Steph's Return + Wemby vs. Jokić

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily – April 6, 2026
Episode: Steph's Return + Wemby vs. Jokić

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Athletic NBA Daily recaps a jam-packed weekend in the NBA, spotlighting Steph Curry’s much-anticipated return, a thrilling duel between Victor Wembanyama (“Wemby”) and Nikola Jokić, and the rapidly shifting playoff race as the season nears its close. Hosts Dave DeFoor, Zena Keita, and Esfandiar Baraheni break down the most compelling storylines, analyze pivotal games, and offer a guide to must-watch matchups for the final week of the regular season.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Steph Curry Returns: Instant Impact Despite Warriors’ Loss

• Curry’s Comeback Game
  • After missing 27 games, Steph Curry returns and comes off the bench, playing 26 minutes (one over his limit), scoring 29 points and finishing +12 in a narrow one-point loss to Houston.
  • Curry’s presence electrified Chase Center and immediately elevated the Warriors’ chemistry and performance.
• Hosts’ Observations
  • Zena: “He doesn’t look like he’s missed 27 games...The first play of his game coming back is an assist to Charles Bassey, who signed to the team that day. You want to talk about somebody that immediately integrates himself.” [06:05]
  • Esperahen: “There ain’t nothing like a Steph heater, man. It’s the best. It’s so fun to watch on TV.” [07:58]
  • Dave: Notes how Curry’s gravity changes everything—he dictates defenses and makes his teammates’ lives easier. Gary Payton II’s 14 points were, in part, thanks to the attention Steph commanded. [09:00]
• Game Details & Warriors’ Issues
  • Despite Curry’s heroics, the Rockets edged out a win with a last-second Alperen Şengün bucket, after KD drew the defense on the final play.
  • Both teams feature 37-year-old stars as their anchors (Curry and Durant), a fact the hosts marvel at. [09:34]

2. Wemby vs. Jokić: A Duel for the Ages

• Game Dynamics
  • San Antonio controlled most of the game before Denver’s veterans surged in the fourth quarter.
  • Dave: “This was a playoff game for everybody involved…Wemby and Jokic have this duel for the ages. I mean, this is like the greatest player in the world, Nikola Jokic, versus the guy who we all assume is going to take that title if he hasn’t already.” [11:26]
  • Esfandiar on anticipation: “Sign me up for seven games of Wemby versus Jokic. I am down.” [12:07]
• Tactical Analysis
  • The Nuggets cranked up playoff-level defense to close the game, led by Aaron Gordon and Jokić.
  • Zena: “San Antonio was held to just 33% shooting over the final stretch…Denver was able to go on a run.” [13:36]
  • Dave: “This was Jokic’s best defensive game I saw him have all season long.” [13:13]
  • Jokić finished with 40 points, 13 assists, 8 rebounds, and his defensive commitment stood out.
• Strategic Implications
  • Both teams experimented with zone defenses, and the hosts note how the Spurs’ ability (or inability) to shoot out of zones may define their playoff ceiling. [15:07]
  • Playoff implications: If current standings hold, Nuggets-Spurs could be a marquee second-round series. [16:12]

3. Cooper Flagg’s Rookie Explosion and the Tight ROY Race

• Flagg's Performance
  • Flagg (Mavericks rookie) delivers back-to-back 40-point games and becomes the first teenager to post such a streak and the first rookie since Allen Iverson (1997) to do so. [17:31]
  • The hosts debate whether this is enough to swing Rookie of the Year—Esfandiar argues Flagg “locked it up” with this run, outperforming even the high expectations. [17:35]
• Challenge from Con Knipple
  • Zena and Dave note that Con Knipple’s consistency and efficiency for the Hornets make the award race razor-thin. [19:16]
  • Esfandiar: "I think this might be one of the closest rookie of the year races we've seen." [20:38]

