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It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for players in the first round of the 2025 Players Championship. With TPC Sawgrass showing more teeth than expected, some competitors are forced to play catch-up to secure a weekend tee time while others will aim to position themselves for a charge over the second 36 holes.

The top three players in the world — Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele — are playing alongside each other for the second straight round on Friday. Scheffler impressed in his quest for a three-peat and continues his love affair with TPC Sawgrass in Round 2 with all three men already on the course. McIlroy, who entered Friday just one shot off the lead, has surged into command of the solo lead at the early juncture of the second round. Whether he will keep hold of that position entering Moving Day remains to be seen.

As the day progresses, the afternoon wave will take to the golf course highlighted by Jordan Spieth. He signed for an opening 70 that featured just about everything; his second look at TPC Sawgrass comes at 1:51 p.m.

Ludvig Åberg, Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama will march in lockstep once again with the latter two having work to do just in order to make the weekend. They will start their second rounds at 1:29 p.m. off the first tee.

Let’s take a look at the full slate of Round 2 tee times and pairings. Be sure to check out our complete 2025 Players Championship TV schedule so you know where watch the action all weekend long. If you are unable to watch live or need a second-screen option, visit our live Players Championship leaderboard coverage with updates and highlights throughout Round 2.

2025 Players Championship: Rounds 2 tee times, pairings
All times Eastern

No. 1

7:40 a.m. — Henrik Norlander, Ricky Castilo, Ben Kohles
7:51 a.m. — Eric Cole, Ben Griffin, Max Greyserman
8:02 a.m. — J.J. Spaun, Chandler Phillips, Jacob Bridgeman
8:13 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo, Byeong Hun An, Adam Schenk
8:24 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Kurt Kitayama, Peter Malnati
8:35 a.m. — Brice Garnett, Matthieu Pavon, Camilo Villegas
8:46 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Jake Knapp, Taylor Moore
8:57 a.m. — Nico Echavarria, Kevin Yu, Erik van Rooyen
9:08 a.m. — Karl Vilips, Sam Burns, Cameron Young
9:19 a.m. — K.H. Lee, Patrick Fishburn, Carson Young
9:30 a.m. — Trey Mullinax, Ryo Hisatsune, Laurie Canter
9:41 a.m. — Kris Ventura, Kevin Roy, Jackson Suber
12:45 p.m. — Lanto Griffin, Andrew Novak, David Lipsky
12:56 p.m. — Keith Mitchell, Justin Lower, Nicolai Højgaard
1:07 p.m. — Michael Kim, Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens
1:18 p.m. — Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman, Tony Finau
1:29 p.m. — Ludvig Aberg, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas
1:40 p.m. — Russell Henley, Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland
1:51 p.m. — Wyndham Clark, Danny Walker, Jordan Spieth
2:02 p.m. — Thomas Detry, Sepp Straka, Nick Taylor
2:13 p.m. — J.T. Poston, Seamus Power, Mackenzie Hughes
2:24 p.m. — Chris Kirk, Luke List, Adam Svensson
2:35 p.m. — Bud Cauley, Matti Schmid, David Skinns
2:46 p.m. — Hayden Springer, Jesper Svensson, Will Chandler
No. 10

7:40 a.m. — Doug Ghim, Ryan Fox, Sami Valimaki
7:51 a.m. — Andrew Putnam, Charley Hoffman, Denny McCarthy
8:02 a.m. — Daniel Berger, Min Woo Lee, Rasmus Højgaard
8:13 a.m. — Harris English, Billy Horschel, Justin Rose
8:24 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele
8:35 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, Tommy Fleetwood
8:46 a.m. — Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay
8:57 a.m. — Nick Dunlap, Akshay Bhatia, Tom Kim
9:08 a.m. — Harry Hall, Chris Gotterup, Si Woo Kim
9:19 a.m. — Jhonattan Vegas, Matt Kuchar, Adam Hadwin
9:30 a.m. — Sam Ryder, Greyson Sigg, Mac Meissner
9:41 a.m. — Max McGreevy, Frankie Capan III, Ryan Gerard
12:45 p.m. — Chad Ramey, C.T. Pan, Vince Whaley
12:56 p.m. — Joel Dahmen, Patrick Rodgers, Chan Kim
1:07 p.m. — Beau Hossler, Mark Hubbard, Ben Silverman
1:18 p.m. — Rafael Campos, Davis Riley, Gary Woodland
1:29 p.m. — Joe Highsmith, Matt McCarty, Brian Campbell
1:40 p.m. — Patton Kizzire, Lucas Glover, Corey Conners
1:51 p.m. — Sahith Theegala, Matt Fitzpatrick, Will Zalatoris
2:02 p.m. — Davis Thompson, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Hoge
2:13 p.m. — Aaron Rai, Cam Davis, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
2:24 p.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Max Homa, Sungjae Im
2:35 p.m. — Nate Lashley, Will Gordon, Rico Hoey
2:46 p.m. — Alejandro Tosti, Isaiah Salinda, Aldrich Potgieter

