NBA TODAY | “Nikola Jokic is the best offensive player ever” – Windhorst on Nuggets beat Raptors

NBA TODAY | “Nikola Jokic is the best offensive player ever” – Windhorst on Nuggets beat Raptors

Welcome to NBA Today presented by in Credit Karma it’s your girl chano G filling in from Malika Andrews joined here by my Stanford sis Rona shelburn and also beaming in across the country we’ve got Zack low who can we take a moment to admire his new suit I think

That’s burgundy oh wow looking sharp Zach what Zach look you suited and booted today I like it he is and of course NBA Vet Austin Rivers and my people can you believe that the playoffs are just over a month away and we all know that the NBA world has their eyes

On the race in the wild wild rest I mean it is Rodeo season down in Houston Texas so let’s take a ride really quick let’s start with the Suns versus the Cavs now this is the third quarter Cavs up 7569 and Katie that’s his spot Ramona I mean

Everywhere is his spot he’s Mr efficiency he is now it’s not just the midi the mid-range we’ve also got KD from three he’s been shooting a really great number almost career best from three and this was Durant’s fourth straight 35-point game the longest streak of his career the Suns win 117

111 Durant had 378 and six now to the Mavs versus the Bulls 40 seconds left in the first quarter Mavs up big Luca donic talking about signature shots his step back that step back and he I mean you can’t even get close to him cuz he’s got

His elbow out there and also you can’t get close to him because he knows how to throw a dime to Gafford for the lay in Gafford made 28 straight field goals in the past four games GES that’s the longest streak in play byplay history raona now check this pass out though

Okay Lucas’s got it touchdown that’s straight up West unsel that it is dones recorded his seventh straight triple double tying the longest streak in NBA history as the Mavs WN 12792 Don 27412 light work triple double let’s head to the Nuggets versus the Raptors the Nuggets were down

17 points at the half o just imagine that most at home this season and then there’s the hook shot you know something’s cooking yeah Michael alone probably had something to say about that during the break very true and someone who also has jokic’s back Jamal Murray nice little bucket over there now we’re

Checking in where the nuggets are up 110 107 okay defense yic with the block you know that reputation on him is not a defensive player is way outdated o look at that pass the last couple years Nuggets won 125 119 an insane stat from yic get this 35 points 17 rebounds 12

Assists and six steals plus the win and the comeback yes that’s crazy now the nuggets the Suns and the Mavs all one last night so here’s how the West currently stands Denver remains a half game out of the top Spot while Phoenix is hanging on to six as for the Mavs

They’re in eighth only a half only a game back of the Suns though now remember the team seated 7 through 10 will be in the playin tournament so let me kick it up the court since we saw so many great passes to Austin uh the playoffs are literally a month and two

Days away when you look at where the nuggets are do you think that they go up do you think that they go down or do you think that they stay in second I think the Nuggets close out strong here you know we’re talking about a championship caliber ball Club this is

A team that has experience this is a team that knows when to turn it on when to turn it off and now that we’re past All-Star break I expect nuggets to get back in that Championship form when we talk about the best starting lineups in basketball we always reference the

Celtics and this team right here the Nuggets who we’ve seen have their way with the Celtics both meetings this season uh they are the favorite in my eyes to win the championship to go back and repeat they’re just that sound and their best player is the most sound player in

Basketball so when we talk about catching a young OKC team I think that’s very very possible and I think this is a team that can come back and you know to tenfold and and end up the season number one spot yeah today I really do agree that I believe the nuggets are the

Favorites and we do think I think that they could you know really get that top spot in the west now Ramona switching over to the Suns they’re hanging on to sixth only a game away from entering the play in situation where do you think that they finish you know it’s

Interesting they they’ve really they finally got all their their big three back Devin Booker Bradley beeld Kevin Durant and they’re and one of the issues that they they’ve been working on all season long is defense I we know that those three guys can score we know they

Can put the ball in the hoop but defensively they’ve had issues all year long and I think Frank vogle has felt that they can actually be a much better defensive team if they get their guys back they play on a string part of good defense though is not turning the ball

Over are one of the worst teams in the league at turning the ball over and he was asked last night is that because you don’t have a traditional point guard and he said simply nope which is him saying we all need to take much better care of

The ball because we we know those big three when they when they’re all together and they can they score that’s never going to be their problem it’s defensively can they lock down enough that is true now looking at where Phoenix is at the six spot that is a

Sweet spot but I mean same amount of losses as the teams below them you’re six does that mean you play the nuggets in the first round if the Nuggets get to one do you really want to be in that four or five game and have the nuggets

In the second round it’s it’s an interesting it’ll be an interesting last week as everyone starts to jockey for position look I would want to try to create as much buffer as possible no matter who I play against but Zach let’s talk about the Mavs because they have

Fallen into the playin situation at eth where do you think that they land in the grand scheme of things I think they’ve got a good chance to go up just because their schedule is easy and Phoenix’s schedule is brutal and it may come down to those two teams

For the sixth spot and think about the stakes you’re talking about two teams who have traded so much stuff to go all in right now trying to get out of or stay out of the play in also as Ramona said matchups are Paramount if you get

Up to six not only do you not do you escape the playin you might draw Minnesota trying to figure out life without Carl Anthony towns in the first round if Oklahoma City and Denver go one and two that is a world of difference from six to seven and Dallas much like

Phoenix all World offense just good enough defense they’re a very dangerous team on a game to game and short series basis because their offense is just that good Luca is just that good we just haven’t seen consistency on defense or consistency from the role players some nights they’re popping like last night

When they can’t miss sometimes it feels like Luca and Kyrie are kind of going it alone hard to see them making a deep Deep Run in the playoffs but nobody wants any part of these dudes for one series it must be look good feel good play good because Zach just said what’s

Popping I love that that six seed is looking like a precious commodity especially in the Western Conference but from the race of the top of the West how about to the race at the bottom because the Lakers are currently still in ninth place but they are creeping closer to

The six seed thanks to their play this past weekend and speaking of that motto right uh future so bright you need Shades that’s LeBron James his future is already certified look at what DLo does I mean we saw this earlier this you know no LeBron James DLo steps up in the

Biggest ways listen I was the only person on our set on Friday who said the Lakers will win this game because that man D’Angelo Russell when he has the ball in his hands and a green light all night can do things like he did with the 44 points the winning shot and Spencer

Didn’t with you with the block at the end yes that was a big play Russell 44 points as you mentioned his most as a Lakers as the Lakers win now let’s go do Sunday versus the Timberwolves LeBron James is back this time but it was Anthony Davis who went off I mean he

Could have a case for Defensive Player of the Year it’s hard to do that from sitting in the ninth spot in the west because it’s a team defensive award almost as much as an individual defensive award but he’s playing like he should be in that conversation and I

Think he should get more consideration for that based on games like this correct look at him get that o board Lakers go up four and a few minutes later Lakers up 10 this is the DAT okay and on son Davis f with 27 points 25 rebounds and seven steals 120 109 so the

Lakers they had a very strong weekend winning both of their games but didn’t make up any ground with the teams directly ahead of them also winning so here’s their odds to what it could be looking like if they make the playoffs according to ESPN bet in analytics now

Austin when we look at where the Lakers are what do you think is the most likely outcome for them this season we just saw that they have a 65% chance to make the play play we’re not talking about play in playoffs yeah it’s it’s hard to to

Dissect this team and like diagnose them and what their predicted what their future is going to be They just won two games this this this past weekend and there’s no ground just because there’s only so many games left and everybody’s playing great basketball right now but

Listen if this is a team that can get in that 78 spot and win the playin and then end up playing a Timberwolves without a Carl towns you know that’s an outcome that we’re not sure you know listen the Lakers are capable of beating any of these young teams I love Minnesota in

The talent they bring I love o OKC in the talent they bring but these are teams that are yet to be proven yet especially in the postseason when we’re talking about LeBron James and Anthony Davis we’re talking about two former Champions we’re talking about guys who

Have done it together and a team that has a cast of role players who are dangerous in the playoff series Austin Reeves is only grown and then you have experienced players like Danel Russell tan Prince the list goes on this is not a team you want to talk about not

Playing first round you guys talked about Dallas the Lakers are not a team you want to be rewarded with first round when you’re going against a LeBron James and Anthony DAV was fully healthy yeah but they really do not want to be in that ninth spot because that is one and

Done if you were in the ninth spot yes you would host theoretically the the play in game but that’s maybe against the Warriors because who are currently sit 10th if they can get up into S8 at least they have two games two shots at it for a LeBron James Anthony Davis

D’angel Russell and I think we all sat here on this show when right with they were approaching the trade deadline and D’Angelo Russell’s name was out there and he’ been playing really well before the deadline and he played so well that he was not in trade conversations

Towards the end because they flat out need him and the question was would he keep it up if he was still on the team afterwards he’s not only kept it up he’s taken a step forward because when he has the ball in his hand when his role is

Clarified and I think that’s the most important thing D’Angelo Russell is a point guard he is a scoring point guard but he can but he needs the ball in his hands and it’s actually been helpful to him when LeBron James is out because he has the ball more and his role is more

Defined yeah but the key is when LeBron James is on the floor how is he going to stay aggressive and knock down those outside shots I think that’s going to be the key factor to see the Lakers success if they’re able to make the for m m for spe for for spee spee

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NBA TODAY | “Nikola Jokic is the best offensive player ever” – Windhorst on Nuggets beat Raptors