Charlotte Flair is the most accomplished women’s superstar in WWE history and could statistically eclipse every superstar in WWE history before it’s said and done. Flair enters WrestleMania 39 as a 14-time women’s champion — two short of the 16-time men’s world title reign record shared by her father Ric Flair and John Cena — but she is not complacent.
Flair returned to WWE programming in December following a seven-month layoff. She pinned Ronda Rousey, the last person to beat her, in Flair’s first match back to start another reign as SmackDown women’s champion. It was the latest milestone in a career full of them. The second-generation superstar’s unmatched 14 stints as women’s champion are compromised of seven SmackDown women’s titles and six Raw women’s titles, of which she is also the inaugural titleholder, plus a reign as the final WWE Diva’s champion. Flair is also one of only two superstars in history to have two separate reigns as WWE NXT champion.
Such a high degree of success can sometimes generate apathy among the fanbase. It’s happened to many surefire WWE Hall of Famers, from Cena to Roman Reigns. Flair’s last few title reigns have not set the world on fire, but she is more motivated than ever to elevate the title she proudly carries. The new creative direction of WWE, spearheaded by Paul Levesque (Triple H), has the gears turning in Flair’s head about how to make reign No. 14 stand out from the rest.
“Yes it does,” Flair told CBS Sports ahead of the March 26 A&E premiere of her “Biography: WWE Legends” episode. “I consciously think of how to make this better or how to make having the title mean more.”
Check out the full interview with Charlotte Flair below.
Flair has an appropriate dance partner in 2023 Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley. The foes will face off at WrestleMania 39, the biggest annual event in professional wrestling, on the first weekend of April. Flair enters the grand showcase motivated but unincumbered by the nervousness that sometimes overwhelmed her in the past.
“It’s not what I feel like I need to prove [anymore]. I’m just being Charlotte,” Flair said. “Whether that’s good or bad, whether you like me, don’t like me, whether you just respect me. I’m here for them. Now getting that opportunity to high-five every single kid in the front row and not focus on being old school and walking into the arena as the bad guy and leaving as the bad guy. It’s just it’s been extremely rewarding.”
Trish Stratus wrapped the perfect bow on her Hall of Fame career in 2019, but the opportunity to celebrate nearly a quarter-century in the ring at WrestleMania is too good to pass up. Stratus teams with WWE women’s tag team champions Becky Lynch and Lita to battle Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky) at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles.
Stratus overcame her own doubts and put forward a strong showing against Charlotte Flair at WWE SummerSlam in 2019. It was her first singles match in eight years and took place in front of a hometown crowd in Toronto, Ontario. Fast-forward four years and Stratus, 47, finds herself in an all-star game on the industry’s biggest stage.
“I’ve always said, ‘Why would I come out of retirement?’ I had a perfect post-retirement moment with Charlotte at SummerSlam. It was a great match and for me, it was a generational face-off that was cool. It was like the best of her times against arguably the best of my times,” Stratus told CBS Sports ahead of the March 19 premiere of “WWE Rivals: Trish Stratus vs. Lita” on A&E.
“To have us face-off was really special and unique and just really the timing of it being in Toronto was just perfect. I had that opportunity to really have the two of us go and showcase that. That pretty much could have been the perfect ending. I always said it would really take something super special [to get me out of retirement]. It’s got to be fun, it’s got to be challenging, but it has to be something special. It has to somehow impact the next generation. It really has to have the fans interested. Maybe we’re bringing in the older fans and integrating them into the new fans.”
Check out the full interview with Trish Stratus below.
The combination of past and present is exactly what compelled Stratus to renege on her previous retirement. WWE Hall of Famers Stratus and Lita are the old guards; meanwhile, Lynch and Bayley are the current status quo. Kai and Sky are fresher faces, only being introduced to the wider WWE audience last year despite their comparable age and experience levels to Bayley and Lynch.
“There’s just so much happening and so much is being offered with this pairing that it’s very special,” Stratus said. “It’s everything I could ask for in a return and why I could return. Also, just to pair up with Lita, we’re like, ‘Oh my God, we’re at WrestleMania, but we’re on the same side.’ That’s so special. And knowing I can work with her and rub elbows with the new girls and then the soon-to-be-coming-up girls are really great. That’s what wrestling is all about. Wrestling is really generational. There’s always that older wrestler being the lead wrestler or the ring general, so to speak. So we’re kind of doing that.
“If I can take anything that I’ve learned in my 20 years of wrestling and pass it on — because it’s more than just about they’re great wrestlers. I might not be known as the best wrestler, but there was definitely a je ne sais quoi about what I did and it’s these little things. It’s the psychology, it’s the little intricate details that make you resonate with the fans or just make those moments. So if I can bring that to the new girls, I’m hoping I could do that. And that would mean so much to me and hopefully to them as well.”
Stratus and Lita are trendsetters whose careers have been intertwined from the very beginning. Both women joined WWE in the late ’90s/early 2000s as supporting acts to male superstars during the Attitude Era. In time, they became decorated women’s champions and the first women to headline an episode of Monday Night Raw. It isn’t unusual these days for women to headline WrestleMania, the biggest annual showcase in professional wrestling.
“Lita and I going back, did we revolutionize the industry? Perhaps. We just knew at the time we started we were accessories, we were the sideshow,” Stratus said. “We were just going out there to enhance the men’s matches and things like that.”
“I think it’ll be fun for people to just see the journey and realize that it wasn’t always like this. I think we take it for granted that there are women in main event matches all the time. There’s more than one match sometimes. They’re headlining WrestleMania at times. That is an amazing milestone. That is an amazing place to be for women because it sure wasn’t like that back in the day. I think they’ll gain a greater appreciation for what the women are doing now, knowing what we had to do. All the obstacles and the uphill battles that we had to fight in order to get to where we are.”
MILWAUKEE — Just before the second half got underway on Thursday night at the Fiserv Forum, the Boston Celtics broke their huddle and Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser along with the rest of the bench strode out onto the floor. Such was the nature of the Milwaukee Bucks’ performance in the first half that Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla waved the proverbial white flag early.
“I’ve never seen it,” Damian Lillard said. “But it’s a long game, so we still gotta do what we gotta do. This game was about us to begin with. Even when they didn’t send their guys out to start the third, our message was: This is about us. We gotta continue to build good habits.”
That memo was still ringing around the Bucks’ locker room well after their thorough 135-102 walloping over the league-leading Celtics. Yes, the result was great, but Milwaukee’s effort, physicality and attention to detail right from the opening tip were far more important.
This team is still trying to find itself, and the search had been turning up more questions than answers since the turn of the calendar. Not only were they 1-4, but they had been embarrassed at multiple turns, to the point that Giannis Antetokounmpo was wondering if they had any pride. After Thursday’s showing, it’s clear they do.
“I love the way we responded,” head coach Adrian Griffin said. “We responded like champions today.”
The Bucks came flying out of the gates and never trailed on the night. After a 3-pointer from Bobby Portis, who finished with a team-high 28 points and 12 rebounds, pushed their advantage to 11 with 1:50 left in the first quarter, they led by double digits the rest of the way. At one point in the third quarter, they were up by as much as 43.
“Obviously we had this game marked on our calendars for a while,” Malik Beasley said. “I think the timing of it was even better because of the recent games that we had. As a top contending team, we had to prove a point tonight.”
Milwaukee was the better team across the board and thoroughly deserved the victory. At the same time, the Celtics were playing their fifth game in seven days and were on the second night of a back-to-back. They contended with horrible shooting luck and packed it in early to get their stars some rest, all of which contributed to the uncompetitive nature of the contest as a whole.
