![[SPORTS] CURRY OUT-DUELS YOUNG IN FIRST EVER MEETING](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_8807-2.jpg?resize=920%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Dec 4, 2018 | SPORTS
Elderly Curry Shows Out In Matchup With Young
After NBA fans were robbed of the matchup in November due to Stephen Curry’s groin injury, a highly anticipated matchup between Curry and Trae Young finally took place.
In a battle between arguably the greatest 3-pointer shooter in NBA history in Stephen Curry and a rookie who’s shooting ability has been compared to Curry’s in Trae Young, the former was in complete control in this one.
Stephen Curry out-dueled Trae Young in the Golden State Warriors’ 128-111 victory on Monday night, finishing the game with a game-high 30 points, hitting six 3-pointers.
Trae Young went on to score 20 points, but he struggled from downtown as he went 0 for 5 from distance. He also struggled with protecting the basketball, turning the ball over seven times.
Stephen Curry wasted little time in getting it going at the State Farm Arena as he lit up the Hawks for 18 points first quarter points, including four 3-pointers.
Both Curry and Young spent much of the night guarding each other, with Curry having success in that regard as Young finished only 8 for 20 from the field.
The Golden State Warriors played the Atlanta Hawks in one of their two meetings with them this season back in November 13th, but a groin injury by Curry led to him missing the game.
In total, Curry missed 11 games for Golden State. They would go 5-6 without him in the lineup, including losing four straight games for the first time in Steve Kerr’s tenure in Golden State.
Curry’s Golden State Warriors, which entered the game with a mark of 15-9 and on a two-game losing skid, picked up their first road victory in well over a month, which was a 149-124 victory over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
They lost six straight games on the road, the first time that’s happened since 2011-2012 season when they went 0-6 in a stretch in April 2012.
Curry has marveled at Young’s shooting ability, saying in a interview back in January that Young is “unbelievable”.
“He’s unbelievable, just the confidence that he plays with. I call it the flare, but he seems like he’s always composed and knows what he’s trying to do every time he has the ball in his hands.”
Curry added that the 20-year-old guard is “fun to watch”.
Trae Young’s Atlanta Hawks fell to 5-19 on Monday night, and while he’s experienced growing pains, he was just awarded Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the month of November.
Young came into tonight averaging 15.6 PPG to go along with 7.6 APG.
What are your thoughts on Trae Young being compared to Stephen Curry? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] NETS ONCE AGAIN CAN’T FINISH AS SKID CONTINUES](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_8806-1.jpg?resize=1080%2C641&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Dec 4, 2018 | SPORTS
Brooklyn Comes On Late But Can’t Close Out Cavs
As each game passes, more and more are we getting an opportunity to see just what kind of team the Brooklyn Nets are going to be during the 2018-19 season.
On a six-game losing streak, the Nets hoped that a matchup with a team they dominated during the first month of the season would get them back on a winning track.
The Brooklyn Nets showed fight, but they came up short in a 99-97 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night to drop their seventh consecutive game.
After a go-ahead dunk by Alec Burks with 3.2 seconds remaining, Spencer Dinwiddie’s turnaround 3-pointer off an inbounds as time expired fell well short.
The rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers won for the third time in their past seven games and snapped a four-game losing skid.
Unlike the team the Brooklyn Nets faced back on October 24th, the Cleveland Cavaliers were a scrappy and determined bunch on Monday night.
Jordan Clarkson guided the Cavaliers with 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as Cleveland avenged a earlier 102-86 thumping by the Brooklyn Nets.
Tristan Thompson continued his strong roll with 19 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland.
For much of the season, the Brooklyn Nets ability to guard the paint on a night-by-night basis has been up and down, and recently they have endured a stretch of inconsistency in keeping teams from scoring at the rim.
That’s exactly where the game was won in the paint as the Cleveland Cavaliers asserted their will in getting to the basket and attempting easier shots.
38 of Cleveland’s 56 first half points were in the paint, a disastrous number allowed for a team fighting to keep their season from being unsalvageable.
An uncontested putback dunk by Tristan Thompson with 1:15 to go after the Nets had rallied to trim Cleveland’s lead to two points and a uncontested dunk at the rim by Alec Burks to give Cleveland the go-ahead basket highlighted their woes.
Brooklyn went on to allow 58 points in the paint to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
D’Angelo Russell scored 30 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists, but it was a high volume night for Russell, who went 13 for 31 from the field.
The Brooklyn Nets, who fell to 8-17 on Monday, failed get much out of others in their starting lineup besides Spencer Dinwiddie’s 18 points as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Allen Crabbe combined to shoot 2 for 14 from the field.
