Loading summary
Transcript83 lines
- [00:00]
Amazon Prime Advertiser
Prime one day deliveries fast. How fast we talking? We're talking tissues and hot tea fast. Feel better meds fast. Relief at your door fast so you can so you can actually breathe out of both nostrils fast. Like I just ordered and it's already here. Fast. Fast one day delivery to feel better sooner. It's on Prime.
- [00:18]
Gab Advertiser
There's some harsh realities that we have to face with technology. And one of those is that teens spend an average of 9 hours a day on screens outside of school. That's basically a full time job just mindlessly scrolling. But there's some good news. There's a solution to this problem. A company called GAV has solved the problem by doing something no one else is doing. Their approach is tech and Steps. Tech in Steps works by providing safer phones and watches for kids with no social media. Tailored to every age. Offering the right device at the right time. From GPS tracking enabled watches for younger kids to phones with parent enabled apps for tweens and teens. Each device allows kids to more safely grow their independence. Bottom line, you don't want to have to give your kid a device that was made for an adult. Give them Gab, which keeps them socially connected. Without social media, I can't recommend GAB enough. And right now use our code to get the best deal on kids phones that will make parenting easier and give them more peace of mind. Visit gab.com mbadaily and use code NBA daily for an exclusive offer. That's Gab GA BB
- [01:30]
Bill.com Advertiser
this episode is brought to you by Bill, the intelligent finance platform that helps leaders scale with proven results in basketball. Hype doesn't win championships. Execution does. The same is true for your finances. If you run a business or manage a financial back office, you don't have time for tools that promise the world. But break under pressure. You need financial infrastructure that you can actually trust. That's why the big players use Bill. Bill isn't just moving money. They're simplifying financial operations for nearly half a million customers. From AI powered accounts payable to seamless syncing with your accounting software. When it comes to scale, the numbers speak for themselves. Bill has securely processed over a trillion dollars in real transactions and is trusted by over 90 of the top 100 US accounting firms. Stop the guesswork and start scaling with the proven choice. Ready to talk to an expert? Visit bill.comproven to get started and grab a $250 gift card as a thank you. That's bill.comproven terms and conditions apply. See Offer page for details.
- [02:47]
Dave DeFore
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for March 19, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Esperahenny and Will Guillory. Coming up, the Lakers handle the Rockets two games in a row. Luca and LeBron look amazing. Will Giller is here. We're going to talk about the Western Conference playoff race. Good morning, everybody. What's up? Dave Dufour here, Espera Henney, our guy, Will Guillory hanging out for the whole show. What's up, Will?
- [03:20]
Will Guillory
I'm doing well, man. Appreciate y' all for having me on.
- [03:22]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, well, you were, you know, you cover the Rockets for us over at the Athletic and you were there in the house for the Lakers just handing it to the Rockets in that fourth quarter like they tend to do. That's right. They won the baseball series, the back to back there in Houston. They pick up the win last night. 124, 116. What was it like being in the house for Luca and LeBron put it on a show like that?
- [03:46]
Will Guillory
No, it's funny because you said there for the Lakers hammer hammering them in the fourth quarter. I didn't know if you were talking about Monday or tonight because it was basically the same thing, the Lakers running away with the game in the fourth quarter. And I think it was a little bit different tonight. I felt like Monday was pretty much just a full on meltdown by the Rockets. Just the way they couldn't do anything on offense. Durant was just turning the baller over over and over again tonight. I felt like they did a lot things better. I felt like they made some adjustments, they figured some things out. But in the fourth quarter, Luca just went nuclear. I mean, just completely lost his mind, hitting some crazy shots, throwing lobs up to Rui and, and LeBron there at the end. They just couldn't do anything with Luca there in the fourth quarter. And I just thought it was a really impressive performance by the Lakers because it felt like the Rockets were taking control a little bit in that third quarter with some of the adjustments they made. But then Luca just shut the door and completely went crazy in the end,
- [04:38]
Dave DeFore
you know, does I, I, I don't know if there was an adjustment. I just want to say because the Rockets, every bucket they get is tough and sometimes they hit them. It is a dice roll with them. Right. Like there's no. And with the Lakers in that third quarter, I thought that they were sloppy. There were a lot of turnovers. I mean, you know, the shot clock violation, they, they just, I don't Think they were playing their best basketball coming out of halftime and the Rockets hit some shots. That was to me what, what that third quarter was. I don't want to give them credit.
