Month: November 2022

It’s been a season to forget for the Arizona Cardinals. The team is 4-8, has lost two games in a row, and is barreling towards a top-10 pick. This is despite the fact that ownership decided to extend three primary members of the organization — general manager Steve Keim, head coach Kliff Kingsbury, and quarterback Kyler Murray — this past offseason.

Patrick Peterson, who spent the first decade of his NFL career with the Cardinals before joining the Minnesota Vikings last year, discussed the team on a recent episode of the All Things Covered podcast. Peterson made it a point to say that he believes Kingsbury will be the fall guy for what has happened with the Cardinals this year, before saying that “the crazy about it: the guy who hired him will still have a job.”

Peterson’s co-host, Bryant McFadden, then brought up Murray, and mentioned that he doesn’t like how the team’s starting signal caller will air out dirty laundry.

“I don’t like how he’s doing that,” McFadden said. “I think he should keep some things privately, but it tells me he doesn’t care about his head coach. And he’s putting everything on the head coach, basically saying…”

It was at this point that Peterson interjected and made his thoughts on Murray clear, saying that “Kyler Murray don’t care about nobody but Kyler Murray. That’s just a matter of the fact.”

Peterson and Murray were teammates during the 2019 and 2020 NFL seasons.

Ben Simmons had finally started to look like he was finding a bit of form towards the end of November, as he recorded six straight games scoring in double figures. However, injury issues have crept back up for Simmons, who has dealt with knee soreness and now will be on the shelf for at least three games with what is officially a “left lateral upper calf strain” that led to him leaving the Nets most recent game against Orlando after just 11 minutes of play.

Simmons has struggled with injuries of late, as his back issues kept him out all of last year even after he was traded from Philly to Brooklyn after sitting out the start of the season. Now he finds himself back on the injury report with a calf strain that hopefully won’t cost him significant time, but will at least have him miss a week of games before being reevaluated.

In his first year playing with the Nets, Simmons is averaging 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in 28 minutes a night. After struggling out of the gate he seemed to be finding a rhythm, but will now have to miss more time and the Nets will be without a versatile piece as they look to push above .500 and climb the East standings.

It’s been three years since their self-titled sophomore album and Weeping Icon have returned with a vengeance. The punk group is back with a hypnotic new batch of tunes with their EP Ocelli, a project that puts their explosive energy on full display.

The band, composed of Lani Combier-Kapel on drums/vocals, Sara Fantry on guitar/vocals, Sarah Lutkenhaus on keys, and Sarah Reinold on bass, have honed their sound. Ocelli is a collection of songs that boast talky vocals, raucous and energetic instrumentals, and empowering lyrics that take down two-faced misogynists and capitalism.

Celebrating their Ocelli EP, Weeping Icon sits down with Uproxx to talk Kim Gordon, crashing at a haunted house, and sea turtles in our latest Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Fantry: Furious, sarcastic, emotional, and strange.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Combier-Kapel: It was and probably still is a dark time. So imagine the songs will still be relevant in some ways. But I’d like to think I’ll still be playing music in 2050, even if it means playing drums with one arm, one tooth and a glass eye. I hope most of the sea turtles are still alive.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Fantry: I always love shows in Toronto. Packed or small, there are some rad people up there.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Combier-Kapel: I’d have to say Kim Gordon. She’s unapologetically herself onstage and off, and the breadth of visual work she’s created over the years has proven that you don’t have to keep yourself to one medium. Every way you spend your time informs other creative endeavors.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Fantry: Probably a restaurant in NYC. Too much good food here for anywhere else to have left an impression I guess.

What album do you know every word to?

Combier-Kapel: Depeche Mode’s Catching Up With Depeche Mode.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Fantry: Swans at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Combier-Kapel: Shorts and a tshirt, or stretchy things that don’t move around as I’m drumming. Sara F and I have a vintage store in Bushwick called “Protection Spell,” and we intend to source more of our outfits plus other people’s outfits from there! Shameless little plug.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Fantry: I love the NYC instagrams like @whatisnewyork, @yerr.nyc, @subwaycreatures, @newyorknico — there’s such a specific culture here and this is our pack. Just love to see what’s going on at home, even when I’m just in my house. It’s always something spicy.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Combier-Kapel: Joy Division’s “Transmission,” or maybe Lana Del Rey… the last tour was a very weird time.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Fantry: English to Spanish dictionary. Needed to look up the word for payroll to text my coworker.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Combier-Kapel: Isn’t Anything by My Bloody Valentine. Can someone please just get it for me?

