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3 days ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Antonio Kozlow
After Jayson Tatum had a hard fall during Boston’s 103-86 playoff-opening win against Orlando on Sunday, he made sure everyone knew that he was “all right” and that the X-ray on his right wrist came “clean.” This means, the player should be set to play in Game 2 of these Eastern Conference series on Wednesday. The Celtics star, who ended the match on 8-of-22 shooting in almost 40 minutes of play, seemed to injure his wrist at the TD Garden last night.
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3 days ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Antonio Kozlow
The Grizzlies have just made history for all the wrong reasons, as they just suffered the most lopsided NBA playoff defeat in over a decade. After their 131-80 loss in the opening of their Western Conference postseason series, Ja Morant gave a strong message to both fans and teammates. “We will never play that bad again,” the Memphis superstar promised after losing by 51 points to the top-seeded Thunder this Sunday. With this result, it became the fifth highest loss in playoff history.
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3 days ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Antonio Kozlow
Just as Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series was coming to an end, Jimmy Butler produced a clutch shot that sealed the Warriors win this past Sunday night. As the ball went through the net, the player made a gesture to his teammates, signalling that there is another star in Golden State. As the California team beat Houston 95-85 this weekend, they continue to prove that they’ve changed into a title-contending squad ever since Butler arrived in town.
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3 days ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Antonio Kozlow
Russell Westbrook seemed to be back in his prime this weekend, as he powered through against the Clippers to deliver the Nuggets their first win of their playoff series. Late in the game, the former league MVP produced crucial steals and shots that ended with a 112-110 overtime victory at Ball Arena. We all know about the veteran’s extreme confidence, but we were surprised to see the 36-year-old still delivering his defensive aggression late during Saturday’s Western Conference class.
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3 days ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Antonio Kozlow
After two consecutive years of entering playoff action through the play-in tournament, the Lakers finally entered the postseason directly and earned a week off leading into Game 1. However, it seems they weren’t prepared enough to confront the Timberwolves this weekend, who conquered the first match of the series.
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6 days ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Antonio Kozlow
Not too long ago, the Pistons had been humiliated after suffering the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history, plus owning the league’s worst record for two straight campaigns. It seems more than ever that the club was ready for a change, and Tom Gores had a plan for it. The Detroit owner started out with a series of moves, starting with the uncomfortable decision of letting go of coach Monty Williams which came at a $65 million cost.
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6 days ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Antonio Kozlow
Luka Doncic has only been living in Los Angeles for two months and a half now, but he’s already feeling the city as his own. Now that they are about to enter postseason action vs. Minnesota, he can’t wait to represent the purple and gold franchise in what he calls “big games.”With his intense competitiveness, brilliant passes, and prolific scoring, he’s been building chemistry with his Lakers teammates, but they’ve never seen playoff Luka. “I like big games,” the Slovenian said on Thursday.
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6 days ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Antonio Kozlow
Stephen A. Smith recently said Mat Ishbia was “on the verge of being recognized as the worst owner” ever in NBA basketball, and the Suns owner isn’t happy about it all. In fact, the executive is expecting for the ESPN analyst to apologise for what he’s said about him. Mat believes he will earn this apology when his team finally gets back on track and starts to succeed in the league. “Stephen A. Smith, I don’t take much of what he says seriously,” he said on Thursday’s season-end news conference.
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6 days ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Antonio Kozlow
By the end of the 2024-25 regular season, we could start to see traces of the new Bulls, or at least the one that Arturas Karnisovas wants for the franchise. After their recent play-in elimination, the executive has asked everyone around to trust the process, as the squad has been growing day by day. After Wednesday’s defeat, he had a request for their followers in Chicago. “I’m asking for fans’ patience,” he said after their season-ending loss to Miami.
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1 week ago | 
basketballinsiders.org | Vivek Jacob |Antonio Kozlow |Oliver Taliku |Zach Wolpin
The No. 2 Boston Celtics will start their title defense with a first-round series against the No. 7 Orlando Magic. Orlando earned its seventh seed after defeating the Atlanta Hawks in the Play-In Tournament Tuesday night. Despite winning 61 games, Boston finished with the second seed behind the 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers. The Magic have been a tad underwhelming at 41-41, struggling to create offense even after both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner returned from oblique injuries.
