Oklahoma City’s Well Balanced Attack Helps Defeat The Pelicans (115-104)

Oklahoma City’s Well Balanced Attack Helps Defeat The Pelicans (115-104)

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by | Nov 3, 2019 | Featured, NBA

The Thunder have been in all of the games that they’ve played this season and it didn’t stop tonight. Coming into this game against the Pelicans they knew they would have to limit turnovers and get back to the ball movement. This was the most complete offensive attack that the Thunder put out tonight as it seemed as though no one on the Pelicans could stop it. One of the bright spots for the Thunder was the fact that Darius Bazley was able to display some of the confidence that his coaches and teammates talk about all the time. Bazley was able to notch his career-high in points tonight against the Pelicans as he was able to beat them inside and outside. Bazley finished with 17 points on the night and 3/6 from the 3 point line. Darius Bazley has a lot of raw potential that has yet to be tapped into this season and if he continues at this rate anything is possible for him. Bazley has developed into a true slasher and has got better on the defensive end as it seems as though the rookie has no jitters at all. Another player that has been able to take his game to another level has been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This season SGA has made a huge jump in points as he’s averaging 10 points more per game this season than last season in LA. Coming to OKC has helped his game and he’s been able to have the green light and not slow down at all. The Pelicans tried to stop Shai with Jrue Holiday on the defensive end and it was a clear mismatch. Shai finished the game with 23 points and has shown everyone in the NBA that he’s a bonafide scorer and someone that teams will need to gameplan on. When Shai gets the angle to get to the rim he’s bound to make a beautiful finish at the rim or he’s going to get his teammates involved.

 

 

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder had 6 players in double figures tonight against the Pelicans who couldn’t stop them on defense. The Thunder played without Steven Adams for the second straight game and for the second straight game Nerlens Noel has stepped up. The defense that Nerlens has brought to the table has helped jumpstart the offense in fastbreaks as well. The player that has been consistently helping the Thunder on that second unit has been Dennis Schröder who finished this game with 17 points. Dennis has been one of those players that have been changing the game with his energy and his play. Dennis knows where his teammates are going to be and he also knows when to get his offense going as well. His play has been a huge help to the Thunder as it looks like they have the Dennis Schröder from Atlanta in OKC. The game really changed in a great way for the Thunder when they had the 3 guard lineup of Paul, Alexander, and Schröder. When the Thunder have those three on the court at the same time it seems to be a really good decision for the team. Those three will have to lead the Thunder all season and with the team beating the Pelicans to get their 2nd win on the season anything is possible moving forward.

The Pelicans were able to keep the game close against the Thunder but they didn’t have Brandon Ingram to finish the game. Ingram looked like he was on his way to having one of those good games that we’ve seen from him recently until his head injury. Once Ingram went out the game the Pelicans were leaning on Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart to get it done. All three of them combined for 38 points on the night but it wasn’t enough to get over the hump against the Thunder. Jahlil Okafor did play really well tonight as he added 15 points but he had some turnovers and fouls that didn’t help the case for them winning. This Pelicans team has a lot of potential and they will be a force to be reckoned with when Zion Williamson comes back from his knee injury. The Pelicans fell short against the Thunder tonight and now OKC will try to get another win against the Magic as they come to town on Tuesday night.

Nov 3, 2019 No Comments
SR Fantasy Football Week 9: Start/Sit & Love/Hate

SR Fantasy Football Week 9: Start/Sit & Love/Hate

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by | Nov 2, 2019 | Featured, NFL

Start:

  • Jonnu Smith, TE, Tennessee Titans

Tennessee looks to be without starting TE Delanie Walker once again, which opens the door for another strong performance from Jonnu Smith. With 9 receptions, 142 yards and one score over the last two weeks, Jonnu Smith is a very viable starter this week. His match up against the Panthers isn’t ideal, but new starting QB Ryan Tannehill has shown that Smith is one of his go-to targets. If you roster Delanie Walker or any TE on a BYE, look no further than Jonnu Smith. 

  • David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

Coming off of a monster performance last week in the loss vs the Chargers, David Montgomery looks to continue his strong play against the Eagles this week. The Eagles rank 6th in the league against opposing running backs, but Montgomery just logged his most snaps yet in any game. Matt Nagy knows he needs Montgomery on the field, especially if they want to establish any presence on the ground. Tarik Cohen will still be a factor in the passing game, but as long as the Bears aren’t down big early, Montgomery will be the Bears RB you want. 

