0:00

Now let's talk about the play of the

0:02

week. the pressure to follow up. Hypnotic and

0:04

cognac weighing heavily on the team. Hypnotic.

0:06

Was in the cup. Blue. And ready

0:08

for the play and boom on yet

0:10

how to killer Came in with a

0:12

smooth assist to have not x tropical

0:14

fruit finish. Shaken. Strained.

0:16

poured. It. Was green and

0:18

good. The. Playmaking splash shifted the

0:21

Tebow. Another. Great cocktail from

0:23

the hypnotic team. Every. Season

0:25

is hypnotic and tequila season. Hypnotic.

0:28

Liquor Board So Kentucky seventy percent alcohol

0:30

by volume. A lot of remind you

0:32

to think wisely. Drink wisely. Welcome

0:35

to and the A Today! Recently bought into

0:37

a credit. And.

0:40

Later take down of the top rank. Thunder

0:42

send a message in. The West y

0:44

le Bron eighty and Co could be even

0:46

more threatening. Think you might think. And what

0:49

do the injury riddled next need to do?

0:51

And that's cool. So final threat. An

0:53

inside look at how New York. It

0:55

back position themselves. In the playoffs class

0:58

that but as a lot of the defense

1:00

and they also a lot dame little are

1:02

checked your watches his dank. I'm here to

1:04

say I'm a walking next on M B

1:06

A today. Welcome

1:09

to be A today I'm your girl in a

1:11

Obama caped filling in for the Amazing League Andrews

1:13

and I'm joined by a spectacular pair of M

1:15

B A Thing or Writers. In Motor Shelburne and Zach

1:17

Lowe. And a man who spent over

1:19

two decades. M B A Front Offices

1:21

Scott Perry Hello hello hello. Hello item

1:23

level or also. Join us in a little

1:26

bit. But yeah, we are in the final

1:28

stretch of the regular season and there's so

1:30

many questions that still need to be answered,

1:32

but none more interesting than what happened in

1:34

the West. Because we are but west is

1:36

a while then remote. It is March and

1:39

for the Lakers every game matters this month.

1:41

So let's highlight all of their successes so

1:43

far as of late Lakers versus the Thunder

1:45

early in the second quarter. Watch this. I

1:47

mean why it up of a Thunder Miss

1:50

Le Bron James What does he do? Ramona

1:52

gets out and this and it's downhill. and

1:55

it's bad thought he set the tone physically work with their

1:57

play right the i don't know how many people want to

1:59

get in front of All of that now

2:01

off of another Thunder miss, DeAngelo Russell,

2:03

he finds two, a

2:05

big, speaking through the middle of the lane,

2:07

one Anthony Davis, the Lakers are clearly capitalizing.

2:09

What was the younger team, did not transition,

2:11

get up and down the court. Fresh legs,

2:13

that's all. Now

2:16

20 seconds left in the half, Lakers are 49-43, SDA,

2:18

he loses the ball, and then watch this beautiful give

2:20

and go right here. DeAngelo with that head

2:22

pass, he got the touch shot now, they

2:25

really got a rhythm going through. They do,

2:27

but the Thunder did not, the Thunder shot 30.6% from

2:29

the field in the first half, tied

2:32

for their worst time this season. Now heading

2:34

to the third quarter, I mean, the shots

2:36

were going down, Reece from the corner, he

2:38

misses this, but no one can stop AD

2:40

in the paint. I mean, there's one more,

2:42

he gets the rebound and the putback. That's

2:45

big boy basketball. Big boy grown man

2:47

basketball, speaking of that right there, almost

2:49

a touchdown pass, he's able to

2:51

handle it and throw it down there. Lakers out-rebounded

2:53

the Thunder 55-38, but

2:56

this is my favorite part of the game, right? DeAngelo

2:58

Russell right there, knocked out 130. This is the fourth

3:00

quarter. And then was it GJ

3:03

Calip? Another one, but my

3:05

favorite play. DeAngelo has three threes

3:07

in 66 seconds, but I

3:09

was like, kick the ball here, cook. This is an

3:11

ultimate E-check. I mean, that is a good

3:13

contest right there from J. Doug. And

3:16

I think that's what the young guys call being

3:18

in your bag. Oh yeah, in his

3:20

burkin, the Lakers win 116-104, DeAngelo

3:23

was 26, LeBron 19, right? AD

3:26

24 Lakers are now three and one against the

3:28

Thunder this season. Here's AD right after the game.

3:32

No, in any event, we don't get top

3:35

six. You know, you gotta go through the whole play in

3:39

kind of process again. No,

3:41

we don't really care what CVN. We

3:44

proven that last year. It doesn't matter.

3:47

I think this goes on. But anyway, you

3:49

know, you just gotta get in and then, you know,

3:51

playoffs is a different animal. So, you know,

3:54

we don't look at it as you

3:57

know, we wanna, we rather have this match up than

3:59

this match up. For us, it's just about

4:01

getting in and tackling each opponent.

4:05

The hard-fought wins by the Lake Squad,

4:07

the Lakers have the eighth-toughest remaining strength

4:09

of schedule by opponent win percentage, including

4:11

a pair of games left against the Timberwolves

4:14

and Bucks. Now, the Lakers, they have 19

4:16

game left in the regular season. They've

4:18

won seven of ten as of late, but they

4:20

still sit right ninth in the West. So, L.A.

4:23

hasn't moved up in the standings since late December.

4:25

So, Zach, do you think that the Lakers are

4:27

primed right now for a playoff push? For

4:32

what? A playoff play. Can

4:36

we table the whole Lakers playoff run

4:39

thing until they're at least eighth? Can

4:41

we table it until they're in the top

4:43

half of the play-in bracket? Because

4:46

right now they're in the losers bracket

4:48

of the play-in tournament, which

4:51

means they have to win two games just to

4:53

get into the playoffs and know who their matchup

4:55

is. Their point differential

4:57

for the season is minus 21, minus. They

5:02

have been outscored for the season. Yes,

5:04

they're playing better. They are finally starting

5:06

the right lineup. That is a step

5:09

in the right direction. They're tough. They're

5:11

physical. Anthony Davis is playing as well

5:13

this season as he has in almost

5:15

any point in his career. In any

5:17

one game, they can beat anybody. The

5:19

playoffs are not about one game. They're

5:22

about four wins in seven games. And

5:24

right now, before we talk about all

5:26

these high-fluent discussions about how far the

5:28

Lakers can get, are they ready for

5:30

a playoff push? Can we just get

5:33

to eighth, please? Eighth,

5:35

and then we can have a better discussion.

5:37

Okay, Director of Grouchyness. I see that in

5:40

your title. Look,

5:42

this is... No, it's not Grouchyness.

