The Los Angeles Lakers managed to rally in the second half to produce a 118-116 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

The Lakers overcame a 12-point deficit against Victor Wembanyama and Co. Luka Doncic flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 35 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. Marcus Smart contributed with 17 points, five assists and five rebounds.

While the Lakers turned things around in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles nearly gave the game away with some mistakes…

Marcus Smart nearly costs Lakers game

The Lakers nearly gave the game away, allowing the Spurs to stay competitive throughout the final seconds.

Marcus Smart began the tense finish when he turned the ball over on an inbound pass with seconds left in regulation. 

Smart decided to move quickly, trying to pass the ball across the court to take advantage of a mismatch, but did not fully have his foot out of bounds.

‘As a 12-year vet, I can’t make that mistake,’ Smart said after the game.

Jake LaRavia commits costly foul late

Jake LaRavia entered the game with 0.4 seconds left on the clock and made a second mistake for the Lakers that could’ve sent the game to overtime.

LaRavia was called for a shooting foul on Julian Champagnie while the Lakers led 118-116. Luckily for the Lakers, Champagnie missed both free throws. Champagnie has shot 85.2% from the free-throw line in his career.

• Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored his 900th career goal on Nov. 5.
• St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington picked up the milestone puck and tucked it in his pants.
• A linesman spotted the move and made Binnington return the puck.

Washington Capitals players poured onto the ice to mob Alex Ovechkin after he scored his 900th career goal during the second period on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

They weren’t paying attention to where the milestone puck was.

But St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington knew its location. The feisty netminder, who had given up the goal on an Ovechkin backhander, picked up the puck and tucked it inside his pants.

But he didn’t get away with it.

Linesman Michel Cormier had spotted the move. He talked to the goalie in his crease and Binnington reached into his pants and gave the puck to the on-ice official.

Ovechkin laughed when asked by reporters after the game about the incident.

‘Yeah, I just saw it,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to comment.’

Ovechkin’s goal had given the Capitals a 2-0 lead at 2:39 of the second period.

Anthony Beauvillier and John Carlson scored within the next seven minutes, and Binnington was pulled in favor of Joel Hofer.

Binnington, the 4 Nations Face-Off-winning goalie, fell to 3-5-2 with a 3.34 goals-against average and .859 save percentage.

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• Dallas’ owner admitted before Monday’s loss to Arizona how important being ‘relevant’ was to him.
• Tuesday, the Cowboys executed two trades, including a blockbuster with the Jets for DL Quinnen Williams.
• Yet still, the Cowboys remain among the minority of NFL teams that are actually below .500.

Being ‘relevant’ in the parity-laden NFL isn’t a very high bar. Yet if you have to take a crowbar to your organization to achieve that standard, then it will likely be damn near impossible to exceed much more than, well, (temporary?) relevance.

There’s no doubt Jerry Jones would very much like to win his first Super Bowl in 30 years. He’d doubtless be thrilled to play in the NFC championship game for the first time in … 30 years.

Yet winning a fourth ring isn’t necessarily an all-consuming objective for the longtime owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who tipped his hand yet again prior to his team’s Monday night loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

‘The Dallas Cowboys probably have the kind of interest that we have in no small part because we stay out front, and we stay controversial,’ Jones said on Stephen A. Smith’s SiriusXM show.

‘When it gets slow, I stir that (expletive) up. Fact. I just want to be relevant. I just want you to be looking at us.’

And here we are. Staring at the pseudo-relevance.

Eighteen of the NFL’s 32 teams currently stand at .500 or better. Jones’ isn’t one of them. The Cowboys are 3-5-1, good for second place in the sorry NFC East – barely – and 11th place overall in the conference. Dallas is two games behind the Detroit Lions, who currently hold the NFC’s final wild-card spot.

Yet Tuesday, Jones made good on his Monday teases, consummating trades he signaled were coming prior to the Cowboys’ public face plant on ‘Monday Night Football.’ Not 24 hours later, they’d traded for a linebacker (Logan Wilson) who’d just been benched by the Cincinnati Bengals, owners of what is the NFL’s worst defense by orders of magnitude, before obtaining the New York Jets’ Quinnen Williams, a three-time Pro Bowler who’s one of the league’s better defenders … and also one who cost Dallas dearly.

Relevant, huh?

On the one hand, you have to hand it to Jones. Though his team is entering its bye, it’s now positioned to largely dominate the NFL news cycle following the Williams deal – likely for the rest of this week, and maybe for the rest of 2025. Though the Cowboys will be two games under .500 when they return to the field, you won’t be able to avoid them. Dallas is set to embark on a five-week stretch after its week off that will include three prime-time games, a nationally televised matchup with the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the 4:25 p.m. ET window on Nov. 23 and a Thanksgiving meeting with … the Kansas City Chiefs, a living, breathing dynasty like the one Jones had decades ago.

