Patrick Patterson relishing opportunity with Clippers as Thunder visit L.A.

The former Thunder forward talked about the end of his time in OKC ahead of Monday’s matchup between the Clippers and Oklahoma City.

While you can’t go home again, you can always visit.

For former Oklahoma City Thunder forward Patrick Patterson, “home” for his last two seasons will actually be “away”, as the team he played for prior to his new club, the Los Angeles Clippers, visits Staples Center Monday evening.

Enthusiastic to be in his new home after seeing his role with the Thunder diminish and then effectively dry up, Patterson doesn’t look back with ire at how his last opportunity ended.

As his playing time began to shrink, and recent arrival Markieff Morris’ grow while the team’s fortunes grew increasingly worse, it would be easy to be resentful. But the Washington (D.C.) native doesn’t blame Morris, or the organization for how his tenure with OKC turned out.

“I don’t think it was just one thing,” Patterson said of the Thunder’s end-of-season collapse, and his eventual ejection from the rotation, which saw him sitting 24 of the team’s final 29 games, according to The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto.

“Coaching staff, not everyone on the same page from the heads up top to the players on the bottom, added the Kentucky product. “Effort on the players’ part. Focus, playing together, playing good solid defense with communication. We missed a lot of shots. We didn’t capitalize on opportunities.”

Relishing his next opportunity to play along recent champion Kawhi Leonard and All-Star forward Paul George, Patterson is embracing playing for the Clippers this season. “Finding a role again, finding a group of guys who push and believe in me and challenge me,” he explained as key elements of his new situation that most appealed.

“Just being happy, having fun. I think all that contributes to a new, clean slate and that’s what I have here right now.”

Patterson looks forward to seeing his new teammates in Los Angeles, and plans to catch up with them before the game. Don’t expect him to give his former franchise a light touch come gametime, however.

“It’ll be all smiles until the ball is thrown up in the air and that clock starts,” offered Patterson on how he’ll be approaching the game.

If history is any judge, the Thunder should take him at his word.

With a win Saturday, Ohio State clinches the Big Ten East, spot in Big Ten Championship Game

With a win over Penn State on Saturday, Ohio State clinches the outright Big Ten East title and a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.

We know it’ll be a top ten matchup Saturday when Ohio State hosts Penn State. We also know the Nittany Lions have posed more challenges for the Buckeyes than maybe any other team in the Big Ten over the last few years. They’ve only knocked the door down one time, but almost every game has been a one possession affair since James Franklin’s been stomping around in Happy Valley.

We also know there will be three national, live shows all converging on Columbus to preview the game, and that says all you need to know about the stakes of this one. There are East Division title, Big Ten Championship, and College Football Playoff implications on the line.

But first things first, what’s front and center is that a win by Ohio State on Saturday over Penn State clinches the Big Ten East outright and a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. It would be the Buckeyes third straight appearance in Indy.

An OSU win would result in the Nittany Lions’ second loss in conference play, and since Michigan has already been turned back twice, even a loss in Ann Arbor the following week would still leave Ohio State as the only one-loss squad in the East Division.

Surprisingly, no tie-breaker needed this time around.

If however, somehow, someway, Penn State finds a way to beat the Buckeyes, it would more than likely mean a trip to Indy for the Nittany Lions. Their next game would be against Rutgers — almost assuredly a win — with the tiebreaker for the head-to-head in hand.

So hopefully Ohio State stays hungry, focused, and intent on continuing to make history and we you can celebrate Saturday night by booking a trip to Indianapolis.

 

Key takeaways from first half of Chiefs vs. Chargers

These things stood out in the first half of the contest between the Chiefs and Chargers.

Most fans will tell you that this has been a strange game so far.

Everyone expected both teams to come out and execute at a high level on offense but mistakes have plagued both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Estadio Azteca field is falling apart on the players as they play on it, which is very uncharacteristic of an NFL quality playing surface. The scoring is extremely low with less than 20 points between the two teams and the Chiefs leading at halftime by a score of 10-9.

Here are some key takeaways from the first half of play:

Lack of offensive execution

This looked to be the first game where the Chiefs had their full complement of offensive personnel at their disposal. Unfortunately, the offense just hasn’t done a good job executing in the early goings of the game.

Mahomes has been unable to get anything going in the passing game. He completed just two passes in the first quarter and then his star wide receiver Tyreek Hill left the game with an injury. Hill’s absence has seemingly changed the gameplan for the Chiefs, but even before then they were struggling to find any consistency.

Mahomes even forced a deep ball and threw an uncharacteristic interception. That alone should tell you how out of sync the Kansas City offense has been so far in this game.

Defense stepping up

The story of the first half has been the opportunistic Chiefs defense. They’ve still struggled to stop the run and running backs in the passing game, but they’ve been forcing mistakes from Chargers QB Philip Rivers.