5:44

It's Director of Reality. This is

5:47

reality. The Lakers are ninth. Look,

5:50

I was at the game last night when D'Lo

5:53

hit those three threes. There was

5:55

no reality other than he was having a

5:57

heat check, and it felt like those same

5:59

goals. good vibes that they got going. Then

6:01

in the stretch run last year, we're coming

6:03

back in the building. Now, it was lost

6:06

on nobody that the Thunder was playing on

6:08

the second night of a back-to-back. They didn't

6:10

have their legs. But

6:13

it also is lost on nobody that this

6:15

would be a very difficult first

6:17

round matchup and could be the first round

6:19

matchup. If the Lakers do get to eighth,

6:21

if the Thunder win the West, that's your

6:23

one-eight matchup. And the

6:26

Lakers are tough out because of their size,

6:28

because of their star power, and

6:30

especially when they get things rolling defensively. I

6:32

think what struck me most about this game

6:34

was the Lakers looked like the younger, fresher

6:36

team. And yes, again, the Thunder, second night

6:39

of a back-to-back, but the Lakers shut down

6:41

their transition, shut down the Thunder's transition offense.

6:43

The Lakers were the ones getting out and

6:45

running. The Lakers were the ones getting their

6:47

defense set. And it changed the whole dynamic

6:50

of the game when the Thunder was not

6:52

able to put their style of play on

6:54

the much older and more veteran team. The

6:58

Lakers just have to focus on being consistent right

7:00

now. I know you talked about them playing the

7:02

Thunder on back-to-back last night, but the Thunder have

7:04

been the best in the league in their back-to-backs

7:06

and their young team. The Lakers imposed their will.

7:09

They played physical against them. The

7:11

Lakers can match up with any team

7:13

in the Western Conference not named the

7:15

Denver Nuggets. And so,

7:18

right, because they're 0-8 against the Nuggets

7:21

and in their last eight

7:23

tries. That is the team they probably

7:25

need to avoid early on in the playoffs.

7:28

But I think if they continue to get consistent

7:30

play under DeAngelo Russell,

7:33

which is key, he's had a big time

7:35

February. And I think, you know,

7:37

we know what we're gonna get out, LeBron and

7:39

A.D., how they played this year. You get Jared

7:41

Vanderbilt back from a defensive perspective. I

7:43

still see this as a very dangerous team. I

7:45

don't care that they're sitting in ninth spot right now.

7:49

When it's all said and done, I agree with Anthony Davis.

7:51

They just need to get in. Once they get in, they're

7:53

gonna figure a way to be one of those eight teams

7:55

playing in the playoffs. And they found consistent success,

7:57

especially with the starting lineup of A.D.

7:59

Hatcher-Mouro. James, Russell, and Reeves, but

8:01

really honestly this Lakers and Thunder's matchup could

8:04

very well be how the first round of

8:06

the playoffs shake out. So let's welcome in

8:08

the best in the business, Tim Legler. Tim,

8:10

what did you see out there last night? Well,

8:14

Shanae, last night Anthony Davis took advantage of, I

8:16

think, the one thing we can question about the

8:18

Oklahoma City Thunder, that size on the front line.

8:21

And when he's playing with this level of determination, he's

8:23

a problem, not just for the Thunder, but really for

8:25

the entire Western Conference. Take a look at some of

8:27

the examples of how exactly he took advantage of that.

8:30

And here you go, up the floor, and

8:32

I like this one because Anthony Davis is coming up the

8:34

floor and I think he's thinking about going over and setting

8:36

a ball screen. But as you can see, his eyes are

8:38

up right now. And this is what he's looking at right

8:40

here. This is his defender, Mike Moscala. And he's looking at

8:42

him and he sees how high he is on

8:44

the floor. And more importantly, he

8:46

sees these two defenders that are high,

8:49

backpedaling, but not in a dead sprint,

8:51

which means there's a lot of room

8:53

back here behind that last defender. So

8:56

I want you to watch Anthony Davis

8:58

sprint right past Moscala, right

9:00

there. He takes off and now that ball is just going

9:02

to be thrown up in the air. And with Anthony Davis,

9:04

you can throw it pretty much anywhere. That's exactly what happens

9:07

here, to catch the dunk. Great read on his part to

9:09

see there was not enough backline defense on that. And

9:11

this one, the Lakers want to run this action right

9:14

here where you're going to get a double

9:16

screen from LeBron James. Anthony Davis setting the

9:18

second one. They love this pet action. LeBron

9:20

will take this all the way over to

9:22

the right wing, see what they can get

9:24

out of it. But Anthony Davis observes something.

9:26

He sees that the defender right here, Chad

9:28

Holmgren, his weight and body is in this

9:30

direction. So now Anthony Davis, as he comes

9:33

in to set this screen, he's just going

9:35

to slip it. So now as LeBron James

9:37

comes over here, there's going to be a

9:39

gap in a pocket to make his pass

9:42

along the baseline for Anthony Davis to catch, receive,

9:44

and finish. There Aren't a lot

9:46

of guys today that are going to catch

9:48

this basketball in traffic on the move and

9:50

still get up something on balance at the

9:52

rim. Anthony Davis is elite in that regard,

9:54

and that's exactly what he does. So He

9:56

took advantage of certain situations in this game.

10:00

No longer have a D Goes the Lakers

10:02

go because a D have been going every

10:04

night. We're not see some of the inconsistency.

10:06

We saw the posters and a year ago

10:08

that is a great size for the Lakers

10:10

going for sonos space. Sim don't go too

10:13

far and you're absolutely correct. Aid: You could

10:15

continue to dominate. Okay see now. Averaging twenty

10:17

seven points and thirteen rebounds per game against

10:19

under the season while leading the Lakers two

10:21

or three one series victory. You can see

10:23

all those big numbers that he put up

10:26

against. Okay, see right there Now let's talk

10:28

about the thunder side of things because we

10:30

all sat here at The Trade. Deadline almost.

10:34

Said that if the Thunder was really trying to

10:36

make a post season plus they need some deaths

10:38

in the front court now they did pick up

10:40

Gordon Hayward speeded pick up a bit mad Bianco

10:42

but. In the pit eighty expose them.

10:45

Last night's how vulnerable. Are the Thunder

10:47

and a playoff series. Scripted.

10:50

It depends on the matches were. Yes,

10:52

it's a disappointment that seven games and

10:54

Gordon Hayward has provided essentially nothing for

10:56

the Thunder. They're going to need something

10:58

from him, their money to deploy more

11:00

to score more, maybe even a quote

11:02

from games for them. For sure, the

11:05

Thunder are vulnerable to the wrong matchup.

11:07

They're vulnerable to synthesize what other teams

11:09

are vulnerable to what they do and

11:11

what they do well which is space

11:13

the floor around the best off the

11:15

dribble fried or maybe means higher and

11:17

be a it's a surge oldest Alexander.

