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}~~~> Official 2024/2025 NBA Thread<~~~{ (Jimmy Butler’s quest to play for every team in NBA)

DC_Dude

DC_Dude

Rising Star
BGOL Investor


Ten Takeaways From 12/19/24

ONE) Ausar Starts Again

Lemme just start by saying the score of this game was 48-19 after the first quarter and Detroit lost by seven. Pistons busted ass and somehow made this a game. Jaden Ivey was out again with knee inflammation, and Ausar Thompson got the start over Malik Beasley. No, he did not play 27 minutes again and that’s fine. No one is expecting him to (at least not us). His 20 minutes are pretty much what he had him projected for in his last start. Was the only starter not to have a negative +/-. While we’re on minutes, think it’s quite sad that Jalen Duren (25 minutes) plays what he usually plays even in a game without Isaiah Stewart.

The Jazz were hitting everything, making 50.0% of their threes (20-40) and 90.3% of their free throws (28-31). Keyonte George (28 points) made a season-high seven threes and had maybe the dunk of the year over Jalen Duren. What people will remember most from this game is the tempers. Keyonte got into it with a fan and had to be separated from his coaches. Then Jordan Clarkson and Ron Holland looked like they were about to scrap after Paul Reed shoved Clarkson out of the way on a made bucket. They were both ejected before any blows were thrown. Fans were booing Detroit when they were down almost 30 in the first and then were giving Ron Holland a standing ovation on his way to the locker room after the ejection.

"That’s who Ron is. Ron is a super loyal dude, super tough-minded dude. I could’ve had my eyes closed and guessed who was going to be in the middle of it. That’s just who he is." - Cade Cunningham on Ron Holland’s ejection

Jazz beat the Pistons 126-119.

TWO) The Magic Inspire

Yeah, the Thunder won despite the Cup schedule screwing them over but I can’t help but leave this one being in awe of the Magic. Already without Franz and Paolo, they also lost Jalen Suggs halfway through. He tripped trying to get through the defense and immediately went down holding his left ankle. Suggs being Suggs, tried to keep playing through it. He started the second half but Mosley knew he wasn’t right. He pulled him about four minutes in and Suggs was upset but whatever. You gotta protect those guys from themselves.

Anthony Black (23 points) came in and changed everything. He scored 19 points in his 20 second-half minutes. Looked like the most confident man on the court, which says a lot when you’re playing against Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. Was able to get to the basket at will and hit floater after floater. Cole Anthony (3 points, 4 turnovers) on the other hand… woof. It sucks cause they’re running out of guys but you see now why he’s out of the rotation so often. He was a team-worst -21 in just 13 minutes.

Aaron Wiggins averaged 15.0 mpg during the NBA Cup. He played 30 here and was a team-best +15. Shai was unreal in the first half (24 points, 10-11 FG) but started settling for threes in the second half (11 points, 1-5 3PT).

"Yeah, the travel day was pretty insane... the rest of the league does not care" - Shai on their travel to Orlando after the NBA Cup in Vegas

Thunder beat the Magic 105-99. This was the 12th time OKC has held an opponent under 100 points, the most in the league.

THREE) The Wizards Won!

Not gonna get many opportunities to talk about a Wizards win this season but here we are. Think I’m more impressed by them not starting Malcolm Brogdon (+14) than I am by their victory. Brogdan for some f*cked up reason had started their last eight games with him available. Like they don’t know how fragile he is or something. He still scored 25 points in his 26 minutes off the bench. Washington got a lot of guys back (Brogdon, Kispert, George) and Justin Champagnie (14 points, 8 rebounds) stayed in the starting lineup. That family knows how to survive.

Charlotte was without Brandon Miller (ankle) and decided to start Seth Curry in his place. Dude was a DNP-CD in their last game against the 76ers. LaMelo Ball (41.4 USG%) is a character, but you already know that. He scored 34 points ON 32 SHOT ATTEMPTS LOL. Was 3-of-18 from three. He did have 13 assists but man, hard to ignore that FG%. The good news is he was able to get up to 33 minutes after playing 26 in his first game back on Monday.

Wizards beat the Hornets 123-114. They pick up their 4th win of the season.

