Here here! Sundays have been reclaimed by hoops! We are kings once again!

Today’s Lineup

Sunday’s Slate

Bucks begin to find rhythm, beat Sixers 119-98

In case you weren’t paying attention this weekend, Milwaukee (36-21) has started to look a little more like how we expected when they traded for Dame. Sure, Philadelphia (33-24) is still without Joel Embiid, but a wire-to-wire win in a hostile environment is a good sign for MKE regardless.

O’Neale hits six threes as Suns top Lakers 123-113

LeBron vs. Kevin Durant was the main storyline, but sometimes role players power a team to victory. That’s exactly what happened for Phoenix (34-24) in this one, as Royce O’Neale hit six threes in his first start as a Sun and Jusuf Nurkic posted 18 points, 22 rebounds, and seven assists. Phoenix is fifth in the West!

🏀 🏀 🏀

Jokic posts stupid statline, Nuggets beat Warriors 119-103

A game with 32 points, 16 rebounds, 16 assists, and 4 steals would be the greatest game ever for about 99% of NBA players. For Nikola Jokic, it’s a regular Sunday night. This game was tied at halftime, but the 2X MVP was masterful in all facets as Denver (39-19) dominated the second half against Golden State (29-27).

🏀 🏀 🏀

Fox, Sabonis lead Kings past Clippers 123-107

It’s not rocket science—which is good, because we don’t know anything about rocket science—but when De’Aaron Fox scores 30+ and Domantas Sabonis posts a triple-double, a Sacramento (32-23) win seems just about 100% likely. And Sunday’s was an impressive win against Los Angeles (37-18), who shot just 8-27 from deep.

🏀 🏀 🏀

Meanwhile…

• When the game gets tight, get #11 the ball and get out of the way! DeMar DeRozan did what he does best—hit clutch shots—and Chicago (27-30) escaped New Orleans (34-24) with an impressive W.

• Myles Turner scored a season-high 33 PTS as Indiana (33-25) ran away with a 133-111 win against Dallas (33-24).

• Cleveland got Donovan Mitchell back and got back into the win column with a 114-105 dub over Washington behind big points (43) from big men (Jarrett Allen + Evan Mobley).

• Utah beat San Antonio 128-109— and saw some flashes from rookie Taylor Hendricks.

• One thirty-point game is impressive. Forty-two of them? A lot more impressive. That’s how many times Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has dropped 30+ this season after doing it in a 123-110 win over Houston.

• In their first game without Trae Young, Atlanta relied on Jalen Johnson (21/10/7) and Dejounte Murray (25/9/11) to lead the way in a 109-92 victory over Orlando.

• And finally, Charlotte beat Portland 93-80 in what was—if nothing else—a basketball game. The Hornets have won five of their last six!

Weekend Wind-Down

• Paolo. Last second and-1. Game. Magic win, 112-109.

• This scuffle in New Orleans led to multiple suspensions: three games for Jose Alvarado and Thomas Bryant and one game for Jimmy Butler and Naji Marshall.

• We should probably start a section called What Record Did Wemby Set Today? This weekend, he became the youngest player ever to record a 5×5. He doesn’t stop!

Trae Young to have finger surgery

Hawks fans, avert your eyes. All-Star point guard Trae Young will undergo surgery to repair a ligament tear in his left pinky, according to the team. He hurt his hand in Friday’s game and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Atlanta currently holds the 10th seed in the East and is three games ahead of Brooklyn for the final play-in spot—here’s hoping Ice Trae can get back on the floor for the homestretch!

Daniel Gafford has been playing really well all season, but since he was doing so on a struggling Wizards team, not a lot of folks noticed. Now, after being traded to Dallas, he’s contributing in a big way for a team with a set of expectations that just keeps rising.

Gafford scored in double-figures in three straight games to start his career in Dallas, including a 16 PTS/17 REB/5 BLK/2 STL game on February 12th. He brings much-needed size to the Mavs’ interior and has helped transform Dallas into a serious Western Conference threat.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

And we’re out! Did you play a board game last week like we asked? If not, that’s okay, because we have a new task for you this week. Compliment someone on their work—if you like something they create, tell them! They’ll appreciate it more than you know. Talk soon.

-Quinn Everts