BREAKING: Trading for James Harden makes your basketball team better.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday Fred VanVleet, Brandon Podziemski, and Joakim Noah! 🎉

Game Recaps

Cavs dominate Knicks 109-94, move into a tie for third in the East

The Cleveland Cavaliers are now 6-1 in the James Harden era.

After an overall sluggish first few months of the season, the Harden acquisition has given the Land the boost of a lifetime. The newest Cavalier went for 20 points in the win, nailing four of his seven attempts from three, while shooting zero free throws. Donovan Mitchell went for 23 of his own in a subpar shooting performance, but he did pick up three steals, remaining active on both sides of the ball!

All five starters scored in double figures for Cleveland. Their flow offensively was so contagious that Jarrett Allen was making passes like this:

Cleveland used a lockdown 23-11 third quarter to pull away for good to win their sixth of their last seven. For New York, it was a struggle all night offensively, as they shot just 38% from the floor as a team. Jalen Brunson shot just 5/14 and just couldn’t quite get into his usual rhythm.

Standings wise, this was a big time win for Cavs, who are now tied with the Knicks for third place in the East, and are now just 1.5 games back of the second place Celtics. 👀

Spurs pick up statement 114-103 win on the road against top-seeded Pistons

The San Antonio Spurs are officially here.

This game was a big test for the Spurs, who had won eight in a row heading into Monday’s matchup against the East’s top seed. In a game that had a playoff-type feel to it, Victor Wembanyama (21 PTS, 17 REB, 6 BLK) and the rest of the Spurs proved themselves in a BIG way on both sides of the ball:

In addition to the greatness that is Wemby, Devin Vassell (28 PTS) and Julian Champagnie (17 PTS) were absolute flamethrowers from downtown in the win, combining to shoot 12/19 from beyond the three point line. 🔥

Detroit kept things close throughout the first two and a half quarters, but Cade Cunningham (15 PTS, 10 AST) getting into foul trouble in the third quarter had an effect on his ability to stay aggressive throughout the game, and the Spurs took full advantage. Jalen Duren had big game despite the loss, going for a 25 point and 14 rebound double double.

With how intense this battle was on Monday, we would definitely not complain if this was the finals matchup come June…. 👀

Elsewhere around the NBA:

• For the first time in 39 days, the beam is lit in Sacramento! The Kings snap their franchise record 16 game losing streak in their 123-114 win over the Grizzlies on Monday. Russell Westbrook played a huge role in the victory, going for 25 points, and Sactown also got a major boost from Daeqwon Plowden (19 PTS, 4/9 3PT) who’s been ballin’ on a two-way contract. Even though it may not last very long, as for right now…the Kings are on a winning streak. 😎

• After a disappointing loss to the Knicks in their previous game, the Rockets had a near perfect bounceback performance, blowing out the Jazz 125-105 on Monday night. Houston led 38-22 after the first quarter and simply never looked back. Kevin Durant was dropping dimes all over the court in the win, picking up a season high 12 assists. Most of those went to Jabari Smith Jr, who exploded for 31 points on a crazy efficient 12/17 shooting. There was some skepticism a few weeks ago, but the vibes in the Houston lockerroom seem to be just fine…

• Tuesday night was an emotional night in Atlanta. Though he didn’t suit up, former Hawk Trae Young made his return to where it all started back in 2018. His former team did walk away with the last laugh in this one, crushing his Wizards 119-98. Last night also marked the beginning of the Johnathan Kuminga era in ATL, as the former Warrior went OFF for 27 points on 9/12 shooting in just 24 minutes of action. Most importantly, it looked like JK was having fun out there. 😁

• For the third consecutive game, the Thunder win without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC goes into Shai’s homeland and leave Toronto with a 116-107 win. Cason Wallace treated the basket like it was the ocean in this one, finishing with 27 points on a ridiculous 11/16 shooting and 4/5 from three. Isaiah Joe poured in six made threes of his own on his way to 22 points. We want to see Shai and J-Dub back on the court ASAP, but for now…OKC’s insane depth has them covered.

Wayback Wednesday

Before the Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson splash bros era, Warriors fans had the pleasure of enjoying the career of another all-time great shooter and Hall of Famer….

On this week’s edition of Wayback Wednesday, we’re showing some love to Chris Mullin! 🔥

Selected seventh overall in the stacked 1985 NBA draft following a legendary collegiate career at St. Johns, Chris Mullin entered the NBA with the potential to become one of the league’s elite scorers. Let’s just say…it didn’t take long for him to cash in on that potential.

By just his third season in the league in 1987-88, Mullin averaged his first 20-piece (20.2 PTS on 50% FG). In year four, he started to terrorize the NBA with his insane bucket-getting ability. In 1988-89, he boosted his numbers even further (26.5 PTS, 5.1 AST, 2.1 STL) and made his first All-Star team.

The very next season, future Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway joined the squad. Adding Hardaway changed everything for GSW, and between Mullin, Hardaway, and sharpshooter Mitch Richmond, Golden State entered one of their most fun eras in their franchise’s history- nicknamed the ‘Run TMC’ era. The three stars created an offensive powerhouse that gave opponents all sorts of problems on a nightly basis.

The ‘Run TMC’ era conveniently lined up with Mullin’s peak seasons. From 1989-93, Mully made three All-NBA teams (including a first team selection in 1991-92) averaged over 25+ points per game in each season, and established a firm reputation as one of the best shooters in the league, with several seasons shooting 45% or better from behind the line. He also captured a gold medal as a member of the iconic 1992 Dream Team during this stretch!

His shooting ability did not leave him once he retired, either. Check out this cool video from 2017, where a 55 year old Mullin goes toe-to-toe with Kevin Durant in a shooting contest, nailing each and every shot:

Though lretired without a championship, he did reach the Finals in the later stages of his career with the Pacers in 2000, before heading back to the Bay for one more season and retiring in 2001. When mentioning the greatest shooters of all time, make sure to NOT leave Mullin’s name off the list.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

That’s all for today, Enjoyers! Thanks for making us a part of your day. The best part of the basketball calendar is coming up soon…we hope you’re ready.

See you on Friday!

Bobby Kasmire