The craziest trade deadline of all time and Luka's debut in LA all seamlessly transitioning into All-Star Weekend—what a time to be alive. 💙🏀

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Dereck Lively II, the late great Bill Russell, and Enjoyers Edward, Mohamed, and Nicholas! 🎉

Game Recaps

Luka & LeBron flash chemistry, Lakers roll over Jazz 132-112

The Luka Doncic era in Los Angeles has officially begun, and while his numbers (14 PTS) won’t steal headlines, his smile definitely did. The moment he saw LeBron James (24 PTS, 8 AST) sprinting ahead on a fast break, he lobbed him the ball with a grin and you could tell Luka was already feeling the vibe in LA. Even without his usual scoring outburst, Doncic’s presence helped the offense hum in a total rout of the Jazz.

Even with Luka taking a backseat offensively, the Lakers' supporting cast stepped up in a big way. Austin Reaves (22 PTS) and Rui Hachimura (21 PTS) continued their recent hot streaks, knocking down big shots and pushing the pace. Winners of nine of their last 10, the Lakers could have something special in store. 🌴

Grizzlies crash KD’s 30K party in 119-112 win over Suns

It may not have resulted in a win, but this was certainly a meaningful game for Phoenix.

Kevin Durant (34 PTS) etched his name even deeper into the history books late last night, becoming just the 8th player ever in NBA history to record 30,000 career points. He did it in true KD fashion—silky pull-up jumpers, effortless threes, and an all-around efficiency clinic. But while the night belonged to KD, Bol Bol (18 PTS, 14 REB) made sure to grab some headlines of his own—making his first start in Phoenix, the 7’2” unicorn gave Coach Bud plenty to think about with his shot-blocking, floor-stretching, disruptive presence.

But while the Suns had the milestone moment, the Grizzlies got the last laugh. Memphis controlled the paint from start to finish, with Ja Morant (26 PTS) slicing his way to the rim at will and the frontcourt duo of Brandon Clarke (7 REB, 5 OREB) and Zach Edey (9 REB, 3 OREB) feasting on the glass. Combine that with Phoenix’s brutal shooting night from deep, and it was the Grizzlies who walked out of the desert with a dub.

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• Josh Hart (season-high 30 PTS, 10 REB) is having an all-time great role-player season—duh, we know. He and Karl-Anthony Towns (40 PTS, 11 REB) made everything happen for the Knicks as they pulled away from the Pacers in the second half to secure a comfortable 128-115 win yesterday.

• In Philly, a monster game from Scottie Barnes (33 PTS, 10 REB) along with some questionable crunch-time decision-making from Joel Embiid (27 PTS) helped the Raptors escape with a 106-103 win, extending the Sixers’ losing streak to four.

• Is it crazy to say that a 132-92 blowout was somehow even bigger than it looks? The Pistons had a first half for the ages against the Bulls last night, holding them to just 29 (yes, that's not a typo) first half points. Shout-out Malik Beasley (7 3PM) for breaking Detroit’s franchise record for threes in a season.

• Another day, another Nikola Jokic (40 PTS, 7 AST) stat-line that hardly seems real. Big Honey spearheaded an insanely efficient offensive night on Monday for the Nuggets, who snuffed out the red-hot Blazers 146-117.

• Hold up, is it 2019 again? Damian Lillard (38 PTS) and Steph Curry (38 PTS) had us reminiscing about Western Conference duels of old, as the two aging stars traded blows all night long before the Warriors eventually pulled away from the Bucks 125-111.

• The fate of the universe on the line? Give us DeMar DeRozan! (42 PTS) The 2024 Clutch Player of the Year split a pair of defenders in the closing seconds against the Mavs before dropping in the game-winning floater—the Kings escaped Dallas with a 129-128 OT win.

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Numbers to Remember

$40 million

…is the yearly value of Brandon Ingram’s new three-year contract with the Toronto Raptors, immediately making him the highest-paid player on the team. While some have praised Masai Ujiri for bringing one of the NBA’s most talented offensive forwards into the fold without sacrificing much in return, others have criticized the team’s win-now approach while still sitting near the bottom of the standings. 🤔

9.1

…is the number of assists Isaiah Collier is averaging over his last 10 games, four more than any other rookie and sixth in the entire NBA over that stretch. It’s been another down year for the Jazz, but they might have finally found their long-term table-setter in last year’s 29th overall pick. The USC grad has been especially deadly on the break, where he’s used his athleticism and elite court vision to dice up opposing defenses. 🔥

50.6%

…is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s field goal percentage between 10 and 16 feet this season, the best mark of his career by far. Lost among a sea of insane statistical marvels this season, the Greek Freak’s development into one of the league’s deadliest midrange players has barely been on anyone’s radar. He might not win MVP, but let’s respect how special it is for a player to pick up a new elite skill this late in their career. 👏

Three in the Key

Signing Off

With so many NBA players settling into new homes, teams, and cities this week, it’s a reminder that change isn’t something to fear. Whatever new opportunities come your way, embrace them like Luka beaming with joy throwing a lob to LeBron. 😁

Talk soon!

-Spencer Poole