Jarrett Allen Has Been Dominating And Cam Thomas May Save The Bucks

Jason Miller. Getty Images.

This is NBA Brain Food, the blog written about every NBA team by the super fans that never miss a night. This is the Eastern Conference blog. Catch up on the Western Conference here.

As always, we start at the top:

1) Detroit Pistons (40-13, 1st in the East) via Adam M

- Heading into All Star break the Detroit Pistons are the first place team in the league sitting at 40-13, putting them .5 game up on the Thunder and 5.5 up on the Celtics in the East

- Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart were each suspended for the altercation that took place in the Hornets win. Duren is serving two games, while Stewart faces seven games. Those seven games include the Thunder/Spurs/Knicks and Cavs 

- In the Pistons first game missing their two bigs, b-ball Paul Reed stepped up in a massive role shooting 10-17 from the field and finish with 22 points in their win over the Raptors

- Cade Cunningham deservingly gets his first start in the NBA All-Star game this weekend, with Duren receiving his first All Star appearance. Duren will still be able to participate in the game, despite the suspension 

- After the break, it’s all hands on deck as the Pistons come back facing the Knicks, Bulls, Spurs, Thunder, and Cavs within a span of 8 days. This stretch will be telling for the remainder of the year

2) Boston Celtics (35-19, 2nd in the East) via Dan F

- The Celtics enter the all-star break with sole possession of the 2 seed and eerily similar stats across the board to last season at this time. The Celtics have an offensive rating of 120.2 (2nd in NBA), a defensive rating of 112.6 (9th in NBA), and a 7.5 net rating (3rd in NBA), compare that to last season where those numbers were 118.8 OFF RTG (4th in NBA), 109.6 DEF RTG (5th in NBA), and 9.2 NET RTG (3rd in NBA).

- Friday night brought us the highly anticipated Celtics debut of Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic started the game on the bench, but ended up playing the most minutes of any Celtics center in what happened to be a close two-point victory over Miami. He posted a double-double to go along with four assists as “VOOOOOOOOCH” bellowed from the Garden crowd. After three games in with Vucevic, the skill I’m most excited about is his passing abilities. He’s a well-known rebounder, but his vision and ball distribution are very solid for a big man. With the number of shooters the Celtics have on the floor at any given time, having a center that can draw guys into the paint and have his pick of who to pass out to for an open shot is going to add another layer to this offense.

- I put the Knicks Super Bowl Sunday game out of my mind as it just added to the sting of the Patriots loss, but here goes nothing. The Celtics were simply terrible, no other way around it. The Celtics shot just 7-41 (17%) from deep and 34-92 (37%) from the floor while the Knicks shot 48% from the field and 40% from deep. I won’t sit here and call an early February game a “must-win” but it would have been a good one to add on before the break. Happy for Knicks fans though, because they were able to win their season Super Bowl that day.

- Wednesday brought in the new-look Bulls in what ended in a commanding 124-105 Celtics victory. The result of this one wasn’t surprising, but I wanted to take a moment to shout out Baylor Scheierman. Since 2/3 (last five games), Scheierman has at least 5 rebounds in each game, with one 10 board showing and a career-high 13 boards against the Knicks. He has also scored double-digits three times in this stretch, before this he reached double-digit points four times this season. Scheierman has really provided fantastic minutes for the C’s and will be a key rotation piece as we head towards the playoffs.

Half-way Superlatives:

- MVP- Jaylen Brown: JB has been the clear cut MVP of not only the Celtics but maybe the entire NBA. Averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists, JB will spend his break trying to get a win for Team Stripes At the All-Star game.

- Most Improved- Neemias Queta: There are a lot of candidates for this one but the jump Queta had to take this year was almost required in order for this team to have a serviceable starting Center. Queta has responded massively with career-high’s in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in what has been a stellar first half for the fan favorite.

