Only three more days to get your 2024 resolutions ready.

A couple ideas:

✅ Learn to dunk like Ant

✅ Learn to shoot like Steph

✅ Learn to tell jokes like Giannis

✅ Share the Starting 5 with your favorite hoop head

THE LINEUP 🏀

1. 👀  Must-see from Wednesday
2. 🏀  Roundup: Cavs Rally Past Mavs
3. 🔥  Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s Instant Impact
4. 🍿  2023 in Review: Jan & Feb
5. 🎉  2023 in Review: Home Stretch

📲 Grizzlies at Nuggets: The two teams with the longest active win streaks in the NBA meet in Denver as the Nuggets (five straight) host the Grizzlies (four straight since Ja Morant’s return) at 9 ET (NBA App)

📺 Heat at Warriors: The Heat have won three straight on the road. The Warriors have won eight straight at home. Only one of these streaks will continue when these two meet in The Bay at 10 ET (NBA TV)

1. THURSDAY MORNING MUST-SEE

Yesterday, we started with the dunks. Today, we start with the dimes.

• Logo Lillard: Damian Lillard is famous for his logo 3s, but he busted out the logo lob to Giannis for the reverse jam
• Luka magic: Doncic drew the defense into the paint, then delivered the no-look-over-the-head dime to Seth Curry for the corner 3
• Doing it all: First, Caleb Houstan saved the ball, then he delivered the between-the-legs pass to Chuma Okeke for the corner 3
• Perfect execution: The baseline cut from Jalen Suggs, the in-stride pass from Paolo Banchero and the reverse finish

🚫 Defensive Appreciation

• Game-sealing block: Max Strus denied Seth Curry’s potential game-tying 3 to seal the Cavs’ win
• Oubre gets up: Kelly Oubre Jr. skied in for the emphatic block on Paolo Banchero
• Defense to offense: Chet Holmgren spiked Julius Randle’s shot off the board to set up the Jalen Williams transition 3-pointer

💥 What Else?

• Poster time: Dennis Smith Jr. climbed the ladder on Brook Lopez
• Anthem hype: Cam Payne was feeling the anthem vibes from saxophone legend Mike Phillips

2. ROUNDUP: CAVS RALLY PAST MAVS

⚔️ Cavs 113, Mavs 110: The Cavs rode a 22-9 run over the final 6:35 to rally past the Mavs for their fifth win in six games. Jarrett Allen (24 pts, 23 reb) had his second career 20/20 game, while Caris LeVert added 29 points. Luka Doncic scored 29 of his game-high 39 in the first half, but was forced to pass on the final possession that sealed the Cavs win. Recap

☀️ Suns 129, Rockets 113: Kevin Durant posted his first triple-double as a Sun, finishing with 27 points, 10 boards and a career-high-tying 16 assists to help the Suns snap a three-game losing streak. Eric Gordon added 27 points and seven 3s against his former team. Recap

⛈️ Thunder 129, Knicks 120: OKC got 36 points apiece from Jalen Williams (career-high) and SGA as the Thunder (20-9) reached 20 wins in under 30 games played for the first time since 2015-16. Recap

🔔 Sixers 112, Magic 92: With NBA scoring leader Joel Embiid out, the Sixers used a balanced attack – Tyrese Maxey (23), Tobias Harris (22) and De’Anthony Melton (22) – and a 26-9 run in the fourth to secure their first win of the season without Embiid. Recap

🦖 Raptors 132, Wizards 102: The Raptors snapped a three-game skid behind a combined 68 points from OG Anunoby (26), Pascal Siakam (22) and Scottie Barnes (20). The Raptors got their first road win since Nov. 22 as they begin a run of nine road games in 17 days. Recap

🦌 Bucks 144, Nets 122: After having their seven-game win streak snapped on Christmas Day, the Bucks got back on track against a short-handed Nets squad with Giannis (32 pts, 10 reb) and Khris Middleton (27 pts, 10 ast) each posting double-doubles. Recap

3. JAQUEZ JR. MAKING INSTANT IMPACT

As coach of the Heat’s Summer League team, Caron Butler knew Miami had found an impact player in Jaime Jaquez Jr. — the 18th pick in the 2023 Draft

• Butler on Jaquez: “He’s a baller. High basketball IQ, face-up game, can score back to the basket, off the dribble, live dribble … talking about ATOs, you can draw them up for him. He has a great feel. He has great emotional intelligence”

That entire quote screams “Heat Culture” as the fit seems to be perfect for both player and team.

• Jaquez on Draft night: “I was pulling for the Heat the whole time. Miami is a place I really wanted to go to — the culture, the city, the whole thing. Coach Spoelstra is a genius, Pat Riley.”

Through 30 games, Jaquez Jr. is averaging 13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while shooting 51.6% from the field and 37.9% from 3.