FOUR) Trade LaVine Already, PLEASE

My fandom is well-documented here on and I try to keep it out of my writing but man, this is bad. In a season where they’re trying to keep their protected top 10, they keep winning these games that are likely going to haunt them in the Draft Lottery. They’ve now won three games in a row and are tied for the tenth-worst record in the league. Beating Charlotte and Toronto, sure I get that but now they’re beating Boston? Josh Giddey missed the game cause he still has swelling and soreness in his ankle. Billy Donovan said they don’t think it’s a long-term thing. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence they won without him but that’s for another day.

Zach LaVine in the midst of trade rumors had his best game of the year, scoring a season-high 36 points on 78.4 TS% (6-11 3PT). Some of the shots he was making man, whew. When he’s on, there’s not a more aesthetically pleasing player to watch. He’s like a ballerina out there. A very lucky team is going to realize how valuable he is in the right environment and make a deal for him, but please… do it already. The same goes for Vuc (16 points, 14 rebounds) but I don’t think they’ll be as lucky once his regression hits.

Kristaps Porzingis (20 points, 8 rebounds) played a season-high 35 minutes, which certainly changes things. Boston had one of their worst shooting games of the season, making 25.0% of their threes (14-56). Jaden Springer played meaningful minutes (13) for the first time this season. Boston lost their cool at the end, getting three techs late in the fourth. Joe Mazzulla verbally abused the living shit outta refs on the way out.

“I hadn't seen him in a while. So, just a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday… can't let a moment go by where you don't wish the best to them and theirs.” - Joe Mazzulla on what he yelling at the refs

Bulls beat the Celtics 117-108.

FIVE) “Maybe I need to talk to a therapist or something” - Nic Claxton

Remember that? That was when Claxton got ejected late in the game against Atlanta for clotheslining Dyson Daniels. He jokingly suggested that he might need to see a therapist to control his emotions. I couldn’t help but think of that quote after he got ejected again for chucking the ball in the stands in Toronto. On the way out, he was about to chuck something else (a seat cushion?) before an assistant coach stopped him.

This game felt like a “Who out-tanks who?” kinda game and today, it was Toronto. Already without Jakob Poeltl (groin), RJ Barrett was a late downgrade with an illness. Yeah, I’m probably overthinking it. I mean, why else would they let Scottie Barnes (16 points) return so soon? He even got up to 36 minutes. Kelly Olynyk recently said that his back is still bothering him and only played 17 minutes, so hard to envision that coming up much soon.

Remember when I suggested Ben Simmons (12 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds) might be getting showcased after playing 31 minutes the other night? He played 32 in this one. The chains are off. Shoutout to Cam Johnson (33 points, 10 rebounds) though. He’s been flourishing and keeps driving that trade price up. Over his last six games, he’s averaging 24.2 PPG on 68.2 TS%.

“CJ, obviously we needed him to score and make big shots at the end. We play a lot through him and he was great, steady.” - Jordi Fernandez on Cam Johnson

Nets beat the Raptors 101-94.

SIX ) What Rivalry?

One of my favorite quotes of the night came from Taylor Jenkins. He was asked about worrying if Draymond “pushes the line”. Taylor’s response…

“I’m so ready for Dec. 19th today.”

Let’s go to the box score from today’s Grizzlies/Warriors game, shall we?

Draymond Green:

0 PTS
0 REB
0 AST
4 TO
-42

Steph Curry:

2 PTS
3 REB
1 AST
2 TO
-41

*Steph’s first time not making a field goal, playing more than 12 minutes

This game had so much hype coming in because of the hate these teams share for each other, because of the rematch between Schroder (5 points, 5 assists) and Morant from last week, and because of Schroder’s debut. All it turned out to be was a good old-fashioned ass-kicking. Jonathan Kuminga not only got benched, but he was the eighth Warrior to check in. Podz was the eleventh. And these are the guys the Warriors don’t wanna part with?

Zach Edey (8 points, 8 rebounds) is back in the starting lineup and Ja Morant hurt his back on a hard fall early in the 3rd. He came back in briefly before having to come back out and look, with the score the way it was… it woulda been stupid to have him play a minute in the 4th.

"Defensively, I thought we were phenomenal. Offensively, we took what their defense gave us." - Taylor Jenkins

Grizzles beat the Warriors 144-93.

