Ten Takeaways From 3/4/25
ONE) Hali Looks Like Hali
He’s had some rough games to start the season, but it’s safe to say Tyrese Haliburton is back (famous last words). Check out his last six games:
28 points, 15 assists, 2 turnovers (3/4/25)
17 points, 12 assists, 1 turnover (3/2/25)
19 points, 10 assists, 1 turnover (2/28/25)
33 points, 11 assists, 1 turnover (2/26/25)
19 points, 15 assists, 1 turnover (2/24/25)
29 points, 12 assists, 1 turnover (2/23/25)
The joy is back. He’s also shooting 59.1% from three in that span.
"I have a lot of games this year I'm not proud of at all. Living in the moment right now. Not worried about where I was in the past." - Tyrese Haliburton
The Rockets got their guys back after punting last night’s game against the Thunder. Well, everyone but VanVlett. Jabari Smith Jr. (12 points, 9 rebounds) started over Tari Eason this time around and played 37 minutes. And Reed Sheppard (4 points, 2 steals) was rewarded for his game against OKC. He played ahead of Aaron Holiday and logged 15 minutes. Hoping this sticks.
The Pacers beat the Rockets 115-102.
TWO) Tank Malfunction
I gotta be honest, I’m still chuckling about this one. The Raptors were pretty open about their desire to tank earlier in the season, and they laid their cards out on the table in this game against the Magic. The problem is, it didn’t work. In a closely contested game, Toronto used a closing lineup of Orlando Robinson, Jamal Shead, A.J. Lawson, Jared Rhoden, and Ja’Kobe Walter. Rookies and two-ways. If you’re asking yourself who was out: Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji. With the Raptors down two, Ja’Kobe Walter hit one of the wildest game-winning threes you’ll see this season. His body looked awkward as hell, like he was trying to take a step-back but then decided to draw a foul and kick his legs out. Whatever, it went in, and the game was over. That’s all that matters, but to do it with that lineup is comedy. You know walls were punched somewhere. Dick has a hyperextended knee btw. He’s gonna be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Orlando was without Cole Anthony (toe), so of course they gave Cory Joseph (8 points, 5 assists, 28 minutes) his first start of the season. Why would they give it to Anthony Black (15 minutes) in a lost season? This team drives me nuts. They also announced what we already knew earlier in the morning: Jalen Suggs will be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee. Bums me out that we only got six games with Suggs, Wagner, and Banchero all available. In 91 minutes together this season, the trio has a net rating of 9.0 (110.8 offensive rating, 101.8 defensive rating).
“Us not getting the whistle, I have to figure it out.” - Jamahl Mosley on the loss
The Raptors beat the Magic 114-112.
THREE) KPJ in the 4th
Giannis (26 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) is probably gonna be the headline here after he records his sixth triple-double of the season, but I wanted to shine the light on Kevin Porter Jr. Trust me, I don’t enjoy doing this either. I, too, have issues with the man that he is, but that’s for another day. KPJ scored 12 of his 15 points in the 4th quarter, with the game still in the balance. The Bucks have been rolling since the All-Star break. Since February 12, they’ve won seven of their last eight games. In that span, KPJ is averaging 4.5 ppg in the 4th (63.6% FG), trailing only Dame (6.5) and Giannis (6.1). He’s been clutch as hell for them, and not a lot of people are noticing. Dame (23 points) had a scare after being elbowed in the eye. The thing swelled up good on him. Struggled with blurred vision, which is one of the reasons he went 2-of-10 from three. Dyson was the other.
Before the game, Atlanta announced that they had terminated Kevin Harris’ 10-day contract to make room for Dominick Barlow’s 2-way conversion. I’m only sharing that cause I thought it was funny that they didn’t even let him finish the ten days lmaooo.
“I went up to try help rebound off the glass, and I was behind the guy, and his arm just came down and his elbow - the point of his elbow hit right on my eyeball. Once I hit, I knew it was either going to swell up or turn black. It was just a matter of time, but my vision - I’ve never had my vision get blurry like that.” - Damian Lillard on his eye
The Bucks beat the Hawks 127-121.
