The Sportsletter - Ball Bros & NFL Trade Winds

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 24, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

Night 2 of the NBA’s opening week leads off today’s coverage while the trade winds continue to blow in the NFL. It’s a short-and-sweet Thursday recap as we prep for tomorrow’s weekend primer — World Series, MLS Cup Playoffs, NBA, NHL, football and much more ahead.

Letter Rip!

SPORTS

The Sports Equinox 🌔

The stars align next Monday (Oct. 28) for the 2024 Sports Equinox. All five major pro sports will be in action on the same day — NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. To celebrate, we’re giving away two (2) $100 gift cards to Dick’s Sporting Goods. One will go to the winner of our Sports Equinox Mega Parlay (below). The other will be selected via random drawing for anyone who refers a friend to The Sportsletter between now and Monday night. Take a shot at greatness!

Ways to Enter

Play the Sports Equinox Parlay (24 Picks)
Refer A Friend to The Sportsletter

NBA

Tip-Off 2: The Ball Bros Are Back

Photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images

LaMelo Ball (34-11-8) Erupts for Near Triple-Double; Lonzo Ball Plays 1st Regular-Season Action Since 2022

Night 1 of the NBA’s season-openers featured a remarkable and historic moment between LeBron James and Bronny James, but we decided to keep the family theme going. The Ball brothers both played — in separate games — for the first time in almost three years last night. Lonzo Ball (Bulls) hadn’t played in a regular-season NBA game since January 2022. Lonzo missed more than 1,000 days with knee injuries that nearly ended his career. He had five points and four assists in limited minutes of the Bulls’ loss, but his comeback is still a great story. Down south, LaMelo Ball almost had a triple-double (34-11-8) in the Hornets’ win. The youngest Ball brother only played 58 games over the past two seasons due to ankle injuries.

A father-son debut and brothers back from injury? The NBA’s 2024-25 season tipped off with family first this week. Here’s a rundown of every game from last night:

NBA Scores & Highlights

Warriors def. Blazers (139-104)

Steph Curry (17 pts, 9 rebs, 10 ast)

Suns def. Clippers (116-113, OT)

Kevin Durant (25 pts, 7 rebs, 3 stl)

Grizzlies def. Jazz (126-124)

Ja Morant (22 pts, 5 rebs, 10 ast)

Pacers def. Pistons (115-109)

Pascal Siakam (19 pts, 8 rebs, 9 ast)

Hawks def. Nets (120-116)

Trae Young (30 pts, 12 asts)

Magic def. Heat (116-97)

Paolo Banchero (33 pts, 11 rebs)

Bucks def. 76ers (124-109)

Giannis Antetokounmpo (25 pts, 14 rebs, 7 ast)

Cavaliers def. Raptors (136-106)

Evan Mobley (25 pts, 7 rebs, 4 blk)

Pelicans def. Bulls (123-111)

Brandon Ingram (33 pts, 7 rebs)

Hornets def. Rockets (110-105)

LaMelo Ball (34 pts, 8 rebs, 11 ast)

NFL

Chiefs Swing Deal for D-Hop

Photo: Johnny Izquierdo / Getty Images

Chiefs Trade for Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins Among Flurry of Week 8 Moves

It looks like a 24-point loss on Sunday of Week 7 was the straw that broke the Titans’ backs. Tennessee (1-5) headlined a rush of roster moves on Wednesday, sending LB Ernest Jones to the Seahawks and former pro bowl WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs. Kansas City gave up two late-round picks to add the 32-year-old pass-catcher in their latest patch-fix to a banged up receiver corps. It’s been a few years since D-Hop (Nuk!) Has played at an all-pro level, but he’s a solid bet to help Patrick Mahomes with a sure-handed veteran wideout.

Week 8 NFL Roster Moves

WR DeAndre Hopkins (Titans) → Chiefs

LB Ernest Jones (Titans) → Seahawks

LB Devin White (F/A) → Texans

B/R: Chiefs Reportedly Had Deal for Cooper Kupp Fall Through Before Hopkins Trade

NFL PICKS

The Sportsletter's NFL Pick 'Em

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Barcelona Wins Big

Photo: David Ramos / Getty Images

Raphinha’s Hat Trick Scores Big Win for Barcelona; Man. City & Liverpool Stay Undefeated in Champions League

Big moments in yesterday’s Champions League action saw two Premier League clubs stay perfect in this year’s competition with a pair of shutouts, but it was a masterclass from Barcelona that stole the show. Barca hammered Bayern (4-1) thanks to a hat trick from Raphinha. The 27-year-old Brazilian superstar scored in the opening minute and propelled the La Liga side to a runaway win after Robert Lewandowski scored against his former team.

Champions League Highlights

Barcelona def. Bayern (4-1)

Man. City def. Sparta Praha (5-0)

Liverpool def. RB Leipzig (1-0)

LOSC Lille def. Atletico Madrid (3-1)

All Champions League Scores & Highlights

The Champions League still has five remaining matchdays left in League Play, but our soccer coverage will shift to the MLS and NWSL playoffs for the next few weeks.

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

⚽️ MLS Cup Playoffs (Wild Card)

Vancouver def. Portland (5-0)

Ryan Gauld Nets Hat Trick to Send Whitecaps Through

🏒 NHL

Capitals def. Flyers (6-3)

Washington Wins 5th Straight, Philly Drops 6th in a Row

STORYLINES

🏀 Lake Show or Clown Show?

Three minutes of history, of a father and son — LeBron and Bronny James — ripping off their warmups to camera phones and flashbulbs popping. Seminal moment or clown show? That depends on the eye of the beholder. (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 NFL Teams That Need to Blow It Up

We've officially reached the point on the annual NFL calendar in which some teams are becoming irrelevant. Fun! The Titans have already started pushing the reset button. Here are other teams that should do the same. (Bleacher Report)

⚽️ MLS Cup Playoffs: Who Wins It All?

The MLS Cup Playoffs got underway this week with the wild card matches, and the first round (16 teams) is about to begin. Inter Miami won the Supporters’ Shield and Lionel Messi is in position to win MVP. But can they win it all? (Sports Illustrated)

NEWS 📰

🏈 Eli Manning & Marshawn Lynch Among Finalists for 2025 Football Hall of Fame (B/R)

🏈 Browns to Start Jameis Winston at Quarterback on Sunday vs. Ravens (ESPN)

🏁 Former ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Actor Frankie Muniz Lands Full-Time Ride in NASCAR Truck Series (AP)

🏀 Knicks’ Josh Hart Says Celtics Players Need Drug Tests After 3-Point Record (CBS Sports)

🏀 Washington Mystics Fire Coach Eric Thibault & GM Mike Thibault (SI)

🏈 NC State Quarterback Grayson McCall Retires From Football After Latest Concussion (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Ex-Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh Spotted at Packers Practice (ESPN)

SCHEDULE 🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

🏈 NFL

Vikings at Rams (8:15 pm ET, PRIME)