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Oklahoma State beats Northwestern 86-81 at Thanksgiving Classic

Jaylen Curry scored 18 points, Anthony Roy had all of his 16 points in the final eight-plus minutes, and Oklahoma State beat Northwestern 86-81 on Thursday night at the Thanksgiving Classic. Vyctorius Miller added 17 points for Oklahoma State (7-0) and Parsa Fallah had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Christian Coleman scored 10 points.

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Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Best Week 7 Adds

Despite the season still being relatively young, we are deep enough into things for managers to have an idea of where they sit in comparison to other teams. Taking a look at your depth and whether there are any expendable pieces, could open up opportunities for you to narrow your focus. As always, the waiver wire is the place to be, providing managers with bargain players who could be about to ascend in the fantasy basketball rankings.

Identifying players who are benefiting from expanded roles—whether it's an offensive threat delivering points and threes or a defensive-minded player boosting your blocks and steals—is vital as you navigate the season.

Let's dive into nine key NBA sleepers whose current stats suggest they are poised for significant value and are currently rostered in fewer than 40% of Yahoo leagues.

Yahoo High Score Leagues

Collin Gillespie, Phoenix Suns (31% rostered)

Thrust into a sizeable role this season, Gillespie has taken advantage of the fact that Jalen Green has been mostly absent due to an ongoing hamstring injury. He had been coming off the bench prior to Wednesday's game, during which he made his first start of the season, tallying 48 fantasy points. He has scored double-digit points in seven straight games, amassing at least 30 fantasy points in six of those seven appearances. Whether he continues to start or is moved back to the bench, Gillespie has been a big part of what Phoenix has been able to do and should be rostered in all formats, including High Score Leagues.

Noah Clowney, Brooklyn Nets (24% rostered)

Another player who is playing the best basketball of his career, Clowney finally appears to have carved out a consistent role in Brooklyn. He has played at least 30 minutes in five of the past seven games, tallying double-digit points in all seven. He has averaged 37.3 fantasy points per game over the past three games, providing the Nets with a secondary scoring option behind Michael Porter Jr. If his defensive contributions can stick, we could be looking at a player who has rest-of-season value.

Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs (19% rostered)

Johnson continues to step up in the absence of Victor Wembanyama, having scored in double digits in five straight appearances, while also adding 42 total rebounds. Although he is still coming off the bench, he has closed a number of games recently. He has at least 28 fantasy points in four of those five games, and while his value likely has a shelf life, he is certainly worth adding until Wembanyama is back in the fold.

Standard 9-Category Leagues

Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs (23% rostered)

Harper returned to action Wednesday, back in the lineup after suffering a calf strain earlier in the season. While his playing time was clearly limited in his return, we saw enough from Harper to begin his rookie campaign to know that he is going to have fantasy value at some point. While De'Aaron Fox has also returned to the lineup in recent times, Stephon Castle has replaced him on the sideline after succumbing to a hip injury. There is obviously an element of risk associated with Harper, given the very small sample size we have. However, if you can absorb some risk, he makes sense as an add, just to see if he can push back to 26 minutes per game.

Daniel Gafford, Dallas Mavericks (22% rostered)

It's been far from smooth sailing for Gafford this season, with an ankle injury costing him five games to begin the campaign. However, he has since missed just one game, starting in 12 of his 13 games. He has logged at least 25 minutes in seven straight and should be able to maintain his recent momentum after it was announced that Dereck Lively would miss 7-10 days due to a foot issue. Anthony Davis appears to be edging closer to a return, but as we know, he would prefer to play at the forward spot, alongside Gafford. A top-60 player over the past two weeks, averaging 10.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 2.0 blocks, Gafford simply needs to be rostered everywhere right now.

Peyton Watson, Denver Nuggets (25% rostered)

It's been a roller coaster ride for Watson this season, playing a much larger role than anticipated following injuries to both Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun. In six games over the past two weeks, Watson has been a top-60 player, averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 three-pointers and 2.0 combined steals and blocks in 34.0 minutes per game. Gordon and Braun are likely to be sidelined for at least a month, meaning the starting spot is Watson's to lose. Although the scoring could fluctuate, his defensive floor and ability to rebound at a high rate make him a clear must-roster player.

Standard Points Leagues

Anthony Black, Orlando Magic (21% rostered)

Black has seemingly been able to add an element of consistency to his game, scoring double digits in six straight games. In fact, in seven appearances over the past two weeks, he has averaged 15.6 points, 3.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 three-pointers in 28.4 minutes per game. The imminent return of Paolo Banchero is obviously going to have an impact, although there will likely be some sort of ramp-up period. However, Black was flirting with value even before Banchero went down, making him a viable, yet slightly risky pickup, even in points formats. 

Brandon Williams, Dallas Mavericks (14% rostered)

Williams has been playing through what appears to be a minor back issue, potentially limiting his overall production. With that said, he has still been able to contribute on both ends of the floor and appears to have the starting point guard role locked down. The return of Anthony Davis could actually help Williams, with Davis drawing a lot of attention on the offensive end. This could, in turn, see Williams' assist numbers go up, while his shot selection could improve. The back issue is something we need to monitor, but until we hear otherwise, he makes for a viable points league target.

Vince Williams Jr., Memphis Grizzlies (24% rostered)

Memphis continues to deal with multiple injuries to its backcourt, affording Williams an unexpected opportunity to start at the point guard position. His scoring has been wildly inconsistent and figures to be less of a priority for him moving forward. However, in five games since assuming the starting role, Williams has averaged 6.5 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 1.4 steals. His ceiling is somewhat capped due to his lack of scoring upside, but he remains an elite source of assists and out-of-position rebounds, making him a sneaky asset, at least until Ja Morant returns to the lineup.

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Thunder's Jalen Williams set to make season debut Friday — 18-1 OKC just got better

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 18-1 with a +16.4 net rating that is the best in NBA history through 19 games — and they are about to get a lot better.

Their All-NBA forward Jalen Williams is officially off the Thunder's injury list and is expected to make his debut Friday when the Thunder take on the Suns in a critical NBA Cup game that will decide West Group 1. Shams Chrainia of ESPN was first with the news.

Williams missed training camp and the start of this season following surgery in July to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, something he had taken great steps to play through last postseason. In October, he had a second surgery on the same wrist to remove a screw that had been irritating him in the wrist.

Last season, Williams averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while playing strong defense, which earned him his first All-Star and All-NBA nods. Unfortunately, because he missed too many games at the start of this season to reach the league's 65-game threshold, he cannot qualify for postseason awards this season. That means he can "only" make 25% of the salary cap when his contract extension kicks in — his salary will still jump from $6.6 million this season to $41.5 million next season.

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From Notice to Praise: Bednar Raves About Blackwood’s Stellar Play

DENVER — Two weeks ago, coach Jared Bednar was singing a very different tune when it came to Mackenzie Blackwood. 

Blackwood got off to a rough start in Colorado’s 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on November 13. The first period saw two early goals slip past him: the first from former Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram, who punched in a failed cover-up attempt, and the second a mix of shaky goaltending and defensive breakdowns. Buffalo’s Owen Power lobbed the puck into the zone, allowing Jordan Greenway to outskate two defenders and beat Blackwood with a clean shot.

Bednar Put Blackwood on Notice 

After the 28-year-old goaltender told reporters that he needed more minutes to get back to being his vintage self, Bednar provided a bit of tough love in the post-game press conference. 

"I hate to sound cruel, but that's a Blacky problem at this point," he stated. "It's not a problem for me; I have lots of confidence in Blacky and I know there's lots of minutes between here and the end of the season, but (Scott Wedgewood) is playing great, so I'm not gonna not play Wedge to play Blacky at this point, so those minutes come in practice and hard work he's been doing that and he'll get his games.” 

“I'm not gonna not play him because Blacky needs minutes. There's plenty of time to give him minutes. Right now, we're gonna play a rested goalie and play the goalie that gives us a really good chance." 

Blackwood told The Hockey News the following day that he agreed with Bednar’s take on the matter, as uncomfortable as it was to address publicly, and acknowledged it was up to him to fix the problem. And in the weeks since, he clearly has. 

Blackwood Earns Bednar’s Praise 

During their recent road trip, the Avalanche offense never fully found its rhythm, yet Colorado still escaped with wins over the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks. And in Nashville, it was Blackwood who carried them, delivering a 35-save shutout to secure a 3-0 victory and effectively willing the team across the finish line. Scott Wedgewood, who filled the void for Blackwood while he recovered from offseason surgery to repair a lower body injury and who currently leads all NHL goaltenders with 13 wins, followed with a shutout of his own in a 1-0 victory over the Blackhawks. 

But if there was any question about whether Blackwood’s performance in Nashville was merely a one-off, he put that notion to rest on Wednesday night. Facing his former San Jose Sharks, Blackwood delivered another shutout in a commanding 6-0 win, erasing any remaining doubt about his form. 

We asked Bednar just how impressed he has been with Blackwood since challenging him to regain his sharpness. 

“Yeah, I’m really impressed,” he stated. “The Nashville game was lights out. Tonight, good again. And part of it is just, like I’ve talked about before, knocking the rust off. We have a lot of faith in this guy. Obviously it’s why we signed him. It’s why he’s our guy.”

Before Blackwood went on this impressive streak, Bednar told reporters that he expected more from his netminder. At the same time, he acknowledged Blackwood’s offseason injury, his slower-than-anticipated recovery, and the fact that he missed most of training camp and the preseason in stages. That measured critique was likely intentional, aimed at keeping Blackwood from becoming complacent. Now that he’s back to full strength, Bednar took this moment to speak about his recovery in detail. 

“But (when) you don’t play since the end of last year, you have a procedure in May, and that’s a long time off the ice. It’s a long time where you’re not getting reps and going through camp. You’re gonna expect him not to be at his best right away, but since he’s been healthy, putting in a lot of extra work with (goaltending coach) Jussi (Parkkila) and (Scott Wedgewood), it was a matter of time in our opinion before he was going to get to where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be. 

“You kind of got to play him through that a little bit, you got to get him the practice time, so it took a little bit longer than what we would have liked, but we’re fortunate the way Wedge is playing, so now we got two guys at the top of  their game. It’s great for us and I’m really happy for both of those guys for what they’re accomplishing.”  

Civil War 

At the start of the season, it appeared the Avalanche might once again be derailed by injuries, with both Blackwood and defenseman Samuel Girard sidelined. Yet after Bednar described this team as the best he had seen since the 2022 Stanley Cup run, that assessment has aged remarkably well. While Wedgewood was outstanding for the Avalanche last season, few could have predicted that he would play at such a high level that Team Canada would place him on their Olympic long list for the upcoming Milan Games. Now, with Blackwood back to form, we could see both men vying for an Olympic spot at the same time—or, as our own Michael Traikos has suggested, Jon Cooper could simply bring both. 

Thankfully for the Colorado Avalanche, there is no civil war, as catchy as that might sound. The real battle is against the rest of the NHL. This team is a true juggernaut, and with Mackenzie Blackwood back at the peak of his abilities, a squad that was already formidable has become downright intimidating.

And it wasn’t just a response to the critics—Blackwood made history in the process. He is the seventh goaltender in Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to record consecutive shutouts, joining an elite group that includes Patrick Roy, Clint Malarchuk, David Aebischer, Pavel Francouz, Darcy Kuemper, and Justus Annunen. Until Wednesday night, only Roy and Kuemper had managed to do it twice with Colorado. With his latest performance, Blackwood became the third to achieve the feat.

The rust is gone. Case closed.

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Saying Goodbye To Connor Clattenburg

Connor Clattenburg is probably heading back to Bakersfield soon. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is close to returning, having practiced on Thursday and is expected to play Saturday in Seattle. When that happens, there simply won’t be room for the 20-year-old winger who spent the last week showing the Edmonton Oilers what they’ve been missing.

And that’s fine. That’s how it goes. But man, did Clattenburg make the most of his time.

Called up last Friday to replace Noah Philp, who was placed on LTIR, Clattenburg made his NHL debut Saturday night against Florida. Two games later, he’d scored his first NHL goal, racked up eight hits, dropped the gloves when needed, and given the Rogers Place crowd something to cheer about in an otherwise miserable 8-3 loss to Dallas.

Clattenburg scored his first career goal at 14:21 of the second period against the Stars, poking home a loose puck and celebrating like every kid dreams of doing. The Oilers were down 4-1 at the time. The game was already lost. But watching Clattenburg light up after burying that goal reminded everyone why these moments matter, regardless of the score.

A former 10th-round pick in the OHL Draft and captain with the Flint Firebirds, Clattenburg isn’t a prospect anyone expected to see in the NHL this quickly. He’d appeared in just 15 games for the Condors this season, scoring a goal and an assist while adding 59 penalty minutes—25 of which came from five fights. He’s not here to put up points. He’s here to finish checks, go to the net, and make the opposition think twice about taking liberties.

In two games, that’s exactly what he did.

Saturday in Sunrise, Clattenburg played with spice and was ready to square off with anyone willing. He finished checks. He got under people’s skin. He played with the kind of energy this team desperately needed, especially heading into a rematch with the Panthers for the first time since last year’s Cup Final.

Oilers Prospect Featured On Top Young Players ListOilers Prospect Featured On Top Young Players ListThis Oilers prospect is being viewed as one of the top young players in hockey.

Against Dallas, he kept doing the simple things right. Finishing every check. Going to the net. Playing with enthusiasm. Even in limited ice time, Clattenburg made an impact that was hard to ignore.

The reality is that Clattenburg was never going to stick long-term. He doesn’t project as a high-scoring player—he brings mostly physical play. In a perfect world, the Oilers have enough healthy bodies that they don’t need to lean on a 20-year-old AHL enforcer to provide energy. But this hasn’t been a perfect world for Edmonton this season.

Nugent-Hopkins has been out since November 8th with an undisclosed injury, and his absence left a hole in the lineup that went beyond just skill. The Oilers needed someone to bring something different, and Clattenburg did exactly that.

Draisaitl Said Everything Everyone's Been ThinkingDraisaitl Said Everything Everyone's Been ThinkingThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers#google_vignette">Edmonton Oilers</a> came home from a gruelling road trip, got a few days to rest and practice, and then lost 8-3 to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night at Rogers Place.

Now Nugent-Hopkins is back, or close enough. He centered the third line at practice Thursday with Andrew Mangiapane and Clattenburg on his flanks. When he’s officially cleared to play, Clattenburg will almost certainly be on his way back to Bakersfield. The math just doesn’t work otherwise.

And that’s okay. Clattenburg got his shot. He got his first NHL game. He got his first NHL goal. He showed that he belongs in the conversation, even if it’s not quite time yet. His ascension to the NHL was quick, and there’s no reason to think he won’t be back at some point down the line.

For now, though, his value was in reminding the Oilers what physicality and enthusiasm look like. In a season where this team has spent most nights playing soft, reactive hockey, Clattenburg spent two games finishing every check and creating energy out of nothing. That’s not a small thing.

Pickard And Skinner Timing Brutal As Insider Links Oilers to Blues In Big TradePickard And Skinner Timing Brutal As Insider Links Oilers to Blues In Big TradeNick Kypreos has linked the Oilers to St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington in a potential blockbuster. The timing by Skinner and Pickard on Tuesday couldn't have been worse.

He did everything he could. He showed up, played hard, scored a goal, and made himself impossible to ignore. When the Oilers needed a spark, he provided one. When they needed someone to throw hits and go to the net, he did that too.

Sometimes a player’s value isn’t measured in games played or points scored. Sometimes it’s measured in what they remind a team they’re supposed to be. Clattenburg did that in two games. That’s a pretty good run.

So when Clattenburg gets sent back down—likely in the next few days—it won’t be because he failed. It’ll be because the roster got healthy and the numbers didn’t work. That’s hockey. But the Oilers are better for having had him around, even if it was brief.

Connor Clattenburg got his moment, and he made it count. 

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Boyd’s career-high 36 points lead Wisconsin by Providence 104-83 in Rady Children’s Invitational

Nick Boyd had a career-high 36 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists, Austin Rapp scored 20 points and made five 3-pointers, and Wisconsin eased by Providence 104-83 on Thursday in the Rady Children’s Invitational. Boyd, who played at San Diego State last season, was 15 of 25 from the field at the San Diego Toreros' Jenny Craig Pavilion. Rapp entered with just seven 3-pointers on the season.

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Harding hits go-ahead jumper with 48 seconds left as TCU beats No. 10 Florida 84-80

Jace Posey scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the second half and helped the Horned Frogs rally from a 10-point deficit early in the second half. Harding and David Punch scored 19 apiece for TCU (4-2), which will play the winner of the game between Wisconsin and Providence. Thomas Haugh and Urban Klavzar scored 20 apiece for the defending national champion Gators (4-2), who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

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Davis scores 18, No. 9 BYU uses second-half surge to beat Miami 72-62

Kennard Davis Jr., scored 18 points and AJ Dybantsa led a second-half surge that lifted No. 9 BYU to a 72-62 win over Miami in the ESPN Events Invitational on Thursday. The Cougars trailed by four at halftime but Dybantsa opened the second half with a jumper and had 12 points by the time 10-0 and 7-0 runs gave BYU a 59-45 lead with 6:52 to play. Robert Wright III scored 17 points and Dybantsa added 16 with eight rebounds for the Cougars (5-1), who went 6 of 10 from 3-point range in the second half, when they shot 54.5% and made 13 of 18 free throws.

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Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Cherries fans wait on word of Semenyo, Gueye’s red card could leave Everton blue and Nuno needs new plans

With Thomas Frank, Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Christian Nørgaard and Mark Flekken leaving Brentford in the summer, the Bees looked the established club most likely to go down, thereby allowing a promoted one to stay up. In the event, though, they’ve made a solid start to life under Keith Andrews, more or less alternating wins and losses to sit 13th in the table, five points above the relegation zone. Burnley, on the other hand, find themselves roughly where most people thought they’d be: second-bottom having lost three games in a row. As it happens, they’ve not been that bad, asking difficult questions of more exalted opponents with tidy midfield play, before succumbing to defeat anyway. Ultimately, conceding two goals a game is not sustainable, but it’s worth noting that one of Burnley’s three league victories came against Sunderland, a side whose physical, intense and forward-thinking style is not dissimilar to Brentford’s. If they can get their passing going, they’ve a chance. Daniel Harris

Brentford v Burnley (Saturday 3pm, all times GMT)

Manchester City v Leeds, Saturday 3pm

Sunderland v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm

Everton v Newcastle, Saturday 5.30pm

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