NFL

• Dolphins sign EDGE Bradley Chubb to five-year, $110M extension
  • Miami surrendering a first-round pick for Chubb wasn’t the greatest decision in the world, but this is a good deal for the Dolphins (and Chubb). Based on the cap hits for edge rushers this season, Chubb’s AAV of $22M would slot him as the sixth highest paid at his position, which feels reasonable.

NCAAF

• Five-star QB Julian Sayin commits to Alabama
  • Sayin, the No. 14 prospect in 2024, seemed to be trending towards Georgia for awhile, but Alabama became the expected pick late in the process. I’m a bit surprised by Sayin’s decision, as the Crimson Tide received commitments from Ty Simpson, Eli Holstein, and Dylan Lonergan in the two classes preceding Sayin. On the other hand. Georgia doesn’t have a single signal-caller in tow for the class of 2023, so Sayin would’ve had a much easier path to starting in Athens. To be fair though, Alabama has done a better job of developing quarterbacks in recent years than Georgia has, so this isn’t a dumb decision or anything.
• Central Michigan 35, Northern Illinois 22
  • Northern Illinois was a once proud program back in the Garrett Wolfe days, but things have taken a tumble, and now the Huskies are 2-7 in 2022. It certainly didn’t help that NIU was without Rocky Lombardi for this game.

NBA

• Wizards 121, 76ers 111
  • Philadelphia has been without Joel Embiid lately, which is obviously a substantial loss, but I haven’t been a fan of Doc Rivers’ lineup decisions without Embiid. Starting P.J. Tucker, standing 6’5″, at center is questionable at best, and it hurt the Sixers on the boards last night, as they were outrebounded 43-32. Even at 4-5, Philadelphia should still be fine, as perhaps the most important development for the 76ers thus far has been the borderline great play of James Harden, who went for 24 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists yesterday.
• Cavaliers 114, Celtics 113
  • Darius Garland missed five games after taking a hit to the eye on opening night, but he returned for this contest. Garland and Donovan Mitchell, who’s been excellent thus far, form what may be the best backcourt in the NBA, and that was on display in this contest. The two guards combined for 54 points, and Cleveland seems like a legitimate contender for a top two seed in the Eastern Conference after a 6-1 start.
• Hawks 112, Knicks 99
  • I was a bit unsure how Dejounte Murray’s statistics would translate from San Antonio to Atlanta, but they’ve been nearly as good. More importantly, Murray is having a huge impact on winning, as evidenced by the Hawks’ 5-3 start. I mentioned Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell as being potentially the league’s top backcourt, but Trae Young and Murray are right there with the Cavaliers duo.
• Bulls 106, Hornets 88
  • The Bulls may end up being a little better than I thought. On a night in which Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan struggled, the Bulls had a few role players step up, which is what happens for good teams. In this game, Patrick Williams scored 16 points, Javonte Green had 17, and Goran Dragic chipped in 16 of his own.
• Clippers 109, Rockets 101
  • LA is off to a 4-4 start, which is fine — this is expected to be more of a playoff team than a regular season team, but I’m worried about the health of Kawhi Leonard, who has played in just two games for the Clippers. Luckily for the Clippers, they have a deep bench, which surprisingly got help from Moses Brown yesterday. Brown had 13 points and seven rebounds in this tilt.
  • I’m officially a bit worried about Jabari Smith. With Smith, the Rockets may have made the wrong pick in two consecutive drafts, which will hurt the team’s rebuild. After shooting 1-10 in this game, Smith is down to 30.5% on the young season. At least Smith has performed well on the defensive end for a rookie.
• Bucks 116, Pistons 91
  • The Bucks are the NBA’s best team, which has allowed them to withstand the absence of their second best player, Khris Middleton. Going off for 32 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists yesterday, Giannis Antetokounmpo has leveled up this season for Milwaukee.
• Raptors 143, Spurs 100
  • The Raptors are kind of a beast. The team is super physical and active every night, which makes them an excellent regular season team. Like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pascal Siakam has also reached a new level this season, which is potentially what Toronto may need to compete with the East’s top teams. Siakam had a triple-double yesterday, going for 22 points, 10 boards, and 11 assists.
• Mavericks 103, Jazz 100
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo is the league’s best player, but Luka Doncic is definitely making a case for No. 2. Doncic, after a strong performance in this game, is averaging 36.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 9.0 assists. Phenomenal. It would help matters if Doncic got a bit more help from Tim Hardaway Jr. who’s shooting just 31.3% from the field.
  • The Jazz are actually pretty deep for a subpar team, but I’m confused as to why Ochai Agbaji hasn’t received more playing time. At 22-years-old Agbaji should be fairly NBA-ready, and I’d like to see him play over Talen Horton-Tucker.
• Grizzlies 111, Trail Blazers 106
  • Damian Lillard missed this game due to a right calf strain, and Anfernee Simons, per usual, stepped up in Lillard’s place. Simons dropped 31 points yesterday, and Portland, despite this loss, seems to have a pretty solid team, at 5-2 though I think the franchise is at least a trade away from truly competing out West.
• Lakers 120, Pelicans 117
  • Since winning the 2020 title, the Lakers have whiffed on quite a few acquisitions. Lonnie Walker has not been one of them. After dropping 28 points on just 17 field goal attempts in this contest, Walker is averaging 16.1 PPG, far above his career mark of 9.6. The Lakers play sound defense, and have two stellar players in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they qualified for the Play-In Tournament, despite their 2-5 start.
  • It’s time to call Jaxson Hayes a bust. The No. 8 pick in 2019, Hayes has been given ample time to contribute, and he just simply hasn’t. He’s been dreadful so far this season, averaging 0.4 PPG on 20% shooting.

MLB

• Astros 5, Phillies 0
  • What a pitching performance by Houston. The team tossed a combined no-hitter last night, stifling a dangerous Philadelphia offense. The team also got some of its key bats going, and the Astros should now be favored to win the World Series, especially with ace Justin Verlander lined up to start Game 5.
  • Aaron Nola hasn’t had a great series for the Phillies, which has obviously hurt, but a bigger deal for Philadelphia may be its lack of hitting. Kyle Schwarber is batting .231 in the series, while Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto both have marks of .188. The Phillies will likely need two of those guys to improve, or the team won’t be hoisting a trophy this weekend.