Basketball Intelligence For 4/24/26
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
FEATURES OF THE DAY
‘An ugly concussion’: Leading neuroscientist weighs in on Victor Wembanyama’s brain injury and NBA protocols
Tom Haberstroh, Yahoo Sports
PODCAST: 2025-2026 NBA Rookies
Ray LeBov/Nathan Grubel/Nick Agar-Johnson, NO WEAK STUFF
THE PLAYOFFS
NBA playoffs winners and losers: Nikola Jokić’s rare struggles headline a night that flipped multiple series
Brad Botkin, CBS Sports
Recapping Thursday’s Three Game 3s
Dustin Brewer, HOOPS
ATL-NYK
Unlikely duo of CJ McCollum, Jonathan Kuminga has Hawks positioned to upset Knicks
John Hollinger, The Athletic
Hawks defense stands strong, downs Knicks to take 2-1 lead in series
Lauren Williams, JC
CJ McCollum Is the Trade Nobody Took Seriously—Until Now
Howard Beck, The Ringer
McCollum sinks Knicks again to give Hawks series lead: Game 3 takeaways
The Athletic
Knicks on the ropes against a Hawks team that is every bit their equal
Brad Botkin, CBS Sports
Josh Hart has been the Knicks’ most important player. They need even more of him
James Edwards III, The Athletic
The Knicks can’t stop CJ McCollum
Ben Golliver
A First-Round NBA Playoffs Collapse Could Signal the End of This Knicks Core
Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated
DET-ORL
The Magic still haven’t fixed their biggest weakness
Mat Issa, Fansided
Lifelong friends and fans of each other’s success, Detroit’s Daniss Jenkins and Marcus Sasser are loving life as NBA teammates
Jeff Zillgitt, NBA.com
The Magic are confident because the series is about the margins
Philip Rossman-Reich, World R Squared
LAL-HOU
Deandre Ayton’s ‘thankless work’ has Lakers in control heading to Houston
Dan Woike, The Athletic
Lakers-Rockets Game 3: All eyes on Ime Udoka and the Rockets
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball
Kevin Durant will be blamed for a Rockets postseason collapse, but he shouldn’t be
Eamon Cassels, Fansided
A tale of two double-teams
Mike Shearer, Basketball Poetry
Alperen Şengün, unlucky meme king of Rockets-Lakers series, must change narrative fast
William Guillory
The Lakers were challenged defensively by Kevin Durant. They haven’t blinked
Law Murray, The Athletic
MIN-DEN
Timberwolves flash roster depth in Game 3 blowout win over Denver
Jace Frederick, Pioneer Press
‘Ornery’ Jaden McDaniels backs up ‘bad defenders’ talk with a playoff masterpiece
Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic
Jaden McDaniels backs up his words in memorable Game 3 performance
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
Jaden McDaniels lights the match in Timberwolves’ Game 3 win over Denver
Jace Frederick, Pioneer Press
Can Nikola Jokić, after his worst-ever NBA playoff game, respond like Nikola Jokić?
Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic
Timberwolves back up talk, blast Nuggets without Aaron Gordon in Game 3 of NBA Playoffs series
Bennett Durando, Denver Post
Timberwolves put clamps on Nuggets to take 2-1 series lead: Takeaways
The Athletic
Timberwolves drill Denver Nuggets in Game 3
Vinny Benedetto, Danver Gazette
PHI-BOS
Maxey proving he’s a capable No. 1 option for 76ers against Celtics in playoffs
Tony Jones, The Athletic
SAS-POR
‘An ugly concussion’: Leading neuroscientist weighs in on Victor Wembanyama’s brain injury and NBA protocols
Tom Haberstroh, Yahoo Sports
How the Spurs can right the ship against Portland without Victor Webanyama
Jeff McDonald, Express-News
After Game 2 upset over Spurs, Trail Blazers plot rest of playoff series
Joe Freeman, Oregon Live
Blazers’ On-Court Vibes Couldn’t Be Better, and their Off-Court Vibes Couldn’t Be Worse
Sean Highkin, Rose Garden Report
TOR-CLE
Raptors show life, pound Cavs to earn first win of playoff series
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
Scottie Barnes, Raptors bully Cavaliers in gritty Game 3 victory
The Athletic
Raptors steal Cavs’ force by slowing down Donovan Mitchell, James Harden
Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com
Toronto takes Game 3 with aggressive attack, but Brandon Ingram still in a funk
Kelly Iko, Yahoo Sports
Scottie Barnes’ first playoff masterpiece shows Raptors forward’s all-around brilliance
Eric Koreen, The Athletic
Game 3 Observations: Force, Strategy and the Proper Reaction
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot
The 5 biggest takeaways from Game 3 of Cavs vs. Raptors
Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com
Barnes and Murray-Boyles are miracles as Raptors win fever-dream Game 3
Louis Zatzman, Raptors Republic
Forecasting the NBA Playoffs Based on Prior Playoff Performance
Bob Bellotti, Basketball Points
TEAM-SPECIFIC
DAL: Max Christie’s growth into a sharpshooter was a bright spot in a grueling year for Mavericks
Mike Curtis, Morning News
GSW: Five flaws Warriors must address to upgrade their roster this NBA offseason
Monte Poole, NBC Sports
MIA: Andrew Wiggins has important decision to make this offseason. What it means for the Heat
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald
LEAGUEWIDE
PODCAST: 2025-2026 NBA Rookies
Ray LeBov/Nathan Grubel/Nick Agar-Johnson, NO WEAK STUFF
Ray is joined by Nick Agar-Johnson and Nathan Grubel, each from No Ceilings, to discuss the 2025-26 NBA Rookie Class. They start out with an in-depth discussion of Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, before discussing the other four players on Nathan's All-Rookie team from his recent No Ceilings story. Then, they talk about Maxime Raynaud and Cedric Coward, Nathan's two hardest cuts from his First Team. Finally, they wrap up the episode by rounding out Nathan's Second Team nominees and a brief discussion of his Honorable Mentions.
THE DRAFT
2026 NBA Mock Draft
Matt Babcock, Babcock Hoops
NBA Mock Draft 3.0
Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo Sports
New 2026 NBA Mock Draft and Prospects Facing Major Fall Down Draft Boards
Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report
Nate Ament Will Need Perfect Landing Spot at 2026 NBA Draft
Derek Parker, Sports Illustrated
Potential Steals of the Draft
Jeremias Engelmann, 5x5
Best Game Series: Karim Lopez Video Breakdown
Bryce Simon, Game Theory