Season 2, Episode 7- Identities

In this week's episode of "Diehlman at Halftime," I discuss:

Highlight: Memphis Grizzlies
Lowlight: Indiana Pacers
Random Stat: Jalen Williams' dominant four-game stretch in late November
Game of the Week: L.A. Lakers @ Miami Heat

"Aurora" interlude music written by Jeff Kaale
https://uppbeat.io/t/jeff-kaale/aurora
License code: HJ6W88QKKUB00FNS

Intro/outro written by Larry Diehlman

Release date: Monday, Dec. 2, 2024

Chapters

• 0:15 Introduction
• 1:00 Overview of the NBA this Week
• 3:50 Highlight
• 5:40 Lowlight
• 7:35 Random Stat
• 9:28 Game of the Week
• 10:41 Conclusion

Transcript

Introduction: Hello everybody, and welcome to episode #42 of “Diehlman at Halftime,” the NBA podcast that tops all others! I’m your host, Larry Diehlman. If you’re joining us for the first time, welcome abroad. And if you’ve been a loyal listener, welcome back! We have much to get to today and not a lot of time to do it. We have five sections that we’ll get into: a general overview of the NBA this week, and our usual “Highlight, Lowlight, Random Stat, and Game of the Week.”

Overview of the NBA this Week: Now here’s a headline. Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards called out his own team this week, saying they’re “soft.” After a 115-104 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Edwards said: “Our identity right now is…we soft as hell as a team, internally. Not to the other team, but internally, we soft. We can’t talk to each other. Just a bunch of little kids. Just like we playing with a bunch of little kids. Everybody, the whole team…And we’ve got to figure it out, because we can’t go down this road.” Considering the Timberwolves are not in the top four seeds at the moment, as in 11th in the West coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance, he does have a point. The good news for Minnesota fans is that it’s still early in the season. It’s early December. There’s plenty of time to recover. Can the Timberwolves turn things around?

Brooklyn Nets star Cam Thomas is out 3-4 weeks with a hamstring issue. Thomas had 23 points in 23 minutes in Brooklyn’s game at Golden State last Monday before getting injured. He’s averaging career-highs in almost every major category, including 33.4 minutes, 24.7 points, 46.1% shooting, 38.9% three-point shooting, and 3.4 assists per game. Thomas is tied for his career-highs with 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game. The Nets are right in the thick of the play-in tournament seeds, so we’ll see if they can tread water while Thomas recovers. We hope he comes back stronger soon.

Finally, someone hit a milestone this week. L.A. Clippers star James Harden reached his 3,000th career triple on Sunday, joining Golden State’s Steph Curry as the only players to do so. Harden reached the threshold against the Denver Nuggets, as he casually flirted with a 39-point triple-double. Three triples in the first half put him over 3,000. What an accomplishment for Harden! I’m quite sure he won’t be passing Curry anytime soon (or ever). The Warriors’ flamethrower has 800 more three-pointers. Ray Allen, the record-holder just a few years ago, is now third. Damian Lillard might pass him soon too.

This episode is entitled “Identities.”

So, who’s raising eyebrows at the moment?

Highlight: After stumbling last season due to injuries galore, the Memphis Grizzlies appear to be right back to where they were before. The Grizzlies are 14-7, third in the West, and on a six-game winning streak. One of Memphis’ issues last year was that superstar Ja Morant returned from a 25-game suspension in December…before getting injured just nine games in. When Morant is on point, Memphis is tough to stop. He’s averaging 21.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a career-best nine assists per night. Two of the Grizzlies’ other weapons are Jaren Jackson Jr., who’s a defensive threat in the paint, and Desmond Bane. Jackson Jr. was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year just two seasons ago and is putting up 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Bane really stepped up last year in Morant’s absence, and everyone else’s absence for that matter. Other players in Memphis’ rotation include former Celtic Marcus Smart, who won DPOTY the year before Jackson Jr., Scotty Pippen Jr., who was our “Random Stat” three weeks ago, and rookie center Zach Edey. With an emphasis on defensive-minded players, it’s no surprise that the Grizzlies are near the top half of the league in points per game allowed. Will they be a true playoff threat in the coming months? Memphis’ next game is tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 8:30 p.m. They will be on the road to face the Dallas Mavericks.

