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Question: which NBA team Enjoys Basketball like the rest of us?

Answer: the Cleveland Cavaliers! Before you digest today’s hoops news, check out our latest NBA team collab on IG, where we celebrated one of this season’s breakout sharpshooters.

Today’s Lineup

Last Night’s Action

Big ups to the Pacers for taking this game down to the wire despite Tyrese Haliburton’s minutes restriction. And MAJOR ups to Aaron Nesmith for deciding one career-high wasn't enough, as he set new bests in rebounds (12) and assists (7) while pouring in 26 PTS on his former team.

But alas, the TD Garden has been the toughest place in the league to win this year. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum put up tough back-to-back blocks to shut the door on the Pacers’ potential comeback.

Embiid’s injury scare clouds 119-107 Warriors win

Steph Curry masterpiece? Check. Andrew Wiggins resurgence game? Check. Ridiculous Jonathan Kuminga transition jam? Duh, check! The Warriors had all the ingredients for a much-needed win tonight.

Sadly, it was tough to really savor all those incredible performances because of Joel Embiid’s knee injury in the closing minutes. We can only hope the big man is okay and back to playing MVP-level basketball ASAP!

🏀 🏀 🏀

Knicks finish magical month with 118-103 win over Jazz

Raptors clamp up and grit out 118-107 win over Bulls

Hawks in cruise control, breeze by Lakers 138-122

Monday Night Notes

• The youth movement in H-Town is SCARY. The Rockets, led by stellar all-around performances from Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, controlled this game against the Lakers from the opening tip to the 135-119 finish. But it was this crazy sequence from rookie Cam Whitmore that really caught our eye.

• The Stifle Tower’s DPOY case gets stronger and stronger by the day. Rudy Gobert was instrumental in shutting down the Thunder’s high-powered offense in the Wolves’ Monday win. And who else but Anthony Edwards to ice the game with this smooth blow-by jam on SGA?!? Minnesota is back on top of the West.

• Down 16 at halftime? No problem if you have Luka Doncic putting up video game numbers for your team. The Slovenian superstar started his week with a 45 PTS, 15 AST, and 9 REB game to lead the Mavericks over a feisty Orlando squad 131-129.

• It seems like Domantas Sabonis is starting to make this “not since Wilt” thing a routine occurrence. Domas put up a stat line that hasn’t been done since the Big Dipper for the second time this season, dropping 20 PTS, 25 REB, and 5 AST while shooting over 90% from the field in the Kings’ W.

• Let’s take a sec to celebrate a face we haven’t seen in a while! Ben Simmons had missed the last couple of months with a back injury, but he came back with a sense of vengeance last night and posted 10 PTS, 11 AST, and 8 REB with a +27 in just 18 minutes during the Nets’ blowout win.

There's being ahead of your time, and then there's being so unfathomably far ahead that we're seriously considering whether you're a time traveler. That second category is exactly where Oscar Schmidt, the all-time leading scorer in the history of professional basketball, belongs.

Schmidt, a Brazilian basketball legend, is the ultimate “streets won't forget” player. A 6'9" power forward from Natal, he poured in nearly 50,000 points throughout his career. Schmidt won an almost-impossible-to-believe 20 scoring titles across multiple countries, including the Brazilian League at the ripe old age of 45. Oh yeah, and he’s also the all-time top scorer in the Summer Olympics and FIBA World Cup. Like, what?

But what's even more impressive is how he did it. Despite playing almost all of his career before the three-point shot became a huge part of basketball, Schmidt was helping to invent the stretch four position, launching bombs at a rate even prime Steph Curry would have trouble keeping up with. Let's put it this way—at the 1996 Olympics, a 38-year-old Schmidt shot nearly 39% from beyond the arc... on over 13 attempts per game. Ridiculous. He may never have played in the NBA, but Oscar Schmidt's career is a must-know for any real hoops lover.

Three in the Key

Fresh NOTB: Kenny, Pierre, Mike, and Darrick are back with another episode of Numbers on the Board! The boys ranked every NBA team in a midseason power ranking, going all the way from the cream of the crop to the bottom of the barrel. Give it a listen! 🎧

Signing Off

Welcome to the bottom of the newsletter! We’re happy to have you here. Before you go, send a text to someone you haven’t seen in a while and see how they’re doing. And maybe find a time to see them this week! It’s always nice to stay in touch. 💙🏀

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole