Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette is a big fan of statistics. He's not the most data-savvy player but in his constant search for improvement and how to become a better player, he's taking more of an interest.

A few days ago, a friend showed him a graph about the Premier League's most involved goal scorers -- simply put, the centre-forwards who are taking a significant part in their team's build-up play (or not) and who also have chances to score (or not). Alongside Wolves' Raul Jimenez, the Frenchman is the No. 9 in the Premier League with the highest mix of involvement in his team's play and chances, ahead of even Roberto Firmino, for example.

Lacazette is a key part in the way Arsenal build their attacks. He's used a lot with his back to goal to hold the ball up or in transition to help create space, either with the ball or without the ball, for his teammates. Against Sheffield United on Saturday, it was Lacazette's great through-ball for Nicolas Pepe that led to a cross and a chance for Gabriel Martinelli. It was him again slotting the ball first time for Bukayo Saka on the left-hand side to cross for Martinelli to score the opener.

From Day 1 since being unveiled as Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has been very clear: a lot of the Gunners' patterns of play going forward would be built around Lacazette's movement and touch. In a sense, scoring goals is easy if you get good delivery, but being able to score, assist others and also link play is much harder. Players who can do it all are exceedingly rare.

Despite Arsenal's position in mid-table, Lacazette is one of the most complete strikers in England at the moment, so it's come as a surprise that some fans are criticising him for a lack of goals. He's gone seven games since he last found the back of the net, an unwelcome streak -- and one he wishes wasn't still ongoing -- but he has a far more important role to play for this Arsenal side in transition than simply finishing attacking moves. Without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is suspended for two more games following his red card vs. Crystal Palace, Lacazette has even more responsibilities. He wore the captain's armband against Sheffield United and could wear it again on Tuesday at Chelsea.

Speaking of Chelsea, Arsenal's last meeting with the Blues on Boxing Day, which Arsenal lost 2-1 in the last 10 minutes, is a perfect game to highlight Lacazette's full body of work. The former Lyon forward Lacazette played 90 minutes, had no shots, no assists and no passes leading to a shot. Yet he played a key part in everything good Arsenal did for an hour, before dipping in intensity like the rest of his team down the stretch.

Since the arrival of Arteta, Lacazette's expected goals tally are lower than they were under Unai Emery, because he is far more involved in build-up play and not just there to convert chances made for him. His movements are taking him away from the goal so he can play a more active role.

In the Premier League this season, Lacazette has five goals and two assists after 16 games. His expected goals are 4.21 and 1.98, which means he's basically scoring the chances that he should be scoring, though if you look at it, not many chances are actually coming Laca's way. In comparison, Aubameyang has 14 league goals, outscoring his xG by almost 4 (10.25). Without his best friend Aubameyang on Saturday, he seemed a bit more isolated too, which could be the case once again at Chelsea on Tuesday. Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta is very happy with his striker, who, let's not forget it, was named Arsenal's Player of the Season last year after scoring 13 goals and giving eight assists in the league.

"I am very happy with his performances and the way he contributes to the team. He is setting goals for the rest, creating situations for his teammates. His work in possession is phenomenal. He is a very important player for me. We just need to put him in the best position to score again. Scoring is the best medicine for a striker," Arteta said before the Sheffield United game.

Contrary to the critics and questions around Arsenal during this public and difficult rebuild, Lacazette is not in need of any medicine for his scoring drought. He's thriving in his new role under Arteta, but the Gunners could use his goals in the coming weeks.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Sierra Canyon's game on Monday at the Hoophall Classic was briefly stopped after someone in the crowd threw a piece of debris in the direction of Bronny James.

It's unclear what was thrown, whether it was food or a piece of trash, but it hit James as he was waiting to inbound the ball from the sideline. The referee immediately stopped the game and summoned a nearby police officer. Play then resumed.

The officer asked members of the crowd to help identify the offender, but didn't receive much cooperation. He told ESPN they couldn't figure out who threw the debris. At the next stoppage in play, a referee came over to the officer and asked him to keep an extra set of eyes on that section of the crowd.

No further incidents happened.

LeBron James, who attended Monday's game before his Los Angeles Lakers met the Boston Celtics, responded on Twitter after the clip went viral.

No. 14 Sierra Canyon (California) suffered its third loss of the season on Monday, falling to No. 13 Paul VI (Virginia), 70-62. James came off the bench and played 13 minutes.

Since James enrolled at Sierra Canyon, the Trailblazers have been the most popular show in high school basketball. Led by five-star Kentucky signee B.J. Boston and uncommitted top-five senior Ziaire Williams, the team has routinely played in sold-out arenas. Their Thanksgiving Hoopfest game had to be moved to American Airlines Arena in Dallas and they played in front of 17,000 people against Minnehaha Academy at the Target Center in Minnesota.

Both games this weekend at the Hoophall Classic attracted standing room-only crowds.

James, a freshman, didn't speak after the game, but his teammates addressed the attention he receives.

"He never lets anybody faze him. You'd be surprised all the stuff he has to go through," Williams said. "It's not fair, you know. He doesn't let it faze him at all. Really, I learned that from him. Honestly, he teaches me about that stuff and he's younger than me."

"He's good with it," Boston said. "He just comes in everyday, ready to work, get better everyday. Not worried about the outside and just plays his game."

NEW YORK - Usually, Ben Simmons unleashes one of his roars after a particularly ferocious dunk. On Monday afternoon against the Nets, though, he let out his signature scream while otherwise calmly dribbling the ball up the court. He was just having that good of a night.

"I just came in with that mindset to win," said Simmons, who tied his career-high with 34 points.

The cherry on top? He was named Eastern Conference Player of the week midway through the Sixers' 117-111 win over the Nets, their fourth in a row.

"I would've given him that for the second half of this game," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "He just peppered the stat sheet all over the place. But what I see is his spirit, body language, his facial expressions. They reeked of, 'we're going to win, and you guys hang onto me and I will carry you.'"

Simmons didn't just do one thing particularly well on Monday -- he was everywhere, finishing with 12 rebounds, 12 assists and 5 steals. It was Simmons' first career 30-point triple-double.

Simmons joins James Harden, Chris Paul and LeBron James as the only players over the last 20 seasons with a 30-point triple-double and 5 steals in the same game.

According to ESPN's Stats and information group, Simmons scored or assisted on 65 of the 76ers 108 points when he was on the floor. He also went 12-for-14 from the field. His 86 percent field goal percentage is the highest in a triple-double this season.

"He dominated from the start of the game," Tobias Harris said. "(He's a) huge reason why we won this game. He was everywhere tonight. His energy, especially in the third quarter. It was big time."

The game came down to the fourth quarter. With two minutes left, the Nets trailed the Sixers by a single point. For a few key possessions, Philadelphia's missed shots kept Brooklyn in the game. Harris took aim from beyond the three point arc and missed on two separate possessions. Finally, Al Horford made a three to push Philadelphia's advantage to four.

In the end, Harris and Simmons scored or assisted on eight of the Sixers' 11 clutch- time points. The loss drops the Nets to 18-24 overall and 13-14 in games without Kyrie Irving.

"We don't really have time for a mental struggle," Nets' Spencer Dinwiddie said. "Obviously, our season has been very up and down with injuries. We have to continue to come together as a group. Our focus can't be external; it has to be internal."

ST. LOUIS -- This was not what Matt Carpenter or the St. Louis Cardinals envisioned when he signed a new contract.

Because when the three-time All-Star third baseman wasn't hurt last season, he wasn't hitting.

"I certainly was candid with our front office and our coaching staff at the end of the year," Carpenter said Monday. "I just wanted to apologize. I felt like I'd let them down. I was really hard on myself the way that I played. I was hopeful that they still had faith in me. We had some real good conversations."

Coming off a career-high 36 home runs in 2018 that made him an MVP candidate, Carpenter signed a $39 million, two-year deal on April 19 that included a no-trade clause.

