Jayson Tatum is a Bad Man

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Welcome back, Enjoyers, to another midweek edition of our humble newsletter. The holiday season is right around the corner, and all we're wishing for are some incredible Christmas Day games. But before then, we still have some hoops to cover, so let's go ahead and dive in!

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The Laker Killer 🔪: Tatum drops 44 in LA to headline an exciting Tuesday night

Chasing Records 🏀: Dame almost set a single game record to lead the Monday headlines

Market Watch 💹: One Eastern Conference team is red hot after a slow start

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Yesterday's Games

Harden's Playmaking the Key in Sixers 123-103 Win Over Kings

Joel Embiid may have led the way for the Sixers (15-12) in the scoring department, but don’t let the box score fool you; this was an absolute James Harden masterclass through and through. The veteran star picked the Kings (14-12) defense apart to the tune of 15 assists with only six turnovers. His pinpoint passing was the catalyst behind an elite shooting night from the Philly squad, who combined to hit 16 of 35 shots (46%) from beyond the arc. Domantas Sabonis led the way for Sacramento with an efficient 22 and 10.

Box Score

Rockets Defense Locks Up Suns in 111-97 Blowout

This Rockets (9-18) squad has gotten a reputation as a potentially explosive offensive force that struggles to guard other teams, but they completely flipped the script last night against the Suns (16-12). Despite turning the ball over 22 times and shooting 22 fewer shots than Phoenix, Houston won this game with a superb all-around defensive effort. The Suns had a rough shooting night, making just 32% of their shots and 26% of their threes, all without a single starter shooting better than 40% from the field. On offense, the Rockets were led by Jalen Green with 26 and some overall great free throw shooting, making 31 of their 34 shots at the charity stripe.

And we couldn’t not share this touching moment between Monty Williams and Stephen Silas, whose father, former NBA player and head coach Paul Silas, passed away just a few days prior.

Box Score

Jazz 121-100 Victory Ends Pelicans Win Streak at 7

Welcome back to yet another edition of "What to Think of The Utah Jazz." They started 10-3, went 5-11 over their next 16 games, and now just blew out the best team in the Western Conference. It was a big night for Utah’s (16-14) big men, with Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, and Jarred Vanderbilt all putting up double-doubles. And don’t let Zion’s 26 points and this ridiculous dunk deceive you; Utah kept the Pelicans (18-9) in check on both ends of the court. New Orleans players not named Zion combined to shoot just 35% from the field.

Box Score

Tatum’s 44 Helps Celtics Squeak by Lakers in OT 122-118

The NBA’s most storied rivals playing in an overtime thriller with multiple comebacks: what’s not to love?

Crazy fact: BOTH teams had at least a 98% probability to win at some point during the game. The Lakers (11-16) seemed outgunned and outmatched through the first 30 or so minutes, digging themselves into a 20-point hole. But a massive charge led by who else, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, gave the Lake Show a 13-point lead with just four and a half minutes remaining.

You’re thinking it must be over, right? Wrong. Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum dropped 14 points over the final four minutes of regulation, including this ice cold 🥶 shot over LeBron from JT to force OT, where they’d eventually pull out the W for the Celtics (22-7).

Box Score

Bucks Blow By Warriors 128-111

This game was … a bit more chaotic than the final score indicated, to say the least. Technical fouls galore, Draymond getting a fan ejected, Giannis going on a wild side quest to hit a jump shot; this was truly one for the NBA sickos. And in such a crazy game, of course, Bobby Portis had to be the X-factor for the Bucks (20-7). Bobby Buckets dropped an energetic 25 and 11 off the bench, cementing himself even further into a stacked Sixth Man of the Year race.

And in a continuing weird trend, the Warriors (14-14) are now 2-12 on the road this season compared to 12-2 at home. Our ongoing conspiracy theory is that Golden State has been sending stunt doubles that are slightly worse at basketball to away games so they can rest up for the playoffs.

Box Score

Monday Night Notes

For a fleeting moment Monday night, it seemed like NBA history was about to be made. First off, Damian Lillard went full human torch mode, hitting 11 (‼️) three-pointers through two and a half quarters to get within three of tying Klay Thompon's single-game record before getting the rest of the night off in the Blazers (15-12) blowout win over the Timberwolves (13-14). But he wasn’t the only one chasing records. The Grizzlies (18-9) Jaren Jackson Jr. took advantage of the Hawks (14-14) resting key players to block a ridiculous SIX shots in his first 11 minutes. Just look at the respect this guy demands in the paint.

