Top Stories

• AD destroys Charlotte with 42/23

• Amen Thompson is by far the 6th Man of the Year

• Jimmy Butler suspended indefinitely

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Games of the day

Last Night’s Top Games! (link to the box scores of every game from yesterday)

Anthony Davis had 42 points and 23 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers used a huge first quarter from the All-Star center to build a 23-point lead before beating the Charlotte Hornets 112-107 for their fourth straight win. LeBron James had 22 points and Austin Reaves chipped in 17 for the Lakers, who never trailed. Miles Bridges had 26 points for the Hornets, who lost LaMelo Ball in the second quarter to a left ankle injury after he stepped on Jarred Vanderbilt’s foot as he backpedaled down the court after draining a 3-point jumper off one foot. Davis scored 21 points in the first quarter on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds as the Lakers got to a 39-19 lead.

Amen Thompson hit a game-winning floater with 0.7 seconds left and finished with 33 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 114-112 victory over the Boston Celtics. Dillon Brooks shot 10 of 15 from 3-point range and led Houston with 36 points. The Rockets won for the ninth time in 11 games. Jaylen Brown had 28 points for the Celtics, and Jayson Tatum added 19 after a scoreless first half. Luke Kornet had 18 and Kristaps Porzingis scored 17 to go with eight rebounds. Rockets leading scorer Jalen Green was held to 12 points. Thompson broke free off an inbounds play and went in for an easy dunk, pushing Houston in front 112-110. But after a timeout, Tatum got the ball near midcourt and drove in for the tying layup with 5.3 seconds left. Brooks’ 10th 3-pointer gave the Rockets a 108-106 lead with 1:39 to play. The Celtics easily won the first meeting between the teams in Houston on Jan. 3.

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League News

Around the League

• Jimmy Butler was back from suspension. Again. And then Butler got suspended by the Miami Heat. Again. Butler has been suspended for the third time this month by the Heat, this one starting basically just as the second one was ending. The team said that Butler left Monday’s morning shootaround practice early, before a game against the Orlando Magic, something the team called “intentionally withholding services.” The suspension is without pay and indefinite for now, with the team saying it will last at least five games. Butler was expected to come back from his second suspension on Monday — only to be suspended for a third time. Butler, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, was told during the shootaround that he was not going to be back in the starting lineup for that night’s game against Orlando. He left the shootaround not long afterward. He has now missed 15 of Miami’s last 20 games, including 10 of the last 13 because of the suspensions — the first a seven-game ban for conduct that the team deemed detrimental, followed by the two-game suspension, and now the indefinite one. It has been a saga that has lasted now for almost two months and figures to come to a head, one way or another, over the next week and a half. The NBA’s trade deadline is Feb. 6. After last night, there are only five games left for Miami before the deadline, raising the possibility that Butler will not play for the team again.

• Injury Updates: James Wiseman tore his achilles and will be out indefinitely. Taylor Hendricks (leg and ankle) suffered a fractured fibia and dislocated ankle and will be out for the season. Isaiah Jackson (achilles) will be out for the season. Chet Holmgren (hip) suffered a fracture and will be out 5-6 weeks. DeAnthony Melton (ACL) underwent surgery and will be out for the season. Grant Williams (ACL) suffered a tear and will be out for the season. Luka Doncic (calf) will be out at least 2 weeks. Larry Nance Jr (hand) will be out indefinitely after surgery. Jared McCain (torn meniscus) will be out for the season. Brandon Miller (wrist) will be out for the season. Donte DiVincenzo (toe) will be out indefinitely. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

• Trade Updates: The Miami Heat traded Thomas Bryant to Indiana for a 2nd round pick. The Brooklyn Nets traded Dennis Schroder for DeAnthony Melton. The Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell to the Nets for Dorian Finney Smith. Phoenix traded Josh Okogie for Nick Richards.

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NBA MVP Ladder

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 1
Season stats: 31.6 points, 6 assists, 2 steals

His case: The good times continue for Gilgeous-Alexander as the Thunder, fresh off a beating of the East-leading Cavaliers, show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Same for Gilgeous-Alexander as he has dipped under 30 points just twice this month (in blowout wins) and leads the league in scoring and is No. 3 in steals.

And the Thunder schedule lightens up from here, with a pair against the short-handed Mavericks, plus the Jazz, Nets, Blazers and Warriors. All of which provide a chance for Gilgeous-Alexander to put up even bigger numbers.

2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Season stats: 30.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.9 assists

His case: Jokić is dealing with a bum elbow and subsequently is shooting less and therefore scoring less for the Nuggets as of late. However: He’s OK with that last part because his teammates are starting to — finally — play better and rely less on his scoring.

The Nuggets are starting to surge, and if Denver is high in the West standings at season’s end, that can only positively reflect on Jokić’s chances of grabbing another MVP trophy.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Season stats: 31.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists

His case: Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.3 ppg in January so far, his lowest monthly average of the season. However, that’s more reflective of having to shoot less for the Bucks, who have turned the corner on a season that began slowly and demanded more from Antetokounmpo.

It’s all good — Antetokounmpo is the leading fan vote-getter for the All-Star Game, a sign of respect.

4. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

Last week’s ranking: No. 6
Season stats: 25.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists

His case: Towns is dealing with wrist and thumb issues and had to sit a game; neither injury is considered serious enough to bench him for an extended period.

Otherwise, the consistently high-level performances by Towns keep him high on the Ladder. He went for 30 and 18 against Antetokounmpo and the Bucks before the injury and has a decent chance to be named a starter for the All-Star Game.

5. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Season stats: 24.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4 blocks

His case: Wembanyama continues to issue decent performances although it has been a mixed bag lately, as the Spurs have stumbled in the standings, losers of four of their last five. He’ll need a good stretch to remain in the top five next week.

The Next 5:

6. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
7. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
8. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
9. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
10. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

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Fantasy Leaders

Amen continues his incredible season

Overtime Thoughts