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The Dallas Mavericks have an opportunity to reach the NBA Finals for just the third time in franchise history when they seek to close out a sweep of the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night.
TRENDING
The Mavericks entered the series as underdogs, but now find themselves as consensus 1.5-point favorites at home ahead of Game 4.
However, the public is siding with the Wolves to extend the series, backing them with 65 percent of the spread-line money at BetRivers. Minnesota's +104 moneyline has also drawn 63 percent of the money at the book.
PROP PICKS
--Karl-Anthony Towns Over 29.5 points/rebounds/assists (-167 at BetRivers): This has been the most popular player prop in terms of money wagered at BetRivers. Towns' struggles have been among the leading storylines this series, as the All-Star has gone 15-for-54 overall and 3-for-22 from the 3-point arc. He hasn't gone over 28 points/rebounds/assists through the first three games of the series, but did average 33.1 for the season and figures to get on-track at some point.
--Anthony Edwards Over 26.5 Points (-118 at DraftKings): After being held to 33.3-percent shooting in two home losses, Anthony Edwards broke through for Minnesota with an 11-for-24, 26-point outing in Game 3. This has been the most popular player point prop at the book, despite Edwards averaging just 22 points per game in the series.
THE NEWS
The Mavericks scored 14 of the final 17 points for a 116-107 home win in Game 3 on Sunday night that left them five wins away from their second-ever NBA title, having captured the crown in their last visit to basketball's grand stage in 2011.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving scored 33 points each Sunday, but the Mavericks also got key contributions from P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Derrick Jones Jr. in a win that gave them a 3-0 series lead.
Gafford, acquired in February from the Washington Wizards, had to put in yeoman's work after big-man sidekick Dereck Lively II departed with a sprained neck in the third quarter. Gafford wound up playing a playoff career-high 29 minutes and saved his best for last, blocking a Mike Conley layup attempt with 56 seconds left before slamming down Doncic's alley-oop pass 22 seconds later to clinch the win.
Gafford acknowledged after Sunday's win that the Mavericks' success inside is tied to the unselfish play of Doncic and Irving.
"We're trying to find the seams and just what can put us in position to where we can help the team," Gafford said. "Everybody just put trust in us to just finish around the basket. And that's what we did."
The last time the Mavericks had a 3-0 lead in a playoff series was in 2011 when they finished off the sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the West semifinals en route to the title.
When informed after the Game 3 win that no team in NBA history has ever blown a 3-0 lead in a playoff series, Irving wanted none of it.
"It means absolutely nothing right now," Irving said of the 154 times a team won the first three games of a playoff series. "Going into Game 4, it's still 0-0. And that's the type of mentality we have in that locker room."
INJURY REPORT
Lively went straight to the locker room after catching Karl-Anthony Towns' knee to the back of his head while falling in pursuit of a rebound. He reportedly passed a concussion test, but his status for Game 4 remains uncertain. He was listed as doubtful on the Mavericks' injury report Monday afternoon.
The Mavericks had better news with forward Maxi Kleber upgraded to questionable for Game 4. Kleber has not played since May 3 because of an AC joint shoulder separation.
THEY SAID IT
"I put up 1,500 shots a day. Shot so well all playoffs. Confidence extremely high, and to be having these unfortunate bounces, these looks are just not going in. It's tough. I don't mean to smile, but you have to laugh. It's very disappointing."
--Towns on his shooting struggles after missing all eight 3-point attempts in Game 3.
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TODAY'S BEST
Luka Doncic dominates Mavericks, spoils Anthony Davis' revenge game as Lakers storm into NBA Cup knockout round
Luka Doncic scored 35 points with 11 assists against his former team and the Los Angeles Lakers finished perfect in NBA Cup group play with a 129-119 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Austin Reaves scored 38 points with eight rebounds, Deandre Ayton scored 17 points with eight rebounds, and LeBron James had 13 points with seven assists in his fourth game of the season after returning from sciatica. Doncic improved to 3-0 against Dallas after his surprising trade from the Mavericks in February. Los Angeles, which had already advanced to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, finished 4-0 in West Group B. Anthony Davis' L.A. return didn't go as planned P.J. Washington scored 22 points with nine rebounds and Anthony Davis added 12 points for the Mavericks in his first game on his former home court after he was traded to Dallas in the Doncic deal. He was making his return after missing the previous 14 games with a calf injury. Ryan Nembhard scored 17 points, Naji Marshall added 16, and Max Christie and Cooper Flagg each scored 13 as the Mavericks lost for the fifth time in six games and finished NBA Cup group play with a 1-3 record. Dallas already was eliminated from advancing to the knockout round. The Mavericks grabbed a 110-109 lead on a floater from Davis with 7:52 remaining before the Lakers took charge. Rui Hachimura capped an 8-0 run on a three-pointer with 5:55 remaining to take a 117-110 lead. The Lakers extended the run to 13-1 for a 122-111 lead with 4:24 remaining after three free throws from Doncic and cruised to the victory from there. The Lakers used a 38-32 advantage in the third quarter to take a 98-94 lead into the final period. The Lakers shot 65.2% from the floor in the third to leave them at 61.0% overall through 36 minutes. They finished the game at 59.2%. The Mavericks were the team in charge in the second quarter when they used a 40-32 advantage to take a 62-60 lead into halftime. Washington and Christie, a former Laker, had 11 points for Dallas in the first half, while Reaves had 19 and Doncic 18 for the Lakers.
Details emerge on Francisco Lindor's alleged incident with Mets teammate
Mr. Smile apparently wasn’t smiling too much about one of his teammates last season. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had a "heated confrontation" with teammate Jeff McNeil last June, Mike Puma of the New York Post reported on Friday. Puma writes that Lindor began verbally attacking McNeil on June 20 over a defensive lapse that McNeil had during that day’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The confrontation, which was only verbal and never got physical, came in the midst of a seven-game losing streak by the Mets at the time. Puma also reports that the flashy Lindor clashed personalities during the year with the business-like Juan Soto during the season as well. Interestingly enough, the five-time All-Star Lindor also had a confrontation with McNeil in the dugout during a game in the 2021 MLB season. That confrontation did turn physical, and Lindor later offered an extremely unconvincing excuse for the incident. Meanwhile, the incident last June underscored the Mets’ struggles to get on the same page with one another during the 2025 campaign. Despite having a mammoth $342 million payroll, the Mets completely collapsed in the final weeks of the season and missed the playoffs altogether. Now there are rumors that the Mets could make some big changes this offseason, including a potential trade of McNeil. After another apparent confrontation between the veteran utilityman and the four-time Silver Slugger Award winner Lindor, it is clear that something is not quite working right now in that clubhouse.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Hal Steinbrenner’s comments on Yankees’ profits point to a larger issue
Over Thanksgiving week, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner provided fans with plenty of news to digest. Among notable items that are circulating, four things stand out: his resolve to lower the payroll below $300 million, the insinuation that the Yankees are not a profitable ballclub, the assumption that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ astronomical payroll played no part in their dominance and his purported support for a salary cap. When seen together, these four items seem to suggest a severe reluctance to spend. Steinbrenner made it clear he wants to come in under the luxury tax threshold. Interestingly, he called the correlation between spending and championships weak, alluding to his Yankees as well as the New York Mets as examples of teams with high payrolls and limited success. However, this opens up a discussion about how said money was spent. The Mets notably dumped a record sum on signing Juan Soto, but did little elsewhere. But what about the Yankees? When asked if it was fair to say the Yankees turned a profit after engrossing over $700 million in revenue, Steinbrenner had this to say, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch: “That’s not a fair statement or an accurate statement. Everybody wants to talk about revenues. They need to talk about our expenses, including the $100 million expense to the City of New York that we have to pay every February 1, including the COVID year. So, it all starts to add up in a hurry. “Nobody spends more money, I don’t believe, on player development, scouting, performance science. These all start to add up.” Altogether, the Yankees spent slightly under $305 million on players’ salaries in 2025. For a breakeven season, the Yankees would have needed to spend over $395 million elsewhere. Where did it all go? Steinbrenner mentioned the $100 million expense to New York City. As for the bulk of their expenses, the Yankees owner pointed towards player development, scouting and performance science. This raises a more serious question about mismanagement. The Yankees are overspending on failing analytics If most of the money was spent on development, scouting and performance science, one could easily argue that the cost has outweighed the benefits. Despite having spent so much, these efforts have produced very little. Over the years, the Yankees have seen more failures than success stories when developing major league talent. Promising players and top prospects like Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, Deivi Garcia, Miguel Andujar, Domingo German, Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield, Oswald Peraza and Estevan Florial, among many others, never panned out. The team also gave up on Carlos Narvaez and Agustin Ramirez in favor of Austin Wells, who underperformed the pair of rookie backstops this past season. Another catching prospect, Yankees 2018 first-round draft pick Anthony Seigler, who struggled during his time in the Yankees’ farm system as recently as last year, excelled with the Milwaukee Brewers in Triple-A this year. Anthony Volpe, Will Warren, Luis Gil and Jasson Dominguez are four current works in progress. It might also be fair to say the torpedo bat craze the Yankees started has officially ended. Of their recent triumphs, the Yankees boast Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler. Going further back, one might add Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge to the list; however, Judge’s swing was actually developed by famed hitting coach Richard Schenck, not the Yankees. Spending on these efforts is by no means a waste; nonetheless, it’s clear the Yankees are grossly overspending for something that isn't even working. Whether it means an organizational shakeup or reallocation of funds to target proven major league talent, Steinbrenner’s approach needs to change.
Massive injury news in Buffalo gives Steelers a huge advantage
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very crucial game coming up, as they face the Buffalo Bills in a contest that could have strong playoff implications down the road. After all the bad news and reports of dysfunction coming out of the locker room, they need this win to turn everything around and prove that they aren't just a total mess. Not only that, but a win would also set them up to take back control of the AFC North, especially with a date with the Baltimore Ravens just around the corner. The Steelers may have an advantage with a mismatch in the trenches. Joe Buscaglia, a beat writer for the Bills on The Athletic, explained how Buffalo could be put in a rough situation due to an injury to right tackle Spencer Brown. "Losing that level of talent [from Spencer Brown] is bad enough, but it’s multiplied by the disparity of on-field results between him and his likely backup, Ryan Van Demark," Buscaglia wrote. "Van Demark’s best position is left tackle, and when he’s subbed in at right tackle, it has led to some real opportunities for the opposition." Buscaglia also gave examples of how backup tackle Ryan Van Demark had his issues in the Bills' Week 12 loss, when he seemed to have no chance against elite edge-rusher Will Anderson. He was a big part of quarterback Josh Allen getting sacked eight times, and if he has to play against the Steelers' pass rush, there may be some big problems there. In fact, the Bills have not only ruled out Brown, but now left tackle Dion Dawkins is officially out with a concussion. Both tackles will be backups. Buscaglia noted that Van Demark is more comfortable at left tackle, but now they have a conundrum on the other side. He mentioned that Chase Lundt has only been active once for the Bills in 2025, and now he may have to start against TJ Watt. That is a nightmare matchup for anyone, let alone someone as inexperienced as Lundt. Either way, this is going to be a massive challenge for the Bills' offensive line. Two backup offensive tackles will be going up against a very strong pass rush. Van Demark will have his battles with Alex Highsmith, and both him and Lundt will have to try and slow down Nick Herbig as well, as he can wreak havoc on both sides of the line. Steelers and Bills will be intense coaching battle Head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Joe Brady will have to help this makeshift offensive line in any way they can. Watt is still the most chipped player in the NFL currently, and there is no reason to not expect at least four hands to be on him on every single snap. Priority No. 1 is keeping these great edge-rushers from taking full advantage of the Bills' injuries in the trenches. Meanwhile, many teams have figured out how to slow down Mike Tomlin's defense, whether the opposing offensive line is at full strength or not. If the Bills successfully shut down the Steelers' pass rush, Tomlin will have to find a way to make adjustments and throw new things that these inexperienced tackles have not seen, like certain stunts and personnel shifts. Despite all the talent on both teams, coaching will most likely decide the victor.
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