Top Stories

• 4 Clippers drop 20+ in a team effort

• Scoot has had back-to-back career games

• James Harden reaches 14th on the All Time Scoring list

• NBA All Star 2025 voting is live!

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Games of the day

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

Norman Powell scored 22 points, James Harden added 21 points and 12 assists and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 116-102 in the Lakers' first visit to the new Intuit Dome. Kawhi Leonard had 19 points and Ivica Zubac had 21 points and 19 rebounds for the Clippers in the first meeting of the season between the former hallway rivals at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. James had 25 points and 11 assists and Rui Hachimura added 19 points. Anthony Davis had 16 points and 10 rebounds in his return after missing a game with plantar fasciitis. The Lakers two-game winning streak ended. Leonard tied his season high playing 24 minutes but none in the fourth as he continued under a minutes restriction in his fifth game of the season. He scored eight in a row to surpass 14,000 career points in the third, when the Clippers built their biggest lead of 26 points.

Scoot Henderson had 25 points and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped five-game losing streak with a 113-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Zach LaVine had 27 points for the Bulls. They have lost five straight. Portland stretched its lead to 97-82 on Shaedon Sharpe's 3-pointer with 7 mins left. Patrick Williams' dunk got the Bulls within single digits at 110-102 with 1:26 left. Deni Avdija answered with a layup for Portland to end the threat. Sharpe came off the bench for the Blazers after coach Chauncey Billups told him his defense needed to improve to return to a starting role. Sharpe finished with 23 points. The Bulls led by as 15 points in the first half. Henderson made back-to-back 3-pointers that got the Blazers to 43-42. Portland tied it at 45 on Jerami Grant's 3 and it was even at 53 going into the break. Portland, playing the second of a back-to back, pulled ahead early in the second half, leading by as much as 65-57 on Avdija's 3-pointer. Ayo Dosunmu made a 3 for the Bulls that tied it at 75 but Chicago wasn't able to pull in front. Avdija finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. After dropping 39 points last week, Scoot has dropped 4 straight games of 20+ points, he also had 7 rebounds and 8 assists.

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League News

Around the League

• James Harden has long been one of the NBA’s leading scorers, and his climb up the all-time ranks has claimed another level. In the 116-102 victory over the Lakers, Harden passed Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (26,710 points) for 14th on the career scoring list. Harden finished the game with 21 points, four rebounds and 12 assists. He now could pass Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946) by season’s end. It’s very likely that Harden will end up in the Top 10 all time, passing at least Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, and Carmelo Anthony. However high Harden climbs depends on how much longer he plays. He’s obviously no longer playing at his MVP level, but he’s still a 20ppg+ scorer every night, so he can easily put up plenty more points.

• 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. Franz Wagner (oblique) has a tear and will be out at least 4 weeks. 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 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

The Top 3 MVP candidates make the Top 3 today

Overtime Thoughts