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For the seventh straight year, the NBA asked me if I wanted to be one of the media members who votes on which players should start in the NBA All-Star Game. For reasons passing understanding, I said yes. Here’s how I used my ballot.

A quick reminder: Yes, the NBA has yet again changed the format of the All-Star Game — this time to a round-robin tournament featuring two teams of American players and one “world” roster, resulting in 16 U.S.-born players and eight international players being selected … unless the voting results in fewer than 16 U.S.-born players or eight international players making the cut, in which case NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will just start naming Americans or international players to balance out the sides. (Find all that confusing? You’re not alone!)

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Despite the latest grasp at a structural change to inject some juice into the proceedings, the nuts-and-bolts of the voting remain the same: You vote for five guys in each conference, with fan voting accounting for 50% of the final result, with player and media ballots accounting for 25% each. The main functional difference this year? Rather than choosing three frontcourt players and two backcourt players in each conference, the ballot has gone fully positionless. Just pick five guys, and keep it movin’.

West

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

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Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Luka Dončić, Lakers

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

(Click here for my East All-Star starters.)

All stats and records entering Thursday’s games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing I don’t have to burn too many calories on convincing you that Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić — the top two finishers in Most Valuable Player voting in each of the last two seasons, and potentially this season’s top two, barring eligibility concerns — deserved a starting vote.

Gilgeous-Alexander has come back from winning his first MVP trophy and NBA championship seemingly better at everything. He’s second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 31.9 points per game on sparkling 55/39/89 shooting splits, producing points more efficiently and turning the ball over less as the preeminent mover on a Thunder team that opened the season 24-1 and that — despite what qualifies as a “slump” in OKC these days — remains atop the West, on pace for 68 wins (and with the point differential of a 70-win squad). With SGA on the floor, the Thunder have blown opponents’ doors off by 16.5 points per 100 possessions — the largest margin of any player in the NBA, according to Basketball Reference.

Hey, here’s something I just looked up: Only three guards in NBA history have averaged 30 points and five assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor. Stephen Curry did it during his unanimous MVP season in 2015-16. Michael Jordan did it five times. Gilgeous-Alexander, in Year 8, is on pace for his fourth … in a row.

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Which is to say: This is a legitimately historic run, one that could wind up landing SGA in some awfully lofty conversations before all’s said and done. For now, though, it’ll land him on his fourth straight All-Star team.

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

Before hyperextending his left knee, Jokić was off to the best start of his career. And when you’ve already won three MVPs, man, is that saying a whole hell of a lot.

Jokić is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 29.8 points per game while leading the league in rebounding and assists; he is 12 total points away from being on pace to join Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double for a season. On a per-minute and per-possession basis, Jokić has never scored this much, thanks partly to him splashing 43.5% of the 4.8 3-pointers he’s attempting per game, both of which would be career highs.

He’s on pace to post the highest true shooting percentage in NBA history among players who use at least 25% of their teams’ offensive possessions, topping … himself. He is also on track to set new all-time records in win shares per 48 minutes, box plus-minus and player efficiency rating, and to become the seventh player ever to assist on more than half of his teammates’ baskets; the Nuggets have scored an absurd 130.1 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions in his minutes, which is light years beyond what even the best offenses in league history have mustered. Missed games be damned: The list of players who’ve had a more consistently pronounced on-court impact than Jokić this season is either one name long or it doesn’t exist. An easy choice.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

So, too, was Wembanyama, the centerpiece of the Spurs’ rise to third place in the West and — by virtue of knocking off defending champion Oklahoma City three times in four tries and making it to the championship game of the NBA Cup — a spot among the ranks of bona fide title contenders.

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Some voters might feel more compelled to knock Wemby out of a starting spot due to his injury absences: Thanks to an early-season calf strain, followed by a knee hyperextension that’s led to him being on a minutes restriction, he’s played just 26 games and 753 minutes — well below the other serious candidates for starting spots. I hear that. I also don’t really care about it.

I mean, come on: Dude’s averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists per game on 51.4% shooting at age 22 — no one’s done that since Kareem, 56 years ago — while also profiling as the most menacing defensive force on the planet.

There’s plenty of credit to go around for San Antonio’s surge up the standings: to Stephon Castle, making a massive second-year leap; to De’Aaron Fox, reminding everyone exactly why the Spurs went out, got him and paid him; to a roster full of guys (Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Luke Kornet, Julian Champagnie) playing like stars in their roles; to head coach Mitch Johnson, ably carrying the weight of carrying the mantle left for him by one of the greatest legends the coaching profession has ever seen; etc. All of it, though, starts with the man in the middle — and 750 minutes of what he’s been putting on tape was more than enough to earn my vote.

Luka Dončić, Lakers

Dončić, for his part, leads the NBA in scoring at 33.4 points per game on .606 true shooting to go with 8.8 assists (fourth-most in the league) and 7.9 rebounds a night — the lead guard at the controls of a Lakers team that is vying for a top-four spot in a tough-as-nails top of the West.

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There are nits to pick with these Lakers, who sit 10 games over .500 despite being just plus-1 for the season — not one point per 100 possessions; one point period — and have outperformed their point differential and 23rd-ranked defense, thanks in large part to being an NBA-best 13-1 in “clutch” games. But L.A. is winning on the strength of its offense, which ranks seventh in points scored per possession and is at its best with Luka leading the dance: The Lakers have scored like the Thunder with him on the floor and like the Pelicans with him off it.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

The fifth starting spot came down to a handful of strong candidates in the midst of excellent seasons. Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün have kept the Houston Rockets in the top five in offensive and defensive efficiency, and in the hunt for a top-four spot out West, despite the preseason loss of starting point guard Fred VanVleet. Ongoing salary-cap-circumvention investigations notwithstanding, Kawhi Leonard has been lights out for nearly two months — 30.1 points on 50/40/93 shooting with 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.1 stocks per game since Thanksgiving — to turn the previously lifeless Clippers into one of the NBA’s hottest teams. Out in the Bay, Curry is scoring as much on a per-minute and per-possession basis as he did during his unanimous MVP season a decade ago, and doing so with characteristically unbelievable shooting efficiency for a Warriors team that, as ever, only goes as far as he can carry it.

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In the end, though, I landed on Edwards, in recognition of both his role in fueling Minnesota’s rise up the standings — just a game out of second in the West entering Thursday’s games, with the NBA’s best record and fourth-best net rating since Thanksgiving — and his scintillating individual production.

Edwards’ impressive run of increasing his scoring volume and efficiency in every year of his career has continued. He’s averaging a career-best 28.9 points per game on .626 true shooting — a combination of volume and efficiency that represents incredibly rare air among NBA scorers — while reducing his turnover rate despite more frequently serving as Chris Finch’s point guard, getting to the free-throw line more often, and continuing to play a key on-ball role in a Minnesota defense that’s tied for fifth in points allowed per possession.

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He’s also been absolute nails in crunch time — an area of concern for Minnesota in recent years — shooting a scorching 70.7% from the floor (29-for-41), 57.1% from long range (8-for-14) and 83.3% from the foul line (10-for-12) when the score is within five points in the final five minutes:

The two-way play, the growth as a facilitator, the ongoing scaling-up of his scoring and efficiency and that close-and-late excellence — all in service of keeping the Wolves in the hunt in the West — earned Edwards the last spot on my ballot.

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson left Wednesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings early in the first quarter after spraining his right ankle, missing the remainder of what would become a 112-101 Kings win.

Brunson has also been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.

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Four minutes into the game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Brunson dribbled into the frontcourt, taking a screen from teammate Josh Hart to force a switch that would allow him to isolate against rookie center Maxime Raynaud. As the star point guard started to attack, though, he fell to the floor and threw the ball away, leading to a steal and fast-break dunk by former Knicks teammate Precious Achiuwa.

Brunson got to his feet and remained in the game, but moved gingerly through the next several possessions before asking to come out of the game with 7:01 to go in the opening quarter. He went back to the locker room, and that was that; the Knicks would later list him as questionable to return to the game, before ruling him out entirely at the start of the third quarter. He’d finish with four points on 2-for-3 shooting in five minutes of floor time.

This marks the second right ankle injury of the season for Brunson, who missed two games in November after rolling it in a loss to the Orlando Magic. He suffered a more serious sprain to that same ankle during a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last season — an injury that kept him on the shelf for nearly a month, costing him 15 games.

