Despite win, Brett Brown says Sixers turnovers are a ‘problem’

Despite a win on Sunday, Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown was not happy with the turnovers the team committed.

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The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a much-needed 114-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday to put a stop to a three-game losing skid and it gave some good vibes to the team. However, despite the win, there are still some issues the Sixers must figure out.

One of them is limiting turnovers which have been their biggest issue to begin the season. Their turnovers cost them the game in Denver to end the road trip and their 20 turnovers on Sunday, 12 of which came in the first half, were an eyesore.

Coach Brett Brown understands that this is a new team and it will take time to figure everything out, but the turnovers are an issue as he stated:

This is what I tell the team: until we can fix this, this is a house built on sand. It is fool’s gold and we have to find a discipline and a better way to control that. The turnovers in the first half, some of them were live ball, a lot of them were just getting things batted out of our hands. We can’t fool ourselves, this is a problem. This is a problem and we need to own it.

Generally, turnovers are a coaching issue that needs to be taken care of and it falls on Brown and his staff to help the players understand their issue so they can grow in that area.

I’m the head coach. I’ve got to find a way to fix it. There needs to be a level of accountability with the players and that’s that. It’s not anything we take lightly, we don’t dismiss it, the times are over where you’re looking at some of the young guys and you can justify it. You can’t do that anymore and it’s time that we get better at that. The players know it, they understand it, but we’ve got to fix it. That’s how I see the turnover thing in general.

Tobias Harris, who had a team-high four turnovers to go along with his 14 points, has accepted his role in the turnover issue and understands that he needs to better as well.

Yeah, I mean that’s been our biggest thing this year. A lot of them have just come from myself, like today with two travels in the beginning. We were continuing to find each other and our spots. We were looking at how we want to play and things we can do to execute better, so if we can just limit the turnovers to half of those and protect the ball a little bit better, I think that’ll help us out a whole lot.

The Sixers entered the night ranked 20th in the league in turnovers averaging 18.5 per game and with the 20 they tallied on Sunday, the number will rise a tad.

A lot of it is due to the newness of the team and it will take time to get the chemistry down pat and for them to feel each other out, but this is a very real issue for Philadelphia. They can get away with it against the Hornets, but against the better teams, it will cost them games.

Giants vs. Jets: Statistics, numbers and broken records

The New York Giants fell to the New York Jets in Week 10 and here’s a look at some of the statistics, numbers and broken records.

The New York Giants were defeated by the New York Jets, 34-27, on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in one of the true lows for Big Blue in decades. It dropped their record to 2-8 on the season and could, potentially, lead to substantial changes.

With the bye week on tap, we’ll have two weeks to evaluate and discuss that, but let’s take a moment to look back before we look ahead.

Here’s a quick look at some of the numbers, statistics and records from Big Blue’s Week 10 loss:

