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Anthony Davis trade rumors: Will Mavs make move before deadline?

The Dallas Mavericks are at an early crossroads for the 2025-26 NBA season and their future.

Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont wrote an open letter to fans after firing Nico Harrison on Tuesday, Nov. 11, after more than four and a half years as the team’s general manager.

Dumont also thanked the fans for holding the team ‘accountable, and their passion and patience’ for some of the decisions made in recent months.

The most notable being a trade package in February that sent a then-25-year-old Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a then-31-year-old Anthony Davis.

Dončić is among the NBA’s scoring leaders while Davis has missed the last seven games due to a left calf injury.

Davis is averaged 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in five games played this season.

The Mavericks are 3-9 to start the season after losing 123-114 to the Phoenix Suns.

Will the Mavericks trade Anthony Davis?

When Harrison was making decisions for the Mavericks, it would have been unlikely Harrison would have traded Davis.

Davis and Harrison’s relationship went well beyond Dallas. They met when Davis was in high school, and the two became close when the forward signed with Nike, where Harrison was working at the time.

With Harrison no longer involved with the Mavericks, the possibility would appear more likely that Davis could be on the move again.

Dumont has requested medical data regarding Davis’ injury, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported. Dumont is not expected to let Davis play unless the data suggests Davis is not at risk of aggravating the strain.

Any further injury to Davis’ calf would only set the Mavericks back further and diminish any potential trade value.

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Mavericks are expected to work with Anthony Davis to decide whether to pursue an in-season trade before the trade deadline on Feb. 5.

Davis could potentially be moved to help acquire younger players or draft assets that will help rebuild Dallas’ future around Cooper Flagg, who was the team’s selection with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Rebuilt Pac-12 announces five-year TV deal with USA Sports

The rebuilt Pac-12 Conference announced a new television deal on Thursday, Nov. 13.

The conference which will have eight football programs in 2026, signed a five-year deal with USA Sports, the new sports branding for USA Network.

The deal, which will run through the 2030-31 season, will broadcast 22 regular season Pac-12 football games per season, along with 50 men’s basketball games and 5 to 10 women’s basketball games. The men’s basketball tournament will also air on USA Network.

USA Sports, which was announced Nov. 11, is under the Versant media company umbrella. Versant, a publicly traded company was formally a part of Comcast and NBC Universal before spinning off.

The Pac-12 was reduced to only Washington State and Oregon State the last two seasons after teams dispersed into the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. Texas State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State are full members. Gonzaga is joining for all sports besides football. Dallas Baptist will also be in the conference for baseball only, along with Northern Illinois for wrestling and Southern Utah for women’s gymnastics.

‘The new Pac-12 is where tradition meets transformation – a unique opportunity in the rapidly-evolving college sports landscape that strongly aligns with the go-forward vision of USA Sports,’ Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said in the announcement. ‘We are thrilled to launch this partnership with the USA Sports team and leverage our shared vision to build something unique and special.’

USA Sports president Matt Hong added: ‘USA Sports is proud to partner with the new Pac-12 and showcase the league to a national audience on USA Network. Our partnership further establishes USA Network as a destination for all sports fans, with weekends packed with Pac-12 football doubleheaders and men’s and women’s basketball double- and triple-headers beginning next fall.’

The TV deal announcement provides some stability for a conference that hasn’t had much of it the past few years.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Clippers give update on Kawhi Leonard’s ‘significant’ injury

The Los Angeles Clippers will continue without Kawhi Leonard, who missed his fifth consecutive game on Wednesday, Nov. 12, against the Denver Nuggets due to a right ankle and foot issue.

The team reported that Leonard will need additional time to recover before he can return to the court. He is healing from a sprained right ankle and a right foot sprain. According to Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, Leonard sustained the injuries during a game against the Miami Heat on Nov. 3, when he scored 27 points in the loss. Before his injury, Leonard was averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Clippers.

‘With Kawhi, it wasn’t just an ankle sprain,’ Frank said. ‘He also had a significant sprain in his foot, as well. When he sprained his ankle, it kind of triggered a mechanism in his foot.’

While the exact timeline for Leonard’s return is unclear, he will travel with the Clippers on their upcoming six-game road trip, which begins with a match against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, Nov. 14.

When do the Los Angeles Clippers play next?

The Los Angeles Lakers will travel to face the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, Nov. 14, in the NBA Cup group stage.

Date: Friday, Nov. 14, 2025
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Stream: FanDuel Sports Network SoCal, KFAA-TV, Mavs.com, NBA League Pass
Location: American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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USC, Notre Dame, Arch Manning all under pressure in Week 12

No. 18 USC has a four-step path to potentially make the College Football Playoff.
No. 9 Notre Dame faces a crucial game against Pittsburgh that could secure a playoff berth.
The matchup between No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 4 Alabama is a likely elimination game for the Sooners.

For No. 18 Southern California, making the College Football Playoff could be as easy as one, two, three, four.

Step one: Win on Saturday against Iowa. Step two: Pull off an upset of No. 6 Oregon in Autzen Stadium the following week. Step three: Beat UCLA to end the regular season. Step four: Pray that No. 17 Michigan beats No. 1 Ohio State.

This would likely leave the Trojans ahead of the Buckeyes and Wolverines in the Big Ten standings by virtue of a higher conference opponent winning percentage, earning a matchup with Indiana to decide the Big Ten championship.

In this scenario, USC would have the strongest case for being the third Big Ten team in the 12-team playoff field. Beyond finishing second in the second-best conference in the Bowl Subdivision, the Trojans would have wins against Michigan and Oregon along with competitive losses to Illinois and No. 9 Notre Dame.

Everything is easier said than done — for starters, USC hasn’t won five league games in a row during an unabbreviated season since 2017. But for the first time as members of the Big Ten, the Trojans are playing meaningful games in November.

USC leads the USA TODAY Sports preview of the team, game, coach and quarterback facing the most pressure in Week 12 of the regular season:

Team: No. 9 Notre Dame

Pittsburgh is the biggest hurdle Notre Dame will face in securing a return trip to the playoff. The Panthers have rebounded after a dismal close to last season to become one of five ACC teams in this week’s playoff rankings, and with three weeks left in November have a chance at playing for the conference crown for the second time under coach Pat Narduzzi.

Saturday’s result will have a profound impact on the ACC by helping to decide whether the conference sends one or two teams into the tournament. One team that will be watching closely is No. 16 Miami, which stands six spots behind the Fighting Irish in the playoff rankings despite the head-to-head win to open the regular season. The Hurricanes end the year against the Panthers.

Given games against Syracuse and Stanford to close November, a win on Saturday could essentially clinch an at-large berth for the Irish. But a loss could put Miami back on track for the playoff even without reaching the ACC championship game; as of now, the Hurricanes have a narrow path to Charlotte, North Carolina, because of losses to Louisville and SMU.

Game: No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 4 Alabama

It’s likely an elimination game for the Sooners and a possible clincher for the Crimson Tide, who can lock down an appearance in the conference championship game by scoring their fifth win against a ranked SEC opponent.

Another storyline heading into Saturday is the growing Heisman Trophy argument for quarterback Ty Simpson, who has 23 touchdowns against one interception during Alabama’s eight-game winning streak. Simpson and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza are the current favorites in one of the most unsettled Heisman races in recent history.

But the pressure is really on Oklahoma, last seen capturing a vital road win against No. 20 Tennessee to remain on the fringes of the at-large race. With wins against the Tide, Missouri and LSU, the Sooners would place themselves in position to become the fifth or even sixth SEC team in the bracket, depending on what happens in the ACC and Big Ten.

Any chance of scoring the upset as roughly a touchdown underdog depends on the play of a defense that leads the SEC in yards allowed per game and per play. Given the Tide’s lack of balance — the offense ranks eighth in the Power Four in yards per pass attempt but averages just 3.5 yads per carry — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables might be able to orchestrate a scheme that delivers the program’s biggest win as a member of the SEC.