4. Must-Watch Games: Viewing Guide for NBA’s Final Week

• Big Games to Circle
  • Sixers-Spurs (Tuesday)
    • Potential classic, featuring Joel Embiid versus Wemby, both surging down the stretch. [24:30]
    • Esfandiar jokes about the “Joel Embiid controversy: Is he sick? Is he not sick?” [24:30]
  • Knicks-Hawks (Tuesday)
    • Knicks desperately defending the three seed against a revitalized, athletic Hawks team that improved after trading Trae Young. [25:23]
  • Hornets-Celtics / Raptors-Heat (Tuesday)
    • Hornets climbing fast; “This isn’t a cute story. This is a legitimate contender in terms of messing up your playoff plans,” says Zena. [27:57]
  • Celtics-Knicks (Thursday)
  • Thunder-Nuggets (Friday)
  • Nuggets-Spurs (Sunday): Potential playoff preview and a possible “series of the summer.” [30:46]
    • Zena: “This is kind of like when the Warriors used to go up against the Rockets…this is the true conference finals.” [31:07]
• Playoff Race Dynamics
  • Hosts dissect the critical race for the 3-seed in both conferences, implications for matchups, and the immense parity making this one of the most compelling endgames in years.
  • Dave: “This has been, I think, one of the best playoff races that we've had…seating race, the way everything's shaken out. I do think we're about to have just an epic playoff run.” [31:42]

5. Warriors’ Play-In Outlook

• Zena: “I'm just shocked that you haven't said any games that Stephen Curry is playing in for your mental health.” [32:13]
• Dave: “Those are all must watch, but they're not important.” [32:19]
• Esfandiar: Looking forward to a possible Warriors-Thunder matchup, “Steph Curry versus the Thunder…I don't know, might be a little bit nervous.” [32:31]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Steph Curry’s Agelessness:
  • Zena: “He doesn't look like what he's been through, and that is what Stephen Curry is the definition of ... He doesn't look like he's missed 27 games.” [06:05]
• On Watching Steph’s Hot Streaks:
  • Esfandiar: “There ain't nothing like a Steph heater, man. It's the best. It's so fun to watch on tv… The Rockets defense knew exactly what the Warriors are running all throughout that fourth quarter...and you could not stop it. That's what makes Steph Curry the best show in basketball.” [07:58]
• On Jokić’s Defense:
  • Dave: “This was Jokic's best defensive game I saw him have all season long.” [13:13]
• On the Parity and Excitement of the Playoff Race:
  • Dave: “We’re in the parody era. This has been, I think, one of the best playoff races that we've had… and I do think we're about to have just an epic playoff run out of this group.” [31:42]
• On the Tightness of the Rookie of the Year Race:
  • Esfandiar: “I think it might be one of the closest rookie of the year races we've seen.” [20:38]

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Important Timestamps

• 03:16 – Show open, Steph's return, national championship banter
• 06:05 – Zena on Steph Curry's seamless impact after injury
• 07:58 – Esfandiar on the thrill of Steph's “heater” and Warriors’ offense
• 11:26 – Dave sets up Wemby vs. Jokić as “a duel for the ages”
• 13:13 – Jokic's “best defensive game all season”
• 16:12 – Nuggets’ race for the 3 seed and playoff implications
• 17:31 – Cooper Flagg’s historic rookie scoring surge
• 19:16 – The case for Con Knipple in the Rookie of the Year race
• 24:30 – Must-watch week: Sixers-Spurs preview
• 30:46 – Nuggets-Spurs finale as playoff preview
• 31:42 – Parity and anticipation for the playoffs

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Tone & Style

The conversation is fast-moving, candid, and filled with both statistical insight and authentic fan excitement. The hosts blend sharp analysis with humor and personal observations, staying true to the engaging, conversational tone characteristic of The Athletic NBA Daily.

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Summary Takeaways

• Steph Curry remains a singular force in the NBA, transforming the Warriors’ dynamic the instant he returns.
• The Wembanyama vs. Jokic rivalry could define the Western Conference for years; their latest matchup was instantly hailed as a “game for the ages.”
• The Rookie of the Year race is as close as ever, with both Cooper Flagg and Con Knipple building compelling cases down the stretch.
• The playoff race is wide open, with crucial seeding battles and potential classic series in both conferences—the stage is set for chaos and excitement in the NBA’s final week and postseason.

