Garrett Temple had to get stitches mid-game against Nuggets

Garrett Temple took a hit from Garry Harris on Thursday that called for the Nets wing to receive extensive treatment mid-game.

Chemistry and efficiency aren’t the Brooklyn Nets’ only problems anymore. The injury bug seems to be attacking the team each passing day.

Caris LeVert is out for four to six weeks as a result of the surgery he received to repair ligament damage in his right thumb. The Nets also started this five-game road trip without DeAndre Jordan because of a sprained ankle.

Kyrie Irving was dealing with something prior to Thursday’s game in Denver. He was questionable on Wednesday with a shoulder impingement, though he wound up playing in the tough loss to the Nuggets.

Then, in the middle of the game against Denver, the Nets almost lost Garrett Temple, who was inserted into the starting lineup with LeVert out.

In the third quarter, Temple took an elbow to the chin from Gary Harris. The flagrant foul led to a locker room trip for Temple — and stitches in his chin. Temple would return, but he and the rest of the Nets couldn’t prevent the Nuggets’ comeback, losing 101-93.

RELATED: Charles Barkley on Nets: ‘Brooklyn stinks’

Current, former Giants react to Myles Garrett meltdown

Current and former members of the New York Giants reacted to Myles Garrett hitting Mason Rudolph in the head with a helmet.

Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett went off the rails during a Thursday Night Football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, ripping the helmet off of quarterback Mason Rudolph before proceeding to strike him in the head with it.

The incident sparked field-wide chaos including several isolated fights, leading to multiple ejections and what will amount to some serious suspensions and fines.

After the games, Garrett faced the media and took responsibility for his action. Former New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. joined him in shouldering the blame on behalf of the Browns, saying that incidents like that have no place in football.

“It’s not what direction we’re headed in as an organization,” Beckham said, via Browns Wire. “It just was not where we’ve been going. And it does feel like we lost the game.”

Several other current and former members of the Giants reacted during and after the event as well.

Just a crazy scene — one unlike the NFL has ever seen before.

Michael Page draws newcomer Giovanni Melillo as Derek Anderson’s replacement for Bellator Europe 6 main event

After Derek Anderson’s withdrawal, Michael Page will now face newcomer Giovanni Melillo in the Bellator Europe 6 main event.

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] will go from facing a veteran to a newcomer.

Bellator officials announced Friday that [autotag]Giovanni Melillo[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will step in for [autotag]Derek Anderson[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) to take on Page (15-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) in the Bellator Europe 6 main event.

Bellator Europe 6 takes place Nov. 23 at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London. The event will simulcast on tape delay in the U.S. on Paramount and DAZN. The Bellator Europe 6 portion of the card will stream live in the U.S. on MMA Junkie.

After Anderson was forced to withdraw due to injury, a replacement opponent was quickly found. The 34-year-old Melillo, from Italy, gets his biggest career opportunity. The Cage Warriors and ACB veteran is coming off a unanimous decision win over Will Chope at Fight Clubbing 24 in May.

Page was able to rebound from his first pro loss to current Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima with a flying knee knockout win over Richard Kiely at Bellator 227.

The Bellator Europe 6 lineup now includes:

  • Michael Page vs. Giovanni Melillo
  • Fabian Edwards vs. Mike Shipman
  • Terry Brazier vs. Soren Bak
  • Denise Kielholtz vs. Sabriye Sengul
  • Kent Kauppinen vs. Andy Manzolo
  • Kevin Fryer vs. George Tokkos
  • Charlie Leary vs. Tim Wilde
  • Damian Frankiewicz vs. Aiden Lee
  • Daniel Crawford vs. Robert Whiteford
  • Alfie Davis vs. Myles Price
  • Walter Gahadza vs. Lewis Long
  • Tom Green vs. Akonne Wanliss
  • ‘Super’ Shane Campbell vs. Raphael Uchegbu
  • Chris Bungard vs. Mario Saeed
  • Harry Hardwick vs. Nathan Rose
  • Tom Mearns vs. Jeremy Petley
  • Pietro Penini vs. Charlie Ward

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The Carmelo Anthony Blazers experiment probably won’t work, but it’ll be the most fun

He’s back!!!

