NFL

Chargers hire Joe Hortiz as general manager

Part of the reason Jim Harbaugh’s tenure ended in San Francisco was his fractured relationship with Trent Baalke, the 49ers’ general manager when Harbaugh was the head coach. The Chargers, with this hire, are working to ensure that won’t be the case again, as Hortiz has extensive experience working with John Harbaugh as a member of the Ravens’ front office. It also doesn’t hurt that Baltimore is known for drafting well — something Los Angeles needs to do a better job of.

Grade: B+

NBA

Cavaliers 118, Clippers 108

The 28-16 Cavaliers have won 10 of 11, and a soft schedule can no longer be used as the reason for Cleveland’s success. The Cavaliers’ last five victories? Versus Milwaukee, at Atlanta, at Orlando, at Milwaukee and versus LA. Doesn’t look very soft to me, and to make matters even better for Cleveland, Evan Mobley returned to action last night with 10 points and Darius Garland isn’t too far behind.

Much like the Cavaliers, things have been going so well for the Clippers that the team was due for at least some slight regression at some point. LA saw Paul George and James Harden struggle in this defeat to the tune of 24 combined points.

Knicks 113, Hornets 92

The regular season successes of teams like the Knicks and Cavaliers so far only add to the intrigue of what should be a competitive Eastern Conference playoffs. New York is now 30-17 and likely won’t slow down any time soon as long as Jalen Brunson keeps producing at a high level. Brunson tallied 32 points and seven assists yesterday.

10-35 surely isn’t where the Hornets wanted to be at the end of January, but Charlotte should be encouraged by Brandon Miller’s play. The 2023 No. 2 overall pick had 29 points, seven rebounds and three assists in this game.

Celtics 118, Pelicans 112

When Boston trailed at halftime of this contest, I thought the Celtics were headed towards their third straight home loss after a 20-0 start at TD Garden. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday had other ideas, as the three former All-Stars all scored at least 20 points in this game. The 36-11 Celtics can back up their record; Boston is the best team in the NBA.

Nets 147, Jazz 114

There was a good amount of hype surrounding Ben Simmons entering this season that the forward failed to match prior to his injury, but his return last night was a great step in the right direction for the former No. 1 overall pick. In just 18 minutes, Simmons shot 5-for-5, recorded a near triple-double and played his typically excellent defense. The 19-27 Nets are in an odd spot in terms of both roster construction and position in the standings, but the pieces are there for more success.

Collin Sexton is far more talented than the opportunities granted to him would suggest, but he was due for a clunker after a great run of games. That clunker occurred yesterday, as the guard shot just 1-for-10 with six points and two turnovers. Despite this ugly defeat, the 24-24 Jazz are in a healthy place as an organization.

Suns 118, Heat 105

It’s unfair to say the Suns are firing on all cylinders yet, but that hasn’t been required for a team as talented as Phoenix. Simply being fully healthy has been enough for the Suns, winners of eight of their past 10. Things will likely get better in the desert, too, as Kevin Durant is averaging just 16.8 points per game over the last four games. Phoenix can win the West.

The Heat is probably going to have to pull off a miracle to make another Finals, because the pieces for Miami just aren’t there. Losers of seven straight games, Miami can’t seem to get quality performances from its key players all on the same night. In this tilt, Bam Adebayo shot 3-for-9 for eight points and Tyler Herro went just 5-for-18. January is far too early to panic, but it’s not all sunshine in South Beach.

Rockets 135, Lakers 119

This game must’ve felt like heaven for believers in the Rockets’ young core. Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Jalen Green and Cam Whitmore were all at their best last night, combining for 103 points. The Rockets may be fading, but they haven’t gone away just yet.

Even with D’Angelo Russell playing at a flaming-hot level of late, the Lakers just don’t have enough some nights. LeBron James isn’t a top-five player anymore, but he’s been doing all he can for the 24-24 Lakers, and he accumulated 23 points, six rebounds and 10 assists in this game.

Kings 103, Grizzlies 94

Having players as good as Domantas Sabonis is sometimes enough to beat depleted teams like the Grizzlies, especially with Sabonis at his best. Already a great rebounder, the three-time All-Star took it to another level last night by grabbing 26 boards. By comparison, Memphis brought down just 37 rebounds as a team.

It’s not in Memphis’ DNA to tank, but the 18-29 Grizzlies, without Ja Morant for the rest of the season, are running out of hope. For the Grizzlies, the best case scenario is that this is just a reset year, the team drafts a talented player and Memphis is back in contention in 2025.

