Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Good morning. Don’t you forget about Anthony Davis.
That and much more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter. SUBSCRIBE!
THE BROW WILL RISE AGAIN: Sorry y’all, but the MVP race is still a five-man field, and Anthony Davis will not have it any other way. The Brow dropped 43 points on 23 FGAs as the Pelicans roughed up the Bucks. (Who did get a lovely performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo nonetheless.) New Orleans is only a half-game behind OKC for the No. 8 seed. As Ben Golliver noted, Ant Man’s shot chart looked like a beautifully-kept lawn on Monday.
WRASSLIN’: Hassan Whiteside hit Kelly Olynyk with a nasty bumrush to the back, earning an immediate ejection. The Celtics beat the Heat (in a game that featured Mario vs. Luigi), and Dwyane Wade (playing gimpy) was super mad at Whiteside.
THE REST OF THE NIGHT IN BASKETBALL: The Grizzlies beat the Spurs but Nikola Mirotic spun Kosta Koufos to the ground so we’ll call it a wash. The Wizards pounded the Hornets. The Hawks slashed the Kings. The Nuggets destroyed the Knicks. The Warriors exiled the Suns. The Clippers excused the Wolves. Gronk Gronked on the Gronk Cam. There were a lot of blowouts.
A VISIT TO THE HEARTBREAKING DERRICK ROSE MEMORIAL: An artist built a memorial to D-Rose under a Chicago overpass. Ricky O’Donnell documented his visit. It’s every bit as sad and funny in a really morbid kind-of way as it sounds. (Meanwhile, Rose says he might probably possibly theoretically return in a few weeks.)
WHAT YOUR MVP CANDIDATE SAYS ABOUT YOU: Jason Concepcion breaks it down. The Westbrook one hits a little too close to home.
NOT SURE IF SERIOUS? ESPN analyst Tom Penn said the Thunder will consider trading Kevin Durant next season because Russell Westbrook is so awesome and because GM Sam Presti refuses to lose anything for nothing. My response: one does not just trade Kevin Durant.
THE SUPERCOOLBEAS SUPREMACY: Nice piece by Michael Lee on Michael Beasley’s third and possible final chance.
THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION WE’VE ALL HAD: How did Swaggy P make it to the NBA?
THE WESTBROOK READER: Shoals on how Russell Westbrook is rewiring the NBA and Philip Barnett at The Sports Fan Journal on Westbrook’s burden.
THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR: DraftExpress’ updated mock.
LIFE IS MEANINGLESS: Joel Embiid is back in a walking boot a few days after showing off a between-the-legs dunk during warmups.
Happy Tuesday. See you next time.
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