The Opening Tip

• Devin Booker hit a 3-pointer to beat the Mavs last night. 
• Remembering a great moment in NBA media history. 
• We're back with another betting guarantee. 

Tonight's national TV schedule

1. Averaging 20 a game has never been more en vogue

In the span of nine seasons, the number has gone from nine in 2012-13 to 36 so far this year.

Why? We can theorize two reasons, one macro and the second micro:

1. Macro: The 3-point explosion has created more scoring. Houston and New York led the league in 3s attempted per game in ‘12-13 with 28.9. Utah leads the league this season with 42.5, and dead last this year (Cleveland, 26.9) would be third in ‘12-13. In general, teams are scoring 13.4 more points in 2021 (111.5 to 98.1) than they were in '12-13.
2. Micro: This season followed the shortest offseason in North American team sports history. For the bubble teams, there might be some fatigue, which would manifest itself on the defensive end. The average defensive rating this season (110.9) is five points worse than it was in ‘12-13 (105.9).  

Maybe the defense will improve later in the season and the individual scoring will go down. In the meantime, keep getting those points, Jerami Grant.

2. Daily GIF: Devin Booker sinks the Mavs deeper into their slump

Devin Booker’s 3-pointer last night with 1.5 seconds left gave the Suns a one-point win over Dallas, which has now lost six in a row.

The Mavericks, a trendy Finals pick with a trendy MVP pick in Luka Doncic, are now 8-13 and third-to-last in the Western Conference playoff picture.

(Dallas also owes the Knicks its 2021 unprotected first-rounder, which is why every Knicks fan in the world is actively going by the cheesy Red Sox fan line from the early 2000s: We’re rooting for New York, and whoever’s playing Dallas!)

3. Trivia time

Two brothers have started in the same All-Star Game one time in NBA history.

Who were the two?

Answers at the bottom.

4. A complete transcript of Stephen A. Smith’s iconic Kwame Brown rant

Yesterday was the 13th anniversary of Pau Gasol’s trade from Memphis to L.A. for a package that included Kwame Brown.* The swap propelled the Lakers to three straight NBA Finals and two championships, but those droning accolades are far dwarfed by the iconic reaction from Stephen A. Smith once the trade was announced.

On an ESPN panel, SAS’s co-host asked him if the trade package -- “highlighted” by Brown -- was too much for Gasol.

Here’s the full transcript of Stephen A.’s response (we put it in caps-lock for, you know, emphasis):
 

You can watch the segment here.

*The package also included Pau’s brother, Marc.

5. 🎲 Grip vs. the house: Vegas keeps upping the over/under on Nets games. It doesn’t matter.

An interesting duo of correlated stats has made the rounds on NBA Twitter over the last few days.

Since acquiring James Harden, the Nets:

• Have an offensive rating of 120.5, which would be the best in NBA history. 
• Have a defensive rating of 118, which would be the worst in NBA history.

From a betting standpoint, that means every game they play has a surplus of scoring on either side. The fellas (and lady fellas) in Vegas have tried to adjust accordingly, which led on Sunday to an over/under for the Nets-Wizards game set at an astronomical 245.5, the highest of this NBA season.

That number led to this text exchange between The Grip’s two employees:
 

The final score: Wizards 149, Nets 146* in regulation, which adds up to 295 points, which cleared the over/under by 49 points; the two teams eclipsed the 245.5 with six minutes left in the fourth.

In their 22 games, Brooklyn has cleared the over 16 times (72.7 percent), second in the league.

What we’re saying: The Nets play the Clippers tonight on TNT at 7:30 p.m. Sell your $GME and put your revolution money on the game to go over 242.5. It’s our guarantee.**

*ICYM the insane ending to this game, click here.

**Our guarantees are not guaranteed to be guaranteed.

6.  Quick hits

• Four Hawks fans, including one particularly vocal lady, got ejected last night for heckling LeBron. LeBron responded on Twitter by calling the one angry ejectee “Courtside Karen.” Apparently, LeBron called one guy 'Ol' steroid ass.'
• The Rockets are now 7-3 since trading James Harden and are above .500 at 10-9. In their win last night over OKC, they tied an NBA record for 3s in a quarter with 11. 
• Bradley Beal “feels frustrated” by his portrayal in the media. 
• De’Aaron Fox had 38 points last night in a win over the Pelicans, including this spin-euro step combo for a layup.
• Chris Paul had a vintage performance last night, putting up 34-9-9 and shooting 14-of-20 from the field. Watch the highlights.
• Russell Westbrook gifted his game shoes to a rather perplexed security guard after Sunday night’s win.

7.  Off the press

• Everything’s abnormal in Texas [The Ringer]
• The gospel of John Chaney [The Ringer]
• The NBA misses Klay Thompson [The New York Times]

Trivia answers: Marc and Pau Gasol, 2015 All-Star Game