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Canadiens: Blais Shouldn’t Stay In Laval For Too Long

When the Montreal Canadiens put Samuel Blais on waivers at the start of the season, they knew there was a risk he would be claimed by a team and sure enough, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked him up. Now that many of their injured players were returning, the Ontarian club waived him as well, and since the Habs were the only team to put in a claim, they were able to assign him to the Laval Rocket, which they did.

Make no mistake, though, with the current injury situation in Montreal, it would be surprising if he weren’t called back up shortly, with one of the younger players sent back down to keep developing. Blais has already reached his full potential, whereas players like Jared Davidson would be more suited to a development role in the AHL.

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Davidson had a great season start in the AHL with nine goals and two assists for 11 points in 13 games, which was enough to earn him a call-up, but he was an healthy scratch for the last two games and in the one against the Utah Mammoth he only saw 5:23 of action, that’s not enough to make his presence in the NHL worth it. The 23-year-old would be much better served in Laval under Pascal Vincent’s guidance.

If the Canadiens decide to keep 13 forwards up even though they are back home for a couple of games, Florian Xhekaj should stay up, especially with Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators coming up. He’s done well in an admittedly small sample, picking up a point in four games and seven penalty minutes, on top of bringing a lot of fresh energy and physicality.

Meanwhile, in his first game in Laval, Blais scored two goals, including the game-tying one before scoring the game-winner in the shootout in the Rocket’s 5-4 win over Lehigh Valley.

Should Hughes opt only to keep 12 forwards, though, Blais could be a good option for the Canadiens given the current injury situation and the fact that Xhekaj could still use more AHL seasoning. With a fully healthy lineup, he’s a 13th forward. Still, right now, Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, and Alex Newhook are all out, meaning that now’s the time Blais could get an opportunity to finally play his first official game with the Canadiens, after a detour through Toronto.

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Buddy Hield hilariously trolls ‘foul-baiter' Jimmy Butler after Warriors' win

Buddy Hield hilariously trolls ‘foul-baiter' Jimmy Butler after Warriors' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jimmy Butler was ready to talk hoops after the Warriors’ 104–96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, but Buddy Hield was ready to talk trash.

As Butler spoke to reporters at Chase Center, Hield crashed the presser and jokingly called out his teammate’s foul-drawing ways.

“Stop foul-baiting, Jimmy,” Hield shouted.

Butler didn’t hesitate with a comeback.

“If you don’t got no haters, you’re not popping,” Butler joked. “Remember I told y’all that.”

“You’re not popping at all,” Hield fired back.

“Yes I am,” Butler responded. “It’s my number one fan over there.”

Despite the verbal sparring, Butler closed the night with 24 points with 10-of-14 from the free-throw line, while Hield chipped in eight points off the bench.

Later, Hield summed up what had everyone laughing in the press conference: Butler’s foul-drawing and free-throw craft aren’t just good for comedy — they’re game-winning tools.

“Jimmy’s able to control the game with him just foul-baiting and getting to the line and making plays for us,” Hield told reporters.

Butler’s performance at the stripe proved decisive as the Warriors closed out the win. Golden State will look to carry that momentum into Tuesday’s matchup with the NBA-best 19-1 Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center.

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Does Jaylen Brown have a legitimate gripe with lack of foul calls?

Does Jaylen Brown have a legitimate gripe with lack of foul calls? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Is Jaylen Brown getting a bad whistle this season?

The Celtics rank dead last in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (18.7 per game) and are on pace for the league’s lowest output in that category in more than a half decade. Boston’s inability to consistently get to the line is further accentuated by the fact that the team ranks 27th in opponent free throw rate this season (27.6 per game).

Opponents have attempted 169 more free throws than Boston through the first 19 games of the season. The Celtics have not attempted more free throws than an opponent in any game this season (though they did match the Cavaliers’ output of 24 attempts on October 29).

The Celtics haven’t been a foul-generating team in recent seasons, in part due their 3-point loving ways. Boston ranked dead last in free throw attempt rate last season (19.1 per game) but it hardly hindered the team in winning 61 games. Boston ranked tied for 25th in free throw rate (20.2 per game) while winning 64 games during its 2024 title season.

But it does seem fair to wonder if Brown specifically is deserving of more whistles. While many NBA superstars get calls for the lightest graze on a drive to the basket, Brown is often left animated when he doesn’t get those calls despite drawing more obvious contact.

Referees most certainly missed an important call when Brown was tripped in a loss to the Jazz in October, and the league didn’t fine Brown for venting in the aftermath. Brown has expressed frustration about inconsistent whistles on multiple other occasions, including after Saturday’s loss in Minnesota.

The data seem to back up his frustration.

Brown ranks sixth in the NBA in drives per game (16.4) but gets fouled on just 9 percent of those treks. Among the 45 highest-volume-drive players in the league (10+ drives per game, 10+ games played), Brown ranks 22nd among that group in foul rate, per NBA tracking data.

On one hand, he’s one spot behind Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (who gets fouled on 9.4 percent of drives) and six spots behind the free-throw-line dwelling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10.4 percent). On the other hand, the league-leading Anthony Edwards gets fouled on a staggering 15.5 percent of his drives.

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On Saturday night in Minnesota, Brown was credited with 21 drives leading to 10 shot attempts. He drew fouls on just 4.8 percent of those drives. By comparison, Edwards drove 15 times leading to eight shot attempts, but generated fouls on 26.7 percent of those treks.

Brown is drawing more fouls overall this season. He has been fouled on 13.9 percent of his shot attempts, which is up 1 percent from last season and 2.3 percent from his 2023 All-NBA season. What’s more, he ranks in the 99th percentile among all wings while getting fouled on 3.3 percent of plays when he’s on the court, per Cleaning the Glass data.

Brown’s 6.3 free throw attempts per game easily would be a career high, and he ranks eighth in the NBA in scoring at 28.8 points per game. Yet all seven players in front of him get to the line more frequently, with Luka Doncic (12.3 free throws per game), SGA (10.1), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.3) all averaging double-digit free throw attempts per game.

Brown generated his 10th 30-plus-point game of the season on Saturday in Minnesota. He has sometimes singlehandedly kept Boston competitive this year while teammates have struggled with their shots. Brown is a big reason Boston ranks sixth in the NBA in offensive rating.

The real question is, will referees ever give him the sort of whistle befitting his superstar play?

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Week 7 Fantasy Basketball Schedule Primer: Warriors march on without Stephen Curry

Week 7 will be a busy one, as most of the NBA's 30 teams will play four games. It's the final full week before the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals, so the crowded schedule makes some sense. Not only are there scheduling concerns, but there are key injuries as well, with Golden State's Stephen Curry being the most notable. He's dealing with a quad contusion, and while that may not sound serious in nature, it certainly can be. Let's look at the Week 7 schedule breakdown and some key storylines for fantasy managers to be mindful of.

Week 7 Games Played

4 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, NYK, ORL, PHI, POR, TOR, UTAH, WAS

3 Games: IND, MEM, MIN, NOR, OKC, SAS

2 Games: PHX, SAC

Week 7 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 6)-Monday: ATL, HOU, LAL, UTA

Monday-Tuesday: WAS

Tuesday-Wednesday: NYK, POR, SAS

Wednesday-Thursday: BKN

Thursday-Friday: BOS, LAL, PHI, TOR, UTA

Friday-Saturday: ATL, CLE, DET, HOU, LAC, MIA, MIL

Saturday-Sunday: GSW

Sunday-Monday (Week 8): None

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Week 7 Storylines of Note

- How many games will Stephen Curry miss?

Curry suffered a right quad contusion during the latter stages of the Warriors' November 26 loss to the Rockets. The following day, it was reported that he would be re-evaluated in one week. In theory, an evaluation that goes well could put him in a position to return to action during the latter stages of Week 7. However, using Phoenix's Grayson Allen as an example, fantasy managers can't assume that Curry will be able to return that quickly.

