The Opening Tip

• The Pelicans have the sneakiest player in the league 
• We have a new game 
• The Ja-less Grizzlies = the 1996 Chicago Bulls

This weekend's must-watch games

1. Are we overthinking this year's MVP?

After sealing a W on Tuesday vs. the 76ers, Giannis last night dropped 44 in a win in Brooklyn. 

• Milwaukee came back from down nine with four minutes left. 
• Giannis hit the game-tying 3 in regulation. 
• He also hit the game-winning free-throws in OT with three seconds left. (Kevin Durant juuuuust missed a would-be buzzer-beater.)

In 12 games in March, Giannis is averaging 33.3/12.8/4.8 on 59.1 (!) percent shooting. The Bucks have gone 10-2 in those games and re-established themselves among the NBA title favorites.

Gun to your head (hopefully it never comes to this), who are you taking to win the East?

• The right answer is probably Milwaukee, and yet, Giannis is a distant third in the MVP race at +500*, behind Nikola Jokic (-225) and Joel Embiid (+188).
• The 76ers, who lost last night to the Pistons, look more like faux contenders by the game and Denver, great as Jokic has been, doesn’t have a realistic path toward a deep postseason run.

So … there's a chance we’re all gonna look stupid in June when the Bucks are in the Finals again with Giannis coming off a third-place finish in the MVP race.

*He was +1600 before last night’s game.

2. Daily GIF: Jose Alvarado is a delight

The Pelicans have a rookie guard named Jose Alvarado who already has a signature move.

As GIF’d above, he’s duped several players this season by blending in with his own bench then sneaking up on unsuspecting guards in the backcourt, either earning a steal or a forced travel.

He went undrafted, but he’s already played his way into a guaranteed deal with New Orleans and taken part in the best mic’d up moment in years.

3. Trivia time

Four players have 7,000-plus assists and 7,000-plus rebounds. How many can you name?

Answers at the bottom.

4. One of these collections of names is Portland’s recent starting five, the other is made up. Try to guess which is which.

Pretty self-explanatory. Below are two options. One is Portland’s starting five from a game against OKC on Monday, the other is a list of five male names we generated using this website. Try to figure out which is an NBA team and which is made up.

Answer at the bottom.

Option A:

• Colin Burke
• Maurice Lyons
• Brendan Hamilton
• Cornelius Phillips
• Percy Garza

Option B: 

• Brandon Williams
• Keon Johnson
• Drew Eubanks
• Elijah Hughes
• CJ Elleby

5. By the numbers

256 games

As you might’ve heard … Duke and UNC are playing each other on Saturday in the Final Four. The two ancient rivals have played 256 times, but never in the NCAA tournament.

Duke enters the game a four-point favorite.
 

18-2

The Memphis Grizzlies are 54-23 and on their way to their best season in franchise history. Even more confounding: They’re 18-2 without Ja Morant, which is a roughly 74-win pace over an entire season.
 

+150

Marcus Smart is the current favorite for Defensive Player of the Year at +150. He’d be the first guard to win it since Gary Payton in 1996.

46-for-46

Seldom-used Tony Snell is 3-for-3 in free-throws this season, and 46-for-46 dating back to the 2019-20 season. In fact, the three-year anniversary of his last missed free-throw was on March 12.

6.  Quick Hits

• A Nuggets sideline reporter did the funniest thing you’ll ever see a sideline reporter do.
• Saint Peter’s Shaheen Holloway is officially Seton Hall’s new coach. 
• Manu Ginobili: Hall of Famer.
• A country music singer canceled his concert because he wanted to watch UNC-Duke on Saturday.

7.  Reads

• Kevin Durant is learning to let go [The Ringer]
• Paige Bueckers is back home to win an NCAA title [ESPN]
• Chinese television is again airing NBA games [NY Times]

Trivia answer: Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Jason Kidd.

Section 4 answer: Option B was Portland’s starting five on Monday.