Tonight’s Must-Watch Games

The Opening Tip

• D’Angelo Russell highlights always hit 

• The Nets lost in a hilarious way last night

• KD wants GOAT consideration

1. He’s getting better

Sparknotes of what Nikola Jokic did this weekend: 

• Dropped 34-12-9 on 14-22 shooting against the Celtics, beating them at home for the first time this season

• Dropped 42-12-8 on 15-20 shooting against the Wizards with no turnovers. Here are his five misses.

In his last 15 games … 

• Jokic is shooting 71-50-90 from the floor. (71% from the floor is reserved almost exclusively for one-dimensional lob catchers like Rob Williams and Mitchell Robinson). 

• He’s taking only 14 shots to score 25.3 PPG, the most efficient 15-game span for someone averaging that much in NBA history. (For reference, teammate Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 13 shots to score 16 PPG this season.) 

And his play hasn’t come at the expense of his savant-level dimes. He’s basically figured out basketball, and there’s no reason why any other team should be favored over Denver once the playoffs start. 

[READ: The NBA still hasn’t found an answer for Nikola Jokic]

2. Daily GIF: Russell does the Baron Davis

Who did it better: D’Angelo Russell, Rajon Rondo, or Baron Davis?

3. Trivia

4. Numbers

22-0

The Nets were up 11 points with 5:19 left yesterday. They let up a 22-0 run to end the game and lost by 11 points.

1,203 wins 

Yesterday, Stanford’s women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer won her 1,203rd game, passing Coach K for most Division I wins all-time. 

65 games, 7 seasons 

Udonis Haslem, who played 65 games over the final seven seasons of his career and peaked as a decent role player nearly two decades ago all while managing to hoard an NBA roster spot well into his 40s, got his number retired on Friday. Congrats to him! 

40 points, 0 free-throws 

Last night, Kevin Durant became the first Phoenix Sun to drop 40 points without attempting a free-throw. He made 18 of 25 shots and 4 of 7 from 3.

Quick hits

• KD on the GOAT conversation: "Why shouldn't I be in that? Why not? What haven't I done?"

• Wholesome Russell Westbrook moment. 

• Trae Young is out indefinitely with a concussion. 

• Look at this LeBron pass. 

• A court stormer ran into Caitlin Clark last night, who wound up being fine. 

• Today is the 34-year anniversary of the most satisfying shot in NBA history.

Reads & Pods

• Why home white uniforms have disappeared [The Athletic]

• The 24 players who deserves to be All-Stars [The Ringer]

That's the buzzer.
Thanks for reading the 350th edition of The Grip.