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

Fantry: A haunted house in Memphis TN, where I saw a real ghost. Or an apparition of some sort. It was a white glowing mist cloud that passed in front of me 3 times in a dark, windowless room. I was sober and definitely still awake. When I told the housemates in the morning that I saw a ghost the night before they all said “oh yeah, the woman in white, everyone sees her.” Oh but also we stayed at Super Happy Fun Land in Houston, TX one time and they have dozens of Raggedy Ann dolls and other creepy toys stapled to the wall — that actually was probably weirder.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

Combier-Kapel: My first tattoo is a set of paisley flowers and a bluebird, done by a good highschool friend, Dorothy. It’s on my upper right back near my shoulder blade and the tail of the bird extends to the side of my ribcage. An ode to New Paltz, the town that I went to college in. I still have the tapestry that the image was taken from.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Fantry: Anyone experimental, strange, different – that can be a pop song, I just don’t want to hear anything I’ve heard played to death already (like a really contrived commercial country song). It makes my brain feel like it’s getting bed sores. I want to hear something fresh to my neural pathways.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Combier-Kapel: Sarah R’s dad sold me a nice minivan for $200. Also thanks to my mom for popping me out — I’m truly grateful for that.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Fantry: You don’t need to be an adult yet. It’s ok to not want to go to school. Give yourself time to heal from your traumas. Have fun, make lots of art, just enjoy this imaginative time of limitless possibilities.

What’s the last show you went to?

Combier-Kapel: I guess it was our EP release show on Friday with YHWH Nailgun, JWC, and Harlequin Panic at Alphaville!

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Fantry: Tied for Home Alone / Jurassic Park. Can’t turn off movies with soundtracks that good. Each are such a powerful vibe.

What’s one of your hidden talents?

Reinold: I am one of few words, but my devil sticking while skateboarding abilities speak for themselves.

Ocelli is out now via Firetalk. Get it here.

Netflix has another hit on its hands with Wednesday, but when it comes to movies the streaming service is certainly in an interesting place. Its Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion, has performed well during its extremely limited theatrical run to the point that it might return to theaters once it hits Netflix. Images of For Your Consideration packages for the Rian Johnson project are already leaking out, and given its success there will be considerable buzz for the elusive Oscar the streamer has spent millions upon millions to secure.

Beyond that, though, lay a veritable wasteland of downright bad original titles on Netflix. And behind the scenes, the company is trimming its budget and toying with an ad-supported option to boost growth and the all-important revenue. For every big push for Roma or The Power of the Dog there are dozens upon dozens of titles you’ve never heard of that barely crack a 6.0 on your cursory IMDB search to see if they’re worth watching. And it’s not just people holding a Roku remote at home who have noticed. Ben Affleck knows the movie business from all angles, which is why the actor/director calling Netflix out is certainly notable news.

Earlier this summer Affleck started Artists Equity, a studio he formed alongside Matt Damon. The goal is to make about three projects a year, maybe five in the future. And in talking about his hopes for the studio, he juxtaposed what a behemoth like Netflix does to survive. And not exactly in a good way.

As Deadline reported, Affleck appeared on a panel at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit this week to talk about the movie industry and what he hopes to accomplish with Artists Equity. The goal, he said, is to make movies that “people remember 20 years later.” And that doesn’t always mean aiming for the biggest audience.

“There’s bigger audience for action movies than there is for small dramas – I get that,” Affleck said. “Certain genres play more broadly and you can’t not be mindful of that. But let’s do a good one, let’s surprise the audience, let’s make them care about it.”

The goal of Artists Equity, Affleck said, was not to focus on volume but quality of movies. Which is something he noted the biggest money-movers in Hollywood have focused on in recent years. He used Netflix as an example, calling the volume approach the streamer has had lately an “assembly line process” that more often than not doesn’t create very good films.

“If you ask Reed Hastings … I’m sure there’s some risk in that, and I’m sure they had a great strategy, but I would have said, ‘How are we going to make 50 great movies?! How is that possible? There’s no committee big enough. There aren’t enough — you just can’t do it. It’s a thing that requires attention and dedication and work and resists the assembly line process. Scott Stuber is a really talented, smart guy who I really like… but it’s an impossible job,” Affleck said, referring to the giant streamer’s founder and co-CEO and to its head of original films.

It’s interesting to see Affleck be so blatantly critical of Netflix and the quality of the projects they make (especially given his experience with them on Triple Frontier), but it offers a glimpse into what many see as a problem of the modern movie landscape itself. When the goal is volume over quality, regardless of what size screen the product is intended for, the whole industry suffers. It’s clear that Netflix is capable of making good movies — as Glass Onion can certainly prove — but Affleck made it clear this week that the current model in place doesn’t mean they make a lot of good movies. Which means a lot of stuff to scroll past to get to the things people actually want to watch.

[via Deadline]

Matt McCormick can still remember the sound his childhood basketball hoop made when the ball thudded against it. He describes it as a rumble, the result of the looseness of the cheap hoop, and a sound that even in memory can dredge up the anxiety of chasing a ball that ricocheted hard off the backboard down a slanted driveway before it had the chance to bounce onto any cars parked nearby.

It’s a visceral memory many people who grew up as basketball fans can relate to. It’s also the heart of McCormick’s upcoming show during Miami’s Art Week, opening December 1st and running until the 4th. Presented in tandem with Bleacher Report’s Artist Series and the NBA, McCormick has created a space at The LAB in Wynwood in homage to his earliest memories of NBA fandom. One part traditional art show, with large-format paintings of the icons of his youth in Dennis Rodman and Allen Iverson, another part experiential installation in the form of a “sports bar dive bar” McCormick’s cobbled together from the places he frequented when he was younger, the show, he hopes, will ultimately create a bridge through NBA fandom into fine art.

“A lot of that stuff is a part of the foundation that we subconsciously don’t even realize is building the experience for us. All these different noises, touches, feel, smells, et cetera,” McCormick says over Zoom, taking a brief break from installing the show. “And I think that is a very integral part of being a fan that we may not even pay attention to until years down the line, when you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, I remember that noise the backboard made.’”

Growing up in the Bay Area, McCormick remembers the years when he and other fans were “just kind of dragged along” by a middling Warriors team. Lean seasons of fandom where a 2007 playoff appearance felt like winning a title, but otherwise a team no one would have predicted turning into the golden juggernaut of the West. But like so many other fans of his generation, McCormick had already been hooked by the larger-than-life Rodman and audaciousness of Iverson.

“They were tattooed, they were loud, they very much had a personality that extended to the way they dressed, the way they looked, and then just the way they carry themselves,” McCormick says. “And that to me was like highly influential as a young person. I’m covered in tattoos to this day, so I’m sure it had some effect on that side of it too.”

For him, they were caricatures of an American individualism. Tough, audacious, independent and alluring outlaws, all themes that would later come to stick in McCormick’s work with its Western motifs and American iconography — cowboys and their rearing horses, stock cars, old motel signs and Coke bottles, all dreamily collaged over canyon lands and open plains, aflame in the day’s last or early light. Those symbols and what they’ve come to reference, both in McCormick’s work and wider imagination, have parallels within sports, and certainly the NBA.

Line wolf players, relegated franchises, gunners and lights-out shooters — the terms we’ve coined as colloquial in basketball are borrowed from our broader, collective understanding of desperados but more than that, their expansiveness and sense of possibility. McCormick remembers the first work he ever had published, in Sports Illustrated for Kids, was a “made up version of a basketball team”. The cover of that issue featured Tim Duncan and David Robinson, meeting midair, both with basketballs in one hand and cowboy hats in the other, as a shadowed cowboy attempts to lasso their arms. An armadillo looks up from the ground at them in awe.

“And they were in, it was like them superposed in front of Monument Valley, which has become a huge part of my visual language in my non-basketball related work, so it’s kind of a full circle moment right there,” McCormick recalls, smiling. “So that’s kind of what I’m generally referencing back to is this kid, you know, trying to like learn how to be a man and a person and being obsessed with these larger than life characters.”

“Being a fan is more than just like what happens on the court,” McCormick says. “we kind of look to these people for everything.”

