Scoring has been climbing as of late, but this year the stat inflation has revealed itself in a more subtle way.

After an alarming last-minute injury scratch from the lineup on Wednesday, Nikola Jokic was able to play with a sprained right elbow in Miami. It did not seem to bother him. He completed his 16th triple-double of the season late in the third quarter with one of his most delicious highlights of the year.

It wasn’t easy for Herro to get over the feelings of resentment and rejection that come with returning to a team that seemed on the verge of trading you. It took some soul-searching and a few candid conversations with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and the front office to get everyone back on the same page.

Jimmy Butler could be back in the Miami Heat's starting lineup two weeks after the team announced they plan to listen to trade offers for him. Butler

Jimmy Butler and De'Aaron Fox potentially about to be moved, it's easy to lose track of some of the league's other storylines as this juncture of the calendar.  No worries. We've got you covered with a look at where the MVP rankings stand entering play on Jan.

Though there may still be some negotiating distance between the parties, the stars seem to be aligning for (or at least toward) the Miami Heat trading

The Nuggets vanquished the Heat in Jimmy Butler’s return from a seven-game suspension. Jamal Murray lit up everything in front of him. And Nikola Jokić had his 17th triple-double of the season. “I thought our guards did a hell of a job on [Tyler] Herro and [Duncan] Robinson,

Jimmy Butler will rejoin the Miami Heat for Friday night's matchup with the Denver Nuggets with the end of his seven-game suspension. He's expected to be in the Heat's starting lineup, reports Chris Haynes.

Whenever we see a little separation in their ranks, the standings tighten again. So with apologies to Sacramento and Golden State — both 24-23 but tied for ninth behind too many rivals — here is a look at the eight West teams lined up behind Oklahoma City, with reasons why and why not they might climb as high as No. 2:

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Joining Wembanyama as a West reserve are Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Williams, Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, James Harden and Alperen Şengün. The seven reserves from the East are Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, Damian Lillard and Tyler Herro, as selected by the conference’s coaches.

Among those Herro beat out were the Hawks’ Trae Young, Hornets’ LaMelo Ball, Bulls’ Zach LaVine and 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey.