🧾Box Scores🧾

Phoenix is trying to right the ship, Houston is starting to slide…

📈Fantasy Leaders📉

KD had a huge game last night 😤

League News

• Ja Morant and Joel Embiid have been named Players of The Week for Week 9.

• NBA All Star Voting for 2023 is now open! Click here to do your daily vote.

• Luka and the Mavericks have been having a great season so far. Luka has been playing like an MVP, averaging 34/9/9 this year and leading the Mavs to a 18-13 record so far. However, this team has some issues to address. Kyrie Irving has only played in 17 games so far. New additions Grant Williams and Derrick Jones Jr have looked solid, and so has standout rookie big man Derrick Lively, but can they be relied upon in the playoffs when it matters? Also there’s the fact that Mark Cuban officially sold his stake in the team, so who knows what new ownership will do. Do the Mavs need to go all in and get Luka a reliable 2nd option? Or somehow make a trade for someone like OG Anunoby?

• In other news: The Mavs forgot what play to run in the final seconds and Luka was NOT happy, Dennis Smith Jr put Brook Lopez on TWO posters, and Cole Anthony had an interesting interaction with Mo Bamba.

• Injury Updates: Aaron Gordon (dog bite) will miss time as he recovers. De’Andre Hunter (knee) will be out at least 2 weeks. Gabe Vincent (knee) will be out 6-8 weeks. Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee) will both be out for at least 4 weeks. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) underwent surgery and will be out 8-10 weeks. Gary Payton ll (torn calf) is out indefinitely. 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. Ben Simmons (nerves) will miss 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. Mason Plumlee (MCL) will be out for 2 months. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

Trade News

• The Bulls are looking to move Zach Lavine and possibly DeMar DeRozan. The Knicks signed Taj Gibson since Mitchell Robinson will miss considerable time. The Pacers are signing James Johnson because they clearly don’t want another Giannis Incident. 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, 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. 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. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Season stats: 35.1 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 5.9 apg

His case: Embiid has owned the last two Wednesdays, lighting up Detroit last week for a 41-point double-double before racking up a season-high 51 points seven days later against the Timberwolves. The reigning MVP has scored 40 points or more in four of his last five games.

Embiid is also riding a streak of 12 consecutive games with 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds, which is the most since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1972).

2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Season stats: 26.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 9.3 apg

His case: The two-time MVP stays out of the limelight at No. 2, which is likely where he prefers to be, having quietly led Denver to victory in five of its last six games.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Season stats: 30.9 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 5.4 apg

His case: Antetokounmpo handled his business by keeping Milwaukee undefeated in its six-game homestand Thursday with 37 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks against Orlando.

That marked Antetokounmpo’s 226th career 30-point night, which ranks second over the last 10 years behind Harden (267 30-point games).

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Season stats: 30.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.3 apg

His case: Gilgeous-Alexander snuffed out the LA Clippers’ nine-game winning streak Thursday with his 18th 30-point game of the season — which included 14 points in the third quarter — as OKC dropped 45 points in the frame.

Toss in eight rebounds, two blocks and four steals to wrap a bowtie around an all-around gem.

5. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Season stats: 32.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 9.1 apg

His case: Doncic was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time this season on Monday, but the Mavericks have lost three of their last four. Virtually unstoppable, Doncic is averaging 36.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 11.2 assists over his last 10 games.

The Next Five

6. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics (Last week: No. 6)
7. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers (Last week: No. 7)
8. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (Last week: unranked)
9. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers (Last week: unranked)
10. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (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.

All Star 2023