🧾Box Scores🧾

The Magic are on a hot streak, winning 8 straight

📈Fantasy Leaders📉

Don’t expect D’Lo to make another appearance here

League News

• Devin Booker and Paolo Banchero have been named Players of The Week for Week 4.

• The Orlando Magic have figured out how to win. They hang their hat on the defensive end, taking pride in their defense. Led by Jalen Suggs, who plays with some of the most intense passion you’ll see from anyone in the league today, Orlando (at the time of me writing this), have the best defense in the league. Led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, Orlando is 13-5 and sitting at the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. The question remains though, are they a legit threat?

• In other news: LeBron got T’d up for flopping, Kawhi BAPTIZED Javale McGee, and Jalen Suggs threw down a nasty 360 slam.

• Injury Updates: Gary Payton ll (torn calf) is out indefinitely. Anthony Edwards (hip) took a hard fall and we’re waiting to see how bad his injury is. 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 . Jaden McDaniels sprained his ankle and will be reevaluated in 1-2 weeks. Marcus Smart (foot) is expected to miss 3-5 weeks. Bradley Beal (hamstring) will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks. Ben Simmons (nerves) will miss time as he rehabs his back. 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. 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: 27.5 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 8.9 apg

His case: The two-time MVP and reigning Finals MVP rebounded from an ejection last Monday at Detroit by logging his sixth triple-double two days later at Orlando.

Still, dropping three of the last four in Denver’s current five-game road trip jeopardizes Jokic’s standing.

2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 30.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 8.1 apg

His case: Leave it to Doncic and the Mavs to provide an early Thanksgiving feast on Wednesday with a nailbiter of a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The 24-year-old racked up 30 points, 12 rebounds and eight dimes, including one zipped right in between James’ legs.

3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 31.9 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 6.1 apg

His case: The NBA’s scoring leader missed his first game of the season Wednesday at Minnesota, but the 29-year-old was well-rested for Saturday’s game against the surging Oklahoma City Thunder, where he dropped 35/11/9.

The reigning MVP poured in 32 points in each of his last three appearances before sitting due to left hip soreness that he’s battled for more than a week. Embiid still ranks among the leaders in double-doubles (10).

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 30.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 6.3 apg

His case: Behind Gilgeous-Alexander, the young Thunder ride a league-best six-game winning streak thanks to the 25-year-old notching his third 40-point game of the season on Wednesday that included a season-high 12 assists.

That’s 20-plus points in 13 of 14 games so far and 30-plus in nine outings. He’s taking advantage of every opportunity, too, sinking 42 of 43 free throws over his last five games.

5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 27.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 4.1 apg

His case: The 25-year-old tallied his 5,000th career point at TD Garden to join Celtics greats Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker as the only three players to accomplish that feat.

After racking up a season-high 45 points in a loss Monday at Charlotte, Tatum was listed as questionable for Wednesday with an illness. He shook that off with a 23-point, 11-rebound performance as Boston snuffed out Milwaukee’s five-game winning streak.

The Next Five:

6. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week: No. 6)
7. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers (Last week: No. 7)
8. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (Last week: unranked)
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Last week: unranked)
10. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (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.