There’s officially 9 weeks left in the NBA season & I figured I’d finally launch this newsletter after many weeks of thinking about it.
Quick story time: I left my staff job at TSN at the end of last season to pull a Fred VanVleet & try something new. I found an extremely niche role that combines 3 of my favourite things: basketball, storytelling through stats & spreadsheets!! I started a business where I get to produce game notes for broadcasts & commentators, providing them with my favourite stat trends for all 82 games. Unfortunately, that means I can’t upload those notes to this Substack. After weeks of trying figure out how to revive this Substack, I came up with Fun Facts & Red Flags (iykyk).
This is going to be a twice-weekly newsletter that will hit your inbox on Tuesday & Fridays. I’ll be recapping the last few days of games for all 30 NBA teams, highlighting key stat trends that I’ve noticed by giving you a fun fact or a red flag for each team.
Now that the dust has settled after the deadline, this felt like the best time to start.
23rd in offence (110.9), 13th in defence (113.2), 21st in net rating (-2.4), 20th in eFG% (53.3), won 3 straight
Last few: W vs. MIL, W at WAS, W at ORL
Fun fact ✨: Hawks have won 3 straight for the first time after losing 9 of their previous 10 games. All three wins have come without Jalen Johnson (out for the season) & De’Andre Hunter (traded to Cleveland) who were responsible for 20% of the Hawks scoring over the first 51 games.
What’s changed? First, the bench has returned to form. With some help from some new additions, they’re averaging 45.0 points over this 3-game win streak. The Hawks’ bench averages the 3rd most points in the league, but they were averaging just 34.4 points & shooting 26.5% from three over the Hawks’ 1-9 stretch.
Second, the defence. Hawks owned a very middle of the pack, 114.7 defensive rating over their 1-9 stretch. They have a 105.8 defensive rating over the last 3. Yes, 2 of the 3 wins came against the two worst offences in the league but you have to start somewhere.
Next game: Wednesday in New York
4th in offence (118.8), 5th in defence (109.7), 3rd in net rating (9.1), 7th in eFG% (55.8), won 2 straight
Last few: W at NYK, W at MIA
No one flips a “play better basketball” or “make shots” switch like the Celtics do this season.
Fun fact✨: Boston is 9-3 in their last 12 games after going 8-8 in their previous 16 games. Over that 16-game stretch, Celtics shot 34.4% from three, including shooting below 30% from three 7 times. They’re shooting 39.2% from three over their last 12.
Take last night’s win against the Heat. Celtics shot 2-for-18 from three in the first quarter. They shot 14-for-27 from three in the 2nd & 3rd quarters combined.
Derrick White shot 31.3% from three over that Celtics’ 8-8 stretch. He’s shooting 42.5% from three since.
Next game: Wednesday vs San Antonio
27th in offence (108.7), 22nd in defence (114.9), 27th in net rating (-6.2), 25th in eFG% (51.9), won 2 straight
Last few: W vs. MIA, W vs. CHA
Nets haven’t been good at the one thing they need to be better at as of late: losing.
Fun Fact or Red Flag 🚩✨: Brooklyn’s won 2 straight & 5 of their last 6 games. After trading Dennis Schroder & Dorian Finney-Smith away at the deadline, their only other move was buying out Ben Simmons.
Nets have more first round picks over the next 7 drafts than anyone in the NBA & four firsts in this draft so I get the winning a little bit. 16 of their final 29 games are against teams that are currently .500 or better, so there’s still time for them to lose out.
Next game: Tomorrow vs Philadelphia
28th in offence (108.2), 14th in defence (113.4), 24th in net rating (-5.3), 29th in eFG% (50.7), lost 2 straight
Last few: W vs. SAS, L at DET, L at BKN
Injuries have once again become the theme of this Hornets season. Last night, they lost LaMelo Ball to right ankle soreness & then lost newly converted Moussa Diabate to an eye injury he suffered the night before. Diabate scored a career-high 21 points in 27 minutes before his injury.
Red Flag 🚩: LaMelo Ball played a career-high 75 games in 2021-22. Since then he’s played 36 games, 22 games & now 33 games this season.
Next game: Wednesday in Orlando
18th in offence (112.2), 27th in defence (116.0), 23rd in net rating (-3.9), 10th in eFG% (55.5), lost 2 straight
Last few: L vs. GSW
Bulls have been off since their loss to Jimmy Butler & the Warriors on Saturday. They found the most dramatic way to lose: Bulls led 83-59 with 8.5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. They were down 126-101 with 4:17 left in the 4th. They were outscored 67-18 in that 16-minute span.
Red Flag 🚩: Nikola Vucevic is averaging 10.7 points, 8.7 rebounds & shooting 2-for-11 from three in his last 3 games.
Next game: Bulls start a 2-game back-to-back set against the Pistons tonight, after taking 2 days off to recover from blowing a 24-point lead.
1st in offence (121.8), 8th in defence (111.6), 2nd in net rating (10.2), 1st in eFG% (58.8), won 3 straight
Last few: W at WAS, W vs. MIN
The Cavs never fail to provide an insane stat.
Fun fact ✨: Cavs started their game last night with a 16-0 run & held the Wolves to an 0-for-16 start from the field. Wolves didn’t make their first field goal until there was 3:25 left in the 1st quarter.
Cavs averaged 131.0 points over their last 2 games, shooting 40.7% from three & an obscene 80.0% at the rim. Cavs outscored the Wizards & Wolves by 15 points from three & 14 points in the paint.
Next game: Wednesday in Toronto
7th in offence (115.4), 15th in defence (113.5), 10th in net rating (1.9), 11th in eFG% (55.3)
Last few: W vs. HOU, L vs. SAC
A wise person once said: “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. They’re probably right but everything the Mavs have done this week makes me want to be mean.
I won’t do it though.
Red flag 🚩: including their OT loss to the Kings last night, Mavs have been within 5 points in the last 5 minutes 27 times this season. That’s 50% of their games.
Mavs are shooting 28.0% from three in the clutch this season, down from 36.8% last season.
Next game: Wednesday vs Golden State
3rd in offence (119.4), 18th in defence (113.7), 6th in net rating (5.7), 2nd in eFG% (57.5), won 7 straight
Last few: W at PHX, W vs. POR
Nuggets haven’t played against a team with an above .500 record since January 29th & they won’t play a winning team until they see the Lakers in LA after the all-star break.
Fun fact ✨: Nuggets are 21-5 against teams under .500 this season. Jokic is continuing to do historic things on the offensive end (not enough words to talk about Jokic).
The funniest stat about their win against the Blazers last night: Nuggets won by 29, scored 146 points but only made 8 threes. That’s the most points a team has scored with 8 threes or fewer in regulation since the Spurs had 147 against the Warriors in 2010.
Next game: Rematch vs Portland on Wednesday
15th in offence (112.6), 12th in defence (113.1), 16th in net rating (-0.4), 16th in eFG% (54.0), won 2 straight
Last few: W vs. PHI, W vs. CHA
Pistons won by 13 against the Sixers & by 10 against the Hornets but neither game was that close. They led by 34 points against the Sixers & then by 28 against the Hornets – they haven’t trailed since they were down 2-0 to the Sixers on Friday.
Fun fact ✨: Pistons have led by 20 or more points in 10 games this season & they’re 17-9 against teams below .500.
Next game: Tonight in Chicago
17th in offence (112.3), 10th in defence (112.0), 15th in net rating (0.3), 23rd in eFG% (52.9), won 2 straight
Last few: W at CHI, W at MIL
Warriors are 2-0 in the Jimmy Butler era & his joy is finally back. So is Steph Curry’s!
Fun fact ✨: Jimmy Butler’s taken 28 free throws in the last 2 games, the most by a Warrior in a 2-game span since Kevin Durant in November 2019.
