2024 NBA Season

[TravelMug]

Good matchup is Nuggets vs the Bucks. It's going to be Giannis vs Jokic, Nuggets will have the home court advantage.

I would choose the new Bucks here. Nuggets maybe a strong team at home but they aren't undefeated, and based on the last game of the Bucks, I am confident that it will not be an easy game for the home team as Giannis is sure to be unstoppable, even Jokic could not stop him. Lillard has to have an impressive game here, not sure if Middleton will play because last time he was just sitting on the bench, but even without him, I think Bucks are still capable fo winning.

If we are not confident them winning straight up, taking the handicap is the best bet for us. That's +4.5

Unfortunately the Bucks lost the game against the Nuggets, but as I have predicted, it's a very close match and it can still either go either in the last minutes. Bucks lead early and then Nuggets coming back strong, and in the last minute of the 3rd quarter they take a good lead with Murray's play. But then the Bucks make their own comeback, take a lead in the 4th. Nuggets though led by Jokic, another triple double trying to score and make a good separation. And when we thought that the Nuggets is going to win, the Bucks again, with 3's, Giannis hitting, to cut the lead to 2. But the Nuggets was able to play good defense and then score and it was the last straw by the Bucks as they lost this very close game.

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[Maslate]

Good matchup is Nuggets vs the Bucks. It's going to be Giannis vs Jokic, Nuggets will have the home court advantage.

I would choose the new Bucks here. Nuggets maybe a strong team at home but they aren't undefeated, and based on the last game of the Bucks, I am confident that it will not be an easy game for the home team as Giannis is sure to be unstoppable, even Jokic could not stop him. Lillard has to have an impressive game here, not sure if Middleton will play because last time he was just sitting on the bench, but even without him, I think Bucks are still capable fo winning.

If we are not confident them winning straight up, taking the handicap is the best bet for us. That's +4.5

Unfortunately the Bucks lost the game against the Nuggets, but as I have predicted, it's a very close match and it can still either go either in the last minutes. Bucks lead early and then Nuggets coming back strong, and in the last minute of the 3rd quarter they take a good lead with Murray's play. But then the Bucks make their own comeback, take a lead in the 4th. Nuggets though led by Jokic, another triple double trying to score and make a good separation. And when we thought that the Nuggets is going to win, the Bucks again, with 3's, Giannis hitting, to cut the lead to 2. But the Nuggets was able to play good defense and then score and it was the last straw by the Bucks as they lost this very close game.

It was a close game though but the Nuggets defense was good in the 4th quarter. Especially on Lillard's drive to the paint that was blocked by Gordon and the ball goes out to Lillard, that sequence was sick and the Nuggets were able to capitalize on the next position. Giannis also misses some important FTs he was only 6-11 this game, when the pressure is high, Giannis normally makes mistakes especially when up against a strong team.

They need to improve but overall it was a road game and they did well, just fall short in the end.

[YuginKadoya]

-snip-

His initial defender got to close and he immediately recognized that. Do you remember that play he did against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers while he was a Heat? I think it was Paul George who made the same mistake and Lebron also took it to the basket with time almost expiring.

Absolutely, that play against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals was iconic. LeBron James has an incredible ability to read the defense quickly. I remember the play you're referring to with Paul George. Recognizing the defender's mistake, LeBron seized the opportunity, driving to the basket with precision, especially in crucial moments. It's a testament to his basketball IQ and clutch performance in pressure situations. LeBron's ability to capitalize on defensive lapses has been a defining feature of his career.

Fuck NBA. Fuck OKC.1st leg curse. Another day, another upset. First the Spurs destroyed the no.1 seed in the West Timberwolves yesterday and now the Pistons win against the Thunder with a score of 120-104. How many times have the Pistons won this season without Cade Cunningham compared to they win this season? This makes me feel that Cade Cunningham is the problem for the Pistons. The team is great without him. Yesterday he played against Wizards and they lose.

