With Knicks president Steve Mills on shaky ground until the club shows progress, owner James Dolan could make another run at Raptors president Masai Ujiri. According to a source, if Mills is fired after the season, Dolan likely would renew his quest for Ujiri, who built the Raptors 2019 title team. “Why wouldn’t he — he’s the best GM in the league,’’ one NBA source said.
Most league insiders believe the …
Ian Begley: Keith Bogans, who worked as …
Ian Begley: Keith Bogans, who worked as an assistant with the Westchester Knicks, will join Mike Miller’s staff as an assistant, the Knicks say.
Ryan Wolstat: Gasol on Embiid and the …
Ryan Wolstat: Gasol on Embiid and the Sixers: “To me, if he gets in rhythm, you’re in trouble Because once he starts hitting his jump shot, things change for him and for his team. It gives them a lot of confidence, it gives him confidence, which fuels the whole thing.”
Brad Townsend: Rick Carlisle: “I’m …
Brendan Loughnane ‘extremely content’ in PFL; can’t wait to fight on New Year’s Eve
PFL featherweight Brendan Loughnane feels confident he made the right decision.
[autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] feels confident he made the right decision.
After getting passed over for a UFC contract due to a late takedown during his “Dana White’s Contender Series” fight, Loughnane inked a deal with PFL in the fall.
Despite being unable to partake in the 2019 tournament season which had already started, Loughnane was booked right away for a showcase fight. At PFL 2019: Playoffs 1 in early October, Loughnane won his promotional debut against Matt Wagy by unanimous decision.
Less than two months later, Loughnane has been rebooked for the PFL 2019 championship card. On New Year’s Eve, Loughnane (28-3 MMA) will take on David Valente at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The promotion announced the booking Thursday.
“These guys are amazing,” Loughnane told MMA Junkie, about his experience with the PFL. “They promised me seven fights. Five in the tournament and two before the end of the year. I can’t complain. I just fought in Mandalay Bay and now I’m about to fight in Madison Square Garden. PFL is really delivering the goods.
“(I’m) extremely happy, extremely content. They work great with me. I work great with them. It’s a great partnership and I really look forward to putting myself in the mix next year for the $1 million.”
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The $1 million Loughnane refers to is next year’s tournament prize. He’s already been promised a slot in the PFL 2020 featherweight season. While doesn’t want to look past his opponent on Dec. 31, Loughnane can’t help but set long-term goals.
“I can’t overlook David Valente,” Loughnane said. “He’s a dangerous fighter. But next year is the goal – the $1 million. That’s what I signed up for.”
Loughnane had the opportunity to visit New York’s Madison Square Garden for the first time in early November. He attended UFC 244 to support his friend Darren Till. Walking in the arena, Loughnane was struck by its magnitude.
“(It) gives me goose bumps,” Loughnane said. “The most prestigious arena on earth. I recently went there for the (Jorge) Masvidal fight to support my boy Darren Till. It was my first time in New York.
“It was my first time in the arena. I literally walked in and I had to walk back out and take a second to myself. Like, ‘Wow. I’m going to be fighting here.’ One of those surreal moments.”
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Loughnane’s fight against Valente (11-4 MMA) will take place as part of the Jan. 31 undercard. After Loughnane and Valente compete, the $1 million final between the 2019 finalists will go down.
“I get to see what I’m up against,” Loughnane said. “Lance Palmer is like 9-0 in there now. He’s absolutely killing it. He’s the guy to beat. I hear there’s a bit of a change-up next year. I hear they’re changing the roster a lot. There’s going to be some savages in there, chasing that big money prize. ”
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Sean Miller is still sweating completely through his shirts
How does a person sweat this much?
Sweating is a normal thing to do — especially in situations where you get nervous or stressed. It’s a reflex all humans have and a perfectly fine thing to do. That’s why we have deodorant. It helps.
But there is no antiperspirant in the world, apparently, that can help Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller. He sweats through shirt after shirt after shirt like it’s nothing. It’s honestly incredible to see.
On Saturday, while coaching the Wildcats through a game at Baylor, he sweat all the way through a pretty nice looking lavender shirt. He’s literally just drenched in sweat. It’s wild.