There are plenty of nods to that full-circle meeting of early fandom, in all its well-worn sentimentality, in his show, because McCormick was intent on distilling fandom down to its anchor points.

“Materials are highly important. It’s funny, I sat courtside for the first time recently and touching the court is almost like a religious experience of some kind. That’s why I love basketball so much,” he says. “All your senses are on overdrive. So the feeling of that court, the squeaking of a shoe, those noises. There’s a feeling of the wood floor, it’s so much different than say a concrete or asphalt court. There’s the differences between a metal chain link net versus a cotton net.”

Concentrating on materials, he wanted to channel the tactile and sensual elements of the game, and built four “pretty much regulation sized” backboards out of things like house siding and portions of an old boat. McCormick painted each backboard carefully — and quickly, over just one weekend — and purposefully, with homages to art that’s become the most influential to him in his practice, as well as his life.

“It was kind of a way for me to insert the new fandom for me, which has become the most important fandom in my life, and blend these two worlds where like, I grew up as a fan of this sport and now I’m a fan of this art, and how can we make the conversation come together,” he says. “I’m really excited about those.”

The hoops he sourced individually, and each have their own unique patina, reflective to real-life reps.

“They’re supposed to emulate the homemade backboard that you’d find on the side of a barn or something, like middle of nowhere. ‘Cause I find it fascinating, the reach of these sports, you know, you’ll have people in the inner city, and then you’ll have people like in the middle of nowhere, and there’s still the same kind of obsession and gravitation towards this thing.”

To house the work and cap off the sensory experience he’s aiming for, McCormick built a sports bar referential to the real thing as much as the dogma of them. He notes that within the duality of a dive bar — a place with its low points as well as one where everybody knows your name — there’s accessibility: they exist everywhere.

“But what is even more appealing to me is the decor, which is essentially anti-decor and anti-design. It’s basically building spaces of the most affordable, least considered, in a high brow sense kind of elements.”

McCormick, who became sober after his own bout with addiction, describes those elements with warmth. Fake wood panelled walls, Christmas lights that get left up, “and then what I love is the spaces kind of grow,” he says. “So it’s like the people that own the spaces, start acquiring, you know, what some people might see as junk, these of mementos. There’s family photos, some things are framed, some things are not. And there’s a real beauty to that kind of space.”

Creating a welcoming environment was crucial to McCormick when conceptualizing the show, and not just having it be free in contrast to Art Week’s exclusive tentpole convention of Art Basel. As someone who came to fine art in his own, roundabout way, he understand the barriers — both perceived and actual — in the art world. It’s why he’s so passionate about making and presenting art in a way that encourages people to come in.

“I think that one of the major problems with art and something that needs to change is this exclusionary mentality, because it doesn’t encourage people to participate,” McCormick stresses, mentioning the inroads basketball and contemporary art have made through artists like Tyrrell Winston, Jonas Wood, and the art basketball magazine turned gallery and record label, Franchise. But he also doesn’t knock something like basketball bobbleheads which, while people understand they aren’t getting a piece of art, do represent an entry point and “easy moment” for people to enjoy. Those little undulating figures spark something. Likewise, clothing with McCormick’s designs for the show will be available at the event, and online afterwards.

“Not to keep going back to those backboards,” McCormick chuckles. “but that was a big reason why I wanted to make this allusion to these artists that I find so important, so that someone could maybe be like, what is that about?”

Fandom, for McCormick and within the themes of this show, is an open avenue rather than something meant to be restrictive. It’s where his own practice sprang from, however unbeknownst to him then, flipping through a magazine with his art in it and a rootin’ tootin’ Tim Duncan and David Robinson on the cover. It’s where he learned, as a young punk kid reading the linear notes of his favorite albums, where the cool tattoo and skateboard shops were.

“And so if some kid who cares about basketball, but knows that it’s Art Week and this is all happening here, comes in and they have a moment anywhere close to that, that would be a win,” McCormick smiles. “I want people to love art as much as I love art, and I want people to love art just as much as they love basketball.”

There comes a point in an ultra-rich celebrity’s life where they stop being normal and start doing seriously weird stuff. Stuff like buying an entire social media app or make a movie about themselves or being Tom Cruise or, if you’re Kim Kardashian, furnishing your home with the coldest sparsest decore you can find. What do you expect celebrities to do? Spend their money on normal things like the entire first season of House Of The Dragon on Blu-Ray? These people have more money than they know what to do with — you’d be a little weird too!

In a recent Instagram post, Kim Kardashian dropped a slideshow captioned “Things at home that make me happy,” which included an empty ceramic mug, a monochrome living room, what is probably the coldest marble chair on Earth, and a bedroom that looks straight out of an Egyptian tomb.

A few loose blankets are tossed around to give the sights a bit of a lived-in feel but we think the same vibe would’ve come across if Kim just left a loose charger hanging around or a couple of loose pens or something. Still, we appreciate the effort from Kim to make us feel like we’re just like her.

Kim’s home decor aesthetic is so minimalist that we might as well rename ‘minimalism’ to the word ‘Kardashian,’ and while Kim is being predictably roasted in her own comment section for having the least welcoming home on Earth, you know what? Who gives a f*ck. If these objects make Kim Kardashian happy, more power to her. Some of us get happy when we see a random gash in a cushion (is that what’s going on with picture #9?!) while others just want adult Happy Meal toys from McDonald’s. Life is weird.

It’s 2022 and women still have to defend their decisions to showcase their body however they see fit. This is where Tems finds herself after she’s been apparently critiqued for a revealing photo shoot in the latest issue of Dazed. Known as “The Beautiful Issue,” the Nigerian singer — who plays an integral part in the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack — graced the cover in a series of provocative, but nonetheless artistically beautiful photographs.

Some people are taking this as a negative sign based on her Christian background and Tems is having none of it. “I don’t know who needs to hear this but I am not your Christian saviour,” she tweeted. “I didn’t come here to uphold your beliefs about God. I will not fit into this box you try to put me in. I won’t satisfy you in that area please find the person that will. Or ask yourself why you care.”

Oooh kill ’em! Tems didn’t stop there, using the moment to also reflect on her accomplishments:

“So much growth this year,” she said. “I’m here for my fans. I have worked so much on myself. It will all make sense when it happens. I started in 2018. Look at what music looks like today. Still Next level coming. I’m just about to start. I don’t brag because I’m not playing the same game. I don’t need to brag, I am who I am whether you know it or not. It is the house that is built on the solid rock that will withstand the storm. I’m trying to impress myself not you.”

And then ended it all with a proverbial mic drop:

It’s been quite a week for Kanye West. Not only did the rapper reveal that he owes $50 million in taxes, but details of his divorce settlement became public. Let’s just say that Kim Kardashian probably isn’t disappointed with the results. Ye is on the hook for $200,000 per month to help support the ex-couple’s four children.

In other words, Kanye has more things to freak out about these days than Kim doing sex things with a 10-inch unit. Well, there’s also the enormous problem with his anti-Semitism, but Kanye’s definitely more worried about the money factor following the tax news. He could have to sell one of the five-ish homes that he will retain though the settlement, but here’s the child-support tidbits via People:

The Grammy winner will be required to pay Kardashian $200,000 a month in child support. He will also be responsible for half of the children’s medical, educational, and security expenses.

The pair also agreed to settle disputes regarding the children by participating in mediation. However, if either party fails to take part, the other is allowed to make the decision in a dispute by default.

If you were wondering whether Kim and Kanye had a prenup, they definitely did, and the document governed the property division aspect of the split. The child support is a wholly independent issue, and oh boy. XXL noticed that social media started to reference a certain set of lyrics from Kanye’s 2005 “Gold Digger” song: “18 years, 18 years / She got one of yo’ kids, got you for 18 years / I know somebody payin’ child support for one of his kids / His baby momma car and crib is bigger than he is / You will see him on TV any given Sunday / Win the Super Bowl and drive off in a Hyundai.”

Now I know what you might be thinking. You might be worried that the chatter is misogynistic in tone. And perhaps some of it is, but more than that, people are noting that Kanye appears to have manifested this hot mess upon himself. It’s possible?

Well hey, he’s still got five mansions on his side.