  • With the loss, the Giants have now lost six consecutive games, which is their longest streak of futility since losing seven straight in 2014.
  • The Giants have surrendered at least 27 points nine times this season, which is a league-high. They’ve also surrendered at least 31 points six times, which is tied for the league lead (Buccaneers).
  • The Giants have lost back-to-back games against the Jets for the first time since 1988/1993.
  • With 61 combined points on Sunday, it was the second-highest scoring Giants-Jets game in history (69 total in 1999).
  • The Giants finished with 281 offensive yards, which is the fifth time in their last six games failing to reach the 300-yard mark.
  • Saquon Barkley rushed for a career-low one yard.
  • Barkley has now gone a career-long five games without eclipsing 100 yards rushing.
  • The Giants totaled 23 yards on the ground vs. the Jets, their lowest total since rushing for 23 yards against the Broncos on September 15, 2013.
  • The Giants converted eight third-down attempts on Sunday, which tied a season-high.
  • With his four touchdown passes, Daniel Jones became the first Giants QB with two four-touchdown games since Eli Manning did it in 2010.
  • Jones now has 187 completions on the season, which sets an all-time rookie record for the Giants (Charlie Conerly had 162 in 1948).
  • Darius Slayton and Golden Tate each scored two touchdowns, becoming the first Giants wide receiver tandem with two or more scores a piece since Odell Beckham Jr. and Dwayne Harris did it in 2015.
  • Slayton is the first Giants rookie receiver with two two-touchdown games since Odell Beckham Jr. did it in 2014.
  • The Giants fell behind 14-0 after the first quarter, which is the third time this season they’ve faced that exact deficit after one quarter. It’s also the first time in franchise history they’ve trailed by at least 14 points after the first quarter three times in one season.
  • Early in the third quarter, Jets safety Jamal Adams “recovered” a Daniel Jones fumble and returned it for a touchdown. This is the first time since the 1970 merger the Giants have allowed a defensive touchdown in each of three consecutive games.
  • The Giants have surrendered four defensive touchdowns this season, which is the most they’ve allowed since 2013 (six).
  • Aldrick Rosas missed a PAT for the third consecutive game and has now gone four straight games with at least one PAT or FG miss.
  • The Giants have now lost three consecutive pre-bye week games.
  • Rookie Corey Ballentine made his starting NFL debut in the loss.
  • Tight end Kaden Smith caught his first career pass in the loss.

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Kenny Atkinson: Nets ‘not resilient enough to get stops’

Brooklyn’s defense was once against a problem in the Nets loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Kenny Atkinson wasn’t thrilled with the fact the Nets allowed the Phoenix Suns to score 138 points in Brooklyn’s loss on Sunday.

Despite the fact the Nets have identified their defensive struggles since the start of the season, they haven’t been able to get it together on that end of the floor through the first nine games. Communication has been a problem. Rotations have been sloppy, too.

On multiple occasions, the Nets offense has been able to make up for Brooklyn’s defensive deficiencies. But the offense wasn’t clicking on Sunday, so the Nets had next to no chance against the Suns.

Atkinson made clear after the game, “we’re not resilient enough to get stops.”

One thing we gotta do, when we’re not making shots like tonight, you gotta learn how to get stops when you’re not making shots. We’re missing and missing, and they’re coming at us. It’s tough when you’re missing all the time, but we have to be more resilient.

Sam Darnold thinks Jets still have a shot at playoffs

After defeating the Giants, 34-27, Sam Darnold was feeling good about where the Jets could end up by the end of the season.

After defeating the Giants, 34-27, Sam Darnold was feeling good about where the Jets could end up by the end of the season.

The Jets played one of their cleaner games of the season both offensively and defensively, but it was far from a complete performance. Some of the same issues that have doomed the Jets this season, such as offensive line play, penalties and cornerback coverage, were still a problem. But that didn’t stop Darnold from talking about the playoffs after the game.

“We need every win from now on,” Darnold told reporters. “We’ve still got a chance. I mean, if we got on a roll here and win out, we’ve got a chance at the playoffs. Guys in this locker room know this. We know that and we’re really excited to get back to work.”

It’s great that Darnold still has confidence in his team, but it’s hard to imagine Gang Green making a playoff run. The Jets are second to last in the AFC with eight teams in front of them for the final playoff spot. The Steelers hold that spot with a record of 5-4, so the Jets are three games back of them.

Looking at the Jets’ remaining schedule, there are only three opponents that they could be favored to beat: the Redskins, Bengals and Dolphins. Other than that, their schedule doesn’t give any reason for hope. The other four games are against the Raiders, Bills, Steelers and Ravens. All of those teams are either in the playoff hunt or are currently a playoff team.

The Jets also have a ton of work to do despite winning on Sunday. The offense didn’t have much life to it after the first two drives, while the offensive line couldn’t open up any holes for Le’Veon Bell. As for the defense, the cornerback situation is dreadful. They have nobody who can cover. Also, the inside linebackers are completely depleted thanks to injuries.

