50,000 of anything is a lot, but 50,000 career points in the NBA is truly special. 👑

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Mason Plumlee, Wally Szczerbiak, and Enjoyers Aidan, Devin, and Brandon! 🎉

Game Recaps

LeBron hits 50K career points as Lakers blow out Pelicans 136-115

The Lakers took care of New Orleans comfortably at home last night, with their star duo handling the Pelicans’ roster around Zion Williamson (37 PTS, 6 AST) fairly easily. But that wasn’t the full story of this one, as with his 34 PTS, LeBron James eclipsed 50,000 career points scored (regular season + playoffs) throughout his 20+ year NBA career, becoming the first-ever player in league history to reach that mark. In terms of greatness and longevity, there truly isn’t anyone like Bron.

Luka Doncic (30 PTS, 15 AST, 8 REB) matched LeBron’s energy during the historic night, as he became just the fourth Laker to record 30+ PTS and 15+ AST in a single game. The other three? Jerry West, Magic Johnson, and some guy named LeBron James. How’s that for company?

Shai pours in 51, Thunder beat Rockets 137-128

Talk about a clinic! On Monday against Houston, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped an efficient 51 points—going 5-for-9 from three and sinking all 10 of his free throws—to lead OKC to their 50th win of the season. Jalen Williams (24 PTS, 4-5 3PT) also contributed with an efficient night from the perimeter of his own.

The Rockets got 25+ from both Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore, but it wasn’t enough to overcome SGA. OKC improves to 3-1 against the Rockets this year, strengthening their already dominant hold on the West’s first seed. But do the Thunder have this conference wrapped up when it comes to the postseason?

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• Comeback alert! A huge Phoenix fourth quarter helped Kevin Durant (34 PTS, 19 in 4Q) and the Suns claw all the way back from being down 23 to beat the Clippers 119-117, with Ivica Zubac (35 PTS, 9 REB) leading the way for L.A.

• After a night full of Paolo Banchero (41 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST), Toronto beat Orlando 114-113 by way of a versatile game from RJ Barrett (21 PTS, 9 AST, 8 REB) and, in the end, a Ja’Kobe Walter (17 PTS) buzzer-beater three.

• Tyrese Haliburton’s dynamic offense (28 PTS, 5-8 3PT, 15 AST) lifted Indiana over Houston 115-102 despite a good showing from Alperen Sengun (25 PTS, 9 REB, 7 AST).

• Atlanta and Memphis were locked at 130 apiece after a back-and-forth affair on Monday, but a steal from Dyson Daniels (14 PTS, 7 AST) and a buzzer-beating euro-step lay-in by Caris LeVert (25 PTS) broke the tie and handed Atlanta the 132-130 win.

• A red-hot second half powered the Trail Blazers to a 119-102 win over the Sixers, thanks in part to the continuation of Anfernee Simons’ (34 PTS, 6 3PT) recent hot streak—he’s averaged 24 PPG in his last six contests.

• Each of Sacramento’s five starters recorded 13+ points as the Kings (led in scoring by Zach LaVine’s 22 PTS) cruised to a balanced 122-98 win over Dallas, who were led by Kai Jones (21 PTS) in his first game as a Maverick!

• Finally, the Cavs won their 11th straight game last night, a 139-117 win over Chicago led by Jarrett Allen (25 PTS, 17 REB). Could another mega-streak be in store for Cleveland?

Around the League

Mavs’ Kyrie Irving out for season with torn ACL

Per Shams, Kyrie Irving will be out for the rest of the year after tearing his ACL while being fouled on a shot during Monday night’s Mavs-Kings game. It made for an emotional scene when, after being injured, Kyrie was helped back to the free throw line to take his shots before exiting the game—and he hit them both.

Does Kyrie being out theoretically help the Mavs’ lottery chances? Sure. But all we wanna see is our favorite hoopers healthy and competing on the court. Rest up, Kai!

And for Mavs fans… we’re sorry. Talk about a bad stretch of luck.

Numbers to Remember

You know what time it is! Let’s go over some numbers to remember from recent NBA action: ⬇️

65.1%

…the percentage chance that Denver’s Nikola Jokic wins the 2024-25 NBA MVP per Basketball Reference, a large margin ahead of second-place Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at 27.7%. SGA has had plenty of award-worthy performances this year, but don’t let MVP fatigue obscure the greatness of what the Joker has done this season—he’s on track to become the first person not named Russell Westbrook to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson in 1962.

14

…the number of wins that Portland has in their last 20 games, proving there’s only one way the Trail Blazers’ season has gone so far: up, up, and up. With many of Portland’s veteran players injured, their young core of Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Toumani Camara has done more than pick up the slack—they’ve picked up Blazers’ fans hopes that the end of this rebuild is near.

45

…the number of 50-point games Wilt Chamberlain had in the 1961-62 season, the record for the most such games in an NBA season. Unreal. SGA sits at 4 this season after his 51-point game on Monday, which is the most by any player in a season since 2020—we’re not sure anyone’s catching Wilt anytime soon.

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Signing Off

We know it’s hump day, Enjoyers. But we believe in you. Don’t be afraid to take a step back and gather yourself if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed today—regroup, retool, and get back out there! You got this!

Austin Zeglis