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End of Summary

Transcript

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Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for April 6, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Zena Keda and Esperahen. Coming up, Steph Curry is back, but they lost. Wemby played Jokic. That was awesome. And we're going to talk a little bit about the games we're looking to watch this week. Good morning, everybody. What is up, guys? Xena calling in from Phoenix on like a satellite connection or something. How's it going? How was the national championship game?

[Zena Keda]

Dude, don't even get me started. I mean, I'm so happy for ucla. They send off their six seniors with a championship to the next chapters of their career. But South Carolina, man, went down bad in the natty. So two years in a row we haven't had a very competitive national championship game. But I hear the NBA games, I did watch, a few of them over the weekend were a little bit more competitive.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, we got some good NBA basketball.

[Esperahen]

At least one of them was.

[Dave DeFore]

We gotta do something, though. I. Why is the women's national championship game coming on at three in the afternoon Eastern? Like, what are we doing here? Yeah, that's so little sense to me.

[Esperahen]

I agree.

[Zena Keda]

It's, I mean, afternoon and it's what, 12. I mean, it was 12:30 here, 12 Pacific, 12:30 noon mountain time, 11:30am on the east Coast. I mean, the west coast, it's just like weird, weird time for a NASA shipship.

[Dave DeFore]

I'll be interested to see. And I, I don't really care about ratings, but I'm curious to see if it's good. Look, Sunday afternoon is a great time to watch sports.

[Esperahen]

I can't wait.

[Dave DeFore]

WNBA Sundays are coming back soon. NBA Sundays have been awesome. Right? But I just feel so weird that this marquee game wasn't giving like a prime time time slot. I don't know, but it was, you know, it was fun to watch until it was a blowout and then, you know, Raptors, Celtics saved the day for me there. Guys, Easter yesterday. Hope everybody who's listening, if you celebrate, you know, hope you guys had a great Easter. Easter, you know, famously known for comebacks. Steph Curry was back, guys. And man, he looked like he did not miss a beat. He was out for 27 games. They brought him off the bench. He had a 25 minute limit. He played 26. He had 29 points. He was plus 12 in a game that the warriors lost by one and had the lead in the final seconds. They had a game winner from, from Alper and Shingon for the Rockets to save another fourth quarter collapse for them. But I want to start with Steph first, guys. When this guy is playing basketball, number one, you, you talk about playing with joy, but also just giving me a lot of joy. He was out there doing Steph Curry things. He doesn't look his age and he definitely doesn't look like a guy that just missed the last three months.

[Zena Keda]

I don't know if y' all know, but in the black community, there's something we say like, you know, you don't look like what you've been through, and that is what Stephen Curry is the definition of that does look young, but he doesn't look like he's missed 27 games. He didn't look like he hasn't played alongside. I mean, the first play of his game coming back is an assist to Charles Bassey, who signed to the team that day. Like you want to talk about somebody that immediately integrates himself and immediately makes an impact. But why did that play work and why did so many of the plays work as he was building up his ridiculous fourth quarter play? Gravity. Gravity. It's not just the joy that he brings, it's the attention that he commands. He dictates the way that defense is played just because of who he is. And Reggie Miller made a really great point throughout the game of just like, you know, when he did get going scoring wise. The muscle memory. Well, it's not just that Stephen Curry has muscle memory of how he plays and how he shoots and how he gets to the basket and breaks down defenders. It's that the rest of the NBA has muscle memory. They know what this man is capable of. They know what he, he can do. And so it completely changes the chemistry of a game. How the warriors show up, how much his supporting cast has to do. Draymond feels like he's got an extra bounce in his step because he's sett up his boy that he's been doing for the last 11 years. It seems like, I mean, it's just been a whirlwind getting to watch someone like Stephen Curry play basketball and seeing him back on the floor, seeing how loud or hearing how loud Chase center was through the tv. So many people miss him. So many people.

[Esperahen]

There ain't nothing like a staff heater. Man, it's the best. It's so fun to watch on tv. I, I would love to experience it once live in arena, just to hear the crowd pop of what used to be the Oracle and now Chase center. And just like the vibe of him going on a heater and no one can stop him. The Rockets defense knew exactly what the warriors are running all throughout that fourth quarter. It was the split action stuff, it was the dribble handoff stuff between Draymond and Steph. Every single person in that arena knew what Steph wanted to get to and, and you could not stop it. That's what, that's what makes Steph Curry the best show in basketball. He's been the best show in basketball for like a decade now. And it's just, it's so entertaining. It's good to have him back. Also, to your point, Xena, earlier, about the. I thought you were going to go with Black. Don't crack because he's the baby face Assassin, you know? Yeah.

[Zena Keda]

All right.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, look, Gary Payton II had 14 points in this game and I feel like it's just because all eyes are on Steph, you know, again you get to play, you get to play 4 on 3 as an offense, which of course Draymond Green is so good at when, when he's the one catching that, that pass after the double team. I don't know. It was fun. The Rockets though, look, they, they built up a really big lead. They blew it again in the fourth quarter through the same issues that we've been seeing with this team now for a couple seasons. This new iteration though, it has Kevin Durant to save the day, get 16 points in the third.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Again, two teams, two NBA teams where 37 year old guy is your best player. Oh, that. That's crazy. That is absurd. But KD saves the day for them. All the attention he got on the final play gives Shingoon that the final bucket. Look at the basket. Katie's defense, I think has been excellent. Been guarding, was guarding Porzingis quite a bit in the game and the Rockets needed to win this because they're still in the hunt for the, for even the three seed now that the Lakers are, you know, going through the injury stuff that they've got with Luca and now Austin Reeves going to miss the remainder of the regular season. So they're only one game back of the Nuggets and Lakers in the battle for three Four, five. So they needed to pick up this win too. Let's swing it to the Nuggets because we got what might have been the game of the year. And we've said this a few times really quickly.

[Zena Keda]

Can we just acknowledge the bench point differential between the warriors and the Rockets? Because it's.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, why Steph Curry coming off the bench? I mean, that's like.

[Esperahen]

Yeah,

[Zena Keda]

61 to 10.

[Dave DeFore]

It's just not fair.

[Zena Keda]

It's not fair.

[Dave DeFore]

Sorry.

[Zena Keda]

Continue.

[Esperahen]

That's fine. Calling Steph a bench player. That's like when Wemby came off the year 12, folks. That's it.

[Zena Keda]

Insane.

[Esperahen]

Wild.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay. The Nuggets spurs was the game of the year for me so far. I mean, obviously we're, we're now in the last week, but this is what the NBA like for me should be trying to highlight. I actually like this game was on early, right before the men's college basketball games. Yeah, that was great. And you could not get a more stark contrast in styles of the sport. Going from Spurs Nuggets to Illinois Yukon, which was almost not even the same sport.

[Esperahen]

It's not even the same spot. Doesn't count.

[Dave DeFore]

The spurs were, were, were. They looked fantastic for the first three quarters of the game. The Nuggets, this is where that veteranship comes in. And you start to think about the Spurs. This was a playoff game, by the way, for everybody involved. This was a playoff game. And you saw some of that veteranship come out in the Nuggets and you saw the young guys with the spurs kind of struggle a little bit when things got a little bit tighter. Wemby and, and Jokic have this duel for the ages. I mean, this is like the greatest player in the world, Nikola Jokic versus the guy who we all assume is going to take that title if he hasn't already. This was, this was again, playoff started on Saturday, guys.

[Esperahen]

Yeah, I'm. I cannot wait for this to be a playoff series. And it feels like it will be a playoff series because to your point, Dave, like the Lakers now are dealing with injuries. Nuggets are in a very good position to get that three seed, which means two versus three in the second round should be the spurs versus the Nuggets. Sign me up for seven games of Wemby versus Jokic. I am down to your point about the spurs being in control all game. I thought they, they set the tempo. They played exactly like they've played all season, pushing it in transition. The defense at the point of attack, Wemby being this guy who can Clean things up in and around the basket. But the Nuggets in the fourth quarter, I thought, found another degree that they could go to, like, another level that they discovered.