So while this win on Sunday was much needed for the Jets, there’s no reason to believe this team is going anywhere this season. What else is Darnold supposed to say, though?

The Cowboys pretended to have a black cat in the lineup and it was all bad luck

So much for all that luck.

On Sunday night, the Dallas Cowboys leaned hard into the luck of the black cat that invaded last week’s Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants … and it didn’t pay off.

The feline, as you may recall, ran onto the field at MetLife Stadium and caused a delay. It turns out it could be part of a group of cats who live in or around the area and was a part of so many memes. It’s still at large at the moment, but Dallas brought its spirit to AT&T Stadium.

They stuck the “MVP Rally Cat” (No. 9 for its number of lives, of course, well played) in the starting lineup:

And linebacker Jaylon Smith wore a shirt featuring the feline:

But the luck of the cat ran out as the Vikings won a heck of a game, 28-24, a contest that included a head-scratcher of a decision to fair catch a punt with under 30 seconds left.

So maybe Jerry Jones needs to hire the cat as the team’s next head coach?

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Jamal Adams is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game vs. Giants

Jamal Adams was a man on a mission in the Jets’ second win of the season, a 34-27 victory over the Giants Sunday.

Jamal Adams was a man on a mission in the Jets’ second win of the season, a 34-27 victory over the Giants Sunday.

Adams was flying around the football field all day. He had nine total tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one pass defense and a defensive score. For his performance, Adams is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game for Week 10 of the regular season.

The Pro Bowl safety said earlier in the week that this game had a little extra meaning to it given it was the battle of New York. But he was on a completely different level in this game. It seemed everywhere the football went, he was there, too.

One of those plays came on a strip-sack of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Adams was coming in hot on a blitz and obliterated Saquon Barkley before getting to Jones and ripping the ball out his hands to take it to the house for a touchdown. Right before that drive, Adams told Adam Gase that he was going to create a turnover on that drive, Turns out he was right.

You don’t see many safeties with Adams’ playing style. He’s brilliant around the line of scrimmage and is solid in pass coverage, too. Most safeties only have one of those qualities, but Adams is a one of a kind player.

It definitely felt like a weight was lifted off of Adams’ shoulder after the dispute he had with the front office over the last couple of weeks. Adams finally spoke to both Joe Douglas and Gase about his name being brought up in trade rumors and cleared the air with both parties. The noise finally calmed down around him and he went out and balled.

He’s clearly the leader of this defense and there’s no way to envision him not on it. His play on Sunday continued to show why he is in the elite category at his position.

Anthony Davis admits he is still feeling discomfort in his right shoulder

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis admits he is still feeling discomfort in his right shoulder following loss to the Toronto Raptors.

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The Toronto Raptors snapped the Los Angeles Lakers seven-game winning streak on Sunday. Playing without Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry, the Raptors used a 13-3 run with just over nine minutes left to help secure the 113-104 victory. LeBron James posted his fourth triple-double of the season with 13 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds during the loss, while Anthony Davis paced the Lakers with 27 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Following the game, Davis admitted that he’s still feeling the lingering effects of the shoulder injury he suffered on a dunk attempt earlier this season. He told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that he re-aggravated the injured shoulder on a block of Pascal Siakam during the Toronto loss which increased the level of pain that he played with throughout the night.

“There’s really never a play I don’t feel it,” Davis said of his injured right shoulder. “I’m going to go out there and play. I try not to let it affect my game. I just play through it and then worry about taking care of it after the game.”

A.D. hasn’t missed a game all season despite the ailing shoulder and is averaging 26.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in 35 minutes of work. He’s also been critical in helping to establish the Lakers interior defense while offering a career-high of 3.1 blocks per contest. His treatment for the aggravated shoulder includes wearing a compression T-shirt under his jersey and having a heat pack applied while he’s on the bench. Davis was not removed from the game due to injury on Sunday and logged 38 minutes in defeat.

