THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: A 19-year-old fan was arrested for threatening on Twitter to kill Knicks owner James Dolan.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Denver Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, after Friday’s 117-89 loss at Chicago:
“I felt like tonight we had some guys that just decided they weren’t going to play tonight. They weren’t going to put forth any effort to get the job done. It’s unfortunate, it’s a nationally televised game, we’re professionals, and as a staff we have to beg guys to give effort when they play. I told our team that I wish paychecks were predicated on night-to-night performance. If you play like a star on a given night, you get paid as a star. If you play like an uninspired player, then either you don’t get paid, or you get paid like an uninspired player. You can’t just pick and choose when you want.”
TANKAPALOOZA!: With this week’s buyout of Glen “Big Baby” Davis, the Magic are paying 12 players just under $34 million to play for them and five players – Davis, Gilbert Arenas, Al Harrington, Hedo Turkoglu and Quentin Richardson – nearly $44 million to not play for them.
LINE OF THE WEEK: Kevin Love, Minnesota vs. Indiana, Feb. 19: 37 minutes, 14-22 FGs, 5-10 3-pointers, 9-10 FTs, one assist, one steal, three turnovers, 42 points in a 104-91 win. Love did have his first career triple-double later in the week, but this one was special because (a) it came against Indiana’s top-ranked defense and (b) since the advent of the 3-pointer in 1979, Love has two games with at least 40 points, five threes and 15 boards, while all other NBA players combined have one (Vince Carter).
LINE OF THE WEAK: Brandon Jennings, Detroit vs. Dallas, Feb. 22: 29 minutes, 1-7 FGs, 0-3 3-pointers, 0-0 
FTs, one rebound, three assists, zero steals, one turnover, two points in a 113-102 loss. Jennings also was minus-14 during his time on the court, which explained why Will Bynum played the point for a long stretch of the second half.
TRILLION WATCH: Yes, Sixers rookie Lorenzo Brown had a 3 trillion Tuesday vs. Cleveland, Charlotte guard Chris Douglas-Roberts had a 3 trillion Wednesday vs. Detroit, Thunder rookies Steven Adams and Andre Roberson each had 2 trillions Thursday vs. Miami, and Kings forward Travis Outlaw had a 2 trillion Sunday at Denver. But Pistons rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is breaking new ground in this category. It’s one thing to ring up a 10 trillion, which Caldwell-Pope did Tuesday vs. Charlotte to tie Thunder forward Perry Jones III for the biggest disappearing act this season. But that only began a streak of trillions for KCP, who posted a 3 trillion in Wednesday’s rematch at Charlotte and another 3 trillion Friday vs. Atlanta. That’s the equivalent of a 16 trillion across three games, a stunning display of inactivity.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Houston at LA Clippers, Feb. 26. This is the finale of a five-game trip for the Rockets, who have won nine of 10 to hurdle the Clippers into third place in the loaded West and within striking distance of second-seeded San Antonio. Meanwhile, LA avoided a three-game slide with a nice win at Oklahoma City on Sunday and already has beaten Houston twice this season.
GAME OF THE WEAK: Milwaukee at Philadelphia, Feb. 24. The Sixers are rolling with 10 straight losses but have to lose this one to have any chance of catching the Bucks for the top lottery spot. However, Milwaukee hasn’t won a road game since New Year’s Eve. I’m surprised NBA-TV isn’t airing this one.
TWO MINUTES: His team may not be, but Hawks swingman Kyle Korver is hot again. After shooting “just” 41 percent from the arc in January, Korver is at 49 percent (24-of-49) this month, pushing his record streak to 124 games. Here are the longest streaks this season of the six players who have more total 3-pointers this season than Korver: Stephen Curry, 45 games (current); Klay Thompson, 34 (ended Friday); Damian Lillard, 16; Wesley Matthews, 17; Jose Calderon, 20 (current); and Paul George, 20. … Since LeBron James left Cleveland, the Cavaliers have just four wins by 18 or more points. Two have come in the last six weeks against the Sixers. … The Bobcats won four games in five nights coming out of the All-Star break to climb as high as sixth in the Eastern Conference. They also made a nice pickup at the trade deadline, adding needed shooting in Gary Neal. Center Al Jefferson – who really deserves some All-NBA and MVP consideration (he is getting it from me-CS) – was happy about the acquisition, although it was kind of hard to tell. “Playing against him in Utah the last few years, I didn’t like him; I didn’t like him at all,” Jefferson said. “He didn’t miss a lot of shots.” Neal is a career 39 percent shooter from the arc and 36 percent this season. He should be in uniform for Charlotte’s next four games, which will be a little tougher – at San Antonio, at Oklahoma City, at Miami and vs. Indiana. … One of the things Brad Stevens has done since becoming coach of the Celtics last summer is watch a ton of video to familiarize himself with opposing teams, players and coaches. But he admitted that video didn’t do the Suns justice. “That team pushes it harder than any team we have seen all year, even more so than we saw on film,” he said after Wednesday’s loss. Two nights later, Suns backup point guard Ish Smith – one of the fastest players in the league – confirmed Stevens’ beliefs. “I’m like Ricky Bobby (from Talladega Nights). I want to go fast.” … The Knicks just keep finding new ways to lose games. On Friday in Orlando, they appeared to take the lead on a dunk by Tyson Chandler with 1:09 left in overtime. But Chandler hung on the rim, the ball hit his head and bounced out when the rim snapped as he let go of it. He was called for offensive goaltending, and New York lost in double OT. “It’s starting to get tough to handle,” Carmelo Anthony said. “It’s definitely tested me. The frustration has definitely sunk in.” … One reason why the Blazers have been so good this season is because they used the same starting lineup in every game until All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge went down this week with a groin injury. With Aldridge and backup center Joel Freeland (knee) sidelined, that puts pressure on a bench that is last in the NBA in minutes and points per game. It should be noted that Portland’s bench also was the worst in the league last season, when it lost 26 of its last 34 games. We are not anticipating that sort of collapse, but tired and overworked is no way to enter the playoffs. … In Thursday’s loss to the Nuggets, Bucks guard O.J. Mayo stopped to tie his shoe. While the ball was in play. While Milwaukee was on defense. “Sorry about that,” Mayo said. “Just trying to stay safe.” Yikes.
Trivia Answer: Allen Iverson and Dwight Howard. … Happy 59th Birthday, “Fast Eddie” Johnson. … OK, so who is going to be the first openly gay player to actually score in a game?
Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.