It’s a beautiful time of year to be a basketball fan—if March Madness and NBA playoff races heating up aren’t enough, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just made a little history:
Today’s Lineup
⚡ The Shai Game
SGA leads OKC past Boston and breaks a Wilt record in the process.
⚔️ Movin’ On Up
Watch out. Kawhi’s here.
5️⃣ Top Five Friday
Our top five March Madness moments of the 2020s.
🎉 Happy birthday to Caron Butler, Landry Shamet, and Tristan Thompson! 🎉
Game Recaps
SGA breaks Wilt’s 20-point record in OKC’s 104-102 win over C’s
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a little history in Oklahoma City on Thursday night.
SGA (35 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB, 3 BLK) led the Thunder to a close win over Boston while breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record for the most consecutive games with at least 20 points, extending the streak to 127 straight with a jumper in the third quarter.
Jaylen Brown (34 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB) kept Boston within striking distance all night, but Oklahoma City made just enough plays late to close it out. Brown tied things in the final moments after a strong second half throughout the Celtics’ lineup, but Chet Holmgren (14 PTS, 9 REB) grabbed an offensive rebound in the closing seconds and hit the free throws that ultimately sealed the win for OKC.
For the Thunder, it’s another win in a season that keeps piling up, and another reminder of how relentlessly consistent Shai has been. Records tied to Wilt usually last forever!
🏀 🏀 🏀
Clippers continue climb, beat Minnesota 153-128 behind Kawhi’s 45
On Dec. 19th, the Clippers were 6-21 and sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference.
They’re now 33-32, and it feels like Kawhi Leonard (45 PTS, 5 AST, 5 REB) might never stop competing.
After last night, their sixth win in seven games, the Clippers have solidified their position in the race for a postseason spot after starting the season with a win percentage under 25%. Kawhi led the show in a matchup against the Timberwolves, but new addition Darius Garland (21 PTS, 6 AST) was also a factor in Los Angeles’ win.
The Clippers led wire-to-wire, with Anthony Edwards (36 PTS, 5 AST) turning in a solid performance despite the loss. Both teams shot well from the floor, especially from three, but Kawhi’s relentless pressure and Minnesota’s inability to contain shooters like Bennedict Mathurin (22 PTS) were huge factors in Los Angeles’ ability to pull away.
Don’t count out the ClipShow! They just became the first team in NBA history to reach .500 after having as bad a record as they did to start the year, and we’ve seen how crazy these Western Conference seeding races can get.
🏀 🏀 🏀
Elsewhere around the NBA:
Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks (77 combined points) led the Suns to a 123-108 win over the Pacers, their fourth win in a row. Andrew Nembhard (23 PTS) led Indiana’s depleted squad, but Phoenix proved they belong in the top-six Western Conference playoff picture.
Bilal Coulibaly (29 PTS, 5 AST, 5 REB) sent the game to OT with a three-pointer that tied the game at 123, but the Magic protected the lead they had held for the entire game behind Jalen Suggs (28 PTS, 8 AST) and survived in the extra period en route to a 136-131 win last night. Alex Sarr (16 PTS) and Trae Young (15 PTS, 6 AST) were big next to Coulibaly for Washington in the loss.
The Knicks rallied from down 18 to win comfortably in Utah on Wednesday, riding a great night from Jalen Brunson (28 PTS, 8 AST) and 27 PTS from Jordan Clarkson off the bench to a 134-117 W. Brice Sensabaugh (29 PTS, 5 AST, 6-11 3PT) and Ace Bailey (21 PTS, 5-10 3PT) stood out in the loss.
The Pistons got a 131-109 win over Philly last night—in a game where Cade Cunningham (8 PTS, 13 AST) seemed to take the night off from scoring, it was a group of other Pistons led by Duncan Robinson (19 PTS), Javonte Green (17 PTS), and Ron Holland (15 PTS) who got the job done against the MarJon Beauchamp-led (17 PTS) Sixers.
🧠 Daily Trivia 🧠
Which of these guards is NOT a former Final Four Most Outstanding Player?
Top Five Friday
We love the NBA, but there’s no doubt who runs March.
Plus, we love college basketball too. Hoops are hoops, and especially in the 2020s, the college basketball world has been extra wild. In this edition of Top Five Friday, let’s run down the five biggest moments from March Madness this decade.
UConn’s dominant 2023 title run: Most champions have a couple of close calls along the way. Adama Sanogo and this UConn team didn’t really have any. Gonzaga and Miami and the rest of them couldn’t keep up along the way; the Huskies stayed unbeaten in title games and won their fifth championship in 25 years with a win in the final against San Diego State three years ago.
Fairleigh Dickinson becomes second-ever men’s 16-seed to advance: Everyone remembers UMBC and the first men’s 16-over-1 upset, but in 2023, we got the second. FDU knocked off Zach Edey and Purdue in the first round behind Sean Moore, Grant Singleton, and Demetre Roberts.
Jalen Suggs’ half-court buzzer-beater: The 2021 Gonzaga-UCLA Final Four game was an instant classic. Both teams traded blows back-and-forth, and after UCLA tied the game with just seconds left in OT, Jalen Suggs got the inbound and launched a shot from just inside half-court as the buzzer sounded. It banked in, and the Bulldogs' bench poured onto the court. Beautiful.
Saint Peter’s becomes first 15-seed in Elite Eight: There are Cinderella teams every year, but Saint Peter’s made a run nobody had seen before in 2022. Led by guard Doug Edert, the Peacocks opened the tournament by stunning Kentucky, and by the time they had reached the Sweet 16, the story had taken over the tournament. Then they beat Purdue too, bringing the tiny program in New Jersey to become the first 15-seed ever to reach the Elite Eight.
Kansas’ comeback win over UNC in 2022 NCG: Also in 2022, the championship game brought basketball fans one of the greatest comebacks in recent college hoops history. After falling down 40-25 at halftime to Caleb Love, Armando Bacot, and UNC, Kansas outscored the Tar Heels 47-29 in the second half and fought back to claim the national championship title behind Christian Braun and Ochai Agbaji.
Three in the Key
🌃 Hawkeye Vision
Iowa went on a 20-0 run against Maryland during the Big Ten Tournament.
🌽 Panther Champs!
Vibes after winning the Missouri Valley Conference >>>
🤞 Is This Hope?
Kenny is feeling good about Matas.
What We’re Enjoying
🔥 March Madness is coming up, but for some reason, that 83-point performance from earlier this week is still sitting with us. If you missed it, check out our guy Kenny’s 12-minute video reaction to Bam Adebayo’s historic Tuesday night game on the Kenny For Real channel.
Signing Off
The world is never boring in the life of a basketball fan. Given what’s going on over in the NFL, it might just be more of a sports thing. See you Monday! ✌️
