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Zena Keda
They accept Discover at Renaissance fairs?
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Zena Keda
With the times. You're playing the loot.
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Dave Dufour
the February 2025 Nielsen report.
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Dave Dufour
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for March 26, 2026. I'm Dave Defor here with Zena Kada. Coming up, the Rockets had an epic overtime collapse. We're going to update the Western Conference standings. Joel Embiid was back. The Celtics beat the Thunder. We got J. King busy. Good morning everybody. What's up, Xena? Crazy night last night.
Zena Keda
I'm reeling. That is actually the wildest basketball game we have seen from a strictly basketball perspective. We've seen fights over the years or the year, but we have not seen ups and downs, runs, folks getting kicked out, teams coming back from Deficits. This is. Let's talk about it. Let's get into it.
Gab Advertiser
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Dave Dufour
Rockets Wolves was an adventure. Celtics Thunder was a finals preview. Shout out to Andrew Schlecht. Guys, before we start talking about the game, I want to let you know if you are listening on Apple podcast. You can now watch video there too. Just update to the latest iOS. Head to our show page. Start watching. You can look at me and Zena and our bright, beautiful, smiling faces.
Zena Keda
Okay. Podcast.
Dave Dufour
Yeah. Now on to the basketball, guys. Rockets Wolves, in case you didn't see, it was a roller coaster. We had a little bit of everything. Number one, Minnesota Timberwolves. Shorthanded. No. Anthony Edwards. You think these two teams, they're deadlocked into standings. They're fighting over the five seed. Okay. Huge game. Maybe Ant would try to give it a go. He's not ready. He was there in street clothes though. That's a. That's kind of a good sign. It means maybe he's coming back soon.
Zena Keda
He warmed up before the game, got some reps in, but wasn't able to go.
Dave Dufour
Yeah, this game was. To say it was weird would be an understatement. The offense is really just struggled. No one could shoot. Kevin Durant was off to having one of the worst games of his career. He started the game 3 of 15. Just an absurd night from Kevin Durant. And then all of a sudden, the fourth quarter happens and the. The last five minutes, Kevin Durant can't miss. We get a foul call when the Minnesota Timberwolves have a lead with a two point lead at the end of regulation. Shingoon hits or excuse me, it was a one point lead at the end of regulation. Shingoon hits the free throw, ties the game up, makes a huge clutch block at the other end. We go to overtime and the Rockets just, they look like they had another gear. Zena, like, where was all this energy, you know, earlier, Right? Like their comeback was maybe a little bit too late. And then, you know, they had to slug it out and they all of a sudden they just look like they were just the fresher team. Obviously. No Rudy Gobert out there because he fouled out on that foul on Shingoon. I mean, it's just, I don't know. The Rockets are so confusing.
Zena Keda
It's so interesting that you talk about, like, where was the Energy at? Because it was the second game of the night for us to watch. That was also another overtime game between Atlanta and Detroit. And when Asar Thompson was asked about, you know, where could the Energy have Come from. From Detroit? He asked. I wish you would have had it earlier in the game because Detroit ended up losing that game in overtime. One point lost to Atlanta. So it was the same, same energy 4 or lack of energy throughout the game for Houston. And Kevin Durant picked it up. And I gotta say, Jaden McDaniels played his butt off on defense, on Kevin Durant throughout the entirety of the game. It wasn't until that fourth quarter he leaves the game with an injury. And you know, for the most part it was. They got KD, we got Jaden McDaniels, to quote Anthony Edwards. And all of a sudden KD was like, oh, you know, this is time for me to.
Dave Dufour
Nobody can guard him.
Zena Keda
Nobody could guard him except one person at a monumental block. And that was Rudy Gobert. A step back, two point attempt to win the game for Houston. It wasn't enough. Rudy Gobert blocks the shot and it basically goes to overtime. Going into everything that you just laid out. Yeah, it was wild to watch Minnesota go down 13 points in overtime. And then they had their run. Houston closed out the game on a 150 run. Then Minnesota goes on their run without Nas, without Jaden, without all these guys. And it was just hustle play after hustle play. Alpine Shangoon turned up the defense, but then offense kind of died. There was. They kept missing shots at the end, they kept turning the ball over. And they look like the fourth quarter
Dave Dufour
rockets that we're used to, not what we saw. Right.
Zena Keda
That's true.
Dave Dufour
It's this Jekyll and Hyde thing with them, because when the shots are falling, it, it, they look great, but when the tough shots don't fall, all of a sudden you're just saying, oh, wow, this is built on a house of cards. And that's how you. They blew an 11. They had an 11 point lead with 3:01 left. Zena.
Zena Keda
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is kind of crazy to think that you cannot count on Houston number one to shoot well consistently. The Reed shepherd situation, Jayshawn, Tate, Holiday, like they could not get outside shots even as much as Shangoon and Durant were trying to create and kick it out. They just didn't have that opportunity. And Houston cannot win in the playoffs if they cannot shoot from outside and if they cannot stop turning the ball over at critical junctures of the game, which Doris Burke said so aptly, that is their crux. All year long. That's been their problem.
Dave Dufour
Yeah, it was a, it was a rough, really rough three minutes for them. But all those foibles that we talk about that they dealt with all year long just kind of, they raised their head. The, the Nuggets pick up a win over the Mavericks last night. And so that, that changes the standings in the West. So we've got the. The Nuggets are sitting at the four seed half game back. The Timberwolves are the five seed a half game back, the Rockets as a six seed. And also San Antonio picks up a win which with the Thunder loss puts them two games back of the Thunder. We have, we have a serious playoff race in the west and including for the one seed. Let me, let me ask you because, you know, look, we Victor women. Yama can continues to astound us, including the game that he had last night. 19 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 7 blocks in 27 minutes.
Jay King
Wow.
Zena Keda
10 stocks in 27 minutes on top of double digit scoring.
Dave Dufour
Yeah.
Zena Keda
This was a night for the bigs. Okay. You know, I'm big on bigs, Dave. You know, between Rudy Gobert's game tying
Dave Dufour
or saving or game saving something block, whatever that was. Shingoon's game saving block.
Zena Keda
Game saving block. The seven blocks and three steals that Wemby added up. I mean, it was a game in which you showcase, people showcase. Oh, big or not, you are impacting the game, dude. I just, I feel like if Wemby and the spurs find a way to catch OKC and he is locked in, locked in, mvp, that is the ultimate story of the year. Being able to bring this team, San Antonio, that, don't get me wrong, they weren't out for the count. They weren't necessarily like at the bottom of the west, but people had doubts about their capability of not only bringing that guard crew together and if there's going to be enough space for Vassell and Stephon Castle and Fox and Harper and all these guys. And then Wemby in the middle of all that. They're playing beautiful basketball. Beautiful basketball. And Wemby is at the core and center of all of it on both sides. And the way he's playing. You saw that dunk on Gigi Jackson. Gigi Jackson swerves around his swat. Wemby SWAT to get a dunk in. And he goes back. Wemby goes down the other end, dunks right on top of Gigi and then flexes on him on the way down. And he's smiling because he knows he didn't do that just for the fun of basketball. He did that to get his lick back. And that's the energy that San Antonio is running behind right now.
Jay King
Wemby.
Dave Dufour
Wemby's got a fire in him. I mean, I think like we, we've known that since day one, but we, we're really getting a chance to see it when he's playing these real basketball games for him, you know, like, this is what we've been wanting to see for the, the time that he's been in San Antonio. Who had the more impressive night, though? Talked about Wimy stat line. Jokic, 23 points, 21 rebounds, 19 assists.
Zena Keda
Well, you know, Jokic and an assist you should have, you just should have made it even should have been a 20 by 20, 20 game. Come on, Yic. Yeah, I'm not going to lie. I'm not happy with the fact that Denver played with their food. They had no business being that close in a game with the Dallas Mavericks. Like what the final score of that game. Denver ends up 142 to 135. First of all, where's the defense? I can't. 20 by 20 by 20. It's not there last night.
