🏀 What even happened last night...

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In case you missed it yesterday, we partnered with the NBA to spread the Enjoy Basketball message—like, the actual NBA. Woah. We also did a collab with the first-seeded Denver Nuggets!

But now it’s Play-In Pandemonium time, people!! Get hyped, get right, and get psyched for postseason basketball!

Today’s Lineup

Play-In Pandemonium 🏀: Lakers beat Wolves in an all-time hectic game…

Temperature Drop ❄️: Ice Trae froze the Heat…

Our Pick 🏆: We FINALLY give you our rundown on the MVP race…

But first, here’s some Play-In trivia…

PrizePicks

For night two of the Play-In Tournament, we’re picking two guys from each game for our PrizePicks predictions! If you don’t 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 “Flex” 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, it’s 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.

Even without their two best defenders—Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels—the 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. Minnesota’s offense screeched to a halt with turnover after turnover, and the Wolves didn’t 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, it’s okay for a star to pass in the clutch!). That should’ve 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 OT—where the Lakers eventually captured the W.

There must’ve 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!

Box Score

Hawks handle Heat 116-105 in Eastern Conference Play-In

The Hawks executed your high school basketball coach’s 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 Young’s 25 points, gave Atlanta a clear path to the seventh seed and a Round 1 matchup vs. the Celtics.

Miami certainly didn’t help themselves offensively. They couldn’t hit a three to save Udonis Haslem’s life (10/41 as a team), and neither Jimmy Butler nor Bam Adebayo found their groove. Shoutout to Kyle Lowry though, who beat the “playoff choker” 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. :/

Box Score

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. He’s only playing 32 minutes per game, because when he’s in, he makes the Bucks unstoppable and leads the league in points per minute.

“BuT HiS sUpPoRtInG cAsT iS tHe bEsT!!” On paper, sure. But Khris Middleton, Milwaukee’s second best player, started just 19 games this year. And yet, the Bucks stampeded to the best record in the NBA behind the Greek Freak’s 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 Jokic’s 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 time—Denver 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. That’s next-gen value.

P.S. Respectfully, the argument that “Jokic shouldn’t win three in a row” or “Embiid is due a trophy” 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 wasn’t 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? Here’s what the Twitter Enjoyers decided on Saturday.

In the News

Tra(d)e Young?
Franchise ownership has given the Hawks front office the “green light” to explore trade offers for Trae Young. It’s 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 season—now that’s a lot of Enjoyers of Basketball! We’re glad our beloved sport is growing!

DAME D.O.L.L.A. keeps it a buck…
Damian Lillard made it known that he isn’t about Portland drafting and developing young players. It’s 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 offseason…

Frozen Moments

• Ant stuffed Rui at the end of the quarter… then things got chippy

• Trae Young had some out of pocket motivation for tonight’s W

Good Reads

Which of the NBA’s 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 We’re Enjoying

Succession: The award-winning HBO hit centers around the ultra-powerful Roy family, as its members grapple for control of the family’s mega-corporation. We won’t spoil it, but Sunday’s episode included a MAJOR event and was one of the show’s best chapters to date. If you’re a fan, but somehow you aren’t 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 🏀 in your hand!

-Conor Geelan

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 go…

Happy birthday to Kheleb! Take our survey below so we can wish you well on your birthday:

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