Kings coach Mike Brown gave all the credit to Sixers after their rally

Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown gives all the credit to the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers after their thrilling victory.

The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off an improbable comeback win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night despite missing Joel Embiid and James Harden. The Sixers trailed by 21 in the first half, they turned the ball over 11 times which led to 21 Sacramento points, and they couldn’t find any rhythm.

In the second half, Tyrese Maxey came out firing as he had 15 points in the third which led to 32 and six assists for the game in order to rally and win it 129-127 in a thriller out at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings didn’t have the same offensive flow after halftime that they did to begin the game as the Sixers took over in the second half. They completely flipped the script and coach Mike Brown had to give all the credit to Philadephia.

“You got to give Philadelphia a lot of credit,” Brown told reporters. “They were short-handed, they came in here, their coaches on the coaching staff to the players, you got to give them all credit. Short-handed, came in here, they just physically kicked our behind. We could not get them off the offensive glass. Montrezl Harrell was an absolute beast. Paul Reed was an absolute beast.”

Harrell had 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting with seven rebounds while Reed was terrific in his minutes off the bench. The energetic forward had some trouble with Domantas Sabonis early, but he finished with nine points and seven rebounds, four of them on the offensive glass, and he had a key rebound late to really seal the win for Philadelphia.

“When you watch the game, some of it was Domantas Sabonis, Chimezie Metu, and Richaun Holmes as our centers, but also our guards did a poor job on the backside when we went to trap the box, to help on a dribble drive,” Brown continued. “We did not get engaged with their bigs on the backside. We didn’t help our bigs at all rebounding and it showed. I mean 23 second chance points ends up to a lot of points. One, two possession ball game and that’s basically where the game was at.”

Despite not having Embiid, the Sixers were able to turn to Harrell and Reed in order to produce and help Philadelphia come out on top.

“Just their ability to control the offensive boards the way they did, and our inability to put bodies on bodies time after time after time as well as to a certain degree control the dribble drive,” Brown finished. “So, give them a lot of credit because they came in here and they took the game from us.”

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Mike Brown comments on Joe Burrow’s upcoming contract negotiations

Mike Brown comments on Joe Burrow’s future with the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals team president Mike Brown, like everyone else, heard quarterback Joe Burrow say he wants to remain with the team for the entirety of his career.

As expected, Brown wants that just as much as anyone else — and he knows what it will take to make it happen.

Appearing on the team’s radio broadcast before Cincinnati’s wild card win over the Baltimore Ravens, Brown acknowledged the tightrope act of paying a top quarterback and maintaining a competitive roster around the quarterback.

“He’s going to have a long career,” Brown said, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. “We certainly want it to be here. I think his window will extend over his whole career. But there is the fact that when you don’t have to pay the quarterback some extraordinary amount, that leaves room to pay other players more and, therefore, you can keep more players that are good players.”

Brown often cites the deal Kansas City gave Patrick Mahomes, likely due to the rolling guarantees that make it more sensible for the team, yet still pays a top-three passer as such.

The Bengals can discuss an extension with Burrow this offseason and it’s no secret the team would like to get it done that early. Doing so would get some of the cash hit out of the way before needing to think about guys like Ja’Marr Chase, who is eligible in 2024.

But big names like Tee Higgins and Logan Wilson are also eligible for extensions this offseason and Jessie Bates, Germaine Pratt, Vonn Bell and Hayden Hurst, among others, are scheduled to be free agents.

The Bengals have already declared their rollover cap amount and will boast one of the highest free cap numbers in the league this offseason, but the task before the front office is immense.

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Bengals’ Mike Brown issues statement after Bills-Bengals postponement

A statement from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals team president Mike Brown issued a statement on Tuesday after the postponement of Monday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

Brown’s statement was the first official dialogue from the team after Bills defender Damar Hamlin suffered a serious injury in the first quarter.

The full statement:

“First and foremost, the Bengals continue to send thoughts and prayers to Damar Hamlin and his family. Our hearts are with everyone in this unprecedented time – what we can do is support one another.

Last night was supposed to be a great night for the NFL and a great showcase for our hometown. Instead, the human side of our sport became paramount … and in that moment, humanity and love rose to the forefront.

As medical personnel undertook extraordinary measures, both teams demonstrated respect and compassion while fans in the stadium and people around the country bolstered the support for Damar and love for each other.

The Bengals are thankful for the love and compassion shown by all. Praying for Damar.”

Hamlin remains hospitalized after suffering a cardiac arrest and remains in critical condition.

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Kings coach Mike Brown gives respect to tough Sixers forward PJ Tucker

Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown explains what makes Philadelphia 76ers veteran PJ Tucker so unique and special.

PHILADELPHIA — Before becoming the head coach of the Sacramento Kings, Mike Brown was an assistant under Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors for six seasons. During his time there, the Warriors won titles in 2017, 2018 and 2022 and frequently battled the Houston Rockets.

Therefore, Brown is very familiar with Philadelphia 76ers veteran forward PJ Tucker. Before joining the Sixers, Tucker was a big part of those Rockets teams, and Houston was one win away from reaching the finals in 2018 when Tucker was an integral part of that team.

“First thing when you say PJ Tucker, first thing I think of is ‘Woo, tough!’ tough as nails,” said Brown. “I think the second thing is sneakers. He has a great sneaker collection. I think the third thing is he’s a big, big, big time corner 3-point shooter. He’s not Bruce Bowen, but he’s similar to Bruce that he can guard a lot of different matchups.”

Bowen, of course, was a huge part of the San Antonio Spurs and their dynastic run in the 2000s. Like Tucker, Bowen was an elite defender and elite corner 3-point shooter and he did a lot of little things on the floor to help a team win.

“He might be able to guard more than Bruce because he’s thicker and stronger so he might be able to guard more bigger fellas than Bruce,” Brown added of Tucker. “Bruce might be able to guard more quicker guards and point guards than PJ, but their versatility defensively is huge. They both found a way to be in your opponent’s scouting report by mastering the corner 3-point shot. You gotta run those guys off the line like you would Steph (Curry) all over the place, hypothetically.”

Obviously, Tucker isn’t the shooter Curry is, but he is deadly from the corners. He hit two corner 3s in Philadelphia’s win over the Kings on Tuesday. Combine his production, his experience of winning a championship in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks and his time with the Rockets and the Miami Heat, and it is clear he is a valuable piece to a contender like the Sixers.

“Then, you can’t take away his pedigree,” Brown finished. “He’s played in some big games, played against a lot of really good players, he’s done it a high level, and when you have that type of veteran on your team, man, that means a lot. They have a lot of those guys, but he’s definitely at the forefront of understanding this league and getting the respect that you need to be able to have in order to have success in this league.”

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Browns elevating 2 from practice squad for divisional matchup vs. Bengals

The Browns are elevating two defensive players for their bout with the Bengals.

Just as they do every week, the Cleveland Browns are elevating two players from the practice squad for their AFC North divisional matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Joining the active roster tomorrow are linebacker Tae Davis, who just rejoined the team after spending two years in Cleveland, and safety Mike Brown.

This will be the third time Brown has been elevated from the practice squad, meaning the Browns can no long elevate him over the last five weeks of the season. Brown has been a staple on special teams, racking up 37 snaps total on kick return, kickoff coverage, punt return, and punt coverage.

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Browns elevating S Mike Brown from practice squad vs. Texans

The Browns have elevated a safety from the practice squad for their matchup against the Texans

For the second time this season, the Cleveland Browns are elevating former Miami Redhawk safety Mike Brown from their practice squad. As they travel to Houston to take on the Texans, Brown will join the team as a gameday activation.

Also seeing action against the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago, Brown played 16 special teams reps for the Browns. He received a PFF grade of 61.2 for his efforts in Week 11 against the Bills. Expect Brown to be active on kickoff return, kickoff coverage, and punt return as well against the Texans.

Brown has been on the practice squad in Cleveland after winning his spot in a tryout weeks ago.

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Browns make 3 roster moves as they travel to Detroit to take on Bills

The Browns have made three roster moves today as they prepare to travel to Detroit to take on the Buffalo Bills.

The Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills are set to face off at Ford Field in Detroit as Orchard Park has been snowed out. The Browns will be looking to improve to 4-6 on the season, while the Bills look to climb to 7-3 after a devastating loss to the Minnesota Vikings last week.

Yesterday the Browns brought in six players for tryouts as they do every week, and now today they have made three roster moves as they travel north to Michigan. Here are the three roster moves and their importance to the Browns as they get set to take on the Bills.

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What makes UFC prospect Bo Nickal such ‘a super special athlete’? Coach Mike Brown explains

American Top Team coach Mike Brown has been around plenty of special fighters, but perhaps nobody like heavily hyped UFC prospect Bo Nickal.

As the longtime head coach of American Top Team, [autotag]Mike Brown[/autotag] has been around his share of special fighters. But perhaps nobody has reached the level of hype so early in his career as UFC super prospect [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag].

“I’ve never seen it, but I also know he’s a super special guy,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “He’s a super special athlete, and people know that. He’s performing. He’s executing and performing like you’d expect from a guy like him. So people realize this guy’s ceiling might be off the charts. If you understand the levels there are to wrestling and how tough college wrestling is and the level he was in (that) world, it’s above special. There’s not a lot of guys like this.”

Nickal, 26, is three years removed from a decorated collegiate wrestling career at Penn State University, where he was a three-time NCAA Division I national champion and 2019 Dan Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s most outstanding wrestler in his final year.

