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An interesting day overall

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I don’t even have words for Luka at this point

League News

• Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been named Players of The Week for Week 8.

• NBA All Star Voting for 2023 is now open! Click here to do your daily vote.

• The NBA Christmas slate was interesting to say the least. Not quite disappointing, but there have been better years (nothing beats 2017). Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler didn’t even play, and most of the other superstars had rough outings. Steph continued the yearly tradition of being horrible on Christmas, ending with 18 points on 7/21 shooting. Nikola Jokic was only 4/12 from the field, but ended up going 18/18 on free throws from several controversial calls. Tyrese Maxey went 4/20 and had only 12 points. LeBron went 5/14 for 16 points, but AD dominated with 40 and 13. Jayson Tatum had an okay game, but not up to his normal standards with 25 points on 6/15 shooting. As per usual, Luka was unstoppable and dropped 50 on the Suns, tyinf him for the 3rd most points in Ch ristmas game history. Hopefully next year we’ll have everyone healthy and some memorable games.

• In other news: Devin Booker and Grant Williams got into it, Jayson Tatum had a funny moment with Derrick White, and Luka hit 10k Career Points.

• Injury Updates: De’Andre Hunter (knee) will be out at least 2 weeks. Gabe Vincent (knee) will be out 6-8 weeks. Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee) will both be out for at least 4 weeks. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) underwent surgery and will be out 8-10 weeks. Gary Payton ll (torn calf) is out indefinitely. Jalen Johnson (fractured wrist) will be reevaluated in 3-4 weeks. LaMelo Ball’s (ankle) injury was described as “severe”, so expect him to miss some serious time. Marcus Smart (foot) is expected to miss 3-5 weeks. Ben Simmons (nerves) will miss 2+ weeks. Robert Williams underwent knee surgery and will be out for the season. Jae Crowder had surgery for an adductor/abdominal tear and will be out for 8 weeks. Mason Plumlee (MCL) will be out for 2 months. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

Trade News

• The Bulls are looking to move Zach Lavine and possibly DeMar DeRozan. The Knicks signed Taj Gibson since Mitchell Robinson will miss considerable time. The Pacers are signing James Johnson because they clearly don’t want another Giannis Incident. Look for more moves sooner than later with veterans like Malcolm Brogdon looking to be moved in the coming weeks.

• The Free Agent market is still deep with vets like 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. There are a few younger names on the market, like Kai Jones (yikes), Kevin Porter Jr (yikes again), Sharife Cooper, and Darius Bazley.

NBA MVP Race

1. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 35.1 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 5.9 apg

His case: Embiid has owned the last two Wednesdays, lighting up Detroit last week for a 41-point double-double before racking up a season-high 51 points seven days later against the Timberwolves. The reigning MVP has scored 40 points or more in four of his last five games.

Embiid is also riding a streak of 12 consecutive games with 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds, which is the most since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1972).

2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 26.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 9.3 apg

His case: The two-time MVP stays out of the limelight at No. 2, which is likely where he prefers to be, having quietly led Denver to victory in five of its last six games.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 30.9 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 5.4 apg

His case: Antetokounmpo handled his business by keeping Milwaukee undefeated in its six-game homestand Thursday with 37 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks against Orlando.

That marked Antetokounmpo’s 226th career 30-point night, which ranks second over the last 10 years behind Harden (267 30-point games).

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 30.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.3 apg

His case: Gilgeous-Alexander snuffed out the LA Clippers’ nine-game winning streak Thursday with his 18th 30-point game of the season — which included 14 points in the third quarter — as OKC dropped 45 points in the frame.

Toss in eight rebounds, two blocks and four steals to wrap a bowtie around an all-around gem.

5. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 32.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 9.1 apg

His case: Doncic was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time this season on Monday, but the Mavericks have lost three of their last four. Virtually unstoppable, Doncic is averaging 36.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 11.2 assists over his last 10 games.

The Next Five

6. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics (Last week: No. 6)
7. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers (Last week: No. 7)
8. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (Last week: unranked)
9. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers (Last week: unranked)
10. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week: unranked)

🏀Highlights🏀

The highlights from the top games of the 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.

All Star 2023