Top Stories

• New York mops the floor with Orlando

• Giannis drops 28 points on 90% shooting

• Has time finally caught up to LeBron?

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Games of the day

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

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 to reach the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. New York went 4-0 in East Group A and will host Atlanta on Dec. 11. Orlando (3-1) advanced as the East wild card and will travel to Milwaukee. Mikal Bridges had 19 points and Josh Hart added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have won their last three games and eight of their last 10. Franz Wagner finished with 30 points while Moritz Wagner had 20 off the bench for the Magic, who had their six-game winning streak snapped. The Magic needed only to lose by no more than 37 points to advance via tiebreaker. New York led by 36-26 at the end of the first quarter and led by as many as 22 points in the second before going into the half with a 71-51 lead.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points and Damian Lillard had 27, lifting the surging Milwaukee Bucks to a 128-107 win over the Detroit Pistons and into the NBA Cup quarterfinals. The Bucks, who won East Group B with a 4-0 record, have won seven straight and nine of 10. Detroit was eliminated from the NBA Cup, dropping to 3-1 in the tournament. Cade Cunningham scored 23 points, Tobias Harris had 16, Tim Hardaway scored 15 and Jalen Duren added 11 for the Pistons. Milwaukee's Gary Trent Jr. scored 16 points, Bobby Portis and Taurean Prince each scored 14 and A.J. Green added 11. The hot-shooting Bucks led 36-31 after the first quarter and were ahead 78-59 at halftime in a game that simply wasn't competitive. Antetokounmpo rested in the fourth quarter, after making 10 of 11 shots in 28 minutes. He also had eight assists and seven rebounds after having a triple-double in three of his previous six games.

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League News

Around the League

• LeBron James is in quite the shooting slump — especially from long distance.

  James missed all four of his 3-point attempts for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 109-80 loss at Minnesota, stretching his skid to 0-for-19 from deep over the last four games. After going 4-for-16 from the floor overall with six of his team’s 20 turnovers for a season-low 10 points against the Timberwolves. James, the four-time NBA MVP, average of 22 points per game is his lowest since he was a rookie 21 years ago. James hasn’t made a 3-pointer since he tied Kyle Korver for seventh on the league’s career list (2,450) last week. His fourth attempt against the Timberwolves from behind the arc was an air ball, causing an audible gasp from the crowd at Target Center.

• Injury Updates: Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out indefinitely, and his recovery might “take longer than expected” according to the team. Khris Middleton (ankle) will miss longer than expected. 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. Herb Jones (shoulder) will be out for a minimum of 2-3 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. 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: 29.7 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 10.6 apg

His case: After a signature 34-point, 13-rebound effort in a win over the Lakers, “The Joker” and the Nuggets had a momentary stumble and were humbled in a blowout loss to the Knicks.

Afterward, Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenged him to respond, and Jokić did so with a 30-point takedown of the Jazz. He remains among the league leaders in points, rebounds and assists.

2. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last Ladder: No. 2
Season stats: 28.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.8 apg

His case: Another steady week for Tatum secures the runner-up position for now. The only drawback was his efficiency as he missed all 10 of his 3-pointers in a win over the Wizards.

Even when he struggles with his shooting, Tatum manages to find other ways to contribute. His rebounding average is high for a small forward, and over his last five games, he’s nearly averaging a double-double.

3. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

Last Ladder: No. 3
Season stats: 29.2 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg

His case: He had a humbling matchup against Jokić last week when he shot poorly, scored just 14 points and delivered his first substandard game of the season in a loss to the Nuggets. That it happened against the MVP favorite only magnified that situation.

Still: Davis followed up with a pair of double-doubles and overall this season is impacting both ends of the floor far better than most. He’d better watch out, though, because No. 4 on this list is threatening a takeover.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last Ladder: No. 4
Season stats: 32.4 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 6.4 apg

His case: Antetokounmpo exits Thanksgiving as the league’s leading scorer, making 60% of his shots on high volume, which is incredibly impressive. In the two games since the last Ladder, he scored 69 points combined with 21 rebounds to lead the Bucks’ seasonable comeback from a 2-8 start.

The schedule gets easier; between now and Jan. 10, Milwaukee only has two games against teams (Boston and Cleveland) currently with a winning record. If the Bucks keep surging, their win-loss record won’t be held against Giannis anymore.

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last Ladder: No. 5
Season stats: 29.5 ppg, 6.4 apg, 1.7 spg

His case: Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 or more points in four of his last five games, proving his high-level consistency is thriving. It doesn’t hurt that OKC remains at the top of the West, partly helped by Shai’s 35 points Wednesday to hold off the No. 3 Warriors.

He failed to score at least 20 points only once this season, and that came in an easy win over the Spurs where OKC really didn’t need much from him.

The Next 5:

6. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
7. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
8. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
9. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
10. LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

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Fantasy Leaders

PG has his best game of the season

Overtime Thoughts