No Lead Is Safe In The NBA

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What's up, folks? We hope you had a great weekend! ICYMI, we collaborated with fellow ENJ🏀YERS, the New York Knicks! Go check it out here. What teams do you want to see us work with in the future? 👀 Let us know!

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Comebacks Galore: No lead was safe this weekend.

The East's Best Stay 🔥: Are the Celtics & 76ers pulling away from the pack?

Unsung Heroes: This former Arkansas Razorback has been a great surprise in OKC.

PrizePicks

If you haven't downloaded PrizePicks yet, we don't know what to tell you. Actually, we do: download PrizePicks! Now!

Here's what you do: pick your players (anywhere between two and six of them), decide whether they're going to record MORE or LESS in a specific statistical category, submit your selections, and you're locked in! The players don't even have to be in the same SPORT! PrizePicks has NBA, NFL, NCAAB, CSGO, League Of Legends, Tennis, and MORE! Basically, the only sport they don't have is your intramural softball league (but we'd still pick you to hit over 0.5 home runs if we could.)

Here are our picks for Monday! We'd love for you to ride with us, but either way, show us your picks on Twitter! Go download PrizePicks NOW and use our code ENJOY to have your first deposit matched up to $100.

*PrizePicks is available to residents 18 years and older in AK, AR, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, MI, MN, NE, NY, NM, NC, ND, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, WY. 19+ in AL. 21+ in AZ, MA.

The Best Of Friday & Saturday

Are the Magic a highlight factory? Seems that way! Bol Bol and Franz Wagner continue to do things that tall guys aren't supposed to be able to do, and Cole Anthony (22 points) looked the most confident he has all year: a great sight to see. Orlando's future is now, old man! Out West, Denver was without Nikola Jokic, so Jamal Murray posted a triple-double (17/14/10) in his honor. Kyrie Irving (48/11/6) willed the Nets to a victory in Utah, and the Lakers secured a comeback win against the Grizzlies thanks to Dennis Schröder's late heroics.

Whatever we must do to get a Thunder vs. Kings playoff series, we should do it. SGA (37 & 7) was wondrous as always, but Keegan Murray (29 points, 14 rebounds, 10/12 FG) stole the show down the stretch in the Kings' win. Also, apparently fans in Sacramento get a free Crumbl cookie if an opposing player misses two free throws in the fourth quarter, which is a great promotion. This is a pro-Crumbl Cookie newsletter.

Saturday

Evan Mobley, take a bow. His career-high 38 points powered the Cavs past the Bucks, who were both without their superstars. Turns out, Mobley's still really good!

Rui Hachimura responded to trade rumors with a 30-piece in a Wizards win, Anthony Edwards hit eight threes (and apparently has a personal vendetta against Alperen Sengun) as the Wolves beat Houston, and the Sixers' role players showed some serious fight in a 21-point comeback win in Sacramento without James Harden and Joel Embiid. After starting the year 12-12, Philly is 18-4 since December 9th. They should be squarely in the discussion for best team in the NBA. Boston--another team obviously in that discussion-- won their ninth straight game on Saturday; Boston & Philly are the only NBA teams with top seven Offensive and Defensive Ratings.

Sunday's Slate

Leonard stays hot as Clips knock of Mavs 112-98 in Sunday matinee

It's hardly rocket science—when Kawhi Leonard (30 points) and Paul George (21 points) both play, there's a great chance the Clippers (25-24) will win a basketball game (70-28 when they both play) like they did Sunday against the Mavs (25-23). Klaw is so back.

Box Score

Herro, Heat rally from sixteen down, beat Pelicans 100-96

The Heat (26-22) have been anything but consistent this season; murmurs about their roster makeup and upside going forward have gotten louder. But after a comeback victory on Sunday behind 26 from Tyler Herro, they somehow sit in sixth place in the East. They will never die. New Orleans (26-21) really needs Zion & BI back.