Some nights, the deck is going to be stacked one way or the other. That doesn’t take away from the Bucks’ performance, but it does emphasize why they were so proud of how they went about their business.
“When we do our jobs and we communicate and we take pride in doing our jobs, we’ve shown in stretches what we’re capable of,” Lillard explained. “Tonight, against the best team in the league, we did it and it didn’t take anything special. We played with good pace offensively, we got into the ball, we communicated, we rebounded. We just checked all the boxes.”
The Bucks know every game isn’t going to be this easy, nor are they going to win every night. But for a championship-level team, there should be a baseline expectation that everyone is on the same page and you show up each night ready to compete on both ends of the floor. For one reason or another, that hasn’t always been the case this season, especially in recent weeks.
Perhaps it shouldn’t take getting booed at home against the Jazz, or, in the words of Antetokounmpo, a “respect slash fear factor” from playing the best team in the league for everyone to show more urgency. Whatever the motivation, the Bucks reminded themselves, as well as the rest of the league, just how good they can be.
Their work on defense was the most encouraging aspect. They’ve been a disaster on that side of the ball at times this season, but, on Thursday, they held one of the league’s best offenses to 32% shooting in the first half, including 1-of-16 from the 3-point line.
Their physicality – “we hit first instead of getting hit,” Beasley said – was a major factor.
“When a team has to work for everything offensively, those shots aren’t as comfortable,” Lillard said. “Even if it’s a shot that they normally shoot, if they’re getting bumped and chased off the line and ridden over screens and they gotta work for it, they’re a little more tired and a little more uncomfortable taking those shots.”
The challenge for the Bucks now is to ensure this wasn’t a one-off statement. Can they play like this, even when their backs aren’t against the wall?
“I feel like the team after this win, I feel like the team came together,” Antetokounmpo said. “I feel like our chemistry is better now. I feel like we needed this. I think we believe in one another now. Hopefully, it can carry over.”
Perhaps the NBA team most desperate for help at the trade deadline is the Golden State Warriors, who have signaled the need for a change both on the record and through leaks to various outlets. It will be shocking if the Warriors don’t do something before the Feb. 8 Trade Deadline, with the potential for a franchise-altering maneuver that could mean the departure of one or more of their dynasty staples.
The mood around the Warriors has been dreadful over the past few days, as Stephen Curry honestly described, with two home blowout losses punctuating the problems — both on and off the court — that they’ve endured throughout the 2023-24 season. Draymond Green’s suspension, Chris Paul’s injury and Andrew Wiggins’ disappearing act are just a handful of issues that the Warriors will seek to remedy with some new blood. According to recent reports, everyone but Curry is on the table as a potential trade candidate.
There have bee plenty of names in the rumor mill surrounding Golden State, so here is a look at what the team can give up, followed by five trade targets who could end up turning around a disappointing Warriors season.
Potential Warriors trade assets (remaining contract after 2023-24)
Klay Thompson (Expiring) Chris Paul (1 year, $30M non-guaranteed remaining) Andrew Wiggins (3 years, $85M remaining) Draymond Green (3 years, $78M remaining) Gary Payton II (1 year, $9.1M remaining) Kevon Looney (1 year, $3M guaranteed — remaining) Jonathan Kuminga (1 year, $7.6M remaining) Moses Moody (1 year, $5.8M remaining) Up to three first-round draft picks (2026-2031, cannot trade picks in consecutive years) Asset rundown: It’s hard to imagine the Warriors parting ways with franchise stalwarts Thompson and Green, but, at this point, everything is a possibility. Thompson could be the more attractive of the two due to his large expiring contract, but Golden State would almost certainly need to attach assets along with him in any deal. The same goes for Paul, whose contract is essentially expiring since next year is non-guaranteed. Green is still playing at a high level (when he’s on the court), but his suspension and disciplinary issues over the past few seasons could make the three remaining years on his contract a nonstarter. Wiggins is suffering through an atrocious season and is owed considerable money, so a team would have to believe in his ability to turn things around in order to acquire him.
