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

Leaguewide and Draft stories follow for paid subscribers

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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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FEATURE OF THE DAY

: ‘Never seen a player like him defensively’: Cavs newcomer Keon Ellis is a statistical anomaly
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com

LEAGUEWIDE

Embracing the tank isn’t just for NBA GMs and owners. Fans are buying in, too
Josh Robbins, The Athletic

NBA Draft Lottery odds if the season ended today: Who is tanking the best?
Ian Levy, Fansided

Right now, the three best odds at the No. 1 pick belong to the Kings, Pacers and Nets — three franchises headed in very different directions. The Kings came into this season trying to be competitive and, instead, have completely cratered. They are short on young talent, are loaded with expensive veterans and things could get worse before they get better. Landing the No. 1 pick could certainly speed things up but they have a terrible recent track record in the draft and no developmental success to speak of. All that is to say, AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson may be rooting hard for the Kings to not land at No. 1.

A handful of ex-ABA players hope for a last-second financial long shot from the NBA
David Aldridge, The Athletic

NBA News Roundup
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops

Grading every NBA team: Which 4 squads earned an F?
Zach Harper, The Athletic

Instant impacts and ongoing projects from the most recent trade deadline
Shaun Powell, NBA.com

Power Rankings, Week 20
John Schuhmann, NBA.com

TEAM-SPECIFIC

BOS: How would Jayson Tatum’s return from a torn Achilles impact the Celtics?
Jay King, The Athletic

BOS: Mazzulla Ball, Defined
Paul Flannery, Hoopology

CHA: GAMENOTES: Regular Season Game #62 Hornets (30-31) vs. Mavericks
Doug Branson/Evan Hale, Every Hornets Boxscore

CHI: The tanking Bulls, like every NBA team, wish they could be the next Thunder
Jon Greenberg, The Athletic

CLE: ‘Never seen a player like him defensively’: Cavs newcomer Keon Ellis is a statistical anomaly
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com

Evan Mobley knows a little something about disrupting opponents.

And even Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year who has built his reputation on that end of the floor, was left in awe as he tried to fully characterize new teammate Keon Ellis’ impact on Sunday afternoon.

“He’s everywhere,” Mobley said of Ellis. “If the ball is close to him, he’s probably going to get a hand on it. He’s active. In the right spots. At the right time. It’s a whole different dynamic. Gives us a full, complete defense — as far as guards and bigs. Wherever [the other team] goes, it’s going to be hectic for them. It’s a big plus for us when he’s on the floor.”

The numbers support that.

In 226 minutes with the handsy Ellis on the floor, the Cavs have a 106.9 defensive rating — the statistical equivalent of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

BI Note: Could we finally have an explanation why Kings coaches buried Keon: they had never seen anything like him and so didn’t know what to do with him? That would be lame but no more so than the other “explanations” that have been offered (e.g. “couldn’t find the minutes for him, etc)

CLE: Game Night Observations: The Cavs weren’t at their best, but it was good enough
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot

CLE: Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen injuries underscore Cavaliers’ late-season balancing act
Joe Vardon, The Athletic

DEN: Aaron Gordon could return this week. The Nuggets’ season depends on him
Sam Amick, The Athletic

DET: The NBA’s ‘Bad Boys’ Are Back—and They Are Shockingly Good
Robert O’Connell, Wall Street Journal

LAL: Observations: Game 61 vs Pels
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball

LAL: Lakers’ big 3 of LeBron, Luka and Austin Reaves has been too small this season
Law Murray, The Athletic

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TEAM-SPECIFIC

ATL: The Hawks’ bizarro season
Mike Shearer, Basketball Poetry

BKN: Nolan Traore’s growth as Nets point guard has the NBA taking notice
Brian Lewis, NY Post

BKN: Brooklyn’s Distressing Development
Steve Lichtenstein

CHA: The Hornets Aren’t Checking the Standings, and That’s Exactly the Point
Will Eudy

There’s a version of the Charlotte Hornets that would be glued to the playoff picture right now. Refreshing the standings after every game, calculating magic numbers, and letting the external noise creep into the locker room. After years of losing, you could forgive them for it.

But that’s just not who this team is. Charlotte has won 14 of their last 17 games and is playing some of the most meaningful basketball this city has seen in a long time. Spectrum Center is loud and the fanbase is bought in. And yet, when asked Monday at practice whether there’s any temptation to peek at the standings, Charles Lee didn’t hesitate.

“No,” he said. “We are still full steam ahead on our daily process, on our improvement, our growth. Not talking about those things has put us in a position to play meaningful games, and if we continue to do what you’re supposed to do, hopefully the chips fall where they should, and we’ll still be in contention for those things.”

That answer says more than you might think. Lee isn’t giving a coach-speak response about taking it one game at a time. He’s making a genuine philosophical point: the discipline of not checking the standings is precisely what created the standings worth checking. The process produced the position, and abandoning the process to admire the position would be exactly the wrong move.

DAL: Meet Ryan Nembhard, the undrafted rookie who went from two-way star to standard contract
Mike Curtis, Morning News

DEN: the night jokić stopped absorbing
bang!

