Paolo Banchero gave the Magic what they had been waiting for over the past few weeks: a complete, dominant, and consistent performance. It wasn’t enough to secure a win, but it restored a clear on-court focal point for Orlando. In the 107-106 loss to Toronto – decided by his missed three-pointer at the buzzer –…
On the last free throw of the night, Brooklyn Nets fans broke into “MVP, MVP” chants, once again acknowledging the impact of Stephen Curry. It had already happened back in 2021, also at Barclays Center, and Steph’s reaction hasn’t changed since. The smile on the Warriors guard’s face as he calmly knocked down the free…
The Houston Rockets are learning how to win games that, not long ago, would have slipped away. The 126-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers didn’t come with perfect late-game execution, but it did show a new clarity in offensive hierarchy. Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. took control of the game in the simplest way…
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is in the middle of one of the most convincing stretches of his NBA season, and for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, there’s nothing surprising about it. The two cousins faced each other on the floor at the Paycom Center in a game that said far more than the final 140-129 score in favor of the…
A night to forget for the Denver Nuggets in Miami. Not only a heavy loss to the Heat, but above all the early exit from the court of Nikola Jokic, who was forced to leave the floor limping shortly before halftime because of a left knee injury. The Serbian center did not return for the…
Things are on the up and not-so-up in Atlanta. The Hawks are 15-18 as of Dec. 29, and are losers of six in a row. What do those six straight losses have in common? Well, five of them came just after Trae Young returned from injury. The presence of Young — long thought to be…
Stephen Curry did what he does best: score at an unbelievable pace. Against the Toronto Raptors, the Golden State Warriors superstar poured in 39 points and 4 assists, dominating the second half with 24 points while shooting 47.1% from the field. Still, it wasn’t enough. The Raptors came away with a 141-127 overtime victory, fueled…
There is a clear reason why the Dallas Mavericks are not ready to enter a full rebuild: new owner Patrick Dumont wants to see the Irving-Davis-Flagg trio on the floor before considering any drastic moves. That belief currently outweighs every other internal discussion within the organization. The Mavericks have not seen Flagg, Davis, and Irving…
As we know, in response to the NBA betting scandal and the need to protect partnerships with sportsbooks, the league is considering regulatory changes aimed – among other things – at discouraging so-called tanking. Tanking is the practice by which teams with no immediate ambitions intentionally lose games to secure better Draft positioning, thereby increasing…
With their 20th win in 30 games against the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers are on track to close out the calendar year in fourth place in the Western Conference and first in the Pacific Division. On paper, that looks like a solid résumé. But if the stated goal is to compete for an…
