Today’s Top Stories

• Detroit beats OKC

• KD has a rough game

• Atlanta barely edges out Toronto

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Box Scores

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Games of the day

Last Nights top games!

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League News

Around the League

• Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid have been named Players of The Week for Week 13.

• Due to the high scoring output from players recently, a debate throughout the NBA world has been sparked. Are players more skilled nowadays, or is the defense just bad? We’ve seen 4 60+ point games in the last week. Now this can partly be attributed to the skill of the players in the league today, cause if you put a Luka Doncic in any other era, he’d probably average 40+ points a game. On the other hand, in the 90’s and 2000’s, final scores rarely got past 100, where today you can see a regulation game easily surpass 140 points. Odds are it’s a mixture of both, players are just much more skilled today, as well as there being less of a focus on defense.

• In other news: Hawks-Raptors had a wild ending, and Ben Mathurin had a NASTY poster.

• Injury Updates: Desmond Bane (ankle) will miss 6 weeks. Marcus Smart (finger) will be out 6 weeks. Chris Paul underwent surgery on his left hand and will miss 4-6 weeks. De’Andre Hunter (knee) will be out at least 2 weeks. Gabe Vincent (knee) will be out 4-6 weeks. Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee) will both be out for at least 2 more weeks. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) underwent surgery and will be out 8-10 weeks. Ben Simmons (nerves) will miss 2+ weeks. 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

• Miami traded Kyle Lowry and a 1st round pick for Terry Rozier. Indiana traded Jordan Nwora and Bruce Brown for Pascal Siakam. Look for more moves sooner than later with veterans like Malcolm Brogdon looking to be moved in the coming weeks.

• The Golden State Warriors are reportedly looking to clean house. Everyone not named Steph Curry is available for trade, and they’re hoping to be be able to move on from Andrew Wiggins and acquire “an offensive minded 7 footer.”

• The Los Angeles Lakers are linked to literally everyone, including but not limited to: Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Andre Drummond, Bruce Brown, Dejounte Murray, Tyus Jones, Collin Sexton, Dennis Schroeder, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Miles Bridges

• The Free Agent market is still deep with vets like DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Austin Rivers, 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.

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NBA MVP Race

1. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 36.0 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 5.8 apg

His case: Unbelievably, the reigning MVP started the week accomplishing a feat many thought they’d never witness by breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s franchise record for scoring with a career-high 70 points against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

Just when we thought Embiid’s grip on the top spot was loosening, he squeezed tighter. But it’s worth noting he sat out the fourth quarter of Thursday’s loss at Indiana due to knee soreness.

2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 26.3 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 9.0 apg

His case: Denver finished a five-game road trip 3-2 absorbing a beatdown Thursday at New York despite the two-time MVP logging 31 points and 11 assists. Jokic was named an All-Star starter Thursday for the fourth straight year, joining Alex English as the only other Nugget to be picked to start in four All-Star games.

Jokic and the Nuggets return home Saturday to host Embiid and the 76ers as part of Rivals Week.

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 31.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.4 apg

His case: Scored 16 of his 32 points against the Spurs on Wednesday in the third quarter in piecing together his league-best 32^nd 30-point game of the season. Finishing with 10 assists in that contest, the 25-year-old notched his sixth double-double, after accomplishing that feat last season just three times.

The Thunder have won four in a row, with three victories on the road and another two away games on tap.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 31.3 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 6.2 apg

His case: The eye-popping scoring and rebounding jump off the page initially, but Antetokounmpo is also averaging a career-high 6.2 assists while shooting a career-best 60.5% from the field. No player has averaged 30-plus points per game in a season on 60% shooting.

But expect an adjustment period with new coach Rivers in the fold. That’s where the veteran’s leadership should kick in to carry this experienced squad that’s expected to seriously contend.

5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last week’s ranking: No. 6

Season stats: 27.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 4.4 apg

His case: The five-time All-Star has kept his head down and stayed on the grind all season, blasting Doncic and the Mavericks for 39 points and 11 rebounds on Monday only to follow up Thursday with 26 points and eight rebounds in a dominating win over Miami.

It’s clear Tatum and the Celtics are fed up with falling short so many times in recent years.

The Next Five:

6. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks (Last week: No. 5)
7. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings (Last week: No. 7)
8. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (Last week: unranked)
9. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers (Last week: No. 10)
10. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (Last week: unranked)

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Fantasy Leaders

Jalen Duren makes his Top 3 debut

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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NBA All Star 2024