- Second Half Sleeper: This one is a little tough because if you’ve been watching the Celtics its hard to classify Gonzalez or Walsh as “sleepers”, so give me Rutgers product Ron Harper Jr. Do I think a guy who has received minutes in a total of ten games this year is going to start dropping 30 twice a week? No. However, I do believe that Harper Jr. can play a solid role for us off a bench that just lost Anfernee Simons. Harper Jr. got a surprising start against Houston on 2/4 and put up 11 points and 9 hard earned rebounds. Will he make the most of his new found opportunity? Or will he disappear into whatever Josh Minott’s role was (it was nothing).

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3) New York Knicks (35-20, 3rd in the East) via Rebecca C

- After the 8 game win streak, the Knicks went 2-2 over the 4 games before the All-Star break. The new addition of Jose Alvarado has worked out great. OG missed all four games with a toe avulsion. Here’s the rundown:

- KAT (and OG) were out against Detroit, and we needed them. The defense was nonexistent and the shots weren’t falling. The Knicks shot 29-82 while Detroit shot 44-83. The Knicks will get another shot at the Pistons at MSG after the all-star break.

- The Knicks had to bounce back quickly for a day game in Boston. The defense was up to the challenge, holding the Celtics to 37% FG shooting. Jose Alvarado’s Knick debut was felt immediately. He brought a spark to the second unit, with 12 points, 2 steals, and a block. Mo Diawara was the defensive player of the game while shooting 4-4 from the field (2-2 from downtown). Brunson continued to be a distributor with 8 assists (plus 31 points). 

- Josh Hart had a triple double (15 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists) in the overtime game against the Pacers, but it wasn’t enough. Mitch was out (still not playing in back to back games) and the defense felt his absence. Brunson had 40 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. KAT tied the game with clutch free throws at the end of regulation, but committed his 6th foul (offensive) early in overtime.

- They had a quick turnaround game in Philly, and the Knicks were hitting on all cylinders. They had 41 assists on 48 field goals. Josh was headed towards another triple double with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists when the starters were taken out early in the 4th quarter.  An example of the Knicks transition to a less Brunson-centric offence: they scored 138 points and Brunson only took 6 shots. Jose Alvarado put on a show with 26 points (8-13 from downtown), 4 assists and 5 steals in 18 minutes. All this to the delight of the many Knicks fans who showed up in Philly.

- The Knicks picked up Jeremy Sochan on Thursday, who should make his debut when they take on the Pistons at MSG following the All-Star break.

4) Cleveland Cavaliers (34-21, 4th in the East) via Joe R

- Cleveland has been on a heater lately. Over their last 15 games, the Cavs are 12-3 and scoring 120.6 ppg. They’ve found their groove… and still don’t have Evan Mobley or Max Struss. Currently sitting 4th in the east on a 5 game win streak…. Watch out Boston and New York.

- James “Honeymoon” Harden has been very fun so far. The vibe of the team has clearly shifted and they all seem to have a real belief now. His playmaking ability and effect he has on spacing has been great.

- Jarrett Allen has been hooping. Over his last 5 games he’s averaged 24 points and 12 boards. Mobley and Allen are likely going to feel the effect of hardens presence the most.

- Cleveland smoked Washington on Wednesday 138-113 and despite Donovan Mitchell’s 30pt performance, Sam Merrill was the true killer. Merrill had 32pts, 5 boards, shooting 10 threes and making 9 of them. 

- Cavs have the “easiest” remaining schedule and the most games against “tanking” teams. These final 27 games will be crucial to keep the vibes going and getting harden comfortable on this team.

5) Toronto Raptors (32-23, 5th in the East) via Shay

- Since February 5th, the Toronto Raptors have gone 2–1, showing flashes of offensive firepower while still battling inconsistency on the defensive end.

- The stretch started with a strong win over Chicago where Brandon Ingram erupted for 33 points, looking every bit like the Raptors’ go to scorer late in games. When Ingram is efficient from midrange and getting to the line, Toronto’s offense opens up quickly and their team totals tend to climb.