Coach: Mike Norvell, Florida State

After a listless loss to Clemson left Florida State ahead of only Syracuse and Boston College in the ACC, a home game against Virginia Tech could decide whether the administration has the stomach — and the bank account — to pay Mike Norvell’s approximately $59 million buyout and reboot the program.

If so, that buyout would be the second-largest in college football history, coming in behind the $76.8 million Texas A&M paid Jimbo Fisher.

The loss to the Tigers dropped Norvell to 37-32 overall in Tallahassee and just 6-15 since the start of last year. Instead of an aberration, a two-win 2024 season has yielded only a slightly improved performance that could leave FSU short of bowl eligibility in back-to-back years for just the second time since Bobby Bowden assumed leadership of the program in 1976.

That both of those two-season droughts have come under Norvell is impossible to ignore, even if his 2020 and 2021 seasons were impacted by the mess left by his two predecessors and the pandemic.

Quarterback: Arch Manning, Texas

The No. 10 Longhorns’ season is on the line against No. 5 Georgia, in the third meeting between these two teams since Texas arrived in the SEC two seasons ago.

Winning in Athens could be the spark the Longhorns need for an at-large berth almost regardless of what happens in the Black Friday rivalry with No. 3 Texas A&M. At the end of the regular season, Texas could have the résumé to become the first three-loss team to reach the playoff.

Manning holds the key, as always. Despite intense scrutiny and an uneven start, the first-year starter has put together a strong debut and even outplayed several preseason favorites, including Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Florida’s DJ Lagway and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier.

In recent wins against Mississippi State and No. 14 Vanderbilt, Manning has completed a combined 54 of 79 attempts for 674 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. Texas topped 400 yards of offense in back-to-back games for the first time this year.

Against the backdrop of this must-have matchup, Manning has the opportunity to recast his season in a different, much more positive light — as a successful first step that lays the groundwork for a Heisman run in 2026.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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From carpools to motorcycles, House lawmakers overcome air travel chaos to end shutdown

The longest government shutdown in history finally ended on Wednesday night after nearly every member of the House of Representatives raced to Washington to cast their vote.

The threat of air travel delays — fueled in no small part by the fiscal standoff — as well as bad weather in parts of the country forced some lawmakers to find more unconventional routes to ensure they arrived on time.

First-term Rep. Addison McDowell, R-N.C., for example, found himself carpooling more than five hours alongside House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. — a powerful GOP lawmaker more than 50 years his senior.

‘It dawned on me that, for a while there, I was one of the most powerful people in America, because I had the Rules chair, who — we couldn’t start the process of passing this bill until she got here,’ McDowell told Fox News Digital. ‘We had a one-seat majority, and there was two of us. So, you know, there was a lot of pressure to make sure she got here on time.’

Foxx’s committee was responsible for preparing federal funding legislation for a House-wide vote, which it did from just before 7 p.m. Tuesday until around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

‘She just kind of asked, ‘Hey, would you be willing to carpool?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, not a problem at all.’ I’ve got a truck, so I’ve got plenty of room. We could have taken the whole delegation up, just put all the guys in the back,’ McDowell joked.

He also knew that driving Foxx up earlier than most lawmakers had to be there came with sacrifices.

‘Neither of us got to participate in any Veterans Day events in our district, which was a real bummer. But we had an important job to do, and that was make sure our government services and our current troops are getting paid,’ he said.

McDowell said he spent the roughly five-and-a-half-hour drive asking Foxx questions about her work and her own life, which she happily answered.

And the senior House Republican told Fox News Digital that she appreciated the experience herself.

‘I have never had a chance to really sit down with him for a long period of time, so I really welcome the opportunity to get to know him better,’ Foxx said. ‘He told me a lot about experiences he’s had. We talked about things from my side, mostly policy issues, but I did tell him a little bit more about my background.’

Foxx said it was a combination of bad weather in the North Carolina mountains and concerns about flight delays that moved her to contact colleagues about driving up — until she found her schedule most aligned with McDowell’s, and she drove herself to meet him before the long ride.

‘I have to say he’s an excellent driver,’ Foxx said. ‘We stopped in Henderson, North Carolina, and got Chick-fil-A sandwiches — of course, what else would we get? We left there at 11 [a.m.] and we got here at about 4:40 [p.m.].’

