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00:00Are we ready for some NBA basketball?
00:02I am I'm ready for the NBA regular season to be over as I am sure there are a number
00:08of teams as well that that feel the same way at this point, Ben.
00:12Yeah, I think there are many that do.
00:15But Joe, if you are a team in a playoff position, to make a coaching change at this stage of
00:21the season would be rather shocking, which is what happened on Friday, right before the
00:27weekend got underway.
00:29The Memphis Grizzlies parting ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins during his years in the
00:34grind city, a very successful run for the Grizz.
00:39And right now, Joe, Memphis in the five spot at 44 and 30 hasn't been nearly as prolific
00:46for the Grizzlies since the all star break.
00:49But Taylor Jenkins fired by Memphis before this weekend got started on Friday afternoon.
00:56Yeah, and then miraculously, John Morant is all of a sudden able to play in some games
01:01and he's not on the injury list.
01:03That whole situation there is just not good.
01:08In no way, if anything stable in an organization, would you allow this to happen now, as opposed
01:15to the end of whatever it's going to be?
01:17It's going to be you can always fire him any, you know, as soon as the season is over.
01:20This makes no sense unless the inmates are running the asylum, so to speak.
01:26Yeah, Joan, I think there is a part of it to be said for sure that the players were
01:32not all that thrilled with Taylor Jenkins.
01:34Now, I can't say I'm up on Grizzlies chatter and Grizzlies rumor.
01:38But of course, I do follow our great sports grid host, Kevin Walsh, who is highly indebted
01:44to the NBA.
01:45And through his Twitter, I found out that some in Memphis Grizzlies Twitter thought
01:50there was writing on the wall that this could happen even at this stage of the season.
01:56Taylor Jenkins, who was there for six years in Memphis, including two years in 2021-22,
02:032022-23, where the Grizz finished second in the Western Conference standings.
02:10This year, 44-30, but just 8-12 in the 20 games since the All-Star break.
02:16Right now in the five spot at 44-30 in the NBA's Western Conference.
02:22So let's go to the Grizz as they are at home tonight in a Memphis matchup, catching five
02:26points against the Boston Celtics.
02:28Total stands at 236-and-a-half.
02:31Memphis has dropped two in a row, Joe.
02:33Can they find their footing tonight against the Seas?
02:36I thought we, you know, we had that old fired coach bounce idea, right?
02:40A couple of nights ago at Memphis, John Van Ant comes back, Desmond Bain, the whole crew
02:45is there.
02:46And what'd they do?
02:47Yeah, they probably lost at home to the Lakers, who weren't able to stop a nosebleed.
02:52Now the Celtics are coming to town and I want nothing to do with this Memphis team in this
02:59spot here.
03:00The Boston Celtics have already shown their second team can go in and light you up for
03:05130 points.
03:06I'm getting no defense.
03:08Memphis is a hot mess and they have been, Ben, for over the last month.
03:13Not against the Celtics am I backing them here tonight.
03:16No, I don't think you should, Joe.
03:18In that game, again, the interim head coaching bumps Saturday night without Taylor Jenkins
03:23for the first time against the Lakers.
03:25They were a slight home favorite in the grind city.
03:28They lost that game by seven, 134-127.
03:33Memphis has been a huge overteam all year.
03:36I'm not sure that slows down tonight.
03:38Meanwhile, Boston has won eight in a row.
03:41In the four games, the C's have been booked as a single digit favorite in this eight game
03:46win streak.
03:47Boston has covered the number every time, making things a little bit interesting atop
03:52the Eastern Conference, only a four and a half game difference for the C's and the Cavs
03:58right now.
04:00Cleveland should find its way to clinching that one seed very, very soon.
04:03Speaking of the Lakers, they are now back home.
04:06They host the Rockets late night in LA on this Monday.
04:10Four and a half point spread in favor of the Lakers.
04:13Total stands at 225.
04:14Can the Lakers continue their winning ways at home tonight against Houston?
04:19Well, they're good.
04:21This is going to be an interesting test, I think, for both these teams at this point.
04:25I do think if you like the Lakers, you probably like the over, Ben, right?
04:30Because there's no way I think they're going to create enough offense to stop the Rockets
04:35here.
04:36The big question is, can the Rockets defensively slow down Luka and LeBron and company?
04:42It's been a lot of overs for the Lakers here.
04:45Nine of their last 12 games have averaged 233 points.
04:49I like the Lakers.
04:50I love the over in this one.
04:52Four of their last five to the over, six of their last eight to the over.
04:57As Joe said, nine of their last 12 to the over as well.
05:01The Lakers playing a small bit of spoiler again, just about a point and a half underdog
05:06in Memphis on Saturday night.
05:08They won that game outright.
05:10They had dropped four of their last five entering, booked as a favorite in their last four, not
05:16covering a number in any of those four as the favored side.
05:21In some important playoff positioning in this matchup tonight, Houston currently the
05:26two seed in the Western Conference, a two game advantage over Denver, who has a game
05:31and a half lead over the LA Lakers, who has a game up over Memphis.
