Month: May 2023

The NFL is targeting May 11 for schedule release

Schedule release day is coming — and a reminder of Washington’s opponents for 2023.

After the NFL draft, the next most important date on the NFL calendar is schedule release day.

Generally held sometime around the second week of May, Adam Schefter of ESPN has nailed down a likely date: Thursday, May 11.

We’ve known who the Washington Commanders will play since the 2022 season ended. The schedule release day tells us when Washington plays each opponent, the times, which games are night games and plan accordingly for the fall.

As with everything in the NFL, it’s an event. It’s another prime-time show that has fans excited about potential matchups in the fall. And it’s also another step closer to training camp.

We’ll have more on Washington’s 2023 schedule once it’s released, but let’s take another look at who the Commanders play in 2023:

Home:

  • Dallas Cowboys
  • New York Giants
  • Philadelphia Eagles
  • Arizona Cardinals
  • San Francisco 49ers
  • Miami Dolphins
  • Buffalo Bills
  • Chicago Bears

Away:

  • Dallas Cowboys
  • New York Giants
  • Philadelphia Eagles
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • Los Angeles Rams
  • New York Jets
  • New England Patriots
  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Denver Broncos

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On this day: 3 players lost to 1967 expansion draft; Amir Johnson born

On this day, ex-Boston Celtics big man Amir Johnson was born, and three players were taken from the team in the 1967 NBA expansion draft.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team would lose several players to the expansion draft held in 1963 to populate two new teams being added to the league.

Expansion drafts function similarly to the regular draft, except the team or teams joining the league can raid the rosters of existing teams for players save for a certain number of “protected” players each team can prevent from being drafted away to the expansion team or teams.

The new teams in question would be the San Diego Rockets and Seattle Supersonics, the former now relocated in Houston, Texas as the Houston Rockets since relocating to Texas in 1971, and the latter now the Oklahoma City Thunder since moving to that state in 2008. Boston would lose three players in total to the two expansion teams.

How would Boston Celtics great Larry Bird be as a modern NBA player?

If he had had an outside shot that he leaned on as heavily as today’s players do, how might his career have been different?

How would Boston Celtics great Larry Bird be as a player in the modern NBA? The Hick From French Lick could do a little bit of everything, from passing to rebounding, stealing the ball, blocking an occasional shot, and of course shooting the leather off of the ball.

While Larry Legend may not have been a volume 3-point shooter given that literally no one was in his era (he was on the court for his first NBA game for the very first 3-pointer in league history, and made the first 3 in All-Star history later that season), if he had had an outside shot that he leaned on as heavily as today’s players do, how might his career have been different?

The host of the “Old Man and the 3” podcast JJ Redick and fellow former NBAer Jamal Crawford explored the concept along with other greats of that era on a recent podcast.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Brad Stevens on making the transition from coaching to the front office

Kornet and Stevens also chat about his past as an NCAA head coach at Butler before he was tapped to coach Boston by then-team president Danny Ainge.

Ever wonder what it is like making the transition between coaching a team in the NBA and running an organization as an executive from the front office? Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations — and former Celtics head coach — Brad Stevens certainly does, having made the transition from clipboard toting to player trading back in the 2021 NBA offseason.

In a recent episode of the team-produced podcast “View From the Rafters,” Stevens was interviewed by reserve big man Luke Kornet to talk about Stevens’ transition from coaching to the front office.

Kornet and Stevens also chat about his past as an NCAA head coach at Butler before he was tapped to coach Boston by then-team president Danny Ainge and more, so be sure to check out the clip embedded below to hear the interview in full.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Draymond Green praises De’Aaron Fox after Warriors vs. Kings playoff series

Draymond Green had high praise for De’Aaron Fox after the Warriors’ opening round playoff series against the Kings.

At times, it looked like De’Aaron Fox was the best player on the floor in the first-round playoff series between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. With the Warriors having no answer for Fox, the Kings’ point guard took over at times, especially down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

Despite dropping the series to the Warriors with a loss at home in Game 7, Fox earned the respect of Draymond Green in his first playoff series. After Game 7 on Sunday, the four-time champion praised Fox, saying he was honored to compete against the Kings All-Star guard.

