Rockets Blow Past Cavs on Saturday Primetime
The Cleveland Cavaliers' season-long issues have now gotten to the point that LeBron James does not want his teams' games on national television. Well, they were on Saturday night and got embarrassed in a 120-88 blowout loss to the Houston Rockets. The loss was the second-worst of their season, as James claimed to be at a "loss for words" after putting up just 11 points on the night. Meanwhile, on the other end, Chris Paul had 22 points and 11 assists, while Ryan Anderson added 21 points in Houston's 38th win. Combined with the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Rockets now sit two games back for the top spot in the Western Conference. They are now 11-2 since January 8th and have won four in a row, despite James Harden scoring just 16 in Saturday's blowout. Paul led the offense, including shooting 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, as the Rockets led by as many as 35 on the night. This loss joins a list of blowout losses on the year for Cleveland, including by 28 at Minnesota, 34 at Toronto, and by 24 at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They hit the road on Tuesday night to battle the lowly Orlando Magic. The Rockets cruise on to battle the Brooklyn Nets in a road contest that same night.
Tom Brady Earns 3rd NFL MVP Award
Early on in the season, it was a battle between Carson Wentz and Tom Brady in the MVP race. Now, with Wentz going down with an injury, and Brady about to play in his eighth Super Bowl, the choice was obvious on Saturday night. The New England Patriots quarterback earned his third MVP award at the NFL Honors show on Saturday night, just 24 hours before battling Wentz's Philadelphia Eagles, now led by Nick Foles, in Super Bowl 52 on Sunday night. Brady finished ahead of Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley by earning 40 votes, but was not there to accept the honors. Injured teammate, Julian Edelman, did that for him while Brady prepares for the big game. Brady is now the oldest player in NFL history to be named MVP, and becomes the fifth player to earn three in a career. He also won the award in 2007 and 2010, and is now looking for his sixth Super Bowl title, but Kurt Warner was the last MVP to win the Super Bowl back in 1999. Brady led the Patriots to a 13-3 record by leading the league with 4,577 passing yards for the first time since 2007, while also compiling 32 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He will continue to make history on Sunday night, as he will be the oldest quarterback in history to start a Super Bowl.
Duke, Kansas, Arizona Go Down on Saturday
It seems like every weekend the following is a headline in college basketball, and that is three top-10 teams going down. That was the case on Saturday, beginning with St. John's snapping their 11-game losing streak with an 81-77 win over the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden. Shamorie Ponds led the way with 33 points to help the Red Storm overcome an early 10-point deficit. The stunning victory was the first win for St. John's since December 20th against Saint Joseph's, as they will face another tough opponent in No. 1 Villanova this week. Gary Trent Jr. had 22 points in what was the fourth loss for the Blue Devils. Elsewhere, the Kansas Jayhawks' home struggles continued, as they suffered their third home loss, 84-79, at the hands of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Kendall Smith had 24 points, including the clinching free throws down the stretch, as the Cowboys shot 51 percent from the floor in the win. Cameron McGriff added 20 points and Jeffery Carroll scored 15 for Oklahoma State, who led by as many as 18 in the win. The Jayhawks' three home losses is their most in a season since the 1998-1999 season. And late at night, it was a thriller, but another top-10 upset, as unranked Washington beat No. 9 Arizona at the buzzer, 78-75. After a big-time block from DeAndre Ayton on a drive, Dominic Green picked up the loose ball and nailed the game-winning three as time expired, handing the Wildcats their second conference loss. Green finished with 14 points off the bench to lead the Huskies to their seventh conference win, and consecutive victories over ranked teams. They were coming off a win over No. 25 Arizona State on Thursday. Dusan Ristic had 21 points to lead Arizona, who hit half of their shots in the loss.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' season-long issues have now gotten to the point that LeBron James does not want his teams' games on national television. Well, they were on Saturday night and got embarrassed in a 120-88 blowout loss to the Houston Rockets. The loss was the second-worst of their season, as James claimed to be at a "loss for words" after putting up just 11 points on the night. Meanwhile, on the other end, Chris Paul had 22 points and 11 assists, while Ryan Anderson added 21 points in Houston's 38th win. Combined with the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Rockets now sit two games back for the top spot in the Western Conference. They are now 11-2 since January 8th and have won four in a row, despite James Harden scoring just 16 in Saturday's blowout. Paul led the offense, including shooting 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, as the Rockets led by as many as 35 on the night. This loss joins a list of blowout losses on the year for Cleveland, including by 28 at Minnesota, 34 at Toronto, and by 24 at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They hit the road on Tuesday night to battle the lowly Orlando Magic. The Rockets cruise on to battle the Brooklyn Nets in a road contest that same night.
Tom Brady Earns 3rd NFL MVP Award
Early on in the season, it was a battle between Carson Wentz and Tom Brady in the MVP race. Now, with Wentz going down with an injury, and Brady about to play in his eighth Super Bowl, the choice was obvious on Saturday night. The New England Patriots quarterback earned his third MVP award at the NFL Honors show on Saturday night, just 24 hours before battling Wentz's Philadelphia Eagles, now led by Nick Foles, in Super Bowl 52 on Sunday night. Brady finished ahead of Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley by earning 40 votes, but was not there to accept the honors. Injured teammate, Julian Edelman, did that for him while Brady prepares for the big game. Brady is now the oldest player in NFL history to be named MVP, and becomes the fifth player to earn three in a career. He also won the award in 2007 and 2010, and is now looking for his sixth Super Bowl title, but Kurt Warner was the last MVP to win the Super Bowl back in 1999. Brady led the Patriots to a 13-3 record by leading the league with 4,577 passing yards for the first time since 2007, while also compiling 32 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He will continue to make history on Sunday night, as he will be the oldest quarterback in history to start a Super Bowl.
Duke, Kansas, Arizona Go Down on Saturday
It seems like every weekend the following is a headline in college basketball, and that is three top-10 teams going down. That was the case on Saturday, beginning with St. John's snapping their 11-game losing streak with an 81-77 win over the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden. Shamorie Ponds led the way with 33 points to help the Red Storm overcome an early 10-point deficit. The stunning victory was the first win for St. John's since December 20th against Saint Joseph's, as they will face another tough opponent in No. 1 Villanova this week. Gary Trent Jr. had 22 points in what was the fourth loss for the Blue Devils. Elsewhere, the Kansas Jayhawks' home struggles continued, as they suffered their third home loss, 84-79, at the hands of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Kendall Smith had 24 points, including the clinching free throws down the stretch, as the Cowboys shot 51 percent from the floor in the win. Cameron McGriff added 20 points and Jeffery Carroll scored 15 for Oklahoma State, who led by as many as 18 in the win. The Jayhawks' three home losses is their most in a season since the 1998-1999 season. And late at night, it was a thriller, but another top-10 upset, as unranked Washington beat No. 9 Arizona at the buzzer, 78-75. After a big-time block from DeAndre Ayton on a drive, Dominic Green picked up the loose ball and nailed the game-winning three as time expired, handing the Wildcats their second conference loss. Green finished with 14 points off the bench to lead the Huskies to their seventh conference win, and consecutive victories over ranked teams. They were coming off a win over No. 25 Arizona State on Thursday. Dusan Ristic had 21 points to lead Arizona, who hit half of their shots in the loss.
