NFL

• Broncos hire Sean Payton as head coach
  • Payton is a great coach, but I’m not sure he made a great decision by taking this job. The Broncos were low on draft capital before hiring Payton, and are even worse post-hire due to surrendering a first and second-round pick for the coach. Denver was able to recoup a third-round pick in the trade, but this hire clearly came with a hefty price tag on it. With that said, Payton has as a good a chance as anyone of fixing Russell Wilson and making the Broncos competitive again. The fit and compensation aren’t ideal, though.
    Grade: C+
• Texans hire DeMeco Ryans as head coach
  • The Texans have no shame. Ryans has a chance to be a good head coach, but the former Texans linebacker filed a lawsuit against the team in the past, so it’s a bit odd that Houston decided to hire Ryans. The former 49ers defensive coordinator has a great mind on that side of the ball, but how he’ll transition into a lead role on a coaching staff is unknown. Again, it’s confusing that Houston went in this direction. If you were running an organization, would you hire someone that filed a lawsuit against your company?
    Grade: D

NBA

• Heat 100, Cavaliers 97
  • This was a nice victory for Miami. The Cavaliers still hold a better record than the Heat, but Miami is probably the better team, as evidenced by this victory on the Cavaliers’ home floor. Caleb Martin has been an important piece for the Heat this season as he’s transitioned into a starting role.
• Lakers 129, Knicks 123
  • The Lakers still lack size, mostly due to the team utilizing so many small guards, but the team’s new frontcourt is good. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Rui Hachimura should give opponents fits. The trio combined for 74 points in this contest.
  • The Knicks miss Mitchell Robinson. Jericho Sims doesn’t cut it as a starting center, and Tom Thibodeau has clearly lost trust in Obi Tobbin, as the third-year big played just 10 minutes last night.
• Clippers 108, Bulls 103
  • The Clippers got off to an uninspiring start, but Los Angeles has been zooming of late, especially when it has its full arsenal of players. The biggest factor in the Clippers’ surge? Kawhi Leonard regaining his star form. Leonard scored 33 points in this game, and was also menacing on the defensive end, recording five steals.
• Nuggets 122, Pelicans 113
  • Nikola Jokic is a wizard. The superstar center tallied a 15-15-15 triple-double in this game, and had fewer shot attempts than points, rebounds, and assists. Denver has a 2.5-game lead in the West race, and this may finally be the year that the Nuggets make a deep run.
  • At one point this year, many felt that the Pelicans were taking the next step, elevating from playoff team to contender, but that wasn’t the case. New Orleans has dropped nine straight games. One reason for this has been Brandon Ingram. The wing has battled injuries this season, but also hasn’t been at peak form when on the court.

NCAAB

• Boston College 62, Clemson 54
  • Clemson is a tournament team at this point, but the Tigers have an odd resume. The team leads the ACC, but has losses against South Carolina, Loyola Chicago, and Boston College. The Tigers don’t have much of a chance to make noise come March.
• Miami 92, Virginia Tech 83
  • I probably need to up my belief in Miami. The Hurricanes can beat you from a number of directions, as Isaiah Wong, Jordan Miller, Nijel Pack, Norchad Omier are all threats. This was a good win over a Virginia Tech team that’s better than its 13-9 record.
• Duke 75, Wake Forest 73
  • After some uneven play this month, Duke has put together a nice two-game win streak. Five-star freshman Dereck Lively has become a bigger factor of late, and Jeremy Roach is more important to the Blue Devils this year than he was during his first two years in Durham. If Duke beats North Carolina on Saturday, the Blue Devils should reenter the Top 25.
  • Of course this was a loss, but Tyree Appleby is such a good player for the Demon Deacons. The senior guard scored 27 points yesterday.
• Quinnipiac 72, Marist 66
  • Quinnipiac matters again in the MAAC. After stumbling to a 14-17 mark in 2022, the Bobcats are 16-6 this season. The team is incredibly balanced from a scoring perspective, as six players average between 7.9 and 11.9 points per game.
• Fordham 75, Saint Louis 65
  • Something special is happening in the Bronx. Fordham is 18-4, and it appears that losing Kyle Neptune to Villanova was addition by subtraction. I’ve always been a fan of Darius Quisenberry, and the Atlantic 10 hasn’t proven to be too much for the former Youngstown State guard. Quisenberry dropped 27 points yesterday.
• Toledo 81, Miami (OH) 78
  • Kent State is probably the MAC’s best team, but Toledo will be a threat to the Golden Flashes in the MAC tournament. RayJ Dennis may be the league’s best player, as the junior guard scored 29 points in this tilt.
• Akron 81, Buffalo 64
  • What I wrote about Toledo can basically be copied and pasted for Akron. Xavier Castaneda is a star in the MAC. The guard dropped 32 points last night on just 12 shots.
• Kansas 90, Kansas State 78
  • Kansas, for at least the last decade, has been college basketball’s best and most consistent program, so it’s no surprise that the Jayhawks have bounced back from a three-game losing streak. For Kansas to reach its ceiling, Dajuan Harris needs to be a scoring threat, and he was last night, scoring 18 points.
  • Kansas definitely game planned for Desi Sills last night. Sills scored 24 points in the first game against Kansas, but took just one shot in 35 minutes last night.
• Alabama 101, Vanderbilt 44
  • Alabama was uncharacteristically boat raced by Oklahoma over the weekend, so this response was as impressive as possible, even if it was against a subpar Vanderbilt squad. Brandon Miller is one of the country’s most talented players and proved it in this contest, scoring 22 points on six made three-pointers.
• TCU 76, West Virginia 72
  • No Mike Miles? No problem. Damion Baugh is talented and took the lead dog spot in place of Miles last night, registering 16 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists. Guard Shahada Wells also upped his game, pouring in 16 points.