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At long last, Grand Theft Auto VI’s long-awaited and highly-anticipated trailer has dropped. Believe it or not, it has been 10 years since Grand Theft Auto V was released, and a lot has changed in that time. That’s especially true in the sports world, where things shift rapidly.

When GTA V was first released, the landscape of major sports in America looked a lot different than it does today. LeBron James was still in South Beach, Joe Flacco was still “elite,” David Ortiz was flipping Torii Hunter over the right field wall in Fenway Park and college football still used computers to determine its national championship matchup.

It’s also fun to go back and look at how the fortunes of various teams have changed over the years. Back in 2013, the Houston Astros and Colorado Avalanche were bad, the Boston Red Sox and Auburn Tigers were competing for championships and the reigning Stanley Cup champions were still a twinkle in Gary Bettman’s eye.

Let’s do some reminiscing and remembering some guys and gals as we throw it back to 2013, when the last Grand Theft Auto game made its way into Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles everywhere.

NFL
Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens def. San Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl MVP: Joe Flacco (BAL)
NFL MVP: Adrian Peterson (MIN)
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Robert Griffin III (WAS)
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Luke Kuechly (CAR)

Grand Theft Auto V was actually released right at the start of the 2013 NFL season, but those were the reigning champs and award-winners at the time. Joe Flacco, who was just beckoned off his couch to play for the Cleveland Browns, led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win over Colin Kaepernick, Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers. As far as we know, there were no allegations of sign stealing leveled against Harbaugh in that playoff run.

It’s also notable that the MVP, Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year are no longer in the league. They say the NFL stands for “Not For Long,” and they mean it.

At the time the enormous GTA V map was downloading on consoles across the country, Peyton Manning was two games into his second season with the Denver Broncos. He had already thrown for 769 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in what would eventually be the start of another MVP season for him. In the NFC, second-year quarterback Russell Wilson had the Seattle Seahawks sitting at 2-0 with big things to come.

NBA
NBA Finals: Miami Heat def. San Antonio Spurs
NBA Finals MVP: LeBron James (MIA)
NBA MVP: LeBron James (MIA)
Rookie of the Year: Damian Lillard (POR)
Sixth Man of the Year: J.R. Smith (NYK)

James and the “Big Three” were coming off their second consecutive NBA title after taking down Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs in a thrilling seven-game series. James had to build more room in his trophy case that summer as he dominated that season by averaging 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

A few of James’ future teammates also had big seasons that year. Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics led the league with 11.1 assists per game, Dwight Howard owned the glass in Los Angeles by averaging a league-leading 12.4 rebounds per game with the Lakers, and Carmelo Anthony shined with the New York Knicks by finishing as the NBA’s leading scorer with 28.7 points per game.

Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard was just traded to the Milwaukee Bucks after 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, and he now forms a daunting duo alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was also a rookie when GTA V hit shelves.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference with a 60-22 record, but they were upset by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round. The Golden State Warriors were still searching for their first title since 1975, but Steph Curry provided some hope for the future with a real breakout campaign.

MLB
World Series: Boston Red Sox def. St. Louis Cardinals
World Series MVP: David Ortiz (BOS)
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (DET)
AL Cy Young: Max Scherzer (DET)
NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen (PIT)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (LAD)

On the heels of the Boston Marathon bombing, the Red Sox rallied around their city and won the World Series after finishing dead last in the AL East one year earlier. David Ortiz gave his famous “our f–ing city” speech before having one of the most clutch postseasons in MLB history, featuring a game-tying grand slam in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers. He then proceeded to hit .688 with four intentional walks in the World Series.

As far as the other award winners, Miguel Cabrera just completed his final MLB season and leaves the game tied for 25th all-time in home runs with 511. Scherzer, Cabrera’s teammate on the Tigers in 2013, just won the second World Series of his career, this time with the Texas Rangers. Kershaw just ended his 16th season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but his future is now up in the air after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. Similarly, McCutchen was going strong in his 15th season, and 10th with the Pittsburgh Pirates, before an Achilles injury derailed him.

Elsewhere around the league, the lowly Houston Astros couldn’t even muster 60 wins, going a miserable 51-111. The Chicago Cubs, being the lovable losers that they were, finished last in the NL Central at 66-96. That summer, the Cubs also drafted a player by the name of Kris Bryant. A 21-year-old Mike Trout hit 27 home runs, and Shohei Ohtani was a rookie with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan.

NHL
Stanley Cup Final: Chicago Blackhawks def. Boston Bruins
Conn Smythe Trophy: Patrick Kane (CHI)
Hart Trophy: Alex Ovechkin (WAS)
Norris Trophy: P.K. Subban (MTL)
Vezina Trophy: Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ)
Calder Trophy: Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA)

Due to a partial lockout, the NHL played just 48 regular-season games in 2012-13, and the Blackhawks were the best team from wire to wire. They won 36 games and are still the most recent team in NHL history to win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year. Chicago fell behind Boston, 2-1, in the Stanley Cup Final before rattling off three straight wins to end the series.

