The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hoops Tonight - Reaction to LeBron vs. Brooks in Lakers-Suns, Joel Embiid BACK for 76ers? + NEW NBA Power Rankings

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

Jason reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers getting a win over the Phoenix Suns that included yet another chapter in the odd beef between Dillon Brooks and LeBron James. He discusses Luka Doncic's slight d...ip in play since his return and how the defensive minded lineup was successful while Austin Reaves was out with an injury. Then he discusses Joel Embiid and Paul George looking better for the Philadelphia 76ers in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Victor Wembanyama's defensive masterclass for the San Antonio Spurs against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinal on Saturday, and gives his new NBA power rankings. All lines presented by Hard Rock Bet.  #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:30 you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis keep coming to. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Starting point is 00:02:58 Good news tonight here at The Volume. Happy Monday, everybody. I hope all of you guys had an incredible weekend. Have a jam-pack show for you guys today. We're hitting two games from last night, Lakers' Sons, as well as Sixers' Hawks. I also want to share some stats from the aftermath of that Spurs Thunder game. I wanted to see some statistical markers that demonstrate some of the things that we talked about.
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Starting point is 00:03:53 So starting with Lakers' sons, this was a game where Austin Reeves was out with the calf injury. And both LeBron and Luka were kind of a mess on offense. And yet the Lakers were able to get a win because of what they did on the margins, something they haven't done a whole lot of this season, the concept I want to dive into today. Luca was off all night. He's been slumping a little bit over his three games since returning from Slovenia for the birth of his child. He's shooting 37% from the field and 23% from three.
Starting point is 00:04:23 Obviously well down from his averages to start the season. He struggled with the three-point shot most of this season, but it's been especially bad as of late. And he's been having a bit of a turnover issue. He has 23 turnovers over his last four games. LeBron got off to a nightmare start. He had six turnovers in the first. quarter. Dylan Brooks, I actually thought kind of woke him up. You could tell LeBron just
Starting point is 00:04:45 as a competitor really wanted to win that game so that he could have a moment at Dylan Brooks's expense. And that after a really rough first quarter, Dylan kind of getting into it with them seemed to wake LeBron up. And from the start of the second quarter through through the past to Jake LaRavia on that back cut, the one that put the Lakers up 99 to 79. I thought LeBron was really good in that stretch. And we'll come back to that stretch later when we talk a little bit about his beef. with Dylan Brooks, but down the stretch in crunch time, he didn't really have much juice to create offense. Neither did Luca. Marcus Smart was damn near shaving points down the stretch. LeBron had a bad turnover on a post entry to DeAndreighton in the middle of the floor. That wasn't open. Just some
Starting point is 00:05:26 really head scratching decisions across the board from the Lakers offensive players down the stretch. Luca wasn't good. LeBron wasn't good in crunch time. Neither was Marcus. It was just rough. But the team, despite having basically no offensive juice last night, was able to get a big win on the road against a good Phoenix Suns team because they came out and they physically dominated the Suns with their size. And by playing harder than them, the Lakers obliterated the Suns on the offensive glass all night long. They had 24 offensive rebounds leading to 25 second chance points. They had eight blocked shots.
Starting point is 00:06:04 They had 13 steals. They were the harder playing more physically aggressive team. all night long. And it allowed them to win a game that they almost certainly lose otherwise because of the issues they were having on offense. And this is where I want to talk about the officiating. I'm very consistent with this kind of thing. I think free throw differentials are very much a product of the way the two teams are playing. I think blaming a loss on officiating or focusing on officiating is a loser's mentality. I'm consistent with this. We just had an example of it going the opposite direction for the Lakers against the Spurs. In that game, the Spurs were
Starting point is 00:06:45 plus 12 in free throws made. What did I say after that game? I said Lakers fans complaining about free throws and that game was lame because the spurs were very clearly the more physically aggressive team all night. The Lakers were constantly out of position. And so they kept fouling. And I specifically called attention to the fact that one of the unique kind of like, one of the unique realities about the way officiating in basketball works, you'd think the more physically aggressive team would get called for more fouls because they're being more physically aggressive. It's usually the opposite. The more physically aggressive team tends to beat you to spots more often. And when they beat you to spots, you're out of position, the opponent. And so the opponent
Starting point is 00:07:28 ends up committing more fouls because they aren't meeting that aggression that the other team is bringing. Last night, the Lakers were plus 12 in free throws made. Why? Because they were a step ahead of Phoenix physically all night long. The Lakers were quicker to lose balls. They were more disciplined on defense. They simply won that margin last night. Oh, but Jason, Lucas foul grifting all the time and jumping into dudes. You're right. So was Devin Booker. Devin Booker actually did a better job foul grifting than Luca last night. Devin Booker attempted 16 free throws. That's not, the free throw differential wasn't because of Luca grifting or because of Devin Booker grifting. Both of those guys did their thing and
Starting point is 00:08:10 they attempted 30 free throws between the two of them, right? The free throw differential was because down the roster throughout all phases of the game, the Lakers were quicker to the ball all night and the sons were constantly out of position. And as for the late game stuff, when the sons were trying their comeback when they were down by 20 and they started playing crazy hard and they flipped the script and became the more physically intense team late in the game, there were probably, like it was such a bloodbath of a game down the stretch of that fourth quarter physically. There were probably a dozen missed foul calls on both ends of the floor over the final five minutes of that game. Like I know Suns fans are pissed off about the play where Dylan Brooks got it, Brooks got ejected because right before that ejection, LeBron fouled Dylan Brooks on a three.
Starting point is 00:08:56 You're right. It was a missed call. Dylan Brooks shot a three. LeBron bumped into him with his shoulder as he was flying by on a closeout, knocked him over. It was a foul. What do I always say? Bad calls or missed calls are a part of the game of basketball. Less than a minute earlier when the Lakers were up five with a little over a minute left, Dylan Brooks straight up tackled Luca on a step back three along the left wing. Luca went for the step back, stuck his right leg out, but Dylan was also running him off of his spot. It was like a clear, obvious foul. He tackled Luca on a step back three. Should have been a foul. But it didn't get called because it was such a bloodbath of a game.