The 2025 Masters is quickly approaching as Augusta National Golf Club gets set to host the world’s top golfers beginning on Thursday, April 10. It has been a 2025 season marked by golf longshots finding success, with players like Joe Highsmith, Brian Campbell and Thomas Detry having secured their first career PGA Tour victories. Will another longshot find success at the Masters 2025, or should you back a major champion like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm or Xander Schauffele in the 2025 Masters field?

According to the latest 2025 Masters odds, Scheffler is the +470 favorite (risk $100 to win $470). Scheffler is the defending champion and if he can finish on top of the 2025 Masters leaderboard, he’ll be the first repeat champion since Tiger Woods in 2001-02. The No. 1-ranked player in the world is followed by McIlroy (8-1), Ludvig Aberg (12-1), Schauffele (13-1) and Rahm (13-1) on the PGA odds board. Woods likely won’t play after undergoing surgery for a ruptured Achilles earlier this week. Which golfers should you back with your 2025 Masters bets? Before making any 2025 Masters picks, you need to see the 2025 Masters predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.

McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in 2022 after stops at NBC Sports and RyderCup.com. Covering the sport from a broader perspective, he still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and more. Featured weekly on the Early Wedge, he gave out numerous winners in 2024, including Jake Knapp (50-1) at the Mexico Open and Xander Schauffele (20-1) at the PGA Championship. He already nailed Sepp Straka as a 66-1 longshot in The American Express this year. Anyone who followed his betting picks could have been way up on betting apps and sportsbooks.

Now, McDonald has focused his attention on the 2025 Masters field and locked in his best bets and top longshot sleepers. You can only see them here.

Top 2025 Masters expert picks
McDonald loves the value of Sepp Straka at 80-1 (risk $100 to win $8,000) in the first major of the year. Straka has been playing some exceptional golf early in the 2025 season. He finished on top of the leaderboard at The American Express and T15 or better in five of his first seven starts overall.

He’s been able to secure those positive results thanks to his consistent iron play. The 31-year-old entered the month of March ranked second in greens in regulation percentage (76.50%) and 11th in strokes gained: approach to green (0.867). In addition, Straka has never missed the cut at Augusta National and is coming off his best-ever Masters finish, a T-16 showing in 2024.

“Straka ranks inside the top 10 in the world in driving accuracy and iron play so far in 2025,” McDonald told SportsLine. “This is the combination that led him to a T-16 finish at the Masters last season as he ranked sixth in driving accuracy, fifth in greens in regulation and eighth in strokes gained tee to green. Recent improvements on and around the greens should improve Straka’s chances at nabbing a major championship where he has acquitted himself nicely in recent years.” See who else to back here.

How to make 2025 Masters picks, bets
McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2025 Masters, including an epic longshot who’s priced over 200-1. This golfer is the “biggest misprice on the board at the moment,” so anyone who backs him could hit it big. You can only see the picks at SportsLine.

So which players should you target for the 2025 Masters, and which golfer could bring a huge payday of more than 200-1? Check out the 2025 Masters odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald’s top picks for the 2025 Masters, all from the expert who gave out Straka as a 66-1 longshot at the 2025 American Express.

