1
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,880
Speaker 1: On today's show, Nikolea. Jokic adds to his MVP story

2
00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,760
Speaker 1: in a way only Jokic can. The Sons are in

3
00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,960
Speaker 1: the playoffs and Julius Randall and his Knicks finish off

4
00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:18,360
Speaker 1: an incredible month. You're an inspiration, Julius Randall. Everyone can

5
00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:20,800
Speaker 1: get better at their job. It was a ten game night.

6
00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:22,759
Speaker 1: I'm tas Malus and this is what you need to

7
00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:32,240
Speaker 1: know in the NBA for Thursday, April twenty nine. Good morning, everybody.

8
00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:36,199
Speaker 1: It's been a long time since anyone can say these words.

9
00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,400
Speaker 1: The Phoenix Suns are in the playoffs for the first

10
00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,080
Speaker 1: time since when they had a point guard with long,

11
00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,320
Speaker 1: floppy hair passing to everyone in twenty ten. It was

12
00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,600
Speaker 1: the NBA's second longest playoff drought. We'll tell you the

13
00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,120
Speaker 1: first a little bit later. Last time the Suns were

14
00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,120
Speaker 1: in the playoffs, their starting center DeAndre Ayton was eleven

15
00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:57,880
Speaker 1: years old. Two time All Star Devin Booker is in

16
00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,520
Speaker 1: for the first time in his six year career. The

17
00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:02,840
Speaker 1: Suns took care of the Clippers on Wednesday, and the

18
00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,040
Speaker 1: best example of the Chris Paul and coach Monty Williams effect.

19
00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,919
Speaker 1: The Suns have been feeling all season. On this particular

20
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,840
Speaker 1: night was Frank Kaminski coming off the bench. He was

21
00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:13,959
Speaker 1: out of the rotation four weeks, but because of a

22
00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,000
Speaker 1: couple injuries, stayed ready. At one point dropped seven straight

23
00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:20,600
Speaker 1: sons points of his thirteen overall. Everyone shows up to

24
00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,360
Speaker 1: be accountable. That's the Chris Paul and Monty way. You

25
00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:27,320
Speaker 1: got no choice, and CP three was dominant in this one,

26
00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,800
Speaker 1: ten to fifteen, shooting twenty eight points overall as he

27
00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:32,880
Speaker 1: tries to win a couple of playoffs series like Steve

28
00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:35,280
Speaker 1: Nash did the last time they were in the playoffs.

29
00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,000
Speaker 1: Last time the Sun's dance Chris Paul was only twenty

30
00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,600
Speaker 1: four years old. Now he's a spry thirty five year old.

31
00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,000
Speaker 1: The win also gave the Sun some breathing room in

32
00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,160
Speaker 1: the two seed, as the Clippers have been nipping at

33
00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,320
Speaker 1: their heels. Speaking of playoff positioning, the champs are going

34
00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,160
Speaker 1: to start the playoffs on the road, most likely Laker

35
00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,640
Speaker 1: is visiting the Warriors. On Wednesday, the Wizards got back

36
00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,440
Speaker 1: on the winning side of things after having their eight

37
00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,960
Speaker 1: game streak snapped. Bradley Beal had twenty seven. Most of

38
00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,120
Speaker 1: the talks surrounding the Wizard's recent surges about Russell Westbrook

39
00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,000
Speaker 1: triple doubling all over the place, but Beal is shooting

40
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:14,399
Speaker 1: nearly fifty forty ninety in April. That's good. Westbrook did

41
00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:19,320
Speaker 1: continue his triple doubling eighteen points, eighteen rebounds, fourteen assists.

42
00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,520
Speaker 1: The Wizards are now eight and two against the top

43
00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:25,240
Speaker 1: five teams in the West, the Lakers, Jazz, Suns, Clippers,

44
00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,320
Speaker 1: and Nuggets. That's why I'm very pumped about them being

45
00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,120
Speaker 1: in the play in tournament. They will put up a

46
00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:34,919
Speaker 1: valiant effort in a one game or two game situation

47
00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,880
Speaker 1: if they survived the first In this game. Waterbug point

48
00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,639
Speaker 1: guard listed at six foot right is Ish Smith got

49
00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,840
Speaker 1: a rare dunk he didn't have won the last two seasons.

50
00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:49,079
Speaker 1: Thanks Fred Katz for that stat, but that dunk was

51
00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:55,320
Speaker 1: upstaged by Ruyachamura's huge jam all over Anthony Davis. Oh my,

52
00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:01,120
Speaker 1: that one will be an NFT no fun. That one what?

