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The NBA got a bit of history on Monday night when Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns became the fourth pair of players to each score 60 or more points on the same day. Embiid’s 70-piece went about as expected. Though the opposing San Antonio Spurs kept it a bit closer than Embiid would have liked, his Philadelphia 76ers ultimately escaped with the win. At that point, like 63 of the first 83 scorers in NBA history to reach 60 points in a game, Embiid was a winner on his historic night.

Of course, that means that entering Monday, we’d seen 20 players hit the 60-point mark in a game and still manage to lose. That figure rose to 21 an hour or so later, though, because Towns couldn’t lead his Minnesota Timberwolves past the lowly 10-31 Charlotte Hornets. Towns himself even managed to get blocked on a potential game-winner with five seconds to go and missed another possible game-tying shot as time expired.

A player losing a game in which they drop 60 points feels almost unthinkable, but it happens more frequently than you’d think. Around one-quarter of 60-point scorers ultimately fail to earn the victory. So let’s take a look at those players whose individual greatness was only overshadowed by their disappointing teammates.

The trendsetter
From the NBA’s inception in 1949 through the 1976-77 season, only one player ever scored 60 points in a game without earning a victory. However, that player did so a staggering 11 times. You’ve probably guessed by now that the player in question was Wilt Chamberlain. Suddenly, that ridiculous statistic makes a whole lot more sense. A player who averaged 50 points per game across an entire season was bound to lose plenty of enormous individual performances.

In the grand scheme of things, Chamberlain did fairly well in his 60-point outings. He may have lost 10 of them, but he won 22. That’s a win rate of 68.75%, not terribly far from the roughly 79% his contemporaries posted. As you’d suspect, Chamberlain holds the highest-scoring loss in NBA history. On Dec. 12, 1961, Chamberlain reached 78 points in a triple-overtime loss to the Lakers.

Interestingly, all 11 of Chamberlain’s 60-point losses came within a single four-year period. The first came in 1961 and the last came in 1964. The Big Dipper played nearly another decade, but won his last five 60-point games between 1966 and 1969. Chamberlain is the only player to lose more than two 60-point games. In fact, only one other player in league history has scored 60 and lost more than once.

The G.O.A.T.
Yes, that’s right, even Michael Jordan is mortal. Well, at least his teammates were. Technically, Jordan has a below-.500 record in 60-point performances. In the regular season, which is what we’ve been tracking so far, he went 2-2. The first of those two losses came in 1987 to the Atlanta Hawks, and the second came in a 1993 defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic. He had 60-point wins over Detroit and Cleveland to even out his regular-season record, but we haven’t even covered Jordan’s most well-known 60-point game.

That one came in the playoffs. In 1986, Jordan set an NBA record that hasn’t yet been broken by scoring 63 points in a first-round game against the Boston Celtics. Those Celtics were arguably the greatest team in NBA history, winning 69 regular-season games and losing just 13. Boston may have needed two overtimes to get there, but they ultimately beat the Bulls 135-131. Larry Bird famously said after the game that it was “God disguised as Michael Jordan” playing against the Celtics that day. It’s proof that a 60-point loss doesn’t need to be embarrassing. Its one of the most amazing things arguably the greatest player ever accomplished.

The duel
Only once in NBA history have we seen two separate players reach 60 points and lose on the same day. Ironically, those two defeats came as part of one of the most famous scoring races the league has ever seen. Let’s turn the clocks back to 1978, when David Thompson and George Gervin are both averaging roughly 27 points per game entering the last day of the season, April 9.

Thompson played first and wanted to lock up the scoring title. He very nearly did so with the fourth-highest scoring output in NBA history. Thompson scored 73 points, but with his Nuggets already locked into their No. 2 seed as a division winner, they had little motivation to actually win their game and ultimately fell 139-137 to the Detroit Pistons. The Spurs were in the same position later in the day when they suited up, because as a division winner, their seed was set and the outcome didn’t matter.

However, Gervin came into the game knowing he needed exactly 59 points to win the scoring title. He finished with 63, but he easily could have had more. He scored 63 in the first half, secured his title, and went to the bench having played only 33 minutes. To this day, that is the fewest minutes ever played in a losing 60-point effort, and the Gervin-Thompson battle was the closest scoring race in league history.

