Getting announced Player of the Month, Defensive Player of the Month, and a 40 point victory all in one day?
It’s Wemby’s World, and we’re just living in it.
Today’s Lineup
😳 Spurs Smackdown
The Spurs throttle the Sixers in Philly.
🔥 Rocket Fever
The Rockets keep on stacking W’s.
🕰️ Wayback Wednesday
This shooting guard was a two-way monster back in the 80s…
🎉 Happy birthday Draymond Green, Obi Toppin, and Matisse Thybulle! 🎉
Game Recaps
Spurs blow the doors off Philly, win 131-91
Last night was NBA on NBC throwback night, and the Spurs paid homage by giving the Sixers an old fashioned beatdown.
San Antonio played about as close to a perfect game as you can get. Eight players finished in double figures, with Devin Vassell (22 PTS) and Dylan Harper (20 PTS) combining to shoot a lights out 8/11 from three. The elite shooting opened up the rest of the floor for De’Aaron Fox (11 PTS, 7 AST) and Stephon Castle (15 PTS, 10 AST) to operate. Wemby, the February Player of the Month, went for a smooth 10 points, eight rebounds, and six blocks in just 24 minutes of action.
The Sixers got blitzed to open the third, and ended up getting outscored 33-11 for the whole period. Outside of Tyrese Maxey (21 PTS) hardly any other 76er was able to get into a rhythm offensively, and this game was over long before the final buzzer sounded.
The Spurs have won 12 of 13 games and are suddenly just three games back of the 1 seed out west. 👀
🏀 🏀 🏀
Rockets stay hot, hold off Wizards 123-118
The post-All Star break Rockets continue to soar. 🚀
In a western conference as tight as ever, Houston continues to stand ground, picking up their seventh win in their last ten with their road W on Monday night.
The Rockets put on an offensive clinic in this one, with Kevin Durant (30 PTS), Alperen Sengun (32 PTS) Amen Thompson (22 PTS), and Reed Sheppard (19 PTS) getting buckets from just about all over the floor. Of Houston’s 123 points scored, 103 of them came from just these four guys. 😳
The Wizards, who are awaiting on the imminent debut of Trae Young according to recent reports, were able to trim a 19 point Houston lead to get within striking distance, led by 23 points from Bilal Coulibaly, but the Rockets elite offensive showing was just too much to overcome.
Playing in DC is always a homecoming for KD, who had a special moment with his mother and real MVP after the win: 💙
🏀 🏀 🏀
Elsewhere around the NBA:
After an OT battle last Friday, the Pistons and Cavs went down to the wire again last night, with the Cavs pulling out the win 113-109 sans Donovan Mitchell. After returning to the lineup in the previous game, James Harden went for 18 points and dished out seven dimes in this one, fractured thumb and all! Jaylon Tyson was sharp from behind the line, drilling five threes on the way to 21 points to lead the Cavs. Could a Pistons-Cavs playoff series be in our near future? We’d certainly be on board… 😎
There’s having a team’s number, and then there’s the damage the Knicks have been doing to the Raptors over the past few years. New York won their 12th straight game against Toronto last night, a streak that dates all the way back to January 2023. To put that in perspective, the last time the Raptors beat the Knicks, Fred VanVleet was still a Raptor. In their 111-95 victory, Jalen Brunson (26 PTS) and KAT (21 PTS) combined for 47 points to carry the Knicks to another big win following their blowout of the Spurs on Sunday.
Things we love to see: Giannis Antetokounmpo playing basketball again. Giannis made his return on Monday night after missing the last month due to injury, but his return was spoiled by the Celtics, who went on the dominate the Bucks 108-81. The C’s were without Jaylen Brown in this one, which meant the ‘other guys’ had to step up….and stepped up they did. Payton Pritchard went for 25 points and nine assists, while rookie Hugo González dropped a MONSTER double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds. Way to make a name for yourself, rook!
Welcome back, Darius Garland! DG the PG (12 PTS) made his Clippers debut on Monday, and LA was able to pull out a come from behind 114-101 victory over the Warriors. The Clippers went down by as many as 17 early, but a 37-22 fourth quarter led by Kawhi Leonard (23 PTS, 8 REB) sealed GSW’s fate.
🧠 Daily Trivia 🧠
Which of these players holds the NBA record for most points scored in their debut with their new team?
Wayback Wednesday
Before he became a GM in today’s NBA, he was one of the best two-way guards of his generation. Let’s take a look back at the career of one of the most underrated hall of famers ever, Joe Dumars! 🔥
In 1985, Joe Dumars was drafted to a Pistons squad that was on the rise in the Eastern Conference, a conference dominated by Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics throughout the 80s. Dumars quickly became a perfect fit in the backcourt next to one of the best PGs to ever lace them up in Isiah Thomas. He was the exact type of scorer the ‘Bad Boys’ era Pistons needed.
Though he was a big-time scorer, Dumars was also a hound on the other end of the floor. He was a two-way pest, eventually earning himself five All-Defensive team selections throughout his career.
After some years of falling short to the Celtics, Dumars and the rest of the Bad Boy Pistons finally got over their Boston sized hump in 1988, winning the east and advancing to the Finals. They lost a heartbreaker seven game series against the Magic-Kareem Showtime Lakers that season, but got revenge in a Finals rematch in 1989.
‘Joe D’ put the Pistons on his back several times throughout the series, putting up 27.3 points and 6.1 assists to lead Detroit to their first ever championship, and took home the 1988-89 Finals MVP!
Here’s Dumars absolutely COOKING the Lakers during game 3 of those ‘89 Finals, scoring 17 straight points in the third quarter en route to a series-defining victory. Take a look:
The Pistons went back to back in 1989-90, and Dumars continued to elevate his game. In 1992-93, he had his peak offensive season (23.5 PTS, 46% FG, 37% FG) while maintaining a reputation as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders.
By the mid-90s, the Bad Boy Pistons had unfortunately run its course. Dumars retired in 1999, and remained in Detroit throughout his entire career. They never got back to the mountaintop, as a guy named Michael Jordan (maybe you’ve heard of him) started to take over the dominance out east. But for a few years there, between the dynasties of the Celtics/Lakers in the 80s, and the Bulls of the 90s, Joe Dumars and the Pistons had the league at their fingertips.
Three in the Key
🔮 Future is Now
Wemby and Cade Cunningham take home Player of the Month!
🤝 Perfectly Even
This Atlanta Hawks stat may be one of the craziest of all time…
🏀 Nostalgic Night
The NBA on NBC Throwback night intro brought back major memories!
What We’re Enjoying
What separates each contenders from the rest of the pack? Find out in the latest episode of Numbers on the Board Pod, as our guys give their biggest advantage for each contender.
Give it a watch! ⬇️
Signing Off
That’s all for today, Enjoyers! Thanks for making us a part of your day. Daylight savings is coming up this weekend, which means longer days and more importantly, the best time of the basketball season is almost here. Buckle up!
See you on Friday!