- [05:07]
Esperahenny
I mean, look, I will also say, and not to like keep banging on the Rockets drum here, but like it does feel like Groundhog's day a little bit with the Rockets.
- [05:17]
Dave DeFore
Right.
- [05:17]
Esperahenny
And not just when it comes to the Lakers, but it feels like every single time we talk about this team, it's the fourth quarter problems, it's the clutch execution, it's how they're going to get over the hump when it comes down to the crunch. And I don't know, we're almost done this regular season. Do you feel like there is any solution at all to the problem that they have going on in the clutch?
- [05:42]
Will Guillory
No. I mean at the end of the day I do think if we don't want to get too nerdy, but I think do think in this game they made some adjustments where they were playing KD a little bit more off the ball. They were running some horns actions, getting him in the dhos rather than just basically handing the ball to KD and hoping he could be Superman like they were on Monday.
- [05:58]
Dave DeFore
And he got so aggressive, right?
- [06:00]
Will Guillory
Yeah. And he was attacking early. He wasn't letting the double teams come during that third quarter. He really got going in that third quarter. And like you guys said, I think in the fourth quarter they were running some of those same actions, but the ball just wasn't getting to kd, was finding Jabari Smith in the corner and found Ty Smith, Tari Eason a couple times and those guys just weren't making shots. I, I felt like, you know, Jabari Smith had a good game but he went cold in the fourth quarter. Tari Eason, I mean, I just don't know what happened to Tari Eason over these past couple weeks. This guy who was leading the league at three point percentage at one point and I, I think it's been basically like a month since he made a three pointer now and like he, I thought he was doing a decent job attacking the rim early. Basically every time he puts up a jumper, you're expecting it to be a brick at this point, just the way he's been playing. It's unfortunate just because when you like, just like these guys said, when it comes down to these fourth quarter situations, it feels like Alpi and KD have to do everything and whenever they kick the ball out, you don't really trust these other guys to make shots consistently and then you look at the Reed shepherd factor where you say, okay, Reed shepherd can give you a little bit more offense, but Reed shepherd is also a target for the other team, especially in against this particular matchup with the Lakers where you have Luca and LeBron who can target mismatches. And if you switch everything and you get Reed on a luka, on a LeBron, it's basically an automatic automatic bucket every time. So I think you just have some real issues with this Rockets team where they have guys who are really good on defense who can't make shots, or they have guys who are pretty good on offense and they can't defend. And then at that point they're just hoping LP and KD can kind of save them. And those guys played well tonight, but it just wasn't enough.
- [07:32]
Dave DeFore
You know, the thing with Terry Eason is that right now it feels like he's dribbling a lot. And I think it's because teams are guarding KD so aggressively. You know, in these, in these games where the, the teams they need to win, they're throwing two, sometimes three at kd and these other guys just aren't ready for that. Tar Eason is a two dribble at most. Make a decision guy. He, you can't have him. I mean, there's possessions where he's just dribbling around in the paint. He just feels lost. And I think that they've got too many guys like that and that winds up being.
- [08:04]
Esperahenny
The Jabari is also like that too. Yeah, for sure.
- [08:07]
Will Guillory
Yeah. And like it would be an issue if Tyree Easton was a 33 guy over the past month, but it's not a joke, guys. He hasn't made a three pointer in the last nine games. It's over. Like they would, they would be happily take a 33 target Eason right now from three pointer. The guy cannot buy a three pointer to save his life. And, and when you're at that point, just like you said, the more these guys are missing shots, the more the floor just constricts on kd, the more teams are willing to send multiple bod bodies at him. And you know, not to take all of the blame off of Katie, because he just hasn't dealt with these double teams very well. He's turning the ball over at a really high rate, especially that game on Monday. He just has some awful turnovers, you know, backpedaling into the back court violation, getting an eight second count, walking up the floor too slow. So I think, you know, some of the double teams are really getting to him because he feels constricted, he feels like he can't play. That was kind of his message after the game. He feels like he just can't really get involved in the game because he's getting double teamed so much and he's trying to make the right play. He's trying to go early, but you know, the right play is to give it up. When you draw two, you got to give it up and trust your guys and the guys just aren't making enough plays around them.
- [09:10]
Esperahenny
I did see email duck a pre game say that he actually feels like the process out of the doubles is pretty good for kd. So I'm because I agree with you, it does feel like a lot of turnovers, a lot of trust and like relying on him to be the only playmaker for the team. Do you feel like there's anything on the table of, of trying something else outside of just like, hey, he's gonna get so much and he has to be the sole playmaker on, on the Rockets?
- [09:38]
Will Guillory
Well, I would say the big difference between the Monday game and the Wednesday game was obviously getting Alper and Shangu back. And when you're, yeah, when he's facing these double teams, if you're hitting Alpie in the pocket, you feel much more comfortable with him making the right play rather than on Monday. It felt like they were switching every single time. It was sometimes Finney Smith will come up, sometimes Ahmed Thompson will come up. I think, you know, in this game tonight they were much more often getting the ball to Alpine. You saw tonight, I think he ended up with like 27 and 10 assists or something tonight. So he was able to a lot of plays out of the pocket and they feel much more comfortable with him in those, you know, four on three situations where he can get to the basket, he can find guys in the corner. So they were doing a better job with it just having Alpie around. And I think, you know, a lot of their struggles over the past month or so has been Alpie just not really playing at an all star level. You know, I wrote this in one of our recent stories, just that, you know, Alpie is a good player, but they need him and KD to be great for this offense to really, you know, be what it needs to be. And I think tonight you really saw the Alper and Shanko that we kind of saw during the first couple months of the season where he was getting downhill, attacking the basket, you know, hitting those hooks around the basket, finding guys. So I think, like I said, I think they were able to establish some things better offensively. The process I think was a lot better tonight. But defensively it was just a struggle for them to get stops just because Luca was unstoppable and LeBron literally missed one shot tonight. So I think at that point it's just really difficult because this team was, they were better, but they're still not good enough offensively when you're giving up. 120 plus.
- [11:07]
Dave DeFore
LeBron had what, six dunks in the game?
- [11:09]
Will Guillory
Oh my God.
- [11:10]
Dave DeFore
I wonder when's the last time she was insane. I mean, I, I, I probably should have looked that up. How about the Lakers, man? They've won seven in a row. Nine of their last 10. They've got some, some marquee signature wins. I don't know if the Rockets are up to that level, to be honest with you. The back to back wins feels like the, the Lakers kind of have their number. Man, how different is this Lakers team from the one that you saw earlier in the season?
- [11:37]
Will Guillory
Man, I saw these two teams play on Christmas Day and literally the conversation I had that entire game, I was like, the Lakers have no shot against the Rockets. When you saw, I felt like there was such a vast difference in athleticism. When you saw Amen Thompson and Tyres and those guys flying around on Christmas Day and the Lakers just looked so slow, they look so methodical, they look so dependent on Luca and Austin, you know, Austin Reeves got hurt in that Christmas Day game. So it was even tougher for them to generate offense without Austin Reeves out there. And I think, you know, just as of late, I feel like they're way more locked in defensively. They're really comfortable in some of these zones that they're running out there with Marcus Smart, Rui Haora, deandre Aiden is kind of finding his way doing the little things. And I think, you know, like we talked about with the Rockets, where Tari Eason, some of these other guys aren't making plays. It feels like, you know, whenever they need a Rui Hachimura 3 or a Marcus Smart 3, these other guys are stepping up and making plays outside of Luca lebron and Austin Reeves. And I think that's been the real big difference is they've really found a comfort in the, the rotations they're playing with the guys they're playing the way they're able to space the floor now. And these guys are really, you know, stepping into their role and they're comfortable and what they're doing defensively, they're not so much Dependent on one or two guys to kind of stop a KD or to stop an alperant Shingoon. It feels like their team defense has been so much better and they're all helping together. They're all connected and communicating. And you got to give a lot of credit to JJ Redick and what he's doing with those guys. Kind of finding a way to generate defense out of a team. When you look at the lineups they're playing, there's not a whole lot of plus defenders out there. They're playing well as a unit and you got to give them a lot of credit for that.
- [13:13]
Dave DeFore
I mean, I'm going to give JJ credit for dominating. How about DeAndre Aiden and the way that he's been playing here lately, man, I mean, even in this game, you. You saw it. I did think in the third quarter, part of the reason why the Rockets were able to get off to that, that hot start is because deandre Ayton was in foul trouble. He had three fouls to start. You could see he was kind of sagging off of Shingon a little bit when he was shooting. Didn't want to pick up that fourth foul. But man, when he, I mean, he was so aggressive, I thought in that first half, I mean, really set the tone for him.
- [13:44]
Will Guillory
Yeah, I mean, he just looks like he, like I said with other guys, he just feels very comfortable in his role and what they're asking of him, where his shots are coming from. I think with Aiden in the past, he was always kind of those guys where if he went two or three minutes without a shot, he would get a little antsy, he would want to take it. One of his fadeaways and I think he's kind of, he knows when he's going to get the ball, where he needs to get the ball. I think he's doing better defensively being a physical presence, getting the boards. So, yeah, I think a lot of those guys are very just locked in and what they need to do, how they need to play around Luca and LeBron. And you know, when you have Luca really locked in, the beautiful thing about the way he plays is he's going to get his 40, but he's also getting other guys, guys involved. He's finding those lobs at the rim, he's finding those corner three point shooters. So you look at the box scoring, Luka's taking a whole bunch of shots, but those other guys still feel involved just because of the way he's playing. I think Luca was just masterful in the way that he was getting downhill. Every time they brought Alper and Shangon up in a pick and roll, he was punishing them. He was getting into the paint either, you know, making plays for himself, finding a live man, finding the corner, three pointer. Like I said, they're just very locked in and what they're doing right now.
- [14:51]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, guys, stick around after the break. We're going to get Will's takes on the rest of the West. I want to know what he thinks about the Spurs. Can they win a title?
- [15:04]
Amazon Prime Game Night Advertiser
Prime Monday Delivery is fast. How fast are we talking? We're talking game night delivered by tomorrow night fast. So we can win fast. Cards fast. Puzzles fast. Team games at your door in a day fast. Doesn't matter what the game is, we will dominate fast. We're talking game over. You win fast.
- [15:17]
Gab Advertiser
Fast.
- [15:17]
Amazon Prime Game Night Advertiser
One day delivery for the win. It's on.
- [15:19]
Dave DeFore
Prime.
- [15:20]
Gab Advertiser
What if sports were traded like markets? Now you can put your sports IQ to work in real time with Robinhood Prediction Markets. It's not you against the house, it's you participating in a live market. You can buy or sell your positions live all game long. Use your sports knowledge in the moments that matter. Robinhood Prediction Markets changes the game. It's people moving the action so when momentum shifts, you can move with it. I always knew the game, but I never had a dynamic way to apply the knowledge. Now I can actually take part live in a market powered by people, you're no longer just a spectator. Play by play, you decide. Trade every play. With Robinhood now available across the the US Download the Robinhood app now to begin Future and cleared swaps Trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Events contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives llc, a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. Hey, quick question. Are you hiring in another country right now? Because once you do, things can get complicated fast. But that's where pebble can help. You can send offers in minutes to anyone in the world and get them onboarded fast. Pebble is an AI powered global human resource platform built for founders, HR leaders and operators who are hiring and supporting teams around the world. Pebble helps you hire, pay and manage talent in over 185 countries with fast onboarding that can be done in minutes. Instead of juggling separate tools for contracts, payroll, benefits and compliance, pebble brings everything together with built in guidance and local expertise to support you. This is especially helpful if you're managing teams internationally or planning to grow the fastest growing companies in the world. Use pebble to stay organized and reduce risk and founders use it to scale faster without feeling like they need to become HR or compliance experts. Bottom line, it simplifies Global People's operation so that you can spend time growing the business and supporting your team. Our new standard, discounted pricing at $399 a month per employee helps you contain costs. Go to hipebl AI to get free estimates. That's hipebl AI for a free estate.
- [17:56]
Dave DeFore
Okay. The Western Conference is the Power Conference. And Will Guillory covers two teams, covers the Rockets and the Pelicans. So he's seen in person maybe more Western Conference games than either one of us. For sure. I mean, that's only goes to Raptors games.
- [18:12]
Gab Advertiser
Hey, listen.
- [18:13]
Esperahenny
Listen to the West Coast.
