Hey you! Congrats on making your NBA debut for the Memphis Grizzlies last night! Oh, you didn’t? You probably could have…

Today’s Lineup

Sunday’s Slate

Jazz turn into GOAT fourth-quarter team, beat MKE 123-108

Milwaukee (33-17) cruised into the fourth quarter of this game with a twelve-point lead, but about five minutes later, (1) Walker Kessler was doing reverse dunks, (2) Keyonte George was hitting three after three, and (3) the Jazz pulled ahead by outscoring the Bucks 40-13 in the final frame. What????

Calling this a revenge game wouldn’t be accurate, because Bradley Beal probably didn’t want revenge on the Wizards (9-40), but he did go off in his first game back in the nation’s capital after being traded to Phoenix (29-21) this summer. 43 points on 16-21 shooting from the field for Masked Brad… pure dominance.

Thunder beat Raptors 135-127 in 2OT thriller

22, 23, 24, 22, 20. Those were the points scored by Chet Holmgren, SGA, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, and Aaron Wiggins in OKC’s (35-15) win against Toronto (17-32) last night. In other words… balance. This game was back-and-forth throughout the entire second half and both overtime periods, and SGA may have saved the game by sending it to 2OT in the first place…

Elsewhere around the Association…

• Is winning 25 out of 30 games good? That’s good, right? Because that’s what the Clippers (33-15) just did. They took down Miami (26-24) 103-95 last night in a game where Kawhi Leonard showed that his dominance still goes two ways.

• Boston (33-16) had its way with the team that is still technically the Memphis Grizzlies (18-32), thanks to Jayson Tatum’s 34 PTS, 8 REB, and 7 AST.

• Indiana (28-23) got back on track after three straight losses with a 115-99 win over Charlotte (10-38) behind 25 from Pascal Siakam. If you want something to smile about, Hornets fans, just remember that Brandon Miller is really good.

• While tying his career-high (38 PTS), Franz Wagner led the Magic (27-23) to a 111-99 win over Detroit (6-43).

• Minnesota (35-15) had no problems with Houston (23-26), winning 111-90. And a Rudy Gobert fast break? Why not!

• It took a bit for Denver (35-16) to get rolling, but a win is a win regardless. The Nugs downed Portland 112-103 behind some Peyton Watson trickery.

Weekend Wrap-Up

• 25,000 points for Brodie? Yep—in the Clippers’ win on Friday, Russell Westbrook became just the 25th player ever to reach that mark.

• For the third time in just a few weeks, a player put up 60 PTS and didn’t come away with the win. This time it was Steph Curry, whose 60 points and 10 3PM came in a loss to the Hawks.

• Few things in basketball are better than watching two elite players duel. Giannis (48 PTS) and Luka (40/11/9) did that on Saturday.

• Brighter days ahead? The Lakers beat Boston and New York this weekend and are now 26-25…

LaVine, Embiid Injury Updates

Well, this sucks! We received two terrible injury updates this weekend, the first pertaining to Bulls’ star Zach LaVine being scheduled to undergo season-ending foot surgery. Zach has dealt with various injuries over the past few seasons, which might have been part of the decision-making process between LaVine, his representation, and the Bulls’ medical staff.

And Joel Embiid’s news wasn’t really any better. The Sixers’ center will also be undergoing surgery, his to repair a meniscus injury. Embiid’s timetable for a potential return is unclear, but there is a chance he returns sometime this season. In the meantime, best of luck to both players on their journeys in recovery!

The fact that Duop Reath made it to the NBA is incredible (see the above video), but he’s doing so much more than just sitting on the bench. The Blazers’ big man has shown some pretty impressive skills in his rookie campaign, shooting over 38% from deep and scoring 10+ points in more than half of his games. His best game was a 25-point, nine rebound performance against Sacramento earlier this season.

Reath is still technically signed to a two-way contract between Portland and their G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, but all signs point to him receiving a standard contract after the trade deadline. Needless to say, it will be well deserved.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

And we’re gone! We’ve been giving you assignments over the past few weeks and we’re going to keep that going today. This week, we want you to say thank you to someone who’s played a big role in your life. It’s a simple task, but they’ll appreciate it greatly. Talk soon!

-Quinn Everts