Lowlight: Indiana sports were back on the map last season. Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers made the Eastern Conference Finals. Caitlin Clark dominated in her rookie season with the Fever. Now…meh. The Pacers are 9-12 and tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference with Brooklyn. Indiana exceeded expectations last season before Boston eliminated them in the Eastern Conference Finals. (They kept some of those games close, though). The franchise guy is Haliburton, who’s averaging 17 points, 8.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest. Compared to last season, Haliburton’s numbers have taken a step back, especially his questionable 40.5% from the field. Pascal Siakam, in his first full season in Indiana after being acquired from Toronto last year, is averaging 20.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and four assists. He’s hitting 41.3% of his triples, which is a career-best. What’s not helping the Pacers currently is their injury report. Starters Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith and reserve Ben Sheppard have been sidelined. The Pacers are down two backup centers to season-ending injuries. While Indiana’s run last year was impressive, I’m not sure they’ll replicate it in 2025. Boston and Cleveland are running the conference. Teams like Orlando and Milwaukee are heating up. It might be a long road for the Pacers this time around. Their next game is on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. They will be in Toronto to take on the Raptors.

Random Stat: Here’s a “Random Stat” that’s a mouthful. From Nov. 19-27, Oklahoma City’s Jalen “J-Dub” Williams had four straight games of 25+ points and 5+ assists on 50% shooting at 23 years old or younger. Some of you might claim “That’s such an ESPN-type stat.” Well, I found it on NBA History’s X page, so... The other 10 players to do this: Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bernard King, Reggie Theus, Michael Jordan, Kevin Johnson, LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Zion Williamson, and Tyrese Haliburton. Dončić, Williamson, and Haliburton are some of the top players in today’s game. Guys like Robertson, Abdul-Jabbar, James, and Jordan are obviously Hall-of-Famers. Basically, this is a good list of players to be with. With Williams’ help, the Thunder went 3-1 in that aforementioned four-game stretch. Three of them were road contests. “J-Dub” has been a building block for Oklahoma City’s young core, and he’s a big reason why they’re at the top of the Western Conference. He’s averaging career-highs across the board, including doubling his steals per game average from last season (we mentioned “J-Dub” being near the top of the league in steals per game in last week’s “Random Stat,” when we discussed Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels). Williams has also stepped up in the absence of Chet Holmgren, who’s out for a while with a hip issue. Williams being this consistent means the Thunder will see plenty of “dubs” in the future.

Game of the Week: For this week’s “Game of the Week,” let’s go with L.A. Lakers @ Miami Heat. This game is on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. While neither of these teams is leading their respective conference or on a crazy win streak, they still are part of the NBA’s upper echelon. Miami always prides itself on defense and “Heat Culture.” J.J. Redick has breathed life into the Lakers, who were dead on arrival last year. You know what’s interesting about this matchup? Some were considering Redick to be a potential second coming of Pat Riley, the president of the Heat. As head coach, Riley led L.A. through the “Showtime” Lakers era, and he also won a championship with Miami. This is Redick’s first coaching gig ever. As for Wednesday, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo will be looking for a home victory against LeBron James and Anthony Davis. This should be a good game, but I’ll take the Heat 110-106.

Conclusion: Well, that’s all the time we have for today. If you haven’t already, make sure to follow me on social media. I have two X (or Twitter) accounts and two Instagram accounts. The podcast accounts are under @Diehlman_NBA for both X and Instagram. My personal X account is @LarryDiehlman18, and my personal Instagram is @mr_sports18. They’re also in the description on Buzzsprout, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And don’t forget to spread the word about “Diehlman at Halftime!” See you next time, fellow hoops fans!