- [18:17]
Dave DeFore
Will is in the building for these things. I mean, Will's been going to Pellets Pelicans games all year. All right, well, I want. I want your take, man. It's been a while since we talked. I feel like a lot of teams have evolved. We talked about the Lakers and their evolution over the course of the last, you know, six weeks or so, and really since Christmas, just a completely different team. But I feel like a lot of the west, we've seen that, right? Like the Nuggets, they're just starting to get healthy and they don't quite look right. The Wolves have been up and down, you know, like they have been over the last few years. We've talked about the Rocket struggles, of course, and then there's the spurs, that it feels like they just kind of kicked the door open on this entire playoff conversation and maybe even title conversation with the whole NBA Cup. Beating the Oklahoma City Thunder and then coming back and doing it two more times, I think really put a stamp and let everybody know that they were here. What's your take on the spurs, man? Like, do you see them as a legitimate, like, they can make the Finals and win it sort of team?
- [19:24]
Will Guillory
In my mind, there's no question. I think they're playing that well. I think, you know, obviously we know what Wimby does on a nightly basis, but I think Stefan Castle has been unbelievable this season. Fox has been such a real calming presence for them at the point guard position. He's very comfortable and, you know, when he needs to be aggressive, when he can kind of play the background and let Castle and Wimy do their thing. Their role guys are so good. Champagne. Dylan Harper off the bench. They bring Luke Cornett in so they could be a little bit bigger. I just think they do a lot of things really well. Mitch Johnson has been so great for them with the adjustments he's been making. I think the real question for them, obviously, is what we do with all of these teams is, you know, younger guys, first time in the playoffs, how do they handle going through three different rounds? How do they handle some of these teams making adjustments, teams turning up their intensity, playing some of these tough role games. But I think Wimby is so special that he can make a difference where some of the youth may hold them back. He can kind of step up and just make such a huge difference that it doesn't matter. I think the big question for me is just how some of these younger guards deal with that pressure. Can Stefan Castle remain efficient? Low turnovers, the same thing for Dylan Harper. How do those guys kind of respond to the playoff pressure? Can you kind of stay out of foul trouble in some of these games? All of that stuff, you know, young teams deal with. But when you look at just the way they're playing, how focused they are, how they're able to kind of play big, play small, adjust to whoever they're playing against, I think they definitely could be a team that could make it to the Western Conference final. I think it'll be really fascinating if we end up getting to that matchup of spurs versus Thunder, because you mentioned it that the spurs kind of have the Thunders number this year. And I think kind of that mental advantage going in where we kind of say they are a young team, they won't have that advantage, but they feel like, hey, we can beat the Thunder. We've done it more than literally everybody else in the NBA over the past three seasons. So, yeah, I think, you know, that they've definitely got it. I think the, the real question, you know, that they really can't answer is, you know, how will these young guys respond when they have to face a. A game four on the road or you have to face they're down at home in, in an elimination game. How do they respond? All this stuff we saw the Thunder answer last year where we were questioning where the Thunder, you know, responded in Denver after going behind in that series. We saw how they dealt with adversity throughout the playoffs. We just haven't seen the spurs do that yet. I think that's the real question. But there's no question they have the talent, they have the mindset, and they got, you know, the, the ability to kind of shift what, whatever matchup you threw at them.
- [21:55]
Esperahenny
I'm glad you brought up the Thunder because you're right, they did prove us that that they could do it, that they got over the top. And I mean I mentioned it to Dave yesterday, but they're on pace to win 65 games. Warriors are the last team to do it two years in a row. The Bulls, the 96, 97 Bulls were the last the other team to do it. So they're, they're on a historical pace. Are they still the favorites though in this Western Conference given the spurs, given like that middle of the west between the Lakers and Wolves and Rockets and
- [22:25]
Dave DeFore
all, whatever the Nuggets are going to turn into?
- [22:27]
Esperahenny
Exactly, yeah. Given the competition in the west, does it feel like it's still the Thunder versus the field or has it opened up?
- [22:36]
Will Guillory
Yeah, I think so. I just think because the one thing you can trust, I would say the two things you can trust more than anything in the NBA is the Thunders defense and Shay, Gilchrist Alexander. I think those are the things I know going into every game. I know what I'm getting from those two NBA entities. I know they're going to defend and I know Shay is going to make shots no matter what. And those are the two things you can trust. And I think they, they're so confident in what they're doing and it's so crazy that you mentioned they're on pace to win 65 games because I just saw, you know, Jalen Williams, I think he posted on Instagram the other day that yeah, I just been in, in my clothes cheerleading all year that they're playing this well without their second best player, Arguably their second best guy.
- [23:13]
Esperahenny
He has the Tyrese Halliburton celebration, the gold medal. That's basically what Jaylen Williams has been doing this year. You know it, it's crazy to me.
