SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Portland Trail Blazers Vs. Denver Nuggets

SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Portland Trail Blazers Vs. Denver Nuggets

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by | Dec 13, 2019 | Featured, NBA

The second game of the Thursday NBA on TNT doubleheader features a rematch of an epic 2019 Western Conference semifinal series back in May as the Portland Trail Blazers visit the site of their humongous upset over last year’s No. 2 seed in the West, the Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. EST.

This matchup captures more storylines than one. Carmelo Anthony returns to the very building and organization he gave all of his efforts to for eight years, as he’ll duel with the Nuggets for the first time this season and for the first time as a Blazer. Crazy stat: he’s never won a game in Denver while wearing an opposing jersey. After the Nuggets’ sketchy 1-3 road trip, they return to the Pepsi Center to make sure that stat stays that way.

Though the Blazers are always a strong team with the tedious-to-guard trio of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Anthony, so far this season they have struggled getting out of the gates at just a middle-of-the-pack 10-15 record. That first loss came by way of Denver on opening night.

Luckily for the Denver Nuggets, their sharpshooting aficionado Jamal Murray returns. That will definitely offset some of the offensive issues the Nugs have been undergoing as of late, especially with their struggling backcourt. Will Barton has definitely eased some of the burn of not having their 17.4 ppg. scorer in Murray on the floor, but the erratic play of Torrey Craig and Gary Harris has done them in during their rough road trip.

As for the Blazers, They’ve gone 1-2 in their past couple of games but look to right the ship in Melo’s return to his old stomping grounds. He’s been averaging over 15.9 points while shooting 39 percent from downtown. Solid numbers, and he’ll have an opportunity to raise those numbers against a team that, although might be 2nd in the league in total defensive rating, are susceptible to getting into some shootouts against offensively gifted teams in the West.

Game two tips off in a few on TNT.

Dec 13, 2019 No Comments
SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Philadelphia 76ers Vs. Boston Celtics

SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Philadelphia 76ers Vs. Boston Celtics

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by | Dec 13, 2019 | Featured, NBA

Tonight’s TNT action takes place inside the TD Garden for an Eastern battle and possible revenge match between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. This is the second time these teams have met; the first being the two teams’ season openers back in late October, which saw the Sixers plow the new-look Celtics by a score of 107-93.

What won’t be of occurrence, unfortunately, will be the on-court return of Al Horford, the ex-Celtic barred from re-joining his former team due to complications in signing a new, stay-put deal. Horford hasn’t been overtly exceptional for his new team, averaging a pedestrian 13.8 points per game off 48 percent shooting and 6.8 rebounds per contest.

Philly enters this game in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 18-7, while the Celtics may be a measly win behind but ahead on the Eastern standings at 17-6, which is good for third in the East. Both teams are just four games behind the intimidating Milwaukee Bucks who just so happened to run all over the Zion-less Pelicans on primetime television without Giannis Antetokounmpo even suiting up. However, Boston has the edge with two games in hand. The Sixers have won eight of their past ten games, while Boston has gone 6-4 over that same stretch.

This is also a battle of two teams who have a perfect home record, so Boston will have an extra challenge and incentive to beat their good old buddies in their own house.

The Celtics offense is one of the league’s most efficient (15th overall), averaging a total of 110.6 points per game and are led by their new big three, composed of Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown.

Boston has been led in scoring by their gracious offseason pickup (and to their prerogative, puzzle-like perfect fit) Kemba Walker who is averaging around 22 points per game. Walker also supplies a team-leading 5.5 assists per game and is backed up by Tatum’s 21 points per game and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per contest as well.

As for Philly, their multifaceted big three of nimbly-gifted big man Joel Embiid, 6’10 natural mismatch and point guard Ben Simmons and efficient forward Tobias Harris have led the charge for Philadelphia. Embiid leads the team in both points with 22 and rebounds with 12.4 per game, and for good reason; on Tuesday, he dominated his sole competition in big man Nikola Jokic for all four quarters, further silencing prognosticators about who was the best big man in the NBA.

Simmons running the point averages a team-leading 8.4 assists and adds 14 points and 7 rebounds per contest. Harris averages the second-most points on the team with 19.2 and adds 7 rebounds per game.

These two teams boast a top-5 defensive rating en lieu to both of their dangerously effective offensive attacks, and on top of that, we all know the contentious relationship between these two historic franchises has been anything but sunshine and rainbows. Expect a physical, smashmouth war for four quarters with both squads appearing nearly at 100 percent. The only exceptions are that of Boston’s Marcus Smart as the guard is recovering from an eye infection.

