Le Journal

China has kicked off construction on the southern section of the Tibet-Guangdong ultra-high-voltage power transmission line, an ambitious scheme to channel vast amounts of green energy generated high in the mountains of western China to factory hubs along the country’s south coast. The project – which will shoot the equivalent of half the electricity produced by the Three Gorges Dam across China each year – comes as Beijing strives to push forward with its carbon-reduction plans and keep up with...

After escaping on Monday with a two-point win over the Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t build momentum and lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s the fourth straight loss for the Bucks against defending NBA champions. Giannis led the way for the Bucks with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while seldom-used guard Cole Anthony had 17 points on 77.8% shooing from the floor. Reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 40 points on a hyper-efficient 16/19 shooting, while also dishing out 11 assists. NBA.com Box Score Game Recap During his pre-game remarks, Doc Rivers mentioned that in order to beat a team like OKC, even shorthanded, they couldn’t turn the ball over. That didn’t translate on the court, as the Bucks committed three turnovers in the first four minutes. That allowed the Thunder to grab a big lead early, and they continued to add onto it. Milwaukee didn’t even hit double-digits on the scoreboard until the 3:09 mark, courtesy of a Pete Nance three-pointer. At one point, Ajay Mitchell outscored the Bucks by himself (12 to 11). By the time the first was over, the Bucks fell behind by 20, 38-18. Milwaukee seemed to find their footing early in the second from three-point range. They went 3/5 in the first 4:28 of the frame, but the problem was that they couldn’t get a stop on defense. SGA didn’t have to do much to break down Milwaukee’s defense: there were a few stretches where the Bucks tried to hang around, cutting the lead down to 14 points a couple of times, but OKC always had a response. SGA hit a three with 38 seconds left with Kyle Kuzma all over him to put the Thunder back up by 19, and the score at halftime was 69-51 in favor of OKC. The Bucks tried to mount a comeback, but the Thunder were having none of it. SGA scored or assisted on eight of the first 14 OKC points in the first half of the quarter to keep the Bucks at bay. Milwaukee did try to creep into the game again, cutting the deficit to 16 points with 4:03 to go in the quarter thanks to an Andre Jackson Jr. three-point basket. Yet, as they did throughout the night at Fiserv Forum, the Thunder responded with a 9-0 run to go up by 27 points. The Bucks were able to shave down the deficit a bit heading into the fourth quarter, down 99-77. The first two possessions of the fourth quarter typified what the game had been all night long. Pete Nance hit a three-pointer to get the deficit under 20. On the Thunder’s first offensive possession, the Bucks forced Kenrich Williams into a fadeaway three at the end of the shot clock, but he drilled it anyway. The two teams traded baskets for much of the quarter, but after two straight dunks from Giannis, Oklahoma City called timeout. But with the Bucks down by 18 points and just under five miuntes to go, Doc Rivers subbed out Giannis for the rest of the game. Then, with 2:28 left, Rivers subbed in end-of-the-bench players, as OKC coasted to an easy victory. Stat That Stood Out One key to this one was not turning the ball over. Milwaukee couldn’t do that at all in the first quarter, as they turned the ball over eight times. The Thunder were able to turn that into 11 points, en route to their 20-point first-quarter lead.