11:20

Was shooting all around him sir be a

11:22

problem in the play offs like any Western

11:24

Conference seem outside of probably that august speak

11:26

a ruse in the first round or makes

11:29

the conference finals that I'm not going to

11:31

reading too much to a loss at a

11:33

desk where Lakers seem on a back to

11:35

back and say there's suddenly vulnerable to this

11:38

matchup for that matter less see that matches

11:40

happen for his. We're going to project this

11:42

series that happened in the first round. Okay,

11:44

see Lakers. Let's see the Lakers get out

11:47

of the planes before we started assuming the.

11:49

Opposite. Teams in the first round. Me

11:52

it's like they they've of thirty one rebounds.

11:54

He's of narratives and the first from. Under that

11:56

zach the bag the may have a d I can

11:58

filter the west and com. Britain's a few that

12:01

have size. That would be an issue for the

12:03

thunder but this is this was their choice

12:05

and and if you ask their decision makers why

12:07

didn't you go get somebody to bit just be

12:09

a big go in there. somebody to town or

12:12

yolk is go emeritus. Get countered Nerc it's or

12:14

eighty their answers or that clogs up. The

12:16

space is so much of the way the sender

12:18

play or five out everybody in this space for

12:20

say their space for data of to may serve

12:23

as a drive into the lane is you

12:25

get a big who is going to be in

12:27

that lane that they don't have that they're not

12:29

able to. Play they were they they want

12:31

to and I think slug that first round

12:33

that matter of let's say it's the Lakers

12:35

let's say it's Phoenix as a your rights

12:37

act does depend on the massive if they

12:39

if they that an early out maybe they

12:41

have to reassess their thinking in in terms

12:43

of next year and how they approach things

12:45

because that you there as their ideas. This

12:47

is how we play if we impose our

12:49

will on our opponents. We don't need to

12:51

change to fit the matchup but let's see

12:53

who they match up. Within the first round. Percival

12:57

didn't ignore. would be done as well.

12:59

Seasoned a plea. Absolutely great basketball. They

13:01

played it be away uptempo, the shoot

13:03

a lot of three point shots in

13:05

say guilds. This is proven himself to

13:07

be one a top Bob Lee as

13:09

in this me right now so he's

13:11

a stabs in itself. As someone who

13:14

probably could win a series for you.

13:16

Know what that means? Say is. We.

13:18

Know the playoff basketball slows down a

13:20

little bit and when it becomes more

13:22

physical and size really starts to matter

13:25

in those matchups Best why have concerned

13:27

enough with last night's game does reaffirm

13:29

for me because I saw this earlier

13:31

are in the season with this Oklahoma

13:33

City's me so mad subsidy be used

13:35

like the always off with the our

13:37

if you play in Oklahoma city gonna

13:39

try to slow the game down a

13:41

little bit and he gonna try to

13:44

beat him up on the interior in

13:46

in so everything's you can add see.

13:48

And. In take it as as as the jingle had

13:50

been. Yeah, this is a team that has the second

13:52

worst of percentage and rebounding, so they will have to

13:55

address that and it's going to be very hard to

13:57

slow. say Guilders Alexander Down Loxley get his Ah Madame

13:59

of that. Are you ever for how

14:01

can you do that? I think it's

14:03

possible because our only to end the

14:05

conversation is a number Basin was as

14:08

though that will air Thursday three Eastern

14:10

right here on he has the and

14:12

smells Silverstone one and be a today

14:14

the Thunder aren't the only team I

14:16

notice that kilos on the soon some

14:18

cracks in the foundation moving fumble the

14:20

one overall and. Eighty

14:23

percent of the next starting lineup is

14:25

unfortunately on the injury report. But how

14:27

is on the way is Ramona forecast?

14:30

Is warranted blue skies in the near

14:32

future. Happy

14:41

today! Food

14:48

but the play the week, the pressure

14:51

to follow up with Monica Conyers weighing

14:53

heavily on the team. Hypnotic within the.

14:55

Moon ready for the place and

14:58

boom on Yahoo Tequila teeming with

15:00

a smooth assist to the Maddox

15:02

Tropical fruit finish. Shaken.

15:04

Stream poured. It was green

15:06

and good. The playmaking square

15:08

shifted the tempo. Another great

15:10

cocktail from hypnotic P. Every.

15:13

Season is hypnotic. Kentucky was season.

15:15

Hypnotic. Liquor Board Some Kentucky seventy percent

15:18

alcohol by volume is not of Remind you

15:20

to think wisely. Drink wine. Reggie.

15:22

White who's a defensive end for the Green

15:25

Bay Packers says that the firebombing of his

15:27

church in Knoxville, Tennessee this week was the

15:29

work of racists who may have been trying

15:31

for his. First there was one far, then

15:33

there was another. Then there was another. It

15:36

wasn't just registered that birthday. Hundreds of churches

15:38

burned in the Ninety Three we'd have emerged

15:40

from and are transmitter we don't wanna move

15:42

and that has a do emotions was his

15:44

maintenance it or nineteen fifty six. It.

15:47

For Thirty podcast enhanced these events:

15:49

Do the flames Listen now. Japonica.

15:52

know really bambee don't be a

15:55

today is visited by into a

15:57

critical everything you need to wealth

15:59

market system and reach your financial

16:01

goals. Welcome

16:04

back to MBA Today. Ramona is it getting

16:06

hot in here? I mean, should we page Nellie

16:08

in the building? Well, it's time for what's burning

16:10

where we run through the hottest topics in

16:12

the league. So let's start off with Philly.

16:14

We're officially a month from Embiid's knee

16:17

surgery. What can you tell us

16:19

about his recovery right now? Well, he's been on the

16:21

court doing a few things, but I don't think he's

16:23

anywhere close to coming back. I expect

16:25

more of an official update when they get back home

16:28

after this game in Brooklyn tonight. But the sense with

16:30

the Sixers is they just got to get the wins

16:32

where they can get them when they have teams coming

16:34

in that are under 500. Pick

16:36

up those wins, stay out of the play in tournament, give

16:38

the big fella a chance to come back and do something

16:41

when he finally gets back. Yeah,

16:43

health is becoming the biggest story in

16:45

Eastern Conference. Donovan Mitchell, the Knicks, the

16:47

Sixers, some of these teams got to

16:49

get healthy or else it's going to

16:51

be Celtics, Bucks and everybody else. What

16:56

about what about the West?

16:58

So now to the Sacramento Kings where they blew

17:00

a 22 point lead to the Bulls at home

17:02

last night, they've been both five and five in

17:05

their last 10. But they have not been lately

17:07

against the T-Wolf Clippers in Denver twice. Ramona, where

17:09

do the Kings currently stand? Well, look, they're now

17:11

in the seventh spot in the Western Conference. And

17:13

this is a team that they're beating the top

17:16

of it. They're beating the top opponents, but they're

17:18

losing to sub 500 opponents. Last

17:21

night was just bonus fouling out unforced

17:23

errors. They had a team meeting before

17:25

that that Minnesota game. Keegan Murray spoke

17:27

up. It looked like they were turning things

17:29

around and that was a brutal loss. Now

17:31

they're actually in the play in tournament if

17:34

things were to end today. And

17:37

that's OK. The Kings are still trending

17:39

up in the big, big, big picture. They

17:42

were never going to vault up from

17:44

last season so high. This is fine,

17:46

but they're not playing very well. And Ramona,

17:48

the Knicks, they're still banged up here,

17:50

especially with Brunson going down on Sunday night.