The Grinch(es)
This time period produced only one more 60-point loser, and it also came from a scoring champion. Bernard King’s legendary 1984-85 campaign saw him average 32.9 points per game when no other player even reached 29. Sadly, it’s often forgotten as it came on a pathetic 24-58 Knicks team. Sure enough, the New Jersey Nets managed to ruin King’s Christmas when they defeated the Knicks 120-114 at Madison Square Garden despite a Herculean 60-point effort. King’s monster day is still the highest-scoring Christmas game in NBA history, but his Knicks teammates couldn’t find it within themselves to put a victory underneath his tree.

The new wave
We’ve covered 16 of the 21 regular-season 60-point losses thus far as well as the only playoff defeat. That leaves us with five more. All of them have come since 2017, meaning we went 24 years without a 60-point defeat after Jordan’s last one. Let’s cover the last five in chronological order:

On March 24, 2017, Devin Booker joined Chamberlain and Thompson as the only players ever to score 70 points in a game and still lose. Booker’s game was somewhat controversial at the time, as Suns coach Earl Watson called two timeouts down the stretch to create extra looks for Booker despite the outcome of the game being out of reach. Yet even to this day, only nine players have ever reached the 70-point threshold, so it’s hard to find too much fault when anyone does so.
Kemba Walker (60 points) did just about everything he reasonably could have done to help the Charlotte Hornets defeat the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 17, 2018. He scored 19 of Charlotte’s 24 fourth-quarter points and finished with more than half of the 119-point total, but he faded in overtime by scoring just two points in those last five minutes. The more balanced 76ers got the win behind 33 Embiid points.
Poor Damian Lillard. He may not have two 60-point losses like Jordan, but he managed to lose both a 50-pointer and a 60-pointer in the same calendar. The 50-point defeat came in March of 2019, and then, eight months later in November, the Nets beat the Blazers 119-115 to give Lillard his 60-point loss. He reached double-digit points in all four quarters and scored 34 in the second half, but his teammates shot 21-of-64 from the field while the Nets got 67 combined points from Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Bradley Beal’s marvelous performance on the road in Philadelphia was one of the best games of his career. On Jan. 6, 2021, Beal put on a show, but offense and defense don’t always align in the end. Beal’s 60 helped the Wizards score 136, but the 76ers outdid them with 141 behind 38 from 60-point slayer Joel Embiid.
That leads us to tonight. Towns scored 44 points in the first half, the most ever in the play-by-play era (starting in 1996-97). He slowed down with 18 in the second, a strong half by normal standards, but he needed 18 field goal attempts to get there. The Timberwolves force fed him the ball when they led by double-digits, and it slowly chipped away at their lead. After leading by as many as 18 points, the Timberwolves fell by three thanks to a furious Charlotte rally.

It’s a disappointment to be sure, but Towns made plenty of history on Monday. As The Ringer’s Zach Kram noted, there have been only five 60-point games from centers since Wilt Chamberlain’s last one in 1969. Towns is the only center with two of them. He fortunately won his first, which came in March of 2022. That should make this one a bit easier to swallow. If nothing else, his defeat put him in very good company.

The Golden State Warriors practiced for the first time on Monday since the death of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. The Warriors assistant died the morning of Jan. 17 after suffering a heart attack the previous day while at a restaurant in Utah for a team dinner. The NBA subsequently postponed Golden State’s game against the Utah Jazz that was slated to take place that night, as well as a Friday home game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed the media for the first time on Monday since Milojevic’s death, sharing how difficult the past five days have been.

“It’s hard to describe the week. Heartbreaking, devastating. It’s just the saddest thing I’ve ever been a part of in the NBA, where we lose someone who’s so close to us,” Kerr said. “And then, more importantly, seeing his family suffer. So this last week has been — last five days, I guess — has been full of all of the above. The shock, the emotion, the extreme outpouring of love from all over the world.”

Kerr continued by talking about the love shown from Milojevic’s home country Serbia, where a tribute was held recently that featured the team Milojevic used to coach against the team he used to play for.

“I don’t know if any of you saw — we watched as a team this morning the event that they had in Serbia. Deki’s two teams were playing against each other, it just happened to be on the schedule tonight — Mega, the team he coached, versus Partizan, the team he starred for. And I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like the pregame dedication from the fans and the organizations there to Deki. It was incredible. We watched it as a team, so I think we got a better sense of just what Deki meant to his countrymen. Of course, [with] how much he meant to us and to Natasha and Masha and Nikola, it’s been a devastating week.”

Partizan shared video of the tribute held for Milojevic on X, formerly known as Twitter, where fans could be seen chanting in Serbian while images of Milojevic were shared on the jumbotron and a banner featuring him hung on one side of the arena.

