Le Journal

The Boston Red Sox have had a solid offseason so far. Recently, the Sox traded for Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals and hope it can improve the team. But there is an assessment that the Red Sox trade for Contreras has made them better, according to Jared Carrabis from Underdog. The Red Sox are a better team because Willson Contreras is here. If you disagree with that then you’re just being negative for the sake of being negative. pic.twitter.com/IK3cnuvnay — Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) December 24, 2025 Carrabis believes that Contreras is built for Fenway Park. By adding his bat to the lineup, he believes that the Sox have added a player who can be a perfect fit for the stadium and for the team. The Red Sox’s trade for Contreras has altered some of their plans, but it has undoubtedly given them a player who will start from day one. Contreras will join a lineup that includes Jarred Duran, Trevor Story, and Wilyer Abreu. The Red Sox are still exploring other trade possibilities as they continue to improve their team. Last season, Contreras hit .257 with 20 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 70 runs. Additionally, he had a .343 on-base percentage along with a .447 slugging percentage while primarily playing first base, making 119 starts there. Contreras was once a catcher, but the Cardinals changed him to first base. The Red Sox likely will take the same approach, employing him at first base for the 2026 season. The Red Sox are still generating buzz, as they attempt to bounce back from a season where they fell to the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card. While making the playoffs was a good accomplishment, they also want to keep pressing the gas pedal and improve so they can challenge the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays for the American League East. The post Red Sox’s Willson Contreras trade receives completely honest assessment appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Baltimore Ravens will be facing the Green Bay Packers this week in hopes of keeping their playoff chances alive, but there is some uncertainty regarding their starting quarterback. Lamar Jackson had to leave Sunday Night Football early with a back contusion, and he has not practiced so far this week, including today, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is NOT practicing Wednesday because of a back contusion. Jackson is the only player missing from Wednesday’s practice. If Jackson can’t play Saturday, the Ravens would start Tyler Huntley,” Hensley wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Jackson has been through an injury-filled season, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing outside of the hamstring issue. The Ravens still have a chance to win their division, and when Jackson is on the field, he gives them the best chance at winning. Though he didn’t return against the New England Patriots, Jackson hopes he can play against the Packers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “I think it is fair to say that the status of Lamar Jackson is up in the air, as it has been far too often this year,” Rapoport said on Monday morning via Good Morning Football. “So first of all the injury last night. He got kneed in the back, which means essentially it is a bruise in the back. Now that would likely label him day-to-day… he said as much after the game that he was hopeful to be able to play on Saturday [in Week 17.]” As for head coach John Harbaugh, he says it is undetermined if Jackson will play this week. Though he seems hopeful to play, the Ravens probably want to see him log a practice to feel confident that he can suit up. At this point, the Ravens have been used to not having him on the field this season, and Huntley will have to come in and try to lead the offense. The post Ravens’ Lamar Jackson doesn’t practice again ahead of Packers game appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Frost Bank Center got a great show, as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 130-110, showing dominance against the team with the best record in the NBA. On a night where Victor Wembanyama did not do much, the Spurs still thrived. Instead, Keldon Johnson and Stephon Castle dominated, and this is a significant concern, according to First Take. "When Wemby doesn't play and is not your best player in that game, and a guy like Keldon Johnson is, you have an issue." Marc Spears after the Thunder lose a second time to the Spurs (via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/qpERQGI9Ow — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 24, 2025 It was the second time the Spurs defeated the Thunder this month, something many could not have foreseen coming the way it has. Moreover, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played well, scoring 33 points on 14 of 22 shooting, and it was not enough. Despite Gilgeous-Alexander doing everything he could, the Thunder were no match for the Spurs. Jalen Williams added 17 points on 8 of 18 shooting. Likewise, Luguentz Dort finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. But the Thunder got very little from everyone else. Notably, Isaiah Hartenstein had 8 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren had just seven points on 3 of 10 shooting. The Thunder defense was not good, allowing the Spurs to shoot 57.1% from the floor, including 44.4% from beyond the arc. Also, they sent the Spurs to the charity stripe for 24 free throws, giving them too many chances for extra points. The Thunder also had 13 turnovers, which did not help them keep it close. When the season began, many assumed that it would be the Wembanyama show. But this iteration of the Spurs has shown an incredible balance, allowing them to start 22-7. Wembanyama still leads the team with 23.7 points per game. But De’Aaron Fox has been solid, with 21.6 points per game. Castle is averaging 18.6 points per game, while Devin Vassell is averaging 15.8 points per game. While the rest of the league has struggled mightily against the Thunder, it seems the Spurs have the formula for beating them. In the 1111-109 win on December 13, they beat them with stiffling defense. In this game, they shot the ball incredibly well. In both games, the Spurs had production from someone other than Wembanyama. The Thunder will not have long to try to get revenge as they meet the Spurs on Christmas Day at the Paycom Center. The post Thunder dealt harsh Spurs reality appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Houston Rockets will play on Christmas Day, the NBA’s biggest regular-season stage, for the first time since 2019. It’s the kind of opportunity the Rockets envisioned when making the offseason trade for Kevin Durant. But as their holiday matchup with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers looms, the Rockets may be regretting that wish for the spotlight. Houston, hoping to be taken seriously as a championship contender this year, has not looked like a team ready for primetime. Instead of surging into Christmas, the Rockets are limping there, having lost five of their last seven games. The old cliché is that the NBA season doesn’t truly begin until Christmas — which is bad timing for the Rockets, who have looked completely unprepared for the moment. This month alone, Houston has lost to each of the bottom five teams in the Western Conference. Most recently, they were embarrassed Tuesday night in a 20-point loss to the 8-21 Los Angeles Clippers. Head coach Ime Udoka called out his team’s effort after the game. “I felt like tonight, I wouldn’t say the Clippers are a team that play extremely hard, and they outplayed us. With just effort alone,” Udoka said after the loss. The biggest issue has been the step back in Houston’s defense, which led them a year ago. “In the past, we could rely on defense,” Udoka said. “Tonight it was just non-existent.” That defense surrendered 128 points to the Clippers, while allowing them to shoot 55% from the floor and 20-for-37 from beyond the arc. That came just days after blowing second-half leads of 14 and 20 points against other bottom-tier teams. What was once Houston’s greatest strength has now quietly become a weakness. Meanwhile, despite adding Durant this offseason, Houston is still struggling to close out games. They’re 1-4 in overtime and just 6-8 in ‘clutch’ games. Championship teams close out tight games. Houston hasn’t. The Rockets also haven’t handled adversity like a championship team would. Houston has lost the second half of all three back-to-backs they’ve played this season and are just 9-8 on the road, while currently slogging through an extended road trip. The addition of Durant was supposed to elevate the Rockets into the NBA’s true championship contender class. Instead, Houston is just 1-5 against teams that have better records than them. Through 27 games, they actually have a worse record with Durant (17-10) than they did at the same point last season without him (18-9). Right now, Houston is just one win ahead of the seven seed. And now comes Christmas night in Los Angeles against LeBron and Luka Doncic, with most of the basketball world watching. If Houston wants to be taken seriously as a true contender, these are the moments that demand a good showing. Everyone asks for something this time of year. But Rockets fans might be regretting their wish for the spotlight this Christmas, as their team doesn’t appear truly ready for it. The post Rockets wanted championship spotlight — Lakers might expose them on Christmas appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Less than a week after the Season 5 finale hits Netflix, the streaming service will air a Stranger Things-WWE crossover on Monday Night RAW. Netflix announced that the Stranger Things-themed episode of WWE RAW will air on Jan. 5, 2026. This is the first edition of RAW of 2026, and it is slated to be a big show emanating from Brooklyn, New York. Like every other episode of RAW, it will begin at 8 pm EST on Jan. 5. THE WWE GETS STRANGER January 5 LIVE only on Netflix at 8 PM ET | 5 PM PT #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/axIzayCMR6 — Netflix (@netflix) December 24, 2025 “THE WWE GETS STRANGER,” Netflix teased in their caption on X, formerly Twitter. WWE fans react to Netflix’s Stranger Things-themed RAW Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images. Fans were cracking jokes in the comments section of Netflix’s post. “[The] Undertaker portals into the Upside Down? Count me in,” one fan wrote. Quite a few fans mentioned Vecna, one joking that the character is “making his debut” during this episode of RAW, another quipped that he will interfere in the main event between CM Punk and Bron Breakker. The extent of this collaboration and crossover remains unclear. The Jan. 5, 2026, edition of RAW is essentially the season premiere of WWE’s flagship show. In 2025, WWE and Netflix’s officially began with the inaugural episode of RAW on the streaming service on Jan. 6. Now, a year later, one of Netflix’s biggest properties, Stranger Things, is being used on WWE TV. There are several marquee matchups announced for the Jan. 5 edition of RAW. As mentioned, Punk will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Breakker. Additionally, there will be other championship matches. Maxxine Dupri will defend the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against former champ Becky Lynch. Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky will also face the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) for the Women’s Tag Team Championship. Stranger Things is nearing its Season 5 finale. The first four episodes of the fifth and final season premiered on Nov. 26, 2025. Three more episodes will premiere on Dec. 25. The finale will then air on Dec. 31. The post Netflix sets date forStranger Things-WWE collab after series finale appeared first on ClutchPoints.