Asked if she would do it all again, Foxx said, ‘In a heartbeat.’

Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, also opted to drive instead of fly — a trip that spanned more than 1,000 miles across 15 hours overnight.

Feenstra said he and two staffers ‘took turns driving’ through the night, stopping only for gas and arriving in Washington some time on Wednesday morning before the vote.

‘I had a lot of Veterans Day events. I wanted to make sure that I was in my district for that. And then, once that was completed at 5 last night, we headed this way,’ he said. ‘When that’s your only option, you do it. This job — you’ve got to do whatever you have to.’ 

And Midwestern Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., also took to the roads, but in a different vehicle.

‘Democrats shut the government down over 40 days ago now. And I could not count on air travel,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘So I talked to my wife for about five seconds and said, ‘I’m getting on the motorcycle and leaving.’ So I did, and I got here on time.’

Van Orden, who first told The Hill of his plans, said he rode through sub-zero temperatures and had to navigate black ice on the roads. At one point, he stopped at a hotel ‘for four or five hours’ when the environment appeared ‘sketchy,’ he said.

‘Someone asked me, ‘Why don’t you just drive a car?’ Here’s why. We only have one car. And I wasn’t going to inconvenience my wife, because she is one of my constituents, and she happens to be my favorite constituent,’ he said.

‘People around here don’t seem to understand that the mission is more important than their personal security or comfort. And if more people in this building took their job more seriously and realized it’s about the American people than not, then we will be a better country.’

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DAVID MARCUS: Why Republicans desperately need a Trump-centered midterm convention

The postmortems for Republicans’ lackluster results in this month’s spate of elections in New Jersey, Virginia and beyond are in, and while pet theories abound, there is one thing almost everyone agrees on: In the age of President Donald Trump, the GOP does not fare well when he is not on the ballot.

The question for Republicans in tough congressional campaigns across the country is how they can symbolically get Trump on the ballot, and more importantly, get his often reluctant voters to the polls to fill out said ballots.

The best way to achieve this goal is an idea that Trump himself has floated, a midterm national Republican convention that showcases the party’s achievements under Trump’s second term and that makes it crystal clear that Americans won’t just be voting for Congress, but for Trump’s agenda.

The success of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was a bit overshadowed by assassination attempts and top of the ticket shakeups, but it is widely and rightly regarded as one of the best ever staged, and it made a difference.

The RNC was not only excellent prime-time television that showcased the priorities of the Trump GOP, it was an even better live event on the ground, cornhole courts and bars and restaurants created a festive, even joyous atmosphere.

This live event feeling could be amplified by satellite parties, even if the main convention is in Philadelphia for the 250th anniversary of America, or Chicago, to celebrate the birth of the Republican Party. Every city and town could have its own smaller version.

The power of such live events is something that both President Trump and the late founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, understood intuitively. If the midterm convention could be part Trump rally, part TPUSA party, well, that’s a powerful combination.

The most important reason why a midterm convention is vital is to put Trump front and center in the election. By then his signature One Big, Beautiful Bill Act will have cut taxes on tips and overtime, some of the trillions of new investment will be taking root, and Trump will be able to point to these achievements.

One thing that was notably missing in this most recent off-year election season was any emphasis on the Make America Healthy Again wing of the Trump movement led by Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

That was a mistake, Kennedy’s focus on making sure we aren’t poisoning our kids played a massive role in Trump’s 2024 win. A midterm convention could put the issue back on the table, and MAHA moms everywhere back in play.

This convention would also highlight Trump’s all but miraculous closing of the southern border, and celebrate, rather than denigrate, federal officials working to rid the nation of criminal illegal aliens.

Trump’s message would be simple: ‘I’ve got two more years to do what you put me in office to do, but to do it, I need Congress.’

If Republicans get really lucky, then holding a midterm convention might lead Democrats to hold one of their own, an exercise that could not help but betray the deep divisions in their ranks.

Who would speak at the DNC? Who would be welcome? Socialist mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani or Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., or maybe both at once yelling at each other about who’s a Zionist and who’s an antisemite. You see my point?