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were at the top of their game, combining for 46 goals and 103 points that season. In the playoffs, Kane took his game to another level by scoring nine even-strength goals and totaling 19 points in 23 games.

Alex Ovechkin scored 32 goals en route to his third Hart Trophy, and he’s still chipping away at Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record today. Martin St. Louis, now the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, won the Art Ross Trophy as the league leader in points with 60.

The Colorado Avalanche finished as one of the worst teams in the NHL, but they won the NHL Draft lottery and selected Nathan MacKinnon with the No. 1 overall pick. Henrik Lundqvist, who was just inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, finished second in Vezina voting with a 2.05 GAA and a .926 save percentage.

College Football
BCS National Championship: Florida State def. Auburn
ACC champion: Florida State
SEC champion: Auburn
Big Ten champion: Michigan State
Big 12 champion: Baylor
Pac-12 champion: Stanford
Heisman Trophy: Jameis Winston (FSU)

Back when they still let computers select which teams would play for the national title (what a time), Auburn and Florida State played a thriller at the Rose Bowl. With 1:19 to go in the fourth quarter, Tre Mason scored a 37-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 31-27 lead. Jameis Winston responded by leading the Seminoles on a game-winning touchdown drive that ended with him finding Kelvin Benjamin in the end zone.

That was the cherry on top of an outstanding season from Winston, who completed 66.9% of his passes for 4,057 yards, 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He even added 219 yards and four scores on the ground. It may have been a brutal end for the Tigers, but it was a magical season up until the final minute of the national title. The 2013 season included both the Prayer at Jordan-Hare against Georgia and the Kick Six against Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

Johnny Manziel followed up his Heisman Trophy season in 2012 by totaling 4,873 yards and 30 total touchdowns. In the same year that Jim Harbaugh led the 49ers to the Super Bowl, his successor at Stanford, David Shaw, led the Cardinal to an 11-3 record and a win over No. 11 Arizona State in the conference championship. In April 2013, long before the season even began, one Patrick Mahomes gave a verbal commitment to play football at Texas Tech University.

As always, the coaching carousel was as ruthless as Trevor Philips, so let’s review some of the most notable changes at the end of the 2013 season.

Texas: Mack Brown replaced by Charlie Strong
Louisville: Charlie Strong replaced by Bobby Petrino
USC: Lane Kiffin replaced by Steve Sarkisian
Washington: Steve Sarkisian replaced by Chris Petersen
Boise State: Chris Petersen replaced by Bryan Harsin
Penn State: Bill O’Brien replaced by James Franklin
Vanderbilt: James Franklin replaced by Derek Mason
College Basketball
Men’s national champion: Louisville
Men’s Player of the Year: Trey Burke (Michigan)
Women’s national champion: UConn
Women’s Player of the Year: Brittney Griner (Baylor)

On the men’s side of things, Louisville coach Rick Pitino led Louisville to a 35-5 record, a Big East championship and an NCAA championship. All of those wins have since been vacated, but we watched the games and the NCAA hasn’t brought out the Neuralyzer from “Men in Black” quite yet.

The No. 1 seed Cardinals rolled through the first three rounds of March Madness without too many issues, and that set up an Elite Eight matchup with No. 2 seed Duke. The game was expected to be a tight one, but that was not the case. Louisville cruised to an 85-63 win, and Russ Smith led all scorers with 23 points. The one stain on that game for the Cards was the gruesome Kevin Ware injury.

In the Final Four, the Cardinals won thrillers over Wichita State and Michigan to bring home the title.

In terms of Cinderella stories, Wichita State had to be the biggest. The Shockers reached the Final Four as a No. 9 seed, beating some high-profile programs in the process. No. 13 seed La Salle reached the Sweet 16 before getting beaten by Wichita State. No. 13 seed Florida Gulf Coast captured the hearts of America by riding “Dunk City” all the way to the Sweet 16 as well.

Somehow, UConn’s women’s team did not win the Big East regular-season title. When looking back on it, that was shocking because the Huskies blasted every one of their March Madness opponents, including Big East winner Notre Dame.

Geno Auriemma’s team won every single NCAA Tournament game by at least 18 points. UConn also won four games by at least 30 points, including the national championship game against Louisville, which was a 93-60 blowout. It would have been interesting to see Brittney Griner go head-to-head with this UConn team in the tournament, but her Baylor Bears were upset by the Cardinals in the Sweet 16.

