🏀 Indy Out-Paced Giannis' Great Night...

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And we’re back! It’s the last newsletter of the week, and thankfully we’ve seen some wild games recently. Let’s make it count, people!

Today’s Lineup

Keeping Pace 🏃‍♂️: Giannis’ elite night couldn’t beat our favorite League Pass team…

Beast of the East 💪: The 76ers dethroned Boston behind a dominant Embiid performance.

Film Friday 🎥: Breaking down how this rookie is already an elite defender…

Whatnot

What’s the word y’all? Kenny here. We’ve got something really special for the Enjoyers. I’ll be hosting a livestream on Whatnot this Sunday at 6pm ET to give away $5,000 in sports cards and a PS5.

For those out of the loop, Whatnot is an app where streamers host live auctions selling sports cards, jerseys, and sneakers.

Use my invite link to sign-up and you’ll automatically get $10 off your first purchase!

Last Night’s Action

Indiana inches past Milwaukee 126-124 despite Giannis’ 54

Giannis Antetokounmpo ravaged the paint (19-25 FG) and shot an amazing 16-18 from the free throw line on his way to 54 points. So how the heck did Indiana win this one?

Well, they shot the lights out. Bennedict Mathurin made some tuff shots and Tyrese Haliburton poured in 29 points and 10 assists. The Bucks really missed the injured Dame down the stretch, as a Giannis turnover led to a “bang”-worthy pull-up three by Haliburton. This whole game was a hoops fan’s wildest dream: our favorite League Pass team flourished AND we witnessed a top-tier performance from an all-timer. See for yourself:

Hawks top Magic 120-119 behind Trae’s 41

Why did this matchup have All-Star Game vibes? All those fast-breaks and highlights certainly made us think so, although this one had a nail-biter finish… unlike the ASG. The human highlight reel Trae Young shredded the Orlando defense for 41 points, including a logo three and a sick alley-oop to Jalen Johnson.

Meanwhile, Jalen Suggs was everywhere with six (yes, SIX) steals and a season-high 21 points, including this impossible reverse layup plus an off-the-backboard lob. A back-and-forth final five minutes cumulated in a Trae wrap-around pass that somehow found Dejounte Murray in the corner for a game-winning triple.

Wednesday Night Notes

Wednesday night was jam packed with NBA action. 14 games, 28 teams. You can skim the box scores, but we’ll give you the gist right here:

• Philly beat the seemingly unstoppable Celtics 106-103 and are now 6-1 to start the season! Tyrese Maxey (25 points) continued his scorching start to the year, and Joel Embiid (27 points) hit a cold-blooded post fade to seal the win.

• You know the great thing about having two superstars? You’ll always have one to spare. With Giannis controversially ejected, Damian Lillard activated Dame Time with 18 fourth-quarter points to come back against Detroit for the 120-118 win.

• Sacramento eked out a 121-118 overtime win against the Blazers behind Domantas Sabonis’ 27/11/9 night. We loved seeing the Murray brothers face off for the first time and do a jersey swap. Plus, Jerami Grant (38 points) hit some tough shots and has increased his scoring output every game so far this season!

• Jalen Green dropped 28 points in just 21 minutes, including these ridiculous back-to-back finishes, to send the Rockets soaring past the Lakers in a 128-94 blowout.

• Denver strengthened their claim as the NBA’s best team with a 108-105 dub against the Dubs. Nikola Jokic dominated with 35 points, and although two missed free throws made the ending a little shaky, Golden State just couldn’t convert in the end.

• DeMar DeFrozen 🧊 hit a tough layup to send Bulls/Suns to overtime, but Phoenix came out on top behind eight threes from Grayson Allen. Bradley Beal seemed a bit rusty in his Phoenix debut, but we could tell his presence will force defenses to make tough choices.

• Lastly, in a duel of League Pass favorites, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a near career-high 43 to propel OKC past the Cavs, 128-120. Shout-out to Caris LeVert, who came up big with 29 points off the bench!

Daily Trivia

Beyond the Box Score

We’re back with Film Friday, a segment where we break down a specific player’s skill through video analysis. Today, we want to delve into how Ausar Thompson is already an incredible defender just two weeks into his NBA career!

This kid was built in a lab. We’re talking about a 7-foot wingspan, a 40+ inch vertical leap, and an ultra-quick first step. This enables him to contest shots where others can’t, like this insane block on Zach LaVine.

We know lots of players have great athleticism, but Ausar also has a crazy high motor and consistently disrupts ball-handlers. Offenses try to screen him away because he guards the ball so closely, but Ausar makes himself thinner to navigate through the screener and stay in front of his man. This video from Hoops Venue explains this beautifully:

In a league full of Harden-style stepbacks, it’s crazy that Ausar is strong enough to absorb contact and close out to the three point line (like how he swatted this Dame stepback). Even when he loses his man off-the-ball, his recovery hustle often results in plays like this chasedown block on Josh Giddey. Ausar’s combination of defensive instincts, vertical, and length will make him a lethal help-side defender too—he punched this PJ Washington shot like PJ was his little brother shooting on a mini hoop.

It’s wild to think this defensive monster was born in 2003 and already has a crazy defensive highlight reel after just nine games. We can’t wait to see Ausar put on the clamps 🔐 for the next decade and more!

Three in the Key

• This Kyrie handle combo into a tough finish was tooooo smooth… 😮‍💨

• Jalen Green’s dunk matched the Rockets’ astronaut court design. 👨‍🚀

• Anthony Edwards obliterated the rim with this windmill! 🤯 

What We’re Enjoying

MCU Update: The Marvels comes out in theaters today! We know a lot of folks are down on the post-Endgame MCU, but we’ll always love spending time in the universe Marvel has built up. 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️

Signing Off

We’re challenging you to do your best Tyrese Haliburton impression this weekend and throw an assist to a friend—whatever that means for your lives. Or you could just drop 29 points on Milwaukee’s head, cause that would be pretty Tyrese of you as well.

-Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: The Indiana Pacers have the highest offensive rating, at 121.5 points scored per 100 offensive possessions! They’re our favorite League Pass team for a reason…

Before you go…

MASSIVE day for Enjoyer birthdays!!! 🎉 We’re wishing the happiest of birthdays to Kyle, Ogechukwu, De’Ante, Grant, Andrew, Anthony, Alexandr, and Asa, who we met in Denver! Much love to all. ❤️