Enjoy Basketball: Meltdown in Minnesota, finals teams suffer injury blows

Welcome back fellow basketball enjoyers to another round of the Enjoy Basketball newsletter! The playoffs are in full swing and NBA discourse is reaching the most toxic time of year. So why not take a break from all that and learn a bit about what's going on around the league? Lets hop right in.

Grizzlies storm back against Timberwolves in comeback for the ages

Yeah Timberwolves fans... there's not a whole lot I can say here to make this one better. Just know that from watching the Blazers in the 2019 Western Conference Finals, I feel your pain. 

To be fair, everything was going perfectly for Minnesota through the better part of three quarters. They more than made up for a quiet night from Karl-Anthony Towns with a well-rounded team effort centered around aggressive defense (21 combined steals and blocks) and some timely three point shooting. (42.3% through three quarters). 

And then the wheels completely fell off. The Wolves had no answer for a suddenly red-hot Grizzlies offense, who made nearly as many threes (6) in the fourth quarter as they did in the rest of the game combined (7). Brandon Clarke was huge for them down the stretch as well, scoring 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.

If Minnesota wants to get back into this series, they need to find a way to get KAT going. Four shots in a playoff game is nowhere near enough for your franchise player. Either find some ways to get him open looks, or make Memphis pay for double teaming so aggressively.

Numbers to Remember: 50-16

The run the Grizzlies went on over the last 15 minutes of the game. Their 26 point comeback is tied for the fourth largest in NBA playoff history, only one point behind their own massive blown lead against the Clippers in the 2012 playoffs.

Brunson's reign of terror continues, Mavericks take series lead

I don't think Jalen Brunson ever got the memo that Luka is coming back, because he's seamlessly taken his role as the face of the franchise. The Villanova grad dropped 30+ points for the second straight game, even after taking a cheap shot in the first half (do better Royce O'Neale). 

But it wasn't just Brunson making things happen for Dallas. Spencer Dinwiddie was quiet for most of the game before coming alive with ten points in the fourth quarter, Dorian Finney-Smiths smothering defense forced four steals, and the bench trio of Davis Bertans, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber combined to make 11 of their 17 three pointers.

For the Jazz, it was just a case of too little too late. They dug themselves into a 17 point hole at halftime and just weren't able to crawl all the way back out, never getting closer than five points down. The lack of second chance points (they grabbed just one offensive rebound all game) and a -6 turnover differential is what eventually did them in, despite strong performances from Gobert, Mitchell and others.

Number to remember: 9

The number of players in NBA history who have scored 70+ points with one or fewer turnovers over a two game stretch in the playoffs, a list that now includes Brunson. He joins Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade among others.

Splash Brothers + Poole put Denver's season on the ropes

We all should have known how unfair it would be to add another 20+ PPG perimeter scorer to the Warriors. The three-headed monster of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole simply couldn't be stopped last night as the trio combined to score 80 of Golden States 118 points. Draymond Green chipped in as well with his usual strange statline and some huge defensive plays down the stretch, including stripping Jokic with under a minute to play to effectively ice the game. 

This loss has to sting for the Nuggets because the game was right there for the taking. The Warriors were sloppy around the margins, they made less than 64% of their free throws, were a -14 on the glass, and looked out of sorts after an unusually weak third quarter. But Denver just didn't give Jokic (37 pts, 18 reb, 5 ast) enough help down the stretch. Aaron Gordon had his best game of the series with 18 points and 12 rebounds, but he did most of his work in the third quarter, leaving Jokic as the Nuggets only reliable offensive weapon for long stretches of the game.

Number to remember: 0 

The number of times a team has won a playoff series after being down three games to zero. The Nuggets would have to achieve the impossible to move on to the next round, marking a disappointing end to another stellar season for Nikola Jokic. 

Injuries to sideline Booker, Middleton, for multiple weeks

It doesn't matter what part of the season it is, injuries suck. But they suck just a little bit more when you're the defending conference champions and the playoffs just started.

The Bucks and the Suns are having to deal with these unfortunate circumstances, as Devin Booker and Khris Middleton both went down injured during Wednesday nights games.