53
00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,519
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis had his biggest scoring night in game number

54
00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:06,960
Speaker 1: four since returning, though for the Lakers a little bright spot.

55
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,880
Speaker 1: He had twenty four points. Lebron is still out with

56
00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,720
Speaker 1: that high ankle sprain. He has missed twenty games. Now,

57
00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,200
Speaker 1: the Lakers are eight and twelve without him, probably a

58
00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,520
Speaker 1: little better than expected. Lebron still has ten games to

59
00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:21,920
Speaker 1: come back and be ready for the postseason, and he

60
00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,160
Speaker 1: will have to be ready for that first series in

61
00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,880
Speaker 1: the West. It's no joke whether they're playing the Denver

62
00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,480
Speaker 1: Nuggets or the Clippers, they're gonna finish fifth or sixth

63
00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:32,760
Speaker 1: in the West because it would take both a miracle

64
00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:36,880
Speaker 1: and collapse for LA to catch Denver in fourth. They're

65
00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,520
Speaker 1: basically locked into starting the playoffs on the road. They

66
00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:42,760
Speaker 1: could be the repeat champions starting on the road, like

67
00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,240
Speaker 1: the Houston Rockets of ninety four and ninety five. As

68
00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:50,920
Speaker 1: Trey Kirby pointed out, Ah, no dunks, that's their aspiration anyway.

69
00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,160
Speaker 1: Pelicans Nuggets, let's just jump to the end of the game.

70
00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,160
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, this is the Joki story. Baby Nuggets up

71
00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,320
Speaker 1: nine with fifty two seconds left, Pelicans with that furious comeback,

72
00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,600
Speaker 1: Denver turning it over all over the place, including Jokic

73
00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,160
Speaker 1: tossing away an inbounds pass up to with nine seconds left,

74
00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,320
Speaker 1: Pels have it brandon Ingram drove the lane easily and

75
00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,360
Speaker 1: found the man who marks his territory like no one

76
00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,000
Speaker 1: else in Zion Williamson underneath Zions went up for a dunk.

77
00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,839
Speaker 1: He's gonna dunk it right in Zion Willimson. No, Jokic

78
00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,840
Speaker 1: swiped it away so nonchalantly, like only Jokic can and

79
00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,160
Speaker 1: then the look on Jokich, Yeah, whatever, no big deal.

80
00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:31,520
Speaker 1: I saved the game. It's his world. We're just living

81
00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,280
Speaker 1: in it. This season. Jokic thirty two points, eight assists,

82
00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:39,560
Speaker 1: three blocks. The Nuggets fairy tale post Jamal Murray injury

83
00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,839
Speaker 1: run lives on here. Michael Porter Junior twenty eight, Facundo

84
00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:47,040
Speaker 1: Compazo three straight threes down the stretch on his way

85
00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:50,120
Speaker 1: to a career high nineteen points, and Aaron Gordon did

86
00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,360
Speaker 1: a nice job on Zion Williamson averaged thirty four and

87
00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:55,880
Speaker 1: a half in two games against the Nuggets this season,

88
00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,599
Speaker 1: but that was before they acquired Aaron Gordon. Williamson held

89
00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:04,160
Speaker 1: to twenty one in this one, and it's getting closer

90
00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,880
Speaker 1: to ending Zion Williamson's playoff hopes here in year two

91
00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:10,720
Speaker 1: for him. The Pelicans are four back of the tenth

92
00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,520
Speaker 1: seeded Warriors for the play in tournament spot, but they

93
00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,719
Speaker 1: do have three more games against the Golden State Warriors

94
00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:18,800
Speaker 1: here in the last ten games for the Pelicans, so

95
00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,360
Speaker 1: there is hope Bullsnicks. This is another great story this season.