Speaking of blocked shots, Keldon Johnson saved the day for the Spurs (9-18) with this last-second swat to take down the Cavs (17-11). In the Thunder’s (11-16) loss to the Mavericks (14-13), SGA tied his season high with 42, and Luka Doncic got hit with one of the strangest techs you’ll ever see. And finally, isn’t it great to have Kawhi Leonard back? The Claw dropped 25 on 10-12 shooting and was integral in holding the Boston Celtics (21-7) to perhaps their worst offensive outing of the season in a 20-point Clippers (16-13) W. The only bad thing he did all night was leave LA’s mascot hanging.

Latest Basketball News

Cade Cunningham to have Season-Ending Shin Surgery

Unfortunately, some absolutely brutal news out of Detroit: Cade Cunningham's season is over.

The 2021 first-overall pick made the tough decision to have season-ending surgery on his left shin. The injury has been nagging Cunningham for over a month, who only suited up for 12 games with Detroit before going down. Pistons fans, we know it's a tough pill to swallow, but at least you might get a Killian Hayes breakout season and a top pick in the draft out of it. Stay strong.

NBA Adds New Award and Renames Others In Rebranding Effort

In a rebranding effort, the NBA is renaming its major awards after some of the game's greatest players. The Michael Jordan MVP Trophy, the Hakeem Olajuwon DPOY Trophy, the Wilt Chamberlain ROTY Trophy, the John Havlicek 6MOTY Trophy, and the George Mikan MIP Trophy will replace the old trophy designs while bearing the name of hardwood icons.

But more importantly, there’s a new award to have arguments on social media about! Named after the only player to ever win Finals MVP on the losing team, the Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year Award is given to, as the name implies, the league's clutchest player. It’s early goings, but let us know who you think deserves to be the inaugural CPOTY below. 👇

Market Watch

Rising Stock: The Brooklyn Nets

There’s certainly been plenty of off-the-court turmoil in Brooklyn early this season, but on it, they’re quietly gelling into one of the most fearsome teams in the Eastern Conference.

After a 2-5 start under former head coach Steve Nash, the Nets have cruised to a 15-7 record with Jacque Vaughn at the helm. The secret? A newfound defensive identity. Brooklyn has the 6th best defense in basketball by defensive rating since Vaughn took over, and a lot of that has to do with two players in particular.

Nic Claxton has subtly molded himself into one of the best rim defenders in the league and should be getting some serious All-Defensive consideration. Opponents are shooting 10.6% worse around the rim when guarded by Claxton, who currently ranks second in the NBA in total blocks.

And Ben Simmons has fully rounded into shape on D after a shaky start. The rangy playmaker is the glue that holds Brooklyn’s bench defense together, thanks to his length and unmatched versatility. In the two games he’s played since returning from a minor injury, Simmons has kept opponents in prison with a 98.9 defensive rating.

Buy Low: Julius Randle

Sometimes it feels like Julius Randle has had his legacy unfairly written for him. The decent starter who caught lightning in a bottle for one magical season before falling back down to Earth. 2021-22 seemed to confirm that assumption when he got massive criticism and media attention for underperforming, but why is there not that same buzz when he’s proven that notion wholly wrong this season?

Randle is playing some inspired ball on a Knicks team that’s sitting over .500 through 27 games for the first in half a decade. In the month of December, the star forward is averaging over 27 points and nine rebounds per game with a mind-boggling +29 net rating.

Good Reads

Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown talk finals heartache, Ime Udoka saga and more - Sam Amick and Jared Weiss (The Athletic)

The Connector: Malik Monk's infectious energy breathes life into Kings - Spencer Davies (Basketball News)

Paul Silas’ multi-generational impact on the game of basketball - Paul Hudrick (SB Nation)

Signing Off

Thanks for reading, everyone! Make sure to power through the rest of this week, only a couple more 'til the holidays.

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: This was a tough one. The Philadelphia 76ers' all-time leading scorer isn’t AI, Moses, or Barkley … it’s Hal Greer! The Hall-of-Famer was an integral part of the Sixers' great teams in the 60s, including the 1967 title-winning squad.

Trivia Question: Only one currently-active NBA player has ever recorded 12 blocks in a game: who is he?