TEAM-SPECIFIC

CHA: The Who, What, When, Where, Why And How Behind The Hornets’ 180 On Defense
Sam Perley, hornets.com

CHA: GAMENOTES: Hornets vs. Kings
Owen Watterson, Every Hornets Boxscore

CLE: Game Night Observations: Porous Defense, James Harden’s Scoring and More
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot

CLE: Donovan Mitchell urges NBA to make coaches’ challenge rule change
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com

CLE: The Cavs’ defensive identity crisis isn’t improving. Could it be the system?
Chris Fedor/Ethan Sands, cleveland.com

DEN: Nuggets blow out Rockets and find their missing rhythm
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post

DEN: Cam Johnson trying to ‘hoop and have fun’ amid strange season
Bennett Durando, Denver Post

‘I think sometimes, he’s trying to make perfect plays, instead of just making the play that is right there in front of (him),’ Nuggets coach David Adelman said

DEN: Christian Braun contributes on both ends in Nuggets’ big win over Rockets
Vinny Benedetto, Denver Gazette

HOU: Rockets mauled by Nuggets as wheels come off in second half
Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle

LAC: Kawhi Leonard’s 45 powers Clippers’ record-setting night
Justin Russo

LAC: Kawhi Leonard, surging Clippers crush Timberwolves
Janis Carr, OC Register

LAL: The Lakers’ improved defense could shape their playoff push. Can they sustain it?
Law Murray, The Athletic

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TEAM-SPECIFIC

ATL: Hawks down Mavericks to grab NBA’s longest active winning streak
Lauren Williams, AJC

ATL: Kuminga fits Atlanta’s scheme perfectly; But are the non-transition moments good enough?
Sam Vecenie, Game Theory

BKN: Til Next Season, Egor; Nets Fans Barely Got to Know The Real You
Steve Lichtenstein

BOS: 4 Takeaways From The Celtics Loss To The Spurs
Adam Taylor, The Celtics Chronicle

CHA: Hornets Charge Back From 19 Down To Nip Portland
Sam Perley, Hornets.com

CHA: GAMENOTES: Regular Season Game #66 vs Blazers
Owen Watterson, Every Hornets Boxscore

CHA: ‘Character win’ in Portland shows these aren’t Hornets of old
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer

CHA: PODCAST: Sacramento Kings vs Charlotte Hornets Preview
Ray LeBov/Nick Agar-Johnson/Eamon Cassells, Kings Weekly Podcast

CLE: Two superstars, two passing styles: Harden vs. Mitchell, inside the Cavs’ offense
Ethan Sands/Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com

DEN: As they get healthy, Nuggets are hoping to discover their true identity
Shaun Powell, NBA.com

GSW: Warriors’ Kerr reiterates he wants NBA to cut down season; says quality of play would improve
Nick Friedell, The Athletic

GSW: Warriors’ playoff picture gets murkier after Ls to Jazz, Bulls
Evan Webeck, California Post

HOU: The Rockets’ fatal flaws are likely to be exploited in the playoffs
Eamon Cassels, Fansided

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Ray and Nick bring Eamon Cassels of FanSided on the show to discuss the remarkable season of the Charlotte Hornets, and some possible parallels between them and the Sacramento Kings. They begin by talking about the Hornets’ season as a whole and their mid-season turnaround, before focusing on four key Hornets pieces in that turnaround: Moussa Diabaté, and the rookie trio of Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Sion James. Then, they talk about the impact of the new Hornets on Charlotte star LaMelo Ball and discuss the work of Hornets head coach Charles Lee in depth. They wrap up with a discussion of how lessons from the Hornets’ turnaround might apply to the Kings and their plans going forward.