The Knicks did not have an official update on Brunson’s status following the loss, according to Vincent Goodwill of ESPN. Brunson walked out of the visiting locker room without the aid of crutches or a walking boot, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic; he wasn’t limping, according to Steve Popper of Newsday.

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Brunson, 29, is eighth in the NBA in scoring at 28.2 points per game and 21st in assists at 6.1 per game, shooting 48.1% from the field, 38.8% from 3-point range and 85.2% from the free-throw line. He’s expected to earn his third consecutive All-Star selection when rosters are announced later this month.

The Knicks, who sit in second place in the Eastern Conference at 25-15, are 1-2 without Brunson this season. During his extended absence last season, they went 9-6, with Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby all averaging more than 20 points per game and shouldering an increased offensive workload.

With Brunson unavailable, New York’s offense cratered against the Kings, as the Knicks shot just 39% from the floor and 8-for-41 (19.5%) from 3-point range en route to their fourth-least-efficient offensive performance of the season, according to Cleaning the Glass. The loss was the Knicks’ sixth in the last eight games, continuing a prolonged slump that has seen them go 7-8 with the NBA’s second-worst defense since winning the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup last month. New York will travel to San Francisco on Thursday to face the Warriors on the second night of a back-to-back.

What exactly is a postseason ticket worth these days? Not just its monetary value, or its ability to get you into the doors of a significant game, though that’s obviously its primary purpose.

A ticket is also an asset — a very limited-use, rapidly expiring asset, of course, but an asset nonetheless.

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Consider, for instance, this year’s national championship game. Ticket prices are incredibly high to attend the game at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, for obvious reasons — the game is in Miami, home of one of the two teams playing, and the other team, Indiana, is in its first years of college football relevance. You literally could not script a more perfect matchup for stratospheric ticket prices, and the market has responded accordingly.

Per GameTime, the cheapest price to get into Hard Rock to watch the Hoosiers and ‘Canes is a tidy $2,700 a ticket. That’s down from $3,500 the day after Indiana won the Peach Bowl to clinch a trip to Miami, yes, but it’s still about $1,000 more than the Ohio State-Notre Dame championship game cost at this point last year.

(Also, remember: that $2,700 is just to get in the door. If you want to be anywhere near the field, you’re looking at double, triple or more the cost. Hope you saved your money!)

Ticket prices are always an interesting exercise in what, exactly, the market will bear, how much fans can be expected to pay to support their teams. It’s not uncommon to see ticket prices for less than the price of a hamburger to get into various bowl games, baseball games, even NFL games. (Team names withheld to protect the terrible.)

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The flip side of that equation, though, is that the College Football Playoff committee now sees that fans are willing to fork out nearly three grand for a single ticket. Extenuating circumstances like those noted above don’t matter; the money is exchanging hands. And so face value gets bumped up a couple hundred bucks, leading to a commensurate increase in secondary markets … because if you’re fortunate enough to have one of these lottery tickets, you might decide that you can watch the game at home and pocket a whole lot of cash.

Which brings us around to our next ticket topic of the weekend — the Seattle Seahawks’ plan to police secondary market ticket sales. When the Seahawks organization identified certain tickets on the secondary market as belonging to season ticket holders, they emailed the seller with a polite but unmistakable message: Get those tickets off the market or risk losing out on season tickets for 2026.

If you think that’s too draconian of a punishment, may we introduce you to Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament. If you are fortunate enough to win the lottery for a badge to the tournament, and you decide to sell that badge — which you can typically do at upwards of 20 times the cost of ticket — you are risking a lifetime banishment.

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Is that fair? Maybe yes, maybe no, but it’s definitely legal, and it’s likely that more teams will start to use this method of ticket control in the future. It’s already the rule in various European soccer leagues, where fans of the opposing team can’t buy tickets in a home-team section. (This is done as much for the visiting fans’ safety as for the home fans’ unity, but the point remains.)

So this leaves the ticket market with two diametrically opposite forces working it from both sides. Are you with the free market — meaning tickets are more available, but at a substantially higher cost? Or do you go with artificially enforced controls like those laid down by the Seahawks, which can keep prices lower but severely impact supply? Which way do you go?

Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year deal to play his 21st NFL season for the Pittsburgh Steelers because of Mike Tomlin. Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers defeated Tomlin’s Steelers in Super Bowl XLV at the end of the 2010 season. In the following years, the four-time league MVP quarterback’s appreciation continued to grow for Tomlin, the latest pillar of stability in a Steelers organization fortified by strong leadership.

Tomlin waited for Rodgers this past offseason when the now-42-year-old was deciding if he still wanted to keep playing football. Rodgers repaid him with 10 wins and an AFC North title — plus, endless support in front of microphones the veteran signal-caller disdains.

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“Mike T has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19, 20 years,” Rodgers said, via ESPN, after Pittsburgh lost its seventh straight postseason game under Tomlin, Monday night’s 30-6 wild-card defeat to the Houston Texans.

“And more than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don’t think about making a change, but there’s a lot of pressure that comes from the outside, and obviously that sways decisions from time to time.

“But it’s not how I would do things and not how the league used to be.”

The decision on Tomlin’s future was ultimately his to make, however. Steelers owner Art Rooney II confirmed that Wednesday when he told reporters he was prepared to welcome the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach back for the 2026 campaign.

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And yet Tomlin, 53, stepped down after a 19-year run that featured the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl victory and eight division titles without a single losing season. Tomlin was the first to break the news, and he did so in the team meeting room on Tuesday.

It was there that Rodgers was heard sobbing and repeatedly telling Tomlin, “I’m sorry,” according to Mike DeFabo’s illustrative report from The Athletic.

In speaking to a collection of players, coaches and staff members, DeFabo uncovered the emotions triggered by Tomlin’s final address as head coach in the Steel City. The Athletic story highlights the disbelief and grief that permeated throughout the Steelers’ facility earlier this week.

A ‘funeral’ atmosphere

NFL rosters are never the same year-over-year. The only constant in the league is change. Tomlin indicated he’d be part of that change in his speech to his players Tuesday.

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“I felt that the meeting was going to go completely different,” one anonymous player told The Athletic.

“When he said, ‘Some of us will be here and some of us won’t, that’s when I was like, ‘Is this guy really stepping down?’”

Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt was stunned as Tomlin revealed his choice to walk away from a team he’s piloted for nearly two decades, including during the entirety of the 31-year-old sack artist’s career.

“No. No. No. No. No,” an emotional Watt reportedly said over and over again.

Third-year Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter Jr. grew up with the Steelers. His dad played for the franchise from 1999-2006 and was a part of a Super Bowl XL team that recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its world championship during the 2005 season. He then went on to coach on Tomlin’s staff from 2014-18 before his son launched his Penn State career.

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Porter Jr. and Tomlin go way back.

When the young DB heard the news, he almost hyperventilated, according to The Athletic’s report.

“Fire Tomlin” chants were hard to ignore this season, as the Steelers once again danced with .500 before bouncing back and making a push for the division crown in an AFC North that was riddled by injuries.

The now-nine-year drought without a playoff win has angered fans. Many of them believed it was indeed time for a change.

Steelers players, though, remained steadfast in their trust that Tomlin was the right man for the job, and they wanted to help him get back over the postseason hump.

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“Every single player in that building wants to play for Mike T,” one anonymous player told The Athletic. “Were guys upset with coordinators? Yes. Was it the head guy? No.”

Tomlin has two years remaining on his Steelers contract. If he wants to coach for another NFL team before the end of the 2027 season, Pittsburgh has the right to seek compensation for him. But Rooney said Wednesday that Tomlin told him he wasn’t planning on coaching any time soon.

The decision he revealed Tuesday appears especially significant in that way.

A Steelers staff member told The Athletic that the atmosphere in the meeting room “felt like a funeral.”

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Tomlin reportedly earned a standing ovation after his speech and then hugged players one by one.

It was the end of an era, and of a season that started with Rodgers signing on with hopes of playoff success.

