Report: Celtics rookie center Vincent Poirier assigned to Red Claws

Vincent Poirier may make his NBA G League debut today, as the Maine Red Claws are set to face the Wisconsin Herd at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Per an announcement from the Boston Celtics, rookie center Vincent Poirier — who the team signed to a two-year contract in the offseason — has been assigned to the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s NBA G League affiliate.

Only suiting up for seven contests this season, the Frenchman has averaged just 1.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.3 blocks per game, shooting 44.4% from the field. As you might expect, these numbers pale in comparison to the ones he put up last season (10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game), when he was suiting up for Kirolbet Baskonia.

Maine will play against the Wisconsin Herd on Thursday (on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET), so Poirier may make his G League debut today.

*All stats gathered from Basketball Reference and RealGM

Throwback Thursday: Giants blank Eagles, 20-0, in 1998

In the latest Giants Wire Throwback Thursday, we get in the time machine a visit 1998, when the New York Giants shut out Philly at home.

The New York Giants won the NFC East in 1997 with 10-5-1 record and appeared to be ready to build on that success in 1998. They got off to a 3-4 start and then lost three straight games after their bye to fall to 3-7.

Believe it or not, the perfect elixir for that losing streak was a home jaunt against the 2-8 Philadelphia Eagles, who after back-to-back 10-6 seasons were headed into a tailspin under head coach Ray Rhodes.

The Giants were hoping that Danny Kanell, the quarterback that led them to the playoffs in 1997, could do it again in ’98. He could not, he was benched in favor of Kent Graham after running up a 3-7 record.

Graham then led the Giants to five wins in their final six games beginning with the 20-0 shutout win on November 22 over the Eagles at Giants Stadium.

Graham was only 10-21 for 153 yards, but threw a touchdown pass to Tiki Barber. Gary Brown had 96 yards rushing and the other touchdown. Brad Daluiso kicked field goals of 49 and 40 yards and the defense sacked Bobby Hoying six times (two by Tito Wooten). Phillippi Sparks had both Giant interceptions.

Here is some footage from the game, which was broadcast on FOX with a very young Kenny Albert calling the action along with Tim Green.

[lawrence-related id=634400,634403,634395]

Colts WRs have favorable matchup vs. Bucs secondary

Colts WRs could have fantasy value in Week 14.

The Indianapolis Colts passing attack hasn’t had many encouraging outings over the last month or so, but some of that could change Sunday when they travel to Raymond James Stadium to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Facing a Buccaneers defense that is allowing the second-most receiving yards per game to opposing offenses (303.2), the Colts wide receivers could find success in real football and in fantasy football.

Outside of running back Marlon Mack, there haven’t been any consistent fantasy producers from the Colts in 2019. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has dealt with injuries, tight end Eric Ebron was non-existent compared to his 2018 season and quarterback Jacoby Brissett hasn’t thrown for multiple touchdowns since Week 7.

As the fantasy football playoffs approach, mitigating risk should be avoided where it can. But not all teams in the postseason can play it safe. Sometimes upside is needed and there’s a duo of Colts wide receivers that could find some success against the Buccaneers poor passing defense.

As it stands now, Hilton likely isn’t going to play Sunday. There are concerns he might not even return this season with four games remaining. This leaves Zach Pascal as the WR1 in Week 14.

Pascal has enjoyed a quasi breakout in 2019. He’s stepped up into bigger roles as the season has progressed and even has a pair of 100-yard games under his belt. So the upside for him to have a big game is certainly there, but his floor is a goose egg like he did in Week 12 against the Texans.

Still, Pascal is beloved by the coaching staff and should see a healthy dose of targets against the Bucs. The game script is also likely to be in the favor of a passing game given Tampa Bay’s strength in stopping the run and their ability to score on the offensive side of the ball. He has also seen at least six targets in four of the last five games.

With Pascal sitting as a flex-worthy option with WR2 upside in fantasy, there is another name that could be intriguing to fantasy managers looking for upside. However, there is some major risk involved as well.

Rookie wide receiver Parris Campbell has a chance to return to game action this week and could be heavily involved in the passing game. Having missed the last four games with a fractured hand, Campbell practiced in full to begin the week.

The speedy second-round pick has gotten two starts this season (Weeks 4 and 9). In those two games, Campbell was heavily involved. He saw eight targets against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4 and had eight touches during the Week 9 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Colts love Campbell and have been extremely high on him since drafting him with the No. 49 overall pick. He is a perfect fit for the offense they want to run and would likely benefit from Brissett’s lack of desire to push the ball downfield.

Campbell certainly brings more risk than Pascal—who should be viewed as the WR1 in the offense in Week 14. The rookie has been spotty for most of the season and the passing offense has left much to be desired, but the matchup is there and the Colts are desperate for wide receiver production.

With four games remaining and their season likely over, developing Campbell should be a top priority.

Sometimes the fantasy football playoffs call for a bold move. In a pinch, Pascal and Campbell could pay off big time as the Colts travel to Tampa in Week 14.

Broncos QB Drew Lock heard from Archie and Peyton Manning after first NFL win

Archie and Peyton Manning both reached out to Broncos quarterback Drew Lock on Sunday after he helped Denver defeat the Chargers.

Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock made his NFL debut on Sunday and helped lead Denver to a 23-20 win over the Chargers. After the game, Lock received many positive text messages from family and friends. Lock’s favorite message came from former NFL quarterback Archie Manning.

“Archie Manning [said], ‘You can’t win them all if you don’t win your first,'” Lock said Wednesday. “That gave me a good giggle and gave me a good laugh. He’s so right. You can’t win them all if you don’t win your first. It was pretty cool to get a text from him and Peyton [Manning] as well. Being able to hear from those guys meant a lot.”

Peyton played in Denver from 2012-2015 and won the AFC West four straight times, helping the Broncos reach the Super Bowl twice. Peyton and his brother Eli help their dad, Archie, with the Manning Passing Academy each offseason. Lock got to know the Manning family as a counselor at the camp in 2018.

“It goes back to that camp,” Lock said of his relationship with the Mannings. “Getting close with them there, and then of course coming to Denver, that just amped the relationship up a little more.”

Lock completed 64.3 percent of his passes in Sunday’s game for 134 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception. He will start again against the Texans on the road in Week 14.

[vertical-gallery id=628662]

Two Raiders land in top-5 NFL.com rookies of 2019

Two Raiders land in top-5 NFL.com rookies of 2019

With four picks in the top 40 of the draft, you’d figure the Raiders would be the most likely team to have multiple rookies at the top of the rankings. However, one of the rookies Daniel Jeremiah puts in the top five was not among those Raiders selected in the top 40. Here are his top five rookies and his thoughts on Josh Jacobs and Maxx Crosby:

2. Josh Jacobs, Oakland Raiders

Jacobs has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark and looks to be getting stronger as the season winds down. I love his contact balance between the tackles.

5. Maxx Crosby, Oakland Raiders

Crosby, a fourth-round selection, has been the best value pick in the entire draft. He uses his length and athleticism to generate consistent pressure in the passing game.

As they say; one of these things is not like the others. That would be Maxx Crosby. He is the only rookie in the top five who was not a first-round pick. He was selected at pick 106 in the 4th round. And he currently leads the team with 7.5 sacks and only Josh Allen (9.0) and Nick Bosa (8.0) have more. among rookies.

(Jeremiah did a top 25 overall rookies. No other Raiders made the list.)

[vertical-gallery id=58469]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Alex Morono vs. Dhiego Lima added to UFC 247 in Houston

A matchup between streaking welterweights Alex Morono and Dhiego Lima is the latest addition to UFC 247.

[vertical-gallery id=451953]

Ask and you shall receive.

After picking up a unanimous decision win over Max Griffin in his most recent outing, [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag] said he wanted [autotag]Dhiego Lima[/autotag] next in early 2020. That’s exactly what he got.

Morono (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) gets a home fight at UFC 247 against Lima (15-7 MMA, 4-5 UFC), UFC officials announced Wednesday. UFC 247 takes place Feb. 8 at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card, featuring two title fights, airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Since joining Fortis MMA, Morono has three in a row and looks to continue his climb toward inclusion in the 170-pound rankings.

Two-time “Ultimate Fighter” finalist Lima also is on a three-fight winning streak. Most recently, he beat Luke Jumeau by split decision at UFC 243.

With the addition, the UFC 247 lineup includes:

  • Champ Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Katlyn Chookagian – for women’s flyweight title
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Derrick Lewis
  • Mirsad Bektic vs. Dan Ige
  • Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ryan Spann
  • Andrea Lee vs. Lauren Murphy
  • Juan Adams vs. Justin Tafa
  • Dhiego Lima vs. Alex Morono

[vertical-gallery id=449480]

Recapping Draymond Green’s emotional Michigan State jersey retirement

When Draymond Green’s No. 23 jersey was raised into the rafters, the Warriors All-Star got emotional in his old stomping grounds.