Warriors were 2nd last in free throw rate (16.1) before Butler arrived. Some small sample size theatre, but their 31.4 FT rate over the last 2 games ranks 3rd in the league.
Next game: Tonight in Dallas
13th in offence (113.8), 4th in defence (109.3), 7th in net rating (4.5), 27th in eFG% (51.1)
Last few: L at DAL, W vs. TOR
The losing streak is finally over. Rockets lost 6 in a row before they beat the tanking Raptors on Sunday. No VanVleet, no Smith Jr. & no Eason but a 14-2 fourth quarter run gave the Rockets their first win in February.
Fun fact ✨: The bench combined for 43 points on Sunday with 38-year-old Jeff Green leading all Rockets’ reserves with 14 points. Why is this notable? Because this bench combined for 14 points on 4-for-28 shooting the day before in Dallas.
Next game: Tonight vs Phoenix
10th in offence (114.3), 19th in defence (114.0), 14th in net rating (0.3), 6th in eFG% (56.0)
Last few: L at LAL
Pacers are 1-2 in their last 3 but their 20-8 record since December 8th is 3rd best in the NBA. They’re 1 of 5 teams to rank top-8 in offence & defence in that span.
Fun fact ✨: as the incredible Caitlin Cooper of Basketball She Wrote pointed out, Pacers have been outscored by a combined 59 points over their last 4 first quarters. They’re shooting just 21.7% from three in first quarter & 28.0% from three overall in the last 4.
Next game: Tonight vs New York
20th in offence (111.4), 2nd in defence (108.3), 9th in net rating (3.0), 14th in eFG% (54.2)
Last few: W vs. UTA
Clippers ended a 3-game slide with a 20-point win against the Jazz on Saturday. Then, they got Ben Simmons for free on Sunday.
Fun fact ✨: Simmons is averaging 6.9 assists this season, a number that would rank 10th in the NBA if he’d played enough games to qualify. LA ranks 21st in the NBA in bench production & could use his ball handling with their 2nd unit.
One of my fave Simmons stats: He’s only taken 6 shots outside the paint this season but he’s shooting a very respectable 65.5% at the rim.
9th in offence (114.6), 16th in defence (113.6), 13th in net rating (1.0), 9th in eFG% (55.6), won 6 straight
Last few: W vs. IND, W vs. UTA
Lakers need to be reported to the authorities immediately. Not for reneging on their Mark Williams trade with Charlotte but for committing highway robbery in trading for a 25-year-old Luka Doncic. He made his debut last night against the Jazz, his first game since he suffered a calf strain on Christmas Day. Doncic only played 24 minutes & didn’t need to play in the 4th.
Fun fact ✨: Lakers extended a 5-game win streak to 6 last night. They’ve scored 120+ points in 6 straight, their longest streak since December 1985. They were without AD and then Luka in 5 of 6 games.
5th in offence (118.1), 7th in defence (110.8), 4th in net rating (7.3), 5th in eFG% (56.2)
Last few: L vs. OKC
Grizzlies fell to 0-2 against the Thunder after their 125-112 loss on Saturday. Grizzlies got outrebounded 55-40, their largest rebound differential in a game since they were -21 on the glass against the Rockets in October.
Fun fact or maybe a red flag: Grizzlies have trailed at half in 10 of their last 14 games. They’ve come back to win 8 of those games.
21st in offence (111.2), 9th in defence (111.9), 17th in net rating (-0.7), 19th in eFG% (53.5), lost 2 straight
Last few: L at BKN, L vs. BOS
Heat debuted their Jimmy package last night against the Celtics but lost both Tyler Herro & Jaime Jaquez Jr. to an illness.
Full disclosure, I’ve produced a set of notes for all 51 games for the Heat this season & have many red flags to share. I’ll limit myself to just 1 though, as much as I wish I can share them all.
Red flag 🚩: In the year 2025, the Miami Heat have been held to under 90 points in back-to-back games. They’re holding teams to 102.5 points in the last 2 games but haven’t seemed to figure out that you have to score more points than your opponent to win basketball games.