Ray and Nick bring Eamon Cassels of FanSided on the show to discuss the remarkable season of the Charlotte Hornets, and some possible parallels between them and the Sacramento Kings. They begin by talking about the Hornets’ season as a whole and their mid-season turnaround, before focusing on four key Hornets pieces in that turnaround: Moussa Diabaté, and the rookie trio of Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Sion James. Then, they talk about the impact of the new Hornets on Charlotte star LaMelo Ball and discuss the work of Hornets head coach Charles Lee in depth. They wrap up with a discussion of how lessons from the Hornets’ turnaround might apply to the Kings and their plans going forward.

TEAM-SPECIFIC

BOS: How good do the Celtics need Jayson Tatum to be? Scouting Boston rookie Hugo Gonzalez
John Hollinger, The Athletic

CLE: Game Night Observations: James Harden’s Third Quarter Takeover and Important Role Players
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot

CLE: Harden’s decision-making genius could define the Cavs’ title hopes
Ethan Sands, cleveland.com

CLE: Even from the bench, Max Strus showed why the Cavs need him — especially against the Celtics
Ethan Sands, cleveland.com

DEN: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hits game-winner to spoil Nuggets’ dramatic 4-point play
Bennett Durando, Denver Post

DEN: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seals Thunder win over Nuggets
Vinny Benedetto, Denver Gazette

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AROUND THE LEAGUE

We have a legitimately crazy playoff race in the East
Tom Ziller, Good Morning It’s Basketball

Three Things I Noticed on League Pass: Start Your Engines
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball with Tom Haberstroh

Healthy Jayson Tatum makes Boston a TOP TIER contender – Tom’s Title Tiers #21
Tom Haberstroh, The Finder

Should Bucks hope for lottery? Are Hornets for real? An Eastern Conference Play-In roundtable
Tony Jones/Eric Nehm/Josh Robbins, The Athletic

NBA Power Rankings: Spurs, Knicks, Celtics get A’s for season’s third quarter
Law Murray, The Athletic

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nears Wilt’s record, Kon Knueppel’s ROY case and more
Sam Amick, The Athletic

TEAM NEWS

ATL: Jalen Johnson surges in fourth to help Hawks down 76ers for sixth straight win
Lauren Williams, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

BOS: Jayson Tatum starts strong, Jaylen Brown carries load as Celtics beat Cavs
Zack Cox, Boston Herald

BOS: Jayson Tatum turns in 20-point performance as Celtics dominate contender Cavaliers on the road
Adam Himmelsbach, The Boston Globe

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LEAGUEWIDE

The three most likely teams in each conference to win this season’s championship
Melissa Rohlin, California Post

NBA Playoff Picture: Updated Probabilities and Biggest Storylines Impacting the Standings
Blake Silverman, Sports Illustrated

THE DRAFT

NBA mock draft
Michael Chandler, The Score

Scouting report: Caleb Wilson wants to destroy you
Christopher Kline, Fansided

How will Caleb Wilson’s season-ending injury impact his NBA draft stock?
Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo Sports

Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr.: Scouting Houston’s five-star freshmen
Derek Parker, Sports Illustrated

NBA Draft sleepers
John Hollinger, The Athletic

TEAM-SPECIFIC

ATL: Can Dyson Daniels unlock his shooting?
Ayush G, The Pick And Roll

BKN: Nets Development Didn’t Take A Night Off In Shocking Comeback At Detroit
Steve Lichtenstein

BOS: Tatum starts rough, finds groove in 15-point return
Jamal Collier, ESPN

BOS: With Jayson Tatum back, the Celtics have defied the NBA’s laws of physics
Jared Weiss, The Athletic

CHA: Grant Williams: The Hornets’ most overlooked veteran is doing the heavy lifting
Eric Smith, Swarm & Sting

CHA: Hornets’ Xs&Os
Tony Miller, A Quick Timeout

CHI: Bulls coach Billy Donovan wants focus to stay on the now
Joe Cowley, Sun*Times

CHI: The Bulls bet on Josh Giddey. So why is the approach to their (supposed) star so haphazard?
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune

CHI: Can Dillingham revive his career with the Bulls?
Joel Lorenzi, The Athletic

DET: Skidding Pistons drop their third straight
Hunter Patterson, The Athletic

GSW: Gui Santos used to carry mops to practice. Now he’s living the NBA dream
Nick Friedell, The Athletic

GSW: Porzingis explains why has ‘peace of mind’ after return from illness
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News

GSW: Porziņģis returns to Warriors’ lineup after 6-game absence
Nick Friedell, The Athletic

GSW: Porzingis returns, but undermanned Warriors fall to Thunder
Sam Gordon, SF Chronicle

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TEAM NEWS

BOS: 5 Tatum-Based Takeaways
Adam Taylor, The Celtics Chronicle

BOS: Kings quietly gifted Celtics the NBA’s best value contract
Cal Durrett, Hoops Habit

BOS: Jayson Tatum returns, shifting the balance of power in the East … and beyond
Shaun Powell, NBA.com

BOS:

LAL: Luka Doncic joins elite Lakers company with 44-point effort in win over Pacers
Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times

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TEAM-SPECIFIC

ATL: Daniels’ defensive problem solving is latest proof of worth
Wesley Morton, SBNation

BOS: Tatum Could Debut on Friday
Ryan Phillips, Sports Illustrated

BOS: Jayson Tatum vs. Jaylen Brown? It’s time to put that tired Celtics narrative to rest
Jay King, The Athletic

BOS: The concern about Tatum’s fit alongside Jaylen Brown on this year’s team is overblown
Liam McKeone, Sports Illustrated

CHA: Hornets’ long rebuild may finally be turning into something sustainable.
Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated

CHA: Film Findings | How the Hornets Outmatched Boston’s Defense
Richie Randall, BuzzBeat

CHA: As Hornets’ Offense Rolls Along, Brandon Miller’s 3-PT Shooting Spiking At Right Time
Sam Perley, Hornets.com

DAL: Despite Mavericks’ loss in Orlando, Cooper Flagg’s return gives Dallas a needed spark
Mike Curtis, Morning News

DEN: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets survive Lakers’ late rally without top four forwards available
Bennett Durando, Denver Post

DEN: Nuggets thrilled to have Aaron Gordon back from hamstring injury
Bennett Durando, Denver Post

DET: Should we be concerned about Cade Cunningham and the Pistons in the postseason?
Kelly Iko, Yahoo Sports

GSW: Kristaps Porzingis’ ‘mysterious’ illness and the Warriors’ uncertain future
Anthony Slater/Ramona Shelburne, ESPN

GSW: Short-handed Warriors surprise with OT win against Rockets
Anthony Slater, ESPN

IND: The Pacers didn’t prove anything (and had nothing to prove) against the Clippers
Caitlin Cooper, Basketball She Wrote

LAL: Observations: Game 62 vs Nuggets
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball

LAL: Jake LaRavia shares defensive lessons from Marcus Smart
Benjamin Royer, OC Register

NOP: Pelicans get contributions from everyone in victory over Sacramento Kings
Rod Walker, NOLA.com

ORL: Magic outlast Mavs in closing seconds behind Carter’s winner
Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel

SAC: Achiuwa shines again, but Kings reach dubious milestone in loss to Pelicans
Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee

TOR: Loss to Timberwolves a reminder Raptors stuck in NBA’s middle tier
Michael Grange, Sportsnet

WAS: Trae Young flashes in long-awaited Wizards debut, brings buzz despite loss to Jazz
Josh Robbins, The Athletic

WAS: Despite rust, Trae Young dazzles Wizards crowd in 19-minute debut
Martenzie Johnson, ESPN

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TEAM-SPECIFIC

BOS: 5 Takeaways From the Celtics’ Ugly Loss to the Hornets
Adam Taylor, Celtics Chronicle

CHA: The Hornets aren’t just a feel-good story, they are building a title contender
Eamon Cassels, Fansided