Allen suffered a quad contusion during the Suns' November 13 win over the Pacers. The severity of his injury, with swelling as the problem, kept him out of the lineup for over two weeks, and Allen returned for a November 29 loss to the Nuggets. How severe Curry's injury is has not been made public, so this could be a situation that runs into Week 8. The Warriors play four games in Week 7, concluding with a road back-to-back against the Cavaliers and Bulls on Saturday and Sunday. Brandin Podziemski started Saturday's win over the Pelicans, and that job may be his for the foreseeable future.

- Avoid the Suns and Kings during Week 7 due to their poor schedules.

Phoenix and Sacramento are the only two teams playing just two games in Week 7. And the closest that either gets to playing on a solid streaming day is the Kings' final game, Saturday in Miami. While a Collin Gillespie may be challenging to move on from, given how well he's played, this may be the time to seek other options, especially with Week 8 consisting of the NBA Cup knockout rounds and the two additional games that the other teams will have to play to hit 82 regular-season games.

Sacramento has been a tough team to mine for deep-league value in normal weeks, much less in one in which they'll play only two games. Both teams will be worth a look in Week 8, as their games on December 8 (Phoenix at Minnesota and Sacramento at Indiana) will give them six games instead of five in leagues that combine weeks 8 and 9.

- Thursday is the lone light game day of Week 7, while Friday is the busiest day.

There are only five games on the Thursday schedule, and six of the teams in action will have a back-to-back. While Brooklyn's home game against the Jazz will be the second game of a back-to-back for the Nets, the Celtics, Lakers, 76ers, Raptors and Jazz will play the first game of a back-to-back on Thursday. The least arduous back-to-back on these days belongs to the Raptors, which will host the Lakers and Hornets on Thursday and Friday. The Jazz are on the road for both games, but they'll play the Nets and Knicks, which isn't the worst deal, even with New York City traffic.

The Lakers are also on the road for both games of their back-to-back, visiting the Raptors and Celtics. How will the Lakers manage LeBron James' availability? That's the question there. Philadelphia bears watching because of the injuries that multiple players have been forced to navigate, most notably Joel Embiid and Paul George. Embiid hasn't played since November 8, while George has not reached the point where he can play both games of back-to-backs.

There are 12 games on the schedule for Friday, with 12 of the teams in action having a back-to-back. Five of those 12 will play the second game of a back-to-back on Friday, while the other seven will play the first game of a back-to-back. The Clippers are among those seven teams, but the good news is that Kawhi Leonard played 29 minutes in both games of the team's back-to-back to end Week 6. Hopefully, this is a sign that missing half of a back-to-back due to injury management is a thing of the past, especially with the Clippers struggling to rack up wins.

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- The Hawks, Rockets, Lakers and Jazz will have two back-to-backs to navigate.

Speaking of back-to-backs, the Lakers and Jazz are among the few teams that will have to deal with multiple back-to-backs over the next week, beginning with the final game day of Week 6. Regarding the Hawks, Kristaps Porziņģis' status will likely be affected by the schedule, as he has yet to be active in both games of a back-to-back this season. Already ruled out for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, fantasy managers may get three games tops out of Porziņģis, which enhances Onyeka Okongwu's fantasy value.

Regarding the Rockets, Kevin Durant has rejoined the team after missing time for personal reasons, and back-to-backs should not be an issue for him. Utah's situation is interesting because the schedule may not affect the team's fantasy-relevant options. But it may impact the availability of Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson, whose availability has been inconsistent thus far. With the Jazz in a rebuild, there has seldom been room in the rotation for Love and Anderson. We'll see how this is handled during Week 7 and after the December 15 date, when most of the league's players will be eligible to be traded.

- Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto are among the teams with the best schedules to end Week 7.

In total, six teams will play three games between Thursday and Sunday of Week 7. In addition to the Celtics, 76ers and Raptors, the Warriors, Lakers and Jazz have similar schedules. While there are some back-to-back concerns for these teams, that's good news for fantasy managers who are rostering stars whose availability shouldn't be in doubt. Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes are two players who come to mind, although Barnes and the Raptors will play all three of their games at home. On the other side of the coin, Brooklyn and Washington will play three of their four games over the course of the first four days of Week 7, limiting the fantasy value of their players for the back end.

