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Baseball is a grind and the fantasy version of the game is no different. And because it's a grind, baseball features streaks. Hitters can get hot at the plate, seemingly seeing beach balls thrown at them. Pitchers can get hot on the mound, too. And of course, both can get freezing cold.

In this space, we'll take a weekly look at who's hot and who's not and whether you should believe in the streak.

(Editor's note: All stats derived before game action on Sunday, May 16)

Waiver-wire heroes emerge every season it's nothing new in fantasy sports. What is cool, however, is when that waiver-wire hero seemingly comes out of nowhere not only just in fantasy, but in reality too.

Adolis Garcia has splashed onto the scene with the new-look Rangers and has been one of the hottest hitters in fantasy the past two weeks. Garcia is 19-for-his-last-49 (included in there is a nine-game win streak with four home runs), giving him a season slash line of .297/.339/.585 and an OPS of .923.

Beast.

And yes, as stated above, while it might seem like Garcia has come out of nowhere, he's actually been in the game. He was a star playing professionally in his native Cuba, and after a stop in Japan, he defected and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was then moved to the Rangers, and after some uneventful big-league at-bats, an injury to Ronald Guzman this season has thrust Garcia into the Rangers spotlight and he's taken full advantage of the opportunity.

It's a great story, but unfortunately, a lot of underlying numbers show that this could just be a hot streak for the 28-year-old, as opposed to a small preview of his rest-of-season outlook.

For one, Garcia is striking out at a heavy clip, and he's not offsetting that with walks (he's taking a free pass just 5.5% of the time). So, where's this .297 average and .585 slugging coming from? A .352 BABIP certainly helps, as does a 16% Barrel percentage. Luck has certainly been influencing things the moment the ball has met his bat.

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It's not all bad, however. Garcia has shown real power before when he was in the Cardinals system. He will, however, be expected to be a drain on OBP; his career mark is just .305.

All that said, even when regression hits Garcia, do not be so quick to say, "OK, it was fun while it lasted." Remember, before this season, Garcia had just 24 total major-league plate appearances to his name.

While prognostications err on the less-impressive side of things, there's still a chance the Garcia could defy expectations.

Talk about turning back the clock.

Through his first three starts of the 2021 season, it looked like MadBum was heading towards an ugly year, one that showed Father Time winning his battle against the former Giant.

That whole narrative has been completely wiped out.

Working with an extra two MPH worth of velocity, MadBum has turned his season around since, allowing just three total runs in his last five starts (he allowed 17 in his first three) while compiling 34 strikeouts. He has four wins and one no-decision in those starts. He's been able to reverse his misfortunes, and his ERA now stands at a respectable 4.12 with a sterling 1.01 WHIP.

Madison Bumgarner has turned back the clock. (AP Photo/Matt York)

A lot of Bumgarner's early season struggles can be attributed to walks he was averaging over 2.5 free passes in those three starts. He's averaged less than half a walk ever since.

Whether it's the improved walk rate or the higher velocity, the fact remains: Bumgarner doesn't look like he's done yet. In fact, his expected ERA is now 3.42! So, while you still should consider sitting him when the D-backs visit Coors, MadBum looks like he'll be a season-long fantasy viable starter.

"Not today, Father Time, not today."

Oh, and full disclosure: He earned that no-hitter back on April 25. Seven innings, nine innings, who cares. He finished the game, he shut the other team out, and he didn't allow a hit. Madison Bumgarner has a no-no on his career resume in my book.

Doesn't it feel like Alvarez is just toying with opposing pitchers at this point?

When a player is on a 22-for-his-last-54 binge with five home runs you kind of feel that way.

Especially when that player is just 23-years-old, 6'5" and 225lbs, and hits in the heart of the order of one of the best teams in baseball.

So, yeah Alvarez is having a pretty good time right now.

After an excellent start to the season following a ton of fantasy articles proclaiming him a sleeper Dylan Bundy has stumbled of late.

And that's putting it nicely.

Bundy has allowed 22 earned runs in his last five starts combined, and the trouble hasn't come just via the long ball, either. He's given up a whopping 28 hits in those starts. All told, his once-pristine numbers have now ballooned to a 6.02 ERA. He's still searching for his first win of the season.

But I'm here to tell you ... don't panic. Bundy should turn it around, and he should turn it around soon. In three of those rough starts, the Angels starter suffered some horrific batted-ball luck. He also isn't giving free passes out, as, even with his inflated ERA, his WHIP stands at a respectable 1.22. Like the incomparable Scott Pianowski says, when the ERA and WHIP numbers don't match up, trust the WHIP.

His advanced numbers show just how unlucky he's been, too. While his ERA stands at 6.02, his expected ERA is 3.53.

Bundy probably won't be the breakout ace pitcher fantasy managers were hoping for, but he's not what his last couple of starts has shown either. Expect him to return to strong form at some point soon.

There are some players who defy all projections, who laugh in the face of any quantifiable, stat-based narratives placed upon them.

Through the first couple weeks of the season, Akil Badoo looked like one of those players. Badoo was taking the league by storm and became one of the most popular waiver-wire adds in fantasy leagues.

All that seems like it was 100 years ago.

Badoo had an explosive start, showcasing a penchant for heroics (remember, he wasn't a regular starter to start the season) while going 10-for-his-first 27 with 11 RBI. He looked like he was going to shatter all initial expectations and reveal himself as a fantasy diamond in the rough.