12th in offence (113.9), 11th in defence (112.7), 11th in net rating (1.2), 4th in eFG% (56.3)
Last few: L at ATL, W vs. PHI, L vs. GSW
Bucks have played 5 straight without Giannis Antetokounmpo. They’ve lost 3 of the last 5 & fell to 5-6 without Antetokoumpo after their loss to the Warriors last night.
Red flag 🚩: Bucks have a 121.9 defensive rating over the last 10 games, 29th in the NBA. Only the Pelicans are worse.
14th in offence (113.8), 6th in defence (110.5), 8th in net rating (3.3), 13th in eFG% (55.0)
Last few: W vs. POR, L at CLE
It took the Timberwolves over 8.5 minutes to make their first field goal last night against the Cavs. They started the game 0-for-16 from the field & 0-for-8 from the field.
Fun fact ✨: Yes, fun fact even with their ugly offence last night. Anthony Edwards is averaging 44.7 points on 46.3% from three in the last 3 games. Yes, 44.7 points on 46.3% from threes. He’s made 19 threes over the last 3 games. Edwards has scored 40+ in 3 straight games, the longest streak in Timberwolves franchise history.
26th in offence (109.5), 30th in defence (118.6), 29th in net rating (-9.1), 26th in eFG% (51.5), lost 9 straight
Last few: L at SAC, L at OKC
Pelicans haven’t won a basketball game since January 20th. Their 9-game losing streak is the longest active losing streak in the league & that’s exactly what they need to be doing.
Fun fact ✨: Zion Williamson has played in 4 straight, the most he’s played in a row since October. Williamson is averaging 24.8 points on 59.4% shooting over the last 4. He’s scoring 19.0 points in the paint over the last 4.
2nd in offence (119.6), 17th in defence (113.7), 5th in net rating (5.9), 3rd in eFG% (56.6)
Last few: L vs. BOS
New York had won 7 of 8 games before they played the Celtics on Saturday. They had a +79 differential in those 9 games. Then they were blown out by 27 points by the Celtics.
Red flag 🚩: Knicks have been outscored 171-99 from three over the last 4 games. They’ve made 10 threes or less in 4 straight.
6th in offence (117.5), 1st in defence (104.2), 1st in net rating (13.3), 12th in eFG% (55.1), won 6 straight
Last few: W vs. TOR, W at MEM, W vs. NOP
Breaking news: Thunder are no longer the youngest team in the NBA. They’re still have the best record in the league though & that’s all that matters.
Fun fact ✨: OKC’s won 6 straight & all 6 have been by 10+ points. They’ve led by 20 or more points in a league-most 30 games this season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA in points, he’s 2nd in FT% & FTA & is 2nd in the NBA in steals. He’s averaging an insane 37.3 points over the last 10 games.
29th in offence (107.2), 3rd in defence (109.0), 20th in net rating (-1.8), 30th in eFG% (50.4)
Last few: W vs. SAS, L vs. ATL
The Magic were 1 of 4 teams to get past the deadline without a trade, which is an extremely confusing decision by a team that ranks 30th in most offensive categories.
Fun fact ✨: Franz Wagner returned to the lineup on January 23rd. In 10 games since, he’s averaging 27.8 points, 5.6 rebounds & 3.4 assists. Wagner’s scored or assisted on 34.6% of the Magic’s points over the last 10 games.
19th in offence (111.5), 24th in defence (115.4), 22nd in net rating (-3.9), 21st in eFG% (53.2), lost 3 straight
Last few: L at DET, L at MIL
Sixers are 20-32, their worst start to a season since they were 18-34 in 2016-17. Their pick is owed top-6 protected to the Thunder (of course it is) & Philly currently has the 7th worst record in the NBA. At some point soon, they must decide whether their pushing the tank button.
Red flag 🚩: Sixers have only played 12 games with all 3 of Embiid, Maxey & George available this season.
11th in offence (114.1), 25th in defence (115.7), 19th in net rating (-1.6), 8th in eFG% (55.6)
Last few: W vs. UTA, L vs. DEN
Suns are adamant that their locker room isn’t toxic but it’s hard to imagine that a team that’s 1-4 in their last 5 games (their only win came in overtime to a tank Jazz team!!) is the picture of positivity.
Red flag 🚩: They’ve played the 7th easiest schedule in the NBA so far & have the hardest remaining schedule of any team. They still have 9 games left against the top-6 teams in the league, teams that they’re currently 1-7 against.
25th in offence (110.0), 23rd in defence (115.4), 25th in net rating (-5.3), 24th in eFG% (52.0), lost 2 straight
Last few: L at MIN, L at DEN
It’s too soon to say if the Blazers are back to tanking. They’re 10-3 since mid-January, tied for 5th in the league in that span. Unfortunately, Ayton left last night’s loss to the Nuggets with a non-contact injury. He had to be helped to the locker room by his teammates.
Fun fact ✨: Blazers own the 3rd best defence in the NBA over the last 13 games. They’re holding teams to an NBA-best 30.3% shooting on 30.8 attempts from three.
8th in offence (115.1), 20th in defence (114.0), 12th in net rating (1.0), 15th in eFG% (54.2), won 2 straight
Last few: W vs. NOP, W at DAL
DeMar DeRozan & Jonas Valanciunas are back together, the most wholesome reunion of this season (to me at least).
Fun fact ✨: Kings have been within 5 points in the last 5 minutes of 30 games this season & improved to 15-15 in clutch games after their OT win against the Mavs last night.
DeMar DeRozan’s scored 93 points in the clutch this season, 5th most in the NBA.
16th in offence (112.6), 21st in defence (114.1), 18th in net rating (-1.5), 17th in eFG% (53.9)
Last few: L at CHA, L at ORL, W at WAS
Spurs went on a 22-0 run in the first quarter against the Wizards last night but were only up 4 heading into the 4th quarter. De’Aaron Fox has already played 4 games for the Spurs, averaging 21.3 points but shooting just 27.8% from three.
Fun fact ✨: With their win against the Wizards last night, Spurs won the 23rd game of their season, their most since the 2021-22 season.
24th in offence (110.1), 26th in defence (115.8), 26th in net rating (-5.7), 22nd in eFG% (53.0), lost 4 straight
Last few: L at OKC, L at HOU
Raptors have lost 4 straight & are back on track for a bottom-5 record (top-5 odds). With Brandon Ingram, Jakob Poeltl & RJ Barrett all out with injury, Raptors are leaning all the way into their youth movement.
Fun fact ✨: 66.3% of the Raptors points have been scored by players aged 24 or younger this season, 2nd most in the NBA. Rockets are first.
Raptors have the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA though & will be very strategic about player availability I’m guessing. They’re 9-8 against teams currently under .500.
22nd in offence (111.1), 28th in defence (118.5), 28th in net rating (-7.4), 18th in eFG% (53.6), lost 3 straight
Last few: L at PHX, L at LAC, L at LAL
No one is as shameless in their tanking as the Jazz have been, nothing ethical about it. They’ve led by 10+ points in 7 of their last 8 games. They’ve lost 5 of those games.
Fun fact ✨: Isaiah Collier’s started 10 straight for the Jazz. He’s averaging 12.8 points & 10.6 assists in his last 5!!!
30th in offence (105.4), 29th in defence (118.6), 30th in net rating (-13.2), 28th in eFG% (50.9), lost 3 straight
Last few: L vs. CLE, L vs. ATL, L vs. SAS
Wizards are doing everything they can to secure the worst record in the NBA & they don’t have a ton of competition. Wizards have a 3-game lead for best odds in the draft. FYI, only the team with the worst record in the league is guaranteed a top-5 pick in the draft.
I’m going to be completely honest, I watched maybe 5 minutes of Wizards basketball over the weekend.
Fun fact ✨: Wizards have started at least 2 rookies in an NBA-most 38 games this season.
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