If you weren’t tuned into basketball last night, you missed out. We watched (A) the latest edition of the NBA’s newest and most electric rivalry, (B) a Finals rematch that came down to the wire, and (c) a WILD overtime finish in Los Angeles as LeBron inches closer and closer to the 40,000-point mark.

Lucky for you, we’re here to tell you all about it ⬇️

Today’s Lineup

Last Night’s Action

Wemby bests Chet, Spurs take down Thunder 132-118

Is anyone else excited for the next decade (or two) of this rivalry? In the latest edition of Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren, Wemby both prevailed on an individual statistical level and won the game in the end. The Frenchman put up 28 PTS, 13 REB, and 7 AST in the Spurs’ win, aided by 28 more from Devin Vassell and a double-double from Jeremy Sochan (21 PTS, 10 REB).

Chet (23 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST) still had an incredible game and Shai (31 PTS, 6 REB) was doing crazy stuff like this all night, but San Antonio got the last laugh and handed the Thunder their first loss in over two weeks.

Nuggets win 2023 Finals rematch in 103-97 nail-biter against Heat

Last June, it was Nikola Jokic’s offensive domination that put the Heat away in the 2023 Finals. But last night, Michael Porter Jr (30 PTS, 11 REB), who has been huge for the Nuggets this year, was the one to send Miami packing. Not to mention the Nuggets’ defense, which showed up in a huge way and held Miami to under 100— a rarity in today’s NBA. The Heat almost tied the game up late, but a crucial out-of-bounds call in the final seconds spoiled their comeback hopes.

Lakers eke out 134-131 OT win over Wizards thanks to AD’s 40

Who would have though that this game would be one of the more exciting matchups of last night’s slate? Either way, we would rewatch this game again tomorrow night. And the next night. And the night after that.

A big Jordan Poole (34 PTS, 7 AST) three with under a minute left helped the Wizards send this game to overtime after trailing for most of the second half. And once overtime hit, it was clear this game was gonna be an instant classic—tough buckets on both sides and this insane LeBron block had us glued to the screen the entire way. An Anthony Davis (40 PTS, 15 REB) turnover with 17 seconds left on the clock and the Lakers only up by three gave Washington the ball and a chance to tie the game, but Kyle Kuzma (20 PTS, 10 REB) missed a long three-pointer and Los Angeles escaped with a W.

Elsewhere around the Association…

• Devin Booker (35 PTS, 7 REB) did what he does and led the Suns to a 110-105 win against Houston despite a high-scoring night from Jalen Green (34 PTS).

• The Nets steamrolled Atlanta 124-97 to the tune of 22 three-pointers made. That’s right. 22. Cam Johnson led the team in points (29) and 3PM (7).

• Paolo Banchero’s all-around great game (29 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST) led the Magic to a fairly comfortable 115-107 win against the Jazz.

• As long as Giannis (24 PTS, 10 REB, 2-2 3PT) hit a couple threes and grabbed enough boards, the Bucks were gonna take this game against Charlotte. That’s exactly what happened, and Milwaukee won by 12.

• 31 points and eight threes? There couldn’t be a more Steph-like statline. The Warriors beat the Knicks by eleven at MSG.

Wednesday’s Highlights

• As a birthday present to himself, Luka Doncic (30 PTS, 16 AST, 11 REB) passed LeBron James for third all-time in 30-point triple-doubles in the Mavericks’ 11-point win in Toronto.

• Just one night after losing to the Pistons, the Bulls beat the Cavaliers 132-123 thanks to 35 and 10 from DeMar DeRozan, 17 and 26 (!!!) from Andre Drummond, and a surprisingly impactful performance from Onulrap Bitim (10 PTS, 6 REB). What is this team?!?

• And finally, LeBron took over in the fourth quarter (19 4Q PTS) and led the Lakers to a 116-112 comeback win against the Clippers.

We talked about Bucks rookie Andre Jackson in a recent edition of Unsung Heroes, but today we’re switching gears to another rookie—the New Orleans Pelicans’ Jordan Hawkins.

Drafted with the 14th pick in the 2023 draft, Hawkins has been one of the big reasons why the Pels have made the jump from a play-in team last year to a solid playoff-caliber squad this year. An efficient shooter who is already contributing in a huge way off the bench, Hawkins also puts in substantial effort on defense, which leads to plays like this.

The Pelicans making a deep playoff run is most likely going to rely on how well they’re able to shoot the ball, as that’s a huge part of how they’ve had success this season already (7th in the league in 3PT%). And if Jordan Hawkins turns up in the playoffs, anything could happen…

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Thanks for being here this week. We’ll catch back up with you on Monday—stay humble and gracious to those around you. Talk soon. ✌️

-Austin Zeglis