Top Stories

• Wemby put on a show for the fans back home

• NBA’s oldest rivalry continues to entertain

• All Star starters announced

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Games of the day

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

Victor Wembanyama scored 30 points in his first NBA game in his native France, Devin Vassell added 25 and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Indiana Pacers 140-110. Wembanyama finished with 11 rebounds, six assists and five blocks for the Spurs. Harrison Barnes scored 20 for San Antonio, which won for only the second time in its last eight games. The Spurs had a huge 57-31 edge in rebounding. Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 24 points. Pascal Siakam added 18, Myles Turner scored 14 and Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin finished with 13 each for the Pacers. Indiana had won eight of its last nine contests. Wemby had a great ending in the last 3 minutes of the 3rd Quarter. He had four points, three rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists in that span alone. It started with the Spurs up by 16, and ended with them up 25.

Anthony Davis scored 24 points, Austin Reaves added 23 and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 117-96 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. LeBron James had 20 points and 14 rebounds after being selected for the All-Star Game for the 21st consecutive season earlier in the day. James also passed Hakeem Olajuwon into seventh place in defensive rebounds in NBA history early in the third quarter. James, who has 9,720, needed six going into the game to pass the Hall of Fame center. Kristaps Porzingis led Boston with 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 17. Los Angeles, which has won two straight after a stretch where it dropped four of six, was up by 28 during the fourth quarter.

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League News

Around the League

• Three frontcourt players and two guards from each conference have been named starters for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 16 in San Francisco. The Eastern conference All Star starters are: Jaylen Brunson, New York Knicks - Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers - Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks - Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks. Many were surprised as LaMelo Ball wasn’t a starter, despite averaging 29/5/8 this season. The Western conference starters are: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder - Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors - Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets - Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns - LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers. The reserves for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game will be revealed by TNT on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. ET.  Seven players will be named in each conference:  two guards, three frontcourt players and two additional players at any position.  NBA head coaches will select the reserves. The four teams participating in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a prize pool of $1.8 million. Each player on the championship-winning team will receive $125,000, each player on the second-place team will receive $50,000 and each player on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000.

• Injury Updates: 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. Isaiah Jackson (achilles) will be out for the season. Chet Holmgren (hip) suffered a fracture and will be out 5-6 weeks. DeAnthony Melton (ACL) underwent surgery and will be out for the season. Grant Williams (ACL) suffered a tear and will be out for the season. Franz Wagner (oblique) has a tear and will be out at least 4 weeks. Luka Doncic (calf) will be out at least 2 weeks. Larry Nance Jr (hand) will be out indefinitely after surgery. Jared McCain (torn meniscus) will be out for the season. Brandon Miller (wrist) will be out for the season. Donte DiVincenzo (toe) will be out indefinitely. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

• Trade Updates: The Miami Heat traded Thomas Bryant to Indiana for a 2nd round pick. The Brooklyn Nets traded Dennis Schroder for DeAnthony Melton. The Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell to the Nets for Dorian Finney Smith. Phoenix traded Josh Okogie for Nick Richards.

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NBA MVP Ladder

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week’s ranking: No. 1
Season stats: 31.6 points, 6 assists, 2 steals

His case: The good times continue for Gilgeous-Alexander as the Thunder, fresh off a beating of the East-leading Cavaliers, show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Same for Gilgeous-Alexander as he has dipped under 30 points just twice this month (in blowout wins) and leads the league in scoring and is No. 3 in steals.

And the Thunder schedule lightens up from here, with a pair against the short-handed Mavericks, plus the Jazz, Nets, Blazers and Warriors. All of which provide a chance for Gilgeous-Alexander to put up even bigger numbers.

2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Season stats: 30.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.9 assists

His case: Jokić is dealing with a bum elbow and subsequently is shooting less and therefore scoring less for the Nuggets as of late. However: He’s OK with that last part because his teammates are starting to — finally — play better and rely less on his scoring.

The Nuggets are starting to surge, and if Denver is high in the West standings at season’s end, that can only positively reflect on Jokić’s chances of grabbing another MVP trophy.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Season stats: 31.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists

His case: Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.3 ppg in January so far, his lowest monthly average of the season. However, that’s more reflective of having to shoot less for the Bucks, who have turned the corner on a season that began slowly and demanded more from Antetokounmpo.

It’s all good — Antetokounmpo is the leading fan vote-getter for the All-Star Game, a sign of respect.

4. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

Last week’s ranking: No. 6
Season stats: 25.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists

His case: Towns is dealing with wrist and thumb issues and had to sit a game; neither injury is considered serious enough to bench him for an extended period.

Otherwise, the consistently high-level performances by Towns keep him high on the Ladder. He went for 30 and 18 against Antetokounmpo and the Bucks before the injury and has a decent chance to be named a starter for the All-Star Game.

5. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Season stats: 24.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4 blocks

His case: Wembanyama continues to issue decent performances although it has been a mixed bag lately, as the Spurs have stumbled in the standings, losers of four of their last five. He’ll need a good stretch to remain in the top five next week.

The Next 5:

6. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
7. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
8. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
9. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
10. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

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Fantasy Leaders

Jokic puts up the highest fantasy score this season

Overtime Thoughts