TL;DR

Thunder rout Nuggets to reach West Finals; Mavs to draft Cooper Flagg No. 1; Henry, Warner extended.

Highlights

• Thunder eliminate Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 35, Caruso limits Jokić; OKC faces Timberwolves in West Finals.1
• Mavericks win NBA Draft Lottery (1.8% odds), plan to draft Duke’s Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall, rejecting trade offers.2
• Celtics’ Jaylen Brown played through torn meniscus, may need knee surgery; Tatum (Achilles) and Porzingis (illness) updates signal uncertain offseason.4
• Sixers considering trading No. 3 pick and Paul George for Kevin Durant or Lauri Markkanen after missing play-in.5
• Caitlin Clark posts triple-double in Fever’s WNBA opener win; flagrant on Angel Reese renews rivalry, WNBA investigates racist fan comments.3
• Ravens extend Derrick Henry (2 yrs/$30M, $25M guaranteed) after 1,921-yard, 16-TD season; largest RB deal for age 30+.6
• 49ers make Fred Warner NFL’s highest-paid linebacker (3 yrs/$63M, $56M+ guaranteed); continue core extensions.7
• Bears extend All-Pro guard Joe Thuney (2 yrs/$35M, $33.5M guaranteed), lowering 2025 cap hit.9
• Eagles extend head coach Nick Sirianni after Super Bowl win; 48-20 record, .706 win percentage.10
• Dodgers drop fourth straight (9-5 to D-backs) despite Ohtani’s MLB-leading 17th HR; pitching allows 30 runs in last 30 innings.12
• Orioles fire manager Brandon Hyde amid slump; front office faces pressure to deliver results.11
• Judge Wilken to rule soon on $2.8B House v. NCAA settlement, which could reshape college sports revenue sharing and enforcement.8

Commentary

The NBA landscape is shifting rapidly: Oklahoma City’s dominant Game 7 win over Denver, led by Gilgeous-Alexander and a strong defensive showing from Caruso, sets up a Western Conference Finals against Minnesota.1 DFS and betting angles should focus on OKC’s turnover creation and the matchup between cousins SGA and Alexander-Walker.1 The Mavericks’ improbable lottery win and intent to select Cooper Flagg signals a youth-focused rebuild, while the Celtics’ injury disclosures (Brown, Tatum, Porzingis)4 and Sixers’ trade ambitions (potentially for Durant or Markkanen)5 inject volatility into offseason futures and fantasy keeper values.

In the NFL, Baltimore’s record extension for Derrick Henry and San Francisco’s new deal for Fred Warner reinforce both teams’ commitment to established stars, relevant for dynasty fantasy and win-total projections.67 Chicago secures Joe Thuney to protect rookie QB Caleb Williams,9 and Philadelphia locks in Nick Sirianni after a Super Bowl run—both moves add stability for bettors and season-long fantasy planners.10

Baseball’s headlines include the Dodgers ongoing pitching struggles despite Ohtani ’s power surge, which could impact division odds and daily fantasy stacks.12 The Orioles firing of Brandon Hyde signals possible changes in player usage; monitor for lineup shifts or trade activity.11

Off the field, Judge Wilken’s upcoming ruling on the NCAA settlement could have immediate effects on college sports economics, with potential impacts on player movement, team budgets, and future DFS/betting markets.8 The WNBA opener saw Caitlin Clark deliver a triple-double, but also renewed the Clark-Reese rivalry and prompted a league investigation into racist comments—both on-court and off-court developments to watch as the season unfolds.3