Sit:

  • LeSean McCoy, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

With four straight games of less than 10 Fantasy Points (.5 PPR), there is no way you can trust McCoy in fantasy. It seems as though Matt Moore will remain the starter in week 9 against the Vikings, which doesn’t help McCoy’s value whatsoever. The Vikings defense has been sturdy against the run, ranking 5th in the league against opposing RB’s, but their secondary has struggled heavily. WIth this in mind, McCoy should remain on your bench in week 9. 

  • Peyton Barber/Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With a match up against the Seahawks in Seattle, the Bucs will be leaning on the passing game to produce points. Tampa Bay holds the 5th highest pass percentage when on the road, which shows how their play calling has been this year. Expect the Seahawks to jump out to an early lead, with Jameis having to air it out to make it close in the second half. 

Love:

  • Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders

With four straight games with over 15 carries, Josh Jacobs has a solidified floor each and every week. His week 9 matchup offers enticing fantasy value, as the Lions rank 31st against RB’s. His current fantasy projection is 16.5 points (.5 PPR) which is already high, but expect to see a lot of Jacobs this week. Expect Jacobs to total over 100 yards and at least one touchdown here against the struggling Lions defense. 

  • Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

In a primetime match up against the reeling Giants, I love Cooper against the 3rd worst defense against opposing WR’s. Cooper has totaled over 12.4 points in all but two performances this year, one of which he got hurt early in the game. Expect Cooper to exceed his projection at 12.6, with around 100 total yards and a touchdown. 

Hate:

  • Mark Ingram, RB, Baltimore Ravens

It’s tough to have faith starting anyone against the Patriots, as their defense has been historic so far this season. Mark Ingram has been great so far this year for the Ravens, but his snap and touch count per game has been on the decline the last four weeks. With a lower projection of 10.8, I still can’t see Ingram getting to double digits unless he falls into the end zone. If anyone will score on the ground this week, it will be Lamar Jackson.

  • Dwayne Haskins, QB, Washington Redskins

With Haskins being named the week 9 starter and a match up against the Bills in Buffalo, the question of Haskins fantasy value becomes relevant. Although he definitely has the skills to produce, this week won’t be it. The Bills have one of the best defensive units in the league, ranking 5th against QB’s. Stay away from Haskins for now, as there are many better QB options on the waiver wire. 

 

Nov 2, 2019 No Comments
SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Los Angeles Lakers Vs Dallas Mavericks

SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Los Angeles Lakers Vs Dallas Mavericks

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by | Nov 2, 2019 | Featured, NBA

For ESPN’s second game of the night, the Los Angeles Lakers (3-1) travel to the Lone Star State to duel with 20-year old phenom Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks (3-1) at 9:30 p.m. on Friday at the American Airlines Center.

The Mavs are a perfect .500 at home and have dazzled in this young season and exceeded expectations with Rick Carlisle’s new all-European tandem of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Los Angeles is favored by a point and a half in the latest Lakers vs. Mavericks odds, while the over-under is set at 216.5, according to SportsLine.

It shouldn’t take a basketball connoisseur to envision the duo of new Laker Anthony Davis and LeBron James frolicking in the prosperity of a high winning percentage throughout the young season, because it already looks like they have gotten a bit of a headstart on that. Anthony Davis already set his season-high (soon to be toppled, presumptuously) in points and rebounds, putting up a hefty 40-point, 20 rebound stat line against the Grizzlies on Tuesday night inside the Staples Center.

A dominant display of height, wingspan, and ambidexterity with a flashy handle as a near 7-footer were just uncontainable for the young Grizz and LeBron who, albeit didn’t have his usual 30-point night, just let the 29-year old take center stage.

Tonight, a clash of 3-1 squads will take place in ESPN’s late-night slot and NBA fans will be treated to the battle of the two best stretch bigs in the land, as the synonymously dubbed “Unicorn” Kristaps Porzingis gets a shot to upset the favored Lakers and go toe-to-toe with AD.

On Friday afternoon ahead of tonight’s matchup, current “best player on the planet” (debatable) LeBron James was asked a precarious inquiry that surely made its rounds throughout the interwebs.