96
00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:24,480
Speaker 1: The Knicks got back on the winning side of things

97
00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:28,240
Speaker 1: after having their nine game win streak snapped. Julius Randall

98
00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:33,640
Speaker 1: is absolutely incredible. The lefty lined up long too after

99
00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:35,880
Speaker 1: long two, like he was in an empty gym, just

100
00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,640
Speaker 1: stepping into it. But of course there's a hand in

101
00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,680
Speaker 1: his face because he wasn't doing a ton of shaking

102
00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:43,560
Speaker 1: guys in this game. But he still got off his

103
00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,720
Speaker 1: shots and they still go down. Then he gets to

104
00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:48,960
Speaker 1: his favorite spot. What I see is the Kevin Durant

105
00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:51,360
Speaker 1: spot right side of the hoop by the baseline, fifteen

106
00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:55,160
Speaker 1: feet away, and Julius Randall floats out of bounds and

107
00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,320
Speaker 1: buries the shot, looking Kevin Durant esque. Yeah. I shouldn't

108
00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:01,560
Speaker 1: have said that, but whatever, he's doing it from the

109
00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:04,520
Speaker 1: same spot. Randall had thirty four the shots going down,

110
00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:08,680
Speaker 1: his seventh thirty point game in April. Incredible, but it

111
00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:11,039
Speaker 1: was a one point game going into the fourth and

112
00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,400
Speaker 1: rookie Emmanuel quickly had an eleven point fourth and the

113
00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:18,359
Speaker 1: Knicks ended up blowing out the Bulls. Tom Thibodeau plays

114
00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:23,920
Speaker 1: rookies and kept quickly engaged despite him losing some opportunities

115
00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,720
Speaker 1: to Derrick Rose even a TIBs smile on Wednesday night.

116
00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:30,560
Speaker 1: What a season for the Knicks. The Knicks completed a

117
00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,479
Speaker 1: five to one home stand. Now they go out on

118
00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:36,000
Speaker 1: the road for a six game trip, trying to hang

119
00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:38,560
Speaker 1: on to home court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

120
00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,640
Speaker 1: They sit forth with the Hawk, Celtics and Heat lurking.

121
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,279
Speaker 1: Let's talk about those teams lurking. The Celtics home to

122
00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,080
Speaker 1: the Hornets. Hey, the Celtics were alive. This team is

123
00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,120
Speaker 1: comedy in the dark sense of the word when we're

124
00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,920
Speaker 1: talking about NBA teams, because a night after letting a team, yes,

125
00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,200
Speaker 1: let a team snap a fourteen game losing streak against them,

126
00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,040
Speaker 1: they came out and hammered the Hornets. Jalen Brown came

127
00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:04,599
Speaker 1: out and outscored the entire Hornets team in the first

128
00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,520
Speaker 1: quarter twenty nineteen. For himself, Brown asked for his team

129
00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,200
Speaker 1: to play with a sense of urgency following the embarrassing

130
00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:15,000
Speaker 1: loss to OKC the night before, and I think Boston's

131
00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:19,320
Speaker 1: first round pick Aaron Neismith exemplified that sense of urgency.

132
00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,200
Speaker 1: The six to five mid round rook that's probably best

133
00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,600
Speaker 1: known for hitting all over half of his threes in

134
00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:28,840
Speaker 1: his final season at Vanderbilt did it all versus Charlotte.

135
00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,120
Speaker 1: Aaron Nesmith had a beauty finish in the lane, had

136
00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,640
Speaker 1: a put back, Dunk, had three blocks, three steals, nine boards,

137
00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,640
Speaker 1: and was the perfect support as the third leading scorer

138
00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:41,360
Speaker 1: to Brown and Jason Tatum with fifteen points. Tatum returned

139
00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:44,600
Speaker 1: after one game absence to drop thirty five himself. Get

140
00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,360
Speaker 1: ready for some dark, sad comedy in the Celtics next game,

141
00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:51,120
Speaker 1: Friday versus San Antonio. The Heat also lurking. They hosted

142
00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:55,640
Speaker 1: the Spurs Major Heat Production, Major Heat Energy, five guys

143
00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,320
Speaker 1: with eighteen plus Jimmy Butler, bam Adebayo, a returning Kendrick Nunn,

144
00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,920
Speaker 1: Gorn dragicch and newly signed Dwayne Deadman with a pleasantly

145
00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:05,800
Speaker 1: surprising eighteen off the bench and a misspelled jersey on

146
00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,440
Speaker 1: his back. It read dead man and not dead Man,

147
00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:14,200
Speaker 1: dead Man dead Man Vice versa. Heat Head coach Eric

148
00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:17,920
Speaker 1: Spolser got his six hundredth regular season win, only the

149
00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:21,840
Speaker 1: sixth coach in NBA history to do it with one franchise.

