Chapter 1: What highlights did Jamal Murray achieve in his recent game?
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for December 4th, 2025. I'm Dave DeFore here with Zena Keita. Coming up, we got a Murray flurry for the Denver Nuggets. They picked up a win against the Pacers. We're going to talk about that a little bit. The Mavs look pretty good. We're going to talk about their rookies. And we've got Eric Name here to talk about the latest on Giannis and the Bucs.
Chapter 2: How are the Mavericks' rookies performing this season?
And man, it's getting sad. Good morning, everybody. What's up, Zena? What up, Dave? How are you? Not too bad. All right. At some point, guys, I promise you, we're going to get good games on the nights that are not NBA Cup. As soon as this Cup thing gets all sorted out, we're going to have some normal nights with some actual real matchups with some meat on them.
You know, last night, like, Zena, another weird night, and maybe we're just too, like, in the weeds every single night, but... From a matchup perspective, not a lot happening, right? Like no great games, no real like narrative storylines outside of the Clippers and all the crazy stuff, which they did win and we'll talk about for like two seconds because they're bad and it's not that interesting.
But yeah, like everything's weird right now.
Yeah, things are very weird.
Chapter 3: What is the latest news on Giannis and the Bucks?
On the Clippers front, though, let's be real. Yes, Chris Paul left. That does not necessarily mean because they won right after his departure that he was the source of all things bad. If we remember correctly, the Denver Nuggets won the day after Mike Malone was fired. And if we remember even more recently, Chauncey Billups was arrested and the Portland Trailblazers won the very next night.
So let's not put too much clout into that.
Let's just remind everybody that Chauncey Billups was arrested in case you guys forgot. All right. Hey, look, let's talk some hoops. The Nuggets, they had a get right game last night against the Pacers, right? Pacers having a sad season. This is a game that the Nuggets not just had to win. They were going to win. especially after the embarrassing loss that they had the other night.
Chapter 4: Why are the Bucks struggling this season?
Jamal Murray, it's not even a flurry when he puts up 52. That's a blizzard. Jamal Murray was 10 of 11 from three, 52 points, still had six rebounds. He has had a great start to the season, Zena. We'll talk about Jokic, who did not have a triple-double, didn't need it. What Jamal Murray has done to start the season is exactly what we said needed to happen for this team.
And we didn't realize they were going to be down two starters at this point of the season, right? Him scoring 52, right? This needs to be something that he just has in his back pocket when they need it. When Jokic looks tired like he did in that loss the other night. They need Jamal Murray. And so far this season, he has looked like an all-star that he needs to be.
And frankly, they are not as good as they are right now unless he's having the season that he has.
1,000%. And I'm really happy you brought up what Jamal Murray needs to be in comparison or in tie with Nikola Jokic. Because I think...
Chapter 5: What are the implications of Giannis's frustration with the team?
Last night after the game, Rick Carlisle called Jamal Murray one of the most underrated players in the league. And when you think about why is why is someone like Jamal Murray, someone that helped usher a championship to Denver, someone that is putting up the numbers that we've seen? I mean,
in all of NBA history, there's only been one more guard that has had as many games with 50 plus points with as good as shooting from the floor as Jamal Murray has had. That is Michael Jordan. Okay. Why someone like that getting the underrated label?
And I really think it does go back to the 2023 finals when they, excuse me, even the playoff run, when multiple games throughout multiple series, you saw Jamal Murray score under 20, 20 points score under 15 points. And it was like, it felt as if Jokic had to do so much more to make up for Jamal Murray's kind of hesitance on the offensive end or inability to create.
But there's a, I think a lot of folks are still anchored to that idea of that Jamal Murray and forgetting that this is a guy that put up 50 points in a playoff series that put up 40 points in playoff series that can absolutely create. And tonight was, or excuse me, last night was a masterclass of what he does. Go off the dribble. I mean, so clean of going off the dribble.
The two-man game with Nikola Jokic and him. Right now, for all two-man lineups in the NBA, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. If anyone's played 400 minutes or more, they're number one. Yeah. Interestingly enough, if you look at all the two-man lineups in the NBA that have played 300 minutes or more, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are part of four of the top five.
Oh, wow.
yeah like they i mean that's how it ought to be and it should be right in the world yeah exactly exactly but like it's it's it's jamal murray being able to showcase just how good he is at every single type of scoring step back being able to snake off the dribble being able to uh reject screens shot fake side dribble you name it he had it in his bag last night and and
You'll appreciate this, Dave. Ethical hoops.
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Chapter 6: How does Eric Nehm assess the Bucks' current situation?
Yeah. Okay. Ethical hoops. The way that he was able to play this game, not only get 52 points, he also had zero fouls on defense.
