🧾Box Scores🧾

Wolves are #1 in the West, Spurs drop their 8th in a row 😬

📈Fantasy Leaders📉

KAT makes his first appearance in the Top 3 after a huge night

League News

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

• The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently sitting at #1 in the Western Conference, and they’re absolutely dominating everyone they play. They’re winning the easy and tough games, beating both Boston and Denver when both were undefeated, and beating the scrappy and shorthanded Pelicans thanks to a big night from Karl-Anthony Towns. Both him and Anthony Edwards are playing at an All-Star and All-NBA level so far this year. Are the Timberwolves legit title contenders? 🤔

• In other news, KAT hit a game winner 🔥, DeMar DeRozan also hit a game winner 🥶, and Andrew Wiggins traded a clutch shot with Chet Holmgren, and Wemby blocked 8 shots against Memphis.

• Injury Updates: Marcus Smart (foot) is expected to miss 3-5 weeks. Bradley Beal (hamstring) will be re-evaluated in 3 weeks. 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 the Sixers expect him to be back in a little over 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. 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 going 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 Clippers signed Daniel Theis since Mason Plumlee will be missing time. 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, 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

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 30.0 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 8.4 apg

His case: Good luck unseating the two-time Kia MVP, who just put together his fourth consecutive game with 30 points or more, a streak that ranks as the second-longest of his career. Jokic enters Denver’s upcoming five-game road trip having put up 20-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in 11 consecutive outings.

2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 30.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 8.1 apg

His case: Doncic leads the league’s second-highest scoring offense (123.4 points per game), and he’s made subtle changes, such as taking more catch-and-shoot 3s, that have yielded significant results in helping to push Dallas’ pace to No. 5 in the league.

With 58 career triple-doubles, the Slovenian needs only one more to tie Larry Bird for ninth all time in NBA history. Tough.

3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 31.9 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 5.8 apg

His case: Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday for the 12th time, Embiid scored a season-low 20 points in Wednesday’s loss to Boston as Philadelphia dropped consecutive games for the first time. The contest snapped a three-game streak in which the reigning MVP hit at least 10 free throws.

4. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 28.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 4.1 apg

His case: As some faces change around him due to injuries and personal matters early in the season, Tatum remains a Celtics constant as just the 15th player in league history to score 10,000 points before the age of 26. He’s played in all 11 of Boston’s games.

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 28.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.0 apg

His case: The leader of the NBA’s third-youngest team, Gilgeous-Alexander followed up a 28-point, seven-steal night against San Antonio with 24 points and seven assists Thursday in a win at Golden State to tip off a three-game road trip.

The 25-year-old has scored 30 points or more in seven games. But make no mistake, he’ll pick your pocket. Gilgeous-Alexander entered the win over the Warriors leading the league in steals (2.6).

The Next Five:

6. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week: No. 7)
7. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers (Last week: No. 9)
8. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (Last week: Not ranked)
9. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat (Last week: Not ranked)
10. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings (Last week: Not ranked)

🏀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.