Following Saturday night’s victory over rival Green Bay, Chicago Bears’ first-year head coach Ben Johnson intensified the rivalry by shouting, “F*** the Packers,” in the locker room shortly after sending them back to Wisconsin with a loss for the second time this season.
When asked about his locker room outburst (which energized his team) by Chicago reporters, Johnson did not back down or retract his words. He stands by his verbal outburst directed at the entire Green Bay organization and feels no remorse.
“This is a rivalry. The city of Chicago, Green Bay — it needs to be a rivalry.”
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“There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams,” Johnson said. “Something that I fully recognize and I’m a part of. Yeah, I just … I don’t like that team.”
In his first year as head coach, Johnson is already reshaping Chicago’s culture and has defeated the Bears’ biggest rival two out of three times this season. Both victories over Green Bay occurred in Chicago, with the most satisfying one coming Saturday, ending the Packers’ season. All three matchups were decided by seven points or fewer, with the closest being the Bears’ wild-card win over the weekend, 31-27.
For a long time, this rivalry was heavily skewed in favor of the Packers. However, in just one season with Johnson as head coach, quarterback Caleb Williams’ development, and the players they’ve assembled, there’s been a power shift in the NFC North. The Bears are now just one win away from reaching their first NFC title game since 2010.
Johnson has arrived in Chicago determined to uphold this rivalry, and it was even evident during the postgame handshake between the coaches. Each time these teams met this season, the handshake was quick, and on Saturday, Johnson’s seemed more like a drive-by than a greeting. No pleasantries are being exchanged between these rivals.
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For Johnson and the Bears, the Packers rivalry will be on hold until next season, as they prepare for their divisional round game against the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. The Bears will face a tough challenge against first-team All-Pro quarterback Matthew Stafford and an offense that can be just as explosive, if not more so, than Chicago’s.
The Green Bay Packers lost in devastating fashion on Saturday, but got some positive news two days later. Star pass rusher Micah Parsons said Monday that he could return from his torn ACL in time to play in the team’s Week 1 game next season.
Parsons said a Week 1 return was a possibility, though added that Week 3 or Week 4 was a more realistic date for his return. He said he’s been told he’s “flying” through his rehab.
Parsons’ comments on his return read:
“There’s a timing standpoint they want. But I don’t think I’ll be on IR, I’ll say that, to start the season. I think lofty, I’d be saying Week 1. But realistically, probably like Week 3 or Week 4. Just to make sure and just getting back into football, just practicing hard and getting ready to sustain taking my body through what I go through.”
He added that he’ll need to find a way to simulate the intensity of a game during practices so that he can feel like himself once he’s activated next season.
Despite some rumors suggesting LaFleur’s job was in danger, the Packers reportedly want to work out an extension with the head coach. Parsons was fully supportive of that decision, giving LaFleur a vote of confidence Monday.
The Packers will eagerly await Parsons’ return next season. Without the star pass rusher, the team went 0-5 down the stretch. The team’s typically excellent defense crumbled without Parsons, giving up at least 30 points in three of its last five games. Over that stretch, the Packers also experienced two fourth-quarter collapses against the rival Bears. In addition to the team’s wild-card loss to Chicago, the Packers also lost in Week 16 thanks to an onside kick recovery, fourth-down touchdown and then an overtime score by the Bears. It was a highly disappointing development for a team that started the year 9-3-1.
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With Parsons and — presumably — LaFleur back, the Packers will once again be considered a contender in a suddenly tough NFC North. Parsons was on his way to setting a few new career-highs in his first season in Green Bay, and things might have gone differently down the stretch had the star remained healthy.
The Packers will hope Parsons can keep up his strong play next season, and that his presence leads to the deep playoff run the team failed to accomplish during his first year with the franchise.
Michigan had its chance to overtake Arizona. Now, at least for the moment, that door seems closed.
Here’s everything you missed in the 10th week of the regular season, and the latest Associated Press poll.
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Michigan goes down, finally
Just seven days ago, Michigan was a single point away from matching Arizona atop the college basketball world. Now, the Wildcats are once again the clear No. 1 team in the country.
Arizona improved to a perfect 16-0 this past week and remained ahead of the rest of the sport in the national poll while the Wolverines finally fell off after a historically dominant start. Michigan fell for the first time this season on Saturday when Wisconsin stunned the Wolverines 91-88 in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines blew a 14-point lead in the first half, and gave up 54 points in the second period, to drop their first game of the season. The loss also came days after Penn State just barely missed a potential buzzer-beater that would have pulled off an even bigger upset over the Wolverines.
As a result, Michigan fell two spots in this week’s poll to No. 4. That paved the way for Iowa State to jump to No. 2, which is the highest ranking in school history. The Cyclones matched Arizona at 16-0, and are one of just five undefeated teams left in the sport. Nebraska, Vanderbilt and Miami (Ohio) — which is still sitting just outside of the national rankings — are the others.
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UConn survived a scare at Providence and escaped with an overtime win on Wednesday, and then picked up its 12th straight win over DePaul on Saturday. That moved the Huskies up to No. 3. Purdue, which won its seventh straight on Saturday when it beat Penn State, then rounded out the top five behind Michigan.
Michigan has already proven itself as a dominant force in the Big Ten, if not the country this season. But the past week was not a good one for the Wolverines.
How far will Vanderbilt go?
The Commodores matched their best stat in school history on Saturday when they beat LSU, which got them to a perfect 16-0 on the season. They beat Alabama last week, too, in what was easily their best test of the year so far.
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And, Vanderbilt is incredibly balanced. They are ranked inside the top 11 in both offensive and defensive efficiency ratings in the Ken Pomeroy Ratings, while earning five Quad 1 wins already — all but one of which were by double digits. A lot of that credit belongs to point guard Tyler Tanner, who is averaging team-highs 17.3 points and 5.4 assists per game while shooting just shy of 41% from behind the arc.
Those wins moved the Commodores up a spot to No. 10 in this week’s poll.
Vanderbilt has several major tests in front of it, including against No. 19 Florida on Saturday, before No. 17 Arkansas awaits next week. The Commodores will have to take on Tennessee twice before the end of the season, too.
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While an undefeated run almost certainly isn’t possible, Vanderbilt is suddenly a legitimate threat in the SEC. With a few more quick wins, the conference may end up running through Nashville come March. For a team that was projected to finish 11th in the standings entering the year, that is clearly something very few saw coming.
Games to watch this week
All times ET | * denotes neutral site
Tuesday, Jan. 13
No. 16 Virginia at No. 20 Louisville | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 No. 2 Iowa State at Kansas | 9 p.m. | ESPN
Wednesday, Jan. 14
Iowa at No. 5 Purdue | 6:30 p.m. | BTN Arizona State at No. 1 Arizona | 10:30 p.m. | FS1
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Saturday, Jan. 17
No. 16 Virginia at SMU | 12 p.m. | TBD No. 19 Florida at No. 10 Vanderbilt | 2 p.m. | TBD No. 17 Arkansas at No. 21 Georgia | 4 p.m. | TBD No. 11 BYU at No. 15 Texas Tech | 8 p.m. | TBD
AP Top 25
The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from January 12, 2026.
There was a time for the Los Angeles Lakers to trade LeBron James, as soon as they made their deal for Luka Dončić, when it was clear — before they ever played a game together — that redundancies in their games, especially on the defensive end, would prevent them from contending for an NBA championship.
We have seen no evidence to the contrary, other than a 23-13 record to start the season, which is good for fifth in the Western Conference, as close to the play-in tournament as they are a home playoff seed.
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Behind the record is a grim tale. They are the first team ever to compile that record while posting a net rating below zero (-0.7), and they are the only team in the top eight of either conference with a negative net rating. By that metric, they fall between the Charlotte Hornets (14-25) and Memphis Grizzlies (17-22).
The numbers have not been pretty for the Lakers when LeBron shares the court with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(Luke Hales via Getty Images)
If not for a 13-1 record in clutch games, the Lakers might be out of the playoff race entirely. There can be no doubt the presence of Dončić and James together has benefited them in that regard, since those two just know how to win close games, and the Lakers can hope for them to do the same in the playoffs.
