Our All-Star thoughts...

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Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so get ready for six more cold weeks. Fortunately, the All-Star reserves were just announced, so NBA Twitter is naturally on fire and can keep us warm!

Today's Lineup

A Starry Night ⭐️ Our reactions to the just-announced All-Star reserves!

Greek Freak 🇬🇷 Giannis' 54 completed a crazy comeback!

Clash for Cleveland ⚔️ Mitchell and Brooks scrapped, but Garland got the last laugh!

PrizePicks

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Here are our picks for Monday! We got LeBron James getting his as he approaches Kareem and Myles Turner protecting the rim against a slashing Lakers. We'd love for you to ride with us, but either way, show us your picks on Twitter! Go download PrizePicks NOW and use our code ENJOY to have your first deposit matched up to $100. 

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What Went Down Yesterday

Last night brought a seven-game slate of awesomeness. For box scores throughout the night, click HERE. Otherwise, let's talk tape.

Giannis' MVP performance completes comeback vs Clippers 106-105

Giannis Antetokounmpo absolutely CARRIED the Bucks (35-17) to a win over the Clippers (29-26) last night. The Greek Freak scored 54 points on 54% shooting, while his teammates collectively shot just 35%. Even better, Milwaukee battled back from a 20-point deficit thanks to 20 fourth-quarter points from the MVP candidate! Check it out here:

The Clippers' offense utterly collapsed down the stretch. They settled for isolation possessions and didn't score for the final 3:52. Still, the final possession saw Kawhi Leonard take a fading baseline jumper reminiscent of the one which sent the 76ers home in the 2019 Playoffs. Fortunately for Milwaukee, Wesley Matthews clamped Leonard, who air-balled as the Bucks escaped with the W.

Garland leads Cavs past Grizzlies, Mitchell and Brooks brawl 128-113

An intense fight between Donovan Mitchell and Dillon Brooks involving a thrown basketball and some hurt jewels got both thrown out. Fortunately for the Cavaliers (32-22), they have another undersized guard with a bag deeper than what Adele was rolling in. Darius Garland put on a show with 32 points and 11 assists in the victory. In less good news, the Grizzlies (32-20) have followed up their 11-game win streak by losing seven of their last eight contests…

Lakers scrape by Pacers 112-111

The Lakers (25-28) escaped Indiana with a win over the Pacers (24-29) after erasing a 12-point fourth-quarter lead. Anthony Davis came up massively with a Dirk-style fadeaway jumper on offense, then rejected Tyrese Haliburton’s layup on the other end. AD was a monster tonight with 31 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks. All-Star snub? He’s played 22 more minutes than Jaren Jackson Jr. this year, we're just saying...

Knicks top Heat 106-104 behind Barrett

RJ Barrett did his best Big Sean impression the way he bounced back from a fourth-quarter benching against the Lakers to score 30 points in a Knicks (28-25) win over the Heat (29-24). Bam Adebayo (32 points) performed valiantly in the losing effort, while the Knicks moved within one game of Miami for the coveted #6 seed. It was a true hard-nosed contest in The Garden for two teams who boasted one All-Star, though believed they deserved two.

Mavericks cling on 111-106 vs Pelicans as Luka exits with injury

We don’t think NBA fans truly appreciate how valuable Luka Doncic is to the Mavericks (28-25) on a night-to-night basis. Halfway through the third quarter and leading by 28 points, Doncic limped to the locker room with an ankle injury (prayers up.) Without their MVP candidate, Dallas collapsed, and the Pelicans (26-27) came roaring back to within three points with 10 seconds left but came up short. Meanwhile, the Pelicans have lost their TENTH game in a row...

Nuggets whack Warriors 134-117

The Nuggets (36-16) remain an offensive juggernaut as they roll past the defending champion Warriors (26-26). Steph Curry dropped a 28-piece, including one smoooooth finish. For Denver, Jamal Murray poured in 33 points, while Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 16 assists, and 14 rebounds—who is gonna stop these guys?

Bulls handle Hornets 114-98

This game was fairly normal as the Bulls (24-27) beat an inferior Hornets (15-38) roster in a semi-close game that eventually expanded to a secure win. LaMelo Ball got ejected with under two minutes left in the game after protesting an egregious no-call, while Dennis Smith Jr. baptized a man on live television. Shoutout to Ayo Dosunmu, who scored 22 points on only one missed shot!

All Stars Announced

The All-Star rosters were just released to celebrate the greatest hoopers in the world, those who embody the best of the game we all love. Naturally, Twitter is ablaze. 

The first-time All-Stars are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Lauri Markkanen. Jackson Jr. has clearly earned the league’s stamp of approval ... or maybe he stole it ... or blocked it. Probably, because he’s been doing a lot of that this season. The other three are likely the three front-runners for Most Improved Player!

Even if you weren't aware, it’s pretty clear that head coaches vote for the reserves. The likes of Jackson Jr., Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday, and Domantas Sabonis are less flashy players than a James Harden or Pascal Siakam (not that they weren’t snubs…), but their impact goes so deep, and they’re every coach’s dream!

What Happened Wednesday?

On Wednesday night, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics pantsed the KD-less Nets by 43. Out west, Damian Lillard upset the Grizzlies with 42 points and 10 assists, while Domantas Sabonis lit up the Spurs and The Beam with 34 points and 11 assists. Plus, shoutout to Rockets rookie Tari Eason with a career-high 20 points in a win over the red-hot Thunder!

Also, the Detroit Pistons got stranded in Dallas because of an ice storm, so their game against the Wizards was postponed. Does anyone know if Southwest Airlines is a partial owner of the Pistons?

Top Five Friday

We'd like to end the week with a fun segment, Top Five Friday, where we give the best five of anything. Today, let's review the top five dribble handoff guards this season using points-per-possession on at least two handoffs per game:

1 - Kevin Huerter (1.16 PPP / 3.2 Pos)

2 - Steph Curry (1.15 PPP / 2.5 Pos)

3 - Jamal Murray (1.11 PPP / 2.5 Pos)

4 - Jalen Green (1.07 PPP / 2.2 Pos)

5 - Jordan Poole (1.06 PPP / 2.5 Pos)

Huerter's been lights-out this season, shredding defenses coming off Domantas Sabonis handoffs and pulling up for three. Obviously, Steph is going to be here, but it's nice to see his Splash Cousin Jordan Poole as well. Of course, we always love to see a post-injury Jamal Murray thriving (I wonder who his handoff partner is...), and Jalen Green's presence at such a young age is promising!

Frozen Moments

• Jaden McDaniels played good defense, but Steph Curry still shook him silly.

• Malik Monk wore the DPOG chain with Migo-like swagger.

• A Timberwolves dancer went the extra mile to make these kids feel included.

• Julius Randle has a wholesome reason why this All-Star selection matters.

Good Reads

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Are Entering Historic Bucket-Getting Territory - Zach Kram (The Ringer)

NBA Mock Draft: Magic Take Pair of Top 10 Picks, Emoni Bates - Jeremy Brener (Sports Illustrated)

NBA's Biggest Winners and Losers from January - Zach Buckley (Bleacher Report)

What We're Enjoying

Flip the Script: We're loving the cascade of Twitter threads stemming from Arian Foster's claim that the NFL is rigged:

US of Art: Plus, we're Enjoying this sick edit of the 2012 team USA by basketball artist Roger Huang!

Signing Off

No matter who made the All-Star Game and who didn't, you're still our All-Star! Now go and dominate today 😎 

-Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: The answer is Isiah Thomas! He scored 31 points in his rookie debut, while Iverson and Odom scored 30, and Stackhouse scored 27.

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