- They followed that up with another impressive win against Indiana, powered by Scottie Barnes stuffing the stat sheet with a dominant double double performance. Barnes continues to be Toronto’s most reliable all around contributor, making his rebounds and double double props attractive, especially against teams that struggle on the glass.

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- The only blemish came in a loss to Detroit where the offense stalled. Immanuel Quickley still led the way, but when he is forced into tough shots and the team is not pushing pace, Toronto tends to fall short of expectations against the spread.

Betting trends to note:

- Raptors scoring jumps when Ingram and Quickley both clear 20 points.

- Barnes double double value remains strong.

- Toronto has been stronger offensively at home but vulnerable defensively if they start slow.

- Small sample, but the formula is clear. When the top three click together, this team is competitive and dangerous.

6) Philadelphia 76ers (30-24, 6th in the East) via Devin C

- The Sixers bounced back from a disappointing loss to the Lakers with a strong road win over the Suns on Saturday night. Joel Embiid continued his recent dominance, putting up 33 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. His 4‑for‑7 shooting from three was another encouraging sign that he’s returning to near–peak form. Earlier in the season, his three‑point shot was nowhere near this level—likely tied to conditioning issues or lingering hesitation with his knees, since he tends to rely more on a set shot than a true jumper.

- Tyrese Maxey didn’t shoot particularly well from deep again (3‑for‑10), which wasn’t ideal following his 1‑for‑9 performance on Thursday. But what makes Maxey special is his ability to score at all three levels. He consistently got to the rim, knocked down some smooth mid‑range looks, and still finished with a strong line: 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. The vibes were high, too, with Maxey, Embiid, and Edgecombe all rocking white headbands—an idea Maxey spearheaded to switch things up.

- But as the week went on, the team hit a new low.

- Joel Embiid missed the final two games before the All‑Star break: the last leg of the West Coast trip in Portland and then a home matchup against division rival New York. There isn’t much to recap from those two games, the Sixers were outscored by a combined 66 points. Maxey still managed to drop 30 in each matchup, so he deserves some love heading into his first All‑Star Game start this weekend.

- From the outside, the hope is that holding Joel out was simply a way to give him nearly two full weeks of rest before the playoff push after the break. But the team’s performances without Embiid and PG raise real questions about why the front office failed to add meaningful depth at the deadline, especially given that they traded away one of their few reliable bench scorers in sending McCain to OKC. We’ll get into that next.

- In his first four games with the Thunder, Jared McCain looks like he’s fitting in seamlessly with the defending champions. Despite playing just 18.5 minutes per night, he’s averaging nearly 10 points per game and shooting an impressive 42.9% from three on 3.5 attempts.

- What stings even more than seeing his immediate success outside of Philadelphia is hearing how emotional the Sixers were when asked about his departure. Kyle Lowry, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid all spoke highly of McCain after the trade, each noting not only his talent but the positive energy he brought to the locker room. Their tone said it all—the team genuinely misses him.

- This has the potential to become one of those trades that haunts Philadelphia for years if McCain continues to develop. And it highlights a recurring concern: while Daryl Morey excels at analytics-driven roster building, his blind spot often lies in the intangibles—the “unmeasurables” like team chemistry, vibes, and interpersonal relationships. Those weaknesses were on full display with this move, and they’re becoming harder to ignore

7) Orlando Magic (28-25, 7th in the East) via Mason M

- As we approach the all star break or “halfway” mark of the season I have chosen to take a Quick Look back at the season. 

- So far this season is not even close to what Magic fans, Magic players, Magic front office, coaches, media etc. thought it would go. Nearly everyone thought with the addition of Desmond Bane this team would be challenging for the East #1 spot. However this year has been challenging. Starting with the injuries. That started with Paolo missing a couple weeks, Mo Wagner coming back from a torn ACL and Suggs being in and out of the lineup. The big injury being Franz hurting his ankle, coming back after missing a month just to get hurt a few games later.

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- Outside of injuries the Magic and head coach Mosley have had trouble with the on floor rotation. Which has caused the Magic to drop from a top 5 defensive team from last year to a mid level defensive team. Some reports are also stating that there is a disconnect between Paolo and Mosley, both have denied it and publicly supported each other. However in game, team huddles and post game interactions between the two have been less than promising as they rarely interact which leads me to believe there is something there even if it’s a disagreement on offensive play calls

- Some bright spots have been the emergence of Anthony Black and Desmond Bane being the player the Magic have traded for. AB has been playing at an All Star level with the addition of Shammgod as a coach AB has flourished. Averaging 16ppg 4reb and 4 asst.

- As we come out of the All Star break The Magic look to get back to full health and get primed to make a playoff run. Look to the Magic coaches to get the rotation problem fixed too as the Magic have been the worst team versus opposing PG. #playthesong

8) Miami Heat (29-27, 8th in the East) via Nicky Smokes

- This team stinks. What do you know—another trade deadline has come and gone, and Pat Riley was once again asleep at the wheel. Same song and dance every year: hype up the “big splash” move, convince ourselves something massive is coming, and then walk away with absolutely nothing.

- The Heat are 2–1 in their last three games, but injuries are already piling up again. Shocker. Tyler Herro still has no timeline—dude is never available, and I’m officially over it. You can’t build around someone who’s constantly on the injury report.

- That said, Bam has been an absolute monster with guys going down. Kel’el Ware looks like a walking double-double, and Jaquez has quietly been playing some solid basketball lately. It’s honestly bizarre how this team seems more competent when key players are out than when everyone’s actually healthy.

- At the end of the day, though, we all know how this story ends. Another year, another Miami Heat team scraping into the play-in and convincing themselves they’re one move away.

9) Charlotte Hornets (26-29, 9th in the East) via Jake L

- The Hornet have beat the Hawks twice this week, once on Saturday and again Wednesday night. This is helped propel them into the 9th seed heading into All-Star Weekend.

- The Pistons game was pretty wild. The first half was very physical and the Hornet had the lead going into the 2nd quarter, but the Pistons dominated the boards in the 2nd quarter and they shot 67% in that quarter which ignited everything.

- Duren and Moussa Diabate have hated each other since high school. Moussa went to IMG while Duren went to Monteverde and they had some heated battles and one instance where they needed to be separated. So, in the 3rd quarter on Monday night, after a hard foul by Moussa, the two of them go at it. You’ve all seen the videos so I don’t need to explain what happened, but Miles Bridges inserting himself into the mix was completely unnecessary and Beef Stew tried to check him for it.

- After the ejections, Charles Lee would later get ejected after disputing a foul call by walking onto the court and punching air (kind of a wild move). I love him showing some passion and fighting for his guys because the refs were calling everything on the ball, but nothing off of it. The Hornets would lose this game but only by 6.

- The Hornets have shown they’re a legit playoff team when healthy. Over the last 15 games they’re tied for the best winning percentage, 2nd in offensive rating, 6th in defensive rating, and 6th in net rating. The loss of Moussa and Miles won’t effect them too much, but they’ll struggle with bench scoring until Coby White is able to return in early – mid March.

10) Atlanta Hawks (26-30, 10th in the East) via Josh W

- The Hawks go into the All Star break on a losing streak. It just doesn't make sense, this team will win 3 games and then lose 4. And its been like this for a few years. 

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- After moving within a game of the 6 seed, they fall back down to the 10 spot. 

- They lose twice to the Hornets within a week and get pummeled by the Timberwolves. 

- Honestly things don't look great and a large portion of Hawks fans are not happy with Quin Snyder. I've always been a Quin guy but its getting loud in Atlanta in a bad way. 

- Jalen Johnson will make his All Star weekend debut and Zaccharie Risacher will play in the rising stars game. So I guess there is some positives there. Jalen still leads the Hawks in points, rebounds, and assists with 23/10/8. 

- Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been slumping a little but still averages 20 ppg. 

