Last season James became the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 combined points across regular season and play-off games [Getty Images]
LeBron James became the first player to take part in 23 consecutive NBA seasons when he stepped onto the court for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old, who missed his side's opening 14 games of the season because of sciatica, contributed 11 points, 12 assists and three rebounds in 30 minutes of a 140-126 home win over the Utah Jazz.
James - the NBA's record scorer - overtook Vince Carter's mark of having played in 22 successive NBA seasons, while his two three-pointers also moved him above Reggie Miller into sixth place in the NBA's all-time list of most three-pointers made.
"It's been a long time since he played basketball, so I think for the first game back, he looked amazing," said Lakers team-mate Luka Doncic.
"He's going to keep getting his rhythm, and help us a lot."
Doncic had a game high 37 points and four steals in the win against the Jazz as he also contributed 10 assists and five rebounds.
Austin Reaves scored 26 points for the Lakers, while Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen scored 34 and 31 points respectively for Utah.
The win puts the Lakers fourth in the Western Conference, with the Jazz in 10th place.
The Mets need starting pitching, and there are options this offseason, whether it's in the free agent or trade market.
However, the Brewers are making it known that ace Freddy Peralta being dealt isn't inevitable.
After Brandon Woodruff was one of just four players to accept the $22 million qualifying offer to return to Milwaukee, many believed it was a precursor to the Brewers trading Peralta -- who is on an expiring contract -- to recoup assets. ESPN's Jeff Passan cited executives with interest who believed the chance for a Peralta trade would "drastically increase" if Woodruff took the qualifying offer.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and president of baseball operations Matt Arnoldcommented to The Athletic late Tuesday that one decision doesn't impact the other.
“Independent decisions Matt and his group will make,” Attanasio told The Athletic. “We’re certainly excited about our rotation now.”
Peralta is set to make just $8 million in 2026, a very team-friendly deal that the Brewers could afford, but with the threat of losing their best pitcher to free agency at the end of the season, it could be the best chance to get the most back in a deal, especially after the year the 29-year-old just had. The 2025 season was arguably Peralta's best as a pro. In 33 starts, he pitched to a 17-6 record and a 2.70 ERA. He made his second All-Star team and was fifth in Cy Young voting.
Currently, the Mets' starting rotation is in a state of uncertainty. Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga and Nolan McLean are expected to be a part of the mix while Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns looks to add and remake the rotation this offseason.
What pitcher or pitchers he can obtain is not yet known as Stearns navigates the ever-evolving offseason.
"There are teams that are still feeling out where they're heading this offseason," Stearns told SNY's Andy Martino at the GM Meetings. "I have experience and recognize that positions at the GM Meetings may not always be the position a club takes at the Winter Meetings and may not be the position a club takes at the end of January. These things can evolve at the end of the offseason and be really challenging for me to predict at this point...what we try to do is stay involved in the conversations and make sure we're informed as much as possible and that allows us to make the best decisions."
Aside from Peralta, the Mets could try and pry other top-line starters like Tarik Skubal from their respective clubs. They have the young talent like Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat that they can use as trade chips, but it's not the only avenue Stearns has to add to the Mets rotation.
Other arms like Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Michael King are available via free agency.
That’s why, in the latest episode of “Baseball Bar-B-Cast,” Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz divided all 30 teams into nine different tiers based on how they plan to approach free agency, from the biggest spenders (Funny Money) to the most frugal franchises (Broke Boys).
Tier 1: Funny Money
Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets
These two teams are willing and able to spend with essentially no limit, luxury tax be damned. For the Dodgers, the strategy has already paid off massively with back-to-back World Series titles. Their enormous payroll has sparked conversations about the spending gap in baseball and could lead to heated collective bargaining negotiations and a potential lockout in 2027.
"I'm interested in how evil do they get, right?” Mintz said of the Dodgers. “They have now won two in a row. The lockout is approaching. We could be operating under a new financial system in, you know, a year's time. Does that impact the way the Dodgers approach this winter where they're like, 'This is our last chance to really go nut nut, and maybe Kyle Tucker's contract is grandfathered in, let's get him on our roster.'"
Is a trilogy next for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and superstar Shohei Ohtani? (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Daniel Shirey via Getty Images
The Mets, on the other hand, have spent big without much to show for it so far.
"I'm most interested in which of the two guys do they bring back: [Pete] Alonso and [Edwin] Díaz?” Mintz asked. “And beyond that, how do they seek to supplement the roster? They have some money coming off the books, but if they try and keep Alonso and Díaz, it's less money than you think.”
