🏀 Webs, Wizards, and Wacky Matchups

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Wake up!! It’s game 70-something for your favorite team, and there’s a lot to Enjoy around the NBA! Look alive, people!!

What’s on Tap

Spida and the Hawk 🕷🦅 Spida spun 44 points but Atlanta pulled out the W

You’re a Wizard, Deni! 🧙‍♂️ Avdija and Washington throttled the Celtics

Lauri or Shai 🏆 We muse over who is the Most Improved Player

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Last Night’s Action

We had 6 games running last night. Here are the box scores, but let’s give you the real run down!

Spida spun his web for 44, but Hawks claw out a win

Game of the Night, folks! Donovan Mitchell dropped 44 points, but the Cavaliers came up short 120-118 vs. the Hawks. Atlanta (38-38) was led by Dejounte Murray, who had 29 points, including a COLD, heavily contested midrange jumper to seal the win.

Off the court, it was fun to see Spida reunite with his old Jazz coach Quin Synder who now helms the Hawks. Honestly, it’s a tragedy the Cavs (48-29) didn’t win this one because literally every Mitchell bucket was beautiful—just take a look:

Hornets defeat Thunder in mind-defying matchup

The Hornets won their third straight!! How have the Hornets won their third straight?? We have entered the upside down, where the Hornets (26-51) are knocking off Western Conference play-in teams like the Mavericks and Thunder every night. In this one, PJ Washington dropped a career-high 43 points to elevate Charlotte to a 137-134 victory over OKC (37-39). While giving the likes of Theo Maledon, Svi Mykhailiuk, Bryce McGowens, and JT Thor an average of 34 minutes, seven Hornets scored in double figures.

To be fair, the Thunder were missing star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but they still had great offensive production! Sniper Isaiah Joe had 33 points, rookie Jalen Williams had 31, and Josh Giddey was an assist shy of a 31-point triple-double! A wacky, wacky game, to say the least!

You’re a Wizard, Deni! Sorry, Celtics.

The NBA is unpredictable, perhaps most so when stars are missing. With Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma sidelined to injury, the Wizards (34-42) smoked the Celtics 130-111. Like…how?

Well, the Celtics (52-24) were bricklayers from three (11 of 44), and Kristaps Porzingis might as well have been in a Knicks jersey tonight because he was in All-Star form (32 points). Shoutout to Deni Avdija for his career-high 25 points and two-way excellence—man has looked GOOD since the Rui Hachimura trade!

Warriors whack Pelicans in comeback win

Though down by 20 near halftime, the Warriors (40-37) defended home court like they so love to do, this time beating the Pelicans 120-109. Golden State erupted for 74 second-half points as Steph Curry entered his Flow State, while Jordan Poole was deep in his bag like Margot Robbie was sitting court-side. With this loss, the Pelicans (38-38) halt a five-game winning streak, though Brandon Ingram (26 points) and Trey Murphy III (21 points) showed out.

Bane becomes the bane of Orlando

Without Ja Morant, the Grizzlies dominated early behind Desmond Bane’s 31 points but barely beat the Magic 113-108. The Magic (32-44) were down 23 in the third quarter but valiantly clawed their way back to within 5 with 38 seconds remaining, though ultimately, clutch free throws from Bane closed the door.

For the Grizzlies (48-27), Luke “Nuke” Kennard continued his hot streak with a hyper-efficient 16 points, and gem roleplayer Xavier Tillman added 20. Also, Franz Wagner is legit, people! The German sophomore had 25 points, including NINE in the final 1:10 of play.

Heat don’t make it out of Jurassic Park

The Raptors beat the Heat at home 106-92. This was a tight match until Toronto broke the game open in the third quarter and never looked back. The Raptors (38-38) dominated the paint, and their plethora of long, athletic wings like Pascal Siakam (26 points) and OG Anunoby (22 points) penetrated the Heat defense effectively. Scottie Barnes had 22 points and a career-high 12 assists, demonstrating some exciting playmaking chops. For Miami (40-36), Tyler Herro had a pretty 33 points, and Kyle Lowry received a big applause when checking into Toronto, which brought smiles to our faces!

