The Opening Tip

• A college lax player is in the NBA, somehow

• Where things stand in the tankathon

• The NBA is pulling the plug on G League Ignite

Must-watch games

You gotta give.

1. John Calipari: Doc Rivers

If you aren’t an NCAA Tournament watcher, the headline from Day One was John Calipari’s loaded Kentucky team losing to 14 seed Oakland, which … 

• … is a school in Michigan, not California

• … was led by instant March Madness star Jack Gohlke, who hit 10 3s while prepping for his second career as local TV small business pitchman

This Kentucky team had two future top 5-ish picks and other blue chip players, but was completely flummoxed by a simple zone run by low-level Division I players. 

After the game, Calipari gave an interview in the tone of Tim Robinson dressed in a hot dog costume.

So: Insanely talented roster. Choking when it matters. No adjustments. Deflecting blame afterward. He really is the Doc Rivers of college hoops.

[READ: What another early loss means for John Calipari]

2. Daily GIF: There’s a literal lax bro in the NBA

Two-way Warriors player Pat Spencer got his first NBA bucket on Wednesday night, which is actually pretty remarkable, because this MFer is a literal lax bro. 

• He played four years of college lacrosse, then, as a grad student, transferred to Northwestern and played basketball for a year. 

• Inspired, apparently, he began his hoops career in Germany in 2021, before signing a G League deal later that year, eventually working his way up to a two-way deal, his NBA debut last month, and his first bucket two nights ago. 

[READ: How Pat Spencer, a college lacrosse record-holder, made the Warriors]

3. Trivia

4. Tankathon Update

What to watch for in the final month of the season: 

• The Pistons and Wizards are locked in, but the Spurs run the risk of playing themselves out of a top lotto position. 

• The Raptors owe the Spurs that pick if it falls outside of the top 7, so we might bear witness to some legendary tanking. (They’re already 1-9 in their last 10.)

Pick notes: 

• That Warriors pick, which is routed to Portland, was initially the Grizzlies’, which was sent to Boston this summer before being sent to Portland in the Jrue Holiday deal. Who knew it would have that type of value. 

• That Rockets pick, which is headed to OKC, is from the Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook deal.

• That Lakers pick owed to New Orleans is the final piece of the Anthony Davis trade. The Pels can either accept it this year or defer to next, which will be an interesting decision. 

The prize of the draft? It’s déjà vu. (It’s some French guy again.)

Quick hits

• The NBA’s G League Ignite team is shutting down.

• Latest Nikola Jokic masterpiece pass is here.

• It’s no longer a given the Warriors or Lakers even make the play-in. 

• Brandon Ingram suffered a ‘knee contusion’ last night and is expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks. 

• Michael Porter Jr. since the All-Star Break: 21.1 PPG on .567/.439/.926 shooting. 

• The Mavs had 18 dunks last night, most by a team in 20 years. 

• This … looked intentional from DeMar DeRozan.

Reads + Pods

• How Jaylen Brown slowly but surely turned his skeptics into believers [Boston Globe]

• What really happened to Markelle Fultz [The Ringer]

• After time in NBA exile, Dante Exum is back with a vengeance [Yahoo Sports]

That's the buzzer.
Thanks for reading the 369th edition of The Grip.