LeBron James shows fatigue in loss to Grizzlies
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina wonders if fatigue has finally caught up with the 38-year-old Lakers star in his 20th NBA season after his subpar performance in the Lakers’ 116-99 loss to Memphis.
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1. LeBron James shows fatigue in loss to Grizzlies
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina wonders if fatigue has finally caught up with the 38-year-old Lakers star in his 20th NBA season after his subpar performance in the Lakers’ 116-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
With his strong and sturdy frame, LeBron James has proven he can carry a heavy burden. With his sharp basketball intellect, James has shown he can outthink his opponent. And with his disciplined devotion to his craft, James has demonstrated he can still play at an elite level with almost no end in sight.
But with the Los Angeles Lakers laboring to a 116-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 of their first-round series on Wednesday, it appeared James showed that fatigue finally caught up to him. He finished with 15 points while going only 5-for-17 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3-point range. On one play, Memphis guard Ja Morant threw down a lob nearly over James’ entire body. And James committed five turnovers, a statistical category he takes seriously because of how much he values ball control and strong decision making.
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2. Golden Knights have Jets on brink of elimination
The Vegas Golden Knights can eliminate the Winnipeg Jets with a win Thursday night and advance to the Western Conference semifinals. The Sporting Tribune’s Willie Ramirez sets the scene for what should be a memorable night at T-Mobile Arena.
Of all the series in the NHL Playoffs, the Vegas Golden Knights have the second-best chance of advancing to the second round according to Moneypuck.com.
The Golden Knights, who are ahead 3-1 in the series, have an 88.3% probability of getting past the Winnipeg Jets per the analytical site.
The teams meet Thursday night in Game 5 on Vegas' home ice.
And Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy knows his troops can't afford to look ahead.
The six-year-old franchise has held a 3-1 series lead five times. Two of those series ended in five games while the other three were stretched to a winner-take-all seventh game.
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3. NFL Mock Draft First Round Prediction: Raiders Pick Jalen Carter
The Sporting Tribune's Brandon Deutsch predicts how the first round of the NFL draft will unfold and he has the Las Vegas Raiders picking Georgie defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
Besides Maxx Crosby, the Raiders don’t have any dominant defensive lineman that can put pressure on the quarterback. Despite his off the field issues, Jalen Carter is arguably the best overall player in this draft and had an excellent career with two National Championships at Georgia.
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4. NFL Draft First Round Prediction: Chargers Pick Joey Porter Jr.
The Sporting Tribune's Arman Markazi predicts how the first round of the NFL draft will unfold and he has the Los Angeles Chargers picking Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
How cool would it be to see the sons of Joey Porter and Asante Samuel on the same team? At over 6-foot-2 with 34-inch arms, Porter Jr. is perfect for a press man cover 2 scheme where he can lean on receivers and re-route them. He has to clean up some of his technique and his below average change of direction skills are a concern but the pedigree and tape is there to show that he can become a starter at the next level.
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5. Raiders should think defense with first-round pick
The Las Vegas Raiders have the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which starts Thursday. How they address their needs remains to be seen. The Sporting Tribune’s Willie Ramirez will be at Raiders headquarters this week and weighs in on the needs the teams must address in the draft.
With the seventh pick in the NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders choose…
The mystery remains, who general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels will settle in on.
With 12 total picks across seven rounds in three days, there are several needs the Raiders have to address.
Should they bolster the offensive line? Absolutely.
Does a quarterback for the future make sense, now? It can, if the right name is available.
When should they address their needs at tight end? That depends on what they address early in the draft.
Where is the priority on defense? Where isn't it?
We know there is a win-now mentality, one that's been in place since the coaching overhaul last year, and subsequent acquisitions of Davante Adams and Chandler Jones.
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6. Takeaways from Chargers GM Tom Telesco’s pre-draft press conference
Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco preparing for his 11th draft with the organization outlines the needs to team must address. The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez has the latest from Chargers headquarters.
Every general manager and scout has a projection of how many players have a true first-round grade. That number varies from team to team.
"Our first-round numbers are kind of where they usually are," Telesco said.
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco didn't want to get into numbers or specifics.
The view of the depth at the different positions is also interesting to know, so here is what Telesco said:
"The depth of the draft is hard to tell," Telesco said. "Each position is a little bit different. The only one that really kind of stands out – just because, in previous years, we've seen less and less college tight ends coming into the NFL – for whatever reason, this year, there's a whole bunch of really true tight ends that are coming into the league."
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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 TickPick
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets in the area if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
1:00 p.m. – Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels – $4
9. On the Air presented by Coca-Cola
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
9:30 a.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates – SportsNet LA
1:00 p.m. – Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels – Bally Sports West
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Armani Buckets and Brandon Deutsch to discuss the Clippers’ season coming to an end in the first round without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, what the future holds for the Clippers and their superstars, the LA Kings blowing a 3-0 lead at home in Game 4 with a chance to go up 3-1 in the series and now find themselves down 3-2 to the Edmonton Oilers, and the Lakers being one win away from advancing the Western Conference Finals.
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Fan 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.
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That’s it for today. Talk to you tomorrow!