Dunc'd On Basketball NBA Podcast

We take our biweekly look at the teams in the Eastern Conference, featuring scouts on two young breakout players in the Central Division.  Plus, we discuss the firing of Willie Green in New Orleans.

• Willie Green Firing
• DET: Daniss Jenkins has come out of nowhere to feature in Detroit 6:04
• ORL: Tristan da Silva is looking like a rotation stalwart 16:47
• CHI: What are we seeing from Matas Buzelis, who SOME ARE SAYING should have been ...

It was a fantastic night of NBA Cup action as Stephen Curry somehow topped himself from Wednesday with 49 points including the game-winning free throws against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. We go deep on that game, plus catch up on all the other action around the league. Plus a great companion is Nate’s live call of crunchtime with video.

Warriors–Spurs — 0:00

Rockets–Blazers — 30:25

Hornets–Bucks — 36:00

Clippers–Mavericks — 42:00

7...

A breaking 15 & 60 opens with Dallas moving on from Nico Harrison and what that means for the franchise’s direction. We examine the logic of acting now versus waiting, and the implications for Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg. Then it’s a detailed look at Pelicans–Spurs from the weekend, including Trey Murphy’s big night and encouraging rookie flashes. San Antonio’s guard mix with De’Aaron Fox returning and Stephon Castle blossoming ...

Author Yaron Weitzman joins to unpack his new book, A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers—and all the palace intrigue that shaped this era. We dig into why the LeBron–Lakers “marriage” delivered a title yet still feels unresolved, from Buss family succession politics to who actually pulls the levers in L.A. You’ll hear how decisions really got made—Ty Lue negotiations, Linda/Rob’s influence, the AD trade mec...

Part 2 of our look at the Eastern Conference 2 weeks in.

Orlando Magic — Can Jamahl Mosley unlock Desmond Bane?

⁠Full Daily Duncs with links⁠⁠

• Miami Heat
• 15 in 60
• Ja Morant
• Myles Turner
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Egor Demin
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Santi Aldama
• Costumes

⁠Full Daily Duncs with links

Join Dunc’d On Prime! It's the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well!

Subsc...

We begin our look at the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference with a survey of where 8 teams stand with some of the most interesting storylines for the first 2 weeks of the season.

• Miami Heat —How the Heat reinvented their offense
• Chicago Bulls — 13:24 — What is sustainable and what isn’t about Chicago’s start?
• Detroit Pistons — 23:21 — Jalen Duren is keeping the Pistons offense afloat
• Atlanta Hawks — 33:56 — Post Trae path is defens...

Portland and Denver play a fascinating game in a contrast of styles, with Jerami Grant getting revenge against his old team. 

Ja Morant pouts his way through a winnable game against the Lakers, then voices displeasure in the media afterward.

Kawhi Leonard sends the Pelicans home with another loss.

The Knicks’ defense proved the perfect matchup for how the Bulls want to play offense.

Plus a bit more on every other game of the night.

Blaz...

Nate Silver of Silver Bulletin knows a little bit about risk and prediction.  He joins Dunc’d On to discuss every aspect of this evolving issue.  How much should NBA fans care about this scandal? How much does he care as an NBA fan and bettor? Should we be concerned about the overall integrity of NBA games?  Why would multi-millionaires like Terry Rozier or Chauncey Billups engage in the alleged behavior?  Plus, how should the NBA ...

Nate and Danny watched a ton of games over the weekend and give their early impressions through a number of interesting games.

Sixers vs Hornets — 0:52

Magic vs Hawks — 28:09

Magic vs Bulls — 35:50

Bulls vs Pistons — 50:20

Pistons vs Celtics — 52:38

Celtics vs Knicks — 57:08

Spurs vs Pelicans — 1:00:38

Spurs vs Nets — 1:06:12

Wizards vs Mavericks — 1:10:02

Grizzlies vs Pacers — 1:16:53

Bucks vs Raptors — 1:18:40

Jazz vs Kings — 1:24:06

Clippers...

