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March Madness? Forget about it—this is May Madness, people!

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Trey Alexander, Yuki Kawamura, and Paul George! 🎉

Playoff Recaps

Clippers set up epic Game 7 battle with 111-105 series-evening win over Nuggets

The first series to be stretched to seven games this year is shaping up to have an electric finish.

James Harden did all the little things to help L.A. reach the finish line last night, facilitating for others and securing boards to complement his solid 28-point effort. Jamal Murray (21 PTS, 8 AST, 8 REB, 2 BLK) and Nikola Jokic (25 PTS, 8 AST, 7 REB, 3 STL) shot the ball fairly efficiently in solid showings, but it wasn’t enough to counteract the Nuggets’ turnover issues.

The Nuggets grabbed some momentum coming out of the first quarter, but the Clippers regained control and maintained it outside of a brief Denver surge right before the break. Outside of Harden’s team-leading night, Kawhi Leonard continued his incredibly consistent playoff stretch with 27 PTS, 10 REB, and 5 AST and Norman Powell (24 PTS) wow-ed with highlight play after highlight play, helping the Clippers maintain a rough 5- to 10-point margin throughout the 4Q.

Now, it all comes down to Saturday’s Game 7 back in Denver. Will the Clippers reach their first conference semifinals since 2021’s WCF run? Or will the Nuggets get one step closer to following up last year’s disappointing second-round exit with another championship run? Only time will tell—we can’t wait.

Gobert-led Timberwolves beat Lakers 103-96, win series 4-1

After two separate trades brought them to Minnesota—both of which were extensively made fun of among online hoops fans—Rudy Gobert (27 PTS, 24 PTS, 2 BLK) and Julius Randle (23 PTS) just won the Timberwolves a series-clinching playoff game over one of the greatest athletes in American sports.

The four-time DPOY Gobert was dominant all night down low, grabbing 9 offensive rebounds and providing Minnesota’s offense with a high floor in terms of points per possession. LeBron James (22 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST) couldn’t get in an offensive rhythm and Luka Doncic (28 PTS, 7-18 FG, 2-8 3PT) struggled in terms of efficiency, so all the Wolves needed was Randle to hit a couple sweet midrange shots to hold on to the lead.

A lot of this game, just like the series as a whole, came down to the difference between these two squads’ bench units. With limited offensive production from guys like Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt, the Timberwolves’ bench in this game—Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Naz Reid—was a huge factor, contributing 22 bench PTS to the Lakers’ 4 and continuing to fill in after Jaden McDaniels (8 PTS) fouled out.

And while Anthony Edwards (15 PTS, 8 AST, 3 STL) didn’t have an incredibly efficient closeout game, he impacted the game in so many other ways and solidified his spot as one of these playoffs’ best players. We can’t help but remark on the list of hoops legends he’s eliminated in the postseason so far in his career: Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, and now LeBron James? Talk about a certified playoff performer. Onto the conference semifinals!

Elsewhere around the bracket…

• New York needed him, so Jalen Brunson (40 PTS, 7 AST) delivered. In Game 6 at Little Caesars Arena, JB and the Knicks’ usual suspects—OG Anunoby (22 PTS) and Mikal Bridges (25 PTS)—did away with the Pistons for good with a 116-113 series-clinching win. It was a valiant effort by the young Pistons, who hung around thanks to some crafty “making-it-work” scoring by Cade Cunningham (23 PTS, 8 AST, 7 REB) and three-balls from Malik Beasley (20 PTS, 6-13 3PT), but they succumbed to New York despite a swing of momentum towards Detroit right before halftime and a surge in the 4Q where Detroit took a seven-point lead. Brunson sealed the win with a clutch three with four seconds left on the clock, advancing the Knicks to a matchup with the Celtics. 💪

• With their backs against the wall at home on Wednesday, the Rockets decided they weren’t done with their season just yet. Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Dillon Brooks all dropped 24+ as the Rockets beat Golden State 131-116 to force Game 6 in San Fran. Moses Moody (playoff career-high 25 PTS, 9 REB) led the Warriors in scoring in a game where neither Steph (13 PTS, 7 AST) nor Jimmy Butler (8 PTS, 5 REB, 2 STL) was able to get it going. The Dubs now hold a 3-2 lead as the series heads back to Chase Center—winner plays Minnesota in the next round! 🌉

🔐 Dyson Daniels wins Most Improved Player!

You never wanna see the Great Barrier Thief lurking in the shadows. Or in the coral.

Not only did 2024-25 NBA MIP Dyson Daniels jump from 5.8 → 14.1 PPG (and from 9.4 → 15.0 per 36 minutes), but he also led the league in steals (3.0 per game, 229 total) as a 22-year-old. Improving from bench defensive specialist to having that kind of impact on a night-in, night-out basis is the true meaning of this award! (And according to Daniels himself, he might not be finished.)

Last year, ‘23-’24: 5.8 PTS, 3.9 REB, 2.7 AST, 1.4 STL in 22.3 MP per game (61 games played)

This year, ‘24-’25: 14.1 PTS, 5.9 REB, 4.4 AST, 3.0 STL in 33.8 MP per game (76 games played)

Daniels won the award over fellow finalists Cade Cunningham and Ivica Zubac, both of whom brought their games to new heights this year. Cunningham jumped up to 26+ PPG and helped the Pistons triple their win total from last year, while Zubac became a dominant threat in the paint and on the glass in a larger role with the Clippers after L.A.’s roster re-shuffling.

Daniels nabbed the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy to earn his first end-of-season league-wide honor since being drafted by New Orleans in 2022—check out his and his family’s sweet reaction to the announcement: ⬇️

Three in the Key

Signing Off

This year’s postseason hasn’t disappointed, and neither have you—the Enjoyers—in showing love to our playoff coverage. We’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. Peace out! ✌️

Austin Zeglis