Top Stories

• Giannis-less Bucks beat Clippers

• Kings blow lead to Bulls

• Lakers handle OKC at home

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Games of the day

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

With Giannis being a late scratch from this game due to achilles soreness, most people watching this game (myself included) expected Dame to have an empty stats game where he dropped 40+ and the Bucks got blown out. Instead, Dame dropped his 40+, and the Bucks outscored the Clippers 40-25 in the 4th quarter. This is the scrappyness that the Bucks will need for the next few games, as Giannis will likely be taking some rest games to avoid a KD situation with his achilles.

DeMar saw what LeBron did last week and decided to copy him. In a 4th quarter comeback against the Kings, DeRozan scored 19 points, while the Kings as a team scored 18. Coby White continued his hot streak, dropping 37 points and 7 assists on 14-19 shooting. He SHOULD be at least a finalist for the Most Improved Player award, and it’s coming down to a 2 man race between him and Tyrese Maxey.

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League News

Around the League

• LeBron James and Jaylen Brown have been named Players of The Week for Week 19.

• Every young team has to go through some growing pains before really making any noise in the league. The Russ-KD-Harden Thunder had to lose for 3 straight years before making a finals run (and still losing). The Warriors also got bounced for 3 seasons before breaking through to become a dynasty. This year’s Thunder team is likely no different. Last night against the Lakers they had their biggest weakness shown on National TV. Any team with a skilled player 6’10 or above that can play in the paint will DOMINATE them. Their center rotation is Chet Holmgren who MIGHT weigh 200 pounds, Mike Muscala who can’t guard a parked car, and Bismack Biyombo who just got signed there last week. Most of the top teams, minus the Clippers, have All Star level bigs that are going to wreak havoc on the interior vs OKC. The Wolves, Nuggets, Kings, Lakers, Pelicans, and Suns all have forwards or centers who match up quite well with OKC. The Clippers and Warriors have their ultra small ball lineups that might just run Holmgren and the other Thunder bigs with off the floor. This year might be one of those learning years for this young Thunder squad, but only time will tell.

• Injury Updates: Russell Westbrook (hand) underwent surgery and is expected back by the playoffs. Scottie Barnes (hand) is out indefinitely. Trae Young (hand) had surgery and will be re-evaluated in 3 weeks. Dyson Daniels (meniscus) will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks. OG Anunoby (elbow) will miss 2+ weeks. Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) will miss “several weeks”. Joel Embiid (torn meniscus) will be out for 1-2 months. Julius Randle (shoulder) will be out 2-3 more weeks. Desmond Bane (ankle) will miss 2-4 weeks. Marcus Smart (finger) will be out 3 weeks. Gabe Vincent (knee) will be out at least 3 more weeks. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) underwent surgery and will be out 2-5 weeks. Tari Eason (leg) had surgery and will be out for the season. Patrick Williams (foot) had surgery and will be out for the season. Zach LaVine (foot) underwent surgery and will be out for the season. 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

• Kelly Olynyk got a 2 year, $26.25M extension from the Toronto Raptors. The Free Agent market is still deep with vets like Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel, Isaiah Thomas, Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Austin Rivers, Montrezl Harrell (he’ll be out for a few more months), and John Wall ready to contribute to winning or to mentor young guys. Joe Harris, Victor Oladipo, and Killian Hayes were all cut or waived by their teams and are available to be signed. 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. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 25.8 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 9.3 apg

His case: Four-straight triple-doubles propelled four consecutive victories for Denver headed into Thursday’s win against Miami. Nuggets coach Michael Malone passed off to Jokic some well-earned hardware Wednesday after the two-time MVP bolstered his triple-double with three steals.

He recently joined Westbrook as the only players since 1997-98 to post a triple-double before the fourth quarter in at least four consecutive games. All told, Jokic is spearheading Denver’s push to seize the West.

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 31.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.5 apg

His case: The battle between rookies Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama caught all the eyeballs, but Gilgeous-Alexander remains the real headliner, despite OKC falling to the Spurs.

The 25-year-old continues to drop 30 points like it’s nothing. He’s now up to seven straight 30-point outings, and his 44 games with 30-plus points leads the NBA.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 30.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6.3 apg

His case: We’re starting to see Milwaukee settle in under new coach Doc Rivers, and we can’t diminish Antetokounmpo’s role on the team. The two-time MVP is putting together his best shooting month of the season and he’s draining a career-high from the field by a longshot.

The Bucks have a long way to go to catch Boston for No. 1 in the East, but second place is within reach.

4. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 27 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 4.9 apg

His case: Yes, the Celtics are loaded. But teams gear up every night to shut down Tatum, and he consistently finds ways to lead Boston to victories. We listed the statistical credentials above and mentioned the fact Boston owns a sizeable lead in the Eastern Conference standings.

5. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 34.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 9.7 apg

His case: Sorry Mavs fans, but the standings matter. The NBA’s leading scorer, Doncic dropped a 30-point triple-double (his 11th of the season) Wednesday on his 25th birthday to pace a 136-125 win at Toronto.

We understand he’s scored 25-plus in nine straight games. But flashy highlights and massive numbers aside, Doncic needs to lift Dallas out of Play-In Tournament territory to climb near the top of this list.

The next five

6. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings (Last ranking: T-6)
7. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers (Last ranking: No. 8)
8. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers (Last ranking: No. 10)
9. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers (Last ranking: T-6)
10. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (Last ranking: No. 9)

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Fantasy Leaders

Coby White and Jordan Clarkson make their 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.