PGA Tour
Player of the Year: Tiger Woods
Most wins: Tiger Woods (5)
FedEx Cup champion: Henrik Stenson
The Masters: Adam Scott
U.S. Open: Justin Rose
The Open Championship: Phil Mickelson
PGA Championship: Jason Dufner

Tennis (M)
Player of the Year: Rafael Nadal
Most tournament wins: Rafael Nadal (10)
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic
French Open: Rafael Nadal
Wimbledon: Andy Murray
US Open: Rafael Nadal

Tennis (W)
Player of the Year: Serena Williams
Most tournament wins: Serena Williams (11)
Australian Open: Victoria Azarenka
French Open: Serena Williams
Wimbledon: Marion Bartoli
US Open: Serena Williams

NASCAR
Cup Series champion: Jimmie Johnson
Most wins: Matt Kenseth (7)
Rookie of the Year: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The Indiana Pacers announced Spokenote as their official jersey patch partner this week and have created a unique concept. The Pacers will become the first major U.S. pro sports team to feature a jersey patch with a functioning QR code. The patch will be on the left shoulder of the Pacers’ regular season and postseason jerseys. Fans who scan it will be accessing “unique, never-seen-before Pacers’ content.” When scanned, the QR code currently takes you to a video of the Pacers explaining the new patch. “No one is going to look as good as the Pacers,” point guard Tyrese Haliburton said in the video. We are excited to announce a first-of-its-kind jersey patch partnership with Fishers-based Spokenote. We are the first major professional sports franchise in the United States to debut a QR code-like patch, a Spokenote code that will give fans access to unique content. Learn… pic.twitter.com/naNCT6UKgf — Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 3, 2024 “We are thrilled to have Spokenote as our jersey patch partner, and their innovative product will allow us to engage our fans in many new and different ways,” Todd Taylor, president and chief commercial officer for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said. “We are extremely proud to assist a local startup on its journey to becoming a widely known consumer brand.” With the patch, the Pacers are also representing a local business because Spokenote is a Fishers-based tech startup company. All NBA teams have patch sponsors, except the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers. The Pacers are set to debut the jerseys with the new QR code patch during their home game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.

Madison Square Garden showcases a marquee NBA matchup on Wednesday night. The Chicago Bulls take on the New York Knicks in a nationally televised showdown, and it is the second game for New York after the acquisition of OG Anunoby. The Knicks are 18-15 overall and 9-4 at home this season. Chicago arrives on the second night of a back-to-back following a road game in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Malachi Flynn (ankle) are out for the Knicks, while Zach LaVine (foot) and Nikola Vucevic (adductor) are out for Chicago, with Patrick Williams (ankle) listed as questionable.

For this game, SportsLine consensus lists New York as a 9-point favorite, and tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 220.5 in the latest Knicks vs. Bulls odds. Before making any Bulls vs. Knicks picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 11 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 106-59 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Bulls vs. Knicks and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Bulls vs. Knicks:

Knicks vs. Bulls spread: Knicks -9
Knicks vs. Bulls over/under: 220.5 points
Knicks vs. Bulls money line: Knicks -405, Bulls +314
CHI: The Bulls are 3-3 against the spread with no rest this season
NYK: The Knicks are 5-4 against the spread as home favorites in 2023-24
Knicks vs. Bulls picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Bulls can cover
The Bulls take care of the ball on offense, ranking in the top three of the NBA in turnover avoidance. That lifts Chicago’s floor on that end, and the Bulls are facing a Knicks defense that is below-average this season. New York is allowing 115.4 points per 100 possessions overall, and the Knicks are No. 29 in the league with only 3.3 blocked shots per contest. The Knicks are also below-average in opponent field goal percentage (48%) and opponent 3-point percentage (37.7%), and New York creates only 13.2 turnovers per contest on defense.

On the other side, Chicago is in the top eight of the league in turnover creation and steals while leading the NBA in points allowed in the paint. The Bulls are also above-average in fast break points allowed and free throw prevention. New York’s offense is potent in some areas, but the Knicks also fall woefully short in key metrics. The Knicks rank in the bottom five of the NBA in assists (23.6 per game) and 2-point shooting (52.0%), and New York lands in the bottom quartile of the league in field goal percentage (46.4%) and free throw percentage (76.9%) this season. See which team to pick here.

Why the Knicks can cover
The Knicks have a rest advantage in this contest with the Bulls playing for the second straight day, and New York also stands to benefit from the venue. The Knicks are 9-4 with a +6.0 net rating at Madison Square Garden this season, while the Bulls are solidly under .500 on the road. Knicks forward Julius Randle is scalding-hot right now, scoring at least 20 points in 18 straight games, and he is averaging 28.2 points per game on 54.5% shooting over that span. Randle and Jalen Brunson key an offense that ranks in the top 10 of the NBA in overall efficiency, and New York is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the NBA, securing 33.3% of missed shots on the glass.

The Knicks also boast stellar metrics on defense, including top-five marks in free throw prevention (21.0 attempts allowed per game) and defensive rebound rate (72.9%). New York is also in the top eight in points allowed in the paint (47.5 per game) and second-chance points allowed (12.7 per game), with Chicago scuffling on offense. The Bulls are scoring fewer than 1.13 points per possession this season, and Chicago is in the bottom five of the league in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and assists per game. See which team to pick here.

How to make Bulls vs. Knicks picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting 222 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.

everyone expected heading into the season, the budding rivalry between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers has become one of the league’s main storylines. Ahead of their fifth and final meeting of the regular season on Wednesday night in Indianapolis, here’s a look back at how this feud developed and what the players and coaches have had to say along the way.

Nov. 9: Pacers make a double-digit fourth-quarter comeback, Adrian Griffin ejected, Giannis scores 54
Just a few weeks into the season, the Pacers played host to the team’s first meeting. The dramatic and competitive affair would set the tone for the rest of the matchups between the two clubs.

