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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
It may have been a small victory, but at this point, the 76ers will take any win they can get. Joel Embiid returned from a 15-game absence due to foot and knee issues and had a triple-double (29 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) in a 118-116 win over the Mavericks.
- Embiid scored a go-ahead layup with 22 seconds left and “looked comfortable, confident and light on his feet,” James Herbert writes.
- Tyrese Maxey had 33 points for Philadelphia, which, at 20-29 this season, is 11th in the East and one spot out of the play-in tournament. Paul George (finger) missed his fifth straight game.
- Dallas was without recently acquired Anthony Davis, but Max Christie scored 15 points off the bench in his team debut, an encouraging sign.
This wasn’t the teams’ only interaction Tuesday: The Mavericks sent Quentin Grimes and Philadelphia’s own 2025 second-round pick to the 76ers for Caleb Martin as Dallas’ roster overhaul continued. Sam Quinn graded the trade and gave Philadelphia solid marks.
- Quinn: “This swap gets Philadelphia back under the first apron. Now, they are within range of ducking the luxury tax altogether with another move, so shedding that extra salary this season does hold some value for them. But getting younger also means a great deal as well. … The 76ers did well to snag a pretty good second-round pick out of a deal that made plenty of sense for them without one.”
😁 Honorable mentions
🏈 And not such a good morning for …
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SPRING GAMES
Remember spring games? Those games that provided fun for fans and insight for teams with the season still months away?
Well, they’re likely going the way of the dodo: extinct. Last year, Lane Kiffin turned Ole Miss‘ spring game into pretty much everything other than football. Matt Rhule doesn’t plan to have Nebraska play a spring game this year, even with Cornhusker fans among the most faithful (and rabid) fan bases, certainly anxious to get any taste of what’s to come from their team.
Why? Blame NIL and the transfer portal, John Talty writes.
- Talty: “Texas learned the hard way in spring 2023 when Maalik Murphy‘s strong showing in the Longhorns’ scrimmage led to tampering from SEC programs. They managed to keep him with NIL dollars, but he still transferred to Duke after the season. … Kiffin, ever the innovator, didn’t just avoid the problem — he embraced a solution that might soon become the new normal. Coaches might not go full Kiffin and roll out Joey Chestnut to dominate a hot dog-eating contest, but many will take steps to avoid exposing their rosters in the way spring games traditionally have.”
This was an insightful look at an emerging trend, one that’s a major bummer.
😕 Not so honorable mentions
🏀 NBA trade deadline: Bold predictions for Kevin Durant, others
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It’s already been the most dramatic trade deadline in NBA history, and there could be more to come: Kevin Durant‘s and Jimmy Butler‘s futures remain very much up in the air with the deadline one day away, and we’re keeping track of all the latest developments right here.
With rumors flying all over the place, our NBA writers made bold predictions on what will happen between now and tomorrow afternoon, and that includes Brad Botkin predicting Durant’s future …
- Botkin: “Warriors reunite with Kevin Durant — He would be joining the club under completely different circumstances this time. In 2016, he was overkill. Now he can be the savior. The Warriors definitely needed him before, but this time they need him. Like oxygen. … Golden State is desperate and reportedly one of the teams hot after Durant. There’s smoke. With a little effort, maybe we can will this thing into a full-on bonfire.”
Here’s more:
🏈 Super Bowl 59 preview: Where Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid duo ranks all-time
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In today’s NFL, no great coach is complete without a great quarterback, and no great quarterback can thrive without a great head coach. No one has exemplified it better than Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. They are a perfect fit and one of the greatest duos of all time. How great? Jordan Dajani ranked the top QB/coach duos of all time, and while I won’t give away where Mahomes and Reid rank, I think Jordan is spot-on in his analysis.
(Oh yeah, and the duo isn’t ending any time soon. Reid confirmed he’ll return next season.)
But even the best QB/coach duos need more. And I loved Jared Dubin’s look at how Kansas City continues to reload its secondary through the draft.
- Dubin: “Kansas City had 10 draft picks in 2022, and used FIVE of them on defensive backs: first-round cornerback Trent McDuffie, second-round safety Bryan Cook, fourth-round corner Joshua Williams and seventh-round corners Jaylen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson. … Three years later, McDuffie is one of the small handful of the NFL’s best corners. Cook is a starter next to Justin Reid at safety. Watson had the best year of his career when he wasn’t out with an injury, and his return coincided with Kansas City’s defense showing late-season improvement after a mid-year lull against the pass.”
Here’s more:
📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
🏀 Oregon at No. 24 Michigan (M), 6:30 p.m. on BTN
🏀 Spurs at Hawks, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 2 Duke at Syracuse (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 15 Missouri at No. 4 Tennessee (M), 7 p.m. on SEC Network
🏒 Bruins at Rangers, 7 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 No. 23 Illinois at Rutgers (M), 8:30 p.m. on BTN
🏀 Suns at Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 8 Ohio State at No. 1 UCLA (W), 9:30 p.m. on Peacock
🏒 Oilers at Blackhawks, 9:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV
