🏀 And the 2023 MVP is...

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Hope your day is going well! We’re in a celebratory mood today—check out our picks for the NBA Fan Favorites awards on NBA.com! Our Best Photo selection is incredible, and our Fashion MVP might turn some heads 👀 

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month, so take some time to rest, talk to those around you, and appreciate the wonderfulness that is the world!

Today’s Lineup

Bow down to the Brow: AD asserted his will and stole Game 1 in Golden State.

A Step-Back in Time: Prime Harden ravaged Boston for 48 points and a W.

The Process Completed: Joel Embiid is your 2023 NBA MVP!

PrizePicks

PrizePicks helps you Enjoy hoops on the next level! The daily fantasy app lets you pick if a player will have “MORE” or “LESS” than their projection for all kinds of stats. You can win big $$$ even if you don’t hit every pick!

Here’s our board for tonight. After raining in threes in a loss, we think Devin Booker will shoot less and attack the rim more. After a 39-point masterclass, we see Nikola Jokic dropping dimes out of double teams. And how could you not count on the GOAT Derrick White?

Sounds good, right? Sign up HERE or down below and use promo code “ENJOY” to receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100! You know hoops? You love the game? You like 💰? Of course you do. So what are you waiting for?

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Last Night’s Action

Lakers steal Game 1 on the road 117-112

Los Angeles walked into the raucous Chase Center and outplayed the defending champs last night. Anthony Davis was a behemoth, with 30 points and 23 rebounds… and 4 blocks! AD gobbled up lobs and dominated the shorter Warriors, while also instituting his own personal No-Fly Zone near the rim.

The Lakers had firm control for most of the game, and the Warriors offense was lagging behind. Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole hit some threes, but Steph Curry was struggling early in the game. Thankfully, Kevon Looney is channeled Dennis Rodman and had his 4th 20+ rebound game of the playoffs.

Late in the 4th quarter, Golden State surged back like they so often do. Some Steph splashes, Klay cashes, and lots and lots of offensive rebounds later, the score was tied at 112 apiece with just 1:30 remaining. The Dubs couldn’t get a bucket on a chaotic last possession thanks to swarming Lakers defense and questionable shot selection.

Some fans are mad that the Lakers shot 29 free throws comparied to the Warriors’ 6. Sure, that is significant, but we think it’s more a product of the Lakers pounding the paint and the Warriors shooting 53(!) three-pointers. The NBA has no agenda here, folks! We’re talking about Steph (27 points) and LeBron (22 points) here! Let’s appreciate greatness all series long!

Box Score

Knicks scrape out 111-105 win vs Heat to even series 1-1

Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson playing? Jimmy Butler sidelined? Sounds like a clear-cut Knicks win… but not so fast. Miami’s Gabe Vincent (21 points) and Caleb Martin (22 points) turned into prime Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton and put up a real fight against New York.

The Knicks offense looked rough, but their leading trio still put up great numbers. Brunson led with an efficient 30 points, Randle had 25 on a weak ankle, and RJ Barrett added a nice 24. In classic Eric Spoelstra fashion, the Heat ran a kooky zone defense that gave NYC Mo’ Problems than a Biggie song.

As per usual, Isaiah Hartenstein and Josh Hart hit some big shots and snagged some even bigger offensive boards. And again, Knicks fans partied in the streets: even John Starks and Carmelo Anthony were hyped!

Box Score

Monday Night Notes

Harden’s 48 seizes 119-115 W for Philly in Boston

With Joel Embiid sidelined, James Harden turned back the clock to 2018 and simultaneously shredded Boston’s defense and the hopes of thousands of Celtics fans at the TD Garden. Finishing with 45 points, The Beard tied his playoff career high and notched his first 40-point game as a Sixer. His was Philly’s first playoff 40-piece since some guy named… Allen Iverson? We don’t know if you’ve heard of him.

Despite the superb offense of Jayson Tatum (39 pts, 4/5 from 3) and Jaylen Brown (23 pts, 8/10 from the field), Harden cooked all game long. The cherry on top was his signature step-back three over Al Horford to take the lead—perhaps his most iconic playoff play ever!

The supporting cast was admirable too. De’Anthony Melton had an efficient 17 points off the bench, “B-Ball” Paul Reed drilled four game-sealing free throws in the final minute, and the Sixers became the 9th team in NBA history with a 50/40/100% playoff game. Like, what?!?!

We love saying “prime Harden”, and this is at minimum a top-two playoff performance for someone who gets labeled as a “pLaYoFf cHoKeR,” but Harden points out that NBA media generally treats him unfairly:

Nuggets wins 97-87 behind Jokic’s 39, snatch 2-0 lead

2006 called. It wants its NBA offense back, because this game was 48 minutes of low scores, cluttered offense, and dominant big man play. Nikola Jokic had a 39-point masterclass as he backpacked Denver's offense on a night when Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr combined for 5-22 FG.

Other than Devin Booker’s 35 points, Kevin Durant was 10-27 from the field and Chris Paul exited in the 3rd quarter with a tight groin. Not to mention the Suns bench scoring a total of FOUR bench points. That will not win you playoff basketball games.

The Joker hit some sly fading jumpers and set up Aaron Gordon for some great buckets. Outside of Jokic, Bruce Brown fought tenaciously, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit three massive three-pointers when Denver needed him most!

Joel Embiid wins MVP

The time of MVPIID is finally upon us, as Joel Embiid took home the 2022-23 Most Valuable Player award! In one of the most competitive MVP races in recent history, Joel beat out Nikola Jokic (2nd) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (3rd). It’s been a long time coming, but just check out how much confidence Embiid had in this Tweet from all the way back in 2014!!!

Averaging a league-leading 33.1 points per game for the three-seed 76ers, Embiid was a mix of Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, and Goliath (y’know… from David and Goliath). Hats off to Embiid… is Finals MVP next?

Adjustment Season 👀 

We’re two games into two separate second-round series, which means it’s adjustment season! Today we’re suggesting what changes and tweaks these teams should make given their first 96 minutes of play in the second round.

Knicks: Solve the zone. To put it nicely, the Knicks offense has been… not pretty. Swing the ball rapidly around the perimeter, get paint touches, and ride Basketball Jesus Josh Hart as long as you can!

Heat: Get Jimmy back, and you look pretty set. Plus, you’re getting killed on the glass, so help out Bam down low!

Nuggets: Find a way to get Michael Porter Jr going on offense. In his 54 minutes, MPJ scored just 16 points. Sometimes we forget he’s out there…until he starts chucking. Use all your weapons, Denver! Jokic is a Swiss Army knife, Aaron Gordon is a tank, but MPJ is a flame thrower! 🔥 

Suns: Your defense has looked solid, but the offense is still really clunky. Hopefully CP3 gets healthy, but regardless you need to use KD in better offensive motions to help him get him to his spots. He’s an all-time elite shot maker!

Frozen Moments

• How James Harden’s pants led to his success

• Frazzling defense gifted Tyrese Maxey the ball and the W

• Steph Curry hit a backpedaling three that gave us Ray Allen vibes 🧐 

What We’re Enjoying

Lakers Vs. Warriors Is Upon Us. Here Are Five Questions That Could Determine the Winner. - Michael Pina (The Ringer)

Shannon Sharpe X Steve Harvey is the crossover we didn’t know we needed. We really Enjoyed this wholesome, fun interview between two dynamic entertainers!

Signing Off

We’ll leave you here, but take the Enjoy mentality with you wherever you go today. Make an effort to appreciate something small but special! It could even just be yourself—you are special 😊 

-Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: The total points leader for the 2022-23 NBA season is Jayson Tatum! He averaged 30.1 points per game, the 6th-most in the league, but played in 74 games!

Before you go…

Happy birthday to Diogo and Eric! Take our survey below so we can wish you well on your birthday: