Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
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What are the top NBA stories this week?
Welcome to the Saturday Slammin' Jam here on the Athletic NBA Daily. Today, we're talking about Jimmy Butler, we're talking about the dominance of the Cavaliers, and we talk to Brian Geisinger, who joins us to talk about the Charlotte Hornets. You're about to get an education on the Charlotte Hornets. But first, Al, tell me about the top stories this week.
Andrew, our top story this week was what Santa brought down the chimney this year, because on Christmas Day, we got an incredible run of games. On the first game of Christmas, the New York Knicks beat the Spurs 117 to 114. And in his Christmas Day debut, Victor Weminyama showed up big with 42 points and 18 rebounds. But it was the Knicks who got the win, led by Mikkel Bridges, who scored a season-high 41 points. The Knicks have won nine in a row as of Friday morning and are now 24-10, only a game back of the Celtics for the second seed in the East. By the time you listen to this, though, that nine-game winning streak will have come up against the OKC Thunder 13-game winning streak. So we'll have to see who has survived as of Saturday morning. On the second game of Christmas, we got Dallas and Minnesota. which looked like it was going to be a snoozer. Minnesota led by 22 entering the fourth, but then the Mavs woke up. Dallas outscored Minnesota 31 to 15 in the final frame, getting the game to within two with a minute left.
Kyrie, who had 39 in the game, had a shot to put the Mavs up with 36 seconds left, but missed it. and the Wolves got the win 105 to 99. An important note from this game, Luka Doncic left the game early with a strained calf that will likely keep him out for at least the next month. On the third game of Christmas, it was Sixers at Celtics. The Sixers are finally getting healthy with all three of their stars in the lineup, though that was briefly in doubt when Joel Embiid fell during pregame warmups and went back to the locker room. He was fine though, able to play, false alarm. scored 27 points. Tyrese Maxey added 33 and 12 assists in the game, helping the Sixers get the massive 118 to 114 win in Boston.
And that win was part of a nice stretch where Philly had won 10 of 13, though they have dropped their last two. They sit at 13 and 19, 11th in the East. And then on the fourth game of Christmas, we got the old guys Super Bowl Lakers at Warriors and once again LeBron and Steph put on a show with both being the leading scores for their teams Steph scored 38 to LeBron's 31 but it was the Lakers who got the win after Steph hit a three to tie it with seven seconds left Austin Reeves at the game winning layup with only a second to go Now, the last game of the night between Denver and Phoenix, it wasn't bad, but it didn't match the early day festivities with the Suns not letting the Nuggets get closer than 10 after the 720 mark of the fourth quarter. If you only watch the Suns on Christmas, you probably think things are going pretty well, but they're not. The Suns have only won three of their last 12.
including a current three-game losing streak. This stretch has dragged them down to 15-17, two games under .500, and a full game and a half out of the play-in picture. Now, this run is especially concerning because the Suns had had a decently healthy run as of late, but that couldn't stop them from losing at home to a Grizzlies team this week that was missing Ja Morant, Zach Eady, Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia, Santi Aldama, Brandon Clark, Vince Williams Jr., and let's just throw in Gigi Jackson wasn't there as well. Now, it should be noted that Bradley Beal did leave this game early with a hip contusion, and Yusuf Nurkic was out because he slapped, shoved Najee Marshall's face early in the week, which did lead to a three-game suspension. But regardless, you have Katie and Booker. You're at home. The Grizzlies are beat up. What's wrong with you? And are bigger moves on the horizon if this keeps up?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the top NBA stories this week?
0:31–10:42
2
How are the Cavaliers and Thunder performing this season?
10:42–19:47
3
What is the latest on Jimmy Butler's trade request?
19:47–25:27
4
Which teams are potential trade destinations for Jimmy Butler?
25:27–39:14
5
What is the current state of the Charlotte Hornets?
39:14–48:44
6
How has Shea Gildas Alexander become an MVP candidate?
48:44–1:11:29
7
What are the implications of Tyrese Halliburton's drop in all-star votes?
1:11:29–1:16:54
8
What are the key takeaways from the Memphis Grizzlies' performance?
1:16:54–1:24:27