But on the other hand?

According to the NFL’s analytics, the Cowboys have a 5% chance of making the playoffs. Wilson – in theory – and Williams are bound to improve a defense that is the league’s worst this side of Cincinnati. But is that really saying much? Are they going to cover Marvin Harrison Jr.? Or A.J. Brown? Are they going to prevent teammate George Pickens from indulging some of his worst on-field habits, as he did Monday night? Is Williams, who turns 28 next month, really going to be a cornerstone here – especially when he’s due $46 million in base salary over the 2026 and ’27 seasons and given his arrival dilutes the organization’s ability to reload the roster in the aftermath of the late-summer trade of pass rusher extraordinaire Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers? For those keeping score, Parsons returned two first-round picks, while Williams cost a Round 1 and Round 2 selection – so that’s an appreciably degraded defense now devoid of most of the Parsons profits that might have eventually replenished it.

And taking on Williams’ salary and pooling it with fat paychecks already taken home by Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb, guard Tyler Smith and others further restricts Jones’ ability to add topflight veterans in the future.

Maybe Jones thinks the Cowboys should or must win now, especially considering moves of this magnitude and the forfeiture of so much of the Parsons bounty. Especially given quarterback Dak Prescott is 32. Especially at a time when the NFC – and league at large – doesn’t seem to have an apparent juggernaut.

But the pre-Williams Cowboys couldn’t deal with a Cardinals team, now 3-5 itself, triggered by journeyman backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett and a band of fill-in running backs. They can’t stack up with the Eagles. Or the Rams. Or the Seahawks. Or the Buccaneers. Or the Lions. Or probably Parsons’ Packers even though they could only manage a tie with the Cowboys during his return to Dallas earlier this season.

‘They’re better because they can’t be worse, just having Quinnen Williams on the team,’ said former New York Giants vice president of player personnel Marc Ross, now an NFL Network analyst.

‘I thought the Micah Parsons trade was bad, and you’re making another trade here that is just trying to make up for that. … I don’t think that’s a win for the Cowboys.

‘They can’t rush the passer, and they can’t cover anybody – and I don’t think they can do that even now. … They’re not good enough to compete right now.’

But after Jones’ latest shell game, at least they’re relevant. Maybe even until Christmas.

MIAMI — Soccer star Lionel Messi discussed highlights of his legendary career, shared excitement for the upcoming World Cup and received the key to the city at the America Business Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Messi was interviewed by Miami major Francis Suarez, while Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas joined the stage to gift his captain with the local honor.

“This is a small token from this city whose hearts you have captured,” Mas told Messi.

“I feel very honored by this… This distinction for me is a great honor,” Messi said as he accepted the key.

Messi often tugged at his microphone, while wearing a charcoal gray suit during the interview at the Miami Heat’s Kaseya Center, where fans in the lower bowl chanted his name between responses.

Messi discussed several topics, including his journey from his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, to his soccer stops at Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami. He also discussed his failures with the Argentine national team before winning the World Cup in 2022.

“Well, it’s difficult to convey the feeling of that moment and find the words to describe what that title meant on a personal level, for my family, my teammates, and my country,” Messi said of Argentina’s third World Cup title won in Qatar. “For me, it was special.”

While Messi has yet to officially declare whether or not he will play in the 2026 World Cup, he has shared excitement about the possibility in previous interviews.

Messi said the 1994 World Cup was a turning point for the sport in the United States, and believes the next World Cup “will be something extraordinary.”

“I think it’s an important moment for soccer in the United States in general, which I hope will be taken advantage of to continue growing,” Messi said regarding next summer’s tournament co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Messi, who last month signed a three-year extension with Inter Miami through 2028, reiterated retirement is far from his mind when asked about his legacy.

“The truth is that it’s not something I’ve thought about or worried about when I retire,’ Messi said. ‘For now, I’m going to continue enjoying myself and continue playing.”

Messi was the final speaker on Day 1 of the conference, which also featured U.S. President Donald Trump as the headliner one year after his election for a second term.  

FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Formula One president/CEO Stefano Domenicali were also speakers with sports ties at the event on Wednesday.

Trump joked he campaigned for a second term so he could be in charge during World Cup 2026.

“I wanted to be president when they have the World Cup and look what happened, Gianni. I’m president and we have the World Cup,” Trump said directed toward Infantino.

Trump said tickets for the World Cup held from June 11-July 19, 2026 – “are selling at record numbers that they’ve never sold before. They’re doing record business.”

Trump reiterated the 250^th anniversary of the United States on July 4, 2026 will feature a UFC fight at the White House, which he said is “going to be a tough ticket.”

Trump also mentioned the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, among his brief mention of sports during his speech.

Infantino walked onto the stage holding a World Cup ball, and played the hits he usually discusses in front of American audiences – explaining the difference between soccer and football to start.

Infantino also joked about his soccer career, with talent unlike Messi.

