WEBVTT - Power Rankings: Celtics #1, Lakers Struggling, Luka Magic and Ja Impressing

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<v Speaker 1>Stanchic going for fifty and he's got it. Welcome into

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<v Speaker 1>NBA Pulse production of iHeartRadio in the NBA. I'm Sarahcustak,

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<v Speaker 1>NBA analyst for the Yes Network, and today is Tuesday,

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<v Speaker 1>December twenty sixth and from our incredible core group of

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<v Speaker 1>NBA journalists, we're joined now by NBA dot Com senior

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<v Speaker 1>writer John Schumann. We made it through Christmas. We are

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<v Speaker 1>headed into the new year, and we've got a fresh

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<v Speaker 1>set of power rankings with the Boston Celtics staying in

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<v Speaker 1>that number one spots, Minnesota Timberwolf still at number two,

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<v Speaker 1>The Denver Nuggets, who won five straight, jump up from

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<v Speaker 1>number five to the three spot. Oklahoma City is in

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<v Speaker 1>number four. In Philadelphia rounds out the top five after

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<v Speaker 1>being in the three spot last week, and Shoe I

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<v Speaker 1>want to get into those first. The Memphis Grizzlies. They

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<v Speaker 1>are three to oh now with John Morant having returned,

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<v Speaker 1>they're currently sitting in thirteen. Than the West they're eight

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<v Speaker 1>and nineteen, and I think there's just a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>questions of how much time has passed where they're sitting

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<v Speaker 1>in the Western Conference, how much runway do they have

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<v Speaker 1>left to potentially put themselves in playoff positioning or at

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<v Speaker 1>least that seven through ten spot. But they've got four

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<v Speaker 1>big games coming up this week, a lot of big tests.

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<v Speaker 1>What have you seen out of this Grizzlies group now

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<v Speaker 1>that Morant is back?

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<v Speaker 2>Well? I mean, the three games with John Moran have

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<v Speaker 2>been their best three game stretch of offense by a

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<v Speaker 2>healthy margin this season, and they're went in Atlanta on

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<v Speaker 2>Saturday was their most efficient offensive performance of the season,

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<v Speaker 2>with the Morant and Desmond Bain combining for sixty seven

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<v Speaker 2>points and seventeen assists between the two of them. Can

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<v Speaker 2>we talk about that game winner against in New Orleans

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<v Speaker 2>for a second half? Yeah, yeah, let's go I know,

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<v Speaker 2>let's go hot. You did a podcast I think after.

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<v Speaker 1>That, but we did. We did so.

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<v Speaker 2>You know how like when most guys do a spin

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<v Speaker 2>move when they leave their feet, they continue in the

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<v Speaker 2>sort of the same direction that they spun right like,

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<v Speaker 2>so he drove to his left, you know, drove with

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<v Speaker 2>his left hand and then did a spin move on

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<v Speaker 2>around his left shoulder back to his right. So you

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<v Speaker 2>think that he's doing a spin move, and his momentum

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<v Speaker 2>would take him and he continued toward his right and

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<v Speaker 2>like do like a maybe a scoop shot or something

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<v Speaker 2>around Herb Jones that who is his defender.

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<v Speaker 3>Right, that's gonna get ahead of Steve got a chance

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<v Speaker 3>to win him in his return. Here Goes.

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<v Speaker 2>Expires count the basket and jummuets who is it for

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<v Speaker 2>the Grizzlies. But as he he jumped and he jumped

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<v Speaker 2>back to his left right like he didn't he did

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<v Speaker 2>this quick spin move, but he didn't continue in that

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<v Speaker 2>same direction. He left the floor and came back to

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<v Speaker 2>his left, which is I don't know if I've ever

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<v Speaker 2>seen anything like that before. It's it's kind of amazing,

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<v Speaker 2>like instinct, I think, and also athleticism because like how

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<v Speaker 2>do you do that? And you see Herb Jones reach

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<v Speaker 2>for the ball where it would be if John Morant

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<v Speaker 2>was like continuing to his right, but instead Hees traveled

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<v Speaker 2>back to his left in air and so Herb Jones

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<v Speaker 2>basically swiped at air. And I think it was there's

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<v Speaker 2>somebody behind him too, maybe Dyson Daniels who maybe had

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<v Speaker 2>a chance to block the shot from behind, but I

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<v Speaker 2>think he wasn't expecting Morant to come back. It was

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<v Speaker 2>just amazing and amazing play just because of like, I've

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<v Speaker 2>never seen anybody do that with a spin move and

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<v Speaker 2>then sort of come back the other way. I don't

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<v Speaker 2>know if you.

