The Sportsletter - Heat Check 🔥

BY JEFF YODER

DEC. 13, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

We've got a heavy dose of basketball rankings in today's Tuesday takeover. Short and sweet. Football captures the spotlight the rest of the week as we speed toward bowl season. Stay tuned for the holiday specials...

Letter Rip!

NFL PICK 'EM

Congrats to our Week 14 winner, Chuck C.! Chuck went 11-1 and outlasted other competitors with the tiebreaker score. Check your email later today for a personal note on details for claiming your prize.

We'll reset the points for Week 15 (below). Join the fun and make your picks in about 30 seconds.

NBA

NBA Heat Check 🔥

Photo: Adam Hunger / Getty Images

Pelicans & Grizzlies Taking Over the West; Nets Finding Their Stride After Rocky Start

The 2022-23 NBA season is more than six weeks old, and we’re getting a clearer picture of who’s real and who’s not. A few teams have been early-season surprises, like the Pelicans and Cavaliers, but the Eastern Conference powerhouses are still atop the power rankings. And as much as the Nets’ tumultuous start looked like a blowup in the making, Brooklyn appears to have righted the ship. Let’s take a look at our latest NBA heat check.

NBA Power Rankings

1. Celtics (21-7)

2. Bucks (19-7)

3. Pelicans (18-8)

4. Grizzlies (18-9)

5. Nets (17-12)

6. Nuggets (16-10)

7. Cavaliers (17-11)

8. Suns (16-11)

9. 76ers (14-12)

10. Blazers (15-12)

Teams 11-20: 11. Hawks (14-14) | 12. Kings (14-11) | 13. Knicks (14-13) | 14. Clippers (16-13) | 15. Warriors (14-13) | 16. Jazz (15-14) | 17. Mavericks (14-13) | 18. Pacers (14-14) | 19. Raptors (13-14) | 20. Heat (13-15)

Teams 21-30: 21. Timberwolves (13-14) | 22. Bulls (11-15) | 23. Lakers (11-15) | 24. Wizards (11-17) | 25. Thunder (11-16) | 26. Magic (8-20) | 27. Hornets (7-20) | 28. Spurs (9-18) | 29. Pistons (7-22) | 30. Rockets (8-18)

NBA Highlights

Durant’s 30 Powers Nets: Kevin Durant dropped a 30-9-6 stat line last night to lead the Nets over the Wizards (112-100). It was Brooklyn’s fourth straight win, and they’ve won eight of their last nine.

SGA & Luka Put On A Show: The Mavericks and Thunder went blow-for-blow with a pair of superstars showing out. Luka Doncic (38-11-8) led Dallas to the win (121-114), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a 42-point night himself.

Welcome Back, Kawhi: Clippers’ star Kawhi Leonard has been slowly working his way back from last year’s knee injury with limited minutes, but the Klaw shined for the first time in awhile last night (25-9-6) as L.A. took down the Celtics (113-93).

NFL

Pats Back On Track

Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images

Patriots Pace Cardinals With Second-Half Runaway After Kyler Murray Goes Down on MNF (27-13)

The Monday Night Football matchup between the Patriots and Cardinals had the wind taken out of it right from the start. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray was carted off the field with a knee injury — likely a torn ACL — after just the third play from scrimmage. Arizona still grabbed a 13-7 lead in the second quarter behind backup QB Colt McCoy, but that was where the points stopped. Mac Jones and the Patriots scored 20 unanswered the rest of the way thanks to a critical 23-yard fumble recovery touchdown from Raekwon McMillan that broke a 13-all tie. The Pats (7-6) have now snapped a two-game skid to get back above .500, and Bill Belichick claimed his 23rd Monday Night Football win (third all time behind Don Schula and Andy Reid). On the other end, the Cardinals (4-9)  

QB Comparison

QB Mac Jones (NE): 24//35, 235 yards, 1 INT

QB Colt McCoy (ARI): 27/40, 246 yards, 1 INT

Other Top Performers

RB James Connor (ARI): 15 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD

RB Pierre Strong Jr. (NE): 5 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD

WR DeAndre Hopkins (ARI): 7 receptions, 79 yards

Watch: Patriots Top Cardinals on MNF (27-13)

AFC East Standings

Bills (10-3)

Dolphins (8-5)

Patriots (7-6)

Jets (7-6)

Additional Storylines

FOX News: Cardinals QB Kyler Murray Carted Off Field With Non-Contact Injury

NFL: What We Learned From Patriots’ Win Over Cardinals on Monday Night

NCAA

College Hoops AP Polls

Men’s Top-10

1. Purdue (10-0) | ↑3

2. Virginia (8-0) | ↑1

3. UConn (11-0) | ↑2

4. Alabama (8-1) | ↑4

5. Houston (9-1) | ↓4

6. Tennessee (9-1) | ↑1

7. Texas (7-1) | ↓5

8. Kansas (9-1) | ↓2

9. Arizona (8-1) | ↑1

10. Arkansas (9-1) | ↓1

Full AP Top-25

Women’s Top-10

1. South Carolina (9-0) | —

2. Stanford (10-1) | —

3. Ohio State (10-0) | —

4. Indiana (10-0) | —

5. Notre Dame (8-1) | —

6. Virginia Tech (10-0) | ↑1

7. North Carolina (8-1) | ↑1

8. North Carolina State (9-1) | —

9. UConn (7-2) | ↓3

10. UCLA (9-1) | ↑3

Full AP Top-25

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🎥 OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

🏒 NHL: Rangers Rip Devils Road Streak in OT

The Devils entered Monday riding an 11-game winning streak on the road, but the Rangers used two goals in a mere seven seconds to rally and force overtime before Filip Chytil buried the overtime winner (4-3, OT).

🏀 NCAAM: #7 Texas Survives 1st Game Without Beard

Texas was in the spotlight Monday in their first game since head coach Chris Beard was arrested for assault charges. The Longhorns squeaked by Rice (87-81, OT) behind Marcus Carr’s 28 points.

⚽️ NCAA Soccer: Syracuse Wins National Championship

The NCAA soccer title belongs to Syracuse after the Orange beat Indiana in a penalty shootout for the national championship (2-2, 3-2 PKs).

🗓️ TODAY'S SCHEDULE

World Cup (Semifinals)

Argentina vs. Croatia (2:00 pm ET)

NBA

Warriors at Bucks (7:30 pm ET)
Celtics at Lakers (10:00 pm ET)

NHL

Islanders at Bruins (7:00 pm ET)

Stars at Devils (7:00 pm ET)

Golden Knights at Jets (8:00 pm ET)

NCAA Men’s Basketball

Memphis at #4 Alabama (9:00 pm ET)

THE STORYLINES

⚽️ 10 Most Important Players Still in the World Cup

Spain, Portugal and Brazil have been eliminated, meaning some of the tournament's remaining stars aren't household names yet, but that could change this week with a few special performances. (FOX Sports)

🏀 Zion Is A Legit MVP Candidate

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans did more than break an unwritten rule over the weekend. They signaled their arrival to the bona fide contenders tier with back-to-back wins that solidified their position atop the Western Conference. (Bleacher Report)

⚾️ MLB’s Top 25 Free Agents Still Available

MLB teams have spent a combined $2 billion in guaranteed contracts. After a flurry of huge signings this month, here is an updated list of the best players left on the market and where they might end up. (Sports Illustrated)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach in Critical Condition After ‘Health Issue’ (B/R)
• Texas Basketball Coach Chris Beard Arrested on Assault Charge (ESPN)
• Brittney Griner Not Ready to Say If She Will Resume WNBA Career (SI)
• USMNT’s Gio Reyna Was Nearly Sent Home from World Cup (CBS Sports)
• Supreme Court Won’t Hear Case That Could Have Changed Title IX’s Impact on College Sports (USA Today)

• Pistons Cade Cunningham Out for Season With Shin Surgery (The Athletic)

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