Sadly, that has not come to pass, and if prognostications are correct, it won't come to pass this season. Since that hot start, Badoo is striking out at an ugly 38.1% clip. His current .221 average is on the bright side of things; his XBA is actually .195.

Baddoo's start was fun while it lasted, but he should remain on waivers in all but the very deepest of fantasy leagues.

Speaking of high strikeout percentages, Sano's issues with swinging and missing have yet again reared their ugly heads. His current 38.4% rate is the third-highest of his career, and while batting averages are down league-wide, Sano's .127 mark is particularly painful.

Fantasy managers who drafted Sano in the 17th round knew that the strikeouts would be plentiful, but figured it was probably worth it when you consider the power and RBI potential the Twins first baseman possesses. Unfortunately, that promise doesn't look like it's coming to pass.

Sano has just three homers on the year. To make matters worse, his average exit velocity through the early season is 88 the lowest it's been in his entire career.

In Sano's defense, he's suffering from some really bad luck his BABIP is currently .171, while his career mark stands at .333 and he has shown signs of life of late with six hits in his last nine games. That said, unless his power levels out (his hard-hit percentage is a measly 31.6%), fantasy managers could be left wanting.

If you have Sano on your team and you're doing well in homers, you could stash him and wait for his luck to turn and enjoy the spoils when it does. But if you're finding yourself desperate for immediate power, you may have to look elsewhere.

Excerpt from:

Fantasy Baseball Sustainable Streaks: Adolis Garcia has arrived but is he here to stay? - Yahoo Sports

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 12: Lupita Nyong'o attends Marvel Studios Presents: Black Panther Welcome To Wakanda during February 2018 New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Industria Studios on February 12, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/WireImage)

Lupita Nyongo was born in Mexico, raised in Kenya, and then attended college in the United States. So the 38-year-old Oscar winner understands the value and reach of globe-spanning entertainment, having grown up on a very healthy diet of film and television from America, England, Australia and Mexico.

What I didn't grow up with was entertainment that reflected myself or my community, my continent, Nyongo tells Yahoo Entertainment in a new interview. I was robbed of the experience of seeing myself in a show.

Enter Super Sema, the new YouTube kid-targeted animated series Nyongo is helping bring into homes around the world.

I wept tears of joy knowing that such a thing existed, Nyongo says of signing on to executive produce and lend her voice to the equal parts entertaining and educational Sema after being sent some early episodes. It was a no-brainer because this was exactly the kind of thing I want to see in the world.

'Super Sema' (Image courtesy of YouTube)

The show, which releases in five- to six-minute episodes, follows the adventures of the eponymous young African girl who uses the powers of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) to Technovate! (her key catchphrase) and routinely save the day in the futuristic world of Dunia. Produced by Kenyas Kukua edutainment startup, Sema is written by four-time BAFTA winner Claudia Lloyd and directed by Lynne Southerland, who became Disneys first female African-American director when she made Mulan II

There series gets an undoubtable boost from the involvement of Nyongo, the in-demand actress best known for films like 12 Years a Slave, Us and Black Panther, who voices the character of Mama Dunia.

I want to be a part of getting out to the world an imaginative, positive, representation of an African world with a dark-skinned African grow the center of it whose super powers are science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Nyongo says. It just hits so many, so many boxes for me. I want us to evangelize about it because it's the kind of show that I wished I had when I was a little girl, not only to see myself in it, but also a show encouraging kids to be curious and scientific. It's making science more accessible and fun. I think I would have had way more career options if I had this show when I was little.

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Nyongo sees the globe-spanning import Super Sema as another positive development in the increasing visibility of underrepresented communities in entertainment. I think things are opening up in exciting ways, she says. You have companies that are evaluating their cultural positions. You have people recognizing that both the world is larger than their particular cultural perspective, and therefore the market is demanding what it wants to consume.

Of course, one of the biggest barrier-breaking releases of recent years was another Nyongo project steeped in Afrofuturism, the 2018 mega-hit Black Panther, which became the fourth-highest-grossing movie of all time.

Nyongo will soon return to Wakanda (actually Atlanta) to begin production on Black Panther 2, which is once again being directed by Ryan Coogler. But it will be with the heaviest of hearts having lost Chadwick Boseman, who played Marvels African king, TChalla, and died in August of colon cancer at 43.

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 27: Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong'o attend a panel discussion about the box office smash Black Panther at The Apollo Theater on February 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Shahar Azran/WireImage)

The actress grew very close to Boseman over their shooting experience together, and penned a powerful tribute to him after his death.

People will ask me, Are you excited to go back? Excitement isnt the word. I feel like Im in a very pensive and meditative state when it comes to Black Panther 2. His passing is still extremely raw for me, Nyongo says before her voice starts to crack. And I cant even begin to imagine what it will be like to step on set and not have him there.

But at the same time we have a leader in Ryan, who feels very much like we do, who feels the loss in a very, very real way as well. And his idea, the way which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss weve all experienced as a cast and as a world. So it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this. And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it. Because he left us a lot of light that were still going to be bathing in. I know that for sure.

Super Sema is now streaming on YouTube. Watch the trailer:

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'Super Sema' star Lupita Nyong'o: 'Black Panther ... - yahoo.com

The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) managed to claw back most of its losses Tuesday after falling 2.2% shortly after the open. But that doesn't mean the index itself or the tech sector stocks that populate it are out of the woods. To the contrary, one trader is seeing short opportunities in not only the Nasdaq, but it's biggest component, Apple (AAPL).

Tech stocks have been lagging the Dow and S&P 500 this year, but JC Parets, founder of allstarcharts.com, explains to Yahoo Finance Live that this phenomenon stretches back to the end of the second quarter of 2020.

"The underperformance started [on] Labor Day last year at the end of the summer, and that's when they all peaked ... Amazon has done nothing since then. It's not just tech [stocks], it's really big growth [stocks] and even small cap growth [stocks]. Growth in general peaked at the end of last summer Apple, Amazon (AMZN), all of them on a relative basis."

The two biggest outperforming S&P 500 sectors this year are energy and financials. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) is up 38% and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) is up 26% year-to-date. Parets says, "[T]he big winners have been coming out of value [stocks] ... Financials, Berkshire [Hathaway], energy ... Those have been the winners. The losers have been the growth stocks."

Parets also notes the different market environment this year compared to last year a phenomenon many investors may not be noticing. "There's so much more evidence that 2021 is just not what 2020 was, right? It is a completely different type of market, and some investors are able to adjust and see the information coming in and act accordingly. And some investors just like to sit on their hands and hope that last year's market was going to continue to be this year's market. I see it every day, and they're paying a price for it," he says.

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Parets outlines his trading style using the recent highs of certain trading instruments as a line in the sand. If the price is below the level, he's thinking bearishly. "[If the index level is] below the February highs in small caps or the Nasdaq, under no circumstances can we be long ... Bottom line is there's no reason to be long if the Nasdaq or small caps are below those February highs."

Apple stock, like many of its peers, has gone largely sideways since September despite making a nominal record high in January. Parets likes a short in Apple based on its relative underperformance, and issues a warning to fund managers who may be loading up on growth stocks at the expense of risk management.

JC Parets breaks down an Apple short

"I'm hearing that [Ark Investment Management CEO] Cathie Wood considers Apple her cash equivalent. That's pretty scary if you ask me. So, I really like the short a lot. Notice those September highs where we got to in September was 138. We tried to get back there in January and failed. Most recently, we tried to get back there last month and failed, again. That's the level, 138. If you're below 138, under no circumstances can you own Apple ... I prefer to be short. And how low could it go? ... I could go real low. Why can't it get back toward 100?" says Parets.

Parets also highlights how defensive sectors and instruments have been perking up since the March lows. He uses a generalized trading maxim to illustrate how the trends in defensive stocks morphed from bearish to bullish.

"First thing assets need to do before they [start going up] is to stop going down. And over the last year, what were the worst assets? Bonds, yen, gold, staples on a relative bases. All the defensive areas were the worst place to be. And that changed in the first quarter of this year. They stopped going down, and over the last couple months, they've actually been going up," says Parets.

When it comes to things that have started to go up, Parets is looking at playing gold. "We've been bullish gold. That trade's been working not just the metal, also the [gold] miners as well. Yen stopped going down, bonds stopped going down. They're not really going up, but they're not going down either. And [with consumer] staples, utilities, [and] REITs outperforming, does that remind you of an environment where stocks are doing well? Or should they be doing poorly?" he asks.

Separately, Lee Munson, president and CIO at Portfolio Wealth Advisors, is also telling Yahoo Finance Live he likes gold as an investment because the environment for the precious metal has fundamentally changed. "What moved gold in the past is not what is moving it right now. We have had a regime change. Generally, I see gold as something that tends to go up when the Fed's balance sheet expands. Some people think the balance sheet can't expand anymore. That's what I call 'BS'," he says.

Be sure to join Jared Blikre and Katie Stockton, Founder and Managing Partner of Fairlead Strategies, in a Yahoo Finance Plus webinar Wednesday, May 12 from 2:00pm ET to 2:45pm ET. Anyone may register for free here.

Investors are looking to navigate the deteriorating relations between the worlds two largest superpowers the U.S. and China. Katie Stockton, founder and managing partner of Fairlead Strategies, joins Yahoo Finances Jared Blikre to break down the price action and trends behind some of the new opportunities in stocks, bonds and cryptocurrencies, as global economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Katie explains her top down approach as Jared demonstrates how to leverage the power of Yahoo Finance Plus for technicals, fundamentals and portfolio management.

Jared Blikre is an anchor and reporter focused on the markets on Yahoo Finance Live. Follow him @SPYJared

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Here's why this trader is shorting Apple stock and buying gold - Yahoo Finance

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Fantasy Sports Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global fantasy sports market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of approx. 14% during 2020-2026.

Digitalization is an essential factor that is driving the growth of the fantasy sports market. Consumers are currently connected with the outer world via digital mediums. An increase in smartphone use is a significant factor influencing the market across the globe. The global vendors prefer selling products/services via apps and online websites.

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to the rapid growth in the number of gamers. Online gaming platforms have become one of the most used mediums for entertainment during lockdowns and restrictions. With respect to COVID-19 regulations, real-time sports events have witnessed a halt for few months, which affected the market negatively.

However, vendors have come out with new versions, which boost engagements among audiences and provide the experience of leagues and clubs. Daily fantasy sports (DFS) have pushed vendors to focus on this attractive sports segment that draws large audiences. With more than 60 million players/users currently active in the US, the DFS model sets to grow significantly during the forecast period.

Also, technological advances such as the combination of analytics and blockchain could completely disrupt the way the industry operates. With advertising monitoring, digital spending, technical upgrades, and online customer surveys growing, the fantasy sports market share is likely to observe promising growth during the forecast period.

