The Pistons beat the Thunder 124-116 in the first half of our national TV doubleheader, as Cade Cunningham (29 pts, 13 ast) and Jalen Duren (29 pts, 15 reb) outlasted Jaylin Williams (30 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast). The Nuggets defeated the Celtics 103-84, running away in the second half to defend home court in the nightcap.

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is set to return to the lineup on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing the last month with a hyperextended left knee, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. Jokić,

Cunningham is making his MVP case in a major way. He averaged 29 points and 13 assists in a win over the West-leading Thunder and scored 42 in a victory against the Knicks. His ability to impact both ends and nearly hit a triple-double against the Bulls has propelled him into the top three.

MVP or All-NBA "by default" doesn't feel like the best way to celebrate elite players in the league. But we'll see what happens.

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a gritty 127-121 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, but the topic of conversation after the game was not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's tremendous play in his first game back or Oklahoma City winning overtime with Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench after playing 34 minutes in regulation.

According to the latest consensus MVP odds, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently the favorite at -125. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić sits at No. 2 with +270 MVP odds, while Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham rounds out the top three with +550 odds.

It stinks that Nikola Jokić doesn't care about the All-Star Game. But no one will ever change his mind.