[Dave DeFore]

And part of that is playoff defense. Is what? A playoff defense.

[Esperahen]

Yeah. And by the way, we've seen that playoff defense in the past last year versus okc. We've seen them in years past, in general, raise their level defensively. I think a lot of that has to do with Aaron Gordon.

[Dave DeFore]

This was Jokic's best defensive game I saw him have all season long.

[Esperahen]

Absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Esperahen]

He had that switch where he. He picked up Darren Fox, contained him on the drive. He had that one play where he blocked. I believe it was either Wemby or another player at the basket. Like, he was doing great things defensively. And then on the other side, Aaron Gordon was guarding Wemby, and he did an excellent job on him in that

[Zena Keda]

fourth quarter, especially on that final shot. Yeah, when. When we had to kind of go baseline behind the basket almost going into overtime. Yeah. I mean, when you look at the end of that game, San Antonio was held to just 33% shooting over the final stretch of that game. Like, Denver was able to go on a run. And it felt like earlier in the game, you saw Stephon Castle, and the whole team really had a swagger with the way they were. They were scoring and the way that they were. There was, like, a particular play I remember. I think it was Stefan Castle scores on Tim Hardaway, and they're kind of, like, smiling at each other, like, knowing each other. Like, there's a. There's a confidence that was there. And it was kind of like, oh, little brother's beating up a little bit on big brother. And then big brother came out and reminded, folks, hold on, hold on. We are here. We're still going to battle with you. We're going to make it tough for you. And folks were hitting shots. Kristen Brown was tremendous. Julian Strother, I thought was, you know, hitting key, timely shots, coming off of screens, but it was. You're right, Dave. It was really Jokic. He was locked in, not only in the offensive way that we know, scoring 40 points against the Spurs, 13 assists, eight rebounds, but him tracking on defense, him tracking as he rolled off of screens, you know, hedging in screens, and he was just so much more locked in than we've seen him. And I. I think that they both were. You know, Wemby and Jokic were so bought into this matchup, and that permeated throughout the entire roster.

[Dave DeFore]

I think we Saw the way that teams are going to guard the spurs come playoff time. Yeah. Nuggets stayed in the zone for so much of that game. They're going to. Teams are going to have like, they're going to make the spurs prove that they can hit shots. That's what it's going to come down to for them.

[Zena Keda]

Like, step on Castle in the middle of that zone, though.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Zena Keda]

I thought that. I really. I mean, I've seen it. We've seen it here and there, but I really like him being the rover in the middle of that zone and letting Wemby be on the outside. We've seen Wemby be the person in the middle as well, which is an obvious one. But I like that wrinkle to their offense as well.

[Dave DeFore]

Castle still gets to the basket even when he catches the ball at the nail.

[Esperahen]

Right.

[Dave DeFore]

And that is hugely valuable to bust a zone, but they're still going to hang in that zone unless they can shoot with the Nuggets. I think we're just seeing this is they were basically at full health. You know, they didn't have Peyton Watson for this game, but we're starting to see them round really into form, and they're actually pushing now because they want that three seed. They're currently tied in the standings with the Lakers. Lakers own the tiebreaker. But it does feel like the Nuggets are going to wind up the three seed.

[Esperahen]

Yeah.

[Zena Keda]

Because if they get the three seed, who. Who are they matched up with again?

[Esperahen]

They would basically. It's locked up with Minnesota, so it'll be. It'll be Nuggets, Minnesota, which ye would be a tough first round series.

[Zena Keda]

That's a tough first round. So that's why I'm like, it'd be interesting if they want that third, but we'll see.

[Dave DeFore]

There's also easy path to a title in the West. So if you're the Nuggets and you're three seed, you got to beat the Wolves. You're going to have to beat the spurs, and you're probably going to have to beat the Thunder.

[Esperahen]

I also can't remember what it is, but, like, there hasn't been a champion to win and not be a top three seed in their conference. Something along the lines of that. There have been champions. Like, I think the Rockets did it in the 90s, but it's few and far between. So you need to get to that three seed to be able to like, really be a championship contender.