The following factors are likely to contribute to the growth of global fantasy sports during the forecast period:

INSIGHTS BY VENDORS

Yahoo and ESPN have traditionally been prominent vendors; however, the market is currently dominated by DraftKings and FanDuel, especially in the North American region.

While major vendors such as FanDuel, DraftKings, Yahoo, ESPN, and CBS are the primary revenue generators, other vendors such as PlayOn, FanTrax, StarsDraft, Dream11, and Sportito are striving hard to gain better market opportunities in the future years.

Innovative offerings hold significant importance in the industry. Catering to the audience and fans with some of the service offerings dedicated completely toward ensuring their maximum engagement is the key to growth within the market.

Key Questions Answered:

Prominent Vendors

Other Prominent Vendors

Key Topics Covered:

1 Research Methodology

2 Research Objectives

3 Research Process

4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of The Study

5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation

6 Market at a Glance

7 Introduction

7.1 Online Gaming Industry

7.1.1 Gaming Industry - Major Trends in 2021

7.2 Global Fantasy Sports Market

7.3 Demographics Of Fantasy Sports Market

7.4 Impact Of COVID-19

7.5 Value Chain

8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Growth In Count Of Worldwide Sports Events

8.2 Rise In Data Consumption

8.3 Fantasy Sports Platform Development

8.4 Rise In Female Participation

9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Influence of Social Media On Fantasy Sports

9.2 Capitalizing on OTT Platforms

9.3 Rise In Partnerships In Fantasy Sports Market

10 Market Restraints

10.1 Regulatory Restrictions Across Regions

10.2 Growth In Technicalities Hampering Growth

10.3 Stringent Regulations Against Betting

11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.1.1 Market By Geography

11.1.2 Market By Sport

11.1.3 Market By Gender

11.1.4 Market By Platform

11.2 Five Forces Analysis

12 Sport

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 Market Overview

12.3 Fantasy Football

12.4 Fantasy Soccer

12.5 Fantasy Basketball

12.6 Fantasy Baseball

12.7 Fantasy Hockey

12.8 Fantasy Golf

12.9 Fantasy Cricket

12.10 Other Fantasy Sports

13 Gender

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Male

13.4 Female

14 Platform

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 Application

14.4 Website

15 Geography

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Geographic Overview

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pux57c

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Global Fantasy Sports Market Report 2021-2026: Yahoo and ESPN have Traditionally been Prominent Vendors but the Market is Dominated by DraftKings and...

It will be incredibly emotional when Kobe Bryant is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday. Not just for Bryant's family, who will be celebrating without him, but for Michael Jordan.

Bryant's widow Vanessa chose Jordan to present Kobe at the ceremony, which will undoubtedly bring up memories of Jordan's tearful speech at Bryant's memorial service. Jordan told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan in a recent interview that he still gets emotional with it comes to Kobe, even a year after his death.

Jordan also shared something very personal with ESPN: the very last text exchange he had with Bryant. He didn't know that just after noon on Dec. 8, 2019 would be the last time they communicated, and now he appreciates every nuance of their final conversation.

"This tequila is awesome," Kobe texted, referring to Jordan's Cincoro Tequila, a bottle of which was sent to Bryant at the launch.

"Thank you, my brother," Jordan responded.

"Yes, sir. Family good?" Kobe replied.

Jordan smiled, then decided to have a little fun. "He was really into coaching Gigi," MJ explains, "so I hit him up about that."

"Happy holidays," Jordan texted back, "and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!"

"I added that little crying/laughing emoji," Jordan chuckles.

"Ah, back at you, man," Kobe wrote. "Hey, coach, I'm sitting on the bench right now, and we're blowing this team out. 45-8."

Eleven days following that exchange, Bryant learned he had been officially nominated for the Hall of Fame as a first-ballot entry. Forty-nine days later, he was gone.

"I just love that text," Jordan says, "because it shows Kobe's competitive nature."

Michael Jordan can't bring himself to delete the final text conversation he had with Kobe Bryant. (REUTERS/Alan Mothner)

Jordan told ESPN that Vanessa asked him six months ago if he would "stand up for Kobe at the Hall of Fame." Jordan didn't hesitate.

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"It's going to be a great honor, to be honest. It's like standing up for a family member. He paid me the highest respect by trying to emulate certain things I did. And I can only repay that by showing my support and admiration for a guy who I felt was one of the greatest to ever play the game."

Standing up for Kobe is an honor, but at one point Jordan was concerned about keeping his composure during the speech. After giving it some thought, he stopped being worried about keeping his feelings in check and decided he wouldn't hold back.

"I was thinking, at first, I might be a little somewhat nervous about it, but then I realized I'm not going to be nervous about showing emotions for someone I absolutely loved," Jordan says. "That's the humanistic side of me people tend to forget I do have one."

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Michael Jordan shares what he and Kobe Bryant said in their final text exchange - Yahoo Sports

Yahoo Sports will keep you updated nightly on the NBA playoff race during the last two weeks of the regular season. Check back daily for the latest movement in the standings, what to watch for and teams securing their 2020-21 playoff berths.

