NBA Cup predictions, Ja check-in & the AD sweepstakes with Tom Haberstroh + Draft Class with James Barlowe

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Kevin O’Connor is joined by Tom Haberstroh to break down the Oklahoma City Thunder dominating the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Cup quarterfinal as they continue their historic winning streak. Can OKC break the NBA record for the longest single-season win streak? Then, they discuss the San Antonio Spurs’ victory over the Los Angeles Lakers without superstar Victor Wembanyama and share their picks for who will reign supreme in the NBA Cup.

Next, the duo dives into why the NBA is seeing a rise in calf strains across the league and shares their thoughts on the NBA’s response. And, are the Grizzlies better without Ja Morant? Where are potential landing spots for Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Plus, James Barlowe joins KOC’s Draft Class to discuss AJ Dybansta’s electric game against Clemson, Darryn Peterson’s return to Kansas and how Nate Ament can bounce back from his struggles.

(0:47) OKC defeats Phoenix in NBA Cup quarterfinals

(6:10) Spurs beat Lakers in NBA Cup quarterfinals

(8:54) Thunder vs. Spurs NBA Cup semifinal preview

(13:00) Increase of calf strain injuries in the NBA

(23:54) Knicks vs. Magic NBA Cup semifinal preview

(34:35) Ja’s last chance to make things right with Memphis

(43:36) Queen continues to shine for Pelicans

(46:28) Anthony Davis trade suitors

(57:20) Draft Class with James Barlowe

Wendell Cruz

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Wolves Turn To Bones Hyland As Rob Dillingham Loses Rotation Spot

The Minnesota Timberwolves inserted Bones Hyland back into their rotation Monday night, replacing Rob Dillingham as Chris Finch searches for more offensive production off the bench. Hyland scored 14 points in 16 minutes during a 108-105 loss to Phoenix, his first meaningful action in nine games.

Finch made the change after 24 games to inject a spark into a second unit lacking scoring punch. The Timberwolves have struggled with slow starts despite their 15-9 record and sixth-place standing in the Western Conference.

“We’re 24 games in, and I thought it was time to try something different,” Finch said. “He’s been patient. He’s been playing really well in practice, doing everything we ask him to do. We need a spark there.”

Hyland shot 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range against the Suns. The performance provided the quick-strike scoring Minnesota has lacked from its reserves, though he committed three turnovers in his expanded role.

Anthony Edwards, who finished with 40 points, has been a vocal supporter of Hyland receiving more playing time. Timberwolves president Tim Connelly originally drafted Hyland while running the Denver Nuggets.

“Sometimes you can just see some people are meant to be a star,” Edwards said. “And I feel like I may not know the criteria to being a star, but if I think I do, I think he’s one of them.”

The move comes as Minnesota searches for consistent point guard play. Dillingham has shot just 35 percent from the field with only six made three-pointers in 21 games this season. Mike Conley, 38, has delivered inconsistent performances and struggled Monday, going 0 of 5 from the field.

The loss was compounded by Rudy Gobert’s third-quarter ejection for a Flagrant-2 foul. Gobert now has five flagrant foul points this season, with a suspension looming if he reaches six.

Chris Paul is 'at peace' after Clippers exit; Tyronn Lue says report they were feuding 'ain't true'

Former Clippers point guard Chris Paul says he’s “at peace with everything” after being abruptly dismissed by the team last week.

“Stuff’s been a little crazy in the past few days — to say the least,” Paul told People magazine in an interview published Tuesday. “But honestly, I’m home. My daughter had tryouts yesterday. My nephew had a basketball game. My son has a game coming up on the 12th.”

Paul’s son, Chris Paul II, is a sophomore guard for the Campbell Hall varsity basketball team, which plays Newbury Park on Friday.

“I have never seen my son play a game in person,” the elder Paul said. “Not a middle school game, not a high school game. So I’m excited about seeing him play.”

Also on Tuesday, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue denied an ESPN report from last week that he and Paul hadn’t been on speaking terms in the weeks leading up to the team’s decision to part ways with one of its most iconic players.

“That ain’t true. We were talking,” Lue told reporters at practice. “I mean, he played. How he gonna play [if] I’m not talking to him?

