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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE NBA ALL-STAR RESERVES
After announcing the starters last week, the NBA announced its All-Star reserves Thursday. Here are the reserves from the West …
- Anthony Edwards
- James Harden
- Anthony Davis
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
- Victor Wembanyama
- Alperen Sengun
- Jalen Williams
And from the East …
- Darius Garland
- Cade Cunningham
- Jaylen Brown
- Pascal Siakam
- Evan Mobley
- Damian Lillard
- Tyler Herro
Remember, not every starter will actually start, and not every reserve will be a reserve. The 24 All-Star selections will be split into three teams of eight that, combined with the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge, will compete in a mini tournament. It’s an effort to spice up what’s been an underwhelming event for the past several years. We’ll see if it works, but, hey, at least it’s something.
👍 Honorable mentions
🏀 And not such a good morning for …
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THE NBA ALL-STAR GAME SNUBS
I said it last week, and I’ll say it again: If you’re going to list snubs, you have to have who they’d replace, too. And Brad Botkin has both in his NBA All-Star Game snubs, led by …
- Botkin: “Domantas Sabonis — This is absolute highway robbery. Shame on the coaches for not rewarding Sabonis, who leads the league with 42 double-doubles while registering near the top of almost every advanced metric. He’s averaging 21 points per game on 61% shooting and leads the league at just under 15 rebounds per night. … The only other player to achieve them in a single season is Wilt Chamberlain. That’s right, a player who is having a season only matched by Wilt freaking Chamberlain isn’t an All-Star. … Alperen Sengun is shooting 49% from the field; Sabonis is shooting 45% from 3!”
Brad brings the goods on his half-dozen snubs, including one who should have gotten in over his own teammate.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
Justin Tucker accused of inappropriate behavior by massage therapists
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Ravens kicker Justin Tucker was accused of inappropriate behavior by six massage therapists from four different spas in the Baltimore area, per a report from the Baltimore Banner. Tucker was banned from two of the spas, and of the several massage therapists ended their sessions with him early or refused to work with him again due to his alleged conduct.
- You can see the full details of the accusations here. Among other disturbing details, Tucker has been accused of exposing his genitals and initiating contact with the massage therapists using his genitals. All six massage therapists interviewed offered similar accounts of his misconduct.
- The incidents took place from 2012, Tucker’s rookie season, to 2016.
- Tucker put out a lengthy statement saying the allegations are “unequivocally false” and describing the story as “desperate tabloid fodder.” He also said the newspaper was “deliberately misconstruing events.”
- Tucker’s attorneys denied the allegations and said Tucker has not been banned from the two spas that said they have banned him.
- The massage therapists who spoke to the Baltimore Banner have not taken their allegations to police.
🏀 Federal prosecutors investigating Terry Rozier as part of probe into sports gambling ring
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Federal prosecutors are investigating Heat guard Terry Rozier as part of a wider government probe into a sports gambling ring. There’s a belief the people involved in the Jontay Porter betting scandal were involved with bets on Rozier as well.
- The investigation is centered around a March 23, 2023 game between Rozier’s Hornets and the Pelicans. Rozier played 9:34 and finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists before leaving with right foot discomfort. He did not play again that season due to the injury.
- U.S. Integrity, which monitors the betting world for potential misconduct, noticed unusual betting patterns before the game and informed sportsbooks and the NBA. Some sportsbooks took down Rozier’s props entirely. One bettor claimed he had inside information that led to him to bet on “under” 6.5 assists for Rozier.
- Rozier has not been charged with a crime or accused of wrongdoing. The NBA found no violations in its previous investigation.
- Rozier has not commented. The Heat visit the Spurs tomorrow night.
The federal investigation is also exploring the gambling ring’s activity in college basketball and point-shaving.
🏈 Super Bowl preview: Can Saquon Barkley be stopped?
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This is the first weekend without NFL games in five months, so to tide us over, let’s get into some Super Bowl LIX preview content.
It’s a rematch of the classic Super Bowl from two years ago, which Kansas City won, 38-35. Jeff Kerr says this version of the Eagles is even better.
- Kerr: “Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams man the interior of the defensive line … The kick and punt coverage is also in the upper half of the league and has been massive in changing the game for the Eagles this postseason. … Philadelphia also has Saquon Barkley at running back and Zack Baun at linebacker, both All-Pros and arguably the best at their positions this year. Not to mention the youth moment at defensive line and in the secondary with their high draft picks over the last three years.”
The defensive improvements have been massive and should not be overlooked. But Barkley … my goodness. What a player. The big runs are thrilling and statistically unprecedented, and more history could be on the way.
Philadelphia’s M.O. all year has been to get a lead and lean on Barkley and the defense. Since Week 5, the Eagles have run 71 plays while trailing in the second half. That’s the fewest in the NFL by nearly 100! I’ll be interested to see if the Chiefs can keep pace early and force the Eagles to play a style they’re unaccustomed to.
Here’s more:
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
🏀 Unrivaled, 7:15 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Nuggets at 76ers, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Suns at Warriors, 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Indiana at No. 10 Purdue (M), 10 p.m. on Fox
Saturday
🏀 No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Tennessee (M), noon on ESPN
🏀 Providence at No. 15 St. John’s (M), noon on CBS Sports Network
🏀 No. 20 Missouri at No. 14 Mississippi State (M), 1 p.m. on SEC Network
🏒 Blackhawks at Panthers, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 1 Auburn at No. 23 Ole Miss (M), 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Senior Bowl, 2:30 p.m. on NFL Network
🏒 Rangers at Bruins, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 22 Texas Tech at No. 6 Houston (M), 6 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Unrivaled, 6 p.m. on truTV
🏀 North Carolina at No. 2 Duke (M), 6:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 25 UConn at No. 9 Marquette (M), 8 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Lakers at Knicks, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Arkansas at No. 9 Kentucky (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday
🏀 Auburn at No. 2 South Carolina (W), noon on SEC Network
🏀 No. 3 Notre Dame at Louisville (W), noon on ESPN2
🏀 No. 4 USC at Iowa (W), 1:30 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Mississippi State at No. 7 LSU (W), 2 p.m. on SEC Network
🏈 Pro Bowl Games Championship, 3 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 Minnesota at No. 1 UCLA (W), 3 p.m. on BTN
🏀 No. 12 Kentucky at No. 13 Oklahoma (W), 4 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Celtics at 76ers, 6 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Grizzlies at Bucks, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
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