We are inching closer and closer to the NBA trade deadline, now just over two weeks away from February 5. The Bucks haven’t pulled the trigger on anything yet, but with all the rumors swirling, it’s definitely possible we see some action before then. In the meantime, we here at Brew Hoop have been presenting our candidates for the Bucks and GM Jon Horst to target. We’ve already identified five players for consideration, but now I’m throwing in a sixth, as we take a look at Andrew Wiggins. The Player Andrew Wiggins, 6’7”, 210 lbs. wing Season averages: 15.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG, .465/.398/.775 This is now the third player from the 2014 NBA draft we’ve presented, as Wiggins was the no. 1 pick that year to the Timberwolves. The Bucks just missed on acquiring Wiggins’ services in that draft, instead selecting Jabari Parker at two. After five and a half seasons in Minnesota with just one playoff appearance, the T-Wolves traded Wiggins to the Warriors. There, he fit in perfectly next to Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson as a do-it-all small forward. In his second full season with Golden State, he earned his first and only All-Star appearance and helped them win the 2022 title. After their time together in Minneapolis, Wiggins and Jimmy Butler crossed paths again, but this time they were traded for each other, with Wiggins heading to Miami and Butler to the Bay. With Miami, Wiggins has firmly cemented himself as the same do-it-all player he became in Golden State: a good secondary scorer and perimeter defender. He’s shooting a career best 39.8% from beyond the arc on decent volume (4.8 attempts per game), and is capable of creating a shot in the midrange, shooting 36% from 10 feet to the three-point line. When asked to handle the rock this season, he’s been a decent playmaker, averaging the second-most assists per game of his career (2.8). Per Cleaning The Glass, the Heat’s offense is scoring 1.4 more points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor. Wiggins is a strong perimeter defender and could take on opponents’ best wing or bigger guards. He gets into the passing lane and affects shots, averaging 2.2 steals plus blocks per game, also a career high. His advanced numbers don’t look great, though: opposing teams score 4.6 more points per 100 with Wiggins on the court. That number could be inflated by the Heat’s lagging offense, which ranks 20th (113.5 offensive rating). Overall, they sit 10th in the league in defensive rating at 112.8. Regardless, Wiggins would undoubtedly be a solid improvement for the Bucks, bringing more consistent offense and defense alongside Giannis. So it’s no surprise that the Bucks were linked to Wiggins last year before he was traded to Miami, and in several reports this season. This one was courtesy of ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel: “Wiggins, who was drawing interest from the Bucks over the summer, continues to be a name associated with Milwaukee’s trade deadline plans. From the Heat’s perspective, though, they seem to be working on their own plans to upgrade their roster, and it’s unknown whether Miami would surrender Wiggins in a trade that doesn’t land them an All-Star-level player like Giannis or someone else.“ The Trade To even get this trade off the ground, the Bucks likely have to invite a third party. Outside of Giannis, the Bucks don’t have the type of player Miami wants. To facilitate the deal, the Nets are added to the equation. The Bucks’ part in this would actually be the second of two separate deals that essentially turn into one big deal, much like how Jericho Sims was attached to last year’s Kyle Kuzma-Khris Middleton swap. In the first half of the trade, Miami snags the hottest commodity on the trade market in Michael Porter Jr. in exchange for Wiggins, Terry Rozier’s expiring contract, and their unprotected 2029 first-round pick, also getting Tyrese Martin as a salary filler. Then the Nets re-route Wiggins to the Bucks for Kyle…

Previous Winner NONE Exactly half of the votes in the previous poll went to two players: INF Jadher Areinamo and RHP TJ Nichols. Accordingly, for this next poll, we will do a runoff of these two players. The winner of the vote will receive the No. 7 slot, and the loser will receive the No. 8 slot. We will then continue on Friday with No. 9. Runoff Candidates Jadher Areinamo, INF22 | R/R | 5’8” | 160A+ (MIL) | .255/.316/.397 (126 wRC+) 415 PA, 11 HR, 15 SB, 8.2% BB, 11.6% KAA (TB) | .255/.316/.697 (111 wRC+) 159 PA, 4 HR, 6 SB, 7.5% BB, 11.9% KVEN | .364/.420/.692 162 PA, 13 HR, 5 SB, 8.6% BB, 12.3% K Acquired in return for Danny Jansen at the 2025 trade deadline, Arienamo was promoted straight to Double-A by the Rays, and his success at that level carried over into the Venezuealan winter league, where his 1.112 OPS and 13 HR were each the second highest marks in the league. He’s considered to have a high baseball IQ, strong motor, excellent bat control, and defensive flexibility, any one of which could earn him an entertaining major league debut. TJ Nichols, RHP24 | 6’5” | 190A+ | 3.63 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 96.2 IP (19 G, 18 GS), 30.4% K, 5.4% BBAA | 0.97 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 37.0 IP (6 GS), 28.0% K, 6.8% BB A sixth rounder from 2023, Nichols entered the Rays organization with low mileage and control issues, a match made in development heaven. Fast forward to 2025, and his 68% strike percentage ranked 10th best among all minor league pitchers with 100 innings, according to Baseball America. His breaking ball is a big fish in a little pond thanks to its two-plane movement. By my eye, he has a mid-90’s dead zone-ish fastball with easy, over the top heat, and a classic but inconsistent change up. Despite all his gains in control it’s his command that might hold him back, but he fills the zone and might be able to eat innings, which is enough for a back end starter floor. If you’re buying stock, he’s Kimberly-Clark.

