Defense leads a sack-fest in must win for Chargers over Jets, 27-6
The Sporting Tribune's Fernando Ramirez writes the pass rushing trio of Bosa, Mack, and Tuipulotu powered the Chargers over Jets.
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1. Defense leads a sack-fest in must win for Chargers over Jets, 27-6
The Sporting Tribune's Fernando Ramirez writes the pass rushing trio of Bosa, Mack, and Tuipulotu powered the Chargers over Jets.
On a night that the Chargers offense struggled to get it going, it was the defense that led them to a 20-6 victory over the New York Jets.
The Chargers’ defense sacked Zach Wilson six times, led by 2.5 by Joey Bosa, who got the only sack last weekend against the Bears. He said after the game, he was finally starting to feel healthy.
Bosa needed a performance like this. The Chargers defense needed a performance like this.
The defense has been under fire all season long because while they have turned the ball over and sacked the opposing quarterback, they didn’t when it mattered — late in games.
2. James Harden makes his Clippers debut in a loss
James Harden scored 17 points in his Clippers debut but Los Angeles' "Big 4" fell to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 111-97.
James Harden made his debut for the LA Clippers on Monday but the New York Knicks spoiled the party and ran away with a 111-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
The Knicks outscored the Clippers 35-21 in the fourth quarter and 69-51 in the second half, to put a damper on Harden’s first game for his hometown Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points while Harden finished with 17 points in 31-plus minutes in his first action since the Philadelphia 76ers dealt him to the Clippers on Oct. 31. Russell Westbrook contributed 17 points while Norman Powell (14 points) and Paul George (10 points) also got into double figures for Los Angeles.
3. USC impresses in season opening win over Kansas State
USC opens the season with a gutsy victory in Las Vegas, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Will Despart.
The No. 21 ranked USC Trojans opened their 2023-24 campaign with an impressive win, beating Kansas State 84-69 in Las Vegas on Monday night.
USC was led by top freshman recruit Isaiah Collier and fifth-year senior Boogie Ellis, who contributed 24 and 18 points respectively to carry the Trojans in the win.
4. Lakers lose close game to Heat, 108-107, after losing Davis to injury
The Lakers are still winless on the road after losing to the Miami Heat, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde.
The Lakers might have more problems that go beyond the basketball being played.
Anthony Davis had a groin spasm that limited his movements. He tried to play in the second half but he eventually exited as he couldn’t be as mobile as he wanted to be. The Lakers did come back with 6 main roster players left but fell short in the final possession. The Heat took the duke, 108-107.
For all intents and purposes, the Lakers played the Heat really well in this game. Both teams also shot well from the field overall (Lakers at .543 and the Heat at .466). Both teams also played some fantastic defense that saw the Heat go on a 10-0 run in the third and the Lakers rally back from that double-digit deficit. Each team had 17 turnovers but that’s going to happen when the defense is locked in.
5. Quack of Dawn: TST’s Ducks Morning Report
The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee reports from the Ducks’ practice on Monday.
The Ducks took the ice Monday morning, coming off their comeback victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. The win extended Anaheim’s winning streak to six games and halted Vegas’ point streak at 12 games.
Lines were predictably unchanged from last night’s game, with both John Gibson and Lukáš Dostál present as well in net.
Mason McTavish, who scored the game-winning goal with just under four minutes remaining in the third period, did so in his 100th NHL game.
“I was looking at it yesterday, I was kind of surprised. I didn’t realize—I saw I was at 97 (games) a couple games ago. It’s pretty cool. Hopefully I can get to 200 (games) next.”
6. No. 1 recruit JuJu Watkins stars as USC beats Ohio State 83-74 in season opener
USC wins an emotional opening game in Las Vegas, led by an all-time debut by the nation's top freshman, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Will Despart.
I would say a star was born Monday afternoon in Las Vegas, but those familiar with 18-year-old Los Angeles native JuJu Watkins already knew what she was about.
In her collegiate debut, the No. 1 overall recruit and reigning Gatorade National High School Player of the year tallied a remarkable 32-6-5 on 11-18 shooting. Watkins also went 9-10 from the line and recorded a +/- of 23. In short, it was one of the best debuts in modern women’s college basketball history.
7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports
Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:
8. Ticket Time presented by Golden Gate
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game Wednesday.
7:00 p.m. - Penguins at Ducks - $23
9. On the Air presented by The D Las Vegas
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today.
7:00 p.m. - Penguins at Ducks - Bally Sports SoCal
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. You can also watch every Friday on BLEAV on FuboTV.
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