“Hey, LeBron, how do you plan to handle the Razzmatazz Hop Skiddily-Doo that Luka Doncic brings to every night?”

And that’s a pretty hard question to come up with an answer with one single pontification.

Doncic’s Razzmatazz, hop skidd- you know the rest, has been so substantial for the Mavericks’ early success. This kid has been playing like a grown man, averaging 25 points a game which is the 11th-highest scoring average in all of basketball so far. With such a complete game, he’s making MVP noise early in this young season and has really opened the eyes of Mavs fans, while confirming the good selection skill of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who happens to know a thing or two about scouting Euro talent.

The thing about these Mavs – they love fast starts. So much so, that they’ve been flying out of the gates in the four games they’ve played, averaging a league-high 66.2 first-half points per contest. Today, they host a Lakers team who have been a little slower to get rolling thus far averaging 52.2 first-half points.

With all of the factors that the Lakers have against them tonight, they now have one positive – Kule Kuzma is back. A healthy roster and solid rotation for Lakers coach Frank Vogel has the Lakers favored to get their fourth win tonight, but you just cannot be sure about these young Mavs when writing that prediction.

Nov 2, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Seattle Seahawks Claim Josh Gordon

BREAKING NEWS: Seattle Seahawks Claim Josh Gordon

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by | Nov 1, 2019 | Featured, NFL

Josh Gordon suffered a bone bruise to his knee chasing after a New York Giant defensive lineman in what would ultimately become his final game with the New England Patriots. His former team traded for Mohamed Sanu and designated rookie wide receiver N’Keal Harry to return from IR and that made Gordon expendable.

New England released him now that he was healthy enough to get back on the field. Since he was released after the trade deadline, he was subjected to waivers which means that the worse the record the higher they were in the pecking order to potentially claim Gordon.

The Seattle Seahawks are currently 6-2, tied for the fifth-best record in the league. That means many teams passed on the chance to add him.

Russell Wilson has been carrying the franchise on offense and even though the team drafted DK Metcalf in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Gordon represents the most talented target that Wilson has had in his time in the NFL.

With his acquisition coming at the tail-end of this week of practice before Sunday’s game it is unlikely that Gordon takes the field this weekend. However, Seattle doesn’t play until Monday in Week 10 and if all goes right then the newly acquired Gordon could play then.

Nov 1, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Kwon Alexander Out for the Season

BREAKING NEWS: Kwon Alexander Out for the Season

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by | Nov 1, 2019 | Featured, NFL

The San Francisco 49ers held on against the Arizona Cardinals in their 28-25 Thursday Night Football victory that moved them to 8-0. While their record may still be unblemished, their vaunted defense just took a big hit as an MRI revealed that linebacker Kwon Alexander suffered a torn pectoral muscle.

Alexander was a big-money offseason addition to the team that was coming off a knee injury. However, San Francisco was proven right during the first half of the 2019 NFL season as he was a huge reason for the defense’s performance to date.

Last night, the Cardinals scored an 88-yard touchdown after Alexander exited, which made it a one possession game late.

Without Alexander it will be interesting to see if anyone else can step into his cleats. He is all over the field for defensive coordinator, Robert Salah and made the big plays when needed. He injured himself stopping Kenyan Drake one-yard short of a first down on a 3rd and 17 play in the third quarter.

Nov 1, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Washington Redskins Name Dwayne Haskins as Starter for Week 9

BREAKING NEWS: Washington Redskins Name Dwayne Haskins as Starter for Week 9

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by | Nov 1, 2019 | Featured, NFL

The news that all Washington Redskins fans have been awaiting was announced today, rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been named the team’s starting quarterback for Week 9.

After a couple of games worth of mop-up duty, Haskins will get his first opportunity as a starter. However, it might not be THE move as Colt McCoy is being named the backup and Case Keenum remains in the concussion protocol. It could just be that the lack of availability has forced interim head coach, Bill Callahan’s hand.

Awaiting Haskins will be the Buffalo Bills defense. Though they were just torn apart at home by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bills defense has been very strong under Sean McDermott. This is a big test for the rookie and if he can keep his head above water during this game it could lead to him becoming the full-time starter regardless of the health of the other quarterbacks on the roster.

Nov 1, 2019 No Comments