Comebacks and Clamps

NBA enthusiasts, hoops lovers, Enjoyers of Basketball, lend us your ears because we have a LOT to talk about today. A massive ten-game Tuesday slate, the NBA’s latest coaching move, and our first-ever interview with a fellow basketball content creator are all on the agenda. 👀 Let’s get into it.

Today’s Lineup

The No Curry Comeback: Golden State dominate second half without their leader

Clamps University 🔒 Jaden McDaniels locks up Clippers stars in statement performance

Staying Hot 🔥 An interview w/ hoops media personality Matt Sponhour

Tuesday’s Throwdowns

Grizzlies’ Fast Hands Make Difference in 121-109 Win Over Lakers

The Lakers (29-33) will have to be kicking themselves after this one. Even without LeBron James, they held a narrow lead heading into halftime, thanks to some great defense and a monstrous game from Anthony Davis.

But the second half was all Grizzlies (37-23), who rode a nuclear 28-point third quarter from Ja Morant (that's a franchise record, btw) and took advantage of sloppy execution from LA to get the W. Plus, Jaren Jackson Jr. blessed us with an explosive dunk of the year candidate. Box Score

Wizards shut down Trae late to beat Hawks 119-116

Quin Snyder's coaching debut didn't exactly go as planned…

Bradley Beal was just an absolute menace in this one, using a dazzling array of moves to get inside essentially at will on his way to 37 points. For the Hawks (31-31), Trae Young was having a night before a brutal last five minutes, including two straight misses in the closing seconds to seal the W for the Wizards (29-32). Box Score

Raptors Out Hustle Bulls in 104-98 Victory

In a game where the Raptors (31-32) couldn't get anything to fall, they still managed to eke out the W over the Bulls (28-34) on effort alone. Toronto grinded out extra possessions thanks to a +13 advantage on the offensive glass and 19 forced turnovers, which ended up being the difference in this one. And you can't forget to mention fourth-quarter legend Scottie Barnes, who came through with four insanely clutch blocks down the stretch. 💪 Box Score

Jokic notches 100th career triple-double, Nuggets beat Rockets 133-112

Good news, Rockets (13-48) fans, you didn’t give up 71 points to anyone! Bad news (or good, depending on your perspective), you still lost by 21. Nikola Jokic played more of a director role in this one as his Nuggets (44-19) co-star Jamal Murray sliced, diced, and shot his way to 32 points. A quick moment of appreciation for Tari Eason as well. The Rockets rookie showed out with one of the best games of his young career. Box Score

Bucks dominate second half to coast by Nets 118-104

Spencer Dinwiddie and Mikal Bridges had the Nets (34-27) out to a hot start, but things quickly got out of hand after halftime. The Bucks (44-17) took full advantage of Brooklyn's lack of center depth in the second half, grabbing eight more offensive boards and 17 more overall. And with all that space in the middle, who else but Giannis Antetokounmpo to take advantage of it? He dropped an emphatic 33 and 15, including this absolute baptism of Nicolas Claxton. Box Score

Kings light the beam, beat Thunder 123-117

No De’Aaron Fox and no SGA didn’t stop the Kings (36-25) and Thunder (28-33) from putting on a show in OKC. Sacramento got a quiet but impactful 29 from Harrison Barnes, a near triple-double from Domantas Sabonis, and 20 points and nine dimes from Red Velvet himself, Kevin Huerter. For Oklahoma City, how about Jalen Williams? The young guard out of Santa Clara is blossoming before our very eyes. Box Score

Spurs capture rare W, beating Jazz 102-94

Spurs (15-47) fans make some noise! It’s been over a month since you last experienced the sweet taste of victory, and all that losing puts you...still behind the Rockets in the lottery odds. The Jazz (31-32) are finding life difficult without a true PG. They turned the ball over 20 times and struggled to get open looks all night, hitting just 35% of their shots. But hey, at least you saw Lauri Markannen give his best Giannis impression. Box Score

Pacers best Mavericks in offensive duel 124-122

It’s still very early goings, but quiet alarm bells have to be ringing in the back of many Mavericks (32-21) fans' heads. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are two of the best on-ball scorers in the league, but they just can’t find a way to get hot at the same time. The Pacers (28-35) won this game thanks to a strong run from their bench, most notably Jalen Smith, who stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points and nine boards in just 15 minutes. Box Score

Blazers crumble in second half as Warriors soar to 123-105 victory

The Warriors (32-30) looked down and out in this one headed into the break. Damian Lillard was firing on all cylinders once again as the Blazers (29-32) cruised into halftime with a 17-point lead. But, in classic Golden State fashion, they came alive in the third quarter. Rather than a barrage of threes, they got it done inside this time, taking full advantage of Jusuf Nurkic’s absence. To dull the pain of another loss to the Warriors, at least Blazers fans can take solace in Shaedon Sharpe catching yet another body. Box Score

