Scores

Clippers are 0-4 with James Harden, Rockets have won 6 straight after an 0-3 start.

Fantasy Leaders

A pair of Tyrese’s went off, and Jokic continues his fantasy dominance.

League News

• Anthony Edwards and Joel Embiid have been named Players of The Week for Week 3.

• Last night was the battle of Tyrese. Maxey and Haliburton both put up absurd statlines, with Tyrese Maxey dropping 50 to go along with 3 blocks, and Tyrese Haliburton dropping 25 points to go along with 17 assists (and ZERO turnovers). Reigning MVP Joel Embiid took a backseat to Maxey, but still finished the game with a strong 37/13/7. It might be time to re-examine the Point Guard/Shooting Guard hierarchy, as both of these young Tyrese’s are creeping up to the top 5.

• It seems like a couple of teams are paying for going all in on star power this year. The Bucks traded (arguably) their best perimeter defender to go all in with Damian Lillard, and they’ve suffered because of it. They’re currently 5-4, sitting at 8th in the eastern conference. They’re a far cry from the defensive juggernaut who was always a top seed like they’ve been for the past 5 seasons. The other team that’s suffering is the Clippers. They traded to get James Harden, adding him to a core of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook. If this was 2017, the Clippers would unquestionably be title favorites by a mile, and they’d likely end up winning 60+ games on star power alone. However, they are 0-4 (and they lost to the Grizzlies) since the trade happened, and it seems like none of their players remember who they are. All 4 stars are walking on eggshells every trip down the court, trying to include others instead of just playing basketball and letting things happen. Is it too late for both of these teams? Or can they turn things around and save their seasons?

• In other news, the Rockets beat the Nuggets, DeAndre Ayton had a Shaqtin’ moment, Anthony Edwards got T’d up after a poster, and Wemby got cooked by Duncan Robinson.

• Injury Updates: Kelly Oubre Jr. was struck by a car when walking near his home in Philadelphia. His injuries are not considered season-ending, but he sustained multiple broken ribs so he will miss a significant amount of time. 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. Cam Thomas sprained his ankle and will be out for 2 weeks. Mason Plumlee (MCL) will be out for 2 months. OG Anunoby (cut his finger doing chores) will miss tonights game. Yes that is a real injury. Tyler Herro has an ankle sprain and will be in a boot for 10 days before being re-evaluated. Jamal Murray (hamstring) is expected to miss the rest of this month. CJ McCollum has a collapsed lung and will be out for awhile. Terry Rozier suffered a groin injury and had to be helped off the court, so he’s likely to miss time. Wendell Carter Jr. suffered a fractured hand and underwent surgery, so he’ll be out for 2-3 weeks. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

Trade News

• The Nets signed Keon Johnson, looking to add some wing scoring and defense. Look for more moves sooner than later with names like James Harden being moved to LA and 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, 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. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Season stats: 29.1 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 8.0 apg

His case: Back-to-back 35-point performances left Jokic laboring late Wednesday, which likely played a role in some critical mistakes he made down the stretch. Still, the two-time Kia MVP produced his ninth double-double in leading Denver to a league-best 8-1 record.

Next up? Two road games (at Houston and at New Orleans) are sandwiched around an In-Season Tournament home game vs. the LA Clippers.

2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Season stats: 31.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 5.9 apg

His case: Lit up Boston for 13 of his 27 points Wednesday in the third quarter. The Sixers outscored the Celtics 56-40 in the paint with Embiid tallying his fifth straight double-double after none over the first two games.

He notched four blocks, too, after recording just three the previous three games combined. With the James Harden drama in the rearview, the big man should continue to roll. 

3. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Season stats: 31.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 8.8 apg

His case: Dallas sits at No. 2 in the West heading into tonight’s In-Season Tournament game against the LA Clippers (8:30 ET, NBA League Pass), and Doncic deserves credit. In a loss to Toronto on Wednesday the 24-year-old delivered his 233rd game with 25-plus points, five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists.

Mavs coach Jason Kidd wants Doncic to simply participate on defense. He’ll continue to do that. Doncic swiped four steals against the Raptors.

4. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Season stats: 28.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.6 apg

His case: Racked up 30 points or more in four consecutive games before finishing Wednesday with 16 points in a loss to Philadelphia. While he struggled offensively in that game, Tatum made an impact on the glass with a season-high 15 rebounds (his fourth double-double of the season).

The 25-year-old needs to step up tonight in an In-Season Tournament matchup vs. Brooklyn (7:30 ET, ESPN) to prevent a three-game skid after Boston won five straight to open 2023-24. 

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Season stats: 28.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.4 apg

His case: Who knows how long Gilgeous-Alexander remains in the top five? But he’s now scored 30 points or more 50 times since the start of last season, which ranks as the most in the NBA over that span.

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 30-plus points in five of seven games. But the road becomes more treacherous with two straight road games on deck at Sacramento and Phoenix.

The Next Five:

6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
7. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
9. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Highlights

The highlights from the top games of the night