Ultimately, any Warriors deal will have to include young players (Kuminga, Moody, etc.) and/or draft capital. That will obviously severely compromise Golden State’s future, but the front office seems committed to trying its hardest to contend while Curry is still performing at an elite level.
Potential fit: Siakam is a popular name in Warriors trade rumors, and for good reason. Not only would he fit into head coach Steve Kerr’s scheme as a versatile, skilled forward, but he would also provide the secondary scorer and playmaker that Curry so desperately needs. On the downside, Siakam’s shooting has gotten steadily worse, to the point where he’s in the 29th percentile in catch-and-shoot scenarios this season, per Synergy Sports. Golden State already has spacing issues, so adding a player like Siakam in exchange for Wiggins, Kuminga and/or Green might just be a horizontal move.
Potential fit: Murray would immediately solve the Warriors’ creation problem, adding a scorer and playmaker adept in the pick-and-roll (72nd percentile, including passes, per Synergy Sports). He’s also been a good catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter this season, making him a strong candidate to play alongside Curry as well as in place of him. Murray is big for a guard, however at 6-foot-5 he would only exacerbate the Warriors’ glaring lack of size that tends to get them in trouble night after night — particularly if they need to trade a wing (Kuminga, Moody or Wiggins) in order to acquire him. Murray is a good defender, but, ultimately, he may be too small to make a significant impact for Golden State.
Potential fit: On paper, Grant is an ideal fit next to Curry as a secondary scorer, who can either get his own shot or spot-up behind the arc (82nd percentile on catch-and-shoot this season, per Synergy Sports). He’s also a potentially elite defender, who has the size and versatility to guard multiple positions, making him an excellent fit in Kerr’s system. The problem comes, however, when Curry goes to the bench. Even as the primary playmaker in Detroit and at times in Portland, Grant has never averaged three assists per game. This season, he’s in the 29th percentile in halfcourt offense, including assists, per Synergy. Is Grant enough of a difference maker to push the Warriors forward this season, and what price would the Blazers ask in return?
Potential fit: Kuzma proved he can be an effective role player on a championship team with the Lakers back in 2020, but since then, he’s taken on a primary scoring and playmaking role with the Washington Wizards. The Warriors would likely need him to do something in between, similar to how Grant performed with the Trail Blazers when Damian Lillard was there. The question is whether Kuzma will be able and willing to do that, since his offensive efficiency is lacking as a primary scorer (33rd percentile in the halfcourt this season, per Synergy Sports). Kuzma is also a strong rebounder for his position, another area where Golden State could use some help.
Potential fit: Bogdanovic made a lot more sense in the beginning of the season, when it looked like the Warriors would just need a complementary piece. He’s an elite shooter off the catch or off the dribble and he occasionally dabbles in some secondary playmaking, but that might not be enough for Golden State at this point. Even with his 6-foot-7 frame, Bogdanovic is limited on the defensive end as well, making this a hard sell for the Warriors front office, unless they can get him for a cheap price.
The names came one after the other in a dizzying rush, a breaking-news version of all-time-great dominoes. Pete Carroll. Nick Saban. Bill Belichick.
The Seattle Seahawks’ coach had been pushed aside. The New England Patriots’ coach, perhaps the greatest in NFL history, was parting ways with the team he’d led to six championships. The Alabama head coach, certainly the greatest in college football history, was retiring.
It was enough to wait for the next shoe to drop, the next name to fall, the next all-time great septuagenarian who’d defined a team and an era to suddenly say goodbye. Here in the NBA, it was hard not to look south to San Antonio and, in that gold rush of sudden goodbyes, let the mind wander to head coach Gregg Popovich and just how long he’ll be a Spur.
