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Buzzer-beaters. Comeback Ws. Records broken and streaks extended. What wasn’t to love about the NBA this week?

Today’s Lineup

🎉 HBD to Keyonte George and Enjoyers Emmaus and Christian! 🎉

What’s Happening?

Jokic’s 20-20-15 game, Peyton Watson’s game-saving block sneaks Nuggets over OKC 124-122

The last NBA player to record at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 15 assists in a game was Thunder-era Russell Westbrook, who dropped 20 PTS, 20 REB, and 21 AST in April 2019. But this time, OKC was on the other end of a similarly impressive line.

Nikola Jokic (23 PTS, 20 REB, 16 AST) did a little bit of—well, a lot of—everything on Wednesday night. But OKC did a good job of holding down the rest of the Nuggets, who were without Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray, and the Thunder led for the whole game until late in the third quarter. It was a close one from then on out, and by the final minute it looked like Jalen Williams (29 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST) and the Thunder might spoil Jokic’s epic night.

That is, until Peyton Watson (10 PTS) saved the day. Check out this game-clinching block if you haven’t already:

Brandon Miller’s buzzer-beater lifts Hornets over Pistons 108-107

Is Hornets-Pistons as relevant of a matchup as Nuggets-Thunder is to end-of-season title conversations? Probably not. But this was an exciting back-and-forth affair that got even crazier in the final minute.

18 lead changes. 17 ties. With 7:00 left in the third quarter, no team would lead by more than 5 for the rest of the game. Cade Cunningham (20 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST) had another triple-double (but nothing in the 4Q) and Miles Bridges (27 PTS, 8-14 FG, 7 REB) had a nice offensive performance, so when Ron Holland (8 PTS) put Detroit up by 1 with 6 seconds left, Pistons fans were cautiously excited.

That is, until…

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• The Cavs. Are Still. Undefeated. Donovan Mitchell had 29 PTS, Jarrett Allen (16 PTS, 14 REB) and Evan Mobley (15 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK) dominated down low, and Cleveland took down the Pelicans 131-122 in NOLA.

• After trailing by as many as 13 in the first half, Anthony Edwards (33 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST) and the Timberwolves used a HUGE 45-point fourth quarter to overtake the Bulls and steal a 135-119 W. Shout-out to Terrence Shannon for doing this in the final minute.

• LeBron James dropped 39 PTS, but the Lakers couldn’t get it going otherwise and got steamrolled 131-114 by Jaren Jackson, Jaylen Wells, Ja Morant (20 PTS each) and the Grizzlies.

• The Suns extended their winning streak to six with a 115-112 home win over Miami thanks to Kevin Durant’s big night (32 PTS, 8 REB).

• Steph Curry (27 PTS, 9 AST) had a big fourth quarter (10 PTS in 4Q) that powered the Warriors to a six-point win over the Celtics in a rematch of the 2022 Finals.

• The Bucks grabbed their first home win of the season, a 123-100 W over Utah, thanks to 65 combined points from Damian Lillard (34 PTS, 7 AST) and Giannis (31 PTS, 16 REB).

• #1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher (33 PTS, 11-18 FG, 6-10 3PT) had the best game of his young career, leading Atlanta over the Knicks 121-116 despite a high-scoring night from Karl-Anthony Towns (34 PTS, 16 REB).

🎥 Film Friday

What are the secrets to the Cavs' early-season success? That’s the question opposing teams across the country have been asking themselves, and after we took an in-depth look at Cleveland’s red-hot squad, we figured out why:

1. Donovan Mitchell has been one of the most adaptable scorers in the NBA

The Cavs’ 9-0 start is their best in franchise history, and it primarily comes down to how well Donovan Mitchell has been playing. And if you look at the big plays that Spida makes, they often come when he needs to improvise something himself after adversity strikes.

Take his game-winner against Milwaukee from this weekend as an example ⬇️. Both the inbound and when Giannis almost steals the ball could have been moments when a lesser player’s confidence got shook. Not D-Mitch!

2. Jarrett Allen is playing like an All-NBA center

A career season is in store for fifth-year Cavalier Jarrett Allen, who has shown that he can compete at the highest level on both ends of the floor.

Take a look at how cleanly and effectively he (1) prevents Brandon Ingram from scoring at the rim and (2) contests BI’s three-pointer on the other side of the court. Allen isn’t just a serviceable rim protector—he’s a legitimate defensive threat.

3. The role-players are role-playing… exceptionally

With Max Strus injured, the rest of Cleveland’s bench knew they needed to step up before the season started. Take a look at their record and you’ll figure out whether they rose to that challenge.

Ty Jerome. Caris LeVert. Dean Wade. Sam Merrill. These might not be household names, but they’re the backbone of this Cavs team and a major reason why Cleveland is in the position they’re in. And if you’re skeptical, check out the clips over on Ty Jerome Muse.

Yes, that exists. And we love it:

Three in the Key

Signing Off

It’s Friday, Enjoyers. You did it. Try to make an effort this weekend to calm down and not let anyone aggravate you. You’re in charge of your own peace, so preserve it when you can. See you Monday!

-Austin Zeglis