🏀 And then there were four...

And then there were 4! The first elimination round of the In-Season Tournament (IST) was absolutely electric. We’ll get into that, but first, we have an equally exciting announcement:

Enjoy Winter '23 is coming just in time for the holidays…here's a sneak peek below at the Shooting Stars Collection. Available on Thursday at 3 PM EST, only at www.enjoybball.com 

Today’s Lineup

🌟 Lakers to Vegas: LeBron triumphs over KD and the Suns in IST

🚗 Perfect Pacers: Tyrese’s signature game had the Indy crowd rocking

🏀 Efficiency King: How Malik Monk is having his most efficient year yet!

Last Night’s Action

Lakers Triumph Over Suns in Controversial Thriller

Kevin Durant and LeBron James dropped 31 apiece in a back-and-forth slugfest between Western Conference powerhouses, but the Lakers ultimately prevailed 106-103. In this one, the last 5 minutes were a freakin’ fever dream. King James went on a dominant personal run including a pair of nifty buckets to put LA in front. But with the Lakers offense struggling to close out, the ball didn’t go to LeBron or AD. Instead, Austin Reaves (20 points) called his own number and drilled a dagger pull-up three! 

After that, KD and Devin Booker (21 points) got some quick buckets to cut the lead to one. Reaves lost control of the ball on the Lakers inbound but got bailed out by a controversial timeout call. Fast forward to Anthony Davis (27 points) going 1 for 2 at the free throw line and allowing Phoenix to tie, but KD missed a heavily contested deep ball as time expired.

Seriously, is there anything better than a LeBron vs. KD duel? Maybe a LeBron vs. Steph duel. We can’t imagine what a series with all three would look like…

Bucks Boat Race Knicks Behind Giannis’ 35

The Bucks outscored the Knicks 146-122 in an offensive explosion that will undoubtedly give Coach Tom Thibodeau insomnia for the next month. Milwaukee, led by Giannis’ overwhelming 35 points and 10 assists, shot 60% from the field and beyond the arc (see all 23 triples here). The Greek Freak’s slashing opened up the perimeter for Damian Lillard, who had an efficient 28-point night.

In the first half, New York put up a great fight. Julius Randle continued to silence the haters as he was a perfect 9/9 from the field at halftime and finished with a season-high 41 points against the physical Bucks D. It was just a 3-point game at halftime, but the Bucks boat raced that Bing Bong defense in the third quarter and beyond. Milwaukee will face Indiana in Las Vegas on Thursday at 5 p.m. EST.

Monday Night Notes

Monday was the first-ever night of the IST bracket, and it didn’t disappoint! Here’s the lowdown:

Pacers Prevail Over Celtics in Electric Playoff Atmosphere

This was it—the game that officially made the In-Season Tournament a success. Indiana was a playoff atmosphere on Monday night as Tyrese Haliburton splashed his way to a 26-point triple-double, including a ridiculous 4-point play that just might be the best moment of the tournament. Aaron Nesmith was huge with 14 points, two of which came on a late-game dunk that sent the stadium into a frenzy.

Tied at 105 apiece with under two minutes, Indy went on an electric 9-0 run to advance. Despite Jayson Tatum’s smooth 32 points, Indiana knocked off a Celtics squad who were the overall favorites (+300) to win the tournament.

We can tell this tournament really matters for Indiana; Halliburton is giving us his first “superstar” moments, and the Pacers bench, two-thirds of whom make less than $3 million annually, are going berserk for that extra $500K. Good job, Adam Silver!

Pelicans blow by Kings behind Ingram’s 30

Brandon Ingram poured in 30 points, hitting big shot after big shot as the Pelicans handled the Kings 127-117. We loved seeing Herb Jones add a 23-piece and wreak havoc on the defensive end, both at the rim and on the exterior.

For Sacramento, De’Aaron Fox had a swift 30, Domantas Sabonis dropped a 26-point triple-double on his Lithuanian compatriot Jonas Valanciunas, and Malik Monk drilled five threes to keep them in it when the offense dried up. But in the end, New Orleans advanced to the semis and will face the Lakers in Las Vegas on Thursday at 9 p.m. EST.

Latest News

The NBA revealed the hardware 🏆 for the In-Season Tournament! The sterling silver and 24-karat gold NBA Cup has a classy, futuristic design. Instead of rings, each winning player will get a medal featuring a silhouette of the NBA Cup on the reverse, along with four extruding basketballs to represent the four teams advancing to the semifinals in Las Vegas.

At the end of the In-Season Tournament, the five players selected to the All-Tournament team will receive trophies composed of a solid black crystal basketball with gold channels and a bracket motif representing the knockout rounds—we think this is the coolest one 🤫 Take a look here for a better view ⬇️

Beyond the Box Score

It’s time for Beyond the Box Score, the segment where we shine a light on the under-the-radar numbers that speak to a player’s excellence. This week, we're zeroing in on a player who's been lighting it up from downtown but doesn't always get the props he deserves: Malik Monk of the Sacramento Kings 👑 

After starting half of his games for the Lakers, Malik's now bringing the heat off the bench for Sacramento, averaging an impressive 21 points per 36 minutes. In this role, he's not just a sparkplug—he's a freakin’ microwave. How’s he doing this? Plainly put, Monk’s has never been this efficient from three. He’s shooting career highs in True Shooting Percentage and PER. We’d especially like to highlight his shooting from above the break (the hashmark on the wing). He’s taking these more frequently than ever and posting the highest percentage from this range in his career! This soft touch translates elsewhere, too: Monk's even swishing free throws at a career-best rate. 

Let's get a bit nerdier 🤓 shall we? Monk's rocking a 115 offensive rating this year, even outdoing last year's 114—and remember, that was part of the statistically greatest offense of all time! His offensive box plus-minus has skyrocketed from a steady zero (an NBA Average Joe) to a whopping 3.2. The dude has taken his offense to the next level in Sac-Town, so next time you're watching the Kings, keep an eye out for some Malik offensive magic 🪄

Three in the Key

• Boardroom cover athlete Anthony Edwards had a super interesting conversation about his signature shoe and KD’s hoops influence 🔥 

• Tacko Fall absolutely obliterated this poor dude with a dunk 😭 

• We swear this LeBron pass changed direction mid-air 🤔 

What We’re Enjoying

Enjoy Basketball founder Kenny Beecham had the one and only Naz Reid on The Kenny Beecham Podcast to talk about why the Minnesota Timberwolves are playing so great! Watch on Spotify, Apple, or right below ⬇️ to see two fun dudes talk high-level hoops:

Signing Off

🚨 BUZZZZZZ 🚨 That’s the buzzer cutting off this edition of Enjoy Basketball. Stay in play and keep your love for the game alive until we catch up again on Friday, friends! ✌️

-Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: Hornets big man Mark Williams leads the NBA in offensive rating at a ridiculous 140! How does a player in the Charlotte offense lead this stat? The world may never know.