29 points, 12 rebounds, 4.2 blocks, no games missed, and a team that has won its last eleven by crushing everyone whenever he's on the floor. Dončić scores more, but he has already missed two games, he just rolled his ankle, and the 65-game rule is unforgiving. When voters look for the player who changes everything, at both ends of the floor, they'll only have one name.
NBA basketball, with a French accent
Basketball,seen awayfrom the ball.
Features, data and debates about the NBA. We look at what the ball doesn't show: who changes a game without touching it, who's rising, who's falling, and whether our takes survive the numbers. Written in Montreal, by a Frenchman.
Replay the intro52 · 53 · 52Read this
The most recently published or updated features. When the games change the answer, we rewrite.
The MVP raceEvery day, we recalculate the race for the season's best player, from every box score.
Spurs: the problem is the bench, not the startersTwo losses, then eleven straight wins.
LeBron's Sixers… or Maxey's?LeBron James signed with Philadelphia for the minimum in his 24th season, and the Sixers are 10-3.The Corner
November 10-13, 2026. Four nights of games, and already enough to fill a Corner: records, rolled ankles, eleven straight wins for the Spurs and a new leader in the East. Seven stories, until the rest of the week catches up.
- 01The number · 52Cunningham: 52 points, 11 assists, zero turnovers
Cade Cunningham beat his career high (46) with 52 points and 11 assists, without a single turnover, in Detroit's double-overtime win in Washington (144-140). Nobody had ever put up 50 points, 10 assists and zero turnovers since turnovers were first counted, in 1977. On the other side, AJ Dybantsa forced the second overtime with a midrange jumper.
- 02The Spurs · 11Eleven straight, starting with an 18-0 run
Down 22 in Chicago on Wednesday, the Spurs ended up winning 124-119. On Friday, they crushed the Warriors in the NBA Cup (123-85) after opening on an 18-0 run, the best start in franchise history in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98). Stephon Castle set a season high (32 points), while Wembanyama settled for 12 points and 12 rebounds in 21 minutes. Eleven straight wins, the longest active streak.
The feature: Spurs: the problem is the bench, not the starters →
- 03The EastBoston passes Philadelphia
The Celtics won 123-101 in Philadelphia, with 36 points from Paul George, traded this summer for Jaylen Brown, who finished with 13, his lowest total of the season. Boston (10-2) takes first place in the East. The Sixers bounced back on Thursday against Toronto (123-112). We've updated our feature.
- 04InjuriesDončić, Reaves, Curry: a bad night
On the same night, Luka Dončić left with a rolled ankle in Milwaukee (after scoring 32), Austin Reaves hurt his left heel, and Stephen Curry left the game in Houston in the first quarter: a right oblique tear, out at least two weeks. Among the rookies, Caleb Wilson broke his hand trying to strip the ball from Wembanyama: four to six weeks out. Anthony Edwards, after knee surgery, could miss up to two months.
Right or wrong?
My strong takes, checked against the numbers. An honest verdict, even when it stings. And you get the final say.
The take on trial
“Wembanyama will be MVP in April.”
Too early The verdict and the evidence →
Dončić is averaging 38.6 points, a pace only Wilt Chamberlain had kept up this early in a season, and his Lakers have the best record in the league. Wembanyama plays 29 minutes a night, and an MVP is also won in minutes. He's 2nd in the OBX, by the way.
Latest verdicts
The French
in the NBA
17 players, 17 stories. Their numbers, their roles and their moves, updated every day. Enough to win your next argument about French basketball.
2026-27 averages · updated Nov 14, 2026Points per game
2026-27 season stats, updated every week. In brackets on each player card: the 2025-26 season, for comparison.
Who sells
more?
8 matchups from the real jersey sales rankings. Talent isn't always enough: guess who the fans picked. No MVP was hurt in the making of this game.
Official NBA / NBPA jersey rankings, end of the 2025-26 season. 2025-26 MVP voting: Basketball-Reference.
Also on
Off-Ball
Our data tools, for those who like to dig.
TrackerJersey salesThe official NBA rankings, replayed player by player.The threadA tweet on the move“I'm here to stay”: 10 million views, broken down.MethodHow we read the numbersOur metrics, our sources, and how many minutes it takes to believe them.TrackerThe French in the NBAAll 17 players, their numbers and their injuries.