Sixers/Celtics tip-off at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

 

Dec 13, 2019 No Comments
SR NFL Power Rankings (12/12)

SR NFL Power Rankings (12/12)

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by | Dec 12, 2019 | Featured, NFL

Each week, SneakerReporter will put out their power rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

With Week 15 kicking off tonight (New York Jets vs Baltimore Ravens, 8:20 PM EST on Fox and NFL Network) it’s time to unveil where each team sits.

The fun begins below and be sure to check back each Thursday to track how far up or down your favorite team moves from week-to-week.

 

1. Baltimore Ravens 11-2 (LW: 1)

Lamar Jackson has a chance to wrap up the MVP discussion tonight.

 

2. San Francisco 49ers 11-2 (LW: 3)

3 MORE GAMES JIMMY GAROPPOLO, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!

3. Green Bay Packers 10-3 (LW: 5)

Aaron Rodgers has his team as a legit threat in a top-heavy NFC.

 

4. New Orleans Saints 10-3 (LW: 6)

Some of that Superdome voodoo has worn off.

 

5. Seattle Seahawks 10-3 (LW: 4)

Russell Wilson’s magic is wearing off it seems.

6. New England Patriots 10-3 (LW: 2)

Poor offense, and alleged cheating…is it 2019 or the early 2000s?

 

7. Buffalo Bills 9-4 (LW: 9)

The Bills are legit.

8. Kansas City Chiefs 9-4 (LW: 8)

Big win for the Chiefs on the road, now they need to keep that momentum going.

 

9. Minnesota Vikings 9-4 (LW: 7)

Kirk Cousins is looking worth every guaranteed penny.

10. Houston Texans 8-5 (LW: 11)

Deshaun Watson now has Houston at the top of the AFC South.

 

11. Tennessee Titans 8-5 (LW: 12)

Three straight wins have them right in the thick of things in the AFC South, just like every year.

 

12. Los Angeles Rams 8-5 (LW: 16)

Is Sean McVay a genius again?

 

13. Pittsburgh Steelers 8-5 (LW: 18)

Somehow, someway, the Steelers have made their way back into the playoff race.

t14. Dallas Cowboys 6-7 (LW: 13)

Dallas is in the middle of fumbling away the division.

 

t14. Philadelphia Eagles 6-7 (LW: 17)

Week 16 will likely decide which below-average team wins the NFC East.

 

16. Chicago Bears 7-6 (LW: 21)

Mitchell Trubisky looks worthy of a first-round pick (but not ahead of Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes) again.

 

17. Indianapolis Colts 6-7 (LW: 10)

They have played themselves out of a chance to shock a lot of people this season.

18. Oakland Raiders 6-7 (LW: 14)

Maybe they’ll have better luck in Las Vegas.

 

19. Cleveland Browns 6-7  (LW: 19)

There still is a sliver of hope for the team of the offseason to do something right in the regular season.

 

20. Denver Broncos 5-8 (LW: 21)

DREW LOCK BABY!

 

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-7 (LW: 24)

The Jameis Winston experience in one stat line: 456 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and three interceptions.

 

22. Carolina Panthers 5-8 (LW: 15)

Firing Ron Rivera isn’t going to fix things for this season.

23. Atlanta Falcons 4-9(LW: 25)

UPDATE: The Falcons are still bad.

 

24. New York Jets 5-8 (LW: 26)

First team in NFL history to lose to two 0-7 (or worse) teams in the same season, do better Jets.

 

25. Los Angeles Chargers 5-8 (LW: 28)

This just isn’t the Chargers year.

 

26. Jacksonville Jaguars 4-9 (LW: 20)

The quarterback battle between Gardner Minshew and Nick Foles can best be described as melodramatic

 

27. Detroit Lions 3-9-1 (LW: 22)

Matt Patricia might need that ATV back to get a jump on the fans trying to run him out of town.

 

28. Arizona Cardinals 3-9-1 (LW: 27)

The Kyler Murray hype might be slowing down as the season comes to a close.

 

29. Miami Dolphins 3-10 (LW: 29)

Maybe they can get Chase Young AND Tua Tagovailoa now.

 

30. Washington Redskins 3-10 (LW: 30)

Derrius Guice got hurt again, which is a big bummer.

31. New York Giants 2-11 (LW: 31)

This team is 1-9 WITH Saquon Barkley this year.

32. Cincinnati Bengals 1-12 (LW: 32)

Again, congratulations to Cincinnati on winning the Joe Burrow sweepstakes.