And I don't want to skip over that. That's not necessarily a good thing.
But I don't want to skip over that, especially with the people he was guarding. I mean, he had he had help. Don't don't get me wrong. Denver, they cover him pretty well, too. But he was going up against Mather and against them hard against Yakum. And they weren't getting easy buckets on him. Right.
Yeah, well, he can guard and he's he's kind of solid, right? Like so even these bigger guards, like he's not a huge guy, but he is he's pretty thick.
Chapter 7: What trades could the Bucks consider to improve?
And so he's able to hold up defensively and he has his moments like he's not like an awful defender.
um but this team needs him to be a decent defender uh which we do see at times but they they need it without christian brown they need it without aaron gordon and if he's not going to be a decent he has to be a great scorer not just a good scorer a great scorer he has to be 30 a night 35 a night some nights right like because they have to make up for that and look they put up 135 on the pacers
It feels like right now, 130 is kind of their magic number. That's where they're playing a lot of their games. They're hovering around there. If they score 130 first, they're going to win. Yeah, that's not a great way to be, though. So like they've just got to get through this stretch.
Talk to the Chicago Bulls about that.
That's right. They got to get through the stretch without Brown and Gordon. But the thing is, you know, again, and we talked about this a little bit, like there's some found money here for them. Spencer Jones, who, you know, he didn't have a great game. Last night he only took one shot, but he had a great game the night before.
They need this newfound depth that they're running themselves into and the reps for these other guys too. Christian Brown, Aaron Gordon, they fit right in. We know what this team looks like at full strength. This is, I think that by the time we get to March, April, we're going to look at this stretch.
As long as everyone's healthy, then we're going to look at this stretch as a little bit of a, maybe not a blessing, but not, not the worst thing to happen to the nuggets, right? Like you get through this.
Absolutely. Giving guys reps, giving guys the opportunity to see how they fit. I mean, it, especially for me, it, as you mentioned, putting up 130 points, like we know what they're capable of. Whenever you have Nicole Jokic on the floor, you know, you're going to be able to have some productivity there.
And we know that Jamal Murray can create, even if he's not scoring, he's going to give you eight, nine, 10 assists. But Christian Brown has been gone 10 games. Aaron Gordon's been gone six games. They're not a great defensive team when they were there as a full over the season. They've been 19th in the league in terms of defensive rating.
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Chapter 8: How does the team's performance affect Giannis's future with the Bucks?
In the last 10 games since Christian Brown's been gone, they've been 29th in defensive rating. in the last five games with Aaron Gordon and Christian Brown gone, they've been 30th in defensive rating. So they've just keep, they, they're getting, they're considerably worse. And so for me, you're not, you can't get any worse, right?
You not only want these role players to be able to come in and score points. It's also a matter of like, how are you going to help with those on off minutes? How are you going to help from a defensive perspective to keep the ship afloat and not let the, teams that can score the ball just relentlessly drive up, up to the basket and get the baskets that they want.
So I, I really do think that Jamal Murray is, he's just got to get some consistency. That was a problem. 2023. That was a problem. That's been the whole conversation around his game. But as you mentioned in the midst of him putting up those 52, I'm looking at everybody else. This is your opportunity to get reps, get ready for the spring next year. How are you going to contribute?
Yeah. Speaking of contributing the Mavs last night for the first time since 2019, they had a rookie go back to back games with a double, double, double. I'm talking about Ryan Nembhardt starting point guard for the Dallas Mavericks. How about that? Yeah. Speaking of found money, Ryan Nembhardt starting point guard last two games for them. Okay. Now the Mavericks have won three in a row.
Ryan Nembhard started the last two, averaging 21.5 points, four rebounds, 11.5 assists. And we have hammered this point home, Zena, since they attached Cooper Flagg to a point guard. He has been better. Cooper Flagg got to take over the end of this game, Zena. Both ends. The Mavericks kind of have something going on. I like how AD looks today. next to Cooper Flagg.
I'm not going to say that Nico had a vision at all, but I see it. I see it.
You don't want to give it to him?
Well, no, because you don't get to say I have a vision about winning the number one pick. And trading away Luka Doncic, who is a surefire, he's already a basketball hall of famer, not an NBA, like necessarily. But yeah, you don't get to pass on that. But man, it looks, it's at least fun.
yeah and i'm so i mean ryan nemhard found money gem you know diamond in the rough find all the terms you can say about the fact that they have stumbled upon greatness in ryan nemhard he is so poised i mean in those in those you talked about the 11 and a half assists over two games 10 assists and 13 assists and in only one of those games he had a turnover and in that game it was one turnover it's so hard xena not to just compare him to his brother immediately i
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