The West's best rivalry strikes again

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Happy hump day! Recently we've had some scorers scoring, clampers clamping, and hoopers hooping, and we can't wait to break it down with you. Also, we'd love some feedback! Reply to this email with one thing you would want us to improve about the Enjoy Basketball newsletter!

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Recipe for Success: Luka + sharpshooters = magic + defeated Clippers (again)...

Must-watch TV: A fun battle between two of the most entertaining teams in the league...

Breakout performance in Toronto: A new Raptors success story?

Pristine Auction

If your dorm, office, or man cave is looking a little empty these days, you might want to add some legendary memorabilia from the player you ENJOY the most. Don’t sweat, our friends at Pristine Auction Dot Com have you covered!

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Here’s an Alley-Oop: This Black Friday, every Enjoyer gets a $25 credit to use in the 10 Minute Auctions on Nov 25th. If you place a bid in the BLACK FRIDAY FEATURE AUCTION or 10 Minute Auction, you will ALSO be automatically entered to win 12 premium giveaways!

Yesterday's Games

Mavericks conquer Clippers 103-101 behind sharpshooting and Luka Magic

Isn't the Mavericks vs Clippers always a great game? It's definitely one of the lower-key rivalries of the past few years.

Nicolas Batum was absolutely essential in keeping the Clippers’ offense afloat when they were down 15+ and finished with 221 points on a perfect 7-7 from the field, all three-pointers! This is a very tough loss for the Clippers (8-7), who shot better than Dallas (8-5) from the field, three, and free throw line. Paul George had 10 turnovers, which is a big yikes.

The Curry-like precision from Dorian Finney-Smith (7-13 3PT) and Reggie Bullock (4-5 3PT in 4th quarter) catapulted the Mavs above the surging Clippers. Still, the game was within reach with 28 seconds to go until … Luka Dončić (35 points) happened. We’ll just leave the clip here, just like he left the Clips defeated in Dallas.

Pelicans top Grizzlies 113-102

This game featured two of the most fun teams in the league, despite the two small markets missing Zion Williamson and Desmond Bane, and it was SO ENTERTAINING. More nationally broadcast games for small markets!

CJ McCollum (30 points) masterfully conducted the Pelicans' (8-6) offense late-game. Also, Trey Murphy III is on pace to make an Enjoy Basketball All-Star Team. We mention him every week as one of the best role players in the league because he is! The 22-year-old wing scored an efficient 13 points but mixed things up with two highlight dunks! And Larry Nance Jr. gave his own baptism on national television...

For the Grizzlies (9-6), Ja Morant shredded the New Orleans defense for 36 points and lived at the rim while displaying his ridiculous hang time. Candidly, Jaren Jackson Jr. (7 points, 3-14 FG) looked pretty rough in his season opener, but we should all cut him some slack since he hasn’t played in an NBA game in six months.

Trailblazers survive Spurs 117-110

Jerami Grant (29 points) continued his hot streak and is now impressively averaging 26 points per game over his last seven appearances for the #1-seeded Trailblazers! Both he and Portland are proving the doubters majorly wrong!

This game was close wire-to-wire, but in the last five minutes of the game, the Spurs showed their age while the Trailblazers showed that they’ve been here before. A deeeep three from Damian Lillard, a clutch steal from Josh Hart, and a bucket from Anfernee Simons sealed the deal.

P.S. Shoutout to Jakob Poeltl for a season-high 31 points and the elite rim protection he always provides!

Knicks outlast Jazz 118-111 in Utah

The Knicks (7-7) grab a much-needed road win against the formidable Jazz (10-6). Jalen Brunson (25 points) was SURGICAL down the stretch, including 12 points in the 4th quarter. Shoutout to Cam Reddish (19 PTS) and Jericho Sims (11 PTS, 13 REB) for making a big impact, including one diabolical poster dunk from Sims! We'd love for these two to get more consistent playing time!

The Jazz lost their 3rd straight game, but just their FIRST home loss ALL SEASON! Kelly Olynk had an outstanding 27 points and brought energy on both ends, but Utah’s late-game rally wasn’t enough.

Kings bash Brooklyn 153-121

The Kings (7-6) hung over 150 points on the Nets (6-9), and De’Aaron Fox didn’t even play well. Sacramento shot the lights out of the stadium from three (20-41 3PT), and the Nets seemed lethargic. Hopefully, the Kings can keep themselves moving into the playoff picture!

Monday Night Notes

The Heat (7-7) skirted past the Suns (8-5) as Jimmy Butler clamped Devin Booker on an absolutely wild final possession of the game. With the game on the line, there are few guys in the league we want guarding on-ball than Jimmy P Buckets – the P stands for Prevents.

The Raptors (8-7) beat the Pistons (3-12) 115-111. Shoutout to the Raptors’ Dalano Banton for the BREAKOUT performance! In his second career start, he logged 27 points, three steals, and two blocks, and got the stadium rocking! We LOVE seeing guys make the most of their opportunities!

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a masterful 37 points, but the Thunder (6-8) fell to a well-balanced attack by the Celtics (11-3) 126-122.

Latest Basketball News

France booked their ticket to the 2023 FIBA World Cup behind insane plays like what you'll see below from Victor Wembanyama. He will likely be joined by the likes of Rudy “Stifle Tower” Gobert and Evan “Thibedou’s favorite” Fournier.

Market Watch

Welcome back to Market Watch, where we recommend players or teams to "buy low" if we think they're going to produce better later or "hold for value" if we think they're doing well but will continue to do so.

Hold for Value: Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks are currently 9-5, and we’ll admit they’ll probably finish worse than their present .643 win percentage (on pace for 53 wins), but we are buying them here because we think NBA fans don’t fully appreciate this roster. They are 3rd in the East despite Trae Young's career lows in FG% (38%) and 3PT% (31%). In the past, this team COLLAPSES when Ice Trae gets cold, but now it's different. We’re taking that as a green flag, and the East should watch out once Trae rights his ship.

Buy-Low: Jarred Vanderbilt

Jarred Vanderbilt hasn’t been bad or anything. The 23-year-old dynamic big is averaging an efficient 8.6 PPG and 8.2 RPG for an over-achieving Jazz team. However, we want to buy low on V8 because we’re banking on the Jazz eventually trading Kelly Olynk at the deadline for draft capital, opening up more than just 25 minutes per game for the defensive stud to do his thing.

Good Reads

The NBA First-Month(ish) Awards - Michael Pina (The Ringer)

The Secret Is Out on How Good the Grizzlies Can Be - Tania Ganguli (New York Times)

Two crazy Yuta Watanabe stats reveal how unselfish play helped Nets' forward become the NBA's most efficient player - Stephen Noh (Sporting News)

NBA’s tankers aren’t tanking; scouting Pistons’ Jaden Ivey, Cougars’ Jarace Walker - John Hollinger (The Athletic)

Signing Off

We loved talking hoops with you today. We hope you learned something you didn't before or made you smile. Today, try to do one of those things for another person — teach something to someone or make them smile!

-Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: Robert Covington has a vast animal collection including dogs, fish, snakes, and bearded dragons. RoCo is an interesting dude! Check out this YouTube video if you want more info on this sick story.

Trivia Question: What is the word "Knicks" short for, and what does it mean?