(Via People & XXL Mag)

On Thanksgiving morning, the Minnesota Timberwolves were 10-8 and all was mostly right with the world. The ongoing Rudy Gobert experiment was admittedly receiving mixed reviews, but the Wolves were on pace for 46 wins, sitting with a +1.4 net rating and operating firmly in the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture. Moreover, the Wolves didn’t lose a game for two weeks, won five in a row, and posted a +9.3 net rating over a stretch that included wins over Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Miami.

With that said, the Wolves have crashed back to Earth again. Minnesota is on a three-game losing skid, the team’s third of the still-young season, and the Wolves just allowed 1.23 points per possession to the Hornets, Warriors, and Wizards. Granted, Golden State’s demolition of Minnesota was something that simply happens when dealing with the unique Warriors, but giving up 142 points to the Wizards (including at least 32 points in every quarter) was unsightly at best.

In the midst of Monday night’s loss, Karl-Anthony Towns had to be helped to the locker room with an injury that will seemingly cost him more than a month, and that throws another wrench into the mix. The most optimistic case for the Wolves includes the clear need for time to mix the pieces together, and the partnership between Towns and Gobert is a big part of that. The Towns-Gobert partnership hasn’t been disaster on the court overall, with the defense playing well, but Minnesota has been out-scored for the season across 401 minutes when they play together, and the offense doesn’t have any flow whatsoever.

Broadly speaking, the Wolves might be fine, and Minnesota is in the playoff race despite the stumbles. This could be a pivotal upcoming stretch for the Wolves, however, with Chris Finch’s team facing a tough schedule that includes a five-game road trip to the west coast between Dec. 9 and Dec. 16. Towns’ injury status will be paramount but, if nothing else, the Wolves made a big bet on the Gobert experience bringing immediate results, and it wasn’t supposed to be this through the first 21 games.

Where does Minnesota stack up this week in our DIME power rankings? Let’s explore.

1. Boston Celtics (17-4, Last week — 2nd)

No. 1 is an easy call this week. Boston is 13-1 in the last 14 games, vaulting to a two-game lead over the rest of the league in the standings. The Celtics are scoring 1.24 points per possession with a +12.6 net rating over that 14-game run, and they are doing it all without Robert Williams.

2. Phoenix Suns (14-6, Last week — 4th)

Phoenix has the longest active winning streak in the league at five games and the Suns sit alone atop the West. The Suns have been elite on both ends of the floor during that run, and Phoenix is doing it while not lighting the world on fire from a shooting perspective. Cam Johnson hasn’t played in almost four weeks, Jae Crowder is still away from the team, and the Suns haven’t slowed down.

3. Milwaukee Bucks (14-5, Last week — 1st)

The Bucks are a pedestrian 5-5 after a 9-0 start, but Milwaukee is 12-4 when Giannis Antetokounmpo plays. That is more indicative of team quality overall, and the Bucks should get Khris Middleton back in the not-too-distant future. Milwaukee’s floor is incredibly high, and the team’s ceiling isn’t bad, either.

4. Denver Nuggets (13-7, Last week — 8th)

This isn’t new at all, including in this space, but we have to talk about Nikola Jokic’s on-off splits. The Nuggets have a +14 net rating when Jokic plays and a -14.4 (!!) net rating when Jokic sits. Jokic is really, really good, but this is preposterous. We should also note that the Nuggets are on a three-game winning streak with a home game against Houston on Wednesday.

5. Philadelphia 76ers (12-9, Last week — 13th)

Philly would like to be better than 12-9 but, given all the injuries, this is fine. The Sixers have won three in a row, including a comeback win over Atlanta on Monday, and Philadelphia won that game without either Tyrese Maxey or James Harden available. They did get Joel Embiid back, which is the most important thing, but it’s at least solidly encouraging that Philadelphia is hanging tough and playing good basketball. Shake Milton hive, assemble.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-8, Last week — 3rd)

Cleveland slides a bit this week, but a closer look should create no panic. The Cavs lost twice, but both were road games against quality opponents in Toronto and Milwaukee. Cleveland maintains the second-best net rating (+5.8) in the East and that’s a nice place to be.

7. Memphis Grizzlies (12-8, Last week — 16th)

Memphis picked up a blowout win over New Orleans, and the Grizzlies are in prime position. Point differential isn’t as kind to the Grizzlies right now, but Memphis has missed both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, with room to grow over the course of the long season.