“I realized if I ever want to touch the World Cup, I had to become FIFA president,” Infantino said.

Infantino also acknowledged his budding relationship with Trump, saying he considers the president a “close friend.”

“He’s very helpful in everything that we do for the World Cup,” Infantino said of Trump. “He’s really engaged. He has such incredible energy. He does what he says, and says what he thinks. That’s why he’s so successful.”

Before receiving the key to the city, Messi was applauded after acknowledging he rarely participates in public speaking events.

“It was much more difficult for me to speak in public, to do this type of event. My thing was always playing, and that’s what I did,” Messi said. “The truth is that today, I felt very good. I had a good time, I enjoyed myself.”

Messi returns to action with Inter Miami in Game 3 of their first-round MLS playoff series against Nashville SC on Saturday, Nov. 8.

AI-assisted summary
• A contract dispute between Disney and Google led to YouTube TV dropping ESPN and other Disney-owned channels.
• The conflict highlights a larger power struggle between traditional media companies and tech giants over sports broadcasting rights.
• Approximately 10 million YouTube TV subscribers are affected by the channel blackout.

The standoff between ESPN – corporate overlord Disney – and YouTube TV – corporate overlord Google – has little to do with subscriber counts. Or viewership numbers. Or money, even. (It’s always about money, of course, but let’s zoom out for a moment.) 

Those data points and cash flows are all minor components of the situation the companies find themselves in, which began Oct. 30 when YouTube announced it would stop airing Disney-owned stations, including ABC and ESPN in the sports world, and options such as FX, National Geographic and Disney Channel in the larger entertainment space. 

The bigger picture is that the blackout is a harbinger of the future of how we watch sports and the rivalries that define where we consume the content. Because caught in the middle of the boardroom back-and-forth are the fans.

Hopefully you already knew that these massive corporations – the leagues are included in this – have no interest in serving the public. Line graphs going to the upper-right-hand corner of screens are in style, and the people making them will do anything to push them in that direction, even if it means not airing a “Monday Night Football” game or a Saturday of college football. 

Tech giants poised to further disrupt sports broadcasting

The approximately 10 million YouTube TV customers – by far the biggest losers in this drama – already pay $82.99 per month for the service that essentially replaced cable. Good luck filling a sports-centric “quad-box” without ESPN, ESPN2 or SEC Network. Disputes between carriers and networks such as ESPN still happen, but that there is a warring between a company with the streaming might of YouTube is another point to consider. YouTube TV currently controls the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package for an additional monthly cost.

Where do people go to watch the highlights of games they missed, which may have aired on ESPN? YouTube. Where are the younger demographics, craved by these companies, allocating their screen time? YouTube.  

The company is only beginning to flex its muscles when it comes to obtaining live rights via those billion-dollar agreements with leagues that usually last more than a decade. And that’s exactly what a company like Disney – heavily invested in the NFL, NBA, SEC football and the NHL – fears. Their competition isn’t other networks. It’s the tech giants, with Amazon included in that group.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has already said the league will attempt to renegotiate its 11-year deal worth more than $100 billion ahead of next season. The NBA agreed with three entities for around $76 billion for a broadcast deal that started this season. Amazon secured major rights within those deals. YouTube wanting to be next makes sense. Only so many companies are willing, or capable, of paying the rights fees. Google’s current market capitalization exceeds $3.3 trillion – it will be well-positioned to get involved at its leisure. 

Leagues, fans caught in middle, but only the former has sway

Leagues are caught in the middle and have already tried to play both sides. The NFL, for example, aired the Week 1 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers on YouTube. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that the league is OK with a diminished rating for a Dallas Cowboys game, as will certainly be the case after their Nov. 3 game against the Arizona Cardinals missed YouTube TV viewers. 

That’s just one example of the incestuous nature of this entire thing. ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” pulled in 435,000 viewers on YouTube. It’s worth noting that YouTube TV is not the same as looking up videos or watching a live stream on YouTube, but it’s all part of the company’s sports strategy. 

The tinfoil hat crew will say that the stalemate, from ESPN’s point-of-view, is about driving people to download and pay for the ESPN direct-to-consumer app (going at $30 a month or $300 per year). There’s no way the sign-ups during this past week – not that we’d ever see that data – would justify the standoff. 

Mickey Mouse has enlisted its top lieutenants, from Scott Van Pelt to Adam Schefter and Mike Greenberg, to sound the alarm and sway public opinion with relatively inauthentic social-media posts. Maybe the issue will get through to one consumer or two. In the C-Suites where it matters? They’re wasting their character count. 

Of all polities, the United States Senate has even called out the strain the continued segmentation has placed on consumers. Need we look for another sign of how out of control this has gotten? 

Eventually, the games will come back on. A deal will be made. The only real effect will be more money coming out of fans’ pockets. Thank goodness for autopay.