Dec 12, 2019 No Comments
Primetime Preview: New York Jets vs. Baltimore Ravens (NFL Week 15)

Primetime Preview: New York Jets vs. Baltimore Ravens (NFL Week 15)

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by | Dec 12, 2019 | Featured, NFL

The Baltimore Ravens come in this game 11-2 fresh off their win against the Buffalo Bills. Lamar Jackson has taken the league by storm with his arm and his legs. On the year so far Lamar Jackson has 2,677 yards passing with 28 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. That’s just his passing stats on the ground he’s running for 1,017 yards with 7 touchdowns. This man is a human video game on the field as he’s been juking people out of their cleats. The way that Lamar Jackson plays the game has been a breath of fresh air for the league. Jackson has brought back the Michael Vick vibes and he’s proving to everyone that he can get it done no matter the opponent. The Jets will have their hands full trying to figure out the RPO from Lamar Jackson. The Jets have been banged up on the defensive end and it seems as if Lamar Jackson will continue to build on his MVP leading season. The way that Lamar Jackson has improved his IQ on the field to look through all his reads has been something special to watch. Last season he resulted in running without checking his reads and now he’s been lethal especially when he has time in the pocket to make a clear decision. Lamar Jackson will make this Jets defense look like they’re seeing “Sonic The Hedgehog” when he gets into open space. We can always talk about Lamar Jackson and all the amazing things that he’s done but his running back Mark Ingram has been a complete beast as well. This is Mark Ingram’s first season in Baltimore and he’s playing like he’s been in this offense for his whole career. Mark Ingram is one of those players that can block in the backfield and he’s a monster in the running game. Ingram is one of those players that like the contact and he’s one of the closest players to bringing back “Beast Mode” like runs. Mark Ingram has 887 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns on the season so look for him to add to that tonight. Anytime you have a running game that can go from quickness to beast mode like Jackson/Ingram it will be tough for any defense.

The Jets have suffered in the secondary and that’s where the Ravens will want to attack them. Luckily Mark Andrews wasn’t hurt too bad as the Ravens expect him to suit up tonight. Mark Andrews has been amazing this year and he’s been the clear cut number one receiver for Lamar Jackson. It doesn’t matter who the Ravens have in their receiving core because Jackson has been able to connect with Hurst, Snead, Boyle, and Brown. The fact that Lamar Jackson can buy extra time in the pocket and roll-out helps his receivers buy time to make the plays. The Ravens offense looks unstoppable but this defense has been able to step their game up ever since they got Marcus Peters. The Ravens have two of the best defenders in the secondary in Marcus Peters and Earl Thomas. Both of them lead this team with energy and leadership. This Ravens defense has been really good against some big-time teams this season (NE, HOU, SF). Defense wins championships and the Ravens are using their playmakers to their advantage. The Ravens defense will have their way against Sam Darnold especially since it’s on the road. The Ravens defense will have him seeing more ghosts as he did in the Patriots game. This Ravens defense has 11 interceptions on the season and they’ve run 2 back for touchdowns. They also have 33 sacks on the season and have forced 12 fumbles so look for them to be swarming all over the place against the Jets tonight.

 

 

The New York Jets are coming into this game off their win against the Miami Dolphins. The game against the Dolphins was a field goal fest and they will need to get touchdowns in this game tonight. Sam Darnold has had some great matchups down the stretch but they run into a Ravens team that’s on a mission trying to get that number one seed. Darnold has looked look this season as he’s had some ups and downs but this game will be a struggle. Darnold has been able to use his receivers all season as he’s made sure that Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder are getting fed. On the season both Anderson/Crowder combined for 1,280 yards this season with 7 touchdowns. The Jets wide receivers are going to have a tough night against the Ravens secondary. The Jets have one of the best running backs in the NFL with Leveon Bell in the backfield. He’s coming back from his sickness last week and will be trying to make things happen against the Ravens. Bell’s one of the best players in the NFL when it comes to catching out the backfield and lining up the as wide receiver as well. Bell hasn’t been able to run through those holes this season like he’s been able to do in the past but he can break one out at any moment. The Jets haven’t used Bell as much as he’s wanted to be used but he has grabbed those all-purpose yards. The defense has been banged up all year for the Jets and it will be tough for them to hold the Ravens running game down. This will be a lopsided game and the Jets will need for Lamar Jackson to miss his flight in order to have any chance. The Jets will need to slow down this high powered offense if they want any chance to survive on Thursday night and they will need Sam Darnold to bring his A++++++ game tonight against the Ravens.