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"They Have It In Them": Todd McLellan Appreciates Red Wings' Fight Despite Shootout Loss

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The Detroit Red Wings have now gone four consecutive games without a victory, as they fell by a 4-3 final score on Saturday evening to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

They did manage to salvage a point after Michael Rasmussen capitalized on a nifty pass from Patrick Kane late in regulation with goaltender Cam Talbot on the bench for an extra attacker.

Head coach Todd McLellan said that he appreciated the fact that his team rebounded to secure a point.

“They have that in them,” McLellan said about the fight his players showed on Saturday. “I thought we got through the neutral zone a little bit better and established the forecheck in the second half of the game that we didn’t have earlier in the game. That gave us a little more confidence.”

However, the Red Wings will lament the fact that they failed to capitalize on five power-play opportunities, including one in overtime. 

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Dylan Larkin, who extended his personal point streak to four games with assists on both goals, appreciated the battle that his teammates showed in the final 20 minutes of play. 

“It was good to get a point, we would have liked to get two, especially with the 4-on-3 in overtime, but we battled," Larkin said. "We stood up for each other, stood up for ourselves and I thought it was right there. It was a good battle game. A good game for us to maybe come together, show ourselves that we can play in different ways and when we’re not feeling well offensively, we can still play good defensively.”

The Red Wings and Bruins will once again face each other on Tuesday evening, this time at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. 

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Sharks one day will have to knock out rival Golden Knights after latest loss

Sharks one day will have to knock out rival Golden Knights after latest loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LAS VEGAS — The Sharks are changing the narrative surrounding them, but it’s not completely changed yet.

The 4-3 loss to the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena was a reminder of both the Sharks’ progress this year, but also that they still are not likely a playoff-caliber team just yet.

San Jose fell behind 4-1 to Vegas because of errors forced and unforced, a familiar story in the recent Sharks-Golden Knights “rivalry”.

“We shoot ourselves in the foot a couple of those goals against, for sure,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said, perhaps referring to Colton Sissons’ and Mitch Marner’s strikes.

In the last six years that San Jose has been out of the playoffs, Vegas has used them as a piñata, going 22-1-3.

“Maybe in years past, maybe their mentality was well, it’s not our night,” Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy said.

But not these Sharks: Will Smith and William Eklund got Team Teal within a goal heading into the final frame.

Read the full article at San Jose Hockey Now

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Seth Curry reportedly will re-sign with Warriors for remainder of season

Seth Curry reportedly will re-sign with Warriors for remainder of season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Reinforcements are on the way for the Warriors.

Not only is De’Anthony Melton’s 2025-26 NBA season debut right around the corner, but Golden State will add a sharp-shooting Curry to the mix as well.

No, not that Curry, who currently is nursing a quad contusion.

Seth Curry intends to re-sign with the Warriors for the remainder of the season on Monday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday, citing sources.

Curry originally signed with Golden State back in September on an Exhibit 9 contract and spent the entire training camp and preseason with the team before he was waived on Oct. 18 before the start of the season. The move was expected, and the Warriors intended to re-sign Curry once his veteran-minimum contract could be prorated, starting in November, to fit under the second apron of the league’s salary cap.

The 35-year-old Curry, in 11 NBA seasons, has averaged 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 47.1-percent shooting from the field and 43.3 percent from 3-point range, which currently is the eighth-best mark in league history and the better than his brother, Steph’s, 42.2-percent clip.

The younger Curry also led the league in 3-point shooting (45.6%) last season with the Charlotte Hornets.

Now he re-joins his brother in Golden State, where he should provide the team with elite shooting off the bench.

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Seth Curry re-signs with Warriors for remainder of NBA season after being waived

Seth Curry re-signs with Warriors for remainder of NBA season after being waived originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Reinforcements are on the way for the Warriors.