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<v Speaker 1>Have no And I think just as body control everything

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<v Speaker 1>about it, everything about it has impacted the game, and

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<v Speaker 1>I think continues to show what an extraordinary, extraordinary athlete

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<v Speaker 1>he is, first and foremost, but the impact that he

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<v Speaker 1>has on winning and on his team and shoot. With

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<v Speaker 1>that being said, in the Grizzlies too, have dealt with

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<v Speaker 1>a ton of injuries, a lot of factors going into

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<v Speaker 1>this one. But they're going to face a Denver Nuggets team.

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<v Speaker 1>I mentioned they've won five straight, the defending champs, but

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<v Speaker 1>it feels like they are just clicking hidden all the

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<v Speaker 1>right buttons. Obviously, a big part has been over week

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<v Speaker 1>getting Jamal Murray back in the rotation, but they've had

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<v Speaker 1>some key pieces, some young players continue to step up

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<v Speaker 1>and really earn the trust of Michael Malone. What are

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<v Speaker 1>you anticipating and looking for out of this matchup?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, I think it's I think you got to start

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<v Speaker 2>in the paint. I mean that's when when the Grizzlies

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<v Speaker 2>are good, they're they're dominating the pain. In fact, Jah

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<v Speaker 2>Moran and his three games is two for sixteen from

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<v Speaker 2>outside the paint. Right, but he's average twenty points twenty

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<v Speaker 2>point seven points per game in the paint, which would

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<v Speaker 2>lead the league if you know, if he only if

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<v Speaker 2>he played more than three games. And that's you know,

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<v Speaker 2>I think that's where Denver strength is as well, especially defensively.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, they're gonna, you know, with their size, they're

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<v Speaker 2>gonna protect the paint. You know, you saw it when

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<v Speaker 2>they were in Brooklyn the other day. You know, Aaron

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<v Speaker 2>Gordon with his size, the guy just like loves to

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<v Speaker 2>bully guys under the basket, ducking in and ceiling against

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<v Speaker 2>the you know, rotating defenders and stuff. So I think

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<v Speaker 2>it's in the paint. It's it's it's Jokis versus Jaron Jackson,

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<v Speaker 2>which is a great, great matchup in itself, and there's

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<v Speaker 2>Moran versus Jamal Murray. You know, the Nuggets have won

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<v Speaker 2>five straight, as we said, you know, there was one

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<v Speaker 2>blowout win, but the other four have all been close games,

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<v Speaker 2>including that one in Brooklyn. But over that stretch, Jokic

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<v Speaker 2>and Jamal ma are a combined ten for twelve in

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<v Speaker 2>the clutch, which is pretty amazing. So yeah, I think

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<v Speaker 2>that should be a fun, fun game to watch, one

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<v Speaker 2>of four really good matchups that the Grizzlies have this week.

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<v Speaker 2>They start in New Orleans where they just won last week,

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<v Speaker 2>and they're in Denver and they're in LA to play

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<v Speaker 2>play the Clippers, hopefully Kawhi Leonard is back. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>the Clips have lost too straight without Kawhi Leonard, but

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<v Speaker 2>you know had won nine straight part of that. And

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<v Speaker 2>then they're back home to play the Kings, who another great,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, really good Western Conference team. You know, they

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<v Speaker 2>obviously there's a lot of season left, and we saw

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<v Speaker 2>last year how the Lakers came back from a deep hole,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, to come back and eventually reached the conference finals.

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<v Speaker 2>So I think there's time for Memphis. You know, you

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<v Speaker 2>never know what's going to happen over the next couple months.

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<v Speaker 2>So but this is a this is a great week

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<v Speaker 2>for them. You know it's coming three and oh and

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<v Speaker 2>then to come and have these four specific opponents is

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<v Speaker 2>a great test.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, for sure. And they're still I mean they're playing

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<v Speaker 1>this season without Steve and Adam Adams. Brandon Clark, I

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<v Speaker 1>think isn't expected to come back from his Achilles injury

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<v Speaker 1>till somewhere around the All Star break.

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<v Speaker 2>I think we could see Marcus Smart this week though

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<v Speaker 2>for nice.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so Marcus Smart interesting to watch. Speaking of a team,

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<v Speaker 1>speaking of Marcus Smart, his former team that has been

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<v Speaker 1>clicking and just putting up some crazy numbers on the

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<v Speaker 1>offensive side, not only in terms of the production, but

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<v Speaker 1>also the efficiency with it. Your number one team in

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<v Speaker 1>the Power rankings of Boston Celtics, who had a one

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<v Speaker 1>to twenty six one fifteen victory over the Lakers on

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<v Speaker 1>their Christmas Day game yesterday. Their starters continue that starting

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<v Speaker 1>five continues to just be off the charts. You look

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<v Speaker 1>at what they did in particular last night. No starter

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<v Speaker 1>with less than eighteen points.

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<v Speaker 3>Holiday Porzingi slamp is good. Right now, Celtics are bawling

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<v Speaker 3>the Lakers.

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<v Speaker 1>But how they've been playing together, shoo, give us some

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<v Speaker 1>of the numbers that you've seen out of the Celtics

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<v Speaker 1>team and why they continued to wow you in particular

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<v Speaker 1>on that end of the floor.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and this was just a ridiculous road trip. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>they lost in Golden State, blowing an eleven point fourth

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<v Speaker 2>quarter lead, and they struggled in overtime in that game,

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<v Speaker 2>two of the four games on their road trip, or

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<v Speaker 2>two of the four most efficient games for any team

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<v Speaker 2>this season. And in Sacramento they scored one hundred and

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<v Speaker 2>forty four points on only ninety five possessions, which is

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<v Speaker 2>one hundred and fifty two per one hundred. Basically, it

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<v Speaker 2>was the sixth most efficient game for any team in

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<v Speaker 2>the twenty eight seasons for which we have play by

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<v Speaker 2>play data. So it was a historically good game. And

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<v Speaker 2>they followed that up with another incredible game against the Clippers.

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<v Speaker 2>So and then you know, they go and play the

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<v Speaker 2>Lakers and they're what are they up twelve zero in

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<v Speaker 2>the first few minutes, So White, your.

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<v Speaker 1>Drive the floaters up. Porszingis throws down.

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<v Speaker 3>The follow twenty six points for Porzingis. It's a fourteenth

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<v Speaker 3>points Celtic lad.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, they are an offensive machine, and it's not just

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<v Speaker 2>about hot shooting. We know they shoot a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>threes and they can get really hot. But you know,

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<v Speaker 2>they committed just thirty five turnovers over those four games,

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<v Speaker 2>eight point eight per one hundred possessions, which is like

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<v Speaker 2>a microscopic rate. And they also grabbed a ton of

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<v Speaker 2>offensive rebounds in three of those four games. So it's

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<v Speaker 2>not just about shooting. They're they're they're taking care of

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<v Speaker 2>the ball. We know that in the past turnovers have

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<v Speaker 2>been a problem for this team, and for them to

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<v Speaker 2>be taking care of the ball as well as they are,

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<v Speaker 2>that's great because one, it just gives them more opportunities

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<v Speaker 2>to shoot. And we know they're a great shooting team

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<v Speaker 2>with five guys who can space the floor, dribble and

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<v Speaker 2>drive and kick out and you know, space the floor

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<v Speaker 2>really well. And they you know, they're a machine as

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<v Speaker 2>long as they're taking care of the ball. And that's

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<v Speaker 2>what they've been doing.

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<v Speaker 1>On the other side of that, though, the Lakers, they

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<v Speaker 1>have been struggling. How concerned are you with where the

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<v Speaker 1>Lakers are at the trajectory of where they have been going,

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<v Speaker 1>how they've been playing, and just how much Lebron James

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<v Speaker 1>quite frankly, has been relied upon needed this early and

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<v Speaker 1>this much in the season.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, he had another injury scare in that game on Christmas.

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<v Speaker 2>Kate went down, No grabbed his knee and it's like, oh,

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<v Speaker 2>because we know as good as they've been at times,

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<v Speaker 2>it you know, it all falls apart if Lebron James

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<v Speaker 2>and Anthony Davis aren't healthy. I mean, he could say

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<v Speaker 2>the same thing for every team. But you know, we

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<v Speaker 2>know that, you know, Lebron is about to turn thirty nine,

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<v Speaker 2>I believe, and Anthony Davis has obviously had injury issues.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, maybe it's just a post in season tournament slump.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, you know, we know that they got the

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<v Speaker 2>ability to be a great defensive team. The offense just

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<v Speaker 2>continues to struggle, you know. They you know, they switched

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<v Speaker 2>out their starting lineup, put Jared Vanderbilt in in D'angela

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<v Speaker 2>Russell's place, and that lineup just I mean it's tough,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, Vanderbilt, Anthony Davis. You know, you're not going

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<v Speaker 2>to get great spacing, great shooting. You know, Vanderbilt is

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<v Speaker 2>zerover nine for three point range so far this season,

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<v Speaker 2>so you need shooting. Anthony Davis is starting to make

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<v Speaker 2>some threes, but you still need a little bit of

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<v Speaker 2>shooting to compliment their size. So I still think they're

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<v Speaker 2>searching for answers in consistency. I think they still can

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<v Speaker 2>be very very good. I just don't think they're at

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<v Speaker 2>the top of the West or near the top of

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<v Speaker 2>the West given their offensive struggles.