Monday’s Mania

We were supposed to get the most hyped-up game of the regular season: Nikola Jokic vs. Joel Embiid in Denver. Unfortunately, Embiid (and James Harden) were sidelined by injuries. Disappointing for sure, but we’ve seen some people giving Embiid a hard time for it. Like, what? The man is actually injured; it's not his fault. Still, it's a little funny how Jo was throwing shots at the Joker all week and then didn’t suit up. As a result, Jokic had 25 points, 17 boards, and 12 assists in a narrow 116-111 victory.

Around the rest of the league, Immanuel Quickley poured in a career-high 40 points on the Rockets in a Knicks blowout win. Let’s pause for a sec: 40 points and 9 assists on just 18 shots in 30 minutes is actually unreal. The Rockets defense giving up another career-high performance:

Award Watch

The Most Improved Player award is weird, but it shouldn’t really be. Most improved means…the guy who made the biggest leap, right? If we are voting off the criteria of last season, where winner Ja Morant went from a great young talent to an All-NBA player, our MIP should be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for making a similar leap. But there is a different favorite…

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

• Last season: 24.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.9 apg, 45% FG, 30% 3PT

• This season: 31.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.4 apg, 51% FG, 35% 3PT

Everyone had the Thunder in the gutter this year, but SGA’s scoring dominance and clutch play has them in the Play-In. Of all the MIP candidates, he’s made the biggest leap as a scorer. Shai is getting to the rim at elite volume and efficiency despite not having much help with floor-spacing, and seemingly no one in the league can stop this man. To think that two years ago he was just one piece in the Clippers’ Paul George trade!

Lauri Markkannen

• Last season: 14.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 45% FG, 36% 3PT

• This season: 25.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 50% FG, 40% 3PT

But the firm betting favorite is Lauri Markkannen at -360. To be fair, Lauri does have a great case. Massive bumps in scoring and efficiency elevated him to his first all-star appearance. It's sometimes hard to remember that just some 200 days ago, most NBA fans thought Lauri was destined to be a mediocre starter and that Colin Sexton was the main piece in the Donovan Mitchell trade. Similar to the surprising team success enjoyed by SGA and the Thunder, everyone expected the Jazz to be in the gutter, but they were a playoff team for ⅔ of the year, thanks mainly to Markkanen.

The Field

Lastly, a quick shout-out to the other candidates. Jalen Brunson exceeded every expectation and negative narrative surrounding his new contract with the Knicks, transforming New York’s halfcourt offense with his elite ability to change directions and the best floater in the league. Resident Enjoyer of Basketball Tyrese Haliburton made his first All-Star appearance in his first full year with Indy and is second in the league with 10.4 assists. Finally, Mikal Bridges is averaging an insane 26.8 ppg on 50/41/91% shooting in his 20 games in Brooklyn and could truly emerge as a star!

Frozen Moments

• The Block-ness Monster absolutely swallowed up this shot attempt

• Rudy Gobert hit a fadeaway, and the Kings bench lost its mind

Good Reads

Top Offseason Priorities for NBA's Most Disappointing Teams - Grant Hughes (Bleacher Report)

The MVP Debate Is No Longer About Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid - Rob Mahoney (The Ringer)

Here's the reality of the NBA's perceived 'load management crisis' - Ethan Fuller (Basketball News)

What We’re Enjoying

Behind our brand: Yesterday we posted this TikTok describing our movement and founder, Kenny “KOT4Q” Beecham!

@enjoybball

This is how we’re building the biggest basketball brand 🏀 #sportsmedia #enjoybasketball #patmcafee #stephenasmith #NBA

J&J: Usually, when talking about the Celtics and the J’s, it's Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But a couple of nights ago, Tatum went out to dinner with Jack Harlow, and we vicariously Enjoy their friendship. What would you talk about if at the dinner table? And who pays for dinner?

Signing Off

We’ll fade this newsletter out like a Harlow outro… or a Tatum fadeaway…

-Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: Of the 10 most prolific assisters in NBA history, Chris Paul has the best assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.99! For context, the only other person above 3.5 was all-time leading assist man John Stockton (3.72).

Before you go…

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