- Dyson Daniels missed a couple games and you could really tell the Hawks needed him defensively, even if he cant drop the ball in the ocean on offensive. 

- Okongwu came back from his mouth surgery after getting elbowed with a couple good performances but still getting outmatched on defense. 

- The Hawks have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to be in the playoffs but maybe the break is just what they need. 

11) Chicago Bulls (24-31, 11th in the East) via Anthony T

- New look Bulls are certainly interesting

- Collin Sexton fined 35K for flipping off the rim

- Jaden Ivey had a NBA 2K glitch on a turnover against the Nuggets

- Anfernee Simons hasn’t been too bad

- 6 straight losses with the latest being a BTA by the Celtics

- Just stay bad enough to get a better % in the lottery

- Giddey continues to deal with a hamstring issue, should be back after the All Star break

And via Mikey Bets

Welp we finally found out which path the Bulls are taking. Two years too late they finally decided to tank. Never in my life did I think I could see worse than the tail end of the GarPax era. The only bright side to this Bulls team is watching Collin Sexton play like a psychopath, Yabu shoot 3s and Stacey King coming up with new nicknames mid game. We haven’t had any luck in the draft since 2008. Maybe we’re due? I guess only time will tell. If we can’t secure a top 5 draft pick we MUST find a star player to acquire or the Bulls are doomed until 2030 (probably longer) each day that passes we get further and further from the Jordan era and closer to irrevelency. The Bulls are the reason I’m going to Turkey for more hair because they made me lose it watching them the past 10 years. Fingers crossed for Boozer, until then Jerry will continue milking money out of the DRose Tour. 

12) Milwaukee Bucks (23-30, 12th in the East) via Colin B

- As we've reached the All-Star break, the Bucks have found some nice momentum. Winning 5 of their last 6, Milwaukee's additions at the deadline have provided a great boost to the team and made the Bucks much more enjoyable to watch. With wins this week over the Pacers, the Magic, and the Thunder in Oklahoma City, the Bucks said tanking be damned, we want a shot at the postseason. And with Giannis eyeing a return within the next couple of weeks, the Bucks might just continue their winning ways.

- Since my last update, the Bucks signed former Brooklyn Nets G Cam Thomas. Thomas, 24 years old, has always been known as a prolific scorer, albeit highly streaky and volatile. However, his game has always lacked balance, particularly defensively, which led to him being waived in Brooklyn. Over his career, Thomas has averaged 

- In his three games so far with Milwaukee, Thomas has been stellar. In only Thomas' second game with the Bucks, he scored 34 points on 12-20 from the field, including the dagger three to seal the win over the Magic. After the game, Coach Doc Rivers compared him to legendary 6th men Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford, and envisions a role similar for Thomas. While there is no doubt Thomas can provide great scoring off the bench, I do worry his addition to the roster could hinder the development of a guy like Ryan Rollins, who has made such great strides. Thomas is so ball dominant, and tends to takes possessions over by himself rather than score through the flow of the offense. Hopefully Doc Rivers and the coaching staff can strike a nice balance between free-flowing ball movement and Thomas isolation ball.

- The other new guy, Ousmane Dieng, acquired from the Bulls at the trade deadline, has been fantastic as well. In the two games where he's seen substantial minutes, Dieng is averaging 18 PPG, 7 RPG, and 3 APG, while also shooting a combined 8-14 from 3 over those two games. Dieng was instrumental in the Bucks upset win over the Thunder last night, scoring and playmaking against his former team. I am really excited to watch Dieng's continued growth and feel like he could be a key piece moving forward.

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- Also of note, Kevin Porter Jr. has returned from his oblique injury, which had kept him out since mid January. KPJ has averaged 19.8 PPG and 8.4 APG since his return, but has struggled from 3 point range, only 2 for his last 18 over the last 5 games.

- With the All-Star break, the Bucks don't play again until 2/20, taking on the Pelicans in New Orleans before returning home for a four game homestand.

