Basketball Intelligence For 4/16/25
The Butler did it again, but it was the Spicy Curry that eventually did the Grizzlies in, the Hawks go into a tailspin versus the Magic, plenty of tonight's Play-In conversations, and more...
*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
First Round Mega Preview
Mike Shearer, Basketball Poetry
The Basketball Intelligence Network
Preview of tonight's game against Dallas and potential Friday matchups, the Stockton Kings’ G League championship, and possible outcomes for the upcoming draft.
Ray and Nick preview the upcoming NBA Play-in Tournament for the Sacramento Kings. They start out with an in-depth breakdown of the 9/10 seed game between the Kings and the Dallas Mavericks, including the matchups, rotations for both teams, potential injury absences, and key factors for each squad. Then, they briefly look ahead to the potential 8/9 seed…
First Round of the Playoffs, Kuminga MIA, and All-NBA selections
On this episode, Rush, Jarrett, and Tone get you ready for the first round of the playoffs, as well as discuss Steve Kerr’s choice to bench Jonathan Kuminga, our All-NBA Teams 1–3, and more.
LEAGUEWIDE
My Favorite Defenders From The 24/25 Season
Marc Campbell, Low Man Help
NBA News and Rumor Roundup 4/16/2025
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops
The NBA has a replay review problem (and one simple change would fix it)
Ben Dowsett, Sb Nation
NBA 2024-25 Season Awards Part 1: ROTY, MIP, COTY & 6MOTY
John Jablonka, Simply Ballin
Tuesday’s NBA Play-In Tournament takeaways: Warriors hold off Grizzlies, Magic stifle Hawks
The Athletic NBA Staff, The Athletic
The Whiteboard: Warriors will need more than Steph Curry to beat Rockets
Wes Goldberg, Fansided
The Magic don’t have a single player in this series averaging at least two made 3s per game. The Celtics have five (six if you want to round up Al Horford’s 1.9).
The Magic & Warriors Clinch the 7-Seeds | HOOPS Daily, 4/16/2025
Dustin Brewer, HOOPS Daily
How top-seeded Thunder, Cavaliers check all the boxes as true contenders
Shaun Powell, NBA.com
The Eight Most Intriguing Players in the NBA’s Play-In
Michael Pina, The Ringer
Warriors survive Grizzlies, Magic rout Hawks in NBA Play-In Tournament: Highlights, analysis, reaction and more
Josh Robbins/Anthony Slater/And More, The Athletic
2 bigs or not 2 bigs? That is the question for these playoff teams
Joe Wolfond, The Score
I've written a lot about the resurgence of double-big lineups over the last five years, including before this season. While each iteration is unique, the tactic typically improves a team's defense through scheme versatility, rim protection, and rebounding, at the cost of spacing, speed, and shot creation at the other end of the floor. However, these lineups can also provide an offensive boost through high-low passing, quality interior finishing, and second-chance generation.
And notably, the balance of benefits associated with two-big lineups tipped further toward offense during the 2024-25 regular season. According to research compiled by Owen Phillips at The F5, lineups with multiple bigs scored 1.9 more points per 100 possessions than single-big lineups and 3.1 more points per 100 than center-less lineups this season.
Three Things I Noticed on Play-In Night One: The Little Things
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball
Wednesday Play-In
Kelly Dwyer, Kelly Dwyer On Hoops
It's an NBA Power Rankings Tuesday
Marc Stein, The Stein Line
TEAM NEWS
ATL: Dyson Daniels on film: Why Hawks’ All-Defense contender is NBA’s sneakiest pickpocket
Fred Katz, The Athletic
This is the Daniels Zone, the narrow area between the half-court line and just in front of it. Few people turn half court into a foreboding boundary like Daniels does. The same way coaches teach young players to use the baseline as a sixth defender — that’s what Daniels does with midcourt.
ATL: Hawks’ fourth-quarter implosion vs. Magic seals need for second play-in game
Lauren Williams, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BOS: 5 Lessons from the Celtics' 2024-25 Regular Season
Adam Taylor, Celtics Chronicle
BOS: At The Heart Of Payton Pritchard’s Ascent to Potential Sixth Man Award Is An Unstoppable Mindset
Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes
BKN: Tyrese Martin Talks Career Revival with Nets
Declan Harris, SI.com
CHA: Analyzing Moussa Diabaté's breakout season with the Charlotte Hornets
Matt Alquiza, SI.com
CHI: Bulls in position to end single-minded Heat's season
Joe Cowley, Chicago Sun-Times
Remaining Team News, NBA Draft, WNBA for paid subscribers