It’s officially that time—the first round of March Madness tips off tomorrow! That means it’s your last chance to get in on our bracket challenge for a shot at a $150 Fanatics gift card and some free Enjoy gear. Join our men’s and women’s bracket challenges now, or search “Enjoy Basketball” on fantasy.espn.com with the password enjoymadness. Don’t miss out!

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to 2000s legend Hedo Türkoğlu and Enjoyers David, Riley, and Wyatt! 🎉

Game Recaps

Clippers outgun Cavs 132-119 as Kawhi, Zubac dominate

It’s always fun when a matchup between two elite defenses flips the script and turns into a straight-up shootout.

Early on, this game was a three-point bonanza. The two squads combined for 82 first-quarter points, with sharpshooters on both sides stepping up. Bogdan Bogdanovic (4 3PM), De’Andre Hunter (17 PTS), and Max Strus (24 PTS) all got in on the action, lighting it up from deep in a first half that had all the makings of a wire-to-wire classic.

But after halftime, the game shifted and it became the Ivica Zubac (28 PTS, 20 REB) show. The Clippers' big man went to work, feasting in the paint against Cleveland’s zone with soft floaters, smooth hooks, and some straight-up bully ball in the 4th. Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard (33 PTS) did what Kawhi does—hit tough, efficient shots while locking in defensively.

And let’s give some love to the Clippers Fan Wall, which played a real role in this one. Cleveland’s shooters went ice cold down the stretch, missing some big shots at the line—you could just feel the energy from LA’s home crowd!

Obi Toppin turns into prime Reggie Miller to stun Minnesota 132-130 in OT

There’s always something special about watching a game between two teams without a lot of history turn into an intense wire-to-wire affair—it’s almost like watching the birth of a rivalry in real time. It also helps when you have Rudy Gobert throwing shoulders that would make a gritty NHL blueliner blush.

Heading into Minnesota down four starters and going up against a Timberwolves squad in the midst of a white-hot run, nobody expected much out of the Pacers on Monday night. And yet, they ended up creating some must-see TV and grabbed the W in the process, despite a herculean effort from Anthony Edwards (38 PTS).

The catalyst? How about Obi Toppin (34 PTS)? The former Dayton Flyer knows what it takes to be the guy from his time in college and he stepped up big time for Indy, delivering a career-high seven triples including an audacious game-winner from the corner with just seconds remaining in OT.

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• Not even a 46-piece from Quentin Grimes could save Philly, as the Rockets took down the Sixers 144-137 in OT. Alperen Sengun (13 PTS) cleaned up a clutch putback and Jabari Smith Jr. (30 PTS) feasted off the bench to seal the deal.

• No Nikola Jokic, no problem. The Nuggets shut down the Warriors’ hot streak without their MVP on Monday, pulling off a 114-105 win behind Aaron Gordon (38 PTS) going full supernova and Russell Westbrook (16 AST) setting the table like it was Thanksgiving.

• And the Warriors responded a night later by grabbing a big dub without their star, as Jimmy Butler (24 PTS, 10 AST) had his hands all over Golden States 104-93 win versus Milwaukee despite missing Steph Curry.

• At this point, is there a single player on the Celtics roster who isn’t capable of taking over a game? Without Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston got a 4th-quarter gem courtesy of Baylor Scheierman (20 PTS), who hit four threes down the stretch to stave off the Nets 104-96.

March Madness: First Four Update

• Just a few days ago, people were discussing whether UNC should have even made the tournament. Now, they're wondering whether they can go on a Cinderella run after a 95-68 demolition of SDSU for the South’s 11-seed led by RJ Davis (23 PTS) and Elliot Cadeau (12 AST).

• This is why it’s important to learn your route trees, people! Even if you don’t play football. Needing a basket in the final second, Alabama State executed a beautiful full-court pass to snatch the South’s 16-seed from Saint Francis (PA) with a 70-68 win.

Numbers to Remember

On today’s edition of Numbers to Remember, we’re spotlighting three players taking their games to another level as we hit the final weeks of the season. 💪

49

…the number of years since a Trail Blazer had back-to-back games with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists—until Deni Avdija snapped that streak last week. Portland has plenty of intriguing young talent, but they’ve been missing a true takeover guy. Could Deni be that dude? Since the All-Star break, he’s averaging nearly 20, 9, and 5 while thriving in transition, dominating the boards, and flashing some impressive playmaking chops. The former Wizard was seen as a high-upside prospect when he entered the league, and now with a bigger role, we might finally be seeing that best-case scenario realized.

31, 7, and 7

…Austin Reaves' averages over the Lakers’ last four games, all in just a five-night stretch. In the words of Luka Doncic, “for him to go undrafted is unbelievable”. Fighting through fatigue and sorely missing LeBron James, AR has been a huge reason why LA has stayed afloat during this tough chunk of the schedule. And it’s not just the numbers—it’s the way he's doing it. Whether it’s creating space for open jumpers, using some slick bag work to get to the rim, or consistently finding the open man, Reaves is looking like the type of guy who could be the on-ball engine for a legit team.

110%

No, this isn’t some cheap segue into a motivational speech—this is actually Quentin Grimes’ increase in scoring since arriving in Philly. Serving mostly as an off-ball guy during his time in college and the NBA, many forget that Grimes was a consensus top-ten player in the class of 2018 and was seen as a potential star in the making. And now, finally given a chance on a Sixers squad without much to play for, the former Knick is putting up video game numbers on the regular, including dropping 46 in his most recent game.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

If March Madness has taught us anything, it’s that perfection is impossible. No matter how much you prepare, things won’t always go as planned—and that’s okay. Don’t stress the mistakes! Just try to adapt and enjoy the journey. 🙏

Talk soon,

Spencer Poole