Preview, picks for tonight’s Notre Dame-Penn State Orange Bowl; The Cavaliers beat the Thunder in one of the NBA’s best battles

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🏀 Good morning everyone, but especially…

Cleveland Cavaliers

A battle between the NBA’s best teams Cavalry They are having a good time, keeping on top the thunder, 129-122, a back and forth affair That too lives up to his historical hype. In league history, there have never been games between teams that entered with 15 (Thunder) and 10 (Cavaliers) game winning streaks.

• Cleveland led the way with seven players getting double-digit points Jarrett Allenof 25 points (as well as 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals). 32 combined points (on 12-of-14 shooting) also from Cleveland. you are jerome And Max Strauss off the bench
• Leading by two with two minutes left, Cleveland scored the game’s final five points Evan Mobley And Darius Garland Large bucket distribution.
• Cleveland (32-4) has won 11 straight after ending Oklahoma City’s (30-6) 15-game winning streak. These teams will meet again a week from tonight in Oklahoma City (And maybe the NBA Finals after that.)

I love watching these teams. The Cavaliers are what every team should aspire to be offensively, the juggernaut of young players working together toward a common goal. They feature great ball movement — they lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio — but that’s because they’re awesome. off-ball Movement: They also lead the league in yards per possession. Mobley did “The Leap”, providing key balance to Garland and Donovan MitchellIts backcourt exploits.

The Thunder, meanwhile, boast (not having) the league’s best defense Chet Holmgren or Alex Caruso Of course hurt Wednesday), and a very efficient scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points), who isn’t the most athletic guy ever but has outstanding footwork, speed and body control.

Long story short, it was an excellent basketball game. It may not feature the biggest markets or the biggest stars, but these are two great, great teams any basketball fan should love. here is Sam Quinn’s takeaways.

👍 Honorable mention

👎 Not so honorable mention

🏈 Orange Bowl preview, picks for Notre Dame-Penn State

Here it is! The first College Football Playoff semifinals will take place tonight (7) Notre Dame facing (6) Penn State in orange bowl. Although both programs have a past and are not far from each other, this is theirs First meeting since 2007.

We’ve already talked about why is this team All can win, but they have to win tonight to even have that chance. Cameron Salerno was already broken Each key matchup and those have edges. At quarterback, he likes Drew Aller Over Riley LeonardAnd about guys getting after the quarterback, he said…

• Salerno: “The best player in this game — regardless of position — is Abdul Carter. when his The state of play is up in the air After leaving the game against Boise State Despite injuries, he is a true game-wrecker when he plays. With Carter missing most of the game against Boise State, Dani Dennis-Sutton Recorded 2.5 sacks in stride. Notre Dame’s leader in sacks (Riley MillsWill miss the rest of the season due to injury Indiana Last month Penn State had more depth and the best players in this group, giving them an advantage. Edge: Penn State“

Do these two key advantages mean Penn State is heading to the title game? We have expert picksLike Tom Fornelli’s best bet.

There is Dennis Dodd All angles of the semi-finals previewedAnd here are his choices:

• Dodd: “Marcus Freeman Low-key has become one of the best coaches in the country. That 12-game winning streak resulted in the largest point differential (338 points) in program history. … Penn State has the better roster and more talent, but Notre Dame is on a roll. It’s been a while, but Irish magic will lead Notre Dame to a shot at the national championship. Pick: Notre Dame 26, Penn State 24“

🏈 NFL Wild Card Weekend: Quarterback Matchup Rankings, Likely Upset

Wild Card Weekend is almost here, and it’s a total dandy. There’s not a single quirk in the schedule — more than a third of the NFL’s teams will be in action this weekend — and Vegas agrees: one in four of the six games. spread over five pointsand the other two are in single digits

A big part of that is high level quarterback play everywhere. Cody Benjamin All 14 starting quarterbacks are ranked This postseason, and for my money, I think 12 of these guys can be absolutely elite on the right day. Here are the top five:

1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Josh Allen
4. Jared Goff
5. Matthew Stafford

But according to Kodi The best quarterback matchups of the weekend Two people outside the top five include:

• Benjamin: “1. Jalen Hurts (Eagles) vs. Jordan Love (Packers) — Hearts and Love faced off in an entertaining Week 1 showdown in Brazil, and now they face a do-or-die rematch and questions about their own fitness. it hurts did not play Because of an injury before Christmas, when love He lost feeling in his arms After getting a shot in the funny bone at 18 weeks. If they straighten up, they’ve both got great playoff runs under their belts.”

Love and the Packers, however, no Jared Dubin tops the rankings Teams are likely to crash. That belongs to…

• Dubin: “1. Commander at Buccaneers (+141) — Washington has played basically the same as Tampa this season — if not better. The Buccaneers can score with anyone… but so can the Commies. The Tampa defense allowed almost everyone to move the ball at will and the way Washington played in the second half of the season (ie once Jayden Daniels In the rearview mirror, his ribs are bruised), it’s a dangerous way to live.”

Impact of the Los Angeles fires on sports

Sports are obviously the last thing on many people’s minds in Southern California Multiple wildfires across Los Angeles County. As of late Wednesday, the fire had killed five people, and damaged thousands of buildings — with thousands more on the way, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. At least 70,000 residents were ordered to evacuate as of Wednesday morning. was Fire by five different names Wednesday alone across the county.

We are thinking of those affected at this time. It’s a very sad and scary time filled with uncertainty for thousands of people in the nation’s most populous county. Lives and livelihoods are irrevocably changed, if not destroyed. Here are some of the effects of fire in sports:

• The NFL announced one contingency plan for Vikings-Rams Wild card game scheduled for Monday. The game will be moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona — home of the Cardinal –If needed. Rams players sent Thanks to the victims and first responders for their thoughts.
• D the charger donation $200,000 in relief efforts.
• Kawhi Leonard the left D Clipper Must stay with family members who have evacuated.
• JJ Reddick said His family was forced to move. D Lakers is scheduled to host Hornets tonight
• The NHL adjourned last night Los Angeles Kings home game against flame.

📺 What we’re seeing on Thursday

🏀 No. 15 Oregon at Ohio State (M).6pm on BTN
🏀 Timberwolves in Magic7 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 No. 14 Duke at No. 19 North Carolina (W)7pm on ACC Network
🏈 CFP Semifinals — Capital One Orange Bowl: (7) Notre Dame vs. (6) Penn State7:30 pm on ESPN