I just paid my respect. I’ve been in a lot of playoff series against a lot of different guys. And if I’m honest, you leave most with less respect for a lot of guys. Whether it’s how they act in the moment — how they step up to the pressure. I’ve lost a lot of respect for guys over the years in the playoffs. And then there’s some you gain respect for. There’s some you see and you know they’re cut from that same cloth you feel like you’re cut from and Fox is one of those guys.

Via @NBCSWarriors on Twitter:

Fox showed why he earned the NBA’s new Clutch Player of the Year award with a pair of 38-point performances. On the way to pushing the Warriors to a seven-game series, Fox averaged 27.4 points on 42.4% shooting from the field with 7.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 38.5 minutes per game.

Along with earning his first trip to the All-Star game. Fox helped lead the Kings to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a 48-34 record. In his sixth season in the NBA, the former Kentucky Wildcats guard averaged 25 points on 51.2% shooting from the field with 6.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Game Three Recap: Baseball – Texas A&M vs No. 7 Arkansas

Texas A&M gets swept after game three lost against No. 7 Arkansas

Game three was trending toward a blowout after the Aggies were down by eight runs after five innings. Having already lost the series Texas A&M (25-19, 9-12 SEC) was just trying to end on a solid note and avoid the sweep at the hands of No. 7 Arkansas (33-11, 14-7 SEC). Well, they made a game of it at the end, but they still got swept when it was all said and done.

Through the first two innings, neither team got a hit until the bottom of the third inning when Arkansas produced four hits and the first two runs of the game. They followed up a few innings later with another run to go up 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Unfortunately for the Aggies, the runs did not stop piling up against them, and the Razorbacks added another five runs in the fifth for a score of 5-0.

Finally, the Aggies woke up in the sixth inning in a big way. After two outs a Ryan Targac hit a single into left field scoring Jace LaViolette and Brett Minnich. Then Hunter Haas was hit by a pitch allowing Jordan Thompson to score cutting the lead to 8-3 Starting to rally LaViolette hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh scored Minnich and Thompson hit a double scoring Austin Bost making the score 8-5. Not done yet, the Aggies pulled within one in the eighth off a hit from Trevor Werner to the shortstop let Hunter run across the plate.

With one inning left freshman standout LaViolette hit a solo bomb over the right field fence.

But that is where the magic ended the next three batter were retired in a row squashing the comeback. This was a rough series and while the Aggie bats did wake up late the pitching is still an issue.

Final Score: Aggies 7, Razorbacks 8 – W: Adcock, Cody (4-1); L: Johnston, Will (3-2); S: Coil, Parker(1)

Texas A&M will host Tarleton at 6 pm on May 2nd.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1

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Game One Highlights: Softball – No. 24 Texas A&M vs Missouri

Highlights: The Aggie take game one against Missouri off the bat of Cottrill’s two home runs

The Aggies were on their way to a win before the weather made a change of plans postponing the game until Saturday. In their final SEC series and game at home, the Aggie softball team got off to a good start. Texas A&M got off to another fast start with six runs in the first three innings. Julia Cottrill was the main attraction producing four RBI on two home runs.

Even though it’s the end of the regular season it feels like this team is just now hitting its potential and learning how to bounce back from tough losses. Coach Ford’s main message this season has been for them to fight and not settle for just being a good team. They should be striving to be great and playing the game of softball is a privilege is what she has been drilling into her team all season long.

Game two is on Saturday, April 29th at Davis Diamond

Check out some highlights of the midweek match-up from the official Texas A&M Softball Twitter account

Michigan State football transfer CB Charles Brantley gets an offer from Colorado

Michigan State transfer CB Charles Brantley gets an offer from Colorado just a few hours after entering the portal

Sunday evening, Michigan State football cornerback Charles Brantley entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. About an hour and a half later, Brantley announced that he has an offer out from the University of Colorado, home of new coach Deion Sanders.

Based on how the transfer portal works these days, it’s not surprising that Brantley had an offer out so soon, especially since he was a solid defensive back for the Spartans.

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 Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics Game 1 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Monday’s Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics Game 1 odds and lines, with NBA expert picks, predictions and best bets.

The Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers in TD Garden for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the 76ers vs. Celtics odds, and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

The No. 2-seed Celtics beat the No. 7 Hawks 4-2 in the 1st round. They won  3 of the 1st 4, lost 119-117 at home in Game 5 before closing out it 128-120 in Atlanta. Boston was 4-2 against the spread (ATS) in the 6-game series and the Over was 4-2. With the postseason included, the Celtics are 26-18 ATS at home this season.

No. 3 Philadelphia swept the No. 6 Brooklyn Nets in the 1st round and were 3-0-1 ATS while the O/Uwas 1-3. Philly is 8-3-1 ATS in its last 12 games and with the postseason included are 24-18-1 ATS on the road this season, the 5th-best road-covering record.

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76ers at Celtics odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:14 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): 76ers +400 (bet $100 to win $400) | Celtics -550 (bet $550 to win $100)
  • Against the spread (ATS): 76ers +10.5 (-115) | Celtics -10.5 (-105)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 213.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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76ers at Celtics key injuries

76ers

  • Not yet submitted

Celtics

  • Not yet submitted

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

76ers at Celtics picks and predictions

Prediction

Celtics 114, 76ers 106

Moneyline

PASS.

C Joel Embiid, one of the favorites for MVP that will be anounced on Tuesday, is doubtful for this game. The moneyline had that priced in for the 76ers, and their chance to pull off the upset isn’t worthy of a play, even at (+400).

The Celtics are 34-10 at home, the 4th-best record in the NBA. But, at (-550), they are too expensive to play and not worth the risk.

Against the spread

LEAN 76ERS +10.5 (-115).

As we saw down the stretch in Game 4 against the Nets, the 76ers have the talent to not necessarily play through Embiid. G Tyrese Maxey took over that game. G James Harden and Maxey both averaged over 20 points per game. F Tobias Harris averaged 14.7 per game as well.

They have the firepower to survive without Embiid, and covered 3 of 4 against Brooklyn, Philly has been able to cover on the road for most of the season and played well in the 1st round.

Boston, on the other hand, struggled in the last few games against Atlanta. The Celtics allowed 130, 121, 119 and 120 points in the last 4 games of their 1st-round series, and the 76ers offense was the 3rd-most efficient while the Hawks ranked 7th during the regular season.

Philly should be able to find the holes like Atlanta did and have big-time playmakers to keep this game within single digits even if Embiid is out. Take the 76ERS +10.5 (-115).

Over/Under

BET OVER 213.5 (-110).

The Celtics went Over in their last 4 games against the Hawks. While they gave up points, they also scored with ease — scoring 122, 129, 117 and 128 points.

They have the firepower in F Jayson Tatum and F Jaylen Brown, who combined to averaged 57.7 points per game in the regular season. Boston has gone Over in 9 of its last 13 games.

Both teams ranked top-3 in offensive rating during the regular season as well, so efficiency will be key which should aid consistent scoring. Philly has gone Over in 4 of its last 7.

Back the OVER 213.5 (-110).

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Way-too-early 2024 mock draft projects Saints to pick Washington DE Bralen Trice

This way-too-early 2024 mock draft from USA Today projects the New Orleans Saints to (eventually) pick big Washington Huskies defensive end Bralen Trice:

The ink is still drying on the 2023 NFL draft and we’re already seeing mock drafts for the 2024 cycle. What are we doing? More importantly, who are the New Orleans Saints being linked to?

One projection comes from USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, who likes the Saints to end up with Washington Huskies defensive end Bralen Trice. Here’s what he wrote of the player, using the current Super Bowl odds to determine draft order (putting the Saints at No. 19):

Despite using a second-rounder on Notre Dame defensive end Isaiah Foskey, the Saints should keep mulling their pass-rush plans, especially with Cameron Jordan turning 34 in July. The 6-4, 267-pound Trice led all Power Five edge rushers last season with 70 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, while notching nine sacks.

Trice is one of the top pass rushers eligible for next year’s draft, and if he builds on his momentum he’ll have no problem securing a spot in the first round of selections. The Saints have a clear long-term need at defensive end with only Foskey (once he formally signs), Tanoh Kpassagnon, and Payton Turner under contract through 2024, so they’ll likely be replacing either Jordan or Carl Granderson in the near future. Trice fits the athletic prototype they value with a big frame and real power off the edge, so he’s someone to watch when the college football season kicks off in the fall.

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