17:52

What's burning in New York City? Well, I think

17:54

the sense with the Knicks is that they're going

17:56

to get their players back eventually. They avoided a

17:58

serious injury. despite how that

18:01

looks. But the new guys that they acquired

18:03

at the trade, they were all the talk

18:05

of the league. They're playing good roles here,

18:07

but they haven't had time to acclimate and

18:09

learn how to get into that identity they

18:11

nicked established before they traded with them. It's

18:14

not just about getting those players that are

18:16

injured back healthy, but getting them acclimated so

18:18

they can get some kind of rhythm with

18:20

their new acquisitions at the trade deadline before

18:22

the playoffs start. So the Knicks are feeling

18:25

a little bit of heat. The Knicks have

18:27

four likely starters on their injury report. Bronson

18:29

is questionable tonight against the hospital because knee

18:31

contusion will Randall, Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson remain

18:33

out. So who's better to talk about the

18:35

Knicks than former Knicks DM Scott Perry? Now

18:38

Scott, when you look at the Knicks and

18:40

you see the situation with them with a

18:42

long list of injuries, what should be their

18:44

priority in their final 21 games? Well,

18:47

everybody, the obvious is the health, but

18:50

you gotta get them back sooner rather than later.

18:52

And here's why I say that. You know,

18:54

just to start this season, Julius

18:56

Randall had missed all of the off-season with

18:59

ankle surgery. And we saw

19:01

how long it took him to get back

19:03

acclimated to start the season. There were calls

19:05

for him to be traded because he started

19:07

off so slowly. Same thing happened last, my

19:09

last year in New York. He gets injured

19:11

the last five games of the regular season

19:13

after having a fantastic regular season and

19:17

struggles in the playoffs because he never could get his

19:19

rhythm back. And so that is

19:21

gonna be key here for the Knicks that he

19:23

gets back to get that. I think Anunoby, even

19:25

though he's a newer player, because of

19:27

the role he plays, he'll be able to

19:29

assimilate himself a little bit quicker. Mitchell

19:32

Robinson, same thing, even though he's been

19:34

out the entire year, it feels like,

19:36

but they're gonna need him in the

19:38

playoffs because he can really dominate a

19:40

series on the interior with his rebounding

19:42

and shot blocking. And then if

19:45

they have a minimum of, I'd say 10

19:47

games going into the playoffs in the regular

19:49

season of playing together, now that it allows

19:52

the new acquisitions like Burks and

19:55

Bogdanovich to go ahead and

19:57

figure out how they're gonna fit in. And then Tibbs has got

19:59

to... everything out in terms of the

20:01

minutes. Yeah, so Zach, if they do get

20:04

that rhythm in 10 games or so leading

20:06

into the playoffs, hopefully not the play-in,

20:08

how important is getting home court? The

20:13

if qualifier is everything right now for

20:15

the Knicks and it's such a bummer

20:17

and it's also a reminder of how

20:19

fragile all of this is because when

20:22

they got Ann and Obie and they

20:24

started going scorched earth on everybody around

20:26

the league, that was a real thing.

20:28

They had found something, they had found

20:31

something real and something special, physical, nasty,

20:33

shooting, defense all over the place. They

20:35

had everything they needed and they ran

20:37

roughshot over everybody and like that, they're

20:40

struggling just to stay out of the

20:42

play-in tournament. That race for four, five,

20:44

six, seven, eight, it's five teams for

20:46

three spots and right now the Knicks

20:48

are just about clinging to a top

20:50

six seed for dear life when they

20:52

should have been about getting healthy and

20:55

pushing Boston, pushing Milwaukee. So fingers crossed

20:57

they can get healthy and get that

20:59

runway of games because right now it's

21:01

just about, you know, you mentioned home

21:03

court. I mean, I don't even think

21:05

they can think about that. They just

21:07

got to win like the Sixers, like

21:09

Ramona said about the Sixers, just to

21:12

scrounge out every win they can get

21:14

to stay in the top six and boy,

21:16

it didn't look like that was going to

21:18

be the conversation we were going to be

21:20

having in January where they damn near went

21:22

undefeated and just killed everybody. I mean, and

21:24

it always makes everything easier for people

21:26

defensively. Jalen Bronson makes everything easier for

21:28

people offensively, but you have to get

21:30

on the court in order to start

21:33

to form an identity, especially when

21:35

you traded for like half the

21:37

Detroit Pistons. And you bring up one

21:39

final point. You got to get in games division

21:41

again. Talk about that. Okay.

21:43

If they're back by the end of the

21:46

month, is that a week? Yeah, exactly. A week. Playing

21:49

doubles advocate, people say that, Hey, if

21:51

they were all healthy, they might approach

21:53

the playoffs tired. Now, if they're able

21:55

to be healthy, maybe they'll have a

21:58

better scenario. but

22:00

I don't think any New York director of Sunshine right here. I

22:04

know that they're currently fourth in the East, but

22:06

what about the best in class Celtics? Right, because

22:08

our star-studded NBA Saturday prime time game on ABC

22:10

and ESPN app, it's going to be a great

22:13

one between Jason Tatum and the Celtics and KD

22:16

and the Suns are coverage tips with NBA

22:18

Countdown at 8 Eastern 5 Pacific. Coming

22:21

up on NBA Today, today's fourth quarter

22:23

club is so the real LA Clippers,

22:25

or do we still believe that they

22:27

can win the West on Sunshine Always

22:30

and the Thunder of the World, the

22:32

challenge for the top of the West for three

22:34

months. All playoffs predicted,

22:36

four-top, who will take the conference in

22:38

the top five? KD versus Yocha,

22:41

it's two-night. I will tell you how both

22:43

stars are at the top of their game.

22:45

Very different, different, different ways.

22:48

NBA Today with Sinead, we'll be right back after

22:50

the break. ESPN

22:58

Tournament Challenge is here. And

23:00

guess what? I'm doing my bracket right now,

23:03

making picks, predicting upsets,

23:07

winning my bracket group, and

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leaving my old life as a part-time voice

23:11

actor behind. Hey, you

23:13

never know. And if I can

23:15

do it while recording this awesome commercial, you can

23:17

too. Anyone can bracket. Download

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the ESPN Tournament Challenge app to

23:22

play the number one bracket game,

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presented by Capital One. No,

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any event we don't, welcome

23:59

back. to NBA today presented by

24:01

Intuit Credit. Let's

24:05

check in on Milwaukee. No Giannis, no problem.

24:07

It was dame time in Milwaukee last night.

