Caris LeVert

In horror films, a predictable plot often ensures that regardless of what decision a character makes, it’s only inevitable that they meet the doom of whatever was chasing them. If there were ever a basketball version of said sequence, the Memphis Grizzlies — ahead by 11 in the final six minutes — certainly experienced it, thanks to a late-game eruption Atlanta Hawks swingman Caris LeVert. Unguardable all throughout a 16-point (on seven-of-eight shooting) final quarter, LeVert watches as his teammate, a top-of-the-league thief, reintroduces Memphis to its game-long Achilles heel by pickpocketing Desmond Bane’s dribble. Off to the races with the game tied at 130 in the final seconds, LeVert eurosteps his way into legendary status, evading two different defenders for a game-winning off-the-glass finish. Atlanta hustled its way into 29 points off turnovers, with LeVert totalling six for himself. A hero by game’s end, the recently-acquired Hawks guard ended the evening with 25 points (on 11-of-19 shooting), alongside three rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block, and three 3-pointers.