Brett Brown, Sixers disappointed in defensive effort in loss to Magic

The Philadelphia 76ers were not happy with their defensive effort in a loss to the Orlando Magic.

The Philadelphia 76ers are a team that plans to hang their hat on their defense to win them games in the 2019-20 season. It’s what helped them hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday when their offense wasn’t clicking, but on Wednesday when the offense couldn’t find a groove again, the defense couldn’t back them up in a loss to the Orlando Magic.

The Magic got to the foul line 34 times and when the game mattered most in the fourth quarter, they outscored Philadelphia 32-15. It was a defensive effort that could not pick up the offense and it upset coach Brett Brown as he stated:

I think it did. I think that it did and it sure is easy to point to missed shots. You just look at a stat sheet. But, I feel like defensively is where my energies and my attention goes to at this stage and we have to do more without Joel. It takes far more of sort of a collective effort. Sometimes you can make mistakes and you have 7-foot-2 Joel Embiid putting out fires and covering things up, tonight we didn’t have that. And like I said, I give Orlando credit and I look forward to seeing exactly the detail behind the way that they scored.

Tobias Harris, who had another rough shooting night as he scored eight points on 4-for-13 shooting and 0-for-3 from deep, also was upset with the defensive effort. Harris stated:

At times it did, but when we turned the ball over it was hard for us to get our defense set and then they were making threes in transition.  We never gained a rhythm offensively against some good looks…against some more in the flow plays.

It will take a while for the Sixers to truly find their groove on the offensive end. This is a team with a lot of new parts and it will take a little bit of time to get everybody on the same page. They’ve played 11 games and the projected starting lineup has played a grand total of four games together and Ben Simmons had to leave one of those four games with an injury. This will not happen overnight on the offensive end. The defense has to be there for them.

They head to Oklahoma City on Friday to take on Chris Paul and the Thunder. [lawrence-related id=19254,19247,19239]

San Jose State at #19 Arizona: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Stream, Odds, More

San Jose State at #19 Arizona: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Streaming, Odds, More The Spartans face an uphill battle against the Wildcats Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire SJSU aiming for second road upset WHO: San Jose State …

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]

San Jose State at #19 Arizona: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Streaming, Odds, More

The Spartans face an uphill battle against the Wildcats

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

SJSU aiming for second road upset

WHO: San Jose State (1-1, 0-0 MWC) at #19 Arizona (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12)

WHEN: Thursday, November 14th — 6:00 P.M. MT / 5:00 P.M. PT

WHERE: McKale Center, Tucson, AZ

TV: Pac-12 Network

STREAM: Pac-12 Network (cable subscription required); Get a free one-week trial of FuboTV.

RADIO: TuneIn

SERIES RECORD: Arizona leads the series, 10-4

ODDS: Arizona -28, per KenPom

PREVIEW: The Wildcats will be heavy favorites when they take on San Jose State for the first time since 1984. Arizona comes into the game looking good after dispatching Illinois on Sunday, but they aren’t the only one with an impressive early win.

The Spartans turned some heads in their season opener when they traveled to Long Island and took down Hofstra. Heralded JUCO transfer Richard Washington was as advertised, scoring 23 points off the bench in his debut. Returning starters Craig LeCesne, Seneca Knight, and Brae Ivey also scored in double digits against the Pride.

But the home opener this past Sunday quickly went sour as Portland came into town and walked out with a relatively easy 72-57 win. Only Washington made it into double figures, with the team collectively shooting under 40% from the field in the loss.

Arizona, on the other hand, has the early look of a national contender after their first two games. They made quick work of Northern Arizona in their opening game. Wildcats assistant head coach Jack Murphy spent seven seasons as the head coach of the Lumberjacks, only to face them in his first game at his new post in Tucson.

The Wildcats boast a trio of freshmen that are trying to make their mark on a program with a lot of history. Nico Mannion, Josh Green, and Zeke Nnaji have been spectacular so far, averaging a combined 50.5 points per game. Mannion was particularly good against Illinois, finishing with 23 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and two steals.

But Arizona can also draw on a lot of experience, both from players who have come up through this program, or through transfers who have had success elsewhere. Chase Jeter, Dylan Smith, and Ira Lee were all around last year, while Max Hazzard, Jemarl Baker, and Stone Gettings all transferred in to provide depth for Sean Miller.

While the Wildcats will surely dazzle on offense, their defense has been stellar as well. Arizona registered 14 steals against the Illini, who committed 22 total turnovers in the game. San Jose State will have to take better care of the ball than Illinois did if they want to stay close.

This is the first—and toughest—of four games for the Spartans against Pac-12 opponents this season. San Jose State will also take on Oregon State, UCLA, and Stanford during non-conference play.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1361]

WATCH: Who keeps pranking Tarik Cohen in the Bears’ locker room?

The Bears shared a hilarious behind-the-scenes exchange, where someone is pranking RB Tarik Cohen.

Tarik Cohen knows he’s short. In fact, he’s one of the shorter players in the NFL.

So even when opposing teams mock his 5-foot-6 stature, as the New Orleans Saints did in Week 7, it’s not a big deal to him.

But a hilarious behind-the-scenes exchange showed the challenges that come for a smaller player like Cohen in a league of tall men. In a simple video interview with Nick Williams, Cohen could be heard in the background yelling:

“WHO KEEPS PUTTING THE TOWELS ON THE TOP SHELF?”

Despite his height, Cohen has proven to be one of the league’s dynamic playmakers, where he excels in the run and pass game, as well as a speedster on punt returns.