Eastern Conference

1. Philadelphia 76ers (47-21)

2. Brooklyn Nets (44-24, 3 GB)

3. Milwaukee Bucks (43-24, 3.5 GB)

4. New York Knicks (38-30, 9 GB)

5. Atlanta Hawks (37-31, 10 GB)

6. Miami Heat (37-31, 10 GB)

Play-in tournament

7. Boston Celtics (35-33, 12 GB)

8. Charlotte Hornets (33-35, 14 GB)

9. Washington Wizards (32-36, 15 GB)

10. Indiana Pacers (31-36, 15.5 GB)

On the playoff bubble

11. Chicago Bulls (29-39, 18 GB)

12. Toronto Raptors (27-41, 20 GB)

Western Conference

1. Utah Jazz (50-18)

2. Phoenix Suns (48-20, 2 GB)

3. Los Angeles Clippers (45-23, 5 GB)

4. Denver Nuggets (44-24, 6 GB)

5. Dallas Mavericks (40-28, 10 GB)

6. Portland Trail Blazers (39-29, 11 GB)

Play-in tournament

7. Los Angeles Lakers (38-30, 12 GB)

8. Golden State Warriors (35-33, 15 GB)

9. Memphis Grizzlies (34-33, 15.5 GB)

10. San Antonio Spurs (32-35, 17.5 GB)

On the playoff bubble

11. New Orleans Pelicans (31-37, 19 GB)

12. Sacramento Kings (30-38, 20 GB)

The Boston Celtics are in a bit of trouble. The Celtics again got into a 20-point deficit and lost their third game in the last four, 130-124 to the Miami Heat. It was the 13th time this season the Celtics have trailed by 20 points or more, according to ESPN.

Boston is in seventh in the Eastern Conference with a rematch against Miami looming on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT). Unless the Celtics can figure things out, the play-in tournament looks likely.

After Sunday's games, the play-in matchups in the East would be No. 7 Boston vs. No. 8 Charlotte and No. 9 Washington vs. No. 10 Indiana.

The Heat, meanwhile, are sixth in the East, two games ahead of the Celtics and out of the play-in tournament.

Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler scored 26 points and dished 11 assists in a win over the Boston Celtics on May 9, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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Anthony Davis made up for the lack of LeBron James ... and Dennis Schroder ... and Kyle Kuzma.

Davis scored a season-high 42 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and filled out the stat sheet with five assists, three steals and three blocks in a wire-to-wire Los Angeles Lakers win over the second-place Phoenix Suns.

The win moved the Lakers within one game of Portland in sixth. The Lakers would love to avoid the play-in tournament and get their full complement of stars healthy before the first round of the playoffs begin.

As for a potential all-L.A. first round?

Washington at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. ET

Yes, there are postseason implications in this game. The main draw here is history in the making.

Russell Westbrook tied Oscar Robertson's career triple-double record at 181 on Saturday. Westbrook had another absurd stat line 33 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in a win over the Indiana Pacers. It was his 35th triple-double this season.

Westbrook gets his first chance to break the record on Monday. Should he fall short, he'll get another shot on Wednesday (also against the Hawks), Friday vs. Cleveland and Sunday vs. Charlotte.

There will be no scoreboard watching during the regular-season finales on May 16. Every game played will be in an afternoon time slot, The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania reported.

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NBA playoff tracker: Celtics likely headed to play-in tournament after another loss - Yahoo Sports

Dylan Bundy deserves your patience

After getting lit up over the weekend, Bundy sits with an ugly 5.03 ERA. The poor outing came against a Dodgers offense that entered with the second-best wRC+ in baseball, and the game featured a whopping 25 runs scored. Bundy still has a 1.14 WHIP, ranks top-25 in CSW and is in the top 10% of the league in fastball spin rate and Hard Hit%, so you should absolutely add him if he was dropped in your fantasy league. He has a 3.09 expected ERA and has had to deal with an incredibly tough schedule (and bad defense) to open the season. Bundy sits 0-4 with a brutal ERA but has the potential to be a top-30 fantasy SP moving forward.

Castillo has been arguably fantasys biggest bust so far, especially given just how well the rest of the early drafted starting pitchers have fared. He was hit hard again over the weekend, when he allowed six runs (four earned) over just four innings against a Cleveland offense that ranks bottom-five in wRC+. Castillos start hasnt been due to poor luck, as hes somehow seen his K% drop from 30.5 last season down to 16.8, which is in the bottom 15% of the league in a year when strikeout rate is historically high.

Hitters are also making good contact, so its easy to see why Castillos expected ERA is 4.87. His CSW ranks No. 145 among starters. Hes already allowed as many barrels as he did all of last season. Castillos next start comes in Coors Field, so things could easily get even uglier before they improve, and it also doesnt help Cincinnati fields one of the leagues worst defenses. Castillo will pitch better, but he has a 6.42 ERA despite allowing just one long ball at a home park thats easily the most HR-favorable in baseball.

Brandon Crawford is up to seven homers, tied for fifth among shortstops. Hes also added three steals, and hes recorded a 2:6 K:BB ratio this month. Crawford is especially valuable in daily transaction leagues (.969 OPS versus righties), and he remains widely available with few believers. The Giants new hitting coaches have resulted in a much-improved offense, and most importantly, Oracle Park is now boosting homers for left-handed batters after being historically the toughest on them. Crawford remains terrific defensively, and hes currently sporting career-highs in BB% (11.1) and Barrel%.

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Max Scherzer recorded a 14:1 K:BB ratio in Yankee Stadium on Sunday. The 36-year-old is posting career-bests in K% (35.5) and WHIP (0.78) this season.

