Steph vs. LeBron 4eva

Good morning. You can count on three things these days: death, global financial meltdowns at least once a decade and Steph Curry vs. LeBron James basketball wars. Let's basketball.

Scores

Bucks 126, Sixers 113 | Box Score | There are nights in which Giannis Antetokounmpo looks like the most unstoppable player in this world and several others. Thursday was one of those nights. 35-17-20. 73% True Shooting and just two turnovers. +23 in 39 minutes (the Bucks were -10 in the nine minutes without him).

35 points and 20 assists had only ever happened seven times in NBA history (three times from the Big O, twice from Tiny Archibald, once by Kevin Johnson and once by Wizards-era Russell Westbrook). Before Giannis, only one of those players – Westbrook – also had at least 10 rebounds. So this is the first 35-15-20 game in league history. It's also just the third 30-15-20 game ever – he joins the Big O from 1961 (32-15-20) and uh, Nikola Jokic from last month (31-21-22).

Magic 109, Wizards 97 | Box Score | Orlando has won six of eight. It's mostly come against cupcakes, but wins are wins. Still a chance they hit .500.

Blazers 112, Raptors 103 | Box Score

Grizzlies 110, Heat 108 | Box Score | Yep, the NBA warned Ja Morant about doing his finger gunz celebration, and then he did it after his first make in Miami.

He also had a pretty spectacular 30-point game in Miami. His final bucket was one of the most dramatic non-Pacers game winners of the season.

Call 12, as they say. After the shot and the griddy, he called Kel'El Ware a pigeon.

You know what Ja Morant is? A 2001 player trapped in the 2020s.

Timberwolves 105, Nets 90 | Box Score | Anthony Edwards stepped on Nets coach Jordi Fernandez's foot out of bounds and briefly left the game. He came back and did fine, though. Whew.

Warriors 123, Lakers 116 | Box Score | There are so many great potential match-ups in the West, and it would seem to me that neither the Warriors or the Lakers want to face the other in the first round. But what a take singularity and an awesome basketball war that would be. Let's just get these guys together once every couple years for all of eternity.

Golden State continued to look phenomenal with Jimmy Butler around. Brandin Podziemski (eight threes) is doing his best Klay Thompson impersonation as Steph Curry's backcourt partner. Curry has continued to look rejuvenated (37 points, got to the line a ton). The defense held up for three quarters against what should be a very powerful offense (the Lakers did score 39 in the fourth to keep the pressure on).

Luka Doncic didn't shoot well again, but Austin Reaves and LeBron handled the scoring load. This feels like it'd be a feisty 7-game series, and anyone who can confidently tell you which team is better is way more confident than me.

In related news, Kevin Harlan is a legend.

Playoff Picture Update

Here's the new table for the West playoff spots after wins from the Warriors, Grizzlies and Timberwolves.

Golden State now has a path to No. 3. Playoff Status is giving them a 14% chance of that.

No action in the West play-in race. The Bucks' win put them briefly over the Pistons. But the last weekend of the season is very likely to solve that race.

Links

It sounds like Dame Lillard might be back this season. Maybe.

Logan Murdock goes deep on the Suns' self-immolation.

Either this con man is a legendary talker, or I have real questions about Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons' care with money.

Howard testified during the trial that [Calvin] Darden fooled him into giving him $7 million by convincing him that it was an investment toward the purchase of the [WNBA's Atlanta] Dream.

But the eight-time All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year acknowledged that he learned he wasn't an owner of the Dream only when ESPN reported the team had been sold to an investor group that included former Dream guard Renee Montgomery in 2021.

Prosecutors said Darden and a sports agent also conned Parsons into sending $1 million that was supposed to aid in the development of Wiseman, who was drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the second pick in the 2020 NBA draft. But the two didn't know Wiseman, and the player never agreed to be represented by the agent as they claimed to Parsons.

Missed this last week: Howard Beck on the NBA's tanking problem.

Kirk Goldsberry on moving the three-point line. Kevin Pelton recently wrote about why the NBA doesn't think the volume of three-pointers is a problem. I tend to agree that it's not really a problem for the game.

Carmelo Anthony will be revealed as an official inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend. Dan Devine goes long on Three To The Dome. Dan also wrote a great piece about the Grizzlies' offense and some potential changes.

ESPN's final MVP straw poll shows that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has this locked up. That this is a conversation shows how amazing Nikola Jokic has been this season. Shai is going to win the scoring title on a 67- to 70-win team. If not for Jokic having perhaps his best statistical season ever, this would otherwise be a unanimous MVP for SGA.

Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson remembering some media companies that died or became zombies in the 2000s is one of the best podcasts I've listened to this year. Highly recommended for media nerds or participants.

Schedule

Alright. Twenty-six NBA games over the next three days in the penultimate weekend of the regular season. All times Eastern. Important games for playoff and play-in positioning get asterisks. Let's go.

Friday
Kings at Hornets, 7*
Jazz at Pacers, 7*
Suns at Celtics, 7:30, NBA TV*
Pistons at Raptors, 7:30*
Blazers at Bulls, 8*
Thunder at Rockets, 8**
Cavaliers at Spurs, 8
Nuggets at Warriors, 10, NBA TV***
Pelicans at Lakers, 10*
Mavericks at Clippers, 10:30**

Saturday
Knicks at Hawks, 3*
Grizzlies at Pistons, 7, NBA TV**
Timberwolves at Sixers, 7*
Bucks at Heat, 8**
Mavericks at Clippers, 10:30**

Sunday
Bulls at Hornets, 1, NBA TV*
Raptors at Nets, 3:30
Lakers at Thunder, 3:30, NBA TV*
Jazz at Hawks, 6*
Wizards at Celtics, 6
Kings at Cavaliers, 6, NBA TV*
Spurs at Blazers, 6
Suns at Knicks, 7*
Pacers at Nuggets, 8**
Bucks at Pelicans, 8:30*
Rockets at Warriors, 8:30, NBA TV***

That's the week! Be excellent to each other.