Magicians Out West

Welcome back to Enjoy Basketball! We hope you're having a good day and that we can make it at least 1% better. And what better way than to talk NBA?

Also, today you get the chance to posterize your friends and get buckets: our Mini Hoop goes live at 3 pm ET!

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Magicians Out West: The Mavericks outlast the Nuggets in a nail-biter, with some amazing dimes from Doncic and Jokic

Forgotten History: We tell you the story of a Finals MVP who limped through injury to bring the New York Knicks their first title

Mini Hoopin': We're dropping the highest quality Mini Hoop in the game for the Enjoyers of Basketball

The Enjoy Mini Hoop

Happy Holidays from yours truly,

If you are looking for the PERFECT gift, we have you covered. We've been developing this hoop for months and are pumped for its release! You'll love the quality — it has a steel rim and polycarbonate plastic background.

We are building high-quality basketball-inspired products that are made for your bedroom, dorm room, or office, and our Mini Hoop is just the start of it. Think Mini Hoop HORSE games & challenges, coming soon 👀

So, Enjoyers, get buckets this holiday season and pick up your Mini Hoop today at 3 pm ET!

- Kenny, Cody and Cole

Yesterday's Games

Mavericks outlast Nuggets in offensive duel

Game. Of. The. Night. The Mavericks (13-11) prevailed over the Nuggets (14-10) by a score of 116-115 in a down-to-the-wire battle. Dallas was, of course, led by Luka Doncic, who put on a 22-point triple-double. But what elevated them over the top, as per usual, was incredible three-point shooting from role players. Tim Hardaway Jr posted 29 points on 6-8 3PT, and Dorian Finney-Smith shot 5-10 from behind the arc, including the go-ahead trey with 17 seconds left to win the game.

The passing from the two Eastern European superstars was dazzling. Doncic found Christian Wood with a sleek hook pass while Nikola Jokic hit one beautiful behind-the-back dime to Jamal Murray and then another wild one to Jeff Green. Shoutout to Aaron Gordon for his valiant 27-point performance and to the Nuggets for making this an entertaining game despite being down 10 points with just four minutes left!

Box Score

Spida's 43 points launch Cavs past Lakers

The Cleveland Cavaliers (16-9) defended The Land from King James’ attack 116-102. Donovan Mitchell put up an inspiring 43-point performance and shredded the Lakers' (10-13) defense, especially in the second half, hitting shots from virtually every area of the court. The pretty playmaking of Darius Garland also tormented Lakers defenders, as he finished with 21 points and 11 assists. Plus, shoutout to Jarrett Allen, who scored 24 points in his return from injury!

Despite the lopsided score, the Lakers played well in this one for the first three quarters, even with Anthony Davis exiting in the first half with an illness (rest up, AD!) It's only LeBron James’ third loss to the Cavs in 20 matchups. Shows that this #3 seed Cleveland team is legit!

Box Score

Pistons pound Heat behind Bogdonovic's 31 points

The Pistons (7-19) are having themselves a week! After knocking off the Mavericks on December 1st, they toppled the Heat (11-14) last night 116-96. While close for most of the game, Detroit blew it wide open in the 4th quarter for their biggest margin of victory of the season!

The vets for Detroit were marvelous. Bojan Bogdanovic poured in 31 points, and Alec Burks added 18 off the bench. Contending teams, stay alert…

To be fair, Miami was missing Jimmy Butler, but Tyler Herro stepped up with 34 points. Still, the offense fell flat in the 4th quarter, where Jimmy Buckets usually thrives. That’s why closers close!

Box Score

Monday Night Notes

Kawhi Leonard returned on Monday against the Hornets (7-17) for just his sixth game of the season and played 27 minutes, his season high. He scored just 16 points, but it was still a signature Klaw game. Leonard carried the Clippers (14-11) offense in the 4th and hit an ice-cold jumper with two seconds left to win 119-117!

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are tied for the most 30-point games in the NBA right now with 17. SGA led the Thunder (11-13) past the struggling Hawks (13-11) with 35 points, while the Mavericks (13-11) continued their recent dominance over the Suns (16-8) as Doncic and Josh Green (16 points) showed out against an off-night from Devin Booker.

Two other big upsets happened. First, the Rockets (7-17) beat the 76ers (12-12) in 2OT to spoil James Harden's return from injury. Shoutout Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and rookie Tari Eason for their big nights. Secondly, the Pacers (13-11) knocked off the Warriors (13-12) behind 31 points and 13 assists from Andrew Nembhard. The 31st overall pick is averaging 9 points on 49/43/91% shooting splits in his rookie year and is looking like a steal!

Latest Basketball News

Nike drops Kyrie Irving, adds Ja Morant to signature shoe

Because of Kyrie's comments over the past month or so, Nike is terminating its contract with Kyrie Irving. "Kyrie is no longer a Nike athlete," said a spokesperson.

Perhaps unrelatedly, Nike also announced that Ja Morant will soon be getting his own signature shoe. Morant is a stylish man, so we're sure these will be FIRE!

NBA History Spotlight

Have you ever mocked a Knicks fan, saying that they haven't won a ring since the 70s? Well, the first of New York's rings came in 1970, and MVP center Willis Reed walked away with the Finals MVP award.

But they were matched against the Lakers, who had Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor. Heard of them? Even worse, the Knicks' chances were dampened when Reed, who had been dominant in the series, went down with a thigh injury near the end of Game 5. In Game 6, the Knicks got pummeled without the reigning MVP.

Reed was expected to miss Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, but right before the opening tip, Reed limped onto the floor, and Madison Square Garden exploded. Fans were even cheering his warmup shots! Reed then won the tipoff against Wilt and scored the first two Knicks baskets. The atmosphere was electric, and Reed's teammates were even more fired up. Because of his injury, Reed didn't score again in the contest, but his mere appearance swung the momentum so much that the Knicks blew the doors off the Lakers and soon held up their first Finals trophy in franchise history. Check out this 4-minute video which brings to life this incredible moment:

Good Reads

The Jazz’s Improvised Reboot Can’t Go Wrong - Michael Pina (The Ringer)

The Long-Forgotten First Chapter of the Grizzlies: The Vancouver Years - Jon Wertheim (Sports Illustrated)

NBA Rookie Rankings 2022-23 - Joseph Mamone (Hashtag Basketball)

Signing Off

That's a wrap for today's newsletter! Make sure to check out the Enjoy Mini Hoop drop at 3 pm ET and always remember to Enjoy Basketball!

-Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: 27 current NBA players attended the University of Kentucky, the most of any college. But Duke is not far behind with 25! Blue bloods run the league.

Trivia Question: In the NBA, it’s crucial to execute in the games you're supposed to win. From the beginning of the 2021-22 season until today, which team has the highest winning percentage in games where they were favored?