![[SPORTS] KNICKS FOLD IN FOURTH QUARTER IN LOSS TO WIZARDS](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8450-1.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 5, 2018 | SPORTS
Knicks Fall On The Road In D.C.
A trip to the nation’s Capitol provided the New York Knicks with an opportunity to extend the Washington Wizards early season slide.
Still learning and still with much to improve upon, the New York Knicks couldn’t make it two-in-a-row away from home.
The Washington Wizards sent the New York Knicks back to the drawing board with a 108-95 victory at Capitol One Arena.
John Wall led the charge for the slumping Washington Wizards with 26 points, seven assists and five steals as the Wizards snapped their five-game losing streak.
His All-Star backcourt mate Bradley Beal would add 22 points, eight rebounds and three assists as the Wizards duo thrived versus New York.
Wall guided the Wizards with dazzling defense and finishing ability at the rim as the Knicks were left scrambling to keep up with the five-time All-Star.
Washington started strong and finished strong in this one as they stifled the Knicks offense to begin and end the game.
The Wizards made amends for an embarrassing showing on Friday night vs the Oklahoma City Thunder when they lost 134-111 at home.
Enes Kanter scored a team-high 18 points while grabbing 12 rebounds off the bench as he was one of the lone bright spots on the night.
Finishing the fourth quarter continued to be a issue permeating the New York Knicks on Sunday evening as they went into the tank over the final six minutes of the game.
After a basket by Allonzo Trier at the 5:56 mark of the fourth quarter to slice Washington’s advantage to four, the Knicks would fall apart as Washington built a 11-point lead in less than two minutes.
It was a frustrating game for New York, who repeatedly sent the Washington Wizards to the free throw line as they shot 39 free throws compared to only 16 for themselves as they fell to 3-7 this season.
The free throw disparity was not lost on David Fizdale, who was in the referees ears on several calls during the game.
Free throws or not, the New York Knicks have to start getting more scoring production out of Frank Ntilikina, who continues to struggle with his shot as he scored only six points on Sunday.
The Knicks also won’t win many games turning the ball over 20 times, as they did in this one.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had a quiet night with 10 points, but he’s a player you trust to bounce back as he came in averaging 25.1 PPG.
The New York Knicks will look to get back on a winning track when they host the Chicago Bulls on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
What are your takeaways from the Knicks latest loss? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] UFC 230 RECAP: CORMIER CRUISES PAST LEWIS FOR 2ND ROUND SUBMISSION WIN](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8443-1.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 4, 2018 | SPORTS
Cormier Makes Short Work Of Overmatched Beast In NYC
Daniel Cormier emphatically stated ahead of his UFC 230 main event that he is the greatest of all-time.
In order to continue to build on his case, he had to chop down a man who’s shown he won’t quit no matter the circumstances.
Daniel Cormier (22-1, 11-1 UFC) defeated Derrick Lewis (21-6, 12-4 UFC) by 2nd-Round submission on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain his UFC heavyweight title.
A sizable favorite coming in, Daniel Cormier felt that people were overlooking the challenge that his octagon foe Derrick Lewis brought to the table.
With that said, Cormier felt he was on a different level from the Houston native, and he proved that on Saturday night at a sold out Madison Square Garden.
Cormier completed a takedown less than a minute into the fight after Lewis opened up with a few hard kicks to the legs and body on Cormier.
After taking some ground and pound from the bottom, Lewis would power his way up, only to be taken down again with a single leg by the 39-year-old champion.
The champion dominated control in the round, while landing his share of hard blows on the challenger who was fighting for the second time in less than a month.
In round two he would land two takedowns, including an ankle pick takedown on Lewis. He would get ahold of a panicking Lewis from behind and secure a rear naked choke on Lewis, who would tap out almost instantly.
This was a result most were expecting when the fight was announced last month as Daniel Cormier’s huge advantages in experience, grappling and overall completeness as a fighter made Derrick Lewis a mere afterthought with a puncher’s chance.
“DC” won the UFC heavyweight title back in July vs Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 by 1st-Round KO to become just the second fighter in UFC history to win a title while already holding a current title belt in a different weight class.
With his dominant victory on Saturday night that hardly required him to break a sweat, he continued to add to his legacy that grows each time he steps into the octagon.
Cormier became the first fighter in UFC history to defend both the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight titles.
UFC 230 Results
Jacare Souza uses right hand shot to pick up 3rd Round KO over Chris Weidman
Jared Cannonier stuns David Branch with 2nd Round TKO victory
Karl Roberson puts forth strong showing in unanimous decision win over Jack Marshman
Israel Adesanya smokes Derek Brunson with violent attack in 1st Round KO win
Jordan Rinaldi outclasses Jason Knight in dominant unanimous decision triumph
Sijara Eubanks outmuscles Roxanne Modafferi for unanimous decision win
Sheymon Moraes ekes out split-decision win over Julio Arce
Lyman Good’s thunderous onslaught overwhelms Ben Saunders in 1st Round KO win
Matt Frevola and Lando Vannata fight to a majority draw in tight contest
Shane Burgos uses armbar for 1st Round submission win over Kurt Holobaugh
Marcos Rogerio de Lima steady in unanimous decision win over Adam Wieczorek
What are your takeaways from UFC 230? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] BERCHELT STARCHES ROMAN WITH 9TH ROUND TKO WIN TO RETAIN TITLE](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8442-1.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 4, 2018 | SPORTS
Junior Lightweight Kingpin Continues Roll
When two prideful Mexican warriors collide, fireworks are anticipated. Both Miguel Berchelt and Miguel Roman ahead of their bout promised to continue on that proud tradition.
Miguel Berchelt (35-1, 31 KOs) defeated Miguel Roman (60-13, 47 KOs) by 9th-Round TKO on Saturday night at the Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso to retain his WBC junior lightweight title.
It wasn’t easy by any stretch, and bumpy for quite a while, but Miguel Berchelt proved to be too much for his fellow Mexican adversary in a blood and guts battle in El Paso.
The earlier rounds saw the 32-year-old Miguel Roman put the pressure on against the 26-year-old world champion, who countered by throwing haymakers that would find Roman’s chin as it did in round three.
There were blistering combinations exchanged by the two at times, but far more work was done by Roman in close quarters, who eliminated Berchelt’s reach and size advantage by fighting on the inside when he could.
It was a pro crowd for Roman, who arguably built a lead on the scorecards against a fighter who was facing true adversity versus a crafty and relentless slugger.
Berchelt turned the tide in the middle rounds, with rounds six and seven being particularly dominant as he brutalized and dropped the long-time veteran in the sixth before breaking him down with hard combinations in the seventh, forcing Roman for the first time in the fight to take a back foot.
Durable and tough, Roman got back to his feet after another knockdown in round nine and would fight on, but it would only be a matter of time before Berchelt ended the war.
A ferocious volley of punches by Berchelt vs a wounded and battered Roman against the ropes to force referee Jon Schorle to stop the fight with less than 10 seconds remaining in the ninth round.
Berchelt, thought to be a young and raw prospect with much to improve on, stunned a national audience when he dominated fellow Mexican warrior Francisco Vargas in a 11th-Round KO victory back on January 28th, 2017 to win the WBC junior lightweight title.
Since then, all the Cancun, Quintana Roo born boxer-puncher has done is punch his way to an impressive title reign to this point.
With notable victories over Francisco Vargas, Takashi Miura, Maxwell Awuku, Jonathan Victor Berrios and now Miguel Roman, Berchelt has solidified himself as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
He only continues to get better, and he only continues to get stronger with each appearance.
No one is knocking down Miguel Berchelt’s door to fight him, and while that may be disappointing in the immediate future of his career, title holders in his weight class won’t be able to run forever.
That is the reality of the matter.
What are your thoughts on Miguel Berchelt as a top pound-for-pound fighter? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] SECOND-HALF SURGE OVERWHELMS MAVERICKS IN KNICKS’ VICTORY](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8437.jpg?resize=640%2C360&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 3, 2018 | SPORTS
Trier Helps Guide Knicks To First Road Win
Road victories have eluded the the New York Knicks, and a trip to Texas would be their fourth crack at getting that monkey off their backs.
The New York Knicks defeated the Dallas Mavericks 118-106 on Friday night at the American Airlines Center to win their first road game of the season.