 

 

Prediction: The Baltimore Ravens will win this game 38-14 against the New York Jets tonight. Lamar Jackson and company will score so many points that they will sit Jackson down in the 4th quarter. The running game for the Ravens will punish the Jets in this one and the Jets won’t be able to create enough offense to make anything happen. 

Dec 12, 2019 No Comments
Nike Announces the Release Date for The KD 12 “Aunt Pearl”

Nike Announces the Release Date for The KD 12 “Aunt Pearl”

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by | Dec 12, 2019 | Featured, NBA, Sneaker Releases

Kevin Durant has included a special tribute to his late aunt Pearl in his shoe line since the KD 4. Alongside the Kay Yow Fund, KD continues to craft extremely personal and wondrously beautiful silhouette. Every year, KD’s Aunt Pearl colorway stands tall amongst the others, not just among his own colorways but throughout many of the Nike Basketball PEs. For this year’s iteration, KD and his team are reaching back to previous Aunt Pearl models for inspiration. The most notable part is the winged forefoot strap taken from the KD 7.

 This new model also revives the pearl graphic from the KD 4 on the collar foam, the KD 5’s sock liner graphic, the rose graphic on the heel from the K6, the heel’s embroidery is lifted from the KD 9, whereas the soft material on the tongue, collar, and Swoosh are originally found on the KD 10, the marbling on the outsole comes from the KD 11. Not only is this year’s ‘Aunt Pearl’ variation a tribute to a special person in Kevin Durant’s life but a reflection of his growth as a player. The ‘Aunt Pearl’ KD 12 is set to drop December 27th at select Nike retailers.

Nike KD 12 “Aunt Pearl”

Style Code: CT2740-900

Release Date: December 27, 2019

Price: $150  

Dec 12, 2019 No Comments
SR NFL Fantasy Football: Week 15 – Waiver Wire Advice

SR NFL Fantasy Football: Week 15 – Waiver Wire Advice

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by | Dec 12, 2019 | Featured, NFL

After the conclusion of the first week of the fantasy football playoffs, many owners are searching for someone to fill a void in their roster. Here are some last minute additions who could still be available that will definitely increase your chance at winning in week 15. 

A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans (55.0% Rostered)

After a rough start to the season, rookie WR A.J. Brown has really started to settle in with Ryan Tannehill as the Titans starting QB. Brown has totaled over 100 yards and a touchdown in two of his last three games. Brown faces the Texans in week 15 who just let rookie QB Drew Lock move the ball with ease. The Texans have also allowed the 8th most touchdowns to wide receivers this year. Brown is a must add for anyone needing a plug and play at receiver, and his availability in 45% of leagues is comical for how he has been performing recently. 

Zach Pascal, WR, Indianapolis Colts (36.1% Rostered)

The Colts are now without two of their best playmakers on offense as leading receiver T.Y. Hilton’s status for the rest of the season in doubt due to a lagging calf injury, as well as the placement of Tight End Eric Ebron to the Injured Reserve.  Zach Pascal has filled in very nicely as the number 1 receiver, with two straight games of over five receptions and 74 yards. The Colts head to New Orleans for a match up with the Saints in week 15. Although the Saints do pose a strong secondary, the Colts will need to throw the ball a lot to keep up with the Saints offense. Pascal is definitely a streamable flex option in week 15, but his value is slightly less than that of A.J. Brown. 

Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers (45.5% Rostered) 

The San Francisco 49ers backfield is one of the most confusing, yet effective things in the National Football League. Every week they seem to feature a new back, whether it be Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, or Raheem Mostert. Although they are very unpredictable, Mostert out snapped both Breida and Coleman by a heavy margin in week 14. Mostert has put together two outstanding performances in a row against two of the best teams in the league, averaging over 22 fantasy points (0.5 PPR) against the Ravens and Saints. Kyle Shanahan seems to prefer Mostert’s ability as the season is winding down. The 49ers play Atlanta this week, which does not pose that big of a defensive challenge. Even if Mostert only gets 10-15 touches, he has proven value in week 15 for someone only rostered in 45.5% of leagues. 

Patrick Laird, RB, Miami Dolphins (21.6% Rostered)

Everyone knows the Dolphins have struggled to run the ball with any consistency this year, but Patrick Laird seems to have carved out a big enough workload to have some fantasy relevance towards the end of the year. Laird has carried the ball 10 or more times the last two weeks and has posted greater than 10 fantasy points each week (0.5 PPR). The Dolphins head to the Meadow Lands to meet the Giants in week 15, which poses a favorable match up for the running back owned in less than a fourth of leagues. 

Dec 12, 2019 No Comments