DEJAN MILOJEVIĆ.🕊️🖤🤍#KKPartizan #ABALiga pic.twitter.com/CnAFMLmB40

— KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) January 22, 2024
Kerr also thanked the league, the Mavericks and Jazz for allowing their past two games to be postponed.

“We needed it, and I want to thank the NBA [and] Adam Silver, for postponing those two games, there’s no way any of us could’ve walked out onto a court and played a basketball game either Wednesday or Friday,” Kerr said. “So I want to thank Adam [Silver], and the Mavericks and the Jazz, because those games will be made up and it will complicate the schedule for them. So I want to thank everybody.”

When asked about his favorite memories about Milojevic, Kerr highlighted how much he enjoyed coming to work because of the joy Deki brought everyday.

“Deki had an amazing way of being very direct and honest without threatening anyone,” Kerr said. “Sometimes those coaches meetings can get contentious, you know we all have different ideas, and he always had a gleam in his eye and a laugh even when he was challenging us — especially when he was challenging the rest of the group. He had a lot of great, funny sayings that he would use, sometimes Serbian words, sometimes just kind of his English version of things. He was just a guy who constantly saw the good in people, and the joy in life. And how could you not embrace and love that everyday, when you’re coming into a season that goes from 7-9 months? That’s exactly the kind of person I want to be with everyday. Deki was that guy for everybody.”

During Golden State’s practice Monday, players and coaches were wearing shirts that had the word “Brate” printed on them, which is Serbian for the word “brother.” The shirts also feature a heart with the letters “DM” inscribed in them in honor of Milojevic.

With the Warriors returning to practice that likely means they will be playing in Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks in San Francisco. It will mark a week since Milojevic’s death, and while the team is still very much in the mourning process, Kerr shared how he tried to picture how the team could possibly move past this tragic event.

“I lean on [Warriors assistant coach] Ron Adams so much, Ron has been a mentor for me — obviously an amazing coach for all of our players and and for our coaches — but I lean on him for wisdom and I asked him a couple days ago, I said ‘How do we go on from here, what do we do?'” Kerr said. “And Ron thought for a second and he said, ‘It’s relatively simple, you ask the guys, what would Deki want us to do?’ And I thought about it and I literally could picture Deki smiling and laughing and saying, ‘You mother——s need to go win a basketball game,’ and then laughing. Sorry for the language, I just wanted to share my vision of Deki, that’s exactly what he would’ve said with a smile on his face.”

The National Blowout Association has transformed into the National Bucket-getting Association after a couple of outstanding individual performances on Monday night. Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns set a franchise record with 62 points against the Charlotte Hornets, but he played second-fiddle to another sweet-shooting 7-footer as Joel Embiid went bonkers, besting Wilt Chamberlain with 70 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Now that you mention it, an NBA player probably just scored a basket while you were reading this sentence.

Embiid’s performance capped a 4-0 week which saw the 76ers jump nine spots into the No. 1 slot in this week’s NBA Power Rankings. They sit just ahead of the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets, whom Embiid only had 41 against earlier in the week. Slacker.

Also rising were the Los Angeles Clippers, who entered the top five after two strong wins, and the Phoenix Suns, who rode three victories to a top-10 spot. The biggest fallers of the week were the Utah Jazz, who came back to reality after a scorching stretch of basketball. The Miami Heat also interestingly fell nine spots after three straight losses with Jimmy Butler back in the fold.

Days after her father, Vince McMahon, ended his retirement and returned as executive chair of the WWE board, Stephanie McMahon has resigned from the company. Stephanie McMahon had been serving as co-CEO, along with Nick Khan, since Vince McMahon announced his retirement amid allegations of decades of sexual misconduct.

Stephanie tweeted out an image of a statement announcing her retirement with the WWE slogan of “Then. Now. Forever. Together.”

“About eight months ago, I took a leave of absence and within a few weeks, unexpectedly had the opportunity of a lifetime. I had the privilege to return as co-CEO and chairwoman of the board of WWE. I cannot put into words how proud I am to have led what I consider to be the greatest company in the world, working alongside a remarkable leadership team and one of the strongest executives I have known in my co-CEO, Nick Khan.

“Our founder, Vince McMahon, has returned as Executive Chair and is leading an exciting process regarding strategic alternatives. And with Nick’s leadership and Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque as Chief Content Officer, I am confident WWE is in the perfect place to continue to provide unparalleled creative content and drive maximum value for shareholders.”

Stephanie McMahon had, indeed, announced a leave prior to being called into action as Vince McMahon resigned after multiple reports surfaced involving allegedly paying hush money to several women throughout his time running WWE.