[Dave DeFore]

And we're getting. We're getting this game again. Final day of the regular season. And we're, we're going to talk about that a little bit more after the break when we get into our viewing guide for the week's final season. Before we go to break though, guys, Cooper Flag and the Mavericks beat the Lakers on Sunday. Cooper Flag goes back to back 40 point games. First teenager ever to do it. LeBron didn't do it. First rookie since Allen Iverson in 1997. We're, we're watching a guy have one of the best rookie years maybe ever and he is not going to win rookie of the Year.

[Esperahen]

I think he will win rookie of the Year.

[Zena Keda]

I think he is changing performance was enough.

[Esperahen]

I think this week has locked it up. He won rookie of the Year.

[Dave DeFore]

Wow.

[Esperahen]

You go for 50 and then you go follow it up with 40. I, I think it's crazy because Cooper Flag has taken a leap mid rookie season. Like he has gotten better at scoring the basketball, his efficiency has gotten better, his comfortability attacking the basket, settling into his own shots. I was just like looking up and down his like pick and roll numbers, points per possession. All of that ranks very, very good for rookies. So I don't know. I would.

[Dave DeFore]

You don't feel like this is a tree falling in the, in the forest a little bit because like the Magic tanking April.

[Esperahen]

I get it.

[Dave DeFore]

And can so much of a push behind him, I think.

[Esperahen]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

And the Hornets being who they are, I don't know.

[Zena Keda]

And he's mad. Like Con Knipple has shown up and impacted games and the games that mattered. Like I don't want to say that this game against Laker doesn't matter, but the Lakers are depleted. It's the end of the season.

[Esperahen]

It definitely doesn't matter in comparison to like the Hornets games.

[Zena Keda]

They're not our star people when it comes to best defense in the NBA. Okay. So you know it does. I see what you're saying, Dave. I do feel like there is a little bit more credence to Khan's consistency over the course of the year versus what Cooper has done. But again like Brandon Jennings youngest person to score 50 points in a game. That's. How long has it been since Brandon Jennings has been in the league?

[Esperahen]

You know what I'm saying? I was in high school.

[Zena Keda]

All the people that have come in the league since then and Cooper's the first to do it like that. I mean, yeah, that's wild.

[Esperahen]

I'll also just say like I think Khan in his own way is also having a historic rookie season. Like he is having the most efficient rookie season ever in terms of a guy who's averaged over 15 points per game like that. That's a fact. And if you go look at the statistics, you go look at how efficient he's been this year. It's the most efficient rookie season ever. That has to give you a case on top of the fact that the Hornets are winning and he is meaningful to how much they're winning basketball. It's just, it's so tough to go through and say, I don't know how you guys feel about rookies and winning. Like, should winning matter when it comes to the rookie of the year?

[Dave DeFore]

Probably not, but it doesn't hurt, you know, and especially when you're like, if it's con canipal and you can point and say, oh, that guy's a big reason why this team turned it around.

[Esperahen]

Absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

And I mean, the Charlotte Hornets were absolute dreck. Awful, awful basketball team the last few years. Yeah, Cotton nipple gets in the building. Everybody gets more serious. I mean, I got to give them

[Esperahen]

some credit for that. I'll just say two way sport. Cooper flag is hooping on defense too, you know.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, yeah.

[Zena Keda]

I'll say this, this performance though, absolutely moves him closer if there. As if it wasn't even. It was all. It was already infinitesimal. But like, it is even closer with this performance.

[Esperahen]

I think it might be one of the closest rookie of the year races we've seen.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, for sure. Yeah. The voting on this is going to be very interesting. Guys. Stick around after the break. We're going to give you our viewing guide to the league's final week of the season.

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[Dave DeFore]

Want to take a second and shout out the folks in our discord. If you guys want to join the Discord link is in the show description. We got this idea from them. We they asked us what games do we feel like our must watch in the last week of the season. So we put together our little viewing guide. I hope you guys enjoy it. Would love feedback. Let us know if there's a game we missed and then you know at the end of the week let us know how we did. We're going to start tomorrow tonight. Sixers Spurs. I think this one's obvious. Number one Sixers playing for a lot right now. Trying to to stay out of the play end. They've been healthy. Joel Embiid, Victor women Yama. I mean guys like six or spurs now full health Sixers versus this spurs team. That's. That's a huge game. Yeah.