In a matchup of the league’s smartest and most skilled teams, Stephen Curry and the Warriors outlast Aaron Gordon and the Nuggets in another early season classic.  Then:

Indiana/OKC — 42:03

Double-OT chaos: how a shorthanded Pacers group (no Haliburton/McConnell, then Nembhard exits) still kept the tempo, leaned on Mathurin’s rim pressure and free throws, and toggled frontcourt looks (Toppin/Walker) against SGA’s barrage. 

Gambling in...

Christian Braun extension (5/$125) and apron pressure

⁠Full Daily Duncs with links⁠⁠

• Steve Ballmer
• Aspiration
• Christian Braun
• Denver Nuggets
• Toumani Camara
• Shaedon Sharpe
• Dyson Daniels
• Atlanta Hawks
• San Antonio Spurs

⁠Full Daily Duncs with links⁠

Join Dunc’d On Prime! It's the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well!

Subscribe on YouTube to see our hilarious faces an...

Danny returns to give our infallible predictions for how the 2025-26 season will go.  We give season win totals for each team, and also note where Nate had the biggest difference of opinion with his team-expert guests. Then we give our conference finalists and NBA champion.

We also make our picks for all the major awards, plus break down some of the teams and players we think will most surprise and disappoint this season.

Join Dunc’...

Newly minted San Antonian Jared Weiss of the Athletic joins us to discuss a fascinating Spurs season.  What new skills has Victor added for year three? How is #2 overall pick Dylan Harper looking in camp? What will the fit be between Harper, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox?  

Plus, how is Mitch Johnson settling in to his first full year as coach?  Who will he start, and who should close for this group? 

Finally, we give our predicti...

Pistons tag-team of Omari Sankofa II and Bryce Simon of Pistons Pulse and Game Theory join to discuss the Pistons’ attempt to build on their breakout season a year ago.  What enabled the improvement, and how much of that can sustain this year?  Which of the youngs will take a step forward, and how? How will they deal with the loss of Malik Beasley? Finally, we make our predictions for Detroit’s season.

Plus, is it ok to put chips on...

Caitlin Cooper of Basketball She Wrote is our guest to discuss the upcoming Pacers season.  Is it, in fact, a gap year?  What are the Pacers missing without Tyrese Haliburton, and can Andrew Nembhard handle everything that’s going to be on his plate? Who will start in a crowded but unproven center rotation? What does it look like with Pascal Siakam back in a leading role offensively? Plus, could a new “Nate’s guy” be emerging in th...

Brady Hawk of 5 Reasons Sports is our guest to breakdown the first full season of the post-Butler era in Miami.  What are the Heat getting in Norman Powell? Which of the young bigs, Ware or Jovic, will start in the frontcourt? Is Davion Mitchell a key piece for Miami? How will Erik Spoelstra sort out his rotation in the absence of Tyler Herro, and what can we expect from Herro when he returns?  What changes is Spo making schematica...

Adam Mares of DNVR is our guest to discuss the refreshed Denver Nuggets.  Why couldn’t they get over the hump last year against OKC, and what have they done to improve this year? What will be the roles of Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway, Jr., Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas?  What will Denver be doing differently on defense under David Adelman? Can Jamal Murray get back to the form he flashed in the 2023 playoffs?

Plus, we make our pre...

Magic beatman Jason Beede is a first-time guest to analyze the Orlando Magic.  Can this group take the next step to East contender after the Desmond Bane trade? What can we take away from last year’s funhouse season of great defense and historically awful shooting? When will Jalen Suggs make his debut? Can they play faster now with better guard play? And can Franz and Paolo fulfill their roles as the 2 best players on a contender?

P...

Anthony Slater is celebrating his 10th season covering Golden State (and 9th as our Warriors Outlook guest). We get into the final resolution of the Jonathan Kuminga stalemate before discussing how the Warriors’ new additions fit in, including the signing of Al Horford.

⁠Full Daily Duncs with links⁠⁠

• LeBron James
• Expansion
• 10 people
• Circumvention
• All-Star
• Jonathan Kuminga
• Miami Heat
• Ja Morant

⁠Full Daily Duncs with links

Join Dunc’d...