24:09

Giannis onto Jacunfogo, tried to go in warm-ups,

24:11

but is out battling left Achilles tendonitis. Doc

24:13

Rivers said Giannis has been dealing with this

24:16

issue for the past few games, so he

24:18

did not play, but picking it up in

24:20

the fourth quarter, I mean Bobby Portis showed

24:22

up big and the crowd loves it. Oh,

24:24

he's the emotional leader of this club team.

24:27

I love to see that in Bobby Portis.

24:30

Milwaukee just loves this guy. And

24:33

I think LA kind of likes the version

24:35

that they're getting of James Harden. Harden had 29 points

24:37

in 8 assists. This is

24:39

going back and forth, so watch that. Beautiful Euro

24:41

step and one son for about the 12th. 87-84

24:43

after James free throw. Now

24:46

later in the fourth, Patrick Beverly for three,

24:48

Bev had 12 points, 9 rebounds.

24:51

Oh, he's extremely tough physical Doc Rivers

24:53

kind of player. Boy, he's going to

24:55

make this team a tough out in

24:57

the playoffs. Absolutely, but also who else

24:59

will make this a tough out one

25:01

Dame Willard who had 41 points.

25:03

He's a shooting clock. Like, I'm ridiculous. From

25:05

the parking lot. Come on

25:07

guys, now next possession for Milwaukee right

25:10

here. Portis knocked down the jumper and

25:12

Giannis loves it with the same face

25:14

a little bit. Bust up 100, 105,

25:17

100 and another floater here for

25:19

big bucket Bobby. Is that the

25:21

new nickname? I guess so. Milwaukee

25:23

still means my seven and a half. Beverly kind of

25:25

Porter for the corners. Three quarters and 28 points, 16

25:28

rebounds as the Bucks win 113, 106. Now,

25:32

the Bust have won six straight games out

25:34

of all third breaks behind. Get this having

25:37

the link third best offense and best defense

25:39

during the time. Wait, say that again. Third

25:41

best offense and best defense during this

25:44

time. Best defense. Yes, best defense. And

25:46

by the way,

25:48

Ramona, this includes wins over top West teams

25:50

in the Timberwolves and the Clippers. Tim

25:53

Leggler has more on how the Bucks have been

25:55

able to turn around their defense. basketball

26:00

in my life and one of my favorite

26:02

play sets defensively was named play harder. It's

26:05

sometimes really that simple and I've seen that out

26:07

of the box as they're improving their defensive numbers

26:09

right now and also their schemes have been good.

26:11

The 2-3 zone they plied last night really affected

26:13

the Clippers. Talk about both things and why the

26:15

Bucks were able to get this win. So the

26:18

play harder component and I've seen some of this

26:20

during this winning streak starts right here. Damian Lillard

26:22

turns the basketball over and if you can't really

26:24

see where he is just take a look. This

26:26

is Damian Lillard here. He is completely trailing the

26:28

action and you can see the Clippers clearly have

26:30

numbers. You got four guys up the court with

26:32

a surge and a fast break and a lot

26:35

of talent running this break with Lillard that far

26:37

behind the play. As the Clippers come up

26:39

great ball reversal. Stop it

26:41

right here you're gonna see Amir Coffee run

26:44

to this corner and look at the space

26:46

that he has when James Harden makes this

26:48

pass to the corner. But Damian Lillard never

26:50

quit on the play. Look at the ground

26:53

he covers to force him to run off

26:55

the three-point line first and

26:58

then he counts on getting help on the back

27:00

line. That's exactly what he gets right here. Gallinari

27:02

comes over to stop dribble penetration. Three players on

27:04

the weak side zone up waiting on that next

27:06

pass to come out which it does and I

27:08

want you to look at Malik Beasley. Come

27:11

out there get not only a closeout but

27:13

get his hand in the passing lane that

27:15

leads directly to offense. Now this

27:17

is the second part of what I talked about improving

27:19

defensively. Scheme and communication. They went

27:21

to the zone primarily the entire second half

27:24

and it really affected the Clippers because they

27:26

could not get into their ball screen or

27:28

isolation game and one of the big reasons

27:30

they just didn't occupy this area of the

27:32

floor offensively which is critical against the zone.

27:34

They never really did it. Paul George starts

27:36

there and then slips away. When Kawhi Leonard

27:38

touches this basketball this would have been a

27:40

great opportunity right here for Paul George to

27:42

flash middle receive the basketball

27:44

from the wing and then force on

27:47

the back line a reaction from one

27:49

of these two players which would have

27:51

meant a wide open three-pointer in one

27:53

of these corners but because the ball

27:55

didn't get delivered there and instead it

27:57

was dribble penetration the Bucks are able

28:00

stay in their two three zone and match up.

28:02

Now Kawhi finally does flash middle but watch the

28:04

reaction great one here on a Porter Brook Lopez

28:06

he has to come all the way up from

28:08

the back line to play him one on one

28:10

tries to turn the corner go up over one

28:12

of the best shot blockers in the league gets

28:14

a piece deters Kawhi Leonard right at the rim

28:16

and this was during that stage in the game

28:19

when the momentum was changing and the Milwaukee Bucks

28:21

were taking control. I thought their defense was exceptional

28:23

in this game and it has been during the

28:25

winning streak. Sinead let's see if they can keep

28:27

it going forward. Thanks Tim

28:29

for stopping by and breaking it all down

28:31

and speaking of which the defense has absolutely

28:34

taken major strides since Doc Rivers arrival but

28:36

so has Dame Lillard take a listen to

28:38

Dame on how Doc has helped him open

28:40

up his game. For

28:44

a significant part of the year it was just just

28:46

trying to find my way you know trying to find

28:50

my spaces where I would have opportunity and

28:52

you know I just think because I played

28:54

against Doc so many times in the West

28:57

and he had to scout against me so when he

28:59

came in he was just like you

29:02

guys don't run this you guys don't run that

29:04

like this is stuff we hated to

29:06

guard against you and

29:08

he just started to slowly put some of those actions

29:10

in. And slowly

29:12

we're starting to see that it has officially

29:14

become Dame time in Milwaukee and shout out

29:17

to Barry Baum of the Bucks because he

29:19

gifted our amazing producer Hillary this

29:21

nice little box of Dame time watch I'm gonna

29:23

put it on and I might also feel it

29:25

you can see the Dame time there we go

29:27

I'll put it on Apple watch it's even better

29:29

because it's clutch it always it always

29:31

delivers in moments of need now Scott

29:33

what difference have you seen from Dame

29:36

since Osler Riggs? Well I see the

29:38

Dame that I used to watch for

29:40

the last decade Pun intended exactly

29:42

in Portland and it's

29:45

not just the three-point shooter we know

29:47

he's terrific at that but the way

29:49

he got downhill and attacked the rim

29:51

with such force I thought that sets

29:53

the entire tone for not only this

29:55

game but a number of the games

29:57

since All-Star break and you can like

30:00

he's playing free and much more liberated right now.

