The Sportsletter - 50-50: Wemby & Giannis Ball Out 😤

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 14, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

What a night to be a freakish 7-foot-and-change baller from Europe. Both Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a 50-piece last night, and they weren't the only bucket-getters making history across the NBA. We’ve also got NFL Power Rankings before Week 11 kicks off tonight, and Caitlin Clark highlights from the golf course. The internet can't get enough CC...

Letter Rip!

NBA

Points Party: Wemby Drops 50 😤

Photo: Ronald Cortes / Getty Images

Victor Wembanyama Notches 1st Career 50-Point Game in Record-Setting Time — Giannis Antetokounmpo Goes for 59 Points in Night of High-Scoring History

[Giannis has accomplished this feat more than a few times, so we're going to highlight the kid from France]... Have a night, Victor Wembanyama! Wednesday night was a points party across the NBA, but the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 second-year star stole the show. Wemby (50 points) broke his previous career-high by 10, and he did it in a record-setting amount of time. He hit the 50-mark in just 26 minutes of on-floor time with more than eight minutes left in the 4th. That broke Klay Thompson’s record (27 minutes) with the Warriors six years ago. At 20 years and 314 days old, Wemby became the fourth-youngest player to score 50 in a game. Only Devin Booker (20-145), LeBron James (20-080) and Brandon Jennings (20-052) were younger.

By night’s end, the Spurs held off the Wizards (139-130), and Wemby just put the league on notice. He's not next, he’s now.

Wemby’s 50-Point Game (Shooting)

18-for-29 FG | 8-for-16, 3pt | 6-for-9 FTs

Watch: Victor Wembanyama Scores 50 Points in 26 Minutes

NBA Points Party 🎉 (Continued...)

Wemby wasn’t the only player to go nuclear on Wednesday. A number of players went for 40-plus, including 59 from Giannis Antetokounmpo (thanks in part to extra overtime minutes). LeBron also had his third triple-double in a row (at age 39!), making him the oldest player in league history with three straight.

Other Top Performances

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)

59 Points, 14 Rebounds, 7 Assists

Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)

46 Points, 10 Rebounds, 3 Steals

Jordan Poole (Wizards)

42 Points, 6 Assists

Jayson Tatum (Celtics)

36 Points, 9 Rebounds, 10 Assists

LeBron James (Lakers)

35 Points, 12 Rebounds, 14 Assists

All NBA Scores & Highlights

Bonus: Cavaliers def. 76ers (114-106)

Cleveland Stays Undefeated (13-0)

NFL

Fresh Power Rankings (Week 11)

Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / Getty Images

Lions & Chiefs Still Hold Top Spots, But Shakeups Await With Week 11's 3 Historic Matchups (Starting Tonight)

Instead of analyzing the movement last week's movement, let’s look ahead, shall we? That’s the only logical thing to do since this week’s power rankings are spotless. None of you will have any complaints. I'm certain of it.

A familiar top seven or eight teams headline our latest board, but something is about to shift. This coming week features three marquee games (one tonight) between six of our top seven that will surely blow up the top 10. Stay tuned for next week when we throw some Hail Marys at the awards — MVP, Rookies, Coach, Etc.

Week 11's Historic Matchups

Commanders at Eagles (Thurs. 8:15 pm ET)

Ravens at Steelers (Sun. 1:00 pm ET)

Chiefs at Bills (Sun. 4:25 pm ET)

🚨 Historic Matchups: It's the first weekend in NFL history that features three matchups between 7-win teams in Week 11 or sooner.

NFL Power Rankings

1. Lions (8-1) | —

2. Chiefs (9-0) | —

3. Bills (8-2) | —

4. Steelers (7-2) | —

5. Eagles (7-2) | ↑1

6. Ravens (7-3) | ↑1

7. Commanders (7-3) | ↓2

8. Vikings (7-2) | ↑1

9. Packers (6-3) | ↑1

10. 49ers (5-4) | ↑2

Teams 11-20

11. Chargers (6-3) | ↑2

12. Cardinals (6-4) | ↑3

13. Texans (6-4) | ↓3

14. Falcons (6-4) | ↓5

15. Buccaneers (4-6) | ↓1

16. Bengals (4-6) | —

17. Seahawks (4-5) | ↑1

18. Broncos (5-5) | ↑1

19. Dolphins (3-6) | ↑4

20. Rams (4-5) | ↓3

Teams 21-32

21. Patriots (3-7) | ↑8

22. Bears (4-5) | ↓3

23. Cowboys (3-6) | ↓3

24. Colts (4-6) | ↓3

25. Jets (3-7) | ↓3

26. Panthers (3-7) | ↑5

27. Saints (3-7) | ↑5

28. Jaguars (2-8) | ↓2

29. Browns (2-7) | ↓3

30. Raiders (2-7) | ↓2

31. Giants (2-8) | ↓4

32. Titans (2-7) | ↓3

Disagree with our Power Rankings?

Here’s your chance to let us know.

PICKS

NFL Pick 'Em (Week 11)

🏈 Play The Sportsletter's NFL Pick 'Em

Picks Take Approximately 60 Seconds

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏒 NHL

Avalanche def. Kings (4-2)

Mikko Rantanen Lifts Avs With Hat Trick

Red Wings def. Penguins (3-2, OT)

Simon Edvinsson Hits OT Wrister for Detroit

Maple Leafs def. Capitals (4-3)

Toronto Rallies From 3-1 Deficit in 3rd Period

⛳️ Golf

Full Caitlin Clark Highlights From LPGA Pro-Am

STORYLINES

🏈 Deion Sanders to the Cowboys?

That’s a ‘thing,’ even if it shouldn’t be. Speculation is tremendous content. The shockwaves Deion Sanders sent through Colorado can’t be ignored. Don’t put it past Jerry Jones to shake things up when the Cowboys’ abysmal season finally ends. (SI)

🏀 UConn’s Big Week Ahead

A lot of moments are about to happen for the UConn women’s basketball team. Head coach Geno Auriemma will soon become the all-time NCAA coaching leader in wins, and Paige Bueckers will find out where she might end up in the WNBA Draft. (ESPN)

⚾️ MLB Free-Agent Rumors

Baseball’s free agency is officially here! Juan Soto isn’t the only big fish on the open market. Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Pete Alonso are also top-tier FAs with plenty of suitors. Deals are coming fast, and we’re tracking rumors. (FOX Sports)

NEWS 📰

🏈 Colts Go Back to Anthony Richardson at QB1 for Rest of 2024 Season (B/R)

🏀 San Antonio Spurs Says Gregg Popovich Suffered Mild Stroke, Expected to Make Full Recovery (CBS Sports)

🏀 WNBA’s Atlanta Dream Hire Florida Gulf Coast’s Karl Smesko as Next Head Coach (ESPN)

🥊 Mike Tyson Says His Kids Will Have ‘Different Opinion’ of Him After Jake Paul Fight (SI)

🏀 NCAA President Discusses Basketball Tournament's Expansion to 72 or 76 Teams (B/R)

🎙️ Comedian Jerry Seinfeld Gleefully Mocks New York Sports in Surprise Radio Call (SI)

⛳️ Caitlin Clark Goes Viral for Errant Tee Shot at LPGA Pro-Am (Yahoo! Sports)