Enjoy Basketball: Embiid, Jokic, and Kyrie go for 40+, we have new collegiate National Champions

We're back here for another day of Enjoying Basketball!

With only a couple games left in the season, Tuesday's 12 matchups saw most teams playing for lottery odds, seeding, or nothing in particular. But we're here to Enjoy it all. A Grizzlies-Jazz overtime game? Electric. Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Kyrie Irving dropping over 40 points yet again? Outstanding. A Thunder-Trailblazers game where the biggest name was Isaiah Roby? ... We'll call that interesting.

Shoutout to Kansas and South Carolina for winning the men's and women's NCAA National Championships. Let's get into what happened yesterday. 

Jazz outlast late Grizzlies surge in overtime thriller

The Ja Morant-less Grizzlies, deemed by some to be the best team of all time, suffered a loss in front of the hostile Utah crowd despite a late comeback to send it to overtime. For the Jazz, Rudy Gobert wrecked havoc on both ends. Offensively, the Stifle Tower scooped up offensive rebound after offensive rebound, putting it back himself or kicking it out to give Utah an extra offensive possession. Defensively, he was the main reason the Grizzlies, which lead the league with 58 points per game in the paint, scored just 40 points in the restricted area.

Memphis showed tremendous heart in the fourth quarter, however. A barrage of deep Jaren Jackson three's and nifty shot creation by Tyus Jones and Desmond Bane brought them back from down seven to a two-point game. After Desmond Bane air-balled a three for the win, Kyle Anderson caught the rock and put it back up just in time, turning Bane's underwhelming choke into a brilliant assist. Funny how things work out.

Suns squash Lakers' playoff hopes

The day finally came. The Lakers are officially eliminated from playoff contention. We will undoubtedly cover the Lakers offseason later on, but for now Rest In Peace to a chaotic and disastrous season Lakers fans will hope to soon forget.

Missing Lebron yet again, I didn't see the Lakers having any sort of shot against a fully-loaded Suns squad. It was great to see Anthony Davis back on the floor in his second appearance since February 16th, though he definitely was not in prime form. To LA's credit, they won the first quarter and stayed within striking distance the entire first half. But then the Phoenix Suns did Phoenix Suns things on their way to their franchise-record 63rd win of the season. To cap it off, Devin Booker added to his recent MVP buzz with a beautiful 32-point performance. Phoenix is easily the title favorite if you ask me.

Spicy P scorches Ice Trae as Raps beat Hawks

MAN this one was entertaining. The score doesn't represent how tight this matchup was. Throughout three quarters, both sides traded buckets and within 2:33 on the game clock the score was tied up. In crunch time, Toronto remained firm and put the game away behind two ballsy shots by rookie Scottie Barnes and a Fred Van Vleet dagger three pointer we are accustomed to seeing. When watching, it was overwhelmingly clear that Scottie has the poise of a 10-year vet.

Trae Young did Trae Young things. He had Raptor defenders spinning on his way to 26 points and 15 assists. The heliocentric guard was helped scoring-wise by Kevin Huerter (21), De'Andre Hunter (20), and Bogdon Bogdonovic (19), but it wasn't enough to defeat the Kings of the North.

Magic upset struggling Cavs

The primary thesis of this Enjoy Basketball project is for ridiculously niche sentences like the following few. Ignas Brazdeikis had this Knicks fan reliving flashes he showed during garbage time in New York two years ago! With 20 points, including a game-sealing bucket, the Lithuanian lefty lead the charge alongside 21 points and 12 boards from Mo Bamba. Markelle Fultz added 6 assists and an efficient 16 points on 8-12 shooting as well. Genuine question to Magic fans: are you happy to see that your young guns can beat a playoff team, or are you upset you decreased your lottery odds? 

Cleveland fans, you should be a little worried. The Cavs have overachieved the entire season, but now are 2-7 in their last 9. Yes, your twin towers of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley were out last night, Darius Garland is still that dude night in and night out, and Lauri Markkanen (25 points) can have good nights. But it remains that I cannot picture a scenario in which they beat the two-seed, their likely opponent now, in a seven-game series.

Miami heats up in offensive explosion vs Hornets

For a 29-point blowout, its surprising how this game was tied halfway through the third quarter. With his flashy passing, LaMelo Ball dropped jaws, created open looks for teammates, and caused Hornets' announcer Eric Collins to break the sound barrier.

The way Miami broke this close game into a non-contest shows the danger of this Miami offense. Filled with dynamic scorers like Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro and a slew of complementary role players who can heat up in a second like Duncan Robinson (21 points), Max Strus (12), and Caleb Martin (12), this team should strike fear in Eastern Conference defenses. I don't hear much about them as a legitimate Finals contenders compared to the Bucks, Nets and 76ers, but they absolutely should be.