Starting point is 00:09:35 Those games become borderline impossible to officiate. Bodies are falling down every five seconds. Every possession ends with three or four dudes laying on the ground. It's a bloodbath. It's going to turn into a shit show with officiating when that happens. And that's what happened. It was a shit show of physicality over the last five minutes, which is damn near impossible to officiate.
Starting point is 00:09:55 And there were about a half dozen missed calls on either end of the floor. If the Lakers would have lost that game, it wouldn't have been because of a call. it would have been because they lost a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter by slowing down too much on offense and a couple of really poor decisions with the basketball by both Marcus Smart and LeBron James and Luke Dodgich with turnovers down the stretch and bad shots down the stretch of that game. You can't blame the officials when you blow a 20-point lead and the Suns lost that game because they gave up a 28 to 2 run in the second half.
Starting point is 00:10:28 They had a nine-minute stretch of game clock where they couldn't score. that's why you lose the game. So I think focusing on officiating, in addition to being a loser mentality, it honestly just misses the plot. You got your butts kicked in the free throw margin against the spurs because you got beat to the ball constantly all game long by a faster team that was more physically aggressive. And the suns got beat in the free throw margin tonight because the exact opposite thing happened. And the Lakers brought the physicality. And they beat you to spots all night long. And they beat you to every loose ball. And you were constantly behind. And it just, you know, it just is a shame. I was listening to the Phoenix Suns broadcast last
Starting point is 00:11:07 night. And honestly, it was just embarrassing the way that like this super interesting basketball game was going on. And all they could talk about is how they thought the league was rigging the game with the officiating for the Lakers. It was crazy. And as for the last call with Devin Booker on LeBron, it's one of those ones where like, if it was a no call in the moment and I saw the replay and like, so it was no call, we go on, Lakers and a Blues in the game. And I see the, replay and Devin Booker comes down on the hand and the wrist the way that he did. I thought it would have been defensible as a no call in the moment, but as soon as it got called and it was challenged, you have to go to the replay. And once you go to the replay, it's by the book. He went down on
Starting point is 00:11:47 his hand and his wrist. It's going to get, it's not, you're not going to overturn that call. But even then you go back a few minutes. There's a play where Jake LaRavia blocks Devin Booker at the foul line and runs out in transition and Devin Booker yanks on the back of his. jersey to wrap around and swipe down, that does go to review and somehow does get upheld, right? So the point is, is like, this stuff is completely out of your control and it's pointless to dwell on. The best thing you can do is a basketball team to address the free throw differential is to bring the physical aggression to the game. If you are the more physically aggressive team, you will get a better whistle. It has been like that for as long as I've been playing the
Starting point is 00:12:27 game and as long as I've been watching the game. That is just the way that it works when you get into these super physical environment. So let's dig back into that idea. How did the Lakers outwork the Sons in this game? We saw a rotation change last night. Jared Vanderbilt had played just three minutes total in the previous 10 games. And even those three minutes were kind of unusual because Jake Luravia got hit in the face. And so JJ ended up trying him and to do the Euro for a few minutes just to see, but Vando's been out of the rotation for a long time. But because Austin Reeves was out of the rotation last night with his calf injury, you know, you got 35 something minutes to disperse among the rest of the roster. Those minutes basically ended up getting split three ways between
Starting point is 00:13:09 more minutes for Marcus Smart, who ended up starting, more minutes for Jake Loravia and more minutes for Jared Vanderbilt. Now, those are three of LA's better defensive players. And so more defensive talent on the floor, it was actually the Laker defense that blew this game open. And again, a nine-minute span from the end of the third quarter to the middle of the fourth quarter where the Lakers allowed just two points. And it was the quartet of Jared Vanderbilt, Jake Laravia, Gabe Vincent, and Jackson Hayes, in combination with LeBron or Luca, those were the six guys that were primarily on the floor during that run. And they were all excellent on defense. Jake did a great job on Devin Booker, staying attached, keeping his hands up to avoid fouls. He's also bigger than Devin, which allowed him to get some great contests, including that block that we talked about there around.
Starting point is 00:13:54 the foul line. I thought Vando and Jake were both excellent in their passing lanes as they were playing off the ball defensively, getting steals. Jake was awesome at anticipating where the kickouts were going and jumping them like a free safety. Vando got a couple of steals on the right wing with just fundamental positioning. Basic basketball 101 when you're playing a passing lane, you stay in between the ball and your man when you're one pass away and you typically are just maybe a hair outside of the passing lanes. You don't get back cut, but you make up for that gap by having your hand in the passing lanes. You're always, you know, standing just off the passing lane with your whatever hand that is in that direction in the passing lane, keeping your eye on your man and the ball.
Starting point is 00:14:33 That's good fundamental defense there. And Jared Vanderbilt's quick and has long arms. And he got Colin Gillespie in that passing lane on the left wing. You got Grayson Allen in that passing lane in the in the left wing. That was a big part of those 13 steals that the Lakers got in this game, the job that Jake and Vando were doing in passing lanes. The ranginess at the rim in blocks, like Vando is kind of like an underrated rim protector for a forward. He had a big block and a low man rotation on Jordan Goodwin after he ended up having to step over after they put two in the ball on the left side of the floor. Jackson has been so much better with his verticality on contests at the rim this year. Every time I watched Vand Jackson go up with two hands and not come down and hack the dude, it's funny. He had one against the spurs where he came down and hacked hard and all the guys on the bench were getting on him. You can tell. like from the coaching staff down to his teammates, they have been really good at holding Vando or holding Jackson accountable to his verticality and his contest.
Starting point is 00:15:31 And he's been much better really across the board this year, but especially on defense defending the rim without fouling and a big one against Osso I Godoro in the second half at the rim. Gabe was scrapping all night. He had a big steal on Jordan Goodwin with some ball pressure. Vando Jackson and Jake were the main sources of their offensive rebounding as well in those bench groups. Those guys had 12 offensive.
