Yahoo Sports AM: “The Wall,” the Clippers’ unique home-court advantage, actually works

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🚨 Headlines

⚾️ Amazin’ start: The Mets walked off the Phillies in extra innings to win their seventh straight game and improve to an MLB-best 18-7. They’re 12-1 at Citi Field so far — the best 13-game home start in franchise history.

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🎓 Settlement on hold: The judge overseeing the landmark House vs. NCAA case is threatening to reject the settlement over the issue of roster limits. Attorneys have 14 days to implement a system to ensure that athletes currently on rosters don’t lose their spots.

💔 RIP, Mongo: Bears legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve “Mongo” McMichael died Wednesday after a yearslong battle with ALS. He was 67.

🏀 Mr. Clutch: Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was named the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year for his league-best performance during “clutch time,” defined as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points.

🏈 Titans sign Lockett: Former All-Pro WR Tyler Lockett is signing a one-year, $4 million deal with Tennessee, giving the Titans a proven weapon on the eve of the NFL draft, where they’re expected to take Miami QB Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick.

🏀 “The Wall” works

The Clippers host the Nuggets tonight in the inaugural playoff game at the Intuit Dome, where Los Angeles will unleash its unique home-court advantage: The Wall.

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51 rows of distraction: When Steve Ballmer spent $2 billion on his team’s new arena, he included an unusually steep section right behind one of the baskets featuring 51 rows of seats reserved only for pre-vetted super fans. One intent of “The Wall” was to be the league’s best home-court advantage, distracting opponents at the free throw line. Turns out, it worked.

By the numbers: Opponents shot just 73.4% from the line this season when facing The Wall, which would have ranked dead last in the NBA and was well below what they shot on the other end of the floor (76.1%), per Sportico. That 73.4% figure was also 4.7% worse than league average (78.1%), representing the second-largest gap this century* between one environment and the rest of the NBA.

Perhaps most telling: The Clippers’ advantage grew as the pressure mounted later in games, with opponents shooting an abysmal 67.7% against The Wall in the second half, per statistician Mike Beuoy. That might explain why twice as many teams chose to face The Wall in the first half rather than risk distraction in crunch time.

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What they’re saying: “Yeah, it was crazy,” said Kevin Durant after missing two fourth-quarter free throws in an October game. “I was just staring at it the whole time. You’re not used to that.”

How it came to be: The concept for The Wall came after the Clippers researched the world’s most rabid fanbases, specifically those in college sports and European soccer, ultimately drawing inspiration from Borussia Dortmund’s “Yellow Wall” in the Bundesliga.

• They couldn’t quite replicate the sheer volume of 25,000 yellow-clad fans in a single section, but they’ve gotten as close as could be reasonably expected in their 18,000-seat arena.

• Only pre-certified fans can purchase tickets, cheering for the other team (or wearing their gear) is prohibited and diehards have a dedicated section right behind the basket.

What to watch: In the small sample of a playoff series, it stands to reason that the teams most affected by The Wall would be the ones who usually make a living at the charity stripe. Well, the Nuggets just so happened to take the most free throws of any team this season.

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*Only the 2014 Thunder saw a larger gap, as opponents shot 5.8% below league average from the line. This was perhaps due to the OKC crowd’s penchant for banging air-inflated “Thundersticks” while opponents were shooting free throws.

🏈 Draft Day Buzz: Fireworks at No. 4?

The top three picks in tonight’s NFL draft appear set, according to Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson: Miami QB Cam Ward to the Titans, Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter to the Browns, and Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter to the Giants. After that? All bets are off.

What we’re hearing: The odds favor the Patriots taking LSU OT Will Campbell at No. 4 to fill an obvious need, but the presence of Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty — arguably the second-most dynamic player in this draft behind Hunter — could shake things up.

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While there hasn’t been any indication he’s in play for the Patriots to take him, there has been considerable buzz in the past 24 hours that Jeanty is a favorite for the Jaguars at No. 5. The only question is whether another team inside the top 10, possibly the Raiders at No. 6 or the Saints at No. 9, covets Jeanty enough to motivate a move ahead of Jacksonville.

If I had to call it now, I’d lean toward the Patriots staying put at No. 4 and doing the practical thing — which is taking Campbell. But that doesn’t preclude them from trading back a few spots and taking him further down in the top 10.