Box Score

Raptors use big fourth quarter to topple Knicks, 125-116

If it's working, stick with it! That's what Raptors coach Nick Nurse did, and it helped Toronto (21-27) pull away from New York (25-23) on Sunday. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam played only three minutes a piece in the final frame, yielding their time to Chris Boucher and Juancho Hernangomez, who were both instrumental in the win. Also, this Scottie Barnes pass? 😲

Box Score

Thunder get big road win, hold off Nuggets 101-99

Honestly, Denver's strategy of missing seven straight free throws in the fourth quarter doesn't appear to be very effective. We advise against other teams trying it in the future. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit his 97th (rough estimate) clutch shot this season to win it for OKC (23-24). The Nuggets win streak ends at nine, and they fall to a dismal 33-14 (note: heavy sarcasm.)

Box Score

Suns beat Grizzlies 112-110 in CP3's return

This was a great win for Phoenix (24-24). They beat a great Memphis (31-15) team, got a classic Chris Paul performance (22/6/11) in his return from injury, and held off a furious comeback attempt—this was a 29-point game at one point! But five years from now, the moment that will be remembered from this game is ... this. Thanks, Ziaire Williams!

Box Score

Nets use big run in fourth to defeat Warriors, 120-116

"It was a total team effort," Kyrie Irving said after his 38-point, nine-assist performance led the Nets (29-17) to a win in Golden State (23-24) that required a 14-2 run late in the fourth quarter. He meant it, too. Nicolas Claxton had himself a night with 24 points, 15 boards, and three blocks, Ben Simmons dished out 11 assists, and Royce O'Neale & Joe Harris hit big shots late. Nets = good.

Box Score

Lakers remember they're playing a basketball game in second half, beat Blazers 121-112

You're not going to believe this, but this game involved a comeback. A big one. 25-point-deficit-at-halftime-level big. Portland (21-25) used a 45-13 (?) second quarter to take a 71-46 halftime lead, but then LeBron James & Thomas Bryant happened. The pair ended up combining for 68 points and 25 rebounds. Los Angeles (22-25) outscored Portland 75-41 after intermission. What a strange game.

Box Score

Latest Basketball News

Bucks, Serge Ibaka Agree To Search For Trade Partner: The 14-year veteran has only played in 35 games since being traded to the Bucks last season. Just in case you forgot how good Ibaka once was, here's a reminder:

Unsung Heroes

When the Oklahoma City Thunder signed Isaiah Joe to a multi-year deal in mid-October, the response was ... well, there wasn't that much of a response. Philly fans said their goodbyes to a guy who they insisted all along was a capable rotation player, and that was about it. But just past the halfway point of the 2022-23 season, Joe has shined with increased playing time and is showcasing his elite shooting talent on an OKC team with playoff aspirations.

Joe is averaging 7.9 points per game while shooting 45% from three-point range on a truly outrageous 68% True Shooting. He's posted three games of 20+ points in January, including two last week. From a benchwarmer, to a training camp afterthought, to an important piece on a competitive team, Joe's career trajectory has been fascinating to watch.

Good Reads

The NBA's Top Assist Combinations - Mike Shearer (Basketball Poetry)

Born To Get Buckets: Keyonte George's NBA Bag - Corey Tulaba (No Ceilings)

What We're Enjoying

Indiana Jones by Boldy James & RichGains: Just over a week ago, Boldy James was involved in a car accident that sent him to intensive care with multiple broken vertebrae. On Friday, he released an album with producer RichGains. Simply one of the best out right now. Get well soon, Boldy! 🙏

Signing Off

And that'll do it! Folks, if you're feeling like you should have accomplished more by this stage of your life, cut it out. There's no "right" timeline for any of this. You'll be fine. Talk soon!

-Quinn Everts

Trivia Answer: The second-most threes made in the 2000s? Peja Stojaković!

Trivia Question: Who was the first ever All-Star Game MVP?