Later in the statement, she said she was going further than a leave and instead announcing a full resignation.

Stephanie McMahon is married to Levesque, who suffered a cardiac issue in 2022. The couple have three children.

One of the most anticipated days of the year for wrestling fans comes Saturday as the WWE Royal Rumble comes to San Antonio. The event features the beloved Royal Rumble matches for both the men and women and signifies the start to “WrestleMania Season.”

The winners of the Royal Rumble matches punch their ticket to a main event slot at WrestleMania, challenging for a world title. WrestleMania takes place April 1 and 2 from Inglewood, California.

Both matches will feature 30 entrants, each entering in specific time intervals. The event typically sees wild action with superstars trying to avoid being tossed over the top rope and landing outside the ring. It also sees some shocking surprise entrants with legends of the past coming back for a cameo appearance. This year should be interesting as Cody Rhodes is expected to make his return after suffering a torn pectoral muscle last year that has kept him out of action.

In addition to the Rumble matches, there are two major title matches scheduled for the event. Roman Reigns will defend his undisputed WWE universal championship against Kevin Owens and Bianca Belair will put her Raw women’s championship on the line against Alexa Bliss.

Let’s take a closer look at who our CBS Sports experts predict will come out on top at WWE Royal Rumble, which begins Saturday at 8 p.m. ET from Alamodome in San Antonio and streams live on Peacock.

2023 WWE Royal Rumble predictions
Men’s Royal Rumble Match

The Royal Rumble is always interesting because every entrant is exciting in their own way but so very few people in the match have a legitimate shot of winning. Still, it remains one of the most entertaining events in all of wrestling because of the variety of personalities and interactions in the mix. Were I to pick who I think should win, the answer would be Sami Zayn. The story of The Bloodline has become very compelling again and Zayn — not Roman Reigns — is the reason why. But I don’t know that WWE higher-ups would view Zayn as someone they want main eventing WrestleMania. There is, of course, the usual buzz that The Rock could return, win and face Reigns at the biggest show of the year. But it just feels as though the most realistic option is Cody Rhodes as the last man standing. His return to WWE was so focused in on his need to win the belt his father never held and then everything was derailed by his injury. But that injury only built his story and grew the Cody Rhodes mythology when he faced Seth Rollins inside Hell in a Cell with his chest a grotesque purple hue. All the video packages ahead of his return have focused on getting his redemption and it only makes sense for that return to see him triumph in the Rumble. Pick: Cody Rhodes wins (Brent Brookhouse)

I anticipate WWE originally planned for hometown hero Zayn to challenge Reigns at the Elimination Chamber event in Montreal, but this storyline deserves even more. The Bloodline angle is lightning in a bottle and Zayn deserves to have his crowning moment. WWE has heavily promoted Cody Rhodes ahead of his Rumble return, making him the favorite and opening the door for great misdirection. Zayn should win the Rumble, team with estranged best friend Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber and win the world championship in an all-time WrestleMania moment against Reigns. A fantastic underdog story. Pick: Sami Zayn wins (Shakiel Mahjouri)

Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Your mileage may vary on The Judgement Day, but Ripley has been a standout for the group. Her “Mami” shtick with Dominik Mysterio is amusing, she can certainly hold her own between the ropes and she has been positioned as something of a modern-day Chyna — an enforcer that can topple anyone on the roster, male or female. Ripley’s talent was overshadowed by poor booking for far too long. Her almost cartoonish villainy and comparative power make her a perfect foil for Raw women’s champion Bianca Belair, a champion in need of a new challenge as WrestleMania season approaches. Pick: Rhea Ripley wins — Mahouri (also Brookhouse)

Undisputed WWE universal championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin Owens

Reigns’ record-breaking run as champion has often felt like it lost steam only for inspiration to strike the writers’ room and get a needed twist, such as Sami Zayn’s emergence as a major player in The Bloodline. Owens would be a great choice to end Reigns’ time as champion, but WrestleMania overshadows every possible result in this match. Reigns is not going to drop the title ahead of WrestleMania. Owens will put up his usual blood and guts fight but come up short, likely as a result of The Bloodline’s numbers simply being too much — even if Zayn has a misstep that leaves “The Tribal Chief” fuming. Pick: Roman Reigns wins — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

Raw women’s championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Alexa Bliss

Belair is approaching one year as Raw women’s champion. It has been a well-deserved run after her initial reign was cut criminally short in favor of a returning Becky Lynch. Bliss hasn’t returned quite to her former glory and Belair remains a fantastic ambassador for the company. I’d recommend the promotion keep the title on Belair, let her celebrate the one-year anniversary of her reign at WrestleMania, and take the fall for Ripley on the grandest stage. Pick: Bianca Belair wins — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight (Lights Out Match)