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<v Speaker 1>You talk about just the longevity of Lebron James, or

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<v Speaker 1>I should say sustainability health all at him, Anthony Davis,

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<v Speaker 1>both those guys averaging around thirty four, thirty five, thirty

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<v Speaker 1>six minutes per game played. More than that. I know

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<v Speaker 1>there was the thought of a some minutes restriction heading

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<v Speaker 1>into the season. That certainly has not taken place, But

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<v Speaker 1>we will see what happens with that Lakers team. How

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<v Speaker 1>the roster continues to look as the season passes. We

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<v Speaker 1>head towards the trade deadline, but we're gonna take a

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<v Speaker 1>quick break because we had some Luca magic. Why not

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<v Speaker 1>Shoe on Christmas Day a fifty piece four Doncic. We'll

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<v Speaker 1>get to that after this. Welcome back to Emmie, Paul

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<v Speaker 1>Sarakustak joined, bye the great John Schumann and Shoe. We

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<v Speaker 1>had a good one Dallas Phoenix one twenty eight one

0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:47.679
<v Speaker 1>fourteen win for the Mavericks. And not only did Luca

0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:52.720
<v Speaker 1>have fifty points, which is always impressive, but a tremendous

0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:55.760
<v Speaker 1>amount of efficiency fifteen to twenty five from the field,

0:12:56.240 --> 0:12:58.520
<v Speaker 1>eight to sixteen from the three point line. He was

0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:02.760
<v Speaker 1>perfect on twelve free throw attempts. And why don't you

0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:06.840
<v Speaker 1>add in uh fifteen of this four steals, three blocks.

0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:09.839
<v Speaker 1>He also had six rebounds. A tremendous game by Luca.

0:13:10.200 --> 0:13:14.679
<v Speaker 1>Go to a driving on Luca block by Luca, doc

0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:20.720
<v Speaker 1>to a push smaller defender und Up steps back.

0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:21.280
<v Speaker 3>And that's it.

0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:23.800
<v Speaker 1>I know you were just talking before watching some of

0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:27.720
<v Speaker 1>the highlights here before we got started. What impressed you

0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:32.960
<v Speaker 1>most about a performance? Like we've seen so many amazing

0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:36.120
<v Speaker 1>games and performances by Doncic, but doing so on that

0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:38.640
<v Speaker 1>stage against this Phoenix team on Christmas.

0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:41.120
<v Speaker 2>He just gets where he needs to go or wants

0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:44.360
<v Speaker 2>to go, like he's He's not the fastest guy in

0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:48.480
<v Speaker 2>the league, for sure, but he just, you know, has

0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:51.559
<v Speaker 2>an innate ability to get into the paint and get

0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:53.880
<v Speaker 2>to get to good spots. You know. One of my

0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.000
<v Speaker 2>favorite things about him, and you see it also with

0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:59.600
<v Speaker 2>some other guys like Jalen Brunson. It's not just like

0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:02.320
<v Speaker 2>how they get into the paint, but it's like what

0:14:02.400 --> 0:14:05.200
<v Speaker 2>they do after they get there, with their footwork and

0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.800
<v Speaker 2>their sort of pump fakes, subtle pump fakes just to

0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:11.560
<v Speaker 2>get guys up in the air draw fouls. That's one

0:14:11.600 --> 0:14:14.320
<v Speaker 2>of my favorite thing about Donjons and obviously, you know,

0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:17.680
<v Speaker 2>when he gets to the paint, he can also spray

0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:23.240
<v Speaker 2>out to shooters, and you know, if the MAVs shooters

0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:27.840
<v Speaker 2>are making shots, then obviously they're a lethal offensive team.

0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:31.600
<v Speaker 2>I think the bigger story, I mean, as incredible as

0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:34.400
<v Speaker 2>fifty points on Christmas Day is, you know, the fourth

0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:38.200
<v Speaker 2>ever fifty point game on Christmas Day is I think

0:14:38.200 --> 0:14:41.160
<v Speaker 2>the bigger story out of that game is obviously the Suns,

0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:46.120
<v Speaker 2>who've lost nine of their last twelve games. They ranked

0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:50.080
<v Speaker 2>twenty fifth offensively over that stretch, thirtieth in effective field

0:14:50.120 --> 0:14:55.240
<v Speaker 2>goal percentage over that stretch. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker

0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:59.600
<v Speaker 2>have been healthy for most of those games. Even if

0:14:59.600 --> 0:15:03.560
<v Speaker 2>you look at they're minutes on the floor. Over that stretch,

0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:06.360
<v Speaker 2>the Sons have only scored one hundred and fourteen points

0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:09.040
<v Speaker 2>per one hundred possessions, which is below the league average.

