Golden Rush: Vegas stakes its claim to the West

Brittney Griner had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help the U.S. beat Serbia 79-59 on Friday to advance to the gold medal game of the Olympics. The Americans are now one win away from a seventh consecutive gold medal which would match the U.S. men’s team that won seven Olympic titles in a row from 1936-68. It would also give Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi five gold medals — the most ever by a basketball player in the Olympics.

Johnny Oduya is headed to the Eastern Conference. The 35-year-old defenseman signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Ottawa Senators. The contract could be worth up to $1.25 million with incentives. Oduya, who the Blackhawks re-acquired prior to the trade deadline last season from the Dallas Stars, finished with two goals and seven assists in 52 games between the two teams. It comes to no one’s surprise that the Blackhawks didn’t re-sign the veteran defenseman. After being swept in the first round of the playoffs last season by the Nashville Predators, Stan Bowman has made it clear the Blackhawks are headed in a different direction, and their offseason has been plenty of busy so far. Headline

The All-Star Game marks the unofficial midway point of the season, which is the perfect time to take a new look at the league and make some predictions.