- The Grip
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- Mon, Feb 3rd, 2020
Mon, Feb 3rd, 2020
Logo Lillard — Lonzo x Zion — NBA trade rumblings 🏀
Mon, Feb 3rd, 2020
Damian Lillard’s historic stretch
A check-in on Zion
With the deadline approaching, trade talks are heating up
Giannis, everyone else, enjoyed the Super Bowl halftime show
A white guy is going to be in the dunk contest
1. The Lead: Damian Lillard is allergic to scoring less than 30 points
Damian Lillard has been the best player in the NBA over the last two-plus weeks.His stats over the last eight games, in which the Blazers are 5-3 and Lillard hasn’t once scored less than 34 points:
45.1 points per game, 9.6 assists, 53.2 percent shooting, 52.8 percent from deep, 39.6 minutes per game
In that span: His scoring average has jumped from 26.8 to 29.8, and the Blazers have jumped from wandering without aim to 1.5 games out of the playoffs.His stats in only his last six games are even better:
48.8 points, 10.2 assists, 57 percent from 3
, he’s the first player to average 45-plus points and 10-plus assists over a six-game span.
Here’s what Carmelo Anthony told ESPN:
"We've seen great basketball, we've seen guys score the basketball in different fashions, but what he's doing, we haven't seen that in a long time. I'm just happy to be a part of it, be a fan of it."
The Blazers -- now 23-27 and too far in a hole to realistically hope for anything besides the final spot in the West -- are probably just going to get swept by the Lakers in the first round, but it’s about the journey, not the destination, or something.And part of that journey now includes actual halfcourt shots from Lillard.
2. 10 more years of this, please
Lonzo Ball with a casual ¾ court alley-oop to Zion in Sunday’s 117-109 loss to the Houston Rockets. Zion ended with 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting and 10 rebounds.Zion’s averages through six games: 19.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 61.5 percent shootingAlso: He’s taken only two 3s since going 4 of 4 in his debut.
3. The phones are ringin’
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 6, at 3 p.m. EST, which means Adrian Wojnarowski currently has every team’s assistant general manager blowing up his phone, mainline and burner.Here are the latest rumors and reports:
The Rockets are seriously shopping Clint Capela, who, at 25 and averaging 14 points and 14 rebounds, is the team’s most valuable trade piece not named James Harden.
Despite the awkward fit alongside Joel Embiid, the 76ers aren’t likely to end up trading Al Horford.
The Warriors want to get out of the luxury tax for this season, which could mean trading D’Angelo Russell after trading for him in the Kevin Durant sign-and-trade this summer. The Knicks and Timberwolves are both (desperately) interested.
One of the most buzzed about players is Minnesota’s Robert Covington, a defending wing who shoots voluminously from deep with average results. The Timberwolves are asking for two first-round picks, which sounds like a team that isn’t too interested in actually making a trade.
Kevin Love has accepted his fate.
The Grizzlies remain insistent upon a trade for Andre Iguodala, and not a buyout. Whoever wants him will likely have to give up a protected first-rounder or early second-rounder.
Tristan Thompson is available for a trade.
4. Giannis enjoyed the Super Bowl halftime show
So
Wifey: (with a side eye) Why are you watching the halftime show so hard?
Me: Oh I was seeing if Ja Rule was gonna come on as her guest😂😂😂
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins)
1:36 AM • Feb 3, 2020
Kendrick Perkins, and every other NBA player.
5. Quick Hits
Here are the final All-Star rosters. Our old man takes: Trae Young should not have made it and Devin Booker should win 30 games before worrying about an All-Star game.
Milwaukee’s Pat Connaughton, who once nailed one of us with a 90 mile-per-hour fastball in high school, will be participating in the dunk contest.
Here’sLeBron’s speech from Friday night if you haven’t watched it yet.
Here’s Giannis making five professional basketball players look like high schoolers defending a college player.
Yesterday was the anniversary of Kobe dropping 61 at Madison Square Garden.