WWE has stretched out Wyatt’s on-camera in-ring return far too long. Fortunately, the interactions between Wyatt and Knight have mostly been gold. The only circumstance in which Wyatt loses this match is some weird Uncle Howdy-related swerve. The match is tailored made for him, after all. Knight doesn’t need the win here. Knight was afforded an opportunity to showcase his world-class mic skills after shedding that awful Max Dupri skin. Expect Wyatt to win rather convincingly and move on to a bigger feud, allowing Knight the space to grow into a fantastic midcard act. Pick: Wyatt wins — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

One of the tent-pole events of the WWE calendar is here. Typically considered among the “majors” is the Royal Rumble. The annual event draws many fans in as there is always potential for shocking results and entrants into the match. It all goes down on Saturday night inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

The modern version of the Royal Rumble features two matches: a men’s and women’s match, each featuring 30 participants. Two superstars begin the match with entrants arriving one by one in timed intervals. Superstars are eliminated once thrown over the top rope and both feet touch the floor. The winner is declared only once their 29 opponents have all been eliminated. Generally, the winners of the Rumbles are guaranteed a world championship match against the champion of their choosing at the upcoming WrestleMania. The matches generally feature surprise entrants: returning superstars, debutants, one-off appearances from retired wrestlers and celebrity guest spots.

Expectations are relatively high for this year’s event following an abysmal men’s Royal Rumble last year that ranked among the worst in the company’s history. WWE has undergone a change in creative leadership since last year’s match, but the future is unpredictable following news of Vince McMahon’s return from a brief retirement.

Two championship bouts have also been announced for the Royal Rumble event. Reigns puts his WWE and universal championships at stake in order to rid himself of Kevin Owens. Raw women’s champion Bianca Belair defends her crown against Alexa Bliss. Plus, Bray Wyatt will participate in his first match since returning to the promotion when he takes on LA Knight in a “Pitch Black” match.

Take a look below at the confirmed matches for the 2023 Royal Rumble. Check back for updates and predictions.

2023 WWE Royal Rumble matches
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin Owens: Owens’ interjection into Survivor Series WarGames set him on a path with Reigns. Owens was moments away from defeating The Bloodline at Survivor Series, but Sami Zayn betrayed his friendship with Owens in favor of fully aligning with the faction. Owens further positioned himself as Reigns’ biggest threat on the final SmackDown of 2022. Owens enlisted John Cena in a winning effort against Reigns and Zayn in a tag team match. Owens goaded an emotional Reigns into a title match the following week.

Raw Women’s Championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Alexa Bliss: Bliss won two matches in one night to earn her title shot. She then immediately turned on Belair, a woman she stood side-by-side with against Bayley and Damage CTRL, first threatening to hit the champion with Sister Abigail — seemingly starting a turn to the dark side in the wake of Bray Wyatt’s return — and then hitting Belair with a vase during a sit-down interview. After getting herself disqualified in a match with Belair on Raw, Bliss said that she had already won by getting in Belair’s head. Fed up with Bliss, Belair laid out a challenge for the two to battle at the Rumble.

Men’s Royal Rumble: 30 male superstars will compete for the right to challenge for the world championships currently held by Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. Among those named to participate this year are Brock Lesnar, Kofi Kingston, intercontinental champion Gunter, United States champion Austin Theory, and many more. But the biggest name set to make his return in the match is Cody Rhodes, who was on a title challenging trajectory before he suffered a torn pectoral muscle last year.

Women’s Royal Rumble: 30 women will compete to challenge for the Raw women’s championship or the SmackDown women’s champion at WrestleMania 39. Reigning titleholders — currently Raw women’s champion Bianca Belair and SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair — are usually omitted from the match. Occasionally, a championship will be on the line or a champion may include themselves in the match like Flair did last year. Liv Morgan was the first superstar to announce her participation in the match.

Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight (Pitch Black match): Wyatt and Knight have traded barbs on the microphone ever since Wyatt’s return to WWE programming at Extreme Rules in October. The braggadocious Knight was repeatedly assaulted backstage in recent weeks, suspecting Wyatt as the culprit. Wyatt’s steadfast denial led to the revelation that Uncle Howdy is not Wyatt’s alter-ego, but a separate entity entirely. Knight challenged Wyatt to a match at the Royal Rumble. Wyatt accepted and chose an unusual Pitch Black match as the stipulation.

The Boston Celtics will face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in an interconference matchup on Wednesday. Boston is 28-8 overall and 17-0 at home, while Minnesota is 26-10 overall and 12-8 on the road. The Timberwolves defeated the Celtics, 114-109, in overtime at home on November 6 in their first meeting of the season.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET at TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics are 9-point favorites in the latest Timberwolves vs. Celtics odds, according to the SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 223.5 points. Before entering any Celtics vs. Timberwolves picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Minnesota vs. Boston. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Timberwolves vs. Celtics:

Celtics vs. Timberwolves spread: Celtics -9
Celtics vs. Timberwolves over/under: 223.5 points
Celtics vs. Timberwolves money line: Celtics: -383, Timberwolves: +300
MIN: The Timberwolves are 8-4 ATS against the Eastern Conference
BOS: The Celtics are 11-6 ATS at home this season
Celtics vs. Timberwolves picks: See picks at SportsLine
What to know about the Timberwolves
The Timberwolves are coming off a 113-92 win over the Magic on Tuesday and are 2-1 entering the final game of their four-game road trip. Minnesota didn’t have much time to celebrate that victory, however, with Wednesday being the second half of a back-to-back and needing to fly from the Southeast to the Northeast of the United States. This will be the Timberwolves’ third game in a different state over the last four days after falling in Dallas, 115-108, on Sunday.

The duo of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are each having productive years to lead Minnesota. Edwards is averaging 26.2 points this season after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, while Towns is averaging 21.7 points and 8.9 rebounds in his ninth NBA season since being drafted first in 2015. The Wolves (26-10) have the second-best record in the NBA, already defeated Boston once this season and could give Boston’s undefeated home record its toughest challenge yet. The Timberwolves have the best scoring defense, allowing 107.2 points per game, with opponents shooting a league-low 44.4% from the field against them. See which team to pick here.

What to know about the Celtics
Meanwhile, the Celtics have the best record in the NBA at 28-8 this year. They are 17-0 at home with 10 of those victories coming by double-digits. They could challenge the 2016-17 Warriors’ NBA record of 24 straight home victories to begin a season, so expect that to serve as additional motivation on Wednesday. Boston is coming off a last-second 133-131 loss to the Pacers on Monday, but the Celtics are 8-2 over their last 10 games.

Boston is the best rebounding team in the NBA, averaging a league-best 47.6 rebounds, including 36.3 defensive rebounds per game. The Celtics are holding their opponents to 45% shooting from the field, the third-lowest clip, and they are allowing just 110.7 ppg, also third-fewest in the league. Jayson Tatum is averaging 27.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists this season, including 38 points with 13 rebounds for his third-straight 30-point performance on Monday. Jaylen Brown had a season-high 40 points on Monday. However, Boston could be shorthanded on Wednesday as Jrue Holiday (elbow), Kristaps Porzingis (knee) and Al Horford (illness) are all listed as questionable. See which team to pick here.

How to make Celtics vs. Timberwolves picks
The model has simulated Timberwolves vs. Celtics 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

Welcome back to NBA Star Power Index: A weekly gauge of the players getting the most buzz around the league. Inclusion on this list isn’t necessarily a good thing — it simply means you’re capturing the NBA world’s attention. This is also not a ranking. The players listed here are in no particular order. This column will run every week throughout the regular season.

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Draymond Green
GS • PF • #23
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Draymond Green’s suspension for round-housing Jusuf Nurkic in the head has been lifted, and you’ll never guess what he’s been doing as he prepares to return to the court for the Warriors: Talking.

In the first episode his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” since July, Green said, among many other things, that he almost retired until commissioner Adam Silver talked him out of it.

“I had a conversation with Adam Silver, the commissioner of our league,” Green said in the episode that was released Monday morning. “And I just told him, ‘Adam, it’s too much for me. Like, it’s too much. This is too much. It’s all becoming too much for me. And i’m going to retire.'”

“And Adam said, ‘You’re making a very rash decision, and I won’t let you do that.’ And I’m like, ‘No, Adam, I’m not really sure it’s a rash decision. It’s all too much.’ And we had a long, great conversation, very helpful to me. Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam, who’s more about helping you than hurting.”

So let’s get this straight. It’s too much for Draymond that Draymond keeps hitting and choking people in the middle of basketball games? Got it. This is classic Draymond, rambling on about bonds and brotherhoods and the convenient romance of accountability. He says he and Steve Kerr cried together. His daughter had to FaceTime him as he was locked away in the man cave of his own house. He started counseling.

