If you get stressed out about making hard decisions, we feel you. But it could always be worse—imagine having to cast an MVP ballot this season.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Zach LaVine, Keon Johnson, and Enjoyers Grant and Joshua! 🎉

Weekend Wrap-Up

Jokic goes for first 30-20-20 game in history, Shai drops 40 in weekend of MVP performances

Nikola Jokic makes history the way March Madness attracts viewers: easily. In a 149-141 win over the Suns, the Joker became the league’s first player to ever record 30+ PTS, 20+ REB, and 20+ AST in a single game, a mind-boggling stat line that only makes sense for the league’s most ridiculous player. There have only been two players in league history to ever go 20-20-20 (more on that later), so if you did a double-take after seeing this feat, we don’t blame you. And of course, Jokic reacted with the emotional enthusiasm we’ve come to expect and love from him.

After that MVP-caliber performance, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had no choice but to respond… and respond he did. On Sunday, in a clash between SGA’s Thunder and Jokic’s Nuggets, it was the young guard getting the last laugh, dropping 40 PTS, 8 REB, and 5 AST to lead OKC to a 24-point win.

One of the tightest MVP races we’ve seen in years, this season’s debate comes down to the spirit of the award. Many argue Jokic is having the more impressive season, but Shai is also playing lights-out while leading his team on a 68-win pace. You truly can’t go wrong, but one thing is for sure: watching these guys play is the definition of Enjoy-able.

Celtics snap Lakers’ win streak with 111-101 win, LeBron goes down with groin injury

In a renewal of the league’s most historic rivalry, the reigning champs proved they’re still the team to beat.

On Saturday night, Boston and L.A. met in a matchup that would make the NBA’s oldest fans proud—one with both of the league’s most storied franchises near the top of the standings. In the end, it was the C’s taking home the W, with Jayson Tatum pouring in 40 PTS, 12 REB, and 8 AST and Jaylen Brown adding 31 PTS to help Boston snap L.A.’s eight-game win streak.

Luka Doncic has been the talk of the town since coming to the city of Angels, and his stellar play continued with a 34-point effort against the Celtics. But the bigger news for the Lakers is LeBron James’ groin injury, which is expected to keep him out for 1-2 weeks. Get well soon, Bron!

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• While LeBron recently surpassed 50K total points, his rival-turned-friend Steph Curry also hit a major milestone this week, crossing the 25K threshold in Golden State’s 115-110 win over Detroit.

• A huge Cleveland Cavaliers win streak? Fork in a kitchen. The NBA win leaders are currently in the midst of another ridiculous tear, with Sunday’s 112-100 win over Milwaukee bringing the number to 14 in a row. The Cavs have also scored 110+ points in each of those games, which ties the longest such streak in league history.

• The Mavs may have been devastated by injuries this season, but Naji Marshall ain’t hear no bell! The former Xavier hooper dropped a career high for the second consecutive game on Sunday, going for 34 PTS in Dallas’ game against the Suns. Phoenix ultimately prevailed 125-116 thanks to a combined 45 PTS from Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, pulling within 1.5 games of Dallas for the West’s last play-in spot.

• The Kings may not be atop the West standings, but they seem to have accomplished what many NBA teams can’t: a successful midseason retool. On Friday night, new addition Zach LaVine notched 36 PTS in a 127-109 win over San Antonio to beat De’Aaron Fox in his return to SacTown. And on Sunday, LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, also new to the Kings this season, combined for 61 PTS in an OT thriller against the Clippers—the Kings were outdone 111-110 thanks to a gutsy game-winner from Kawhi Leonard (17 PTS) and a near-triple-double from James Harden (29 PTS, 11 AST, 9 REB).

Record Retrospective

Would you believe us if we told you that two of the three players to ever record a 20-20-20 game currently play for the same team?

Russell Westbrook has long been known as the NBA’s triple-double man. But for the league’s all-time leader, none of them was more impressive than when he recorded two in one night in 2019.

Russ’ reign of triple-double terror first began in 2017, when KD leaving OKC left Russ as the lone superstar on a Thunder team that had been one win away from the NBA Finals the year before. In response, all he did was average 30+ PPG, win MVP, and become the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double.

Russ would go on to average a triple-double three more times in his illustrious career, including in 2019. In April of that season, Russ had arguably his most iconic game ever, putting up 20 PTS, 20 REB, and 21 AST in a win over the Lakers and dedicating the performance to the recently-passed Nipsey Hussle.

As it stands today, Westbrook still owns the all-time record for most career triple-doubles, with 202. But if there’s one player who can catch him, it’s the one he calls his teammate.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

And we out! Thanks for spending a portion of your day with us. This week, try to carve out some time for someone you haven’t seen in a while. Whether it’s a meal, a cup of coffee, or just a phone call, you never know what it might mean to them. See you soon!

-Walker Carnathan