0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:11.800
<v Speaker 2>And that's down from one hundred and twenty eight or

0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:14.640
<v Speaker 2>one hundred twenty nine per one hundred prior to that.

0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:16.520
<v Speaker 2>With those two guys on the floor. There were six

0:15:16.560 --> 0:15:20.120
<v Speaker 2>and one in their first seven games with those guys together,

0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:26.200
<v Speaker 2>and now you know they're just sort of average. You know,

0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:29.600
<v Speaker 2>when those guys are available, and that's that's not good enough. Obviously,

0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:33.600
<v Speaker 2>Like this was supposed to be the other contender in

0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:38.000
<v Speaker 2>the Western Conference and they're now below five hundred. And

0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:42.800
<v Speaker 2>obviously they haven't had Bradley Beal. But the thing about

0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:45.640
<v Speaker 2>having three stars is that you should still be pretty

0:15:45.640 --> 0:15:48.360
<v Speaker 2>good when one of them is out right, Like, you know,

0:15:48.400 --> 0:15:50.640
<v Speaker 2>you should still be pretty good when you have two

0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:53.800
<v Speaker 2>of them, and they just haven't been. Durant has shot

0:15:54.320 --> 0:15:57.640
<v Speaker 2>pretty well over this stretch, but other guys have not,

0:15:57.840 --> 0:15:58.880
<v Speaker 2>including Devin Booker.

0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:02.040
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and I think to your point about that of

0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:04.040
<v Speaker 1>you know, if you have three stars, at least if

0:16:04.040 --> 0:16:06.720
<v Speaker 1>two are playing, I think two. You look at the

0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:09.320
<v Speaker 1>compilation of these three stars, all three have missed time,

0:16:09.440 --> 0:16:12.320
<v Speaker 1>significant time. It stretches throughout the course of their career

0:16:12.360 --> 0:16:15.560
<v Speaker 1>from injury. And also I just think that the chemistry.

0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:18.280
<v Speaker 1>You know, Eric Gordon back in the starting lineup, he

0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:21.720
<v Speaker 1>missed some time, had some comments about touches the other day.

0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:26.680
<v Speaker 1>But it really is such a top heavy team, so

0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:30.160
<v Speaker 1>their ability to not only rely on the stars but

0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:33.000
<v Speaker 1>figure out who else is going to give them points

0:16:33.040 --> 0:16:35.440
<v Speaker 1>at different you know, junctures. And I also the last thing,

0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:39.320
<v Speaker 1>it was so evident having just seen this team. They're

0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:43.880
<v Speaker 1>such a mid range heavy team with Booker and add

0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:47.280
<v Speaker 1>and Bale I saw Bale you know obviously he's been out,

0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.760
<v Speaker 1>but Kevin Durant sometimes too, even offensively, even if they're

0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:52.400
<v Speaker 1>having an a fishing game, a lot of those shots

0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:55.440
<v Speaker 1>are two point field goals are coming from the mid range.

0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:59.200
<v Speaker 1>And sometimes even if those two players have a huge game,

0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:02.080
<v Speaker 1>there's just not an not enough firepower.

0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:04.640
<v Speaker 2>They're fighting. They're fighting the mass a little bit right

0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:08.960
<v Speaker 2>with with not shooting as many threes as their opponent.

0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:12.600
<v Speaker 1>Absolutely, and the West is tough, well shoe. As always,

0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:16.439
<v Speaker 1>we appreciate your time. We'll look forward. Your power rankings

0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:20.080
<v Speaker 1>are the best. They've got so much interesting interesting nuggets

0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:22.679
<v Speaker 1>and facts and things about all these teams. So we

0:17:22.720 --> 0:17:25.359
<v Speaker 1>will continue to read all your stuff and have a

0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:29.760
<v Speaker 1>excellent rest of twenty twenty three, and we will see

0:17:29.760 --> 0:17:30.680
<v Speaker 1>you again in the new year.

0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:31.960
<v Speaker 2>All right, Sarah. Thanks.

0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:35.359
<v Speaker 1>NBA Pause with Sarahcusetacks, production of the NBA and iHeart Radio.

0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:37.840
<v Speaker 1>Please rate, review, and subscribe on the iHeart Radio app

0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:39.439
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