2025 Masters odds, field
See the full Masters picks, best bets and predictions

Scottie Scheffler +470
Rory McIlroy +800
Ludvig Aberg +1200
Xander Schauffele +1300
Jon Rahm +1300
Collin Morikawa +2200
Bryson DeChambeau +2200
Hideki Matsuyama +2300
Justin Thomas +3000
Brooks Koepka +3100
Jordan Spieth +3200
Patrick Cantlay +3200
Tyrrell Hatton +3300
Joaquin Niemann +3300
Shane Lowry +3800
Tommy Fleetwood +3900
Will Zalatoris +4900
Cameron Smith +5000
Tony Finau +5000
Dustin Johnson +5500
Maverick McNealy +5500
Russell Henley +6000
Jason Day +6000
Viktor Hovland +6500
Tom Kim +6500
Sahith Theegala +7000
Akshay Bhatia +7000
Robert MacIntyre +7000
Wyndham Clark +7500
Sungjae Im +7500
Corey Conners +7500|
Max Homa +7500
Sam Burns +7500
Matt Fitzpatrick +8500
Cameron Young +8500
Min Woo Lee +8500
Rickie Fowler +8500
Patrick Reed +9000
Sepp Straka +10000
Justin Rose +10000
Max Greyserman +10000
Nicolai Hojgaard +12000
Davis Thompson +12000
Rasmus Hojgaard +12000
Adam Scott +13000
Si Woo Kim +13000
Brian Harman +13000
Taylor Pendrith +14000
Billy Horschel +15000
Thomas Detry +15000
Jake Knapp +16000
Nick Dunlap +16000
Thriston Lawrence +16000
Keegan Bradley +18000|
Byeong Hun An +18000
Cameron Davis +19000
Harris English +19000
Phil Mickelson +20000

Scottie Scheffler will begin his green jacket defense when the 2025 Masters gets underway from Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, April 10. Scheffler, who finished four strokes ahead of Ludvig Åberg last year to record his second Masters victory, will try to become the first golfer to repeat as a green jacket winner since Tiger Woods accomplished the feat in 2001-02. Scheffler will have to stave off several serious 2025 Masters contenders if he hopes to rewrite the history books with Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele among the big names chasing the coveted green jacket.

Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, is the +470 favorite (risk $100 to win $470) to repeat, according to the latest 2025 Masters odds. He’s followed by McIlroy (+800), Åberg (+1200), Schauffele (+1300) and Rahm (+1300) on the PGA odds board.

Should your 2025 Masters picks include backing one of the favorites, or should you target a longshot like Adam Scott (130-1), who won the Masters in 2013? Before locking in your 2025 Masters picks or entering any PGA DFS tournaments on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up nearly $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

This same model has also nailed a whopping 13 majors entering the weekend, including the 2024 Masters (its third Masters in a row) and last year’s PGA Championship and U.S. Open. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting apps like FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics.

Now that the 2025 Masters field is taking shape, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.

2025 Masters predictions for Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau
One shocker the model is calling at the Masters 2025: Rory McIlroy (8-1), a 27-time PGA Tour champion and one of the top favorites, will fail to finish on top of the leaderboard and won’t even crack the top five. McIlroy is a four-time major champion but hasn’t won a major since 2014 when he finished on top of the leaderboard at the PGA Championship and Open Championship.

With a victory at Augusta, McIlroy would become just the sixth golfer to complete the career grand slam. McIlroy has been close to accomplishing that feat on numerous occasions, including in 2022 when he secured a runner-up finish. However, he’s missed the cut in two of his past four starts at Augusta and finished T22 at the Masters in 2024. Given his recent form at Augusta National, and his extremely short odds, McIlroy is one to fade with Masters 2025 bets. See who else to fade here.

The model has also locked in its projection for Bryson DeChambeau (22-1), a two-time major champion. DeChambeau is one of the most polarizing figures in the game of golf. He disrupted norms when he came out and said he viewed Augusta National as a “par 67.” However, DeChambeau played well at the Masters in 2024, securing a T6 finish, which marked the first time he’s cracked the top 10 at the Masters. DeChambeau’s Augusta National debut came in 2016 when he earned Low Amateur honors.

On the other hand, the model has examined Scheffler’s (47-10) chances to defend his Masters title. Scheffler had a historic run in 2024 which saw him record seven victories, two runner-ups and 16 top-10 finishes. Scheffler was extremely efficient in several statistical categories in 2024, ranking first in scoring average (68.01), birdie average (4.88), strokes gained: approach to green (1.269), strokes gained: total (2.496) and putting average (1.680).