150
00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:24,520
Speaker 1: Spolser's Hall of Fame career kind of flies under the

151
00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,040
Speaker 1: radar because of the talent he's had in Miami, but

152
00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:31,520
Speaker 1: it's beginning to become common speak in the NBA. Congrats

153
00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:35,520
Speaker 1: to Spoe Blazers Grizzlies. After losing five straight, the Blazers

154
00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,400
Speaker 1: have found a little groove. They win with offense. That's

155
00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:42,160
Speaker 1: what this team with the twenty ninth worst defense does,

156
00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:46,000
Speaker 1: and after their offense produced Tuesday against the Pacers, it

157
00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:48,600
Speaker 1: appeared as though their game just carried on the next

158
00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:52,280
Speaker 1: night because they walked into Marmphars and poured it on

159
00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:57,040
Speaker 1: the Grizzlies from the beginning. Pow some offense on man

160
00:08:57,160 --> 00:08:59,480
Speaker 1: Yeah too far, seventy four in the first half for

161
00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:02,480
Speaker 1: the Blazer five guys with fifteen plus three guys with

162
00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,400
Speaker 1: twenty plus overall, dropping one hundred and thirty on the

163
00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:07,960
Speaker 1: grizz This was the third time the two teams had

164
00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,720
Speaker 1: faced off in six days, so Portland had to beat

165
00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,040
Speaker 1: Memphis once. Despite that five game losing streak, the Blazers

166
00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:15,880
Speaker 1: do have hope to catch Dallas for six and in

167
00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:20,400
Speaker 1: doing so avoid the play in tournament. Hawks Sixers blow

168
00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:22,920
Speaker 1: out the seventy six Ers have followed the Nets and

169
00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,840
Speaker 1: clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They beat

170
00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:28,800
Speaker 1: the Hawks by forty four points. The Hawks hit a

171
00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:31,720
Speaker 1: third of their shots. That's bad, scoring only eighty three

172
00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:34,720
Speaker 1: following their season worst eighty six on Monday. Big part

173
00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:36,559
Speaker 1: of that. No Tray Young. He didn't play, but he

174
00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:39,080
Speaker 1: got a tech from the bench. That's heart baby. Also,

175
00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,320
Speaker 1: no bog down Bogdanovic. A sore hammy, not a tight hammy,

176
00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,640
Speaker 1: but a sore one that's probably better than a tight one.

177
00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:50,720
Speaker 1: Philadelphia played with its full starting lineup Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Jowell, Embiid,

178
00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:53,319
Speaker 1: Tobias Harris and Danny Green for just the twenty fifth

179
00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,480
Speaker 1: time this season. The Sixers are twenty one to four

180
00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,920
Speaker 1: in those games. Brooklyn up one on the seventy six

181
00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:01,800
Speaker 1: for the one seed in the East, and as Ben

182
00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:04,120
Speaker 1: Simmons said, they want that number one spot. We got

183
00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:09,439
Speaker 1: a race here. Jazz Kings Utah plowed the Kings by

184
00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:13,959
Speaker 1: fourteen to nine points. The owners of the longest playoff drought,

185
00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:18,120
Speaker 1: the Sacramento Kings are not giving up that crown this season.

186
00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,480
Speaker 1: And our final game on the evening, Magic Calves. This

187
00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:23,520
Speaker 1: is what I have to report from this game. Cole

188
00:10:23,559 --> 00:10:26,320
Speaker 1: Anthony is always going to look cool flying to the

189
00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:28,680
Speaker 1: hoop and hitting a shot to end a game. He

190
00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:32,480
Speaker 1: sealed it. He's got that hair flowing behind him, looking great.

191
00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:37,320
Speaker 1: Hopefully the Magic season gets better next year. Hopefully this

192
00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:39,920
Speaker 1: is a low point for them, as they have tried

193
00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:41,760
Speaker 1: to get worse. The Magic did beat the Calves in

194
00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:44,480
Speaker 1: that game. Kevin Love was two of eleven in his

195
00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:48,920
Speaker 1: first game since being mad with not being you know,

196
00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:52,360
Speaker 1: not getting a call I should say, you know, just

197
00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,800
Speaker 1: throwing it back, and he's since apologized for that spat.

198
00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,400
Speaker 1: Don't apologize, Kevin Love, You're angry. Own it. That's fine,

199
00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:01,920
Speaker 1: all right. That is it for me. Make sure you

200
00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,840
Speaker 1: check out the full No Duck's episode here on Thursday.

201
00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,600
Speaker 1: Make sure you subscribe to the YouTube channel as well.

202
00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:09,640
Speaker 1: I'll be back on Friday to give you the news

203
00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:11,760
Speaker 1: as fast as I possibly can. I'll talk to you

204
00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:11,920
Speaker 1: then