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Time for the All Star Break

Time for the All Star Break

February 16th

Games of the day

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

Milwaukee wasted a Giannis MASTERCLASS, on a night where he had 35 pts and 12 asts on 15-17 shooting. The Bucks couldn’t function in the clutch, with Damian Lillard going 1-7 in the 4th. The 4th quarter and defensive woes continue, and you have to wonder if anything will change for them anytime soon. You have to wonder if the All-Star break will give them time to work on some schemes on both ends of the ball.

Klay Thompson returned to peak form, just in a way we haven’t seen since is rookie year in 2011. Steve Kerr actually benched him, but Klay got back at him by dropping 35 points. Golden State was in danger of losing this game, but thanks to a Shaqtin’ turnover from John Collins in the final seconds, the Warriors escaped with a win for their 6th win of their last 7 games.

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

League News

Doncic’s 11th career POTW (via NBA)

Mitchell’s 6th career POTW (via NBA)

Around the League

Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell have been named Players of The Week for Week 16.
Now that every team is officially on All Star break, we won’t have any regular season basketball until Thursday. That gives teams needed rest and a day or two of practice to figure out what needs to change or improve. The biggest headline of the weekend is the availability for Kawhi Leonard. He’s dealing with an adductor injury and his status for the All Star game is questionable. If Kawhi does miss the game, a replacement will need to be named. Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Rudy Gobert, and Alperen Sengun are the likely frontrunners for the spot if needed. The West is still the favorite to win Sunday’s game with the 3 headed monster of LeBron, Steph, and KD. Regardless of who’s in the game, expect an entertaining time.
Injury Updates: Dyson Daniels (meniscus) will be re-evaluated in 4 weeks. OG Anunoby (elbow) will miss 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 2-3 weeks. Desmond Bane (ankle) will miss 4 weeks. Marcus Smart (finger) will be out 3 weeks. Chris Paul underwent surgery on his left hand and will be re-evaluated after the All Star break. Gabe Vincent (knee) will be out at least 3 more weeks. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) underwent surgery and will be out 2-5 weeks. 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

Brooklyn traded Spencer Dinwiddie for Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young. The Bucks traded Cam Payne for Patrick Beverley. Philly traded Marcus Morris and Furkan Korkmaz for Indiana’s Buddy Hield. Minnesota traded Troy Brown Jr and Shake Milton and a 2nd round pick to Detroit for Monte Morris. Utah traded Simone Fontecchio to Detroit for Kevin Knox and a 2nd round pick. Memphis traded Xavier Tillman to Boston for Lamar Stevens and two 2nd round picks.
Phoenix signed Thaddeus Young. Milwaukee signed Danilo Gallinari. The Toronto Raptors signed Justice Winslow. The Lakers signed Spencer Dinwiddie. The Sixers signed Kyle Lowry. The Free Agent market is still deep with vets like DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Austin Rivers, Montrezl Harrell (he’ll be out for a few months), and John Wall ready to contribute to winning or to mentor young guys. Joe Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie, Danilo Gallinari, 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 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: 26.3 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 9 apg

His case: Jokic helped the Nuggets to their eighth win in 10 outings Thursday with 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists against the Lakers on the road. Despite squandering a 15-point lead in the second half, Denver closed on a 10-2 run in the final 2:18 for the win.

This season, Jokic has 32 games with 25 points or more, five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists. He had 32 such games in total last season.

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 31.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.6 apg

His case: Scored 28 points in combining with Jalen Williams (26 points) and Chet Holmgren (22 points) for 76 of his team’s 117 points in a loss to Utah that snapped a three-game winning streak.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the eighth player in NBA history to produce 30 games with 30-plus points in the first 41 games of the season. He’ll lead OKC on Saturday into what should be a fun road game in Dallas against Doncic (3 p.m ET, NBA TV).

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 31.1 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6.4 apg

His case: Antetokounmpo was limited to fewer than 20 points for just the fifth time this season Thursday as the shorthanded Bucks suffered their worst home loss of the season to Minnesota.

Milwaukee rested Antetokounmpo for the final 16 minutes with the game out of hand, which means he’ll be refreshed for Friday’s home matchup against Charlotte. Before the loss to Minnesota, the two-time MVP had scored 33-plus points in his three previous outings.

4. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 6

Season stats: 34.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 9.5 apg

His case: Lit up the ailing New York Knicks for 39 points on Thursday to lead Dallas to its first three-game winning streak since early January. The performance marked Doncic’s 34th 30-point game of the season, which ranks No. 2 behind Gilgeous-Alexander, not to mention his 29th double-double.

The Mavs tip off a four-game homestand on Saturday against Oklahoma City and sit just a game behind Sacramento for the No. 7 seed in the West.

5. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 26.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 4.5 apg

His case: Led by Tatum, the Celtics continue to take care of business at home, going 4-2 on this seven-game run that ended Friday against Washington. The 25-year-old has flirted in triple-double territory in each of his last two games.

Tatum has put together 33 games with six-plus made 3-pointers, which ranks No. 2 in NBA history for a forward or center behind Paul George (52 games).

THE NEXT FIVE

6. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers (Last week’s ranking: No. 8)
7. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings (Last week’s ranking: No. 7)
8. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (Last week’s ranking: No. 9)
9. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers (Last week’s ranking: Not ranked)
10. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers (Last week’s ranking: Not ranked)

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

Fantasy Leaders

Draymond Green makes his Top 3 debut

Overtime Thoughts

Absolute lies, Kobe and Shaq smoke Bron and AD

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.