Primetime Preview: Las Vegas Raiders Vs Los Angeles Rams (TNF Week 14)

Primetime Preview: Las Vegas Raiders Vs Los Angeles Rams (TNF Week 14)

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by | Dec 8, 2022 | Featured, NFL

It’s time for Week 14 in the NFL season and both of these teams are not where they expected to be. The Raiders brought in Coach McDaniels and Davante Adams to help Derek Carr but it was off to a rough start. As of late, the Raiders look to have found a nucleus that has worked despite injuries to Darren Waller/Hunter Renfrow. The Raiders have been leaning on Adams and the running game through Josh Jacobs. The LA Rams on the other hand just placed Matthew Stafford on injured reserve with a serious neck injury. It’s been tough because they also lost Cooper Kupp to a foot injury that has him on injured reserve as well. The Rams made headlines on Tuesday as they were the only NFL team to put in a waiver for Baker Mayfield who was released by the Carolina Panthers. The Rams look to throw Baker right into the mix and get him up to speed as they need good quarterback play if they even want a chance to creep into the postseason.

 

The Raiders have had a roller-coaster season as they’re (5-7) on the season and will be looking to make that 6 wins. Last week Derek Carr had 250 yards passing with 2 touchdowns against the Chargers. The Rams defense is a lot tougher on paper as they still have Jalen Ramsey who should be defending Davante Adams. Adams has surpassed 120 receiving yards in 4 of the last 5 games. The way he’s been able to get open against defenses has been nothing short of special. The Rams still don’t know if they will have Aaron Donald who’s been nursing an ankle injury. Josh Jacobs has been the true workhorse that the Raiders have needed him to be this season. Even with injuries and all he’s been able to put up monster numbers the past couple of weeks.

 

 

Jacobs has combined for 373 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in the last two weeks. He will be looking to run against a Rams team that has been beaten up defensively. With the injuries in the offense, these 3 players have put the Raiders on their backs to make sure that they stay in playoff contention. On the defensive end, Max Crosby will be trying to get his hands on Baker Mayfield who will be thrown into the mix for the Rams. The Raiders secondary isn’t that bad but they need improvement going against a Rams team lacking their offensive starters can boost your confidence quickly. This will be one of those games that should put the Raiders back in the mix and they may be able to wiggle into the playoffs if things work out around the league. The Raiders will have to get it done on their end first and hope that the Rams who are out of the playoff hunt don’t spoil their chances.

 

 

The Rams will be starting either Baker Mayfield or John Wolford against the Raiders tonight. It will be a tough matchup because the Raiders are clicking on all cylinders and will be putting up points at a high clip. The Rams don’t have the offensive weapons to keep up but they will try. A positive for the Rams is the fact that Cam Akers has been resurging in this offense and he’s going to be the player they lean on if they want to make this interesting. The Rams will need to use the running game and the defense to keep Derek Carr off the field. Akers had 17 rushes for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns last week so look for that workload to increase.

 

The work will be there for Van Jefferson to flourish in this offense it’s just the fact we don’t know if the quarterback will have the chance to get it to him. The Rams defense still can ball as they have Ramsey and Wagner still being impactful. This will be a tough one as they look to slow down Jacobs and Adams which will be tough. Overall the Rams will be in a slugfest but if they want to win this game they will need to punch first and keep that momentum throughout the whole game. The Rams will need that home-field advantage to come in clutch tonight.

