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BREAKING: The Brow is back.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Daniel Theis, Frank Kaminsky, and Enjoyers Tyler, Carlos, and Jade! 🎉

Game Recaps

Giannis posts first-ever 35-point, 20-assist, 15-rebound game as Bucks beat Sixers 126-113

Philadelphia has had a tough season, which is all the more reason that we’re looking forward to a post-surgery Joel Embiid-led squad next year (more on that later).

But for now, stuff like this might keep happening.

In a historic NBA moment, Giannis Antetokounmpo wined and dined all the way to 35 points, 20 assists, and 17 rebounds. It’s the first time those stats have been recorded in an NBA game, and we’d expect nothing less from the Greek Freak himself. Shout-out to Adem Bona (28 PTS) and Guerschon Yabusele (22 PTS), who helped Philly keep it close in the early goings, but this one was just Giannis, Giannis, Giannis.

Anthony Davis’ game-winner lifts Mavs over Hawks 120-118

After being out since January, Anthony Davis had quietly started to introduce himself back into the Mavericks’ offense over the past week. But on Wednesday, Davis cemented it once and for all—he’s back.

In a game where Atlanta led for most of the first half, and despite a 25-point, 12-assist double-double from Trae Young, Dallas took control at the end of the third quarter thanks to AD (34 PTS, 15 REB, 5 BLK) and Klay Thompson (17 PTS, 8 in 4Q). And while Atlanta did climb back to retake the lead in the last minute, a Klay three to re-tie the game set up the chance for Davis to hit the game-winning bucket in the final seconds. Needless to say, the floater was good. 🎥

Hawks-Mavs might not have the same vibe without Luka Doncic in the picture (shout-out to the first Luka trade), but we’d be kidding ourselves if we said we didn’t Enjoy every second of this one!

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• Ja Morant (30 PTS) and the Grizzlies came out on top of the Heat in a tale of two halves, as he topped off his 27 second-half points with a buzzer-beating fadeaway to win the game 110-108, despite 35 from Tyler Herro.

• The Thunder won their 11th-straight game, a 119-103 win over the Pistons, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33 PTS) tied Michael Jordan for the most consecutive 20+ point games in a single season (69) since 1965. Absolutely historic!

• Tyler Herro (25 PTS, 9 AST) and the Miami Heat took advantage of the spotlight that is the TD Garden, leading Jaylen Brown (24 PTS) and the Celtics virtually wire-to-wire en route to a 124-103 win. Might we get another great playoff series from these two squads?

• It’s not March anymore, but talk about an upset! A big team effort by Jordan Poole (23 PTS) powered Washington to a 116-111 win over Sacramento, while Bub Carrington and AJ Johnson also contributed 19 PTS each.

• Behind 20+ from Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks and 15+ from Tari Eason, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and Reed Sheppard, the Rockets beat the Jazz 143-105 to clinch a top-6 playoff spot. This team is deep, and you should be scared.

Around the League

Carmelo Anthony elected to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

19 seasons. Ten All-Star nods. Six All-NBA selections. Three Olympic gold medals. Carmelo Anthony is the definition of longevity.

Yesterday, Shams reported that Anthony had been elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a first-ballot HOFer. Whether it was as a young star with the Nuggets, as a scoring champion with the Knicks, or as a savvy vet later in his career, we Enjoy-ed watching Melo along every step of the way. Congrats, legend!

Joel Embiid to undergo knee surgery

After playing 19 games earlier this season before ultimately being ruled out for the rest of the year in February, Sixers’ big man Joel Embiid is set to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He’ll be re-evaluated in six weeks—prayers up to Joel on his recovery this summer! Philly will be back in full force next year… watch out.

Film Friday

After a blowout win over Utah, the Houston Rockets solidified their place in the Western Conference playoffs and captured their first 50-win season since 2018-19!

But how did they do it? How did the Rockets find their way to the top of the West for the first time post-James Harden? We took a look at the film and found three reasons why:

1. Aggressive dominance on the boards: The Rockets are one of the most terrorizing rebounding teams in the league, and it shows. Houston leads the league in both total rebounds (3759) and offensive rebounds (1140), and the 6’11” Alperen Sengun (10.5 RPG) and 6’7” Amen Thompson (8.2 RPG) have led them in that effort. Teams that rebound the ball well control the ball well, and the Rockets’ prowess on the glass is part of what’s led Houston to a top-five average margin of victory (5.31 PTS) in the NBA.

2. Amen’s freak athleticism: We already mentioned his rebounding, but there really isn’t anything that Amen Thompson can’t do on the basketball court. From rim-rocking dunks to gravity-defying blocks, the sophomore OTE product’s athleticism impacts every aspect of the game and is a major part of how the Rockets are able to out-play their opponents—just be stronger, faster, and more aggressive!

3. No superstar? Try Jalen Green: Before this season, a lot of the questions about the Rockets were if this team is gonna make the playoffs, who’s gonna step up? Instead, the entire team stepped up, with Jalen Green (21.5 PPG) leading the pack statistically on offense. The last time a championship team’s leading scorer averaged less than 22 PPG was in 2013-14, with the Spurs. Is Houston Jalen Green the same as San Antonio Tony Parker? Maybe so, maybe not. But Green has done an incredible job being this team’s de facto “leader”, and we’re looking forward to what could be a surprising Houston playoff run…

Three in the Key

Signing Off

With the women’s Final Four today and the men playing tomorrow, there’ll be no shortage of quality hoops this weekend. Enjoy it as much as you can!

Austin Zeglis