The Athletic NBA Daily

The Athletic NBA Daily

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.

Episodes

May 2, 2025 33 mins
The New York Knicks move on to round 2 after their game 6 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Zena Keita is joined by James Edwards III of the Athletic to discuss the Knicks winning the series and how they will play against the Celtics, and how the Pistons build off their first Playoff run. Then in segment 2 Zena is joined by Dave DuFour from the LA Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets game to discuss the Clippers pushing the series to 7 game...
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Rudy Gobert had 27 points and 24 rebounds to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a series clinching win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni are joined by Anthony Slater to breakdown the Houston Rockets big win and how the Warriors bounce back in game 6. Then, Dave and Es discuss Gobert’s huge game, the Lakers biggest concerns going into the offseason, and who the Wolves should want to face next. Host: Dave Du...
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Tyrese Haliburton blew by Giannis Antetokounmpo for the game winning and series clinching lay-up as the Pacers sent the Bucks home for the summer. Dave DuFour and Zena Keita discuss the Pacers overtime win, the postgame fracas, and how the Pistons handled the Knicks. Then, the Athletic’s Law Murray joins the show to react to the Nuggets game 5 win over the Clippers, Jamal Murray’s shotmaking, and respecting Russell Westbrook. Ho...
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Jimmy Butler returned from injury to lead the Warriors to a game 4 victory and a 3-1 series lead over the Rockets. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni are joined by the Athletic’s Anthony Slater to discuss the Warriors win, Jimmy Butler’s game, and the aftermath. Then, Es and Dave take a look at the first round sweeps for the Thunder and Cavs to decide who has been most dominant and look ahead to Clippers and Nuggets game 5. Host: Dave ...
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Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 59 points to lead the Knicks to a game four win over the Detroit Pistons, aided by a missed foul call on Tim Hardaway Jr. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni react to the weekend’s wild finishes between the Clippers and Nuggets, the Knicks and Pistons, and the Wolves and Lakers. Then, they take a look at the 3-1 series and ask, “Is it over?” Host: Dave DuFour With: Es Baraheni Executiv...
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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...
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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 Playof...
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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 DuFour With: Es Baraheni & Kelly Iko Executive Producer: Andrew Sch...
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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....
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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 DuFour With: Es Baraheni,...
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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 DuFour With: Es Bareheni and Zena Keita Executive Pro...
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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 ...
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April 18, 2025 35 mins
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 Lillar...
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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 close...
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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 l...
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Dave DuFour and Zena Keita breakdown the NBA play-in and playoff brackets and discuss the most compelling series. Then, the Athletic’s Anthony Slater joins the show to breakdown the Warriors and Grizzlies play-in matchup, Jonathan Kuminga’s status, and Playoff Jimmy Butler. Host: Dave DuFour With: Zena Keita & Anthony Slater Executive Producer: Andrew Schlecht Audio Producer: Grayson Moody Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...
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Kawhi Leonard and James Harden combined for 72 points as the Clippers defeated Steph Curry and the Warriors to clinch a playoff spot. Dave DuFour, Es Baraheni and Zena Keita discuss the Clippers big win, Jonathan Kuminga’s benching, and the Warriors issues. Then, the gang recaps the final day of the regular season, discusses Chris Paul’s future, and the big takeaways from the year. Host: Dave DuFour With: Zena Keita, Es Baraheni, ...
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Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers discuss the week of NBA Basketball and bring back the Slammies, the made up NBA Awards we've done the last 4 seasons. Then they are joined by Mike Richman of Locked on Blazers to discuss the Portland Trailblazers and their fun unexpected season, Scoot Henderson's potential, the lottery and much more. Then the boys play a fun edition of Andrew vs. the Beat, a trivia game where Andrew is pitted against...
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Anthony Edwards scored 44 points to lead the Timberwolves to an important win over the Grizzlies. Dave DuFour and Zena Keita discuss the Wolves big win, the problem with the Grizzlies’ bigs, and who the Bucks should want to face in the playoffs. Then, the Athletic’s Fred Katz joins the show to discuss his perimeter defense teams, what makes a good defender, and the Thunder defense. Host: Dave DuFour With: Zena Keita & Fred Katz Ex...
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April 10, 2025 29 mins
Luka Doncic scored 45 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a win in his first game back in Dallas. Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni talk discuss Luka’s big game, Lakers small ball, the Warriors buzzer-beater loss to the Spurs, and the Nuggets first post-Malone game. Then, Christian Clark from the Athletic joins the show to discuss Luka’s return, the emotions in the building, and those “Fire Nico” chants. Host: Dave DuFour With: Es ...
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