Yahoo Sports
Early Week 16 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Andy Behrens highlights two picks with big Week 15 performances. Grab them early for Week 16 success.
Andy Behrens highlights two picks with big Week 15 performances. Grab them early for Week 16 success.
The Toronto Raptors scrapped until the very end but fell short against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Vancouver Canucks downed the Senators 5-1 Wednesday, extending Ottawa's losing skid to six games.
Toronto is likely betting that the upside Matz showed early in his career with the Mets is the truest indication of what's to come next in 2021.
Jim Rutherford's most powerful weapon was that he was managing for his last job, not his next one.
Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse was pretty happy with this teams defensive effort but the same can't be said for the offense. Nurse discusses why it laboured at times against Milwaukee.
Bill O'Brien's replacement has a lot of work to do.
George Springer says he's excited to be a part of a young, talented team like the Toronto Blue Jays, a club he believes has plenty of potential.
Both MLB and the MLB Players Assocation contributed $500K to the fund.
It was a perfect veteran move, and it was all the retribution the Leafs needed against Matthew Tkachuk.
The Phoenix Suns forward says he's upped his security efforts amid regular death threats in his inbox.
Star quarterbacks Matt Stafford and Deshaun Watson are both on the trading block but they carry different price tags. Here's why some teams might opt for Stafford.
Let's take a look at the state of the fantasy hockey landscape as we head into Week 3.
Shaq stopped by to chat with Lajethro Jenkins on recent comments on Donovan Mitchell, what he's doing as Director of Community Relations for the Henry County Sheriff's Office, and discuss The SHAQ Bowl!!! *SHAQ Bowl is NOT a party but rather a live pre-game broadcast that incorporates celebrity team and challenges alongside musical performance and sports commentary. The variety show format brings a new level of fun and entertainment to the kick-off countdown format. It will be live and in-person for the celeb teams and music performances but strict CVID procedures are being followed
SAN FRANCISCO — James Wiseman hardly felt he had to prove something to the team that didn't draft him. The rookie centre came off Golden State's bench to score a career-high 25 points, dazzling opposite No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards in a matchup of last year's top two draft selections, and the Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-111 on Wednesday night. Edwards, who like Wiseman is just 19, also scored 25 points for his second-highest NBA total. Wiseman, however, said he wasn't looking to show anything to the Minnesota brass who chose Edwards instead. “I really wasn’t motivated by that factor,” Wiseman said. The big man dunked, knocked down all three of his 3-point tries and shot 9 for 14. He also blocked two shots, not fouling four times while going straight up to utilize his 7-foot frame. "That was one of my best games defensively," Wiseman said. His maturity and impressive learning curve continues to amaze coach Steve Kerr. “I’ve tried to picture myself at 19 putting up with everything that he’s had to put up with. It’s remarkable,” Kerr said. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 20 points while playing through foul trouble for Golden State. Stephen Curry added 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds as the Warriors won their ninth straight at home against Minnesota to sweep a two-game series. Andrew Wiggins delivered a big game Monday against his old Timberwolves team and scored another 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting Wednesday. Curry struggled with his shot and finished 6 for 17 from the floor and 4 of 11 on 3-pointers after scoring 36 points in Monday night's 130-108 rout of Minnesota. The Timberwolves worked to get Curry out of sync but couldn't do it consistently. “You can’t just do it sometimes. We’ve got to be an every-possession team,” coach Ryan Saunders said. For a second straight game, Kerr stuck with his new-look starting lineup featuring veteran big man Kevon Looney — and Wiseman in a reserve role. Looney grabbed a season-best 10 rebounds. Damion Lee scored a season-best 17 points and hit four 3s to go with three steals. Edwards had his second game with 20 or more points, shooting 9 for 19 with a season-high five 3-pointers. Malik Beasley also scored 25. Naz Reid added 19 points for Minnesota but went down hard midway through the fourth quarter after blocking a shot by Oubre before returning late. D'Angelo Russell missed both games against his former team because of a bruised right quadriceps muscle. Russell played 33 games for Golden State last season before the trade last February that brought Wiggins to the Bay Area. OFFICIAL INJURED The game was down to two referees after Scott Twardoski got hurt, the Warriors said. SMITH REMEMBERED A photo of Sekou Smith and tribute to him was shown on the big screen. The NBA reporter and analyst died Tuesday at age 48 from COVID-19. TIP-INS Timberwolves: F Ed Davis was ejected with 5:54 left in the second quarter for a flagrant 2 foul on Oubre. ... G Jarrett Culver sat out with a sprained left ankle after getting hurt in Monday's game. ... Minnesota hasn’t won on the Warriors’ home floor since a 124-117 overtime victory on April 5, 2016. ... C Karl-Anthony Towns missed his sixth straight game after announcing Jan. 15 he tested positive for the coronavirus. The Timberwolves are 2-11 without Towns in the lineup this season. Warriors: Oubre picked up his second foul just 1:18 into the game and his fourth at the 11:19 mark of the third quarter. He scored 16 points in the second, most for a single quarter in his career. ... In Wiggins' back-to-back games against the T-Wolves, he had 42 points, ... The Warriors are 6-2 at home vs. the Western Conference. ... On Sunday, second-round pick Nico Mannion, Jordan Poole and Alen Smailagic will head to Orlando for the G League bubble. UP NEXT Timberwolves: Return home to host the 76ers on Friday night having lost six straight in the series. Warriors: At Phoenix on Thursday night for a quick trip to the desert before returning home to face the Pistons on Saturday night. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Janie McCauley, The Associated Press
The Memphis Grizzlies finally are back on a basketball court and hoping to get back to playing games. The Grizzlies returned to practice Wednesday night after having their last five games postponed because of contact tracing within the team and the length of time they were unable to practice. They had been allowed to do individual workouts with one coach over the past couple days, and coach Taylor Jenkins said it was great to be back. “It’s definitely been unique,” Jenkins said. “But I think our entire team, a lot of credit to our players, our staff to adjust obviously working really closely with the league on what are the best courses of action over the last dating back to when we were in Portland. But everyone’s handled it really well.” The NBA stopped play last March with the Grizzlies in Portland for a road game against the Trail Blazers the next night. They were in Portland again last week on a five-game winning streak only to have the first of a back-to-back with the Trail Blazers postponed, followed quickly by the next four games. “Man, I’m starting to think Portland don’t like us man," Grizzlies guard Ja Morant said with a laugh. Morant said he feels the Grizzlies have held each other accountable following league protocols to stay safe with COVID-19. Jenkins said centre Jonas Valanciunas is working through those protocols along with another unnamed player and hopes Valanciunas returns soon. “All we can control is every time that we have an opportunity to work, we make the most of it," Jenkins said. “So obviously, the last week has put us in a test, you know, but I think our guys rose to the occasion.” The Grizzlies currently have had a league-high six games postponed, tied with Washington. The Wizards went 13 days between games after six players tested positive for COVID-19 and three others had to sit out because of contact tracing. Memphis will have gone 12 days without games if it plays in San Antonio on Saturday. The Spurs had Monday night's game with New Orleans postponed but beat Boston on Wednesday night. The NBA has postponed 22 games this season, 21 since Jan. 10. The Grizzlies still are waiting for Jaren Jackson Jr. and Justise Winslow to return from injuries sustained last summer in the bubble. Once Memphis resumes playing, it is looking at playing 41 games in potentially 67 days. At least Morant is healthier. The NBA Rookie of the Year had only been back two games from a sprained left ankle when the Grizzlies were forced to stop playing. He's played only five of Memphis' 13 games so far. “I took this time to allow my ankle to heal even more and continue to get stronger to you know, be back to the Ja, you know, who’s just jumping around and stuff," Morant said. "So I feel like although it was tough, it was good for me.” ___ Follow Teresa M. Walker at https://twitter.com/TeresaMWalker ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press
When LeBron James melded his preternatural playmaking intelligence with diligent study, he remade the league.
The Sixers big man fell hard on his back after LeBron shoved him in the paint.
VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks' so-called "lotto line" is starting to cash in. The top trio of Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller — dubbed the lotto line for their jersey numbers 6, 40 and 9 — combined for three goals and five points Wednesday as the Canucks downed the Ottawa Senators 5-1. Miller had two goals and an assist in the victory, but feels he and his linemates have more to give. "I think we need to push ourselves," he said. "I know it looks pretty for you guys because I got some points today but at the same time there's not much difference in the game." The line did appear to find its latent chemistry on Wednesday, however. Early in the second frame, Pettersson looked as if he were about to wind up for a big shot on a breakaway, then dropped a pass to defenceman Quinn Hughes instead. Hughes slipped the puck to Miller and the winger buried it from in tight. It was Miller's first goal of the year. Last season he led the Canucks in scoring with 72 points (27 goals, 45 assists) in 69 regular-season games. The NHL's COVID-19 protocols kept him out of the lineup for Vancouver's first three outings this year. Miller admitted that he initially struggled after returning to the lineup. "Sure at the beginning, probably the first three games. My legs were seizing up like halfway through the games and it was hard. I definitely had couch legs," he said. "But last three or so I felt pretty good. Obviously, I would like to be better on a personal standpoint but my legs weren't the issue. I was skating well, just wasn't making the plays I wanted to with the puck in the hard areas." Miller also assisted on Pettersson's goal Wednesday night, a blast from the point on a second-period power play. The Swedish centre has been limited to two goals so far this year, and said he's felt the crunch to perform. “There’s always pressure and I’m the guy that puts the most pressure on me," Pettersson said. "I always want to play good and I’ll be honest, my first couple of games haven’t been the way I want to play. Today was definitely a step in the right direction, but me and our line, definitely have a lot more to give.” Tyler Motte also scored twice for Vancouver (4-5-0) on Wednesday, helping the Canucks string together back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Despite the final score, the Senators (1-5-1) tested Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko early and often on Wednesday, outshooting Vancouver 24-7 in the first period alone. “We were playing fast, we were playing off the forecheck, we were driving the net," said Sens coach D.J. Smith. "And in the second period, we fell into a rush game. We turned pucks over and we fed their game and when they had opportunities, they put it in the back of the net.” Demko had 42 saves on the night, and Marcus Hogberg stopped 30-of-35 shots for the Senators. The goaltender's play wasn't Ottawa's issue on Wednesday, Smith said. "The goals he gave up were blatant mistakes by us," the coach said. The entire Sens team needs to be better in front of its netminder, said centre Josh Norris, who scored Ottawa's lone goal on power play in the first period Wednesday. “We’ve let up 10-plus goals in two games. You’re not going to win games like that," he said. "We’ve scored two goals in the last three games, too, so both those areas, obviously, are not good enough. And it has to improve.” The Senators have now lost six games in a row. Ottawa has not had a victory since topping Toronto 5-3 to open the season back on Jan. 15. “We’ve put together a period at a time, two periods at a time, but it seems like, for some reason, we just find one period to fall apart and mess everything up," Norris said. "We’re young but that’s not an excuse. Just a lot of mistakes that are very preventable, I think.” The extended losing skid has been difficult to weather, said Sens left-winger Brady Tkachuk. “Losing sucks. I hate losing, everyone in the room hates losing," he said. "So we’ve just got to bear down a little bit extra. We’re going to get out of this eventually. We’ve just got to stick together, which we have been, and stay positive. But the focus is on a win tomorrow.” Ottawa won't have to wait long for a chance to avenge Wednesday's loss. The two sides will battle again on Thursday, closing out a three-game series. NOTES: Ottawa defenceman Christian Woalanin left the game with a lower-body injury in the second period and did not return. … Earlier on Wednesday, the Sens dealt defenceman Christian Jaros to the San Jose Sharks for forward Jack Kopacka and a seventh-round pick in the 2022 entry draft. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2021. Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
Beal is averaging 30.7 in the Wizards' wins ... and 36.8 points in their losses.
NEW ORLEANS — Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram each scored a season-high 32 points and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the depleted Washington Wizards 124-106 on Wednesday night. Bradley Beal almost single-handedly kept the reeling Wizards in striking distance with 47 points. Washington got as close as eight points in the middle of the fourth quarter before the Pelicans pulled away in the final five minutes, highlighted by Williamson's soaring dunk of Ingram's lob from behind the 3-point line. Ingram finished with a season-high seven 3-pointers on 12 attempts, making all five he attempted in the second half. Williamson did most of his scoring in the paint and added eight free throws to help New Orleans win for just the second time in 10 games. Eric Bledsoe scored 18 points and Steven Adams grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds for New Orleans, which never trailed. Garrison Mathews scored 15 points and Robin Lopez had 14 for Washington, which played without guard Russell Westbrook and lost for the sixth time in seven games. New Orleans led by as many as 26 when Ingram's 15-foot pull-up made it 74-48, but Beal willed Washington back into the game during the next nine minutes. Beal's 24 points in the third quarter — during which he made four of five 3-point shots — helped the Wizards cut it to 94-80 by the end of the period. Williamson scored 11 in the first quarter, highlighted by his left-handed runner over three converging defenders while being fouled, and New Orleans took a 35-18 lead into the second period. Ingram missed four of his first five from deep but got a break when he heaved a deep 3 while being fouled by Beal and the ball hit the backboard, circled the rim and dropped in. The four-point play put the Pelicans up 64-41 late in the second quarter. Williamson had 20 points by halftime, at which point New Orleans led 64-45. TIP-INS Wizards: Westbrook, the Wizards' second-leading scorer, was scratched for rest after playing a night earlier in Houston. However, Wizards coach Scott Brooks did not rule out playing Westbrook on back-to-back nights later this season. ... Washington also was missing six players because of health and safety protocols. ... Brooks elected to give 6-foot-8, 216-pound Jordan Bell his first start of the season in an effort to match up better with the size of New Orleans' frontcourt. Bell had 11 rebounds and four points. ... Washington missed its first eight shots but trailed just 4-2 when Lopez hit a short hook. Pelicans: Adams has now had at least 16 rebounds in a game twice this season, the other coming at Utah last week, when he had 16. ... Guard Lonzo Ball did not return to the game after checking out late in the second quarter. The club said he had a sprained ankle. ... Reserve guard Josh Hart had eight rebounds, his ninth time this season with at least that many. ... New Orleans missed nine of 24 free throws. HARD FOUL The Wizards' Alex Len was called for a flagrant foul early in the fourth quarter when he grabbed Williamson by the shoulder with his left hand and right bicep with his right hand and pulled the Pelicans star to the floor as he tried to drive toward the hoop. Williamson was briefly in a prone position before getting up with a smile. Len wound up fouling out with 5:38 left. UP NEXT Wizards: Host Atlanta on Friday to open a two-game homestand. Pelicans: Host Milwaukee on Friday in the second of five straight home games. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Brett Martel, The Associated Press