Powered by

Things got heated last night...

Drama ensues in Phoenix, while the action in NOLA goes down to the wire

Newsletter Preview

Fiery Win in Phoenix: Tempers flare between the defending champions and regular season champions in a memorable duel...

Next Man-Up Mentality: Despite missing their two best players, the Pelicans upset the Mavericks in the face of a beautiful Doncic performance thanks to these role players...

Inspiring History: We tell the story of the most inspirational All-Star Game performance of all time...

Hey friends! We had an amazing four-game slate last night filled with tough jumpers, big-time upsets, and lots and lots of technicals. Two of the top West teams passionately dueled, Luka's magic wasn't enough, and a Pelicans role player had a flawless night. How lucky are we?

Also, you do NOT want to miss our Twitter Spaces Thursday at 5 p.m. EST. We have a special guest joining us from the Washington Wizards ... any guesses?

PrizePicks

Good morning, Enjoyers! We’re back to predict some players' statlines and win a few bucks while we’re at it. With PrizePicks, you aren’t competing against other people; it’s just you against the projections. The NBA is back, and we’re ready to get to winning. We’re sitting on a 1-1 record as the season starts to heat up.

All you have to do is choose a statistic, like points or rebounds, and predict if a player will get more or less than their projection. Select 2-5 players and win up to 10x your money! Not to mention, you can still walk away with cash if you only miss one. Here are our picks from last night’s slate:

Let us know how we did and tag us with your picks on Twitter @enjoybball

Sign up HERE and use promo code ENJOY to receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100! With the chance to earn up to 10x your money in less time than it takes to read this newsletter, what are you waiting for?

*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.

Tuesday's NBA Games

Suns scorch Warriors 134-105

Despite the lopsided final score, this game had everything. Jordan Poole turned into prime Jamal Crawford for 5 minutes. Tempers boiled over, resulting in seven technicals in the 3rd quarter alone, the most since the 1996-97 season! This cumulated in Klay Thompson's first (epic) ejection of his career. But the Suns got a very impressive home win against the defending champs with Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, and Deandre Ayton all playing well. The Warriors have now given up 70 points in three straight 1st halves: the first time in franchise history. Booker led the way with an efficient 34 points, and Jock Landale (17 points) looks to be a serviceable big man in Phoenix.

Pelicans edge past Mavericks 113-111

Even with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson missing for New Orleans, this was the game of the night. Both teams played their best offensively, with CJ McCollum (11 assists) and Devonte' Graham (4-8 3PT) trading 4th quarter buckets with Luka Doncic (37 points) and Spencer Dinwiddie (24 points). Looking forward, Christian Wood (23 points) looks like the interior scorer that Dallas needs, and Trey Murphy III (22 points, 4-4 3PT) seems to be an impactful 3-and-D guy.

Thunder clip Clippers 108-94

With no Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, this was a test for both squads, and the Thunder passed. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was unquestionably the best player on the court throughout, finishing with 33 points and 8 assists. The most impressive part of this win was that the Thunder only shot 13.3% from three and still caught a W. That does not happen in 2022, and yet we just witnessed it. P.S. Shoutout to Tre Mann for adding a smooth 25 points.

Wizards pound Pistons 120-99

The Washington Wizards defended home court against the Detroit Pistons behind 25 points from fashion aficionado Kyle Kuzma. The Wiz led the entire second half despite Bradley Beal only playing 22 minutes due to back tightness. Veteran Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 25 points on 4-7 from three, while Cade Cunningham added 19. The Wizards move to an impressive 3-1 record, but then again, they did open last season 10-3...

Monday Night Notes

On Monday night, we were blessed with an eight-game slate. Odds are you didn't watch every game, so we're here to fill you in with the best takeaways of the day.

The Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies game had the duel of the night: Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving dropped 37 a piece, while Ja Morant and Desmond Bane caught 38 points each and the win. Morant is simply a Nets KILLER, now 5-0 in his career against Brooklyn.

Tragically, the Utah Jazz are no longer undefeated. The bizarrely 3-0 squad fell to the previously 0-3 Rockets, proving they are fallible. Even though the Rockets got the W, there was one concerning moment.

In other news, the Spurs upset the Timberwolves despite 27 points from Karl-Anthony Towns and 25 from D'Angelo Russell. For real, Devin Vassell looked legit. On the East Coast, two lefties guided their teams to wins as James Harden put on a show against the Pacers and Julius Randle set his season high against the Magic. The Bulls also upset the Celtics, who had been looking phenomenal.

Finally, the Trailblazers moved to a league-best 4-0 record after pummeling the Nuggets. Damian Lillard continued his blazing (get it?) start with 31 points, but Anfernee Simons was even more impressive with a smooth 29 points on 7-12 from three.

NBA History Spotlight

In this segment, called "NBA History Spotlight," we share impactful and inspiring stories throughout the history of the sport we love. It will appear on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month, so we'll be paging through the history books all year!

Magic Johnson returns from retirement to win 1992 ASG MVP

The last appearance of prime Magic Johnson was in an All-Star Game during a season in which he did not play a single game. Johnson had announced his retirement at the beginning of the 1991-92 season after he revealed he was HIV-positive. At the time, many still saw HIV as a death sentence, and there was a massive social stigma around the virus. Still, the NBA fans voted Magic into the 1992 All-Star Game, and he played.

In his 12th and final All-Star appearance, he led all players with 25 points and won the game's MVP award. In one last Magic moment, Johnson took a three with 14 seconds left and drilled it to end the contest, literally -- the game ended with 14 seconds left as players ran onto the court to hug and high-five the greatest point guard the game has seen. Seriously, watch this: it gives us chills.

Good Reads

Russell Westbrook Is Shooting the Lakers in the Foot - Kevin O'Connor (The Ringer)

Jamal Crawford to Paolo Banchero: Inside the miraculous making of the Seattle-to-NBA pipeline - Kade Krichko (ESPN)

In the Utah Jazz’s first 3 games, Lauri Markkanen has looked like a star - Sarah Todd (Deseret News)

Signing Off

That'll do it for us. Tune into tomorrow's Twitter Spaces at 5 p.m. EST with a special guest from the Wizards. And remember to Enjoy Basketball.

-Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: Shaquille O'Neal earned the most double-doubles by a rookie, with 68 double-doubles in 1992-93. Diesel was like that!

Trivia Question: Who is the oldest player to ever record a triple double?