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Cassius Winston found peace on the court after brother’s tragic death

On a difficult night, and finding a way forward.

This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

Cassius Winston played basketball Sunday night, scoring 17 points and dishing out 11 assists, a day after finding out that his younger brother Zachary had stepped in front of an Amtrak train and died.

It was a typical early season basketball game — Michigan State easily beat an outmatched Binghamton — suddenly imbued with emotion. Winston and his head coach, Tom Izzo, fought back tears during a moment of silence. Big Ten Network’s cameras captured Cassius and his youngest brother, Khy (a teammate of Zachary’s at Division III Albion), embracing courtside before the game.

I’m not here to tell you that basketball helped heal a hurting soul last night. Or even that Cassius Winston and his family were buoyed by the love and support of the Michigan State team and fans. I can’t fathom what they’re going through or how they’re feeling. A 19-year old apparently choosing to end his own life leaves behind questions that will forever be unanswered. It stirs pain that none of us could come close to comprehending. Thinking about that level of grief absolutely crushes me.

Yet I certainly saw the way that the game helped Cassius, probably the best point guard in college basketball, find his way. If only for a few moments. Going through the routines, hearing the thud of basketballs and the screech of fresh Nikes cutting on hardwood … I’m guessing that brought him about as close to his brother as he could get.

Steve Kerr played basketball after his father, Malcolm, was assassinated by a terrorist in Lebanon. I spoke to some of his teammates about the night they were awakened by the news, and they all recalled how chaotic it felt. Kerr was a freshman at Arizona then, sitting in his dorm room, with players and coaches coming and going. It was, in fact, eerily calm in so many ways — except that nobody felt normal about anything. Until they got on the court again.

When I got word earlier this year that my father had died, after a life wracked by alcoholism and mental illness, I was throwing ground balls to a line of rambunctious 5- and 6-year olds on a small field tucked behind an elementary school. They mostly played in the dirt, or chased each other, as I exhorted them to get their gloves down. To step and throw. To get to the back of the line and cheer on your teammate.

A call came to my phone and I stepped away to hear the news. I couldn’t think of what to do next, so I returned to what I’d been doing. My father and I weren’t particularly close but he would, when I inevitably begged on most afternoons, have a catch. He would tell me to get my glove all the way down, to point my toe where I wanted the ball to go, to calm down and not rush. Those words filled my head, and I did my best to share them.

That was peace. Fleeting, but meaningful. I hope Winston can find it, too, in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Sunday’s big winner: Lamar Jackson

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Y’all saw that run, right? And his final stat line: 15-of-17 for 223 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 rating. Turns out the the guy who should’ve switched to wide receiver can really throw. Turns out a QB can be athletic and fun and also good at passing — if a coaching staff will just let him be. Turns out the people who were so quick to doubt Jackson were doing so because they were in fact the people upholding the old stereotypes of what makes a good QB in the first place.

The Ravens have the Texans and Rams to get through before hosting San Francisco on Dec. 1, but it’s hard not to look ahead to that game. The Niners defense, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA, is in a stratosphere along with the Patriots far above the rest of the league (New England is at -33.9, San Fran is at -31.4 and the Broncos, Rams and Steelers are next at …. -8.8.) Should be fun.

Quick hits: Do the Dak! … Enough Don Cherry … Denny Hamlin gets another shot … A Michael Jordan gambling and drinking story

— Mark Ingram thinks President Donald Trump is to blame for Alabama losing to LSU. Sure, why not.

—Andrew Joseph took a look at a field goal block that irked Chiefs fans. Man, it must be so hard to be an official and make these calls in real time.

—Dak Prescott can dance. To anything. Seriously. Play any song and he will be in rhythm to it. Go ahead. Try.

—LSU recruits are savage … and I love them for it.

—Don Cherry’s racist blabbering has gone on long enough. The hockey commentators’ bigoted comments toward immigrants were abhorrent.

