Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić continue to set the Kia MVP pace for each other and the rest of the field.

This stretch of January around Martin Luther King Jr. Day is usually peak evaluation time in the NBA front-office world. It’s one of the milestone points where teams will have full-staff pow-wows and talk things out,

The NBA released their recent MVP Ladder. Where does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder rank?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-108 on Sunday night. Jalen Williams added 24 points and eight assists, and Isaiah Hartenstein had 14 points and 11 rebounds to help the Thunder rebound from a home loss to Dallas on Thursday night.

The Knicks and Nuggets are surging, while the Warriors watch their window close. Meanwhile, the Cavs and Thunder have their business on lock.

It's been a season of remarkable milestones for Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He added another Wednesday night as the Thunder secured a 123-114 victory over the Utah Jazz, with the point guard lighting up the scoreboard for a career-high 54 points.