05:37All of those tied pieces here in the final two weeks of the regular season for NBA.
05:42Now, more NBA action on this Monday.
05:45Again, less than two weeks remain in the NBA regular season.
05:48Two weeks from yesterday will be that final day around the regular season, but still some
05:53playoff positioning to be ironed out as most teams have about six or seven games max remaining
06:00in this NBA campaign.
06:01Joe, that includes out in the Eastern Conference.
06:05The Indiana Pacers, as of this moment, the four seed with a game and a half lead over
06:09the Detroit Pistons, who now have a game and a half lead over the Milwaukee Bucs as the
06:14Bucs without Damian Lillard have been stumbling.
06:17Indiana at home tonight in Indy.
06:20The Pacers playing host to the Kings, five and a half points spread in favor of Indiana.
06:26Total stands at 233 and a hook.
06:28Where do you start your breakdown for this matchup in Indianapolis?
06:32While you had to start by, listen, Indiana would love to lock in that four seed, right?
06:37And get themselves a guaranteed home series there to start the postseason.
06:43That's a big advantage for them in this spot here.
06:47I can't trust Sacramento.
06:49I also can't trust the idea that I'd be sweating out an under in this game, Ben.
06:53Can you?
06:54So bonus looks like he's a go.
06:58As long as the Kings are going to push pace, and I think they will in this game, I don't
07:03see how this thing stays under the 234 and a half.
07:07It would only be favorites or the over for me in this one.
07:11Yeah, we're really talking bottom of the barrel stuff for the teams that are in play in consideration.
07:17Around the Western Conference, Indiana trying to solidify that four seed.
07:21This would help them a ton with that two game advantage right now, or the game and a half
07:26lead over Detroit to pick up a victory here.
07:29There's only about 567 games remaining for teams around the association.
07:33Joe, a game and a half might not seem like it's all that much to overcome, but you need
07:38to win all of your games or a lot of them.
07:40And you need the team to drop a majority of theirs down the final two weeks of this regular
07:45season.
07:46So Sacramento has dropped seven of its last 10.
07:49They are now in the 10 spot, the fourth and final in the Western Conference play in tournament.
07:55Only a half game behind the Mavericks, who somehow someway in the return of Anthony Davis
07:59might be a play in team Phoenix Suns after a four game win streak have now dropped three
08:05in a row.
08:06So Sacramento still a game and a half lead over Phoenix for that final spot in the Western
08:11Conference play in tournament.
08:13Speaking of the Mavs, Dallas at home tonight, hosting the Nets, nine points spread in favor
08:19of Dallas over under 218 and a hook.
08:22What's the play tonight, Joe, in Big D?
08:24Yeah, I mean, it's intriguing, right?
08:27Because the Mavericks, the Kings or the Suns, one of them is going to miss the postseason
08:31entirely here.
08:33So both of these, you know, this Dallas team is going to be fighting for its playoff lives
08:39over the next couple of weeks.
08:40Can I tell you something?
08:41I mean, kudos to Jason Kidd for holding it together and even giving them an opportunity,
08:47Ben, given all the injuries and all the craziness that they are even in a spot here to be able
08:53to make it.
08:55They have been feisty, but listen, the Nets don't win a lot of games, but you know what
08:59they do, Ben?
09:00They cover.
09:01They cover a lot.
09:03So depending on who's in there tonight might be worth taking the 10 points with the Brooklyn
09:07Nets who have not exactly been beaten by this kind of number by teams caliber of the
09:15Dallas Mavericks.
09:17So Anthony Davis returned exactly a week ago for the Dallas Mavericks.
09:21He has played three games.
09:23The Mavs have played four in all three games AD has returned.
09:28Dallas has won and covered in terms of the projected numbers for tonight, Anthony Davis
09:32does have a player prop out there, 23 and a half from the points perspective.
09:38If he is in there, I kind of lean with the Mavs and to your point, Joe, it's been a wild
09:44season in Dallas, right?
09:46Train Luka Doncic.
09:47People want Nico Harrison's head on a stake.
09:50You lose Anthony Davis after a sensational debut, three quarters into his start with
09:56the Mavs.
09:57You lose Kyrie Irving with a torn ACL for the remainder of this year, and yet the Mavericks
10:02are more than likely going to be a postseason team.
10:05If they can hold on here in the final 13 days of this NBA regular season, a testament to
10:11him.
10:12And frankly, it doesn't seem like the Phoenix Suns are going to put much of a charge into
10:18either the Kings or the Mavericks for those final two play in tourney spots out West show.
10:24It looks like this era of the big three, Katie D book, Bradley Beal coming to a close this
10:31summer in the Valley.
10:32Yeah.
10:33Oh, is Bradley Beal even still on the team?
10:35You wouldn't, you wouldn't know, given the fact that he's never healthy enough to play
10:40for anybody.
10:41But yes, I think changers are coming in the Phoenix area with their basketball team.
10:47An eight game NBA slate on this Monday, maybe we'll have a few plays for you just a little
10:53bit later on TV.
10:55Tom Vecchio provides that prompt perspective live right here on the early lineup.