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š Was this the upset of the year?
Plus, this Griz rookie is showing out
Our face when some of the best NBA games of the year happen on non-newsletter days:
Todayās Lineup
ā¼ļø Sundayās Slate
It really happened. Detroit just beat an ELITE team.
š„ This Weekendās Madness
LeBron and Steph dueled on Saturday, and Luka had how many?
š“ Unsung Heroes
This rookieās journey has been a rollercoasterā¦
Sundayās (Surprising) Slate
Pistons pull off shocker, beat Thunder 120-104
DEEEEETROOOOIT BASKETBALLLLLLL!
No typos here. The Detroit Basketball Pistons (6-40) beat Oklahoma City (32-14) pretty decisively on Sunday behind a monster game from Jalen Duren (22 PTS, 21 REB, 6 AST) and 49 points from their bench. If thereās any way that a 6-40 team can have a āsignature wināā¦ Detroit just did it.
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Pacers hold off Grizzlies 116-110 thanks to Mathurinās big day
Indiana (27-20) is consistently finding ways to churn out wins without Tyrese Haliburton. This is the Pacersā third straight dub, and everyone contributedātwo starters scored 16 points, two others scored 19 points, and Bennedict Mathurin led the way with 24 (and one nasty dunk) off the bench.
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Bey plays the hero, ATL escapes with 126-125 win over Raptors
Trae Young givethā¦ and Trae Young taketh away. The Hawks star put Atlanta (19-27) up with less than 30 seconds left before committing a wild turnover to let Toronto (16-30) snag the lead. Thankfully, Saddiq Bey saved the day by being in the right place at the right time. Deep breaths, everyone:
SADDIQ BEY CALLED GAME š±
ā Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport)
1:37 AM ā¢ Jan 29, 2024
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Magic lock up defensively in second half, beat Suns 113-98
The Magic (24-22) brought back the feeling of early 2000s basketball last night in the best way possible. Orlando held Phoenix to just 41 points in the second half and pulled away late to ice this one. Devin Booker averaged 53 points per game this weekend, but the Suns (26-20) went 0-2 in that span. And to be honest, weāre not exactly sure what that means.
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Dosunmu ices game, Bulls beat Blazers 104-96
After an Anfernee Simons bucket cut the lead to three, Ayo Dosumnu went ahead and put the game on ice for Chicago (22-25). He and Coby White are giving Bulls fans something to be excited about as the team likely enters a new era in the near futureā¦
Weekend Wrap-Up
This weekend was madness. You can check out Friday and Saturdayās box scores here, but bear with us as we try to make sense of the highlights:
Fireworks are always guaranteed when LeBron and Steph are on the court together, but Saturdayās game surpassed even the loftiest of expectations. In Saturdayās double-OT classic, Steph Curry hit a go-ahead three with 4.7 seconds left in the second overtimeā¦ but it wasnāt enough. LeBron was fouled with just 1.2 seconds left and he sank the game-winning FTs to seal the 145-144 win for LA. Crazy.
If you havenāt heard about Luka Doncicās nearly unbelievable 73-point performance on Friday nightā¦ how? The Mavsā super-duper-star tied Wilt Chamberlain and David Thompson for the fourth-most points ever scored in an NBA game in Dallasā 148-143 win against Atlanta. We know scoring is at an all-time high these days, but we will always be impressed by seventy three. Come on.
Donāt you hate when your 62-point game gets overshadowed? Itās a common problem we all face (of course) and thatās exactly what happened to Devin Booker on Friday. Phoenix did lose the game to Indiana 133-131, but 62 is impressive anyway! Thoughā¦ apparently unlucky?
The Clippers didnāt have anyone score 60+ on Saturday, but they made a statement nonetheless with a 115-96 win over Boston in a game that was much more of a blowout than the final score leads one to believe. This guy is somethinā else.
š§ Daily Trivia š§
Which player contests the most shots per game in the NBA? |
Unsung Heroes: GG Jackson
GG Jackson wasnāt supposed to be here. Well, he was, but then he wasnāt.
Jackson was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but his stock dropped enough in his one college season that he ended up being the 45th pick in last yearās draft. However, over this past month heās been showing the league why he was such a highly-touted prospect in the first place.
The 19-year-old started to get regular minutes this year due to the Grizzliesā various injuries, but heās proven that he should still be on the court even when the team does get healthy. Jackson has scored 15 or more points in four of his last ten games, flashing real athleticism and a hint of self-creation potential. Oh yeah, and heās shooting over 50% from deep. Using the 45th pick on this man might just end up being a genius decision in Memphis.
Three in the Key
š®āšØ These kids are alrightā¦
Theyāre hitting from the logo during the halftime show!
šŖ£ Thatās a lot of buckets!
Another milestone for Kevin Durant.
š¤Æ A Wemby shammgod? Why not!
San Antonio sprung an upset on Minnesota.
What Weāre Enjoying
Radiolab: From learning about moons to exploring the science of randomness to finding out why we canāt divide by zero, the Radiolab podcast will consistently stimulate parts of your brain you may not even realize need stimulating. Check it out:
Signing Off
And weāre out of here! This week, we have an assignment for youāread a magazine. Print media is in a rough place right now, and supporting its existence is the only thing that will keep it alive. Trust us, thereās no better feeling than actually physically flipping through pages.
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In your best Mike Breen impression, what did you think of today's newsletter? |
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