The Pacers blitzed the Bucks early on, jumping out to an 18-point lead thanks to their high-powered offense. Slowly but surely, however, the Bucks worked their way back into things, as Giannis Antetokounmpo slashed his way to the rim and free throw line for 54 points, one shy of his then-career-high of 55.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Bucks had a double-digit lead of their own, and appeared to be on their way to a win even though Damian Lillard was sidelined with a calf injury and head coach Adrian Griffin had been ejected for arguing with the officials. Instead, the Pacers came storming back and took the lead for good on a Tyrese Haliburton 3-pointer with 1:29 to play. They hung on for a 126-124 win.

“I thought Giannis was getting hit quite a bit and voiced my opinion,” Griffin said about his ejection. “Next time I’ll be a little more delicate. He’s such a great human being and doesn’t complain, has such respect for the referees. It is my responsibility to make sure he’s protected.”

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, meanwhile, had some prophetic words: “We had to deal with a player who was extraordinarily hot and on a roll. We executed as well as we could and created some chaos defensively. You’ve got to take some risks or else he’s going to end up with 60. Very fortunate to get the win.”

Dec. 7: Haliburton steals the show and Lillard’s celebration, Bucks combust in the locker room
A month later, the second game between the two teams arrived as an unplanned showdown in Las Vegas in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament. The chance to make it to the inaugural IST championship game, and the looming $500,000 individual cash prize, raised the stakes and the intensity.

Once again, it was a back-and-forth affair. The Bucks jumped in front early, but the Pacers closed the half on a huge run to take a double-digit lead. That advantage would not last long, as Damian Lillard caught fire coming out of the break and put the Bucks in front heading into the fourth.

The two teams traded blows down the stretch until the Pacers put the game away with a 15-6 run in the final 2:40 which was highlighted by back-to-back buckets by Haliburton that gave Indiana an eight-point advantage. After the second of the two, a step-back 3-pointer with a minute to play, Haliburton broke out Lillard’s signature “Dame Time” celebration. Haliburton finished with 27 points and 15 assists in the Pacers’ 128-119 win.

“I think it was just in the heat of the moment, having fun,” Haliburton said following his 27-point, 15-assist performance in the Pacers’ 128-119 win. “I know I kind of pounded my chest and said it was my time, whatever, but I think really looking at it, it’s our time. It’s our time as a group.”

Lillard, for his part, largely took Haliburton’s imitation in stride but also issued a warning.

“When you are having your moment, it’s important to be careful, to be humble in your moments because you just never know how the tables are going to turn or when they are going to turn,” Lillard said. “I learned as a kid, when you dish it out, you’ve got to be willing to take it. For as many times as I’ve done it to people, I can’t be upset when somebody else does it, you know what I mean. I think that’s also a sign of respect and acknowledgment for knowing my history and knowing what I do.”

If that wasn’t enough drama, reports broke a few hours after the game that the Bucks had a confrontation in the locker room involving veteran forward Bobby Portis and head coach Adrian Griffin. Per Chris Haynes, Portis was upset with his teammates and the first-year head coach for their lack of composure and poor execution down the stretch.

“I won’t comment on what was reported,” Griffin said a few days later. “Like I said, we’re a passionate group, we hate to lose. We’re a together group. I love coaching this group. We got nothing but winners and high character guys and whatever internal dialogue happens in our locker room stays in our locker room.”

“Don’t want to speak too much about what’s happening in our locker room,” Portis added. “What happens in our locker room is sacred between us. That’s how it’s always been, don’t know how it got reported, but at the same time, I’m just a competitor. I love to compete… I’m here for all the right reasons.”

Dec. 13: Giannis sends a message — and tries to get the ball
“It’s important to be careful, to be humble,” Lillard said in Las Vegas. “Because you just never know how the tables are going to turn or when they are going to turn.”

It was less than a week before Haliburton and the Pacers faced the music, and they were not ready for the Bucks’ response. Antetokounmpo sent a message early by shoulder-checking Haliburton to the floor, earning a technical in the process. That set off an eventful, historic and drama-filled evening, the likes of which we might never see again.

All told, the affair featured an an all-time milestone, a flagrant foul, multiple technicals, an ejection, a career and franchise record for Antetokounmpo and a bizarre basketball mystery.

When Lillard hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter to move into fifth place on the all-time list, it seemed like that would be the main story — especially with the Bucks comfortably ahead. Not quite. In the fourth quarter, Aaron Nesmith delivered a flagrant foul to Antetokounmpo that sent everyone over the edge. A few minutes later, Portis was ejected for picking up a second technical, and down the stretch, the fed-up Bucks proved a point by re-inserting the starters into the game with a 10-point lead and 2:04 remaining.

Antetokounmpo, who already had a career and franchise-high by then, ran up the score to get to 64 points, further infuriating the Pacers. At the final buzzer, he inflamed the situation by storming down the tunnel in search of the game ball. Carlisle later said that a Bucks player elbowed Pacers GM Chad Buchanan in the ribs during the ensuing chaos.

Upon returning to the court, Antetokounmpo then had words with Haliburton, who didn’t quite understand what the issue was. “For some reason, he wanted to confront me,” Haliburton said. “I was just standing out there.”

Once everything had settled down, the situation seemed to be a big misunderstanding. A Bucks security staffer had taken the main game ball from an official at the buzzer, while the Pacers had grabbed an alternate one to give to rookie big man Oscar Tshiebwe in honor of his first official points.

Antetokounmpo, though, wasn’t so sure.

“I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball,” Antetokounmpo said. “It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand new ball. I can tell, I’ve played 35 minutes today, I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have, which I’ll take and give to my mom for sure, but I don’t know if it’s actually the game ball.

“I knew they had the game ball. I didn’t think they had the game ball, I knew they had the ball. I don’t know how it works, but I assume I cannot just walk into any arena I play in and just take the ball.”

All anyone could agree on that night was that the bad blood between the teams was real, and an old-school rivalry was brewing.

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Jan. 1: Old battles revisited, Haliburton and Pacers pull off another comeback
In the lead-up to their fourth encounter of the season on New Year’s Day, both teams had a few things to say about their previous confrontation.

It’s clear now that the Bucks did indeed have the actual game ball, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, “Bucks sources insisted the ball was never the core issue of the postgame interactions.” Rather, Antetokounmpo and Co. were more upset about a perceived lack of sportsmanship from the Pacers, who didn’t shake hands after the Dec. 13 game.

“People didn’t see the way Indiana acted that night,” a Bucks source told ESPN. “You come into our house and take our stuff. Screaming, ‘F-you. F-you.’ Yeah, how’s a guy going to react?”

The Pacers weren’t buying it.

“Does everybody shake hands in the NBA after a game?” Haliburton said.

“It was unnecessary, it was blown out of proportion,” Myles Turner added. “They had the ball the whole time. I think that was obvious. So I’ll just leave it at that.

“They tried to run up the score at the end. Giannis came in, came out, then we cut the lead to like 10 points in the garbage time — they put all their starters back in and then they tried to run up the score. There’s unwritten rules in basketball. We thought it was disrespectful and some guys reacted accordingly.”

Then there was the physical nature of the previous fixture.

“We kind of bullied them that game,” Portis said. “I think they felt that presence. When a team beats you twice, you don’t want to let them beat you three times because now they think they can play with you. We played with a sense of urgency. We were more physical, we were hitting them. I don’t think they liked that.”

TJ McConnell was more succinct: “They punked us the last time we were here.”

When they met again in Milwaukee, the Pacers were ready. They were more physical and more aggressive in defending Antetokounmpo. They just couldn’t hit any shots. As a result of their 5-of-35 night from downtown, they found themselves trailing by 15 on either side of halftime.

But just like the first meeting between the teams, they refused to go away. In the fourth quarter, Carlisle went to a double point guard lineup featuring Haliburton and McConnell, and the Bucks had no answers. Those two scored 17 of the Pacers’ final 21 points, while McConnell came up with what Carlisle called “one of the best hustle plays I’ve seen all year” to seal the 122-113 win.

“This is a game that everybody was prepared for and everybody was ready for,” Haliburton said. “Again, I think their words were ‘We weren’t ready for them physically.’ I think we were ready for them today.”

The Pacers are now 3-1 against the Bucks, but beating them a fourth time might be the toughest thing they do all season.

“They’ll be very motivated coming out Wednesday,” Carlisle said. “That’s just how this is. We gotta be real motivated too. We’re gonna have a live building, a great crowd. We gotta be worthy of it from a competitive standpoint.

Wednesday’s main NBA slate consists of 12 games scheduled to tip off between 7 and 10 p.m. ET so there’s no shortage of quality betting options ahead of the action. Are you looking to find an edge? We’ve gone over each pairing to identify moneyline, spread, and player prop picks for the slate as well as strong daily fantasy plays.

Moneyline: Milwaukee Bucks (-170) @ Indiana Pacers
Indiana is winning the budding Pacers-Bucks rivalry 3-1 this season, but I expect Milwaukee to bounce back on Wednesday. Khris Middleton is listed as likely to play and has been handling a full workload. Bruce Brown could be rusty after being cleared to play following a five-game injury absence and Andrew Nembhard has been ruled out. I’ll take the visiting team here, as the favorites appear to have the upper hand from a health standpoint and have a point to prove.

Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder -1 (-113) @ Atlanta Hawks
OKC is one of the league’s hottest teams. The Thunder have won eight of their previous nine games and pulled off a road win against the Boston Celtics their last time out. The Hawks have lost their last two home games. While they do have Jalen Johnson back in the mix, they’re down a starter in De’Andre Hunter. Taking a completely healthy visiting OKC team here against Atlanta makes all the sense in the world. No spread option in the slate can measure up to this.