Tier 2: Rich Men North of Richmond
New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays
While this group isn’t afraid to open up the checkbook, they’re a tier behind the Dodgers and Mets. For now.
“Let's not pretend like the Yankees are not still capable of spending more than everybody but the Dodgers and Mets, and maybe even outspend the Dodgers and Mets in some circumstances,” Shusterman said.
If the Yankees want to sign a big name in free agency, they might have to compete with a Blue Jays team that came within one win of a World Series title.
“Do they act like a behemoth?” Mintz asked of Toronto.
The Phillies, meanwhile, may have to spend all their money just to keep the band together.
“Because of the state of the roster and kind of the direction of their franchise, [the Phillies] arrive at an interesting point here where [Kyle] Schwarber is, of course, the top priority. [J.T.] Realmuto as well,” Shusterman said. “Is there another move? Is there a move on top of that other than just keeping this group together? Is it a Kyle Tucker?”
Tier 3: Have Employed or Do Employ Rafael Devers
San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox
By executing a massive midseason trade in June to acquire Rafael Devers from the Red Sox, the Giants showed they’re willing to make aggressive moves to get better. Yet San Francisco missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season anyway, while Boston surged to the postseason.
“The Red Sox, from a roster standpoint and a free agency standpoint, I think is more compelling because the guys they need to try and keep,” Shusterman said. “And the Giants, it's just like, what are you going to do to move this forward?”
Tier 4: You Have Spent But Where Are You?
San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels
This collection of clubs have handed out huge commitments to big-time players, with varying results, including San Diego’s Fernando Tatis, Texas’ Corey Seager, several extensions to Braves players or even the Angels’ deal with Anthony Rendon. But for multiple reasons, Shusterman said he’s confused and intrigued about where these teams are at.
The team in this tier that feels like it should be a notch higher? The Cubs.
“This team should be a real behemoth with the amount of money they bring in,” Mintz said. “And until they start acting that way, they will be here grouped together with the Padres, Astros, Braves, Rangers, Angels.”
Tier 5: Why Don’t You Just Meet Me in the Middle
Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies
As we mentioned, the Mariners already signed Naylor to a sizable deal. But if they don’t make any other big moves beyond that this offseason, they’re still firmly in baseball’s middle class. Despite these teams slotting into roughly the same spending tier, there’s clearly a wide range of on-field performance here.
“These clubs, five of them actually are in relatively similar points where they're trying to contend and one team is the Rockies,” Mintz said. “But we feel like the Rockies had to be grouped here because if [newly hired president of baseball operations] Paul DePodesta went out and signed Dylan Cease, I would be both surprised and I would be like, ‘that's the Rockies.’”
Tier 6: Too Smart To Spend
Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians
They draft well, develop well and know how to get the most out of inexpensive rosters. But how do they get over the hump to succeed in the playoffs?
“They have earned both the benefit of the doubt and also kind of the collective frustration of, ‘Hey, you're doing a lot of these other things really well, what if you just spent some more money on, like, really good baseball players?’” Shusterman said.
Tier 7: The Reds
Cincinnati Reds
They were good enough to make the playoffs, but it ended quickly with a lopsided series sweep at the hands of the Dodgers.
“They at least have more good things going on that you can be like, ‘Maybe you are just a couple players away.’ I think that's maybe the most complimentary way I can phrase the Reds’ situation,” Shusterman said. “But also, maybe they don't want to spend any money because they're the Reds and that also happens often.”
Tier 8: Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals
These are teams that have spent real money at various points in their histories, but that won’t be the case this winter as they all embrace some degree of rebuilding.
“There's not going to be a whole lot of sexy stuff at the big league level this year,” Mintz said of the trio of teams. “There'll probably be some trades of veteran players away for prospects and as for that reason, anything beyond a one-year deal would surprise me.”
Tier 9: Broke Boys
Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Athletics
“Until they prove us wrong the way that the A's sort of did last year with Severino, to some degree, we have to expect them to not spend money. … history tells us that they are not going to spend real money in free agency. So if they, if they want to change that, we'll talk about it,” Shusterman.
Kansas took early control despite playing without Peterson. But as the game wore on the Jayhawks didn't have enough firepower to keep up with a loaded Duke lineup.
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox acquired left-hander Chris Murphy in a trade with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.
