Hats off to a great deal in Vegas

The Golden Knights traded a couple of draft choices to get Mattias Janmark from Chicago in April, and whatever those picks turn out to be, Vegas can rest easy that it was worth it.

Janmark’s first career hat trick came at the perfect time, lifting the Golden Knights to a 6-2 win over the Wild in Game 7 of their first-round series. Even Vegas backup goalie Robin Lehner celebrated in the traditional style.

It’s only the eighth time in NHL history that there’s been a Game 7 hat trick, but the second straight season that it’s happened. Last year, it was Janmark’s then-Stars teammate Joel Kiviranta who had his own first career three-goal game, and in even more dramatic fashion — Kiviranta’s final goal was an overtime winner.

The third goal from Janmark came into an empty net with 3:07 left in what was already a three-goal game, but who cares? It still counts as a goal all the same, and Janmark goes on the list of players to accomplish the dream feat, along with Kiviranta, Carl Liscombe, Dave Keon, Rick MacLeish, Esa Tikkanen, Geoff Courtnall, and some guy named Wayne Gretzky.

The Clippers are back in their series with the Mavericks after Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points, Paul George added 29, and Los Angeles was plus-22 with Rajon Rondo on the court in a 118-108 win in Game 3.

Luka Dončić scored 44 points in defeat, while Kristaps Porzingis stunk up the joint. This is a fascinating series between two phenomenal, otherworldly talents in Leonard and Dončić and their flawed running mates.

George is a guy who you know is a really good basketball player, but it’s hard to say anything that he’s really great at, and you go through life just acknowledging that he’s a star because the stats are there and it’s not worth the argument about whether he’s properly rated. Porzingis is either God mode or straight from the dumpster, sometimes within the same game.

There’s also the dynamic where Dallas, aside from Dončić, really isn’t all that good, while the Clippers are the Clippers and have never seen a rake that they couldn’t step on.

Are we really doing this? Are we really having discussions about Tim Tebow’s chances of making the Jaguars’ roster as a tight end?

You’re all getting played for suckers, and everyone who’s playing is laughing all the way to the bank with Tebow having the top-selling jersey in the NFL.

Why do publicity stunts happen? Because they work.