And they may be right to do so. The thought of facing Dončić, James and Austin Reaves in a best-of-seven playoff series is a terrifying proposition for opponents from an offensive standpoint, though as a trio they have scored only 112.2 points per 100 possessions, or the equivalent of a bottom-five offense.
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Defensively, they are atrocious as a trio, allowing 119.5 points per 100 possessions, roughly the same defensive rating as the nine-win New Orleans Pelicans. They are not much better as a team on the year. The addition of center Deandre Ayton, a former No. 1 overall pick, has made no impact on that end whatsoever.
“We doing s***,” Marcus Smart recently said of the Lakers’ defense. “We’re being real s***ty right now, and it’s showing. … Every team goes through it trying to figure it out. You just pray that it happens early and we can fix it before it’s too late. But there’s really no defense, no scheme we can do when we’re giving up offensive rebounds in crucial moments like we are, or guys are getting wherever they want on the court.
“And there’s no help, there’s no resistance, there’s no urgency,” added the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. “So, it’s tough. And [Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] is right. There’s really nothing he can do. It’s on us.”
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In fact, any combination of Dončić, James and Reaves is a problem, save for one notable exception …
LINEUP COMBINATIONS
OFF RTG
DEF RTG
NET RTG
Doncic-James-Reaves
108.9
118.7
-7.4
Doncic-James, no Reaves
117.5
119.6
-2.1
Doncic-Reaves, no James
124.5
110.3
+14.2
James-Reaves, no Doncic
121.6
124.2
-2.5
What does this chart tell us about the Lakers? It tells us they have no shot, mathematically, of competing, if James is on the floor. It is not realistic to think they will compete without James, either. They cannot bench one of the game’s greatest-ever players — and his max salary — and hope to win.
So, what to do? They could consider trading James again, as they did last season, when the Golden State Warriors reportedly came calling in an effort to pair the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with Stephen Curry.
Of that deal ever coming to fruition, James’ agent, Rich Paul, said recently, “It’s not going to happen.”
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Nor is it likely James is traded anywhere else.
“Tricky,” one league source described the process of trading James at this point. To say the least.
Not impossible, though, even if James owns a no-trade clause.
James is 41 years old, and his $52.6 million salary expires at season’s end. He is still averaging 22-6-7 on 51/32/71 shooting splits, but his advanced metrics are at their worst since his rookie season in 2003-04. He recently missed a game against the San Antonio Spurs with both right sciatica and left foot arthritis.
He may still be able to touch rarified air for a stretch, but to think he can do it over the course of a series, or four of them, for that matter, is too much to ask. Every other team understands that as well. What team a) imagines itself a 41-year-old LeBron James away from a title and b) can give up enough to satisfy the Lakers’ asking price and still have enough left over to contend? Good luck discovering one.
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Oh, and James would have to approve the deal, which he might, if it were to give him another shot at a ring.
There is another avenue for the Lakers to take: Reinforce the roster around Dončić and James. They have a bunch of mid-tiered contracts, along with their 2031 first-round draft pick, to package for an upgrade. That is probably not enough to cure what ails the Lakers, unless they include Reaves in the deal, and even that likely would not be enough to get them in a conversation for someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Barring a move on that scale, the Lakers are in trouble. No one piece changes their fortunes. More likely, building a contender around Dončić will take an overhaul of the roster. That they will not do this season.
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Most likely, Lakers executive Rob Pelinka will make a move on the margins for someone to complement Dončić, James and Reaves, and the underlying issue — building a defense around that trio — will remain.
“Pelinka may be in trouble,” the source said. “He will do less than people want.”
That is the case for most teams, to be fair. Constructing a contender overnight is hard. But that is what the Lakers have tried to do ever since acquiring Dončić. They have tried to serve two masters — the 26-year-old face of their franchise and a 41-year-old James, who is desperate to win again before he retires.
That has not worked. We knew it would not work. And yet here we are, still trying to fix the problems we anticipated. It is time now, as it was a year ago, for the Lakers to choose a direction, and it is the obvious one: Put everything in their power behind building around Dončić, not James, even if that means letting an all-time great walk for nothing at the end of the season. The final alternative? Mutually parting ways.