Starting point is 00:15:52 offensive boards between the three of them. And again, like I said earlier, in the same way that Phoenix two weeks ago, two weeks ago today, I believe, went into LA and punked the Lakers. Last night, the Lakers went into Phoenix and punked the Sons. They were the more physically aggressive team and really brought it to them. And again, like, this is one of those things where we can acknowledge the Lakers have personnel weaknesses, but they also are capable of just playing better. And I thought last night was a good example of that. You need both. You need some more talent and you need the guys that you have to do a better job of competing in those areas. No one is advocating for the Lakers to go give all of Austin's minutes to defenders, obviously. Austin's too good of a player. And when he comes
Starting point is 00:16:35 back, he's going to get all those minutes. But it was fun to watch L.A. anchored by some better defensive talent in this game to have a chance to impact the game. And so a couple of notes from that. Like maybe Vando should get more of an opportunity, especially on nights where Gabe doesn't seem to have it going on offense. He did hit a big corner three in the second half, but he's been a little bit off on offense as of late. Maybe Vando can give you a little bit more defensively in those situations when Gabe's not on. And again, most importantly, when you're looking at the trade deadline, it's a sign of what things could look like if the Lakers did find a high level defensive player that could actually earn 30 to 35 minutes a night in this rotation. Like Jake is struggling on
Starting point is 00:17:14 offense. He can't shoot right now. He shouldn't 28% on catch and shoot threes this season. He blew a couple layups on fast breaks last night. Vando hit a three last night, but he was two for five. He was one for three at the rim last night. These guys are struggling to get into the rotation because they're so limited on offense. So just imagine a universe where you've got a player that you're playing 35, 30, 30, 35 minutes who's 6-8 got a big, uh, natural motor that has him playing hard and he's doing a lot of damage in those margins of the game. But that's also knocking knocking down catching shoot threes and you do a little bit on offense. That's exactly why, like, When it comes to that kind of guy, he would do more to help the Lakers than he would just about
Starting point is 00:17:55 any other team in the league because they have such a specific need for that type of player. Again, like, your value to a basketball team is unique to what your team needs and what you bring to the table. That's why that kind of player could be so impactful for this team. Nice response from the Lakers, though. Again, I talked about this in the Lakers Collective Pot on Thursday. The main thing I was looking for in this game was just how they'd show up physically. Like, would they show up for a fight against Phoenix?
Starting point is 00:18:18 Would they bring the fight? to Phoenix or would they wilt under the physicality again? And I thought they brought the fight. And I thought they won the physical punking last night. That's why they won, even though their offense was kind of sketchy most of the night. And again, it's a reminder that they are capable of playing better even with their personnel weaknesses. The Dylan Brooks LeBron beef. I'm in a weird spot on this one, because on the one hand, I actually really like Dylan Brooks. And I think he's a great basketball player. I think he'd be literally perfect as the Lakers starting three, for example. But I don't think that's happening. I think Phoenix should keep him. I think he's a
Starting point is 00:18:52 culture builder for them. I thought Jordan not talked about that after the game. I think Dylan's an important foundational piece for Phoenix at this point. But I'm a big fan of him as a basketball when I just think about the basketball. The stuff with LeBron, though, it's getting a little over the top and it's kind of lame. Like, it's not the first time we've seen a role player do this, you know, kind of grifting off the fame of a superstar. It's been an epidemic ever since really the advent of social media, right? It's like an aura farming thing. Guys are trying to get some sort of like,
Starting point is 00:19:25 some sort of traction with their fame and their personality off of another star. And this is not the first guy to do this to LeBron. Like we saw Lance Stevenson do this. We saw it to Sean Stevenson do this. And, you know, there's a lot of this like non-basketball stuff, right? Like Dylan's just out, out the gates, just randomly shoulder bumping LeBron every time he gets a chance.
Starting point is 00:19:47 So that play where LeBron lost is cool. like slapped the ball at him. The foul was called. There was like a second. Everyone knew Dylan Brooks is going to the foul line. So it's not like he's trying to save it from going out of bounds or something like that. And he just slaps the ball at LeBron. And again, like LeBron overreacted to it. But it's like LeBron was just sick of it. He's just sick of the crap because there's all of this extracurricular nonsense going on. And then that play on the play he got ejected on. Like if he was just trying to win a basketball game, he'd be getting ready to get a stop. But no. he's once again or a farming with LeBron by going up and running up and throwing a completely
Starting point is 00:20:24 unnecessary chess bump. And the stick is just kind of old. Like we get it. You're big and strong and you can bump shoulders with 40 year old LeBron a little bit. He's 17 and 8 against you in his career. And the one time he saw you in the playoffs, he torched you in the pivotal moments and he sent you home. So like it's one of those things where you're actually one of the better players in the league overall, Dylan Brooks. As a role player, when you focus on the basketball. And you're actually a good enough basketball player now that you don't need LeBron and his fame to elevate you anymore. So like it's time to move past that. And like it's just, it's very clearly become something that's more of a distraction for Dylan and taking away from
Starting point is 00:21:06 some of the impact that he has on the game. He got himself in foul trouble tonight or last night, picking up a fifth foul on a play where he was trying to ISO LeBron once again, just trying to farm another clip and he dropped his head and like speared LeBron in the chest with his head in the sternum and knocked him over and pick up his fifth foul. Then you sit out the entire third quarter and your team gets absolutely thrashed while you're off the floor. Why? Because you're one of the most important players on the team. And I thought last night was an example where like Dylan Brooks, really good basketball player undercut a lot of his success and hurt his team because he was more interested in his own personal little show that he puts on with LeBron. And it's like, dude,
Starting point is 00:21:47 you're losing that show. You're routinely and consistently losing that show. You had a big night a couple weeks ago. Awesome night. Didn't do the extracurricular BS that hurt your team. You were just making shots and playing defense and helping your team win a game. This kind of junk is actually getting in the way of his impact as a basketball player. Want to know where I bet I'm basketball during the holiday season, it's hard rock bet, not just because it's the presenting sponsor of our show, but because they make it easy to bet on my favorite teams, players and leagues in just a few simple taps, especially with a brand new 4-U page that recommends picks based on my favorites and who I like to bet on. I open the app, go to my 4-U page, find a bet I like,
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Starting point is 00:23:18 In Florida, call 1-833 play-wise. In Indiana, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9 with it. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, or Virginia. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast?
