There have been some absolute bangers lately, so I gotta ask—what matchups are you loving right now, and which ones are you hyped for in the playoffs?

Here’s what I’m into:

• Bucks vs. Pacers – This lowkey feels like a real rivalry now. They’ve played each other so much, and that last game? Hali just casually throwing up a prayer to ice it was insane.

• Thunder vs. Nuggets – MVP battle every time. Watching Jokic and SGA go at it is a vibe, and I need this series in the playoffs.

• Nuggets vs. Lakers – The Lakers finally had a game plan for Jokic and didn’t look lost out there. After two sweeps and now Luka in the mix, this could be spicy.

• Celtics vs. Cavs – Celts were on track to blow out the Cavs, and JT told them to go home! Boston still lost in a tight one. If they meet in the playoffs, it’s gonna be a war.

What about y’all? Which matchups are giving you life?

Fifty was the magic number Monday. Gilgeous-Alexander has made three All-Star appearances, two All-NBA teams and finished second in MVP voting a season ago, but he had never dropped 50 in a game until that 54-point outburst Jan. 22 against the Utah Jazz. He’s now done it four times.

The mid range game is alive and well.

So I asked ChatGPT for a list of the best players. I ran it 3 times so see if its opinion would change. For the most part, the list remained the same, with KG and Dr. J making an appearance on the 3rd list. The order seemed really locked in, only a couple of players moved around. Hakeem moved into the top 10 kicking Kobe down on one list. The top 7 never moved.

The only one that I would move up would be Bill Russell, seeing as how he 11-peat’d with the Celtics.

1. Michael Jordan
2. LeBron James
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Magic Johnson
5. Larry Bird
6. Shaquille O'Neal
7. Tim Duncan
8. Kobe Bryant
9. Wilt Chamberlain
10. Bill Russell
11. Hakeem Olajuwon
12. Oscar Robertson
13. Karl Malone
14. Jerry West
15. Moses Malone
16. Dirk Nowitzki
17. Charles Barkley
18. Kevin Durant
19. Stephen Curry
20. Dwyane Wade
21. John Stockton
22. David Robinson
23. Elgin Baylor
24. Isiah Thomas
25. Scottie Pippen