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Keith Pompey: Is acquiring Victor Oladipo a risk Sixers might want to take in pursuit of NBA title?
What about Victor Oladipo? Would the 76ers be wise to trade for the Houston Rockets’ combo guard in their pursuit of this season’s NBA title? Oladipo’s presence alongside Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris could help catapult the Sixers beyond the Eastern Conference finals. Like Toronto’s Lowry, Oladipo’s contract expires at the conclusion of this season. Some around the league think Oladipo could be a candidate to sign a contract with the Miami Heat during the upcoming free-agency period. So one has to imagine that the Rockets will look to move the two-time All-Star they acquired in ...
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Scott Lauber: Inside the Phillies’ plan to improve their infield defense
Some problems are easy to spot. When a bullpen, let’s say, blows 14 saves in 60 games and has a 7.06 ERA, it doesn’t take a two-time World Series-winning general manager to recognize the need for better relief pitchers. Diagnosing poor defense isn’t as simple. The Phillies know they didn’t catch the ball well last season. There were some explanations. Left fielder Andrew McCutchen lost mobility after coming back from knee surgery. Ditto for utilityman Scott Kingery after fighting off COVID-19. Both are expected to be healthier this year. But questions about the overall team defense lingered in...
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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P.J. Washington scores 42 as Hornets stun Kings to spoil special night for Buddy Hield
A calf injury prevented Tyrese Haliburton from suiting up for a much-anticipated showdown with LaMelo Ball in the race for Rookie of the Year, so P.J. Washington and Buddy Hield put on a show instead. Washington scored a career-high 42 points, spoiling a special night for Hield while leading the Hornets to a stunning 127-126 comeback victory over the Kings on Sunday night at Golden 1 Center. The Kings led 121-112 with 2:19 remaining, but the Hornets ended the game with a 15-5 run and escaped with the win after Malik Monk converted a three-point play with 1.4 seconds remaining. The Kings missed...
The Sacramento Bee
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Warriors’ shortcomings on display in blowout loss to Lakers
The Warriors may have thought they answered questions about inconsistency with their first three-game win streak of the season but, if Sunday’s 117-91 loss to the Lakers proved anything, it is too early to dispel those concerns. With a convincing win over the Hornets Friday, the Warriors had an opportunity Sunday at Staples Center to extend their season-best winning streak and earn a statement victory over the reigning champions. Instead, they lacked energy, allowed themselves to become discouraged by missed shots and trailed by 29 points by halftime. The final moments of the first half were e...
The Mercury News
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Pistons run over by the Knicks 109-90, lose six of last seven
DETROIT — After a string of relatively close losses, the Pistons may have been due to have a stinker of a game. They lost to the Kings by three and the Pelicans by 10, along with a defeat to the Magic by nine and the Grizzlies by 14. For a while, they had avoided the big double-digit losses. They scrapped and tussled but couldn’t get over the hump against the New York Knicks before falling, 109-90, on Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena, their sixth loss in the last seven games. Jerami Grant had 21 points and eight rebounds, Wayne Ellington 15 points, Josh Jackson 12 points and Saddiq Bey 10 ...
The Detroit News
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Magic center Mo Bamba eager to seize opportunity coming with bump in minutes
Mo Bamba listened intently to the opening question of his post-shootaround media session Saturday morning. When he heard the words “more playing time and more regular playing time,” Bamba couldn’t contain his excitement and a smile emerged. He’s eager — and resolute — to put his game on display. Bamba’s NBA career has been filled with tough breaks. He missed the final 30 games of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs because of a stress fracture in his left tibia. Last season, Bamba contracted COVID-19 in June and never quite recovered when play resumed at Disney. He ended up ...
Orlando Sentinel
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After big scare, Padres’ Tommy Pham working toward being what he, team expect
PEORIA, Ariz. — Tommy Pham could have lost his life. He very well might have been relegated to a wheelchair, unable to move his legs for the rest of his days. If he were not so muscular, doctors told him, a stabbing that left a gash several inches long would have penetrated deeper near the base of his spine and would likely have resulted in one of those two outcomes. Pham recalls being rushed to the hospital late on the night of Oct. 11, speaking with Padres General Manager A.J. Preller and head athletic trainer Mark Rogow on the phone and telling them his career was probably over. “I thought ...
The San Diego Union-Tribune
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For Yankees, having fans back in stadium like ‘having little butterflies’ and ‘getting back to your first at-bat’
TAMPA — Just after one o’clock, the unfamiliar noise broke out. The usual routine of spring training — the announcing of the players, managers, coaches and staff of a minor-league version of what will happen in a month — was welcomed with an unusually loud and sustained, real live cheer of fans yelling and clapping. The assistant bullpen coach and hitting coaches probably got the biggest cheers of their careers, because not only were the Yankees back at George M. Steinbrenner Field for the first time in 2021, but so too were their fans. “One of my favorite things is just the interactions in be...
New York Daily News
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Flyers, Carter Hart whip Buffalo, 3-0, as Alain Vigneault notches 700th career win
The Flyers will take some serious momentum into a key three-game series in Pittsburgh. They completed a weekend sweep of the Sabres on Sunday as Carter Hart and his teammates shut down Buffalo, 3-0, and gave coach Alain Vigneault his 700th victory, which is tied with Mike Babcock for eighth in NHL history. The Flyers have three straight shutouts -- all by 3-0 scores -- against the Sabres this season, blanking them over the last 181 minutes, 11 seconds. Sean Couturier (rebound) and Michael Raffl (deflection) scored 75 seconds apart early in the second period at KeyBank Center, snapping a scorel...
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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A miserable day of three-point shooting hurts Villanova in a 73-61 defeat at Butler
The three-point shot has been a staple of the Villanova program since Jay Wright took over 20 years ago. Whenever they needed a big basket, the Wildcats usually were able to knock down a shot or two from beyond the arc. But the Cats came out Sunday at Hinkle Fieldhouse and couldn’t locate the hoop, shooting more air balls (three) than three-point makes (two). Their 2-of-27 performance foiled any chance they had of making up a deficit that got as high as 15 points, and Butler romped to a 73-61 upset in Indianapolis. The eighth-ranked Wildcats (15-4, 10-3 Big East) lost a conference game on the ...
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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