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š What even happened last night...
Plus, our MVP pick is in.

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In case you missed it yesterday, we partnered with the NBA to spread the Enjoy Basketball messageālike, the actual NBA. Woah. We also did a collab with the first-seeded Denver Nuggets!
But now itās Play-In Pandemonium time, people!! Get hyped, get right, and get psyched for postseason basketball!
Todayās Lineup
Play-In Pandemonium š: Lakers beat Wolves in an all-time hectic gameā¦
Temperature Drop āļø: Ice Trae froze the Heatā¦
Our Pick š: We FINALLY give you our rundown on the MVP raceā¦
But first, hereās some Play-In triviaā¦
Including this year's field, who is the only player to play in every Play-In Tournament?Click below to vote and then scroll to bottom of the newsletter for the answer! |
PrizePicks
For night two of the Play-In Tournament, weāre picking two guys from each game for our PrizePicks predictions! If you donāt know how it works yet, you pick which 3-6 players you think will post more or less than their projected stats in a game. You can either go for the big Power Play cash out or choose the āFlexā option and win $$$ even if you miss a selection!
Sign up HERE or down below and use promo code ENJOY to receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100! If you know ball, watch ball, or love ball, itās a no-brainer!
*PrizePicks is available to residents 18+ 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.
Play-In Pandemonium
Lakers claw out 108-102 OT win over Wolves to clinch 7-seed in West
What even was this game? Enjoyment? Chaos? Pain? Turns out, it was all of the above, and more. The Lakers came all the way back from a 15-point second half deficit to win by six in overtime. Anthony Davis was a behemoth on the interior, with 24 points and 15 rebounds, while LeBron James had 30 points and 10 rebounds.
This is the worldās first AI generated basketball game
ā šŖššš š© (@Three_Cone)
4:56 AM ⢠Apr 12, 2023
Even without their two best defendersāRudy Gobert and Jaden McDanielsāthe Timberwolves flat-out looked like the better team for the first three quarters. And while Anthony Edwards (9 points, 3-17 FG) had a disappointing night, Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points) was a force to be reckoned with, posting a +18 despite the loss. Even Slo-Mo Kyle Anderson popped off, with 13 assists, 4 blocks, and 4 steals.
But that all went out the window in the 4th quarter. Minnesotaās offense screeched to a halt with turnover after turnover, and the Wolves didnāt score between 6:01 and 0:01 left in the game
After a fourth quarter full of turnovers and head scratchers on both sides, the last two seconds were electric. Dennis Schroder (21 points) hit a go-ahead three assisted by a gorgeous LeBron pass with 1.4 seconds left (hey Skip Bayless, itās okay for a star to pass in the clutch!). That shouldāve been the game winner, but Anthony Davis inexplicably fouled Mike Conley (23 points) with 0.1 seconds left, and Conley knocked down all three free throws with a smile to send it to OTāwhere the Lakers eventually captured the W.
DENNIS SCHRODER FOR THE LEAD!!!
ā ENJšY (@EnjoyBBall)
4:39 AM ⢠Apr 12, 2023
There mustāve been some kind of sale on turnovers, because each squad had 20! To be honest, this game had the vibes of when you and your friend intentionally throw a 2k game to make it go to overtime. What a ridiculously hilarious and Enjoyable 53 minutes of postseason hoops!

