Scores

The Cavs are trending downward, keep an eye on what happens with them going forward. Boston continues to be dominant.

Fantasy Leaders

Pascal Siakam and Domantas Sabonis make their debut in the daily top 3.

League News

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

• Giannis and the Bucks beat the Bulls (which isn’t exactly an accomplishment) but it help gets the Bucks on the right track. Dame Lillard hasn’t gotten off to the best start, other than game 1 of the season. Hopefully this is the turn in the right direction for Milwaukee.

• The Bulls are finally looking to make changes. They’re reportedly open to trading Zach Lavine, and supposedly the Lakers, Heat, 76ers, and Knicks are all possible suitors for the 2-time All Star. DeMar DeRozan is also hesitant to sign an extension with the Bulls until he’s sure of the direction the team is headed.

• In other news, the Wizards completely collapsed against the Raptors, DeMar had an incredible pass, Giannis hit a buzzer beating fadeaway 3, and Josh Hart hit Jrue Holiday with a crazy move.

• Injury Updates: Steph Curry (knee) wont play tonight. Ben Simmons (nerves) will miss time as he rehabs his back. 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 1-2 weeks. Mason Plumlee (MCL) will be out for 2 months. 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 last 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 Pelicans (8:00 ET, NBA League Pass), and Doncic deserves credit. In a loss to Toronto last 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 tomorrow in a matchup vs. Philadelphia (7:30 ET, ESPN) to prevent another loss to the Sixers 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

Overtime Thoughts