by sloppyvinyl | Nov 6, 2018 | SPORTS
Third-Year Guard Sizzles For 48 Points vs Celtics
Have a day young man!
That’s exactly what Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray did vs the Boston Celtics in a marque matchup on Monday night.
Murray exploded for a career-high 48 points vs the Boston Celtics on Monday night at the Pepsi Center in the Denver Nuggets 115-107 victory.
Murray filled it up all night vs Boston’s defense, scoring 19 of Denver’s 27 points as he was up to the task in putting the now 9-1 Denver Nuggets on his back.
https://twitter.com/danfavale/status/1059662303220641793
Murray finished the game shooting 19-for-30 from the field while hitting five treys from deep.
The 21-year-old guard came into tonight’s action averaging only 15.7 PPG on 42 percent shooting.
His previous career-high was 38 points last January vs the Portland Trail Blazers in a 104-101 Nuggets win in Denver.
The Denver Nuggets will look to extend their winning streak to six games when they visit FedExForum to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
How good of a player can Jamal Murray being in the NBA? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 6, 2018 | SPORTS
Mets Ace deGrom Among Finalist For NL Cy Young
On Monday night the MLB revealed who the finalists will be for the AL and NL MVP and Cy Young Awards for each respective league for the 2018 season.
Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, and Jose Ramirez finished in the top three among AL MVP finalists. Meanwhile Nolan Arenado, Christian Yelich and Javier Baez finishes in the top three among NL MVP finalists.
When it came to the hurlers, Justin Verlander, Blake Snell and Corey Kluber round out the AL Cy Young finalists. On the NL side, Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Aaron Nola make up the NL Cy Young finalists.
The question now is this, who should win?
On the AL side, I predicted before the season that Mike Trout would win AL MVP, but I’d feel pretty guilty in not giving the nod to Mookie Betts here.
Betts was one of two Boston Red Sox I felt should’ve been a top three finalist for the AL MVP. No disrespect to Jose Ramirez, but he bottomed out as a hitter in the second half of the season as he barely topped the .270 mark as a hitter.
J.D. Martinez, on the other hand, finished with a .330 batting average with 43 home runs and 130 RBIs. Even if you want to hold being a designated-hitter against him, those numbers speak for themselves.
Betts was unbelievable with the bat and on defense and won the batting title this year while hitting 32 homers.
The AL Cy Young is a tough one, but I’ll go with the only 20-game winner this season in Blake Snell.
As for the NL MVP, if anyone besides Christian Fricken Yelich wins the award I’m boycotting the MLB from that day forward.
The New York homer in me wants to see Jacob deGrom win the award, but I’m going to go with Max Scherzer here.
While deGrom has a case with his team’s horrendous offense and him being able to mostly negate that by going deep into just about every game this season with two earned runs or fewer, Scherzer’s got him beat in mostly every other statistical category and also received little run support. At the end of the day, wins will always play a factor in this award being won (See Rick Porcello in 2016).
But that’s my thoughts, what are yours? Leave your award winners below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 6, 2018 | SPORTS
Titans Get Back On Track With Win In Big D
Trading for Amari Cooper two weeks ago was in the Cowboys eyes a move made with the focus on winning now.
The former Oakland Raider would make a strong first impression with his new team, but the Cowboys as a whole were stuck in neutral as an offense thereafter by a rugged and tough-minded Titans defense.
The Tennessee Titans upended the Dallas Cowboys 28-14 on Monday night at AT&T Stadium to get back to .500.
Marcus Mariota would throw for 240 passing yards and have a total of three touchdowns (one rushing) in the Titans victory. He also ran for 36 rushing yards.
Dion Lewis would chip in with 114 total yards from scrimmage while scoring on a touchdown reception.
In a battle of two of the top scoring defenses in the NFL this season, it was the Tennessee Titans, which rose to the challenge.
Tennessee got after Dak Prescott all night as they tallied five sacks while forcing him into a red zone interception and a fumble. They would stymie the Dallas Cowboys rushing attack as Ezekiel Elliot was held to 3.6 yards per carry.
The Titans offense, mired in a season long funk, produced one of their better performances of the season vs a tough Cowboys defense.
Tennessee out-gained Dallas 340-297 on Monday night. They also went 4-for-5 in the red zone.
The Tennessee Titans (4-4) came in 20th in the NFL in third down conversion percentage but would have a huge night concerting third downs as they went 11-for-14.
It was a bumpy ride to begin the game with two turnovers in the first quarter, but Mike Vrabel’s team showed resilience and fight as they punched the Cowboys in the mouth in Jerry World.
The Titans came in losers of three straight, with their last being a heartbreaking 20-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in London at Wembley Stadium.
