🏀 Diar DeRozan Legacy Game

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Hey Enjoyers, let’s start out today’s newsletter with a shout-out to the first award winner of the season, NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown! We appreciate your work making basketball in Sacramento fun again. Now, say it with us. Light. The. Beam!

Oh yeah, and there’s also some actual games to talk about, exciting ones at that! Let’s dig into another slice of play-in pie. 🍽

Today’s Lineup

The Diar DeRozan Game 📢 DeMar’s daughter comes in CLUTCH for Chi-Town

Youth Movement ⚡ The Thunder make some noise in New Orleans

Two Will Enter… Breaking down the final play-in matchups

The GLD Shop

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From iced-out chains to solid gold ones, GLD has something for every NBA fan AND your favorite players (collabs featuring KD, Trae Young, and Tyler “Bucket” Herro) 🔥

Whether you're a Knicks die-hard or just looking to spice up your style, head over to The GLD Shop and find the perfect piece to complete your game-day look!

Win or Go Home

We didn’t have any high-octane NBA action last night, but Wednesday brought us two wire-to-wire matchups between four teams fighting for their playoff lives. From DeMar’s daughter to an ice-cold SGA showing, let’s break it down.

If you want all the numbers, check out the box scores HERE.

Bulls send Raptors packing behind LaVine’s 39 in 109-105 Play-In W

There’s nothing we love more at Enjoy Basketball than players and teams proving negative narratives wrong, and that’s EXACTLY what Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls did on Wednesday.

Inefficient shot chucker? Can’t win in the clutch? Playoff chokers? Well, how about a 19-point comeback behind 30 (!!) second-half points from LaVine to silence the doubters. Chicago’s star guard simply couldn’t be denied down the stretch, willing himself to the line again and again while showing off some downright ridiculous shot-making skills.

And, of course, we can’t talk about this game without bringing up one of the greatest fan performances in hoops history. Diar DeRozan was an absolute menace all night with her perfectly-timed screams. They might not admit it, but it was probably a big reason why the Raptors went just 18-for-36 at the line. Even DeMar himself had to pay respect to his daughter's legendary antics. Bulls fans, you might want to start a petition to get her down to Miami…

Toronto put up a fight, but the aforementioned free throw issues were just too much to overcome despite big games from Pascal Siakam (32 PTS, 9 REB), Fred VanVleet (26 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST), and Scottie Barnes (19 PTS, 10 REB). With multiple free agents this offseason and a potential coaching change on the horizon, could this be the last time we see this core together?

Thunder beat Pelicans 123-118 behind SGA’s late-game heroics

OKC is the youngest team in the NBA? Are you sure?? Because they looked like a group of seasoned VETS out there last night. 🔥

A monster 20-point first half from Luguentz Dort was enough to keep things close heading into the break, but it was the dynamic duo of Josh Giddey (31 PTS, 9 REB, 10 AST) and Shai Giligeous-Alexander (32 PTS, 3 STL) who made everything happen late. The two outscored New Orleans by themselves in the third quarter and kept things moving heading into the final minutes.

That was when, like a viper hiding in the weeds, SGA waited until the perfect moment to strike. He scored six of his eight fourth-quarter points in the final 30 seconds, including one of the toughest buckets you’ll ever see to ice it. In the immortal words of Bill Raftery, Onions! 🧅

Pelicans fans…it was a good effort. Brandon Ingram (30 PTS, 7 AST) was a bona fide BUCKET in the fourth, and Jonas Valinciunas (16 PTS, 18 REB) kept a vice grip on the boards, but a botched inbounds play with seconds remaining sealed your fate. Time to run it back with a healthy Zion and make some magic happen.

Play-In Previews

5, 6, 7…..Wait—we’re still missing two playoff teams! Don’t worry, they aren’t lost, they just have to play tonight in a couple winner-take-all showdowns. Why don’t we talk about it?

Bulls vs. Heat

What happens when you put two immovable objects in the same room? Well, we’re about to find out!

This is a matchup that calls back to the good ol’ days of 87-82 final scores, back when the mid-range reigned supreme and defense was the name of the game. Chicago and Miami LOVE to give opposing offenses a hard time, but who will be able to overcome their own scoring problems to set a multi-game date with the Bucks?

Keys to the Game

🔑 Miami’s Vice: If the Heat want to win this one, they’ll need to grab the fly swatter and squash their recent turnover bug. Only three teams have a higher turnover percentage over the past month than Miami, and they’re coming up against a Chicago defense that thrives on getting the ball out of opponents' hands. Just ask Alex Caruso.