 

 

 

Score Prediction – Las Vegas Raiders 28, Los Angeles Rams 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images) & (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Dec 8, 2022 No Comments
Minnesota Timberwolves Get Thunderstruck Tonight By OKC (135-128)

Minnesota Timberwolves Get Thunderstruck Tonight By OKC (135-128)

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by | Dec 4, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves came into this game against the Thunder fresh off a win against Memphis. It was going to be the 4th game without Karl-Anthony Towns. The Timberwolves had everything going for them tonight but ended up beating themselves. The Timberwolves established the inside game early as no one on the Thunder could slow down Rudy Gobert. The Thunder had no big man in the paint and it seemed as though Rudy was in store for a huge night. That was cut short as Rudy Gobert got into an altercation with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl where he tripped him and things got chippy. Rudy Gobert was hit with a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected from the game. After Rudy got ejected it looked as though the teams started playing at a high pace, especially in the transition game. As that transition game started going for OKC, so did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he could score when he wanted. On the night Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 33 points, 6 assists, and 1 rebound. It didn’t matter who was guarding Shai tonight he made things effortless.

 

Shai was able to put the Thunder on his back and he showed true leadership tonight. The Thunder had 7 players in double figures tonight against the Timberwolves and showed a lot of balance scoring. Josh Giddey had himself a nice stat line as well with 21 points, 7 assists, and 12 rebounds tonight. Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander together will lead the Thunder into the future and that future is very bright. Every time the Timberwolves made a run in this game it seemed as though something went wrong. The Timberwolves had way too many technical fouls tonight (Gobert – Ejected, Russell – Ejected, Edwards, and Anderson) which made it tough for them to stay in this close game. D’Angelo Russell & Anthony Edwards carried the Timberwolves in scoring as they combined for 53 points. Overall the Timberwolves got out hustled in this one and Shai was able to hit some big shots down the stretch.

Dec 4, 2022 No Comments
Anthony Edwards Powers Minnesota To The Victory Over Memphis (109-101)

Anthony Edwards Powers Minnesota To The Victory Over Memphis (109-101)

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by | Nov 30, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves bounced back significantly after losing Karl-Anthony Towns to a calf strain. With Towns sidelined for about 4-6 weeks, it was time for his teammates to step up and they did just that tonight. Wendell Moore Jr got the surprise start tonight against the Grizzlies and his assignment was to guard Ja Morant. Moore Jr did a great job especially when it came to making it tough on Morant and getting back in transition. He might not have filled the stat sheet but he was able to make an impact from a game perspective. Morant and Brooks were ejected from the game as things got chippy, but before they exited the game, they finished with a combined 36 points, 9 assists, and 11 rebounds. Ja Morant was able to still get to the basket but he had to work for his 24 points tonight.

 

In the game, Morant had a crazy alley-oop dunk that got his team hyped and back into the game. Right after that Coach, Finch called the timeout and that’s when Anthony Edwards took over the game. The Grizzlies were hanging around all game long and when things tightened up that’s when Minnesota relies on Edwards. In the game, Anthony Edwards was using his defense to create offense as he was in the passing lanes and he was getting rebounds while starting the fast break. The Grizzlies had no answer for Edwards as he was giving any defender that wanted it buckets. During the game, Dillion Brooks got into a small altercation with Edwards that got him riled up and that woke up the inner beast. Edwards finished the game with 29 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds but was the focal point down the stretch. It’s to be noted that the Timberwolves got a huge contribution from Jaylen Nowell as he was able to drop 24 points off the bench.

 

It seemed like every time the Timberwolves needed a bucket they went to Nowell and he was able to deliver. The best thing about Nowell’s game is that he can come in cold but shoot like he’s hot. He’s been a true professional and showed tonight that no one is able to guard him one on one when he’s locked in. D’Angelo Russell was able to get his teammates involved as he was able to finish with 10 assists on the night. Russell’s one of the best passers in the game and when he can find his teammates in open or tight spaces it’s special and we witnessed that tonight. The Timberwolves got the OKC Thunder coming into town on Saturday and will look to make it two games in a row.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Nov 30, 2022 No Comments
Porzingis’ Career High 41 Points Propels Wizards To Victory Over Minnesota (142-127)

Porzingis’ Career High 41 Points Propels Wizards To Victory Over Minnesota (142-127)

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by | Nov 28, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NFL

The Washington Wizards were on a mission and set the tone early. Kristaps Porzingas was on another level tonight as he was able to get anything he wanted inside and out. It was the outside that Porzingis really made the Timberwolves pay as he was able to hit 6/10 from the 3-point line. Porzingis finished the game with 41 points a new career high and put Washington on his back. The Timberwolves had no answer for the Unicorn as he was able to flourish on both ends of the floor. It didn’t matter who was guarding him between Towns, Gobert, or Reid he was able to make an impact. Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal were able to get to their spots tonight as well scoring with ease.

 

They both combined for 55 points and shot 18/30 from the field as they let Porzingis go off. It was a calm night for Kuzma and Beal as they were able to pick their spots with efficiency. The Wizards had at one point had a 28-point lead and were blowing the Timberwolves out badly. Even with that 28-point deficit, it got even worse when Karl-Anthony Towns got hurt on a non-contact play as he needed help heading to the locker room. Coach Finch had no further updates for the injury all we know is it’s a calf sprain. The Timberwolves need Karl-Anthony Towns if they’re going to move forward this season as they look for a big win against the Grizzlies coming up. The only bright spot in tonight’s game is that the Timberwolves didn’t get super bad news about KAT.

 

Also, they were able to see how things will work with Rudy Gobert as the main big if Towns is out. This Timberwolves team has the potential to be whatever they want to be and it starts with Anthony Edwards. On the night Anthony Edwards had 29 points, 2 assists, and 8 rebounds as he fell short of helping get the win for the Timberwolves. As much as the Timberwolves needed this win it was lost by a lack of energy and hustle plays. The Wizards had 12 steals and were able to force a lot of turnovers and that was a deciding factor in this game as it was just too late, especially after the Towns injury.

 

 

 

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Nov 28, 2022 No Comments
Golden State Warriors Cruise Past The Minnesota Timberwolves (137-114)

Golden State Warriors Cruise Past The Minnesota Timberwolves (137-114)

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by | Nov 27, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Golden State Warriors came out locked in during this contest. The Splash Family wasn’t playing any games as Steph, Klay, and Jordan were making things tough on Minnesota. The Warriors came out and scored 47 points in that 1st quarter which set the tone for the rest of the game as the Timberwolves were clawing to get back into the game all night. The ball movement for the Warriors was on full display as the Timberwolves were having trouble early with all the cuts and screens that come to play when facing Golden State. It was a special night for the Splash Family as Stephen Curry led the way with 25 points, 8 assists, and 11 rebounds. Curry was making some of those unbelievable shots and was able to get his team involved when he needed to. One of those teammates with that he was able to get involved was Klay Thompson.

 

Once the Timberwolves were trying to slow down Curry with multiple defenders that’s when Klay was able to get his jumper and some open looks. Thompson finished with 21 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds on the night. Klay made a huge effort on the defensive end as he was guarding Russell, Edwards, and Austin Rivers throughout the game. Coming off the bench Jordan Poole was able to add 24 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Poole was able to make some shots that were really tough in transition but proved that he is capable. Draymond Green had a big game as he was the ball handler and his 11 assists show that he was finding his teammates. Green had 19 points but the majority of them were in transition and he even was hitting 3-pointers.

 

The Timberwolves found themselves down by 28 points and it was looking really rough early on. Anthony Edwards was the bright spot for the Timberwolves as he was able to beat a lot of the Warriors off the dribble. Edwards can create his own shot and was putting on a show in the second half with Klay/Wiggins on him. Tonight it was Edwards 26 points that kept them in this game but it was too much trying to catch up. The Timberwolves ran into a well-oiled machine in Golden State but this is a great lesson for Minnesota as they get to see how a championship team operates. Minnesota will be taking on the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Wednesday as they look to get back into the win column. Ja Morant will be a tough player to slow down but the Minnesota crowd will be ready to help especially since they still want revenge for the playoffs series.

Nov 27, 2022 No Comments