Good morning. The rumors are true: our sweet Hawks finally lost a game, their epic win streak snapped at 19. The Pelicans proved the superior bird on Monday, with New Orleans’ offense completely dominating Atlanta. Anthony Davis led the way with 29 points, and Tyreke Evans racked up 15 points and 12 assists at the point guard spot. Even Jimmer had a nice evening! The Hawks finished January 17-0, and begin February 0-1. And it doesn’t get easier from here.
Good morning. The Pelicans had Hawk for dinner.
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Paul Flannery reports eloquently from New Orleans on the end of the streak. What fortuitous timing!
The Pelicans, interestingly enough, are just one game behind the Suns for the No. 8 seed in the West, and two games clear of the Thunder. That race continues to be quietly amazing as we approach the All-Star break. (Doubts are starting to set in out in Oklahoma, for what it’s worth.)
Alright, let’s basketball.
MORE AMAZING ON MONDAY: Whoever says this is the sports dead zone is revealed to have low affinity for basketball, because the schedule keeps on giving. The Grizzlies pulled out a barn-burner in Phoenix thanks to a game-winning and-1 putback from Jeff Green. (Earlier in that game, Mike Conley crossed Eric Bledsoe right onto his tail, which doesn’t happen all that often.) The Clippers led by nine with under two minutes to go and lost ... in Brooklyn ... which will sting. An Alan Anderson four-point play and an impossible Jarrett Jack winner did the Clips in.
The Thunder edged the Magic, but had to wait like everyone else as a ball rolled back and forth on the rim for a solid seven seconds (to Jeremy Lamb’s great amusement). The Mavericks beat the Wolves in Ricky Rubio’s return, but at least we got a great Rubio-to-Wiggins alley-oop out of it. The Raptors and Wizards both suffered bad losses (to the Bucks and Hornets, respectively). And finally, the Cavaliers’ streak moved to 10.5 (you don’t get full credit for beating the Sixers).
If you’d like to see some recaps of those wonderful games, see our NBA Scores hub.
SALT: In the wake of his All-Star snub, Damian Lillard declines to defend his Taco Bell Skills Challenge title. Hey, Boogie Cousins will gladly step in to take his place!
MY APOLOGIES: On Monday I forgot to include the most important moment of the weekend in any sport -- Boris Diaw nailed Gregg Popovich in the back with a last-second heave and lived to talk about it.
ALL-STAR EXPANSION: Adam Silver says he wishes All-Star rosters were larger. If only he knew someone in power ... (Joking, I know this is something the Board of Governors would need to agree on, especially since contract incentives for some players are tied to All-Star status.)
POWER RANKINGS: See how high the Cavaliers have climbed.
KORVER VS. PERFECTION: Really cool piece by Jeff Zillgitt on how Kyle Korver attempts to perfect his jumper.
AS EXPECTED: Warriors managing partner Joe Lacob admits the team will almost assuredly be well into the luxury tax next season.
HAHAHAHA: John Feinstein suggests the NBA give up money to the players in order to get a baseball-style draft eligibility rule. The more obvious solution for the league is to agree to drop the age minimum in exchange for a concession from the players’ union (like a small guaranteed salary for first-round picks). Beyond that, the idea that the NBA is responsible for fixing the NCAA’s problem is just hilarious.
Anyways. Happy Tuesday, and see you next time.
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