Although No. 11 Michigan State couldn’t fend off the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils 87-75, it was still a memorable night in East Lansing due to one former Spartan turned Golden State Warrior.

Draymond Green’s No. 23 Spartan jersey was raised into the rafters in Michigan State’s Breslin Center for retirement in front of a packed crowd.

The Saginaw, Michigan product led the Spartans to two Final Four appearances and three Big Ten regular-season championships. Green was a consensus first-team All-American, NABC Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year, all in 2012. Now his white and green No. 23 jersey will be immortalized in the Michigan State arena forever.

Here are some of the highlights from Green’s memorable night in East Lansing:

DubNation in the building

Several members of the Golden State Warriors organization made the trip to East Lansing to support Green on his special night. Warriors owner. Joe Lacob, general manager, Bob Myers, and Steve Kerr were all in attendance. Other members like Zaza Pachulia, D’Angelo Russell, and Klay Thompson were in the building.

Green said the type of support his teammates and coaches showed was a reason why he wants to stay with Golden State forever.

“Not one person would have said they were wrong if they didn’t come here — it’s my college jersey getting retired,” Green said in his jersey retirement press conference, via Noah Trister of the Associated Press. “They took the time out of their schedule to be here for me. Those are the things that make you say, ‘OK, I want to be there for the rest of my career.’ And I would do anything for that organization to help make that happen.”

Draymond showing emotion

The former Defensive Player of the Year is a passionate and fiery competitor on the basketball court; we rarely get to see the softer side of Green, the person. When handed the microphone to address the Michigan State crowd, Green became a bit emotional when talking about getting to live out his childhood dreams.

“As a kid from Saginaw, Michigan, my goal and dream was to play at Michigan State, it was never to get my jersey retired, and I lived that dream.” Green said during his halftime ceremony.

Respect from around the NBA

Green is a polarizing player across the NBA, but on the night of his jersey retirement, former stars from Michigan State reached out to congratulate the Warriors forward on the honor.

Jaren Jackson, Denzel Valentine and Miles Bridges all reached out to Green via a video compiled by “Uninterrupted.” Former Golden State “We Believe” star, Jason Richardson, also made an appearance to congratulate Green.

Georgia football fans expected to take over SEC Championship

UGA football fans are expected to take over the SEC Championship in Atlanta

If you’ve been following along with the Georgia Bulldogs this season, you probably already know about the impressive takeovers fans have made at Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia Tech.

Now, it’s time to turn our attention to the SEC Championship game, which is supposed to be played at a neutral-site in Mercedes Stadium.

However, Vivid Seats has informed us that the forecasted fan ratio is 69% Georgia fans (nice) and 31% LSU fans on Saturday.

If this is true, we expect a pretty significant Bulldog advantage over the Tigers in crowd noise, which could play a factor in the game. Earlier in the week, Coach Ed Orgeron mentioned he was getting his team ready for the noise at practice, but even that might not be enough for what is about to come.

“We will have crowd noise on Tuesday, Wednesday. Be very well-prepared for all the Georgia fight songs they’ll play on our field all week.”

Can the Dawg Nation help lead this Georgia team to victory? We’ll see, but it’s certainly not going to be easy.

Go Dawgs!

 

Santa becomes latest victim of Jets’ injury bug

The holiday spirit couldn’t stop Santa from escaping the Jets’ injury woes.

The Jets have been plagued with a horde of injuries this season, thinning them out at just about every position at one point or another.

The pain hasn’t stopped with the players, though. Even jolly Saint Nick seems to have been bitten by the injury bug that’s been buzzing around New York.

We know this because The Athletic’s Connor Hughes noticed an inflatable Santa Claus slumped over a trash can in the Jets’ locker room on Wednesday. After discovering a hole in the holiday decoration, Hughes couldn’t help but jokingly connect the scene to Gang Green’s injury woes.

The Jets have placed 15 players on injured reserve since August, including household names such as C.J. Mosely, Ryan Kalil, Quincy Enunwa and Avery Williamson.

The bad news doesn’t end there, either.

New York released an injury report on Dec. 4 that listed 13 players currently fighting ailments and other setbacks. That list included safety Jamal Adams, offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum and tight end Ryan Griffin.

Not that it would do them any good this season, but the Jets may want to ask for a clean bill of health this Christmas. They just shouldn’t count on the Santa in their locker room to be the one delivering the elusive gift.