FOUR) Garden Steph
Steph Curry was listed as questionable coming into this game against the Knicks. He tweaked his ankle the night before against the Hornets, but let’s be real, it was never stopping him from playing at the Garden. Steve Kerr even admitted that the Garden has a way of inspiring players to play when they’re dealing with something. Steph scored 28 points on 62.7% TS in 32 minutes. Also had 9 assists, 7 boards, and was a game-high +23. He’s only lost one time at MSG (12-1), and he had 54 in that game (2013). Pretty crazy. Brandin Podziemski has been a completely different player since coming back from injury, averaging 14.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
The Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns for personal reasons. Sounds like it’s gonna be a bit based on how Thibs was talking. Said that “he needs some time right now.” Mitchell Robinson started in his place and played 15 minutes. Thibs said that it was a minutes “guideline” rather than a “restriction”, whatever that means. If you’re wondering why even start him if he's not gonna play much, it’s cause Thibs doesn’t like starting Precious in place of KAT. He hasn’t done it yet all season. He’ll start him at the 4, but not the 5. Josh Hart (1-8 FG) easily had his worst game of the season, scoring two points on 12.5% TS. Went 0-4 from three, which has been a big issue for him since the new year. He’s shooting 22.5% on 2.7 attempts per game in 2025.
“Two-way team. Last 10 games, I think we are second in both offense and defense. Small sample size, but that’s when we got Jimmy.” - Steve Kerr on the Warriors identity.
The Warriors beat the Knicks 114-102.
FIVE) A Delayed Cavalanche
The Bulls' cupboard was empty against the Mobley-less Cavs. Chicago was without Lonzo Ball, Kevin Huerter, Josh Giddey, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic. They still were able to stick around… until they couldn’t. The game was actually tied at 107 with seven minutes to go. Then, in the blink of an eye, the Cavs were up 9 two minutes later. Two minutes after that, they were up 18. It happened THAT fast. Maybe Cleveland was playing with its food or something. I dunno but they got the job done. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 of his 28 points in the second half. I’m still unsure why he only played 12 first-half minutes with no foul trouble. Maybe Atkinson was trying to limit his minutes? De’Andre Hunter (6 points, 5 rebounds) started for Evan Mobley and played 24 minutes. He’s averaged just 26.1 mpg in his three starts with the Cavs. Darius Garland had a rough first half, scoring 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting. He finished with 19. Wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one who rested tomorrow against the Heat.
With the Bulls down so many ball handlers, you knew Talen Horton-Tucker was gonna get an opportunity. He was the first guy off the bench and scored a season-high 22 points on 58.3% TS. Zach Collins (20 points, 12 rebounds) has exploded ever since Nikola Vucevic has been sidelined. He’s got three double-doubles in his last four games.
“We gave up 33 free throws… If you give up free points, it’s gonna be hard to win those games” - Coby White on the loss
The Cavs beat the Bulls 139-117.
SIX) I Think It’s Almost Over
I really don’t know why, but Paul George gave it a go against the Timberwolves, nursing a sore groin. I know that he said he was gonna pause the podcast life so he could focus on their push for a chip (LOL), but things are starting to spiral out of control in Philly. It would be okay if he changed his mind. PG scored just seven points on 31.8% TS in 30 minutes. The media asked Nick Nurse about him afterward, and here’s his response:
“It's definitely a concern. I mean, listen, he was questionable coming in with the groin, and he just tightened up on him there.”
Is it just me, or are the tea leaves suggesting another possible shutdown? Listen, we’re all thinking the same thing about how they need to approach the rest of the season, but Nick Nurse is kinda coaching for his job. Or maybe he already knows that he won’t be back. My point is that I don’t think Nurse cares to tank. I don’t think he’s gonna be back next season to coach whoever they draft, so in my opinion, he’s coaching to win. Like, Oubre played 40 minutes, Grimes played 39… Maxey was out after hurting his back against Portland. Grimes (30 points, 12-18 FG) is getting exactly what he wanted, by the way. He wanted to get out of Dallas to be a little more involved on offense. Three of his five most FGA’s in a game have come wearing a Sixers jersey.
Anthony Edwards (18 points, 5-11 FG) had to go to the locker room after hurting his non-shooting hand. He got it taped up and returned to play 30 minutes. Julius Randle also played 30 minutes in his second game back. Was pacing for mid-thirties again but lost minutes because of the blowout. He looks incredibly healthy, but I’d still be surprised if he played against the Hornets. Donte DiVincenzo is still on a minutes restriction. He had 12 points and 8 assists in 23 minutes. Only a matter of time before he takes that starting gig back from Mike Conley.
He’s just kind of doing everything. He had 8 assists tonight. His activity on defense has been great. We love him as a rebounding guard, he’s like in mid-season form; you’d never know he had 6 weeks off. - Chris Finch on Donte DiVincenzo
The Wolves beat the 76ers 126-112.
SEVEN) Vassell and Castle
Devin Vassell just had the game of his life, and man, we’ve been waiting for it.