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For, if you cannot build a championship-caliber defense around Dončić, James and Reaves, and they do not want to trade Reaves in a last-ditch effort to build around James, what other choice do they have? His $52.6 million salary, as of now, can surely be better spent elsewhere in free agency over the summer.
This is the conundrum the Lakers have forced themselves into: Carry James as a detriment to the roster, trade him for little of value in return, or let him walk for nothing. It would be a disappointing end for an all-time great’s tenure in Los Angeles, though maybe it was always the most likely one for a 41-year-old.
Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski recap a wild Wild Card weekend that saw 4 classic playoff games and the Patriots dispose of the Chargers on SNF. The two look at ‘fantasy’ performances that actually mattered for Wild Card weekend and what the biggest implications we can take from them for the 2026 fantasy season.
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(2:15) Rams 34, Panthers 31
(18:00) Bears 31, Packers 27
(33:30) Bills 27, Jaguars 24
(45:15) 49ers 23, Eagles 19
(52:20) Patriots 16, Chargers 3
Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski recap a wild Wild Card weekend that saw an 4 classic playoff games and the Patriots dispose the Chargers on SNF. The two look at ‘fantasy’ performances that actually mattered for Wild Card weekend and what the biggest implications we can take from them for the 2026 fantasy season.
The Buffalo Bills survived a crazy wild-card game on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as Josh Allen & Co. emerged victorious in a 27-24 classic. The Bills closed as a 1.5-point underdog after being favored for much of the week, and the game stayed just under the total of 51.5. Despite multiple injuries and big hits taken during the game, Allen threw for 273 yards and touchdown (and rushed for two more TDs), while posting a QBR of 87.2.
The Bills will head to Denver to take on the Broncos on Saturday, and oddsmakers aren’t giving the Broncos much respect as a rested No. 1 seed.
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Buffalo opened as a 1.5-point road favorite at BetMGM at the Broncos, which if the line holds would mark only the third time since the NFL’s divisional round was created in 1970 that a No. 1 seed was an underdog.
The other two?
In 1971, the No. 1-seeded Minnesota Vikings were 1-point home underdogs against the Dallas Cowboys; the Cowboys won 20-12.
In 2017, the Nick Foles-led No. 1-seeded Philadelphia Eagles were 2.5-point home underdogs against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons; the Eagles prevailed 15-10.
Oddsmakers haven’t been particularly impressed with the Broncos all season, despite a gaudy 14-3 record, as Denver went just 7-9-1 against the spread. Denver frequently played down to its level of competition, going 10-2 straight up as a favorite, but a putrid 3-9 ATS. Bo Nix was 8-0 ATS as a favorite in his rookie season.
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Yahoo Sports asked two oddsmakers to reveal their NFL power ratings before the start of the postseason and both had the Bills (third in one oddsmakers’ power ratings, fifth in the other) well above the Broncos. Denver wasn’t in the top five in either oddsmaker’s power ratings.
To wit, the New England Patriots (+230) are currently the favorites to win the AFC at BetMGM, while the Bills and Broncos are tied at +240. Denver hasn’t played in an AFC championship game since its Super Bowl-winning run in 2016.
The Bills did struggle this season when playing at a rest disadvantage against their opponent, going 2-3 SU (1-4 ATS). The Broncos only had two games with a rest advantage this season, going 1-1 SU and 1-0-1 ATS in them.
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The Bills had been 0-4 SU and ATS on the road in the postseason in Allen’s career before Saturday’s victory in Jacksonville. Buffalo ousted Denver from the postseason last year in the wild-card round, winning 31-7 in Buffalo as 8.5-point home favorites.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman will not face charges after being accused of battery following an alleged altercation at his son’s high school wrestling meet, according to WSBT’s Bennett Wise.
Per Wise, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the evidence and “would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred. While the evidence suggests that a touching may have occurred, an inadvertent touching is not sufficient.”
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The alleged incident occurred on Saturday, Jan. 3, at Mishawaka High School in Indiana. According to the South Bend Tribune, New Prairie High School assistant coach Chris Fleeger filed a police report against Freeman this week.