Nickal made his professional MMA debut in the summer and, through his first three fights, has wowed the masses with three first-round finishes, the longest of which lasted 62 seconds. He certified himself as one of the hottest blue-chip prospects in MMA history with a 52-second submission of CFFC champ Donovan Beard on Sept. 27 at Dana White’s Contender Series 56, which earned him a UFC contract.

It’s been as impressive of a start to a pro MMA career as Brown has ever seen.

“At this point, I don’t think anything he’s tried has failed,” Brown said. “Every shot he’s taken, he’s got. Every punch he’s thrown has landed. Anything that’s been thrown at him has missed. So he’s pretty much batting 100 percent, a thousand on anything he’s done.”

After his DWCS 56 win, Nickal wasted no time making a splash callout of Khamzat Chimaev. He’s even started to look toward a future encounter with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

The way Brown sees it, he likes the energy – “but there’s no reason to rush anything.”

“I think it’s important to keep doing things, taking this sport as a professional, taking your time, and making sure there’s no doubt,” Brown said. “In my eyes, I don’t want a competitive fight. I’d like to see it every time, him blowing guys out of the water. Maybe he can beat those guys now, but if he waits a little bit longer, then he blows them out of the water. That’s what we hope for, and that’s what we plan for.”

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Everything so far had been smooth sailing, and Nickal was set to officially make his UFC debut in December against Jamie Pickett at UFC 282. That’s on hold, though, after Nickal withdrew due to an injury.

Consider it Nickal’s first bit of adversity as an MMA fighter, which Brown is confident won’t be an issue for his pupil as his career unfolds and as the lights are expected to only get brighter.

“You just don’t get to where he is without being able to do it all,” Brown said. “He’s competed in the sport of wrestling since he was very young and got to the highest of the highs. If you are that type of person, you can overcome adversity. There’s no doubt about it.”

He continued, “I think he’s as level-headed as they come. … He definitely has his head on his shoulders. To be honest, it’s not the norm for MMA fighters. He’s got a really great family, they’re all very supportive, supporting him since a young age. He’s got that side locked down. The mental side, there’s no way this guy gets pulled in the wrong direction.”

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Browns sign former Miami University S Mike Brown to practice squad

The Browns have added a safety to the practice squad: former Miami of Ohio Redhawk Mike Brown

The Cleveland Browns held tryouts for three safeties last week, and now they have signed one of them to their practice squad. After trying out James Wiggins, Bryce Cosby and Mike Brown, the Browns have added Brown to the practice squad.

Brown is a product of Oxford, Ohio, and played his college football at Miami (Ohio). Listed at 6-foot-0 and 218, Brown is an ordinary athlete with 4.59 speed. During his 2021 campaign with the RedHawks, Brown tallied 36 solo tackles and 9.5 stops for loss.

Signing with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent this past spring, he failed to make the 53-man roster. He has spent time on the practice squads of both the Vikings and the Green Bay Packers.

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Coach Mike Brown expects much improved Poirier at UFC 281: ‘It’s the best Dustin we’ve ever seen’

American Top Team head coach Mike Brown is confident that Dustin Poirier will get his hand raised against Michael Chandler.

ABU DHABI – American Top Team head coach [autotag]Mike Brown[/autotag] likes what he’s seen from [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] ahead of UFC 281.

Brown believes the best version of Poirier has yet to be seen by fans, but he expects that to change on Nov. 12 when Poirier is scheduled to take on former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler on the UFC 281 pay-per-view main card in New York.

Despite Poirier being 13 years into his professional career, Brown sees improvement in his game

“Anytime things don’t go your way, you’re extra motivated, and this is the type of thing that motivates Dustin. And to be honest, I’ve never seen him so motivated,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “He’s training super hard, and he can’t wait to fight.

“He’s in fight shape now and ready to peak. He’s been ready to go for like two weeks. I think it’s the best Dustin we’ve ever seen. He’s doing everything right. It’s a motivated guy who’s got the right opponent in front of him that motivates him, who’s an exciting fight, a challenging fight, a guy who’s been a world champion in other (promotions). It’s a fight that the fans want to see. I don’t think there’s a lot that gets Dustin excited, and this is one that will.”

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Poirier is coming off a submission loss in a championship fight against Charles Oliveira back in December. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak.

Not only does Brown expect his fighter to get his hand raised, but he also expects a potential Fight of the Year candidate given Chandler’s fighting style.

“This is a dangerous guy who’s got a lot of hype, well deserved, and an exciting fighter,” Brown said. “Every scrap (Dustin Poirier) puts on is an exciting Fight of the Year, Fight of the Week, Fight of the Month, whatever. It’s always one of those candidates, one of the best fights you’re going to see. He’s got the right dance partner, so it’s going to be fireworks. That’s all the stuff that gets him in the gym and eager to train.”

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