Centre limped off during statement win over All Blacks
Freddie Steward could also miss out with head injury
England are sweating on the fitness of Ollie Lawrence before their final autumn clash with Argentina this weekend.
Lawrence starred on Saturday in the statement victory against the All Blacks but limped off in the closing stages and could be forced to sit out the match against the Pumas on Sunday. The 26-year-old centre will be assessed when England reconvene on Tuesday after an extra day off but if Lawrence is ruled out it would be a blow for Steve Borthwick.
Nov 13, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe (9) skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Dan Hamilton/Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
LOS ANGELES — Forward Adrian Kempe has agreed to an eight-year, $85 million contract to stay with the Los Angeles Kings, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Kings hadn’t announced their deal with the 29-year-old Kempe, who would have been an unrestricted free agent next summer. The deal extends through the 2033-34 season and has an average annual value of $10.625 million.
Kempe has been the Kings’ most dependable offensive player over the past four seasons, earning an All-Star selection in 2022 and leading Los Angeles to four straight playoff appearances. The Swedish right wing has 200 goals and 220 assists in a 10-year career spent entirely with Los Angeles, which drafted him with the 29th overall pick in 2014.
Kempe scored a career-high 41 goals during the 2022-23 season, and he has four consecutive 25-goal seasons. He leads the Kings with six goals and 13 assists in 19 games this season while playing extensively on special teams.
Kempe is also on Sweden’s initial roster for the 2026 Olympics.
Re-signing Kempe has been a top priority for new Kings general manager Ken Holland, who said he wanted to maintain a foundation of leadership and talent when longtime captain Anze Kopitar retires next year. But negotiations with Kempe stretched from the summer into the season, leading to increasing speculation that Kempe would hit the open market next year.
Instead, Kempe joins the list of potential 2026 free agents who have re-signed with their teams. Connor McDavid, Martin Necas, Jack Eichel and Kirill Kaprizov have all committed to their respective teams recently.
The Kings (10-5-4) have rebounded from a slow start to their season with four consecutive victories on their current six-game road swing. They next play at Washington.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (9-5) and Milwaukee Bucks (8-6) meet on Peacock at 7 PM ET for a battle between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland won the first meeting at home, 118-113, and will look to repeat that success once again at Rocket Arena. After winning four straight games and reaching a 7-3 record, Cleveland has gone 2-2 in the past four games.
The Cavaliers are in the third game of a six-game home stand, while Milwaukee is playing a sandwich spot contest coming off two straight at home and has three more at home following this contest.
Milwaukee has exceeded expectations at 8-6 behind the MVP play of Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Bucks have struggled by alternating wins and losses over the last 10 games, failing to put together a winning streak or losing streak.
Let’s dive into tonight’s matchup and find a potential sweat or two! We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff. Odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to watch the Bucks vs. Cavaliers live
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Game odds for the Bucks at the Cavaliers
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Cavaliers (-298), Bucks (+240)
Spread: Cavaliers -7.5
Total: 235.5
That gives the Cavaliers an implied team point total of 121.5 and the Bucks 113.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups for the Bucks and the Cavaliers
Bucks
PG Ryan Rollins
SG AJ Green
SF Kyle Kuzma
PF Giannis Antetokounmpo
C Myles Turner
Cavaliers
PG Donovan Mitchell
SG Sam Merrill
SF Deandre Hunter
PF Evan Mobley
C Jarrett Allen
Injuries for the Bucks and the Cavaliers
Bucks
F Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) is PROBABLE for Monday's game
Cavaliers
G Darius Garland (toe) is OUT for Monday's matchup G Jaylon Tyson (concussion) is OUT for Monday's matchup
Important stats, trends and insights ahead of Bucks at Cavaliers on Monday.
Milwaukee is 7-7 ATS and 4-2 ATS as an underdog
Milwaukee is 2-1 ATS as a road underdog and 1-2 on the ML
The Bucks are 4-2 to the Over as a underdog and 2-1 to the Under as a road underdog
The Bucks are 8-6 to the Over overall
The Cavaliers are 8-6 to the Over overall
The Cavaliers are 7-6 to the Over as a favorite and 4-3 to the Under as a home favorite
Cleveland is 4-10 ATS, ranking tied third-worst
Cleveland is 1-6 ATS as a home favorite, ranking sixth-worst
Rotoworld Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Bucks to cover and Donovan Mitchell to go Over his points prop:
“Milwaukee covered the first meeting of the season between the two teams, but Cleveland won 118-113. This time, the spread is 7.5 in favor of Cleveland and without Darius Garland, there may be some value there. Milwaukee has exceeded expectations as Giannis Antetokounmpo has played like an MVP, while Cleveland may still be rated as a top-five team in the NBA, but playing like a 8-12 rated squad. I would lean Bucks in picking a side here.
Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points in the first meeting going Under his player prop and with Garland out again for this meeting, I would lean the Over this time around. Mitchell has been on fire averaging over 32 points per game in November and scored 28 or more points in four straight games and six out of seven this month."
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Bucks & Cavaliers game:
Moneyline: Cavaliers ML (low confidence)
Spread: Cavaliers -7.5 (medium confidence)
Total: Under 235.5 (low confidence)
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As the Montreal Canadiens keep losing players to injury lately, a sizeable portion of the fan base wishes the organization would call up Florian Xhekaj. White, the 21-year-old, had a great training camp and stuck around until the very end; he hasn’t had a good start in the AHL.
This often happens to youngsters who thought they might make the big team, only to land back in the AHL. Whichever way you look at it, it’s a disappointment for them, and that’s understandable, but they’ve got to get over that hump.
At rookie camp, Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent spoke about the youngest Xhekaj and said he wanted to get him to take the next step this season, after he put up 35 points, including 24 goals, last year.
In 15 games this season, he has only managed to gather four points (two goals and two assists) and has spent much of his time in the bottom six because things weren’t clicking. He did skate on the first line alongside Laurent Dauphin and Alex Belzile on Saturday’s game after Joshua Roy was called up, but that was the exception and not the rule.
Calling up Xhekaj, who had a good training camp despite a bad start to the season in the AHL, would be unfair to the other prospects plying their trade with the Rocket and would send the wrong message. Performance with the Rocket has got to mean something if you want to keep the kids motivated and engaged.
With both Roy and Jared Davidson now up with the Canadiens, Xhekaj will likely end up with more quality ice time, and it’s up to him to make the most of it. Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach are both set to miss significant time, and it’s not set in stone that Roy and Davidson will stay in the NHL for the duration. If they struggle to make an impact, the Habs’ brass could come knocking on the Rocket’s door again, and in case they do, Xhekaj must make the most of his increased role to earn his own opportunity.
The biggest question facing Maxim Shabanov's return to the New York Islanders' lineup was where he'd play.
Given the win streak and the strong play of the top nine, it seemed that the only spot for Shabanov to start would be on the fourth line. And that's exactly what happened on Sunday night against the Colorado Avalanche, skating alongside Calum Ritchie and Casey Cizikas.
Ritchie, who had shown well defensively since being recalled, had not shown much offensively through his first eight games with the Islanders.
Could Shabanov's offensive instincts and skating help create more for Ritchie in the offensive zone?
While Ritchie didn't record a shot on goal in his 6:54 minutes, a line that eventually was taken out of the rotation with the Islanders in need of a goal -- Shabanov continued to play -- the fourth line played more in the offensive zone than they had previously.
When he and Ritchie were on the ice (5:13), the Islanders owned a Corsi For% % of 77.78, holding the Avalanche to one shot -- that last goal -- garnering two shots of their own and two scoring chances.
Despite missing 12 games due to an upper-body injury, Shabanov looked locked in.
In 9:19 minutes, Shabanov recorded two shots on goal, with three individual scoring chances, two of which were considered high-danger.
The goal they were on the ice for came in garbage time.
"I thought he played well," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said of Shabanov. "With the type of injury he had, upper body injury, you're curious to see how someone's going to react to contact because you don't really get hit in the practices. So I thought he didn't shy away from any of that."
Roy was asked postgame how he saw Ritchie and Casey Cizikas feed off Shabanov?
"I thought they had good buzz," Roy said. "And, when they were out there, I thought that they possessed the puck. I thought they had a great game, the three together."
The Islanders' fourth line had an identity for ages and this current iteration of the bottom three has struggled to find their game consistently, regardless of who has been on the line.
Every team is at their best when they can roll four lines and with Cizikas-Ritchie-Shabanov is the fastest version of this fourth line that we have seen so far.
We'll see if Roy tweaks his lines ahead of their Tuesday night showdown with the Dallas Stars, but if not, look for that threesome, particularly Shabanov and Ritchie, to build on their performance against Colorado.
Home ice DIS-ADVANTAGE continues to plague the Rangers and nobody has yet figured the how and why of it, although The Maven has a couple of clues:
1. LAZINESS: How else can one explain being outshot 42-19 at home?
2. They got their dough, "No Trade" contracts. Why worry?
Losing 2-1 to Detroit last night stretches the Rangers wretched MSG record to a Theater Of The Absurd 1-7-1.
And most embarrassing of all was that ancient Jonathan Quick was so superior in the Blueshirt nets, he was awarded second star of the game. He should have been the first star.
Or. as captain J.T. Miller put it, "Quickie was fantastic." Then, a pause and the Blueshirt understatement of the month: "We just didn't get into our game."
Late in the game. Detroit's Lucas Raymond put away the winner, circling the net from right to left and then emerging in front to find a wide opening as the New York defenders looked like they were at a downhome camp meeting.
Writing in The Post, Howie Kussoy put it best: "The Rangers looked like the team that got off to the worst start in franchise history."
Figuring out the Rangers home malaise would require about two dozen shrinks and five dozen Ouija Boards. But consider the following and why the New Yorkers should have won.
Once one of the NHL's most storied franchises, the Red Wings dismally have missed the playoffs an extraordinary nine successive seasons.
A tenth is in the cards since the best GM Steve Yzerman has his players stuck with are two over-the-hill goaltenders, 32-year-old John Gibson and 38-year-old Cam Talbot. Credit
Talbot last night for doing what he had to do making 18 saves. Actually the really good news is that the Blueshirts have excelled on the road although this time they won't be facing Humpty-Dumpty skaters.
The Blueshirts hit the road with games tomorrow in Vegas, Thursday in Colorado and Saturday at Salt Lake City, before returning Thanksgiving Eve against St. Louis.
"It's fair to say that such a road trip will be the first genuine test of how the Rangers can fare against elite teams like the Avs and Knights," says The Old Scout. "But so far, so good."
The Detroit Red Wings' 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday night produced a viral moment after a late game empty net attempt by Detroit forward Mason Appleton sparked a chaotic scrum at Madison Square Garden.
Appleton, playing in just his 19th game with Detroit since being acquired earlier this season, tried to score into the empty net before time expired but his attempt came a few seconds too late. Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick did not appreciate the effort and immediately chased after Appleton from the bench. As the final horn sounded, both teams spilled onto the ice and collided in a massive scrum in the Rangers end with every player involved.
Some fans felt Quick overreacted given that only seconds remained and that Appleton was simply trying to finish the game for his team. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman weighed in on the confrontation and said he loved seeing that level of emotion.
"This isn't very 21st Century male of me, I think the league misses this stuff, I loved it," Friedman explained. He also spoke about Quick as a player and person at age 39, saying his longevity comes from more than talent alone. "I think the NHL would be better off if you had more guys like that, I loved it, I loved him charging off the bench like I don't even care who he plays for, it's got nothing to do with the teams. It's all about nope, not doing that, I loved it. Loved it. If every guy cared about their team as much as quick did there, the league would be a better place."
Beyond the chaos, Detroit earned a hard fought win. Lucas Raymond scored the game winning goal in the third period after Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring earlier. Goaltender Cam Talbot faced only 19 shots and stopped 18 thanks to strong defensive play in front of him. Quick was the busiest player on the ice, making 40 saves on 42 shots in an impressive effort that ultimately was not enough.
The Red Wings now head back to Detroit to get ready for Tuesday’s meeting with the Seattle Kraken.
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The Montreal Canadiens have made a roster move ahead of their Nov. 17 matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets, as defenseman Marc Del Gaizo has been recalled from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
The Canadiens also confirmed that Del Gaizo will be joining the team for their matchup against the Blue Jackets.
Del Gaizo has been called up to the NHL roster before, but he still has not made his Canadiens regular-season debut. Instead, he has played in 11 games this season with Laval, where he has recorded four assists, six penalty minutes, and a plus-4 rating.
Les Canadiens ont rappelé le défenseur Marc Del Gaizo du Rocket de Laval. Il rejoindra l'équipe à Columbus.
The Canadiens have recalled defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from the Laval Rocket. He will join the team in Columbus. pic.twitter.com/0PDOiwcV3o
Del Gaizo has played in 55 career NHL games over two seasons, where he has posted two goals, 10 assists, 12 points, and a minus-1 rating. The majority of his NHL experience came this past season with the Nashville Predators, however, as he had two goals, seven assists, and nine points in 46 games with the Central Division club.
Yarbrough had a 4.36 ERA and 1.20 WHIP while striking out 55 batters in 64.0 innings for New York this past season as he was used in both the rotation and bullpen -- the 33-year-old made eight starts and 11 relief appearances.
In eight big league seasons, Yarbrough -- who has also pitched for the Rays, Royals, Dodgers, and Blue Jays -- has a 4.22 ERA (4.30 FIP) and 1.18 WHIP in 832 innings.
With Devin Williams and Luke Weaver among New York's relievers who recently hit free agency, the bullpen could look significantly different in 2026.
David Bednar is penciled in as the closer, while Camilo Doval should again be a late-inning option.
Tim Hill, who re-signed earlier this offseason, will also figure in.
The Milwaukee Bucks go head-to-head with the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight on Peacock. Live coverage begins at 6:30 PM. See below for additional information on how to watch tonight's Bucks vs Cavaliers game and follow all of the NBA action on NBC and Peacock. Peacock will feature 100 regular-season games throughout the course of the 2025-2026 season.
Tonight's game marks the second of four regular-season meetings between the two teams. Cleveland won the last match-up 118-113 on October 26.
The Bucks are coming off a 119-95 loss to the Lakers on Saturday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for Milwaukee with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. The two-time MVP has scored at least 30 points in nine of his twelve games played this season. With 32.6 points per game, he is currently second in the league in scoring behind Luka Doncic.
AJ Green added 15 points and 3 rebounds, while Gary Trent Jr. chipped in 13 off the bench on Saturday.
Cleveland Cavaliers:
The Cavaliers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 108-100 on Saturday. Donovan Mitchell came up big in the win, scoring 30 points — 14 of them came in the fourth quarter. He also had five rebounds and five assists. The six-time All-Star guard is on pace for the best season of his career; he's averaging 30.4 points per game while shooting 49.8% from the field.
Donovan Mitchell came up CLUTCH in Cleveland's victory over Memphis:
Evan Mobley also had a strong performance in Saturday's win, finishing with 22 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 assists. He is also on pace for career highs in scoring (19.2 ppg), assists (4.2 apg), and steals (1.3 spg).
Milwaukee and Cleveland have been two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference over the last four seasons. Cleveland remains the favorite to win the Eastern Conference, while the Bucks are an outside contender in the East.
How to watch Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers:
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The Flyers swapped defensemen Monday in a trade with the Senators.
The club sent Dennis Gilbert to Ottawa in exchange for Maxence Guenette, a restricted free agent who the Flyers agreed to terms with on a one-year, two-way deal.
With no contract, Guenette had yet to play this season. In 58 games last season for the Senators’ AHL affiliate Belleville, the 24-year-old had nine goals, 14 assists and a plus-13 rating.
Guenette’s best AHL season from a scoring standpoint came in 2022-23, when the righty shot had five goals and 35 assists over 72 games for Belleville.
The 2019 seventh-round pick of Ottawa has played eight career NHL games. He’s the second defenseman the Flyers have brought in for AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley over the last two and a half weeks. They acquired Christian Kyrou in the Samu Tuomaala trade.
Guenette is expected to report to the Phantoms.
Gilbert didn’t see game action with the Flyers after signing a one-year deal in the offseason. He had an assist and a plus-1 rating in six games for Lehigh Valley.
Kuminga, 23, missed the second half of Golden State’s win over the San Antonio Spurs last Wednesday due to knee soreness. The Warriors don’t expect Kuminga to miss an extended period of time, but the team is being cautious.
Golden State is 3-1 on its current road trip with a back-to-back remaining against the Magic on Tuesday and ending against the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
The fifth-year forward is averaging 13.8 points per game, the third-highest average on the team.
Kuminga started in 12 of his 13 games played during the 2025-26 NBA season. He was moved to the bench as coach Steve Kerr made a lineup change amid a 2-5 skid.
The Warriors look to keep a three-game winning streak alive against the Magic while Kuminga sits out.
When their top free agent departed last winter, the Yankees proved adept at triggering Plan B. Their pivot after Juan Soto signed with the Mets worked and, even without Soto’s prodigious bat, the Yanks tied for the American League lead in wins and made the playoffs for the 26th time since 1995.
What if their top free agent departs for the second consecutive offseason? Can the Yankees do it again should Cody Bellinger, who was part of Plan B last winter, sign elsewhere?
Bellinger fits in the Bronx – he looked so comfortable in his first season in pinstripes it was as if he’d played there for years. But the 30-year-old will have a strong market after flourishing in 2025 with 29 home runs, an .813 OPS and strong baserunning and defense. He can play all three outfield positions and first base and that versatility only enhances his value. He wasn’t eligible for a qualifying offer, so there’s no attached draft pick loss to the team that signs him, either.
Losing him would be a big blow to the Yankees, who are trying to win the World Series for the first time since 2009.
So how would they cope? We have some ideas for this winter’s version of Plan B. If it’s necessary...
The kids in the outfield
While there’s endless debate over what Spencer Jones might or might not become and similar scrutiny on what Jasson Domínguez is or isn’t, what if both turn out to be answers in the outfield? GM Brian Cashman said Jones, who has massive power and athleticism but also massive swing-and-miss, has put himself in position to make the big club after a 35-homer season in the minors.
Domínguez showed flashes last season, but as one of the most hyped prospects in history, most fans expected towering numbers, which he did not deliver. If both are good enough in ‘26, having two cheap lineup staples would allow the Yanks to plow more money into the free agent market to fill other needs.
Sleep on it
Trent Grisham was a revelation in ‘25, pounding a career-high 34 home runs and setting himself up for a big free agent payday. The Yanks gave "The Big Sleep" a qualifying offer, which is $22.05 million for one year. He could accept it and return. Or the Yanks could bring him back by working out a multi-year deal.
If Grisham and his laid-back vibe were in center again, it would leave only left field for the Yanks to figure out. They’ll gather more intel by Tuesday at 4 p.m., which is the deadline for Grisham to accept or reject the qualifying offer.
We want a pitcher
A big part of why last season’s Plan B worked was because the Yankees signed Max Fried and the lefty was sensational, with a 2.86 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 195.1 innings. He was eighth in ERA and finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting. Nice add to a team that also had MLB’s top offense in terms of runs per game and homers. If no Bellinger, perhaps they should fortify through the rotation again by adding a big-name free agent such as Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, or Ranger Suárez.
Perhaps Tatsuya Imai, a righty who had a 1.92 ERA last season, fits for a team that has thrived with Japanese aces in the past.
Yes, the Yanks already have a formidable starting staff in place with Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Luis Gil. But Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón will start the season late as they finish recovery from surgeries -- and teams need huge starting inventories in the war-of-attrition world of modern-day pitching.
Gil or Warren could be moved in a trade (Yanks need 'pen help). Someone else could get hurt. The Dodgers didn’t seem to be worried about adding too many starters last winter. How’d that work out?
Contact play
In previous columns, we’ve been over the many reasons the Yankees could use a hitter – hitters? – with a nifty contact profile and a low-strikeout mindset. It’s even more vital if Bellinger splits, considering he had a career-best 13.7 percent strikeout rate last year, well south of the MLB average of 22.2 percent.
We dream of Steven Kwan in pinstripes. If such a trade with Cleveland could be possible, it must be pursued vigorously. Even if it’s just one slot in the batting order, the Yanks might be helped by a hitter who puts the ball in play and gets some action going on the basepaths.
Could free agent contact fiend Luis Arraez, who had by far the lowest strikeout rate in the majors, fit somewhere, even if he’s not a good defender?
Jazz at Bronx center?
Maybe there’s a world in which the Yanks move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to center field and then sign Bo Bichette to play second base. Chisholm has played 192 games in center in his career and the Marlins once believed he was their long-term solution there. He’s athletic and fast and it might be a nice way to play out his final season before free agency, showing teams his crazy versatility along with his 30-30 offensive profile. Bichette, who has the seventh-most hits in baseball since 2021, would help diversify the Yankees' attack.
Tuck(er) and roll
OK, we’re like the rest of the world, linking the Yankees to the top bat on the free agent market, Kyle Tucker. They are the Yankees, after all, and this feels like an annual tradition. Tucker would be a neat replacement should Bellinger leave and he’ll play next season at 29 years old.
Tucker has played much of his career in right field, a spot currently occupied on the Yankees by the game’s most destructive offensive force (Aaron Judge, duh), so he’d have to move to left. No biggie and it’s fun to imagine Judge and Tucker in the same lineup, along with other thumpers such as Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice.
Adding Tucker doesn’t feel super-likely, however, considering how much more expensive he could turn out to be than Bellinger. The Yanks are already sitting on some mammoth contracts.
