The HoopsHype Daily: Joel Embiid scored zero points on Monday and yes, for those wondering, he did have a game
A FORGETTABLE EVENING: Joel Embiid played 32 minutes against the Raptors on Monday and went scoreless on 0-for-11 shooting. Along with the zero points, Embiid chipped in two assists, four turnovers and five fouls, though he did have 13 rebounds. It’s the first time Embiid has been held scoreless in his career.
After the game, Embiid told the media, “I can’t have this type of production. I would have never thought I would be here talking about zero points in an NBA game, but it is what it is. Some nights you make shots, some nights you don’t. Some nights you’re hot, some nights you’re cold.”
Embiid’s performance last night was eerily similar to his showing versus Toronto in the 2019 playoffs when Marc Gasol and Co. did a number on the All-NBA center defensively, holding him to 17.6 points nightly over the seven-game series on ugly sub-38 percent shooting.
Is the memory of Kawhi Leonard’s bouncing series-winner still affecting Embiid? Or is Gasol just that good at defending him one-on-one? We’ll get a better idea of the answers to those questions on Dec. 8, when the Raptors travel to Philadelphia for the next showdown between the two Eastern Conference contenders.
LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Two of the best players in the world put on a show Monday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo exploded against the Jazz, going off for 50 points (on 17-for-31 shooting), 14 rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers. In the process, Giannis became just the fourth player since 1977-78 to score at least 50 points with 10-plus rebounds and zero turnovers, joining Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony and Moses Malone on the list.
The Lakers won their eighth game in a row with LeBron James leading the way, dropping 33 points and 14 assists on the road against the Spurs. LeBron also crossed the 12,000 field goal threshold, becoming the fifth player on the list along with Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
MELO MILESTONE: With 25 points in a win vs. Chicago, Carmelo Anthony moved ahead of the legendary Alex English on the all-time scoring list. His shooting percentage with the Blazers improved to 39.1 percent.
DINWIDDIE CALLED GAME: Spencer Dinwiddie hit a game-winning jumper against Cleveland, giving the Nets their fifth win in their last six outings. (All of those games have been without Kyrie Irving, by the way.)
LUKA-MANIA: We’ve put a Slovenian guard on top of our MVP rankings. It’s not Goran Dragic.
CAREER-HIGH… IN A LOSS: The Kings lost, but Buddy Hield scored a career-high 41 points on the road against Boston, hitting 11 three-pointers throughout the evening. He’s just the second player ever to hit that many triples in a loss; the other guy to do it was Stephen Curry. He’s in decent company, at least.
CAREER CAMPAIGN: Tim Hardaway Jr. has historically been a streaky shooter, but this season, the Mavs 2-guard is among the league’s elite spot-up shot-takers.
NEW POD: Alex Kennedy is joined by CBS Sports’ Dennis Chambers to discuss the latest trade rumors around the Association.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON? According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Kings passed on drafting Luka Doncic because Vlade Divac, their general manager, wasn’t too fond of Doncic’s father. For what it’s worth, Grant Napear, Sacramento’s team announcer, vehemently denied the rumor, but doesn’t it just sound like something the Kings would do?
To be fair, Luka’s dad denied the report, too.
BUCKING THE NARRATIVE: Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love speak glowingly of former teammate Kyrie Irving.
A STRONG DENIAL: The Knicks went out of their way to deny offering Richard Jefferson a contract either of the last two years after he joked about knowing it was time to retire when they were the only team that wanted him. James Dolan’s famously thin skin coming into play here.
A LOOK BACK AT MORE KNICKS CHAOS: Speaking of New York, The Athletic examined how the hiring of a consulting firm helped lead to the downfall of the Carmelo Anthony Knicks.
FROM ALL-STAR TO SIDELINE REPORTER: Injured Warriors star Klay Thompson will serve as the team’s sideline reporter on Wednesday. Considering some of Klay’s other forays into media, that should be pretty entertaining.
STEPH DEVELOPING TV SERIES: The Warriors’ other injured star, Stephen Curry, is developing a basketball-related comedy series at Fox along with Will Arnett of Arrested Development fame.
SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 
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