Month: November 2022

Player grades: Kevin Durant scores 39 as Nets beat Wizards

Here’s how the Nets graded in their 113-107 win over the Washington Wizards.

The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Washington Wizards on Wednesday and won 113-107 to move above .500 for the season. This game was much closer than the first game of this regular-season series and that was because of the Wizards being essentially full strength outside of missing Rui Hachimura and Delon Wright.

Kevin Durant had 39 points (13-20 from the field) and five assists for the Nets and Kyrie Irving had 27 points and five assists. Joe Harris had his three-point shot going in this game as he went 4-6 from three-point land to help him get to 14 points.

Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points and 19 rebounds for the Wizards while Bradley Beal had 25 points five rebounds. Kyle Kuzma also had 25 points and four rebounds to help the Wizards make a game out of this one.

In a tightly fought contest all the way through, the Nets were able to win this because of how well they shot from the three-point line (42.3%) and the free-throw line (92.3%). The Wizards shot 25% from three-point land and 67.6% from the charity stripe and that appeared to be the difference in this game.

Despite out-rebounding the Nets 51-35 and outscoring Brooklyn in the paint 58-32, the Wizards were unable to stop the Nets on defense. Here are the Nets’ player grades for this win:

Doc Rivers lists reasons Sixers were blown out by Cavaliers

Doc Rivers lists a few reasons why the Philadelphia 76ers were blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers tp begin their road trip.

The Philadelphia 76ers had an absolutely miserable start to their three-game road trip. They were blasted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-85, on Wednesday night.

The Cavs shot 16-for-17 and scored 44 points in the second quarter. The Sixers couldn’t recover, and Cleveland led by as many as 33.

Philadelphia shot 41.6% on the night compared to Cleveland shooting 60.8%. The Cavs drilled 15 3-pointers while the Sixers had six. The Cavaliers also shot 73% in the first half . They were the team who clearly had the energy and the burst from the beginning.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 19 points, six rebounds, and six assists on a night where Philadelphia could not find a groove on either end.

Afterward, coach Doc Rivers listed a few reasons for Philadelphia getting blown out:

Lonnie Walker IV, Troy Brown Jr. are out versus Trail Blazers

The Lakers will be shorthanded versus the Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

Wednesday night’s matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers will see both teams short-handed.

Portland will be without its franchise player, Damian Lillard, who has been nursing a calf injury over the last several games.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, they will also be without two key players.

Guard Lonnie Walker IV and forward Troy Brown Jr. will not play versus Portland. Walker is dealing with left foot soreness while Brown has a foot ailment of his own.

Both have become fixtures in the Lakers’ starting lineup, and Walker has been playing really well. He has become their third-leading scorer and a reliable one at that.

On the bright side, Patrick Beverley will return after serving a three-game suspension for shoving the Phoenix Suns’ Deandre Ayton, and he will be in the starting lineup.

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AEW’s Renee Paquette, Jon Moxley are Rulers of Jungle for Bengals against Chiefs

AEW stars will lead the Cincinnati Bengals’ “Who Dey” cheers before they face Chiefs

The Ruler of the Jungle ceremony is a pregame celebrity-led moment where The Ruler leads the “Who Dey” chant right before kickoff. The Ruler of the Jungle establishes the home-field advantage into Paycor Stadium.

The Cincinnati Bengals play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and they have tapped a native of the Queen City and his wife to fire up the crowd.

AEW’s Jon Moxley and his wife Renee Paquette will do the honors before the Bengals’ big game.

A look at Florida baseball’s 2023 recruiting class

They won’t arrive in Gainesville for another year (assuming they don’t get drafted), but Florida’s baseball recruiting class of 2023 is filled with studs. Here’s an in-depth look at every signee.

The college football early signing period is just around the corner and the college basketball season is slowly starting to pick up some steam, but there’s another Gators team that fans should start to pay a little attention to: the baseball team. Wednesday, November 9, began the signing period for most other sports, and Florida once again struck gold in the baseball recruiting game.

Bringing in talent from Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Tennessee, the Gators’ baseball recruiting class of 2023 ranks fifth in the country, according to Perfect Game. Florida has long been one of the top destinations in all of college baseball, and that trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down with the incoming class.

The Gators will add 11 pitchers (three lefties and eight righties), three infielders and two outfielders next season. Keep in mind that infielder [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag], who was among the top incoming talents in the class, reclassified to get Gainesville a year early. He’s currently practicing with the team and is already making an impact.

Of course, these positions could change once players arrive at UF and begin working with the team. Most will remember that [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] was a reserve catcher his freshman year before breaking out as one of the top outfield bats in the country last season.

Gators Wire caught up with some of the signees to get their thoughts on finally putting pen to paper. Here’s an in-depth look at Florida baseball’s class of 2023.

All eyes are on Odell Beckham Jr. as he narrows down his free agent decision to these 3 NFL teams

Beckham Jr. has good taste in contenders.

Just about 10 months after he tore his ACL during the Los Angeles Rams’ victory in Super Bowl 56, free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will soon make his free agent decision. Given Beckham Jr.’s reputation as one of the NFL’s best playmakers, his choice could factor heavily into the overall playoff chase and perhaps even into the hunt for Super Bowl 57.

But before he picks a new team, Beckham Jr. is set to tour with a handful of teams over the next few days. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the wideout will begin said tours on Thursday with a visit to his former squad, the New York Giants. Then, he’ll pivot to trips to see two contending heavyweights in the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.