Update on Sean Miller pic.twitter.com/ztU7lKSJHi
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) December 7, 2019
We should probably give Miller a bit of credit. At least it’s not as bad as that one time he sweat through an entire shirt after just 10 minutes. Still pretty bad, though.
Sooooooo… Sean Miller is kinda sweaty. pic.twitter.com/D6aEdsnjFR
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) March 18, 2016
No clue how Miller is going to solve this problem, but it’s 2019. There has got to be some sort of super sweat wicking shirt he could wear or some sort of absorption undergarment that can help. This is a lot.
Even aside from it being a bit embarrassing to sweat out a shirt on national television, it has to get pretty expensive buying shirts after sweating them completely out.
What a shame. Hopefully for his own sake, he takes care of this problem soon.
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Bears LB Kevin Pierre-Louis shines in relief of injured Roquan Smith
The Bears lost starting ILB Roquan Smith to a pectoral injury, and they found success with veteran ILB Kevin Pierre-Louis.
The Chicago Bears defense has faced a lot of adversity this season with injuries to starters Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan and Prince Amukamara.
They lost another defensive starter in the first quarter of Thursday’s 31-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys when Roquan Smith suffered a pectoral injury on the Cowboys’ opening possession.
But, unfortunately, losing a key contributor is nothing new for this 2019 Bears team, who were incredibly lucky on the injury front last season.
“We’re just a resilient team,” linebacker Leonard Floyd said. “A team full of fighters, and we’re going to go out and fight every game to win. It’s the group of guys we’ve got in the building. Everybody has a next-man-up mentality. And guys are doing a good job of coming in and playing hard.”
Veteran inside linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis relieved Smith in the first quarter. And he didn’t just play well — he played lights out. Pierre-Louis recorded five tackles, one tackle-for-loss, one quarterback hit and two pass break-ups against the Cowboys.
For Pierre-Louis, there was no hesitation when his number was called.
“In those moments, there’s no time to think like that,” he said.
“You’ve just got to be there for your brothers and then just go with what you’ve been practicing each week. I’m blessed to have the guys round me to help me out if I need help — guys rushing; guys covering. I just need to do my job.”
With reports that Smith tore his pectoral muscle, it’s likely his season is done, which means that Pierre-Louis will have at least three more games to prove himself. And the next game — a Week 15 showdown against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field — couldn’t be bigger.
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How to Watch Barcelona vs. Mallorca, La Liga Live Stream, Schedule, TV Channel, Start Time
Watch Barcelona vs. Mallorca Live Online.
The month of December is a crucial one in what’s shaping up to be a memorable title race. The two-time defending champions are focused on staying on top of the table until it gets to face its biggest rival at home in less than two weeks. Camp Nou has been a fortress for the Catalan giants this season, and the team will be big favorites against one of the worst teams in Spain.
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Barcelona vs. Mallorca
When: Saturday, December 7
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
TV: beIN SPORTS
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Barcelona comes into this one in good spirits having won its last four games in all competitions. The latest 1-0 triumph over Atlético Madrid away from home kept the leaders in front of Real Madrid and served as a major statement that this team will not give up despite an inconsistent season and plenty of questions over the coaching. Barça has won all six home games in La Liga and will try to make it seven this weekend.
Mallorca is the only team in the league without a point on the road and has just one win during the last five league matches. This is a team struggling with the reality of a step up in competition after cruising through the second division last year. Mallorca will have to face Lionel Messi, who is on fire and will play for the first time since winning his sixth Ballon D’or. While it may be a mismatch on paper, seeing Messi play is always exciting.
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Bills opponent outlook: Ravens history, statistics and more
Everything you need to know about the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills’ Week 14 opponent.
The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens square off this Sunday in a match up of AFC Heavyweights in Orchard Park. The Ravens are the hottest team in the NFL right now, defeating the Patriots and the 49ers over the last month. For the Bills, the chance to hang with a team of this caliber, is one to salivate at.
Here is all of the history that you need to know between the Ravens and Bills to get you ready for Sunday:
- Since the Ravens inception in 1996, these two have played the Bills eight times.
- They first played on Halloween in 1999, with the Bills getting a narrow 13-10 victory.
- Their most recent encounter was the season opener just last year. The Ravens won 47-3 in that game.
- Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson both made their NFL regular season debuts in last years game. Allen came in for a struggling Nate Peterman after he failed to move the offense down field, and Lamar was given the opportunity to get repetitions after the Ravens were well ahead.
- The Ravens lead the all-time series, 5-3 , outscoring the Bills 180 to 112 in those eight encounters.
2019 So Far
Baltimore is way ahead of what many experts thought that they would be. Lamar Jackson’s growth, combined with excellent coaching from the Ravens staff, has propped the Ravens up as the best team in the NFL currently. Greg Roman, their offensive coordinator, is the dual-threat quarterback whisperer, and has this Ravens offense exciting to watch, and efficient, utilizing well sold trickery and misdirection.
After a good start, which saw them begin the season 2-2 with a blow out victory over Miami, a close victory over the Cardinals, and losses to Kansas City and division rival Cleveland, Baltimore hasn’t looked back since. Garnering eight straight wins, the Ravens have mostly dominated, with seemingly no end in sight.
Their major victories have been giving the Patriots their first loss of 2019 on primetime television, a double-digit victory over the Seattle Seahawks, led by another MVP candidate in Russell Wilson, lopsided victories over the Texans and Rams, and most recently, a strong four quarter effort to defeat the San Francisco 49ers.
It’s safe to say that 2019 has been good for the Baltimore Ravens. They currently sit at second in total offense, behind the Cowboys. Baltimore has accumulated 5,049 yards of total offense this season, with one fewer game than the Cowboys currently. Although they haven’t really needed too, they are the 26th ranked passing offense, with 2,555 yards passing for Jackson. By a long shot, they are the number one rushing offense, with 2,494 rushing yards in total, over 700 rushing yards ahead of the second best rushing offense, who they defeated in last week.
The Ravens also happen to be the highest scoring offense, by nearly 60 points ahead of the 49ers, who come in at number two. Baltimore is tied at first with Seattle for 26 passing touchdowns, and first in rushing touchdowns with 18.
Jackson comes in 18th for passing yard leaders this year, with 2,532 passing yards, just 59 yards behind Josh Allen. His 25 passing touchdowns are good for second in that category, only one touchdown behind Russell Wilson. Jackson is also 11th in completion percentage, with 66.5%. He’s doing well in the interception category as well, throwing only five this year, tied for 23rd with Matthew Stafford, Gardner Minshew, and Joe Flacco.
As for rushers, Jackson is in the top-10 of the NFL, 977 yards for him on the ground, with a good chance of crossing 1,000 this Sunday, averaging 81.4 yards per game. Mark Ingram, the starting running back, is not far behind, sitting at 12th with 837 rushing yards. Ingram has been a complementary and integral part of the offense, not only with yardage and production, but with selling fake handoffs. Gus Edwards sits at 32nd in yardage with 460 yards.
Obviously, with such a run heavy team, receivers aren’t having “career-years,” but it does not matter, they are doing their part to put their team in a winning position. Tight end Mark Andrews leads receiving for Baltimore, with 693 receiving yards, coming in at 32nd in the NFL. Andrews is fourth amongst tight ends however, just behind Travis Kelce, Darren Waller and Zach Ertz.
Marquise Brown is the leading wide receiver for the team. The rookie sensation is 58th in receiving yards with 520 yards by air, and six touchdowns of his own. Willie Snead is the next closest, ranked 125th with only 289 yards.
Historically, Baltimore has always been a defensive heavy team, and this year is no different. Despite losing some talented players, they traded for Marcus Peters and have a very young, and talented defense. The Ravens are currently the seventh ranked defense, allowing 3,881 yards against them. They are the 11th ranked passing defense, giving up 2,742 yards by air, and are the sixth ranked rush defense, allowing 1,139 yards on the ground. Baltimore is also the fourth ranked defense in points allowed, giving up 219 points so far, just behind the Buffalo Bills.