2025-11-14 04:24:39
Nikola Jokic had another one of those what the hell is happening right now performances Wednesday night, against the unbelievably depressing Los Angeles Clippers, posting 55 points on 23 shots, plus 12 rebounds and six assists. Because there is never just one way to gawk at Jokic's heroics, it is notable that this was only the fifth time in 11 games so far this season that Jokic has not posted a triple-double. The Clippers game-planned to limit his playmaking opportunities, opting for one-on-one defense with huge lummoxes Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez, and largely staying home on shooters. Jokic accepted the invitation and immediately mashed his counterparts to a slimy goo. He scored 25 points on 11 shots in the first quarter, and then scored 19 on perfect shooting in the third quarter, to push the Nuggets out to a commanding lead. It was only because the Clippers pretended to maintain any late competitive fire that Jokic was forced to participate for any portion of the fourth quarter, tipping home a rebound and burying a free throw before retiring for the final four minutes.
When it was Zubac, Jokic pushed him around down in the paint; when it was Lopez, Jokic bombed from the perimeter. Against both men he forced contact, dragged them into swirling actions at the elbow, and even outraced them in the open floor. It's all stuff you've seen Jokic do one million times, but it's still very fun sometimes to watch Jokic skip the elaborate table-setting and get straight down to the meal. Defend me straight up, will you? We'll just see about that! The demoralization of Zubac started very early, with some bruising backdowns and a couple of those arcing, fluttering shotput hooks, and then a big smooth dunk in transition. The Clippers still weren't double-teaming in the third, but all eyes were certainly on Jokic, and he was finally able to pass his teammates into some wide-open looks. It was a somewhat inverted masterpiece of a performance; Jokic was so dominant that his coach David Adelman had to sort of sheepishly swear that he meant no harm by simply inserting his best player into the game during the game's closing stages.
2025-11-14 04:01:40
Welcome back to The Not-So-Great Defector Bake Off, where Kelsey and Chris attempt to complete the technical challenges from the newest season of The Great British Bake Off in their own home kitchens, with the same time parameters as the professional-grade bakers competing on the show.
2025-11-14 02:44:57
Stefan Fatsis went 17 years between books, but you wouldn't say that he was taking it easy. He was on NPR and co-hosted Slate's Hang Up and Listen podcast for many years, and was writing big feature stories on a fairly regular cadence, but there was no new book until Unabridged, his excellent new history of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, American lexicography, and his experience while embedded with the dictionary's staff of lexicographers, came out last month. That it took nearly a month to get him on the podcast is a reflection of how busily he has been out there spreading the good word since that publication date. But we got him:
2025-11-14 01:59:35
Drew Magary’s Thursday Afternoon NFL Dick Joke Jamboroo runs every Thursday at Defector during the NFL season. Got something you wanna contribute? Email the Roo. You can also read Drew over at SFGATE, and buy Drew’s books while you’re at it.
By now you know that the only thing that The New York Times does well in 2025 is games. Using both Wordle—which the company bought from indie game designer Josh Wardle in 2022—and their popular daily crossword puzzle as twin anchors, the Times has built a Games app that has boosted the company’s revenues to record levels. The Times’ process for developing games is as thoughtful and deliberate as its reporting is not. So when the NYT Games team launches a new puzzle, I can usually count on it to be a worthy addition to their portfolio.
2025-11-14 00:40:42
After a brief foray into creatures big, flashy, and famous, we must return to form and focus on the spineless, creepy, and crawling. Today we're shining a spotlight on one of the most loathèd creepy-crawlers of all—the humble spider. You may fear them, what with their eight spindly legs and general can-do demeanor, but what if you found a little space in your heart, an open drawer or empty shelf, in which a small spider might find a home? Would not this small act of empathy expand the wonder and awe you felt the world offered you? Would not this simple act of grace make you feel a deeper connection to all creatures great and small?
If not, too bad! I've got two new spider web discoveries to share with you. We're talking spiders this month, and you're just going to have to deal. It is true that different spiders and their eclectic webs made it into the hallowed pages of Defector just last month, but such a coincidence does not detract in any way from the immediacy of these latest web-based discoveries. After all, what is a web for but to connect us all?
2025-11-14 00:13:32
Once every week or two, I swim molasses-slow laps at the YMCA. I’ve been on something of a fitness journey this year, testing out different forms of exercise to see what sticks—what feels the least torturous and humiliating as a fat person. Swimming appeals more than most activities I’ve tried. I like the quiet of being submerged in the water, where no one can talk to me as I try to remember to breathe.
I change as quickly as possible in the family locker room beforehand, because I’m not wanted in the women’s locker room. I learned this by experiencing several hostile interactions there with fellow members. Some of the cisgender women see me as a man invading their territory. They’ve told me so, and I’ve overheard them telling one another. “He said he’s a she,” one once loudly reported to her friend about me. (Wrong twice! I’m a they.) The Y staff has told me to both ignore the instigators and report their names, as if my harassers have stopped to properly introduce themselves.