Given his previous precedent of generally elite game-breaking ability, Beckham Jr.’s decision could indeed have a lot of weight on who comes out on top in February’s Big Game. Provided he’s healthy and himself again, the lucky suitor between the Giants, Bills, and Cowboys should find itself ecstatic to add Beckham Jr. into its offensive dynamic. You simply don’t say no to players of his skill set if given the opportunity to add them into the fold.

Who Beckham Jr. picks between Buffalo and Dallas should have even greater significance if oddsmakers have their say. Buffalo (+450) and Dallas (+900) currently have the second-best and fifth-best odds of winning Super Bowl 57, respectively. And, in a dose of irony, both are seeking more diversity and reliable options in their attacks outside of “throw the ball up to Stefon Diggs/CeeDee Lamb.” It’s no wonder they have Beckham Jr. on the dial.

I mean, they’re probably just texting him, right? Yeah, they’re texting him.

After joining the Rams midseason and helping them win the Super Bowl last year, Beckham Jr. very well could soon find himself in a similar spot for the second straight season.

College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams with 2024 season

A 12-team College Football Playoff is going to happen in 2024

After the drama that the Grandaddy of them All, the Rose Bowl, could stand in the way of a College Football Playoff expansion, a deal was worked out.

Starting with the 2024, there will be a 12-team College Football Playoff.

Per ESPN, which broke the news:

A source told ESPN on Wednesday night that the Rose Bowl has agreed to terms that will pave the way for the College Football Playoff to expand in the final two seasons of the current contract — 2024 and 2025.

Any more steps toward an announcement are a formality, as the formal announcement of the playoff expansion beginning in 2024 is expected to imminent.

,,,  The Rose Bowl needed to amend its contract as the other five co-called “contract bowls” needed to do in order to accommodate the new system.

A 12-team playoff would see:

  • the six highest-ranked champs get automatic berths;
  • the next six highest-ranked teams get at-large spots
  • byes go to the top four conference champs
  • first-round games are played at the better seed’s home stadium, and quarterfinals and semifinals are played in a rotation of the six bowls.

 

College Football Playoff expansion set for 2024

Per a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN, the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams in 2024. From @john9williams

There was a time when it looked like early expansion for the College Football Playoff was in doubt. As the Rose Bowl held up the necessary unanimous vote in hopes of maintaining their prime window on January 1, there became a standoff between everyone who was ready to push expansion through and the historic game.

Expansion required a unanimous vote between the participating bowls, the conferences, and Notre Dame. The Rose Bowl remaining the one dissenting voice was faced with a deadline and an ultimatum. Vote yes on expansion by Wednesday or risk being left out in the cold win the playoff expands in 2026

Well, now, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Rose Bowl has signed and agreement that will allow the College Football Playoff to expand two years earlier in their current media rights package with ESPN.

Expansion creates an open door for teams that didn’t win their conference but had good seasons. This year, Ohio State would be the prime beneficiary of an expanded playoff as the one-loss Buckeyes will get left out in the cold if the current top four win out.

Moving from four teams to 12 also provides more equity for the Group of Five, who in previous years, only had a shot at getting in if they were undefeated and had significant Power Five wins on their resume. Only Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference was able to break the glass ceiling. Now there’s a path to the playoff for every school in the Football Bowl Subdivision. And while 2022 Tulane may not be on the same level as Georgia, they hold a win over Kansas State, who could win the Big 12 title this weekend.

The first season of expansion in 2024 will also be the final year the Oklahoma Sooners will play in the Big 12. If they’re able to improve their defense, the Sooners could be contending for a spot in an expanded College Football Playoff.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Kowacie Reeves returns to Florida lineup, Gators cruise past FAMU

You know it’s a good game when Alex Klatsky and Jack May get to play. Florida routed Florida A&M, 102-62, Wednesday night.

Florida needed to make a statement after falling to West Virginia by 29 points in the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament, and the Gators answered with a 40-point rout of the Florida A&M Rattlers that ended 102-62.

The Gators came out of the gate hot and never really looked back against a lesser opponent. The big story coming into the game was how many minutes [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] would get after playing minimal time in Portland. Injuries to Florida’s starting guards, [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag], forced Reeves back in the starting lineup, and the sophomore shined… at least in the first half.

[autotag]Trey Bonham[/autotag], who started at point guard, was lights out from three-point range, setting a school record on 7-of-7 shooting from deep, and he led all scorers with 23 points. [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] wasn’t the dominant big man he was earlier in the season, but [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] made up for it off the bench with a double-double.

Even [autotag]Jack May[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Klatsky[/autotag] got some playing time against FAMU, which is the hallmark of a blowout Gators win. Florida needed this one badly, but it won’t mean much in the long run.

Stetson is up next on Sunday, and then it’s time for another test as Connecticut comes to town on Wednesday.

Michigan State football offers Norfolk State TE transfer

MSU has sent an offer to a tight end in the transfer portal

Michigan State will be scouring the transfer market to make enhancements to the roster for the 2023 season.

One transfer that the Spartans are looking to add is Ademola Faleye, a tight end from Norfolk State. Faleye is 6-foot-7 and 245-pounds, and spent the last two seasons at the FCS level for Norfolk State.

Faleye is the cousin of 5-star offensive lineman Samson Okunkola, who is a top priority for MSU.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

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