The altercation allegedly took place after Vinny Freeman’s match against Hanover Central senior Israel Sinnott, which Vinny lost. As Vinny was escorted off the mat and out of the gym by Marcus and Penn head coach Brad Harper, Fleeger allegedly began exchanging words with the group.
As Marcus Freeman walked through the doorway into the hallway, physical contact allegedly occurred between Marcus Freeman and Fleeger, but police did not disclose the extent of the alleged contact. Once in the hallway, Fleeger and Marcus Freeman’s wife, Joanna, engaged in a shouting match before local law enforcement and Mishawaka school officials separated the two groups.
Notre Dame said in a statement on Sunday that video evidence “fully exonerates” Freeman. Vinny Freeman is the oldest of the Freemans’ six children.
“Vinny Freeman, head coach Marcus Freeman’s son, was verbally accosted during and after his wrestling match by a local wrestling coach,” Notre Dame said in a statement. “Marcus and Joanna Freeman intervened and removed Vinny from the situation. At no point did Coach Freeman physically engage with anyone. We believe that the police report, which includes video evidence, fully exonerates Coach Freeman and makes clear these accusations are totally unfounded.”
Freeman, who turned 40 on Saturday, recently completed his fifth season at Notre Dame. The Irish are 43-12 in his time with the school and went 10-2 in 2025 before being jumped by Miami in the final set of College Football Playoff rankings to miss the postseason.
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Freeman has been mentioned as a potential candidate for NFL jobs even after he said he’s staying at Notre Dame for the 2026 season. A Sunday morning report from the NFL Network said that NFL teams are still looking at Freeman. Eight teams have head coaching vacancies.
Brooks Koepka is officially back on the PGA Tour. The 35-year-old golfer announced the news Monday, just as the Tour unveiled a new initiative aimed at getting other LIV golfers — three specifically — to return to the Tour.
Koepka announced his decision on social media, saying it was always a dream to play on the PGA Tour. He added that new leadership drew him back to the program, though the decision will come with financial penalties. He also thanked the fans for supporting him.
“When I was a child, I always dreamed about competing on the PGA Tour, and I am just as excited today to announce that I am returning to the PGA Tour,” Koepka wrote, in part. “Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me.
“I believe in where the PGA TOUR is headed with new leadership, new investors, and an equity program that gives players a meaningful ownership stake. I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those.”
Koepka ended his statement by saying he would see the fans soon, when he takes part in the Farmers Insurance Open (Jan. 29-Feb. 1) and WM Phoenix Open (Feb. 5-8).
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Koepka originally left the PGA Tour in 2022 in favor of joining LIV Golf. At the time, Koepka joined a number of other big-name golfers, including Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio Garcia, among others, to join LIV Golf, which is funded by Saudi Arabia. The organization faced criticism for engaging in sportswashing, a process in which a government uses sports as a way to improve its reputation after being involved in a possible scandal or human-rights violation.
Many golfers who left the PGA Tour at the time did so for monetary reasons, as LIV Golf offered extremely lucrative deals to golfers as a way to legitimize itself and compete with the PGA Tour. A number of golfers took that bait and joined the new organization.
Koepka, however, made waves in December, announcing a split with LIV Golf. At the time, many wondered whether Koepka would apply for reinstatement to the PGA Tour, and how the tour would handle that situation. To that point, the Tour had indicated a path back to the PGA would require sitting a year.
In early January, Koepka reportedly applied for reinstatement to the PGA Tour. As Monday’s news confirmed, those reports were accurate, and it didn’t take long for the PGA Tour to come up with a solution for three other golfers — and only three — who wanted to return.
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PGA Tour unveils “Returning Members Program”
Koepka’s reinstatement comes on the same day the PGA Tour announced an initiative called the “Returning Members Program.” The program opens the door for golfers who “have achieved elite performance-based criteria” to return to the PGA Tour after leaving for LIV Golf.
The PGA Tour’s statement did not specifically mention LIV Golf, merely referring to players who want to return from “elsewhere.”
For now, the program only allows golfers who won either The Players Championship, Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or British Open Championship between 2022 and 2025 to apply for reinstatement. The PGA Tour explained its rationale by claiming this will allow only the most elite talent to return to the organization.
