Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic took another step towards a third consecutive MVP after dominating the Portland Trail Blazers in a 122-113 victory on Tuesday.
Jokic was unstoppable offensively, finishing with 36 points on 13-of-14 shooting while adding 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
In doing so, he became the first player in NBA history to record multiple 35-point triple-doubles while shooting at least 90 per cent from the field. Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player with even one such game.
Jokic was supported well by Michael Porter Jr, who scored 23 points on nine-of-13 shooting, while Jamal Murray chipped in 17 points (six-of-15), seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.
For the Blazers, it was another spectacular showing from the franchise's all-time scoring leader as Damian Lillard had a game-high 44 points on 12-of-20 shooting with eight assists.
It continued a blistering run of form for Lillard, who is averaging a league-leading 39 points per game across his past six outings, although Portland have only been able to convert his stellar play into two wins from six.
With the victory, the Nuggets are now alone atop the Western Conference with a record of 31-13, which the Memphis Grizzlies can tie if they can secure their 11th consecutive win when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Holiday delivers for the Giannis-less Bucks
Jrue Holiday has set a new season-high points total in back-to-back games after putting up 37 in the Milwaukee Bucks' 130-122 triumph at home against the Toronto Raptors.
Holiday scored a season-high 35 on Monday against the Indiana Pacers in the first leg of the Bucks' back-to-back, and he followed it up with 37 against the Raptors.
He shot 16-of-26 from the field while adding seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block, and Fred VanVleet was just as good for Toronto.
VanVleet tied his season-high by scoring 39 points on 15-of-28 shooting, with nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Bucks are now 29-16 and occupy the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Embiid bullies the Clippers
Joel Embiid was too big and too strong on his way to a game-high 41 points in the Philadelphia 76ers' 120-110 road win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Embiid shot 12-of-22 from the field and 15-of-18 from the free throw line while adding nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a comprehensive performance.
Tobias Harris was sharp in a supporting role, snatching five steals in the first half while scoring 20 points on efficient eight-of-12 shooting.
For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard made it five consecutive games with at least 24 points and a steal as he begins to recapture his All-NBA form following a string of injuries.
Kyrie Irving missed the Brooklyn Nets' 106-98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday due to tightness in his right calf.
Irving, who has now played in 32 of the Nets' 43 games this season, is averaging 25.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and he has already eclipsed the 29 games he managed in the 2021-22 campaign.
The Nets were already without superstar Kevin Durant due to his knee injury, and were left even more shorthanded when Irving was withdrawn in the hours before tip-off against the Spurs.
In his absence, Brooklyn suffered their third loss in a row as no Nets players were able to reach 20 points.
Ben Simmons collected a triple-double with 10 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks, while T.J. Warren led the team in scoring with 19 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Nets center Nic Claxton became the youngest player since 22-year-old Rudy Gobert in 2015 to block at least three shots in nine consecutive games.
In comments before the game, head coach Jacque Vaughn called the injury "day to day".
"[Irving] just reported a little tightness," Vaughn said. "It's essentially just day to day. We'll check on him [Wednesday], and hopefully this is short-term."
The Nets are hopeful Irving will be able to return when they travel to take on the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
LeBron James shrugged off a pre-game tease about his age to show that it's nothing but a number as the 38-year-old dazzled for the Los Angeles Lakers.
James had 48 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in a spectacular performance for the Lakers, who beat the Houston Rockets 140-132 on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Before the game began, Houston's 19-year-old power forward Jabari Smith Jr approached LeBron and said: "Hey, you played against my dad, your first NBA game ever. Sacramento."
An amused James replied: "Why do you do that to me?"
Smith added: "You feel old, don't you?"
Smith's cheeky remarks need a little addendum, as records show his father was in fact an unused bench player in that fixture on October 29, 2003, that saw James drop a game-high 25 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Sacramento Kings to make an immediate impact on the NBA.
James and Smith senior did go head to head in the following season, though, when Smith moved on to the New Jersey Nets.
Asked after Monday's game about playing against both father and son, James laughed off Smith's reminder in an interview with NBA TV.
"Versus dad, man, versus dad! It made me feel old as c**p," James said.
"He said, 'That make you feel old?'. I said, 'Absolutely man'.
"I've had the pleasure and the opportunity to play against a couple of dad and son combinations: Gary Trent and Gary Trent Jr, Kenyon Martin and Kenyon Martin Jr, and now Jabari Smith Jr and Jabari Smith Sr.
"It's been a great ride, these 20 years that I've been able to see a lot of great players come in and come out, so it's always an honour for me."
The Lakers scored 113 points with James on the court and did not have one turnover during that time. It made James the only NBA player in the last 20 years to have his team score 100-plus points with no turnovers with him on the floor in a game.
James said the win felt "very important" as the Lakers (20-24) ended a three-game losing run, including tight defeats to the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers.
"After the Dallas game and after the Philly game last night, we just had some heartbreaking losses, and we could have found out better ways to close the game," James said.
"Tonight, we kept our composure, and even when they made a run we kept our composure and executed offensively, made some tough shots and then got some key defensive stops."
LeBron James believes Tom Brady should only play on in the NFL if his heart is still in it.
The season is over for Brady and there will be no Super Bowl for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round on Monday.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott outshone Brady, delivering the best playoff performance of his career by completing 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards, throwing four touchdowns and rushing for another, with no turnovers.
Brady completed 35 of his personal playoff record 66 attempts for 351 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
He will have turned 46 by the time next season begins, and this is now a time for contemplation as Brady wonders whether to extend his NFL career for a further season.
After his shock retirement U-turn last March, Brady is unlikely to have rushed whatever decision he announces this time.
"Listen man, follow your heart," said Los Angeles Lakers superstar James.
