by sloppyvinyl | Nov 23, 2018 | SPORTS
Warriors Star Uninjured In Crash
NBA superstar and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry came away unscathed following a multicar crash on Friday morning.
The crash occurred on Highway 24 in Oakland, California, as Curry’s Porsche was hit twice in what California Highway Police are saying was likely due to inclement weather.
Afterwards, it was said that Curry would go to get his groin injury treated, an unrelated injury.
Curry, who is averaging 29.5 PPG, 6.1 APG and 5.0 RPG, has missed Golden State’s past seven games with a groin injury suffered in November 8th vs the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Golden State Warriors are 2-5 without him since and have endured friction and dysfunction between players as Kevin Durant and Draymond Green’s heated confrontation last Monday in Los Angeles and Green’s ensuing suspension have dominated the headlines.
The Golden State Warriors will host the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at Oracle Arena.
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 23, 2018 | SPORTS
Blaydes-Ngannou Main Event Tilt Cleared
The UFC makes it’s return to Beijing, China for a Fight Night event headlined by a hard-hitting heavyweight matchup between Curtis “Razor” Blaydes (10-1, 5-1 UFC) vs Francis Ngannou (11-3, 6-2 UFC) in a five-round main event at the Cadillac Arena.
That fight is official as both men made the 265-pound heavyweight limit when they stepped on the scales Friday morning in Beijing. Curtis Blaydes — who is looking to avenge his only professional defeat — stepped on the scales at 260 pounds. Searching for the magic he once held, Francis Ngannou would come in light at 254 pounds as he looks to snap a two-fight losing streak.
The co-headliner features a heavyweight battle between long-time UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem and Sergey Pavlovich. Overeem tipped the scales at a light 247 pounds while the undefeated Pavlovich weighed in at 257 pounds.
Rashad Coulter, who is making the move down to light heavyweight after a renaissance in the heavyweight division, came in two pounds heavy at 208 pounds. He will forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to his opponent Yaozoung Hu, who is a native of Beijing.
Here are the full weigh-in results below.
UFC Fight Night 141 Weigh-In Results
Curtis Blaydes (260) vs. Francis Ngannou (254)
Alistair Overeem (247) vs. Sergey Pavlovich (257)
Jingliang Li (171) vs. David Zawada (171)
Vince Morales (136) vs. Yadong Song (136)
Alex Morono (170.5) vs. Kenan Song (170)
Lauren Mueller (126) vs. Yanan Wu (126)
Rashad Coulter (*208) vs. Yaozong Hu (205)
Jessica Aguilar (115) vs. Weili Zhang (116)
Martin Day (136) vs. Pingyuan Liu (135)
Syuri Kondo (115.5) vs. Xiaonan Yan (116)
Kevin Holland (186) vs. John Phillips (186)
Louis Smolka (135.5) vs. Sumudaerji Sumudaerji (134.5)
What are your thoughts on UFC Fight Night 141? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 23, 2018 | SPORTS
Tempers Flare In Oxford
The Egg Bowl has a symbolic meaning for both Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The hatred burns deep for both of these SEC programs, and with emotions running high on Thanksgiving Night, that wasn’t about to change.
After a touchdown score by Ole Miss’ wide receiver A.J. Brown near the end of the quarter, the two teams’ players began shoving each other in and outside of the end zone, with punches soon beginning to be thrown.
The brawl would escalate and both sidelines would intervene, as Ole Miss freshman quarterback Matt Corral had his helmet ripped off by Mississippi State’s Jamal Peters in the end zone during an ugly confrontation.
Every player on each team were given unsportsmanlike penalties in one of the uglier scenes in college football this season.
Four players in total were ejected from the game, as Mississippi State’s Willie Gay Jr., Jamal Peters, Cameron Dantzler and Ole Miss’ C.J. Moore were sent to the showers early.
Ole Miss’ touchdown was wiped off the board with the penalties as time had expired in the quarter. Mississippi State led 28-3 after three and went on to win the rivalry game 35-3.
Should there be further disciplinary actions by each team regarding tonight’s brawl? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 23, 2018 | SPORTS
Cowboys Knock Off ‘Skins, Saints Defense Roars, Ans Bears Tame Lions
Hello and good evening! Here’s hoping you enjoyed a very Happy Thanksgiving with your family, friends and loved ones.
