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Speaker 1: On today's show. We've got three weeks till the play

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Speaker 1: in tournament, and there are some names involved, Stephen Curry,

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Speaker 1: Damian Lillard, and Russell Westbrook. They'll all be there. Now,

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Speaker 1: that's not a lock. But I am willing to make

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Speaker 1: some bold play in tournament predictions here in late April. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I'm that bold. I'm Tas Mellis And this is what

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Speaker 1: you need to know in the NBA for Monday, April

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Speaker 1: twenty sixth. Good Monday to everybody. Let's jump right in. Look,

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Speaker 1: we all knew the single elimination turney would provide some intrigue.

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Speaker 1: Those games are going to be a blast, But weeks

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Speaker 1: in advance, we've got intrigue regarding the play in tournament.

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Speaker 1: I did not know that was going to happen. The

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Speaker 1: tenth place Washington Wizards have won eight games in a row.

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Speaker 1: They are a delight to watch. That's the first time

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Speaker 1: the Wizards have won eight games in a row in

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Speaker 1: twenty years when Michael Jordan was playing for them. Mj

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Speaker 1: on the Wizards ripping off nine in a row back

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Speaker 1: in the day. The current Wizards beat Okac and the

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Speaker 1: Cavs this weekend. It's almost as simple as their good

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Speaker 1: players are playing their best ball. Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal,

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Speaker 1: and even Davis Burton's I'll dive a little bit deeper

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Speaker 1: into the stats on the Weekend Winners and Losers episode

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Speaker 1: today on No Dunks. But the last four weeks, the

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Speaker 1: last three weeks, excuse me, they've got the fourth best

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Speaker 1: defense in the NBA. What the Washington Wizards. It looks

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Speaker 1: more and more like Washington will be in the play

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Speaker 1: in tournament. Russell Westbrook in a single elimination game, it

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Speaker 1: almost feels jordan esque, like Jordan in a single elimination game.

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Speaker 1: Imagine Michael Jordan in a single elimination game. I guess

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Speaker 1: we got that in college basketball. How many years ago?

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Speaker 1: Is that almost forty? Okay, Westbrook isn't Jordan, but he

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Speaker 1: is ballin' and it looks like he's gonna be there.

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Speaker 1: They've got San Antonio on Monday and then the Lakers

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Speaker 1: on Wednesday that could make their winning streak ten games

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Speaker 1: in a row. Anthony Davis called that game must win

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Speaker 1: for the Lakers. Is La Washington must watch on Wednesday?

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Speaker 1: I can't wait to watch, that's for sure. Bradley Beal

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Speaker 1: went down late in the game on Sunday against the Cavs.

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Speaker 1: He appears to be okay. He initially thought it could

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Speaker 1: be his achilles. He thought it felt like he got

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Speaker 1: kicked in the calf when he went down, but they've

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Speaker 1: ruled that out. Hopefully he'll be all right now. Anthony

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Speaker 1: Davis back to the Lakers. He doesn't want to drop

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Speaker 1: from fifth in the Western Conference standings as the MAVs

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Speaker 1: get closer to them for that spot. I get that,

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Speaker 1: but the real must wins coming up are for Portland

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Speaker 1: in the Western Conference. In the off season, let's take

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Speaker 1: you back. Portland knew they had to improve their defense

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Speaker 1: to take advantage of Damian Lillard's prime as he entered

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Speaker 1: his thirties. Around Dame CJ. McCollum and big man Usef Nurkic.

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Speaker 1: They added Robert Covington and Derek Jones Junior, but the

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Speaker 1: defense never took off. It ranks twenty ninth of thirty teams. Luckily,

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Speaker 1: they got an MVP season out of Dame to keep

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Speaker 1: them afloat in the West. You know, in sixth for

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Speaker 1: much of the year. Despite McCallin and Nurkic getting hurt

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Speaker 1: for a long period but now those two guys are back,

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Speaker 1: and Lillard has cooled and can't compensate for that poor

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Speaker 1: defense anymore. He's also missed a little bit of time.

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Speaker 1: They just can't get a win. They lost their fifth

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Speaker 1: in a row on Sunday and two straight to the

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Speaker 1: upstart Memphis Grizzlies. Dallas recently passed Portland for the sixth spot,

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Speaker 1: so they've dropped into the play in tournament. Now Memphis

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Speaker 1: is hunting for them in the seventh spot half a

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Speaker 1: game back. Blazers have a tough schedule for their final

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Speaker 1: dozen games of the season, so it's likely they'll be

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Speaker 1: in the play in tournament. They shouldn't drop out of

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Speaker 1: the play in tournament, but they got a win. If

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Speaker 1: they want to get out, they just need a w.

