China’s Tencent Sports suddenly halted …

China’s Tencent Sports suddenly halted the live broadcast of a key NBA game Saturday (Nov. 9) after a man seated in the front row of the audience was seen wearing clothes with a Taiwanese flag on them. The broadcaster declared that elements in the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat did not “correspond to broadcasting standards” without giving a further explanation.

Steph Curry takes subtle, funny jab at Michael Jordan

Stephen Curry took a hilarious jab at Michael Jordan when discussing his haters.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry recently did a segment with Sole Collector’s “Full Size Run” show during which he took a hilarious jab at Michael Jordan.

Host Matthew Welty asked Curry if he ever sends pairs of his sneakers to his haters. After responding that he hasn’t done anything like that yet, Curry says he may have to consider setting up a service to do so. But the segment was made by the line that Curry dropped next. As you surely remember, MJ recently went on record stating that Curry wasn’t a Hall of Famer, sparking a wild debate on social media about what the true intent of his comment was.

Clearly, Curry hasn’t forgotten either.

It was a perfect line from Curry, and one that was delivered with excellent timing. We can only hope that we get news in the near future that Jordan has received a signed pair of “Curry 7’s” in the mail. You can watch the full interview here. [lawrence-related id=18271,18222,18029,17584]

Chargers OT Trey Pipkins shows flashes in debut vs. Raiders

Chargers offensive tackle Trey Pipkins made his debut the Raiders and while he did struggle at times, he did show some flashes.

On April 26, Trey Pipkins was pulled over on a highway as he was on his way to dinner when he received the phone call of his dreams. The former Sioux Falls product was about to be drafted by the Chargers in the third-round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Many people, including Pipkins, were shocked to hear his name called that early. The small-school standout didn’t have much tape available to see what he had to offer, but Los Angeles knew exactly what they were getting when they selected him.

Though he was inexperienced against top competition, they saw potential in him. To the team, Pipkins boasted the NFL frame, traits, and movement skills that could translate into solid player at this level.

Stamped as a developmental player and one not likely to play in Year 1, Pipkins was forced into his professional regular season debut in an unexpected manner when left tackle Russell Okung went down with a groin injury against the Raiders

Like any rookie, there came growing pains in the first game played. The pass protection was the worst that it’s been this season, allowing 5 sacks and while the majority of the pressure came from right tackle Trent Scott’s side, the Raiders exploited Pipkins’ inexperience at times.

A lot of Pipkins’ woes were resulted in not being able to handle speed off the edge. From the opposite angle, you shouldn’t see his jersey number so clearly if his block is effective. He attempts to get depth, but it’s not enough and defensive end Clelin Ferrell dips and turns the corner with a full steam ahead.

But Pipkins had a handful of positive reps, as well. He was effective to help produce gaps for running back Melvin Gordon on a few occasions.

Here, Pipkins mirrors well to stay in front of his defenders, using adequate footwork and hands.

Ferrell attempts to beat him with an arm over, but Pipkins gets underneath him and blows him off the line of scrimmage.

Pipkins takes Ferrell inside and he quickly recognizes the stunt to allow quarterback Philip Rivers time to throw the touchdown pass.

Here, Pipkins stymies defensive end Maxx Crosby and the defensive tackle.

The bottomline is while Pipkins is not necessarily someone that’s ready to take full-time starting job at the moment, he has made the strides to get adapted to the NFL speed and he has gotten stronger since coming onboard.

Okung is likely to resume his starting duties against the Chiefs next Monday night and moving forward for the rest of the season, but Pipkins showed promise of a player that could be called upon if needed and one that may be a starter down the road.

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Rajon Rondo says Lakers told him calf issue similar to Durant’s from Finals

Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo told reporters he was eager to return before learning of similarities to his injury and Kevin Durant.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t have to try hard to prevent Rajon Rondo from rushing his return from a sore calf that has bothered him since the second week of the preseason. All they had to do was tell him the most recent example of someone with a similar injury returning too soon: Brooklyn Nets forward and former Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant.

Rondo, who was expected to play on Sunday but was scratched following a workout on Saturday, told reporters at Monday’s Lakers practice that the team’s medical staff let him know the similarities between his current condition and the one that eventually led to Durant’s torn Achilles during the NBA Finals in June.

While Rondo’s return seemed imminent as recently as this weekend, it’s clear that both he and the Lakers training staff are taking a most cautious approach with the veteran point guard in his 14th season.

Pound-for-pound: Naoya Inoue’s turn as the subject of debate

Naoya Inoue’s performance against Nonito Donaire was gutsy but otherwise just solid, which worked against him in the pound-for-pound debate.

Another week, another pound-for-pound debate.

Two weeks ago, Canelo Alvarez’s stoppage of Sergey Kovalev sparked discussion over whether Alvarez deserves to be No. 1 in the world. This past week, fans and pundits are having the same conversation over Naoya Inoue, who outpointed Nonito Donaire on Thursday in Japan.

Inoue (No. 4 last week) deserves credit for overcoming significant obstacles in the fight, specifically a bad cut that bled much of the fight and Donaire’s size advantage. We later learned that Inoue suffered a fractured orbital bone and a broken nose. He also stood up to everything thrown by Donaire, who is known for his punching power.

All that and a determined opponent was a lot with which to contend yet he won a unanimous decision.

At the same time, Inoue, who had appeared to be superhuman in previous fights, looked mortal in this one. His vaunted punching power largely went missing against the bigger man, aside from a body shot that hurt Donaire badly and put him down. That raises questions about how Inoue would do if he continues to move up in weight.

And the Japanese idol took more hard shots than we were used to seeing, including a few that rocked him. Again, the “Monster” looked like a human being against an opponent who has seen better days.

In the end, Boxing Junkie staffers decided that Inoue shouldn’t supplant any or our Top 3 – No. 1 Vasiliy Lomachenko, No. 2 Terence Crawford and No. 3 Alvarez – based on a gutsy performance that was otherwise no better than solid.

Thus, Inoue remains at No. 4.

Check out our Top 15 list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Shawn Porter, Julian Williams

Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph named to Pro Football Focus Team of the Week

The tight end had two touchdowns in the team’s 28-24 win over the Cowboys on Sunday night.

Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph has been less involved as a receiver this season, but he made the most of his opportunities in Week 10 against the Cowboys in Dallas.

Rudolph caught four passes for 14 yards, scoring on two of the catches. His first touchdown was insane.

The veteran tight end finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 86.8 on the week, landing him a spot on PFF’s Team of the Week.

No other Viking made the team from their 28-24 primetime win.

Rudolph has been more of a blocking tight end this season, and it shows his professionalism that he hasn’t really complained about it.

On the season, Rudolph has 24 catches on 30 targets for 184 yards and four touchdowns. That puts him on pace for 38 catches for 294 yards and six touchdowns. Those aren’t the numbers you’d expect from Rudolph, but he’s doing more than what’s simply on the box score.