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Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros break down the latest soccer headlines, starting with reports that USMNT striker Josh Sargent could be headed back to MLS with Toronto FC. Is it a smart career move or a major step backward for the American forward? The guys also react to rumors linking Timo Werner to the San Jose Earthquakes and debate whether the club made a massive mistake by failing to keep star winger Cristian Espinoza. Plus, with Chucky Lozano’s exit from San Diego seemingly inevitable, they discuss who the club should target as his replacement.

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Former Premier League defender Anton Ferdinand then joins the show to preview the West Ham vs. Tottenham derby and relive his legendary stoppage-time equalizer against Spurs in 2005. They also chat West Ham’s tough season so far and how the club can push forward to avoid relegation.

Finally, the guys debate whether Real Madrid made a massive mistake by firing Xabi Alonso and what it means for the club’s future. Christian and Alexis wrap things up with their AFCON Final predictions as Senegal and Morocco prepare to battle for continental glory.

Timestamps:

(6:45) – Josh Sargent heading back to MLS? Smart move or disaster?

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(17:30) – Timo Werner is headed to San Jose: redemption tour or flop?

(30:15) – Chucky Lozano is leaving San Diego – who will replace him?

(37:15) – Anton Ferdinand joins The Cooligans

(57:00) – Xabi Alonso now Real Madrid’s biggest enemy?

(1:10:00) – AFCON Final Predictions

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Nate Tice & Charles McDonald join forces to preview all four NFL divisional round games. After reacting to the New York Giants hiring John Harbaugh to be their next head coach, the duo deep dive divisional-style on the four big games coming up this weekend.

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Nate & Charles start with an AFC hoss fight featuring the electric Buffalo Bills offense vs. the stout Denver Broncos defense. On Saturday night we’ll see the San Francisco 49ers try to improve on their last performance against the 1-seed Seattle Seahawks, and the two hosts determine whether the 9ers have the juice.

The Sunday games feature Drake Maye and the New England Patriots taking on the stingy Houston Texans defense and the Los Angeles Rams trying to outscore the red-hot Chicago Bears. Nate & Charles wrap up the show with their Hail Mary bold predictions for this weekend.

(2:20) – Giants hire HC John Harbaugh

(10:00) – Bills @ Broncos

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(36:00) – 49ers @ Seahawks

(57:10) – Texans @ Patriots

(1:23:20) – Rams @ Bears

(1:43:45) – Hail Mary predictions

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

The Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears both emerged from thrillers in the NFL wild-card round. Now, they form one of the playoffs’ most intriguing matchups, between an upstart Bears team riding the high of their first playoff win since the 2010 season and the perennially contending Rams.

The Bears are the home team, but it was the Rams who posted the better record during the regular season. They just had the misfortune of playing in the snake pit that is the NFC West, where three different teams finished at least 12-5.

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This season’s Rams feature the MVP favorite in Matthew Stafford, the NFL receptions leader in Puka Nacua and a defense with two Pro Bowl pass rushers in Byron Young and Jared Verse. They will face a Bears team riding the breakout of Caleb Williams and enjoying the immediate success of first-year head coach Ben Johnson.

What happened last week?

The Bears won via a cathartic comeback against the Green Bay Packers, while the Rams survived an upset bid from the Carolina Panthers.

Chicago entered the fourth quarter of its wild-card round game trailing 21-6. It felt like a familiar script for the fan base, with months of promise wiped out by a Packers team simply executing better. Then Williams went off book.

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Chicago scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to stun Green Bay, with Williams leading three lengthy touchdown drives to finish the game. It clearly meant a lot to the team.

As for the Rams, they went toe-to-toe with an overachieving Panthers team playing with the kind of house money you get when you make the playoffs with an 8-9 regular-season record. Los Angeles was clearly the better team early, but the Panthers landed two big punches in the second quarter to activate the upset alerts.

The Rams ultimately held on, primarily thanks to a clutch performance from Stafford. However, they almost certainly can’t afford to struggle like they did last weekend against a team like the Bears.

Chicago weather forecast for Rams-Bears

The Bears and Rams are projected to see a high of 19 degrees on Sunday at Soldier Field, which could matter when one of those teams plays in Los Angeles. The Rams haven’t played in conditions anywhere close to that this season.

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Will that matter? You never want to overrate the effect of weather on professional football players, but we’ll see how the cold affects the NFL’s most prolific passing offense, which the Rams have. However, Stafford also posted 324 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in last year’s season-ending playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, also played in freezing conditions.