Kyrie's 42 rocks Rockets

The Kyrie Show: coming to an arena near you (and now the Barclay's Center too)! Irving dazzled defenders, prancing through the pick n' roll on his way to 42 points on 13-24 shooting. Durant had an off night, with just 18 points on 4-13 shooting, but having a subpar performance from #1 option and still winning is a privilege extended to teams with multiple stars, or maybe to anyone facing the tanking Rockets.

This game was a best-case scenario for the Rockets too. They get the loss to improve their lottery odds while their top young talent showed out. Kevin Porter Jr. put up 36 points on 13-26 shots while Jalen Green dropped 30 points to continue his absolute tear as of late. Both played 41 minutes, putting those young legs to good use. Something is brewing in Houston, but maybe give it two years.

Thunder edge Blazers in tank-a-thon Super Bowl

Okay, not gonna lie, this game was hilarious. Just look at the starting lineup below. In a matchup between teams in full tank mode, this was a who's who of players who make you say "who?" 

Still, all of these guys are some of the 450 best humans on planet Earth at the game of basketball, so these games can still be fun. Jaylen Hoard, the 23-year-old Frenchman on a 10-day contract, put up a dominant 24 points and 20 rebounds. With this win, the Thunder (somehow) sweep the season series against Portland 4-0. Imagine telling that to yourself 7 months ago.

Spurs navigate Nuggets, clinch play-in spot

The Spurs officially eliminated the Lakers play-in chances, this time stepping up in a team-wide effort to beat the Denver Nuggets. Even missing all star Dejounte Murray, the Spurs executed Coach Pop's game plan to perfection. Keldon Johnson continues to be one of the most underrated players in the league and a legitimate Most Improved Player candidate.

This Spurs team remind me a bit of the Memphis Grizzlies: a young, well-coached team that wins by commission behind a younger star point guard and elite role players who seem to always make the right play. San Antonio also ranks second, behind Memphis, in points scored in the paint per game, assuring a higher level of offensive consistency than always relying on the three ball.

On Denver's side, it was another jaw-dropping performance for Nikola Jokic. We have to remember not to take greatness for granted while we witness it. Even though it took him 35 shots and 40 minutes, the reigning MVP still put up a monster 41 points and was pretty much the lone bright spot for a Nuggets team that shot 21% from behind the 3-point line.

Embiid reclaims scoring title lead, beats Pacers

In response to a question asking him about his MVP candidacy, Joel Embiid recently said, "I feel like the standard for [...] me is different than everyone else." Last night, he shattered the standard, with a monstrous 45 points on 18-30 shooting, and 13 rebounds. The Pacers desperately missed the rim protection of the injured Miles Turner. I expect Isaiah Jackson to have nightmares for the next month.

Outside of The Process, Tyrese Maxey dropped his own 30-point masterpiece, including seven three-pointers at HALFTIME. James Harden had an underwhelming 11 points but more than made up for it with 14 assists. 

The Pacers kept this one close considering the imbalance of talent. With 9 minutes left, they only trailed by four points, due to a scoring combination of Buddy Hield (25), Tyrese Haliburton (21) and savvy acquisition Jalen Smith (19). But The Process giveth, and The Process taketh away.

Underrated youngsters shine as Pels conquer Kings

With Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox shut down for the rest of the season, Davion (not Donovan) Mitchell showed out for Sacramento. The rookie guard, nicknamed "Off-Night," had a major on-night, dishing out 17 (you read that right) assists in addition to 15 points. Outside of him, Damian Jones added a solid 22 points on 8-10 shooting, but the Pelicans had too much talent.

It wasn't the stars Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum who stood out in this one, but rather Jaxson Hayes, who put up 12 boards and 23 points on 10-14 shooting. The former Texas Longhorn showed why he was drafted 8th overall in 2019, highlighting his impressive athleticism for a 7-footer. This New Orleans team is deep, with high-quality role players like Herb Jones, Larry Nance, and the ever-sneaky Jose Alvarado to compliment the play of Ingram (17 points) and CJ McCollum (23 points). 

P.S. Jose Alvarado is right behind you.

Bucks cruised past Bulls behind Brook's big night

Giannis was the only of the top three MVP candidates to not drop 40 last night. Isn't that a crazy standard we hold our top guys to these days? Anyways, with The Greek Freak only finishing with 18 points, Brook Lopez notched 28 points in only his 10th (and best) game of the season. The Bucks looked sharp this season without their starting center, so keep an eye out for Splash Mountain to make a difference for Milwaukee in the post-season.

DeMar DeRozan was the lone bright spot for Chicago. Comp-10 showcased the masterful  midrange and shrewd attacking we have come to expect from the tier-two MVP candidate this season. Outside of him, however, the rest of the Bulls seemed angry with the rim, given how many clangs there were. With Lonzo Ball reportedly done for the season, the supporting cast needs to shape up to avoid a first round playoff exit.

Wizards wound Wolves behind twin towers

Karl-Anthony Towns was on paper the best big man on the court, but the Wizards pulled off the upset behind strong performances from their own two bigs. Kristaps Porzingis, averaging and improved 21.7 points and 8.3 rebounds since being traded from Dallas at the deadline, put up 25 points and 8 rebounds. Daniel Gafford came off the bench and added his own 24 points and 12 boards to propel the Wizards over the T-Wolves.

Minnesota performed well offensively but could not bring themselves together on the defensive end. Maybe it speaks to the impact of Patrick Beverly, who missed last night's game. Hopefully the Timberwolves can put this one behind them and shape up for the playoffs. 

Kansas claims Men's NCAA Championship over UNC

The University of Kansas beat the University of North Carolina 72-69 for the program's 4th national title. The Jayhawks clawed back from a 16-point deficit, the largest comeback win in National Championship history. Big man David McCormack and wing Jalen Wilson lead the national champs with 15 points apiece. The most impressive performance of the night, however, might have been UNC standout Armando Bacot. The player who Coach K called his personal player of the year tallied 15 points and 15 rebounds, making him the first ever player to record a double double in all six possible March Madness games. Congrats to Jayhawk nation!

South Carolina conquers UConn for Women's Championship Title

On Sunday night, South Carolina cleared its conscious and raised a trophy. Suffering a heartbreaking last-second defeat in last year's championship game, the Gamecocks were out for blood the entire tournament. They shredded through the competition, dismantling Louisville 72-59 in the Final Four before conquering powerhouse program UConn 64-49. Destanni Henderson dropped an incredible 26 points for Carolina, while Huskies' star Paige Beuckers notched 14 herself. Congrats to the Gamecocks!

Lonzo Ball unlikely to play again this season

Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball is expected to be shut down for the remainder of the season due to a slower recovery from meniscus surgery in late January. This is a significant loss for Chi-town, as Ball's medley of passing and pesky defense helped establish a winning culture earlier in the season.

Below are some interesting articles surrounding college basketball as the March Madness festivities come to a close.

Is the Transfer Portal Helping or Hurting College Athletic Programs? - Elizabeth Keen, Sports Illustrated 

The full Remy Martin experience was on display in Kansas’ title run - Eamonn Brennan, The Athletic

Paige Bueckers is right at home with the basketball world watching - Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune

Dallas Mavericks @ Detroit Pistons - 7:00p.m. EST

Both sides want the Mavericks to win and Pistons to lose. The Mavs are one game behind the 3rd-seeded Warriors and Luka Magic has scored 32+ points in each of his last five games, meanwhile the Pistons are competing in a tanking competition with the Rockets, Thunder, and Magic. Give me Dallas in a landslide.

Brooklyn Nets @ New York Knicks - 7:30p.m. EST

Though my Knick fandom blinds me often, I will sober up and pick the Nets in this one. While NYK is eliminated from the playoffs already (sigh), every game for Brooklyn is a must-win to get better circumstances for the play-in tournament. 

Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls - 8:00p.m. EST

The Celtics have been the hottest team in basketball in this calendar year, and Chicago is just 4-6 in their last 10 games, but I have the Windy City defending their home court tonight. Even though Zach Lavine and Lonzo Ball remain out, so is Robert Williams, and Tatum and Brown are only listed as "probable."

Washington Wizards @ Atlanta Hawks - 8:00p.m. EST

The Hawks' talent will overwhelm the Wiz Kids. Trae Young has been flaming-hot recently, averaging 36 points and 10.5 assists in his last four appearances. Add in absences by Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma, and this should be a blowout.

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Utah Jazz - 9:00p.m. EST

Though OKC recently took down the (short-handed) Suns and tanking Trailblazers, a completely healthy Jazz team should lead wire to wire.

Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Clippers - 10:00p.m. EST

The return of Paul George makes the Clippers a sleeper team near the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture. However, DBook, Bridges, and Ayton returned from rest, and there are few teams who can give this well-oiled Phoenix machine trouble. Phoenix catches a W tonight.

That'll do it for us here at Enjoy Basketball. I appreciate the support our EB team has received and look forward to growing further. There's so much greatness around the NBA, and watching Kansas and South Carolina execute on the highest collegiate stage was inspiring. Although, I am getting to the age where I am as old if not older than these athletes, which causes an early mid-life crisis from time to time...

Anyways, I'm finished. Have a good day and remember to Enjoy Basketball!

- Conor Geelan

Quick Trivia Answer: The answer to the Monday newsletter's trivia question was Franz Wagner! Leading all rookies with 79 games played, in addition to averaging 15.3 points per game, Wagner leads all rookies in total points scored this season.

Quick Trivia Question: Two players in the NBA currently wear the number 99. Who are they?