Top Stories

• Celtics barely beat Wolves

• Cam Thomas is playing incredible

• Clippers keep rolling, even without Kawhi

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Games of the day

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

Jaylen Brown dropped 29 points, including 5 3’s in the first 6 minutes of the game, and the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-105. Jayson Tatum added 26, and Derrick White added 19. Boston led for the majority of the game, and despite the Wolves keeping it close, the championship DNA really shined for the Celtics. Anthony Edwards had 28/9/7, and Rudy Gobert had a bounce back game with 10 pts and 20 boards. Naz Reid, who has struggled in the last few games, had a chance to win it at the buzzer with a 3, but wasn’t able to make the clutch shot. He went 1-6 on 3's for the game.

Cam Thomas scored 34 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Kings 108-103 in Nets coach Jordi Fernandez's return to Sacramento. Fernandez served as the Kings’ associate coach the last two seasons under his mentor, Sacramento coach Mike Brown. The Nets' 19-point first-half lead evaporated, but with the score tied at 88-all after three quarters, they held the Kings to 15 points in the fourth. With the Nets up 107-102, neither team made a field goal in the last two minutes, with the Kings missing their last five attempts. Thomas had nine points in the fourth. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 31 points. Brooklyn was without starting guard Dennis Schroder (right ankle soreness), and forward Noah Clowney, who had 18 points, left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent left ankle injury. A young Nets team showed resilience in answering in the fourth quarter after blowing the lead. Brooklyn's bench outscored Sacramento's bench 44-9.

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League News

Around the League

• James Harden had 23 points and eight assists, Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 12 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers coasted to a 125-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers fell to 3-13, an improbable record for a team that opened the season as a strong betting favorite to win the Eastern Conference. The Sixers played again without injured All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, both out with knee injuries. Harden was booed every time he touched the ball by Sixers fans who have not forgotten how he left the team in a lurch when he demanded a trade ahead of the 2023 season. The Clippers shot around 60% from the floor for most of the game and helped empty the arena early of Sixers fans with plenty of time to catch the Eagles' kickoff later that night. The Clippers won their fifth straight game and have a modest winning record (4-3) on the road.

• Injury Updates: Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out indefinitely, and his recovery might “take longer than expected” according to the team. Kristaps Porzingis (foot) is still recovering from offseason surgery and will miss some games. Khris Middleton (ankle) will miss longer than expected. Dejounte Murray (hand) is confirmed to have fractured it and will miss a few weeks. 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. Scottie Barnes (orbital) will miss at least 3 weeks with a fracture. Paolo Banchero (oblique) has a tear and will be out indefinitely, and re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks. Herb Jones (shoulder) will be out for a minimum of 2-4 weeks. CJ McCollum (adductor) will miss at least 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. Ja Morant (hip) will be be out at least 2 weeks. Kevin Durant (calf) 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. 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, 13.7 rpg, 11.7 apg

His case: Not only has “The Joker” been a steady source of elite-level production for the Nuggets over the last half-dozen years, but durability is also his trademark — he has missed more than 10 games only once in his nine-season career.

We bring this up because he missed last week’s games for personal reasons. That’s not a reason to disqualify him from the top spot yet — it’s too premature to make that an issue with such a strong contender. Besides, even with that, if the ballots were cast right now, the betting money is he’d win the popular vote anyway.

2. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last Ladder: No. 2
Season stats: 29.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 5.9 apg

His case: Over the last week, he came a rebound shy of a triple-double, won another game on a buzzer-beater (he took an extra step) then chopped down the previously unbeaten Cavaliers. It’s hard to top that stretch, which is why Tatum is pushing hard to be the MVP front-runner.

Tatum is posting averages this season that are superior to his career averages, in points, rebounds, assists, steals and 3-pointers made. About that last stat: Tatum is not only a volume-deep shooter, but he’s making over four per game now, roughly the same as Stephen Curry. He’s a hard check everywhere on the floor.

3. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

Last Ladder: No. 5
Season stats: 31.3 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg

His case: He dropped 40 on the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, then followed up the next night with 31 and 14 against his tortured former team, the Pelicans. What’s commendable is how Davis is playing hurt, dealing with plantar fasciitis and a sore eye.

While we can admit the Lakers are still making a commotion about LeBron James defying age once again and rookie Dalton Knecht — and rightly so. Their early-season surge is mainly due to Davis’ forceful and MVP-worthy start.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last Ladder: No. 7
Season stats: 32.1 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 6.1 apg

His case: Nobody with a straight face can accuse Antetokounmpo of being a stat-compiler. Yes, he’s on a disappointing team — so far. But that’s not because of him. He’s averaging over 30 points on 60% shooting — nobody besides him has ever done that for a full season in NBA history. He leads the league in 40-point games and has the highest-scoring quarter. And he’s No. 5 in rebounds per game in the league.

As for defense — did you see his block in the final seconds that led to Damian Lillard’s game-winner vs. the Rockets? Do you think there are four players in the NBA right now having better seasons, especially at both ends?

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last Ladder: No. 4
Season stats: 28.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.3 apg

His case: Sure and steady, Gilgeous-Alexander has played well over the last week despite losses to the Spurs and Mavericks. He had a combined 68 points and 15 assists in those games.

Even with those stumbles, OKC remains near the top of the Western Conference. This week features road games in Sacramento (and De’Aaron Fox) and Golden State (against Curry). There are few (if any) point guards playing better than those three right now, and it’s no surprise they’re top 10 in this Ladder.

The Next Five:

6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
7. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
8. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
9. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
10. De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings

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Fantasy Leaders

Ty Jerome won’t ever be back up here, there wasn’t even a current picture of him

Overtime Thoughts