Murphy went 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA in 23 relief appearances over three stints with the Red Sox this year. He also made five starts and 13 relief appearances in the minors, going 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA.
The 27-year-old Murphy was selected by Boston in the sixth round of the 2019 amateur draft. He missed the 2024 season after he had Tommy John surgery.
Boston acquired minor league catcher Ronny Hernández in the deal. The 21-year-old Hernández hit .251 with four homers and 34 RBIs in 82 games with Class A Kannapolis this year.
The Red Sox also traded right-hander Alex Hoppe to Seattle and left-hander Brennan Bernardino to Colorado. They got minor league catcher Luke Heyman from the Mariners and outfielder Braiden Ward from the Rockies.
The 33-year-old Bernardino went 4-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 55 appearances with the Red Sox this past season.
Meleek Thomas scored a career-high 26 points as No. 21 Arkansas scored the final six points to rally past Winthrop 84-83 on Tuesday night. Arkansas took their final lead with 11 seconds left when Nick Pringle scored at the rim after a Winthrop turnover. After the basket, he and Winthrop’s Logan Duncomb became tangled.
Tom Izzo had some nit-picking to do even after 17th-ranked Michigan State pulled away to beat No. 12 Kentucky 83-66 in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night. “We made some shots,” Izzo said. “I’m not really sure,” Kur Teng, who had three of those 11, said when asked what changed.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, Payton Pritchard had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-99 on Tuesday night to move above .500 for the first time this season.
Derrick White added 15 points for the Celtics, who won their third straight game to improve to 8-7. They played the Nets even for about three quarters before smothering them defensively in the fourth, allowing just one basket for the first 10 minutes of the period.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points for the Nets, his career-best seventh straight game with at least 20. But after his 3-pointer gave Brooklyn a 90-89 lead with 9:08 left, the Nets didn’t make another basket until 1:56 remained.
Day’Ron Sharpe added 16 points for the Nets, who fell to 2-12 overall and 0-7 at home.
The Celtics started the season 0-3 and then won their next three. They dropped the next two games and hadn’t gotten their record back to even again until beating the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Porter had 18 points at halftime and Pritchard scored 17. The teams combined for 22 2-pointers and 21 3-pointers in the first half, which ended with Boston leading 62-61.
The Celtics opened their first double-digit cushion when Brown followed a three-point play with a 3-pointer to cap an 8-0 burst and make it 75-65 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the third. Brooklyn cut it to one late in the period before Brown made another 3-pointer to send the Celtics to the fourth with an 89-85 edge.
With the Celtics leading 97-92, they chased down three missed shots on one possession to set up White’s 3-pointer. After a Brooklyn free throw, he made another 3 to make it 103-93. Brown’s 3 with 2:55 left capped an 18-3 run to make it 107-93.
College Football Playoff selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek said Notre Dame is ranked ahead of Miami because of the quality of the teams' losses
Mike Nwoko scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Dedan Thomas Jr. and Marquel Sutton added 16 points each, and LSU rolled past Alcorn State 107-81 on Tuesday night. Thomas dished six assists to lead the Tigers (4-0). Sutton also hauled in 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored three goals for his eighth career hat trick and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Darren Raddysh had a goal and two assists, and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and assist. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 31 saves as Tampa Bay improved to 9-3-0 since a 1-4-2 start.
Nico Hischier scored for New Jersey, which got Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown and Evgeni Dadanov back in the lineup. Jakob Markstrom stopped 24 shots for the Devils, who lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 2 to end a five-game point streak (4-0-1).
The Lightning played without coach Jon Cooper, who missed the game for what the team described as personal reasons. Cooper, the head coach for Team Canada at the Olympics in February, last missed a game on Dec. 21, 2021, at Las Vegas when he tested positive for COVID.
Jeff Halpern served as the head coach on Tuesday.
Guentzel opened the scoring on a breakaway 11:40 into the game, and added his second of the game at 10:38 of the second period with a power-play goal as he shoveled in a pass from Raddysh. Guentzel completed his third hat trick in a Lightning uniform at 7:48 of the third period from the left post as he again shoveled a puck into the net off a cross-ice pass from Kucherov.
Kucherov moved into third all-time in franchise history with his 366th career goal with 22 seconds left in the first period to make it 2-0. Hischier cut New Jersey’s deficit to 3-1 with 2:13 remaining in the second for his 435th career point to move past Mark Streit for fifth-most by a Swiss-born player.
