Two record-breaking scoring nights, a shocking coaching change, and a 20+ PPG scorer getting traded? It’s been a crazy couple days around the NBA, so it’s time to get caught up. ⬇️

Today’s Lineup

Last Night’s Action

Thunder escape Blazers 111-109 despite controversial ending

Good news: The Blazers had a 60-point turnaround from the last time they played the Thunder. Bad news: it still wasn't enough to get the W.

Led by a strong night on the boards from Jabari Walker and one of Scoot Henderson's best all-around games, Portland took the lead with just 30 seconds remaining thanks to Anfernee Simons’ cold-blooded dagger (or so we thought). Instead, things completely unraveled when Portland HC Chauncey Billups got ejected after arguing a missed timeout call. Jalen Williams then got the ball and swished the go-ahead middy with a couple ticks left.

But wait! Portland officially protested the outcome of this game with the league office, so we might actually be coming back to this one later in the season. We’ll keep you posted.

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Knicks win the Battle of New York, take down Nets 108-103

After what must be one of the easiest away-game commutes in basketball, the Knicks came out on top in this one. Despite getting a career-high seven threes from Mikal Bridges and building a double-digit second half lead, the Nets just weren’t able to stop a late run led by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, which was capped off by this absolutely wild sequence that just screams Knicks basketball:

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Kawhi’s triple-double helps Clippers sink Lakers 127-116

With LeBron James out, the Clippers kept this one pretty comfortably in control from the opening minutes, outside of a nice little run led by the Lakers bench unit in the early fourth quarter (shout-out DLo). But it was all Kawhi at the end of the day, who reminded us how timeless a nice midrange spin move is. And isn’t it crazy that this was only Kawhi’s second career triple-double? It feels like every superstar these days has at least 20. 🤷‍♂️

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Pelicans simply can’t miss in 153-124 demolition of Jazz

Secret tip: when you set a franchise record for threes in a game, you’re usually gonna have a good time. The Pelicans logged 23 three-balls against the Jazz, led CJ McCollum’s 9 3PM. But the real treat of the night was Zion Williamson getting back to his Spartanburg days with a ridiculous one-handed ‘oop.

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Jokic, Murray help Nuggets squeak by Pacers 114-109

Jamal and the Joker led the way for the Nuggets with a couple of 30-pieces, and Denver needed every bit of that against a Pacers team that was surprisingly potent without Tyrese Haliburton. We were especially impressed with Andrew Nembhard, who did a stellar job running the offense in Hali’s absence. Only Nikola Jokic could make such a clutch shot so casual…

Terry Rozier traded to Miami

Scary Terry is taking his talents to South Beach! Let’s break down the details:

Heat recieve: Terry Rozier

Hornets recieve: Kyle Lowry, 2027 1st Round Pick (lottery protected)

Why Miami said yes: They may have struck out on Dame this summer, but this was a really shrewd move by Pat Riley and Co. Rozier is in the midst of a career-best season and is more than capable of running an NBA offense while providing plenty of perimeter scoring, which the Heat desperately need. His ability to create scoring opportunities for himself will be huge come playoff time as well.

Why Charlotte said yes: It looks like this’ll be another year of Charlotte acquiring future assets, which they may continue to do by shipping Kyle Lowry to a third team. The Hornets are probably hoping for this pick to not convey until 2028, at which point it becomes unprotected, but we’ll have to wait and see how the Heat are looking in a few years’ time to really know if this was a W or not.

Adrian Griffin Out in Milwaukee

Getting fired when your team is 30-13 (the second-best record in the NBA) is the baddest of bad breaks, but that’s unfortunately what just happened to Adrian Griffin. Whether you want to point to the Bucks’ bottom-10 defense or their 10th-best net rating (surprisingly low for a team looking to win a title), there was plenty of legitimate reasoning to want Griffin out of MKE. Nevertheless, this comes as a bit of a shocking move given the circumstances.

Milwaukee is more than likely to fill Griffin’s spot fairly quickly, and the absolute frontrunner to do so is none other than former Sixers/Clippers HC Doc Rivers. So what do you think?

Monday Night Notes

18 years to the day since the late great Kobe Bryant scored 81 PTS, you had to know something special was gonna happen Monday night.

• And special it was! Joel Embiid made sure to give Wemby something to remember him by on Monday. Or rather, 70 somethings. The reigning MVP became just the 9th player ever to drop the big 7-0, scoring from anywhere and everywhere to secure a 10-point Sixers W.

• Wait, you thought that was it? While Joel was wrapping up his masterpiece, KAT was halfway through a career night of his own. Headlined by a 44-point first half that had the Hornets’ announcer in disbelief, Towns ended the game with a career-high 62 PTS. Unfortunately, the game ended up being a reminder of the dangers of chucking, as Charlotte came back in the 4th to beat Minnesota.

• Kevin Durant gave us another night of ethical, honest buckets in the late-night slot, putting up 42 on the Bulls including this double-clutch game-winner with just a second to go. So cold.

• Over in Dallas, Jaylen Brown (1) took Luka’s ankles and (2) took home the W for Boston. He and Jayson Tatum combined for 73 in an impressive road win where Luka still showed out, dropping a casual 33-18-13.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Thanks for reading, y’all! If you want some more hoops content to start your day, check out the latest episode of the Kenny Beecham Podcast. We’ve heard it’s basketball food for the soul (and can attest to the same).

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole