Jets’ Wilson: ‘It was a frustrating day’
For 59-plus minutes, the New York Jets(6-4) kept the New England Patriots(6-4) out of the end zone, but they could not keep them out of the end zone for the entire 60 minutes as the Patriots’ Marcus Jones returned a punt 84 yards with five seconds left to give New England a 10-3 win over the Jets at Gillette Stadium.
Jones’ touchdown was the first punt return for a touchdown this season.
“Yeah, it’s a crappy way to lose,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said. “You feel like you’re exchanging blows from a defensive standpoint from both teams, and somebody could just make a play and get it to overtime. They made a play, and we didn’t.”
Jets corner D.j. Reed added: “I’m still in disbelief. Marcus Jones, I know him from college; he went to Houston. Hell of a punt returner, and they gave him a chance. He is a great punt returner, and he got his touchdown. Credit to them for doing that. I’m in disbelief; it’s a tough loss.”
The Jets held the Patriots’ offense to three points and sacked Mac Jones six times. However, New York’s offense was nonexistent, especially in the second half, as they had only two yards of total offense. New York finished the game with 103 total yards. Zach Wilson completed 9 of 22 passes for 77 yards, and New York, in that dreaded second half, had -21 passing yards.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh had a few choice words to describe the team’s offensive performance in the second half:
“It was dog sh*t,” he said.
Like many on the team, Wilson was disappointed by the team’s performance on offense.
“Yeah, it’s super frustrating,” Wilson said. “It was a frustrating day, of course. I feel like I had some balls that got away from me. But we got to find ways on offense. We got to do some digging, watch the film, and see what we can do better.”
Jets rookie wideout Garrett Wilson, who had two catches for 12, did not mince words when talking about the offense.
This s–t’s sorry,” Wilson told reporters. “We’re out here looking sorry, man. We know that we’re not sorry. So that’s why it really hurts. We know that we’re better than that. We can do more.”
Despite the poor effort, Saleh said he had no intentions of bringing in backup quarterback Mike White and is still sticking with Wilson.
“I’ve told you guys before, Zach’s our quarterback, and we’re going to, we’ve got to find ways to help him get better,” Saleh said.
The Jets have not beaten the Patriots since 2010, and this game had playoff implications as New York was swept by the Pats this season. Fortunately for the Jets, seven games are still left, but Wilson and the offense have to be better.
Embiid on Nets: ‘It’s another game on the schedule’
The Philadelphia 76ers(8-8) were depleted as they hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves(8-8) on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia was missing its starting backcourt of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, who were both out due to foot injuries. In addition, they were without Tobias Harris, who missed his second straight game with a hip injury.
“I just felt bad,” Joel Embiid, who had 32 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, said after the loss. “We have three of our best players; Tyrese is one that puts in so much work every single day. Injuries are just something that we can’t control it. It’s just unfortunate. I’ve had my share of them, especially freak injuries. You just can’t control them, so I just felt bad for him because he [TYRESE MAXEY] puts in so much work and takes care of himself. Obviously, missing James to the same thing and Tobias being hurt too. It does suck, but next man up.”
After having a small lead in the first quarter, Philadelphia was chasing Minnesota the rest of the way. The Timberwolves led by as many as 20 points, but the 76ers were able to cut to lead to two in the fourth, and had an opportunity to tie late, but Georges Niang missed a three with 01.2 seconds left, and they fell to Minnesota 112-109.
With the loss, Philly’s three-game winning streak was snapped.
The Timberwolves scored 97 points after three quarters, but Philadelphia went to a zone defense, which was effective and almost brought them all the way back.
“We just hung in there. We kept throwing out the score,” 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said postgame. “We’re down eight, down seven, down six. That’s how you come back in games. I loved our fight. We had opportunities down the stretch. In the second half, I thought the zone really changed the game for us defensively.”
Embiid added on the defensive effort: “We didn’t play defense for three quarters. In the fourth, we went to zone; they didn’t know what to do and what to run against it. We just didn’t play defense for three quarters, and we put ourselves in a big hole. We were down 15, 20 most of the game. Unfortunately, it was too much to overcome.”
Now, they get a few days off before Ben Simmons, and the Brooklyn Nets come to Philadelphia on Tuesday night. After the loss to Minnesota, Embiid discussed the return of the number one overall pick by the 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft.
“It’s another game on the schedule,” Embiid said. “I don’t know those guys; I have nothing against those guys. It’s Brooklyn against Philly. Hopefully, I feel better for that game. It’s the same goal—try go out and win. Obviously, we’re down a lot of guys right now, so we have to find ways. Tonight I wasn’t as dominant as I should have been. So, if I do feel better, I plan on trying to do whatever is possible to get that win. There’s a lot of history, but there’s really no history. It’s just a regular game. I know everybody is going to make a lot of drama about everything that’s happened. The people that were here and the people that were, but they’re not even playing. It’s going to be fine.”
Notes:
-Shake Milton, who started in place of Maxey, scored 27 points while hauling in six rebounds.
-In 32 minutes, Niang posted his fourth game of at least 15 points off the bench this season.
-Both the 76ers and Timberwolves had five players in double figures. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Beterbiev-Yarde set for January 28 in London
London calls for the light-heavyweight king. WBC, WBO and IBF world champion Artur Beterbiev will defend his belts against big-punching British challenger Anthony Yarde at the OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, January 28.
The WBO No.1 contender gets his shot at the Montreal-based Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs), boxing’s only world champion with a 100 percent knockout ratio. He will be fighting professionally in the United Kingdom for the first time, with the highly decorated former amateur having fought in London at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Promoted by Frank Warren and Queensberry, in association with Top Rank, this huge 175-pound showdown will be shown exclusively on BT Sport in the UK and streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S.
Tickets for Beterbiev vs Yarde at The O2 on Saturday 28 January 2023 go on general sale at 11am on Thursday 24 November from AXS.com and ticketmaster.co.uk.
“This will undoubtedly be the biggest challenge of Anthony’s career to date, and we have made sure he will get the best conditions possible by securing him home advantage,” said Yarde’s promoter, Frank Warren of Queensberry. “It is going to be a huge occasion at the OVO Arena Wembley, which is the same venue where Anthony made his professional debut in May 2015.
“Of course, we know a great champion like Beterbiev has no fears of traveling and virtually all of his biggest wins have come outside his now home nation of Canada. Boxing is all about timing, and we are hoping the time is right for Anthony to fulfill his huge potential and pull off what would be one of the biggest wins by a British fighter.
“This is going to be a spectacular show staged in conjunction with our friends at Top Rank, and I am sure it is an event the public will get behind in massive numbers to support Anthony’s attempt to achieve his dream.”
“This is a matchup between two of the most devastating light heavyweight punchers, and I look forward to the great Artur Beterbiev showcasing his prodigious talent for the incredible UK fans,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Anthony Yarde was ringside for Artur’s last fight, and he certainly does not lack confidence. He is a dangerous fighter, and I know Artur will be switched on for one of the toughest bouts of his illustrious career.”
Beterbiev won his first world title in November 2017 with a 12th-round stoppage of Enrico Koelling and defended his IBF belt on two further occasions – including against Britain’s Callum Johnson – before entering into a unification match against WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in October 2019. Ukrainian puncher Gvozdyk, who was unbeaten at the time, was stopped in the 10th round. Beterbiev defended his titles against Adam Deines and Marcus Browne ahead of a three-belt unification against WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. in June at Hulu Theater Madison Square Garden, where the American was stopped in two rounds. In the amateur ranks, Beterbiev won silver at the 2007 World Championships before striking gold at the 2009 event. He also won gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 European Championships.
“I never back down from a challenge, and Anthony Yarde is a top contender who asked for this fight. I look forward to fighting in London for the first time since the Olympics,” Beterbiev said. “Yarde called me ‘slow’ after my fight with Joe Smith Jr., but slow and steady wins the race. And on January 28, I will win in London.”
The Wembley event represents a second world title attempt from Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) who previously travelled to Chelyabinsk, Russia, to take on the long-standing champion Sergey Kovalev, ultimately being stopped in the 11th round after coming close to forcing a finish himself in the eighth round. Yarde’s first title came in fight No. 11 when he knocked out Chris Hobbs in four rounds for the Southern Area belt.
Yarde then fought seven consecutive fights with either the WBO European or Intercontinental belts at stake, or both, as Yarde knocked out each of those foes in seven rounds or less. Post-Kovalev, Yarde continued with fights during the pandemic against Dec Spelman and a domestic dust-up against Lyndon Arthur. Yarde dropped a split decision against his Manchester rival, and after a swift comeback fight in Birmingham, Yarde sought redemption against Arthur. The vintage Yarde returned, and he knocked out Arthur in four rounds to once again earn the WBO No. 1 spot.
“January 28 will be my night,” said Yarde. “My destiny playing out in my home city, and this is what I have been longing for throughout my professional career, which started at Wembley. I won’t make any big predictions for this fight against a strong unified champion in Artur Beterbiev, but what I will say is that I will leave nothing to chance, and I am at my best when I fight fire with fire.”
Kidd on Doncic: ‘He’s already re-writing the record book’
Without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray(health and safety protocols), the Dallas Mavericks had no issues with the Denver Nuggets(9-6) Friday night. Dallas(9-6) led by as much as 31 points and routed the Nuggets 127-99 at American Airlines Center.
Luka Doncic made history as he recorded his 50th triple-double with 33 points (11-22 FG), 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. He becomes the 10th player in NBA history to record 50 triple-doubles. Doncic is the second-fastest player to reach 50 triple-doubles, both in terms of age (23y-42d, Oscar Robertson; 23y-263d, Dončić) and in terms of games played (111, Robertson; 278, Dončić).
Half of Doncic’s 50 career triple-doubles have come with 30-plus points, making him the fifth player in the history of the NBA with 25-or-more 30-point triple-doubles.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said about Doncic. “He’s already re-writing the record book. That’s pretty cool – to do it, to be the second [fastest in history]. Oscar [Robertson] was pretty special, so now to be right there with Oscar, to be the second-fastest to 50, just shows you how good he is.”
JaVale McGee added: “For me personally, just watching his demeanor and how easy he makes it look, it’s really impressive for sure.”
Doncic has four 30-point triple-doubles this season, while the rest of the NBA has combined for only one such game (Pascal Siakam), and according to him, this feels amazing.
“It’s great,” he said. “It feels amazing. … It’s a pleasure. I’m just really glad that I’m here and doing this.”
Notes:
=Christian Wood finished Friday’s game with a season-high 28 points on 11-16 shooting to go with 8 rebounds off the bench. Since returning from a knee injury on 11/12, Wood is averaging 22.0 points (57.9% FG) and 7.0 rebounds per game across four contests.
-Dallas concludes their five-game homestand on Sunday against these same Nuggets.
Tank Davis returns to DMV with big fight on January 7
Boxing superstar Gervonta “Tank” Davis is returning to his native DMV area to face undefeated world champion Héctor Luis García in a high-stakes showdown on Saturday, January 7, at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., headlining a SHOWTIME PPV in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
The Baltimore native Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) has established himself as one of boxing’s hottest attractions, capturing five world titles through three divisions, including the WBA Lightweight Title he currently holds. After blasting out the previously unbeaten Rolando Romero with a single punch in May, Davis returns to take on Héctor Luis García, needing to pave the way for the recently announced blockbuster clash against unbeaten star Ryan Garcia in the Spring of 2023.
The WBA Super Featherweight World Champion Héctor Luis García (16-0, 10 KOs), who represented the Dominican Republic in the 2016 Olympics, is coming off a spectacular 2022 with two marquee victories. Now training in Las Vegas, García scored one of the biggest upsets of the year in February, when he defeated then-unbeaten Chris Colbert, before capturing the world title with a decisive unanimous decision over incumbent Roger Gutierrez in August.
Some called this a tuneup, but this is not a gimme fight for Davis; if he beats Garcia and then handles business against Garcia later in 2023, we have to give Tank his props. This is an excellent showcase for him in D.C. Expect a big crowd and a great atmosphere on January 7.
Cavs snap five-game losing streak!
The Cleveland Cavaliers(9-6) got back at it on Friday night, hoping to snap a five-game losing streak as they battled the Charlotte Hornets(4-13).
Cleveland had four players score 20-plus points as they defeated Charlotte 132-122 in double overtime at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Hornets.
Great:
Darius Garland made big shots in both overtimes for the Cavs. In a career-high 48 minutes, Garland(16/28 FG) had a game-high 41 points, six assists, and a career-high five steals. In the first overtime, with the Cavs trailing 117-114 with under a minute to go, Garland hit a three to tie the game, and when the Hornets took a 120-117 with 22.5 seconds to go, Garland would make another three with 13.5 seconds to send the game into double overtime. He had 13 of the team’s 27 points in the two overtime periods.
Donovan Mitchell had 34 points and six assists. The Cavs backcourt combined for 75 points; Mitchell and Garland also combined for 20 of the team’s 27 points in the overtime periods.
Evan Mobley was sensational on Friday night. He had 21 points, a career-high 18 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and a steal. According to the Cavs, Mobley became the ninth player in team history to have 20-plus points, 15-plus rebounds, five-plus assists, two-plus blocks, and one-plus steal in a game. In fact, Mobley and Jarrett Allen(20 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks) combined for 41 points, 30 rebounds, and six blocks.
