The Opening Tip

• We’re back! 
• We have your NBA catchup in seven bullet points.
• Nikola Jokic, MVP favorite, broke out a new concoction of moves last night. 
• A quick ode to the late Elgin Baylor.

Tonight's best matchups

1. All your rumors and possible trades heading into tomorrow’s deadline

Today is the final day before the NBA’s trade deadline, which is officially tomorrow at 3 p.m. EST. 

Here are a handful of the big names likely to get moved.

Aaron Gordon: The NBA’s resident he just needs a change candidate might finally be on the move. He recently formally requested a trade from Orlando, and Woj said he’d be “shocked” if he didn’t get moved. There’s been a lot of chatter around him going to Boston, which might mean Marcus Smart goes the other way. 😢

Kyle Lowry: The greatest player in Raptors history is a free agent this offseason, and Toronto is 17-26. Masai Ujiri is smart, and Lowry is open to being moved. It seems like Miami or his hometown 76ers are the favorites.

Norm Powell: Powell is the best player you might know nothing about. He’s averaging 19.5 PPG for Toronto on 43.4 percent from deep, and is likely to be on a new team by tomorrow.

John Collins: Is this guy good? The Hawks appear completely unconvinced. He’s long been rumored as a trade target ahead of his restricted free agency, and definitely isn’t a huge fan of Trae Young, which might end up being the reason he gets moved.

Victor Oladipo: Poor Oladipo is going to be traded for the fourth time in his career and second time in a few months. He could give a contender a boost before hitting the open market in free agency this offseason.

Harrison Barnes: No one knows what the Kings are doing, least of all the Kings. But Barnes is instant help for a win-now team and not much help for a wandering team like Sacramento.

Al Horford: You know who could use a 3-point shooting skilled big man? The Celtics …

[READ: Top targets and expert intel on deadline eve]

2. Daily GIF: Delightful weirdo Nikola Jokic invents a new trick

Last night against the Magic, Nikola Jokic broke out the ol’ fake pass, pump fake, look down, one dribble, step-back jump shot.

He finished the game with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, another MVP performance in a year where that award might end up being his for the taking.

But Jokic is always more than the numbers. The move above, which he appeared to have created on the spot, can’t be described as just “a 2-point basket.” Just as his strange and endearing moment with Giannis during the All-Star Game can’t be described as just “a celebration.”

3. Trivia time

Chris Paul is the active leader in assists. Who are the next two on that list?

Answers at the bottom.

4. Elgin Baylor: 1934-2021

Elgin Baylor, who died on Tuesday at the age of 86, never got an NBA ring in his 14 years with the Lakers (two in Minneapolis, 12 in L.A.). He lost in the Finals a maddening eight times, and called it quits nine games into the 1971-72 season, when L.A. ripped off its 33-game win streak and finally won a title.

That clearly hurt his NBA longevity. He isn’t remembered with the same reverence of Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, or Jerry West.

But all you need to know about Baylor, the player commonly credited with turning the NBA into a “vertical” league, is that he averaged 38.3 PPG and 18.6 RPG during the 1961-62 season while serving in the military.

From Bill Simmons’ "The Book of Basketball:"
 

That’s why Elgin played in only 48 games that season, though whether or not he qualified for the scoring title was irrelevant -- Wilt was busy averaging 50.

5. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the last two weeks of the NBA, which you might have missed because we’ve been gone

We’ve been on, let’s call it, sabbatical. We’ll never leave for this long again.

1. Chris Paul got his 10,000th assist on Sunday, joining Magic Johnson, Mark Jackson, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and John Stockton as the only members of the 10K club.

2. The MVP race has devolved into a who can stay healthy race. Previous front runners Joel Embiid and LeBron are out indefinitely (but expected to return this season), which for the time being, leaves Nikola Jokic as the (massive) favorite. Most books have him at -110, with LeBron a distant second at +600. FWIW, the Nuggets have never had an NBA MVP. 

3. Blake Griffin has played in two uneventful games for the Nets since signing with them after his buyout. The notable part is that his first basket with Brooklyn was a dunk, which he hadn’t done in a game with Detroit since 2019. 

4. Draymond Green and Tony Allen have been fighting on Twitter. Not super important, but you might get a kick out of it. 

5. The East has turned into a three-team race + every other mediocre playoff hopeful. The 76ers (31-13), Nets (30-14) and Bucks (28-14) all have a reasonable shot at the No. 1 seed. Atlanta (22-21) is the current four seed, but that could change by the end of tonight’s games. 

6. LaMelo Ball, a shoe-in for Rookie of the Year, is expected to miss the next four weeks of basketball after fracturing his right wrist. His numbers this year are nice, but passes like this one are why everyone is so excited about him. 

1. The Rockets finally won a game on Monday, breaking a franchise record 20-game losing streak, which took a whole lot out of head coach Stephen Silas. Houston ultimately avoided NBA history, though. The 76ers’ 28-game losing streak is safe.

6.  Off the press

• RIP, Elgin Baylor, the overlooked prometheus of the modern NBA [The Ringer]
• Julius Randle is giving Knicks fans a reason for optimism [The Ringer]
• The Clippers must make a move at the deadline [Sports Illustrated]
• Six young players who need a change of scenery [ESPN]

7.  Podcast picks

• The most intriguing deadline teams [The Lowe Post]
• The five biggest names that could be moved at the deadline [Ringer NBA Show]

Trivia answer: LeBron James (9,669) and Russell Westbrook (7,658).