Top Stories

• Ant drops 33 on Chicago

• Giannis and Dame combine for 65 to beat Utah

• What’s wrong with Wemby?

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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 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Chicago Bulls 135-119. Minnesota rallied from a 13-point deficit. Julius Randle had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, and Rudy Gobert finished with 21 points and nine boards. It was Chicago's fourth consecutive loss. Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points for the Bulls on 11-for-15 shooting. Coby White had 24 points and eight assists. Chicago led 95-90 after three quarters, but Minnesota controlled the action in the fourth. Randle's driving layup lifted the Timberwolves to a 107-106 lead with 7 mins left. Mike Conley had 14 points and 11 assists for the Timberwolves.

Damian Lillard scored 34 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 16 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a six-game skid, beating the Utah Jazz 123-100. Antetokounmpo was back in action after missing a 116-114 loss at Cleveland on Monday night because of a right adductor strain. The Bucks hadn’t lost six straight games since 2015, Giannis’ rookie season. They avoided their first seven-game loss streak since 2014, when they dropped eight in a row. Jordan Clarkson had 18 off the bench to lead the Jazz. Utah led 71-70 before the Bucks took command with a 17-1 run late in the third quarter. Lillard and Antetokounmpo combined to score Milwaukee’s first 15 points in that spurt.

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League News

Around the League

• So far this season, Victor Wembanyama, the highly-rated Sophmore phenom for the San Antonio Spurs, has faced a number of challenges as he adjusts to the rigors of NBA competition. In his last six games, his performance has been a mix of flashes of brilliance and struggles with consistency. Over this span, Wembanyama has averaged just over 18 points per game, but his shooting efficiency has been below expectations, connecting on only 42% of his field goals and 21% from beyond the arc. His struggles to find a rhythm from the perimeter have been particularly noticeable, as he continues to work on his jump shot in the face of increased defensive attention. However, his free-throw shooting, once considered a weakness, has rose to around 93%, which is above average for a player of his size. On the defensive end, while he still shows the potential to dominate with his rare combination of size and mobility, his rebounding numbers have been inconsistent, averaging only 9.8 boards per game over these six games. This can be attributed to some issues with positioning and the physicality of the NBA game, as he occasionally gets boxed out or struggles to secure contested rebounds against more experienced big men. Additionally, his turnovers have been an issue, with Wembanyama averaging over 3.5 per game, which is a result of him still adjusting to the speed and intensity of the league. His assist numbers have been okay at best, indicating that while he's shown flashes of playmaking, he still has room to grow in terms of facilitating the offense. All in all, these recent performances have highlighted the learning curve Wembanyama faces in his first season, as he adapts to the competition level and finds ways to maximize his impact on both ends of the floor. Despite these struggles, the raw talent and potential he brings to the court remain undeniable, and it's clear that with time and experience, he has the ability to develop into one of the league's elite players.

• 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 a few games. 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. (We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

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Fantasy Leaders

Dame and Giannis make the Top 3 in a win this time

Overtime Thoughts