Le Journal

On Sunday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers got back into the win column with a comfortable home win over the Toronto Raptors. Both Luka Doncic and LeBron James played on the second end of back to back in this one, and the Lakers were able to pull away late, pushing their record to 25-16 on the season. The Lakers have given some rotational minutes to reserve big man Drew Timme over the last couple of games in the wake of their frontcourt injury situation, and Timme has mostly played well, scoring 21 points in a recent game against the Portland Trail Blazers. After Sunday’s win against Toronto, Timme pulled up to the postgame press conference wearing a “Sexual Tyrannosaurus” t-shirt, which he was understandably asked about. Timme then provided an explanation for the outfit. “I’m not big into fashion. This is a Predator movie reference…This is my fashion,” said Timme, per Oh No He Didn’t on X, formerly Twitter, via Hoop Central. Timme was a standout big man for several years at Gonzaga, and has started to get more opportunities at the NBA level over the past couple of seasons, raising some eyebrows during the 2024-25 campaign for his play with the Brooklyn Nets, and now doing the same with the Lakers, although he had a much quieter night against the Raptors on Sunday, scoring just three points in the win. Still, JJ Redick will be happy to know he has another serviceable big man on the roster moving forward, with Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes both dealing with injuries and inconsistent play as of late. In any case, the Lakers will next hit the floor on Tuesday evening for a road game against the Denver Nuggets. That contest is slated to tip off at 10:00 pm ET from the Mile High City. The post Lakers’ Drew Timme explains intriguing T-shirt choice after Raptors game appeared first on ClutchPoints.

After yet another soul-crushing playoff loss, the Buffalo Bills have fired head coach Sean McDermott. Now the question is, who’s the next person to try to lead Josh Allen and company to a Super Bowl? To help answer that question, here are the Bills’ top five Sean McDermott head coach replacement candidates available right now. Hired in 2017, McDermott helped the Bills break an 18-year playoff drought and led the franchise to eight playoff appearances, five AFC East titles, and two AFC Championship Games. However, he was never able to get Allen over the hump and presided over debacles like the 13-Seconds Game, Wide Right II, and whatever we will call Sunday’s Debacle in Denver in a few years. This was ultimately a necessary move, although you can argue about whether owner Terry Pegula went far enough, keeping general manager Brandon Beane (for now). But like Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay and Andy Reid in Philadelphia, it was simply time to try something new, because what was happening year after year wasn’t working. Now the Bills must turn their attention to head coach candidates on a market that has already started to move and was also a little slim on offensive minds to begin with. And that is what Buffalo needs. After nearly a decade of a defensive-minded head coach, the Bills need an offensive play-caller who can help take Allen to the next level. With that in mind, the options are bringing back a familiar name, taking a gamble on a young, unproven offensive Wizkid, or digging back days of Super Bowls past and dusting off a Lombardi-hoisting head coach who has been out of the game for a while. So, here are—not necessarily in ranked order—the Bills’ top five Sean McDermott head coach replacement candidates to help get Josh Allen over the hump. Brian Daboll © Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The first and most obvious name you will hear come up is former New York Giants head coach and, prior to that, Bills offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll. Daboll took a young, undisciplined, and wildly talented first-round pick out of Wyoming and shaped him into an NFL MVP. Based on his development of Allen (and a rumored rift with McDermott), Daboll took the Giants job in 2022. After making Daniel Jones a Pro Bowl, playoff QB in his first season, things deteriorated from there. After winning nine games in his first season, Daboll won just 11 over his next three campaigns. He did start to do some good things with Jaxson Dart, but the dysfunctional Giants decided to let him go anyway. Reports are that Daboll and Allen have always had a father/son-type relationship, and maybe a little parental discipline is what the QB needs after giving the ball away four times against the Broncos on Sunday. Hiring Daboll could be the easiest path of least resistance for the Bills to pivot from the McDermott Era without totally scrapping it. Klint Kubiak Now we enter the young offensive coordinator section of the Bills’ head coach options, starting with Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak. Klint is the 38-year-old son of Gary Kubiak, the longtime Broncos offensive coordinator for John Elway. He then became the Houston Texans and then Broncos head coach, and in that latter position, he won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning. Klint is following in his dad’s footsteps, working on his father’s staff, then branching out with the Minnesota Vikings, Broncos again, San Francisco 49ers, and New Orleans Saints before landing in the Pacific Northwest this season. As the OC under defensive-minded head coach Mike Macdonald, Klint has taken Sam Darnold to heights he’s never reached before, helped the team get the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and aided in Jaxson Smith-Njigba becoming arguably the best wide receiver in the league. Between his NFL lineage and overall experience, Klint Kubiak seems like the most likely sub-40-year-old coordinator to get the Bills head coach job. Davis Webb While Davis Webb doesn’t have the coaching pedigree that Kubiak does, he is a…