GSW: Gui Santos’ fiancée’s heartwarming tribute: “the boy from the village”
Poor Man’s Commish, Let’s Go Warriors

IND: Pacers Notebook: Toppin makes his long-awaited return from foot surgery, and more Pacers notes following a four-game homestand
Scott Agness, Fieldhouse Files

LAC: Darius Garland eases into Clippers debut, then helps lead comeback win
Law Murray, The Athletic

LAC: Garland debuts, Clippers surge to win in second half
Justin Russo

The rest of the team-specific stories as well as Leaguewide and Draft-related stories follow for paid subscribers

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AROUND THE LEAGUE

Three Things I Noticed on League Pass: A Splash of Flash
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball

The Knicks Snapped San Antonio’s 11-Game Winning Streak
Dustin Brewer, HOOPS

The Luka-LeBron Problem – Tom’s Title Tiers #20
Tom Haberstroh, The Finder with Tom Haberstroh

NBA Power Rankings: Thunder back at No. 1, plus the games to circle on your calendars
Law Murray, The Athletic

NBA Rewind: Why No. 3 is the place to be for Western Conference playoff hopefuls
Zach Harper, The Athletic

TEAM NEWS

ATL: Hawks dominate shorthanded Trail Blazers to pick up fourth straight win
Lauren Williams, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATL: Instant Takeaways From the Atlanta Hawks Dominant Win vs the Portland Trail Blazers
Kahlil McCuller, SI.com

BOS: Neemias Queta is just scratching the surface of his potential
No Dalzell, Celtics Blog

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TEAM-SPECIFIC

BOS: Egor Demin shares an impressive display of Hugo Gonzalez’s leadership and a prime example of the drive that fuels the Celtics’ rookie
Bobby Krivitsky, Hardwood Houdini

CHA: The Hornets are now just one game below .500 overall
Will Eudy

CHA: Hornets Lean On Defense, Rebounding To Put Away Portland
Sam Perley, Hornets.com

GSW: Gui Santos: “My goal always was playing in the NBA, playing for the Warriors”
Poor Man’s Commish, Let’s Go Warriors

LAC: Jeff Van Gundy weighs defensive plan for Darius Garland’s return
Janis Carr, OC Register

LAL: Observations: Game 59 vs Warriors
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball

LAL: Lakers snap 3-game skid, run away from Warriors
Benjamin Royer, OC Register

LAL: Lakers Bury Warriors: 5 Key Takeaways
Eddie Bitar, Fadeaway World

MEM: This is the time to figure out who Taylor Hendricks is
Parker Fleming, Subtsakalidis

NOP: Jeremiah Fears’ leads way as Pelicans continue dominance over Jazz
Rod Walker, NOLA.com

SAS: From Bus 1 Boy to Blog Boy: One of the most talented Spurs writers is Wemby’s backup
Jared Weiss, The Athletic

SAS: The Spurs have found a weapon no one expected
JeJe Gomez, Pounding The Rock

TOR: Scottie Barnes’ DPOY Case
Mark Deeks, heavy

TOR: Road warrior Raptors beat up on young Wizards as Poeltl, Quickley go off
Ryan Wolstat, Toronto Sun

THE DRAFT

Quadir Copeland’s NBA Draft Emergence
Jamaill Hines, No Ceilings

LEAGUEWIDE

Checking In On the League’s Youngest Players This Season: (Except for Cooper Flagg, because that’s boring)
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops

Who’s Really to Blame for NBA’s Worst Teams and Rebuilds?
Grant Hughes, Bleacher Report

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THE BASKETBALL INTELLGENCE NETWORK

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Tanking is Everywhere, But Does It Really Work?
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops

5 NBA Teams We Already Know Will Define 2026 Offseason
Dan Favale, Bleacher Report

Why You Should Bet Against Every Top-10 NBA Championship Favorite
Grant Hughes, Bleacher Report

Spurs, Pistons, Celtics and 5 other NBA teams with a real shot at a championship
Sam Amick, The Athletic

TEAM NEWS

ATL: The Hawks honoring the Magic City strip club isn’t really worth your outrage
David Aldridge, The Athletic

BOS: Mazzulla Praises Celtics’ Nikola Vucevic After Dominant Win
Adam Taylor, NESN

BOS: Nikola Vucevic Admits to Tough Transition, But Friday Night Was ‘What We need From Him’
John Karalis, SI.com

BOS: Celtics let Nets hang around for a while before offense takes charge in second half
Adam Himmelsbach, The Boston Globe

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Ray and Nick recap the post All-Star break slate of February games for the Sacramento Kings, including a review of recent Kings news, as well as previewing the week ahead for the Kings. They start out by covering the recent news, including De’Andre Hunter’s season-ending surgery and the new contracts for Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Killian Hayes. Then, they break down the 2-3 stretch for the Kings since the All-Star break, including a thorough discussion of the recent breakout performances from Precious Achiuwa and Daeqwon Plowden. Finally, they look ahead to the next week’s slate of games, and wrap up with their Kings song titles of the week.