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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS AND THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Half of the NBA Cup semifinals field is set. The Bucks and the Thunder are heading to Las Vegas after quarterfinal wins over the Magic and Mavericks, respectively.
Milwaukee defeated a shorthanded-but-feisty Orlando squad, 114-109, finishing the game on an 11-3 run. Damian Lillard had nine of those 11 points, including a game-tying stepback 3 with 52 seconds left and a go-ahead dunk 12 seconds later. Lillard had 28 points and is starting to get going, Brad Botkin notes. Giannis Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, had 37 points and has been going like this all season. After a 1-6 start, the Bucks have won nine of their last 11.
I was impressed by Orlando, which was without stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner as well as key players Jonathan Isaac and Gary Harris. The Magic are incredibly active and competitive defensively, led by all-world defender Jalen Suggs, and they’ll be a really tough out in the postseason once healthy, our Jack Maloney writes.
In the nightcap, the Thunder thundered past the Mavericks, 118-104, behind 39 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City is awesome. It has a marvelous defense — No. 1 in the league, in fact — and a ton of offensive pop in the form of Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams (18 points) and a bevy of supporting players. Like the Magic, the Thunder will only get better when they get healthy: Chet Holmgren hasn’t played in a month.
At 19-5, the Thunder lead the Western Conference, and they’ll head to Sin City with a chance to show that they should be considered conference favorites, Sam Quinn writes.
👍 Honorable mentions
- AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025 and one of the most hyped NBA Draft prospects in recent memory, committed to BYU. “If he continues on his current path, then there’s no one in high school basketball with more potential than him,” says Adam Finkelstein in his scouting report on Dybantsa.
- Kevin Durant (ankle) could return Friday.
- Kawhi Leonard, who hasn’t played this year as he rehabs his knee, returned to practice.
- Caitlin Clark was named Time Athlete of the Year, the first WNBA player to receive the honor. She and Taylor Swift are becoming fast friends, too.
- How much is $765 million? We looked at Juan Soto‘s contract across sports.
- College Football Playoff first-round tickets aren’t too expensive … except for Indiana-Notre Dame.
- Michigan is expected to hire Chip Lindsey as offensive coordinator.
- UC Davis is joining the Mountain West in all sports except football starting in 2026. Northern Illinois, meanwhile, is considering joining as a football-only member.
😕 Not so honorable mentions
⚾ Yankees agree to eight-year, $218 million deal with Max Fried
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It may be a consolation prize, but it’s a pretty good one. After missing out on retaining Juan Soto, the Yankees agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal with lefty Max Fried. It’s the fourth-largest deal ever for a pitcher.
- Fried, 30, posted a 3.25 ERA last year. That represented his worst season since 2019.
- From 2020-23, Fried had a 2.66 ERA — only Justin Verlander was better (min. 300 innings) — and a 43-15 record, fourth-best in the bigs.
Fried was the fifth overall player (and the third pitcher, behind Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell) in R.J. Anderson’s top 50 free agents.
- Anderson: “He ranked in the 95th percentile in average exit velocity last season, and he did it while generating nearly 60% ground balls for a second consecutive year. The biggest knock on Fried is his innings count, as he’s cleared the 180-threshold just once in his career. Given the league’s direction over the past decade, we’re not inclined to think that’ll hurt him.”
The Yankees were No. 1 on R.J.’s list of five teams who need to deliver at the Winter Meetings, and this is a strong start, though there’s plenty of work to do.
Here’s more from meetings:
🏈 NFL Power Rankings: Changes near the top
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The Lions remain atop Pete Prisco’s Power Rankings, but there are changes at each of the next 10 spots. Here’s the top five:
- Lions (previous: 1)
- Chiefs (3)
- Eagles (4)
- Vikings (5)
- Bills (2)
How about Minnesota?! The Vikings doubled up the Falcons, 42-21, in Kirk Cousins‘ return to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, picking off their former quarterback twice and seeing current quarterback Sam Darnold throw for 347 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Darnold’s play — and Justin Jefferson‘s biggest game of the season — led my five things I liked in Week 14.
I don’t want to look past the “now” — Darnold, initially viewed as a bridge quarterback before first-round pick J.J. McCarthy takes over, is playing terrific football — but it is setting up for a fascinating future. Darnold is on a one-year deal. Cody Benjamin assessed if an extension in the offing.
👀 Jimmy Butler on the move? NBA trade rumors heating up
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It’s two weeks before Christmas, and the NBA trade rumor mill suggests some teams could be exchanging gifts this holiday season.
Reports emerged Tuesday that the Heat are open to shopping Jimmy Butler. Butler, 35, has battled injuries recently, including this season, but he’s averaging 19 points on 56% shooting, on pace to be the best of his career. Given his scoring, defense, versatility and playoff resume, he’d be a hot commodity.
Where could he go? Jasmyn Wimbish has potential Butler landing spots, led by …
- Wimbish: “Warriors — On the surface, adding Butler makes sense for the Warriors. He’s a proven veteran who can assimilate to any team’s style of play. He can play with or without the ball in his hands … and Butler’s defense would only strengthen Golden State’s fourth-ranked unit. The caveat here, though, is that any trade for Butler would be costly and difficult. He’s making $48.7 million this season, so the Warriors would need to send out several important players just to acquire him.”
So, would Golden State move on from youngsters such as Jonathan Kuminga and more pieces for Butler or potentially for Brandon Ingram, also a hot name? Brad Botkin examined that exact question. Long story short, it’s decision time in The Bay.
Meanwhile, the young Rockets don’t seem interested in changing things up.
⚽ UEFA Champions League Matchday 6: Real Madrid rescues itself
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It’s a tale as old as time: Real Madrid finds away. Despite losing Kylian Mbappe to injury in the first half and being outplayed much of the match, Los Blancos topped Atalanta, 3-2, a crucial result for their chances to advance out of the UEFA Champions League league phase.
The best way to bail yourself out of being outplayed is by having superstars. And Real Madrid has plenty. Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored for the reigning champs. Whether that’s sustainable or not is TBD, Pardeep Cattry writes.
Elsewhere on Matchday 6 …
- Also getting a vital win was PSG, which romped past RB Salzburg, 3-0.
- Liverpool beat Girona, 1-0, and has clinched advancement. On the other hand, RB Leipzig is the first team to be eliminated, following a 3-2 loss to Aston Villa.
- Bayer Leverkusen beat Inter, 1-0, showing their magical touch remains, James Benge writes.
- Here are scores, highlights and superlatives.
We have expert picks/best bets and bold predictions for today, and previews for the following:
📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
⚽ We’re watching the UEFA Champions League. Here’s how.
🏀 NBA Cup: Hawks at Knicks, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Rangers at Sabres, 7 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 No. 18 Iowa State at No. 21 Iowa (W), 9 p.m. on FS1
🏀 NBA Cup: Warriors at Rockets, 9:30 p.m. on TNT
