Top Stories

• Embiid returns and drops 31

• Warriors end Wolves 4 game win streak

• Chris Paul passes Jason Kidd to become 2nd all time in assists

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Games of the day

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

Joel Embiid had 31 points and 12 rebounds in his return, Tyrese Maxey got his first career triple-double and the Philadelphia 76ers held on to beat the Chicago Bulls 108-100. Maxey finished with 25 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds. Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. each scored 12 as the Sixers won for the fourth time in five games. Zach LaVine led Chicago with 30 points, and Nikola Vucevic and Coby White each had 13 in the Bulls' second straight loss. Playing in just his fifth game this season, Embiid started slowly, missing his first seven shots. Then, the two-time NBA scoring champion connected on eight of his next 10 in the second quarter for his first 19 points and powered the Sixers to a 62-50 halftime lead. Embiid has missed the last seven games because of knee injuries and a three-game suspension for pushing a reporter. Philadelphia opened a 19-point lead in third quarter before the Bulls narrowed it on a 13-1 run. Chicago closed to within four points twice in the fourth.

Stephen Curry sunk a jumper from nearly halfcourt to beat the third-quarter buzzer and finished with 30 points and eight assists, leading the Golden State Warriors past the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 in the teams' second meeting over three days. Curry found Jonathan Kuminga for a go-ahead dunk with 3 mins to play and hit Buddy Hield for a clutch 3-pointer at the 58-second mark. Hield scored 27 points, including consecutive 3-pointers midway through the third that tied the game at 69 and another that put Golden State ahead. Hield had seven 3s and is one shy of becoming the 17th player in NBA history to reach 2,000. Kuminga had 20 points and seven rebounds. Anthony Edwards scored 27 points as Minnesota's four-game winning streak ended.

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League News

Around the League

• Spurs point guard Chris Paul moved to second on the NBA’s all-time assists list against the New Orleans Pelicans, the franchise where his 20-year career began. The 39-year-old Paul collected his 12,092nd assist on a 3-pointer from Victor Wembanyama. He surpassed Hall of Famer Jason Kidd on the all-time list. John Stockton is the league’s career leader with 15,806 career assists over 19 seasons, all with the Utah Jazz. Paul finished the game with 10 assists, giving him 12,099 in 1,296 games with still more to come. Paul played four seasons in New Orleans, back when the franchise was known as the Hornets, after he was selected with the fourth pick in 2005 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he spent six seasons before moving on to Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Golden State before signing with San Antonio in the offseason.

• Injury Updates: Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out indefinitely, and his recovery might “take longer than expected” according to the team. 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. Paolo Banchero (oblique) has a tear and will be out indefinitely, and re-evaluated in 3-4 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. 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. LaMelo Ball (calf) will be out at least 2 weeks. Franz Wagner (oblique) has a tear and will be out at least 4 weeks. 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: 29.9 ppg, 13.4 rpg, 10.4 apg

His case: The Nuggets are feast or famine with and without the Joker on the floor. That was always the case for much of the last four years, but it is more striking now — Denver’s offensive rating is dead last in the NBA without him and No. 1 with him, same for team field goal percentage.

He’s the only player in the league in the top five in scoring, rebounds and assists, and he also leads the Nuggets in steals. His defense, never as bad as often suggested, is better this season.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last Ladder: No. 4
Season stats: 32.6 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 6.6 apg

His case: He’s on an efficient and productive tear that confirms his place among the NBA greats. With a decision to swap the 3-point shot for the mid-range, Giannis’ shot selection is better and reflected in his 61.6% marksmanship.

He’s among the league’s double-double leaders while applying his usual presence on the defensive end. Giannis is averaging more rebounds than Anthony Davis, more assists than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and more points than anyone.

3. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last Ladder: No. 2
Season stats: 28.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 5.6 apg

His case: Until Wednesday when he missed his first game of the season, Tatum was an ironman while the Celtics saw absences from Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown and even Derrick White. He nearly took down the top-ranked Cavaliers without Brown and White, missing a bunny shot in the final minute. He still leads the defending champs in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals.

In addition to the Friday showdown with the rising Bucks and Giannis, Tatum has another star matchup Saturday with the equally rising Memphis Grizzlies and Ja Morant (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last Ladder: No. 5
Season stats: 29.8 ppg, 6.5 apg, 5.4 rpg

His case: He’s coming off another steady and consistent week which has been his trademark all season, actually. Shai is an automatic 25-30 points on 50% shooting each night, with decent playmaking and closing skills. Book it.

Next Tuesday he’ll face the Mavericks and Luka Dončić. This will be an interesting checkpoint because the Mavs bounced Shai and the top-seeded Thunder from the playoffs last spring in six games. Shai was solid in that series (30 or more points in five games) but didn’t rise to the level of Luka (or Kyrie Irving).

5. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

Last Ladder: Honorable mention
Season stats: 25.2 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 3.0 apg

His case: A hearty top-five welcome to KAT, who’s a difference maker so far for the Knicks, and most nights he’s their go-to guy in big moments. He’s also back at center full-time — he played power forward next to Rudy Gobert in Minnesota the last few seasons — and has the power results to back it up.

Towns leads all East centers in scoring and is averaging a career-high 13.2 rebounds. Oh, and he hasn’t neglected the deep shot, currently at 45%. The Knicks started 5-6; then KAT got comfortable in his new skin and they’ve gone 9-2 since.

The Next 5:

6. Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
7. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
8. Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
9. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
10. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

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Fantasy Leaders

2 straight days at #1 for Jokic

Overtime Thoughts