Damian Lillard got his wish — Carmelo Anthony is now a member of the Portland Trail Blazers (even though Lillard thought the Blazers didn’t have the money to pay him).

There was much rejoicing around the league and on social media about “MELO IS BACK” and that’s really what it should be about. We’ve been pushing for Anthony to get one more job in the NBA, and not just because this might serve as a farewell tour.

It’s because we get to see one of the league’s most prolific scorers (22nd all-time in points and, now, counting) lace ’em up again. We’ll see if all that hard work while he waited for another job will pay off, whether we’ll see “Olympic Melo” become “New NBA Melo” and just the joy of watching a future Hall of Famer.

Now, look: he may not fit in with the Blazers and in the modern NBA. Part of the problem with Anthony is his defense — when he’s on the floor, opposing offenses can pick (and roll) on him because he’s slow, although he was never really known for his defense even in his prime. The Blazers lost defenders in Mo Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu this offseason, and it’s cost them. My hope is that, offensively, he’ll shoot more from distance (we know he can do that) and reduce his iso post-ups that tend to slow down offenses — the Blazers are 10th in offensive pace this season.

But the Blazers have a humongous hole at forward. Pau Gasol is out. Zach Collins is out. Jusuf Nurkic is out. Anthony will get minutes, and because the Blazers are among the NBA’s biggest disappointments, it might be a highlight of what’s turning into a bad season at the Moda Center. Social media will go ballistic when he has one of those games where he nails four from deep. Remember the reaction to this moment at a Nets game last season?

What if he proves he’s transformed into Melo 2.0, who doesn’t need to back down an opponent in the post and can be a mismatch-creating nightmare stretch 4 for opposing forwards? And then, if the Blazers are out of it later in the year, he gets dealt to a contender who needs a stretch scorer off the bench and suddenly, there’s a shot for him to FINALLY win that elusive ring?

So let’s get into the fun of it all. We all got what we wanted. Melo is back, and that’s all that matters.

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Arian Foster calls out NFL fans for being hypocrites over Myles Garrett attack

Arian Foster spoke out about the Myles Garrett attack on Mason Rudolph, pointing out that NFL fans like violence when it’s within rules.

The Browns’ Myles Garrett could face a lengthy suspension for an on-field fight during Thursday Night Football, when he removed the helmet of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and then hit Rudolph over the head with the helmet.

Fans were outraged. Rudolph called it “bush league.” A lot of people were very upset.

Former NFL running back Arian Foster wasn’t comfortable with any of that, really. On Twitter, Foster called out NFL fans on their hypocrisy, saying they were totally fine with the violence of the sport, as long as it was within the confines of the rules. If violence occurs outside those rules, however, suddenly everyone gets very sanctimonious indeed.

He’s got a good point. Fans lament the days when safeties could head hunt defenseless receivers over the middle, but are ready to suspend Garrett indefinitely because he swung a helmet at a guy. Neither is good, of course, but you can’t really have it both ways.

Because it’s Twitter, a lot of people didn’t seem to understand the point Foster was trying to make, and got furious about it. This only sort of reinforced his point.

We need these lines of demarcation about what is appropriate/inappropriate on a football field, because if we don’t, then we’re just left with the realization that these players are crushing each other’s brains on every play.

Foster went on to talk about how fights like this happen all the time in training camp, and how no one seems to make as big a deal as this when baseball pitchers throw a hard object 100 mph at an opponent’s head. All good points!

The rest of his tweets have some pretty NSFW language, and rather them edit them all out, you can check them out at his Twitter feed.

[lawrence-related id=870466,870445,870434]

[opinary poll=”should-myles-garrett-be-suspended-for-th” customer=”forthewin”]

Leonard Fournette says Jags’ current roster is the closest team he’s ever played for

Leonard Fournette has stepped up as one of the Jags’ locker room leaders and has taken note to how close the Jags 2019 roster is.