The home crowd was probably a little miffed early in Sunday’s game, as its slumping Los Angeles Lakers found themselves trailing the Toronto Raptors 30-23 after one quarter of play. The night quickly turned around, however, beginning with an NFL playoffs triumph. People fixed their eyes at the Jumbotron, as the Los Angeles Rams attempted a game-winning field goal versus the Chicago Bears. Kicker Harrison Mevis nailed a 42-yarder to lift the team to a dramatic 20-17 overtime victory, much to the delight of the LA fans inside Crypto.com Arena. Greg Beacham of The Associated Press captured the excited reactions. The Lakers crowd cheers when the Rams clinch a spot in the NFC championship game. pic.twitter.com/7M1j7I2gpb — Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) January 19, 2026 Following one of the most breath-taking touchdown passes in NFL history, Caleb Williams and the Bears seemed destined to knock off the Rams in the NFC Divisional Round. Safety Kam Curl stayed alert, however, and secured a season-saving interception in OT. The Rams booked an NFC Championship meeting with the No. 1-seeded Seattle Seahawks 10 plays later. The Lakers also rallied after a tough stretch in their game, earning a decisive 110-93 win over the Raptors. Luka Doncic was inefficient from the field, scoring 25 points on 8-of-23 shooting, but LeBron James and Deandre Ayton more than picked up the slack. The all-time scoring champion recorded 24 points, seven assists and two blocks, while the veteran center totaled 25 points on perfect 10-of-10 shooting to go with 13 rebounds. LA also locked down on defense, doing everything necessary to get back into the win column following blowout losses to the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers (25-16) and their fans turn their attention to a two-week road trip, but they will also keep tabs on the Rams’ Super Bowl pursuit. Sean McVay’s squad squares off with NFC West foe Seattle in Lumen Field on Sunday night. The post Watch Lakers fans react in LA-Raptors game to Rams’ playoff win appeared first on ClutchPoints.

We’re back with another betting prediction and pick on Martin Luther King Jr. Day as we turn our attention towards this next cross-conference matchup. The Oklahoma City Thunder (35-8) will visit the Cleveland Cavaliers (24-19) as the two sides meet for the first time this season. Check our NBA odds series for the Thunder-Cavs prediction and pick. The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to lead the NBA’s Western Conference following their most recent 122-120 loss to the Miami Heat. The defeat snapped a five-game winning streak as the Thunder now have five of their eight total losses in the last 15 games, still betting favorites ahead of this game. The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, most recently beating the Philadelphia 76ers 117-115 to complete their back-to-back series sweep in Philly. With a 7-3 record over their last 10, they’ll hope to upset the Thunder as home underdogs. NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings Thunder vs. Cavs MLK Day Odds Oklahoma City Thunder: -6.5 (-108) Cleveland Cavaliers: +6.5 (-112) Over: 231.5 (-115) Under: 231.5 (-105) Thunder vs. Cavs Key Injuries Oklahoma City: Isaiah Hartenstein (calf – OUT) / Thomas Sorber (knee – OUT) / Jalen Williams (hamstring – OUT) Cleveland: Dean Wade (knee – Probable) / Darius Garland (toe – OUT) / Sam Merrill (hand – OUT) / Max Strus (foot – OUT) Thunder vs. Cavs Betting Trends The Cleveland Cavaliers are 14-10 at home. The Oklahoma City Thunder are 15-5 on the road. The Thunder have been listed as betting favorites in every game this season. The Cavaliers are 4-5 as underdogs. The Cavs are 15-28 ATS overall, 7-17 ATS at home. The Thunder are 21-22 ATS overall, 9-11 ATS on the road. The two teams are 5-5 in their last 10 games against one another. OKC is 6-3-1 ATS in those games. The Thunder are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games. The Cavaliers are 5-2 in their last seven home games The total has gone OVER in four of OKC’s last six games. The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Cleveland’s last 16 games against Western Conference opponents. Keys to Thunder vs. Cavs Matchup The Oklahoma City Thunder come into this game following an upset loss to the Miami Heat as 10-point betting favorites. They’ve lost some continuity over the last 10 games compared to their blistering start to the season, but these lulls are only to be expected from a team playing at such a high caliber. Jalen Williams will miss this game due to a minor injury and he’s been the major difference for their offense from a facilitating standpoint, averaging a career-high 5.6 assists per game. He has 10-assist nights in two of his last five games, so they’ll certainly be missing his ball movement against a tough Cleveland defense. The Cavaliers also showed some resolve and resilience on the road against a hot Philadelphia 76ers team, controlling the pace through both games and coming away with the wins. Their perimeter defense did a great job in shutting down both Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe for the Sixers, something they’ll hope to do here against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder guard is known for his ability to draw defenders into foul trouble, however, so Donovan Mitchell will have to be especially disciplined to ensure he remains in the game. Mitchell has taken his scoring to a new level, if that was even possible, and seems intent on scoring-at-will in situations where either Darius Garland or Evan Mobley are injured. His 29.2 PPG ranks seventh in the NBA, but he’s been far more decisive this season in driving and finishing at the rim. He’s averaging a career-high 5.0-5.9 on free-throws made/attempted, so expect him to be active in the paint once again with his backcourt mate out. Despite all of this, the Oklahoma City Thunder still rank first-overall in defensive rating (105.4) and allow the fewest average turnovers per game (12), so don’t expect anything to come easy for the Cavs on either end of the floor. Thunder vs. Cavs Prediction and Pick The Cleveland Cavs…