The players are in the tunnel! Hull’s captain, Lewie Coyle, has a pair of Hull-branded headphones on and is glowering moodily.
“Very much looking forward to the MBM,” writes Jeremy Boyce. Aren’t we all! “But sorry, you are completely wrong. Millwall may have the form, but when it comes to the playoffs the form book goes out of the window. I’m a Leeds fan so I know thing or three about all that. Ironically, the playoffs have brought us back to the basics of footie. On the day(s) it just 11 v 11 (plus 9 subs) and, as in Stingray, anything can happen in the next half hour, plus stoppage time, and eventually penalties. The form book is ripped up and Stranger Things happen. Ask Luton Town. Or Coventry City, who Luton famously beat in a play off final. And who have just found redemption, many years later.” Well, three years. As a Watford fan I have some playoff experience myself (including against Leeds), and our attempts to negotiate them have gone with form every time. Other experiences are available.
The finalists for the Hart Trophy are out, and the three NHL players could add another MVP award to their trophy case.
Previous winners (listed alphabetically) Nikita Kucherov (Tanpa Bay LIghtning), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) and Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) were announced as this year's finalists. McDavid is a three-time winner and Kucherov and MacKinnon won once previously.
They were the three top scorers in the league in 2025-26 and MacKinnon also led the league in goals. The winner will be announced later.
Here's what to know about the Hart Trophy (voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association), including projected winner and who was snubbed:
Hart Trophy finalists
Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning: Kucherov finished second in the NHL with 130 points in 76 games – 42 points more than his closest teammate as the Lightning clinched their ninth conseucite playoff berth. Kucherov’s 42-point edge was the second-largest gap between a team’s top two scorers in 2025-26. He previously won the Hart in 2019.
Nathan MacKinnon:, Colorado Avalanche: MacKinnon led the NHL with 53 goals in 80 games to win his first career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. He led the Avalanche (55‑16‑11) to a franchise-record 121-point season. He previously won the award in 2024.
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oiers: He led the NHL with 138 points in 82 games to earn his sixth career Art Ross Trophy, tied for the second-most in league history, and guided the Oilers to their seventh consecutive playoff appearance. McDavid previously won the award in 2017, 2021 and 2023.
Who win the Hart Trophy?
Hard to say. All are worthy candidates. MacKinnon could have the edge because of the goal title and Avalanche having the league's best record.
Hart Trophy snub
San Jose's Macklin Celebrini set a team scoring record, finished fourth in points and had the Sharks in the playoff hunt after last-place finishes the previous two seasons. He was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player) as voted on by fellow players. But falling short of the playoffs probably cost him votes.
NHL awards finalists announcement schedule
Tuesday, April 28:Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player): Macklin Celebrini, Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid.
Wednesday, April 29:Vezina Trophy (goaltender): Ilya Sorokin, Jeremy Swayman, Andrei Vasilevskiy
This season marks the first time the Sabres have advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since they advanced to the 2007 Eastern Conference Final. The Sabres have earned three playoff series victories over the Canadiens in franchise history. Buffalo last faced Montreal in the playoffs in the 1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals, a series in which the Sabres won four games to none. The Sabres also defeated the Canadiens three games to none in the 1983 Adams Division Semifinals and four games to two in the 1975 Semifinals.
Entering this series, Buffalo’s most recent playoff victory over Montreal was on May 14, 1998 (3-1). Donald Audette, Matthew Barnaby and Miroslav Satan each scored and Dominik Hasek stopped 37 of 38 Canadiens shots in the series-clinching game. Buffalo has allowed two or fewer goals in five consecutive games (seven goals against), tied for the longest such streak by the Sabres in the playoffs all-time. The Sabres last did so from April 25 to May 4, 2007 (nine goals against). Buffalo’s seven goals allowed in this five-game span are tied for the fewest by the Sabres in any five-game playoff span all-time (April 8 to 16, 1980). A win tonight would give Buffalo six consecutive playoff wins over Montreal, tied for the longest playoff winning streak by the Sabres against the Canadiens all-time (May 6, 1975 to April 5, 1990).
The Sabres are the only team in NHL history to record multiple playoff winning streaks of five or more games against the Canadiens. Boston (April 29, 1991 to April 16, 1994; six games), NY Rangers (April 21, 1996 to May 19, 2014; six games) and Philadelphia (April 26, 2008 to May 18, 2010; six games) are the only other NHL teams to defeat Montreal in six straight playoff meetings.
In his last four games, Zach Benson has posted five points (2+3), including two points in back-to-back contests. Benson (0+2 in Game 1) became the first NHL skater age 20 or younger to record multiple points in consecutive playoff games since Bowen Byram from May 23 to 25, 2022 with Colorado (two games; 0+4). He was the first NHL forward to accomplish that feat since Mitch Marner from April 14 to 16, 2018 (two games; 1+3). A multi-point performance tonight would make Benson the first NHL skater age 20 or younger to record multiple points in three or more consecutive playoff games since Patrick Kane from April 27 to May 2, 2009 (three games; 4+2). He would join Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky (twice), Kane and Don Maloney as the only NHL skaters age 20 or younger to do so at least once. An assist tonight would make Benson the first Sabres skater age 20 or younger to record a three-game assist streak in the playoffs since Kevin Haller from April 7 to 11, 1991 (0+4).
Alex Lyon has allowed seven total goals in six appearances in the playoffs, the fewest goals allowed in any six-game span in the playoffs by a Sabres goaltender all-time. It is the first time a goaltender has allowed seven or fewer goals in their first six playoff games with a team since Carter Hart from August 2 to 18, 2020 with Philadelphia (7). Lyon has posted a .950 save percentage in his first six appearances in the playoffs, trailing only Dominik Hasek (April 22 to May 8, 1998, .951; April 21 to May 9, 1999, .953) for the best mark by a Sabres goaltender in any six-game span in the playoffs. It is the best save percentage by a Sabres goaltender in their first six playoff appearances with Buffalo alltime.
Bowen Byram has recorded six points (4+2) in seven playoff games thus far. • His four goals are the most by a Sabres defenseman in any seven-game span in the playoffs since Mike Ramsey from April 9 to 22, 1983 (four goals). Byram is one goal away from recording the most goals by a Sabres defenseman in a single playoff year all-time.
Peyton Krebs has registered six points (2+4) in seven playoff games thus far and his plus-7 rating through the team’s first seven playoff games is tied with Byram and Alex Tuch for the team lead. Krebs and Tuch are the first Sabres forwards since Chris Drury (plus-8) and Derek Roy (plus-9) to record a plus/minus of plus-7 or better in any seven-game playoff span. It is the best plus/minus by a Sabres forward in their first seven playoff games of a season since Miroslav Satan from April 21 to June 8, 1999 (plus-7).
Alex Tuch has posted seven points (4+3) in the playoffs. He leads all Sabres skaters in goals and is tied with Tage Thompson for the team lead in points. With a point tonight, Tuch and/or Thompson would become the first Sabres skater(s) to register eight or more points in their first eight playoff games with Buffalo since Daniel Briere (3+8), Tim Connolly (5+6), Chris Drury (4+6), Mike Grier (3+5) and Derek Roy (3+5) all did so from April 22 to May 8, 2006.
Tage Thompson has registered four assists in his last four games. An assist in tonight’s game would make Thompson the first Sabres forward to record five or more assists in any five-game span in the playoffs since Dainius Zubrus from April 12 to 20, 2007 (5).
In his last four games, Josh Doan has registered five points (2+3), including at least one point in each of his last two contests. Doan would join Thompson (three games; April 26 to May 1; 0+4) and Owen Power (four games; April 19 to 26; 0+4) as the only Sabres skaters with assist streaks of three or more games in the playoffs with an assist tonight.