But he wasn't able to reverse a slow start. He was hitting .216 with 10 home runs when he was put on the injured list with a lower back strain on July 2. Carpenter was activated on July 11, placed back on the IL after fouling a ball off his foot and was out until early August.

Carpenter finished hitting just .226 with 15 home runs.

Team owner Bill DeWitt Jr. is optimistic about Carpenter returning to form.

"I think and know he wants to bounce back. He's always been a really hard worker," DeWitt said at the Cardinals Winter Warm-Up fan gathering. "I know he wants to get back to where he was the year before, which was pretty elite."

"It's just one of those situations where he had a down year and never kind of got untracked. He did play better at the end. He was disappointed with his season and he's highly motivated to get back to being Matt Carpenter that he has been throughout his career," he said.

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt agreed.

"I expect a huge year out of him like I always do," Goldschmidt said. "There obviously were some ups and downs for him and really for our whole team, especially our offense. I think we're all learning from it whether it's myself or Carp or the team as a whole."

Slow starts have been common for Carpenter, who turned 34 in November.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform," Carpenter said. "I take a lot of pride into doing the things that help you have a good year. I felt like I did everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be successful and it just didn't work out."

"I got off to an ugly start. It just snowballed. I felt like at times I was trying to save a season with one swing. It just wasn't a good recipe for success and I got myself in a hole," he said.

The Cardinals have indicated Carpenter will be their starting third baseman for 2020.

Manager Mike Shildt believes Carpenter will be able to help the NL Central champions be better at the plate.

"The good news is that Matt's capable of hitting anywhere [in the lineup]. I really, firmly believe that," Shildt said. "And I also really, firmly believe he's ready to be in a great spot to compete and help us this year and be a more complete hitter."

Pitcher Adam Wainwright said he thinks last year might end up helping Carpenter in the long run.

"I think he probably will tell you that he needed to do a lot of things different with his swing and his approach," Wainwright said. "I think he's worked really hard on that in the offseason this year."

Carpenter expects to go into camp competing for a spot.

"Just like everybody does, you have to come into spring training and try and earn a job," Carpenter said. "It's not a guarantee. That's my mindset. I want to come in and find a way back on the field more consistently. You got to perform to do that. Nothing is given to you. I'm ready for that challenge."

"Sometimes it's good to just have years like that," he said. "I really look at last season for me as more of a good thing than a bad thing. Was I happy I performed like I did? Of course not. But now having gone through it, I'm glad it happened. I've got a lot of personal motivation."

Game notes
DeWitt confirmed the Cardinals' payroll for 2020 will remain about $170 million and said that was "pushing the envelope." ... C Yadier Molina is in the last year his three-year $60 million contract that he said in 2018 would be his last one. Molina has played in 2,081 games for the Cardinals and won nine Gold Gloves. He said Monday he would be open to returning to the Cardinals. "If they want me, they are the only team I want to play for," Molina said. "If they do want to move apart, that's it for me. I would love to play with the Cardinals." He said there is no timing for any contract talks. "Probably two more years, would be great."

The Colorado Rockies will head to spring training with Nolan Arenado on the roster.

That's according to general manager Jeff Bridich, who acknowledged to the Denver Post on Monday that his team did listen to offers for the All-Star third baseman but nothing that was of interest.

"With the season coming up and spring training on the horizon, we are going to start focusing on that," Bridich told the Post. "We have listened to teams regarding Nolan and really nothing has come of it. We are going to move forward pretty much as we expected -- with Nolan in the purple and black and as our third baseman.

"So we can put this to bed and collectively look forward to the upcoming season and work toward that."

Arenado is just one year into an eight-year, $260 million contract he inked with the Rockies last February. He is tied to the team through the 2026 season. The deal contains a no-trade clause.

A five-time All-Star and a seven-time Gold Glover, the 28-year-old Arenado hit .315 with 41 home runs and 118 RBIs in 2019. But Colorado went just 71-91, a year after making the playoffs.

Among the teams that reportedly expressed interest for Arenado this offseason were the Braves and Cardinals.