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With a 2020 Finals rematch in the cards, what better way to Enjoy some Wednesday night hoops than watching them with Kenny, Mike, Darrick, and Pierre? Tune in on Playback tonight at 7:30 ET to catch all the NBA action with the guys: ⬇️

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Enjoyers Ricky, Nathan, Joel, Houston, Evan, and NBA Hall of Famer Bernard King! 🎉

Game Recaps

Nikola Jokic’s fourth-quarter masterpiece powers Nuggets over Warriors 119-115

To win your 4th MVP in 5 years, you need to have some truly special games. Nikola Jokic (38 PTS, 10 REB), without a doubt, had one of those last night.

It seemed like every play from Big Honey in crunch time was the right read. From a pump fake three into a slow sweeping layup here to a dish to a cutting Aaron Gordon out of a double there, the 3X MVP singlehandedly dragged the Nuggets back from the brink to snag a victory from the jaws of defeat.

For the Warriors, it says a lot about their depth that they almost had this one in the bag despite Steph Curry (24 PTS, 11 AST) having an off shooting night. Guys like Gary Payton II (11 PTS) and Moses Moody (13 PTS) led a great effort from the bench unit, but they just couldn't get stops when it mattered most down the stretch. Draymond’s look says it all…

Mavericks secure knockout spot in epic 121-116 comeback over Grizzlies

Down 15 early in the 4th quarter and with Ja Morant (31 PTS) rolling, it looked like the Mavericks’ chances of making the NBA Cup knockouts were all but over. Instead, we got one of the comebacks of the year.

Dallas exploded for a scorching 21 points over the final five minutes to not only pick up the win, but also win by the 4+ points needed to keep their NBA Cup dreams alive. Luka Doncic (37 PTS, 12 AST) was masterful all night, but the real MVP has to go to PJ Washington (18 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST). He came through with 10 huge points in the 4th, including following up back-to-back Spencer Dinwiddie (16 PTS) threes with an all but game-ending trey that nearly brought the house down. ⬇️

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• A monster night from Rudy Gobert (17 PTS, 12 REB) and an all-around great defensive effort powered the Timberwolves to a morale-boosting 109-80 blowout of the Lakers.

• Brandon Miller (34 PTS) went bucket-for-bucket with his idol Paul George (29 PTS) down the stretch, but Philly managed to hold on 110-104 over Charlotte to secure back-to-back Ws for the first time all season.

• Don’t look now, but something might be cooking up in Toronto. The Raptors have won three of their last four, most recently an impressive 122-111 dub over the Pacers behind a great all-around effort from Scottie Barnes (35 PTS, 9 AST).

• A round of applause for the Suns’ defense, who managed to keep Wemby (15 PTS) relatively quiet for the first time in a while during their 109-93 win over the Spurs.

• There finally appear to be signs of life in Sacramento, as the Kings broke out of their slump in a big way to get a much-needed win over the Rockets 120-111, thanks in part to some great playmaking from Malik Monk (12 AST, 0 TOV).

• Look out everyone—things are starting to get scary over in Milwaukee! The Bucks made it seven in a row last night as Damian Lillard (27 PTS) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (28 PTS) combined for 55 in a 128-107 shellacking of the Pistons.

• And speaking of scary… how about hanging 106 in three quarters on arguably the best defense in basketball? That’s exactly what the Knicks did last night against the Magic in a 121-102 win, led by a stupendous performance from Karl-Anthony Towns (23 PTS, 15 REB).

Hoops History Spotlight

This weekend, we were blessed with one of the greatest spectacles in American sports—an NFL snow game. And as we watched Josh Allen dive into the end zone in the middle of a blizzard, it got us wondering—has the NBA ever played a game in the great outdoors?

The answer is yes! Well, sort of.

There have been four outdoor games between NBA teams in league history, but all of them were either exhibition or preseason games. The first came way back in 1972, when the Bucks and Suns faced off at a baseball stadium in Puerto Rico in the first game played outside of the contiguous USA! The Suns took this one 116-103, as street-ball legend and future Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins thrived in the outdoor conditions.

Despite the game’s strong attendance, concerns about wind and unexpected weather meant we didn’t see another outdoor event until 2008, when the Suns hosted what would be the first of three preseason games over three seasons at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.

The results were mixed, to say the least. The 2008 edition was mired by—you guessed it—cold weather and strong winds, as the Suns and Nuggets combined to make just three shots from downtown all night in a 77-72 Denver win. While the Suns’ outdoor games in the following years against the Warriors and Mavericks were slightly better and got good ratings, the uncontrollable weather factors proved too risky to make it a full-time affair.

What do you think: should the NBA host an outdoor game again? If so, the opportunities are endless…

Three in the Key

From paper lists to Amazon Prime, times have changed.

While fast shipping and exclusive shows are well-known, these 10 hidden perks can take your membership to the next level.

Read more

Signing Off

Thanks for hanging with us today, y’all! As the holiday season starts, try to prioritize spending time with the people you care about the most, especially if it involves watching hoops.

Talk soon,

-Spencer Poole