SEVEN) Vassell Finally Starts

It took him 11 games to get his legs right I suppose but alas, Devin Vassell (23 points, 71.9 TS%) is a starter once again. He played a season-high 37 minutes, 32 in regulation. This game was fun as hell but also hurt because he had a CP3 under (u18.5 PA) that was well on its way to cashing before OT happened. Of course he makes a 3-pointer and dishes out three assists to get him to 20 (PA). Ok, I know you’re not here to read about our bad beats so let's talk about my guy Wemby (42 points, 6 rebounds, +17).

He did that thing again where he settled and took a million threes but he made them this time. He shot 7-of-15 from deep and attempted just four shots in the paint, and yes he made all four. The 15 threes he attempted was the second most of his career. This guy amazes me in so many ways but none more than his unwillingness to play down low.

Playing without Onyeka Okongwu (knee), Larry Nance Jr. saw a season-high 31 minutes and you know he produced cause that’s what he does when he gets minutes. Scores 21 points on 80.8 TS% and pulled down 13 boards. Also made five threes, tying a career-high. Trae Young (23 points, 16 assists) hurt his ankle but was able to come back.

“Felt great, felt great to be back.” - Devin Vassell on how it feels to rejoin the starting lineup

Spurs beat the Hawks 133-126.

EIGHT) KAT’s Return to Minnesota

The narratives lived up to the hype, not the game. Both Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle wanted to make a point and they did. The only difference is the rest of the Knicks played well and the rest of the Timberwolves didn’t.

Karl-Anthony Towns vs Minnesota:

32 PTS
20 REB
6 AST
5-5 3PT
100.3 TS%
+31

Julius Randle vs New York:

24 PTS
5 REB
3 AST
4-8 3PT
61.1 TS%
-13

Obviously, KAT’s point was much louder and good for him. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him look happier. He got the tribute video that made me teary-eyed (they all do) and the crowd was rooting for him hard. It’s funny cause you know they wanna see him succeed but it’s also gotta be killing them seeing him playing this well. Oh, they were also booing Thibs like crazy during intros lol.

Josh Hart missed this one for personal reasons. Precious Achiuwa got the start and it’s pretty obvious why. To match the Timberwolves size and because they’re 15-2 when they win the rebounding battle.

“I told him when we was down 30, like I can’t show my happiness for you but hell yeah, I was super happy for him man. That’s everything you dream of… You get traded, come back, and beat your team by 30.” - Anthony Edwards on KAT

Knicks beat the Timberwolves 133-107.

NINE) Another LeBron Record

He’s probably not as proud about this record as the points one but he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar again. LeBron James (19 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists) has now played more regular season minutes than any other player in NBA history (15,472). He’s already #1 in playoff minutes. What’s fitting is DeMar DeRozan (10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) is now tied with Marvin Williams for the most games a player has lost to LeBron. He’s lost 33 of 45 games to the King. Man, those LeBronto years were really something.

“They told me I’m old as hell” - LeBron on how his teammates reacted to breaking Kareem’s minutes record.

Lakers beat the Kings 113-100.

TEN) Nuggets Gotta Make a Move

The cat’s outta the bag that Denver is looking to make a trade, we know that. Whether it’s Zach LaVine or somebody else, they have to do something and do it soon. Not sure if waiting until the trade deadline is a good idea when the West is such a dogfight.

Portland gave up a 17-point fourth-quarter lead but it didn’t matter. Anfernee Simons made one of the easiest game-winning layups you’ll ever see while being defended by Russell Westbrook. First game-winner of Simons’ career. Jokic was also at fault on the play for his poor help defense but people don’t like pointing fingers his way because of all he does on the offensive end. Now, as easy as it is to bash Russ for the defense on the play, they wouldn’t have been in a position to win without him. He and Jamal Murray spearheaded the 4th quarter comeback, combining for 20 points in the quarter. And no, it’s not as if I think Zach LaVine could have played any better defensively… no, check that. On this particular play, I think mostly anyone could have defended Simons better. Just a really brutal way to lose.

Denver’s now lost to Washington, Charlotte, and Portland. Three of their eleven losses have come to tank teams.

"Those are the moments that we live for" - Anfernee Simons on his game-winning layup

Blazers beat the Nuggets 126-124.
 

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