🏀 Elimination Games in December?

“You’re brave,” we whispered to ourselves this morning after surviving a day without basketball. We made it, our dear Enjoyers. And we’re being rewarded for our patience with high-stakes NBA games on December 4th. Let’s. Get. After. It.

BUT before we do… Keep an eye out for the Enioy Winter Drop, coming later this week 👀💫

Today’s Lineup

🥊IST Quarters Preview: Are you ready for elimination games in December?

🏆 Elite Company: Kevin Durant joined an illustrious group this weekend.

🌧️ Unsung Heroes: This rookie already has a devoted fan club.

IST Quarterfinals Preview

Oh, baby, we’re so here. No more confusing tiebreakers, no more group play…still some very bright courts, but they’re growing on us! It’s time for the knockout stage in the inaugural In-Season Tournament. Let’s get you ready.

Eastern Conference

(2) Celtics vs. (3) Pacers: The NBA’s best team (according to net rating) squares off with the best (so far) offensive team ever? Yeah, we’ll be there no matter what. The first matchup between these teams occurred on November 1st. It was not pretty—but it was also early in the season before the Pacers found their offensive groove. If Boston wants a repeat of that game, they’ll need to slow down Tyrese Haliburton, which does not seem like a fun job: he’s averaging 34.6 points and 12.2 assists over his last five games.

(1) Bucks vs. (4) Knicks: This game features a point guard who’s shooting an unbelievable clip from three-point range…nope, not the one you’re thinking of. Jalen Brunson is hitting 47.4% of his threes (on seven attempts per game) and playing at an All-NBA pace right now. On the other side, Milwaukee is heating up. 9-2 in its last 11 games, 9-1 at home this year. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing, though—the Bucks’ defense is ranked 21st in the NBA. Can New York take advantage of a Milwaukee team still trying to find its footing on that end of the floor?

Western Conference

(2) Kings vs. (3) Pelicans: Trey Murphy III could not be returning at a better time for New Orleans. After missing extended time with a knee injury, the Pels’ third-year wing is back in the lineup, and he’ll be called upon to help New Orleans keep up with De’Aaron Fox and Sacramento, who are only getting stronger as the year goes on.

(1) Lakers vs. (4) Suns: Because, of course. What more needs to be said? It’s LeBron vs. KD in an elimination game.

Can’t wait.

Kevin Durant Breaks Into Top 10

Watching Kevin Durant play basketball often feels surreal, and it’s easy to forget that NBA basketball isn’t actually as easy as he makes it look. He’s made it look easy for a long time, too. In year 15, KD is still hooping at an MVP level (31.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists on 51/49/90 splits.)

On Friday, KD achieved yet another milestone when he passed Moses Malone for 10th on the all-time NBA scoring list.

One of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen, and he’s not done yet. Enjoy some KD buckets.

Weekend Highlights

• Well, last year was very clearly a fluke, because Rudy Gobert is fully back to the elite, game-changing rim protector he’s always been, adding more to his DPOY case on Saturday.

• We don’t know if a game in early December can “save” a team’s season, but if it can…then Saturday’s win against Golden State— capped with this Paul George game-winner—might have done just that for the Clips.

• Mikal Bridges cares not for your streak. His huge night helped Brooklyn snap the magical Orlando run at nine straight wins.

Unsung Heroes: Toumani Camara

It’s probably a good sign when, after just 19 NBA games, a player already has a fan club. Portland rookie Toumani Camara does—we’re not 100% sure where “Toumaniacs” came from, but there’s already merch—and deservedly so, because he’s been an extremely pleasant surprise for Portland.

His numbers don’t jump off the page—6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. But he also takes on some incredibly tough defensive assignments and fares well against some of the league’s best players. Among rookies, he’s sixth in stocks (steals + blocks) behind Wemby, Chet, Ausar, Dereck Lively II, and Bilal Coulibaly.

Camara was an afterthought in the Damian Lillard trade, but he’s playing like a long-time defensive stopper right now.

Three in the Key

• Shaedon Sharpe, dunk of the year contender?

• Positive Bulls news? Yes! Coby White was scorching on Saturday.

• Dallas went on a 30-0 run. Yes, you read that right. And they LOST!

Daily Trivia

What We’re Enjoying

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Signing Off

We’re gone! If you made it this far…you are appreciated. If you didn’t make it this far, you’re also appreciated, but you won’t know that because you’re not reading this anymore. If you have time this week, go donate something to your local toy drive, coat drive, can drive, or whatever other type of drive you can find. Talk soon! 🫡 

Before you go…