Those numbers got a boost from his 31-point, 10-rebound performance on Christmas Day. What will he do for a follow-up tonight against Golden State (10 ET, NBA TV)?

• The Butlers love it: Jaquez impressed Jimmy and Caron with this behind-the-back stepback during tournament play

While he was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November, Jaquez Jr.’s contributions go beyond the box score.

• Tyler Herro on Jaquez: “What really stands out as a rookie is he’s able to come in here and do all the intangibles.”

Read more about Jaquez Jr. in the latest Kia Rookie Ladder, where Steve Aschburner has the Heat rookie at No. 3.

4. 2023 IN REVIEW: JANUARY & FEBRUARY

Today, our 2023 Year In Review tips off with a few of the top moments & milestones from Jan. 1 through the final day of the regular season. Starting with…

🔥 71 Points from Spida (Jan. 2) & Dame (Feb. 26): Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard’s 71-point games headlined 14 50+ point games from Jan. 1 until the end of the regular season (April 9). Mitchell and Lillard became the 6th and 7th players to ever score 71+ points in an NBA game.

👑 LeBron Becomes Scoring King (Feb. 7): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA scoring record stood for nearly four decades before LeBron James’ fadeaway jumper gave him 36 points for the game against OKC and 38,388 for his career. Kareem was on-hand to celebrate the accomplishment, presenting the game ball to LeBron as a symbolic passing of the torch.

🔄 KD to Phoenix Headlines Trade Deadline (Feb. 9):  Kevin Durant’s move from Brooklyn to Phoenix was the biggest move of an active trade deadline as teams adjusted their rosters for a playoff run.

💥 McClung Steals the Show at Slam Dunk Contest (Feb. 18): If you didn’t know Mac McClung prior to All-Star weekend, he made quite an impression with a Dunk Contest performance for the ages. Three perfect 50s and one 49 (Lisa Leslie is a tough judge) gave the two-way player for the Sixers the crown

⭐ Tatum Breaks All-Star Scoring Record (Feb. 19): Jayson Tatum closed All-Star weekend with the greatest scoring performance in the game’s 72-year history: 55 points on 22-31 shooting, including 10-18 from 3 to earn Tatum his first Kobe Bryant All Star Game MVP.

📈 Second-Highest Scoring Game Ever (Feb. 24): The scoreboard operator had a busy night when the Kings and Clippers met in LA. The two teams combined for 351 points – the second-most in an NBA game ever – as the Kings prevailed 176-175 in double overtime.

5. 2023 IN REVIEW: HOME STRETCH & AWARDS

⏰ Beating the Buzzer: There were six buzzer-beating game-winners from Jan. 1 through the end of the regular season: Kevon Looney’s tip in (Jan. 2), Saddiq Bey’s fadeaway 3 (Jan. 4), Wendell Carter’s putback (Feb. 23), Trae Young’s pull-up (Feb. 26), Daniel Gafford’s putback (Mar. 7) and Maxi Kleber’s catch-and-shoot 3 (Mar. 18)

👑 Kings End Playoff Drought (Mar. 30): Playoff basketball returned to Sacramento for the first time since 2006, as the Kings ended the longest playoff drought in NBA history, finishing 3rd in the West.

🏆 Embiid Wins Kia MVP: After back-to-back runner-up finishes, Joel Embiid broke through to earn his first Kia NBA Most Valuable Player. Embiid was awarded the first-ever Michael Jordan Trophy as the NBA named each of the Kia Performance Awards after legendary players.

🔥 14 players had 50+ point games, tied for the most ever, combining for 25 games of 50 or more — the most since 1962-63. Who led stat cats?

• Points Per Game: Joel Embiid, 33.1 ppg
• Assists: James Harden, 10.7 apg (first teammates to lead in PTS & AST since 1981-82)
• Rebounds: Domantas Sabonis, 12.3 rpg
• Steals: O.G. Anunoby, 1.9 spg
• Blocks: Jaren Jackson Jr., 3.0 bpg

🏅 2022-23 Award Winners

• Kia Most Valuable Player: Joel Embiid
• Kia Rookie of the Year: Paolo Banchero
• Kia Defensive Player of the Year: Jaren Jackson Jr.
• Kia Most Improved Player: Lauri Markkanen
• Kia Sixth Man of the Year: Malcolm Brogdon
• Kia Clutch Player of the Year: De’Aaron Fox
• Coach of the Year: Mike Brown
• Kia All-NBA 1st Team: Giannis, Tatum, Embiid, SGA, Luka
• Kia All-Rookie 1st Team: Banchero, Kessler, Mathurin, K. Murray, Jalen Williams
• Your 2023 Fan Favorites

📸 A few iconic images: January to early April