He’s got off to a bit of a slow start compared to those lofty standards in 2025. Scheffler has yet to record a victory through his first four PGA Tour starts but did finish T3 at the Genesis Invitational in February. Scheffler has never finished worse than T19 at the Masters in his career, so there’s plenty to like but also to question regarding Scheffler at his price in 2025 Masters bets. See the full Masters projections from the model here.

How to make 2025 Masters picks
The model is also targeting three other golfers with odds of 30-1 or longer who will make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model’s picks here.

Who will win the 2025 Masters, which longshots will stun the golfing world, and where will Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy finish? Check out the latest 2025 Masters odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 13 golf majors, including the last three Masters and three majors in 2024.

2025 Masters odds, favorites
Get full 2025 Masters picks, best bets and predictions here.

Scottie Scheffler +470
Rory McIlroy +800
Ludvig Aberg +1200
Xander Schauffele +1300
Jon Rahm +1300
Collin Morikawa +1900
Bryson DeChambeau +2200
Hideki Matsuyama +2300
Justin Thomas +2800
Brooks Koepka +3100
Jordan Spieth +3200
Patrick Cantlay +3200
Tyrrell Hatton +3300
Joaquin Niemann +3300
Shane Lowry +3800
Tommy Fleetwood +3900
Will Zalatoris +4900
Cameron Smith +5000
Tony Finau +5000
Russell Henley +5500
Dustin Johnson +5500
Maverick McNealy +5500
Jason Day +6000
Viktor Hovland +6500
Tom Kim +6500
Sahith Theegala +7000
Akshay Bhatia +7000
Robert MacIntyre +7000
Wyndham Clark +7500
Sungjae Im +7500
Corey Conners +7500
Max Homa +7500
Sam Burns +7500
Sepp Straka +8000
Matt Fitzpatrick +8500
Cameron Young +8500
Min Woo Lee +8500
Rickie Fowler +8500
Patrick Reed +9000
Justin Rose +10000
Max Greyserman +10000
Nicolai Hojgaard +12000
Sergio Garcia +12000
Davis Thompson +12000
Rasmus Hojgaard +12000
Adam Scott +13000
Si Woo Kim +13000
Brian Harman +13000
Keegan Bradley +14000
Taylor Pendrith +14000
Billy Horschel +15000
Thomas Detry +15000
Jake Knapp +16000
Nick Dunlap +16000
Thriston Lawrence +16000
Byeong Hun An +18000
Cameron Davis +19000
Harris English +19000
Phil Mickelson +20000

Realistically, Golden State has a slim to zero chance of landing either player or another max-contract superstar, for that matter. This was a point driven home by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons during the latest episode of the The Bill Simmons Podcast.

As part of the second star-to-Warriors discussion, Simmons advised Golden State to give up on that idea and instead target two really good players from the Brooklyn Nets.

“If I was Golden State, I would audible and go after Cam Johnson and (Dennis) Schröder and try to figure out, is there something we can do with (Andrew) Wiggins?” Simmons said.

“Could it be (Jonathan) Kuminga and Melton for Cam Johnson? … Do you try to get Schróder in it? Could it be Wiggins, Melton, and an unprotected first for Johnson and Schröder? Does Kuminga even need to be in (the trade)?”

“It just feels like Brooklyn, Golden State seems like the matchup.”

“I don’t think Golden State’s going to be able to get a second star.”

Johnson, 28, is in the second year of a four-year, $94.5 million deal. Schröder, 31, is in the final year of his two-year, $25.4 million deal.

Clippers Nation, the road trip continues as your LA Clippers (14-11) take on the Denver Nuggets (12-10) tonight at Ball Arena. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on FanDuel Sports Network SoCal. With a 2-0 season series lead, the Clippers are looking to bounce back from a tough week and keep their edge over Denver.

The Clippers hit a rough patch with back-to-back losses, including a 117-106 defeat to the Rockets on Sunday. Still, there were bright spots: Ivica Zubac delivered another standout performance with 21 points and 12 rebounds, continuing his breakout season.

The best news for Clippers fans? Kawhi Leonard is back at practice. While he won’t suit up tonight, his return to the court is a beacon of hope as the team battles through a tough stretch.

If you’re looking to catch all the Clippers games this season including tonight, we have your guide for streaming all of the games here.

