Top Stories

• Fox’s 60 not enough to beat Wolves

• LeBron makes history with 4th straight triple double

• James Harden ties Ray Allen in 3’s made

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Games of the day

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

Anthony Edwards had 36 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the short-handed Sacramento Kings 130-126 in overtime despite a franchise-record 60 points from De’Aaron Fox. Fox had 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, but it wasn’t enough for a Kings team without DeMar DeRozan (lower back tightness) and Malik Monk (ankle). Julius Randle had the go-ahead basket on a driving layup with under a minute to play to put the Timberwolves ahead by two. Minnesota made its first four shots in overtime – including five straight by Edwards after Fox opened the scoring with a 3-pointer. Randle added 26 points, and Naz Reid had 16 for Minnesota. Domantas Sabonis added 23 points and 12 rebounds for Sacramento. The Timberwolves gave up a 20-point lead in the second half after the Kings began the fourth on a 14-0 run. Fox had 21 points in the first half, but Minnesota led 62-54 after jumping out to a double-digit advantage in the first quarter.

Anthony Davis had 40 points and 12 rebounds, LeBron James had 15 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists and the Los Angeles Lakers opened defense of their Emirates NBA Cup title with a 120-115 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. James had his career-high fourth straight triple-double. Victor Wembanyama had 28 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and two blocks for San Antonio. Davis shot 14 for 26, making 2 of 4 3-pointers, in his highest-scoring game of the season. Austin Reaves added 19 points, Dalton Knecht had 14 and D'Angelo Russell 13. San Antonio raced to an 11-0 lead, including an alley-oop dunk by Wembanyama from Stephon Castle. Davis scored 16 points in the opening quarter as Los Angeles closed the period on a 21-8 run to take a 31-30 lead. Castle had 22 points, and Devin Vassell added 15 for San Antonio.

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League News

Around the League

• Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden moved into a tie with Ray Allen for second place on the NBA’s career made 3-pointers list in a loss to the Houston Rockets last night. He now has 2,973, well behind Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who entered Friday night with 3,779. Harden entered the game three behind Allen, a Hall of Famer, who played 18 seasons. When asked what it meant to tie Allen, Harden was short. “It’s cool,” he said. He made 3 of 6 attempts in the first quarter to tie Allen but missed three more attempts the rest of the way. Harden tied Allen in the city where he became a star during his nine years with the Rockets. The 35-year-old was named MVP in the 2017-18 season and made the All-Star game eight times in Houston before being traded to Brooklyn in 2021. Most of his 3-pointers came with the Rockets, where he piled up 2,029. He made 320 3-pointers in his first three NBA seasons while with the Thunder. He added 207 in two seasons in Philadelphia and 198 in parts of two seasons in Brooklyn. Harden has made 219 3-pointers for the Clippers, where he is beginning his second season.

• Injury Updates: 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.

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NBA MVP Ladder

1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Last Ladder: No. 3
Season stats: 29.7 ppg, 13.7 rpg, 11.7 apg

His case: Aside from averaging a healthy triple-double, Joker has been a steady force despite the lineup changes within the Nuggets, who have dealt with missed games by Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray. No worries; Jokić can carry Denver to victory regardless of slumping or injured teammates. Hence, the scratches on his shoulders.

His 37-18-15 stat line against the Mavericks last Sunday — two days too late for consideration for the first installment of the Kia MVP Ladder — is the season’s gold standard. Honestly, it would stack up well against any non-Wilt triple-double. And it’s early. That’s what’s scary.

2. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last Ladder: No. 2
Season stats: 30.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 5.6 apg

His case: He was big in a pair of victories against the Nets over the last week, one in overtime, and is coming off a 36-10-9 effort a few days ago. Tatum remains very consistent this season, and that consistency remains high virtually across the board.

His spot in this Kia MVP Ladder next week could hinge mostly on what he does Tuesday in an Eastern showdown with the Cavaliers (7 ET, TNT), who remain undefeated and, from a win-loss standpoint, are the team to beat in the conference. That’s gotta get Tatum’s attention.

3. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns

Last Ladder: No. 6
Season stats: 27.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.4 apg

His case: Bummer for Durant — a strained left calf will keep him benched for a few weeks, just as he was pressing the accelerator. Not only was he productive for the Suns pre-injury, but he averaged just shy of 39 minutes a night, his most since 2010-11. Pure durability is acknowledged and rewarded by an MVP race.

If Durant keeps up this performance pace when he returns, he’ll also get nods for the Kia Clutch Player of the Year Award. Durant came up big in most of the Suns’ seven crunch-time wins in the first few weeks, and in those situations, he led the league in points scored. Which raises a point about his value — Durant missed the last three games and the Suns lost two of them, one in overtime when they could’ve used his presence.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last Ladder: No. 4
Season stats: 27.9 ppg, 6.3 apg, 1.8 spg

His case: He’s just days removed from a demolition of his former team, the Clippers, which was crammed with highlights and numbers — a career-high 45 points, nine assists and five steals.

Shai’s value to the Thunder and level of play now becomes more paramount because OKC will be without Chet Holmgren for at least eight weeks with a pelvic fracture. If that first game without Holmgren was an indication from SGA, the Thunder should be fine and Gilgeous-Alexander will remain in this MVP race. We’ll see right away, with upcoming games against Devin Booker and the Suns, then Luka Dončić and the Mavericks.

5. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

Last Ladder: No. 1
Season stats: 30.2 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.1 bpg

His case: Don’t read too much into his one-week tumble early in this MVP race. He missed one game because of a bum ankle and also suffered a scratched eye. But upon returning, his output was solid (21 points and nine rebounds over the last two games), just not at the level of his scorching start to the season.

No matter; Davis remains the best both-ends player in this top five. Not only is he averaging over 30 points but he’s No. 6 in blocks and No. 8 in rebounds. That level of balance must be respected for an award that should recognize 94-feet dominance.

The next five:

6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
7. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
8. Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
9. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
10. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

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Fantasy Leaders

Bam and De’Aaron make their season debuts in the Top 3

Overtime Thoughts