30:02

So I'm really impressed with what Dame is doing

30:04

right now. Well, I mean, Doc Rivers

30:06

has this mantra. They got to go from good to

30:08

great. Right. And I don't even know

30:10

that they were good on defense. Okay. Right. And

30:14

Tim gave a great breakdown of like what they did with

30:16

their zone. And I know how you guys talk about his

30:18

own like, like you go to zone because you can't

30:20

really guard them with man. Right. But that zone was

30:22

so effective because they were trying harder because you

30:24

did see Dame trying to close out their effort

30:26

was there. So much of what the issue that

30:28

they have before was just team

30:30

effort. Like everybody buying into what they're doing,

30:33

finding roles. And I think that's why they

30:35

went and got Doc Rivers. He understands

30:37

that you got to put guys in positions of the

30:39

feed. He's seen Dame at his best. He's putting them

30:42

there. Last night he was the only one of the

30:44

big three out there. Chris Middleton still been out. Giannis

30:46

was out with the with the Achilles injury. And so it's

30:49

just Dame. He's used to that in Portland. Just

30:51

him. Right. Yeah. Well, I tell you what I

30:53

really like last night with Doc did. I thought

30:55

this was a win that's going to carry a

30:57

lot of momentum for this team. Whenever you can

31:00

win a game as a coach without to your

31:02

top three players like you did, it is going

31:04

to instill a lot of confidence in the entire

31:06

roster and in you as a coach. Yeah. But

31:08

they will need to sustain that. So Zach, do you

31:10

believe that the Bucks have the right momentum? Do you think

31:12

that they've turned a corner here? Ooh,

31:16

I think it's getting interesting. It's getting

31:18

a little spicy. They're trending upward like

31:21

this. Damn is trending upward like this.

31:23

I thought last night was as explosive

31:25

and decisive going to the basket as

31:28

he has looked all season from start

31:30

to finish on any game. And look,

31:32

the defense has gotten better and sturdier.

31:34

This is not going to be a

31:37

great defensive team. But if it's good

31:39

enough when they get healthy, their offense

31:41

is going to be dynamite. And that

31:44

is the kind of formula where

31:46

they have enough to really challenge Boston

31:48

in the east. And boy, does we

31:50

do we need someone to challenge step

31:52

up and challenge Boston in these because

31:54

they're lapping the field right now. But

31:57

this team fully healthy, fully optimized is

31:59

very very dangerous and that's why to

32:01

me there is no bigger wild card

32:03

right now in the East than how

32:05

Chris Middleton comes back from that ankle

32:07

injury and whether he can stay healthy,

32:10

stay on the court and in the

32:12

playoffs play 30 plus minutes

32:14

every game of high-level basketball because if they

32:16

run into Boston or a healthy Knicks team

32:18

or a healthy MB that's what they're gonna

32:20

need to get by. Yeah those are some

32:22

you know question marks though on the other

32:24

side of the ball because we're talking about

32:26

a game in which they played the Clippers

32:28

right and these two teams are clearly heading

32:31

into opposite directions with the Bucks having

32:33

won six straight games out of the break

32:35

and then the Clippers having lost six of

32:37

their last 11 games so when you pair

32:39

them side by side I think we're shocked here on the

32:41

West Coast so these are two conference contenders

32:43

but the Clippers have it seems like run out

32:45

of seam over the last few weeks so Zach

32:48

how concerned are you on the other side

32:50

of the ball with LA's recent slide? I'm

32:54

gonna give them the benefit of the

32:56

doubt because you can't go 27 and

32:58

5 or whatever it was over that

33:00

long of a stretch without being in

33:02

the elite elite team and I do

33:04

think they've hit a little bit of

33:06

malaise a little bit of dog days

33:08

all-star post-trade deadline malaise we've proven what

33:10

we can do but the juice isn't

33:12

there right now they do miss Russ

33:14

in that sense because if you need

33:16

a jolt of energy for a better

33:18

or worse Russ is gonna bring that

33:20

off the bench and jolt you into

33:22

gear and you do feel his absence

33:24

I would like to see them get back

33:26

to running their offense with a little more

33:28

verb a little more speed right now like

33:30

Kylo likes to say they're just walking around

33:32

on offense they've lost some steam and look

33:34

this is a veteran team a lot of

33:37

guys who have done a lot of things

33:39

in the playoffs on this team they've already

33:41

proven what they can do they know what

33:43

they have to do but right now they're

33:45

settled into that four seed and maybe they

33:47

don't care but that looks like they're gonna

33:49

where they're gonna be and they need to

33:51

get back into rhythm before the playoffs start

33:54

not during the playoffs and Zack you said

33:56

a lot of these guys on the Clippers

33:58

have accomplishments in their career but Some of

34:00

them are still seeking championships, but it really feels

34:02

like they need a feel-good win. And how about

34:04

on Wednesday, because our next NBA Wednesday doubleheader starts

34:06

in H-town, I did it to myself, with the

34:08

Rockets, hosting Kawhi and the Clippers at 7.30

34:11

Eastern, then Yannis and the

34:13

Bucks begin a four-game West Coast swing

34:15

against Steph and the Warriors, our coverage tips, with

34:17

NBA Countdown at seven on ESPN and the app.

34:21

Now the battle for the one spot in the West is

34:23

heating up, but the more important question

34:25

might be, who needs to avoid

34:27

LeBron and Steph in the first round? What's

34:29

next right here on NBA Today? We're

34:36

just weeks into this year, and

34:38

the news is already nonstop. Two overseas

34:40

wars, a presidential election already testing the

34:43

democratic process, a former president in court,

34:45

it can feel impossible to keep

34:47

up with, but we can help. I'm

34:49

Brad Milkey, the host of Start Here,

34:52

the daily podcast from ABC News. Every

34:55

morning, my team and I get you

34:57

caught up on the day's news in

34:59

a quick, straightforward way that's easy to

35:01

understand. So, kickstart your morning, start smart

35:03

with Start Here and ABC News, because

35:05

staying informed shouldn't feel like a chore.

35:10

They're no last year, they're not a short year.

35:12

Now streaming, and Texas,

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ask, what do you think, yeah? To

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And you come. And Texas. Shogun,

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any event we don't. You're

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watching NBA Today, presented by Intuit

35:44

Credit Karma. What

35:47

was Big Sean's song? I was raised by

35:49

the wolves. They hosted the Blazers last night

35:51

in Minnesota. Now Anthony Edwards, though, was running

35:53

out of court, late to tip off, and he

35:56

would actually have to sub in Ramona. I mean, Racist Jefferson does

35:58

that every time on this show, but I think he does. It

36:00

doesn't on purpose, yeah. This

36:02

is like, somebody just used to tap him earlier

36:04

and be like, hey, game on! But it didn't

36:06

slow him down, okay? The T-wolves, the 55-48 going

36:08

into halftime. Now let's

36:10

go to the third quarter where Brutty Gobert,

36:12

whoa, throws down the dunk. In one son,

36:15

T-wolves up after the free throw. And then

36:17

the final seconds of the third, T-wolves up

36:19

again. This beautiful basketball. I saw

36:21

it's great basketball. You love to see it break

36:23

when they're sharing the basketball that way and finish

36:26

it. Correct, under six minutes left, trailblades down 105-90.