With the Houston Texans taking off for six straight wins, this was a much-needed victory for the Tennessee trying to keep pace.
The Cowboys lost oft injured linebacker and team captain Sean Lee to a hamstring injury at the beginning of the third quarter, which would loom large in the second half.
Newly acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper scored his first touchdown in a Dallas Cowboys uniform in the first quarter when he beat Titans cornerback Malcom Butler for a 4-yard score to put Dallas up 7-0.
He would finish the game with five receptions for 58 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Dak Prescott was roughed up on the night as he managed to throw for 243 passing yards and two touchdowns with an interception and a lost fumble.
Ezekiel Elliot would finish with 112 total yards from scrimmage, but was kept out of the end zone for a second straight game.
DeMarcus Lawrence strip sack set up the Cowboys deep in Titans territory for their first points of the game.
The Cowboys would record four sacks on the night, giving them 23 for the season so far.
It’s going to be a long road for the Dallas Cowboys trying to win the NFC East as their upcoming schedule is less than favorable.
Having lost tonight with the offense looking mostly inept even with the addition of Amari Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys, who fell to 3-5, are in a virtual must-win next Sunday night vs the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
In third place behind the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles, there’s little margin from error here on out for the Cowboys. Based off what we’ve seen, there isn’t much of a chance that Dallas is capable of locking in and sustaining success as they have yet to win back-to-back games this season.
For Tennessee, this win has to become a distant memory with the New England Patriots making a visit to Nissan Stadium to play the Titans next Sunday afternoon in a Patriots reunion between Bill Belichick and his former player now head coach Mike Vrabel.
It’ll be a rematch of the AFC Divisional playoff game last season where the New England Patriots dominated the Titans in a 35-14 win.
Win that game, and their previous losses prior to Monday night’s game becomes a distant memory.
What are your thoughts on the Tennessee Titans victory on Monday night? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 6, 2018 | SPORTS
Knicks Drop Marathon In Excruciating Fashion
The best aspect about the New York Knicks previous loss was that they had a chance to rectify their setback 24 hours later at home vs a team that in ways mirrors their own.
Fighting through a second night of a back-to-back, the Knicks fell short in their most painful loss of the season to date.
The Chicago Bills defeated the New York Knicks 116-115 in double overtime on Monday night at Madison Square Garden to send the Knicks to to a record of 3-8.
Zach LaVine, who came in averaging 26.6 PPG, led the Chicago Bulls with a career-high 41 points at the Garden.
The talented guard hit big shots throughout the game for the Chicago Bulls, including the go-ahead free throw after he was fouled by Emanuel Mudiay with 0.2 seconds remaining in the game.
It was a tough night for both teams, with points hard to come by in half court sets. The Chicago Bulls shot 45 percent from the field while the New York Knicks were limited to 38 percent from the field.
David Fizdale’s Knicks couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn on Monday night, looking like a team that was tired offensively rather than a team that had extra legs for the second night of a back-to-back.
While unable to make shots with consistency, the New York Knicks weren’t devoid of energy in other places as they saw contributions on the glass and on the defensive end that helped them stay in this game despite shooting well under 40 percent throughout.
Enes Kanter had a huge night off the bench as he recorded 23 points and 24 rebounds off the bench for New York, becoming the first player in the shot clock era to accomplish that feat as a reserve.
With Tim Hardaway Jr. out for the Knicks, upstart rookie guard Allonzo Trier would get his first start.
Having sparked the Knicks last Friday in a win over Dallas with 23 points, the young guard would struggle with his shot early but would come on late.
Trier tied the game at 102-102 with a 3-pointer with 49.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
New York had several opportunities to win this game having the ball in their hands with a chance to take the lead, but failing to do so in incriminating fashion.
The Knicks defensive intensity was not lacking, despite failing to get a handle of the Bulls sensational 23-year-old guard.
That is the bright spot for the New York Knicks on the night, that in spite of a porous shooting night and playing the second of a back-to-back, the team didn’t quit out there.
One point of questioning is the late game decision making of David Fizdale, who ran isolation plays for Allonzo Trier, who finished with 21 points on just 33 percent shooting, in the winding moments in the fourth quarter and the first overtime period.
Trier had been cold throughout the night with his shot. Surely, Enes Kanter was a better option in the low post play to score against the Bulls on the inside, but he failed to get going offensively with few touches in the overtime periods.
There was also the inbounds turnover by Mudiay in the first overtime period with under five seconds to play and a the missed tip-in by Mario Hezonja at the end of regulation.
Those plays only added to New York’s woes as they know they let a win slip through their finger tips on Monday night.
The New York Knicks will look to erase the sting of their latest loss when they face the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Wednesday night.