- [23:21]
Will Guillory
26 games getting a in the group project. Exactly. It's crazy that they're this good without. I mean we saw Jay Williams drop 40 in a playoff game last year. This is, this is a guy who was, you know, was an all NPA type of guy, you know, one of the better two way players in the league last year. And he just hasn't been there. He just hasn't been a factor. And they're still, you know, going to have the best record in the league. Probably going to be the one seed, going to be the favor going in. That just speaks to, like I said, just to what they do defensively night to night, regardless of Caruso is there, regardless if Chad is there, regardless of Hardenstein there. They just got their principles. They bring their physicality. They have so many guys that can throw on the ball, whether it's Caruso, do whoever you, they just know who they are, they know how to play. And that shape factor, it feels like he's really turning it up over the past couple weeks when you can kind of see that he sees the playoffs in the horizon and he's really up in his game. He's making big shots. At the end of the fourth quarter, he's having some of these 40 point games and you know as much as you like what the spurs are doing, what the Pistons are doing, some of these other younger teams, that's on the rise. Like I said, in a big game, big situation, I'm going to trust Shay to figure out a way just because I've seen him do it over and over again over the past two seasons.
- [24:34]
Dave DeFore
As we sit here after last night's games and the Nuggets lost to the Grizzlies, which second night of a back to back, I know they had to travel, but still, you know, that's tough. The Rockets of course, lose to the Lakers. The Wolves blow out the the Utah Jazz. So as we're recording Lakers three seed, Wolves, four seed, Rockets five, Nuggets six. And they have a two and a half game lead over the Sun. So I'll just say the Sun's probably not going to catch the six seed. Will that three through six. Okay. Lakers, Wolves, Rockets, Nuggets, any of those teams have a shot at making the finals?
- [25:13]
Will Guillory
Yeah. I was going to ask you guys, is it kind of at the point now where those other three teams are going to fight to be avoiding the Lakers? Are the Lakers playing that well at this point where it's going to be the fight to not be. That's a great question.
- [25:24]
Dave DeFore
Avoiding the Lakers, it means to be
- [25:26]
Will Guillory
either four or five.
- [25:27]
Dave DeFore
Yeah. Oh, you mean to not get the six seed? Yeah. But if you're the four or five seed, you got the Thunder.
- [25:34]
Will Guillory
Yeah, the Thunder in the second round. That's true. Well, that's life in the west, man.
- [25:39]
Esperahenny
The question is, would you rather play the spurs or the Thunder in the second round? That's. That's what it ends up being, you know.
- [25:46]
Will Guillory
Yeah. Or do you even get to the second round if you play the Lakers? I mean, we talked about it tonight. I think that Lakers matchup is really tough for the Rockets for all the reasons we talked about. You know, the, the obviously the Nuggets are going through their issues all year. Obviously Minnesota Ant is dealing with his knee issue right now. We'll see. You know what that looks like if he's can get back to his normal self before the playoffs start. But you said, Amanda, that three through six race has just been so up and down. All of those teams have been so inconsistent. Jekyll and High. You catch them on one night and they look amazing. You catch them on another night and they're losing the Tide, Jerome and the Grizzlies. It's just, you know, it's tough to predict. I think. I think, like you guys said, it's just. It's going to be a matter of figuring out how the seating falls out, you know, who has home court advantage, who's playing well at the time. But it just feels like you don't. You can't really trust anybody four through six at this point. Like I said, I think the Lakers have kind of separated themselves, and I can't really trust the Rockets, the Nuggets or the Timberwolves at this point. It feels like those two teams, those three teams are just so inconsistent, and they just suffer bad losses. It's one thing just to. Not just to be up and down, but it feels like with all three of those teams, their losses, they just feel like four or five losses because they're just so ugly.
- [26:57]
Esperahenny
Do you guys remember Taj Gibson?
- [26:59]
Amazon Prime Advertiser
Yes.
- [27:00]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, he was guarding.
- [27:01]
Esperahenny
Yeah, he was guarding Jokic in the clutch tonight for the Grizzlies, and the Nuggets lost this game. Jokic had 10 turnovers.
- [27:11]
Will Guillory
I. It.
- [27:12]
Esperahenny
Something's going down in Denver. I don't know what it is, but
- [27:15]
Dave DeFore
I. I'd like to think that, like, Tom Thibodeau is sitting in the. In the stands like Bobby Valentine. He's got, like, the fake mustache.