Not only is De’Anthony Melton’s 2025-26 NBA season debut right around the corner, but Golden State will add a sharp-shooting Curry to the mix as well.

No, not that Curry, who currently is nursing a quad contusion.

Seth Curry officially re-signed with the Warriors on Monday after ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news on Sunday.

Curry originally signed with Golden State back in September on an Exhibit 9 contract and spent the entire training camp and preseason with the team before being waived on Oct. 18, prior to the start of the season. The move was expected, and the Warriors intended to re-sign Curry once his veteran-minimum contract could be prorated, starting in November, to fit under the second apron of the league’s salary cap.

The 35-year-old Curry, in 11 NBA seasons, has averaged 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 47.1-percent shooting from the field and 43.3 percent from 3-point range, which currently is the eighth-best mark in league history and better than his brother, Steph’s, 42.2-percent clip.

The younger Curry also led the league in 3-point shooting (45.6%) last season with the Charlotte Hornets.

Now he re-joins his brother in Golden State, where he should provide the team with elite shooting off the bench.

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Canucks Pick Up A Point But Fall 2-1 In Overtime To The Kings

The Vancouver Canucks picked up a point but fell 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings in overtime. Evander Kane scored the only goals while Kevin Lankinen made 21 of the 23 shots he faced. Saturday was Lankinen's first game since November 23, as he missed the first two games of the road trip for personal reasons. 

Saturday's game featured not one, not two, not three, but four video reviews. Two goals were called back due to offside, while the Canucks were denied a goal that the NHL deemed was not fully over the line. As for the final review, that was to determine whether Quinton Byfield high-sticked Marcus Pettersson, which, after looking at the play, the refs decided against calling a penalty. 

Overall, Saturday's game was very balanced. Both teams struggled to generate chances at even strength, with Vancouver and L.A. combining for 11 even-strength high-danger chances as per Natural Stat Trick. Even in what was a back-and-forth overtime, neither team was able to create high-danger scoring chances, with the winning goal coming off a fanned shot that happened to land right on Adrian Kempe's stick. 

"I thought we played well, honestly," said Drew O'Connor post-game. "I thought our third period was really good. It was probably one of our best. Overtime, you never really know what is going to happen. I thought it was a good effort. Pretty complete game from us."

Looking at the positives, the Canucks killed off all four of the Kings' power plays. While L.A. did create seven shots, Vancouver was able to protect the crease and not allow back-door tap-ins. Ultimately, it was a step in the right direction as the Canucks went perfect on the kill for the first time on this road trip. 

Lastly, Hughes' ice time is another talking point that dominated social media post-game. After playing 28:19 on Friday afternoon, Vancouver's captain logged 30:13 in this game. Considering the condensed schedule, Hughes' injury history and the fact he is going to the Olympics in a few months, these high ice times may come back to bite the Canucks captain late in the season. 

In the end, there were some positives that emerged from this game. Vancouver's defensive game was structured while young players like Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Aatu Räty and Tom Willander had strong performances. Ultimately, though, the Canucks need to find a way to generate more offence as they have now scored two or fewer goals in four of their last five games. 

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg (31) makes a save as Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (40) tries to push the puck into the net in the first period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Stats and Facts:

- With his 302nd career assist, Tyler Myers ties Jared Spurgeon for the 138th most assists by a defenceman in NHL history

- Evander Kane extends his point streak to three games

- Quinn Hughes surpasses 30 minutes of ice time for the third time this season

- The Canucks have lost three straight games in overtime

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

17:19- LAK: Anže Kopitar (5) from Adrian Kempe and Brian Dumoulin

2nd Period:

2:52- VAN: Evander Kane (5) from Drew O'Connor and Tyler Myers

3rd Period:

No Scoring

Overtime: 

3:58- Adrian Kempe (8) from Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala

Up Next:

Vancouver will wrap up their four-game road trip on Tuesday as they visit the Colorado Avalanche. These two teams have already met this season, with the Avalanche picking up a 5-4 win in overtime. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT. 

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