This season included a few obvious choices, but several difficult calls for the Feb. 16 game in San Francisco.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has sat at the very top of the NBA MVP rankings over the last several weeks. This battle between him, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has been close, but now there is a wide gap between Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the field.

The fifth spot was another tough choice. Jalen Brunson is the beating heart of a Knicks offense that has been a force this season and he could well be No. 5 on my board, but the defensive concerns and credit for that offense also going to Karl-Anthony Towns bumped Brunson down one spot in my book to sixth. By the end of the season, this may flip.

Paolo Banchero, Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson, Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis all attempt more free throws per game. All are listed as forwards or centers, among the most difficult physical specimens in the league.

It seems safe to say his days of anonymity are over. In three years, Williams has gone from an unheralded prospect to the second-most important player on a championship heavyweight. That brings a

Kyrie Irving scored 25 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 106-98 home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

They brace for it, watch film of the potential fatalities. A fortunate few have escaped. But all endure pain, customary when you step onto the pale hardwood in Oklahoma City.  Slow, 48-minute death — just three quarters if the damage is done like it has been three times this past week — by 1,

Nikola Jokić, averaging 31.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and shooting 55.4%, delivered back-to-back 40-point games against Victor Wembanyama, who is an MVP contender and Defensive Player of the Year favorite.