The NBA Point Party 

December 7, 2023

By: Carlos Alvarez

Good Morning 

T’was a slow sports day on Wednesday, until it wasn\’t. The late-night hours brought a blockbuster MLB trade we were expecting to see, and the NBA held a point-scoring party with four 40-plus scorers, including one rewritten history book. Allow me to introduce \’skinny headband\’ Luka Doncic…

Letter Rip!

NBA

Lights Out in Luka Land

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Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images

Luka Doncic Notches Historic 1st-Half Triple-Double, Stats 40-10-11 in 3 Quarters & Passes Larry Bird in the Record Books

Have a night, Luka Doncic! The Mavericks held a funeral for the Jazz on Wednesday with a 50-point eulogy (147-97) and the biggest blowout of the NBA season. Luka Doncic was in \’sandbox\’ mode, just toying around with the Utah defense. Doncic tallied 29-10-10 in the FIRST HALF of play, notching the highest-scoring triple-double in a single half in NBA history. He ended the night with 40-10-11, and he didn’t even see the court in the 4th quarter (32 minutes played). A 50-15-15 night might have been in the cards had he played a full game, or had the game been close, but this was a downright spectacle of an offensive performance. And the history didn’t stop there…

Doncic passed Larry Bird for 9th on the NBA’s all-time triple-double list with his 60th career trip-dub. Larry Bird, folks… Keep in mind, Luka is just 24 years old. The Mavs moved to 12-8 on the year and snapped a two-game skid, and this might finally be the year Luka runs away with the MVP.

NBA’s All-Time Triple-Double List

1. Russell Westbrook (198)

2. Oscar Robertson (181)

3. Magic Johnson (138)

4. Nikola Jokic (113)

5. LeBron James (108)

6. Jason Kidd (107)

7. Wilt Chamberlain (78)

8. James Harden (74)

9. Luka Doncic (60)

10. Larry Bird (59)

Watch: Luka Doncic Goes for 40-10-11 in 3 Quarters With Historic Night & 50-Point Victory

The NBA Point Party

Embiid Drops 50-Piece: Joel Embiid was Wednesday night’s high-point man with 50-13-7 in a narrow win for the 76ers over the Wizards (131-126). It’s the NBA’s fourth 50-point game of the season, and the second by a 76ers player (Tyrese Maxey, Nov. 12).

Desmond Bane Fires 49 Points: The Grizzlies may be struggling without Ja Morant, but Desmond Bane has been a revelation in Memphis. The Grizzlies’ lights-out shooter tabbed a new career-high with 49 last night in a win over the Pistons (116-102). He shot 19-for-31 from the floor.

Banchero Scores Career-High 42: The Magic’s early-season streak has been a pleasant surprise, and so has young star Paolo Banchero. The second-year man from Duke dropped a career-high 42 last night, but the Magic fell to the Cavs (121-111).

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MLB

It\’s \’Go Time\’: Yankees Add Soto

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Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images

Yankees Acquire Juan Soto From Padres in 7-Player Blockbuster, And This New York Lineup is Loaded

From one shade of pinstripes to another! The biggest trade of the MLB offseason is official. The Yankees acquired Juan Soto in a deal with the Padres on Wednesday night. The trade involved seven players in total. New York looks like the obvious winner, though, taking advantage of Soto’s low-risk, high-reward contract season ahead. The Yanks also added Alex Verdugo from the Red Sox earlier in the week. Both players, Verdugo (27) and Soto (25), are young left-handed hitters heading into a contract year, and those lefties can do damage at Yankee Stadium. They’re rolling the dice in the Bronx. It\’s \’go time\’…

Trade Details

  • Yankees Get: OF Juan Soto, OF Trent Grisham
  • Padres Get: RHP Michael King, RHP Jhony Brito, RHP Drew Thorpe, RHP Randy Vasquez, C Kyle Higashioka

The Yankees Revenge Era

New York finished just 82-80 last season and missed the playoffs in one of the most disappointing campaigns of recent memory. Now, with the additions of Soto and Verdugo, their projected starting lineup is downright remarkable — 3B D.J. LeMahieu, CF Aaron Judge, RF Juan Soto, DH Giancarlo Stanton, 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Gleyber Torress, LF Alex Verdugo, SS Anthony Volpe & C Jose Trevino. Injuries aside, there’s zero excuse for the Yankees to not contend in 2024.

Read More

Athletic: How Soto Bolsters New York’s Lineup, And Why San Diego Moved On

Yahoo! Sports: MLB FA / Trade Tracker: Yankees Complete 7-Player Deal for Juan Soto

Closing Time (\”Ohtani Watch\”)

The MLB’s winter meetings are wrapping up and there’s still no decision yet from the game’s biggest star. Shohei Ohtani is reportedly “days away” from making an announcement on where he\’ll play next. Can’t blame him for wanting to take his time before signing his career away for a contract in the ballpark of 10 years, $600 million. In the meantime, we’re all on “Ohtani Watch”…

Other MLB News

Diamondbacks & Eduardo Rodriguez Agree to 4-year, $80 Million Deal

Reds Add Veteran INF Jeimer Candelario with 3-Year, $45 Million Deal

Orioles Sign Craig Kimbrel to 1-Year, $13 Million Deal

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CFB

The Heisman Finalists

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Photo: Name / Getty Images

The 2023 Heisman Trophy Ceremony (Sat. 8:00 pm ET, ESPN) Will Be Decided by 1 Factor in the Minds of Voters…

It’s Heisman time! One of the most coveted pieces of hardware in all of sports gets a new recipient on Saturday night. The four finalists were revealed on Monday, and they include the three names we featured in last week’s Heisman race preview. It’s three quarterbacks — Jayden Daniels (LSU), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), and Bo Nix (Oregon) — as well as Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. So who will join the famed ‘Heisman House’ as the 58th living member of the illustrious fraternity? It’ll come down to one determining factor in the minds of the 927 voters (870 media + 57 past winners)…

The Determining Factor: Wins

By stats alone, LSU\’s Jayden Daniels is the runaway Heisman favorite. You can see his stat margins with a quick glance (below), and his 50-TD season rivals some of the best ever on paper. On top of that, Daniels’ eye test beats everyone else with his flashy brilliance as a runner, amassing more than 1,000 yards with his legs. But the only thing that could twist his Heisman fate is if voters lean towards Michael Penix Jr. due to his spotless record. Penix Jr.’s Washington squad is 13-0 and headed to the College Football Playoff while Daniels’ LSU squad is 9-3. As the leader of the Huskies’ CFP bid, some voters could be swayed to lean in Penix Jr.’s direction, but will it be enough? Daniels has the better case. No disrespect to Nix or Harrison Jr., but they’re simply not going to get enough votes. Nix was the favorite just a few weeks ago, but Oregon’s second loss to Washington flipped the odds.

The Heisman is an individual award (not team wins). And if voting integrity maintains that posture, welcome to the Heisman House, Jayden Daniels.

Updated Heisman Odds

QB Jayden Daniels (LSU): -1400 Odds

QB Michael Penix Jr. (WASH): +900 Odds

QB Bo Nix (ORE): +2200 Odds

WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (OSU): +20000 Odds

The Heisman Breakdown

QB Jayden Daniels (LSU)

  • Stats: 4,946 Yards | 50 TDs | 4 INTs | 72.2 Completion % | 95.6 QBR | Record: 9-3

QB Michael Penix Jr. (Washington)

  • Stats: 4,218 Yards | 36 TDs | 9 INTs | 65.9 Completion % | 83.4 QBR | Record: 13-0

QB Bo Nix (Oregon)

  • Stats: 4,373 Yards | 46 TDs | 3 INTs  | 77.2 Completion % | 91.0 QBR | Record: 11-2

WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State)

  • Stats: 67 Receptions | 1,211 Yards | 14 TDs | 18.1 Yards Per Catch | Record: 11-1

Heisman Trophy Ceremony

Saturday Night (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)

Read More

CBS Sports: How to Rank the 3 Contenders for College Football’s Premier 2023 Award

Sporting News: The Case For & Against Each 2023 Heisman Trophy Finalist

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HIGHLIGHTS

 NCAAW

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark Makes NCAA History

*1st Player (Men or Women) With 3K Points, 750 Rebounds, 750 Assists

 NCAAM

#8 Marquette Blows Out #12 Texas (86-65)

*Tyler Kolek Drops Season-High 28 Points

 NHL

Oilers Dust Hurricanes (6-1) for 5th Straight Win

*Zach Hyman (3G) Plays Surprise Hero With 1st Hat Trick

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STORYLINES

 The NCAA Athlete Compensation Proposal

Under the plan, schools would set aside educational trust funds of at least $30,000 per year for at least half of their athletes, and would have to comply with Title IX laws. (NY Times)

 In-Season Tournament Banners?

How big of a deal will it be for the team who wins the NBA in-season tournament? Will the winning team get to hang a banner in the rafters, like the champions do? (Sports Illustrated)

 ‘Emma Will Take Us There’

There\’s a lot of excitement and curiosity surrounding Emma Hayes coming to coach the U.S. Women’s National Team, but it appears she’s already won over the squad. (FOX Sports)

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NEWS

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SCHEDULE

Today\’s Must-Watch List

 Thursday Night Football

Patriots at Steelers (8:15 pm ET, PRIME)

 NBA Cup (Semi-finals)

Pacers at Bucks (5:00 pm ET, ESPN)

Pelicans at Lakers (9:00 pm ET, TNT)

 NHL

Stars at Capitals (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)

Devils at Kraken (10:30 pm ET, ESPN)

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