Read more:Chris Paul cut by Clippers after conflict with teammates, coaches and executives

“I mean, there was a stretch when we said he wasn’t gonna play, he’s gonna be out of the rotation. That was tough for him because he’s a competitor and what the game means to him and what he brings every single day. But after that it wasn’t really much.”

Paul is a 12-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist who ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists. He was the first player with at least 20,000 points and more than 10,000 assists.

Playing for the Clippers from 2011-17 — the team’s “Lob City” era — Paul and fellow superstar Blake Griffin led the team to six winning seasons, its first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. As a 40-year-old free agent in July, Paul signed a $3.6 million deal to return to the Clippers for his 21st, and very possibly final, NBA season.

This season, Paul averaged career lows in points (2.6), assists (3.3.) and minutes (14.3). He didn’t play at all in five consecutive games in mid-November. The Clippers, off to a disastrous 5-16 start to the season, were in Atlanta for a game against the Hawks when Paul made a surprise announcement on social media.

“Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home,” Paul posted Dec. 3 on social media at around 3 a.m. Eastern time.

Read more:James Harden moves to 10th on NBA’s all-time scoring list in Clippers loss

Later that morning, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank confirmed the move.

“We are parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be a part of the team,” Frank said in a statement. “We will work with him on the next step of his career.”

Frank indicated that the team will attempt to trade Paul, who becomes trade-eligible on Monday.

A league source not authorized to discuss the issue publicly told The Times last week that Paul had called out teammates, coaches and Frank this season. Paul apologized, but “everyone was fed up,” the source said.

Lue insisted Tuesday that his relationship with Paul wasn’t an issue.

“I had no problem with Chris,” Lue said. “The guy’s a competitor, he wants to play. You can understand that. So, you know, he was a little frustrated at first, but we got over that. … That’s my guy, my friend before he got here. So you don’t want to see that happen to anybody no matter what the circumstances are.”

Read more:Take a swing? Two Buss brothers consider investing in baseball’s Athletics

Asked why the team ultimately decided the situation with Paul couldn’t be fixed, Lue responded, “You gotta ask Lawrence.”

In his interview with People, Paul didn’t offer any insight on what happened between him and the Clippers. Instead, he seems to be focused on the present — “I’m excited to be back here with my family,” Paul said — and the future.

“More than anything, I’m excited about being around,” he said, “and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next.”

Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Clippers Remain Motivated To Work With Chris Paul On Trade

Despite his messy exit last week, the Los Angeles Clippers remain motivated to find a trade of Chris Paul beginning on December 15th. The Clippers will work with Paul and his CAA representation on finding a new home as he wants to continue his playing career in what will be his final NBA season.

The Clippers are hard-capped at the first apron and are unlikely to sign a replacement if they were to waive him.

Paul wanted to return to Los Angeles this past offseason after spending the 2024-25 season with the San Antonio Spurs. The Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns also had interest in signing Paul.

Paul’s criticisms became untenable as his playing time diminished, which led to his exit from the Clippers.

Nets Engage In Talks Using $15M In Cap Space To Absorb Salary To Facilitate Trades

The Brooklyn Nets are engaging in trade discussions to absorb salary in exchange for draft assets, utilizing their $15 million in available cap space, league sources said.

Brooklyn, along with Detroit ($14.1 million trade exception) and Utah ($18.4 million trade exception), are the only teams with significant financial flexibility. The Nets can take on larger contracts without facing luxury tax apron restrictions.

The Nets could work with Cam Thomas’ representatives at Octagon to determine his future, potentially through a trade. Thomas is playing on a qualifying offer and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Thomas is averaging 21.4 points per game but has not played since November 5 due to a hamstring injury. His contract status creates uncertainty around his long-term fit with the rebuilding franchise.

Brooklyn selected five players in the first round of June’s draft. Rookies Egor Demin and Danny Wolf have progressed in their development throughout the season.

Third-year forward Noah Clowney is having a career year, averaging 13.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 36.1 percent shooting from three-point range. His improvement represents a positive development for Brooklyn’s youth movement.

The Nets executed multiple offseason transactions involving Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann, and Haywood Highsmith. Brooklyn rented out their cap space in those deals to acquire future draft assets.

The strategy aligns with the franchise’s long-term rebuilding approach focused on accumulating young talent and draft capital.

