Top Stories

• Kings squeeze past Magic

• Rockets win 8th straight game

• NBA standings update

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Games of the day

Last Night’s Top Games! (link to the box scores of every game from yesterday)

De’Aaron Fox hit tying and go-ahead free throws with 21 seconds left and finished with 31 points, and Keon Ellis added another free throw in the final seconds as the Sacramento Kings beat the Orlando Magic 109-107 on Saturday night. After Fox tied the game at 107 and put the Kings ahead at 108-107, Ellis added another point with two seconds remaining and Sacramento ended Orlando’s five-game win streak. Paolo Banchero missed a long 3-pointer attempt at the buzzer for the Magic, who lost a similar game in double overtime at Sacramento last time these teams faced off. Domantas Sabonis had 21 points and 14 rebounds for Sacramento. It was his 53rd straight double-double, tying Kevin Love’s streak in 2010-11, which is the longest since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.

Jalen Green scored 41 points, Fred VanVleet added 10 3-pointers and a season-high 34 and the Houston Rockets made a season-best 27 3-pointers to beat the Utah Jazz 147-119 on last night for their eighth straight win. The Rockets’ win streak is their longest since winning eight in a row in November 2019. Houston closed within 1 ½ games of Golden State for 10th place and the last play-in spot in the Western Conference. Jabari Smith Jr. and Kris Dunn were ejected five seconds into the second quarter after both were assessed technical fouls for fighting. The two threw punches at each other after they got tangled up while the ball was being brought up the court. Players and officials got between them before the scuffle could escalate further. The thrown punches will likely end in a 1-3 game suspension for both players. The Rockets improved to 35-35, marking the first time they were at .500 since mid January, when they were 19-19.

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League News

Around the League

• Jalen Green and Jalen Brunson have been named Players of The Week for Week 21.

• The 1-8 seeds in the east have all clinched a guaranteed postseason appearance, meaning that no matter what, they’d make the Play-In at worst. That means Boston, Milwaukee, Cleveland, New York, Orlando, Indiana, Miami, and Philly are safe. The 9 and 10 seeds out east are still up for grabs, but it’s very likely that those spots will belong to Chicago and Atlanta. The West is a completely different story. Only seeds 1-3 have clinched, meaning OKC, Denver, and Minnesota are safe. Even the 4 seeded Clippers, while the odds are astronomical, have a chance to miss the Play-In. LAC, New Orleans, Phoenix, Sacramento, and Dallas are all honestly pretty guaranteed at this point, but anything is possible. The #9 seeded Lakers are 1.5 games ahead of the #10 seeded Warriors, who are only 1.5 games ahead of the red hot Rockets, who have won 8 straight and seemed primed to steal that last spot.

• Injury Updates: Brandon Ingram (knee) will miss at least 2 weeks. Ausar Thompson (blood clot) is out for the season. Christian Wood (knee) underwent surgery and will be out multiple weeks. Bilal Coulibaly (wrist) sustained a fracture and will be out for the season. Alperen Sengun (ankle and knee) is likely out for the season. Saddiq Bey (knee) tore his ACL and is out for the season. Benedict Mathurin (shoulder) underwent surgery and is out for the season. Ben Simmons (back) is out for the season. Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) underwent surgery and will be re-evaluated in 3 weeks. Evan Mobley (ankle) will miss at least one more week. Josh Richardson (shoulder) had surgery and will be out for the season. Russell Westbrook (hand) underwent surgery and is expected back by next week. Scottie Barnes (hand) underwent surgery and will be out 3 weeks. Trae Young (hand) had surgery and will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks. Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) will miss “several weeks”. Joel Embiid (torn meniscus) will be out for 1-2 months. Julius Randle (shoulder) will be out 1-2 more weeks. Marcus Smart (finger) will be out 1 more week. Gabe Vincent (knee) will be out at least 1 more week. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) underwent surgery and will be out 2-3 weeks. Tari Eason (leg) had surgery and will be out for the season. Patrick Williams (foot) had surgery and will be out for the season. Zach LaVine (foot) underwent surgery and will be out for the season. Robert Williams underwent knee surgery and will be out for the season. Ja Morant had surgery on a torn labrum and will miss the rest of the season. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

Front Office Moves

• The Free Agent market is still deep with vets like Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel, Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Austin Rivers, and John Wall ready to contribute to winning or to mentor young guys. Joe Harris, Victor Oladipo, and Killian Hayes were all cut or waived by their teams and are available to be signed. There are a few younger names on the market, like Kevin Porter Jr and Darius Bazley.

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NBA MVP Race

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 26.1 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 9 apg

His case: Maybe Jokic does have eyes in the back of his head. As long as the 29-year-old keeps dropping triple-doubles like the one orchestrated Thursday in a quality win over the Knicks, he’ll remain so far ahead of the field he won’t be able to see it in the rearview anyway.

The 30-14-11 performance against New York, snapped the Knicks’ four-game winning streak and came on the heels of a 35-point, 16-rebound gem in a gritty road win at Minnesota.

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 30.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.4 apg

His case: Extended his franchise record of 30-point games on Wednesday to 50 (an NBA-high) with 31 points against Utah. The 25-year-old scored 20 of those points in the second half, as Oklahoma City captured its third-straight win and 13th in its last 16 outings.

A three-game road trip starting Friday at Toronto, followed by matchups at Milwaukee and New Orleans which should test the young team’s mettle as it fights to stay atop the Western Conference.

T-3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 30.7 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6.4 apg

His case: Antetokounmpo appears to be losing some ground after missing two games dealing with a left hamstring issue. The 29-year-old returned Thursday and contributed to Milwaukee’s 115-108 win against Brooklyn.

He scored 21 points with nine rebounds and five assists in the victory. But the Bucks are currently riding the hot hand of Damian Lillard, who has averaged 31 points and 11.3 assists over the team’s last three outings.

T-3. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 34.1 ppg, 9 rpg, 9.8 apg

His case: Doncic produced perhaps the ugliest triple-double of the season Tuesday in San Antonio, shooting 6 of 27 against the NBA’s 28th-rated defense. But this is all about winning, and the 25-year-old keeps delivering on that front.

Doncic scored 34 points with nine rebounds Thursday against Utah to push Dallas into sixth in the West. He just needs to maintain the momentum. Doncic needs just four more 30-5-5 games to tie Oscar Robertson for the most such outings in a single season.

5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 27.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 4.9 apg

His case: The savvy 25-year-old put up a couple of 30-point showings this week to increase his 30-point games total to 25, which is tied for sixth in the NBA. Tatum scored 23 points in Wednesday’s first half against a shorthanded Bucks squad missing Antetokounmpo.

Of the top five MVP candidates, Tatum holds the lowest usage percentage (29.6%) outside of Jokic (28.7%). Still, you can’t discount his contributions to Boston’s double-digit game lead in the East.

THE NEXT FIVE

6. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings (Last week’s ranking: No. 6)
7. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers (Last week’s ranking: No. 7)
8. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (Last week’s ranking: No. 8)
9. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (Last week’s ranking: No. 10)
10. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week’s ranking: unranked)

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Fantasy Leaders

Fred and Jalen both carried the Rockets last 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.