[Esperahen]

There's also the Joel Embiid controversy. Is he sick? Is he not sick? There's always, there's always something going on.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, then there's Embiid versus Wemby, French versus. You know what I mean?

[Esperahen]

Like, of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Paul George versus Kelton Johnson. No, it's gonna be a great game. I agree with you. Yeah.

[Zena Keda]

And I like the way that these teams match up. They're both athletic, springy, you know, they're gonna try and beat each other up and down the court. Like, I, I feel like we're in for an exciting game.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Paul George, man, this run that he's been on since he came back, it makes me think he should just take a 25 game break every season for the rest of his career. He looks amazing. If he's gonna play like this come playoff time again, if they're the sixth seed, the three seed is in. The east goes from having an easy path to just. That's, that's absolutely unfair.

[Esperahen]

Yeah, exactly. That's what we were talking about with the Nuggets, right?

[Dave DeFore]

Speaking of three seeds, guys, a pivotal game for the three seed. We got the Knicks versus the Hawks. The Hawks have been fantastic, as we know, like since the, the All Star break. The Knicks have been struggling. They're trying desperately to hold on to that three seed, the Hawks. Right now they're just clicking on all cylinders. And I think that athleticism and the youth gives them a big advantage in this game on tonight.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah. Nick's.

[Esperahen]

Hi. I've disrespected the Hawks. Sorry, I was just going to say I have disrespected the Hawks for two months and they have proved me wrong. They are in the thick of it for the five seed. They're probably going to win like 47 games. And to think about, they traded Trey Young and somehow got better throughout the season. I, I agree with you on the athleticism front. We've talked so much, all of us about Nikhil Alexander Walker and what he's done, but CJ McCollum, like, just being a table setter for this team has been really important as well. The shot creation he's provided has been awesome. So, yeah, I would love to see the Hawks go at the Knicks because they have a very hard schedule for the final stretch of the season too. They play the Cavs twice. These are two teams that they might end up playing in the playoffs. Let's see how they can do against them.

[Zena Keda]

And the Knicks have a lot of pressure, not only just on themselves, but to keep the pressure on Boston. They're trying to get to that number two seed. So it feels like whether the Knicks lock in on the Hawks for their own purposes of trying to get their right seating or just like to be able to prove to themselves that hey, we are, we're capable of being a team like the Hawks in case we have to potentially match up against a team like the Hawks. There's a lot of different things that the Knicks have to figure out right now with their identity going into the playoffs. And this is a great kind of table setting game for them.

[Dave DeFore]

Tuesday night we got Raptor seat and we got Hornets, Celtics. Now these, these are together because the Hornets are hot on the heels of the Raptors right now for the six seed. I, I mean the Hornets still have a chance to make it out of the play in, but at a minimum they might just be the 7 seed and have a home court play in game maybe against the Raptors, obviously the Heat, they just live in the play end. They're, they're just out here going through the motions. I don't know if they care if they're the ten seed or not. I, it's hard to tell with them. And, and with the Celtics, look, they're still, I think that there, it's very important for them with Jason Tatum in the mix that they just continue to play these games like they all matter even when they don't. Like they probably have the two seed locked up. But I, I think against a good team like the Hornets, they, they really need to give their full effort.

[Zena Keda]

Looking at the Hornets first and foremost, that win over Phoenix, if anything, just tells me this isn't a cute story. This is a legitimate contender in terms of messing up your playoff plans. And whether, whether you're at the top or near the top like the Celtics or you're someone that's right on the, you know, cusp of the playoffs, you're scared to look at the Hornets across the, you know, across the ball because they're going to challenge you as soon as the ball goes up. Their athleticism, their relentless drive. And also they're like, we've never been here before. We don't know what, how we're supposed to act. We don't know that we're supposed to be intimidated. And they don't feel like that against any team. So going up against the Celtics, I feel like they don't know half those kids were like in college as Boston was winning their championship. You know what I mean? Like they don't know any better against that team. And then Raptors Heat. I'm gonna let this one for you as. Cause I'm telling you we're getting Raptors

[Dave DeFore]

heat twice this week. That feels a little bit much.

