Top Stories

• Bucks beat Celtics

• Ant scores career high 51

• Warriors closing in on Lakers spot

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Games of the day

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

Giannis Antetokounmpo strained his left calf late Tuesday in the third quarter of the Bucks' 104-91 victory over the Boston Celtics, who became the first team in NBA history to not shoot a free throw on a night the teams combined for a record-low two attempts. Doc Rivers said after the game that Antetokounmpo was undergoing an MRI on his calf and also would have his Achilles tendon tested. Patrick Beverley had 20 points and 10 rebounds after the Bucks shook up their lineup by having him start ahead of Malik Beasley, who came off the bench for the first time all season. But that lineup change was overshadowed by Antetokounmpo's injury. Giannis was heading up the court late in the third quarter after a Celtics basket when he grabbed his left calf and took a seat. He was helped off the floor, and cameras showed him heading to the locker room under his own power.

Anthony Edwards scored a career-high 51 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame an early 21-point deficit with a dominant second half to beat the Washington Wizards 130-121. Edwards had 30 points in the second half. Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 23 points and Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Wolves, who have won four of five and eight of 10. Minnesota has clinched a top-three seed in the Western Conference and has a showdown at Denver on Wednesday with a potential No. 1 seed at stake. Minnesota improved to 12-5 without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns. The team announced Tuesday that Towns has been cleared for full-contact, five-on-five basketball activities in anticipation of his return, which could be as soon as Friday.

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League News

Around the League

• Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis have been named Players of The Week for Week 24.

• The Warriors (44-35) have won eight of nine down the stretch to move within a half-game of ninth-place Los Angeles (45-35). Golden State also won the head-to-head tiebreaker between the rivals, putting home-court advantage for a potential 9-10 play-in game next week in the Warriors' hands over their final three regular-season games. With Golden State finishing the year playing easy competition in Portland, New Orleans, and Utah to end the year, they have a real shot to pass LA. The Lakers finish the season playing Memphis and New Orleans, so the level of competition between their opponents is similar. If both teams win out, Golden State will be the 9 seed, with LA sliding to the 10 spot (this is excluding mentioning Sacramento and Phoenix), and the Play-In game will be held in Golden State instead of Los Angeles.

• Injury Updates: Julius Randle (shoulder) is out for the season. Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell will both miss the rest of the season. Malik Monk (knee) will miss 4-6 weeks. Kevin Huerter (shoulder) is out for the season. LaMelo Ball (ankle) is out for the season. Brandon Ingram (knee) will miss at least 1 week. Ausar Thompson (blood clot) is out for the season. Christian Wood (knee) underwent surgery and will be out multiple weeks. Bilal Coulibaly (wrist) sustained a fracture and will be out for the season. Alperen Sengun (ankle and knee) is likely out for the season. Saddiq Bey (knee) tore his ACL and is out for the season. Benedict Mathurin (shoulder) underwent surgery and is out for the season. Ben Simmons (back) is out for the season. Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) underwent surgery and will be re-evaluated in 1 week. Josh Richardson (shoulder) had surgery and will be out for the season. Scottie Barnes (hand) underwent surgery and will be out at least 2 weeks. Trae Young (hand) had surgery and will be re-evaluated 1 week. Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) will miss at least 2 more weeks. Marcus Smart (finger) will be out 1 more week. Gabe Vincent (knee) will be out at least 1 more week. Tari Eason (leg) had surgery and will be out for the season. Patrick Williams (foot) had surgery and will be out for the season. Zach LaVine (foot) underwent surgery and will be out for the season. Robert Williams underwent knee surgery and will be out for the season. Ja Morant had surgery on a torn labrum and will miss the rest of the season. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

Front Office News

• The Free Agent market is still deep with vets like Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel, Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Austin Rivers, and John Wall ready to contribute to winning or to mentor young guys. Joe Harris, Victor Oladipo, and Killian Hayes were all cut or waived by their teams and are available to be signed.

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NBA MVP Race

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 26.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 9.0 apg

His case: Denver lost, but Jokic put on a triple-double show Thursday against the Clippers with 36 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists as the Nuggets fell a half-game behind No. 1 Minnesota in the West.

The two-time MVP also faced a potential future MVP last Tuesday in Victor Wembanyama, who flirted with a quadruple-double. Jokic tied his season-high with 42 points — despite the Spurs rookie blocking his shot four times — and finished with 16 boards and six dimes.

2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 33.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 9.8 apg

His case: When he wasn’t throwing no-look crosscourt dimes last Tuesday in producing his 20th triple-double of the season, Doncic splashed 5-for-11 from deep to seize the Mavericks’ single-season record for made 3-pointers (258).

The Warriors snapped Dallas’ seven-game winning streak that night. But Doncic brought the Mavs back majorly, stepping through on the way to the bank to cash in a win Thursday against the Hawks. He scored 16 points in the second quarter.

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 30.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 6.3 apg

His case: Gilgeous-Alexander missed the fourth of Oklahoma City’s last five games last Wednesday at Boston, effectively pumping the brakes for now on what’s been a strong MVP candidacy. Let’s not forget the 25-year-old has starred in 71 of the OKC’s 76 games up to this point.

Given the club’s lead over several teams in the West, Gilgeous-Alexander’s prospects remain alive if the Thunder can maintain and finish among the top three in the conference. OKC is now 1-4 without SGA.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 30.7 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 6.5 apg

His case: Dropped a triple-double with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists last Tuesday in a loss at Washington. He nailed 15-for-21 from the floor while the rest of the team shot 37% as Milwaukee fell to 5-5 this season when the two-time MVP posts a triple-double.

Despite Antetokounmpo scoring 35-plus points in three of his last five games, the Bucks have lost four of five. Milwaukee plays its next four at home.

5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 27.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 4.9 apg

His case: Tatum pushed Boston to its first 60-win season since the 2008-09 season with a 24-point night last Wednesday in a 135-100 trouncing of Oklahoma City. The victory marked the Celtics’ 11th in a row at TD Garden and ensures they’ll finish the regular season with the best record in the league.

Expect the Celtics to continue rolling, playing five of their last six at home.

The Next Five:

6. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings (Last week’s ranking: No. 6)
7. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (Last week’s ranking: No. 8)
8. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers (Last week’s ranking: No. 9)
9. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week’s ranking: unranked)
10. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers (Last week’s ranking: No. 10)

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Fantasy Leaders

Joel Embiid is in peak form already

Overtime Thoughts

Hoopgrids

Hoopgrids is a daily basketball trivia game. You cross match each category to find a player that fits both. The rarer the player, the lower the score. The goal is to get the lowest rarity score possible.