Last season's NBA MVP race was as back-and-forth as ever, as it came down to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets center Nikol

The LA Lakers are hot on the Thunder's trail in the West, and Austin Reaves deserves a lot of credit for the purple and gold's squad ascent. On Thursday, Reaves exploded for 44 points on 13-for-21 shooting as the Luka Doncic-less Lakers turned back the Toronto Raptors 123-120.

Zion Williamson was the most hyped player to enter the NBA since LeBron James when he was drafted. The New Orleans Pelicans picked him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. However, conditioning and injury issues have been the story of his career,

Scottie Barnes, who won Rookie of the Year in his own debut season, may well be on course to earn himself a second All-Star appearance with the way he's been playing for the Toronto Raptors. The latest update has him move to 88 OVR in the basketball sim.

Utah rookie Walter Clayton Jr. scored a career-high 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Lakers and 76ers went down to the wire, and LeBron James provided all the electricity the Lake Show needed, scoring their final 10 points, to seal a 112-108 win.