🔑 The Man in the Middle: If there’s one weak point in Chicago’s armor, it’s the big Montenegrin guy down low. Nikola Vucevic is a supremely talented offensive center, but he struggles to seriously affect shots at the rim. Bam Adebayo has gotten flak for not being aggressive enough in the playoffs in the past, but can he make the most of this advantageous matchup?

🔑 Playoff Jimmy: Even if the Heat’s role players cook up a four-course meal, they won’t get anywhere without their head chef. Jimmy Butler has been the catalyst for so many legendary postseason moments in South Beach, but can he do it again? If Chicago wants to win this one, they need to follow Atlanta’s lead and keep him in check at all times.

Thunder vs. Timberwolves

The play-in is the NBA’s equivalent of a nearly empty airport terminal, a weird liminal space where you get people (and teams) going in every different direction. And no matchup embodies that feeling more than OKC vs. Minnesota.

The Thunder are a team on the rise, led by a talented young core with something to prove. And the Timberwolves, thinking they were buying their way into contention by trading for Rudy Gobert last summer, now seem closer to the cliff's edge of total collapse than the championship mountaintop.

Yet, here they both are in the same place, and there’s only one spot left on the playoff flight. Let’s see who gets it.

Keys to the Game

🔑 The Inside Edge: It’s not a coincidence that the Timberwolves' offense completely fell apart against the Lakers when they started settling for outside shots. Against a Thunder team without a true center, Minnesota NEEDS to get the ball to Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert near the basket.

🔑 Next Man Up: Stopping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is difficult enough, but Jaden McDaniels’ unfortunate recent rendezvous with a concrete wall certainly doesn’t make things any easier. Can SGA take advantage of a more favorable matchup? Can Anthony Edwards and Taurean Prince rise to the occasion and lock up the young star? The answer could decide the game.

🔑 Ant-Man: Edwards will be the first to tell you that his performance against the Lakers was not it. The former #1 pick struggled to find any sort of flow, which was a key difference-maker in a game of fine margins. He’s been spectacular all year, but now he needs to do it when it counts.

Frozen Moments

• Zach LaVine gives props to Diar after Wednesday’s game

• Snoop Dogg picks his lookalike to win MVP

• J.R. Smith finally spills all the details from the infamous 2018 soup incident

Behind the Brand

Hey everyone! It's Cody (cofounder of Enjoy). A few times a month, I want to jump on and update you on what's going on behind the brand:

• I made this TikTok that went a little viral talking about how we're building Enjoy. This is why we put Kenny in front of the camera and me in the office (I’m hoping to become an influencer for Enjoy...maybe?)

• Everyone has been asking when our Enjoy trucker hats will be restocked...they will be back this month 🔥

• ICYMI, our NBA partnership has gone live, which has been in the works since June 2022. A co-sign from the league is a HUGE milestone for us 👑

• Denver Nuggets were the latest NBA team to collab with us. Two more NBA teams are coming soon 👀

Should we start a Discord? Reply "Discord" to this email if you think so. See you in the next update! Follow our TikTok for more behind-the-brand content.

What We’re Enjoying

Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid understands the challenge of becoming a champion - Marc J. Spears (Andscape)

Why This Will Be the Most Unpredictable NBA Playoffs Ever - Chris Mannix (Sports Illustrated)

Kaytraminé: It’s never too early to get those summer playlists started, people! Kaytraminé, the new duo of Portland rapper Aminé and Canadian experimental produced Kaytranada, is dropping its debut album next month, and the pair’s first single, 4EVA (ft. Pharrell Williams), has simply immaculate vibes. Give it a listen below.

Signing Off

That’s all from us today! No matter if your team has title aspirations or is waiting on lottery balls, take a second to appreciate this time of year. Playoff hoops are back, and we’re about witness some all-time NBA moments.

Basketball doesn’t get much better than this, Enjoy it. 💙🏀

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to today’s trivia question is the Big Diesel himself Shaquille O’Neal! He grabbed 20+ rebounds in an incredible 14 playoff games since 2000. And anyone who guessed Tim Duncan, you were so close—he was one behind with 13.

Before you go…

A HUGE birthday shout-out to Enjoyers Jarrod and Christopher. We see you! If you want us to wish you a happy birthday, take our survey below. We promise it only takes a sec.