[Zena Keda]

I just feel like how do they get to this point without someone finding a way to push them further down in Eastern Conference?

[Esperahen]

No, I know. Yeah, look, this is. The Raptors are feeling the Heat right now.

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They've.

[Esperahen]

They were the 5 seed for like I don't know. Oh, oh.

[Dave DeFore]

I didn't even realize that.

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There you go.

[Esperahen]

The rap. The Raptors were in the five seed for like six months of the season. Five months of the season and the last month and a half they've been slowly falling down that. And truthfully, I think it's just because the, the east has been playing better basketball. The Hawks, the Sixers, obviously the Hornets. And so these other teams have caught up while, while the Raptors have cooled off. The other aspect is if the Raptors and Hornets play in a playing game, I am going to guarantee it today on whatever day it is in the middle of April that the Hornets will 100 win that game. 100 win that game. I'm locking it in. It's just, it's one of those things

[Dave DeFore]

that will help Gods with that one. I'm not, I'm not willing to do that. Thursday, Celtics, Knicks. Needless to say, big game again. The Knicks have so much to play for trying to hang on to that three seed. Friday night we get Thunder Nuggets. The Nuggets fighting for the three seed in the west by then maybe have it locked up like it's, it's hard to tell how things are going to shake out again. Just. I don't feel like the Lakers have a lot of hope to, to hang on to three just being so shorthanded. And then we get Nugget spurs again on Sunday to, to close out the regular season. No games on Saturday and all of the games on Sunday, but we get Nuggets spurs once again. And I do feel like this is going to be the second round playoff series in the west. And I dare say this is going to be the series that we're talking about all summer.

[Zena Keda]

This is kind of like when the warriors used to go up against the Rockets before they actually got to the conference finals where you're like, this is the true conference finals. Like this is. After seeing that game, Denver snapping the Spurs 11 game streak, you feel like the spurs are going to come back with even more of a vengeance to try and, you know, get back at them. And yeah, it's setting up to be exciting.

[Esperahen]

It's also like the spurs will basically control the fate of the Nuggets because realistically, if the Nuggets are trying to climb up the Eastern, the Western Conference standings, if the spurs beat the Nuggets, they can say, no, you stay on the Thunder side of the bracket. We'll, we'll be fine playing the Lakers and the Rockets and the Timberwolves. But if they end up because you can rest, you can rest players on the last day and it might be a little bit interesting there in terms of what they would do.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, I, we usually say that the Nuggets have their own fate in their hands, but you're just saying that the spurs are going to beat them. Yeah, they want.

[Esperahen]

They could if they want to.

[Dave DeFore]

They can handle business. I think the Nuggets have a little bit to say about that, as evidenced by what we just watched over the weekend. Anyway, look, look, this is, we, we've, we're in the parody era. This has been, I think, one of the best playoff races that we've had. Like the seating race, the, the way everything's shaken out. And I, I do think we're about to have just an epic playoff run out of this group. So hopefully this week these games all live up to the hype and nobody gets hurt. That's what we're rooting for right now, guys. Got any more before we get out of here for the day?

[Zena Keda]

I'm just shocked that you haven't said any games that Stephen Curry is playing in for your mental health.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay, well, sadly, those are all must watch, but they're not important.

[Zena Keda]

They're not.

[Esperahen]

They are locked into the 10 seed. I'm very excited to see them play the Portland Trailblazers in 10 days because

[Dave DeFore]

that's what if the warriors come out of the play in and we get OKC Golden State in the first round will be awesome. Everything will have worked out pretty well. Steph Curry versus the Thunder. I don't know, might be a little bit nervous. Andrew Schlecked's palms are sweating right now.

[Esperahen]

Come on, man.

[Dave DeFore]

Anyway, that's gonna do it for today's show, folks. Thank you guys for listening. For Xena Canada and Esperahenny, 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 like leave a rating or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us.

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