Dave Dufour
Listen, if you wanted defense that you could watch the Timberwolves, Rockets, you could watch Celtics, Thunder. Yeah, but you couldn't really watch anything else. You know, Joel Embiid came back last night and so did Paul George. But there was no defense for a either team in Philadelphia. The Sixers. The Sixers scored 157 points in regulation.
Zena Keda
Zena, it was, it was a cartoon.
Dave Dufour
Three points in the fourth quarter. The Bulls in a loss, put 137 points.
Zena Keda
That's right. That score is. It's not real. It's not real because the Bull last time I like, were vividly watching that game. They had 78 points. I checked back in there at 119. I was like, okay, come on now, Sixers.
Dave Dufour
Anybody who watched the end of that game, my hat's off to you. You gotta find a life. Yeah, look, but let's talk about Embiid and let's talk about Paul George. Joel Embiid had. He wound up with 35 points, six rebounds, seven assists. He started the game hot. I mean, it was like five of five. He had three threes in the first quarter. He was amazing. And I really, I think that they did a good job. It's a great way to test him out. Feed him the ball early when he's out there. You know, he felt good in warmups. That's why he went. And also, it's the Chicago Bulls, so why not?
Zena Keda
Right, right. And.
Dave Dufour
And he clearly felt good. But I. The Shot looks great. You know, look, the, the rebounding numbers, that's been an issue all year. I'm not worried about that in the first game back, but I hope that this is going to be a, a part of him actually coming back to play, to be ready to play in the play in or, you know, if somehow they make the six seed, which is not out of the question. They're only a game back of the Hawks. What'd you think about Embiid overall? And then, you know, as this team starts to get healthier again, Paul George is back. We're hoping Maxi's back soon. I don't know. Are they scary?
Zena Keda
I don't know if I'll call them scary, especially after a game like Chicago. I mean, Chicago had nine players in double digits. I'm not too scared of a team that can allow that even if you are winning handedly. But the fact that Embiid and George can play under 30 minutes and both score in double digits, significant double digits off of 50% or more from the floor. I mean, Joel Embiid was incredibly efficient. 12 of 17. That's exactly what you want to see. Someone that is scoring incredibly well but not exerting himself so much offensively, that is the part you need to make sure you keep in check as you go towards the playoffs, as you wait for Maxi to return. Do I think that they're scary in terms of winning a series? Not quite. Only because we haven't seen the longevity yet. We haven't been able to see Paul George and Joel Embiid and BJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey and all the guys put together do something consistently over a period of time since really the beginning of the season. And even in the beginning of the season, they, they weren't at full strength. So I'm not scared just yet. All I am is incredibly happy to see him be back on the floor looking great. And Paul George as well. Hated that for him. And he looked great as well.
Dave Dufour
Yeah, had four steals in a block hit six threes. I mean, it, you know, look like Paul George. VJ Ed is very interesting to me and one of the reasons why I'm really high on him. And I thought this game last night was an example of it. In 22 points, six rebounds, six assists, he has found a way to fit in in a very weird year where he could be the number one guy one night. And then look tonight, you know, I mean, who was the number? It's Joel Embiid. It's Paul George. It's Edgecombe, right. He is. I think that this sort of flexibility that he's shown, I think he's a star. That'll just. Long story short, I think that he is a star player and part of it is because of the way he can adjust his role. 22 points, nine shots, four or five from three.
Zena Keda
Incredibly impressive. And honestly, it's actually the storyline to me of the rookie of the year candidates. All of them being able to be incredibly flexible and adaptable to whatever role they need to be. We all hated Cooper flag as the quote unquote point guard, de facto big point guard for Dallas, but he made it work. Con caniple working alongside Brandon Miller and Lamelo Ball. This is exactly what BJ Edgecombe has done masterfully along all year. Whether he is the two man to Tyrese Maxey, whether he's got to be the number one beside Quentin Grimes, whether he is now being the third man beside throwing the ball into Joel Embiid and making that his priority. He gets six assists tonight. Six assists. So he's able to contribute not only from his own shot but also being able to distribute and create for his teammates in regard whatever situation. So this is another just element and character traitor of why he is in that rookie of the year conversation and why he's relevant so early in his career.