He offered, for really the first time, unqualified apologies. He said he failed his family, himself, his partners. He said he “miserably” failed the Warriors as an organization and, in particular, Stephen Curry, who found his leadership being questioned because of Green’s repeated antics.

And that’s what Green called them. Antics. He admitted what everyone besides him has always known, that he doesn’t have to cross a crazed-lunatic line to play with the competitive edge that defines him as a Hall of Fame player.

Green pledged to “stop taking the excuse and running with it and saying I can’t play the way I play if I don’t do this.”

“I love this game and I love to compete and you don’t just get to turn that off,” Green said. “But I’m also smart enough to know what an antic is and what isn’t. And I can get rid of the antics. I’m more than capable of doing that. I look forward to it.”

Look, I’m a Warriors fan and a fan of Draymond. It’s awesome he started counseling and, yes, these are all the right words. But that’s all they are. Words. In what could be classified as a narcissistic approach, Green actually loves to spill his heart out for everyone to hear, and it always, somehow, leads back to him and his feelings and his platform to sucker you into the romance of them.

But even his biggest fans, one of which I have long considered myself to be, are falling out of love with this act. Now it’s just exhausting. When it keeps happening over and over, it starts to seem like he just likes to hear himself talk so he can paint a picture of vulnerability and get the credit that comes with his brand of articulate accountability.

Indeed, he’s done this before. Of the Warriors blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals after Green was suspended for Game 5 after another one of his flamboyant flails (this time below the belt to LeBron James), he said this: “One of the most brutal things I’ve ever had to go through in my life,” said Green, via ESPN. “If I played, we win of course, so I do feel it’s my fault that we lost. Absolutely my fault.”

How much more accountable can you be than to take personal ownership of one of the greatest sports collapses in history? And yet, the experience apparently wasn’t “brutal” enough for him to change.

Since then, Green has gone twice as far off the rails. Before he took on opponents, he knocked out his own teammate — then, as usual, did the half-hearted, look-at-me-and-all-my-self-awareness apology tour before taking the blame for ruining the Warriors’ 2022-23 season with the Jordan Poole punch.

All of which is to say, forgive me if I’m not particularly moved by Green’s self-conscious reach for sympathy. Saying how bad you feel about something doesn’t take away the bad part. It’s just a bunch of talking that is clearly contrived with the goal of scoring PR points. Once again, we’ll wait to see if his actions finally reflect this latest round of rueful rambling.

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Ja Morant
MEM • PG • #12
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Ja Morant is out for the season with a labral tear in his right shoulder that will require surgery. It’s devastating news for the Grizzlies, who were finally starting to establish some momentum after a horrendous start to the season. Memphis was 6-3 in the nine games Morant had played in, over which he averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds.

If there is any kind of silver lining in this, the Grizzlies should now be in position to land a lottery pick this summer (they currently have the sixth-best odds for the No. 1 pick).

With Morant expected to be fully recovered ahead of next season, when Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke should also be set to return, Memphis — which had probably dug too big a hole at 6-19 during Morant’s 25-game suspension to rise any higher than a Play-in berth anyway — can be in a legit position to compete for the 2024-25 title.

Again, this is a brutal loss for the Grizzlies. But Morant kind of screwed up their season already with the suspension. This sort of wipes the season officially clean of expectation and allows Taylor Jenkins and company to lean totally into the further development of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, both of whom can benefit from greater usage and opportunity for top-option growth over the remainder of this season.

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Tyrese Haliburton
IND • PG
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While the Morant injury was the worst-case scenario for the Grizzlies, Tyrese Haliburton’s hamstring injury, which has been ruled a Grade 1 strain, looks like it’s going to end up being a best-case scenario for the Pacers.

Had this thing been a Grade 2 or 3 tear, Haliburton could’ve been out for 2-3 months or even headed for surgery. Now the rough timetable is being set at a few week. This is still rough for a Pacers team trying to stay in the thick of the playoff race, but again, it’s the best news they could’ve hoped for after Haliburton had to be carried off the court. It looked a lot worse.

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LeBron James
LAL • SF • #23
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After the Lakers’ win over the Clippers on Sunday, which ended a four-game skid (they have lost 10 of their last 15), LeBron James, who has not been shy about showing and voicing his frustration of late, took what can only be described as a thinly veiled shot at his current coach, Darvin Ham, who is under immense scrutiny at the moment with multiple reports suggesting his seat is getting awfully hot, by going out of his way to compliment his former coach.

