Attention, members of the Enjoy Book Club! Kenny, Pierre, Mike, and Darrick will be discussing the first 48 pages of “The Anxious Generation” on tomorrow’s episode of Numbers On The Board, and we want your input to help guide their discussion! Answer the poll below, and put any questions, comments, or opinions about the book in the “Additional Feedback” section: ⬇️

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to LeBron James and Enjoyers Eljas, Brandon, Sean, Caleb, and GianCarlos!🎉

Weekend Wrap-Up

Brunson drops 55 to help Knicks past Wizards 134-132, extend win streak to 7

Jalen Brunson drops big scoring numbers the same way the ball drops on New Year’s Eve: on time. On Saturday, Brunson’s season-high scoring outburst came at the perfect moment, with 42 of his 55 PTS coming after halftime as New York downed Washington on the road to win their seventh straight game.

After a middling start for one of the NBA’s most star-studded rosters, the Knicks have surged to the upper crust of the East standings and now trail Boston by just one game for the conference’s second seed. A major factor in that rise has been the play of Karl-Anthony Towns, who notched 30 PTS and 14 REB of his own on Saturday to help get past the Wizards.

For Washington, the loss is the latest in a string of tough defeats this season. Despite missing leading scorer Jordan Poole due to a hip injury, the Wiz held their own thanks to a career-high 31 PTS from Justin Champagnie. In the end, Brunson’s sorcery in the second half and overtime (where he scored 9 of New York’s 17 points) was too much to overcome.

Warriors beat Suns 109-105 as Kuminga ties career high

If there was ever a sign that the future is now in the NBA, this is it: in a game featuring Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, it was Jonathan Kuminga who led all scorers.

In a clash between teams fighting to stay in the West play-in picture, Golden State out-dueled Phoenix thanks to a 34-point night from Kuminga, who tied his career-high coming off the bench while also racking up 9 REB and 4 AST. The old guard certainly had their fun—KD had 31 PTS, Curry had 22, and Bradley Beal dropped 28—but it’s still cool to see the league’s next generation taking center stage.

Golden State has come back down to Earth after opening the season 12-3, but a team with Curry remains dangerous no matter the circumstances. For the Suns, Devin Booker was missing in action again with a groin injury, and while Durant and Beal can fend for themselves, Phoenix is designed around the play of their three-headed monster. Here’s to hoping it’s whole again soon! 🙏

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• Joel Embiid keeps finding his rhythm, and the 76ers keep climbing in the standings. The former MVP’s 32 PTS, 4 BLK, and 4 STL led Philly to a 114-111 Saturday win over the Jazz, their 12th of the season and 5th in their last 6 games.

• Tyler Herro: heating up. After an unconscious game-winner last week, the Miami guard continued his stretch of stellar play with 28 PTS and 10 AST against the Hawks on Saturday, followed by 27 PTS and 9 AST to beat Houston on Sunday. Trade season could bring chaos in Miami, but Herro is holding down the fort.

• There’s still a lot of season left to play, but the #1 seed in the West feels like OKC’s to lose. We know the Thunder’s lead guard is all about consistency, and that much was evident on Sunday night when a 35-point performance from SGA helped OKC to a 130-106 victory over Memphis.

D-Lo Returns to Brooklyn, DFS Heads to L.A. in Nets-Lakers Swap

Gen-Z NBA fans, rejoice: the days of Nets D’Angelo Russell edits are soon to return. Below are the full details of the trade that is set to bring D-Lo back to Brooklyn:

Lakers receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton

Nets receive: D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, three second round picks (2027, 2030, 2031)

Let’s break down the deal for both sides:

For the Lakers, this deal helps shape out the roster in a way that makes more sense around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Russell certainly had his moments, but the emergence of Austin Reaves has led to the second lowest MPG of Russell’s career. Dorian Finney-Smith is a long, impactful defender, and his 43.5% clip from three this season gives L.A. another way to stretch the floor. Shake Milton is also a solid guard option who can provide a spark off the bench, as his name suggests.

For the Nets, this deal signals a further commitment to the team’s current rebuild. While getting Russell back in the black and white is nice, this swap feels more geared toward the draft capital, which Brooklyn can use to continue building their young core. While the fit between Russell and Cam Thomas is yet to be fully understood, we know there will be at least one game where they both catch fire and go for 30+. Plus, D-Lo is reuniting with former high school teammate Ben Simmons. An Enjoy-able swap all around!

Record Retrospective

With the New Year approaching, let’s take a look back on a recent record that fell on the inflection between 2021 and 2022: the only consecutive day buzzer-beaters in NBA history.

The 2021-22 season was a unique one for the Chicago Bulls. After acquiring Nikola Vucevic at the 2021 trade deadline, the Bulls went all in that offseason, signing DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball to form the most exciting Chicago team in recent memory. While the Bulls did eventually fall in the first round of the 2022 playoffs, that offseason flurry resulted in one unforgettable stretch.

On December 31, 2021, Chicago trailed Indiana by one point with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter. With the game on the line, DeRozan rose up from the top of the key and fired off a one-legged three-pointer, connecting on the triple to send the Bulls into the New Year on top.

Then, on January 1, 2022, the Bulls faced a similar situation. Trailing the Wizards by two with three seconds left to play, Chicago looked to DeRozan again. He caught the ball in the corner, shook Corey Kispert with a pump fake, and connected on another three to give the Bulls their second buzzer-beating win in as many days.

Add in the incredible New Year’s factor, and this is a feat that may never be completed again.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

And we out! Thanks for spending a portion of your day with us. As the new year approaches, be sure to take some time to reflect on the year, what you want to leave behind, and what you want to take with you. It will make the year to come that much more meaningful. See you soon!

-Walker Carnathan