Second OT: The Cavs blew the lead at the end of the fourth and almost lost it in the first overtime, but they took control in the second OT. After Kelly Oubre Jr. made a running hook to give the Hornets a 122-120 lead with 4:38 to go, the Cavs closed the show on a 12-0 run. Charlotte did not score the rest of the way and shot 1/10 from the field in that period.
Not So Great
The Final 52.4 seconds in Regulation: After two Mitchell free throws made the score 103-93, things got a little haywire for the Cavs. Charlotte closed the game on a 12-2 run to send it to OT after a Terry Rozier three with 01.1 seconds to go. During that stretch, the Cavs turned the ball over two times.
Turnovers: Cleveland had a season-high 20 turnovers on Friday night, leading to 35 points for the Hornets, which almost cost them in this game. Fortunately, Garland and Mitchell bailed them out in OT.
Bottom Line:
This would have been a terrible loss for the Cavs. The Hornets were without LaMelo Ball, and Cleveland had what seemed like an insurmountable lead late in the game. Hopefully, they will learn from this and figure it out going forward.
What’s Next:
Cavs will battle the Heat on Sunday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Best of the Rest:
Oubre Jr. led the Hornets with 34 points; Rozier and P.j. Washington added 28 points apiece. Washington also added 10 rebounds.
With the win, Cleveland moves to 4-0 in overtime games this season.
Giants’ Saquon Barkley talks origin of “Vanilla Vick’
Who is ‘Vanilla Vick’ well, apparently, it’s New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who has been “Vanilla Vick’ all season long for New York.
Jones, who was mic’d up last week in the Giants’ win over the Texans, was given the nickname by his teammate Saquon Barkley.
On Thursday, Barkley explained the origin of ‘Vanilla Vick.’
“I can’t even take credit for that,” Barkley said. “I saw it on social media so long ago. I forgot he was mic’d up. But that’s where it kind of came from. I can’t take credit for it. I saw it on Twitter or something like that.”
Jones is not a runner like Michael Vick, but he’s not bad. In fact, Jones is fourth among quarterbacks in rushing yards(387) this season; he also has three touchdowns on the ground. Jones has always been effective running the ball, including a career-long 80-yard run in 2020 against the Eagles.
The Giants and Barkley hope Jones can keep up his ‘Vanilla Vick’ ways against the Lions on Sunday.
Watch below as Barkley talks’ Vanilla Vick’ and more:
Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia is on!
Many boxing fans were let down after Errol Spence-Terence Crawford was not made, but they got some good news on Thursday.
It was announced on social media by both Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia that they would fight sometime in 2023.
According to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, the bout will be contested at a 136-pound catchweight and is slated to take place in April and will be produced and distributed by Showtime. In addition, DAZN, which streams Garcia’s fights, will offer the PPV through its services.
Garcia is excited to get this fight done.
I’m so pumped this fight is finally in place — I want it more than anything right now,” Garcia said via Twitter. “I’ve put in the work, I’m at the prime of my career, and I know I’m going to be the biggest boxer in the world. That legacy starts today.”
Davis added via Twitter:
“I’ll be back in the ring Jan 7 stay tuned for more details! After that it’s me and Ryan signed sealed delivered…done deal!”
Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza believes this is one of the biggest fights that can be made in boxing.
“Tank Davis vs. Ryan Garcia is one of the biggest and most exciting fights that can be made in boxing. We have two supremely talented boxers, both in their prime, who have amassed huge fanbases, meeting in a career-defining fight,” Espinoza said via a statement. “This is the epitome of a crossover boxing event. All credit to Tank and Ryan for staying the course and giving the fans the fight they want.
“SHOWTIME has delivered the three biggest pay-per-view events in television history, and we are thrilled to add this marquee event to our list of culture-moving matchups.”
Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya, said this via Twitter:
“The fans have been crystal clear that the fight they want is Ryan versus Tank,” De La Hoya said. “Golden Boy Promotions and I are proud to be leading the drive to get this fight signed and are excited to get a deal finalized ASAP. It’s high time that those outside the ring stop getting in the way of those who want nothing more than to get into the ring and fight. Our motto has always been that the fans come first, and this is just another example of how we’re leading by example.”
Again, according to Davis, he will have a tune-up fight on January 7, so if all goes well, hopefully, the fight will still happen.