8. New Orleans Pelicans (12-8, Last week — 9th)

The Pels are 6-2 in the last eight games, with the losses coming to Memphis and Boston. The loss to the Grizz becomes a tiebreaker here to have New Orleans at No. 8, and quietly, the Pelicans are firmly in the top third of the league in both offense and defense.

9. Golden State Warriors (11-11, Last week — 15th)

The Warriors nearly completed a comeback win over Dallas on Tuesday that would’ve vaulted them even higher. There is no shame in a three-point road loss to a good opponent, and Golden State throttled the Clippers, Jazz, and Wolves by double-digits this week.

10. L.A. Clippers (13-9, Last week — 5th)

After a 2-2 week, the Clippers slide a bit here, but L.A. picked up a nice win on Tuesday. The Clippers erased an 18-point deficit to beat the Blazers on the road, and that comes just a few days after Ivica Zubac went off for 31 points and 29 (!) rebounds in a win over Indiana.

11. Toronto Raptors (11-9, Last week — 18th)

It’s been a very on-brand start for the Raptors. Toronto is outlier good in some areas, and Pascal Siakam returned to great anticipation on Monday. The Raptors just beat the Cavs and Mavericks, earning a bump in the rankings, and they remain dangerous.

12. Brooklyn Nets (11-11, Last week — 19th)

Things were pretty rough in Brooklyn earlier this season, even before you touch on anything with Kyrie Irving. The Nets were 2-6 and seemingly in the wilderness. Now, Brooklyn is 9-5 in the last 14 games, owning a +5.2 net rating over that time. The Nets might just be good when they’re normal.

13. Miami Heat (10-11, Last week — 25th)

It hasn’t been pretty, but you look up and the Heat are right there. Miami won three in a row this week, including a nice road win over Atlanta. With Jimmy Butler out, staying afloat is basically the charge. Erik Spoelstra might be a wizard.

14. Indiana Pacers (12-8, Last week — 7th)

It was “only” a 2-2 week for the Pacers, but it’s not as if that is disastrous. Indiana beat Brooklyn and the Lakers, and the Pacers have a positive point differential and a top-10 offense through 20 games. To say that was not expected would be an understatement.

15. Sacramento Kings (10-9, Last week — 6th)

We touched on the Kings last week and, after another nice win over Memphis, the bottom fell out a bit with three straight losses. There is no reason to worry after losses to Atlanta, Boston, and Phoenix, with two of those three defeats on the road. Sacramento remains a top-five offensive team, which helps with any overall projection.

16. Washington Wizards (11-10, Last week — 14th)

The Wizards put 142 on the Wolves on Monday evening, prompting additional panic about Minnesota. The rest of the week wasn’t great, though, as Washington lost twice to Miami and once to Boston. Granted, the Wizards aren’t “supposed” to win any of those games, so only a minor tumble.

17. New York Knicks (10-11, Last week — 21st)

The Knicks went only 1-2 this week and rose in the rankings. New York took Portland to overtime and lost by a small margin to Memphis. That was followed by a thrashing over Detroit on the road. The Knicks are squarely in the middle of the pack.

18. Chicago Bulls (9-11, Last week — 22nd)

Chicago is 3-1 in the last four games and, despite some shaky vibes, the Bulls are very much alive in the playoff race through 20 games. The Bulls are basically dead-even in point differential, though this week brings the rest of an extended, five-game road trip that could be challenging.

19. Dallas Mavericks (10-10, Last week — 17th)

A four-game losing streak means Dallas does have to drop some in the rankings, but the Mavs did beat the Warriors in a wild one on Tuesday. Luka Doncic dropped a 41-12-12 and withstood an early exit by Spencer Dinwiddie. Also, the losses came to Denver, Boston, Toronto, and Milwaukee, and you can find all four of those teams pretty high on this list.

20. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-11, Last week — 10th)

Before Minnesota hits the road for five games, the Wolves do have three contests at home against Memphis, OKC, and Indiana. With due respect to the Pacers, the Wolves should be favored in two of those three games, even without Towns, so perhaps a turnaround can happen soon.

21. Utah Jazz (12-11, Last week — 11th)

The Jazz have given way to other teams in the “positive story of the season” race. Utah is on a five-game losing streak and it comes with a 122.9 defensive rating during the slide. The Jazz are still scoring in bunches, but it’s hard to win with that level of ugliness on the other end.