Brooklyn’s propensity to hoist shots from distance is another aspect of the game that cost them in a game they ended up losing by two points as they shot 10 for 40 from downtown.
Rodions Kurucs, who had a strong game in limited minutes on Saturday night for Brooklyn, tied the game at 97-97 after an offensive rebound, capping a 15-4 Brooklyn run. He finished with 12 points and four rebounds in 14 minutes.
The Brooklyn Nets will continue their three-game homestand when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
Is it a lack of talent hurting the Nets right now or execution? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] WALL SPOILS KNICKS DRAMATIC COMEBACK BID AT MSG](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_8805.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Dec 4, 2018 | SPORTS
The Knicks Nearly Win A Game They Certainly Looked Out Of
David Fizdale was proud of his team’s never give up attitude on Saturday night and he hopes that becomes apart of the team’s identity moving forward.
The Knicks never gave up on Monday night, but it didn’t result in a ‘W’ in the win column.
The New York Knicks lost to the Washington Wizards 110-107 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden as their late rally came up short.
John Wall ruined the Knicks’ chances of completing a furious comeback in the final minutes of regulation as he hit a dagger 3-pointer to put Washington up six with 12 seconds remaining.
Wall finished the game with 18 points and 15 assists while his backcourt mate Bradley Beal scored a team-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists.
The New York Knicks were in the midst of a ugly second half vs. the Washington Wizards. Leading by as many as 11 points late in the second quarter and owning a 61-52 lead at the half, New York squandered their lead as they were outscored 34-19 in a showing that saw them discombobulated and lethargic at guarding the rim and creating shots for others.
Down by 15 with 3:33 left to play, Emmanuel Mudiay and the New York Knicks staged a rally as they went on a 12-0 run to slice Washington’s lead to three points with 35.1 seconds remaining, but were dealt a unlucky hand by John Wall.
The Knicks did a strong job at containing Wall, forcing him into a 7 for 20 night, but New York’s defense sagged to the point where coach Fizdale burned timeouts just to tear into his team for their lack of getting back in transition and not being competitive at the rim.
Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with a team-high 20 points in a low volume shooting night as he attempted only 15 shot attempts.
Damyean Dotson made the most of his 24 minutes off the bench as he scored 17 points while grabbing nine rebounds.
The offense didn’t make shots as they shot 41.1 percent from the field and made only 12 of 34 shots from 3-point range. That’s something Fizdale can live with, but what he can’t live with is being lax and disinterested on defense and taking poor shots that aren’t there.
The New York Knicks will get two days off before visiting the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden Arena.
What are your thoughts on the Knicks loss on Monday night? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] NFL WEEK 13 RECAP: CHARGERS PROVE THEY’RE ROAD WARRIORS](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_8801-1.jpg?resize=653%2C367&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Dec 4, 2018 | SPORTS
Chargers Down Steelers, AFC South Drama, Jackson Shines, And Mahomes Makes History
While watching the later afternoon games on Sunday, I couldn’t help but notice how it seemed like the Minnesota Vikings inevitable meltdown was nearing vs the New England Patriots.
Minnesota tied the game in the third quarter 10-10 after appearing as if they would be blown out early in the second quarter. The Vikings entered the game with the third ranked defense in NFL, and for almost 45 minutes, the defense held its own.
Until they didn’t.
After a 12-play, 41 yard drive that positioned kicker Dan Bailey to tie the game on a 39-yard field goal, the Vikings defense let the air out of the balloon.
The New England Patriots motored down the field in just four plays, covering 75 yards to take a 17-10 lead before the end of the third, and at that point, the game was over.
The Vikings are 6-5-1, a perfect record for a team that’s as far away from being a consistent team as any with enough talent to make a possible Super Bowl run. Kirk Cousins was added so that games like yesterday, when a team takes back control of a game, doesn’t happen.
Instead, the Vikings are learning why the Washington Redskins were inclined to use franchise tags on him rather than sign him to a massive contract like Minnesota did back in March.
Here are my biggest takeaways from the Week 13 action.
Chargers Comeback Latest Proof They Can Win Anywhere
The Los Angeles Chargers allowed themselves to fall into a huge hole on the road vs. a team that plays its best football in front of their home crowd, but that wasn’t enough to put them away.
The Los Angeles Chargers edged the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-30 on Sunday night at Heinz Field as the Chargers rallied back from a 16-point second half deficit.
In as funky as a finish as you’ll see, the Chargers needed some luck and mistakes from the Pittsburgh Steelers to win on a time expiring field goal by Michael Badgley.
Badgley missed a 39-yard field goal as time expired, only for that to be negated by an offsides penalty. On the next play, Pittsburgh blocked a field goal, but once again was offsides, which allowed Badgley to attempt and hit a 29-yard field goal to give Los Angeles a huge road win.
The Chargers improved to 9-3, but the most important part about that 9-3 record is that they’re 5-1 on the road.
Anthony Lynn’s team has a huge showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 on a Thursday night, one in which they could tie them for first place in the AFC West. If they don’t happen to win that game, this team has the confidence and the edge to go on the road and win three playoff games to advance to the Super Bowl.
In the history of the NFL, only three teams have been able to accomplish that feat, with the 05′ Steelers, 07′ Giants, and 10′ Packers doing it.
But with Philip Rivers — who finished the game with 296 passing yards and two touchdowns — at the helm, a healthy Melvin Gordon, an excellent receiving corp and a strong defense that can matchup with teams with their athleticism, the Chargers are arguably the scariest team in the AFC as the NFL playoffs near.
Watson, Texans Roll While Luck, Colts Fold
Any anticipation for a AFC South showdown in Houston in Week 14 went out of the window thanks to one team staying hot and another going backwards in a futile way.
The Houston Texans took care of the Cleveland Browns in a 29-13 victory at NRG Stadium to win their ninth straight game,
Deshaun Watson threw for 224 passing yards and a touchdown while the Texans forced Baker Mayfield into three interceptions. Following their win, Houston soon got unexpectedly good news out of Jacksonville.
The Indianapolis Colts — who were riding a five-game winning streak into Jacksonville — saw their winning streak come to an end in a 6-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.
While the Texans were busy making life difficult for rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, Jalen Ramsey and a revived Jaguars defense did the same to Andrew Luck and company.
Luck — who had eight straight games with three touchdowns or more — experienced his first career shutout loss as he threw for just 248 yards on 52 pass attempts while throwing an interception.
Indianapolis’ run game was completely neutralized, as they averaged a woefully low 2.6 yards on 16 attempts.
Entering at 6-5 and a matchup in Houston next week, Indianapolis had an opportunity to win the AFC South with a victory over their division foes next week and some help over the final three games.
Now at 6-6, Houston is in the driver’s seat and could damage Indianapolis’ playoff chances even further with a win next week over them, which would complete a season sweep of Indianapolis.
Lamar Jackson Makes His Case For Starting Quarterback
The past three weeks have been the Lamar Jackson experience, rather than a show, but the Baltimore Ravens are undefeated with him at quarterback.
The Baltimore Ravens handled the Atlanta Falcons 26-16 on Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to win their third straight game.
Lamar Jackson threw for 125 passing yards while running for 75 rushing yards and a touchdown as he has yet to lose a game to begin his NFL career.
The Baltimore Ravens’ rookie quarterback is plenty raw as a passer, and he’s got work to do on protecting the football as he has four turnovers in three starts, but the Ravens have a new swagger and attitude that’s permeated through the locker room during this current stretch.
Jackson’s dynamic as a rusher has allowed Baltimore to run over their opponents, as the Ravens rushed for 207 yards on Sunday vs a battered Falcons defense.
The Falcons offense struggled against Baltimore’s tough defense, but it’s hard to score points vs. a defense of this caliber when you lose the time of possession battle 39:39 to 20:21.
Just a few weeks ago, the Baltimore Ravens rushed for a season-high 267 yards and won the time of possession battle 38:09 to 21:51 in a 24-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
While skeptics will point to Baltimore’s defense being just that good, the Ravens lost four out of their past five games prior with the defense looking completely lost at times.
Jackson in just these three starts has transformed an offense that couldn’t run the football into a team that’s the best in the NFL over the past three games at running the football.
Lamar Jackson is a work in progress, but for a Baltimore Ravens team looking for their first playoff appearance since 2014, he’s made a strong case to be the starting quarterback even with the pending return of Joe Flacco.
Mahomes, Chiefs Hold Off Surprising Raiders
The Kansas City Chiefs were expecting the Oakland Raiders to play with pride in their visit to the Oakland Coliseum, and that they did.
Still, it wasn’t enough to keep Kansas City from coming off their bye week with a win.
The Kansas City Chiefs held off the lowly Oakland Raiders 40-33 on Sunday afternoon to improve to 10-2.
Patrick Mahomes continued to thrill as he threw for 295 passing yards and four touchdowns, becoming the youngest quarterback in NFL history to reach 40 touchdowns.
The Chiefs raced out to an early lead and took advantage of Oakland’s fumbles in the first half to add to it, as they took a 33-16 lead into the fourth quarter.