Starting point is 00:23:44 Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.
Starting point is 00:24:01 Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas,
Starting point is 00:24:22 and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luke.
Starting point is 00:24:42 and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.
Starting point is 00:24:59 I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stopped by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.
Starting point is 00:25:17 Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:25:38 The story I've told myself about love or relationships. can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected.
Starting point is 00:26:15 We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, You already know, there's a lot to break down. Georgia accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues.
Starting point is 00:26:52 I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game.
Starting point is 00:27:16 As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please!
Starting point is 00:27:40 But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian.
Starting point is 00:27:59 I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, Even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream, cream a chicken suit.
Starting point is 00:28:19 This is Help from a Hypocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrat as part of the My Cultura Podcast Network available on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, let's move on to Sixers Talks. So no Tyrese maxi for Philly who's missed the last two games with an illness. This was a game that the Hawks led for almost the entirety of. They led for the entire first quarter, the entire third and fourth quarters. But it ended up being a super fun game because the Sixers kept it close, thanks to a throwback night on offense from Paul George and Joe L.MB to combine for 57 points.
Starting point is 00:28:56 And incredible shot making throughout. It's kind of a vintage Paul George game where he's just hitting all those impossible shots off the dribble. We've talked about this before, but Paul George has always had a game that's kind of built on tough shot making. And what ends up happening is if he's got that kind of stuff going, he becomes basically impossible to guard because he's 6-8 and he's got a super sharp handle. He can protect the basketball against any type of ball pressure. And he's going to be able to get to some sort of jump shot off the dribble. And if he's got the rhythm like that, you just get to stand there and watch them go in the basket.
Starting point is 00:29:24 And that was a big part of what he was doing down the stretch of this game. Embed has sneaky been looking a lot more explosive lately. He has 61 points in his last two games. I want to take Philly though and set them aside for a second because there's actually some really encouraging trends for the Sixers, even though they've lost two out of three games. We'll get it to them in a minute. But the Hawks ended up holding on late. Some big plays on offense late in the game.
Starting point is 00:29:47 Nikiel Alexander Walker and Jalen Johnson both had big drives in crunch time where they engaged and beat at the rim, even though they missed, which actually allowed an opening behind that for Dyson Daniels to come in and get offensive rebound putbacks, one that Jalen got and shoveled to him. And then another one that the one on the Kiel's drive, Dyson just grabbed himself and put it back in. Some huge threes late. Zachary Rissachet had a big steal and a three on the left wing. Nikol Alexander Walker had a tough movement three at the top of the key moving from his left to his right.
Starting point is 00:30:16 And then Yaka Kongu, a big play late in this game when they were only up to, he was, it was kind of a baseline out of bounds sequence where Embed was sagging back to defend all these off ball screens. And then Yika just popped out to the corner and hit his fifth three of the game, just an absolutely massive shot that put the Hawks up by five late. and then again, like they got the key stops late in the game that they needed. Bit Cretche had two massive defensive plays at the tail end of this game. The Sixers, thanks to the hot shooting down the stretch, Joel Embed, it's a big three at the top of the key that I think cut the lead to one, if I remember correctly.
Starting point is 00:30:51 And the Sixers get the ball back. And Paul George has Vic Cretche in a cleared side ISO on the left side of the floor. And I think it's 118 to 117. So it's a one point game. Paul George is working, cleared side ISO. He's got everything going in his game this night. right and he's trying to work to something in the mid range but to bit to his credit was applying a lot of really good ball pressure and physicality and it actually forced paul to kind of retreat a little bit and he
Starting point is 00:31:16 ended up taking a super difficult step back three out of the left corner that was one of the lower percentage shots that paul had taken all night so just really good individual defense from bit there and then on the final possession so they end up fouling it's 120 to 117 they come back down they run a sideline out of bounds play and quentin grimes breaks free to the left corner really smart peel switch vj edgecombe jumps out onto quentin grimes just stands there with his two hands up gets a great vertical contest without fouling forces him into a really difficult shot that he ends up missing in atlanta escapes with the win and vitt hit four threes in the game as well so he was a team best plus 10 last night really nice game from cretchy uh season high 27 points
Starting point is 00:32:00 from dyson daniels and everything was at the rim and one of the interesting trends this year with Dyson compared to previous seasons is he's cut way down on his three point attempts. The spot up situations when you're just standing at the three point line, they put such a heavy emphasis on your ability to knock down, catch, and shoot threes. And he just hasn't been good at that in his crazy, never been able to get across that like kind of mandatory minimum where you need to be around like 35% on them for it to make sense, because then in a larger sample, you start to get well over a point per possession, right? But he's just been unable to knock them down in his career. One of the big changes this year with the way he's
Starting point is 00:32:33 been working off the ball is it's almost solely as a cutter and as a vertical spacer in the dunker spot. He's got really good like natural feel for relocations in the dunker spot. So like spacing relocations on the three point line are different, right? You're usually watching your on ball defender and you're sliding up or sliding down to try to create a passing angle for three. Or if a guy drives and kicks out, there's like a wheel spacing. We're like, okay, I'm in the corner, but this guy just drove and he's now relocating to the corner. So I have to slide. up to the wing. There's all these like different little spacing principles at the three point line. Well, in the dunker spot, there's like a triangle of spots that you're constantly hitting, right?
Starting point is 00:33:12 So there's the dunker spot on the left side of the rim. There's the dunker spot on the right side of the rim. And then there's also that spot right in front of the rim. They call that teeing up, right? If a guy ends up driving on the baseline, you end up flashing right up to the top of the to the charge circle, making yourself available for those short little pop shots or whatever that you can make right there five feet in front of the rim, right? So your job when you're working in that dunker spot is like your opposite, your opposite dunker spot when the guy's driving. So if guys in the left wing, you're in the right dunker spot. But if he drives across the middle, you got to relocate to the opposite dunker spot, right? If he drives towards the, um, uh, that, that left dunker spot, like if he doesn't get across the middle, but ends up cutting more towards the baseline, then you flash right up towards the middle, right?
Starting point is 00:33:58 That's when you tee up, right? There's all these like little bits of spacing, um, like, relocation principles that you have to know if you're working out of the dunker spot. And Dyson is just really good at that stuff. And so he's doing a ton of damage this year, slipping out of screens rather than popping and working as a vertical spacer there in the dunker spot. He's scoring about twice a game this year. He's at like 38 or 39 makes on cuts this season. Just a really nice way to kind of convert what was a untenable spacing situation with him at the three point line into something that's working. And again, he's got a good little floater. it's the weirdest thing with him with his touch is jump shot form actually looks good,
Starting point is 00:34:36 just doesn't go in. But he's got really good touch on his floater. That's something that he's actually been very good at. And that kind of allows him to make some of those little short spacing shots, even when there's a big in the way, right? Because, like, he's not just going to vertical space in the traditional sense, like dunking everything. He's spacing out of the dunker spot primarily as a layup maker and as like a little floater maker.
Starting point is 00:34:58 It's kind of like an interesting little wrinkle in this hawk. offense. And he's doing it in off ball situations or and on ball situations. So like he'll throw a high post entry and then just cut off the guy's shoulder and get buckets. He was slipping out of screens as the screener in like inverted action. He was just doing a lot of damage at the paint in this one. 22 of his 26 points were either at the rim in layups or right by the rim in floaters. Really impressive game from Dyson Daniels. And then the three point shooting from Ineke Ongu man, five threes again last night. huge one in crunch time like we talked about,
Starting point is 00:35:34 against Joel Lambied on that baseline out of bounds. And Anyeka now has 49 made threes this season, which is more than he did in the entire season last year. He had 48 makes in an entire season last year, 49 here about a third of the way through the season in this 2025 campaign. Nice bounce back for Atlanta, who had lost four out of five before that.
Starting point is 00:35:56 Much better defense. That was the real thing that slipped for them in that tough stretch where they lost four at a five. a 119 defensive rating in those four losses. I want to talk about Philly's upside for a minute. A lot of this is coming down to how much better Joe Al Mbid is starting to look athletically. We talked about this at the beginning of the season. Like it almost felt like Embed was hurting them because he was just so much slower than the style that they were playing up and down the floor and the speed that Tyreys Maxi
Starting point is 00:36:21 he was bringing to the table. He was starting to struggle defensively in a way that we hadn't seen just because that lack of mobility. But the Sixers have been playing some of their best defense of the season as of late. As a matter of fact, since November 11th, a game where they won against the Celtics. The Sixers have been the fourth best defense in the entire NBA. It's a 15 game sample, really good in every facet. They've been the eighth best paint defense in that span. And not just Embeddeed's always been an underrated rim protector when he's actually able to sit back around the basket. But he's been especially good. It's just not him. It's not solely him. Andre Drummond's been really good protecting the rim in this run as well. They've been
Starting point is 00:36:57 guarding the three point line well. And then they've completely reversed. a bad defensive rebounding trend from early in the season. Before November 11th, they were 23rd in defensive rebound percentage. They are 11th in the NBA since then. So cleaning up the defensive glass, putting together a solid defense that's guarding both the rim and the three point line well, which again, they should be able to. They've got lots of perimeter speed and they've got some huge centers. So like they should in theory be able to be a team that can protect the paint and get out to the three point line, at least in their traditional coverages, even if they might have some vulnerability that can put their bigs in space.
Starting point is 00:37:32 Now, this is exciting because both Paul George and Joel Embed are looking better offensively than they have at any point over the last two seasons. If they can piece this all together, like the all-MBA level that Tyrese Maxey was hooping at, the elite defense they've shown basically for a little over a month now, we've seen the scoring pop from Joel and Bid start to rise to the surface. We've seen the scoring pop from Paul George. this is the best he's looked over the last couple of seasons. VJ Edgecombe just had his fifth 20-point game as a pro last night,
Starting point is 00:38:04 had a huge driving layup in transition last night. Kind of like the you guys remember the play that Marcus Smart had in the Lakers game where he tried to beat the ball pressure and he drove the length of the floor and just got swatted by Ryan Dunn right at the rim. Vijay Edgecombe basically did the exact same thing last night where he tried to beat ball pressure just with a hard drive in transition, except for he's such a freaky athlete. He got up into the dude's chest and ended up having this crazy banking finish,
Starting point is 00:38:28 huge play late in the game in that one. If they can find a way to piece all this together, again, the Eastern Conference is wide open. And this team does have a lot of upside because they've got so many dudes that can score. They have a strong defensive foundation. Health is obviously the biggest question mark. We'd all be foolish to just expect this to all stay like this over the course of the season. But we'd also be foolish to not pretend like that upside exists. And the Sixers have been flashing a lot of that over the course of the last couple of weeks. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news.
Starting point is 00:39:03 What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts.
Starting point is 00:39:16 We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And, well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.
Starting point is 00:39:38 I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about Defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.
Starting point is 00:40:09 And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the bar like,
Starting point is 00:40:50 after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it. out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Joe Dono. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet.
Starting point is 00:41:09 Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people
Starting point is 00:41:23 in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice.
Starting point is 00:41:43 One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is help from a hypocrite. The worst advice from the dumbest. people you know. Listen to Help from Hippocrat as part of the Mike Cultura podcast network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down.