The NFL Thanksgiving Day tradition continued on with three divisional matchups all having significant importance to the NFC playoff picture.
We were treated to a fun game in Detroit, a NFC East clash in Dallas, and a showcase for what many believe is the best team in the NFL in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Defense, Daniel Deliver For Bears In Detroit
The Chicago Bears were hopeful that a ailing Mitchell Trubisky would be ready to go for this Thursday’s game vs the Detroit Lions.
When Chicago ruled Trubisky out with a shoulder injury, confidence didn’t wane as Matt Nagy showed complete faith in long-time backup quarterback Chase Daniel, who was set for just his third career start.
The 32-year-old would make good on his opportunity and the Chicago Bears came up with another fourth quarter defensive touchdown squeaked by the Detroit Lions for their fifth consecutive victory.
Chicago Bears’ safety Eddie Jackson scored a touchdown on a interception return for the second consecutive week, leading a chorus for the second straight week as he was mobbed by much of the Chicago Bears bench as well as the defense on the field.
Prince Amukumara and the Bears defense turned up the heat late on Matthew Stafford and the Lions. Photo by John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune
Chase Daniel was steady for the NFC-North leading Bears, throwing for 230 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Daniel helped the Bears offense answer the Detroit Lions on multiple occasions, first with a touchdown throw in the second quarter and then a touchdown throw in the fourth quarter, both giving Chicago the lead.
After Matthew Stafford led Detroit to a 16-16 tie in the fourth quarter, the Chicago Bears defense once again impacted the game with Jackson’s pick-six and then Kyle Fuller’s game-sealing interception down in the red zone on Detroit’s final possession.
After losing consecutive games to the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, the Chicago Bears are in position to run away with the NFC North with five games remaining.
The Chicago Bears (8-3) will visit the New York Giants next Sunday at MetLife Stadium looking to make it six straight victories.
Cooper’s Huge Day Leads Cowboys To NFC East Lead
The road to the top of the division wasn’t the road best traveled, but after yet another victory, this time over their divisional rivals from the Nation’s Capitol, the Dallas Cowboys have arrived.
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins 31-23 on Thursday afternoon at the AT&T Stadium to take the division lead atop the NFC East.
Amari Cooper had a electric performance in just his fourth game with the Dallas Cowboys. He finished the game with receiving yards and two touchdowns, scoring on a 40-yarder and then a 90-yarder in the third quarter as Dallas soon turned a 13-10 deficit into what looked like a wipeout at 31-13 early in the fourth quarter.
Dak Prescott would finish with 289 passing yards and three total touchdowns, including a sensational 5-yard touchdown run in which he covered 34 total yards while escaping a sack on the play before flipping into the end zone for the score.
Trailing 31-13 in the fourth quarter, Colt McCoy and the Washington Redskins would fight back against the Cowboys, answering with a quick strike after Dallas went up 18 while their defense would get a stop on 4th and inches on the next possession.
The Redskins comeback bid, however, would hir a snag after Colt McCoy was intercepted by Xavier Woods with 4:26 remaining in the game on a bad throw into tight coverage that was deflected by standout cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.
Dallas’ offensive line struggled to protect Prescott in the first half, allowing four sacks on the Cowboys quarterback in what was a low-scoring affair in the first half.
That would change completely in the second half as the Cowboys offensive line kept Washington’s pass rush at Bay, allowing Prescott to picked them apart.
Ezekiel Elliot was also strong on the ground, finishing with 121 rushing yards and a touchdown. It’s his third consecutive game with 100 rushing yards.
Dallas’ defense shutdown Washington’s run game, which allowed Rod Marinelli’s defensive unit to get after Colt McCoy, intercepting him three times and sacking him three times.
Washington fought on valiantly after losing their starting quarterback Alex Smith to a devastating leg injury just four days prior. Jay Gruden’s team offensively has been snake bitten by injuries, and now with losses in three out of their past four games, have questions that need to be answered as their grasp on the division has slipped away.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys will look to keep up their momentum and stay on track in the NFC East race as they host the New Orleans Saints next Thursday night.
Brees, Saints Stay Hot; Win 10th Straight
It didn’t start well for Drew Brees. On the Saints second offensive possession he threw just his second interception of the season, and on the following drive he bobbled a snap, falling to his knees as he corralled it.
The funny thing about the latter is what happened after that: A Saints first down.
The New Orleans Saints offense ran into some highs and lows, but a strong performance by the defense more than helped as they cruised to a convincing 31-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Drew Brees threw for 171 passing yards and four touchdowns as the Saints won their 10th consecutive game.
The Saints defense anchored this victory for New Orleans, creating a season-high four turnovers. Three denied the Falcons of coming away with any points on the board in New Orleans territory while one that allowed New Orleans’ offense to ice the game.
Continuing a strong stretch of defense over their past three games, the Saints have created nine turnovers and have 13 sacks over their past three games.
For what it’s worth, the Falcons defense actually played well on Thursday night, holding New Orleans to 312 total yards and Drew Brees to a season-low 171 passing yards. The issue was that their offense couldn’t solve the puzzle that has suddenly become the New Orleans Saints defense, led by Cameron Jordan.
The Saints pass rush was terrifying, and on most of Matt Ryan’s drop backs he was under duress and either sacked or forced into an errant throw.
Ryan finished the game with 383 passing yards and two touchdowns, but those numbers were offset by a pair of turnovers that altered the complexion of the game.
The New Orleans Saints (10-1) just keep on churning along as they look unstoppable even when they aren’t on their A-game.
The team yielded yards and the offense looked human after scoring 45+ over their past three games, but it was clear that the Saints were the better football team as they continue their domination of the NFL.
The Saints 10th straight win is also their seventh by at least 10 points this season.
They will look to extend their streak to 11 when they visit the Dallas Cowboys next Thursday night at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
What are your thoughts on today’s NFL Thanksgiving action? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 22, 2018 | SPORTS
James Hailed At Quicken Loans Arena In Return
There was no increased security presence, objects thrown, or an angry mob ready to tear LeBron James’ head off.
Eight years after one of the most memorable and emotional homecomings for a former player vs his old team, time, lessons from the past and James’ brilliant second run in Cleveland appeared to heal all ones.
Playing in Cleveland for the first time as a Los Angeles Laker, LeBron James was given a standing ovation by his former team at Quicken Loans Arena.
During the first stop in action, James received a special video package from the Cleveland Cavaliers, shown on the video board in the arena during a timeout that highlighted James’ second run that culminated with the superstar leading the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship ever back in 2016.
The video package also highlighted James New ‘I Promise’ school in Akron, Ohio, which opened on July 31st.
On a night that was mostly quiet and devoid of electricity like that night back on December 2nd, 2010, the fans came to life in the fourth quarter as James’ old team, led by former Los Angeles Laker Jordan Clarkson, were in control in the fourth quarter after a strong push.
The Cavaliers owned a 96-87 lead after a 10-0 run in the period, but that lead would disappear after James drilled a 3-pointer from near the top of the key to tie the game at 99-99 with 2:56 remaining in the game.
He would give Los Angeles the lead on a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession for Los Angeles before he and the Lakers closed out a 109-105 victory in Cleveland.
James finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, a game after he scored 51 points in Miami in Sunday evening, another one of his former clubs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the game a league-worst 2-13, not a surprise given what the presence of LeBron James had on the franchise and has had on each franchise he’s been apart of in his long and illustrious career.
Without Kevin Love, the team showed the type of fight that you’d expect to see in a nightly basis, but they’re still working on that and may be for a long time if the team doesn’t find fortunes in future drafts, can you say Zion Williamson Cavalier fans?
As for LeBron James, he treated this game like any other game, as the animosity he had for the Cleveland Cavaliers, in particular Dan Gilbert, has waned and the iconic basketball star didn’t feel the need to stick it to the Cavaliers like he did back in 2010 when his Miami Heat blew out the post-LeBron Cavaliers 118-90.
The Los Angeles Lakers (10-7) have room to improve, and they’re doing it as they’re defending at a higher level and running their offensive sets how they want to.
James and the Cavaliers have gone their separate ways, and while the Cleveland Cavaliers are in a total rebuild because of it, they are at the very least a team not living in the past.
That in itself is progress.
What are your thoughts on LeBron James’ return to Cleveland? Leave your comments below!