What are your takeaways from tonight’s Knicks game? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 5, 2018 | SPORTS
Saints Blow Huge Lead But Still Come Out On Top
Much like the week before, the early Sunday slate of games were mostly blowouts as we saw Nathan Peterman turn the Chicago Bears into the NFL’s best defense again.
The Carolina Panthers hung 42 on the board vs the matador Buccaneers defense, the Chiefs kept Chiefing, Vikings sacked the Lions, and Atlanta continued to breath life back into their season with a blowout win at FedEx Field vs the Redskins.
Luckily, the best was saved for last and we certainly got some entertaining action in the later afternoon games that provided high drama and memorable snapshots for the week.
Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s NFL Week 9 action below.
Brees, Saints Hang On To Thwart Unbeaten Rams
Mercury Morris and the 72′ Miami Dolphins can now safely pop those champagne bottles.
The New Orleans Saints escaped the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with a 45-35 victory over the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon.
In a game expected to produce a lot of points, it did not disappoint.
Drew Brees threw for 346 passing yards and four touchdowns as the Saints nearly blew what was once a 21-point lead in the first half.
Alvin Kamara would finish with 116 total yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns (one receiving) in the win.
Michael Thomas set a new career-high and franchise-record with 211 receiving yards, which included a dagger 72-yard touchdown with 3:52 remaining in the game that put the Saints up 10.
The Saints came out guns blazing with the Rams defense having little next to no answer for the offensive firepower of Sean Payton’s team.
As quickly as they fell behind, they would soon make it a game in the second half.
Jared Goff, who finished with 391 passing yards and three touchdowns with an interception, helped rally the Rams to a tie game after a 41-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp tied the game at 35-35 with 9:48 remaining.
The Los Angeles Rams, however, were unable to get points after their defense forced New Orleans into a field goal on the ensuing possession and saw Michael Thomas, as previously mentioned, beat Marcus Peters for the big touchdown.
Los Angeles (8-1) had been playing with fire in four out of their past five games coming in, winning those games by an average of 3.5 points.
Their defensive woes finally caught up with them as they’ll now be looking to avoid consecutive losses with the Seattle Seahawks coming to town next.
For the New Orleans Saints, it’s a win of major importance, with tiebreaker implications looming large for the top seed in the NFC.
The New Orleans Saints (7-1) have a daunting schedule the rest of the way, but they’ve proven to be up to the task having navigated through a tough schedule already to this point.
The Saints defense gave up a 21-point lead, but their offense didn’t help much with short possessions resulting in Los Angeles getting the ball back.
This is to say that unit is rounding into form, something that should prove to vital as they begin their second half schedule.
Brady Wins Battle With Rodgers In Foxboro
The matchup didn’t live up to the hype, but we saw one team continuing to excel even while undermanned and leaving plays on the field while the other continued to show why they are now in a mid-season crisis.
The New England Patriots defeated the Green Bay Packers 31-17 on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium to win their sixth straight game.
Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, two of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks ever, locked horns for just the second time, and it was Brady who got the upper hand this time around.
Tom Brady finished the game with 294 passing yards and one touchdown pass as the Patriots overcame the absence of three key offensive players.
James White would continue his strong season with 103 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
New England outscored Green Bay 14-0 in the fourth quarter as they moved to 5-0 at home in 2018.
It was a night in which defensively the New England Patriots rose to the challenge vs the two-time NFL MVP as they limited Aaron Rodgers to a 55.8 completion percentage.
Aaron Rodgers finished with 259 passing yards and two touchdowns, but he had trouble finding men downfield against New England’s strong secondary.
We didn’t get a shootout, but this was a very competitive game as the Packers defense hung in there for three plus quarters with the Patriots.
Looking to be driving for a go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the tide would turn after Patriots defensive end Lawrence Guy forced running back Aaron Jones into a fumble that would be recovered by a standout on the night for New England, Stephen Gilmore.
After the fumble, New England went on a 10 play, 76 yard touchdown drive to take a 24-17 lead. They would then virtually put the game with a 55-yard touchdown reception from Josh Gordon on their next possession after forcing a three-and-out.
New England (7-2) didn’t play its best football offensively, admittedly, and a big reason why is because they were without Rob Gronkowski for the second time in the past three games as well as running back Sony Michel and right guard Shaq Mason.
To have seen the results they did without them is a testimony to Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels ability to game-plan and make adjustments on the fly.
The New England Patriots will visit the Tennessee Titans next Sunday as they look to extend their winning streak to seven.
Chargers Stop Wilson, Seahawks Comeback Bid Late
The Los Angeles Chargers may be in the market for a new kicker before too long, but that didn’t stop them from getting a win in one of the NFL’s toughest venues.
