Zach and The Athletic's Mo Dakhil discuss the latest Laker losses, the charging Mavericks, their concern for the Clippers and Suns, Victor Wembanyama making highlight plays look routine, and candidates for 6th Man of the Year.

Lakers-Warriors reaction (4:03)

The surging Mavs (15:08)

Concerns about the Clippers (30:47)

Officiating has been tweaked since the All-Star break (44:28)

Suns (50:22)

Wembanyama is here (1:02:44)

Sixth Man of the Year contenders (1:10:44)

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Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Andrew Lopez to talk the challenges building around Victor Wembanyama with how good he is so early on, how Zion & the Pelicans are flying under the radar playing very well, the Knicks' insane record with OG and more!

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Zach and ESPN's Bobby Marks run through their preliminary list of candidates for All-NBA. Then the NBA's Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars and the Senior VP of Referee Training and Development Monte McCutchen join to discuss why scoring has dipped since the All-Star Break, ideas to help defenders, and the unintended consequences of the 65-game rule for awards.

Bucks still trying to figure it out (15:48)

Brunson is going to make an All-NBA team and state of the Knicks (29:05)

Rounding out All-NBA candidates (35:32)

Sixers in disarray without Embiid (48:58)

Dumars and McCutchen (1:01:27)

On scoring being down since the All-Star break (1:04:23)

Ideas to help defenders (1:14:45)

On how the 65-game rule is working (1:29:43)

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Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to talk some teams battling for seeding in the NBA Play-In Tournament in both the East and West including the Warriors, Lakers, 76ers and more.

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Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to talk how the new minimum game rule & eliminating of positions for All-NBA will impact the league, a difficult stretch for the Rockets, who can hang on to the top of the Western Conference and more!

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Zach and ESPN's Andrew Lopez discuss the Pelicans' chances in a crowded West, Zion's improvement, and the unheralded Brandon Ingram. Then Zach and ESPN's Kevin Pelton review their All-Defense lists, why scoring is down, and why the time is now for the Suns.

Pels are a mystery box and a sleeping giant (6:26)

Zion's improved defense and rebounding (10:57)

Herb Jones has a case for All-Defense and Most Improved (13:28)

The Pelicans' shooting luck defensively (20:13)

Not enough talk about Brandon Ingram (27:08)

How the Pels match up against other Western Conference playoff teams (33:30)

Pelton (40:15)

Middle of the East (57:46)

2nd tier All-Defense guys (1:02:47)

Thunder in line for the top seed in the West (1:09:14)

Wembanyama's All-Defense case (1:15:27)

Scoring is down since the All-Star break (1:30:20)

Temperature check on the Suns (1:39:46)

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Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren joins The Woj Pod to discuss his remarkable rookie season, the lonely road back from a season-ending injury, shaping an imagination for what he can be, the greatness of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, his history with Victor Wembanyama, and much more.

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Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton to talk the hottest team in the NBA, if Zion deserves more attention for his play, the impact injuries in Minnesota could have on the trajectory of the season, the likelihood the Warriors remain in the play-in territory and the mess developing in the Eastern Conference.

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Zach and ESPN's Bobby Marks discuss Denver's win over Boston in a potential Finals preview, whether Boston has crunch-time issues, the game's impact on the MVP race, and much more -- the impact of Karl-Anthony Towns injury on Minnesota's playoff chances and big-picture future, Dallas' win over Miami, ankle issues for Steph Curry, Victor Wembanyama, and LeBron James, Ben Simmons being out for the season, and what to make of Wembanyama wanting to win more soon. Then -- a special guest on all things Cavs and tax season. 

Celtics in crunch time (12:57)

You can't double-team Jokic (17:01)

The Porzingis matchup for Jokic (24:53)

Ben Simmons out for the year (34:16)

KAT's injury (38:33)

Keeping an eye on the Mavs (51:08)

Is there another level for the Kings? (55:02)

The Magic are making a charge (1:01:55)

The noise around Wembanyama is just that (1:06:03)

Cavs forward Dean Wade (1:16:31)

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On this episode of the Hoop Collective, Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim MacMahon dive into key NBA highlights. They discuss the Nuggets' win over the Celtics, Jayson Tatum's impact on the Celtics' playoff chances, the team's defense strategy against Nikola Jokic, and how the Nuggets' bench outperformed the Celtics'. The episode also covers Anthony Edwards' critical block against the Pacers, Karl-Anthony Towns' meniscus surgery, the Bulls' surprising season turnaround, and Steph Curry's ankle injury against the Bulls. 

0:00 Welcome to the Hoop Collective

01:22 The Nuggets beat the Celtics in a thrilling match

11:50 Celtics' Playoff Hopes: The Critical Role of Jayson Tatum

17:58 Breaking Down Celtics' Defense Against Nikola Jokic

27:13 How the Nuggets' Reserves Outshone the Celtics'

38:52 Anthony Edwards Game-Saving Block Against Pacers

46:08 Karl-Anthony Towns to Undergo Surgery for Torn Meniscus

53:06 The Bulls' Unexpected Turnaround

55:02 Steph Curry Suffers Right Ankle Injury Against Bulls

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