Tonight’s Must-Watch Games

The Opening Tip

• You can’t get worked up about All-Star voting when you realize who’s voting

• The Knicks are getting scary good

• Grip vs. the House is back

1. NBA players are unserious voters

All-Star Game starters were announced last night.

FYI: The determination of who starts comes down to a 50 percent fan vote, a 25 percent media vote, and a 25 percent player vote.

Each faction of that breakdown is flawed, and we aren’t saying we have a better idea, but sifting through who the players vote for is always a reminder that it isn’t exactly a serious exercise.

Players who got votes: 

• KCP (18 votes)

• Georges Niang (15 votes)

• De'Anthony Melton (11 votes)

• Duop Reath (9 votes)

• Shaedon Sharpe (8 votes)

• Bol Bol (7 votes)

• Steven Adams (0 games played, 7 votes)

• Pat Beverley (4 votes)

• Sam Merrill (3 votes)

• Trendon Watford (3 votes)

• Ben Simmons (2 votes)

• Frank Ntilikina (1 vote)

And our favorite … Thanasis Antetokounmpo, 3 votes. You can see if your favorite ninth man got a vote here.

[Every All-Star starter]

2. Daily GIF: 🎨

The Knicks beat the Nuggets by 38 points last night, improving to 11-2 since trading for OG Anunoby. They also have the best defense in that span by miles, and are on-pace for their first 50-win season since 2013.

[WATCH: Nuggets-Knicks highlights]

3. Trivia

4. GVTH: Fade the Hawks, pt. 4

Welcome to Grip vs. the House, which, to be honest, has just turned into an anti-Hawks segment. Because -- hear us out -- they’re 11-33 ATS this season.

The play: Mavericks -2.5 @ Hawks tonight

GVTH record: 2-1

Remember: If it hits, you are obligated to share The Grip with your friends. If it misses, you are an adult. We didn’t force you to do anything.

Quick hits

• Look at this double choke to end Warriors-Kings last night. 

• Ben Simmons update: Ben Simmons might play on Monday for the first time since Nov. 6.

• We figured it out: Steve Nash looks like the drawing of Trisha from Napoleon Dynamite. 

• After making a big fuss about filing a protest, the Trail Blazers tucked their tales and decided not to. 

• LeBron is an All-Star for the 20th straight year, beating Kareem’s 19.

• Stephen A. decides between Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur.

Reads & Pods

• The NBA’s hottest prospect is a 17-year-old from Maine. Meet Cooper Flagg. [The Boston Globe]

• Sports Illustrated’s death by a thousand cuts [The Ringer]

• Why hiring Doc Rivers is a mistake [CBS Sports]

That's the buzzer.
Thanks for reading the 352nd edition of The Grip.