Basketball Intelligence For 4/9/25

The Bucks charge back against the Wolves, the Knicks get nipped in OT by the Celtics, another shocking late-season dismissal(s), and more...

*FEATURES OF THE DAY*
Amen Thompson Has Become a Shape-Shifting Nightmare
Danny Chau

THE BASKETBALL INTELLIGENCE NETWORK

TEAM NEWS

ATL: How the Atlanta Hawks wasted a golden opportunity against the Orlando Magic
Bradley Rowland, Fansided

BI: Atlanta is now slotted to compete in their fourth consecutive Play-In

ATL: Takeaways from the Hawks stumble in Orlando
Lauren Williams, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

BOS: 4 takeaways as Boston Celtics beat Knicks in overtime thriller
Brian Robb, Mass Live

BOS: Why Jaylen Brown sat late in Boston Celtics win over Knicks
Brian Robb, Mass Live

BOS: Jayson Tatum just downed the Knicks but Mazzulla isn't even thinking about them
Jack Simone, Hardwood Houdini

BOS: Kristaps Porzingis delivers as Celtics complete season sweep of Knicks in overtime
Gary Washburn, The Boston Globe

BKN: Brooklyn Nets smile through win against New Orleans Pelicans, 119-114
Lucas Kaplan, Nets Daily

CLE: Game Night Observations: The Top Seed is Clinched, Garland's Good Night, and an Update on Donovan Mitchell's Ankle
Danny Cuningham, The Inside Shot

CLE: Cavs clinch No. 1 seed in the East with win over Bulls, 135-113
Ethan Sands, Cleveland.com

CLE: Five takeaways from Cavs 135-113 win over Bulls: Cleveland rediscovered the three-ball
Jackson Flickinger, Fear The Sword

DAL: Don't Stop Believin'
Iztok Franco, Diggin Basketball

DAL: Luka Dončić trade: How Mark Cuban was edged out of Mavericks’ decision-making tree
C. Clark/D. Aldridge/S. Amick/F. Katz, The Athletic

DAL: Mavericks Upgrade Danté Exum to Questionable Before Clash Against Lakers
Grant Afseth, Dallas Hoops Journal

DAL: “It’s Gonna Be Very Emotional”: Luka Dončić Returns to Dallas as a Visitor for the First Time Since Trade
Grant Afseth, Dallas Hoops Journal

DEN: Denver Nuggets fire coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth
Vinny Benedetto, The Denver Gazette

DEN: A historic NBA coach firing ... again
Marc Stein, The Stein Line

DEN: Nuggets fire head coach Michael Malone, general manager Calvin Booth
Bennett Durando, The Denver Post

Booth took the reins as Denver’s top decision-maker after Connelly left for a job with the Timberwolves in May 2022. Connelly was responsible for assembling the core that brought Denver a championship — Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon — but Booth put the finishing touches on the roster by signing Bruce Brown, trading for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and drafting Christian Braun and Peyton Watson.

DEN: Nuggets fire coach Michael Malone, GM Calvin Booth in pre-playoff shakeup
Tony Jones/Sam Amick/Zach Powell, The Athletic

DEN: The Nuggets are wasting Nikola Jokić's prime, and they're running out of time to fix it
Sam Quinn, CBS Sports

GSW: Warriors’ turnaround coincides with Brandin Podziemski’s second-season revival
Anthony Slater, The Athletic

Six months is a long time in the NBA, and this Warriors’ season feels like seven seasons packed into one. Melton’s contract was traded for Dennis Schröder. Kerr tried Schröder as the starter next to Curry for 18 games. Buddy Hield was given an opportunity. So was Lindy Waters III.

But eventually it wound back to Podziemski, who reversed out of an early-season spiral to again emerge as a rising building block of the Warriors’ present and future, taking what Kerr referred to as a “leap” in this most recent stretch of games.

Jimmy Butler’s arrival coincides with the franchise’s turnaround. So does Podziemski’s sophomore change of fortune, which started before the Butler trade.

IND: Pacers Find Way to Win, Inch Closer to Securing Home Court for First Round
Wheat Hotchkiss, NBA.com

LAC: Ivica Zubac’s double-double helps Clippers beat Spurs without Kawhi Leonard
Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times

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