Top Stories

• Giannis-less Bucks almost beat Celtics

• Warriors fix woes vs Grizzlies

• Sabonis is underrated

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Games of the day

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

Milwaukee continues to rest Giannis, looking towards making sure he’s healthy for the playoffs, as he’s experiencing hamstring issues. No matter who the Bucks play throughout any of the playoffs, they’ll have the best player in the series as long as Giannis is healthy. The odds of Milwaukee falling out the playoffs while resting Giannis is very slim, so they want him to take as much time as he needs. If last night was any indication, the Bucks will be just fine without him. Although they lost, they hung tough with the best team in the league until the final buzzer. Damian Lillard scored 32, including a 3-pointer in the final second. Bobby Portis had 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, who had won two in a row. Boston proved to be too much, but it’s a good sign for the Bucks to keep it close last night even without their best player.

Stephen Curry reached 300 3-pointers for an NBA-record fifth season and scored only 14 points with four 3s, one of seven Warriors players in double figures as the Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 137-116 on last night. Jonathan Kuminga scored 26 points, Andrew Wiggins added 22 and 10 rebounds and Klay Thompson 23 points off the bench. Chris Paul had a season-high 14 assists, matching the second-most by a player off the bench this season, in the team's 30th game with at least 30 assists. They finished with a season high 43. The real story came from Draymond Green, as per usual. Green, who had tangled with Aldama beneath the Grizzlies basket on the previous play, tried to get in on a Grizzlies huddle and Desmond Bane reached out to restrain him. They each received a technical then shook hands once things calmed down.

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League News

Around the League

• Jalen Green and Jalen Brunson have been named Players of The Week for Week 21.

• The most underrated player in the NBA is officially Domantas Sabonis. Last night he had his 24th triple double of the season, which leads the league. He’s arguably the best player on the current #6 seed in the West, averaging 20/14/8 on the season. Somehow he wasn’t an All-Star, yet the #9 seeded Lakers had 2. Sabonis has recorded at least a double-double in 51 consecutive games, matching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone for the 14th-longest streak in NBA history. he is on track to have his best statistical season yet and leads the league in rebounds, double-doubles, and triple-doubles. In just his third season as a King, he has already stamped his name into the franchise’s history books. He did become only the second player in the Sacramento era to grab at least 25 rebounds in a game, joining Chris Webber. He is also 4 double-doubles away from passing Kevin Love for the longest streak since the NBA/ABA merger. Crazy how a player can be doing so much but get zero love or attention from the media.

• Injury Updates: 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 one month. Evan Mobley (ankle) will miss at least one week. Josh Richardson (shoulder) had surgery and will be out for the season. Russell Westbrook (hand) underwent surgery and is expected back by the playoffs. Scottie Barnes (hand) underwent surgery and will be out 4 weeks. Trae Young (hand) had surgery and will be re-evaluated in 3 weeks. Dyson Daniels (meniscus) will be re-evaluated in 1 week. Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) will miss “several weeks”. Joel Embiid (torn meniscus) will be out for 1-2 months. Julius Randle (shoulder) will be out 2-3 more weeks. Marcus Smart (finger) will be out 1-2 weeks. Gabe Vincent (knee) will be out at least 1 more week. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) underwent surgery and will be out 2-3 weeks. 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 Moves

• Isaiah Thomas was given a 10-day contract by the Phoenix Suns. The Bulls are likely gonna trade Zach LaVine in the offseason. 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. There are a few younger names on the market, like Kevin Porter Jr and Darius Bazley.

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NBA MVP Race

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 26 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 9.2 apg

His case: The defending champions fell right back into their dominating ways coming out of the All-Star break, winning 10 of 11 games heading into this past Friday’s game vs. the Spurs. Over that span, the two-time MVP has averaged a 25-point triple-double while shooting 60.5% from the field.

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 31.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.4 apg

His case: Gilgeous-Alexander produced his 12th showing with 30-plus points in his last 14 outings and his 49th 30-point gem this season as Oklahoma City moved back into pole position in the West. The 25-year-old carved up the Mavericks on Thursday for 31 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 30.8 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6.4 apg

His case: Milwaukee dropped three of its previous four before Thursday’s 114-105 win over the Sixers, a game in which Antetokounmpo scored 13 of his 32 points in the final frame. The performance gave the two-time MVP his fourth-straight game with 30-plus points.

Antetokounmpo has an NBA-leading 31 games this season with 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds. The Bucks moved back into second in the East, but face tough tests up next against Phoenix and Boston.

4. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 34.3 ppg, 9 rpg, 9.8 apg

His case: Although Dallas remains eighth in the West, the Mavericks captured four straight victories before Thursday’s loss to Oklahoma City with Doncic lighting up the scoreboard for triple-doubles in three of those four outings.

He strung together seven consecutive triple-doubles before Wednesday’s win over Golden State. A hamstring injury sidelined the 25-year-old for the loss Thursday in Oklahoma City. The MRI on that left hamstring came back clean, but he’ll be re-evaluated over the weekend.

5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 27 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 4.9 apg 

His case: Tatum helped Boston become the first team to clinch a playoff spot with a 26-point performance Thursday in a win over Phoenix, giving the Celtics their eighth-straight win at home. Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 63 points on 59% shooting as Boston moved to a league-best 30-3 at TD Garden.

When Tatum scores, the Celtics win. Boston owns a record of 19-4 when the 26-year-old racks up 30-plus points.

The Next Five

6. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings (Last week’s ranking: No. 6)
7. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers (Last week’s ranking: No. 7)
8. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (Last week’s ranking: No. 9)
9. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers (Last week’s ranking: No. 8)
10. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (Last week’s ranking: not ranked)

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Fantasy Leaders

Abe Lincoln makes it back to the Top 3

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.