The Los Angeles Chargers eked out a 25-17 victory vs the Seattle Seahawks after they stopped the Seattle on the final play of the game in the red zone.
Phillip Rivers threw for 228 passing yards and two touchdowns as the Chargers won their fifth straight game.
The Chargers got a strong performance out of Melvin Gordon, 113 rushing yards and one touchdown.
In a game where they were mostly in control and appeared to have wrapped up after a pick-six of Russell Wilson in the fourth quarter, the Chargers nearly blew this one in the end.
The Seahawks marched down the field on a 14 play/54 yard drive to make it a eight-point game with under two minutes to go before forcing Los Angeles into a three-and-out.
The Seahawks would then drive deep into Chargers territory with one shot at the end zone with five seconds remaining on 4th and 2.
A pass interference penalty on Michael Davis in the end zone with no time remaining would set the Seahawks up with a 1st and Goal at the one-yard line that would be moved to the six-yard line after a false start penalty.
Looking a last gasp miracle, Russell Wilson would be let down by wide receiver David Moore, who dropped a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone as the game ended.
Coming off of a bye week, Anthony Lynn’s defense looked sharp in limiting Seattle to three points for much of the game after they had scored on the opening drive of the game.
It was the hiccup at the end by Caleb Sturgis (missed extra point) and the defense that Lynn (and Chargers fans) can do without. The team is fortunate for the second straight game to escape with a win after a team had an opportunity to either tie or win the game in the final moments.
Nonetheless, this Chargers team is moving towards a playoff birth at the very least and will have something to say about the AFC West when they meet the Chiefs later this season.
Connor, Steelers Get Revenge In Baltimore
It was “Ravens week” for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and with vengeance on their minds, they left their rivals in ruins.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-16 on Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium to win their fourth straight game.
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 270 passing yards and three total touchdowns (one rushing) as he helped Pittsburgh avenge a Week 4 loss at home to Baltimore.
James Connor led the way for the Steelers on ground and played a huge role in the passing game as he finished with 163 total yards, including 107 rushing.
He also scored on a touchdown reception.The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2-1) came into this game looking to make a statement against their arch-nemesis, and they did just that.
In a hard-hitting game, it was the Steelers doing most of the hitting. Not just on defense, but offense as well as Pittsburgh dominated in the trenches.
The Steelers defense continued its roll by holding Baltimore to 265 total yards, including 61 rushing yards.
The game was won not only in the trenches, but also on third down as the Steelers went 10-for-16 on third down while Baltimore went 4-for-12 on third down.
Pittsburgh may have eliminated their top threats to an AFC North title in the Baltimore Ravens, who’s swoon hit three games after the loss.
Considering a loss would of hurt the Steelers ability to win a tiebreaker with Baltimore, this is a huge victory for Mike Tomlin’s team who look better by the week.
What are your thoughts from Week 9? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 5, 2018 | SPORTS
Nets Close Out Home-Stand With A Win
Coming off a disappointing loss on Friday, the Brooklyn Nets wanted to finish out their three-game home-stand with a victory before heading West.
The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 122-97 on Sunday evening at the Barclays Center to bounce back.
D’Angelo Russell and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson both scored 21 points apiece as the Nets finished out their home-stand 2-1 and kept the 76ers winless on the road.
Brooklyn used a strong second half to overwhelm Philadelphia, turning a close game at the half into a laugher.
The Brooklyn Nets dominated the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half as they outscored Philadelphia 71-50, including a 41-point third quarter barrage.
It wasn’t a great night shooting from beyond the arc for Brooklyn as they shot 9-for-28 from 3, but they more than made up for it by bullying Philadelphia in the paint for a season-high 70 points.
It was the best bench performance by the Nets to this point, who contributed 49 points. Hollis-Jefferson was a big part of that as the team fed off his energy on offense and defense in their first of four matchups this season with their divisional rival 76ers.
Ben Simmons led the Philadelphia 76ers with 20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals.
While Simmons filled up the boxscore as he typically does, he also committed five turnovers as he continues to give the ball away this season.
The Philadelphia 76ers as a whole committed 28 turnovers on the night, with Joel Embiid and Robert Covington also committing five turnovers separately.
Those turnovers would prove costly as Brooklyn scores 39 points off of Philadelphia’s sloppy play with the basketball.
While they failed to take care of business at home vs the James Harden-less Houston Rockets on Friday, this win will feel good as they head out West for a difficult four-game road trip.
The Brooklyn Nets will visit Talking Stick Resort Arena to take on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
What are your thoughts on the Nets victory over the 76ers on Sunday? Leave your comments below!