The Athletic NBA Daily — November 11, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode, hosted by Dave DuFour and Zena Keita with guest Wes Goldberg (Locked On Heat), delivers an energetic recap of a wild NBA Monday night. The main focuses are the Detroit Pistons’ improbable seventh straight win led by Cade Cunningham’s jaw-dropping stat line, Desmond Bane’s buzzer-beater for Orlando, and a thrilling Miami Heat victory over the Cavaliers at the final horn. The episode dives deep into these headline finishes, analyzes standout player performances, and finishes with a thoughtful discussion on Miami’s new-look offense.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Detroit Pistons’ Resilience: Seventh Straight Win
Segment: 03:02 – 06:16
- Cade Cunningham’s Marathon Night
- Cade scored 46 points but shot just 14-of-45, setting an NBA record for most field goal misses in a game (31). Still, he tallied 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks.
- "This felt like a fighter in the 12th round, for the entire game, they looked beat.” — Dave DuFour (03:47)
- Danas Jenkins’ Unexpected Heroics
- Jenkins, a little-known player, came off the bench and hit three crucial 4th-quarter threes, including the one that forced overtime despite being setup as a decoy.
- "Supposed to be... exactly. Don't move. And it was a last ditch effort. Cade Cunningham's like, I gotta get the ball in. Gives it to Jenkins. Jenkins props it up and it's in." — Dave DuFour (05:12)
Memorable Quotes:
- On Cunningham’s historic yet inefficient night:
"It's a weird accolade now to have under your record, but you ignore it. You got the win, and now you have this win streak."
— Zena Keita (05:35)
2. Orlando Magic’s Nail-Biter: Desmond Bane’s Buzzer-Beater
Segment: 06:27 – 09:17
- Orlando had lost several in a row, needed a win, and found it in dramatic fashion.
- Jeremy Grant’s Big And-1 off a spectacular Monicamara inbounds was topped in the final second.
- Desmond Bane hit a contested three for the win—his only three-pointer of the night, despite seriously stout defense from Portland last-second.
- "Desmond Bane was just ice in his veins being able to close that out… this is the sort of win… that maybe is a galvanizer." — Dave (08:07)
- The hosts stress that integrating Bane into the offense has been an ongoing area of concern.
Notable Quote:
- "Things were looking real murky down in Orlando… a great win to be able to pull that out against a really feisty defensive team in Portland."
— Zena Keita (08:07)
3. Around the League: Standout Performances
Segment: 09:17 – 13:43
- Grayson Allen: 42 points.
- C.J. McCollum: 42 points (in the same Detroit game).
- Victor Wembanyama: 38 points/12 rebounds/5 blocks/6 threes, including 18 in the decisive fourth quarter.
- "No one's ever put up that stat line in NBA history." — Dave (10:21)
- The Spurs’ two-big lineup (Wembanyama and Cornett) highlighted as a difference-maker.
- Cooper Flag: Career-high 26 points in a loss to the Bucks.
- Discussion of questionable late-game shot choices in games by Giannis and Harden; Clippers’ fifth straight loss and lack of defensive connectivity.
4. Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Wild Finish & New Identity
Segment: 18:45 – 34:00
Legendary Ending
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. sent it to OT; Donovan Mitchell hit a nearly impossible shot; then with 0.4 seconds left, Andrew Wiggins got a game-winning dunk on a cleverly-designed inbounds after the Cavs defense was caught unaware.
- "Andrew Wiggins just darting to the rim wide open. Obviously your eyes go to him and then you have to rewatch it... it was a really cool play design."
— Wes Goldberg (19:28)
- "Andrew Wiggins just darting to the rim wide open. Obviously your eyes go to him and then you have to rewatch it... it was a really cool play design."
Miami’s Fast-Paced, Unorthodox Offense
- Heat’s up-tempo style, emphasizing hit-ahead passes and “no elite shot creator.”
- Head Coach Spoelstra is maximizing speed and unpredictability, using few ball screens, instead leveraging space and athleticism, especially with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo out.
- "There's playing fast and there's playing fast like the Heat are playing. I mean, they're breaking records right now not just for a tempo, but also for the lack of ball screens." — Wes Goldberg (21:43)
- The system’s effectiveness has shocked Heat reporters compared to the preseason, with Miami sitting in the top 15 for offense after three straight years in the bottom three.
Miami’s Roster Questions: Life Without Butler
- Miami pulled this off without Bam or Herro, breaking a long losing streak to Cleveland.
- Does Miami have enough talent to contend? Zena presses Wes:
- "Do they have enough pieces?... What would you say the Miami Heat really need right now to continue on this trail of progress?" (24:15)
- Wes: Need to see Herro back before major roster adjustments; Herro’s elite shooting could unlock more for Miami, especially with so little pick-and-roll, and more chemistry with bigs.
Norman Powell’s Role
- Norm Powell thriving as a primary scorer after the Clippers trade (33 points vs. Cleveland, averaging 23).
- "I'm not worried about Norm whatsoever. Regardless of who's involved in the offense." — Wes (29:14)
Bam Adebayo’s Offensive Ceiling
- The hosts discuss how Bam can increase his offensive value—he scores well but lacks threatening creation from the nail and is less effective as a dribble-handoff facilitator in this system.
- "He does kind of feel left out in the rest of this offense sometimes… for as great as Bam is defensively, everybody's got to eat some food, right?" — Wes (32:32)
- Consistent creation and occasional lineups with Khalil Ware could unlock more, particularly when Herro returns.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Cade Cunningham’s Record Night:
“He had 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks. Was 2 of 11 from 3, 16 of 18 from the free throw line. And this felt like a game… for them to pull out this game and force it into overtime, when they really look like they just had no legs until late, I… thought it was a very impressive game. Very impressive win.”
— Dave DuFour (03:47) -
Wes Goldberg on Heat’s Game-Winner:
"Eric Spoelstra said after the game that he had this play on his play sheet for four years. Might be an exaggeration, but gave a lot of credit to assistant coach Chris Quinn on that one and a really cool play."
— Wes Goldberg (19:28) -
On Miami’s Offense:
"There's playing fast and there's playing fast like the Heat are playing. I mean, they're breaking records right now not just for a tempo, but also for like the lack of ball screens and stuff."
— Wes Goldberg (21:43)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Detroit Pistons’ win, Cade & Jenkins: 03:02 – 06:16
- Orlando Magic, Desmond Bane game-winner: 06:27 – 09:17
- League-wide rapid-fire highlights (Allen, McCollum, Wembanyama, Flag): 09:17 – 13:43
- Miami vs. Cleveland recap & Heat offense with Wes Goldberg: 18:45 – 34:00
Takeaways
- Pistons’ win streak is legit, thanks to an iron-willed Cade and unlikely heroics from Danas Jenkins.
- Orlando escapes collapse thanks to Bane’s clutch shot, but integrating him into their system remains a question.
- Miami’s run-and-gun experiment is yielding real results even without Butler, Herro, or Bam, and Norm Powell is exceeding expectations.
- Around the league, wild stat lines and upsets underscore a new NBA where unpredictability is the only constant.
In the Host’s Words
”Monday night has just set up the storylines for the week. It’s going to be a fun week.”
— Dave DuFour (13:43)
For more, check out Wes Goldberg on Locked on Heat and Real GM Radio, and tune in to The Athletic NBA Daily for the latest league insights every weekday morning.