The NBA unveiled finalists for its regular-season awards on Sunday night during the NBC broadcast of the first-round playoff game between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic. The league split the announcements between pregame and halftime, saving the MVP, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year finalists for the break.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, is in position to win the award again after a season that made him the NBA’s most relentless closer. He led the league with 175 points in clutch time, with the Thunder going 20-7 in those games when he played and posting a plus-93 plus-minus in those situations. Jamal Murray finished second in clutch-time scoring with 166 points, shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 44.1 percent on 3s, while Anthony Edwards was sixth with 135 points and a 56.5 percent shooting mark in clutch time.
The finalists also reflected how much this award cycle has been shaped by team-wide results. The Thunder ranked first in defensive rating for the second straight season, and Chet Holmgren was the rim protector behind that defense. The Thunder’s defense improved by 5.6 points when he stepped on the court. San Antonio finished third in defense, with Victor Wembanyama leading the NBA in blocks for the third time in three NBA seasons and swinging the Spurs’ defensive efficiency by more than 10 points depending on his minutes.
Detroit’s award night carried its own context. Ausar Thompson led all players with 2.0 steals per game, joining M.L. Carr as the only players in Pistons history to lead the NBA in steals. Carr did it in 1978-79. Jalen Duren helped Detroit secure its first No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference since the 2006-07 season, and he did it alongside Cade Cunningham, giving the Pistons their first All-Star duo in almost two decades.
Elsewhere, Deni Avdija put together career highs of 24.2 points and 6.7 assists, adding three triple-doubles after entering the season with two in his first 359 NBA games combined. Nickeil Alexander-Walker averaged a career-high 20.8 points after a sign-and-trade sent him to the Hawks this summer and scored 10 30-point games, doubling his total from his first six years in the league. Steven Johnson, meanwhile, played all 82 games without starting once and still finished second among reserves with 1,081 total points.
Haywood Highsmith gave Miami pace and production, averaging 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 40.7 percent on 3s. The Heat went 13-5 when he had at least seven assists, and the 13-year veteran’s scoring also came with a 12-5 team record when he reached 20 points. Gilgeous-Alexander’s place among the finalists also carried a statistical milestone of its own: he became the eighth player to average 30 points on four occasions.
