Good morning. Let’s basketball.
The Russell Westbrook Vengeance Tour is making history
Good morning. We have that and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
IS RUSSELL WESTBROOK AVERAGING A TRIPLE-DOUBLE? Yes! We’re keeping track right in this post all season long. He had a monster 27-18-14 effort against the Knicks in a Thunder win. That didn’t stop Kristaps Porzingis from dunking everything in sight, though ...
NOT SO QUIET TO THEIR VICTIMS: Tim Cato on the Warriors fully finding their stride and becoming a superteam ... a month into their reign.
GOOD, BAD, HAPPY, AND SAD: Boogie Cousins had 38 and 20 in a Kings overtime loss. This H.O.R.S.E. shot was not his best moment.
YOOOO: I loved this James Harden no-look lob when I first saw, but I love it even more after Mike Prada broke it down second by second. Good lord, Beard!
SCORES GALORE ...
Kings 95, Wizards 101 (OT)
Sixers 95, Raptors 122
Thunder 112, Knicks 103
Celtics 112, Heat 104
Hornets 104, Grizzlies 85
Jazz 112, Wolves 103
Hawks 100, Warriors 105
IN CHEERFUL NEWS ... Nine teams might as well be eliminated from playoff contention already, in all likelihood.
HMMM: David Aldridge writes about the ongoing labor negotiations, and says the age minimum is still on the table. The league wants to bump it up to 20, the union wants an MLB-like rule that allows players to go prep-to-pros or commit to at least two years in college. I think that’s going to be a non-starter for owners, so we’ll likely end up with the awful status quo.
MOST INTERESTING ASSISTANT IN THE NBA: Nice Tim Grgurich profile.
HUH: Steve Ballmer says sports media may end up like the music business. He’s been a big proponent of trying to stream Clippers games directly to fans. If this all comes true, I just want Good Morning It’s Basketball to be the Spotify of takes.
NOT PHILLING IT: Why bringing Phil Jackson back to the Lakers would be hugely disruptive ... in a bad way.
NEXT UP: NBA TV has Rockets-Jazz at 9 p.m. ET, and that should be a good clash of styles. Pistons-Hornets (7 p.m. ET) and Lakers-Pelicans (8) are the most competitive League Pass options; we might have blowout city otherwise on Tuesday (Clippers-Nets, Spurs-Magic, Cavaliers-Bucks).
AND FINALLY: Klay Thompson is living the best life, part XLI.
Be excellent to each other.
See More:
