Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves are coming together at the right time.
Meet Enjoy Basketball, a brand co-founded by basketball creator Kenny Beecham. Their mission is to uplift the game by providing entertaining NBA coverage, without all the hot takes. The Enjoy Basketball newsletter drops every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, keeping you in the loop with NBA news, and providing you with player interviews, trivia, memes, and more.
Did you get enough basketball on Saturday? Neither did we. Want to do it all over again? Yeah, same. Luckily, we get to! Today’s slate consists of banger after banger. If you need to get some chores done around the house … well, get them done, but then immediately get back to the couch. Let’s dive in.
Just How They Drew It Up
Full Focus: Timberwolves dominate Thunder, advance to playoffs
Oh, Minnesota ran the “watch some of your most important players get injured, then get in a fight within your own team, then go play the best game of your season” play?
OK, fine, maybe none of this was intentional. Nevertheless, Minnesota’s dominance over OKC on Friday after a, shall we say, chaotic couple of days was truly impressive. You have to love this sport.
When they hit the court against the Nuggets, contrasting styles at the four spot could be the difference-maker in this series. Aaron Gordon’s functional strength and defensive versatility will be put to use against Karl-Anthony Towns’ stunning offensive repertoire, which helped him average 26 & 11 in the Play-In. Enjoy a fun matchup between two very distinct players.
Aggressive Joker
Nikola Jokic’s offensive brilliance is no laughing matter.
The worst person to be around at a party? No, in this case we’re talking about the reigning back-to-back Kia MVP. For a majority of the season, efficiency has been the name of Nikola Jokic’s game — for good reason, too; his advanced statistics seem to be breaking math as we know it. Enjoy some analytics every once in a while.
And while his willingness to share the rock has been one of his greatest strengths (nearly 10 assists a game coming from the center position is still such an outrageous number), Jokic must be ready to hunt his own shot first in the slowed-down, stretched-out format of playoff basketball – efficiency be darned.
Jokic’s rate of 3s attempted is the lowest it’s been since his rookie season, but his percentage remains very good at 38.3. Could we see some more long balls from Joker against the Wolves, who will likely match Jokic up primarily with Rudy Gobert, who is most comfortable around the rim?
Has This Ever Happened To You?
Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns are finding their way as the Playoffs begin.
At the trade deadline, you make a deal for one of the greatest NBA players of all time, but he gets injured and then returns just in time for the postseason so you basically go into the NBA playoffs with a championship-caliber roster but essentially no experience as a collective?
You have? In that case, thanks for reading our article, @PhoenixSuns!
Phoenix’s motto right now is pretty much “We’ll figure it out when we get there” and honestly, relatable. They’re not crazy to think they will figure it out, either! Phoenix is 8-0 in games Durant has played. He’s shot over 50% from 3-point range in those games. Phoenix has an offensive rating of 126.5 with KD on the floor.
Things are going remarkably well, there’s just been a very small number of actual things so far in the Desert Durantula era. We’re ready to Enjoy the mystery box that will be the Suns plus KD when they square off with the Clips. Speaking of …
Norm Time?
Norm Powell is ready to make like Channing Tatum and step up under the bright lights.
Paul George is one of the most talented scorers in the NBA. He won’t be in the Clippers’ lineup to start the first round against the Suns.
Without George, going blow for blow with Phoenix’s already-petrifying offense becomes an even tougher proposition. Ty Lue’s crew is going to need someone to make like Channing Tatum and step up. Is 2023 too late for a Step Up reference?
Anyway, that someone might be Norman Powell, one of the league’s most underrated scorers. He has poured in 20+ points in half of his games since Feb. 1, and sank at least three 3-pointers in 30% of his games all season. Powell carrying his strong regular-season finish to PHX would pay dividends in PG13’s absence.
Or maybe noted playoff assassin Kawhi Leonard (nine playoff series averaging 26 PPG or more) just decides to terrorize the city of Phoenix himself. Does anyone else imagine classical music playing behind Kawhi when he starts getting into his bag? Just us? Well, whatever. Either way, we’re ready to Enjoy watching Klaw and Devin Booker – two of the most methodical shot-makers on the planet – square off. The midrange is alive.
Give It Your Best Shot
Bam Adebayo has plenty of experience guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo.
There’s no such thing as a “Giannis stopper.” It simply does not exist – the Bucks’ superstar is too much of a load for any one player to handle on their own. However, Bam Adebayo – in theory – is probably about as close as you can get. Over his career, Giannis has averaged 20.9 points and 11.3 rebounds against Miami with Bam on the roster. Career numbers for most other players … but Giannis is about as far removed from “most other players” as possible, meaning the Heat have put some impressive efforts together to limit Giannis’ dominance.
While the bigs battle down low, keep an eye on the matchup on the wings as well. Will Milwaukee risk giving up a few inches by shadowing Jimmy Butler (31 PTS on Friday) with the quickness of guard Jrue Holiday? Will Max Strus remember how to miss 3-pointers?
If nothing else, you can Enjoy a great uniform color matchup here. Miami’s red and Milwaukee’s green are a very aesthetically pleasing contrast.
Don’t Go In There!
Defensive Player of the Year finalist Jaren Jackson Jr. is a big factor behind the Grizzlies’ fearsome defense.
There aren’t many effective ways to attack the Memphis Grizzlies. They’re the only team in the league who is top three in both steals and blocks, and give up the lowest opposing FG%, too. We Enjoy stout defense.
While the loss of Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke will undoubtedly sting, Kia DPOY favorite Jaren Jackson Jr. and assertive, trash-talking wing-stopper Dillon Brooks bring enough defensive wherewithal to keep the Memphis D a cumbersome obstacle for LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Lakers. Brooks said he “wouldn’t mind” playing LeBron and the Lakers in the first round. That nonchalance is something to strive for in all facets of life.
Love For The Reserves
Tyus Jones’ steady hand keeps the Grizzlies’ humming when he’s on the floor.
Yes, in a series that features LeBron James, Ja Morant, and Anthony Davis, we’re going to talk about backup PGs – because each of these teams rosters one of the best in the business. Tyus Jones’ smooth confidence and ability to protect the ball (he’s led the NBA in assist to turnover ratio multiple times) and Dennis Schroder’s scoring punch off the pine (21 points in the Play-In win) could be a massive momentum shift either way.
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