The Sportsletter - Texans Hold 'Em

BY JEFF YODER

APR. 4, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

A blockbuster NFL trade, the NBA’s No. 1 seed, and an insta-brawl on the ice were yesterday’s top stories. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Final Four Friday primer. We'll have everything you need to know for the first (of four) loaded April weekends.

Letter Rip!

  NFL  

Texans Hold 'Em

Photo: Ryan Kang / Getty Images

Houston Texans Acquire WR Stefon Diggs From Bills in Another “Win-Now” Move for DeMeco Ryans & C.J. Stroud

The Houston Texans were one of the best stories of the 2023 NFL season. Going from the No. 2 pick to a playoff berth with a rookie QB (C.J. Stroud) and first-year head coach (DeMeco Ryans) was remarkable. The Texans know they hold some cards in the AFC 2024 picture, and they’re starting to stack the deck. Houston acquired WR Stefon Diggs on Wednesday for a 2nd-round draft pick in 2025. The Texans also got some late-round picks as part of the blockbuster deal. The move comes one day after Diggs posted a social media response to a user saying he wasn’t essential to Bills QB Josh Allen’s success — “You sure?” he said.

Digging the Texas Vibes: The disgruntled wideout is still one of the best receivers in the NFL at 30 years old. He’s had six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons — five of those with over 100 receptions — and 67 career touchdowns for both the Vikings and Bills. Diggs’ brother, Trevon, also plays for the Cowboys, and the closeness of family can’t be underplayed. Houston has been busier than most teams this offseason after acquiring DE Danielle Hunter and CB Jeff Okudah in free agency, and RB Joe Mixon via trade. Stroud's cards are stacked, and the Texans’ Super Bowl odds went from 25-1 to 15-1 after the Diggs deal.

C.J. Stroud’s Ace Targets (2023 Stats)

WR Stefon Diggs: 107 rec, 1,183 yds, 8 TDs

WR Nico Collins: 80 rec, 1,297 yds, 8 TDs

WR Tank Dell: 47 rec, 709 yds, 7 TDs

TE Dalton Schultz: 59 rec, 635 yds, 5 TDs

Read More

Sporting News: A Timeline of Stefon Diggs Cryptic Tweets & Trade Rumors

SI: Stephen A. Smith Took Perfect Shot at Cowboys After Texans Trade for Stefon Diggs

Yahoo! Sports: Texans’ Super Bowl & C.J. Stroud’s MVP Odds Get Shorter With Diggs Trade

  NBA  

Celtics Secure the 1-Seed

Photo: Adam Glanzman / Getty Images

Boston Overwhelms OKC (135-100) to Lock Down No. 1 Seed in NBA Playoffs

Two of the top teams in the NBA went head-to-head in Boston last night with playoff seeding on the line, and a close game turned into a rollover in Boston. The Celtics held a 10-point lead over the Thunder to start the 4th quarter before a 21-3 run blew the doors off. Boston’s Big 3 of Jayson Tatum (24 pts), Jaylen Brown (23 pts) and Kristaps Porzingis (27 pts) combined for 74 points. The Celtics (60-16) are the first team to 60 wins, and the victory locked up the No. 1 overall seed throughout the NBA postseason. They had win streaks of 11 (February) and nine (March) to put major distance between themselves and the rest of the NBA. It’s clear now — if it wasn’t before — that Boston is the team to beat.

Watch: Celtics’ Big Run Fuels Blowout Against Thunder (135-100)

Latest NBA Playoff Picture (Standings)

Other NBA Highlights

Flynn Fires 50 Off the Bench

Don’t know Malachi Flynn? The 25-year-old role player came off the bench to drop 50 points for the Pistons in a historic night. For reference, Flynn’s previous career-high was just 27. He averages 5.2 ppg and hasn’t scored 20 in a game this season. The Pistons still lost to the Hawks (121-113), and Atlanta clinched a playoff berth.

AD Shines in LA’s 3rd Straight

The Lakers are starting to turn it up down the stretch (per usual with LeBron James teams). They won their third straight last night. Anthony Davis was the star in this one with 35 points, 18 boards, and 3 blocks to beat the Wizards (125-120).

Magic Makin’ Moves

The Magic beat the Pelicans (117-108) behind 32 points from Paolo Banchero. Losses by the Cavs and Bucks last night also put Orlando within striking distance of a playoff-shifting leap. The Magic are the current 4-seed in the East, but they now trail both Cleveland and Milwaukee by less than two games.

