Tag: timely

Oklahoma looks to split week in Frisco against Dallas Baptist after blowout of Missouri

Oklahoma is looking for a split of the Frisco College Baseball Classic against Dallas Baptist after blowing out Missouri on Saturday night.

Oklahoma is looking for a split at the Frisco College Baseball Classic this week after dropping the first two games to Arizona and blowing out Missouri on Saturday night.

The two games against the Wildcats were characterized by poor pitching with Arizona putting up an astonishing 32 runs over the course of the two games. On Saturday night, it was the Sooners putting up the gaudy run total as they hung 16 on the board their win over Missouri.

It was a tightly contested game with the old Big 12 foe, but Oklahoma exploded in the late innings scoring 10 of their 16 in the final three innings. It was a win that was sorely needed to try and salvage what had started out as a disastrous week in Frisco.

The Sooners now turn their attention to Dallas Baptist on Sunday night with left-hander Jake Bennett on the mound. The  Patriots have done the reverse of Oklahoma so far, winning the first two games over Missouri behind really good pitching before allowing 15 runs to Arizona yesterday to take their first loss of the event.

With the way the week began, getting out of town with a split would be huge before returning to Norman for home games next week. This is a big game for the Sooners.

The matchup with the Patriots is set for 6:00 p.m. CT tonight and can be watched on FloBaseball.tv and heard on Sportstalk 1400 AM/99.3 FM and the Tune In App.

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2021 All-Star Game prediction, odds, over/under: Team LeBron vs. Team Durant

Everything you need to know to wager on today’s All-Star events.

Team LeBron plays Team Durant at the 2021 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, March 7, and if you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, moneyline odds and over-under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet on BetMGM.

With news breaking from The Athletics’ Shams Charania that both Philadelphia 76ers All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons will have to sit out the All-Star Game, the shape of the game is instantly transformed. While the two 76ers are split between Team Durant and Team LeBron, the former will be especially impacted given the minimal impact defense has on much of the game historically with Simmons being part of the latter team.

The action tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET with the main event starting at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen on TNT.

Andrew Whitworth plans to return but has ‘no idea’ about Rams’ salary-cap situation

All signs point to Andrew Whitworth being back, but the salary cap must be taken into account.

The NFL has yet to confirm the exact amount for the 2021 salary cap, but every team will have to be under the limit by March 17 regardless. For teams like the Rams, that could prove difficult considering they’re currently about $35 million over the cap.

Cap casualties and restructures will be necessary in the next week or so, but the expectation is that Andrew Whitworth won’t be one of the players cut to save money. Whitworth has said all offseason that he plans to be back, and that sentiment hasn’t changed with the start of the new league year just 10 days away.

Whitworth spoke to Gary Klein of the LA Times and said he plans to be back next season, but he doesn’t know what’s going to happen with the Rams’ salary cap situation.

“The plan is to prepare myself to play and to plan to be back,” Whitworth said. “But obviously, I have no idea what’s going to happen with our salary-cap situation. … You go through the offseason, you make sure you check off all the things that are feeling good and doing great.

“So, it’s a longer process than probably saying, ‘Hey, I’m back.’ It means I’m committed to being back and that’s the plan. Obviously, there’s a lot of work between now and then that has to go into that on a lot of different facets.”

If the Rams were to cut Whitworth before June 1, they would have a net savings of $5.33 million. They’d take on $5.8 million in dead money, though that figure would drop to $4.17 million if released after June 1.

His cap hit of $11.17 million is certainly manageable in 2021, and considering the way he played last season, he’s worth the money. It’s unlikely Joseph Noteboom’s performance while Whitworth was injured will sway the team’s decision, but it is something for the Rams to consider.

Whitworth wants to be back, and Les Snead said in January that “the answer is yes” when asked if the Rams want to keep him, too. But he clarified that there are “variables to be discussed.” Nothing has been decided yet, but all signs point to Whitworth remaining at left tackle for the Rams in 2021.

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New trade suggestion has Sixers acquiring Wayne Ellington, Lou Williams

A new trade suggestion has the Philadelphia 76ers acquiring Wayne Ellington and Lou Williams.

It is officially trade season in the NBA as the March 25 trade deadline continues to come up quickly. The Philadelphia 76ers will certainly be one of those teams that will be in the mix to fix a few issues that still remain.

They need a bit of a boost of their bench as they are having a tough time creating any consistent offense outside of Shake Milton and they also need another 3-point shooter as well. They can make some moves to try and acquire both needs at the deadline.

A trade suggestion from Bleacher Report has the Sixers being involved in a 3-team deal with the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Clippers. The deal is Philadelphia sends Terrance Ferguson, Mike Scott, and a top-16 protected pick to Detroit and they get Wayne Ellington from the Pistons and Lou Williams from the Clippers. Detroit sends Delon Wright to Los Angeles in their deal.

B/R on the Sixers involvement in this trade:

Enter the Sixers. They need another crunch-time shot creator and more raw three-point volume. Reuniting with Williams and snagging Wayne Ellington gives them both. Philly has the defensive talent to cover up for either veteran and needn’t fret about frittering away a first-round pick that forecasts to land in the bottom five. It gets a little smaller by dealing Mike Scott, but bigs are easier to snap up in smaller trades or on the buyout market.

Ellington is a mostly streaky shooter, but he is shooting 43.3% from deep to begin the season for a rebuilding Pistons team on 6.4 attempts per night. If he can keep that type of production up, it would be a huge addition to the Sixers.

As for Williams, he is obviously known for coming off the bench and putting the ball in the basket. He is another one who would be a huge addition to this team off their bench. The Sixers can’t just rely on Milton and Furkan Korkmaz for the offense in the bench unit.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers match Joel Embiid’s $100,000 donation to combat homelessness

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers donate money to fight homelessness in the city.

With the All-Star break officially here, there is time to pay attention to other more important matters in the world at the moment. The world is still dealing with the hardships of the global pandemic and times are tough for most right now.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has announced that he will donate his winnings from Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game to Philadelphia homeless shelters, including Project HOME, Sunday Breakfast Mission, and Youth Service INC. In total Embiid has committed $100,000 across these organizations.

“So many have fallen on such hard times during the pandemic,” Embiid said via a team press release. “I felt it was important to provide more support for individuals and families struggling with homelessness and food insecurity. I’m continually grateful for all of the support that Philadelphia and the fans have given me not just around All-Star but all my years in the league. I will continue to help in any way I can.”

On top of that, the Sixers organization will also match Embiid’s donation with a $100,000 donation of their own.

This is a great moment for the big fella and the team as a whole. There are a lot of people who need help during this time and Embiid and the Sixers are taking on the challenge of helping others during this time.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers are showing interest in trading for Cavs forward Larry Nance Jr.

The Philadelphia 76ers are interested in Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr.

The trade deadline in the NBA is fast approaching as March 25 continues to inch closer. Now is the time for the top contenders in the league to make their move to further strengthen their chances to win a title come June.

The Philadelphia 76ers will be one of those teams in the mix to make any moves as they could use some help off their bench. They have a serious MVP candidate in Joel Embiid as well as as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in both Embiid and Ben Simmons. They have as good a chance as anybody to win.

President Daryl Morey is a guy who is not afraid to make any big moves to put his team in a better position to win and one of those moves could involve getting a big man who can stretch the floor a bit and provide some athleticism.

According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Sixers are looking into Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr.:

Nance would help a lot of teams and he’s on a multi-year bargain deal that makes it easy to come up with matching salaries. He’s the kind of versatile piece that contenders covet because of his defense, playmaking, shooting and impact on winning. According to sources, Nance is the player the Cavs have received the most calls about. Sources say the Minnesota Timberwolves have been aggressively pursuing him since the offseason. Nance’s old teammate and buddy D’Angelo Russell is a strong Nance advocate. Boston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Miami and Dallas have also shown interest.

Morey will have a lot of work to do before the deadline in order to get the Sixers in that position. The deadline is coming up fast and there are plenty of options for him to look at.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers big man Joel Embiid has name with elite centers in NBA history

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has his name among some of the elite centers in NBA history.

Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid is off to a terrific start to the 2020-21 season. He is absolutely destroying almost every matchup thrown his way and he is averaging 30.2 points and 11.6 rebounds and he is shooting 52.1% from the floor and 41.6% from deep. He has been absolutely dominant.

The way he is scoring so efficiently has put him at the top of some elite lists when it comes to centers. He is averaging 11.6 free throws per game and he is knocking them down 85.6% of the time.

Wilt Chamberlain, Walt Bellamy, and Moses Malone are the only centers to average 30+ points and 10+ free throws in a season. If Embiid can keep this type of production up, he will be just the fourth center to accomplish the feat and he would be the only one to shoot over 80% from the line.

There is still a lot of basketball left to be played so Embiid will have to keep this up throughout the season, but he is off to a great start and he is squarely in the MVP conversation. At this point, it is all about consistency with him and wanting to come out and dominate every night.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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WATCH: Celtics forward Grant Williams scores 17 points vs. Toronto Raptors

The Charlotte native surged back onto the scene after several recent DNPs.

After a spate of DNPs, you might be forgiven if you’d forgotten Boston Celtics second-year forward Grant Williams can have games like he did against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.

After the game, Williams related he’d gotten in his own head earlier in the season, and, humbled, went back to work on his fundamentals to charge back with this 17-point explosion. The Tennessee product shot 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range while pulling down 4 rebounds off the bench to help secure the much-needed win. Now, the Celtics head into the break with the NBA’s longest winning streak thanks in part to Williams’ efforts.

Watch the video embedded below produced by Tomasz Kordelewski while we wait until March 11 to see Boston take the court again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F18gJEajO8I

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Jalen Ramsey doesn’t see any other CBs doing what he does on a weekly basis

Jalen Ramsey says 2020 was his best season yet, but he has “a lot of improvements to make still.”

Jalen Ramsey earned his second first-team All-Pro selection last season after putting together a stellar campaign in the Rams secondary. His impact goes well beyond the box score, consistently locking down No. 1 receivers and forcing opposing quarterbacks to go elsewhere with the ball.

Looking back on his 2020 season, Ramsey would consider it his best year yet. It’s hard to argue with that fact, too. He allowed a career-low completion rate of 50.7%, gave up a passer rating of just 68.1 in coverage and shut down Pro Bowl receivers such as DK Metcalf, DeAndre Hopkins and Allen Robinson.

And as well as he played last season, he still sees a lot of room for improvement.

“I would put this up there as my best season yet,” Ramsey said on the “Huddle and Flow” podcast. “I have a lot of improvements to make still, especially if I’m going to continue playing inside, outside, moving around and playing different positions a little bit more – things I had never done in the past. And that just came to show you how much the Rams value me and how much they knew what type of player I was and wanted to use all of my skill sets and not just pigeonhole me with one specific thing or certain coverages.”

Ramsey became a different type of cornerback last season than he was in previous years. He played the nickel (or “star) role more often than he ever has, he blitzed off the edge at times and consistently matched up with No. 1 receivers.

When he looks around the league, he doesn’t see any other cornerbacks doing what he does on a weekly basis. He knows there are versatile corners out there, but none that is blanketing No. 1 receivers one week and making big plays from the slot the next.

“I’m a football fan so I look at a lot of football as well, but I’m not seeing guys go out one week and guard the No. 1 receiver on the team, who was probably a Pro Bowl receiver or an All-Pro receiver and essentially lock him down, and the next week go play nickel and make plays in the backfield or on the edges and not even really guard the No. 1 receiver that game,” Ramsey said. “I’m not seeing too many guys do that and still make an effect on the game. I’m not really seeing any guys do that, if I’m being honest with you. And there are other versatile guys in the league. I’m not saying there isn’t any other versatile guys in the league. But there isn’t really anybody in the league who’s guarding a No. 1 receiver, locking him down like I am, and then playing the nickel and making an impact on the game as I am. And within all of that, as well, kind of elevating my teammates around me, elevating the secondary guys around me, making sure they’re ready to take advantage of their opportunities when their opportunities present themselves just because at a certain point in games and the season, teams will avoid me.”

Ramsey is just getting started with the Rams and if he plays the way he did last season, he’ll be an All-Pro again in 2021. He’ll be playing under a new defensive coordinator, however, after Brandon Staley left to become the Chargers’ head coach. He’s excited about Raheem Morris, but Staley is someone Ramsey once again called “a genius.”

Morris has said he just doesn’t want to screw up the way Ramsey and Aaron Donald are playing, so expect to see much of the same from both players next season.

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Celtics survive undermanned Raptors 132 – 125 to extend streak to 4

The win streak grows to four games heading into the All-Star break.

The Boston Celtics hung on to beat a depleted Toronto Raptors 132 – 125 at TD Garden Thursday night to head into the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak.

The Raptors, down a number of players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, hung around in what would end up being a very close game most of the way through, even as the Celtics pulled away a bit in the second half. Big nights from Boston’s starters and bench both secured the win, with Jayson Tatum leading all Celtics with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, with Jaylen Brown adding 21 points and 7 boards and Kemba Walker 15 points and 6 assists.

Grant Williams added 17 points off the bench, Jeff Teague 14 points, and Robert Williams III 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Boston now has a 19 – 17 record and is off until after the All-Star break, when they will face the Brooklyn Nets on March 11 to start the second half of their season.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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