Eras Collide: The King & The Kid

February 26, 2020

By: Jeff Yoder

QUOTE OF THE DAY
LeBron James

“The kid is special.”

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NBA

Eras Collide: The King Outduels The Kid

Illustration: Joe Stella / Media Mobilize

LeBron Scores Season-High 40 Points in Lakers Win

Not yet, young gun. It’s still LeBron James’ NBA. While it’s yet to be determined if last night’s matchup signaled the next overlap of NBA eras, one thing was certain — you can’t beat a dunk highlight reel with LeBron James and Zion Williamson. The first-ever meeting between the 19-year-old rookie and the 35-year-old veteran was quite a show on Tuesday night. Thunderous dunks and mega-highlights left us wanting more, and it’s a good thing we’ll get Round 2 on Sunday.

The King: LeBron erupted for a season-high 40 points (17-for-27, FG), including five triples, as the Lakers beat the Pelicans (118-109). The Lakers are now 18-0 when LeBron scores 30-plus, and they’re 38-0 this season when leading after three quarters.

The Kid: Zion still scored 29 points and added to his historic career start. He joined Carmelo Anthony as the only players under the age of 19 to score 20-plus in nine consecutive games.

Comparison: First 12 Career Games
LeBron: 17.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4-8 record
Zion: 22.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 7-5 record

Highlights (HoH) | Read More (B/R)

Additional Storylines
The Ringer: LeBron & Zion Epitomize NBA’s Past, Present, and Future
The Athletic: A LeBron vs. Zion Playoff Series Would be Ratings Gold (Paywall)

*Rematch of Pelicans vs. Lakers is this Sunday at 8:00 pm ET

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Bayern Big Winners in Leg 1

Photo: Mike Hewitt / Getty Images

Bayern Shutout Chelsea | Barcelona & Napoli Draw

Tuesday’s second go at the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 (Leg 1) featured two red cards and a stunning blowout. Bayern Munich launched a second-half assault on Chelsea thanks to two goals from Serge Gnabry and a third from Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski also had two assists. Further south, it was a Leg 1 draw between Barcelona and Napoli (1-1). More UCL action continues today.

Highlights & Scores
Bayern def. Chelsea (3-0)
Barcelona draw Napoli (1-1)

Today’s Schedule
Lyon vs. Juventus (3:00 pm ET)
Real Madrid vs. Man. City (3:00 pm ET)

Highlight links to B/R Football

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MLB

Houston, We Still Have Problems

Photo: Joel Auerbach / Getty Images

Where Do The Astros Go From Here?

Boos, plunkings, and spring training hecklers aren’t stopping anytime soon. After the nightmare winter months for the Houston Astros in the sign-stealing aftermath, it’s going to be a long, long season ahead. Unending boos have followed the team this week, and Jose Altuve was grazed by a pitch on Monday. The team insists they’re tuning out the distractions and focused on baseball, but that’s hard to believe with the crowd noise this pre-season.

With spring training underway and a few games in the books, let’s take a look at what Sportsletter readers said in last week’s poll regarding the Astros punishment. 👇

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NFL

The New NFL Scouting Combine

Photo: Joe Robbins / Getty Images

Changes in 2020 Move Combine Workouts to Primetime

For more than a decade, the NFL Scouting Combine has brought college football’s elite to Indianapolis for a full week of drills at the end of February. Like clockwork, the combine has run Sunday to Sunday with measurements, interviews, and tests divided by player groups for the entire week. That changes in 2020.

While the top NFL Draft prospects have spent the early part of the week in Indy, those days have belonged to measurements — like Joe Burrow’s nine-inch hands — and interviews. You know, the boring stuff. The actual drills will now take air in prime time rather than business hours (4-11 pm Thursday — Saturday, and 2-7 pm on Sunday). Get ready to watch players’ draft stocks rise and fall. Combine weekend is coming.

Additional Storylines
USA Today: Big Changes Coming to This Year’s NFL Combine
The Ringer: Who Has the Most to Gain at the NFL Combine?

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READ OF THE DAY

The Longest Flight in Lakers History

The weary group trudged across the tarmac and onto the team plane at Philadelphia International Airport… A few hours into the flight, as the plane hovered above the Midwest, Lakers coach Frank Vogel’s face was lit by the glow of a screen as he pored over game tape from the team’s 108-91 loss to the 76ers the night before.

Read Story (Dave McMenamin, ESPN)

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THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Bucks Reach 50 Wins
The Bucks and Raptors met Tuesday night in an Eastern Conference clash of the top-two teams, and Milwaukee got the victory (108-97) to reach 50 wins this season. The Bucks are tied for the fifth-fastest team to reach 50 (58 games) in NBA history. (NBA)

🏒 NHL: New Look, New York
Thirteen NHL games took the ice on Tuesday (four needed OT) after Monday’s trade deadline, but we focused on the New York matchup that featured new-look squads. The Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad hit a slap shot for the OT winner (4-3) to spoil Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s Islanders debut. (NHL.com)

⚾️ MLB: Tim Tebow Homers First Hit
After four spring training camps with the Mets, Tim Tebow has left the yard. The 32-year-old Mets “prospect” smashed a two-run homer to left-center yesterday for his first hit of the spring. (MLB.com)

🏀 NCAAB: Duke Downed in Double OT
Another Top-10 upset via unranked opponent! The 6th-ranked Blue Devils lost to unranked Wake Forest in a double overtime stunner last night (113-101, 2OT). The Demon Deacons got to the free-throw line 50 times to upstage their in-state rivals, and the ACC now belongs to #6 Florida State. (ACCN)

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📰 THE HEADLINES

Steph Curry Returns to Warriors Sunday After Missing 4 Months With Broken Hand
(NBC Sports)

Joe Burrow Confirms He’d Play for Bengals if Drafted No. 1 Overall
(Bleacher Report)

ESPN Cancels ‘High Noon’ Talk Show With Pablo Torre & Bomani Jones
(USA Today)

Panthers Reportedly Moving Forward With Cam Newton as Starting QB
(CBS Sports)

Ohio State Football Gives Head Coach Ryan Day 3-Year Extension & Pay Raise
(Yahoo! Sports)

Yankees’ Starter Luis Severino to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
(ESPN)

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