Wade Miley tossed a no-hitter over the weekend, which marked the fourth of the season already (fifth if you count Madison Bumgarners). The feat will continue becoming less rare given the new baseball environment that currently features a league-wide K% (24.2) thats higher than Roger Clemens career mark (23.1). But Miley pitched through an error and walked just one, and he somehow sits with a 2.00 ERA and 0.75 WHIP after six starts despite calling home to baseballs best hitters park so far this season. Regression is coming, but those are impressive stats from someone still available in about 50% of Yahoo leagues.

Jacob deGrom is headed for an MRI after leaving Sundays start. Early reports suggest its more in his lower back than lat area, but obviously fantasy managers will be holding their breaths waiting for the results. deGroms 48.0 K% is comically ahead of the rest of baseball.

Kevin Keirmaier was put on the IL over the weekend, which was a good excuse to link to this video highlighting an amazing play (and later interview) he was involved in last week.

Tyler Matzek with the no-look play.

Alex Reyes gave up his first run of the season over the weekend but remains on pace to finish with 46 saves and a 0.53 ERA with a 6.88 B/9 rate.

Nate Pearson struggled during his season debut Sunday, posting a 0:5 K:BB line while lasting just 2.1 innings. MLB.coms No. 1 right-handed pitching prospect, Pearson is still worth adding in deeper fantasy leagues, but hes also not without risk. Pearson has nasty stuff but is in a tough spot in the AL East, although the Blue Jays moving away from Dunedin to Buffalo in June improves his home park some.

Whit Merrifield stole his MLB-leading 11th bag Sunday, and hes already matched his walk total from last season. No one in the National League has more than seven stolen bases.

Gleyber Torres finally hit his first homer of the season Sunday. It came against a pitcher in Joe Ross whos served up seven home runs over his last four starts (20.2 innings), but its not like Torres has looked overmatched with a 25:17 K:BB line this season. Thats also come with an average exit velocity that ranks in the bottom 4% of the league, so hopefully Sunday was the start of his bat waking up.

Tommy Pham started only once over the three-game weekend series in San Francisco, and hes batting .190/.307/.202 with zero homers to open the season. Its been ugly, but Phams slow start shouldnt exactly shock given he suffered a serious stabbing during the offseason, and his Statcast numbers are encouraging. Quickly grab Pham in any league in which he was dropped.

Adolis Garcia swatted two more homers and stole a base over Saturday and Sunday. Hes up to nine long balls on the year, which deserves extra credit given his home park. Garcias Barrel% ranks in the top 4% of the league, so hes not a fluke, but hes also likely looking at a 50-point type batting average correction moving forward.

Cedric Mullins homered and swiped a bag over the weekend, as he continues to be one of the biggest waiver wire difference makers this season. Hes shown real plate discipline growth, has a .292 expected batting average and hits in a park that boosts power for lefties, so Mullins is here to stay.

Yordan Alvarez recorded his fourth straight multi-hit game Sunday and is batting .362. Thats awfully valuable considering the historically low league-wide batting average right now, and his knees appear to be cooperating.