Allonzo Trier shined for the New York Knicks with a team-high 23 points on Friday night. The exciting rookie guard scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half where New York would pull away.
Seven New York Knicks finished with double-figure scoring, including four off the bench.
New York flipped the switch on the Dallas Mavericks in the second half as they outscored Dallas 33-18 in the third quarter as they erased Dallas’ slim halftime edge.
They would maintain their lead in the fourth quarter, finally closing out a close one after previous efforts went awry.
The Knicks bench was at its best as they produced a season-high 65 points in a dominating showing in the Lone Star State.
David Fizdale’s team shot 54.8 percent from the field, offsetting a poor night from beyond the arc as they shot only 24.1 percent from 3-point range.
Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Luka Donic finished with 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists.
Dennis Smith Jr., another talented young player on the Mavericks, scored a team-high 23 points on Friday.
Dallas shot 49.4 percent from the field, but were sloppy with the basketball as they committed 19 turnovers over the course of the game.
The New York Knicks have continued a trend of winning in impressive fashion as they have now won by a combined 50 points this season in their three victories.
The New York Knicks will look to continue their winning ways on Sunday evening when they visit Capital One Arena to face the skidding Washington Wizards.
What are your thoughts on the New York Knicks strong road win on Friday? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] NETS CAN’T CONTAIN ROCKETS’ PAUL IN LOSS AT BARCLAYS](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8436.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 3, 2018 | SPORTS
CP3 Toys With Nets In Tough Loss For Brooklyn
The Nets are still trying to check off one of their bucket list goals this season after a setback in their latest game.
The Houston Rockets defeated the Brooklyn Nets 119-111 on Friday night at the Barclays Center to deny Brooklyn of consecutive wins.
Chris Paul finished the game with 32 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks for the slumping Rockets, who ended a four-game losing streak on Friday night.
Carmelo Anthony would light it up off the bench in his return to New York with 26 points while hitting six 3-pointers in 25 minutes of action.
‘CP3’ was a hard a check on the night for the Brooklyn Nets as he dominated at the Barclays Center on Friday night.
The all-world point guard picked up the slack with reigning NBA MVP James Harden missing his third consecutive game with a hamstring injury.
Kenny Atkinson’s team couldn’t miss in the first half as they shot 64.9 percent in the first half while hitting seven 3-pointers.
They held a 14-point second quarter edge after a Spencer Dinwiddie 3-pointer with a little over three minutes to go in the half, but saw Houston slice their deficit to five going into the locker room as it was a 61-56 halftime lead for Brooklyn.
The problem was their inability to stop dribble penetration from Paul, who wheeled and dealed his way around Nets defenders all night long.
The Rockets even without James Harden are a team that doesn’t need help from the opposing team. It’s why Brooklyn’s efforts in the paint defensively on the night were especially disappointing as Clint Capela scored 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting on mostly easy shots at the rim.
Caris LeVert started hot and finished as the Nets leading man with a team-high 25 points on the night.
Both teams shot 49 percent from the field while hitting 15 3-pointers each, with Brooklyn holding the edge in percentage with a 44 percent clip from beyond the arc compared to 38 for Houston.
The Houston Rockets made 22 of 32 free throw attempts while limiting Brooklyn to 20 free throw attempts.
It’s yet another frustrating defeat for the Nets, who fell to 3-5 on the season,
The Brooklyn Nets will host the Philadelphia 76ers at the Barclays Center on Sunday evening in their first of four matchups this season.
What are your takeaways from tonight’s game? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] UFC 230 MAIN CARD/PRELIMS PREDICTIONS](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8428-1-1.jpg?resize=750%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 2, 2018 | SPORTS
Who Will Leave UFC 230 As Heavyweight Champion?
The UFC returns to Madison Square Garden for the third consecutive year as Daniel Cormier will put his UFC heavyweight title on the line vs No. 2 ranked heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis in the UFC 230 main event.
Cormier holds both the the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight title belts, and will look to hold off “The Black Beast”, who is on a scary KO terrain in the heavyweight division.
It’s a stacked card from top to bottom with exciting matchups that should send fans in the Garden home happy.
Not to flap my gums any longer, let’s jump into the predictions for the main card and prelims for this Saturday’s PPV event.
