A slight nudge was all it took for Fred VanVleet to get ejected Sunday in the Houston Rockets’ game against the Miami Heat at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Heat forward Nikola Jovic hit a three with 47.1 seconds left to put Miami up 98-94, prompting the Rockets to call a timeout. VanVleet was tasked to inbound the ball from the sideline. VanVleet could not get a clean pass off in time due to some excellent ball denial by the Heat. The Rockets guard tried to call a timeout, but it was too late. Referee Marc Davis called a five-second violation.
As VanVleet tried to argue the call, he gave Davis a little bump. The veteran official turned around and ejected VanVleet for the contact.
Tensions remained high even after VanVleet was escorted off the playing court. A few moments later, Heat star Tyler Herro and Rockets wing Amen Thompson got tangled up near midcourt. A full-on fracas broke out as Thompson pulled Herro to the ground.
Thompson, Rockets guard Jalen Green, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan, and Heat guard Terry Rozier were all ejected from the contest.
Herro led all scorers with 27 points in the 104-100 Heat win.
Houston’s players were probably in a dour mood given that it was the second straight close game they’ve lost at home. The Rockets are just days removed from blowing a 16-point lead in the final minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves, capped off by an go-ahead three-pointer from Anthony Edwards.
Terry Bradshaw made a big prediction on Sunday about the Kansas City Chiefs.
On the FOX NFL pregame show Sunday, Bradshaw said that he does not feel the Chiefs will win a third straight Super Bowl. Even though Kansas City is 15-1 following their win over the Steelers on Christmas, Bradshaw believes another AFC team will beat them in the playoffs.
“They’re not gonna win three in a row,” Bradshaw said of the Chiefs.
When told that no team has won three Super Bowls in a row, Bradshaw replied that that was one of the reasons he doesn’t think the team will win it all in February.
“The other reason is, you see how quick they’re getting rid of the ball now? See how quick, quick, quick, quick. I just think they’re going to load up against a team like Buffalo. They’re gonna load up against a team like Baltimore. And those are the two teams that can beat them, and I think it’s going to happen. I think one of them’s gonna take ’em, even though it’s going to be in Kansas City,” Bradshaw said.
It’s unclear exactly what he meant when he talked about the quick stuff. It’s possible he thinks the Chiefs have been compensating for a weaker offensive line by getting the ball out quicker, and that maybe he thinks Buffalo or Baltimore will try to overwhelm Kansas City’s line.
Bradshaw won four Super Bowls during his playing career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He won them in consecutive seasons twice (1974-1975 and 1978-1979), but was never able to win three in a row. He knows better than anyone just how tough that is.
The Chiefs will have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, which should help their effort. We’ll see if Bradshaw is correct in the end.
The Minnesota Vikings threw it back to 2006 for one of their celebrations Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
The Vikings made a huge defensive play during the Packers’ game-opening drive at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. Vikings defensive tackle Jerry Tillery stripped Packers running back Josh Jacobs on his rushing attempt.
Safety Cam Bynum recovered the fumble and quickly switched gears from defender to lead dancer. After being marked down, Bynum ran to the end zone with his teammates behind him. Bynum and the Vikings’ defense channeled their inner Zac Efron by busting out the iconic “We’re All In This Together” dance from the 2006 Disney Channel movie “High School Musical.”
The Vikings’ defense has kept fans on the edge of their seats week after week with their creative celebrations. They also had another Disney-themed celebration last week in a close win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Bynum has been at the center of it all. The fourth-year safety kept up with the trends in Week 10 when he copied the infamous Australian breakdancer Raygun. Bynum and teammate Josh Metellus then kicked it old school in Week 14 with their awesome celebration paying homage to the 2004 comedy classic “White Chicks.”
With Minnesota on a nine-game winning streak, there’s been a lot to celebrate for both Vikings fans and players alike.
The Vikings’ win Sunday raised the stakes for their Week 18 showdown with the Detroit Lions. The winner of that contest will earn the top seed in the NFC and an automatic bye in the first round.