CHA: Hornets’ historic blowout streak raises the question: Is Charlotte actually a contender?
Jasmyn Wimbish, CBS Sports

CHA: Hornets’ victory over Celtics evidence that rebuilding days are over in Charlotte
James Jackson, The Athletic

CHA: The Hornets are officially a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference
Doug Branson, Every Hornets Boxscore

CLE: How the James Harden move renewed the Cavaliers’ faith
Jamal Collier, ESPN

DEN: How Worried Should We Be About Nikola Jokic?
Michael Pina, The Ringer

almost every cause for concern… can be twisted into a simple case for optimism by acknowledging who hasn’t been on the court. Jokic missed all of January, a month when the Nuggets’ offense fell to 10th and their defense dropped to 24th. (It’s the only full month this season when Denver had a negative net rating.)

Gordon, Watson, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas have been sidelined for approximately 8,000 games at different points in the season. Gordon and Watson are currently out with hamstring strains and Johnson missed Denver’s last game—an unnecessarily tight escape act in Utah—with a sore ankle.

Injuries have prevented Adelman from leaning on a dependable starting five. Gordon, Jokic, Braun, Johnson, and Murray have appeared together in only 10 games this season, while the Nuggets have deployed 23 different starting lineups. (Last year it was 22. The year before it was 14.) To boot, only 26 percent of all Denver’s minutes have come with its starters on the court (currently the seventh-highest frequency in the league). Their average over the previous five years was 37.1 percent, which ranked first.

Functionally, these injuries have eaten away at Denver’s size, too. Once a strength—Michael Porter Jr. is not walking through that door—the Nuggets are struggling with some tiny five-man units that can’t attack or protect the paint. Jokic is an underrated defender who can make up for his physical limitations with quick hands and a PhD in basketball geometry. But right now he isn’t moving well enough to offer even the tiniest bit of resistance guarding a pick-and-roll. Far too often he’s caught in no-man’s-land, teetering between apathy and aggression, in desperate need of the insulation Denver’s depleted supporting cast can’t provide.

When your low man is Julian Strawther, Tim Hardaway Jr., or Bruce Brown, it’s hard to consistently deter ball handlers once they blow past the first line of defense

DEN: Aaron Gordon is aiming to return on Friday and this could change everything for the Nuggets
Eamon Cassels, Fansided

DET: The Pistons’ fortunes have changed, but Cade Cunningham hasn’t: ‘Stay humble’
Hunter Patterson, The Athletic

GSW: Warriors destined for NBA play-in tournament, giving Steph Curry time to heal
Evan Webeck, California Post

GSW: The Warriors are missing both Steph Curry and Kristaps Porzingis, but are all-but-certain to make the postseason
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News

HOU: As Reed Sheppard continues to evolve, so must the Rockets
William Guillory, The Athletic

LAL: Lakers vs. Nuggets: So Similar, Yet So Different
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball

MIA: Heat faces a game with meaning vs. hot Hornets on Friday
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald

MIL: Bucks looking for immediate answers after 4-game skid
Eric Nehm, The Athletic

MIL: 3 reasons Giannis is back on the court
Eric Nehm, The Athletic

NYK: Knicks HC Mike Brown explains 14-10 record against NBA’s top teams
Kristian Winfield, Daily News

NYK: If this Knicks defense is here to stay, an NBA title is within their reach
James Edwards III, The Athletic

ORL: Goga Bitadze, always ready, steps up after late scratch
Philip Rossman-Reich, World R Squared

PHI: The Sixers get an important victory … against the tanking Jazz?
Tony Jones, The Athletic

SAS: How have the Spurs been responding to losses this season?
Paul Garcia, The Spot Up Shot

SAS: Roaring Back: Spurs Reignite Drive with Dominant Win over 76ers
Irene, IreKnowsBall

WAS: Kyshawn George’s Season (Probably) Ends Early—But the Wizards Learned What He Actually Is
Con Brennan, Wait For The Screen

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