Rasmus Dahlin has tallied three points (1+2) in his last three games. Entering play on Thursday and among all NHL defensemen with at least 50 minutes of time on ice at 5-on-5 in the playoffs, Dahlin ranks first in expected goals for percentage (69.22). Among those defensemen, Dahlin ranked second in scoring chances for percentage (68.18) and high-danger chances for percentage (65.91).
Veteran point guard Marcus Smart served as a finger in the dam for the Los Angeles Lakers when Austin Reaves was out of the lineup.
Now that Reaves is back and rolling, Smart should be taking a step back in terms of his shooting activity. That hasn’t been the case.
Our Thunder vs. Lakers predictions believe that if L.A. is going to climb out of a 0-2 hole versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, it needs less shooting and more playmaking from Smart.
My NBA picks like Smart to top his assist prop in Game 3.
Thunder vs Lakers Game 3 prediction
Thunder vs Lakers best bet: Marcus Smart Over 3.5 Assists (-115)
When Austin Reaves was out, Marcus Smart filled that scoring role. And when Reaves returned at the end of Round 1, naturally, Smart’s shots slimmed.
Through two games with the Oklahoma City Thunder, however, Smart is a collective 8 for 28 from the field. He’s not who the Los Angeles Lakers need shooting the ball.
Rather, the Lakers need Smart to set up Reaves, LeBron James, and Rui Hachimura.
Smart has dished out five and seven assists so far and has recorded four or more dimes in six of eight playoff outings. Yet, his assist total for Game 3 sits at 3.5 O/U.
Saturday's projections lean toward four assists from Smart.
COVERS INTEL: Marcus Smart is actually second on the team in touches in Round 2, ahead of LeBron James. He’s generated 12 dimes from 16 potential assists vs. OKC and is averaging 5.6 assists on 9.8 potential assists per game for the playoffs.
Thunder vs Lakers Game 3 same-game parlay
Game 3 will be just the second time the Thunder have been single-digit favorites in the postseason. Despite covering big piles of chalk at home, OKC didn’t look dominant in those wins. Instead, Oklahoma City slowly drifted away from the Lakers.
Los Angeles’ frustrations are starting to boil over, and we’ve seen OKC crush a much stronger version of this L.A. team at times in the regular season. I like them to cover the modest -8.5 in La-La Land on Saturday.
Chet Holmgren is the MVP for this series. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander commanding extra attention from Los Angeles’ defense, Holmgren has stepped up with efforts of 22 and 24 points in the opening two games.
The Lakers don’t have the size or versatility to counter the 7-footer, especially when he steps out and knocks down perimeter shots. Chet is projected for 17+ points in Game 3.
Thunder vs Lakers SGP
Thunder -8.5
Marcus Smart Over 3.5 assists
Chet Holmgren Over 16.5 points
Thunder vs Lakers odds for Game 3
Spread: Thunder -8.5 | Lakers +8.5
Moneyline: Thunder -390 | Lakers +380
Over/Under: Over 212 | Under 212
Thunder vs Lakers betting trend to know
The Thunder are a perfect 6-0 SU and ATS versus the Lakers this season and own an 8-1 SU/ATS record against L.A. over the past two years. Find more NBA betting trends for Thunder vs. Lakers.
How to watch Thunder vs Lakers Game 3
Location
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Date
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
ABC
Thunder vs Lakers latest injuries
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There was a period in the late 2010s through the early 2020s when the front offices of every contender were asking, "Can we get P.J. Tucker?" He brought grit and toughness, at 6'5" he could defend bigger forwards (and even some centers) in the post, and on corner 3s he was automatic. There was a reason the Milwaukee Bucks traded for him in the middle of the 2020-21 season, the year they won a title.
Tucker officially announced his retirement after a 14-year NBA career in an Instagram post.