WATCH: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets free on fuboTV

How to Watch the Los Angeles Clippers on TV:
You can catch the Los Angeles Clippers in action tonight on FanDuel Sports Network SoCal as they take on Denver Nuggets. If you want to keep up with every Clippers game all season long, you can sign up for fuboTV to get access to FanDuel Sports Network SoCal and watch the Clippers locally in your area, no cable required. With fuboTV, you’ll never miss a moment of the action, whether they’re playing at home or on the road!

Butler’s preference is important because, according to Charania, he will opt out of the $52.4 million remaining on his contract this summer to pursue a longer-term deal. Any team that trades for him would almost certainly want to re-sign him to prevent him from going to a new team after only a few months.

From the Nets to the Warriors, here are the best landing spots for Butler based on the teams linked to him.

MORE: Why NBA fans are convinced Jimmy Butler is fueling trade rumors with hair color choices

Ranking best Jimmy Butler trade destinations

5. Nets
   Butler’s preferred choice is the Nets, according to a source close to Butler who spoke with Lewis. Getting there via trade seems unlikely.

The Nets have a ton of picks and tradeable players they could use in a Butler deal. They’re also one of few teams with enough cap space to sign him as a free agent. That cap space makes a trade unlikely. It simply wouldn’t make sense for Brooklyn to give up quality young players in exchange for Butler because it could sign him outright this summer.

The Nets are also not in a position to make the most of Butler’s skills. They’re a middling team in the East, with the potential to try and tank for a good pick in a loaded 2025 NBA Draft. The trade winds indicate that they’d be looking to go the other way, trading off talent to make the foundation of their rebuild even stronger.

NBA MOCK DRAFT: Cooper Flagg lands at No. 1 to Nets; Rutgers’ Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper in running for No. 2 pick

4. Suns
   A Suns trade would be extremely tricky to pull off. They’re above the second apron, so they couldn’t take back salary in a deal. The only piece that could be used in a Butler trade (aside from Devin Booker or Kevin Durant, which ain’t happening) is Bradley Beal.

Keith Smith of Spotrac outlined how that deal would work: Beal would get moved to the Heat in exchange for Butler and a minimum-salaried player.

The first issue in this trade is that Beal has a no-trade clause in his contract. Would he want to be a part of a retool in Miami?

Additionally, the Heat probably wouldn’t want Beal on his current contract. The Suns would have to throw in their only draft equity — a 2031 first-round pick. That wouldn’t be enough incentive to take on the rest of Beal’s contract.

Too much would need to happen for this trade to work, making it extremely unlikely.

MORE: Jimmy Butler’s agent rips ESPN’s Shams Charania over trade rumors

3. Mavericks
   The Mavericks do have a little bit of financial wiggle room to make a trade for a player like Butler. They could combine P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Maxi Kleber, Quentin Grimes and Dwight Powell in a trade, as outlined by Smith. They have up to two first-rounders they could throw in as well.

The fit for the Mavericks wouldn’t be amazing. Butler needs the ball in his hands to be at his best, and they obviously already have Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in that role. Dallas would also lose all of its depth and might be a worse-off team after this deal despite Butler’s high talent level. Weak links have become much more important in today’s NBA, and there would be a lot of them after trading away so many rotation players.

The Mavs would probably say no to this deal.

2. Rockets
   The Rockets have the most financial flexibility of any of these teams to get a deal done. They don’t have cap issues, they have a ton of young promising players to trade and they have four picks they could move.

Do they want a player like Butler, though? He’s 35 years old. While the Rockets are one of the top teams in the West, they’d ideally get someone younger to fit alongside their core.

“Team sources say it’s highly unlikely they’ll pursue the 35-year-old, six-time All-Star from nearby Tomball, Texas,” Sam Amick wrote for The Athletic as the Butler rumors began to percolate. “There’s still an aversion to the prospect of adding any star in his mid-to-late 30s.”

MORE: This Warriors package could land Jimmy Butler

1. Warriors
   The Warriors aren’t a championship team as currently constructed. They do have an avenue to get there. Stephen Curry is still playing like an All-NBA player, and they need one more guy. They’ve looked at Butler before. Now could be the time to get that deal done.

Butler could give Golden State a badly-needed second scorer and a more reliable player than Jonathan Kuminga, who would likely have to be outgoing in any significant trade.

In addition to a nice prospect in Kuminga, the Warriors have up to three picks they could move. They have the pieces to get a deal done both in terms of salary and assets, and they certainly have the need.

The Heat have never been interested in bottoming out during the Pat Riley era, and that probably isn’t changing as the executive turns 80 in March. A trade with the Warriors could bring back some solid veterans that could keep the team afloat while replenishing that draft stash and getting Kuminga in the door.

Trae Young got the best of the Knicks at Madison Square Garden once again.

The All-Star point guard eliminated the Knicks from the NBA Cup and advanced to the semifinals in Las Vegas. His 22 points and 11 assists helped the Hawks win the third quarter, 34-18, which gave them all the advantage needed to win the game, 108-100.

WATCH:Hawks vs. Bucks LIVE on Sling

Just like the 2021 NBA playoffs, the Hawks will face the Bucks prior to the championship game. Giannis Antetokounmpo is having yet another MVP-caliber season highlighted with his 37-point outing against the Magic in the quarterfinals.

The Bucks had a rough start to the season but have since turned it around, winning nine of their last 11 games. Not many teams are as hot as Milwaukee right now.

It’s the second straight season that the Bucks reached the semifinals of the NBA Cup. This time, they’ll try to reach the championship game and face the winner of the Thunder vs. Rockets matchup.

The Sporting News has all the details on how to watch Bucks vs. Hawks today.

What channel is Bucks vs. Hawks on today?
TV channel: TNT
Live stream: Sling
Fans can watch this semifinal match between the Bucks and Hawks live on TNT.

For those without cable, Sling will have a live stream on its platform.

Bucks vs. Hawks start time
Date: Saturday, Dec. 14
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Bucks vs. Hawks tips off on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.

Bucks vs. Hawks radio station
Radio station: SiriusXM channels 80, 86
Fans can listen to Bucks vs. Hawks live on SiriusXM channels 80 (Hawks broadcast) and 86 (Bucks broadcast).

Get SiriusXM for free for your first month. Listen to live NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games, plus NASCAR, college sports and more. Stay updated with all the news and get all the analysis on multiple sport-specific channels.

The Rockets narrowly made it to the NBA Cup semifinals with their 91-90 win over the Warriors on Wednesday.

Houston went on a 7-0 run to end the game that included multiple shot clock violations to keep Golden State at bay. The Rockets defense is intense, and it’ll present a challenge to MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Las Vegas.

WATCH:Thunder vs. Rockets LIVE on Sling

Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.2 points, 6.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. He’s led the Thunder to the top of the Western Conference with the Rockets 2.5 games behind.

Unlike the Eastern Conference semifinals, this is a matchup of the two top seeds in the conference. The Thunder will continue to be without Chet Holmgren as he recovers from his hip fracture. Even without the star big, Oklahoma City has been excellent, winning eight of its last 10.

Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein have been essential in Holmgren’s absence. Williams is averaging 21.8 points per game this season, while Hartenstein is averaging 12.8 boards per game.

Both squads have great depth and will give a potential sneak peak for a Western Conference playoff matchup in the spring.

The Sporting News has all the details on how to watch Thunder vs. Rockets.

In fact, former NBA players even began claiming Minnesota traded away the wrong player.

Right now, the Wolves are hardly a playoff team. Which for a team that reached the Western Conference Finals a year ago is unacceptable. Some rumors have circulated that Minnesota could be looking to move either Randle or DiVincenzo. Neither player’s performance this year has had Wolves fans jumping out of the gym.

Perhaps, the move that is needed to be made is a bigger one. Rumors are circulating that Philadelphia Sixers center Joel Embiid’s days with the Sixers are numbered. A recent article from Hoops Habit suggests that Minnesota is one of four teams that should be lining up to trade for Embiid. In this trade projection, the Wolves would have to include Randle in the deal.

It’s important to note Embiid cannot be traded during this season.

While any team would be lucky to acquire the former NBA MVP, the Wolves would become an instant favorite if they managed to do so and somehow keep Randle. Without much to offer in terms of future draft picks, Minnesota arguably has the best players that they could include in an offer.

Fadeaway World proposes it would likely take a package that includes Rudy Gobert, DiVincenzo, and another player in addition to some future draft picks.

While it will be difficult to complete two blockbuster trades in one season, the thought of pairing Anthony Edwards alongside Embiid sounds enticing. It’s a trade that would have a high-risk, high reward. It’s a trade that could work out for both the Sixers and the Wolves.