Starting point is 00:42:10 Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television,
Starting point is 00:42:39 I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, Listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection.
Starting point is 00:43:10 This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher content. consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection.
Starting point is 00:43:40 If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcasts. network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. All right, next segment. From notes, my notes from Spurs Thunder. So again, I wasn't on Saturday night, I wasn't able to get much into metrics because it's just too close to the end of the game, so the stats haven't updated. But I wanted to see, you know, because I talked a lot about how Victor was a game-breaking
Starting point is 00:44:18 defensive weapon in that game. And, you know, a lot of times, like, we talk about like, oh, this guy did a good job protecting the rim last night. oh, this guy did a good job guarding the ball last night. And often it just means holding a team or a player below their averages. And, you know, to some extent, Victor literally broke the thunder offense last night. And I wanted to see if there was,
Starting point is 00:44:37 or I shouldn't say last night, Saturday night. And I just wanted to see if there was some kind of like real statistical marker that demonstrated the sheer degree to which Victor broke the offense. And so I dug into the numbers and there was some pretty impressive stuff there. they logged an 83.3 defensive rating when Victor was on the floor in that game. That's obviously very good. They're also plus 44 net, which goes to show you how good they were on offense in that stretch. I don't really want to focus on that today. I just want to focus on the defensive side. But again, 83 defensive rating when Victor was on the floor. They made just four
Starting point is 00:45:09 shots at the rim the entire time that Victor was on the floor. Two of them were transition buckets. One where Victor got blocked at the rim and Shay went out and got a layup. Another one where it was in that garbage time situation where they were just trying to take away. a three. So I don't really count this one because they were literally hugged up off the ball because there's a three point game with like what 15 seconds left or whatever. So they were glued up off the ball and Shea ended up getting a driving dunk. And that was just like a, Victor's not going to help off of Shea and give a wide open three to chat that could tie the game in the final minute of the game. But in terms of the actual flow of the game, they had just
Starting point is 00:45:45 two buckets that they made at the rim. And again, this is a team that averages, averages, averages, 20 makes per rim per game at the rim. Wemby played in 21 minutes. So if you kind of just do some basic ratio math there, in theory, the Thunder would in a 21 minute span average, about nine makes at the rim based on their season average. So not just a drop from their season average, but a complete fall off from their season average
Starting point is 00:46:16 and their ability to get to the rim when Victor Wemnon Yammo is on the floor. and this is perhaps the most fascinating stat. I talked about after the game, I was like, seemed like on film, this was forcing them to settle for a lot more off the dribble jump shots, and that's exactly what happened when you dig into the numbers.
Starting point is 00:46:32 Oklahoma City attempted 26 off the dribble jump shots in this game. That was their highest total of the entire season for off the dribble jump shots. And when you dig into the film, of the 26 off the dribble jump shots they took, 15 of them took place when Wemby was on the floor, floor. And again, remember, that's when Wemby was off the floor for 27 of the 48 minutes in that game. 15 off the dribble jump shots in just 21 minutes of action when Wemby was on the floor with just two makes at the rim.
Starting point is 00:47:05 And on those 26 off the dribble jump shots, they took in the entire game, they made just nine of them, 0.77 points per shot, one of their least efficient pull-up shooting games of the entire season. That is the statistical representation of the dynamic I was talking about. where when Wemby's on the floor, it allows the flexibility for the guards to press up more on the ball, force them into much tougher off the dribble jump shots, and they would typically give up,
Starting point is 00:47:30 where a guard has to maybe be on their heels more because they have to contain the ball because they don't have the support behind them that they have when they don't have Wembe behind them, right? So like all of this is really fascinating because it just is, again, a statistical representation of that defensive work that Victor Wemann Yama did in that game.
Starting point is 00:47:48 on the thunder side, as I dug a little bit more into the film, Chet is the key. Again, three of the four buckets that OKC got when Wemby was on the floor at the rim were a direct result of Wemby tracking Chet out at the three point line. The two layups that were in half court sets. So obviously, the one in late game, I'm not really counting because Wemby was glued up to Chet, and that was when Shea got the dunk. But the other two, both of them were the exact same setup.
Starting point is 00:48:14 It was Chet in the strong side corner for a drive off of the, left slot that ended up in a layup where Chet, where Chet dragged Wemby just far enough out of the lane and caused him to hesitate just enough that Wembe ended up being either late on the Shay layup or didn't even make an attempt on the J. Dub layup. And again, that's going to be the key. I think putting Chet constantly in easy play finishing position, so somewhere where it's particularly hard for Wemby to help. So strong side corner or weak side wing where he's one pass away, those are situations that are shorter kickout passes and their harder situations to help from if you're if you're wemby and so i think that's going to be a big
Starting point is 00:48:53 part of o kc's eventual counters for this and then trying to get wendy tied up in screens this is the other element of it too like this is uh where like maybe running more stack pick and roll like essentially bringing wemby into the action but then having another a third player a shooter in the action that's back screening wemby so that maybe chet or isaiah hartnstein or shay or jdub in their drives can get behind Wemby as Wembe gets tied up in bodies around the foul line. I think that's another way that they can try to attack this specific problem of Victor Wemann Yama shutting off the rim for them. Ultimately, though, and this is not really necessarily a this season problem because I think
Starting point is 00:49:32 the Spurs are not quite ready to necessarily beat the Thunder four times out of seven in this particular season, but I do think the spurs are going to be their biggest rival over the next three to four years. And ultimately, in order for the Thunder to solve that problem, they're going to have to figure out a way to score at the rim when Wemby's on the floor. It can't just be pull up jump shots. If it ends up just being pull up jump shots, I think that's a big advantage for San Antonio as this matchup gets more and more intense over the coming seasons. All right, let's get to our weekly power rankings. This is going to be a quicker segment than usual. The schedule was very weird
