Ja Morant had his first 20-point, 10-assist game in win vs. Hornets

Ja Morant bounced back from a tough recent string of games Wednesday night by recording his first career 20-point, 10-assist game.

Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant bounced back from a tough recent string of games Wednesday night by recording his first career 20-point, 10-assist game in a 119-117 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Morant finished with 23 points, including the go-ahead layup with 0.7 seconds left, and a career-high 11 assists in the victory as he recorded his first double-double of the season — his previous high for assists was nine set on Oct. 27. The second overall shot an efficient 10-of-15 from the field and had a number of highlight-reel plays, including a nice behind-the-back finish in the first quarter.

The performance by Morant was welcomed by the rookie after recording just 17 total points over his previous two outings in which he shot just 5-of-25 from the field. Hitting the game-winning layup won’t hurt, either.

Despite his recent struggles, Morant has been arguably the top rookie this season and his performance on Wednesday certainly added to his early success. He flashed elite ball-handling skills in the game and proved why he was so highly touted leaving college.

The Grizzlies return to action Friday against the Utah Jazz.

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49ers not planning on TE George Kittle vs. Cardinals [update]

He caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown when the two teams played one another two weeks ago.

The Arizona Cardinals will face the San Francisco 49ers this weekend on the road. It is the second time in three weeks they will face one another.

When they played the last time, tight end George Kittle was productive, catching six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.

The Cardinals will not have to worry about him in Week 11.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Kittle will not play in Week 11 against the Cardinals, tweeted Darren Urban from the Cardinals official team site.

According to the Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman, Shanahan told Arizona media in a conference call they “won’t have Kittle” on Sunday.

However, also according to Biderman, the team made a correction. A team representative told Biderman Shanahan misspoke on the call. Kittle is unlikely to play but has not been ruled out. Shanahan has to plan on the game without Kittle but anything could happen between now and the end of the week.

The 49ers already will be without starting left tackle Joe Staley and could be without receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Pass rusher Ronald Blair is done for the season after tearing his ACL, while starting defensive tackle D.J. Jones will miss this week as well.

The Cardinals have given up the most receiving yards and touchdown to tight ends this season. Playing the 49ers without Kittle will be a huge break.

It doesn’t mean the Cardinals will win, but it makes the possibility more likely.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Is Kenyan Drake taking over for Cardinals?

Less than two weeks after being traded from Miami to Arizona, Kenyan Drake is already making waves. Trade: Arizona has reached agreement in principle to trade a conditional 2020 draft pick to Miami for RB Kenyan Drake, league sources tell ESPN. – …

Less than two weeks after being traded from Miami to Arizona, Kenyan Drake is already making waves.

In his first week with the Cardinals, Drake took 15 carries for 110 yards and a lone touchdown. An impressive first outing with his new team.

His Arizona debut came at the right time for him, as David Johnson, their solid back for the last few seasons was inactive.

Johnson has been battling injuries, he spent all of 2018 on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.

Drake’s second week with the team was a true test, Johnson was back on the field, so it was a true test to see where he would fit into the mix with the incumbent starter.

In the Cardinals’ contest against the Buccaneers, Drake took over as the lead back.

The Alabama product had 10 carries to Johnson five, along with 35 yards to Johnson’s two.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury weighed in on Drake’s success with the team.

“We just felt like with Drake, needed to get something going and kept him rolling,” Kingsbury said. “The last couple weeks, practice, games [he] has brought a little pop to the run game, the pass game, and we felt like he was the guy to try and close the game out with.”

There’s still a relatively small sample size when it comes to what he’s capable of with Arizona, but with plenty of time left in the regular season, he will have the ability to show the Dolphins front office what they are missing out on.

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AFC Playoff race heading into Week 11

The Patriots, Ravens, and Texans are battling for byes while the AFC Wild Card race is getting exciting.

The AFC has two interesting playoff races that don’t have to do with the divisions — because the division races have pretty clear paths. The competition for a first-round bye currently has three teams with clear paths: New England, Baltimore, and Houston. The other interesting thing to look at is the race of the for the wild cards. Buffalo, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Oakland are all vying for two spots with the Titans, Chargers, and maybe the Browns looking frisky if they can run the table.

Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

AFC East

New England Patriots 8-1

This is the toughest stretch of the Patriots season. They should be hoping to go 3-1 over their next four games. A 2-2 record will put the top seed in the AFC at risk — especially if one of those losses is to Houston which is entirely possible. New England should be able to get right the last three games of the season. They should be hoping that the Dolphins game doesn’t matter.

