Top Stories

• Jokic drops 20/20/10 game in a loss

• Kuminga sets career high with 33

• Khris Middleton set to return tonight

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Games of the day

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

Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, Darius Garland added 24 and the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 13-1 at home with a 126-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets, who wasted a triple-double by Nikola Jokic. The Cavs made a season-high 22 3-pointers and extended their streak of making at least 10 3s to a club record 28 games dating to last season. Cleveland outscored Denver 66-18 from behind the arc. Jokic had 27 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists, giving him his 139th career triple-double — one more than Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Jokic only trails Oscar Robertson (181) and teammate Russell Westbrook (200) on the career list. Caris LeVert added 21 points off the bench, Evan Mobley scored 20 and Jarrett Allen had 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which improved to 5-0 against Western Conference teams. Michael Porter Jr. scored 24 and Jamal Murray 19 for the Nuggets.

Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 33 points and made two crucial layups over the final 1:04, and the Golden State Warriors snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Houston Rockets 99-93 on Thursday night. Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and Brandin Podziemski grabbed 12 rebounds for the Warriors in the opening game of a home back-to-back. Golden State was missing starters Stephen Curry and Draymond Green because of injuries — Curry out to manage his painful knees and Green nursing tightness in his left calf. Both are likely to return Friday. Wiggins had been questionable with an tweak in his right ankle. Alperen Sengun had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead Houston. Warriors nemesis Dillon Brooks started 1 for 6 and missed his initial four 3-point attempts before finishing with 15 points.

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League News

Around the League

• Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton is expected to make his 2024-25 debut Friday after missing the Bucks’ first 21 games while recovering from offseason surgeries to each of his ankles. The Bucks released an injury report Thursday that listed the three-time All-Star as probable for the night road game with the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday that Middleton had participated in a five-on-five practice session that morning. Doc was speaking before a 119-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks that snapped a seven-game winning streak. Middleton appeared in just 33 games in 2022-23 and 55 games last season due to various injuries. A sprained MCL caused him to miss the Bucks’ final 10 playoff games in 2022. He remains productive when healthy. Middleton averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds during the 2023-24 regular season. When two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the Bucks’ first-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers, Middleton took over a greater role and averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists over the six-game series.

• Injury Updates: Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out indefinitely, and his recovery might “take longer than expected” according to the team. 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. Paolo Banchero (oblique) has a tear and will be out indefinitely, and re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks. Herb Jones (shoulder) will be out for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Isaiah Jackson (achilles) will be out for the season. Jeremy Sochan (thumb) underwent surgery to repair a fracture and will be out indefinitely. Aaron Gordon (hamstring) will miss multiple weeks. Zion Williamson (hamstring) will be out multiple weeks. Chet Holmgren (hip) suffered a fracture and will be out 8-10 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. LaMelo Ball (calf) will be out at least 2 weeks. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

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NBA MVP Ladder

1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Last Ladder: No. 1
Season stats: 29.7 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 10.6 apg

His case: After a signature 34-point, 13-rebound effort in a win over the Lakers, “The Joker” and the Nuggets had a momentary stumble and were humbled in a blowout loss to the Knicks.

Afterward, Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenged him to respond, and Jokić did so with a 30-point takedown of the Jazz. He remains among the league leaders in points, rebounds and assists.

2. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last Ladder: No. 2
Season stats: 28.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.8 apg

His case: Another steady week for Tatum secures the runner-up position for now. The only drawback was his efficiency as he missed all 10 of his 3-pointers in a win over the Wizards.

Even when he struggles with his shooting, Tatum manages to find other ways to contribute. His rebounding average is high for a small forward, and over his last five games, he’s nearly averaging a double-double.

3. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

Last Ladder: No. 3
Season stats: 29.2 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg

His case: He had a humbling matchup against Jokić last week when he shot poorly, scored just 14 points and delivered his first substandard game of the season in a loss to the Nuggets. That it happened against the MVP favorite only magnified that situation.

Still: Davis followed up with a pair of double-doubles and overall this season is impacting both ends of the floor far better than most. He’d better watch out, though, because No. 4 on this list is threatening a takeover.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last Ladder: No. 4
Season stats: 32.4 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 6.4 apg

His case: Antetokounmpo exits Thanksgiving as the league’s leading scorer, making 60% of his shots on high volume, which is incredibly impressive. In the two games since the last Ladder, he scored 69 points combined with 21 rebounds to lead the Bucks’ seasonable comeback from a 2-8 start.

The schedule gets easier; between now and Jan. 10, Milwaukee only has two games against teams (Boston and Cleveland) currently with a winning record. If the Bucks keep surging, their win-loss record won’t be held against Giannis anymore.

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last Ladder: No. 5
Season stats: 29.5 ppg, 6.4 apg, 1.7 spg

His case: Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 or more points in four of his last five games, proving his high-level consistency is thriving. It doesn’t hurt that OKC remains at the top of the West, partly helped by Shai’s 35 points Wednesday to hold off the No. 3 Warriors.

He failed to score at least 20 points only once this season, and that came in an easy win over the Spurs where OKC really didn’t need much from him.

The Next 5:

6. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
7. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
8. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
9. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
10. LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

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Fantasy Leaders

Ayo drops a triple double to take the top spot

Overtime Thoughts