Hawks handle Heat 116-105 in Eastern Conference Play-In
The Hawks executed your high school basketball coachās platitudes to perfection: they 1) moved the ball beautifully and 2) killed their opponent on the offensive glass. While watching this game, it really felt like the Hawks forced a zillion turnovers and got every loose ball.
Clint Capela was elite tonight (in a Raptors Bismack Biyombo kind of way), as the Swiss center provided 21 rebounds and stifling rim protection⦠despite only scoring 4 points. But that, along with Trae Youngās 25 points, gave Atlanta a clear path to the seventh seed and a Round 1 matchup vs. the Celtics.
Miami certainly didnāt help themselves offensively. They couldnāt hit a three to save Udonis Haslemās life (10/41 as a team), and neither Jimmy Butler nor Bam Adebayo found their groove. Shoutout to Kyle Lowry though, who beat the āplayoff chokerā allegations with an efficient 33 points! The Heat will play the winner of #9 Raptors vs #10 Bulls in a win-or-go-home matchup. The winner of that game gets the wonderful prize of⦠a Round 1 matchup against the first-seeded Bucks. :/
Award Watch
Giannis Antetokounmpo
31.1 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, 55.3 FG%, 60.5 TS%, 63 GP
Team record when he plays: 46-17 (.756)
The Argument: Giannis is the best player on the best team in the league. End of argument, right? Historically, that has been the criteria. Heās only playing 32 minutes per game, because when heās in, he makes the Bucks unstoppable and leads the league in points per minute.
āBuT HiS sUpPoRtInG cAsT iS tHe bEsT!!ā On paper, sure. But Khris Middleton, Milwaukeeās second best player, started just 19 games this year. And yet, the Bucks stampeded to the best record in the NBA behind the Greek Freakās dominant scoring, defense, and leadership.
Nikola Jokic
24.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.8 APG, 63.2 FG%, 66.1 TS%, 69 GP
Team record when he plays: 48-21 (.696)
The Argument: Last year, people used the fact that Nikola Jokicās team was the sixth seed as an argument against his MVP case. This year, the Nuggets comfortably held the first seed for most of the season, as the Joker nearly became the third player ever to average a triple-double. Out of the three teams with MVP candidates, the Nuggets are the only one with a losing record (5-8) when their MVP candidate misses timeāDenver only succeeds through Jokic!
And you knew we would bring up those advanced metrics! The two-time MVP leads the entire NBA in PER, Win Shares, Box Plus/Minus, VORP and WAR. Thatās next-gen value.
P.S. Respectfully, the argument that āJokic shouldnāt win three in a rowā or āEmbiid is due a trophyā is ridiculous. We should consider each MVP race separately from other years, regardless of narrative or history.

Joel Embiid
33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.7 BPG, 54.8 FG%, 65.5 TS, 66 GP
Team record when he plays: 43-23 (.652)
The Argument: The Process has finally been completed. Joel Embiid led the league in scoring, with a monstrous 33.1 PPG that powered the Sixers to the 3-seed. Joel may also have the best moments, like his 52-point 13-rebound performance against the Celtics last week. He wasnāt the favorite even a month ago, but has definitely closed the season strongest.
So there you have it. Giannis is the best player on the best team. Embiid has the narrative and the numbers. Jokic has the record and the advanced numbers. Who is your MVP? Hereās what the Twitter Enjoyers decided on Saturday.
NBA Awards Thread:
Cast your vote for your award winners below starting with MVP!
ā ENJšY (@EnjoyBBall)
8:25 PM ⢠Apr 8, 2023
In the News
Tra(d)e Young?
Franchise ownership has given the Hawks front office the āgreen lightā to explore trade offers for Trae Young. Itās not like Ice Trae is automatically gone or anything, but this is basically like when you turn off untouchables in 2k.
Putting butts in seats!
The NBA set an all-time record for attendance (97% average capacity) and sellouts (791) in the 2022-23 seasonānow thatās a lot of Enjoyers of Basketball! Weāre glad our beloved sport is growing!

DAME D.O.L.L.A. keeps it a buckā¦
Damian Lillard made it known that he isnāt about Portland drafting and developing young players. Itās a strong statement from one of the best leaders in the NBA, but also an honest one. Will Portland trade Dame, or will they trade their young assets? Could they trade for a Young asset? Exciting stuff coming this offseasonā¦
Frozen Moments
Ant stuffed Rui at the end of the quarter⦠then things got chippy
Trae Young had some out of pocket motivation for tonightās W
Good Reads
Which of the NBAās One-Way Teams Will Win the West? - Zach Kram (The Ringer)
2023 WNBA Draft results: Aliyah Boston goes No. 1 to Fever; grades, analysis for every pick - Jack Maloney (CBS Sports)
What Weāre Enjoying
Succession: The award-winning HBO hit centers around the ultra-powerful Roy family, as its members grapple for control of the familyās mega-corporation. We wonāt spoil it, but Sundayās episode included a MAJOR event and was one of the showās best chapters to date. If youāre a fan, but somehow you arenāt caught up, get on that ASAP!
Signing Off
Night one was crazy, so buckle in for night two tonight. Go Enjoy the games, some company, or some peace and quiet⦠just do it with a š in your hand!
Trivia Answer: Jonas Valanciunas is the only player to play in all 4 Play-In tournaments. He played in 2020 and 2021 for the Grizzlies and 2022 and 2023 for the Pelicans!
Before you goā¦
Happy birthday to Kheleb! Take our survey below so we can wish you well on your birthday:
In your best Mike Breen impression, what did you think of today's newsletter? |

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