Player prop: Jonas Valanciunas over 9.5 rebounds (+100)
Valanciunas is averaging fewer than 10 rebounds per game for the first time since 2018-19 but has had his way with Rudy Gobert. The New Orleans Pelicans center reached double-digits in boards five times in his last six meetings against the Frenchman since he moved from the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves. New Orleans will need their starting center’s size to combat the length of Minnesota’s frontcourt, so I like Valanciunas to go over here.

A western road trip has the Miami Heat (19-14) heading over to play the Los Angeles Lakers (17-17) on Wednesday. Los Angeles owns a 39-32 all-time record over the Heat. Miami is looking to sweep the season series for the first time since the 2020-21 season as on Nov. 6, Miami knocked off the Lakers 108-107. D’Angelo Russell (tailbone) is out for Los Angeles, while LeBron James (illness) is questionable. Jimmy Butler (foot) is out for Miami, with Caleb Martin (ankle) doubtful and Josh Richardson (back) questionable.

Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Lakers are the 5.5-point favorites in the latest Heat vs. Lakers odds per SportsLine consensus. The over/under for total points is 228.5. Before making any Lakers vs. Heat picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 11 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 106-59 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Lakers vs. Heat and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Heat vs. Lakers:

Lakers vs. Heat spread: Los Angeles -5.5
Lakers vs. Heat over/under: 228.5 points
Lakers vs. Heat money line: Los Angeles -225, Miami +184
MIA: Miami is 15-18 against the spread this season
LAL: L.A. hit the game total Under in 32 of its last 48 home games
Lakers vs. Heat picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Lakers can cover
Guard Austin Reaves is an all-around offensive threat. Reaves gives Los Angeles an aware ball handler and scorer in the backcourt. The Oklahoma product comes off the bench with an aggressive mindset, averaging 15.1 points, 4.4 boards, and 4.9 assists per game. In his previous outing, Reaves put up 20 points and nine assists.

Forward Taurean Prince gives the Lakers a reliable two-way option. Prince can knock down jumpers on the outside consistently and be a sound defender against opposing small/power forwards. He logs 10.1 points and shoots 40% from beyond the arc. Prince finished with at least 14 points in five of the last 10 games. See which team to pick here.

Why the Heat can cover
Guard Tyler Herro has the skillset to light up the scoreboard. Herro can space the floor with ease and has the shooting stroke to score off the dribble. The 23-year-old logs 23.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He’s dropped 25-plus points in five of his last seven matchups. Herro scored 26 points and seven boards in the Dec. 28 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Center Bam Adebayo provides the Heat with an athletic two-way big man. Adebayo can handle the rock, defend any position from three to five, and is a powerful finisher around the rim. The 26-year-old averages 22 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest. On New Year’s Day against the Clippers, he racked up a double-double of 21 points, 15 boards and four assists. See which team to pick here.

How to make Heat vs. Lakers picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the point total, projecting 222 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 60% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.

The calendar has now rolled over into 2024, and while we’re still a couple weeks away from the midway point of the NBA season, it’s still worth thinking about which of these first-year players will thrive and who will slow down as the new year carries on. Right now it seems like many rookies are just starting to hit their strides, like Scoot Henderson in Portland, who had a slower start than most due to an injury at the beginning of the season. But just as there is every season, there’s sure to be players who slow down as the games pile up, and other guys who continue to thrive as we get deeper into the schedule.

Now let’s move on to this week’s rankings. Keep in mind that these rankings will reflect a rookie’s performance on a week-to-week basis only, not the collective season. These aren’t Rookie of the Year standings, but rather a reflection on what the player has done over the past week. With that straightened out, here is a look at the top five performers from the NBA’s freshman class:

That progress was to be expected, but those numbers really don’t do justice to the massive strides he’s taken since opening night. His shooting is more efficient, but it’s more than that. He’s become better about knowing when to attack and knowing when to get his teammates involved. He’s a monster rebounder, that hasn’t changed, and neither has the blocks, in fact in the latter category he just keeps racking them up. He’s cutting down on the turnovers and he still isn’t fouling a ton, and while Chet Holmgren may have the edge for Rookie of the Year right now by my standards, Wembanyama is creeping up behind him on that list.

Against the Grizzlies this week, while the highlight that has made the rounds him kind of, but not really getting “dunked on” by Ja Morant, that ignores the truly awesome performance he turned in. Wembanyama and the Spurs feasted in pick-and-rolls to open the game as the slower Bismack Biyombo was tasked with guarding the No. 1 overall pick. And it went just about as well as you’d expect. In back-to-back possessions Wemby skied for alley-oop dunks with little resistance in the paint.

Biyombo was the primary defender on Wemby for most of the game, and the Spurs unicorn took complete advantage of every situation where the two were matched up. It wasn’t just in pick-in-rolls either, the rookie was taking him to the rim with ease and had one of the most absurd shots you’ll see this season.

Henderson was bound to get his attention, it just took a little longer than most had anticipated given the injuries to start the season. The efficiency is still lacking, but that’s not something he or the Trail Blazers should be all that concerned about right now. What matters is he’s producing in a variety of ways. He nearly had a triple-double against Wembanyama and the Spurs this week, putting up 22 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. What’s been really cool to see is how Henderson is using his speed and ability to shift gears at a moment’s notice to pull off some impressive passes.