It's definitely frustrating to see unexpected outcomes, especially when it comes to upsets in the NBA. The Pistons' victory against the Thunder without Cade Cunningham adds an interesting twist. However, it's essential to consider various factors that contribute to a team's performance, and attributing it solely to one player can be complex. Team dynamics, matchups, and overall strategies play crucial roles. Cade Cunningham is a talented player, and teams often face challenges adjusting when key players are absent. It will be intriguing to observe how the Pistons perform over the season and whether patterns emerge in their victories with or without Cunningham.

[Natalim]

New York Knicks currently have the longest winning streak in the NBA now with 7. Next to them is the Indiana pacers with 3.

Knicks has been so dominant in their last few games, starting from a big win against the Nuggets, they are now winning by double digits in their games. What do you see is the reason why this team is almost unbeatable now? Based on my observation, this started after the trade.

Their game with the Hornets, they won by 21 points and that is considering they are missing few starters like Randle and Anunoby.
What's happening to this team? Can we already consider them as a potential championship team?

[Yaunfitda]

New York Knicks currently have the longest winning streak in the NBA now with 7. Next to them is the Indiana pacers with 3.

Both teams have made the trade and so it seems that the new set up of players are blending up very nicely. Siakam had a triple double the other night as a Pacer.

Knicks has been so dominant in their last few games, starting from a big win against the Nuggets, they are now winning by double digits in their games. What do you see is the reason why this team is almost unbeatable now? Based on my observation, this started after the trade.

Their game with the Hornets, they won by 21 points and that is considering they are missing few starters like Randle and Anunoby.
What's happening to this team? Can we already consider them as a potential championship team?

I think Brunson and Julius Randle is really doing everything for the Knicks right now. Reminiscing of their previous years run when they make the playoff. And I still remember that they also had a good run during that season, even as a underdog, they will win big games against great team just like what we are witnessing right now.

But as far as potential championship team? They are not on that level yet, they will have to fight it out with Sixers and the Bucks and even Pacers on a highly contested Eastern Conference.

[danherbias07]

New York Knicks currently have the longest winning streak in the NBA now with 7. Next to them is the Indiana pacers with 3.

Knicks has been so dominant in their last few games, starting from a big win against the Nuggets, they are now winning by double digits in their games. What do you see is the reason why this team is almost unbeatable now? Based on my observation, this started after the trade.

Their game with the Hornets, they won by 21 points and that is considering they are missing few starters like Randle and Anunoby.
What's happening to this team? Can we already consider them as a potential championship team?

I am starting to love that Knicks team. Ever since they acquired OG Anunoby, it has been different for them on both the offensive and defensive end. Surely, this is a great decision from the Knicks management and I bet they are happy with it.
Randle had been phenomenal and like I said Anunoby seems to feel like he is at home and he is doing well with their chemistry. He doesn't even need time to connect with them, it just happens.
7th winning streak and those wins are not composed of weak teams like they beat today, the Charlotte Hornets. Most of them come from behind or a close game where they worked hard to claim the W.

I only watched one game today and it's the Nuggets versus the Bucks.
God damn, Gordon did the defensive stand to win the game. That block will be recorded on his highlight reels and I am sure one of the highlights that will not be forgotten especially by those who look at defense as a special skill. I do. I repeated that play for like 10 times watching it over and over again because it was just too awesome to miss.
He may have fouled out at the end of the game but hands up to what he did. That was just too awesome that it's difficult to forget. Like that defensive play of Ginobili against Harden that is stuck in my mind.

[Yogee]

[....]But for Klay? Okay, there is nothing he can do with it as it's always been Steph that they're eyeing for.

It's not that there's nothing he could do to change their mind. That would not have been the case if Klay was still playing like his usual self. Steph have done it so why can't he? I don't blame the management for wanting to trade him and let Steph be the last remaining of their Golden era.

I guess the Golden State Warriors are not really serious in letting go of Klay. There might be some testing of the waters as to the trade value of their veteran player, but I don't think they will easily just let another team have Klay. Klay and Steph are more or less the central figures of the team. And if we take a look at the most recent games of Thompson, they are not bad. He's still playing well, usually contributing above 20 points for the team. Paul, Wiggins, and Green could leave anytime though.

I do think they are serious. Klay is not a big help at the moment, even if he is scoring 18ppg. He is still earns 43 million this season and for this money you could expect more. They offered him 48 million for 2 years and he declined, that's just insane!
The problemclearly  is Klay's mindset. If he seriously believes the Warriors should give him another max contract he can't be helped. This is not pre injury Klay. He is older, he is slower, he misses more shots, and he often forces bad shots in situations where another pass is needed.

He thinks his value is so high, that's just wrong.
Obviously he is an icon in the bay but if he doesn't move away from thinking he deserves this then I think a trade is the only way to go.
48 for 2 is a present to him and he still thinks it's not enough. Not a good look in my opinion.

I guess he's looking for some security or a contract that he could use for retirement so I can see why he refuses a short contract like that. If the Warriors could give him a similar contract to Draymond's then I think Klay would find it more acceptable. His trade value could drop sharply after two more years and he knows that a four-year $100M contract is better than a two-year $48M at his age.

[yazher]

I can't imagine anyone wanting out for Charlotte.  They are continually a terrible franchise and can't seem to figure out.  Not that I'm for guys front running but why would you want the other side of your career be with a team that can't stay out of the lottery.  That's gotta be a lie.

It seems like that's the same reason for Michael Jordan to give up and no matter what he did with that team, it didn't get to taste An NBA final game just for one time. It's just like a curse and no players at their right mind want to go there. But for a risk-taker player who want to be quickly recognize, it will be the best team for him cause he can easily showcase his skills but he needs to exert all effort to win games constantly in order to preserved his popularity if he doesn't want to be like Linsanity.

[OgNasty]

Funny seeing Giannis get called for a free throw violation for taking longer than 10 seconds to shoot. Joker was counting at the refs… Giannis really needs to switch that up before it gives him problems in a big game.

Bummed to see the Rockets win yesterday. I think that might be my least favorite team in the NBA.

[xLays]

Funny seeing Giannis get called for a free throw violation for taking longer than 10 seconds to shoot. Joker was counting at the refs… Giannis really needs to switch that up before it gives him problems in a big game.

........

This Giannis 10 sec free throws violation has happened many times. It's Giannis free throw routine. For me Giannis doesn't do anything special before shooting free throws; he just looks at the rim and relax for 10 seconds. Free throws have been problem to Giannis throughout his entire career, but I'm sure he can still improve just continuous practice and adjustments could help improve his free throw performance over time.

[Ayers]

Funny seeing Giannis get called for a free throw violation for taking longer than 10 seconds to shoot. Joker was counting at the refs… Giannis really needs to switch that up before it gives him problems in a big game.

Bummed to see the Rockets win yesterday. I think that might be my least favorite team in the NBA.

Giannis is a great player and it was a little surprising for me to see him making a mistake like that. I think professional players are not supposed to make those kinds of mistakes. But it's fine as long as he can fix it quickly and his team does not suffer a lot because of it. But I agree that it was definitely a little funny.

I was also surprised to see the Rockets win against the Lakers. I didn't expect this result from them, to be honest. I expected the Lakers to win this game. But Lakers had a bad performance in this game.

[FanEagle]

A big winning streak at the middle of the season is a hard thing to achieve. Teams played roughly 48 or so games, so it's even over the half way limit, and that means teams will just be making sure that they are keeping their position and nothing more. So grinding hard to get that many wins, is not an easy thing to do at this point. Some teams are already tanking, some teams already guaranteed their playoff spot, so the only ones left fighting are the ones who are trying to get in and a little bit out.

I think it is lucky for Knicks, because having a big win streak at the start of the season is the hardest part, getting it now, and just 7 win nothing more is really not seen as that important for most teams and they will get knocked off during playoffs anyway.

[OgNasty]

How about Ben Simmons returning to the court yesterday and putting up some good numbers.  Nothing too spectacular in any given area, but he hit his field goals and nearly had a triple double.  That has got to be positive for expectations.  I was getting ready to think he was going to be out of the league, but it looks like if he can stay healthy he may actually be able to stick around a few more years.  I don't think he'll ever return to the all star player he was before, but you never know.  Maybe injuries have been bothering him more than people think over the last couple of years.

