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Happy Leap Day 👋
It's February 29th. A rare occurrence calls for rare storylines. Two superstar basketball players are setting the stage for a weekend of records we may never see fall. Let's leap... Letter Rip! |
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40-for-40: It's Still LA-Bron's City |
Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images |
LeBron James (34 Points) Hits Seven 3s to Fuel 21-Point Lakers Comeback Over Clippers (116-112) — Now 40 Away From 40,000-Point Milestone
Say what you will about the Clippers’ recent hot streak, LeBron James is still the latest Los Angeles resident to bring the Larry O’Brien trophy to the City of Angels. It’s still Bron’s city, and he made sure to remind them last night. The Lakers and Clippers met for the final regular-season intra-stadium matchup in which both teams share the same facility (Crypto.com Arena). The Clippers will move to Inglewood (Intuit Dome) to start next season. So this game mattered, and it definitely mattered to LeBron.
The Lakers trailed by 21 at one point — down by 19 to start the 4th — before James and Co. outscored the Clippers 39-16 in the 4th en route to a 116-112 comeback win. LeBron hit seven 3s in a rare deep-shooting display, including five triples in the 4th quarter where he scored 19 of his 34 points. He finished 13-for-21 (7-for-12, 3pt) with 34 points, 8 assists and 5 boards. And the magical conclusion to the shared-arena L.A. series just set the stage for more history this weekend. We’re officially on ‘Bron Watch'.
LeBron James → 40,000 Points
James now has 39,960 career points, which is already an NBA record that should stand the test of time. A mere 40 more points gives James the 40K milestone and a pretty disorienting stat for his Hall of Fame resume. Keep in mind, the 39-year-old just scored 19 in the 4th quarter to rally his team. He’s still elite. Only two other players ever broke the 35,000-point threshold. He’ll have two shots at the record between now and Monday with tonight’s game against the Wizards (10:30 pm ET) and Saturday when L.A. hosts the Nuggets (8:30 pm ET).
NBA’s All-Time Scoring List 1. LeBron James: 39,960 Points 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 38,387 Points 3. Karl Malone: 36,928 Points 4. Kobe Bryant: 33,643 Points 5. Michael Jordan: 32,292 Points
Watch: LeBron James (34 Points) Hits Seven 3s as Lakers Mount 21-Point Comeback |
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Caitlin Clark's Editorial |
Photo: David Berding / Getty Images |
More Records Rewritten as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (33-12-10) Posts Triple-Double, Pulls Within Reach of Pete Maravich’s Scoring Title
The Caitlin Clark editorial continues. Not our editorial. No, it’s hers. She’s editing names right out of the NCAA record book with a red pen that won’t run dry, and it’s about to get an exclamation point in her final regular season game on Sunday. Iowa’s scoring sensation dropped 33 points last night to package a triple-double in her team’s trip to Minnesota. She broke Lynette Woodard’s *hidden* women’s collegiate scoring record (3,649 points) with Kansas before the NCAA officially sanctioned women’s basketball in the 1970s. Clark had already surpassed Kelsey Plum's NCAA women's scoring record earlier this month. She also hit her 155th 3-pointer of the season last night (another NCAA women’s Division I single-season record). Red pen, everywhere. The Hawkeyes ran roughshod on the Gophers (108-60), and only one regular-season game remains for Clark to scratch out the biggest record of all…
Caitlin Clark → Pete Maravich
With 3,650 career points, Clark only needs 18 to break Pete Maravich’s all-time collegiate scoring record for both men and women. Maravich scored 3,667 points for LSU between 1966-1970. His record has stood for 54 years. Clark will break it in March, likely on Sunday when #6 Iowa hosts #2 Ohio State (1:00 pm ET). Set your alarm. It’s also Iowa’s senior night. The get-in ticket price is $491.
Watch: Caitlin Clark Breaks More Records With 33-Point Triple-Double, Eight 3s in Iowa’s Runaway Win |
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Photo: Megan Briggs / Getty Images |
NFLPA’s Team Report Cards Revealed: Dolphins Rank #1, Chiefs Rank 31st
The offseason NFL press often lends itself to funny sidebars, and this is one of my favorites. Team report cards were released yesterday after the NFLPA surveyed 1,700-plus players (more than 75% of the league) to ask questions about their franchise’s front office, coaches, facilities and overall experience. Power to the players, right? The Dolphins ranked 1st overall while a lot of the feedback from the Patriots was not kind to ex-coach Bill Belichick. The Commanders finished dead last. The biggest surprise? The three-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs finished 31st. Yikes!
NFLPA Report Card Takeaways
All 32 teams received grades (A-F) across 11 different categories, including training facilities, food, locker room, team travel and more. The most fascinating categories were grades for head coaches and team owners — the leaders in the spotlight. The lowest-graded coach was a D-grade from the Raiders (Josh McDaniels). Team owners got hammered by the report cards, including three D-grades (Bucs, Patriots and Panthers) and three F-grades (Cardinals, Steelers and Chiefs).
Kansas City players reported the largest disparity among leadership with an A+ grade for head coach Andy Reid and an F- for team owner Clark Hunt — both the highest and lowest grades among all teams, respectively. View Full NFLPA Report Cards |
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🏒 NHL Trade Deadline
The 2024 NHL trade deadline is fast approaching, and every team should have a good idea of what it needs before March 8. Here are some opinions about what each team should do. (B/R)
🏀 NBA Awards Odds
We’ve reached the point in the NBA season in which every award has an established favorite. But remember, there are nearly two months of basketball left to play. (CBS Sports)
🏈 Mel Kiper Jr.’s Latest Mock Draft
With combine workouts beginning Thursday, this is one of the most important weeks on the draft calendar. This is where coaches and front office executives can really get to know players. (ESPN+) |
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🏈 NFL Scouting Combine D-Linemen & Linebackers (3:00 pm ET, NFLN)
⛳️ PGA Tour Honda Classic, Round 1 (2:00 pm ET, NBC)
🏀 NBA Warriors at Knicks (7:30 pm ET, TNT) Heat at Nuggets (10:00 pm ET, TNT) 🏒 NHL Golden Knights at Bruins (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+) Avalanche at Blackhawks (9:00 pm ET, ESPN) 🏀 NCAA Basketball W: #5 Va-Tech at #17 Notre Dame (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)
W: #1 S. Carolina at Arkansas (9:00 pm ET, SECN) W: #4 Stanford at #11 Oregon State (10:00 pm ET, PAC12) |
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Poll Results: Yesterday, we asked: What should the Chicago Bears do with QB Justin Fields and the No. 1 pick this spring? It looks pretty split. Good luck, Chicago. They’ll be analyzing this decision for years to come.
41.7% — Draft Quarterback (Trade Fields) 26.9% — Draft Other Position (Keep Fields) 31.4% — Trade Away #1 Pick (Keep Fields) |
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