It’s the most Enjoyable time of the year, with the playoffs heating up and the spring season in full bloom, so what better time than now to cop the latest Enjoy Basketball swag? Believe us: you won’t wanna miss tomorrow’s drop. 👀

Today’s Lineup

Full-Court Coverage

• Minnesota became the first team to earn a trip to the second round with a 122-116 victory over Phoenix on Sunday night, completing a shocking sweep of the loaded Suns (the Timberwolves’ first sweep in franchise history). Anthony Edwards dropped 40 to finish Phoenix off, and suddenly the Wolves look as dangerous as anyone. The Suns’ stars did their best to stave off elimination, with KD and DBook combining for 82, but they now have a long offseason ahead after season one of KD-DBook-Beal didn’t go how they’d hoped.

• LA finally took a game from the defending champions, downing Denver 119-108 on Saturday night to snap an 11-game losing streak against the Nuggets. A 30-piece from LeBron kept #Year21 going at least another game longer, but don’t discredit 20+ from AD, DLo, and Austin Reaves! The Lakers have led at half in every single game of this series, and yet they trail 3-1. It’s gotta be frustrating for Lakers fans, but it makes us wonder if something special might be brewing…

• There’s been no greater treat in recent first round memory than getting to watch the Clippers and Mavericks go at it year in and year out, and this season is no exception. On Sunday, the Clippers held off a furious rally from Dallas to get the 116-111 win and even the rivalry series at two games apiece. Kyrie’s 40-bomb was outdone by 33 and some clutch shooting from Paul George—Game 5 in LA is gonna be CINEMA. 🍿

• Have a game, Myles Turner! The longtime Pacer dropped 29 points on nearly 60% shooting to help Indiana take a commanding 3-1 lead over Milwaukee with a 13-point win on Sunday. While it stinks to see the Bucks without Giannis or Dame, we’ll never be upset seeing fresh faces succeeding. Roll on, Indy!

• “And for my next trick, I’ll make your 2-0 lead disappear!” -Orlando, to Cleveland two games ago. The Magic’s comeback has been nothing short of supernatural—after losing Games 1 and 2 by double digits, they’ve bounced back to win Games 3 and 4 by a combined margin of 61 points. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner each took turns dropping 30, and what seemed like a closed-case series is now anything but.

• Call Jalen Brunson young Pitino, ‘cause he’s good in both towns. The King of New York took the Amtrak down to Philly and dropped a Knicks playoff record 47 points to put NY up 3-1. After the 97-92 loss, Joel Embiid said it was “disappointing” to see so many Knicks fans in the stands in Philly. Can the Sixers get one back and extend the series?

• Recently named Coach of the Year Mark Daigneault has OKC up 3-0 on the Pels in the Thunder’s first playoff series since 2020, their most recent win being Saturday’s 21-point blowout. SGA has of course gotten his, averaging 28 points throughout the series, but it’s been OKC’s defense that has really stood out—they’ve held the Pels to under 95 points in all three games.

• Boston is doing their best to beat the “can’t take the Heat” allegations, as they very much stayed in the kitchen on Saturday when they cooked up a 20-point road victory to go up 2-1. Can the C’s wrap up the series W in the next two games?

🗣️ No Better Words

While one first round series has already wrapped up, others look like they’re just getting started. Let’s take a look at a few series that we think could go the distance to a Game 7.

Cavaliers-Magic (2-2)

The last time the Orlando Magic made the second round, iPhones still had home buttons, the original Avatar was dominating the box office, and NBA uniform shorts still stretched past the knee. Now, the Magic are back with a chance to advance to the East semis. Slowing down Donovan Mitchell has been a big part of Orlando’s bounce-back, and his play will likely be the key to the rest of the series for Cleveland. If Spida can get hot like he did in his 30-point Game 1, the Cavs may regain control of the series. But if the Magic keep clamping, we may be in store for a long-awaited series victory in O-Town.

Clippers-Mavericks (2-2)

Every game of this series has felt like a heavyweight fight, and we can’t imagine it ending any way but a win or go home game. It has the stars, the stakes, and (most importantly) it’s been a new look every time out. The Mavs have stayed afloat despite a pair of down games from Luka, and they’ll need the Slovenian stud back to regular form if they want to pull out a series victory. Any Clipper can go off on any given night, but watch out for James Harden in particular—he’s quietly averaging 26 throughout this series.

Nuggets-Lakers (3-0)

Okay, just hear us out on this one. We know no team has ever come back from down 3-0, but if there was ever going to be a squad to do it, wouldn’t it be the one with the first player to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals? We’ve seen the Lakers dominate for much of this series, and on Saturday we finally saw them close out a game. We’re not saying it’s gonna happen, but there might just be a chance…

Three in the Key

Signing Off

And we out! Thanks for spending a portion of your day with us. This week, do your best to practice some self-care. Get good sleep, drink lots of water, and spend time with people you love. It sounds simple, but it’s amazing how big of a difference it can make. Talk soon!

-Walker Carnathan