McDaniels defensive gem leads Wolvers over Clippers 108-101

Okay, lock in everybody. We’re on the last game (we know it’s been a long one.) This was just a well-rounded team effort from the Timberwolves (32-32) to get a huge W over the Clippers (33-31). Rudy Gobert was a force down low, Anthony Edwards shook off a cold start to drain clutch buckets when it counted, and Head Coach Chris Finch cooked up some delightful play calls. But it was Jaden McDaniels who caught everyone's attention with some of the best defense you’ll see all year. Just look at this off-ball work to deny Paul George the ball, pure dominance. Box Score

Monday Night Notes

Even with only four games on, Monday night certainly didn’t lack excitement.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: the Hornets may have beaten the Pistons 117-106, but it came at the expense of their young star LaMelo Ball, who suffered a fractured ankle that will leave him sidelined till next season. And don’t worry, James Wiseman, we see you despite the loss. Over in Philly, the Sixers and Heat played the game of the night in a wire-to-wire defensive duel, with Miami getting the W thanks to this ridiculous feat of acrobatics from Mr. Jimmy ‘Himmy’ Buckets himself.

The Knicks had Jayson Tatum living a waking nightmare in their 15-point win over the Celtics. The superstar forward scored just 14 points before being ejected in the closing minutes. At least he got this hilarious sendoff from Josh Hart. And finally, the Magic flexed their defensive muscles in a 101-93 win over the Pelicans. They quietly have the fourth-best defense in basketball over their last ten games.

Latest Hoops Updates

LeBron to miss multiple weeks with foot injury

Lakers fans, cover your eyes in horror. LeBron James has carried an extraordinary load on his shoulders this season, playing 36 minutes of elite basketball a night on a team scratching and clawing for a spot in the playoffs, and unfortunately, it appears to have caught up to the 38-year-old. James suffered a right foot injury during LA’s recent come-from-behind victory over the Mavericks that is expected to keep him out for a minimum of two weeks. The Lakers' revamped roster is looking solid so far, but they’ll have to prove they can hold their own without the King during a pivotal stretch of the season.

Quin Snyder makes NBA return, inks 5-year deal with the Hawks

It didn’t take long for Quin Snyder to find his way back to the league.

After piloting the Jazz to six straight playoff appearances, Snyder resigned as Utah’s head coach last offseason. Now, he’s been tasked with bringing some consistency to an Atlanta Hawks team that desperately needs it. Snyder led multiple top-five defenses during his time in Salt Lake City, but can he recreate that success without Rudy Gobert? The Hawks sure hope he can, as they look to recapture the (not Orlando) magic that powered them to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals.

Frozen Moments

Giannis “trash talks” his fellow NBA stars on the Daily Show.

Jokic fights back against the stat padding accusations.

The Warriors come to a consensus on who the worst babysitter on the team is.

Interview w/ Matt Sponhour

Long before his NBA analysis was so far-reaching, Matt was drawn to the game thanks to a man who has been such a consistent presence in the sport for so long, that it doesn’t feel like he’ll ever really leave: the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James. “I wish the answer wasn’t so basic,” Matt said when asked about who made him fall in love with the NBA, “but it’s probably LeBron. My dad is a Cavs fan, so the saga of him leaving, coming back, and then winning a title was a big deal.” Matt has love for another all-time leading scorer as well, albeit on a smaller scale: Charlotte’s all-time points headman. “Shoutout to Kemba Walker too, though.”

EB: What’s been your favorite storyline to follow so far this NBA season?

MS: There have been a lot of good ones this year. The Kings, the Lakers, and Kyrie’s trade to Dallas are all pretty interesting, but at this point, it's gotta be the Suns. The trade deadline is always pretty cool, but rarely do you see a move that turns a team into a tier-one contender like that in the middle of the season. Sounds hyperbolic, but it’s really one of the biggest trades ever.

EB: If you could travel back in time and experience any moment in the history of the NBA in-person, what would it be?

MS: Probably Wilt’s 100-point game. Game 7 of the 2016 Finals would be up there too, but considering that people aren't even sure if Wilt scored 100, it would be cool to see if it actually happened and how people reacted.

EB: Can you give us a bold prediction for the rest of the NBA season?

MS: I think OKC has a real shot at pulling off a run in the play-in.

NOTE: This is a condensed version of our interview with Matt! To view the entire conversation, click HERE!

Good Reads

The Nets Are Ready to Move Forward - Michael Pina (The Ringer)

Josh Okogie’s career-best stretch could earn him big spot in Suns playoff rotation - Dave King (Bright Side of the Sun)

Inside Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers’ viral music video: ‘It made it all worth it’ - Jason Quick (The Athletic)

Signing Off

That’s all from us today! We’ll leave you with a goal for this week. If you’re active on NBA social media, post or comment something nice about a player on another team. We could all use a little more positivity in the hoops world.

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to today’s trivia is James Harden in 2018-19! He scored 30+ 57 times, one more than Kobe’s legendary 05-06 season.