Giannis on the 65-game rule for regular-season awards: “The margin of error is hard. One injury & you’re off the race. Jokic, Wemby & myself might not make it. LeBron’s not going to make it. I was all for it because it could benefit me at first. As I get older, I’m like ‘ah take it off, take it off”
Rich Paul says a 26-year-old LeBron James didn’t have somebody in his locker room who could teach him how to be an NBA champion the way Luka Doncic can learn from LeBron | By the time LeBron was 26, he played with the 3x Finals MVP Shaq, 2006 Finals MVP Dwyane Wade and 2004 NBA Champion Ben Wallace
Donovan Mitchell: “What happened to your shooting?” -Rudy Gobert: “I like the floater better” -Mitchell: “No. Your jump shot is way better. You don’t look confident” -Rudy: “I wasn’t confident on that one” -Mitchell: “That’s what I’m saying”
Cody Williams posts a -60 plus-minus, officially the worst single-game plus-minus ever recorded in the NBA
[Highlight] Jason Kidd takes a timeout to challenge the goaltending on the play prior, but Scott Foster does not grant him the coach’s challenge, and after exchanged between the two Kidd is being EJECTED early in the game
[Nash] on player development: “It’s pay to play in the States. Capitalism is wonderful… not great for player development. In Europe, to play is free. You go to your local club, it’s subsidized by that community, everyone is there long term to develop. Here it’s been totally commercialized”
[Slater] Schroder approached Doncic and said that he “can’t call him a b*tch on the court and pretend like everything is fine off the court.”
Jaylen Brown on officiating: “I’ll accept the fine at this point. I thought it was some bullshit tonight…The inconsistency is fucking crazy. Give me the fine…I got my conspiracies or whatever, but I don’t know what’s going on. But it seems like every time we play a good team, it’s the same shit”
James Harden on whether the Brooklyn Nets trio of him with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving is the greatest “what if” “You’ve got that. My whole career — you’ve got two what if situations. OKC, Chris Paul and his hamstring. I don’t even think about that. I’m living in the moment.”
Joe Mazzulla when a reporter asked him why he called a timeout: “You just asked that like it was a therapy question. We just gave up two rebounds. It’s why I called timeout.”
[Highlight] The Jazz announcers react as the Hornets go up 47 in the 3rd quarter.
Doc Rivers goes off on ICE: “What happened in Minnesota was a straight-up murder”
[Mannix] “Just like the marketplace for Trae Young dried up to the point where you could acquire him for CJ McCollum and Cory Kispert, I don’t think the market for Ja Morant is anything beyond matching salary and maybe some filler.”
[Charania] The NBA has suspended Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder for three games confronting and attempting to strike another player 40 minutes after Kings’ loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Dec. 28.
[Highlight] Victor Wembanyama throws down a monster jam over Hugo González
[Haynes] Luka Dončić was the player Kings guard Dennis Schröder sought out in the hallway for a confrontation following a Dec. 28 contest. Schröder will begin serving 3-game suspension tomorrow.
[Post Game Thread] The Charlotte Hornets (14-25) demolish the Utah Jazz (13-25) 150-95
[Highlight] Jaylen Brown makes back to back Moon shots over Wemby with Replays
[Highlight] Luke Kornet’s Tribute Video by Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown after ending tonight’s game with 0 free throws: “Fine me I’m sick of this shit”
[Haynes] Longtime NBA referee Bill Kennedy will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a hamstring strain at last night’s game in Orlando, but the hope is he can return before the regular season ends, league sources tell @NBAonPrime , @NBATV
[Post Game Thread] The San Antonio Spurs (27-11) defeat the Boston Celtics (24-14), 100-95.
Victor Wembanyama’s performance against Celtics: 21 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 3 BLK, +14, 26 MIN
Rick Carlisle: “Norman Powell is such an important player for them… Powell to me is an All Star this year, he’ll get a vote from me. I have no problem saying it publicly. He’s been really tremendous this year for them”
Marc Stein on Anthony Davis: Anthony Davis needs to play 55-60 games in order to be traded from the Mavericks .. .. he will be on the roster at training camp
Nikola Topić was back on the floor today at Thunder practice getting some shots up with Chet Holmgren.
[Highkin] Jrue Holiday is now listed as probable for tonight vs. the Knicks, setting him up to play for the first time since November 14.
Derik Queen on players he has been starstruck playing against: “Bron guarded me. Scored on him twice. Who else? Wemby, he big as hell. AD and Jokic of course. I’m just waiting for Embiid”
Hornets up 115–64 on the Jazz after 3 quarters. Yes, you read that right.
NBA broadcasts should show FTs being shot in a quadbox, with replays of the foul + other recent plays in the full screen
Jalen Brunson currently has a 99th percentile offensive EPM and a 1st percentile defensive EPM
[Highlight] Victor Wembanyama blocks Jaylen Brown’s layup attempt on the fastbreak, and throws it down at the other end (with replays). Spurs and Celtics commentaries
[Highlights] Victor Wembanyama with the clutch fadeaway jumper, De’Aaron Fox strips Jaylen Brown and finds Julian Champagnia who scores off his own miss to give him a career-high in rebounds (13), and Wemby with another clutch jumper. Brown misses the 3
[Amick] Michael Porter Jr. is a “lock” to be moved by the trade deadline.
Giannis has full respect for LeBron
[Highlight] The Jazz’s broadcast ‘Play of The Game’ is a…. hockey fight
Cody Williams of the Utah Jazz sets new record for worst +/- in NBA History (-60)
Hornets are up 45-14 on the Jazz after the first quarter
[Highlight] Evan Mobley with the Dream Shake and dunk on Rudy Gobert (with a replay)
[Spears] “It hit me driving to the arena in Atlanta,” Young told Andscape on Friday night… “I literally started crying on my way to the arena… Just knowing that it was my last time driving to the arena, that’s why I went out and shot.”
Will Hardy on the Jazz losing by 55 points to the Hornets: “If you want a picture of what everything going wrong looks like, that’s what it looks like.”
[Highlight] Bulls announcer shits on Nico Harrison & the Luka trade: “Wasn’t a trade. It was a robbery.”
Ahead of tonight’s Celtics vs Spurs matchup: a look back at Luke Kornet’s campaign video to win the Tommy Award over Derrick White
Giannis asked for and received a signed LeBron jersey after the game: “You never know…Might be our last game against one another.”
The LA Clippers are 9-2 in their last 11 games
The Hornets go into halftime having lapped the Jazz, 77-38
Jazz lose to Hornets by 55 points (150-95), making it the worst loss by margin since moving to Utah.
[Post Game Thread] The Los Angeles Clippers (15-23) defeat the Detroit Pistons (28-10), 98-92 as Leonard and Collins combine for 51 points on 62.9% shooting. The Clippers have won 9 of their last 11!