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Here’s to you, Enjoyers! 🍷 May your life have the energy and momentum of the Houston Rockets’ ten-game win streak, the spontaneity and excitement of Deuce McBride’s breakout, and absolutely none of the chaos that was Wednesday’s Sixers-Clippers game.

Today’s Lineup

Full-Court Coverage

• Houston hasn’t just taken off—they’re shooting through the sky and willing themselves into the playoff picture. The Rockets extended their win streak to ten with a six-point OT win over OKC on Wednesday. We can’t WAIT to see how their play-in race against Golden State shapes up over the last ten games of the season—it’s not very often that teams in Houston’s position go on streaks like this:

• Speaking of the Warriors, they powered themselves through to an emotional 101-93 win over the Magic on Wednesday night. Why so emotional, you ask? Take a look at Steph’s visibly-frustrated reaction to Draymond Green’s first-quarter ejection. We can only speculate the exact reason why the ejection affected Chef Curry as much as it did, but what we do know is that he turned around and led the Warriors to an impressive win over a legitimately good Orlando squad.

• Dejounte Murray has been on an absolute TEAR. Last night, he notched his third 40-point game this month and led the Hawks to a dramatic OT win against a dominant Celtics team. Murray had 44 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, and the game-winner last night—he’s averaging 27.1 points per game in March (7th in the NBA).

• Sixers-Clippers on Wednesday had one of the most insane endings to an NBA game we’ve ever seen. After a Buddy Hield three gave Philly the lead with twenty seconds left in the game, Kawhi Leonard answered with a drive to the rack (plus a foul) to put LA up by one. One questionable foul call and a wedgie later, Kawhi and Kelly Oubre faced off for a jump ball with five seconds left… and you’re gonna have to judge the rest for yourself:

• The Knicks are third in the East! We repeat, the Knicks are third in the East! After a dominating 44-point blowout in Toronto where Deuce McBride (29 PTS, 9 3PM) continued his scorching streak, New York jumped Cleveland and now holds sole possession of third place in the conference job. NYK has come a long way…

• Kevin Durant isn’t exactly known for his defensive ability, but he had something to say about that on Wednesday against the Nuggets. The Durantula put up 30 PTS, 13 REB, and 5 BLK in the Suns’ seven-point win over Denver. Those five blocks are something KD has only done a handful of times throughout his illustrious 17 year career.

Playoff Sleepers: Sacramento Kings

Last year, the Kings broke their sixteen-year playoff drought but lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors. This year, however, they might just have the potential to make a run in the loaded Western Conference. Let’s talk about their case as a sleeper contender:

What We Like ✅ 

Do we even have to say the man’s name? Domantas Sabonis is a MENACE. Not only did he just break the record for most consecutive double-doubles since the ABA-NBA merger, but Sabonis also leads the league in triple-doubles this season. First in rebounds per game, second in assists per game among big men, 60%/40% efficiency, an underdog MVP candidate—do we have to keep going? Domas has the consistency that a team who wants to make a playoff run needs.

But aside from Sabonis individually, this team is incredible at rebounding the ball and preventing opposing teams from getting extra possessions (first in DREB% and opponent second-chance PTS). And with a top-five AST/TO ratio (very much thanks to De’Aaron Fox’s dynamic athleticism and court vision) it’s clear that the Kings’ playmaking synergy is top-tier.

Areas of Concern 🚨 

The Kings’ mediocre defense might hold them back when facing off against some of the Western Conference’s more potent offenses—they currently rank in the bottom ten in opponent field goal % and opponent points per game.

And offensively, the Kings’ scoring options after Sabonis and Fox aren’t super experienced as volume scorers. Malik Monk has been incredible off the bench and Harrison Barnes is a certified playoff veteran, but it would take a fairly large jump in output from one of them to propel the Kings into top-tier contenders.

So, could they make a run? 🤔

Surviving the Play-In: The Kings currently sit at seventh in the Western Conference, so if the season ended today they would have to endure the hardships of the dreaded Play-In Tournament. Either the Warriors or the Rockets stand to face off against the Kings in the first game of the play-in, and while we’d love to see a Golden State-Sacramento rematch, the Rockets would definitely be a more favorable matchup. They’re young, relatively inexperienced, and could definitely fall prey to Sabonis and the Kings’ crafty playmaking.

First Round matchup: Here’s where it gets tough for the Kings. There really isn’t a great option when you’re talking about Denver, Minnesota, and OKC, but the Kings’ most favorable matchup might just be the Timberwolves—KAT will only have just returned to the lineup, and Minnesota’s on-court chemistry may temporarily falter as they readjust.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Thanks for being with us today! This weekend, try to think about the concept of grace. It’s really easy to be a cynic and to shut people out, but emphasizing forgiveness with your friends, family, and anyone you meet is one of the best ways to make the world around you a better place. Talk soon. ✌️

-Austin Zeglis