13) Brooklyn Nets (15-38, 13th in the East) via Justin S

- The Nets went 2-1 this past week and are officially the only ethical tankers in the league. They will sit guys here and there but not without reason, not all at once and definitely not in the fourth quarter. In their close win against the Bulls, Nic Claxton played 30+ minutes and put up 28-10-4. In a full-on tank battle against the Pacers, who rolled a lineup out of G Leaguers, the Nets still found a way to lose a close one because they just stink. 

- Dayron Sharpe continues to be the best back up big in the league. Sharpe’s averages in 8 games with 26+ minutes under Jordi Fernandez - 29.7 mpg, 15 ppg, 11.6 rpg (6.1 oreb), 4.3 apg, 3 stk, 74.5% TS. 

- Egor Demin is headed to All-Star weekend to play in the rising stars game. The NBA has been pushing this USA vs World narrative and it is a shame the NBA chose to showcase guys like Bobby Portis and One legged Lillard in the 3pt Shootout over an international prospect like Demin. 3gor is shooting over 40% from three on more than six attempts per game. He set an NBA rookie record with a three-pointer in 34 consecutive games and has the second most threes made through a player’s first 40 career games, trailing only Kon Knueppel, who is having a historically great rookie season.

- Nolan Traore continues to impress after the slow start to his rookie season. He scores at all three levels, penetrating the paint consistently, and makes all of the passes. Over the last four games Traore is averaging 17.3 ppg, 8.0 apg, 2.8 rpg on 59.1% fg, 46.7% 3pt 

14) Indiana Pacers (15-40, 14th in the East) via Ryan S

- The league fined the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for sitting players that could have played (tanking), yet the Pacers continue to find ways to win games. After losing games against the Bucks (99-105) and the Raptors (104-122), the Pacers grabbed an OT win in MSG against the Knicks (137-134) and win in Brooklyn (115-110) the night after. 

- Kobe Brown made his Pacers debut against the Knicks scoring 8 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in 19 minutes. He shot 3/4 from the floor. Ivica Zubac is expected to make his debut after the All-Star break. 

- Siakam (30 pts), Nembhard (24 pts, 10 ast) and Jackson (19pts on 5/7 shooting) lead the way for the Pacers against the Knicks. The bench played great shooting 62% from the floor. A huge factor of the game was 3PT shooting, the Pacers finished at 40% while holding the Knicks to 30%.

- The next night, the Pacers sat Siakam, McConnell, Nembhard and Nesmith against the Nets. The Pacers (Noblesville Boom) fell behind early and trailed until the 4th quarter where they battled back to win 115-110. Jarace Walker had 23 points, Micah Potter scored 19 and grabbed 12 rebounds, Kam Jones hit a dagger 3 to seal the game. Ethan Thompson finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and no turnovers. It was another team effort to grab the second win of the back-to-back.

- We will see if the league continues to fine the Pacers for sitting their starters. One thing is clear, the Pacers players will continue to play hard every night regardless of any tanking attempts. 

15) Washington Wizards (14-39, 15th in the East) via Rob G

- The Washington Wizards played three games this week and lost all three of them. This is great news for the rank race. Against Brooklyn, Will Riley scored his career high scoring 27 points while shooting 10/19 from the field. Will Riley keeps developing every time he touches the court. He has the ability to score inside or make defenders miss inside. 

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- Alex Sarr was diagnosed with a thigh tightness and is expected to miss two weeks. Sadly, he will now miss the rising star game. Replacing him in the Rising Star game will be Bub Carrington. That makes three of the Wizkids playing on this team. Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, and now Bub Carrington.

- The league is beginning to hand out fines to teams tanking. The Jazz and Pacers received fines for this. Luckily the Wizards are tanking ethically and did not receive a fine. 

- GM Will Dawkins says he expects both Trae Young and Anthony Davis to be able to play this year. They are both going to be reevaluated after the all-star break. I’m looking forward to seeing how these two mesh with the young core this year and see how they will look for years to come.