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Are we at the start of a boom or a bust? Thats the question on investors minds these days, as the world gets back on its feet following the COVID crisis. The recent April jobs report, with its mix of good and bad news, puts the question into sharp relief. First, the good news. April saw 266,000 new jobs created. On the negative side, economists had predicted as many as 1 million. The expectation has been that this economic recovery will be heavily front-loaded regarding job recreation the theory is, the jobs are there; they are just waiting for workers to go back to them. Thats not quite happening. Looking at the situation for Goldman Sachs, chief economist Jan Hatzius notes of the jobs numbers that reopening effects likely overlapped with normal seasonal hiring patterns, resulting in less-impressive job gains on a seasonally-adjusted basis. Second, labor supply appears to be tighter than the unemployment rate suggests, likely reflecting the impact of unusually generous unemployment benefits and lingering virus-related impediments to working. It is hard to know how exactly much of the miss these factors account for The generous unemployment benefits that Hatzius points out are contained in President Bidens recent spending packages, as well as the COVID relief bill passed by Congress earlier this year. They include, among other benefits, an extra $300 weekly, with the added benefit to last until the first week of September. Hatzius believes that expansion of benefits is slowing down peoples return to the workforce but he also believes that if the jobs are there, they will be filled, and expects the monthly jobs number to reach 800,000 by September. In short, Hatzius sees the labor force returning to work in a smoother, more spread-out fashion, rather than all at once, and placed at least part of the explanation on the extra unemployment benefits. In any case, one thing is clear to Goldman Sachs: were in a boom cycle, and that presents opportunities. The stock analysts at Goldman have been quick to locate investment options that will bring returns in the current environment. They tagged three that they see climbing over 70% in the year ahead. Let's take a closer look. Dicerna Pharma (DRNA) Well start in the biotech industry, where Dicerna Pharma is developing new medications for a variety of ailments, based on its RNAi (RNA interference) tech platform. The RNAi technology aims to turn off, or at least silence, the disease-causing genes. It is a novel approach, and Dicerna has 10 programs investigating its applications, in house and in combination with larger drug companies. Dicernas flagship product, Nedosiran, is a treatment for primary hyperoxaluria, or PH, and is currently in Phase 3 trial. Nedosiran inhibits the enzyme that causes overproduction of oxalate, the key feature of this life-threatening disease. The company expects to release top-line data from the PHYOX2 trial in Q2 of this year, and from the PHYOX4 trial in Q3. The second-farthest along drug candidate in Dicernas pipeline is RG6346, a potential treatment for chronic Hep B infection which is being developed in partnership with Roche. Roche has initiated a Phase II trial of the drug, a milestone that included a $25 million payment to Dicerna. That was not the only large financial boon to Dicerna in recent weeks. The company acquired, last year, an interest in royalty rights to Alnylams PH drug lumasiran. This past April, Dicerna sold off those royalty rights to Royalty Pharma in a transaction worth up to $240 million. In the first quarter of 2021, Dicerna saw $47.6 million in revenue, up 40% year-over-year. The revenues were primarily attributable to services rendered under collaboration agreements with Alexion, Novo, and Roche. Covering the stock for Goldman Sachs, 5-star analyst Madhu Kumar believes DRNA presents a compelling risk reward. Kumar rates DRNA a Buy along with a $48 price target that implies an 85% one-year upside. (To watch Kumars track record, click here) We view DRNA as an undervalued platform story based on RNAi therapeutics technology. When we compare DRNAs RNAi therapeutics platform to pre-commercial RNAi peers, such as ARWR, we see a considerable valuation disconnect... Taken as a whole, DRNA has built an emerging clinical RNAi franchise which likely warrants re-rating into mid-21 Phase 3 data, Kumar noted. The analyst added, "We believe the existing data for nedosiran in PH from the Phase 1/2 PHYOX3 open-label extension (OLE) trial are reasonably compelling and give us confidence PHYOX2 will show a significant decrease in UOx vs placebo across PH patients. As such, we do believe DRNA will be able to have a market product in this space, with a specific opportunity to lead the non-PH type 1 (PH1) market of PH types 2 (PH2) and 3 (PH3)." Wall Street clearly agrees with Kumar on DRNA. The Streets analysts have given the stock 7 recent Buy reviews, for a Strong Buy consensus rating. Shares are priced at $26.32 and the $40.86 average price target suggests room for 55% growth ahead. (See DRNA stock analysis on TipRanks) View, Inc. (VIEW) Shifting our gears, well take a look at a unique company, one that combines smart tech with green energy. View, Inc. produces smart glass, which uses AI to respond to natural light levels and adjust window opacity accordingly. The technology promises to improve efficiency of building power and HVAC systems, and is applicable across a wide range of construction. In a neat twist, the AI platform that controls the system can be upgraded over-the-air. Views products include smart glass that can reduce glare or optimize daylight, or provide different tints to various zones within a building. The energy benefits to smart glass windows include an 18% annual energy cost savings, and up to a 23% reduction in the peak cooling load on the AC system. This stock is new to the public markets, having entered the NASDAQ just this past March. View went public through a SPAC (special acquisition company) merger agreement with CF Finance Acquisition Corporation II, or CF II, in a transaction that saw VIEW shares make their NASDAQ debut on March 9. The SPAC merger transaction was worth $1.6 billion, and brought View about $800 million in net proceeds on completion. While smart glass windows may seem like something out of Star Trek, the technology is real, and real companies are moving to install it. This past March, View scored a deal to install its window technology at Chicagos OHare International Airport Terminal 5 expansion, and more recently, in April, View inked a $26 million deal with Walmart, to install the windows at the retailers new home office campus. In his coverage of VIEW for Goldman Sachs, analyst Mark Delaney sees the company with a clear path forward. Delaney rates VIEW a Buy, and his $12 price target suggests it has a 79% upside potential. (To watch Delaneys track record, click here) "We believe View is well positioned as the market leader in smart glass (>80% market share in dynamic glass, per the company), an industry we expect to grow over time. While electrochromic glass is currently only a very small portion of the total exterior building glass market, we believe that smart glass is a promising technology that offers several performance benefits over traditional window glass, namely energy efficiency," Delaney opined. The analyst continued, View has the opportunity to monetize add-on features to create alternative revenue streams. The company is developing new smart building applications, which we believe could represent a longer-term revenue opportunity for the company..." So far, View has only picked up 2 analyst reviews but both are to Buy, and together support a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The stock has an average price target of $14, implying ~109% upside from the $6.70 current trading price. (See VIEW stock analysis on TipRanks) GSX Techedu, Inc. (GOTU) The last Goldman pick were looking at is GSX Techedu, a Chinese software company, specializing in education packages for after-school tutoring. The company offers distance learning packages for the K-12, large class, and after school markets in China, effectively reaching some of the most sought after for-profit education business niches in this culture that puts a premium on education. The company also offers courses in particular interests, foreign languages, and professional enrichment. GSX saw its business get a boost during the corona crisis, for obvious reasons, even though most Chinese schools did not shut down as fully, or for as long, as Western counterparts. In March, GSX released its 4Q20 results, showing 2.211 billion in Chinese yuan at the top line, for 136.5% year-over-year revenue growth. This comes out to $343 million in US currency. The revenue was driven by a 155% yoy increase in K-12 course sales, to 1.975 billion yuan, or US$308 million. The company has caught the eye of Goldman analyst Christine Cho, who wrote: While we acknowledge that the ongoing regulatory uncertainties may continue to impact investor sentiment on the sector, we believe the current share price provides compelling risk-reward relative to peers We continue to project better-than-industry revenue growth at a 41% CAGR in 2020-25E for GSX, and a path to breakeven by 2023E, and non-GAAP OPM reaching 9% by 2025E, with rising online AST penetration, good scalability of the online large-class AST format, and the companys strong execution on sales and marketing to acquire students. In line with her bullish comments, Cho rates GOTU a Buy, and her $60 price target implies an upside of 143% for the next 12 months. (To watch Chos track record, click here) What does the rest of the Street think? Looking at the consensus breakdown, opinions from other analysts are more spread out. 3 Buys, 3 Holds and 2 Sells add up to a Hold consensus rating. However, the $57.06 average price target indicates ~131% upside potential from current levels. (See GOTU stock analysis at TipRanks) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Biden tax hikes could hammer 5 tech stocks that have surged by $5 trillion in value: Goldman - Yahoo Tech

It's been a tough year for Todd Frazier. After getting just three hits in 40 plate appearances, Frazier was designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. He'll likely be looking for a new team soon.