Devin Vassell against the Brooklyn Nets:
37 PTS (career-high)
10 REB
5 AST
4 STL
14-19 FG
8-11 3P (career-high)
+34
I thought we’d be seeing more games like this in the season, but it’s not gone as planned. It’s his seventh 30-point game of his career and his first since March 27, 2024. I know; it’s been way too long. First Spur ever to have 8+ three-pointers and 10 boards in the same game. Not even Wemby’s done that… yet!
And we gotta bring up Stephon Castle again. I’ve been beating this drum for a few games now, but they’re featuring him in the offense and making the push for his ROY.
Stephon Caslte in his last four games:
Vs Brooklyn: 17 points, 31.2% USG
Vs. Oklahoma City: 32 points, 38.4% USG
Vs. Memphis: 24 points, 24.9% USG
Vs. Houstons: 22 points, 32.5% USG
The Nets didn’t bring back Killian Hayes after his 10-day expired because they knew D’Angelo would be returning soon. He started (12 points, 4 assists) and played 25 minutes.
"We knew they were capable of more, and we were not considering changing the lineup. We were just going to demand more of them, and they demanded more of themselves," - Mitch Johnson on sticking with the starting unit
EIGHT) KD Takeover
This Clippers/Suns game was insane. Phoenix was getting their asses handed to them for most of the night, the crowd was booing and Stan Van Gundy was roasting the shit outta them. The camera caught Keven Durant and Mike Budenholzer in a heated exchange that’s gonna be played on First Take on repeat. It was setting up to be another embarrassment, but then KD and Gillespie happened. WHO?! Collin Gillespie and Kevin Durant combined for 29 of the Suns' 43 4th quarter points to help complete an improbable come-from-behind victory. That team was down 23 points late in the third and still pulled out the win. Incredible stuff.
Kevin Durant in the 4th: 19 points, 6-9 FG, 3-5 3PT, 3 rebounds
Collin Gillespie in the 4th: 10 points, 4-6 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2 assists.
"I always love how Collin is poised and he’s a dog. He cares. He was one of the loudest in the locker room after last game, and he ain’t even contribute a minute to that disaster. And he came out and was pissed off after the game last game." - Kevin Durant on Collin Gillespie
Budenholzer’s tried some weird stuff this season, looking for any sort of spark. Maybe Gillespie sticks (I doubt it). Bradley Beal was ruled out at the half with a calf injury.
Clips announced that Norm Powell (hamstring strain) is gonna miss at least 10 days, which is the ultimate death blow to the Best Ball bags. Ivica Zubac is doing his best to carry those bags. He scored a career-high 35 points, going 15-19 from the field. Kawhi Leonard has already been ruled out for tomorrow.
“Not force. Not do dumb shit. It’s that simple.” - Ty Lue on how the Clippers can be better
The Suns beat the Clippers 119-117.
NINE) 50K
He only needed one point, and he got it. LeBron James is the first player in NBA history to have 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs. We’re running out of firsts for the guy. It’s so stupid how good he still is. It’s even stupider that he’s got Luka alongside him for the ride now. Look at what these two did against the Pelicans:
Luka: 30 points, 8 rebounds, 15 assists
LeBron: 34 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists
“It’s a lot of points. A lot, to be honest. To be honest, obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is where I’m from. Just picking up the game when I was a little kid and just having my love for the sport. I was hoping that someday that I would be able to play at the highest level. I’ve been able to do that and really enjoy my career. So, it was definitely an honor. It’s pretty cool to see that.” - LeBron on reaching 50,000 career points
All is well in Los Angeles at the moment. Luka was skipping on the sideline after scoring 17 points in the first quarter. Jaxson Hayes was out there, scoring a season-high 19 points in 23 minutes. JJ Redick couldn’t stop himself from smiling when asked about Luka at the half. The Lakers win their seventh straight game, but they finally allow a team to score over 100. First time since before the ASB. I know, I’m practically making up bad things to say about them.
The Lakers beat the Pelicans 136-115.
TEN) Kyrie Done
Don’t wanna spend too much time here. You already know the deal. Kyrie Irving has suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee. The season from hell continues for Mavs fans. I can’t imagine what all this feels like. Maybe they’re just numb; I dunno. I always think back to nine months ago when they were in the finals and, you know what… not gonna do this. It just sucks.
“I think that the greatest gift that I got that I gave to myself was going to that free throw line & hitting both free throws. If I didn’t make both FTs & if you know, you know (Kobe Bryant). If I didn’t make those FTs, I would’ve been pissed all year.” - Kyrie Irving via IG Live
Shoutout to any Mavs fan reading this. I truly do feel for you. Just remember, it could always be worse. You could be a Bulls fan.