  NHL  

Everybody Hates Rempe

Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Devils & Rangers Open Game With Full-Line Brawl -- 5 Fights, 8 Ejections in First 2 Seconds

Love me some fisticuffs. The Rangers-Devils clash last night was giving... “woke up and chose violence.” There’s no love lost between the two Metro Division rivals, and it was evident with a full-line brawl as soon as the puck dropped in Madison Square Garden. Eight players were assessed fighting majors and ejected two seconds into play. The main event was between Matt Rempe and Kurtis MacDermid. Rempe — New York’s 6-foot-7 enforcer — was ejected in each of the last three matchups with New Jersey. It’s safe to say this was a show of strength from the Devils in an attempt to send Rempe a message (with nothing to lose). New Jersey is second-to-last in the division and essentially out of playoff contention. Both coaches, Peter Laviolette and Travis Green, were also in a shouting match. 

The Devils may have squared up, but the Rangers got the last laugh with a 4-3 win thanks to two unanswered in the third period. 

Watch: Devils-Rangers Square Off in Full Line Brawl That Sees 8 Players Ejected

Other NHL Highlights

Lightning def. Maple Leafs (4-1)

Stars def. Oilers (5-0)

Kings def. Kraken (5-2)

Canucks def. Coyotes (2-1)

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚾️ MLB

Dodgers def. Giants (5-4)
Shohei Ohtani Crushes 1st HR as a Dodger

Yankees def. D-Backs (6-5, 11 Innings)

Aaron Judge Hits 1st HR of the Season

Astros def. Blue Jays (8-0)

Yordan Alvarez Hits 2 HRs in 4-Hit Night

Cubs def. Rockies (9-8)

Chicago Holds Off Rally to Sweep Rox

Full MLB Scoreboard

⚽️ Soccer

EPL: Man. City def. Aston Villa (4-1)

Phil Foden’s Stunning Hat Trick Fuels City

EPL: Arsenal def. Luton Town (2-0)

Gunners Return to Top of EPL Table

CON: Monterrey def. Inter Miami (2-1)

89th-Minute Goal Sinks Miami in Leg 1 Without Messi

  STORYLINES   

🏀 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame

Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, and Jerry West (for a third time) will reportedly headline the 2024 Naismith Hall of Fame class with the rest of this year’s inductees officially announced at this weekend’s Final Four. (CBS Sports)

⚾️ 2024 MLB Watchability Index

Imagine you're sitting at home on a Saturday evening and you want to watch a baseball game, but perhaps your favorite team has already played. Which teams do you most want to watch? This is that list. (ESPN)

🏒 Stanley Cup Playoff Projections

The Stanley Cup probabilities page is based on 50,000 simulations. Find each team’s projected point total, its probability of making the playoffs, and its odds of advancing to each subsequent round, including winning the Stanley Cup. (The Athletic)

  NEWS   📰 

🏀 LSU’s Angel Reese Officially Declares for 2024 WNBA Draft (CBS Sports)

⛳️ LIV Golf Stars Echo Rory McIlroy: “LIV-PGA Split Not Sustainable” (ESPN)

🏀 Joel Embiid Agrees to Multiyear Contract With Skechers (B/R)

⚾️ MLB’s Face Recognition Gates Sacrifice Privacy for Convenience (USA Today)

🇺🇸 Louisiana Governor Threatens Scholarships for LSU WBB Over Skipping National Anthem (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford to Step Down at End of NBA Season (FOX Sports)

👟 NYC Marathon Organizers Asked by City to Pay $750K in Bridge Tolls (ESPN)

🏀 Plane Issues Delay UConn Men’s Team Trip to Arizona for Final Four (ABC News)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

🏀 NIT Final (College Basketball)

#1 Indiana State vs. #1 Seton Hall (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)

🏀 NBA

76ers at Heat (7:30 pm ET, NBALP)

Kings at Knicks (7:30 pm ET, TNT)

Nuggets at Clippers (10:00 pm ET, TNT)

🏒 NHL

Penguins at Capitals (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Bruins at Hurricanes (7:00 pm ET, NESN)

Avalanche at Wild (8:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

⚾️ MLB

Tigers-Mets DH (12:10/3:10 pm ET, MLBN)

Guardians at Twins (4:10 pm ET, MLBN)

⚽️ Soccer

EPL: Chelsea vs. Man. United (3:15 pm ET, NBC)

  POLL   📊

Poll Results: April's Best

Yesterday, we asked: Which April Sports Event Are You Most Excited For? The Final Fours took the win, but a lot of golf fans are eyeing The Masters next week (same!). Over 2,000 cast their votes. Here’s the breakdown:

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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