Former #Sixers forward PJ Tucker announces his retirement on Instagram. He played 78 games for Philadelphia averaging 3.5 points and 4.0 rebounds and doing the little things to help them win games. pic.twitter.com/GFbePJMZ11
"20 years being my job but 40 plus years of not being able to fathom doing anything other than it. So here's to retiring from the NBA… because I will NEVER stop ballin."
Tucker's is a story of perseverance. He was drafted in the second round in 2006 by Toronto, out of Texas, and spent most of his rookie season with the Raptors, but they waived him in March and he couldn't catch on with another NBA team. He played in the G League before taking his game overseas, playing in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy and Germany. However, he kept steadily improving, finding his game and his role, and in 2012, the Phoenix Suns brought him back to the NBA, where he stuck. In his 14 NBA seasons Tucker played for Toronto, Phoenix, Houston, Milwaukee, Miami, Philadelphia, LA Clippers and New York. He went on to play 866 NBA games.
His impact on the court far exceeded his career counting stats of 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
The Philadelphia Flyers have had the worst power play in the NHL for three of the last four seasons, and now it has single-handedly cost them a crucial playoff game at home. Things can't continue this way.
In 2023-24, the Flyers had the 32nd-ranked power play. Then Matvei Michkov came over and led the team, tied with Travis Konecny in both categories, in power play goals and assists. They still finished 2024-25 with the 30th-ranked power play.
After that disappointment, Flyers general manager Danny Briere went out and added the uber-talented Trevor Zegras via trade, and he racked up 23 power play points with Konecny and Michkov chipping in 14 and 12, respectively.
Michkov, despite remaining similarly productive in drastically reduced ice time, has been separated from Konecny on Zegras for much of the season.
Together, that trio has played just 55:15 together on the power play this season, while Zegras and Konecny without Michkov have played 113:97, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Now, while the numbers do not indicate that they generate more chances as a trio (relatively the same, but with more chances against), it does tell us that head coach Rick Tocchet and the coaching staff saw something they didn't like and completely abandoned it.
The same was true when Michkov started the season on a line with Sean Couturier and Konecny, which lasted a total of 60 minutes, and when Couturier was a top-six center only to be reduced to a fourth-line center.
The Flyers are predisposed to outright turning their backs on things that aren't working, rather than fixing them.
They changed coaching staffs and they added players, and yet the result remains the same year after year. How can this be?
It's worth noting, too, that the power play quarterback has been a constant revolving door.
There has been little to no continuity with Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Emil Andrae, and even Egor Zamula getting opportunities at various points in time over the last few seasons.
It's the only position the Flyers have not addressed on the power play, and it's a position all the best teams in the NHL have elite options for.
Tocchet admitted Thursday night after Game 3 that the Flyers are using players on the power play that would not ordinarily be playing power play minutes.
Michkov, sitting on the two-defenseman second unit, took a back seat to Tyson Foerster, who has no points in nine playoff games, Christian Dvorak, and Denver Barkey.
Nine players saw more power play ice time than the former No. 7 overall pick.
Waiting in the wings is defenseman David Jiricek, who was acquired for Bobby Brink at the NHL trade deadline.
Jiricek, 22, is a former top draft pick himself with a booming shot and strong passing chops.
But, does he have to earn his power play time with good defending, something that's completely unrelated? Would it be unfair to the Flyers players who have been with the team all year and got them to this point? Can they trust him to not turn the puck over, even though the idea is to let your talent go out there and score?
To successfully answer these questions, the Flyers must change their philosophies behind the power play, whether it's wingers playing their weak sides instead of strong sides, their personnel (Michkov), or risk assessment.
While the NBA Playoffs might be unpredictable to the masses, BetMGM bettors are wallowing in money following several six-figure wins on Thursday.
According to BetMGM’s John Ewing, more than $700,000 was claimed in select spread bets from yesterday’s playoff matchups.
Key Takeaways
BetMGM reported a series of nine ascending spread bets, all worth at least $20,000, on Thursday.