- [27:24]
Bill.com Advertiser
Yeah.
- [27:24]
Dave DeFore
He's coaching Dodge.
- [27:26]
Will Guillory
I.
- [27:26]
Dave DeFore
Look, I. I was going to ask you guys, like, am I. Am I abandoning ship on the Nuggets? Like, is that what I'm talking myself into here? Or is this a case of these guys just need to get to the playoffs? I mean, I. I'm hesitant to say that because they just haven't been healthy together all year, and I think there's some chemistry stuff that they need to work out.
- [27:48]
Gab Advertiser
But.
- [27:49]
Dave DeFore
I don't know. I mean, with Jokic, we know how he gets. We see it because he turns it on in fourth quarters of games. I mean, we know that come playoff time, he's a different animal. But I just. I'm not inspired by what I'm seeing.
- [28:00]
Will Guillory
Yeah, just defensively, I just think. Don't think they've been as good as they've been in years past. And part of that is obviously Aaron Gordon, you know, not healthy throughout the season. And it felt like they were getting closer to that when, you know, they had a few games where Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson were out there. That was the plan going into the season. It feels like Cam Johnson is starting to figure it out a little bit. But, you know, then again they lose the way they did tonight. Jokic had 10 turnovers. Tajerom almost goes for a triple double on him. He's hitting threes from the logo. It just feels like, you know, when they, when they need to make stops, they just can't get stops consistently the way they have in the past. And I think that's going to be the key because we know, you know, that, that when it comes to late games, they're going to be able to get buckets with that. Murray Joker's two man game, they've done it for years. We know what it is with those two. But can they get the stops, you know, at the end of games is going to be the big question. And you know, the, the kind of, the part of that, that we're all kind of, you know, sleeping on is what is Aaron Gordon going to look like, you know, once we get to the playoffs? Is he going to be the same guy?
- [29:02]
Gab Advertiser
Right.
- [29:02]
Will Guillory
Harold's hamstrings going to hold up when you're playing every other night in these high intensity games and you know, is Cam Johnson going to be able to make shots consistently? So I think they got a lot of questions where it felt like we know who they are. It feels like it's not as certain as we have been with the Nuggets in the past.
- [29:19]
Esperahenny
Now, I know we've been talking Western Conference playoffs. This team that I'm about to ask you about is not going to be in the playoffs. They still have a chance. The New Orleans Pelicans, they still have a chance, an opportunity to make it to the playoffs. It's not over till it's over. You're right. But they have been playing better basketball. Will dejounte Murray is back. They, they've basically been playing above.500 for the entirety of like February and March. What have you seen from this Pelicans team? Are they avoiding disaster at this point by, by like playing themselves out of potentially giving the Hawks a top three or four or whatever pick?
- [29:58]
Will Guillory
Yeah, I think at that point, at this point it's basically done. I mean, with the teams around them tanking as hard as they are, they're basically going to trip into having like the, the eighth or Ninth worst record in the. In the league. Just because they're actually, like, trying to win games, unlike, you know, the. The other bottom feeders in the league. And I think, you know, like every other bottom feeder, like, like a third of the league is trying to lose every single game. So I think they'll be fine on that front, but I think they've really started to figure some things out just having healthy bodies out there. Herb Jones has been healthy consistently. Zion Williamson has missed one game since the middle of December. They got Dejante, I think Dejante Murray. You know, obviously people just aren't watching the Pelicans, but I think he's one of the best stores in the league. A guy, right, who tore his Achilles last year. He's talked about, you know, all of the things he went through off the core. Family issues, his mom had a stroke last year, he lost a family member, the gun violence, he kind of getting over some of those mental things, family issues, getting over the torn Achilles. And he's just been incredible, you know, since he came back and he's been on the court. He's been so good for them, kind of being that settling presence as a guy, because they have so many guys. We always talk about, they've got Zion, they've got Trey Murphy, they've got Sadiq Bay, they got all these guys who can get baskets. And it feels like Murray is the guy that's finally getting them their shots in the right places, where it's not so much your turn, my turn, where it feels like there's a real flow, there's a real understanding of how they're attacking teams on a nightly basis. And I think it's just funny because we talked about the disastrous trade of Derek Queen and Jeremiah Fierce. I think they've kind of turned around the season by putting those two guys on the bench, right, and allowing these vets to play more often. Where we're seeing, you know, DeAndre Jordan getting minutes over Derrick Queen on some nights, we're seeing, obviously, Dejante Murray getting minutes over Jeremiah Fears at the point guard position, where I think, you know, the conversation we always have around the Pelicans is, can they stay healthy if they have these guys on the court? You see the talent. And I think they're really putting it all together. I think James Bo is doing a great job. Their offense has been top 10, I believe, over the past month or so that they're. They're really finding their way and playing much better. And it's funny, you know, I'm On Pel. Twitter. And they're kind of like, are we really doing a running back thing one more time? Are we really convinced, Convincing ourselves to run this thing back one more time? And the way they're playing is hard not to feel like, hey, if you bring it back with Zion, Trey, Herb and Dejante Murray, there's something there. Those guys are figuring some stuff out. And you still got the young guys coming back.