With the playoffs nearing, the Jacksonville Jaguars will have a tough stretch of games coming up but running back Leonard Fournette believes they have the locker room to whether the storm. Upon meeting with the media this week, the third-year tailback stated that the Jags’ current locker room is the closest he’s ever been a part of, which is something he believes will help the Jags as they chase the playoffs.

Fournette’s statements come after the Jags have already been through a lot of adversity as Nick Foles missed eight games and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey was traded. However, instead of folding and handling things like 2018’s locker room would have, the Jags rallied behind rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II and  came away from the first half of the season 4-5. Sure, that’s not an impressive record to the eyes, but things could’ve been significantly worse.

Fournette, who came into the season with a lot of critics, has also stepped up on the field and in the locker room. He started the offseason by trimming down and training in Wyoming. Afterward, he came back to Jacksonville with a new mindset to be one of the locker room’s leaders, which has shown in his actions and his younger teammates have especially followed his lead.

Fournette will enter Week 11 as the AFC’s third-leading rusher with 831yards to his name. That’s a figure which indicates he’ll finish the season with a career-high, especially with the NFL season reaching the point where the run game is crucial.

Dolphins DB Eric Rowe impressive in “mic’d up” highlights vs. Colts

Miami Dolphins defensive back Eric Rowe was mic’d up against the Colts and showed an impressive personality and leadership for the Dolphins.

If Miami Dolphins victories mean more mic’d up sessions, Dolphins fans everywhere need to rally the troops and root for Miami harder than ever before. Two weeks ago, LB Jerome Baker was on a quest to find his mama during the team’s 26-18 victory over the New York Jets and hilarity ensued — but so did a greater respect for Baker’s demeanor on the field and his ability to lead this defense by example.

This week? Defensive back Eric Rowe has found more success as of late thanks to a switch to safety — and now he’s impressing with his enthusiasm and leadership on the field, as brought to life by Miami’s newest “mic’d up” session.

We dare you to watch Rowe chirping and locking up Colts TE Eric Ebron and not get fired up about the final product:

Miami’s defense was, of course, the star of the show in Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts. And while facing a backup quarterback in Brian Hoyer may have aided the Dolphins’ efforts in coming away with a win, the performance fell in line with everything we’ve seen from the Dolphins in the past month: physical, disciplined and with good communication.

Rowe is not currently a long-term fixture here in Miami, but if his play continues to trend in the right direction during the rest of this season as a safety, Miami would be wise to reconsider. With so much youth at their disposal, having players like Rowe — who have been around the block a few times but are still young even to make a long-term impact — can hold value in more ways than just physical skill.

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Oklahoma lands commitment from 4-star Texas WR Marvin Mims

Marvin Mims, the four-star senior wide receiver for undefeated Frisco (Texas) Lone Star High, agreed to join Oklahoma with a Thursday night commitment.

Oklahoma’s Texas receiver recruiting pipeline continues to produce, with another four-star pass catcher from the Lone Star State on his way to the Sooners.

Marvin Mims, a four-star wide receiver for Frisco (Texas) Lone Star High School, committed to Oklahoma on Thursday evening. The 5-foot-11, 161-pound Under Armour All-American picked the Sooners ahead of scholarship offers from Colorado, Stanford and a whopping 27 other major programs.

The District 5-5A-I Offensive MVP as a junior, Mims had 1,158 yards and 14 touchdowns in his penultimate high school campaign. A previous Stanford commit, Mims picked Oklahoma after a recent visit to Norman. His commitment to Oklahoma will allow Mims to focus on his 10-0 Lone Star team’s run at a state title, a pursuit toward which he has gained 1,866 yards and 24 touchdowns on 73 receptions as a senior.

It’s unknown whether Mims will graduate early and begin his Oklahoma career in January or continue on with his final scholastic basketball season; as a junior, he averaged 12 points-per-game on the basketball court.