Oakland fought back, cutting Kansas City’s lead to three with 6:46 to go on a touchdown pass by Derek Carr to Marcell Ateman, but Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs put the game away late as he threw for his fourth touchdown of the game with 1:54 remaining.
Just days after releasing running back Kareem Hunt, the Chiefs were forced to alter their gameplan. That gameplan led to Patrick Mahomes rushing for a team-high 52 yards.
Kansas City added former running back Charcandrick West on Monday, as he will complement Spencer Ware in the backfield.
Ware rushed for team-high 921 rushing yards back in 2016, and the Chiefs will be hoping for him to carry the load on the ground.
What are your biggest takeaways from Sunday’s action? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] NBA POWER RANKINGS: NUGGETS MAKE THE MOVE](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_8802-1.jpg?resize=696%2C463&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Dec 3, 2018 | SPORTS
Denver Makes Jump In Latest Power Rankings
The NBA is at its best when the best teams play each other. Or so it should be.
Last season we saw that when the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors battled in the conference finals. Oddly enough, most of those games were blowouts, with Games 4 and 5 giving fans a real taste of competition at the highest level.
On Thursday night we saw that again when Kawhi Leonard and the streaking Toronto Raptors welcomed Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors.
In a memorable duel, Kawhi Leonard’s 37 points helped the Toronto Raptors survive Kevin Durant’s 51-point masterpiece in a 131-128 win over Golden State in a thriller in at Scotiabank Arena.
Drama like what we saw from that game is what would make you want a NBA Finals matchup between the two teams, who in all likelihood will finish as the top two seeds from their respective conferences.
Here are my NBA Power Rankings for the Week of 11/26 – 12/2.
1. Toronto Raptors (20-4)
It’s eight straight wins for Nick Nurse’s Toronto Raptors, and in six of those games the team has scored at least 120 points.
2. Denver Nuggets (15-7)
Nikolai Jokic and the Denver Nuggets blew the doors off the Los Angeles Lakers last Tuesday. Their 32-point massacre of the Lakers is their largest over Los Angeles in franchise history.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (17-8)
The 76ers have won four straight games, and J.J. Redick continues to be more than a spark plug for them. Redick is averaging a career-high 18.4 PPG.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (15-7)
The Milwaukee Bucks have played good basketball to begin the season, but a 4-5 road mark is concerning. They lost two below .500 teams away from the Fiserv Forum last week.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (14-7)
14-3. That’s Oklahoma City’s record since a 0-4 start. They are the best defensive team in basketball this season. They are first in defensive rating at 101.4.
6. Golden State Warriors (15-9)
The Golden State Warriors may have back Stephen Curry, but Draymond Green is the key. The Warriors defense has slipped, falling to 18th in defensive rating at 109.7.
7. Los Angeles Clippers (15-7)
How have the Clippers raced out to a surprising start? Their offense. The Clippers are third in the NBA in scoring, averaging 117.2 PPG.
8. Boston Celtics (13-10)
It’s three consecutive victories for Brad Stevens’ Boston Celtics. A scary thought for the rest of the Eastern Conference is that Gordon Hayward may be back. He scored 30 points in Boston’s 118-109 win on Saturday over the Timberwolves.
9. Memphis Grizzlies (13-9)
Jaren Jackson is a future star. The Memphis Grizzlies lottery pick is making a difference early on, and just last Friday poured in a career-high 36 points.
10. Detroit Pistons (13-7)
The Detroit Pistons are 9-3 at home and have started a six-game home-stand that features a win over the Golden State Warriors 5-0. Up next? A stiff test Monday vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.
11. Los Angeles Lakers (14-9)
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers responded to a humiliating defeat to Denver last Tuesday by winning their next three games. They’ll attempt to beat the Spurs for the first time on Wednesday.
12. Portland Trail Blazers (13-10)
The Portland Trail Blazers struggles have continued, with the team dropping consecutive games after dropping three straight.
13. Indiana Pacers (13-10)
Indiana’s four-game road trip didn’t go as well as Nate McMillian would’ve liked, but a 2-2 West coast road trip means the team avoided a losing trip.
14. Houston Rockets (11-11)
Houston’s still relying on the 3-point shot, but their obvious defensive collapse from the team they were a season ago is costing them. They’ll hope to build off their recent two-game streak, however.
15. New Orleans Pelicans (12-12)
The New Orleans Pelicans are third in the NBA in pace (104.6). That’s higher than their league-best 101.6 pace last season.
16. Dallas Mavericks (11-10)
Don’t miss a shot and expect DeAndre Jordan and Dallas not to corral it. The Dallas Mavericks’ 75.1 defensive rebound percentage is third in the NBA.