That might be the best thing for all parties involved, because Frazier apparently wasn't well liked in Pittsburgh. Following the news of Frazier's DFA, he got involved in an ugly spat with radio host Mark Madden.

Madden kicked off the profane, tense exchange by calling Frazier a "scrub," among other things. Frazier responded by making fun of Madden's weight.

Madden responded to that by criticizing Frazier's numbers.

There's not a lot of good to be taken from that. On Madden's end, it's pretty unprofessional to attack Frazier in that way after he was DFA'd. You can be happy about the move and think it's the right thing for the Pirates, but to tell Frazier "happy f***ing trails" is a little much.

It's not as if Frazier handled himself with grace either. There were a number of ways he could have responded, and he didn't need to fat shame Madden. That was out of line. You could also argue Frazier didn't need to respond at all. He's dealt with enough harsh media criticism that he could have just ignored it and moved on. The mute button is a wonderful thing.

Frazier, 35, has struggled this season. He's hitting just .086/.200/.114. Frazier struggled to find consistent work last season, spending time with three different teams. Following his DFA by Pittsburgh on Monday, Frazier could find it tough to latch on with another club.

Frazier has experienced some strong seasons, making the All-Star team in both 2014 and 2015, but has hit just .224 since then. He could be a depth piece for another team, but the market for struggling 35-year-olds isn't exactly robust.

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Todd Frazier gets into ugly spat with media member after being DFA'd: 'Go grab another hot dog' - Yahoo Sports

Online gaming company Roblox (RBLX) released its Q1 earnings for the first time as a public company on Monday, beating analysts' expectations on revenue but missing on the bottom line.

Here were the results compared to analysts' expectations:

The company's stock was up more than 4% following the report's release.

Roblox went public via a direct listing in March, allowing current investors to sell shares. Shares began trading at $64.50 each, and the company was trading just above that at $65.42 ahead of earnings on Monday.

The company saw a huge jump in user engagement in Q1, with users putting a collective 9.7 billion hours into the game. In Q1, the company reported that it had 42.1 million daily active users, up 79% year over year thanks in part to a 111% growth in daily active users over the age of 13.

Our first quarter 2021 results enabled us to continue investing aggressively in the key areas that we believe will drive long term growth and value, specifically hiring talented engineering and product professionals and growing the earnings for our developer community, Roblox CFO Michael Guthrie said in a statement following the release of the earnings report.

We believe we must continue to innovate and so remain focused on building great technology to make progress on our key growth vectors, primarily international expansion and expanding the age demographic of our users.

BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 10: David Baszucki, founder and CEO of Roblox, presents at the Roblox Developer Conference on August 10, 2019 in Burlingame, California. (Photo by Ian Tuttle/Getty Images for Roblox)

Roblox is a unique kind of video game company. Unlike gaming giants Activision Blizzard (ATVI), EA (EA), or TTWO (TTWO) which spend millions to develop and publish games, Roblox relies on an army of 7 million user-creators to build out the titles using Roblox's own custom design elements.

[Roblox] combines the communication utility of social networks (TikTok, SNAP) with the monetization/engagement of AAA gaming (Fortnite, Call of Duty, GTA Online), and has democratized content creation such that any user is a creator (Unity, YouTube, Twitch)," BofA analyst Ryan Gee wrote in an April research report.

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"[Roblox] is not a 'game' and stands apart from gaming peers with economics of online marketplaces (DASH, ABNB, ETSY). This unique blend of models offers mobile exposure with less-relative capital risk than what we associate with traditional content creators," Gee wrote.

According to its S1, Roblox had as many 31.1 million daily active users as of September 2020. That was up from 17.6 million daily active users throughout all of 2019 and 12 million daily active users in 2018.

Roblox works by letting gamers create their own custom avatars they can then drop into games created by their fellow players. Those games include racing titles, shooters, and even games that allow you to explore historical events and places like the sinking of the Titanic.

Users who build content for the platform make money off of sales of their creations to other players. Players buy in-game items, character outfits, etc., using Robux, a digital currency equal to $0.0035. Developers, meanwhile, collect a 70% cut of the Robux that players spend in their games.

Roblox says some 1,050 developers have earned at least $10,000, while another 250 made $100,000 or more through September 2020.

The company's S-1 filing showed a robust top-line growth but ballooning losses. Revenue jumped almost 82% year-over-year to $923.9 million in 2020. However, net loss attributed to common stockholders jumped to $253.3 million for the year ending December 31, 2020, compared to $71.1 million in 2019.

The company's free cash flow was still impressive, rising to $411.2 million in 2020, from $14.9 million in 2019.

-Additional reporting by Ines Ferre

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Roblox earnings beat expectations on revenue, as user growth jumps 79% - Yahoo Finance