He fits all the parameters. All-time great? Check. Perhaps the best to ever do it? Check. An exorbitant number of titles to compare to Saban’s seven and Belichick’s six? Check? At an age — 74, older than his three football contemporaries — where change might be afoot? Check, check, check.
But rest assured Spurs fans. There are several things that separate Pop’s reality from that of the Sabans and the Belichicks and the Carrolls of the world, and that which makes his situation wholly different.
First, and perhaps most important, is the very-real fact that Popovich’s greatness remains firmly intact — as does the recognition of that reality within his organization. That, clearly, was no longer true for the Patriots and Seahawks brass when they gazed at their own legendary coaches.
Some of this is because Popovich’s excellence isn’t just a Spurs story. His time as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team exposed a range of players — and all-time greats themselves — to his excellence. Street cred matters, even for head coaches like Popovich.
Over his San Antonio tenure, or at least through its many championships, Pop was also a partner with Tim Duncan and Duncan’s all-time greatness, not a mere beneficiary of it. The same can no longer be said with surety about Belichick without Tom Brady.
That Brady left New England and immediately won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay, while the Patriots began a descent to where they are now, strips even the most legendary coaches of their cache, luster and, eventually, if things go poorly enough, their jobs.
Pop’s history is different. Duncan never left to win elsewhere, and Kawhi Leonard’s exit, though leading to its own quick championship in Toronto, quickly gave way to injuries and a sense of what could have been. And while Kawhi was great, he never raised the question like Brady did about where the true brilliance emanates from in their respective teams.
And, unlike Saban, who is 71, Pop, even at 74, clearly wants to keep going. He’s said it. He seems to still love it. Some coaches like to spend their golden years on the golf course. Some, like Pop, seem to prefer staying in the arena that’s defined their careers.
But the most important difference between Pop and the two football legends who did not get to leave on their own terms is the fact that he’s blessed with the possibility of another Duncan — or LeBron, or Jordan, or Brady, or however you want to characterize the GOAT-like potential of Victor Wembanyama.
Carroll is gone in large part because Russell Wilson stopped being Russell Wilson, and then was shipped off to Denver. Belichick is certainly gone — which is to say, he lost in a way he never did before — because Brady was literally gone. And neither Geno Smith in Seattle nor Mac Jones in New England (or Cam Newton, or Bailey Zappe, or anyone else) could fill that talent gap.
But the Spurs’ situation, and therefore Pop’s position within it, is very, very different. Wemby is the real deal, a lottery ticket of greatness that both offers protection from the idea a change might be needed and the kind of hope and excitement and challenge and responsibility that might make an old (basket)ball coach stick around for a while.
And maybe that’s the biggest difference of them all.
San Antonio’s bad season doesn’t matter, because, unlike in Seattle and New England, there’s a sense of hope. Forget this year’s standings, you can gaze into the future and see a shimmering vision of what-can-be. And in it is Popovich winning again.
Wembanyama’s talent, and the uniqueness of his potential, must be catnip to a coach like Pop as he contemplates the possibilities. There is a duty in shepherding that kind of talent to true success, just as there was when Pop helped Duncan go from a promised one to an actual, all-time, top-10 great.
And there’s a promise of what can be — of what Wemby plus Pop can equal — that would make any organization patient with and committed to their all-time great coach.
Belichick lost Brady, and then he lost games, and then he lost his place in New England. Carroll, too, found out that there are short memories, even for legends when the playoff drought turns too parched.
But nothing whets the appetite, nor motivates the ambitious, nor protects someone like Pop, like a Wemby-level talent.
So rest easy, Pop fans. The last few days have shown us you never know when greats will suddenly, shockingly go.
But Gregg Popovich isn’t going to be one of them until, like Saban, he chooses so himself.
The Miami Heat (21-16) will play the third game of a four-game homestand when they host the Orlando Magic (21-16) on Friday night. Miami has lost three of its first five games this month, including a 128-120 loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Orlando had its two-game winning streak snapped in a 113-92 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday. This is the first game of a four-game road trip for the Magic, who are tied with the Heat for seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on Friday at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The Heat are favored by 3 points in the latest Magic vs. Heat odds, while the over/under is 221 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Heat vs. Magic picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Orlando vs. Miami. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Magic vs. Heat:
Heat vs. Magic spread: Heat -3 Heat vs. Magic over/under: 221 points Heat vs. Magic money line: Heat: -152, Magic: +128 Heat vs. Magic picks: See picks at SportsLine What you need to know about the Heat Miami is off to a slow start in January, but it put together a solid 4-1 record over its final five games in December. One of those wins came on the road against Orlando, as Tyler Herro poured in 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists in an all-around performance. He is questionable for this game due to a shoulder injury, but he was able to play 36 minutes against Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Jimmy Butler (foot) and Kyle Lowry (hand) are doubtful to play on Friday night, while Caleb Martin (ankle) joins Herro with a questionable tag. Bam Adebayo stepped up with Butler and Lowry sidelined on Wednesday, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been a key player as well, earning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors in November and December. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Magic Orlando tied a franchise record with nine consecutive wins, but that streak ended early last month. The Magic have cooled off since then, with some of that being attributed to injury issues of their own. They were without Franz Wagner (ankle), Wendell Carter Jr. (knee), Joe Ingles (ankle) and Gary Harris (calf) in their 113-92 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday.
The Magic only had 10 players available against the Timberwolves, as Moe Wagner led Orlando with 21 points. Paolo Banchero, who was the 2022-23 Rookie of the Year, leads Orlando in scoring (22.9), rebounds (7.1) and assists (4.8). Third-year guard Jalen Suggs has improved drastically since his rookie year, shooting a red-hot 40.3% from beyond the arc after shooting 32.7% last year and 21.4% as a rookie. See which team to pick here.
How to make Heat vs. Magic picks The model has simulated Magic vs. Heat 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
After speculation started swirling about if the Bulls would start selling some of their main pieces, Chicago has quickly become one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Bulls enter their Friday matchup against the Warriors on a three-game winning streak, including back-to-back overtime victories. Chicago’s two overtime games this week helped boost production from options like DeMar DeRozan, Coby White and Nikola Vucevic from the NBA DFS player pool, but should daily Fantasy basketball players consider the possibility of fatigue on Friday when crafting an NBA DFS strategy on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings?
Bulls guard Zach LaVine scored 25 points on Wednesday, his most since missing a month with a foot injury. LaVine has played three games since making his return on January 5, so can you trust him for Friday NBA DFS lineups? Should daily Fantasy basketball players include the Warriors sharpshooters like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in NBA DFS picks? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Jimmie Kaylor.
Kaylor is a DFS and betting expert for SportsLine, who won a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest in 2022. He uses a combination of his background as a former college and professional athlete and his keen eye for statistical trends when making his picks and locking in his DFS lineups. Kaylor enters the 2024 calendar year with multiple five-figure tournament cashes on his DFS resume.
Kaylor’s approach allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he only shares on SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Wednesday (when he last published picks), Kaylor highlighted Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Jokic had 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, returning 50.75 points on DraftKings and 42.6 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Kaylor has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, January 12 For Friday, one of Kaylor’s top NBA DFS picks is Kings center/power forward Domantas Sabonis, who is listed at $10,200 on DraftKings and $9,900 on FanDuel. Sabonis had 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a 123-98 win over the Hornets on Wednesday. The 27-year-old has four triple-doubles over his last seven contests while averaging 22.9 points, 15.4 rebounds and 9.3 assists over that span. Sabonis leads the league with 12.7 rebounds per contest.
The Kings play the 76ers, who will be without Joel Embiid (knee). This should allow Sabonis to impose his will even more on the glass without Embiid’s 7-foot frame and 11.8 rebounds per game on the floor. The 76ers are coming off a 139-132 overtime loss to the Hawks on Wednesday as their team defense also struggled without the reigning NBA MVP in the lineup. This is another strong opportunity for Sabonis to put together another huge NBA DFS performance.
Another part of Kaylor’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Hornets guard Terry Rozier ($8,800 on DraftKings and $9,100 on FanDuel). Rozier had 22 points on Wednesday in a 123-98 loss to the Kings after scoring 39 points with eight assists in a 119-112 overtime loss to the Bulls on Monday. He has scored at least 34 points in three of his last five contests.
The Hornets are playing the Spurs, who are allowing the fifth-most points (122.3 points per game) this season. The Spurs are coming off a 130-108 win over the historically poor Pistons and entered that contest allowing 123.2 ppg over their previous five games. The nine-year veteran is averaging a career-high 24.3 ppg with seven assists per contest this season, and Rozier finds himself with a great matchup to add value to NBA DFS lineups on Friday. See Kaylor’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, January 12 Kaylor is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
The Chicago Bulls (18-21) will try to extend their three-game winning streak when they host the Golden State Warriors (17-20) on Friday night. Chicago opened its hot streak with back-to-back wins over the Hornets before getting past the Rockets in overtime on Wednesday. Golden State is still trying to kick things into gear this season, losing three of its first five games in January. The Warriors are only ahead of three teams at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, putting them outside of the current playoff picture.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on Friday at the United Center in Chicago. The Bulls are favored by 3 points in the latest Bulls vs. Warriors odds, while the over/under is 228 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Warriors vs. Bulls picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Golden State vs. Chicago. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Warriors vs. Bulls:
Bulls vs. Warriors spread: Bulls -3 Bulls vs. Warriors over/under: 228 points Bulls vs. Warriors money line: Bulls: -153, Warriors: +129 Bulls vs. Warriors picks: See picks at SportsLine Why the Bulls can cover Chicago has a chance to win a season-high fourth straight game after beating the Hornets twice and the Rockets once. The Bulls covered the spread as 8.5-point home favorites in their 104-91 win over Charlotte last Friday, with Coby White posting a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double. They went on the road and covered the spread again in a rematch with the Hornets on Monday, paced by 27 points by White.
Their momentum continued on Wednesday, as White poured in 30 points to lead Chicago to a 124-119 win over Houston as a 3.5-point favorite. They have not faced Golden State since last January, when they snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Warriors. The Warriors got booed out of town after getting blown out by the Raptors and Pelicans to wrap up a disappointing 2-5 homestand. See which team to pick here.
Why the Warriors can cover Golden State head coach Steve Kerr has seven wins in nine visits to Chicago as a head coach starting in 2014. The Warriors are playing without Chris Paul (hand) and Draymond Green (return to competition), but they still have stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Curry leads the team with 26.7 points, 4.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game, while Thompson is adding 17.1 points.
Third-year power forward Jonathan Kuminga is averaging 12.8 points and 4.1 rebounds as the team’s third-leading scorer. The Warriors have won 11 of their last 12 games against the Bulls, and they have covered the spread in eight of the last 10 head-to-head meetings. Chicago has only covered the spread four times in its last 14 home games played on a Friday. See which team to pick here.
How to make Bulls vs. Warriors picks The model has simulated Warriors vs. Bulls 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
We’ve got another exciting Western Conference matchup on Friday’s NBA schedule as the Memphis Grizzlies will host the Los Angeles Clippers. Memphis is 14-23 overall and 3-13 at home, while Los Angeles is 24-13 overall and 8-9 on the road. The teams have split their two matchups this season, with both of those taking place in Los Angeles. The Clippers are 19-18 against the spread this season, while the Grizzlies are 16-21 versus the line.
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. Los Angeles is favored by 8.5 points in the latest Grizzlies vs. Clippers odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 225.5 points. Before entering any Clippers vs. Grizzlies picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Los Angeles vs. Memphis. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Clippers vs. Grizzlies:
Grizzlies vs. Clippers spread: Grizzlies +8.5 Grizzlies vs. Clippers over/under: 225.5 points Grizzlies vs. Clippers money line: Grizzlies: +270, Clippers: -339 Grizzlies vs. Clippers picks: See picks at SportsLine What you need to know about the Grizzlies The Grizzlies must’ve know the odds they were up against on Tuesday, but they decided it wasn’t going to be the story of the game. They took down the Dallas Mavericks 120-103, which marks the biggest victory the Grizzlies have managed all season. Memphis’ victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Desmond Bane, who scored 32 points to go along with nine rebounds.
Bane is one of the last Grizzlies left standing as the team has seven players listed as out for Friday, including Marcus Smart (finger) and Santi Aldama (knee), while others such as Ja Morant (shoulder) and Steven Adams (knee) are out for the season. Without all of these key pieces, Memphis has sloughed to the second-worst ranking in terms of both offensive rating and points per game. Bane (24.7 points per game) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (21.3 PPG) are the only active Grizzlies who are averaging more than 8.6 points per game. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Clippers Meanwhile, even if it wasn’t a dominant performance, Los Angeles beat the Toronto Raptors 126-120 on Wednesday, which made it back-to-back wins for the Clippers. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were among the main playmakers for the Clippers as the former scored 29 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists, while the latter scored 29 points with seven assists.
L.A. is now 16-3 over its last 19 games as the trio of Leonard, George and James Harden are gelling together. The Clippers rank second in the NBA in 3-point percentage, and they also do it on the other end of the court, ranking fifth in steals per game. While Los Angeles is just 2-6 against the spread as an underdog, it boasts a 17-12 ATS record as the favorite. See which team to pick here.
How to make Grizzlies vs. Clippers picks The model has simulated Clippers vs. Grizzlies 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Carmelo Anthony is one of the most iconic Denver Nuggets players of all time, but he recently shared some frustrations about the team that drafted him third overall in 2003.
Reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic now dons the no. 15 Denver uniform Anthony once did. Anthony called the franchise’s decision to give Jokic the number “petty” during his podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn, on Thursday.
“It was a petty maneuver,” Anthony said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh we got numbers to choose from.’ It was like, ‘Here, you got 15.'”
Anthony was a prolific scorer for nearly eight seasons with Denver and made three All-Star teams with the Nuggets before forcing his way to his hometown New York Knicks via trade. While Jokic wore 15 in Serbia before coming to the NBA, Anthony thinks management could’ve handed the big man his former number out of spite.
“And y’all put Jokic in the middle of that,” Anthony said. “He don’t know what the f— going on. He could’ve been like, ‘I want to wear 15.’ He could’ve been like, ‘I want to wear 15, 15 is here.’ Oh, that’s Melo’s number. You know what I mean? Just pay homage. I don’t know. He could’ve wore it because he wanted to pay homage. But what I believe is that they gave him 15 to try to erase what I did.”
“Y’all put Jokic in the middle of that”
Melo opens up on jersey #15 in Denver on a new episode, out now. Tap in.@carmeloanthony x @THEKIDMERO
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) January 11, 2024 Anthony left Denver sitting third on the all-time scoring list with 13,970 points, but Jokic is right behind him with 13,023 points as a Nugget. The two-time NBA MVP also leads the franchise in rebounds (6,721), assists (4,307), double-doubles (408), and triple-doubles (116).
Anthony left Denver in 2011. Anthony Randolph then wore No. 15 for the Nuggets in the 2013-14 season before Jokic joined the team for the 2015-16 season.
Jokic, 28, has a long career ahead of him and can continue to build his resume as the greatest Nugget ever in the coming seasons. The no. 15 jersey will almost certainly have his name on the back as opposed to Anthony’s when it hangs from the rafters one day.