Starting point is 00:50:05 this week because of the in season tournament. A lot of the teams that I'm talking about today in the power rankings only played one game last week. So not a whole lot to get into. We're going to kind of fly through this. Again, all of our lines are provided by our sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. Number 10, the Orlando Magic currently plus 3,000 to win the title on Hard Rock Bet. The injury bug continues to prevent the magic from reaching their potential. They can't get Franz and Paolo to be on the floor at the same time without one of them getting hurt. And then seemingly, every time Jalen Suggs plays a few good games in a row, his body breaks down. And it's a shame because he was playing some great basketball. His previous five games,
Starting point is 00:50:38 he had averaged 22 points per game on over 50% shooting and over 35% from three. then he pulls his groin. He was like this dynamic second wave of offense off of Desmond Bain in that first half against the Knicks and then he just couldn't hold up physically. And that continues to be a problem. The three-point shooting went cold again in that game against the Knicks. That's been a recurring theme in big games for the magic over the course of the last few seasons. But this is still the same dominant defense and rebounding team from last year with a much improved offense, 28 transition points per game, which is the fifth most in the entire NBA. Last year they average just 20, which was bottom five in the NBA. So from bottom five transition
Starting point is 00:51:17 offense to top five transition offense, I do want to give some credit to Jamal Mosley here. I've been critical of him over the past couple of seasons for his lack of refinement of this offense. And now he has them running more than ever. He has them moving without the ball more than ever. He has them passing the ball more than ever. And they're just playing in a much higher level in offense than they have in recent years. Shout out to Jamal Mosley's getting some good hoops out of these guys. Number nine, the Boston Celtics plus 3,000 to win the title, according to Hard Rock Bet. Took a bad loss in Milwaukee
Starting point is 00:51:48 against the Bucks without Janus the other night. The Bucks ended up flipping the script attacking Boston's mismatches in this game. Kuzma was killing the Mikado with some quick ISOs. Bobby Portis was posting Jalen Brown, posting Derek White, then he was bombing threes in the fourth quarter. But can't drop the Celtics off the list here. They've won seven of their last
Starting point is 00:52:06 nine still. They have the third best record in the league since November 23rd in a 129 offensive rating in that span as they've been playing some of the best offensive basketball they've played in the Joe Missoula era and Jason Tatum is on the way sooner than later I would imagine. Number eight, the Minnesota
Starting point is 00:52:21 Timberwolves currently plus 3,000 to win the title on Hard Rock Bet. Got a couple of nice bounce back wins against the Kings and the Warriors, but they continue to have an inability to beat good teams. As we've seen in the standings this season they are 15 and 1 against teams that are 500 or worse
Starting point is 00:52:37 or I should say below 500, and they are two and eight versus teams that are 500 or better. And the problem continues to be their defense. According to cleaning the glass, when you filter their matchups to only teams that are in the top 10 in point differential. They're currently allowing 124 points per 100 possessions. That is the 23rd worst defense versus the top 10 point differential teams in the league according to cleaning the glass. But I do continue to be bullish on the wolves. Their offense is better than it's ever been. And they are guarding pretty well when Rudy Gober is on the floor. He's sneaky. been one of the most valuable players in the league this season.
Starting point is 00:53:09 Their defense falls off of a 15-point cliff when Rudy Gobert leaves the floor. And I believe they'll be able to get enough stops to be really dangerous when we get to April. Number seven, the Houston Rockets. Another team that only had one game last week, they bounced back from their tough loss in Dallas with a nice win versus the Clippers. A Clippers team that, like, again, has been losing. But they're playing everybody really tough these days as Kauai Leonard and James Harding continue to play well. I loved their crunch time offense again. Kevin Durant had a rough statistical night,
Starting point is 00:53:38 but I thought he was incredible down the stretch, orchestrating things in pick and roll, set up so many quality shots. Hit him in Thompson in the pocket for an and one. Hit Shangoon in the pocket that started a four on three that ended up in a dunk for Jabari Smith, who was spotting up there in the dunker spot. He hit Jabari Smith on a perfect cross-court feed
Starting point is 00:53:54 for like a wide open corner three in the right corner, just happened to miss it. Hit Shangoon in the pocket for a nice little easy mid-range jumper that he missed. Like, I thought it was really high-quality offense, and they ended up getting the win. I talked all offseason about how I was specifically hoping that KD would bring back more of that spread pick and roll work that he was doing in Brooklyn, where he was really gifted at bringing the defender to the level and getting the pass to the roller and igniting four on threes. And it's been awesome to see that become one of the staples for Houston in the half court,
Starting point is 00:54:24 especially at the end of games the season. Shangun was incredible again, at a really crazy finish across his body down the stretch. And this one did really nice work in his one-on-ones. again, this team, they're just so difficult to guard as a brute force team in the half court because they have so many impossible players to guard one-on-one, like Kevin Durant, Shangun, and Amend Thompson. Still the only team other than Oklahoma City and the entire NBA with a double-digit positive net rating. Number six, the Los Angeles Lakers, plus 1,300 to win the title, according to Hard Rock Bet.
Starting point is 00:54:55 I'm not going to say here long because we hit them in a segment earlier in the show, but obviously a very disappointing showing in the in-season tournament against San Francisco. Antonio, once again, shining a light on their athletic deficiencies. But as has been the theme all season, the team has just a lot more mental toughness than they have in previous iterations of the team. They are yet to lose two games in a row this season as they go on the road into Phoenix without Austin Reeves and get a big win, not with their offense, but with defense and rebounding, just showing that they can win that type of fight.
Starting point is 00:55:25 Again, casual reminder that even though they have their personnel limitations, they also are capable of being a better team on the margins than they've shown. Number five, the Denver Nuggets plus 700 to win the title, according to Hard Rock Bet. Another one game team last week. Easy road win in Sacramento. Kings didn't have a sole hookah guard, Nicola Yokic. So he just feasted all night. He had 36 points on 14 for 16 shooting.