Expect Bynum and co. to have something epic cooked up in case the defense makes a huge play in Minnesota’s regular season finale.
Oct 15, 2021; Ware, United Kingdom; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) at a press conference at the Hanbury Marriott Manor and Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel offered an important update about quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury.
Tagovailoa did not play in Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns, with McDaniel telling reporters that the hip injury simply did not respond as the team hoped it would during the week. McDaniel said Tagovailoa is not expected to need surgery, but would not commit to the quarterback playing in the team’s season finale against the New York Jets.
McDaniel added that Tagovailoa was held out of the game because the Dolphins believed allowing him to play would have left him susceptible to a more serious injury.
Tagovailoa’s status for Week 18 is clearly up in the air, and likely depends on how his body responds this week. The Dolphins remain alive in the playoff hunt, and there is no question that they would want their starting quarterback available for such an important game if at all possible.
Tyler Huntley stepped in for Tagovailoa against the Browns and went 22/26 for 225 yards with one touchdown. He also added seven carries for 52 yards and a rushing touchdown in the 20-3 victory.
Aug 12, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Sauce Gardner did not sound enthusiastic Saturday about recruiting a potential marquee free agent to sign with the New York Jets. The Pro Bowl cornerback later felt the need to explain why.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins had a season-saving performance in his team’s 30-24 win Saturday over the Denver Broncos. Higgins caught 11 passes for 131 yards with 3 touchdowns, including the game-winning TD in overtime (video here).
Higgins shared his highlights in an Instagram post shortly after the game. Gardner commented on the post in support of the Bengals’ free-agent-to-be, prompting a fan to ask Gardner to recruit Higgins to the Jets. Gardner did not humor the fan.
“Tell him to come to da [sic] jets,” commented the fan.
“I will NOT be telling him that,” Gardner replied.
Gardner’s post had some people speculating online that the star cornerback was unhappy with the Jets and would not recommend others to join the team. Once his comment went viral, Wilson cleared things up on an Instagram story post.
“We got [Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams] already so it’s no chance of it happening so that’s why I said ‘I will NOT tell him that’
“There yall [sic] go,” Gardner captioned the post.
Gardner made sure to clarify that his comment on Higgins’ post was not about his dissatisfaction with being on the Jets. But the the two-time All-Pro did not hide his frustration with his team Sunday after the Jets got crushed 40-14 by the Buffalo Bills.
Jul 27, 2023; Rochester NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws the ball during training camp at St. John Fisher College. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Baltimore Ravens players are going to bat for quarterback Lamar Jackson as the MVP debate heats up.
Ravens backup tight end Charlie Kolar took a shot at Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on X Sunday as the debate intensifies. Kolar shared a graphic comparing Jackson’s stats with Allen, and eagerly pointed out that Jackson is statistically ahead of Allen in many meaningful categories.
“I’m not a math genius but one guy seems to be leading in all categories except QB sneaks,” Kolar wrote.
Some of Allen’s detractors have embraced the claim that Allen’s touchdown numbers are inflated because of his high number of quarterback sneaks at the goal line. Allen picked up his 12th rushing touchdown of the season Sunday to go with two passing touchdowns. By contrast, Jackson has 39 passing touchdowns and four rushing scores.
Allen had become the presumptive favorite for the award in recent weeks, but things seem to have narrowed again after Jackson helped author convincing wins over Pittsburgh and Houston in consecutive weeks. Jackson already has two MVP awards to his names, including one in 2023, while Allen has never won the award.
One could author a strong argument for either player to win the award. Obviously, Jackson’s teammates are going to push for their guy, and they will embrace any argument they need to.
Jul 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (9) speaks at a press conference after training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers had a firm response to fans who wanted to see their team lose for the sake of draft position.
The Giants beat the Indianapolis Colts 45-33 on Sunday, grabbing their third win of the season but potentially costing themselves the No. 1 pick in the process. The possibility of the Giants losing the top pick was presented to Nabers, but the wide receiver did not appear very interested in entertaining the thought.
“I ain’t got really nothing to say about that. The draft will be the draft,” Nabers said dismissively.
