Top Stories

• SGA drops 45 on Clippers

• Cavs stay undefeated

• In Season Tournament officially starts today

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

Games of the day

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

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 45 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Clippers 134-128 on in their first game this season without Chet Holmgren. Holmgren will miss at least eight weeks with a pelvic fracture after a hard fall during Sunday's loss to Golden State. The 7-foot-1 center had been one of the league's most efficient scorers and top shot blockers. Gilgeous-Alexander picked up the slack by making 13 of 21 field goals and 15 of 16 free throws. He also had nine assists. Jalen Williams scored 28 points and Lu Dort added 19 for Oklahoma City. With their tallest starter at 6-foot-6, the Thunder ran relentlessly, yet committed only 11 turnovers. They were outrebounded 47-29. Norman Powell scored 31 points, but he fouled out with the Clippers down four with 1:32 remaining. Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 14 rebounds and Derrick Jones Jr. added 20 points for Los Angeles. James Harden had 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, but he shot 5 of 15 and had five fouls. The Thunder led by 20 midway through the third quarter. Powell's fadeaway corner 3 at the end of the third trimmed Oklahoma City's lead to 99-94, and the game was close throughout the final period.

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 119-113 to become the eighth NBA team to begin a season with 12 straight wins. Darius Garland scored 17 points for Cleveland, and Evan Mobley had 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Cavaliers scored at least 110 points for the 11th time. Garland rolled in a layup with 24 seconds left, and Mitchell made two free throws to help close it out. Zach LaVine scored 26 points for Chicago, which lost for the fifth time in six games. Coby White and Nicola Vucevic each had 20 points. The Bulls opened a nine-point lead with 4 mins left in the third quarter before Cleveland bounced back late for a second straight game.

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

League News

Around the League

• The Emirates NBA Cup 2024, the NBA’s second annual in-season tournament, will tip off today in normal games and end with the Semifinals (Saturday, Dec. 14) and Championship (Tuesday, Dec. 17) taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Click here to view the full schedule. The NBA Cup will consist of two stages: Group Play and the Knockout Rounds. All 30 teams have been randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2023-24 regular season. Beginning tonight and continuing through Tuesday, Dec. 3, each team will play four designated Group Play games on “Cup Nights” – one game against each opponent in its group, with two games at home and two on the road. Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds: the team with the best standing in Group Play games in each of the six groups and two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group). The Knockout Rounds will consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (played in NBA team markets on Tuesday, Dec. 10 and Wednesday, Dec. 11) and Semifinals and Championship (played in Las Vegas on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17, respectively). The Knockout teams will compete for a prize pool and the NBA Cup championship trophy.

• Injury Updates: Joel Embiid (conditioning) will be re-evaluated soon to see when he can make his debut (after serving his 3 game suspension. Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out indefinitely, and his recovery might “take longer than expected” according to the team. Kristaps Porzingis (foot) is still recovering from offseason surgery and will miss some games. Khris Middleton (ankle) will miss longer than expected. Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) will be re-evaluated in 5-6 weeks with a fracture. Dejounte Murray (hand) is confirmed to have fractured it and will miss a few weeks. James Wiseman tore his achilles and will be out indefinitely. Taylor Hendricks (leg and ankle) suffered a fractured fibia and dislocated ankle and will be out for the season. Scottie Barnes (orbital) will miss at least 3 weeks with a fracture. Paolo Banchero (oblique) has a tear and will be out indefinitely, and re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks. Herb Jones (shoulder) will be out for a minimum of 2-4 weeks. CJ McCollum (adductor) will miss at least 2-3 weeks. Isaiah Jackson (achilles) will be out for the season. Jeremy Sochan (thumb) underwent surgery to repair a fracture and will be out indefinitely. Aaron Gordon (hamstring) will miss multiple weeks. Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) will be out multiple weeks. Zion Williamson (hamstring) will be out multiple weeks. Ja Morant (hip) will be be out at least 2 weeks. Kevin Durant (calf) will be out multiple weeks. Chet Holmgren (hip) suffered a fracture and will be out 8-10 weeks. (We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

NBA MVP Ladder

1. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

Season stats: 32.6 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 1.7 bpg

His case: Nobody had a better start to 2024-25 than Davis, who put up big numbers and devoured opposing centers through the first few weeks. He seems famished, as if he … never won MVP before? This opening run ranks with the best stretches we’ve ever seen from Davis. He’s leading the league in scoring and doing it at both ends.

2. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Season stats: 30.2 ppg, 7 rpg, 4.8 apg

His case: He’s giving off vibes of a player on a redemption tour. That’s strange for someone who won an NBA championship and Olympic gold medal in three summer months. But, he wasn’t awarded Finals MVP and was benched twice in the Paris Games, so maybe on the inside, Tatum burns a bit.

We know this much: Tatum is dropping 3-balls at a personal-best pace (4.2 makes on 11.4 attempts per game). He’s spearheading the offense-happy Celtics as his game looks sharp and so does his team.

3. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Season stats: 28.8 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 11 apg

His case: He was the league’s most impactful player last season and therefore won MVP for the third time and nothing has changed so far. The Joker is averaging a triple-double. He’s top-five in scoring, rebounds and assists. He’s a handful, basically, once again.

The difference is that the Nuggets are struggling (or were initially). That’s not all on Jokić though, and it’s early. The gap between his No. 3 spot and No. 1 — a place in which he’s familiar — can close quickly.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Season stats: 26 ppg, 6 rpg, 6.8 apg

His case: His team is winning and he’s producing. Usually, that’s the recipe for MVP success and of all the players in this top-five, Gilgeous-Alexander brings the best of those credentials.

Both must hold up over the next few months to give him an edge, and all signs are positive so far. He dropped 28 points with eight assists and seven rebounds in the opener against Jokić, which was a telling start.

5. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Season stats: 23.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.1 apg

His case: Much like Gilgeous-Alexander, Mitchell benefits from a solid start individually with the bonus of being on a conference leader. His 30.2 mpg are the fewest of his career and yet his production per minute is stellar.

Mitchell is worth watching if the Cavaliers remain afloat in the East attic. With the Sixers and Bucks stumbling and needing a few weeks to catch up, the Cavs could be Boston’s biggest threat between now and Christmas. If Mitchell continues to deliver as a playmaker, it’s very possible.

The Next Five:

6. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
7. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
10. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

Fantasy Leaders

Shai becomes the first player to hit triple digits

Overtime Thoughts