The Athletic NBA Daily

Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers are joined by Law Murray of the Athletic to discuss the dominance of the Clippers, their series with Denver, what is going on with the Nuggets, and Kawhi at the top of his game. Then the guys revisit the Contender Draft one week later to see if anything has changed. After the break Kofie of the KofieWhy YouTube page joins to discuss his beloved Pistons, their first Playoff run, how they are different than last year and much more. Then the boys play a fun edition of Andrew vs. the Beat, a trivia game where Andrew is pitted against a beat writer.Host: Andrew Schlecht and Alex SpeersWith: Law Murray and KofieExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio/Video Editor: Gonzalo Torres Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Thunder make history in their 29 point comeback against the Grizzlies as Ja Morant goes down. Zena Keita is joined by Andrew Schlecht to break down OKC’s win in Memphis to go up 3-0 and what it means for Memphis with the injury to Ja Morant. Then in segment 2 Zena is joined by Hunter Patterson to discuss the strange ending other the Knicks/Pistons game and what it was like to be in the building for the first Pistons home Playoff game since 2019. Then finally Dave DuFour joins from Intuit Dome to discuss the Clippers dominant win against the Nuggets.Host: Zena KeitaWith: Andrew Schlecht, Hunter Patterson and Dave DuFourExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moodyhttps://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nba/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jalen Green scored 38 points in a bounce-back performance to lead the Rockets to a win in game 2 against the Warriors. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni react to Jimmy Butler’s injury, the Cavs and Celtics wins, and the physicality of the NBA playoffs. Then, the Athletic’s Kelly Iko joins the show to discuss the Rockets win and Jalen Green’s huge performance.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Es Baraheni & Kelly IkoExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moodyhttps://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nba/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luka Doncic and LeBron James combined for 52 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers tie their first-round series with the Minnesota Timberwolves at one game a piece. Dave DuFour and Zena Keita react to the dominant performance from the Thunder through the first two games of the playoffs before being joined by the Athletic’s Shakeia Taylor to breakdown the aftermath of the Pacers pushing to a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. Then, the Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and the crew discuss the Wolves game 2 loss and how the adjust for game 3.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Zena Keita, Shakeia Taylor, & Jon KrawczynskiExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moodyhttps://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nba/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kawhi Leonard poured in 39 points on 15/19 shooting to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a game 2 win over the Denver Nuggets. Dave DuFour, Es Baraheni, and James Edwards react to the Detroit Pistons game 2 win over the Knicks, discuss what it means for the city of Detroit and what went wrong for New York. Then, Law Murray joins the show to breakdown Kawhi Leonard’s brilliant game 2 performance.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Es Baraheni, James Edwards, & Law MurrayExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moodyhttps://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nba/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Game 1 of the the NBA Playoffs is in the books, and Dave DuFour, Zena Keita and Es Baraheni discuss the Lakers big loss to the Wolves, the Warriors thriving in Houston, Boston, OKC and Cleveland’s dominance and much more. The NBA Daily crew discuss big takeaways from each game, adjustments that need to be made, and if Game 1 changed any of the opinions on any series.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Es Bareheni and Zena KeitaExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moodyhttps://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nba/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers discuss the week of headlines in the NBA, and an update on the surprise teams and post All Star Break Leap players.  Then they are joined by Dan Devine of Yahoo! Sports to discuss the NBA Playoffs, matchups they like, and then the guys do a contender draft taking the teams they think are most likely to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy at the end of the season.Then the boys play a fun edition of Andrew vs. the Beat, a trivia game where Andrew is pitted against a beat writer.Host: Andrew Schlecht and Alex SpeersWith: Dan DevineExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio/Video Editor: Gonzalo Torres Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nikola Jokic is the best player in the NBA and we have our national writer at the Athletic Fred Katz to discuss some nuances in his approach and game. Dave DuFour and Zena Keita discuss Fred’s article on Nikola Jokic and what other players in the NBA are saying about his game. In part 2 Fred sticks around and the crew discusses their favorite Playoff matchups including Nuggets/Clippers, Wolves/Lakers and the return of Damian Lillard.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Zena Keita and Fred KatzExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moodyhttps://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6276862/2025/04/16/nikola-jokic-christian-braun-mentorship-nba-mvp-denver-nuggets/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Klay Thompson and Anthony Davis combined for 50 points as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Sacramento Kings to move on in the Play-in tournament. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni react to the Miami Heat win, Tyler Herro’s development, and debate the futures of the Kings and Bulls. Then, the Athletic’s Christian Clark joins the show to breakdown the Mavs winning formula, how they stack up against the Grizzlies, and Nico Harrison’s closed-door press conference.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Es Baraheni & Marcus ThompsonExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moody Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry combined for 71 points as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies to clinch the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni react to the Grizzlies gritty loss, Desmond Bane’s incredible game, and the Magic defeating the Hawks. Then, the Athletic’s Marcus Thompson joins the show from Chase Center to discuss Playoff Jimmy Butler, the Warriors game plan, and the looming Houston Rockets.Host: Dave DuFourWith: Es Baraheni & Marcus ThompsonExecutive Producer: Andrew SchlechtAudio Producer: Grayson Moody Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.