Wizards 118, Spurs 113

Bilal Coulibaly has been deserving of more playing time for awhile, so it was nice to see the rookie play 31 minutes in this contest. Eventually, the 2023 No. 7 overall pick will need to be inserted into the starting lineup — probably in favor of Jordan Poole — but the Wizards are probably cautious of messing with egos.

Everyone that follows the NBA knows better days are ahead for the 10-37 Spurs and Victor Wembanyama is obviously the biggest reason why. The talented big recorded 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks last night.

Mavericks 131, Magic 129

It feels as the games and seasons pass by, Luka Doncic’s numbers get more and more video-game like. I felt that while watching part of this game, as the superstar scored 45 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out 15 assists. Strangely though, Dallas is just 26-21. It would help matters if the Mavericks found some help on the wing, where Josh Green and Grant Williams combined for 62 minutes, but just five points in this game.

The Magic were a cute story when they raced out to a fast start, but in reality, Orlando is probably at least a year or two away from contending. The Magic is now 24-23, and will surely have to fight hard to avoid the play-in tournament. A loss is never good for a team above .500, but Orlando should be encouraged that Paolo Banchero was nearly able to go toe-to-toe with Doncic. The second-year forward had 36 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in this battle.

Nuggets 113, Bucks 107

I could go on forever regarding Nikola Jokic’s exploits, but I’ll instead focus on his top running mate, Jamal Murray. Denver is basically unbeatable when Murray is at his best, and he was in this game, scoring 35 points on 13-for-22 shooting.

It’s going to take some time to get a feel for the Bucks with Doc Rivers in charge, but it’s fair to point out the team hasn’t exactly had a miraculous turnaround since dismissing Adrian Griffin, even though it was the correct decision.

Trail Blazers 130, 76ers 104

This game represented missed game No. 12 for Joel Embiid. In accordance with a GREAT new NBA rule, if the reigning MVP misses six or more of the 76ers’ remaining games, he’ll be ineligible for both MVP and All-NBA. As expected, plenty of people have complained about the new rule, which requires players to play 65 or more games to be eligible for any major accolades, but the change was needed. Teams and players have been far too loose with missing games, and a reckoning had to come. Players appearing in fewer than 60 games making All-NBA teams was, quite frankly, ridiculous.

NCAAB

Duke 77, Virginia Tech 67

Duke’s three-point shooting has been an underrated part of its success this season. Freshman Jared McCain and Caleb Foster have been good shooters since day one, and Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach have each improved their shooting from deep by at least nine percentage points since last season.

A career game of 17 points from MJ Collins wasn’t enough for the Hokies last night, mainly due to poor defense and getting outrebounded 38-20. Virginia Tech faces a must-win game on Saturday at Miami.

McNeese State 89, Northwestern State 65

McNeese State had some odd struggles at the beginning of Southland play, but the 19-2 Cowboys are rolling now. Unless McNeese State is miraculously upset in the conference tournament, the Cowboys will be a brutal matchup in the NCAA Tournament for their opponent.

Houston 76, Texas 72

Houston probably hasn’t had as much success in the NCAA Tournament recently as it would like, but that should change this year. The Cougars are old, elite defensively and most importantly, battle tested. Playing in the AAC, Houston didn’t face a strong opponent every game, but that’s a thing of the past now. Tough battles like this game will only make the Cougars better, and that’s scary for the rest of the country. Jamal Shead was certainly ready for this battle, as the guard scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds last night.

Texas isn’t quite yet in trouble at 14-7, but the Longhorns need to start stacking some wins. It would help if Tyrese Hunter was more consistent. The guard is shooting the ball better in his second year in Austin, but he scored just five points yesterday. Max Abmas needs more help in the backcourt.

MLB

Mariners receive: Jorge Polanco
Twins receive: Gabriel Gonzalez, Justin Topa, Anthony DeSclafani and Darren Bowen

When healthy, Polanco is an accomplished middle infield bat that will almost surely help the Mariners in their quest to return to the postseason after missing out in 2023. The cost? Two major leaguers and two prospects. From Seattle’s perspective it was probably most difficult to part with Topa, a solid reliever, and Gonzalez, one of the game’s top-100 prospects. At first glance, this trade feels like a slight overpay for the Mariners.

Polanco is, of course, a solid starter at second base, Edouard Julien fared so well in his place last season that he made Polanco expendable to an extent. Trading from a position of strength, the Twins were certainly able to make out well in this deal, as the mixture of big-league talent and prospects are a nice lift for Minnesota.

Mariners Grade: C
Twins Grade: B