Best DFS picks for Eagles at Chargers in Week 14

Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season wraps up tonight with a showdown featuring the Philadelphia Eagles visiting the Los Angeles Chargers. Philadelphia enters as a 2.5-point road favorite, with an over/under of 41.5. The Eagles have dropped two straight and are fighting to stay in contention for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Meanwhile, the Chargers will try to stay within two games of the Broncos for first place in the AFC West.

Below, we will take a look at the best DFS plays for this Monday night showdown.

Captain’s Picks

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (FLEX $13,200, CPT $19,800)

The Eagles offense was once again inconsistent in their loss to the Bears on Black Friday, but that didn’t stop Hurts from once again presenting himself as quality option at QB. The Super Bowl 59 MVP posted 230 passing yards, 31 rushing yards, and two touchdowns and would’ve racked up more than 17.3 fantasy points for the week if not for two second-half turnovers that ended up costing Philly late.

Hurts is still averaging 21 FP per game in DFS and his abilities as a runner always give him a boost as his eight rushing touchdowns only trails Josh Allen among QB scores on the ground. His 9.6 ADOT actually leads all starting quarterbacks at the conclusion of Week 14 and it makes sense when you have big-play weapons like A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to air it out to. He’ll have a challenge on his hands against a Chargers defense that have put the clamps on opposing QB’s, but he should be fine as long as he limits turnovers tonight.

A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (FLEX $11,400, CPT $17,100)

Speaking of Brown, he’s at least been getting the ball more as of late and he had a season-best performance against the Bears on Black Friday, posting 10 receptions for 132 receiving yards and two late touchdowns in the 24-15 loss. It’s safe to say that all of his frustrations were heard loud and clear as he has combined for 33 targets over their last three games. Huh, actually getting the ball to your multi-time All-Pro receiver. What a concept!

Brown is averaging 13.3 FP per game in DFS and those numbers are bound to shoot up if he keeps at the pace he’s been on over the past few weeks. The Chargers actually rank 19th in DVOA vs. WR1’s this season, so there’s an opportunity here for the veteran to do some damage to their secondary tonight.

Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers (FLEX $8,800, CPT $13,200)

Vidal had one of his better outings of the season in their win over the Raiders last Sunday, taking 25 carries for 126 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. It marked the third 100+ rushing day for the second-year product out of Troy and those numbers were good enough to allow him to finish as a top-five fantasy running back in all scoring formats for the week.

The big news for the Chargers in this game is the return of running back Omarion Hampton, who has been out since Week 5 with an ankle injury. Vidal has done a great job holding down the fort in his absence and it remains to be seen if he sees a significant drop in snaps with the first-round rookie back in action. I’d imagine they’d try to ease the rookie back in, still opening the door for Vidal to get plenty of reps for tonight. That makes him a sneaky captain option with value for this showdown.

Value flex plays

Cameron Dicker, K, Los Angeles Chargers (FLEX $6,200, CPT $9,300)

Dicker was once again a reliable leg in the Chargers’ 31-14 victory over the Raiders last week, booting a successful 56-yarder along with four PAT’s in the big divisional win. The fourth-year special teamer is one of just four kickers that is averaging at least 10 fantasy points per game at the moment and he’s been extremely trustworthy with just two misses for the entire season. Need a solid source of points for the lineup? Just turn to Dicker.

Tre’ Harris, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (FLEX $5,200, CPT $7,800)

The Chargers have a plethora of pass-catching weapons that they can lean on and Harris has been serviceable in spots throughout the season. The rookie caught three of four targets for 30 receiving yards in last week’s win over the Raiders and it was notably the second straight game where he was on the field for at least 50% of their offensive snaps. There will be a week where the Ole Miss product goes off as a Flex option and I think he’d be worth taking a flier on for tonight.

Tank Bigsby, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (FLEX $3,600, CPT $5,400)

Bigsby inexplicably received zero touches in their Black Friday loss to the Bears and the lack of a consistent run game is becoming a huge problem for the Eagles late in the season. It wasn’t too long ago that he was running over the Giants for 104 rushing yards on the ground, so we know what he’s capable of when he gets consistent opportunities to tote the rock out of the backfield. In the event that this does change this evening, he’s a cheap option to take a flier on.

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