The Rays had several interesting names getting some reps in international leagues during the offseason. I’ve recapped the performances from some of the standouts below and looked ahead to what it could mean for them in 2026. Australian Baseball League Leonardo Pineda The 2024 international signee has played less than 100 professional games since joining the organization, but that didn’t stop the Rays from his aggressive assignment to the ABL. Playing against competition over half a decade older than him on average, Leo held his own and then some – slashing .279/.362/.402 in 36 games (138 PA) and playing a solid CF. Maybe the most impressive number from his campaign down-under is that 26.5% of his hits went for extra bases (compared to just 20.8% at the complex league last season). He’s starting to tap into his above average bat speed and find in-game power without having to sell-out and sacrifice any contact ability. Despite his relatively small sample of professional games even with his ABL experience, I expect Pineda to begin the year with low A Charleston where he might be pushed to a corner at times to make room for Rays CF prospect Slater de Brun. Pineda will still get his time in CF where he looks like he could develop to be an above average defender there. Nicandro Aybar A late injury replacement addition to the Perth squad, Aybar didn’t miss a beat as he made the most of his opportunity. He hit four HRs – doubling his professional HR total so far in his career – and showed above average bat-to-ball skills. His versatility and athleticism could make him a valuable utility player as he develops. In the last two seasons, Aybar has seen time at all three OF positions as well as 2B and 3B, but looks best in a corner outfield spot. I think he has enough lateral quickness and arm to continue to get reps at his two infield positions going forward. I expect Aybar to begin the year with Charleston after getting a cup of coffee there late last season. Dominican Winter League Hunter Bigge Bigge seemed destined for a key bullpen role in 2025 before a freak injury derailed his season. He has since gotten back on the saddle – earning three saves across 8 IP to go along with 11 K and 3 BB. The most exciting part of his performance in the Dominican Republic is that his stuff and confidence are just as great as they were pre-injury. I think Bigge could play a pivotal role and pitch in plenty of high leverage moments in 2026 as part of the closer committee. He could be a sneaky pick to lead the team in saves this year. Kenny Piper While the offensive production hasn’t been there for Piper this offseason, his defensive skills continue to shine. Piper is a plus receiver with above average athleticism behind the plate and his pitchers love throwing to him. Piper also has a 70 grade arm that he has been able to show off more this offseason as he has worked to improve his exchange. His 42% caught stealing rate is by far the best in the Dominican Winter League, and 18% better than the league average. For more context, the ML leaders last season at 43% were Luis Torrens and Austin Hedges – Piper has shown similar pop times to both of them. His hit and power tools currently grade below average and there might not be much we can expect from Piper offensively, but his work behind the plate is a valuable asset and he could be an impact defender in the majors if given the opportunity to play in a back-up role. I expect him to be ready to help the major league club as he awaits his opportunity in Durham along with Dom Keegan. Sometimes I wonder about the alternate universe where Danny Jansen begins the 2025 season on the IL and Piper makes the Opening Day roster. Venezuelan Winter League Jadher Areinamo Areinamo put on a show this offseason. His performance in Venezuela is MVP worthy (although his ROTY award was also a nice prize) as he hit .364/.420/.692 with 13 HR across 162 PA. He continues to show an above average…