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Jan 15, 2025 | 
basketballbulletin.substack.com | Keith Smith
Title contenders reasserted their dominance on Tuesday. The Oklahoma City Thunder muddled through before pulling away late over a very shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers team. The Cleveland Cavaliers won on the road against the Tyrese Haliburton-less Indiana Pacers. The Denver Nuggets hammered a shorthanded Dallas Mavericks team on the road. And the Milwaukee Bucks ended the Sacramento Kings win streak.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
spotrac.com | Keith Smith
#nba #trade #phoenix suns #charlotte hornets #nick richards #josh okogie NBA trade wheels are back in motion! The Phoenix Suns added some frontcourt depth and the Charlotte Hornets picked up some additional draft capital in a three-weeks-to-the-deadline swap.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
basketballbulletin.substack.com | Keith Smith
Monday night the NBA delivered a few more terrific games. The Pistons-Knicks and Rockets-Grizzlies games were awesome. The Raptors-Warriors game was less awesome but was still a close one!Here’s what I saw on Monday!Detroit Pistons - 124 at New York Knicks - 119We’re going right to the end, because the Pistons process to get the game-clinching buckets was great!Part of Cade Cunningham’s growth this season is he’s an improved young player who keeps getting better.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
spotrac.com | Keith Smith
#nba #memphis grizzlies #jaren jackson jr The Memphis Grizzlies should be rooting hard for Jaren Jackson Jr. to make an All-NBA team (increasingly likely) or to win Defensive Player of the Year (Jackson is in the mix, but it may be Victor Wembanyama’s award to lose) for the 2024-25 season.
Breaking News: NBA team wants their player to get accolades for a great season.
No kidding, right?
But this goes way deeper for Jackson and Memphis.
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
basketballbulletin.substack.com | Keith Smith |Marc Stein
Sunday was a busy one for sports fans! NFL playoffs were in full swing, and the NBA had a nine-game slate. The games were spread out enough that I watched a lot of all of them. Plus, I had some general thoughts I wanted to get out into the world too.
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
basketballbulletin.substack.com | Keith Smith
While we didn’t have the titanic clash that Cavaliers-Thunder was, Thursday had some really good matchups. Rockets-Grizzlies was a big one in the Western Conference. The Cavs survived a test from the Raptors. And the Suns found themselves (for at least a night!) against the Hawks. Here’s what I saw on Thursday!Houston Rockets - 119 at Memphis Grizzlies - 115Amen Thompson is a special defensive player. He’s got the size, athleticism and skills to be disruptive. Most important?
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
basketballbulletin.substack.com | Keith Smith
I went into Wednesday’s Cavaliers-Thunder matchup with very high expectations. And you know what? Cleveland and Oklahoma City delivered. This was arguably the game of the year so far in the NBA. Incredible shot making, clutch plays, stars doing star stuff. It was everything you could want and a great showcase for the NBA on a night where they owned the sports calendar.
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Jan 8, 2025 | 
basketballbulletin.substack.com | Keith Smith
Tuesday night delivered some surprising results. A couple of shorthanded teams had surprisingly easy wins (Mavericks over Lakers and Heat over Warriors), while a couple of other games went right down to the wire. Here’s what I saw on Tuesday!Boston Celtics - 118 at Denver Nuggets - 106The Celtics finished up a four-game midwest road trip with a win in Denver. Yes, Nikola Jokic was a late scratch due to an illness, but the Celtics aren’t going to complain.
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Jan 7, 2025 | 
basketballbulletin.substack.com | Keith Smith
We’re back!I never realize how much I crave being in my routine until I’m out of it for several days/weeks in a row. But everything is back to normal now, and that means we’re back with NBA Game Notes!Monday night saw several playoff contenders pick up some key wins, including a few teams surging to and over .500 on the season. Here’s what I saw on Monday!Orlando Magic - 103 at New York Knicks - 94Look at the Knicks shot chart from this one.
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Dec 11, 2024 | 
basketballbulletin.substack.com | Keith Smith
The NBA Cup quarterfinals got off to a fun start on Tuesday. The extremely banged-up Orlando Magic gave the Milwaukee Bucks a far better game than most expected. Then the Oklahoma City Thunder blitzed the Dallas Mavericks repeatedly in a win in the nightcap. Here’s what I saw on Tuesday!Orlando Magic - 109 at Milwaukee Bucks - 114If you’re part of the club that thinks NBA teams shoot too many three-pointers, this was a game for you.