22. Portland Trail Blazers (11-10, Last week — 20th)

Like Utah, Portland is in free fall. The Blazers are 1-6 in the last seven games, including a loss on Tuesday in which Portland blew an 18-point lead at home. None of the losses are hideous on paper, but they are stacking up in a hurry.

23. Los Angeles Lakers (7-12, Last week — 23rd)

With how they looked earlier in the season, the Lakers winning five of seven games is a huge step forward, no matter the context. At the same time, Los Angeles beat San Antonio three times (scroll down!) and beat Brooklyn and Detroit at home. They’re going to have to do more.

24. Atlanta Hawks (11-10, Last week — 12th)

It was a nightmarish week for the Hawks that included three straight losses. Atlanta led in the second half against Houston, Miami, and Philadelphia, and the Hawks are weirdly shaky on offense right now. They are clearly better on defense this year, with Clint Capela putting together a stealth All-Defense candidacy, but it is strange to see a Trae Young-led offense below the league average in efficiency.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-13, Last week — 24th)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander maintains an All-NBA caliber profile with 31.1 points and 6.1 assists per game, but the Thunder have cooled off. OKC climbed to 7-8 but are 1-5 in the last six with a defensive rating approaching 1.15 points allowed per possession.

26. Charlotte Hornets (6-15, Last week — 28th)

Charlotte was actually going to rise even more than this before a comical 35-point loss to Boston on Monday. Granted, the Hornets barely had a legal and functional NBA roster in that game, but it was gross. Charlotte did beat Philadelphia and Minnesota earlier in the week, so perhaps there is some life on the horizon.

27. Houston Rockets (5-15, Last week — 29th)

After a four-day break, Houston had a very nice come-from-behind win over Atlanta and followed it up by beating OKC. The Rockets gave some back with a double-digit loss to Denver, but it was definitely a good week.

28. Detroit Pistons (5-18, Last week — 30th)

Detroit won the first two games this week, and that was enough to get the Pistons out of the bottom spot. The rest of the week wasn’t good, though, as the Pistons finished it off with three losses and a home-court walloping at the hands of the Knicks on Tuesday.

29. Orlando Magic (5-16, Last week — 26th)

Orlando is skidding again. The Magic have lost five in a row with a -14.3 net rating and a defensive rating that is NSFW. Orlando does get the scuffling Hawks at a good time on Wednesday, but this is a bottom-five defensive team that probably shouldn’t be that bad on that end of the floor. On the positive side, Markelle Fultz is set to make his season debut against Atlanta.

30. San Antonio Spurs (6-15, Last week — 27th)

The Spurs are really, really bad. San Antonio is 1-13 in the last 14 games and on an active eight-game losing streak. The Spurs are also No. 30 (last) in defense and No. 29 in offense during November, with three losses to the Lakers in a short period of time. I don’t know that San Antonio is actually the worst team, but they’ve earned the bottom spot.

Fleetwood Mac vocalist and keyboardist Christine McVie died this morning. Her impact on the band and on music as a whole is insurmountable. Fleetwood Mac issued a statement remembering McVie as, “Truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life.”

As the music world begins to reckon with the passing of the “Songbird,” who penned Fleetwood Mac hits like “Say You Love Me” and “Don’t Stop,” the tributes to her life and legacy are pouring in.

“God damn legend. Every time I tried to write a classy synth line in the studio I’d always say I was trying to channel my inner Christine,” Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner tweeted. “Irreplaceable songs and a voice that was truly pure,” said Jason Isbell. While Garbage’s Shirley Manson said, “Gutted to learn about the passing of Christine McVie. Just gutted. Songbird forever.”

Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino called her, “One of the best to ever do it,” adding that “I’m a Christine girl for life.” McVie’s influence is all over the music spectrum. Even Poison’s Bret Michaels shared his thoughts, calling her death, “A tremendous loss to the music community.”

The tributes to McVie are sure to continue. Meanwhile, Uproxx critic Stephen Hyden summed up her legacy best, calling her “The secret weapon of Fleetwood Mac,” adding, “She could soothe you or chill you to the bone with her voice.”