Those options will be on the table right to the moment New England is on the clock. So if you’re tuning in late, make sure you arrive before the Patriots pick if yo’re looking for where the drama could start.

More draft buzz: Chatter, potential trades

📸 Photos of the night

Houston — Jalen Green (38 points) and the Rockets beat the Warriors, 109-94, to even the series against Golden State, who lost Jimmy Butler in the first quarter when he fell hard on his tailbone and suffered a pelvis contusion.

Denver — The Stars beat the Avalanche, 2-1 (OT), to record their second straight overtime victory and take a 2-1 series lead. They now have more wins in this series than minutes led.

Boston — Jaylen Brown (36 points) and Kristaps Porziņģis (20 points) led the Jayson Tatum-less Celtics past the Magic, 109-100, to take a 2-0 series lead. Porziņģis was all smiles after taking an elbow to the head that required five stitches. “I love my WWE moments,” he said.

Washington, D.C. — The Capitals beat the Senators, 3-1, behind some superb goaltending from Logan Thompson, who made 26 saves (including 14 in the third period) to lift Washington to its first 2-0 series lead since the 2019 First Round.

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🏀🏒 More Playoffs: Cavaliers 121, Heat 112 (CLE leads 2-0) | Kings 6, Oilers 2 (LA leads 2-0)

📚 Good reads

🏈 Jori Epstein: History says Cam Ward shouldn’t be here

Every first overall pick is by definition a statistical anomaly. But even among that rare crop of talent, Ward’s journey from a high school offense that barely threw the ball, to FCS Incarnate Word, to Heisman finalist, to projected No. 1 pick, is unlike any of his peers.

🏀 Yaron Weitzman: Jeff Van Gundy is the Clippers’ secret weapon

Ask anyone on or around the Clippers who’s most responsible for the team’s defensive transformation, and they all give the same answer: A bespectacled 63-year-old former broadcaster who, before this season, hadn’t coached an NBA game since 2007.

🥊 Elliott Worsell: Born rivals: Boxing’s fiercest 35-year blood feud

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Three decades after their fathers fought two iconic bouts, Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn will meet in the ring on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

📺 Watchlist: Draft Day

The 2025 NFL Draft begins tonight (8pm ET), with separate broadcasts on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network… and Yahoo Sports! Tune into our live show on the website/app, YouTube, X or Facebook.

More to watch:

• 🏀 NBA Playoffs: Knicks (1-1) at Pistons (7pm, TNT); Thunder* (2-0) at Grizzlies (9:30pm, TNT); Nuggets (1-1) at Clippers (10pm, NBA)

• 🏒 NHL Playoffs: Panthers (1-0) at Lightning (6:30pm, TBS); Maple Leafs (2-0) at Senators (7pm, ESPN2); Golden Knights (1-1) at Wild (9pm, TBS); Jets (2-0) at Blues (9:30pm, ESPN2)

• ⛳️ LPGA: Chevron Championship (9am, ESPN+; 11am, Golf) … Nelly Korda looks to defend her title at the season’s first major, teeing off at The Club at Carlton Woods near Houston.

• ⛳️ PGA: Zurich Classic of New Orleans (7:30am, ESPN+; 3pm, Golf) … The Tour’s lone team event features 80 teams of two. Reigning champs: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.

• ⚽️ Champions Cup: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Inter Miami (10:30pm, FS1) … MLS’ two best teams face off in a first-leg semifinal match.

• ⚾️ NCAA Baseball: No. 14 Oklahoma at No. 10 Georgia (7pm, ESPNU) … Two of the 10 SEC teams in the Top 25.

*Historic domination: Oklahoma City has outscored Memphis by a combined 70 points, the second-highest point differential through two games of a playoff series in NBA history.

🏀 College hoops trivia

BYU legend Jimmer Fredette, who retired from basketball on Wednesday, is one of two Naismith Player of the Year winners (2011) to come from the Mountain West Conference.

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Question: Who’s the other one?

Hint: 2005 winner.

Answer at the bottom.

🏈 Get the Yahoo Sports app

The Yahoo Sports app is your ultimate draft day companion — loaded with expert analysis, prospect breakdowns and a live discussion feed where you can debate every pick as it happens.

My favorite feature? Live Activities, for sure. Each pick will update in real-time on your lock screen, so you can stay in the loop without even opening your phone.

Get the app.

Trivia answer: Andrew Bogut (Utah)

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