36:29

Oh, my goodness, cycles of

36:32

power! One of the

36:34

posters of the year. That might be posted

36:36

a year. Oh, it's a nominee, it's definitely

36:38

a nominee. Edwards right there drives and makes the

36:40

layup. Edwards finishes with 13 points, and

36:42

the T-wolves go on to win 119-114. Now

36:46

the T-wolves have had at least a share of the best

36:48

record in the West for 94 days this

36:50

season as they seek just their second

36:52

number one seed in franchise history. So,

36:55

I would like to run through the

36:57

wild, wild West and starting at the

36:59

top here, let's fire up the official

37:02

playoff predictor. The top three seeds are only

37:04

separated by a half game. So, Zach, what stands

37:06

out to you in the race to the top?

37:10

How the three teams at the top

37:12

have kind of separated themselves from the

37:14

Clippers now. And the Clippers are in

37:16

danger kind of nestling in to that

37:19

four seed. But that race for number

37:21

one is very, very even. Minnesota still

37:23

plays Denver three more times. And we're

37:25

gonna learn about who really wants some

37:27

court advantage. Remember how critical it was

37:29

for Denver last year on their way

37:31

to the title. This is one of

37:33

the more interesting subplots because that top

37:35

seed is there for the taking. But

37:37

of course, in the era of the

37:39

play-in, it's hard to know who the match-ups

37:41

are gonna be and who you're gonna play. You

37:43

may end up facing a team down there that

37:45

you maybe don't wanna face so much. Who

37:48

do you think will take the number one end

37:50

of the regular season? I think the Denver Nuggets

37:52

are gonna do it. They're starting to play the

37:54

kind of basketball that led them to the championship

37:56

last year. They've

37:59

got the best playing basketball. right now so

38:01

I'm leaning towards them they're

38:03

playing the best at the right time of the season. That

38:05

is true and if you did see our predictor they actually

38:07

have the second easiest remaining strength of schedule

38:09

so the Denver Nuggets are favorites and you

38:11

know they know how to get there but

38:13

Ramona who do you think will finish number

38:16

one overall? After the all-star break and David

38:18

Cole Pope recently told everybody that the Cola

38:20

Yokich sent a text message to the whole

38:22

group and said guys it's time to go

38:24

now he didn't say exactly what was in

38:26

the text message because it's always a mystery.

38:28

He said it fired everybody else. When did you

38:31

see Yokich send a group text message? We've never

38:33

heard about stuff like that. I think he's

38:35

decided it's go time. For

38:37

a long time we wondered if they cared where

38:39

they finish the mistakes it looks like they care

38:41

and I think they do care but you guys

38:43

my prediction early on with the Clippers and I

38:45

actually have a little validation here because if I

38:47

slide over first let's look at the Clippers the

38:49

Clippers have the 11th easiest remaining yes they did

38:51

just come off of a loss but as I slide

38:53

over to the projections y'all look at what

38:55

we project winning the title 10.1% for

38:59

the Los Angeles Clippers overall in

39:01

our playoff prediction. I know that's gonna shock a lot

39:03

of people. We feel like the Clippers are finally going

39:05

to make it to the Western

39:08

Conference Finals. The Nuggets would like a word. They

39:11

would definitely like a word but don't worry. I'm

39:13

saying it's the Nuggets Clippers in the Western Finals.

39:15

I understand you going after the Clippers though. They're

39:17

supremely talented. Yes. Okay we talked about the top

39:19

of the top how about we go why don't

39:22

we go to the bottom of the standings five

39:24

through ten are all separated by only three and

39:26

a half games so Scott who do you

39:28

think finishes fifth and sixth and completely

39:30

avoids the playing entirely. Well I struggle with

39:33

this one but right now I'm gonna go

39:35

with the Sacramento Kings and

39:37

the Dallas Mavericks mainly because

39:39

of the guard play. What's up with

39:41

the Kings moving up to five maybe.

39:44

Yeah I am partial to guard playing I

39:46

think late in the season when you got

39:48

guards who can play downhill like Sacramento has

39:50

De'Aaron Fox and then you know Luca Doncis

39:52

is having an MVP caliber six season along

39:54

with Kyrie Urban there. I just like guard

39:56

play being dominant down the stretch so that's

39:58

why I went with those. I mean,

40:00

the Phoenix Suns are a very talented team. If

40:02

you'd have told us the beginning of the year,

40:05

they'd be in the play-in tournament, and none of

40:07

us would have believed you. But Devin Booker, with

40:09

that injury right now, even whether it's a week,

40:11

10 days, whatever it is, they

40:13

cannot afford to lose him for any length of

40:15

time because they have one of the toughest schedules.

40:18

I mean, not one of. The playoff

40:20

predictors literally telling us right here, they

40:22

have the toughest remaining schedule in the

40:24

NBA. That's a lot of it. Zach,

40:26

what do you think about the bottom? Well,

40:30

look, the Phoenix, let's not mince words. If

40:33

the Suns are in the play-in, this

40:35

is a potential disaster scenario for Phoenix,

40:37

who went all in to build this

40:39

team and just hasn't seen it together.

40:41

When they've been together, they've been really

40:43

good. But once you're in the play-in,

40:46

you are super vulnerable to not even

40:48

making the playoffs or getting a matchup

40:50

where it's just too hard to win

40:52

two and three rounds. We haven't talked

40:54

about the Pelicans, and I want to

40:56

bring up those odds again because I

40:58

think I saw the Pelicans with like a

41:00

94% chance of making

41:02

the playoffs. Very quietly, they have a

41:05

manageable schedule. They're nicely in fifth right

41:07

now, and those playoff odds really like

41:09

them snagging a top-six seed. The Pelicans,

41:11

if they manage to do that, and

41:13

most systems think they have a really

41:16

good chance to do it, what a

41:18

major victory it would be for them

41:20

despite injuries here and there to

41:22

their big three. We haven't seen them that much together.

41:25

That would be a nice accomplishment for them, and they're

41:27

in a good position to do it. And by the

41:29

way, a very tricky team to match up with

41:31

for anybody because of how unusual Zion is. Yeah,

41:33

Zion being able to be played forward, but also

41:36

be able to play back to the basket, and

41:38

then their length on the perimeter. They are one

41:40

of my dark horses in the West.

41:42

Now, we talked about the numbers. How about the

41:44

plays? Because sticking in the West here, let's check

41:47

out today's smart play brought to you by Intuit

41:49

Credit Karma. Now, they may be falling out

41:51

of the playoff race, but that doesn't mean these plays

41:53

can't still happen. I mean, look at this, Ramona.

