Shai Gilgeous-Alexander strengthens MVP bid; Kyrie Irving injured; new post-combine NFL mock draft

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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …

SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the favorite to win MVP, and if he keeps putting up numbers like he did last night, no one is going to be able to catch him. The Thunder superstar scored 51 points in a 137-128 win over the Rockets.

• It’s Gilgeous-Alexander’s fourth 50-point game this season, the most in the NBA. He also leads the league in 40-point games (nine), 30-point games (37) and 20-point games (59).
• All four of Gilgeous-Alexander’s 50-point outings have come in his last 19 games.
• But it’s not just the huge explosions. It’s the consistency: He has scored at least 20 points in 56 straight games. The next-longest active streak in the NBA is Jalen Brunson with seven games.
• Oh, and speaking of 50s, the Thunder picked up their 50th win of the season. Oklahoma City has consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time since 2012-14.

😃 Honorable mentions

🤕 And not such a good morning for …

KYRIE IRVING AND THE DALLAS MAVERICKS

The Luka Dončić trade remains indefensible from the Mavericks‘ side, but if you wanted to really try to reconcile with it and take Dallas GM Nico Harrison‘s point of view, maybe you could see the Mavericks being considerably better defensively with Anthony Davis while still having the backcourt scoring exploits of Kyrie Irving. Again, I’m trying to be nice here.

But then Davis left his Dallas debut in on Feb. 8 with a groin injury and hasn’t logged a minute since, and Monday, Irving left with a scary-looking knee sprain and had to be helped to the locker room, though not until after he hit two free throws.

It’s not clear how much more strain the 32-30 Mavericks, currently the 10 seed (aka the final play-in spot) in the West, can take.

• They were already down their top three bigs — Davis, Dereck Lively II (ankle) and Daniel Gafford (knee) — with significant injuries.
• PJ Washington hurt his ankle over the weekend and didn’t play last night, and Caleb Martin (hip) hasn’t played since being acquired near the trade deadline.
• Davis, Lively and Gafford will be reevaluated Thursday. But, as Brad Botkin writes, “There’s hope that Davis could be back soon, but if he’s returning just as Irving is going out for his own injury absence, it sort of defeats the purpose of the Dončić trade … not that there was even a smidge of justification for that trade to begin with.”

Adding insult to injury, the Mavericks announced they’re increasing ticket prices next season. As if fans couldn’t be mad/sad enough.

😟 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Sam Darnold not expected to get franchise tag, Tee Higgins gets tagged

Tag, Tee Higgins is it (again). Sam Darnold, apparently, will not be “it” … at all. The Bengals franchise-tagged Higgins for the second straight year, and the Vikings reportedly will not use the tag on Darnold.

These are significant moves, but not the be-all, end-all.

• By tagging Higgins, the Bengals ensure he doesn’t hit free agency — the negotiating period begins Monday — and it gives them until July 15 to work on a long-term deal. If they can’t agree to a deal, he’ll make $26.2 million in 2025.
• It’s disappointing for Higgins, who wanted an extension last year, too. He may have fetched more than $26.2 million per year if he had hit free agency, and he would have gotten long-term security, too.
• Remember, the Bengals also want to pay Ja’Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson. They aren’t close on the Chase deal. My advice? Just pay the guys. But the Bengals have a very conservative front office. They did cut Alex Cappa.
• Minnesota will attempt to re-sign Darnold, but he’ll have plenty of suitors; two teams in particular are seen as frontrunners.
• The franchise tag deadline is today at 4 p.m. Here’s our tracker.

As for more news regarding veterans …

🏈 NFL mock draft post-combine, plus latest on what Titans will do at No. 1

The NFL combine has come and gone. We covered a lot of it yesterday, but our excellent team just keeps pumping out draft content, with Josh Edwards’ winners and losers and Chris Trapasso’s grades for the top 25 prospects.

Ryan Wilson has digested everything we’ve got and produced his first post-combine mock draft. Here’s the top five:

1. Titans: QB Cam Ward, Miami
2. Browns: EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
3. Giants: CB/WR Travis Hunter
4. Patriots: OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
5. Jaguars: DL Mason Graham, Michigan

A few things jump out.

⚽ UEFA Champions League round of 16 predictions

UEFA Champions League action is back with the round of 16 beginning today. Just like the knockout round, each matchup consists of two legs (one home, one away), so while no one will advance this week, teams can get one foot into the quarterfinals.

Here are today’s games:

• Club Brugge vs. Aston Villa | 12:45 p.m. on Paramount+ | Preview
• Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid | 3 p.m. on Paramount+ | Preview 
• PSV vs. Arsenal | 3 p.m. on Paramount+ | Preview
• Borussia Dortmund vs. Lille | 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ 

What a lineup! That Madrid derby should be tons of fun, and Pardeep Cattry predicts …

• Cattry: “Real Madrid 1, Atletico Madrid 1 — Real Madrid have been unable to beat their crosstown rivals in two previous meetings this season, and things are trending in the right direction for another draw between these two. Both sides boast impressive goal scorers and even if the reigning champions have not exactly had the best of seasons, they still have that uncanny ability to come out of bad games mostly unscathed.”

Here are all of our expert picks, best bets and much more. Our experts also picked their brackets, now that those are set — there are three different champs among the five predictions — and James Benge has bold predictions for the first legs.

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

⚽ We’re watching the UEFA Champions League. Here’s how.
🏀 Warriors at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 1 Auburn at No. 22 Texas A&M (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 23 BYU at No. 10 Iowa State (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Clippers at Suns, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV