The Athletic NBA Daily

Nikola Jokić followed up his 56 point performance in a loss to the Washington Wizards with 48 points in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, and Es Baraheni catch up on Nikola Jokić and his 104-point weekend, look into the Bucks recent success, and discuss the Grizzlies status as contenders. Finally, Es, Zena, and Dave look ahead to the NBA Cup semifinal matchups. Host: Dave DuFo...

Saturday Slam N Jam Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers hand out their quarterly Slammie Awards including: League Pass Team of the 1st Quarter, Say What? Stat of the 1st Quarter, They did what now? Award, "Now THIS is gonna be fun" award, and many more. Then in Part 2 John Hollinger of the Athletic joins the show to discuss some of his observations a quarter way through the season and discuss his new...

Nikola Jokić passed Magic Johnson on the NBA’s all time triple doubles list, but it wasn’t enough as the Nuggets were handily beaten by the league best Cleveland Cavaliers. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni discuss Jokić night and season thus far, revisit the “Jamal Murray or Donovan Mitchell” debate, and Ja Morant’s ejection against the Kings. Then, Ben Taylor, from “Thinking Basketball”, joins the sho...

Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach J.J. Redick said he was “embarrassed” following a 41 point loss to the Miami Heat. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni are joined by the Athletic’s Jovan Buha to discuss the aftermath of the loss, the recent play of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and where the Lakers go from here. Then, Caitlin Cooper, from “Basketball, She Wrote”, joins the show to talk about the Pacers rec...

Nikola Jokić was a game high +23 as the Denver Nuggets beat the Golden State Warriors on the final night of NBA Cup group play. Dave DuFour and Zena Keita breakdown Jokić’s night, Giannis and the Bucks recent surge, and take a look at the NBA Cup Knockout stage matchups. Then, the Athletic’s Marcus Thompson, joins the show to talk about the Warriors recent slide and their need for a number two opt...

The Timberwolves crush LeBron James and the Lakers on their Monday night contest and Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni break down what went wrong for the Lakers, and if things are turning around for the Timberwolves. In part 2 Dave and Es are joined by Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution to discuss the Atlanta Hawks, what their ceiling is this season, and how the vibes are different for...

Donovan Mitchell leads the Cavs past the Celtics and Fred VanVleet leads the Rockets past the Thunder in a wild Sunday night of NBA basketball. Dave DuFour, Zena Keita and Es Baraheni are your guides for all the NBA action from the weekend, including these 2 games. The breakfast club then discuss the best players from the weekend and form their All Weekend Teams. Finally the crew discuss their pic...

Anthony Edwards and the Wolves lose to the sputtering Kings and are searching for an identity, and Dave DuFour and Andrew Schlecht discuss the problems that plague them. The Rockets continue to win on the back of Sengun in overtime, plus who is Tyrese Martin and how many points did he score against the Suns? James Edwards III joins the breakfast club to discuss the Knicks loss to the Mavs, what’s...

Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal return from injury to blowout the Los Angeles Lakers in NBA Cup group play. The Milwaukee Bucks continue their steady stretch, in spite of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence, with a win over the Miami Heat. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski joins Dave DuFour and Zena Keita react to the Timberwolves loss to the Houston Rockets and the bad vibes in Minnesota. Then, the gang d...

Kristaps Porzingis made his season debut for the Boston Celtics last night in their blowout victory over Los Angeles Clippers. The Athletic’s Law Murray joins Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni to react to the Porzingis’ debut and discuss what went wrong for the Clippers. Also, Es and Dave discuss Kevin Durant’s impending return for the Suns, Ja Morant’s first game back for the Grizzlies, and the Nuggets...

Giannis Antetokounmpo headlines our “All Weekend Team” that Dave DuFour, Zena Keita and Es Baraheni outline as the first block of the show. In part 2, the breakfast club hits the news discussing Zion and Embiid not returning, Fred Van Vleet’s tirade, and more. Then the crew wraps up the show telling you which NBA Cup games matter the most this week, as they make their weekly picks. Host: Dave DuFo...

Slam N Jam Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers discuss the headlines of the NBA, Rookie of the Year odds, and who the true contenders are in the NBA. Then Trill Bro Dude of the You Know Ball Podcast joins the show to have a lengthy discussion on the horrific start to the season, Joel Embiid's future, PG's podcasts and more. Then the guys draft the players that if removed from their team, instantly mak...

The Los Angeles Lakers winning streak stops at six games with a loss to the Orlando Magic. Dave DuFour and Zena Keita react to the Timberwolves loss to the Raptors and the potential changes to the All Star game format. Then, the Athletic’s Jovan Buha joins the show to discuss the Lakers late game troubles, LeBron James’ shooting, and the emergence of rookie Dalton Knecht. In the mailbag segment, Z...

The Philadelphia 76ers season could not be off to a worse start. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni react to the Sixers loss to the Grizzlies and the return of Isaiah Hartenstein for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then, The Athletic’s Sam Amick joins the show with more from behind the scenes in Philadelphia and the Brooklyn Nets trade buzz. In the mailbag segment, Es and Dave discuss possible Jakob Poeltl tr...

Dave DuFour and Zena Keita react to the NBA Cup group play games so far. Then, The Athletic’s Jared Weiss joins the show to discuss Boston’s victory over the previously undefeated Cavaliers and the locker room intrigue in Philadelphia. In the mailbag segment, Zena and Dave take a look at a trade that would shake up the entire NBA and decide which day of the week needs to be eliminated. Host: Dave...

Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni sound the panic alarm over Joel Embiid and the Sixers and discuss the controversial game-ending steal in Sacramento. Then, The Athletic’s Kelly Iko joins the show after the Rocket's loss in Milwaukee. Finally, the guys look at some disturbing numbers for Tyrese Haliburton. Host: Dave DuFour With: Es Baraheni Executive Producer: Andrew Schlecht Audio Producer: Grayson Mo...

Dave DuFour, Zena Keita and Es Baraheni discuss Cleveland’s undefeated start to the season, De’Aaron Fox’s 60-point game, and the weekend’s buzzer beaters. Then, the gang takes a look at some trends and wonder if they are ‘Something, Nothing, or Everything’ and pick the big NBA Cup games of the week. Host: Dave DuFour With: Zena Keita & Es Baraheni Executive Producer: Andrew Schlecht Audio Pro...

Saturday Slam and Jam Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers break down the top stories of the week including Chet's injury, Wemby and Giannis' big nights, and the red hot Cavs. Then the guys break down their favorite things of the week including quotes from Chauncey Billups, the play of the Pistons, how bad the East is, and more. In Part 2 Tim Cato of the All City Network joins to discuss the very stran...

Dave DuFour and Zena Keita are joined by Senior National NBA Writer Sam Amick to catch up on the latest with the struggling Bucks and resurgent Nuggets. Then, Carter Rodriguez, from the Cavaliers-focused ‘Chasedown’ podcast stops by to explain how Cleveland has started so well. Finally, Dave and Zena compare some small sample statistics to the eye test. Check us out on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0z...

Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni break down the night of NBA basketball and the absurd performances by Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then the guys talk about the Wolves' sad visit to Portland, the Knicks' defensive issues, and impact rookies. Check us out on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u4tvILVikvI Host: Dave DuFour With: Es Baraheni Executive Producer: Andrew Schlecht Audio Producer: Grays...

Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni are joined by Trey Kerby of No Dunks to discuss Klay Thompson’s return to the Bay for the Mavs/Warriors matchup. They discuss the atmosphere in the arena, and how the Warriors won the game. After a break, Dave and Es discuss Joel Embiid’s return to the Sixers lineup and the woeful Wolves losing to the Blazers. Then in the final segment, the guys play a game of “Who Am I...

Dave DuFour and Zena Keita take a look at the undefeated Cavaliers after their latest win and discuss the injury situation around the league as NBA Cup group play begins. Then the breakfast club is joined by The NBA Daily's Andrew Schlecht to catch up on Shai's big night and the fallout from Chet Holmgren's injury. In the final segment, Dave and Zena dig into the mailbag and discuss Victor Wembany...

Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, and Es Baraheni run you through the games from the weekend including the Thunder vs Warriors, Chet Holmgren’s injury, the sputtering Bucks, and much more. After a break, they walk you through their favorite things from the weekend and give their Bet MGM picks of the week. Check us out on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_Ai7C2BRJd4 Host: Dave DuFour With: Zena Keita and Es Barahe...

Saturday Slam N Jam Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers discuss the week of NBA Basketball, the Most Improved Player odds, and more of their favorite things from the week. Then Zena Keita joins to discuss the Warriors and their surprising rise in the Western Conference.  In part 2, Trevor Lane of the Lakers Nation podcast joins to discuss the wild week of the Lakers including his moment in the press c...

Dave DuFour and Zena Keita break down the night of NBA basketball and the Tyrese Maxey injury for the Sixers. Then the breakfast club is joined by Senior writer at the Athletic Sam Amick to discuss the Clippers' new arena, Paul George’s return, and how the Clippers would rather have nothing than Paul George. In the final segment, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic stops by to discuss the potential sale...