Home
SBNation.com •

Why attacking ‘weaker’ NBA defenders on switches may not be a good strategy

At times, Luka Doncic is a liability on the defensive end. When he’s guarding away from the ball, he’s known to lose focus and surrender open shots. He often takes his time getting back on defense, giving away easy transition opportunities.
But when he’s attacked in isolation, he is a completely different defender. In the 2023-24 NBA regular season, he defended the fourth-most isolation possessions in the league and ranked in the 83rd percentile on those possessions, allowing just 33.3% shooting...
SBNation.com •

The Thunder and Pacers making the NBA Finals should change how teams think about roster building

There are a slew of tropes that come out of hibernation whenever the NBA playoffs come around. You’ve probably heard them all.
The game slows down. Defenses get tighter. Teams make more detailed adjustments… just to name a few.
And all of these have generally been true this postseason, as they often are. But one trope has been completely flipped on its head by the two 2025 NBA Finals participants: that coaches have to go to shorter rotations in the playoffs.
While many squads have relied more h...
Arizona Republic •

What is the impact on the Phoenix Suns to be the only NBA team with no G League affiliate?

There are 30 NBA franchises, but only 29 affiliate G League teams. The one organization without a minor-league squad? The Phoenix Suns.

“We should (have a G League team),” Suns center Jusuf Nurkic said. “Being the only team to not have (an affiliate) is not good.”

The NBA G League, founded in 2001 as the NBA’s minor-league system, was originally called the National Basketball Development League. It was rebranded to the NBA Development League in 2005 and then the NBA Gatorade League (NBA G Leag
Baltimore Sun •

The ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ comes to College Park for Maryland women’s basketball vs. No. 3 Iowa

EVANSTON, Ill. — Maryland women’s basketball last sold out Xfinity Center in December 2016. On Saturday, the Terps are again expected to host a capacity crowd of 17,950 — but under very different circumstances.

The last sellout crowd saw fourth-ranked Maryland lose a nailbiter to top-ranked UConn in a battle of unbeaten teams. This time, the Terps won’t have a number next to their name — they sit at 12-9 overall, 4-6 in Big Ten play and are tied for eighth in the conference standings. But the e
USA TODAY •

How do you guard Iowa's Caitlin Clark? 'Doesn’t matter what you do – you’re wrong'

How do you guard Iowa's Caitlin Clark? 'Doesn’t matter what you do – you’re wrong'

EVANSTON, Ill. – Caitlin Clark has only been held to single-digit points in one game during her Iowa women's basketball career.

It was one-third of the way through her freshman season, and Clark was held to eight points on 3-12 shooting and 1-for-5 from 3-point range against Northwestern. The Wildcats used a unique “blizzard” defense – a matchup zone in which the guards apply more ball pressure than normal— and
Golfweek •

'Golf was forced on my right hand:' Why there are so few lefties in pro golf

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When Jake Knapp was just three years old, he picked up his brother’s old golf clubs for the first time and started taking some whacks. But there was one glaring problem: He was hitting the ball with the wrong side of the club.

Knapp, 29, who made the 2024 WM Phoenix Open his eighth start on the PGA Tour, used to play with his brother’s right-handed golf clubs, but felt more comfortable swinging lefty.

“I started taking swings lefty and (my dad) put a right-handed club in my
The Arizona Republic •

Suns' Grayson Allen sets career high for assists

Without Devin Booker in the lineup for the Phoenix Suns, Grayson Allen was tasked with something he normally isn’t — getting his teammates involved.

“He said he’s never passed that much,” teammate Bradley Beal said. “That’s just unselfish hoops, man.”

Coming into Thursday night’s game against the Utah Jazz, Suns guard Grayson Allen had never dished out more than eight assists in a game.

Then, on an unassuming night in February, the six-year NBA veteran secured 14 assists. His previous career