Remaining Schedule: @Eagles, Cowboys, @Texans, Chiefs, @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 6-3

The Bills looked like they could cruise to 11 wins this season. Now they could be in trouble. They will be underdogs against the Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, and Patriots. If they lose all those games, the best they can finish is 9-7. They shouldn’t want to rely on tiebreakers to get them into the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule: @Dolphins, Broncos, @Cowboys, Ravens, @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets

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NFL will not release names of execs at Kaepernick’s closed workout, but here are teams that will be

The NFL initially announced that it would release a list of the team executives and personnel who attend Colin Kaepernick’s closed workout and interview Saturday in Atlanta, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the league has changed its course and will not release the names.

The NFL initially announced that it would release a list of the team executives and personnel who attend Colin Kaepernick’s closed workout and interview Saturday in Atlanta, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the league has changed its course and will not release the names.

How Brendon Todd overcame the yips and won in Bermuda

Brendon Todd, a 34-year-old PGA Tour journeyman, suffered through a stretch of missing 37 cuts in 41 starts. His world ranking plummeted all the way to No. 2006. In late 2018, Todd considered other careers, and looked into opening a pizza franchise. But on Nov. 3, Todd capped off a remarkable comeback, shooting a final-round 62 and winning the Bermuda Championship. “I went and found the wrecked ship and put it back together,” Todd said ahead of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Todd’s Bermuda victory earned him the security of a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Brendon Todd, a 34-year-old PGA Tour journeyman, suffered through a stretch of missing 37 cuts in 41 starts. His world ranking plummeted all the way to No. 2006. In late 2018, Todd considered other careers, and looked into opening a pizza franchise. But on Nov. 3, Todd capped off a remarkable comeback, shooting a final-round 62 and winning the Bermuda Championship. “I went and found the wrecked ship and put it back together,” Todd said ahead of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Todd’s Bermuda victory earned him the security of a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

How Brendon Todd overcame the yips and won in Bermuda

Brendon Todd, a 34-year-old PGA Tour journeyman, suffered through a stretch of missing 37 cuts in 41 starts. His world ranking plummeted all the way to No. 2006. In late 2018, Todd considered other careers, and looked into opening a pizza franchise. But on Nov. 3, Todd capped off a remarkable comeback, shooting a final-round 62 and winning the Bermuda Championship. “I went and found the wrecked ship and put it back together,” Todd said ahead of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Todd’s Bermuda victory earned him the security of a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Brendon Todd, a 34-year-old PGA Tour journeyman, suffered through a stretch of missing 37 cuts in 41 starts. His world ranking plummeted all the way to No. 2006. In late 2018, Todd considered other careers, and looked into opening a pizza franchise. But on Nov. 3, Todd capped off a remarkable comeback, shooting a final-round 62 and winning the Bermuda Championship. “I went and found the wrecked ship and put it back together,” Todd said ahead of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Todd’s Bermuda victory earned him the security of a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Aviv Gozali says he’ll land Jorge Masvidal flying knee to pick up quickest KO ever at Bellator 234

“I’m going to run with a flying knee. I want to take all the records in the book.”

[autotag]Aviv Gozali[/autotag] isn’t satisfied with simply having the quickest submission in Bellator history under his belt.

Gozali (3-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) predicts his opponent, Zaka Fatullazade (14-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), will fall victim to the quickest knockout in Bellator history at Bellator 234 on Thursday.

“I’m going to do like (Jorge) Masvidal did,” Gozali told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “I’m going to run with a flying knee. I want to take all the records in the book.”

Aviv isn’t the only Gozali slated to compete at Bellator 234. In the fight immediately prior to his own, his father, Haim Gozali (11-6 MMA, 2-3 BMMA), will fight in what is expected to be the final bout of his professional MMA career.

“He’s fighting one fight before me, so I won’t be able to watch him fight,” Gozali said. “I will be nervous for this fight, but I’m excited because now the Gozali legacy is going to my end. I’m going to continue the legacy and give us the belt soon.”

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In preparation for this fight, Gozali spent time training under Antonio McKee at Team Bodyshop Fitness & MMA in Lakewood, Calif. After one month of working alongside fellow Bellator fighters A.J. McKee and Joey Davis, Gozali returned home to finish out his camp with his father.

“It was a lot of experience,” Gozali said of training at Team Bodyshop. “They are beasts, all of them. They gave me a lot of tools and made them sharper. Now I’m a better fighter.”

With a win at Bellator 234, Gozali hopes to get revenge against fellow welterweight Ryan Couture. The son of MMA legend Randy Couture defeated Gozali’s father twice in 2017 and 2018, respectively – both coming by way of unanimous decision.

“Ryan Couture beat my father twice,” Gozali said. “I want to take revenge. I want to fight against Ryan Couture after.”

Bellator 234 takes place Thursday at Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN on Friday via tape delay.

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