Trump is perhaps first and foremost a showman. That can be colored as a criticism or assessed as an asset, but it cannot be denied. The best chance that Republicans have in 2026 is to let him put on his show.

Although I am told that conversations have occurred behind the scenes in preparation for a potential midterm convention, it would still be a heavy lift. Usually there are four years to plan these things, not six months. But the Trump movement has the infrastructure and wherewithal to pull it off.

The ‘Trump Rally’ will go down in history, alongside the Lincoln-Douglas debates and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s fireside chats, as one of the most successful forms of political communication our nation has ever seen. My sense is that voters are up for one more encore performance.

Letting Trump be Trump might not just be the best strategy for Republicans in 2026, it might be the only one. And hey, if you’re going to lose anyway, why not go out with a party?

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Big-stakes SEC showdowns highlight Week 12 picks for college football

Two top-10 SEC showdowns are scheduled, including Oklahoma at Alabama and Texas at Georgia.
Another key game for the playoff race is No. 9 Notre Dame visiting No. 23 Pittsburgh.
Nearly every team in the US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 will be in action this week.

Week 12 is a busy one in college football, with nearly every team in the US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 in action. Our staff predictors thus have a lot to consider, including three matchups of ranked opponents.

As usual the SEC has a big piece of the spotlight, with a pair of top-10 showdowns on the docket. It will in fact be the two teams tied for 10th in the poll hitting the road, as Oklahoma takes on No. 4 Alabama and Texas meets No. 5 Georgia in a rematch of last season’s conference title game. The third ranked pairing is equally important to the playoff race as No. 9 Notre Dame heads to No. 23 Pittsburgh.

Will there be differing opinions from our panel of prognosticators on those games, and where else might there be upsets? Read on to see this week’s picks, as well as the season standings to date.

College football picks for Week 12

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How potential Olympic goalies are faring in the NHL this season

Canada’s goaltending was supposed to be a weak point heading into last season’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

Of course, St. Louis Blues netminder and former Stanley Cup winner Jordan Binnington proved that wrong when he outdueled eventual Vezina/Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck to beat the USA in the final.

But Canada’s goaltending lineup from that tournament is off to a slow start this season. Binnington has an .873 save percentage, Samuel Montembeault is at .861 and Vegas’ Adin Hill is injured.

Canada didn’t name a goaltender among its first six players, so there is time to sort things out.

Here is a look at goaltending candidates at the Olympics before rosters are finalized on Dec. 31 (statistics through Nov. 12):

USA

No goalie has been named. Hellebuyck is a given because he has won back-to-back Vezina trophies and three overall. Dallas’ Jake Oettinger, who has reached the conference finals the last three seasons and went to the 4 Nations, is another given.

That leaves a third goalie to be determined. Boston’s Jeremy Swayman served that role at the 4 Nations and could get it again with the Bruins riding a seven-game winning streak. He also helped the USA win a rare gold medal at the world championships. But he’ll have competition from Chicago’s Spencer Knight, who leads all U.S. No. 1 goalies with a .923 save percentage and is tied for the NHL lead in MoneyPuck’s goals saved above expected. Seattle’s Joey Daccord is on the injured list, and Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko left Tuesday’s game with an injury.

Canada

Binnington’s numbers improved after he beat the Calgary Flames on Nov. 11. His save percentage was .859 after he was pulled from a game against the Washington Capitals in which he gave up Alex Ovechkin’s 900th goal and tried to hide the puck.

Binnington will make the Olympic team based on his 4 Nations championship and 2019 Stanley Cup title. Plus, Canada’s general manager is Blues GM Doug Armstrong. But is he Canada’s No. 1 goalie?

The best Canadian goaltender this season has been the Capitals’ Logan Thompson, who didn’t make the 4 Nations team. But he has assumed a traditional No. 1 goalie role than the split role he had with Charlie Lindgren last season. Thompson has a 1.56 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.

Los Angeles’ Darcy Kuemper, a 2024-25 Vezina Trophy finalist and 2022 Stanley Cup winner who’s off to a good start this season, should be in the mix. Colorado’s Scott Wedgewood has 10 wins this season.