Dave Dufour
Yeah, if we could give those some help. Look, not to go all agent, you know, Mulder here and be X files, but I really want to believe because like when Joel Embiid is cooking like it's fun.
Zena Keda
It is fun.
Dave Dufour
Vijay Edgecombe, fun player. Tyrese Maxey has been, you know, an all NBA level fun player this year.
Zena Keda
I'm gonna just. I'm a time you out because we're about to talk to Jay King real quick. I need you to think about the defense from either Boston or okc. I know that's not the matchups, but just think about that level of defense against a Joel. I know it don't.
Dave Dufour
It doesn't move.
Zena Keda
Exactly. Exactly.
Dave Dufour
All right guys, stick around after the break. I'm going to make Jay King say that the Celtics are going to the finals.
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Zena Keda
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Zena Keda
They accept Discover at Renaissance fairs?
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Zena Keda
you're playing the loot. Yeah.
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Dave Dufour
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Dave Dufour
Look, we might be too high on the Celtics, but after the game that they had last night against the defending champion Thunder at full strength, I don't know, I feel pretty good about how we're feeling about him. Xena here to talk about it. Our good buddy J. King, he covers the Celtics at the Athletic. How you doing, Jay?
Jay King
What's happening, baby? I'm doing great.
Dave Dufour
Yeah. How about that game? Excellent game. Celtics sort of get off to a slow start. The Thunder, hot shooting start. And it looks like, oh, we're, we're going to have one of these nights where the Thunder just look unbeatable. But then the Celtics turn it on. Jason Tatum has a dominant second quarter. This looks like a team that's going to go to the finals. I'll, I'll just say that.
Zena Keda
Boom. Thank you, Dave.
Jay King
Yeah, when they play like that, I think Boston starts dreaming, right? The city of Boston, because, I mean, they've been at such a high level. They've looked like a contender all year without Jayson Tatum. Then he comes back and even though he's had a lot of warts early on, his shooting percentage hasn't been what it normally is. He's been able to defend, he's been able to rebound. He's been. His drives per game have been pretty steady compared to what they were before. Like, he looks pretty confident in his body, pretty comfortable moving. And then tonight, you know, there's no bigger test than the full strength Oklahoma City Thunder, their physical defense, the way they can, you know, bother you for his turnovers. And he had some turnovers, especially a couple bad ones in the first quarter. Then I thought that second quarter was just, that was as well as he's played all year. It was. He was in full control. He hit a step back three early, found the miaskeda for a layup. Then he got real pissed when Joe Missoula took him out. Even though it was just because it was a menace restriction. He was starting to feel it he didn't want to come out, but then he comes back in and it's just like right back to feeling a rhythm. I thought he was just in full control. There was one play especially where he had Chet Holmgren on him and looked like Jaylen Brown was going to set a screen. Looked like Tatum just sort of waved him off. And then he sort of waved Luca Garza off too. And it was just like, all right, ISO chat and crossover right by him to the cup physical right past him. And that's the confidence you want to see from him. That's the mobility you want to see from him. And to do it against Chad, obviously, you know, it's a tough matchup for, for any big man, but that's one of the most mobile big men in the league, one of the best defenders in the league. And to have that confidence just be like, you know what, I'm just going to. Going to ISO this guy. I think that speaks to where Tatum is right now and speaks to what this team could be.
Zena Keda
I literally texted the group chat when Jalen, excuse me, when Jayson Tatum had that skip pass to Jaylen Brown and Jaylen Brown knocks it down, which more captain shoot opportunities for Jaylen Brown, especially now that Jason Tatum is back in the mix. I was like, this is what makes Boston inseparable. This is what makes them so difficult to beat because you've got two superstars that are capable of meeting the moment that defenses have to are required to give them the attention that they deserve. What I particularly found interesting, Jay, was Jason Tatum at the five. We saw that small ball lineup being utilized and deployed against okc and it was a good matchup for Boston to be able to take advantage when Chad Holmgren was in and he would have to guard one of these big time big con scorers. What do you make of this small bowl lineup and. And what OKC helped teach Boston about what they could do with it in the playoffs.
Jay King
That's really interesting because obviously one of the strengths that I didn't foresee in this team necessarily at the beginning of the season is just that they're loaded with wings and, and going small is a way to get more of those guys on the court and it's a way to have, you know, scoring options all across the court and really put a lot of stress on teams. Obviously, Tatum and Brown are both great rebounders, but also Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheimen, their other wings are all great rebounders. So. So going small, you don't necessarily have the disadvantage on the Glass that a lot of small units would have. The other piece of it is, I think they probably do wonder what their backup center, what that's going to look like in the playoff. Like Luga, Garza has been good this year. He's been energetic, he's gotten a ton of rebound. He's helped them be great on the offensive glass. But can he hold up in every matchup? And if he can't, you need to have another look to go to. And so I think that's part of it too, is just developing new identities in case, you know, there's a certain
Dave Dufour
matchup that Knicks comes up like in my head right now, especially with the way Mitchell Robinson's playing. I mean, you're going to need at least two solid centers and probably some time with Jason Tatum at the five.
Zena Keda
Yeah, yeah.
Jay King
And obviously Vuchevic should be back before the end of the regular season and he'll factor in there. But, but I do think you, you want to have other options just in case whatever happens in the playoffs and you can't use the normal backup big look that you've had all year. Yeah.
Dave Dufour
What'd you think about Jalen Brown last night? Put up 31. Obviously there's, there's a little bit of feeling your way into, you know, the Jason Tatum rejoining the starting lineup thing, that was going on, I think, with him, but the way he finished this game, I, I thought extremely forceful. You know, you hear the MVP chants at the free throw line. I think he almost, he almost missed that free throw, by the way. I think it was, sounded like it was pretty loud in there. Listen, he's had a really good season, but I, I would say, you know, it's one that people will poke holes at. Right. The efficiency is not quite there. The on, off numbers, which we know are a little bit noisy, they're not amazing like they are for like dere. Eric White, for instance. What'd you make of, of his game last night and how do you think he's fitting in with Jason Tatum again?
Jay King
Yeah, so I, I think the people in Boston would tell you that his impact goes beyond what the numbers say. And, and it's not just what he's done on the court with all the scoring and taking on the high level matchups at times. It's also what he's done off the court and the mentality that he implemented in them when people were talking about a gap year and, and Jalen wouldn't accept that. And I, I think that was huge for them. He set a tone for them. And, and it really went a long way. So I think everybody was pretty. Is pretty adamant that his, his value goes beyond the numbers tonight. I thought it was just a great example of, you know, getting to his spots and playing through the physicality of Oklahoma City. And they do have as. As physical as they are and as gifted as they are defensively. They do have some smaller guards that you can go at and, and not everybody can take advantage of those guys, but Jalen's big enough and strong enough and athletic enough that he can really put those guys in a bind at times.
Dave Dufour
Yeah. And also, by the way, trying to just yam in somebody's face at every opportunity. Oh, man, that sort of aggressiveness from him, I think it stands out. Right. Like, compared to the nights where he's willing to settle for the pull up.
Jay King
Yeah. And obviously the pull up is a big part of his game. He can hit that at a high rate, although he's been missing it far more often recently than he did at the start of the season. But it's the physicality, it's the force, it's the ability to get to his spots. And then I thought tonight he was just, just patient. And, you know, he, he and tatum combined for 15 assists between them and the amount of attention that they draw, the, the. The pressure they put on defenses to guard them. And then you got to deal with Peyton Pritchard and Derrick White and now Baylor Shireman has emerged as, as a capable and reliable shooter. And then you've got Shireman, Hugo Gonzalez, Garza, Keita all crashing the glass and you got to worry about Keita on the roll. So I think, you know, this is a far more complete team than I thought it would be at the beginning of the season. A far deeper team than I thought. And, and Jalen has been, you know, the, the leading scorer throughout all that. And I do think just the way he approached this season from a mentality standpoint just set the tone. And his competitiveness and Joe Mazzulla's competitiveness and some of the other guys, like, they just weren't going to let this team fail in the way a lot of people expected.
Zena Keda
Jaylen Brown, especially that one move that he had getting through three guys and finishing with a duck up top. I looked at that play and I was like, jalen Lowkey plays like a guy who that, like, when he was three years old, a group of men attacked his family. They didn't know who he was. He grew up 20 years later and came back to avenge what happened. To his family. And he brought along the Boston Celtics. Correct. He. It's. It's like there's. There's a. There's a deeper level. Torture. There's a. There's a. There's a deeper level to the way that he shows up sometime on the floor. And it's personal.
Dave Dufour
Were they at the opera?
Zena Keda
No. It feel. I mean, you might as well just give him like. Yes. A half mask, get the cape going. He. He plays. It's the. It is. But it does feel personal sometimes. And I. I'm happy you mentioned that, Jay, that this narrative that was around the Boston Celtics and this gap year, we're so far removed from that concept. It. It doesn't even seem fathomable to think that this could have been a team that was in re. Not rebuild mode, but just build back mode. Wait for Jayson Tatum mode. Now Jayson Tatum is back. Jayson Tatum looks like he's not experienced an injury or that he's coming back. Sure, his shooting is not great, but even tonight he was awesome from outside. Three of six, 50%. That's all you can ask. And you're seeing him play multiple roles. I'm looking ahead for Celtics. I'm already penciling them in. When you think about some of the matchups in the playoffs and what they just showcase against okc, but think back to the. Once Jason was injected into this, what are some problems? What are some sore spots, some weak points that we're not paying attention to because they look so good so fast?
Jay King
Yeah. I think one thing is Tatum, how does he continue to look like that's. That's as big as. As any of these things. And not just how does he play, but it is different incorporating him back into things. And there's a different flow, a different rhythm, a different balance. You have to strike, and it impacts everybody on the roster with from Jalen on down. And that's not a bad thing. Like, Jason Tatum is fantastic. It's at the end of the day going to give them a much higher ceiling and especially if they can figure it out, like, they're super dangerous. But the way he looks, how much is he physically capable of handling? How does his body hold up in a grueling playoff series? How does his body hold up at the end of a long playoff run, assuming they have one? And then the other big questions I have, beyond the backup center thing I talked about earlier, it's like they just have a ton of inexperience and a lot of guys who have never played in the playoffs before. And so I want to see what that looks like. I want to see, you know, how all those guys show up when it matters. Because all season long they've been, they've been ready for these moments. They've shied away from nothing. They've. They've kept proving themselves over and over again. And I'm talking about the Shiremans, the Gonzalez's, Garza, Jordan Walsh when he gets a chance, Ron Harper Jr. Even when he gets a chance. And the playoffs are just different. And they're going to be facing pressures they haven't dealt with, they're going to be facing scrutiny they haven't dealt with. And that's just all new for guys. And so I want to see how that looks too, because obviously the last couple of years the Celtics were as experienced as anybody and still their best players have gone through a lot of things together. But. But there's like half their roster, half their rotation is going to be really living through the playoffs for the first time. Even Vuchovic as. As experienced as he is in the NBA. He's very literally played in the playoffs. So yeah, it's going to be playing perfect. Just really new for a lot of these guys.
Dave Dufour
Somebody always turns into a pumpkin come playoff time. Jay, before, before I let you get out of here, Lamelo Ball was named Eastern Conference player of the week last week. Any comments?
Jay King
My dude is hooping.
Dave Dufour
He's playing so well. Yeah.
Jay King
And his team is hooping. Still. Still the, the best unserious Hooper or the most unserious great Hooper, whatever you want to call it. But, but man, he can play and obviously he's tough to say. They're tough to stop right now. I love that squad.
Dave Dufour
I know.
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Dave Dufour
But, but you know, again, your. Your disbelief in Lamello Ball, I'll never forget it.
Jay King
Remember, I was, I was, I was comparing him to Michael Carter Williams. It was. That was just group chat talk, though. There's a lot of group chat talk that, that doesn't. That isn't real. But it's fun that lamello other people or at least I do. Yeah.
Dave Dufour
All right, everybody go and read Jay over at the Athletic. I know he's going to have a great story out today about this win and probably what this team looks like going forward. For Jay King and Zena Keda, I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us. Thanks for listening. Make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode if you enjoyed it. Drop a like leave a rating or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us.