The largest individual payout was $110,000 for a $100,000 wager on the Pistons at -4.5 (+110).
The Thunder have a 62% implied chance to win the championship.
At least one bettor put their money where their mouth was, supporting the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 of their ongoing series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The first in the series of bets was headlined by a $100,000 wager on the Pistons to cover a 4.5-point spread at +110 odds. The full breakdown is shown below.
$50,000 on Pistons +1.5 (-190) $35,000 on Pistons -1.5 (-150) $20,000 on Pistons -2.5 (-130) $20,000 on Pistons -3.5 (-102) $100,000 on Pistons -4.5 (+110)
The user’s confidence paid off as the Pistons stormed ahead to a 2-0 series lead. Cade Cunnignham dropped 25 points and 10 rebounds in the winning effort, while Donovan Mitchell’s 31 points and six rebounds weren’t enough to overcome a 10-point disaster by James Harden.
The $225,000 in total spread bets that were submitted resulted in a $419,641.58 payout, or $194,641.58 in profit.
A little over two hours after the Pistons wagers were reported, Ewing shared that another $190,000 in Thunder tickets had been accepted. Once again, the bold bettor was on the money.
A bettor at @BetMGM wagered $190,000 on the @okcthunder to cover in Game 2:
$100,000 on Thunder -9.5 (-230) $50,000 on Thunder -11.5 (-165) $20,000 on Thunder -12.5 (-145) $20,000 on Thunder -13.5 (-140)
The Thunder logged their second straight 18-point victory over the Lakers as three OKC members scored at least 20 points. Austin Reaves had 31 points in a losing effort scarred by controversial refereeing decisions.
PrizePicks, who is a OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE NBA is calling out the refs for helping the Oklahoma City Thunder
The winning bets produced a $291,860.10 payout and $101,860.10 in profit.
Altogether, BetMGM paid $711,501.68 total and $296,501.68 in profit to the holder(s) of the tickets. It is unclear if the bets were placed by the same or different individuals.
Tracking the NBA playoff odds
Both the Pistons and Lakers were favored to win Games 1 and 2 at home. With both now up 2-0, they are unsurprisingly huge favorites to close out their series and advance to the Conference Finals.
The Thunder were the largest second-round favorites in the playoff bracket. They are now -10000 (99% implied chance) in odds to advance, while the Lakers are +1800 (5.3% chance).
The Pistons are a much longer -450, comparatively speaking, although they still have a 81.8% chance to advance. The Cavaliers are +340 (22.7% chance).
Elsewhere around the league, the San Antonio Spurs are -4.5 favorites entering Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves with their series tied, 1-1. They’re also -325 (76.5% chance) to win the series despite dropping Game 1 as a 10.5-point favorite at home. The Timberwolves are +250 (28.6% chance) to win the series.
The Knicks, the second-largest favorite of the second round with -1200 series odds (7.7% chance), are 1.5-point underdogs in a road Game 3 on Friday night. Joel Embiid, who played in Game 1 but missed Game 2, is questionable.
NBA Finals odds picture
BetMGM has the Thunder leading NBA Finals odds at -165 (62.3% chance). The Spurs (+325), Knicks (+800), and Pistons (+1500) are the only teams with odds shorter than +5000.
While the Thunder are the clear-cut favorites, they still face a tall task getting out of the Western Conference. They are 6-0 against the Lakers across the regular and postseason, but they were only 2-2 against the Timberwolves and 1-4 against the Spurs.
Health concerns that had Darryn Peterson yo-yoing in and out of the Kansas lineup last season may have cost him being the No. 1 pick (that and a strong AJ Dybantsa season). Of particular concern were the early exits due to a mysterious cramping issue — several times during the season, Peterson checked himself out of games early due to cramping. Including against Dybantsa and BYU.
"I'd never taken it before [going to college]," Peterson said. "But after the season I took two weeks off and they did tests which showed my baseline level was already high. So, they said when I dosed [a process of increasing a dose over time to create maximum benefit at the beginning of taking a supplement], it must've made the levels unsafe."
Creatine is a popular supplement of a naturally occurring amino acid, with research finding it can help add and maintain muscle mass, improve performance in high-level athletes, and support injury prevention and recovery. There is anecdotal evidence that very high levels of creatine (often with some dehydration) can lead to cramping, but studies have not yet verified that.
Peterson talked with ESPN about being hospitalized in September with intense full-body cramping during a particularly strenuous preseason workout — and that experience had him concerned all season about a repeat of that moment.
It's not an accident that Peterson, by nature a reserved person, spoke publicly in the run-up to the draft, trying to address a major concern about him. Scouts and front office personnel have told NBC Sports they were not overly concerned about Peterson's health issues, but all said they wanted to see the results of the medical evaluations that will take place at the NBA Draft Combine in a couple of weeks.
Peterson, a 6'5" combo guard, is seen by scouts as an elite shot creator and finisher who averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, shooting 32.8% from 3-point range. What scouts said they really wanted to see from him was whether his explosive first step and quickness were back to what they remembered from his final season in high school.
Macklin Celebrini returns to Canada's men's hockey team for the world championship tournament (May 15-31 in Switzerland), three months after leading the Milan Cortina Olympics in goals at age 19.
The Canadian roster for worlds also includes 2014 Olympic gold medalist forward John Tavares and more past NHL All-Stars — forwards Mathew Barzal, Ryan O'Reilly and Mark Scheifele, defensemen Evan Bouchard and Morgan Rielly and goalie Cam Talbot.
Celebrini, the first teenager to play for a Canada men's Olympic hockey team in the NHL participation era, will play at a second consecutive worlds.
In 2025, he was the youngest NHL player at worlds as Canada exited in the quarterfinals.
Then in Milan, he scored a tournament-leading five goals and had 10 points, second only to teammate Connor McDavid, as Canada took silver to the U.S.
Celebrini, the No. 1 overall 2024 NHL Draft pick by the San Jose Sharks, ranked fourth in the NHL in points this season with 115. The Sharks missed the playoffs.
World championships take place during the Stanley Cup playoffs, so players whose NHL teams are still alive do not participate at worlds.
Meet the 2️⃣3️⃣ players who will wear the at #MensWorlds!
Madison Square Garden Sports fell short of Wall Street’s expectations when it reported third-quarter earnings on Friday, sending the stock, which trades under the ticker MSGS, down about 0.8% to just below $330 per share by midday.
The parent company of the New York Knicks and Rangers posted revenue of $432.2 million for the three-month period ending on March 31, a 2% improvement year-over-year. Meanwhile, MSG Sports generated a $2 million operating profit, down $32.3 million from Q3 2025. The company also reports an adjusted income measure that excludes depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensations and other factors, which landed at $10.3 million this quarter, falling $26.6 million.
On the revenue side, MSG Sports narrowly beat the $429.7 million forecasted by analysts, according to equity research firm StreetInsider. But the company landed well below the expected earnings per share with a profit of 66 cents, instead posting a loss of 83 cents.
While the Knicks and Rangers played a combined five fewer regular-season games at the Garden compared to the third quarter of last fiscal year, MSG Sports said per-game revenues for tickets, suites, sponsorship, food and beverage, and merchandise sales all increased year-over-year. The company also benefited from a rise in national media rights fees from the NBA, which signed an 11-year, $76 billion package of deals that kicked in this season.
In addition to the Knicks and the Rangers, MSG Sports owns the development affiliates of each franchise—the Westchester Knicks of the G-League and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack—and operates its training center in Greenburgh, N.Y.
According to Sportico, the Knicks are the third-most valuable franchise in the NBA at $9.85 billion, and the Rangers rank No. 2 in the NHL at $3.65 billion. That puts the collective value of the assets at an enterprise value of $13.5 billion, far surpassing the sub-$8 billion market capitalization of the NYSE-traded stock.