The Bears will be looking for his star to shine come Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

[lawrence-related id=430769,430740,430737,430714]

Buffalo at Kent State odds: Bulls look to run amok in Kent

Previewing Thursday’s Buffalo Bulls at Kent State Golden Flashes college football matchup, with NCAA football betting odds, picks and best bets

The Buffalo Bulls (5-4, 3-2 Mid-American Conference East) travel to play the Kent State Golden Flashes (3-6, 2-3) Thursday night at Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio. Kickoff is 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.

We analyze the Buffalo-Kent State odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Buffalo at Kent State: Three things you need to know

1. Buffalo is one of the top rushing teams in the country, posting 224.4 yards per game on the ground to rank 17th. On defense, the Bulls rank fifth against the run, allowing just 85.3 yards per game on the ground.

2. Kent State ranks just 128th in FBS, allowing 256.1 rushing yards per game. The Golden Flashes have also allowed 31.3 PPG, although those numbers are slightly skewed considering they lost to Power 5 teams at Arizona State, Auburn and Wisconsin.

3. The Bulls are 5-0-1 ATS in their past six trips to Kent, while the road team is 7-1-1 ATS in the previous nine meetings and the favorite 4-1 ATS in the past five in this series.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Buffalo at Kent State: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 7:45 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Buffalo 31, Kent State 21

Moneyline (ML)

Buffalo (-250) is going to win this game and attain bowl eligibility, but this is just too much to risk, especially on a road team. Kent State (+180) has too leaky of a run defense, and the Bulls are too powerful on the ground.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Buffalo returns a profit of $4 – every $1 wagered profits $0.40 (1 divided by 2.50) with a Buffalo straight-up win.

Against the Spread (ATS)

Take BUFFALO (-5.5, -115) laying the points. The Bull will get off to a strong start behind their powerful rushing attack, and Kent State (+5.5, -106) won’t be able to keep up.

As mentioned above, three of Kent State’s six losses were against Power 5 squads. However, its defense hasn’t been much better in the past three conference losses, allowing 45 to Ohio, 23 to Miami-Ohio and 35 to Toledo. The last time these teams met, Buffalo came away with a 48-14 win Nov. 6, 2018.

Over/Under (O/U)

The UNDER (56.5, -110) is 5-1 in Buffalo’s past six appearances on Thursday night, and 6-1 in the past seven on the road against teams with a losing record. The under is also 7-2 in Kent State’s past nine showings on Thursday and 5-2 in the past seven at home.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1623]

If the NFL has developed a reputation …

If the NFL has developed a reputation for stodgy traditionalism, the NBA has done the exact opposite, innovating—and yes, Tweeting, ‘gramming and TikToking—its way to status as the fast-changing league of the future. Chief innovation officer Amy Brooks’s job is to lead that push, whether that means changing the shot clock, tweaking the playoff format or, yes, finding new ways to make the NBA and its partners even more money. “If you’re watching a game and you see a player’s shoe, why can’t you put up your phone and scan a QR code and buy that sneaker instantly?” says Brooks, 45, whose title also includes president of team marketing and business operations.

Why is Ben Reiter fighting for free at Saturday’s CFFC 79?

Ben Reiter might walk away from Saturday’s CFFC 79 with a belt around his waist, but he says he won’t keep a dollar in his pocket.

[autotag]Ben Reiter[/autotag] might walk away from Saturday’s CFFC 79 with a belt around his waist, but he says he won’t keep a dollar in his pocket.

Reiter (17-2-1), a four-time Bellator veteran and former wrestler at the University of Pennsylvania, is returning to MMA action for the first time in three years when he takes on Shawn Teed (5-2) for the promotion’s vacant heavyweight title at CFFC 79.

While Reiter hopes to capture the title, he isn’t worried about the check that comes with it, choosing instead to donate his entire purse to the sports-based youth development program Beat the Streets Philadelphia, which “uses the sport of wrestling combined with mentorship and academic support to serve under-resourced student youth in the Philadelphia area.”

It’s an organization for which Reiter also works as a mentor, even shuttling high school kids around for college visits in the days leading up to his own fight.

“That’s just balancing life, that’s all,” Reiter told MMA Junkie. “There’s always a lot going on in life. I’m just feeling grateful to be able to do what I do every day. I’m feeling grateful to be able to do what I do with Beat the Streets and be able to train and be able to compete and be a father and be a husband and just kind of balance all of the great things going on. It’s a privilege.”

For Reiter, charitable contributions are nothing new. In fact, charity work is why the first 16 fights of his pro MMA career all took place in South America, where he went after college and established a non-profit organization.

“We would do relief campaigns where we would fundraise for a whole bunch of warm clothing and blankets and bring them out to these villages in the Andes Mountains,” Reiter said. “I’m talking like 17,000 feet altitude. We would do educational work in these community centers and all sorts of projects just to help out any way we could.”

Reiter eventually met his wife in Peru, and his two children were born there, as well.

After a four-fight stint in Bellator that saw Reiter traveling back and forth between Peru and training camp in the U.S. at Jackson Wink MMA Academy, “The Hunter” took a break from the sport to help relocate his family to Philadelphia and adjust to life in the states.

Now he’s back to training and competing in the sport he loves, and he returns to action at CFFC 79.

At 32, Reiter knows his time in the sport is most likely limited to the next six or seven years, but he’s ready to make an impact in that stretch.

“If I can do awesome here and get back in the running with big leagues and climbing up world rankings, yeah, let’s do that,” Reiter said. “At the same time, I’m grateful for the journey. I’m grateful to be able to be in there and compete and do what I love, and I’m just going to keep doing that as long as I’m able to. I just feel really happy about that.”

And he’d be even happier if MMA fans would consider joining in on the contribution he’ll be making to Beat the Streets Philadelphia, as well.

“If you want to make a donation in my honor, that would be really appreciated,” Reiter said.

CFFC 79 takes place Saturday at Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, N.J. The night’s main card streams live on UFC Fight Pass.