Health update

Stafford sustained a sprain in his right index finger in the win over the Panthers, but stayed in the game and said later that he is “good to go” for the Bears game. That bore out on the practice report this week, with Stafford a full participant for Wednesday’s walkthrough.

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The only L.A. players who weren’t listed as full participants Wednesday were nose tackle Poona Ford (limited with an elbow injury), right guard Kevin Dotson (limited with an ankle injury) and cornerback Darious Williams (DNP due to personal reasons). All three of those players are starters, and Dotson is attempting to come back after a month missed.

The Bears had their two most productive wide receivers, DJ Moore (knee) and Rome Odunze (foot), both limited Wednesday. Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin was also limited with a back injury and cornerback Nick McCloud was a non-participant with a groin injury.

Cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson was a full participant after sitting out the Packers game last weekend with a concussion.

The head coaches

Following John Harbaugh’s ouster from the Baltimore Ravens and Mike Tomlin’s exit from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Rams’ Sean McVay is suddenly tied for the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL. It’s been a good tenure so far.

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McVay has a 9-5 career record in the postseason and a Super Bowl ring from the 2021 season. As long as he has a quarterback like Stafford and enough talent, you know he’s going to have a dangerous offense. He’s backed up by defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who has done good enough work this season that he’s received requests to interview for four different NFL head coaching jobs.

On the other end is Ben Johnson, who enjoyed a win in his first playoff game as head coach last weekend. Before his Bears hire, Johnson spent three seasons as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, who scored at least 24 points in the four playoff games they had him calling plays.

Key player for the Rams

The Rams’ defensive front is going to have its hands full with Williams, and no player will have more of a burden than Verse.

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Getting to Williams is one thing, and it’s doable considering he is second in the NFL in time to throw at 3.24 seconds, per Pro Football Focus. The other side of the coin is containing him. He ranks fifth in the NFL in scramble yards with 382, per PFF. Verse is the keystone of the Rams’ front seven, and will be key to limiting Williams’ damage.

Key player for the Bears

Since Dec. 1, Nacua has averaged 15.4 targets and 134.5 receiving yards per game. Outside of starting running back Kyren Williams, no other Ram comes within 1,000 yards from scrimmage of him. So the Bears’ top cornerback is going to be pretty important.

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Enter Jaylon Johnson. The Bears corner had an up-and-down night against the Packers and suddenly has what might be the toughest assignment in the league this weekend. If Stafford and Nacua aren’t fazed by the cold, how Johnson performs when matched up with Nacua could decide the game.

Betting market watch

The Rams have been oddsmakers’ top power-rated team for much of the season, which is reflected in this line. Los Angeles opened as a 4- or 4.5-point favorite at the Bears, but respected money has pushed that down to -3.5. The weather will be a factor, with potential snow and wind, which has caused the total to drop from 51.5 to 48.5. The Rams weren’t particularly impressive in their win over the Panthers last weekend, while we’re not sure if we’ll get the first-half or second-half version of the Bears. If it’s the second-half version, Chicago can certainly win this game; if it’s the team that went down 21-3 to Green Bay, it could be a long, cold night at Soldier Field for Bears fans. — Ben Fawkes

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Check out more of Ben’s work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub.

Prediction

The Bears are at home and you would imagine better equipped to navigate the temperature. However, the Rams have been the better team all season, with the kind of defensive front that can contain Caleb Williams. The Bears have made a season of thrilling comeback wins, but the Rams have more experience in these situations and should be able to hold on, assuming Stafford is healthy and doesn’t freeze solid.

Rams 17, Bears 10

If it’s true that defense wins championships, the Houston Texans should be feeling pretty good.

The divisional round includes a fascinating strength vs. strength matchup. The Texans’ defense is excellent. It allowed the fewest yards in the NFL this season. That group will face a New England Patriots offense led by Drake Maye, who along with Matthew Stafford are the two clear frontrunners for NFL MVP. Even if Stafford wins MVP, it doesn’t take away from how good Maye has been in his second season.