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That particular criteria only applies to Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith. DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith have until Feb. 2 to reapply to the PGA Tour. At that point, the organization said this “one-time, defined window” will close, and “there is no promise that this path will be open again.”
Notably, the PGA Tour’s criteria for reinstatement would not apply to Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship in 2021.
Any golfer who applies to the PGA Tour’s “Returning Members Program” will be subject to financial penalties.
As the PGA Tour laid out in its statement, golfers who want to return will be subject to “heavy and appropriate limitations to both tournament access and potential earnings that we believe properly holds returning members accountable for substantial compensation earned elsewhere.”
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The PGA Tour then outlined how that rule will impact Koepka upon his return.
“It’s strict limitations, which Brooks has agreed to, include a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s player equity program, representing one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history, with estimations that he could miss out on approximately $50-85 million in potential earnings, depending on his competitive performance and the growth of the Tour. At the request of the PGA Tour, Brooks has also agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution, the recipient(s) of which will be determined jointly.”
DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith could face the same — or at least similar — penalties should they choose to apply for reinstatement to the PGA Tour.
The organization noted that the “Returning Members Program” will not take away playing opportunities from current players, and that fields will be expanded if necessary so certain players won’t get squeezed out if golfers return to the PGA Tour.
The Chicago Bears pulled off one of the best comebacks in NFL playoff history in a 31-27 win over the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round this past weekend. A big reason why they were able to do so was rookie TE Colston Loveland, who had an up-and-down first year in the league but showed up on the biggest stage. On the latest episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast, analyst Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski discussed just how high Loveland should be ranked among fantasy tight ends going into the 2026 season.
Pianowski begins by pointing out that Loveland had stepped up during the season when injuries to WRs Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Luther Burden III opened up more opportunities. But on Saturday night, everyone was healthy, yet QB Caleb Williams peppered Loveland all game. Pianowski likes that Loveland was targeted on and converted a crucial two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter, reminding everyone that goal-line equity is important when evaluating the tight end position in fantasy.
Maybe it’s irresponsible to think Loveland can be the top tight end overall in fantasy next season, but Pianowski thinks it’ll happen at some point in the youngster’s promising career.
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Harmon likes the trajectory of this Bears offense going into next season and thinks Loveland would be the first Chicago player off the board in drafts for 2026 right now. And beyond Trey McBride, Loveland has a case to be the next tight end off the board next season.
Loveland, who was selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had a slow start to this season. He dealt with injury before the season began and missed Week 4. Loveland didn’t start to play significant snaps until Week 7 before breaking out in Week 9 versus the Bengals with a 6-118-2 line. Despite missing time and the slow start, Loveland still finished as the TE14 in half-PPR scoring after posting 58 catches for 713 yards and six TDs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves won’t have center Rudy Gobert when the team takes the court for Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Gobert was issued a one-game suspension from the NBA on Monday after he was called for a flagrant foul during the Timberwolves’ narrow 104-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
The NBA announced its decision Monday, explaining Gobert accrued his sixth flagrant foul point during Sunday’s game, leading to an automatic suspension.
Gobert received the penalty with 7:24 remaining in the contest. While trying to defend a Victor Wembanyama 3-pointer, Gobert did not give the Spurs’ star enough landing space on the play. He was called for a foul and eventually assessed with a flagrant, which triggered an automatic suspension.
Gobert came into the contest with five flagrant foul points on the season. Under the NBA’s flagrant foul points system, a player with at least five flagrant foul points is automatically given a suspension if they are called for a flagrant foul 1 or higher during a game.
The 33-year-old Gobert is now in a situation where he would receive an automatic suspension every time he commits another flagrant foul. If that foul is classified as a flagrant foul 1 next time, Gobert would receive a one-game ban. If he commits a flagrant foul 2, he would reach seven flagrant foul points on the season and automatically be suspended for two games.
Players who reach seven flagrant foul points in a single season are automatically assessed a two-game suspension for each additional flagrant foul, regardless of the severity of that foul.
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Gobert is in the midst of yet another strong season, averaging 11 points and 11.4 rebounds over 40 games. At 26-14, the Timberwolves sit in fourth place in the Western Conference entering Tuesday’s game.