Simmons' Return to Philly has positives and negatives

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Happy almost-Turkey Day, friends! There's so much to be thankful for, from friends, to family, to the game we love! Nothing makes us more grateful than seeing an emphatic Giannis fast break, fluid Jazz ball movement, beautiful Yuta Watanabe three-pointer, or any of the thousands of other little things that make us Enjoy Basketball! There won’t be a Friday newsletter so we can all Enjoy the holiday weekend!

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Newsletter Preview

The Prodigal Son: Ben Simmons made his first return to the court in Philly. It had positives and negatives...

NBA Royalty: The Kings continue their improbable and exciting run...

Dynamic, Heart-Warming Duo: How two players who you might not know of had each other's backs...

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Yesterday's Games

Nets fall to 76ers in Ben Simmons' return to Philly 115-106

Tonight was a good and bad night for Ben Simmons in his most hyped-up game of the season — his return to Philadelphia. Good News: he played relatively well with 11 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Bad news? The Nets (8-10) lost to a 76ers (9-8) team without James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid.

Despite being short-handed, Tobias Harris (24 points), De'Anthony Melton (22 points), and Paul Reed (19 points) stepped up to lead the 76ers to victory over their division rivals. Shoutout to sharpshooter and Enjoyer of Basketball Georges Niang for an efficient 16-point performance on 4-5 from three!

It was also Kyrie Irving's return from an eight-game suspension. Uncle Drew put up a solid 23 points despite the losing effort. Quite a chaotic game in Philly to say the least!

Nets vs. Sixers Box Score

Fox fights Grizzlies for 113-109 victory

The Kings (10-6) victory beam continues to shine in Sacramento for their 7th straight W! Isn't the NBA somehow better when 3rd-seeded (!) Sac-Town is winning? De'Aaron Fox dropped a stunning 32 points, and an impactful 26-piece from Harrison Barnes catapulted Sacramento over the top to the win.

Ja Morant led Memphis (10-8) with 34 points and almost came back in the 4th quarter before a Kings rally, but unfortunately, missed clutch free throws from Morant and made shots from Malik Monk sealed a Kings win. In other news, Jaren Jackson Jr. seems to be warming up to the NBA game after months on the IR. He dropped 22 points and 5 (yes, FIVE) blocks, and we can't wait to see how he develops!

Kings vs. Grizzlies Box Score

Suns scorch Lakers 115-105

Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges each dropped 25 to secure a Suns (11-6) victory over a resurgent yet LeBron-less Lakers (5-11) squad. The Suns keep rolling despite the Chris Paul injury and all the preseason doubt! We love to see it!

Anthony Davis continued his monstrous streak despite the loss. Seriously, can this dude get some credit when things go right for him? 37 points, 21 rebounds, 5 steals, and 5 blocks are some Shaq numbers!!!

Things got heated late as Patrick Beverley was ejected after a push against Deandre Ayton. We love the fire, but it might be better concentrated elsewhere. But shoutout to Lonnie Walker IV (24 points) and Russell Westbrook (21 points) for a spark off the bench!

Lakers vs. Suns Box Score

Pistons persevere in 110-108 win over Nuggets

Halting a seven-game losing streak, the Detroit Pistons (4-15) conquered the Denver Nuggets (10-7) behind veteran performances from Bogdan Bogdanovic (22 points) and Alec Burks (21 points) for their first road victory. Nikola Jokic contributed almost a 31-point triple-double in the losing effort, so even in defeat, there is some greatness to Enjoy!

Pistons vs. Nuggets Box Score

Monday Night Notes

Good news for the Jazz (12-7), the Lauri Markannen (25 PTS, 10 REB) experience continues! Bad news for the Jazz, you gave up 57 points to Reggie Jackson and Norman Powell in a seven-point loss to the Clippers (11-7). And two things we learned from the Wolves' (9-8) 105-101 win over the Heat (7-11). Rudy Gobert can shoot zero times all game yet still make his free throws, and Anthony Edwards is a bad man.

Over in Cleveland, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell put on a clinic to the tune of a combined 55 points and 18 assists in the Cavs' (11-6) 114-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks (10-7). And the Blazers (10-7) tried literally everything to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo during their 119-111 loss to the Bucks (12-4) but to no avail. The 2x MVP dropped 37 and put the fear in “Fear the Deer” by absolutely baptizing Jusuf Nurkic.

Elsewhere, Chicago (7-10) came to play against the Eastern-Conference-leading Boston Celtics (13-4), winning 121-107 on the back of DeMar Derozan’s 28 points, the Pelicans (10-7) got the largest win of the season in a 45-point drubbing of the Warriors (8-10) bench unit, and Jalen Brunson had perhaps his finest game as a Knick (9-9) in a big 129-119 W over OKC (7-10). And don’t sleep on those Pacers (10-6)! They’re now a top-four 🤯 seed in the East after beating Orlando (5-13) by 21.

NBA History Spotlight

Welcome back to the NBA History Spotlight, a 2x monthly segment where we share impactful and inspiring stories from the history of the game. Today, we’ll take a look back at the tragic, but ultimately heartwarming, story of Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman.

Stokes and Twyman were teammates on the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) from 1955 to 1958, and they looked to be on the verge of forming one of the league's most dynamic duos. A 3x All-Star, Stokes was one of the best rebounders of his era, with playmaking chops that were well ahead of his time. And Twyman was a silky-smooth scoring forward who is remembered as one of the best pure shooters of his era.

But before they could ascend the basketball mountaintop together, tragedy struck. Three days after banging his head on the court during a game at the end of the 1957-58 season, Maurice Stokes suffered a seizure that left him permanently paralyzed. The Royals were in the middle of selling their team, and neither they nor the NBA provided Stokes with health insurance.

Rather than leave his friend and teammate behind, Twyman stepped up and became Stokes' legal guardian. He worked with other NBA players to start an annual charity match, the Maurice Stokes Memorial Basketball Game, to help pay for Stokes' treatment and physical therapy. The match became a mainstay in the NBA calendar for years, and the funds it raised helped Stokes slowly recover. He eventually regained limited movement and speaking ability before passing away in 1970 at the age of 36.

Good Reads

'I know what's coming': Ben Simmons playing his best ahead of his return to Philly - Alex Schiffer (The Athletic)

The Long-Forgotten First Chapter of the Grizzlies - Jon Wertheim (Sports Illustrated)

The 9 Best Trade Chips in the NBA Right Now - Dan Favale (Bleacher Report)

Signing Off

That'll do it for us today at Enjoy Basketball. We’re skipping the Friday newsletter, so we’ll talk again on Monday, but until then, please Enjoy your Thanksgiving and be grateful for friends, family, and this wonderful sport!

-Conor Geelan and Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: Three years ago, Tyus Jones put up the best assist-to-turnover ratio in a single season since Muggsy Bogues!

Trivia Question: Two players famously shared Rookie of the Year honors in the 1999-2000 season. Who were they?