Duke Sizemore here, and today the preseason market is throwing RED FLAGS all over the Western Conference! Here’s what we’ve got today: Phoenix, Memphis and Dallas all sliding, a couple of rebounds that need serious context, and Boston carrying one ugly Philadelphia finish into the fall.
Okay, okay, okay, check this board! Phoenix drops 9.7 rating points in a DAY and is now down 37.1 since August 14. Memphis loses another 9 and has fallen 48 over that same stretch, with the data linking that move to the reported Kentavious Caldwell-Pope buyout and move to Philadelphia. Dallas? Down 8.4 today, down 48.6 since the fourteenth. Three Western teams, three meaningful moves!
And yes, the Clippers are still the biggest faller: another 10.2-point drop today, making it a massive minus-94.9 since August 14. Their market Elo is down to 1324.9 amid the reported NBA inquiry involving the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard. That slide is continuing, so keep it circled.
Now watch the rebounds, because the one-day number does NOT tell the whole story! New Orleans jumps 8.4 today — nice! But zoom out and the Pelicans are still down 81.3 since August 14. Sacramento gains 3.9 and remains down 52. The Lakers gain 6.4, but they’re still down 8.7 across the wider window. Utah is the mirror image: down 5 today, yet still UP 27.9 since August 14. Context, baby! Context!
Now THIS has my attention in Boston. The Celtics enter preseason fourth on the board at a 1635.1 preseason Elo, but their tracked finish was ice cold: three straight losses to Philadelphia after two consecutive wins over the Sixers. That recent swing comes to minus-38.9. The final three scores: 113-97, 106-93 and 109-100, all Philadelphia.
And Boston has two personnel notes to track: Jayson Tatum is listed day-to-day with a knee issue, while Jordan Walsh has agreed to a three-year, 15-million-dollar extension through 2029-30.
No games to fake up for you today, and Summer League is stale. The next confirmed game on this board is Miami at Toronto on October 3. Until then, we track the movement and we track the context! This is COURT VISION: The Daily Brief. Duke Sizemore, out!