Finland

Nashville’s Juuse Saros already has been named, and he has a 3.11 goals-against average and .892 save percentage. Every Finnish NHL goalie has a save percentage below .900, a group that includes Boston’s Joonas Korpisalo, Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen and Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who recently returned from an injury.

Sweden

No goalie was named in the first six. The 4 Nations goalies were New Jersey’s Jacob Markstrom, Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark and Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson. Markstrom missed the tournament with an injury and was replaced by Philadelphia’s Samuel Ersson, who beat Team USA in the preliminary round.

The goaltending mix could be Markstrom, Ullmark and Gustavsson, especially with Ersson injured. All four goalies have sub-.900 save percentages. Ullmark is at .870 and is last in goals saved above expected. The Swedish NHL goalies with better save percentages are all backups.

Czechia

Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal was already named and is a big reason for the Ducks’ surprising start. He and Utah’s Karel Vejmelka are tied for second in the league with eight wins. Jakub Dobes has outplayed Montembeault in Montreal and Dan Vladar has looked good in Philadelphia.

Latvia

Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins and Pittsburgh’s Arturs Silovs already were named and are playing well. There are no other Latvian goalies in the NHL, so the third goalie would be from outside the league.

Other countries

Denmark: Carolina’s Frederik Andersen was named and will be the country’s workhorse. There are no other Danish goalies in the NHL. Frederik Dichow, who plays in Sweden, was in net when Denmark upset Canada in the world championships.

Germany: Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer was named. He’s the lone German NHL goalie this season and has started two games.

Switzerland: The Swiss have not named a goalie yet. Vegas’ Akira Schmid is the lone Swiss goalie in the NHL.

France, Italy and, surprisingly, Slovakia have no goalies in the NHL this season. Only Italy has named a goalie: Damian Clara, who plays in Sweden. Patrik Rybar, who plays in the Kontinental Hockey League, helped Slovakia win bronze in the 2022 Olympics.

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NBA MVP power ranking: Who joins SGA among early leaders?

The NBA season is just three weeks in, but a handful of stars have already put the league on notice with their play.

And once again, international players are dominating the Most Valuable Player conversation, as the U.S. has been shut out of the award since James Harden won it in 2018.

Everyone is chasing Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP who produced one of the most prolific seasons in basketball history, adding a scoring title, an NBA Finals championship, a Finals MVP and a first-team All-NBA selection to his MVP trophy.

Not surprisingly, with the Thunder off to an NBA-best 12-1 start, Gilgeous-Alexander is once again in the MVP conversation.

Here are the other players joining him, as USA TODAY Sports provides its first NBA MVP power rankings of the season.

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

The model of consistency, Gilgeous-Alexander has followed up his MVP by doing exactly what got him the award: being a consistent 30-point machine and elevating the play of his teammates; Gilgeous-Alexander has failed to score 30 or more points just twice this season. Making that even wilder: the Thunder have been ahead by so many points that he hasn’t even had to play in four fourth quarters.

4. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

He’s the toughest defensive matchup in the world, and Wembanyama’s game is already reaching elite levels. He’s averaging career highs in points (26.2) and rebounds (13.0) and leads the NBA in blocks (3.6) – which is 1.2 more than the next closest player. He has embraced efficiency and has been more selective with his 3-point shot. His handles are smoother, and he’s still only getting better.

3. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets 

Once again, Jokić is averaging a triple-double, and, once again, he is making the Nuggets one of the best teams in the West. Take Denver’s victory over the Clippers Wednesday, Nov. 12: Jokić dropped 55 points and 12 boards, but the most impressive part about his start is the efficiency with which he’s playing. Over his last four games, he’s shooting an absurd 78.9% from the floor.

2. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers

The biggest issue against Dončić is missing four games already. Otherwise, he has been stellar, averaging a ridiculous 34.9 points per game to go with 9.1 boards and 8.9 assists. Wednesday’s loss against the Thunder did set his numbers back, but that he has been carrying L.A. with LeBron James (sciatica) sidelined only bolsters his case. But, with the 65-game threshold for individual awards, Dončić needs to stay on the floor to win what would be his first MVP award.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

He remains the best transition player in the NBA, and the Bucks appear utterly lost without him. Milwaukee dropped its game Wednesday night against the Hornets with Antetokounmpo sidelined with a knee injury. The Bucks shot just 45.5% from the field and certainly missed Antetokounmpo’s 33.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

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Jack Smith targeted then-House Speaker McCarthy’s private phone records in J6 probe, FBI docs reveal

: Former Special Counsel Jack Smith allegedly sought the private, personal cellphone records of then-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, Fox News Digital has learned.

Smith also sought the private phone records of now-former Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas.

Fox News Digital exclusively reviewed the document that FBI Director Kash Patel recently shared with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson containing the explosive revelations. Grassley and Johnson have been leading a joint investigation into Smith’s ‘Arctic Frost’ probe.

According to the document, Smith, on Jan. 24, 2023, allegedly sought the ‘toll records for the personal cell phones of U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (AT&T) and U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (Verizon.)’

The information was included as part of a ‘Significant Case Notification’ drafted by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division May 25, 2023.

‘Jack Smith’s radical and deranged investigation was never about finding the truth,’ former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told Fox News Digital. ‘It was a blatant weaponizing of the Justice Department to attack political opponents of the Biden administration. Perhaps no action underscores this point more than the illegal attempt to access the phone records of sitting members of the House and Senate — including the Speaker of the House.’ 

‘His illegal targeting demands real accountability,’ McCarthy continued. ‘And I am confident Congress will hold hearings and access documents in its investigation into Jack Smith’s own abuses.’ 

‘At the same time, I will ask my own counsel to pursue all areas of redress so this does not happen to anyone else,’ McCarthy said. 

The revelations come after Fox News Digital exclusively reported in October that Smith and his ‘Arctic Frost’ team investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots were tracking the private communications and phone calls of nearly a dozen Republican senators as part of the probe, including Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

An official told Fox News Digital that those records were collected in 2023 by Smith and his team after subpoenaing major telephone providers. 

Smith has called his decision to subpoena and track Republican lawmakers’ phone records ‘entirely proper’ and consistent with Justice Department policy.

‘As described by various Senators, the toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021, with a focus on telephonic activity during the period immediately surrounding the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol,’ Smith’s lawyers wrote in October to Grassley.

Grassley, R-Iowa, and Johnson, R-Wis., have been investigating the matter, and seeking answers from major telephone providers.

In AT&T’s response to Grassley, it noted that Smith sought phone records for two members of Congress.

Fox News Digital has learned that AT&T informed Grassley’s staff that one of the members was Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, but refused to disclose the second member.

The newly declassified document reviewed by Fox News Digital appears to reveal that the second member of Congress that Smith sought records from AT&T for was McCarthy, R-Calif. 

Fox News Digital obtained AT&T’s response to Grassley, in which the company notes that Smith sent them a grand jury subpoena that included a request for phone records associated with two members of Congress.

‘However, when AT&T raised questions with Special Counsel Smith’s office concerning the legal basis for seeking records of members of Congress, the Special Counsel did not pursue the subpoena further, and no records were produced,’ AT&T told Grassley.

AT&T also stressed that the company ‘has not produced any records or other information to Special Counsel Jack Smith’ relating to ‘any member of Congress.’

‘Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation looks more and more out of control with each passing day,’ Grassley told Fox News Digital. ‘Based on my oversight, it was a fishing expedition that swept up Republicans in and out of Congress, from top to bottom.’ 

‘Arctic Frost’ was opened inside the bureau April 13, 2022. Smith was appointed as special counsel to take over the probe in November 2022. 

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that ‘Arctic Frost’ is a ‘prohibited case,’ and that the review required FBI officials to go ‘above and beyond in order to deliver on this promise of transparency.’ The discovery is part of a broader ongoing review, Fox News Digital has learned.

Smith, after months of investigating, charged President Donald Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. 

Smith’s case cost taxpayers more than $50 million. 

Smith did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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