Anthony Davis Is On A Tear

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Good morning! I'm Cody, one of EB's cofounders with Kenny & Cole, and I'm writing today's intro to say THANK YOU. We are nothing without each of you opening our newsletter, engaging with our content, and participating in our movement to uplift basketball. I've been meeting with a few of you 1 on 1, taking in feedback & ideas to improve. I want to keep it going, so if you're interested in talking or just want to introduce yourself, DM me on Twitter or REPLY to this email.

This week is BIG for the brand—we're launching our first physical product just in time for the holidays. You are subscribed to the newsletter, so you hear it first. We are releasing our very own Mini Hoop!

Newsletter Preview

The NBA Refuses To Calm Down: Catch up on the best basketball weekend in recent memory. 

EB Roundtable: You lead the conversation again! This time, we talk X-Factors.

Tension In Atlanta? Trae Young, Nate McMillan get into dispute at practice.

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Highlights From Friday & Saturday

Friday

What ... Just ... Happened? Was that the single best night of basketball, like, ever? It sure felt like it at around 9 PM on Friday night.

Okay, here we go. Take a deep breath ... Jaylen Brown hit a 35-footer to force OT, but Miami still prevailed over Boston 120-116. Two eternal juggernauts (Anthony Davis and Giannis Antentokounmpo) did battle in Milwaukee, with AD's 44 topping Giannis' 40 as the (suddenly hot) Lakers eked out a 133-129 victory. AJ Griffin is becoming exponentially better every single game; his 24 points—along with Dejounte Murray's 34 & 8 performance—helped a Trae-less Atlanta squad beat Denver. Zion Williamson scored 30 (plus 15 rebounds and eight assists), and the Pelicans are starting to find their wings. A huge fourth quarter helped the Rockets secure their best win of the season, beating Phoenix 122-121.

Exhale.

Saturday

How could we possibly follow up that humdinger of a night in the NBA? Well, apparently, with a 121-100 Mavs blowout over the Knicks. Oh well. Out west, though, Ant & Grant is still one of the best new buddy shows of 2022! The duo (Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant, just in case you were unfamiliar) combined for 78 points as the Blazers beat the Jazz. #BeamTeam is back, as Sacramento beat down the Kings 123-96 behind a clinical performance from Domantas Sabonis. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30-plus for the sixth game in a row as he continues his All-NBA level season, helping OKC stave off Minnesota, 135-128.

Poor Saturday; it never had a chance to be as thrilling as Friday.

Sunday's Slate

Alvarado has career day in Pelicans 121-106 win over Nuggets

It's always great when superstar battles live up to the hype, and the Nikola Jokic and Jose Alvarado matchup did just that. Not the names you were expecting? Well, Alvarado was the best player in this game, posting a career-high (by a wide margin) 38 points on 12-19 shooting and 8-11 from deep. The Pelicans (15-8) are officially hot—9-2 in their last eleven. Denver (14-9) got 32/16/9 from The Big Tipper.

Balanced attack helps Phoenix decimate Spurs, 133-95

Don't worry, San Antonio, sometimes you forget to show up to the game; it happens! The Suns blitzed the Spurs from the start and never looked back. 20+ point showings from Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Devin Booker led the way. Phoenix (16-7) stays hot, and San Antonio (6-18) stays frigid.

Anthony Davis transcends mortal basketball players in Lakers 130-119 victory over Wizards

Anthony. Marshon. Davis. Jr. What else can be said? A complete, utter domination. 55 points. 17 rebounds. Another Lakers (10-12) win. You know in superhero movies when the villain captures the good guy and takes away his powers, but then the hero escapes and gets his powers back in a cool way? That's what it's like watching Anthony Davis these last few weeks, especially on Sunday against the Wizards (11-13.) He's reminding us all of his powers. He finishes with 99 points in two games this weekend. 

Knicks prevail over Cavs 91-82 in a game that looked like it was played in 1993

Have you been itching for a game with under 15 total made threes, teams who struggle to shoot 40% from the field, and turn it over a lot? Well, you're not going to believe this ... that's exactly what happened in Madison Square Garden on Sunday night between the Knicks (11-13) and the Cavs (15-9). It was ugly. Jalen Brunson led the way with 23 reluctant points.

Ja explodes in third quarter, Grizzlies beat Pistons 122-112

There are very few players who keep you on your toes quite like Ja Morant. At any second, the Grizzlies (14-9) superstar can casually whip out the greatest play you've ever seen. On Sunday against the Pistons (6-19), he scored 21 points in the third quarter, including ... all of this.

Brown, Tatum pace Celtics in 103-92 win over KD, Nets

The Celtics lost on Friday, so check back in about a month from now, and they might lose one more. But on Sunday, the Celtics got 63 points from The Jays and forced eight Kevin Durant turnovers en route to their league-leading nineteenth victory, this one over Brooklyn (13-12). Luckily for the rest of the league, Boston doesn't have an elite defender about ready to return from injury. Wait...

Kings survive LaVine's big night thanks to Sabonis' triple-double, beat Bulls 110-101

Domantas Sabonis' triple-double perfectly encapsulates what this Kings (13-9) team can be. He only shot four times and spread the ball around to the seemingly endless offensive weapons Sacramento employs. Seven players scored in double-figures, and the high scorer ended with twenty. Zach LaVine's 41 points weren't enough to get the Bulls (9-14) over the hump. 

Grant scores 28, Blazers trounce Pacers 116-100 in Lillard's return

Jerami Grant is playing like an All-Star. Simple as that. His sixth-straight 25-plus point outing, paired with Damian Lillard scoring 21 points in his return, led the Blazers (13-11) to a much-needed victory over the Pacers (12-11). Damian Lillard just completely transforms what the Blazers can be.

EB Roundtable

Welcome back to EB Roundtable! At this point, you know the drill. We ask you a question, you give us your answers, and boom: you're in the newsletter. Let's get after it.

Who's been that guy on your team who seems to change the game every time he steps on the court?

Didn't think you'd be getting any Aaron Nesmith content in this newsletter, did you? Well, you are. And you're going to like it. The former Vanderbilt Commodore was essentially a throw-in for the Pacers in the Malcolm Brogdon trade, but he's come up huge for the Pacers a few times this season and is playing the ever-important role of wing-stopper in Indiana.

Yep, that's pretty much the dictionary definition of an X-Factor. When they're on, you love them. When they're off ... well, you still love them, but they're frustrating to watch. Caris LeVert has been a little uneven to start 2022-23—he'll post multiple double-digit scoring games in a row, only to follow them with a few duds. Nathan is right; LeVert can help Cleveland reach their (very high) ceiling by having those productive games more consistently. 

Corey Kispert is an Enjoyer of Basketball and an elite shooter of (the) basketball. Truly the best combination (and that opinion is just a little biased.) With an Offensive Rating of 134.0—seriously—the threat of Kispert's shooting opens up so many lanes for the Wizards’ offense. 

Latest Basketball News

Trae Young Skips Game Due To Exchange At Practice: Things on the surface have been solid in Atlanta this season. The team is 13-10, the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt has been productive, and a few of their youngsters have shown real promise through the first 20-ish games. But apparently, behind the scenes, the vibes in ATL aren't peachy. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, "The Hawks have held multiple team meetings early this season to resolve various conflicts."

Good Reads

The Raptors need to be the most athletic team - Louis Zatzman (Raptors Republic)

Aaron Gordon is powering his way to a career year - Adam Mares (DNVR Sports)

Signing Off

Happy Monday, everybody! If you're feeling unmotivated, that's okay. Just rest your brain this week. Everything will work out in the end! Let's have a great week. Talk soon.

-Quinn Everts

P.S: Remember to hit up Cody or reply to this email and give us some feedback on how we can improve the newsletter! We're all in this together.

Trivia Answer: The second most steals in NBA history? That distinction belongs to current Mavs coach Jason Kidd!

Trivia Question:  Which college has produced the most CURRENT NBA players?