

The Athletic NBA Daily
The Athletic
Start your day with The Athletic NBA Daily – a fast, entertaining recap of the most important games and stories from the world of professional basketball with new episodes dropping Monday through Friday. Hosted by Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, and Esfandiar Baraheni with regular appearances by The Athletic’s award-winning NBA reporters. Andrew Schlecht and Alex Spears cap the week with the full-length Saturday Slam n’ Jam episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 5, 2024 • 28min
LeBron & Lakers “embarrassed” | Pacers struggles continue
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 recent struggles and what is bothering Tyrese Haliburton. Finally, Es and Dave check in on presumptive number one overall draft pick Cooper Flagg and share some funny quotes from the night in basketball.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Es Baraheni, Jovan Buha, Caitlin CooperExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson MoodySubmit your questions to The Athletic NBA Daily mailbag: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5939460/2024/11/25/nba-podcast-mailbag-athletic-daily/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 4, 2024 • 28min
Jokić outduels Curry to beat the Warriors | Bucks; Thunder lead NBA Cup Knockout Round
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 option. In the listener question segment, Zena and Dave give their thoughts on the conference finals frontrunners so far.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Zena Keita, Marcus ThomasExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson MoodySubmit your questions to The Athletic NBA Daily mailbag: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5939460/2024/11/25/nba-podcast-mailbag-athletic-daily/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 3, 2024 • 28min
Lakers Taking Ls | Hawks on the Rise?
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 the Hawks this year. In the final segment the breakfast club answers a listener question about when the last time a complimentary player made a leap to All Star status.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Es Baraheni, Lauren WilliamsExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson MoodySubmit your questions to The Athletic NBA Daily mailbag: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5939460/2024/11/25/nba-podcast-mailbag-athletic-daily/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 2, 2024 • 23min
Cavs and Rockets Contenders? | All Weekend Team
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 picks for the week and give an update on the NBA Cup.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Zena Keita, Es BaraheniExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson MoodySubmit your questions to The Athletic NBA Daily mailbag: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5939460/2024/11/25/nba-podcast-mailbag-athletic-daily/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 28, 2024 • 29min
Anthony Edwards says the Wolves are soft | Who is Tyrese Martin?
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 wrong with Mikal Bridges, and why did the Pistons give away Quinten Grimes? To end the show the guys answer a listener question about the NBA draft and what NBA teams are looking for.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Andrew Schlecht, James EdwardsExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson MoodySubmit your questions to The Athletic NBA Daily mailbag: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5939460/2024/11/25/nba-podcast-mailbag-athletic-daily/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 27, 2024 • 24min
Durant & Beal return to crush Lakers | What is wrong with the Timberwolves?
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 discusses a potential pivot for the Pelicans and action movies.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Zena Keita, Jon KrawczynskiExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson MoodySubmit your questions to The Athletic NBA Daily mailbag: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5939460/2024/11/25/nba-podcast-mailbag-athletic-daily/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 26, 2024 • 26min
Kristaps Porzingis; Ja Morant return | Knicks demolish low effort Nuggets
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' embarrassing effort against the offensive powerhouse Knicks. Then, the gang gives their takes on small guards thriving and the next former player who will make the coaching leap.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Es Baraheni, Law MurrayExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moody Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 25, 2024 • 24min
Giannis headlines All Weekend Team + Embiid & Zion Update
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 DuFourWith: Zena Keita, Es BaraheniExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moody Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 23, 2024 • 1h 20min
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Slam N JamAndrew 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 make them unwatchable. And finally... Andrew and Trill face off in a fun edition of Andrew vs. the Beat.Host: Andrew Schlecht and Alex SpeersWith: Trill Bro DudeExecutive Producer: Andrew Schlecht Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 22, 2024 • 25min
Magic make Lakers streak disappear | Are the Timberwolves in trouble?
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, Zena and Dave discuss the future of the San Antonio Spurs and their favorite Thanksgiving side-dish.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Zena KeitaExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moody Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.