Starting point is 00:55:47 Really nice bench performance again for the Nuggets. There are seven for seven night from Yonis Valichunis. They were plus five with Yokic off the floor in that game. They are now just minus 3.8 net per 100 possessions when Yokic is off the floor to start the season, which seems bad. until you remember that is way, way, way better than they were in the previous five seasons where they were routinely a negative double-digit team net
Starting point is 00:56:10 when Yokic was off the floor. Number four, the New York Knicks, currently plus 1,500 to win the title, according to Hard Rock Bet. My current pick to win the Eastern Conference if the season ended today. Another offensive masterclassing, it's a very good Orlando defense.
Starting point is 00:56:25 Jalen Brunson just fried one of the best defensive backcorts in the league. Carl Towns torched Wendell Carter Jr. this offense is five points per 100 possessions better this season total than it was last year. They are a 122 offensive rating team this year when they were a 117 last year. Mike Brown has just squeezed a little bit more out of every facet of this offense, a little bit more in transition, a few more drives every game, 15 more passes per game than they had last year, generating more spot up opportunities by a wide margin than they did last season. just a little bit better across the board amounts to five points increase year over year in their offensive rating.
Starting point is 00:57:08 And Josh Hart, Ogen, and O.B., and McHale Bridges continue to do a wonderful job anchoring their defense with their speed in transition. This next team appears to be on a mission to reverse the trends of years past. They definitely have a challenge ahead for them tomorrow night, though. Very, very excited about that. The spurs are an athletic juggernaut that are going to have guards that can guard Jalen Brunson, the ability to protect the rim. the ability to really cause some physical problems for them. I'm excited to see how they match up in that game tomorrow night.
Starting point is 00:57:38 Number three, the San Antonio Spurs, currently plus 3,000 to win the title according to Hard Rock. That once again touched on them early in the show, so I won't stay here long. I may have been wrong about the Spurs before the season, but I'm all in on them now. We're going to do our next contender list in like the week or two after Christmas. San Vasini is going to come join the show,
Starting point is 00:57:56 and we're going to break down contenders. And right now I'm leaning somewhere in that like three, a four range for them, depending on how they look juxtaposed with a team like Houston here over the next couple of weeks. I just think they have the highest defensive ceiling in the league outside of Oklahoma City because of Victor Wenamah and their perimeter athletes. And Deeran Fox, since he joined the team as spearheaded a deadly drive and kick attack that has made them much more imposing defensively than they were without him. We'll see how they do against another tough opponent against the Knicks tomorrow night.
Starting point is 00:58:27 Number two, the Detroit Pistons currently plus 2,000 to win the title according to Hard Rock Bet. another team that just played one game last week, a total destruction of the Atlanta Hawks. They had eight players in double figures, 72 points in the paint. They're the number one paint scoring team in the league at 58 points per game. What this means is they're less relying on jump shooting and some of the variants that can come with that. They attempt just 41 jump shots per game and just 32-3s, both bottom three in the NBA. And for perspective, there are seven teams in the league attempting over 50 jump shots per game at this point in the season. That's how much of a difference in the shot profile for the pistons compared to what you see elsewhere around the league.
Starting point is 00:59:04 Just to credit to the relentless rim pressure down the roster. So many dudes who can drive the basketball. Obviously, you have your two-man game of Cade and Jalen Duren, but down the roster, they have so many guys. The Sart Thompson pressures the rim. Ron Holland pressures the room. Karris Slavert's done a nice job driving the basketball this season. They just have a bunch of guys that drive, and it just continues to form a very strong profile of shots at the rim. Fun one tonight against the Celtics.
Starting point is 00:59:29 We will definitely be covering that one in tomorrow morning's show. Very excited to see the Pistons match up against a fast guard-laden team like Boston. Lastly tonight, number one, the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are plus 100 to win the title on Hard Rock Bet. That was plus 145 last week. So now even odds to win the title. Can you believe that? Not going to stay here long again because we hit them earlier in the show.
Starting point is 00:59:53 San Antonio did show that they're not unbeatable. They can still struggle to score. at times if you can bring a combination of real rim protection with super athletic guys on the perimeter. The problem is there just isn't a team in the NBA that brings the enough of a combination of real rim protection, real perimeter athletes, and reliable offense to actually threaten this team four times out of seven. I still think they're far and away the best team in the NBA at this point. I have them in a tier by themselves at the top of the league. All right, guys, that's all I have for today. As always, I sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting us and
Starting point is 01:00:25 supporting the show. Jampack Slate tonight. We're going to be hitting Piston Celtics and Nuggets Rockets in tomorrow morning show. Should have a fun set of game reactions for that one. I have a scheduling conflict this week, so I'm not going to be able to do the instant reaction right after the final buzzer of the Spurs' Knicks game, but we will have a reaction to that game early on Wednesday morning. Again, as always, I sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting us and supporting the show. We'll see you tomorrow morning. Hey, guys, it's us and the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick, and guess what?
Starting point is 01:01:03 We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know. Tired and sick.
Starting point is 01:01:20 Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio. Non-stop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now.
Starting point is 01:01:40 Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your heart is hit, it's when things seem worse that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. IHeart Radio.
Starting point is 01:01:59 Hey, it's Edwin Castro. own ass Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called the 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This season on Dear Chelsea, with me, Chelsea Handler, we have some fantastic guests like Amelia Clark.
Starting point is 01:02:42 When like young people come up to me and they want to be an actor or whatever, and my first thing is always, can you think of anything else that you can do? Rather be disappointed in. Do that. David O'Yello. I love this podcast, whether it's therapy or relationships or religion or sex or addiction or you just go straight for the guts. Dennis Leary, Gaten Moderato from Stranger Things,
Starting point is 01:03:08 Tana Monsu, Camilla Morone, Carrie Kenny Silver, and more. Listen to these episodes of Dear Chelsea on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs.
Starting point is 01:03:28 We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season, and I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was funny. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven,
Starting point is 01:03:40 Marquis coming to you, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast.
Starting point is 01:03:53 Guaranteed human.

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