NCAAF

• Cincinnati 27, East Carolina 25
  • We’re 10 games in, and by now, we obviously know Cincinnati doesn’t have the same level of talent it had in 2021. That was apparent last night, as things looked fairly easy for the Pirates at times, and on offense, Ben Bryant certainly isn’t Desmond Ridder. Regardless, if the Bearcats top Tulane on Black Friday and win the AAC Championship, they’ll likely be headed to the Cotton Bowl.
• Fresno State 37, UNLV 30
  • This was a game the Bulldogs should’ve won, and they did so thanks in part to a great game from Jake Haener. Haener threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns yesterday.

NBA

• Celtics 131, Nuggets 112
  • The players surrounding Nikola Jokic aren’t awful by any means, but it’d be nice if Denver’s superstar had a worthy No. 2 option. Jamal Murray was supposed to be that guy, and then Michael Porter, but both have underwhelmed since signing big extensions. Murray is averaging 15.5 PPG this season — nearly 6.0 PPG lower than his career-best in 2021.
• Magic 114, Suns 97
  • Orlando is just 4-9, but it has something cooking. The Magic have some interesting young talent and tons of size. A player that fits both of those descriptions is Wendell Carter. Carter went for 20 and 10 in this game, and is starting to live up to being the No. 7 pick in the 2018 Draft.
• Knicks 121, Pistons 112
  • The ceiling is quite low for these Knicks, but a trio of Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle is good enough to win a decent amount of games. The three Knicks combined for 77 points against the Pistons.
• Thunder 132, Raptors 113
  • Is this who Scottie Barnes is? Barnes is just 21-years-old, but he’s stagnated from last season, as his stats and impact are both similar to his rookie year. Barnes shot 5-13 for 15 points in this loss.
• Spurs 111, Bucks 93
  • The Spurs are off to a surprising start at 6-7, which should be holding off the team from listening to inquiries on Jakob Poeltl, who continues to get better. After dishing out three assists last night, the center is averaging 3.8 APG on the year, far above his career mark of 1.5 APG.
• Grizzlies 114, Timberwolves 103
  • The NBA has more talented backcourts, but no point guard-shooting guard combination has been better this season than Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. The duo combined for 52 points last night, which is actually below their season combined average.
  • D’Angelo Russell is in no way, shape, or form living up to expectations for Minnesota so far, and that’ll have to change or the club will continue to trend downwards.
• Kings 120, Lakers 114
  • The Kings aren’t all that great, so it’s not too reflective in the team’s record, but De’Aaron Fox has been marvelous thus far, averaging 25.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 5.8 APG. Additionally, the point guard is shooting 55.1% from the floor, well above his previous career-best of 48.0%.

NCAAB

• Boston College 70, Detroit Mercy 66
  • Things looked somewhat bleak for the Eagles during this game, as the team trailed at halftime and lost Prince Aligbe to an early injury, but Earl Grant’s program was able to avoid a disastrous loss.
  • He only scored 15 points yesterday, but Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis is one of the nation’s best scorers, and has been for a few years. The Titans’ guard has scored in double-figures in every game of his college career — 113 of them.
• UC Santa Barbara 61, Fresno State 54
  • UCSB has been a really good mid-major program the last couple of years, and that’ll continue this season. This is a solid victory for a team that should be favored to win the Big West.

MLB

• Dodgers sign SP Clayton Kershaw to one-year, $20M contract
  • I’m not at all surprised Kershaw is returning to Los Angeles, but this AAV seems low. Kershaw has made just 44 starts over the past two seasons, but he’s great when he’s on the hill. A 2.28 ERA is phenomenal, especially for a 34-year-old past his prime like Kershaw.
    Grade: A