17. Orlando Magic (11-12)
Among things to improve on for Orlando, offense, the Orlando Magic are 19th in field goal percentage.
18. Sacramento Kings (11-11)
Sacramento is one of the NBA’s most exciting teams in the NBA, and it’s because of how fast they are playing. De’Aaron Fox and the Kings are second in the NBA in pace at 105.8.
19. San Antonio Spurs (11-12)
The San Antonio Spurs had two of their worst losses of the Greg Popovich era this past week, with a 39-point loss in Minnesota followed by a 31-point loss at home to Houston.
20. Charlotte Hornets (11-12)
The Charlotte Hornets need more out of Nicholas Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Both players are averaging under 10 PPG this season.
21. Utah Jazz (11-13)
The Utah Jazz have lost their way on defense. After being the NBA’s best defensive team last season, they have fallen to 14th in defensive rating.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves (11-12)
The Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t getting what they expected out of Andrew Wiggins, who is on pace to shoot a career-low 37 percent from the field.
23. Miami Heat (9-13)
The Miami Heat are one of the NBA’s worst offensive teams, 25th in offensive rating (105.6) and 22nd in PPG (108.2)
24. Washington Wizards (9-14)
The Washington Wizards won’t lose many games when their backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal combine for 68 points like they did last Monday. Wall scored a season-high 36 points in the Wizards 135-131 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.
25. Brooklyn Nets (8-16)
Brooklyn can’t get out of their own way when playing with a lead. The team blew two fourth quarter leads last week at home and have lost six straight.
26. New York Knicks (8-16)
The New York Knicks are experiencing growing pains, but effort like we saw out of them in a 136-134 overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks last Saturday is an example of what they could be if they make that effort consistent.
27. Atlanta Hawks (5-18)
The Atlanta Hawks sure do like playing the Miami Heat. Atlanta is 2-0 vs Miami this season and 3-18 vs. all other teams.
28. Phoenix Suns (4-19)
It’s hard to find one thing the Phoenix Suns Do well. They are tied with the Atlanta Hawks for last in the NBA in point differential at -10.7.
29. Chicago Bulls (5-19)
The Chicago Bulls fired Fred Hoiberg after a 5-19 start. This team on paper has potential, but potential under the wrong leadership leads to nowhere but the lottery.
30. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-18)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are scrapping, even with Kevin Love sidelined. Still, they’ve lost four straight, with the past three coming by a combined 61 points.
What are your thoughts on this week’s NBA Power Rankings? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SELECTION REVEALED: OKLAHOMA GETS IN](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_8799-1.jpg?resize=953%2C640&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Dec 2, 2018 | SPORTS
Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, And Oklahoma Round Out CFP
The committee has spoken, and after an eventful Championship Saturday in college football, the team with the most explosive offense in college football this past season received the nod.
Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma were selected for the College Football Playoff on Sunday afternoon.
The committee did not make a final decision until just before 1:30 am/CT, which speaks to just how compelling a case could be made for Oklahoma, Georgia and Ohio State, but ultimately, it was Oklahoma that got the edge.
The Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) — who entered the game No. 5 — knocked off their bitter rival Texas Longhorns 39-27 in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday.
Heisman hopeful Kyler Murray continued to dazzle, finishing the game with 379 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The Georgia Bulldogs — who entered the game No. 4 and came in at No. 5 behind Oklahoma on Sunday — loss to Alabama 35-28 in the SEC Championship in Saturday. They held double digit leads in both the first and second halves of the game, but ultimately came up short of a victory thanks to Jalen Hurts rallying the Crimson Tide in place of an injured Tua Tagovailoa.
Conference championship won, strength of schedule, Head-to-Head, outcomes of common opponents and other relevant factors.
Georgia finished the season 3rd in FPI and 5th in strength of schedule, better than both Oklahoma and Ohio State, but their 11-2 mark — which included a 20-point loss to LSU — coupled with not winning their conference championship, hurt Kirby Smart’s team.
Georgia surprisingly came in at No. 5 ahead of Ohio State, which highlights that the popular belief that it was a two-team race between Oklahoma and Ohio State for the last playoff spot following yesterday’s games was actually a two-team race between Oklahoma and Georgia.
Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide, who are 13-0 this season, will play Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl.
Dabo Sweeney’s Clemson Tigers, who are also 13-0 this season, will face Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame Irish in the Cotton Bowl.
Both games will take place on December 29th, with the National Championship Game set for January 7th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
What are your thoughts on the College Football Playoff committee’s decision? Did they get it right? Leave your comments below!