—On Friday, Michelle Martinelli brought you an insightful look at Denny Hamlin’s quest to shed the title of Best Current NASCAR Driver Without A Series Championship. On Sunday he won a race to become one of four drivers with a shot at winning it all next weekend.

—Penny Hardaway doesn’t need college basketball … which is why he might be the biggest threat to college basketball. Memphis’ decision to defy the NCAA and go to court could change everything.

—Yes, Antonio Brown is still around. Yes, he’s still saying things. No, it’s not going well for him.

—Michael Jordan. Gambling story. As told by Jeremy Roenick. Click.

(The incomparable Andy Nesbitt will be back tomorrow. Follow me on Twitter at @chriskorman.)

Giants’ John Mara angrily stormed out of MetLife Stadium following loss to Jets

A visibly furious John Mara stormed out of MetLife Stadium following the New York Giants’ loss to the Jets on Sunday.

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New York Giants co-owner John Mara is a man of patience — too patient at times — but one way to test that is losing to the New York Jets, which is exactly what head coach Pat Shurmur & Co. did on Sunday afternoon.

Following a 34-27 defeat at the hands of their in-city rivals, which marks a legitimate low point for the franchise, Mara was approached by the beat pool.

That interaction went about as well as could be expected.

Rather than fielding questions, a clearly furious Mara didn’t bat an eye, storming by the media and angrily exiting the stadium without saying so much as a single word.

It’s not unusual for Mara to avoid the media after a game — whether it’s a win or a loss — but occasionally he’ll provide a one-liner out to acknowledge their presence. That was not at all the case on Sunday as he was likely attempting to avoid saying something he’d regret.

Mara’s frustration with the team’s losing has boiled over in recent years, resulting in a series of uncharacteristic instances highlighted by the in-season firing of Ben McAdoo and a little chair throwing here and there. However, that frustration has to be at an all-time high at this point.

The Giants are mired in a six-game losing streak, are headed for another top 5 pick in the NFL Draft and have become a legitimate laughingstock. The pressure is now on the owner to step up, step in and find a way to right this ship.

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The Bengals have to fire someone, right?

The theme of accountability is losing its luster.

There isn’t a Marvin Lewis to fall back on this time.

Remember 2018? The Cincinnati Bengals fired Teryl Austin on November 12, 2018. His defense had just coughed up 500-plus yards in a 51-14 loss to New Orleans.

Fast forward almost exactly a year, Lou Anarumo’s defense just gave up 379 yards in a 49-13 loss. Baltimore needed 23:49 of clock to do it. A late field goal stopped it from finishing as the worst loss in Bengals franchise history. Sunday marked the team’s 11th straight loss, tied for a team record, and it’s one step closer to matching the franchise’s worst-ever start of 0-10 — captained by one Dave Shula.

But there isn’t a Marvin Lewis this time. When the Bengals fired Austin, Lewis stepped in and helped the defense improve. The team fought.

No such fall back plan exists. The Bengals had problems getting a qualified defensive coordinator in the door in the first place. But one could easily make the argument Anarumo should be fired for his performance. Not only is he failing to establish scheme and adapt to opponents, but his units have also coughed up at least 460 yards in four its last five games.

If the team wanted to pull a stunner and can Zac Taylor, doing so would largely be unfeasible. Who takes over? Anarumo is having a rough time and Brian Callahan on the offensive side is inexperienced and helping craft these miserable gameplans. Does special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, in his 17th year with the team, jump to interim head coach? What does that accomplish?

And yet, it is brutal to listen to the coaches wax poetic about accountability when this is the product on the field. Were the front office to step in and fire someone it would make plenty of sense.

That probably doesn’t happen. And the Bengals backed themselves into a no-win situation. They hired Taylor knowing he needed to develop as a coach and gave him control of his staff. There’s no easy out here, if they make a move at all. But the longer something doesn’t change, the more potential irreparable harm the team does with its fans.

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