Hey Now, You\’re An All-Star

February 18, 2022

By: Carlos Alvarez

Happy Friday

It\’s NBA All-Star Weekend and the Daytona 500 wrapped in one. It\’s the weekend primer, and a batch of Thursday highlights from across the sports world. Let\’s get at it…

Letter Rip!

NBA

The All-Star Breakdown

$\"\"$

NBA Standings Breakdown & Previews Heading Into All-Star Weekend

The All-Star break has arrived, and it’s time for a check-in on the NBA standings before the festivities. The playoffs are just six weeks away, and teams have been jockeying for position in the East while the West has been dominated by one team. We’ll highlight where every team stands and look ahead to the participants and events to watch this weekend. Reminder: The new NBA playoff format features 10 teams in each conference with seeds 7-10 joining the play-in tournament.

NBA Standings

Eastern Conference

1. Bulls (38-21)

2. Heat (37-21)

3. Bucks (36-23)

4. Cavaliers (35-23)

5. 76ers (34-23)

6. Celtics (34-26)

7. Raptors (32-25)

8. Nets (31-27)

9. Hornets (29-30)

10. Hawks (28-30)

Rest of East: 11. Wizards (26-31), 12. Knicks (25-34), 13. Pacers (20-40), 14. Pistons (13-45), 15. Magic (13-47)

Western Conference

1. Suns (48-10)

2. Warriors (42-17)

3. Grizzlies (41-19)

4. Jazz (36-22)

5. Mavericks (34-24)

6. Nuggets (33-25)

7. Timberwolves (31-28)

8. Clippers (29-31)

9. Lakers (27-31)

10. Blazers (25-34)

Rest of West: 11. Pelicans (23-35), 12. Spurs (23-36), 13. Kings (22-38), 14. Thunder (18-40), 15. Rockets (15-42)

NBA All-Star Weekend Schedule

Friday: Celebrity Game (7:00 pm)

Friday: Rising Stars (9:00 pm)

Saturday: All-Star Saturday Night (8:00 pm)

— Skills Challenge

— 3-Point Contest

— Slam Dunk Contest

Sunday: 71st NBA All-Star Game (8:00 pm)

Additional Storylines

The Ringer: The 7 Biggest Questions Heading Into NBA All-Star Weekend

ESPN: NBA MVP Straw Poll: Familiar Big-Man Battle is Brewing at the Top

CBS Sports: NBA Power Rankings: Bulls, Celtics Mavs Rising at All-Star Break

_________________________________________________________________________________________

NASCAR

The Daytona 500 Primer

$\"\"$

Daytona 500 Officially Kicks Off 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Season on Sunday

The Great American Race has finally arrived! Sunday’s Daytona 500 waves the green flag on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, and the 64th annual race has plenty to watch. This year’s unique lineup format featured single-car qualifying on Wednesday and the results of Bluegreen Vacation Duels on Thursday. The starting grid is set for the 40 drivers competing in the 500-mile showcase.

Daytona 500 Starting Grid

1. Kyle Larson

2. Alex Bowman

3. Brad Keselowski

4. Chris Buescher

5. Austin Cindric

6. Michael McDowell

7. Ryan Blaney

8. Harrison Burton

9. Chase Briscoe

10. Kyle Busch

Full Starting Lineup

Daytona 500: Sunday (2:30 pm ET, FOX)

Additional Storylines

NASCAR: Meet the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Field (Photos)

ESPN: At 2022 Daytona 500, NASCAR’s Next Gen Cars Get Positive Reviews

CBS Sports: Kyle Larson to Lead the Field for the 64th Great American Race

_________________________________________________________________________________________

$\"🎥\"$ THE HIGHLIGHTS

$\"⚽️\"$ SOCCER: USNWT Draws SheBelieves Cup Opener

The U.S. Women’s National Team settled for a scoreless draw (0-0) against Czech Republic in the SheBelieves Cup opener despite dominating the contest. The USWNT outshot the Czech side (18-6) and won possession (64-36), but their efforts yielded no goals.

$\"🏀\"$ NBA: Luka Launches 49-Point Outing

Plenty of NBA highlights were worthy of the nod on Thursday, but Luka Doncic’s 49-point performance in the Mavericks’ win over the Pelicans (125-118) earned the top honor. Doncic (49-15-8) flirted with a triple double while knocking down seven 3s.

$\"🏒\"$ NHL: Laine’s Hat Trick Powers Blue Jackets

Patrik Laine extended his point streak to eight games while netting three goals to claim his ninth career hat trick in the Blue Jackets’ 7-4 win over the Blackhawks.

$\"⛳️\"$ PGA: Niemann Opens Genesis With 8-Under

Joaquin Niemann carded the hottest start in Round 1 of the Genesis Open on Thursday at the Riviera. His 8-under (63) gives him a three-stroke lead over the field heading into Round 2.

$\"🏀\"$ NCAAW: #24 UNC Stuns #3 Louisville

Upset in Chapel Hill! The 24th-ranked women’s Tar Heels took down 3rd-ranked Louisville (66-65) Thursday night with a pair of late free throws from Kennedy Todd-Williams. She finished with a game-high 19 points as UNC ended the Cardinals’ eight-game win streak.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

THE STORYLINES

$\"🏈\"$ USFL Inaugural Draft

The order for the first round of next week\’s inaugural USFL Draft is officially set — and the Michigan Panthers are on the clock. (FOX Sports)

$\"🏀\"$ The 7 Biggest Questions Before All-Star Weekend

A preview of this year’s festivities in Cleveland, including a revamped Rising Stars event, an iffy dunk contest field, and a Sunday showcase dripping with intriguing matchups. (The Ringer)

$\"⛳️\"$ PGA Tour Power Rankings

After a weekend of beer showers, aces and shirtless celebrations at the biggest party of the season at the WM Phoenix Open, the PGA Tour returns to normalcy this week. (ESPN)

_________________________________________________________________________________________

$\"📰\"$ THE HEADLINES