Top Stories

• Celtics crush Mavs

• Cleveland keeps rolling

• Herb Jones put on a defensive MASTERCLASS

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Games of the day

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

A duel between MVP candidates was completely overshadowed and washed away by the fact that Boston beat Dallas by 28. Luka and Tatum had themselves impressive games, with Doncic dropping 37/12/11 and Jayson dropping 32/8. The TD Garden crowd still hasn’t forgotten about the Kyrie saga either, booing Irving and chanting “Kyrie Sucks” during his off night. Boston continues to play head and shoulders above every other team in the league, currently on a 10 game win streak, and that’s likely to continue.

The Cavs continue to have their best success since LeBron left, currently tied for the 2 seed with Milwaukee. The players that missed time with injury are rounding back into shape, with Darius Garland dropping 29 points on 8-12 shooting from 3. Evan Mobley had a stat packed game, with 22/17/7 to go along with 2 steals and 2 blocks. Even with Donovan Mitchell missing a game or two, Cleveland has enough firepower to keep winning. Once Mitchell returns, the Cavs need to lock in offensively if they want to avoid another 1st round knockout like last year.

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League News

Around the League

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

• Herb Jones should be on an All Defensive team this year. Jones and Dyson Daniels are one of, if not the best, perimeter defensive duo in the league (Ant Man and McDaniels are up there too). Although Jones’ impact isn’t always shown on the stat sheet (he actually has multiple 5+ steal games), his defensive ability is always visible. Last night he held All Star guard Tyrese Haliburton to ZERO points on 0-7 shooting in a blowout of the Pacers. 9 times out of 10 he is the one who guards the other teams best perimeter player, whether it’s KD, Steph, Luka, etc. He plays the passing lanes, contests without fouling, and recovers to help teammates who get beat. His defensive highlight reel is ELITE.

• Injury Updates: 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 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 Sunday 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

Giannis had a monster game last night

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.