"Follow your heart and your gut is going to tell you what to do."
Brady is coming off a campaign where he set an NFL record for the most pass attempts and completions in a regular season, so he may feel there is life left in his playing career.
Speaking on NBA TV, the 38-year-old James said: "That man's been doing it for 20-plus years at such a high level.
"As always, my best wishes. He's not only my favourite quarterback but also a really good, dear friend to me, so whatever he decides to do [I support him].
"I love seeing him on the field, it gives me inspiration to keep going at my age, so we'll see what happens."
Jayson Tatum revealed it was a text from three-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford that inspired him to push for 50 points during the Boston Celtics' 130-118 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
Tatum had 40 points with just over three minutes remaining in the contest, leading by seven, before he hit a pair of free throws and three triples, including the last one with 38 seconds left to eclipse the 50-point barrier.
He finished with 51 points on 15-of-23 shooting, going seven-of-12 from long range and a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line, becoming the Celtics' all-time leader in regular season 50-point games with his fifth.
He also has two 50-point games in the playoffs, giving him seven overall – the sixth-most ever before turning 25 years old, trailing only Hall-of-Famers Wilt Chamberlain (15), Michael Jordan (10), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Barry and LeBron James (eight).
Speaking after the win, Tatum told reporters a conversation earlier in the season with Crawford was the reason he would not settle in the 40s.
"Jamal texted me after [an earlier] game and he's like, 'If you’re ever that close to 50, nobody is going to remember the time and score, they're just going to report if you got 50 or not'," Tatum said.
"That’s what was going through my mind: Jamal telling me if you get that close to 50, go get it."
Head coach Joe Mazzulla made it clear Tatum's desire to dominate is the furthest thing from selfishness, and he is delivering within the confines of the Celtics' offensive structure.
"He makes me look like a better coach," he said. "He didn't settle for shots – he got catch-and-shoots, he got off-the-dribbles, he got layups.
"The other piece of that is the humility of our team to really work with him to get those 51 points."
Celtics guard Derrick White added: "He wants to be great and he takes that challenge each and every night. He’s seen a lot of defense during his time in the league and he is making the right read off of that."
Tatum's ability to make plays for his team-mates has been evident, averaging 5.3 assists during his eight games since the new year began, having never previously averaged more than 4.4 assists in any of his six seasons so far.
Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 51 points to propel the Boston Celtics to a 130-118 win against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
With fellow Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown out with an injury, Tatum produced the seventh 50-point performance of his career, shooting 15-of-23 from the field, seven-of-12 from deep and 14-of-14 from the free throw line.
In doing so, Tatum set the Celtics' franchise record for most regular season 50-point games with his fifth, and also added nine rebounds and five assists, while Derrick White contributed 19 points (five-of-11 shooting) and eight assists as he filled in for Brown in the starting line-up.
Jalen McDaniels was impressive for the Hornets, scoring a season-high 26 points on nine-of-15 shooting, while LaMelo Ball was inefficient for his 25 points (eight-of-23) and six assists.
With the win, the Celtics improved their streak to seven games and their league-best record to 33-12. They also own the NBA's best road record at 16-7.
Curry heroics deliver rare road win for the Warriors
Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry put on a show in his side's 127-118 away victory against the Washington Wizards.
Trailing 106-105 with less than six minutes on the clock, Curry went on to match the Wizards the rest of the way, scoring 12 of his 41 points while the home side could only put up 12 points as a team.
He shot 12-of-28 from the field for 41 points and seven rebounds, while Jordan Poole shot 12-of-20 for 32 points and seven rebounds.
It was a rare good night away from home for the now 22-22 Warriors, who at 5-17 own the second-worst road record in the league, while their 17-5 home record is tied for the fourth-best.
Jazz rookie shines as Rudy Gobert replacement
The Utah Jazz appear to have unearthed another towering defensive presence at center as rookie Walker Kessler dominated in a 126-125 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kessler, the 22nd pick in the most recent NBA Draft, is already one of the league's best shot-blockers, sitting fourth in blocks at 2.0 per game and fourth in blocks-per-36 minutes at 3.6 per game.
It was only the ninth start from his 43 appearances this season, and he put up 20 points (nine-of-13), 21 rebounds (nine offensive), four assists and two blocks in a comprehensive performance.
LeBron James described recent refereeing of Los Angeles Lakers games as "frustrating as hell" on Monday.
James' frustration comes after back-to-back Lakers losses were decided by questionable calls in the final seconds.
In Thursday's double-overtime defeat to the Dallas Mavericks, the NBA's Last Two Minute Report revealed seven incorrect calls in the final two minutes plus the overtime periods, including what should have been a foul on James' attempted game-winner at the end of the first overtime.
That was followed by Sunday's one-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, where Russell Westbrook felt he was fouled by Joel Embiid on the final play of the game.
However, the Last Two Minute Report against the 76ers ruled that the referees got the decision correct, and after a fan on Twitter called it a "huge scandal", James retweeted it and added his own thoughts.
He wrote: "And all year they keep telling me to my face on the court, "I didn’t see it" or "It wasn’t a foul". It’s not making sense to me seriously! Frustrating as hell man! Anyways keep going squad!"
James made a similar complaint in November, referencing a lack of free throw attempts, but he has since seen that figure rise quickly.
Having never averaged fewer than 5.7 free throw attempts per game during any of his 20 seasons, James was awarded just 5.3 attempts per game in October, and 4.5 attempts per game in November. It is the same story for Westbrook, who is averaging a career-low 4.2 attempts from the line.
James was back up to 5.9 attempts per game in December, and has been back to his best since the new year began, averaging 9.0 attempts – a number he has not reached for a full season since 2009-2010 during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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