[dwyane36]

How about Ben Simmons returning to the court yesterday and putting up some good numbers.  Nothing too spectacular in any given area, but he hit his field goals and nearly had a triple double.  That has got to be positive for expectations.  I was getting ready to think he was going to be out of the league, but it looks like if he can stay healthy he may actually be able to stick around a few more years.  I don't think he'll ever return to the all star player he was before, but you never know.  Maybe injuries have been bothering him more than people think over the last couple of years.

That was a pretty good performance, considering Simmons missed a lot of games this regular season. However, I still think his future career in the NBA is doomed anyway due to his mental health and that incident with the 76ers. By the way, his current contract will expire after the 24/25 season, and I wouldn't be surprised if he leaves the NBA after that.

[jossiel]

Giannis is a great player and it was a little surprising for me to see him making a mistake like that. I think professional players are not supposed to make those kinds of mistakes. But it's fine as long as he can fix it quickly and his team does not suffer a lot because of it. But I agree that it was definitely a little funny.

They are professionals but something like this will happen regardless of how known and great they are. Mistakes do comes at unknown times and that's how it came for Giannis.

And what's important for that game is that whether there's the call for the long stay in the free throw, Nuggets still won at the end of that game.

It's just like a curse and no players at their right mind want to go there.

Steph wants to be there if he's near his retirement to just be with his father and leave it there as a legacy for the same team. IMO, Hornets should start negotiating and have some friendly talks with Steph to remind him that they're always there for the Curry's.

[wheelz1200]

A big winning streak at the middle of the season is a hard thing to achieve. Teams played roughly 48 or so games, so it's even over the half way limit, and that means teams will just be making sure that they are keeping their position and nothing more. So grinding hard to get that many wins, is not an easy thing to do at this point. Some teams are already tanking, some teams already guaranteed their playoff spot, so the only ones left fighting are the ones who are trying to get in and a little bit out.

I think it is lucky for Knicks, because having a big win streak at the start of the season is the hardest part, getting it now, and just 7 win nothing more is really not seen as that important for most teams and they will get knocked off during playoffs anyway.

These games are crazy important right now.  We aren't at the point of the season that these games don't mean anything.  They are 2 games away from second place in the east or 3 games out of the playin games right now.  I'd argue these games are much more important than the beginning of the season because you have time to change.  From now until march/April people are jockeying for home court in the playoffs or even just getting to the playoffs.  Too many times has the season come down to the last few games that determines playoff seedings to not take these games seriously.

[ingiltere]

Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-point challenge set for 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend
The competition will air during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on TNT after the Starry 3-Point Contest and before the AT&T Slam Dunk.
https://www.nba.com/news/2024-stephen-vs-sabrina-3-point-challenge

NBA try to do some interesting events but it doesn't look like a bright idea to me. Original 3-point contest is enough for me.

2024 Rising Stars rosters are announced.

NBA Rookies
Bilal Coulibaly (Guard | Washington Wizards)
Keyonte George (Guard | Utah Jazz)
Jordan Hawkins (Guard | New Orleans Pelicans)
Scoot Henderson (Guard | Portland Trail Blazers)
Chet Holmgren (Frontcourt | Oklahoma City Thunder)
Jaime Jaquez. Jr. (Frontcourt | Miami Heat)
Dereck Lively II (Frontcourt | Dallas Mavericks)
Brandon Miller (Frontcourt | Charlotte Hornets)
Brandin Podziemski (Guard | Golden State Warriors)
Cason Wallace (Guard | Oklahoma City Thunder)
Victor Wembanyama (Frontcourt | San Antonio Spurs)

NBA Sophomores
Paolo Banchero (Frontcourt | Orlando Magic)
Dyson Daniels (Guard | New Orleans Pelicans)
Jalen Duren (Frontcourt | Detroit Pistons)
Jaden Ivey (Guard | Detroit Pistons)
Walker Kessler (Frontcourt | Utah Jazz)
Bennedict Mathurin (Guard | Indiana Pacers)
Keegan Murray (Frontcourt | Sacramento Kings)
Shaedon Sharpe (Guard | Portland Trail Blazers)
Jabari Smith Jr. (Frontcourt | Houston Rockets)
Jalen Williams (Frontcourt | Oklahoma City Thunder)

