Dodgers go up 2-0 in NLCS on Yoshinobu Yamamoto's gem; NBA's Top 100; Pete Prisco's NFL Power Rankings
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🏆 Five things to know Wednesday- UEFA Women's Champions League Matchday 2 begins on Paramount+. Two days of UWCL action begin with four matches this afternoon, and you can catch it all on Paramount+. OL Lyonnes, Wolfsburg and Barcelona seek their second wins in as many matches, which would put them in the driver's seat one-third of the way through the league phase. Chelsea, meanwhile, need to bounce back after last week's 1-1 draw with Twente. We have you covered with the full Matchday 2 schedule, the league phase table and all the storylines to follow.
- The Dodgers extended their NLCS lead with a historic effort on the mound. Yoshinobu Yamamoto went the distance in a 5-1 win over the Brewers to give Los Angeles a commanding 2-0 series advantage. It was the first postseason complete game for a Dodgers pitcher since 2004 and the first for anyone since 2017. The Brewers are now in the danger zone; only five teams have ever come back from a 2-0 hole to win a best-of-seven LCS.
- UConn tops the preseason women's basketball rankings. The first AP Top 25 of the season is out, and the Huskies are the team to beat. The reigning national champions are preseason No. 1 for the first time since 2017, but South Carolina is breathing down their necks as the only other team to receive first-place votes. Dawn Staley is confident the Gamecocks will not skip a beat despite Chloe Kitts' season-ending injury.
- Alex Bregman will reportedly opt out of his Red Sox contract. The veteran infielder will hit MLB free agency this offseason on the heels of a productive year in Boston. A quad strain put him on the shelf for a significant portion of the season, but Bregman still managed a 3.5 WAR and earned the third All-Star nod of his career. He was set to make $41.67 million in each of the final two years of his deal with the Red Sox but will undoubtedly be in search of a more lucrative contract after logging his best offensive season since 2022.
- The Mavericks and coach Jason Kidd agreed to a contract extension. Kidd will remain in Dallas on a multi-year deal. The Mavericks locked him up for the long term just over a week before the start of the season, and the move is perhaps unsurprising given that they blocked the Knicks from interviewing him earlier in the offseason. Kidd is just a year removed from a trip to the NBA Finals and takes a promising roster, featuring No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, into the 2025-26 campaign.
Every year, ouf NBA analysts rank the 100 best players in the NBA. With the 2025-26 season a week away, it's time to renew the annual tradition.
The Thunder lead the way with seven players in the top 100, unsurprising after they rolled to last season's championship. Amen Thompson is the biggest riser in the rankings, up 66 spots to No. 35. Jrue Holiday, on the other hand, fell further than any other with a 47-spot slide to No. 79.
Here is the most elite tier, including this season's top-ranked player:
- Nikola Jokić, Nuggets
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
- Luka Dončić, Lakers
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
- Stephen Curry, Warriors
- Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks
- Kevin Durant, Rockets
- LeBron James, Lakers
You'll recall that Jokić's Nuggets took SGA's Thunder squad -- which eventually won the NBA title, to a Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs back in the spring. Still, says our Sam Quinn, Denver's big man is head and shoulders sbove the rest.
- Quinn: "Every time Jokić steps on the floor, he seemingly does something impossible. A no-look pass from an unfathomable angle. A one-legged turnaround 3 at the end of the shot-clock. He is the NBA's unquestioned alpha."
Another week, another new No. 1 team in the NFL. That's according to Pete Prisco, who moved the Buccaneers into the top spot in his power rankings. Baker Mayfield is in the midst of a potential MVP season, and despite a bevy of injuries in the early going, Tampa Bay is the only 5-1 team in the NFC.
The Eagles are the biggest movers in this week's rankings with a 10-spot tumble. The Seahawks found a similar fate last week but rebounded with a seven-spot climb -- the largest of any team -- in the wake of a get-right win over the Jaguars.
- On the Eagles: "This team is a mess. The offense is disjointed and now the defense has issues. Proof again how hard it is to repeat."
- On the Seahawks: "The defensive front was dominant in the victory over the Jaguars with seven sacks. Mike Macdonald has himself a nasty unit on defense, and Sam Darnold loves the deep ball."
Here are the top 10 teams in Prisco's Week 7 NFL Power Rankings:
- Buccaneers (previously: 4)
- Packers (7)
- Steelers (5)
- Colts (6)
- Lions (1)
- Broncos (10)
- Seahawks (14)
- Rams (11)
- Patriots (13)
- Bills (3)
- DJ Moore was hospitalized after the Bears' win on "Monday Night Football." Coach Ben Johnson said it was a precautionary move in response to a groin injury and that Moore will be day-to-day moving forward.
- The United States men's national team closed the international break in style with a 2-1 victory over Australia. Haji Wright scored both goals as the USMNT extended its unbeaten streak to three matches.
- Among the names to watch as the Titans open their coaching search: Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Tennessee is also in search of a new offensive line coach after firing Bill Callahan.
- Speaking of coaching searches, Matt Rhule looks like the favorite for the Penn State job. But is he really the best candidate? Our Tom Fornelli isn't quite sure. And his quarterback, Dylan Raiola, is adamant Rhule is staying put at Nebraska.
- World Cup bound! South Africa and Qatar punched their tickets to the 48-team field.
- Amanda Serrano will return to the featherweight division on Jan. 3 in a rematch with Erika Cruz.
- Portland's soon-to-debut WNBA team, the Fire, are reportedly expected to hire Cavaliers assistant Alex Sarama as the first coach in franchise history.
- Duke is the top team in the ACC men's basketball preseason poll. Overrated, underrated or just right?
- One week after they signed him to their practice squad, the Ravens are reportedly set to release defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo set a timeline for his eventual departure from the NBA and revealed that he intends to finish his basketball career in Greece.
- Former Pro Bowl offensive tackle Charles Leno announced his retirement from the NFL two years from the day he lost his daughter.
- Jets legend and former Ohio State star Nick Mangold needs a kidney and is in a public search for a donor.
- Gordon Hayward is the latest NBA standout to join his alma mater in a front office role as Butler hired him as executive basketball advisor.
⚽ UEFA Women's Champions League: St. Pölten at OL Lyonnes, 12:45 p.m. on Paramount+ ⚽ UEFA Women's Champions League: Wolfsburg at Vålerenga, 12:45 p.m. on CBS Sports Golazo Network and Paramount+ ⚽ UEFA Women's Champions League: Paris FC at Chelsea, 3 p.m. on Paramount+ ⚽ UEFA Women's Champions League: Barcelona at Roma, 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ ⚽ UEFA Women's Champions League: Twente at OH Leuven, 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Golazo Network Paramount+ 🏈 UTEP at Sam Houston, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network 🏈 Delaware at Jacksonville State, 7 p.m. on ESPN 🏒 Panthers at Red Wings, 7 p.m. on TNT 🏀 Preseason: Raptors at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV ⚾ ALCS Game 3: Blue Jays at Mariners, 8:08 p.m. on FS1 🏒 Blackhawks at Blues, 9:30 p.m. on TNT 🏀 Preseason: Mavericks vs. Lakers, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
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