Top Stories

• LeBron hits 40k points, creates a club only he’s a part of

• Jokic dismantles Lakers

• Rockets/Suns was chaotic

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Games of the day

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

LeBron became the first and only player to score 40k points in their NBA career. He was the youngest player to reach each career scoring milestone, from 1k all the way up to 40k. James reached the milestone on a layup in the 2nd quarter, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation for it. Unfortunately for the Lakers, that was the only positive for the night. MVP favorite Nikola Jokic picked them apart, finishing with 35/10/7. Part of Joker’s high scoring night was the questionable defensive scheme, choosing to guard him with Rui Hachimura one on one, with AD roaming in the paint. You can’t have 2 players commit to the Joker though, as his vision will always allow him to make the correct pass. So guarding Jokic one on one with a defender 5 inches shorter than him didn’t seem like the best of ideas. The Lakers need to get it together, cause at this rate, they may be on the outside looking in when it comes playoff time.

Bradley Beal cut his return from injury short, by getting into a shoving match with Jalen Green. Beal seemed frustrated with Green’s physical defense and ended up taking it out on Green. Along with the Beal ejection, Devin Booker went down with an ankle injury with the Suns down 6 with around 1 minute to go. The severity of the injury is unknown, but Book might miss some time. This season hasn’t gone according to plan for Phoenix, as they’ve been plagued with injuries all year. Hopefully they can all get healthy by playoff time for their sake.

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League News

Around the League

• Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell have been named Players of The Week for Week 16.

• LeBron and LA continue to have nights where they have records be broken and they proceed to lose each and every game. When he passed Michael Jordan in scoring, he was on the losing side to the Nuggets. He also lost on the nights he passed Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem being the night when he became the all time NBA leader in scoring. They lost the first game after Kobe died, they lost on Mamba day, and they lost on the day Kobe’s statue was revealed. For a team that’s supposed to be hollywood, it seems like the lights can be too bright for this Lakers team more often than not. The Playoffs are the biggest stage of all, so will LeBron and AD be able to take this team anywhere?

• Injury Updates: Tari Eason (leg) had surgery and will be out for the season. Russell Westbrook (hand) is out indefinitely. Scottie Barnes (hand) is out indefinitely. Trae Young (hand) had surgery and will be re-evaluated in 4 weeks. Dyson Daniels (meniscus) will be re-evaluated in 3 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 weeks. Desmond Bane (ankle) will miss 3-5 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. 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

• The Lakers signed Harry Giles lll. The Knicks signed Shake Milton. The Timberwolves signed TJ Warren. The Free Agent market is still deep with vets like Nerlens Noel, 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. 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. The loss at San Antonio tipped off a four-game road trip that continues today at Phoenix (9:30 ET, ESPN).

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.

But pay attention to the maturity and focus Tatum is displaying. After nationally televised matchups with Dallas and Golden State, Boston hits the road for its next five games.

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

Jokic and MPJ are the latest teammates in the Top 3

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.