Kansas City forced two interceptions in the first half of the game. One came because of pressure from DE Frank Clark. He swatted Rivers’ hand and the ball came out funny and landed in the waiting arms of DT Derrick Nnadi. The offense was unable to capitalize on this one.

However, the next interception was just some great ball-hawking from safety Tyrann Mathieu. The following play LeSean McCoy got a carry and took it for a touchdown to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game. If the Chiefs can keep forcing turnovers they’ll definitely have an opportunity to come away with a win in Week 11.

Special teams still concerning

Special teams has really been no good for the Chiefs this season. It’s to the point where Dave Toub can’t defend how poorly they’ve executed at times. This game hasn’t exactly restored anyone’s faith in the Chiefs’ special teams.

Chris Jones had a post field goal attempt penalty that cost the Chiefs yardage. Later, the punt coverage unit had an opportunity to come up with a muffed punt and they just failed to capitalize even though they had four players in the area.

It just seems like mental mistakes are continuing to compound each other and cost the team valuable opportunities. At some point, it’ll come back and cost the Chiefs more than yardage or possessions in a game.

Camden-Pleasantville to finish game at Eagles stadium after shooting interrupted mathchup

After a shooting in the bleachers interrupted the Camden-Pleasantville football game, the matchup will finish at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday.

Note: This story has been updated with the death of the 10-year-old, who had been in critical condition as of original publish.

The Camden-Pleasantville high school football game, which was halted because of a shooting in the stands in the third quarter last Friday night, will be concluded at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday at 4 p.m., per a release from the NJSIAA.

The Central Jersey Group 2 semifinal was suspended with about 17 minutes remaining in the game.

“The NJSIAA would like to thank many of our member schools that offered their assistance, including the Black Horse Pike School District for its willingness to step in to host this game on such short notice and under difficult and unusual circumstances,” NJSIAA executive director Larry White said in a statement.

[lawrence-related id=101404592,101404484,101410458]

“It’s extremely unfortunate that a senselessly violent act has impacted this game, and there will certainly be a wide range of emotions along both sidelines. However, thanks to the Eagles’ generosity and community spirit, Pleasantville and Camden student-athletes and their families will have an opportunity to write their own ending to this game. They’ll compete on a world-class stage, sending a clear message that violence will not win.”

More: Court records: Video chat preceded shooting at Camden-Pleasantville football game

More: Police: Shooting at Camden High football game tied to Atlantic City dispute

Three fans were injured in the shooting, including a 10-year-old boy who was left in critical condition and died Wednesday. Six were charged in connection with the incident, including Alvin Wyatt, 31, who was charged with three counts of attempted murder.

Each high school will be provided a defined number of passes to the game, which are specifically for players’ parents and family members.

The game will be closed to the general public.

The sectional final will be played on Nov. 30 at the home field of the highest seed remaining. No. 2 Cedar Creek made the title game with a 50-10 victory over Bernards on Saturday.

Kenny Clark: Packers will have ‘hands full on defense’ vs. 49ers

The Packers defense know they have a big challenge ahead in the 49ers.

[jwplayer 6Q40ShvH-ThvAeFxT]

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Kenny Clark understands the challenge awaiting the team’s defense on Sunday night in San Francisco.

The NFC-leading 49ers are second in the NFL in points per game and total rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns after 11 weeks, presenting big challenges for a Packers defense that allowed the most yards and second-most yards per play between Weeks 4-10.

“They run the ball really well. That’s the No. 1 focus,” Clark said Monday. “They have three really good backs. They use their fullback really well too. We’re going to have our hands full on defense.”

The 49ers offense is based around the versatile abilities of running backs Matt Breida, Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mosert, who have combined for 1,299 rushing yards and 1,652 total yards. Kyle Shanahan’s attack also features Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle, veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders and rookie playmaker Deebo Samuel.

The personnel and Shanahan’s creative scheme make for a tough combination  for any defense.

“We definitely have a challenge ahead of us, and we have to be up for it,” Clark said.

The injury report could be important. Breida, Kittle and left tackle Joe Staley all missed the 49ers’ win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

However, efficiency numbers indicate the 49ers might not be as strong on offense as the volume statistics suggest. Shanahan’s team ranks 15th in yards per play, 12th in yards per passing attempt and 14th in yards per rushing attempt, and they’re 23rd in turnover percentage.

Stopping the run will likely be a deciding factor for the Packers. Clark mentioned it as a focus of the defense, and for good reason: Mike Pettine’s group needs to force the game into Jimmy Garoppolo’s hands and hope the pass-rush can take advantage of a shaky 49ers offensive line.

[lawrence-related id=35088,35081]