In fact, MSG Sports announced in February that its board of directors unanimously approved a plan to explore splitting the Knicks and Rangers into separate business entities. The goal, the company said, would be to give investors an easier path to evaluating each team’s balance sheet and upside, as well as more flexibility with finances.
No decision has been announced thus far, but because of a new tax rule for publicly traded companies coming in 2027, an uncoupled version of MSG Sports could owe the government an additional $75 million each year.
In the meantime, even with the Rangers failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, MSG Sports can boost its fourth quarter and fiscal year as the Knicks push through the postseason. The team is currently up 2-0 in a second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, with Game 3 set for Friday.
After the final buzzer of the Lakers' Game 2 loss in Oklahoma City, Austin Reaves could be seen in an animated discussion with the officials, expressing frustration about how the game was called despite his 31 points.
Reaves wasn't alone. After the game, a number of Lakers players, as well as coach JJ Redick, expressed frustration with the officiating.
"I sarcastically said the other day, they're the most disruptive team without fouling," Redick said of the Thunder. "I mean, they have a few guys that foul on every possession... They're hard enough to play. They're hard enough to play, you've got to be able to just call them if they foul, and they do foul."
Redick, who picked up a technical in the first quarter for yelling at official Ben Taylor about a perceived missed call, then went on to say this crew, as well as others, do a poor job officiating LeBron James, who had 23 points and six assists in the loss.
"LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I've ever seen," Redick said. "I mean, I've been with him two years now. The smaller guys, because they can be theatric, they typically draw more fouls, and the bigger players that are built like LeBron, it's hard for them. He gets clobbered. He got clobbered again tonight a bunch."
Reaves had confronted crew chief John Goble after the game, and it stemmed from Goble yelling at Reaves during a center-court jump ball (off an overturned call) with 5:34 left and the Lakers trying to mount a comeback. Reaves quote via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
"I felt like I was respectful to all of them all night. I mean, there's a million times in the past I've said way worse stuff..." Reaves said. "At the end of the day, we're grown men. And I just didn't feel like he needed to yell in my face like that. I told him that. I wasn't disrespectful. I told him if I did that to him first, I would have got a tech. I feel like the only reason I didn't get a tech is because he knew he was in the wrong. So, yeah, I just felt disrespected."
As for the Thunder, video circulated online of them watching Reaves talk to the officials postgame, looking amused. They have heard it all before and know it's often complaints borne out of frustration at not being able to beat them. The Thunder are up 2-0, and Game 2 felt like a game where the Lakers had a chance to steal one on the road, only to have OKC finally start to hit its 3-pointers and pull away in the end.
Game 3 is Saturday night in Los Angeles and you can be sure Lakers fans are going to let the referees know how they feel.
PHOENIX, AZ - DECEMBER 06: Grand Canyon Antelope guard Jaden Henley (10) looks on before the Jerry Colangelo Classic college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Grand Canyon Antelopes on December 6, 2025 at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
We don’t dip our toes into the NBA waters very often, but we’re less than two months away from the 2026 NBA Draft! Once again, there are multiple former Mountain West players testing their waters, specifically in the G-League combine, which will begin Friday and last through Sunday in Chicago, Ill.
What do these two prospects need to do to improve each of their respective stocks?! Let’s examine!
Jaden Henley, G, Grand Canyon:
Skinny: Henley had the best season of his career in 2025-26 with Grand Canyon. Bouncing around with four different programs in four years, Henley averaged career highs across the board, tallying 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game on 46.6 percent shooting and 56.2 percent true shooting.
The All-Mountain West first team honoree was a very explosive rim finisher; his ballhandling was good-not-great, but he did a good job exploding from his lower half through contact. He didn’t care if the low man was 6-foot-5 or 7-foot-5 — he was going to the rack with mean intentions.