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Speaker 1: They've lost five straight. Ah Man, those playing tournaments in

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Speaker 1: the Western Conference, it's going to be ridiculous. Does it

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Speaker 1: devalue the regular season? Sure? But did you hear the

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Speaker 1: names involved? Dame Staph will get to John Morant could

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Speaker 1: be won. He is shaking fools right now. Check his

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Speaker 1: highlights from the game Sunday against the Portland Trailblazers. They're

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Speaker 1: four and two so far on their seven game road

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Speaker 1: trip Memphis is amazing. They're trying to get to six

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Speaker 1: and the old standard playoffs. But more on the play

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Speaker 1: in tournament. We're likely to get Steph in a single

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Speaker 1: elimination game in three weeks. Incredible. The Warriors solidified their

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Speaker 1: grip on tenth in the West as they beat the Kings,

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Speaker 1: who looked to be entirely done. Curry scored thirty seven

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Speaker 1: points and said an NBA record for three pointers in

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Speaker 1: a month at eighty five to the top of the East.

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Speaker 1: The Nets playing a tough team in the Suns on Sunday,

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Speaker 1: close game late in the third, then the Nets just

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Speaker 1: pull away. They were led by Kevin Durant, who returned

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Speaker 1: after three games. They controlled his minutes though, and he

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Speaker 1: had thirty three points. They limited his minutes and he

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Speaker 1: had thirty three. That's how damn good he is. He

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Speaker 1: also had a big block late to seal this win

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Speaker 1: in only twenty eight minutes. Kyrie Irving had thirty four

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Speaker 1: The Ramadan Fasting not slowing him down whatsoever. And Blake

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Speaker 1: Griffin for the Nets is the happiest role player that

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Speaker 1: used to be a superstar in the league. Just watch him.

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Speaker 1: His teammates are always up when he makes a play,

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Speaker 1: and Blake is always smiling through it. He's like a

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Speaker 1: glorified role player. This is Blake Griffin. He had sixteen points.

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Speaker 1: It's incredible what the Nets are doing. They've integrated new players,

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Speaker 1: lost plenty of games to injuries and COVID protocol and

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Speaker 1: they're still first in the East. How scary are they?

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Speaker 1: The Bucks could have helped make it a race for

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Speaker 1: top spot in the East. They got two home games

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Speaker 1: remaining versus Brooklyn, but they gave away a game in

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Speaker 1: Atlanta on Sunday night. It was the Lou Williams Show.

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Speaker 1: In the fourth quarter. Lou was the closing point guard

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Speaker 1: with Trey Young out, and even though he hadn't hit

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Speaker 1: a shot going into the quarter, this is Lou Williams

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Speaker 1: we're talking about. He had four to threes in the

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Speaker 1: final seven minutes, fifteen points for him in the quarter.

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Speaker 1: Milwaukee had trouble stopping him and the three eight threes

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Speaker 1: for Atlanta over the final seven minutes, and the Daggers

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Speaker 1: to the heart from bog Down Bogdanovich, who the Bucks

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Speaker 1: thought they acquired in the preseason. If you remember that

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Speaker 1: the sign in trade gone wrong. Bo Gee had thirty

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Speaker 1: two points Sunday against the team that thought they had them.

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Speaker 1: The Bucks stay tied with the Knicks for fourth in

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Speaker 1: the Eastern Conference. They both have eleven games remaining on

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Speaker 1: the schedule. Last game I'm going to talk about here,

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Speaker 1: the Hornets ran over the Celtics. The Celtics' effort was

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Speaker 1: kind of laughable. The Hornets had four guys with twenty

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Speaker 1: plus in this game, and none were named Gordon Hayward

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Speaker 1: or LaMelo Ball because they're injured and should be back soon.

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Speaker 1: LaMelo Ball was working out the wrist on the sideline

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Speaker 1: pre game. He should be back soon. They're eighth in

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Speaker 1: the East at thirty and thirty. It's a successful season

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Speaker 1: for the Charlotte Hornets. Jalen Brown good news for the Celtics.

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Speaker 1: He was back, but he had an off game. He's

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Speaker 1: fasting for Ramadan as well. Let him get used to it.

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Speaker 1: The Celtics are playing better, though they are chasing Atlanta

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Speaker 1: and the New York Knicks for fourth in the East.

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Speaker 1: All right, that's it for me. Make sure you check

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Speaker 1: out the full No Dunks episode on Monday. Will debate

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Speaker 1: what is an actual wedgie? Yes, the most important debates.

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Speaker 1: I will be back on Tuesday to give you the

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Speaker 1: news as fast as I possibly can. I'll talk to

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Speaker 1: you then