41:55

Sexton said the play here was on purpose. Do

41:57

you believe him? I actually do. I'm

42:00

gonna go see, look, that is a duchette.

42:05

He also adores like that, he realized he couldn't

42:07

dunk his saw sex at trail in the place.

42:09

I buy that. I didn't buy it

42:11

at first, but now upon review, I didn't buy

42:13

it, but this dunk post game buzzer between the

42:15

legs. That was some show time. Yes, it was.

42:17

Oh, that was sweet. We've

42:20

got to thinking about greatness. I'm

42:22

not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

42:25

I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

42:28

I'm not sure. Will his career be more impressive than Dranf? NBA Today is presented by

42:30

Intuit Credit Karma. No, in any event

42:32

we don't. They're not on sports, they're on teachers. franchise

42:35

pack's in line passes. I'll be NFL combined, he's speaking about

42:37

the NFL. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

42:40

I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm

42:42

not sure. I'm not sure. I'm

42:44

not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not

42:46

sure. I'm not sure. I'm

42:48

not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not

42:50

sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

43:00

We have

43:02

a battle of former MVPs,

43:04

Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic

43:08

tonight in Denver. It's

43:18

their second meeting of the season. Jokic took the

43:20

first back in December. Now, Devin Booker is out

43:22

with an ankle sprain, so the scoring load will

43:24

once again be on Katie's

43:27

shoulders. Now,

43:29

what I love about this matchup is that we

43:31

have two seven-footers who are the best at what

43:33

they do in completely different ways. I

43:35

mean, Katie is the master of the

43:37

mid-range in Jokic. He's the professor who

43:39

has a PhD in passing, and I'll show you

43:42

exactly on the court. Katie versus Jokic, he gets

43:44

to his spot, elevates after a switch and going

43:46

under the screen, and he knocks it down. He

43:48

has the most mid-range points per game in the NBA.

43:51

Now, on the other side, we're talking about the professor in

43:53

passing. Right here, that's an ice

43:55

cream. Usually people shoot, instead

43:57

he attracts the entire defense. the

44:00

NBA has more assists at the forward or center

44:02

than Nikola Jokic, so it's

44:04

very, very impressive those two

44:06

seven-footers doing it differently now. The Suns will

44:09

be without Devin Booker tonight and our eight and

44:11

a half point underdogs against the defending champs. So,

44:13

odds makers really believe that Phoenix is heading

44:15

towards their third straight loss. Now, Zach, what is

44:17

so important to you about the Phoenix Suns,

44:19

especially in their game tonight? This

44:21

has to be a statement

44:24

one. Every game is urgent for the Suns.

44:26

This team went all in, invested everything they

44:29

had, and falling into the play-in would risk

44:31

a disaster scenario for the playoffs. It's a

44:33

huge, huge game. Every game is a huge

44:35

game. If you beat the Nuggets, it's almost

44:38

like a double win. It's an unexpected win.

44:40

So the pressure is on Phoenix in every

44:42

single game down the stretch of the season.

44:44

Yeah, we all know that Phoenix has

44:46

truly fallen short a little bit of expectation

44:49

so far this season, but an interesting debate

44:51

that came up in our newsroom before the

44:53

show was like the legacies of Jokic and

44:55

KD, especially as we see in this matchup.

44:57

And here's actually a look at their current

45:00

resumes for these two Hall of Famers. Jokic

45:02

has the 2-1 edge in MVPs and could

45:04

be adding another to his case after this

45:06

season. Now, KD, though, has 2-1 titles advantage

45:08

and is ninth on the all-time scoring list.

45:10

So, Scott, if the Nuggets

45:13

are able to do what no team has done since

45:15

KD's worries and win back-to-back titles, would Jokic

45:17

surpass Durant in your estimation for career? I

45:19

know that's a tough question, but like when

45:21

you stack it up head-to-head, it's interesting. It's

45:24

very interesting, but I'm

45:26

a little partial to KD. Look, I was part of

45:28

the front office and drafted this young man 17 years

45:31

ago in Seattle. He's

45:34

been one of the most lethal scores that

45:36

we've seen in this game. And like you

45:38

said, he's two-time NBA

45:41

champion. He is 10-time

45:43

all-NBA. I mean, he has just

45:45

done it for so long. Now Jokic is

45:47

just keeping up on him, and I have to give him that.

45:51

And so, but right now, today, I still

45:54

got to get the slight edge, and it may

45:56

be a little biased, but to

45:59

my man KD. because 17 years and

46:01

doing this so consistently, I

46:03

marvel at that. And... I'm with

46:05

you there, and some of it is just age. I

46:08

mean, Kevin Durant's 35, Yoke has just

46:10

turned 29. He's got six years

46:12

on him there. But I think it's also, both

46:14

of these guys are one of one. I

46:17

can't think of a comp for either of them. Yeah, right.

46:19

And they've changed, and both of them have changed the

46:21

game in the way that they've played it, in the

46:23

way that people had to react to them. When Kevin

46:25

Durant joined the Warriors, the whole league had to change

46:27

to try to match up with him. I think the

46:30

whole league has had to change to try to match

46:32

up with the Denver Nuggets, especially if they get it

46:34

going again this year, get back to the finals, maybe

46:36

win again. Have we ever seen a

46:38

big man who's gonna pass like this? Thank you. Have

46:40

you ever seen a big man who could score the way that Yoke said?

46:42

There's a few, maybe Sabonis.

46:45

Sabonis, Arvita Sabonis was the closest

46:47

one, but we saw the injured version once he got

46:49

to the game. The one thing I will say about both of

46:51

them though, and I think that's, they're

46:53

both just basketball junkies. They just love

46:55

it. Oh, oh, oh, love the game. You can talk about

46:58

Yoke, just horse racing, whatever. They

47:00

are basketball Sabonis. Tremendous point, Ramona and Kevin

47:02

Durant. I mean, I think he's gonna be

47:05

playing basketball. If he's not in the NBA

47:07

at 50 years old, he'll be playing somebody's

47:09

league. He'll be playing basketball somewhere. That

47:12

is true. And you know, for me, I see Kevin Durant as

47:14

one of the greatest scorers all the time. I know a lot

47:16

of, you know, not too long ago, people were saying, put me

47:18

in the greatest of all time conversation. I know that by the

47:20

time Yoke has done, we'll have that same

47:22

mandate. Put me in the greatest of all time conversation. But

47:25

still, I, maybe because I'm a millennial,

47:27

but I love what KD has done with the game.

47:29

I think the narrative has affected how people perceive him

47:31

to some degree, but these two

47:33

guys are winning in completely different ways. You gotta

47:35

love it. You gotta love. So Malika Andrews, she

47:38

will be back in studio tomorrow. I'm really excited

47:40

to see her interview with, yeah, they give us

47:42

Alexander. That'll be coming. I want to wear more

47:44

important. Maybe she can borrow the glasses

47:46

or something.