaways from Mavericks' season sweep over Magic
Austin Veazey, Sports Illustrated
GSW: The birth of the Death Lineup
Danny Emerman, Mercury News
Steve Kerr turned to a small-ball group in his first season that became a model for the rest of the NBA
IND: Pacers demolish Wizards in one of the best offensive performances in recent NBA history
Brad Botkin, CBS Sports
LAC: Ben Simmons is healthy and doing his part with Clippers
Law Murray, The Athletic
LAL: Lakers fall to Bulls on Josh Giddey’s half-court buzzer-beater
Khobi Price, OC Register
The night after beating the Pacers on a tip-in as time expired, the Lakers surrender nine points in the final 10.3 seconds in a stinging 119-117 loss in Chicago
LAL: Lakers searching for answers after devastating loss to Bulls
Jovan Buha, The Athletic
LAL: Lakers crumble in stunner, losing to Bulls on Josh Giddey’s half-court shot at buzzer
Dan Woike, LA Times
MEM: Ja Morant's availability, matchup vs Lakers loom large for struggling Grizzlies
Damichael Cole, Commercial Appeal
MEM: Grizzlies fire Taylor Jenkins
Damichael Cole, Commercial Appeal
inconsistency combined with defensive struggles have led to the franchise being below expectations for this season.
The Grizzlies are 11-20 against teams with records above .500. They've also struggled with an 8-11 record since the All-Star break.
The rest of today’s team-specific stories as well as the leaguewide info follow for paid subscribers