NBA G League Players
Izan Almansa (Frontcourt | G League Ignite)
Matas Buzelis (Frontcourt | G League Ignite)
Ron Holland (Frontcourt | G League Ignite)
Mac McClung (Guard | Osceola Magic)
Tyler Smith (Frontcourt | G League Ignite)
Oscar Tshiebwe (Frontcourt | Indiana Mad Ants)
Alondes Williams (Guard | Sioux Falls Skyforce)

https://www.nba.com/news/2024-nba-rising-stars

Is there a missing player you expect but didn't get picked? I don't see any from the list.
Wemby, Jaime Jaquez, Henderson from rookies, Banchero, Ivey, Kessler, Sharpe, Smith from sophomores and McClung from G League are exciting players. Overall I see it as below average. Rookie vs. Sophomore games used to have better players.
There will be a tournament with 4 teams from these player pool. I prefer traditional Rookie - Sophomore game.

[boyptc]

It is coming, the Golden State Warriors are looking for trades or any offers for Wiggins, CP3 and even Klay.

The first two are fine since Wiggins are really looking for a transfer and CP3 didn't stayed there for long. But for Klay? Okay, there is nothing he can do with it as it's always been Steph that they're eyeing for.

But we've seen some comments when Steph said if he's gonna be transferred, he'd like to do it with the Hornets.

Anyone could be traded, only Steph is safe with the Warriors. Wiggins name have been popping up in the last couple of months, Klay was reported didn't sign for the extension when he was offered so he might want to test the trade. Even Draymond is also being considered to be traded as well.

And we are nearing the trade deadline this February, so I wouldn't be surprised if any of those name are not going to be a Warrior mid February. If it involved their big 3 then the Golden State Warriors era are over and they will have to rebuilt around Curry next season, but it's going to be very tough.

Yeah, Steph will stay with the Warriors and he's got locked in contract IIRC. So, with the trades going on soon, we may see some familiar names going out of the Dub nation.

I can't imagine anyone wanting out for Charlotte.  They are continually a terrible franchise and can't seem to figure out.  Not that I'm for guys front running but why would you want the other side of your career be with a team that can't stay out of the lottery.  That's gotta be a lie.

Probably he's lying with that and even if I am at the peak of my career, I'd still want rings and will consider teammates that will help me out to get that and not with that team.

[Dave1]

Great game between the Bulls and the Raptors. Bulls take a good lead for much of the game. But the Raptors came back in the last quarter and leading. They have played a great defense specially against DeRozan, they doubling teaming him with big guys so DeRozan will have to pass.

It could be another hard breaking lost for the Bulls, they can't keep those lead while allowing their opponents to score easy basket. Zach Lavine didn't play though, but it seems that he will be traded before the deadline in February.

[Reid]

Unfortunately the Bucks lost the game against the Nuggets, but as I have predicted, it's a very close match and it can still either go either in the last minutes. Bucks lead early and then Nuggets coming back strong, and in the last minute of the 3rd quarter they take a good lead with Murray's play. But then the Bucks make their own comeback, take a lead in the 4th. Nuggets though led by Jokic, another triple double trying to score and make a good separation. And when we thought that the Nuggets is going to win, the Bucks again, with 3's, Giannis hitting, to cut the lead to 2. But the Nuggets was able to play good defense and then score and it was the last straw by the Bucks as they lost this very close game.

Jokic was just too much for them, he is dominating the painted area even with one of the best block Brook Lopez is around, what more if they bench them, no one can stop Jokic anymore. Giannis tried but he always makes a bad decision to foul Jokic.
Also, thumbs up to Gordon for his great defensive play. He focused on Giannis and that big block at the last seconds of the game was a winner before he was fouled out.
Peyton Watson also did a great job on the defensive end. They need that because the Nuggets lacks defense and bench power.