Booker was in the middle of a spectacular performance, scoring 31 points before heading to the locker room with a hamstring strain around halfway through the third quarter. The strain is expected to keep him sidelined for two to three weeks, meaning Phoenix will likely be without their leading scorer throughout their first round matchup against New Orleans.

Middleton got it even worse than Booker. The three time all-star suffered an MCL sprain that could keep him out as long as four weeks, putting his availability for the second round into question. They still have Giannis, but Milwaukee will have to find a way to work without Middleton, who was instrumental to the teams title run last season. 

John Wall buyout potentially on the horizon

 Former Washington Wizards star John Wall may be finally returning from his exile at the end of the Houston Rockets bench. Bleacher Reports Jake Fischer reported that Wall and Houston are likely to revisit buyout talks this offseason before the beginning of free agency in July.

Wall has struggled mightily with injuries in recent years but the former Kentucky guard is still an effective playmaker and capable defender who would be a valuable piece for any team looking for another point guard. Two teams to look out for should he be bought out are the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat. Both squads are in desperate need of backup guards this offseason. 

Ben Simmons officially to make Nets debut on Monday

The will-he-won't-he saga is finally over, Ben Simmons is playing NBA basketball again. After missing all of this season due to contract disputes with Philadelphia, followed by a lingering back issue, the former first overall pick is officially set to make his debut for the Brooklyn Nets in a pivotal game four. Down 2-0 in the series, the Nets are hoping that Simmons' dynamic playmaking and versatile defense will be enough to swing the series back in their favor. Whether he can be that guy for them is another question entirely.

Thompson: Andre Iguodala has found freedom to be himself in the Bay Area and, in turn, has become a giant -- Marcus Thompson II (The Athletic)

NBA Stats Notebook: Jalen Brunson is in the driver's seat -- Ethan Fuller (Basketball News)

Film Study: How Grizzlies' defense stepped up in Game 2 vs. Wolves -- John Schuhmann (NBA.com)

Behind Deandre Ayton’s Desire to Dominate the NBA Playoffs -- Rohan Nadkarni (Sports Illustrated)

Miami Heat @ Atlanta Hawks - 7:00 PM EST

The Heat have looked really good to start the playoffs, but this Hawks team has too much talent in my opinion to go down 3-0. Trae Young is due for a breakout game after shooting just two for 23 from long range so far this series, and they did a good job on defense locking up everybody not named Jimmy Butler in game two. As long as Young can get back in a groove and Butler doesn't go off for 40+ again, I think the Hawks get a win at home to make things a bit more interesting.

Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls - 8:30 PM EST

The Bulls have immediately become a fairly popular pick to upset the Bucks after Khris Middleton's MCL injury in game two but I think everyone may have jumped the gun a bit. A masterclass from DeMar DeRozan was barely enough to push Chicago over the edge on Wednesday in a narrow four point win. More importantly, the Bulls haven't yet shown that they can slow down Giannis on a consistent basis, who had 33, 18, and nine in a dominating game two performance despite the loss.

New Orleans Pelicans @ Phoenix Suns - 9:30 PM EST

Speaking of an injury that could have a serious impact on the playoffs, Devin Bookers hamstring strain should have Suns fans sweating a bit, especially after seeing their offense fall apart down the stretch without him in game two. Despite playing just 25 minutes, he was the only Suns player to finish with more than 20 points. Phoenix went just 8-6 without their starting shooting guard this season and I think they may run into some trouble without him sooner rather than later with New Orleans grabbing a surprise lead in the series.

That's all from me today. Let's all try and take a lesson from the Grizzlies and finish this week off strong. Or you could pull a Timberwolves and ruin your productivity right at the end by watching the playoffs instead of working. Either way, just make sure you're having fun doing it.

- Spencer Poole

Last Trivia Answer: A lot of you on Twitter were on the right track, because the answer for the player with the highest +/- in a single season is 2015-16 Draymond Green! Seven of the top eight players were from either the 2015-16 or 2016-17 Warriors team. 

Trivia Question: DeMar DeRozan became just the third player in Chicago Bulls history to score 40+ points in a playoff game when he dropped 41 on Wednesday night against Milwaukee. He joins Michael Jordan and which former other former Bull?