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The Patriots have had a huge breakout season, including their first playoff win since Tom Brady led a Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams. They went 14-3 after winning just four games each of the past two seasons. For those who were reveling over the Patriots’ decline after a long dynasty, their dip didn’t last long.

The Texans have never experienced success like those great Patriots teams. Houston has never been to the AFC championship game in its 24 seasons of existence. The Texans are 0-6 in the divisional round and each loss was by at least seven points. They’re hoping this defense takes them further than they’ve ever been in franchise history.

Previous meeting this season

The Texans and Patriots did not play this season and have faced off just once since 2021. That was a 41-21 Texans win during the 2024 season.

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Health update

The big name on the injury report for either team is Texans receiver Nico Collins, who suffered a concussion Monday night and hasn’t practiced yet this week. He is unlikely to play, which is a big blow to Houston’s offense. Collins had 1,117 receiving yards in the regular season and no other Texans receiver had more than 525. The other big question was Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who is also coming off a concussion but returned to practice Wednesday and is expected to play.

The head coaches

This is a matchup of two of the best coaches in the NFL. DeMeco Ryans has completely turned around the Texans. He’s 32-19 in his three seasons in Houston, and his influence is seen on the Texans’ top-ranked defense. Mike Vrabel could win NFL Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. His first one came when he was leading the Titans, and he has done a magnificent job in his first season in New England. These are two of the best motivators and defensive minds among the NFL’s head-coaching ranks.

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Key player for the Texans

Nico Collins is likely to miss Sunday’s game, and the Texans aren’t a top-end offense even with Collins in the lineup. Houston will need someone to step up. Last week it was rookie running back Woody Marks, who rushed for 112 yards in a wild-card win over the Steelers. Marks has had a solid rookie season but that was his first game of more than 74 rushing yards. The Patriots are strong against the run and the pass, but without Collins it seems likely the Texans will need to generate a run game to get their offense going. Marks will be the focal point of that effort.

Key player for the Patriots

There aren’t many weak spots for the Texans’ defense. But tight ends have been productive against Houston recently. Over the last seven weeks Houston has allowed a passer rating of 123.8 when tight ends are targeted, according to NBC Sports Boston. That’s the ninth-highest mark in the NFL over that time. Hunter Henry had already been a big part of New England’s passing game. He was second on the Patriots with 768 receiving yards in the regular season and he led the team with seven receiving touchdowns. He scored the only Patriots touchdown in the wild-card round. He will be involved often Sunday.

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Betting market watch

The Patriots opened as 2.5-point home favorites at many sportsbooks, but the line has moved to -3 across the board, with a few -3.5s even popping up. Houston WR Nico Collins has yet to practice due to a concussion suffered against the Steelers on Monday night, and could miss the game. Drake Maye had some concerning mistakes in Sunday’s win against the Chargers. Was it a sign of things to come or a blip in what’s been a potential MVP campaign? C.J. Stroud also didn’t inspire confidence against the Steelers (five fumbles), but does have more playoff experience than Maye. Houston’s defense is good enough to win this game, but I think the Texans come up a bit short without Collins. — Ben Fawkes

Check out more of Ben’s work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub.

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Prediction

The Texans’ defense is fierce. Houston is going to keep the game low-scoring (so will its offense, unfortunately for the road team), and it’ll try to pull it out late by forcing a few key mistakes. That’s where Drake Maye should prevail. Maye is already one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, and he should be able to produce some big plays against a defense that doesn’t give up much. The Texans would have a much better chance to win if Nico Collins was available, but that’s unlikely. Without Collins, the Texans’ offense is in trouble.

Patriots 16, Texans 9

The Orlando Magic made the first NBA game played in Berlin even more memorable, rallying from a 20-point deficit in the second quarter to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 118-111.

Orlando trailed 52-32 at the 8:02 mark of the second quarter following a Jaren Jackson Jr. floater. But the Magic began chipping away at the large deficit from there. Five minutes later, Orlando cut the lead to 52-42 on two Tristan da Silva free throws. An 11-0 Magic run was finally stopped by a Santi Aldama 3-pointer. Yet Orlando continued its comeback, trimming the margin to 67-58 at halftime on a Paolo Banchero 3 with 2.5 seconds remaining.

