LeBron James calls Kevin Durant ‘One of the best ever’
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina writes about LeBron James facing Kevin Durant on the court for the first time since 2018.
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1. LeBron James calls Kevin Durant ‘One of the best ever’
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina writes about LeBron James facing Kevin Durant on the court for the first time since 2018.
The two NBA superstars completed a ritual that once felt customary. It has since felt new.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant dapped each other at midcourt. They then tried to outperform the other. And as shown in the Lakers’ 100-95 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena, James and Durant produced yet another masterpiece worthy of their career-long highlight reel.
James and Durant once completed this ritual in three NBA Finals appearances and 21 regular-season matchups. Amid a pandemic and overlapping injuries, Durant and James squared off against each other in a regular-season setting for the first time since 2018 on Christmas Day. James and Durant picked up right where they left off 1,766 days ago.
2. LeBron James isn’t done with his goals yet
The Sporting Tribune's Lauren Jones writes LeBron Jones has plenty of goals on and off the court as he enters this season.
As LeBron James begins his 21st season in the NBA, this chapter in James’s storied career is more than just records and accolades this season he’s dedicated to his son Bronny James.
The eve of the 2023-24 NBA season brought an emotional unveiling as James, in collaboration with Beats, released a commercial that featured the entire James family. His wife, Savannah James, provided a heartfelt narrative, stating, “Tell them you’re not done and then play with your son…again,” as the camera panned to both of his sons.
3. Lakers come back to defeat Suns after 4th quarter rally
The Lakers scratch for the first time in the regular season, after defeating the Phoenix Suns, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde.
Not the most aesthetically-pleasing game.
But whether it’s Belle or the beast, it doesn’t matter how it looked. The Lakers had to come back from 12 down entering the fourth quarter and defeated the undermanned Phoenix Suns, 100-95.
On paper, the Lakers probably should’ve ran away from Phoenix here. The Suns didn’t have Bradley Beal and Devin Booker available. Kevin Durant had to take more of the scoring load, something that he has been very used to for his entire career.
4. Hawai’i welcomes Cordeiro, San Jose State to town for ‘Homecoming’
A familiar face returns to Hawai'i to face UH for Homecoming. Can the 'Bows make it a trip former QB Chevan Cordeiro and the Spartans hope to forget?
Last week did not go according to plan for the Rainbow Warriors, with Hawai’i serving as a sacrificial lamb for New Mexico’s homecoming game that saw the Lobos break a 20-game home conference losing streak.
Hawai’i gave up over 400 total yards of offense for the fourth time this season, allowing over 200 yards through the air and on the ground while failing to win the turnover battle for the eighth consecutive contest. It continued a concerning trend of defensive struggles on the road for UH this season and was only magnified by the offense sputtering in the second half outside of a garbage-time final drive touchdown. Hawai’i starting QB Brayden Schager was credited with four turnovers (3 INT, 1 fumble) while trying to lead the comeback train, tossing three more TDs to give him an even 20 touchdown passes for the year.
5. USC’s potential dream season is quickly turning into a nightmare
The hopes of a championship season for USC have seemingly evaporated before the end of October, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Adam Bradford.
This was supposed to be the year.
After more than a decade of disappointments and underachieving, this was supposed to be the season that USC finally broke through. Led by second-year head coach Lincoln Riley and superstar quarterback Caleb Williams, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, the Trojans were a popular pick to win a loaded Pac-12 Conference and make their first ever College Football Playoff appearance.
It was supposed to be USC’s dream season, the one that Trojan fans had been waiting for ever since legendary head coach Pete Carroll left the program in January of 2010. But after two straight October losses to an old rival in Notre Dame and a relatively new foe in Utah, USC’s College Football Playoff hopes are dead before Halloween.
6. Herbert and Allen working to get their chemistry and the offense going
The Chargers offense needs Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen on the same page again, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez.
This offense has looked different since week three in Minnesota. They got into a slugfest and scored 14 points in the second half. They have scored 10 in the last three games.
That was also the last game receiver Mike Williams and center Corey Linsley suited up. Williams was lost to a torn ACL, while Linsley was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list with a non-emergent heart-related issue.
“Any time you lose a guy like Mike or Corey, it’s going to be tough,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “We’re thankful for the guys that have stepped up. We found out a lot about the guys that we have behind them. We’ve got complete faith and confidence in those guys.”
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 Saturday.
4:30 p.m. – Colorado at UCLA – $185
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.
6:30 p.m. – Clippers at Jazz – Bally Sports West
7:00 p.m. – Kings at Coyotes – ESPN+ –
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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