夜上海论坛-上海419论坛-上海龙凤419

New York Knicks team owner James Dolan was named in a lawsuit filed in California alleging that he sexually assaulted and trafficked a masseuse. The lawsuit was filed on Jan. 16 and claims that in November 2013 Dolan sexually assaulted the plaintiff, Kellye Croft, while his band was on tour with The Eagles. In that instance, the lawsuit alleges that while Croft was massaging Dolan the Knicks team owner was “extremely assertive, and pressured Ms. Croft into unwanted sexual intercourse with him,” despite her being adamant that she did not want to engage in any sexual activity with him. Following that incident, according to the lawsuit, Dolan repeatedly made sexual advances toward Croft.

In another incident at end of 2013, the lawsuit states that Croft was flown out to California in what she thought was to work as a massage therapist. However, the lawsuit states those were “fradulent pretenses” and instead Croft was “trafficked” by Dolan to “engage in unlawful and unwelcome sex acts with her.”

The lawsuit also alleges that Dolan “fraudulently coordinated” a meeting between Croft and convicted sex offender and former movie producer Harvey Weinstein in January 2014, which led to Croft being sexually assaulted by Weinstein. The lawsuit alleges that Dolan knew about Weinstein’s history of sexually assaulting and abusing women, and when Croft alerted Dolan of the sexual assault by Weinstein he did nothing about it.

“I have suffered so profoundly because of what James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein did to me years ago, and it was not an easy decision to come forward and seek justice,” Croft said in a statement. “But for me, to truly address my trauma, I need to seek accountability. James Dolan manipulated me, brought me to California to abuse me, and then set me up for a vicious attack by Weinstein. My hope is that my lawsuit will force Dolan to acknowledge what he did to me and to take responsibility for the harm he has caused.”

In a statement by Dolan’s lawyer, E. Danya Perry, he is denying the allegations against him while also denying that he knew about Weinstein’s history.

“There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations against Mr. Dolan. Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship. The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply meant to inflame and appear to be plagiarized from prior cases against Mr. Weinstein. These claims reflect an act of retaliation by an attorney who has brought multiple cases against Mr. Dolan and has not, and cannot, win a judgement against him. Mr. Dolan always believed Ms. Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims. Bottom line, this is not a he said/she said matter and there is compelling evidence to back up our position. We look forward to proving that in court.”

Dolan, 68, is the chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports, the group that manages the Knicks and Rangers. He is also the chairman of MSG Networks.

Croft is seeking monetary damages and is demanding a trial by jury on the lawsuit.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (27-12) and the Los Angeles Clippers (25-14) square off in a conference duel on Tuesday night. These are two of the top 10 scoring offenses in the NBA. The Thunder are currently sitting in the third spot (122.1 points per game), while Los Angeles is in ninth place (117.4 PPG). This is the second matchup of the season between these clubs, with OKC both winning and covering the first time around. Ivica Zubac (calf) is out for the Clippers.

Tipoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Clippers are 6-point favorites in the latest Thunder vs. Clippers odds via SportsLine consensus. The over/under for total points is 237.5. Before making any Clippers vs. Thunder picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer 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 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Thunder vs. Clippers 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 Clippers vs. Thunder:

Thunder vs. Clippers spread: Clippers -6
Thunder vs. Clippers over/under: 237.5 points
Thunder vs. Clippers money line: Clippers -244, Thunder +198
OKC: 26-12 ATS this season
LAC: 20-19 ATS this season
Thunder vs. Clippers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Thunder can cover
Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having an MVP-caliber campaign. Gilgeous-Alexander uses his length to glide to the rim and shoot right over the outstretched arms of defenders. The Kentucky product also owns an excellent mid-range jumper with the court vision to find open teammates. He’s third in the NBA in scoring (31.3) with 5.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists. On Jan. 13 versus the Magic, Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 37 points, six boards and seven assists.

Forward Chet Holmgren (7-foot-1) has the length to be an effective shot-blocker and owns a soft touch around the rim. Holmgren is putting up 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. On Jan. 10 against the Heat, he racked up 23 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. See which team to pick here.

Why the Clippers can cover
Forward Kawhi Leonard is having a superb campaign for Los Angeles. Leonard is almost automatic from mid-range and does a great job drawing contact at the rim. The five-time All-Star averages a team-high 24 points with 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. In his last outing, Leonard supplied 26 points, nine boards and four assists.

Forward Paul George generates offense from all three levels. George’s offensive arsenal is so smooth due to his jumper and relentlessness in attacking the paint. The eight-time All-Star averages 23.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists. On Jan. 12 against the Grizzlies, George notched 37 points, three boards and went 7-of-10 from downtown. See which team to pick here.

How to make Clippers vs. Thunder picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 233 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.

The Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers are involved in active trade talks around two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Sam Amick. The proposed deal would involve Bruce Brown, Indiana’s most expensive player at $22 million, and three first-round picks. The potential protections on those picks are not yet known, but talks have advanced over the past few days.

Several other teams have reportedly explored acquiring Siakam, including the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. The Raptors were seemingly at one point involved in talks with the Sacramento Kings, but those talks eventually fizzled. Sacramento has reportedly been unwilling to include second-year forward Keegan Murray in any deal for Siakam. As an impending free agent, Siakam has unusual leverage in these trade talks. He can scare off teams he is not interested in by refusing to negotiate an extension.

Indiana, now 23-17 and holding the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, is well-positioned to make a significant addition. Not only do the Pacers own all of their own first-round picks as well as another 2024 first-rounder from the Thunder, but they are positioned to create max cap space this offseason as well. That gives them a bit of leverage against the Raptors in these negotiations as they can pursue Siakam as a free agent if they do not land him via trade first.

