On this date in 2023, Damian Lillard went off. He dropped 71 points on 22-of-38 shooting, 13-of-22 from deep and 14-of-14 from the line. His 13 3-pointers were one shy of the NBA record, and his 71 points are tied for sixth-most in an NBA game. You have to re-watch him light up the Rockets.

According to Polymarket Sports, Cade Cunningham may be the only MVP candidate on track to comfortably meet the 65-game minimum.

To be eligible for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, All-NBA, and All-Defensive teams, players can miss a maximum of 17 games in a season under the so-called “65-game rule” implemented ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Cunningham and SGA are the only two candidates currently on track to hit the 65-game threshold this season

Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons wrapped up a 124-116 win over an Oklahoma City Thunder squad missing reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday night.

Zoom out: Only one MVP in NBA history has failed to reach the 65-game threshold in a full 82-game season. That was Bill Walton, who played 58 games for the Trail Blazers in 1977-78 and narrowly beat out Spurs guard George Gervin. The next-closest was Joel Embiid, who played 66 games in 2023… one year before the rule change.

The NBA MVP race is wide open this year. A mix of injuries and upcoming young talent that has been ahead of schedule has created an intriguing race. Here are my top five candidates at this very moment.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a commanding lead in the MVP race. This week's Mussatto's Minutes covers that, Sean Pedulla's NBA journey and more.

The Denver Nuggets have developed an unfortunate losing habit recently, dropping five of their last seven games, and getting leapfrogged for third place in the