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Point if you just snapped the Cavs’ 15-game winning streak:

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Gradey Dick, Kostas Antetokounmpo, and Enjoyers Ivan, Grayden, and T.J.! 🎉

Game Recaps

Celtics end Cleveland’s undefeated start with 120-117 win

It's not often you get a game with this much weight behind it this early in the season. Luckily, Cavs vs. Celtics delivered on all fronts.

The first half was a summarization of everything that makes Boston so dangerous—Jayson Tatum (33 PTS, 12 REB) imposed his will from the opening tip, Boston's role players drained open look after look from deep, and their murderers’ row of elite perimeter defenders dumped a bucket of cold water on Cleveland’s red hot shooters.

But despite the L, the Cavs deserve a round of applause for making this one a game. In the 3Q, they took full advantage of the Celtics selling out to run them off the line, attacking the paint with gusto led by Evan Mobley (22 PTS, 11 REB). Add in some timely buckets off the bench from Ty Jerome (10 PTS) and Craig Porter Jr (15 PTS) along with a sprinkle of Donovan Mitchell (35 PTS, 8 REB) flair, and we suddenly had a one-possession game on our hands deep into the 4th.

But as the minutes ticked down, the C's clung to their lead and hit some timely threes to keep Cleveland just out of reach before Jaylen Brown (17 PTS, 8 AST) put it to bed with a filthy finish:

Shorthanded Nets come up clutch in 116-115 win over Hornets

Aside from that epic showdown at the top of the East, it was a bit of a quiet night around the rest of the Association. So why don’t we take this time to highlight two of the most underrated teams in the league who blessed us with an epic battle in Barclays?

The Hornets got out to an early lead behind a monster start from Brandon Miller (29 PTS), but it was the Nets’ offense that came alive down the stretch despite missing Cam Thomas. Led by Cam Johnson (32 PTS), Brooklyn got help up and down the roster to stay in the game, with who else but Trendon Watford (10 PTS) bringing it home with 7 straight points in the clutch.

Oh, and Tre Mann (19 PTS) had one of the filthiest dunks of the year. Probably worth a mention.

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• Dalton Knecht (37 PTS) put up this season’s rookie high as the Lakers took down Utah 124-118 in LA—LeBron (26 PTS, 12 AST) and AD (26 PTS, 14 REB) contributed heavily as well.

• Without Wemby and while playing a loaded Thunder squad, the Spurs picked up one of this season’s most surprising wins by beating OKC 110-104 behind big games from Harrison Barnes (20 PTS, 8 REB) and Keldon Johnson (22 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST). Could they have what it takes to make the playoffs? 🤔 

• We are going to start a dialogue: Dyson Daniels (14 PTS, 4 BLK) might be the best defender in basketball. The Hawks guard finished the night with four blocks in Atlanta’s 109-108 win over the Kings on Monday, including a smothering swat of De’Aaron Fox (28 PTS) on the final possession.

• James Harden (12 PTS, 16 AST) put on a passing clinic during the Clippers’ 102-99 win over the Warriors, but it was his shooting record that stole the show—the Beard moved to second all-time in three-pointers made.

• Is RJ Barrett turning into a star before our eyes? The former Duke star has been killing it since making the move from New York to Toronto, this time dropping 39 points in a 130-119 Raptors win over the Pacers. Shout-out Jakob Poeltl (30 PTS, 15 REB), who had a monster game as well.

• The reports of Milwaukee’s death have been greatly exaggerated! Powered by Brook Lopez (27 PTS, 4 BLK) and finished off by a great Dame-Giannis 1-2 punch in the closing minute, the Bucks picked up a 101-100 win over the Rockets.

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Hoops History

With Norman Powell and Tyler Herro playing like bona fide All-NBA hoopers to start the year, we got to thinking about a couple other insane early-season stretches that had the basketball world buzzing… 🔥

Brandon Jennings, 2009

Heading into his rookie season, nobody knew what to expect from Brandon Jennings. The rookie PG was the first player ever to forgo college ball for Europe, but the experiment wasn’t exactly a success—he averaged just 5.5 PPG for Lottomatica Roma.

But Jennings’ natural talent immediately became apparent when he got put into the NBA’s more free-flowing game. The Bucks’ young playmaker started off his career with a 17-9-9 statline against Philly before rattling off three 20+ point performances over the next five games.

And in just the seventh game of his career, Jennings would cement himself in NBA lore forever. Going head-to-head with fellow rookie Stephen Curry, he became the youngest player ever to drop 55 points, destroying Golden State’s defense in a four-point Milwaukee W.

Collin Sexton, 2020

For one magical month, it seemed like Collin Sexton was going to lead the 2020-21 Cavs to glory. The scoring guard out of Alabama was already building a burgeoning reputation as a reliable bucket-getter, but his start to the 2020 season had people thinking he might be Cleveland’s next savior.

Sexton started the year with seven straight 20+ point games on elite efficiency before a minor injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks. When he came back against a loaded Nets squad in the first game of the KD-Kyrie-Harden era, it seemed like a blowout waiting to happen.

Instead, it ended up being one of the most legendary takeover games of the past decade. Sexton went for 42 in Cleveland’s 2OT win, including 20 straight points to ice it. Just insane.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Even the best streaks have to end. But here’s the thing about setbacks—they’re just setups for comebacks. Whether it’s a winning streak snapped or a rough patch in life, the important part is how you respond. Take a breath, regroup, and trust that you’ve got the strength to bounce back stronger than ever! 💪🏀

Talk soon,

-Spencer Poole