The Los Angeles Clippers look to extend their lead in the Pacific Division as they host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Los Angeles (23-13) crushed Phoenix on Monday, 138-111, while Toronto (15-22) lost in the final minute to the Lakers on Tuesday night, 132-131. The Clippers swept both matchups last season, 124-113 and 108-100. Los Angeles is 19-17 against the spread, while Toronto is 19-18 ATS in 2023-24.

Tipoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. L.A. is favored by 10 points in the latest Raptors vs. Clippers odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 237.5 points. Before entering any Clippers vs. Raptors picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Raptors vs. Clippers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Clippers vs. Raptors:

Clippers vs. Raptors spread: Clippers -10
Clippers vs. Raptors over/under: 237.5 points
Clippers vs. Raptors money line: Clippers -503, Raptors +377
Clippers vs. Raptors picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Raptors can cover
Despite scoring 78 points in the second half, the Raptors fell against the Lakers on Tuesday night. Toronto native, forward RJ Barrett, who was recently acquired from the Knicks, notched a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. In the team’s previous game, against Golden State, Barrett had 37 points and has proven to be a key contributor for the Raptors’ starting unit.

Also acquired with Barrett was guard Immanuel Quickley, who had his third 20-point outing since being acquired five games ago. His 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting nearly propelled the Raptors to the upset. Toronto also boasts two stars in forwards Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. The team has plenty of scoring potential and will be a handful for most teams on any given night, even with center Jakob Poeltl (ankle) sidelined. See which team to pick here.

Why the Clippers can cover
Los Angeles steamrolled on Phoenix on Monday night as all five starters notched double-digits en route to the easy victory. The Clippers scored at least 30 points in each quarter, with the Suns posting little resistance defensively. Star forward Paul George led the way with 25 points on 10 of 19 shooting and also grabbed seven rebounds. Fellow star forward, Kawhi Leonard, scored 17 points and added five steals in the blowout win.

Guard James Harden has been a key cog in Los Angeles’ success since being acquired from Philadelphia on Halloween. On Monday night, he posted a near triple double with 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. For the season, he’s averaging 17.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 8.4 assists and has given the Clippers the necessary third option they had been looking for in previous seasons. Another big performance from Los Angeles’ big three is likely against a Toronto defense surrendering more than 116 points per game nightly. See which team to pick here.

How to make Raptors vs. Clippers picks
The model has simulated Raptors vs. Clippers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

The Utah Jazz are set to host the Denver Nuggets in a Northwest Division clash on Wednesday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Utah is 18-20 overall and 11-5 at home, while Denver is 26-12 overall and 11-8 on the road. The Nuggets are looking to build off their 131-114 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. The Jazz are looking to extend their winning streak to three games after beating the Milwaukee Bucks 132-116 on Monday.

Tip-off is at 10 p.m. ET. The Nuggets are favored by 7 points in the latest Jazz vs. Nuggets odds, and the over/under is 237.5 points. Before making any Jazz vs. Nuggets picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Nuggets vs. Jazz and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for the game:

Jazz vs. Nuggets spread: Jazz +7
Jazz vs. Nuggets over/under: 237.5 points
Jazz vs. Nuggets money line: Jazz: +215, Nuggets: -263
Jazz vs. Nuggets picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Jazz
The oddsmakers set the bar high, but the Jazz and the Bucks didn’t disappoint and blew past the 242 point over/under on Monday. Utah enjoyed an impressive 132-116 victory over Milwaukee. The win made it back-to-back wins for the Jazz. Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead the Jazz to victory, but perhaps none more so than Lauri Markkanen, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Markkanen continues to be a force for Utah, averaging 23.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. His supporting cast is young, but talented. Guards Jordan Clarkson (17.4 points, 5.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds per game) and Collin Sexton (16.0 points, 3.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds per game) are among the team’s top performers. See which team to pick here.

What you need to know about the Nuggets
Meanwhile, Denver didn’t have too much trouble with Detroit at home on Sunday as they won 131-114. The success was a return to things as normal for the Nuggets, who in their previous outing suffered a shocking 122-120 upset defeat to the Orlando Magic. Jamal Murray was the offensive standout of the game as he scored 37 points along with five rebounds. Those 37 points set a new season-high mark for him.

Murray’s return from a nagging hamstring injury has been a huge boost for Denver on the offensive end. The former Kentucky standout averages 20.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game. Nikola Jokic is once again playing at an MVP level, and enters this matchup averaging 25.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. See which team to pick here.

How to make Jazz vs. Nuggets picks
The model has simulated Jazz vs. Nuggets 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under on the point total, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits in well over 60% of computer simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.