An NBA lockout is back on the table, because everything is awful

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

GOLDEN ERA: Paul Flannery trained his eyes northward for this week’s Sunday Shootaround, looking at the Toronto Raptors amid their golden age. He notes that the Raptors have the best team record in the East since the Rudy Gay trade three years ago and that their offense has them in elite company. Can they ever knock off the Cavaliers, and does it matter if they can’t? Flanns has that and much more. Check it out.

WELPVILLE: Carmelo Anthony is skeptical the players’ union and league will reach a labor deal by Thursday, the deadline for either side to opt out of the current deal. Reports suggest one snag is a fight over control of licensing for players’ likenesses. My condo on Lockout Island has three open bedrooms, please reach out ASAP if you’d like to book one.

DEAR GOD ALMIGHTY: Sam Dekker absolutely obliterated Enes Kanter in the open court. I’m a little scared, actually.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE MACHINE: On Friday, Russell Westbrook picked up his seventh straight triple-double, something not done in almost 30 years since Michael Jordan did it. Westbrook didn’t get No. 8 on Sunday, but he is in fact still averaging a triple-double on the season.

WHAT COLOR IS THIS DRESS? Did Terrence Jones mean to pass the ball to Anthony Davis off the glass, or did he just miss a floater so bad it worked out?

NOT EVEN A CLOSE GAME: Memphis drilled the Warriors by 20 on Saturday night to win their sixth straight.

Sixers 97, Pistons 79
Celtics 96, Thunder 99
Warriors 116, Timberwolves 108
Pelicans 120, Suns 119 (OT)
Knicks 118, Lakers 112

GET WELL: Nasty fall for Victor Oladipo.

UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS: The Bulls have somehow won 16 straight regular season TNT Thursday games at home.

AGAINST ANALYTIC ABSOLUTISM.

HMM: Do Westbrook’s defensive rebounds actually help the Thunder?

FINALLY: Donatas Motiejunas and the Rockets have a deal. It includes a financial incentive for Motiejunas to get his body fat measured four times a year.

PODCAST PARTY: Prada and Epstein discuss the Clippers’ trouble with the Warriors on Limited Upside.

TIM DUNCAN GOT A TATTOO.

NOTED: The Rockets have been scorching since Patrick Beverley came back.

WHOA: Nike built an incredible “training dome” on the set of Space Jam so that His Airness could stay in peak shape.

IT’S LIKE HE’S RELEASING A DOVE: DeMarcus Cousins mocks Joakim Noah’s shot release.

ACCEPTING FATE: David Roth with a nice piece on learning to live with the inevitable in the NBA.

YOUR DAILY EMBIID: He has “Trust the Process” embroidered inside his shoe.

D’AWW: The Warriors showed up at Ian Clark’s high school jersey retirement ceremony in Tennessee.

NEXT UP: NBA TV’s doubleheader starts with Wizards-Heat (the Juwan Howard Bowl) at 7:30 p.m. ET followed by a very nice Darius Miles Bowl (Blazers-Clippers) at 10:30. League Pass options include Hornets-Pacers at 7 and Bucks-Raptors at 7:30.

Be excellent to each other.