Obviously, Giants players and coaches are entering games trying to win. Nabers, in particular, has been vocal about how frustrating it has been for him to be on a losing team.
The Giants still have a chance to pick in the top three, and a good quarterback should be available to them. It might not be the one Nabers and the Giants have been linked to the most, though.
Aug 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits on the sideline during the first half against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots got some good news on Sunday without even having to play a game.
The New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars all won their Week 17 games on Sunday. Entering Week 17, the Giants were the only 2-win team left in the league, which had them in position to receive the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. However, with the Giants beating the Colts 45-33, the Patriots moved up to the No. 1 slot due to them having the weakest schedule.
The Patriots control their own destiny, meaning if they lose in their Week 18 game against the Bills, they will secure the top spot.
If they end up with the top pick, would the Patriots take a quarterback and trade Drake Maye? Or would they keep Maye and possibly trade down?
Most Patriots fans seem to agree that the team should keep Maye and trade down to take someone else, such as Travis Hunter.
Here is the plan many Patriots fans think the team should follow if they get the No. 1 pick:
– Trade No. 1 pick and keep Drake Maye
– Draft Travis Hunter
– Sign wide receiver Tee Higgins
– Fire Jerod Mayo
As a bonus, the team could like to hire another former Patriots linebacker, Mike Vrabel.
Patriots fans think those moves will help turn around the organization in a hurry.
Of course, the only thing that could mess up that plan would be the Patriots winning their game against the Bills in Week 18. Will New England spoil things by winning their fourth game?
Apr 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Don’t worry if you missed the news last week about Anthony Edwards getting fined by the NBA … because another one just dropped.
The league announced on Sunday that they are fining the Minnesota Timberwolves star Edwards a whopping $100,000. The fine is for Edwards using profanity in a postgame interview after Minnesota’s win over the Houston Rockets on Friday. In the release, the NBA added that they factored Edwards’ “history of using profane language during media interviews” in determining how much to fine him this time around.
Edwards, the 23-year-old All-Star, stole a victory for Minnesota on Friday night on a go-ahead trey with 23.2 seconds remaining to give the Wolves a 113-112 lead. That ended up being the final score as Edwards’ shot capped off a stunning 20-4 run by Minnesota to close out the game vs. Houston.
Speaking with the local broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network immediately after the game, a hyped-up Edwards quoted Gilbert Arenas and dropped a “f–k it” in the process. You can see the video of Edwards’ F-bomb here.
The NBA clearly was not amused by Edwards’ antics though, and he is now drawing his fourth league fine of the year as a result (not including technical fouls, of which the Ant-Man has a league-high seven this season). Edwards was already fined $25,000 in early December for another F-bomb incident while complimenting his team and then got fined $75,000 last week for a profane rant targeting the officiating. The former No. 1 overall draft pick also picked up a $35,000 fine for flipping off a fan during a game back in November and is now adding a staggering $100,000 fine to the fold too.
Sep 30, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Footballs with the college football playoff logo sit on the field during warmups prior to the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The NCAA transfer portal could be getting a major addition.
Mark Gronowski, who has led South Dakota State to two national championships, is evaluating his future and considering entering the transfer portal. Gronowski was a senior this season but has extra eligibility thanks to a redshirt year he took in 2021 and the extra year of eligibility players gained in 2020.
According to ESPN reporter Pete Thamel, Gronowski is weighing entering the NFL Draft against transferring to a new school.
The reason Gronowski may want to leave is because his coach, Jimmy Rogers, just left to take the Washington State job. Players of a school whose coach left get a 30-day window to leave via the transfer portal, so Gronowski could consider utilizing that.
Gronowski has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 10,330 yards, 93 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his college career. He has also rushed for 1,767 yards and 37 touchdowns.
South Dakota State has been a powerhouse program in FCS over the last decade. They have gone 41-4 over the last three seasons, all with Gronowski at quarterback.
If Gronowski decides to remain in college, he might consider joining Rogers at Washington State, or he could take some big money from another school.
