Top Stories

• Luka outduels Ant

• Joker drops an all time statline just to beat Brooklyn

• Steph-less Warriors beat Pelicans

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Games of the day

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

Kyrie Irving scored 16 of his 35 points in the third quarter, Luka Doncic had a late surge which included an impossible shot to end up with 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks held off the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-114 in the first rematch of last season's Western Conference finals. Anthony Edwards had 24 of his 37 points in the first quarter to set a franchise record, going 7 for 13 from 3-point range. He also somehow went just 6 for 12 from the free-throw line. Doncic left his on the game with a near halfcourt heave with 1:04 left to stretch the lead to eight points, jawing at fans as he jogged back to the bench after a timeout. That was his only make in eight tries from three. P.J. Washington added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, After beating Utah 110-102 at home. Doncic went 5 for 22 from the floor and 1 for 9 from three for 15 points against the Jazz. Julius Randle had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Timberwolves.

Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists, becoming only the second player in NBA history to reach those totals in a game, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Brooklyn Nets 144-139 in overtime. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon each scored 24 points for the Nuggets, while Russell Westbrook added 22. Dennis Schroder scored 28 points for Brooklyn, which led by 17 in the second quarter. Cam Thomas scored 26 and Cam Johnson had 20. Nic Claxton added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Thomas gave the Nets a 127-125 lead with the first basket of overtime, but the Nuggets scored the next eight points and led the rest of the way. Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, who did it twice, is the only other player to have at least 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists in a game.

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League News

Around the League

• Buddy Hield scored a season-best 28 points, Brandin Podziemski had 19 points and fueled a furious second-half comeback, and the Golden State Warriors rallied from 17 down to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-106. Zion Williamson had a season-high 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting and eight rebounds for New Orleans. Brandon Ingram scored 30 points. Jonathan Kuminga, who started the first three games for Golden State but was only averaging 8.0 points on 33.3% shooting, came off the bench to score 17. Backup guard Lindy Waters III had 21 points and nine rebounds in his best game yet for Golden State. The short-handed Warriors needed the best from everybody with starters Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins sidelined. Curry missed the game with a sprained left ankle he injured on Sunday against the Clippers. He is set to be re-evaluated Friday. Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton also each sat out with lower back strains.

• Injury Updates: Joel Embiid (conditioning) will be re-evaluated later this week to see when he can make his debut. Paul George (knee) hyperextended it during the preseason, and will be re-evaluated later this week. Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out indefinitely, and his recovery might “take longer than expected” according to the team. Kristaps Porzingis (foot) is still recovering from offseason surgery and will miss some games. Khris Middleton (ankle) will miss a few games. Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) will be re-evaluated in 5-6 weeks with a fracture. Dejounte Murray (hand) is confirmed to have fractured it and will miss a few weeks. James Wiseman tore his achilles and will be out indefinitely. Brandon Miller (hamstring) will be re-evaluated in 1 week. Stephen Curry (ankle) rolled it and will be re-evaluated on Friday. Taylor Hendricks (leg and ankle) suffered a fractured fibia and dislocated ankle and will be out for the season. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

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Fantasy Leaders

Dennis Schroder makes his Top 3 debut

Overtime Thoughts