Daniel Cormier (-700) vs Derrick Lewis (+450)
Daniel Cormier is a huge favorite going into his first UFC heavyweight title defense vs the dangerous Derrick Lewis, and for good reason. Cormier is superior in terms of hand speed, mobility, fight IQ, technique, motor, and wrestling. To put it bluntly, Daniel Cormier is a better mixed-martial artist than the Houston native.
So how does Derrick Lewis have a chance in this one? His knockout power. He’s a ferocious slugger and brawler, something he prides himself in. And as we saw vs Alexander Volkov last month at UFC 229, with his back against the wall and in deep waters, he can dig through and still display his frightening punch power which has led to him winning nine out of his past 10 octagon appearances.
A few things concern me with Lewis right off the bat, though. One, he’s coming off a fight less than a month ago, historically that’s a bad omen. Two, he’s fighting a guy who will punish his body and push him to his limits. This is the most concerning because Lewis’ gasses in fights fairly quickly and sometimes can be so prodding in his attack and approach that he’s unprepared for grappling exchanges and takedown attempts.
We’ve seen Daniel Cormier push men far more durable and with a better toolbox than Lewis to their limits and broke them. Yes, it’s a huge risk for Daniel Cormier. He’s 39 years old fighting a man who only needs one good punch to put his foes to sleep, but Cormier is far too polished a fighter and too sophisticated in his thinking.
While we all love us some Derrick Lewis, he’s in over his head here and we all know he’s happy just to be here (for the check). He’ll be dominated soundly in this one by a superior fighter.
Prediction: Daniel Cormier by Round 3 TKO
Chris Weidman (-185) vs Jacare Souza (+150)
Once upon a time Jacare Souza was the scariest man walking the earth at 185 pounds. How quickly things have changed. He’s looked mortal with three losses over his last three fights. Considering this is a short notice opponent flip for both, Weidman is more equipped to handle his adversary in this one than the other way around. Keeping a steady pace against Souza on the feet, Weidman inches closer to a title shot.
Prediction: Chris Weidman by unanimous decision
David Branch (-370) vs Jared Cannonier (+280)
David Branch was set for a much more difficult matchup with Jacare Souza before Luke Rockhold pulled out of his co-main event bout with Chris Weidman a little over a week ago. Now he gets Jared Cannonier, who has remarkably bounced from light heavyweight to middleweight in recent fights. Cannonier is exciting and rugged, but is in tough going up against a New York native here who will build off his most recent win over Thiago Santos here.
Prediction: David Branch by unanimous decision
Karl Roberson (-275) vs Jack Marshman (+250)
The Dana White Tuesday Night Contenders Series fighter Karl Roberson is 1-1 in his early UFC career, and while there’s potential there, there’s also plenty of room for improvement. Jack Marshman has been in the cage far more than Roberson and has solid power, but he’s also a guy suspectible to giving up his neck on the ground. That’s the difference here.
Prediction: Karl Roberson by Round 2 SUB
Israel Adesanya (-335) vs Derek Brunson (+255)
Israel Adesanya showed he wasn’t a product of hype in his five-round demolition of Brad Tavares back in July in his last fight. He gets a better wrestler in Derek Brunson here, but a wrestler who at times can get sloppy on the feet with his hands down and his chin in the air coming forward. Brunson is a dangerous striker, but we are looking at a fighter in Adesanya ahead of the game and actually is improving as a grappler. The roll continues for “The Style Bender”.
Prediction: Israel Adesanya by Round 3 TKO
Prelims
Jason Knight vs Jordan Rinaldi
Jason Knight by Round 3 SUB
Sijara Eubanks vs Roxanne Modafferi
Sijara Eubanks by Round 2 SUB
Julio Arce vs Sheymon Moraes
Julio Arce by Round 2 TKO
Lyman Good vs Ben Saunders
Lyman Good by Round 3 TKO
Matt Frevola vs Lando Vannata
Matt Frevola by unanimous decision
Shane Burgos vs Kurt Holobaugh
Shane Burgos by Round 1 KO
Brian Kelleher vs Montel Jackson
Brian Kelleher by split-decision
Adam Wieczorek vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Marcos Rogerio de Lima by Round 1 KO
What are your thoughts on UFC 230? Leave your comments below!
