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Milwaukee and Phoenix move on!

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This old man will NOT go away

League News

• De’Aaron Fox and Julius Randle have been named Players of The Week for Week 6.

• The Lakers and Bucks have punched their ticket to the semi finals in Vegas. Milwaukee thrashed the Knicks, and the Lakers narrowly beat the Suns thanks to an INCREDIBLY questionable call at the end of the game. The NBA’s normal schedule picks back up tomorrow, and the semis start back on Thursday. Who’s your pick to win it?

• In other news: The Lakers had some SERIOUS help from the refs

• Injury Updates: Gary Payton ll (torn calf) is out indefinitely. Jalen Johnson (fractured wrist) will be reevaluated in 3-4 weeks. LaMelo Ball’s (ankle) injury was described as “severe”, so expect him to miss some serious time . Jaden McDaniels sprained his ankle and will be reevaluated in 1-2 weeks. Marcus Smart (foot) is expected to miss 3-5 weeks. Bradley Beal (hamstring) will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks. Ben Simmons (nerves) will miss 2+ weeks. Robert Williams underwent knee surgery and will be out for the season. Jae Crowder had surgery for an adductor/abdominal tear and will be out for 8 weeks. Mason Plumlee (MCL) will be out for 2 months. Tyler Herro has an ankle sprain and will be in a boot for 10 days before being re-evaluated. Wendell Carter Jr. suffered a fractured hand and underwent surgery, so he’ll be out for 2-3 weeks. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

Trade News

• The Clippers signed Daniel Theis since Mason Plumlee will be missing time. Look for more moves sooner than later with veterans like Malcolm Brogdon looking to be moved in the coming weeks.

• The Free Agent market is still deep with vets like Isaiah Thomas, Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay, Blake Griffin, Montrezl Harrell (he’ll be out for a few months), and John Wall ready to contribute to winning or to mentor young guys. There are a few younger names on the market, like Kai Jones (yikes), Kevin Porter Jr (yikes again), Sharife Cooper, and Darius Bazley.

NBA MVP Race

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 29 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 9.2 apg

His case: Jokic had 15 of Denver’s 37 assists in Wednesday’s 134-124 win over Houston. The Nuggets’ 37 assists with just three turnovers ranked as the second-most in NBA history by a team committing three or fewer giveaways.

Jokic also earned his seventh triple-double this season in Denver’s third consecutive victory. Of the 28-year-old’s 112 career triple-doubles, 94 have come in games where Jokic shot 50% or better from the field.

2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 32 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 6.6 apg

Setting the stage this week is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid coming off his first triple-double of the season Monday in a 138-94 thumping of the Los Angeles Lakers.

His case: The nightly stat lines are starting to look similar to the ones cranked out by the two-time MVP sitting one spot higher on this list. That’s a credit to Embiid’s willingness to expand his game as a facilitator while trusting the Sixers’ revamped supporting cast.

3. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 31.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 7.9 apg 

His case: Let’s squash the chatter about whether the 24-year-old can co-exist with veteran Kyrie Irving. The duo is thriving, notching three games this season in which each recorded at least 25 points with five assists.

In cooking up a 41-piece in Tuesday’s win over Houston, Doncic became the second player in NBA history to tally multiple games with at least 40 points, nine assists with no turnovers.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 30.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 6.1 apg 

His case: Oklahoma City trailed the Lakers by 14 points yet won by 23 Thursday as Gilgeous-Alexander racked up his league-high 12th game with 30 points or more.

OKC heads to Texas for a two-game road trip at Dallas and Houston. The 25-year-old is averaging 32.4 points on 56.3% FGs, 37.5% from deep and 96.4% from the free-throw line over his last 10 games. That’s consistency.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 9

Season stats: 29.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 4.7 apg

His case: Welcome back. Antetokounmpo started the week passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most games with 30-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in a win Sunday vs. Portland.

Two nights later, Antetokounmpo (33 points) and Damian Lillard (32 points) became the first teammates since 2010 to each score 30-plus points in three straight games. The team’s up-and-down play seems to be evening out, but Thursday’s stunning loss at Chicago is notable.

The Next Five:

6. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers (Last week: No. 7)
7. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics (Last week: No. 5)
8. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (Last week: No. 8)
9. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week: No. 6)
10. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (Last week: No. 10)

🏀Highlights🏀

The highlights from the top games of the night!

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.

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