Top Stories

• Melo drops his 4th straight 40 point game

• Elfrid Payton sets the league high for assists

• Kristaps Porzingis returns for Boston

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Games of the day

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

Franz Wagner scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and the Orlando Magic withstood a 44-point performance by the Hornets' LaMelo Ball to beat short-handed Charlotte 95-84. Mo Wagner and Cole Anthony each had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench, and Jonathan Isaac knocked down three fourth-quarter corner 3s to finish with 11 points for the Magic. Ball, coming off a career-high 50-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, also had nine rebounds and seven assists. Brandon Miller added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who had their four-game home win streak snapped. Ball and Miller also combined for 13 of the Hornets' 27 turnovers. Those giveaways led to 33 Orlando points, and the rest of Charlotte's players combined for just 20 points. Orlando shot just 39% from the field. But Charlotte, missing several players, was only slightly better at 41% and looked out of sync on offense most of the night.

Tyrese Haliburton finished with 34 points and 13 assists and made a season best nine 3-pointers, leading the Indiana Pacers past the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 114-100. Haliburton's tiebreaking 3 with 3:00 to go and Bennedict Mathurin's alley-oop dunk off Haliburton's pass with a minute left finally secured the win. Myles Turner added 17 points, including seven straight during a fourth-quarter flurry that swung the momentum back to the Pacers. Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 24 points, matching his season high. CJ McCollum added 23 points in his first action in nearly a month, and Elfrid Payton dished out a career high 21 assists — the most in an NBA game this season.

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League News

Around the League

• Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porziņgis made his season debut against the LA Clippers on Monday, posting 16 points and six rebounds in over 22 minutes of action. Boston won 126-94. It didn’t take Porzingis long to remind his Boston Celtics teammates what they’ve been missing. Late in the second half, the Clippers were on offense when Kris Dunn drove the baseline and went up for a dunk attempt. He was met at the rim by the outstretched arms of the 7-foot-3 Latvian, who sent it back to the floor with a two-handed block. A few trips later, Porzingis showed off that length on the offensive end, catching an alley-oop from teammate Jaylen Brown that garnered roaring approval from the TD Garden crowd. Porziņgis was expected to miss five to six months after having surgery in June to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon. The former All-Star had the surgery on June 27 and, less than five months later, was back in Boston’s lineup. Last season, Porziņģis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 51.6% overall and 37.5% on 3-pointers in 57 games. Porzingis played in the Celtics’ first four playoff games of 2024, but then suffered a right calf injury that kept him sidelined until Game 1 of the the NBA Finals.

• 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. Dejounte Murray (hand) is confirmed to have fractured it and will return soon. 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. Scottie Barnes (orbital) will miss at least 3 weeks with a fracture. Paolo Banchero (oblique) has a tear and will be out indefinitely, and re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks. Herb Jones (shoulder) will be out for a minimum of 2-4 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. 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, 13.7 rpg, 11.7 apg

His case: Not only has “The Joker” been a steady source of elite-level production for the Nuggets over the last half-dozen years, but durability is also his trademark — he has missed more than 10 games only once in his nine-season career.

We bring this up because he missed last week’s games for personal reasons. That’s not a reason to disqualify him from the top spot yet — it’s too premature to make that an issue with such a strong contender. Besides, even with that, if the ballots were cast right now, the betting money is he’d win the popular vote anyway.

2. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last Ladder: No. 2
Season stats: 29.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 5.9 apg

His case: Over the last week, he came a rebound shy of a triple-double, won another game on a buzzer-beater (he took an extra step) then chopped down the previously unbeaten Cavaliers. It’s hard to top that stretch, which is why Tatum is pushing hard to be the MVP front-runner.

Tatum is posting averages this season that are superior to his career averages, in points, rebounds, assists, steals and 3-pointers made. About that last stat: Tatum is not only a volume-deep shooter, but he’s making over four per game now, roughly the same as Stephen Curry. He’s a hard check everywhere on the floor.

3. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

Last Ladder: No. 5
Season stats: 31.3 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg

His case: He dropped 40 on the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, then followed up the next night with 31 and 14 against his tortured former team, the Pelicans. What’s commendable is how Davis is playing hurt, dealing with plantar fasciitis and a sore eye.

While we can admit the Lakers are still making a commotion about LeBron James defying age once again and rookie Dalton Knecht — and rightly so. Their early-season surge is mainly due to Davis’ forceful and MVP-worthy start.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last Ladder: No. 7
Season stats: 32.1 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 6.1 apg

His case: Nobody with a straight face can accuse Antetokounmpo of being a stat-compiler. Yes, he’s on a disappointing team — so far. But that’s not because of him. He’s averaging over 30 points on 60% shooting — nobody besides him has ever done that for a full season in NBA history. He leads the league in 40-point games and has the highest-scoring quarter. And he’s No. 5 in rebounds per game in the league.

As for defense — did you see his block in the final seconds that led to Damian Lillard’s game-winner vs. the Rockets? Do you think there are four players in the NBA right now having better seasons, especially at both ends?

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last Ladder: No. 4
Season stats: 28.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.3 apg

His case: Sure and steady, Gilgeous-Alexander has played well over the last week despite losses to the Spurs and Mavericks. He had a combined 68 points and 15 assists in those games.

Even with those stumbles, OKC remains near the top of the Western Conference. This week features road games in Sacramento (and De’Aaron Fox) and Golden State (against Curry). There are few (if any) point guards playing better than those three right now, and it’s no surprise they’re top 10 in this Ladder.

The Next Five:

6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
7. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
8. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
9. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
10. De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings

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Fantasy Leaders

Tyrese looks like himself again

Overtime Thoughts