- [32:27]
Amazon Prime Advertiser
Yeah.
- [32:28]
Will Guillory
Obviously they needed to figure out what they're doing with the head coach, but they're doing some good things down there, man. And it's not over yet, David. They still in contention for that 10.
- [32:37]
Esperahenny
See, Dave, Dave, look at this. I'm just letting you know, this is the. This is the cure for tanking. You take away Greeks, they have no reason to lose or incentive to lose.
- [32:48]
Dave DeFore
If you fix the incentives, yeah, you'll fix.
- [32:50]
Esperahenny
No reason to lose.
- [32:51]
Dave DeFore
And they, you know, I gotta say,
- [32:53]
Will Guillory
just make terrible trades.
- [32:56]
Dave DeFore
Jared McCain just had his fourth 20 point game for the Thunder last night. The guy who apparently the Sixers sold high on. So I understand being hesitant to be like, hey, Zion just had this crazy healthy season. Yeah, let's trade him. I get it. Because, man, what if you trade him somewhere and he's, you know, and he's NBA level. Zion Williamson. I understand. Okay, so we're going to see the same pals next year. That's going to be fun. All right, well, thanks for hanging out with us, guys.
- [33:25]
Will Guillory
Absolutely.
- [33:26]
Dave DeFore
Go and read Will at the Athletic and then listen to him here on the podcast. We're going to try to keep them in the loop way more since we're going into playoff mode now. For Espera Henney and Will Guillory, I'm Dave Dufour and this is Ben the NBA Daily. Thanks for hanging out with us.
- [33:59]
Will Guillory
Foreign.
- [34:04]
Pablo Torre
Hi, this is Pablo Torre from Pablo Torre finds out. And today I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile because we spend a lot of time analyzing inefficiencies in sports, overvalued contracts, money tied up in the wrong places, and so on. But those inefficiencies aren't just on a roster. Sometimes they're in your own monthly expenses. Boost Mobile says switching to their $25 Unlimited Forever plan can unlock up to $600 in savings a year. That's $25 a month for unlimited data, talk and text when you bring your own phone. If that money is trapped in a pricey phone bill, it might be worth a second look. Visit boostmobile.com to learn more after 30 gigabytes. Customers may experience slower speeds. Customers pay $25 per month as long as they remain active on the Boost Mobile Unlimited Plan Savings claim based on a January 2026 Boost Mobile survey of 1,000Americans with single line unlimited plans, comparing average annual payments of major carriers to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited Plan. For full offer details, visit boostmobile.com
- [35:01]
Amazon Prime Game Night Advertiser
shipping
- [35:02]
Stamps.com Advertiser
billing admin payroll Marketing. You're managing all the things, so why waste time sending important documents the old fashioned way? Mail and ship when you want how you want with stamps.com print postage on demand 247 and schedule pickups from your office or home. Save up to 90% with automated rate shopping. That's why over 1 million small businesses trust stamps.com go to stamps.com and use code podcast to try stamps.com risk free
- [35:29]
Schwab Advertiser
for 60 days investing with Schwab is like spending a Saturday at a great farmer's market. You can fill your reusable tote with a bit of everything. Maybe you go for some free range self directed investing or perhaps you pick up a few farm fresh trades while you peruse. You can even get help from a dedicated advisor. That's full service wealth management. Mix, match and change your mind whenever you want. Because at Schwab you can invest your way. No matter your goals or appetite for investing. Schwab has everything you need all in one place. Visit schwab.com to learn more.