He’s shown great improvement from where he started the season, and he’s developing into the exciting player everyone predicted he would be.

When asked this week what he thinks he’s proven so far this season, Holmgren gave one of the funnier and rather self-aware answers you’ll hear.

“I haven’t proven shit, I’ve played 30 games,” Holmgren said.

Gotta love the honesty. But despite the short resume, Holmgren has proven quite a bit in such a short amount of time. Before the season started many assumed that Wembanyama would be the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, and yet if it was awarded today Holmgren’s name would be etched on that trophy (Holmgren is the current betting favorite at -250). His numbers rival Wemby’s in every way, but he’s doing it with far more efficiency on a team that should be considered a real threat in the West right now. No one saw this type of production from Holmgren this soon, and even if he is taking fewer shots than Wembanyama in a smaller role, he’s excelling and has come up clutch on more than one occasion for crucial wins for OKC.

Miller had three tough matchups this week with games against the Lakers, Suns and Nuggets and while all three resulted in losses, they were all incredibly valuable learning experiences for the rookie. He put up good numbers against the Suns, and he shot the ball even better against the Lakers, but in all three games he had tough defensive assignments that will only help him in the long run. Against the Suns he struggled a bit with knowing when to show help defense against Devin Booker, which led to a lot of easy and open looks for one of the best shooters in the league. And against the Nuggets, while being tasked with guarding Michael Porter Jr., Miller got caught a couple times losing him on off-ball screens.

You can’t afford to lose focus like that on defense, especially against the defending champions and against a player like Porter Jr. whose quick to get the ball up as soon as he catches it. All things that can be improved upon, and Miller is such a dedicated defender that I won’t be surprised if he immediately takes those lessons and applies them to his next game.

The starts keep piling up for Jaquez as the Heat continue to deal with injuries to Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin and Josh Richardson. His scoring has been needed, but so too has his passing. He’s shown great court vision by fitting passes through tight windows, placing the ball where only his teammate can get it in the low post and whipping passes to the corner for 3-pointers. If this were last year’s Heat team they would’ve struggled heavily with the injuries their dealing with, but Jaquez has been the perfect band-aid while players get healthy.

Tyrese Haliburton continues to outdo himself. Less than a week after becoming the third player in history, and the first in three decades, to register consecutive 20-point/20-assist games, Haliburton put up another historic stat line in Indiana’s win over the Bucks on Wednesday with 31 points, 12 assists, three blocks and zero turnovers.

Throw in five made 3-pointers, and Haliburton is now the first player in history to reach those single-game thresholds. His 76 assists against seven turnovers over his last five games is also an NBA record for ratio.

Tyrese Haliburton continues his HISTORIC run in the Pacers’ 5th-straight victory!

🔥 31 PTS, 12 AST, 5 3PM, 3 BLK, 0 TOV
🔥 1st player ever to reach those thresholds in a game
🔥 76 AST, 7 TOV during winning streak… first player ever with that many AST and that few TOV over 5… pic.twitter.com/MvV9lOi5I7

— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2024
Take out the five made 3-pointers, and Haliburton is just the second player in history even to register 30 points, 10 assists and three blocks with zero turnovers, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This marks the third time this season that Haliburton has recorded at least 10 assists with zero turnovers, double the amount any other player has amassed.

The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Haliburton has carded 66 assists and four turnovers over his last four games. Do the math, and that is an absolutely absurd 16.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

If the season ended today, Haliburton’s 12.7 assists per game would go down as the fourth-highest mark in history. He leads the league in assist points created and assisted 3-pointers, per PBP Stats. Haliburton has now recorded double-digit assists in 10 straight games and 27 of his 31 games this year.

Most importantly, the Pacers took down the Bucks … again. Including their In-Season Tournament win, the Pacers are now 4-1 this season against Milwaukee, with which a budding rivalry is clearly developing.

“I think we’re getting up for these games [vs. Milwaukee],” Haliburton said. “I think as a young group, when you play good teams, you want to be as prepared for them as you can. … It’s interesting, I’ve never played a team this many times this early [in the season]; I think we’ve handled it the right way. You know, the game in Milwaukee got a little chippy, and I thought we responded the right way. There were a lot of things said from both sides. We’ve handled it the right way.

“The good part about playing the Bucks five times already, we’ve got the Celtics three more times, those are two of the best teams in our conference, so just seeing where we stack up against those guys early has been interesting, and we just want to keep approaching these games the right way.”

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If you don’t recall the “chippy” game in Milwaukee that Haliburton is referring to, on Dec. 13 the Bucks got their one win against the Pacers this season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high/franchise-record 64 points. After the game, Giannis wanted the game ball. He thought the Pacers took it to spite him. He went chasing down the tunnel. He was furious.

Afterward, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle’s story was that Indiana had, indeed, taken the game ball at the buzzer, but it was the reserve ball — and not because the team was trying to steal it from Giannis, but because they wanted it for their rookie, Oscar Tshiebwe, who had scored his first NBA point in the game.

Giannis did end up with a ball afterward, retrieved by Bucks security, but he was skeptical that it was the actual game ball.

“I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. It doesn’t feel like a game ball to me,” Antetokounmpo said. “It feels like a brand-new ball. I can tell. I played 35 minutes today. I know how the game ball felt. The ball I have, which I’ll take and I’ll give it to my mom for sure, but I don’t know if it’s actually the game ball.”

So yeah, this is turning into a legitimate rivalry, and it is well within the realm of possibilities that the Pacers and Bucks eventually meet up in a first-round playoff series. Entering play on Thursday, the Pacers, who’ve won five straight after losing six of eight coming out of the IST, are the East’s No. 6 seed, while Milwaukee is No. 2.

espite making the conference finals last season and winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament last month, the Los Angeles Lakers appear to be a thoroughly mediocre team. After a 110-96 loss at home on Wednesday against a Miami Heat team missing Jimmy Butler, the Lakers are 17-18 on the season, with the No. 24-ranked offense in the NBA.

Los Angeles has lost eight of its last 10 games. It is 10th in the Western Conference, with the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz on its heels for the last spot in the play-in. This is not what the Lakers envisioned coming into the season.

“They threw a zone in, and they kind of just dared us to make shots, which we didn’t, and kind of took us out of a lot of things,” Anthony Davis told reporters after the Miami game. Davis then noted that they turned the ball over 10 times in the first quarter. “Kind of a recipe for disaster.”

The Lakers started Austin Reaves for the first time since Nov. 8, and they were without D’Angelo Russell (bruised tailbone), Rui Hachimura (calf strain) and Gabe Vincent (knee surgery). It was their third consecutive game with a new starting lineup, and there is “currently a deepening disconnect between [coach] Darvin Ham and the Lakers locker room,” according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jovan Buha, citing six sources. Players have been frustrated with Ham’s lineup changes — most notably his decision on Dec. 23 to bring both Reaves and Russell off the bench — and are losing patience with the coach, per The Athletic.

Los Angeles’ 4-for-30 performance from 3-point range was the primary reason for Wednesday’s loss, but that’s not the whole story.

“It’s a little bit of everything right now,” Davis told reporters. “We’re not executing. That team played harder than us tonight, executed better than us tonight, more physical than us tonight. We got outworked tonight, so it’s a little bit of everything right now. If we keep on this trend, it’s not going to be good for us. So it’s kind of obvious that we gotta figure it out sooner than later.”

“We got outworked tonight… It’s a little bit of everything right now and if we keep on this trend, it’s not going to be good for us.” Anthony Davis pic.twitter.com/ur5F9Dv81f

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 4, 2024
Los Angeles is tied for the 10th-highest turnover rate in the league through 35 games. It ranks 24th in 3-point percentage and, more worryingly, 29th in 3-pointers attempted per 100 possessions — only the Detroit Pistons take 3s at a lower volume. The spacing is bad, and it’s not like the Lakers are making up for it by getting extra possessions. They rank 28th in offensive rebounding percentage and have only been average when it comes to forcing turnovers.

The good news for Los Angeles is that 10 of its next 11 games are at Crypto.com Arena, including a “road” game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Next up are the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

“Every game for us, especially on this homestand, should be like a must-win for us,” Davis said.

Asked what the vibe is like in the locker room, Reaves told reporters, “Shitty. We’re losing. Anytime you lose, the vibe should be off. If I went in there and the vibe wasn’t off after the rough stretch that we’ve had, then I’d be concerned. That’s really it. I don’t expect for us to be happy with how we’ve played, so, until we’ve figured that out, the vibe should be off.”

LeBron James is having another All-NBA-caliber season, but scored a season-low 12 points on 6-for-18 shooting and missed all six of his 3-point attempts against the Heat. James left the arena without speaking to reporters.

It’s safe to say that the Indiana Pacers have had the Milwaukee Bucks’ number so far this season. The Pacers have defeated the Bucks in four of their five matchups, including handing the Bucks a 142-130 loss on Wednesday.

Following Wednesday’s contest, Antetokounmpo even admitted that he thinks about the consistent struggles against Indiana when he’s getting “freaky” at night.

Giannis on the Pacers beating them 4 times:

“You think about it. When you go home and sleep and wake up, you think about it. When you go back and work out, you think about it…. When you’re about to get freaky at night, you think about it.” pic.twitter.com/UWpi0WLbWB

— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) January 4, 2024
“You think about it. When you go home and sleep and wake up, you think about it,” Antetokounmpo said. “When you go back and work out, you think about it…. When you’re about to get freaky at night, you think about it.”

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has been getting the best of the Bucks this season and even trolled Bucks guard Damian Lillard by replicating his iconic “Dame Time” celebration during their In-Season Tournament win against Milwaukee. In addition, the Bucks and Pacers were also involved in the game ball fiasco earlier this season.

Haliburton has thrived when facing the Bucks throughout his NBA career. In nine games, the star guard is averaging 23.4 points, 10.4 assists and 5.6 assists, while averaging 27.0 points in his five games against the Bucks this season.