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Episode Date: March 26, 2026
Main Theme:
A deep dive into last night’s wild NBA action, including the Celtics’ statement win over the Thunder (possible Finals preview), the Timberwolves’ shock victory over the Rockets in a chaotic overtime, and key updates on the Western Conference playoff race. Includes a segment with Celtics insider Jay King on Boston's championship credentials.
The hosts, Dave DuFour and Zena Keita, dissect a night of thrilling NBA games with focus on the Celtics overpowering the defending champion Thunder, the Timberwolves' overtime comeback over the Rockets, Victor Wembanyama’s dominance, and the shifting Western Conference standings. Later, The Athletic’s Celtics beat writer Jay King joins to discuss Boston’s playoff readiness and evolving lineups.
Timestamps: 02:12 – 08:25
“To say it was weird would be an understatement. The offense just struggled. No one could shoot... Kevin Durant was off...then in the fourth quarter, he can’t miss.” — Dave DuFour (03:45)
Timestamps: 08:25 – 10:33
“You saw that dunk on Gigi Jackson...then Wemby goes down the other end, dunks right on top of Gigi and then flexes on him...He did that to get his lick back. And that’s the energy San Antonio is running behind right now.” — Zena Keita (09:32)
Timestamps: 10:11 – 11:02
Timestamps: 11:02 – 15:59
“Do I think that they're scary in terms of winning a series? Not quite...we haven't seen the longevity yet...” — Zena Keita (12:47)
Timestamps: 17:38 – 29:53 (with Jay King)
“That second quarter was just as well as he’s played all year...in full control. There was one play where he had Chet Holmgren on him...and he just went right by him to the cup, physical right past him. That's the confidence you want to see...” — Jay King (19:40)
“Going small, you don’t necessarily have the disadvantage on the glass...one of the strengths I didn’t foresee in this team is just that they’re loaded with wings.” — Jay King (21:19)
“Jalen Lowkey plays like a guy who...grew up 20 years later and came back to avenge what happened to his family. And he brought along the Boston Celtics.” — Zena Keita (26:04)
“Half their rotation is going to be really living through the playoffs for the first time...I want to see how all those guys show up when it matters.” — Jay King (27:52)
Timestamps: 29:53 – End
On the Rockets’ inconsistency:
“It’s this Jekyll and Hyde thing with them, because when the shots are falling...they look great, but...you’re just saying, oh, wow, this is built on a house of cards.” — Dave DuFour (06:35)
On Spurs/Wemby’s MVP push:
“If Wemby and the Spurs find a way to catch OKC and he’s locked in...that is the ultimate story of the year.” — Zena Keita (09:11)
On Celtics’ two-star system:
“This is what makes Boston inseparable...you’ve got two superstars...defenses are required to give them the attention they deserve.” — Zena Keita (20:21)
| Segment | Time | |--------------------------------------------------------|---------| | Rockets’ overtime collapse, Timberwolves’ win | 02:12 | | Discussion on Wembanyama and Spurs’ leap | 08:25 | | Jokic’s stat line & Nuggets’ defensive issues | 10:11 | | Embiid/George return for the Sixers | 11:02 | | BJ Edgecombe’s fit & rookie class flexibility | 14:41 | | Celtics-Thunder breakdown w/ Jay King | 17:38 | | Tatum’s second quarter dominance | 19:40 | | Celtics’ small-ball lineup & playoff implications | 21:19 | | Jaylen Brown’s mentality and impact | 23:39 | | Celtics playoff “weak spots” discussion | 27:52 | | LaMelo Ball shout-out as East POTW | 30:07 |
This episode paints a compelling picture of the NBA’s late-season chaos: wild comeback wins, emerging playoff threats, returning superstars, and especially, the Celtics’ transformation from “gap year” speculation to outright Finals favorite. The hosts balance granular analysis (e.g., backup center depth, rookie flexibility) with big-picture playoff takes and memorable banter—making this a must-listen for fans tracking the league’s pivotal moments and looming postseason drama.