Now, the focus turns back to the football field, and not a moment too soon; Lone Star returns to action in the Class 5A state playoffs against Mansfield (Texas) Legacy High.

Dolphins confirmed to attend workout for QB Colin Kaepernick

The Miami Dolphins will be one of at least 11 NFL teams to have a representative present at QB Colin Kaepernick’s scheduled workout.

Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick will hold a workout this weekend for NFL teams — the latest development in Kaepernick’s quest to return to professional football after years of what could easily be described as exile. Kaepernick was, of course, the one who begun the movement of professional athletes kneeling for the national anthem to raise awareness of police brutality and racial inequalities in America — a movement that has since inspired numerous athletes to follow suit. And while safety Eric Reid, WR Kenny Stills and others have had no problem finding work since they begun kneeling, Kaepernick has remained on the fringe of football.

Perhaps this will change that. Former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson has been asked by the NFL to run the workout for Kaepernick — and as many as eleven NFL franchises have confirmed they will be in attendance, including the Miami Dolphins.

Doing due diligence on all players, as Flores worded it, is a good habit for all NFL teams to get into. To operate as a closed minded organization or not explore all opportunities to get better as a team is only doing yourself a disservice. And so the Dolphins should be commended for their awareness to the need to get better and their willingness to explore all options to do so.

Of all the teams scheduled to be in attendance, there’s little doubt the Dolphins are the most quarterback hungry team of all of them. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 11 teams to have committed to tomorrow’s workout include Miami, Arizona, Atlanta, Cleveland Denver, Detroit, New England, both the Jets and Giants, Tampa Bay and Washington.

What impact the workout will have on any team’s inclination to take the plunge and sign Kaepernick to a contract is still yet to be determined, but the fact that the NFL is positioning team representatives to get in front of Kaepernick and assess his fitness and football shape is the biggest sign yet that it may perhaps be time for a return to the league.

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Ohio State may never re-gain the No. 1 CFP ranking without an LSU loss

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been dominant in recent weeks, but even undefeated, they won’t have the resume of an undefeated LSU Tigers.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have dominated their opponent in every game this season, but even undefeated, they won’t have the resume of an undefeated LSU Tigers.

Right before they traveled to Columbus, both Penn State and Wisconsin lost. While we don’t know the end result of PSU-OSU, we do know that Ohio State absolutely annihilated the No. 13-ranked Badgers team about three weeks ago to a tune of 38-7.

Now, with Penn State losing this past week, Ohio State will not play a top-five team until potentially the B1G Ten Championship Game. It’s a long shot for an undefeated Minnesota to jump into the top five.

Had Wisconsin and Penn State been undefeated when entering Columbus, they both would’ve been ranked within the top seven. Two top-seven blowout victories would give Ohio State a claim to the top seed, especially had they outscored both by 31 points each.

However, LSU has those victories.

The Tigers took down a then-undefeated Texas and Alabama, one-loss Florida and two-loss Auburn. When they took on LSU, whether in Death Valley or not, those teams were among the top ten in the nation. They were ranked 9th, 3rd, 7th, and 9th in respective order.

Assuming they end the season undefeated, they’ll have another victory over Georgia, currently a top-four team.

Bad losses are more important than quality victories, but quality victories over top teams are more important than dominant ones over average opponents.

These victories all add up to a quality resume. And, while they don’t have the dominance of Ohio State, who has a +42.4 victory of margin, they’ve played more top-tier competition, something the committee has shown value in.

Ohio State has undisputed the best defense in the nation, and behind two Heisman candidates in J.K. Dobbins and Justin Fields on offense, this team is looking as potent as ever before.

This could be one of the best Buckeyes roster of all time. Sadly, they just don’t have, and likely won’t have, the resume of the LSU Tigers unless there’s a blemish from here until the last CFP Rankings. That’s ok though. The No. 2 seed may be the best historic seed to have entering the CFP playoffs.

Just keep winning …