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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.”

Latin music came out on top on Spotify’s 2022 Wrapped campaign with Bad Bunny as the most-streamed artist in the world. Alongside the Puerto Rican superstar, Karol G was revealed to be the year’s most-streamed female Latin artist on the platform.

For the third year in a row, Bad Bunny was the most-streamed artist in the world on Spotify. With his blockbuster album Un Verano Sin Ti, his music amassed over 18.5 billion streams on the streaming platform. With that news, it’s also obvious to add that Bad Bunny was also the top-streaming Latin male artist on Spotify in 2022.

Among the women, Karol G was the only female Latin artist to place within Spotify’s 50 most-streamed artists globally. This marked her third year being the platform’s top-streaming woman in Latin music. Thanks to the success of her monster hits like “Provenza” and “Mamiii” with Becky G, the Colombian superstar placed at No. 27 on the list. Other Latin artists that appeared in the top 50 included Rauw Alejandro at No. 11, J Balvin at No. 19, and Daddy Yankee at No. 25.

The Spotify Wrapped results also revealed the five most-streamed women in Latin music globally this year. Karol G led the way followed by Shakira, Rosalía, Camila Cabello, and Selena Gomez.

It looks like the long-awaited release of SZA’s hotly-anticipated sophomore album, S.O.S., is nearer than ever, despite the TDE singer still not announcing an official release date. Today, she teased her long-suffering fans with what appears to be a glimpse of the album’s cover art, which features SZA sitting on a ludicrously lengthy diving board overlooking a massive body of water in her signature uniform of a hockey jersey and construction boots.

The contextless post was met with both jubilation and exasperation by those fans, who’ve been waiting for a follow-up to SZA’s debut album, CTRL, for well over four years. While some asserted that they “never doubted” the New Jersey-born singer, others merely dropped their favorite memes in relief that it finally looks like she’s following through on her claim the album would drop sometime in December after bailing on similar promises before.

However, this time her promise coincided with the announcement that she’d be performing on Saturday Night Live (this Saturday, in fact, which means the album could very well fall out of the sky on Friday). She also finally released the video for the single “Shirt” and teased another video in a clip called “P.S.A.,” so it definitely looks very much like the rollout has begun in earnest.

The final day of group play in Group C at the 2022 World Cup presented a whole hell of a lot of intrigue. The long and the short of it: Every single team — Argentina, Mexico, Poland, and Saudi Arabia — had a chance to move on to the knockout stage. Argentina and Poland took the pitch against one another, as did Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

Things were pretty chill after the first half. Both games were tied at 0 — thanks in large part to Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny standing on his head — meaning that Argentina and Poland were slated to move on. And then, the second halves of both games started, and things got absolutely outrageous right away.

Almost immediately out of the break, Alexis Mac Allister put Argentina ahead with a first-time effort on a ball by Nahuel Molina.

Two minutes into the second half of the other game, a corner for Mexico got put away by Henry Martin.

It didn’t take long for Mexico to get a second. Luis Chávez got a free kick from about 15 yards out of the box and could not have placed it more perfectly, going top bins to give El Tri a 2-0 lead.

As things stood, both Mexico and Poland were on four points, but the Mexicans trailed on goal differential by one goal. They weren’t able to get a second, because an effort was ruled out for offside…

…but Argentina was able to help them out considerably, as Julián Álvarez controlled a ball into his feet in the box and beat Szczęsny.

Because of this, every single tiebreaker — goal differential, goals scored, points in head-to-head matches, goal differential in head-to-head matches, and goals scored in head-to-head matches — were exactly the same. Literally, every single thing that could be determined based on goals. Mexico and Argentina spent the rest of their games getting chance after chance, but their efforts would just miss every single time.

If this held, everything was going to come down to something called fair play points, which basically is a way to reward teams that pick up fewer cards in games.

It, ultimately, did not matter. Five minutes into seven minutes of stoppage time, Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari found himself one-on-one with Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa thanks to a well-worked 1-2 with Hattan Bahbri. While Ochoa has come up gigantic for Mexico time and time again in the World Cup over the years, this ended up being too heavy a burden to bear.

As a result, Poland made it through on goal differential. They finished in second place in the group, which means they’ll take on France in the round of 16. Argentina, meanwhile, won the group and will play Australia in their first knockout game. As for Mexico, this marks the first time they failed to get out of their group at the World Cup since 1978.