The Raptors already made a big trade this season by sending OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks in a deal that landed them RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Barrett and Quickley have fit in seamlessly in Toronto, and now, the Raptors appear focused on dealing another key veteran in Siakam to continue their push to make the roster younger around centerpiece forward Scottie Barnes.

Indiana is not known to be especially aggressive in pursuing veteran talent, but the emergence of Tyrese Haliburton as a legitimate MVP candidate has changed their roster-building calculus. The right upgrades could turn the Pacers into championship contenders in the near future. If they believe Siakam is that sort of addition, they’ll pay what it takes to land the star forward.

Los Angeles Clippers’ starting center Ivica Zubac is dealing with a right calf strain and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Such an absence is highly unusual for Zubac, who had missed only 12 games since joining the Clippers in 2019 prior to Tuesday’s news.

Zubac’s absence will be significant for a Clippers team that has been playing very well of late. After losing their first five games with James Harden, the Clippers have gone 22-6 since. The developing chemistry between Harden and Zubac in pick-and-roll has been a big reason for that success. Zubac is averaging a career-high 12.4 points and 1.4 blocks per game this season. As a team, the Clippers have been 8.6 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor than without him this season. He is their defensive anchor and an increasingly important part of their offense, so he will be missed while he is out.

Fortunately, the Clippers are getting former backup center Mason Plumlee back from the injury he suffered earlier this season. They have also gotten good production out of Daniel Theis, whom they signed after he was bought out by the Indiana Pacers earlier in the season. The two of them should be able to keep the Clippers afloat while Zubac recovers, and if necessary, Los Angeles has enough forward depth to potentially play small-ball for stretches. P.J. Tucker has largely been out of the rotation lately, but Zubac’s absence could earn him a few small-ball center minutes.

Injuries were expected to be a problem for the Clippers this season as they have for the past several, but Zubac was the last player they expected to lose. Fortunately, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who have both dealt with myriad injuries since joining the Clippers, have largely been able to remain on the court. As long as they have their stars, the Clippers can survive a stretch without their starting center.

Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic faced off in Philadelphia on Tuesday in what is becoming the MVP race’s annual midseason check-in. A little less than a year ago, on Jan. 28, 2023, Embiid engineered a 15-point, second-half comeback against Jokic’s Nuggets in a win that ultimately saw his MVP odds nearly cut in half from +700 to +360. He wound up winning the award, but just as was the case last season, Jokic is the slight favorite at most books as of this writing. If Embiid wanted to reclaim his place atop the leaderboard, he made quite a statement against Denver in a 126-121 win Tuesday.

Jokic was spectacular, posting 25 points and 19 rebounds in defeat, but Embiid stole the show with a 41-point, 10-assist, seven-rebound masterclass. He saved his best work for the fourth quarter. When he re-entered the game with 7:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, the score was tied at 111 apiece. Jokic and Tyrese Maxey traded buckets to push the score to 113 each, but Embiid took over from there. Between the 6:57 and 3:32 mark of the fourth quarter, 10 total points were scored. All of them came from Embiid. His personal 10-0 run gave the 76ers a 123-113 lead that they would never relinquish.

It would be one of the best performances of the season in a normal year, but it was downright pedestrian by the standard Embiid has set this season. It was Embiid’s eighth 40-point game of the season, and it was the first time since Nov. 17 that he failed to reach the 30-point, 10-rebound mark. Of course, he made up for that with his 10 assists, because even when he is slightly deficient in a single area this season, Embiid has found ways to compensate elsewhere. He is having the best season of his career, and yet, after the game, he deferred to the player he just defeated. Jokic and Embiid shared a hug after the game, and Embiid whispered something in Jokic’s ears that the camera didn’t quite catch. In his postgame interview, Embiid explained that he told Jokic he was the best player in the league.

“I just told him he’s the best player in the league.” 👀

Joel Embiid tells @ALaForce what he told Nikola Jokić after their hard-fought battle tonight! pic.twitter.com/mcDsfyUzCA

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 17, 2024
“I just told him he’s the best player in the league,” Embiid said. “Like I told you earlier, he won a championship, that’s the best team in the league. He’s the Finals MVP. So I was just telling him, ‘Keep going, I’ll see you in two weeks, keep doing your thing, that’s why you’re the best in the league.'”

The 76ers are scheduled to play the Nuggets again in Denver on Saturday, Jan. 27, so Jokic could potentially have a chance to prove Embiid’s words, but the Philadelphia star’s recent history suggests he might not be a lock to play in that game. Jokic and Embiid have finished first and second in the MVP race three years in a row, but Embiid hasn’t played a single road game in Denver during that stretch. There was some fear that he would miss Tuesday night’s game, the second half of a back-to-back for the 76ers, but he wound up playing. He has missed seven of Philadelphia’s last 11 games, and the 76ers will be cautious in managing his health in the hopes that he gets to the playoffs at full strength.

Jokic was ranked No. 1 in the NBA in most preseason player rankings. He was the pick from CBS Sports, The Ringer and Bleacher Report, for example, and before Embiid’s 2023 MVP win, Jokic had taken home the two previous trophies. This year’s race will be a bit deeper. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo all have odds in the triple digits to this point and will be heard from. But ultimately, Embiid is correct. The title of “best player in the league” is determined in the playoffs, not the regular season. Embiid may have taken a step toward winning his second MVP award on Tuesday, but if he wants to take Jokic’s far more meaningful “best in the world” title, he’s going to have to do it in June, not January.