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The halftime break didn’t cool off Orlando at all, as the Magic outscored Memphis 26-12 in the third quarter. Franz Wagner and Anthony Black hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Grizzlies’ lead to 69-64, and Orlando pulled to within two points on a Banchero jumper at the 10:23 point. Orlando finally took the lead less than two minutes later with another Black 3 to go on top 71-70.

Black put an exclamation point on the victory, providing a play to remember with a dunk over four Grizzlies defenders in the lane with 2:27 remaining that gave Orlando a 109-107 lead.

The matchup at Berlin’s Uber Arena was the NBA’s first regular-season game in the country. Three of Orlando’s players — Franz and Moritz Wagner, in addition to da Silva — are from Germany. Orlando and Memphis will play each other again in London on Sunday. The games are part of the NBA’s initiative to increase its popularity in Europe and set a path toward launching a European league in a partnership with FIBA.

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Banchero led Orlando with 26 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Black followed with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, shooting 4-for-7 on 3s. Franz Wagner added 18 points and 9 boards (5 on the offensive side). With the win, the Magic improved to 23-18, giving them a half-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Jackson scored a game-high 30 points for Memphis, hitting 3-of-5 3-pointers. Aldama contributed 18 off the bench, nailing all four of his 3-point attempts. Desmond Bane scored 13 in his first game versus his former team since being traded to Orlando last June. And Cedric Coward added 17 points for the Grizzlies, who dropped to 17-23 with the defeat. That places them 10th in the West, tied with the Los Angeles Clippers.

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The Magic-Grizzlies matchup in London tips off at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday. Memphis hopes star guard Ja Morant will play after missing Thursday’s game with a right calf injury.

For the first time in his NFL career, Patrick Mahomes is spending his offseason rehabbing from a major injury. How quickly that progress goes by will be up to him and his body.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback met with reporters via video call Thursday for the first time since sustaining a season-ending torn ACL late in the regular season. The injury has left Mahomes’ availability for the 2026 season in some doubt, but he said rehab is going well and he hopes to be 100% by Week 1:

“It’s been going great. Obviously I think the long term — I want to be ready for Week 1. Doctors said that I could be, but I can’t predict what’s going to happen throughout the process. That’s my goal, so I’ll try to prepare myself to be ready to play in that Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and give us the best chance to win.

“Obviously, I hope to be able to do some stuff in OTAs and get to training camp and hopefully be able to do a lot there. It’s a long process, but I’m excited for it.”

Those hopes line up with what Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs’ vice president of sports medicine and performance, told reporters last month following Mahomes’ surgery. He threw out a loose recovery timeline of nine months, which would add up to a Sept. 15 return date. That’s a few days after the NFL’s season-opener, but with a large margin of error.

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His comment:

“Every player is different. Every sport’s different. Every position is different. With him, traditionally, he’s going after it so hard and he’s so in tune with what he does, he does it a little quicker. Ballpark on this is nine months. Could be a month or two less, a month or two more. You never know what goes on and everyone’s designed biomechanically, and so you just have to go through it.

Mahomes’ knee won’t be the only thing that needs recovery in the Chiefs organization. The team missed the playoffs for the first time since it drafted the future Hall of Famer and is facing the effects of an aging core in a quickly changing league.

Among the biggest question marks in Kansas City is what happens at offensive coordinator. The incumbent Matt Nagy’s contract is up and he has been interviewing for head-coaching positions over the past few weeks. A return appears unlikely, leaving head coach Andy Reid to find a replacement.

Mahomes said he trusts Reid to “have a good plan of whom he wants to bring in,” then laid out what he wants to see in the team’s next offensive coordinator:

“I just want someone that loves football, that cares about football, that wants to give everything they can to win, to hold people accountable and to bring new ideas every single day. I think that’s something that we have to continue to do if you want to continue to be great.

“In this league, you have to continue to evolve and get better and better. That’s something that we’ll try to do here. I want to get back to that winning culture and being accountable to each other and going out there and playing great football every single day, practice or game.”

Whenever he comes back, Mahomes’ talents figure to be an asset while trying to find a coordinator. Reid could very well look for a familiar face — perhaps Mike Kafka or Eric Bieniemy — or bring in someone entirely new. Whether the hire works out could have a significant effect on the rest of the AFC.