Henley also defended well in Grand Canyon’s scheme defensively, which was aggressive at the point of attack with sound help principles. At 6-foot-7, 200 pounds, he has an NBA-ready body and will have some defensive versatility. He can guard multiple positions, and I project that to be his ceiling at the next level.
Where Henley must improve, however, is his shooting and playmaking. He wasn’t a good shooter, shooting just 26.8 percent from 3-point range on 3.8 attempts. For his career, he’s just a 30.7 percent long-range shooter on 2.5 attempts. Teams are smarter at scheming non-shooters now more than ever, so Henley’s going to have to clean up his mechanics and efficiency to excel offensively at the next level. If he can show some growth during the G-League combine, then that should bode better for the future, although it’s easy for anyone to shoot 5-on-0 compared to 5-on-5.
M.J. Collins, G, Utah State:
Skinny: Collins, an All-Mountain West first team honoree, broke out in his lone season with Utah State, averaging a career-high 17.5 points on 62.0 percent true shooting. He was a microwave scorer, capable of getting hot from anywhere at any moment, helping ignite the Mountain West’s best offense this season.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, Collins was effectively able to score from all three levels. One of my favorite traits of his was his off-ball movement. You’d be hard-pressed to find many possessions where Collins wasn’t moving, trying to find every crease and crack to exploit. He has fairly good understanding of screen leverage and how to attack those advantages. When he was able to attack as a secondary creator, Collins had pretty good feel, lift and a high release point on his jumper
Similar to Henley, Collins was an explosive leaper around the rim. He also improved as a 3-point shooter, canning 36.1 percent of his attempts after failing to exceed 29.3 percent over his first three seasons at Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt. He shot 78.4 percent from the free-throw line from 2022-25 and 81.0 percent last year; personally, I’m not super concerned. But Collins must show that wasn’t an aberration.
Investigation too late for Saturday’s game at the Riverside
Boro want process sped up amid sanctions uncertainty
Middlesbrough remain furious with Southampton after catching a man they believe is a member of Tonda Eckert’s backroom staff allegedly spying on a vital training session ahead of Saturday’s Championship playoff semi-final first leg at the Riverside Stadium.
Boro have reported the incident to the English Football League, as spying on opposition training is in breach of its regulations. The EFL is investigating the alleged misconduct and, as of Friday, was still waiting for an explanation of what happened from Southampton. Boro want the disciplinary process to be expedited but, as things stand, expect Saturday’s game to proceed as planned.
The Athletic's Chris Johnston recently ranked the top 20 pending unrestricted free agents heading into the summer. Two Buffalo Sabres were among the players ranked: Alex Tuch and Logan Stanley.
Tuch was given the No. 3 spot on Johnston's rankings. The only two players who were ranked ahead of him were Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh and Vegas Golden Knights blueliner Rasmus Andersson.
When looking at how well Tuch has played this season, it is not surprising to see him be named among the best pending UFAs. In 79 regular-season games for the Sabres this year, he had 33 goals, 33 assists, and 66 points. He has also been continuing to make an impact during the playoffs, as he has four goals and seven points in seven games.
With Tuch continuing to stay hot and being the NHL's top pending UFA forward, he is undoubtedly setting himself to land a big payday. This remains the case whether he re-signs with the Sabres or goes elsewhere.
As for Stanley, he was given the No. 14 spot on Johnston's rankings. When noting that the 27-year-old defenseman had a career year at the right time, it is understandable that he has been named a top pending UFA.
Stanley set new career highs with nine goals, 17 assists, and 26 points in 76 regular-season games this year split between the Winnipeg Jets and Sabres. He also had 110 hits and 128 penalty minutes, so there is no question that the 6-foot-7 defenseman's toughness adds to his appeal as well.
COVERS INTEL: Marcus Smart is actually second on the team in touches in Round 2, ahead of LeBron James. He’s generated 12 dimes from 16 potential assists vs. OKC and is averaging 5.6 assists on 9.8 potential assists per game for the playoffs.
