The Sportsletter - The Rain-Deer Games 🦌

BY JEFF YODER

DEC. 18, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

We're speeding towards the holiday break, but not before some "Rain-Deer Games" at the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. Get it? Rain (Thunder) + Deer (Bucks). Who let us cook? If you can't tell, we're already in the jolly holiday spirit over here. Try to have some fun, team.

Plus, the PGA-LIV golf rivalry was put to the test (also in Vegas), and the Kirk Cousins honeymoon phase is over for the Falcons (hey, they just left Vegas!). 3-of-a-Kind...

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NBA CUP 🏆

The Rain-Deer Games 🦌

Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Bucks Lock Down Thunder in 2nd Half (97-81) to Win 2nd Annual NBA Cup

Two 1-seeds. Two MVP candidates. One winner-take-all showdown in Vegas? Hard to argue with the matchup for this year’s NBA Cup Final. I joined in these “Rain-Deer Games” to see if the Thunder were really this good, or if the Bucks had actually flipped the script on their early-season woes… Woah (my reaction). Fear the Deer, not the Rain. Yesterday's pre-game picks were basically split.

📊 Yesterday’s Pre-Game Picks (Results)

Bucks: 49.7% | Thunder: 50.3%

🏆 NBA Cup Final (As It Happened)

Both Milwaukee and OKC were deadlocked through the first half (51-50) despite the Thunder's ice-cold 3-point shooting (1-for-17) — that’s just 6 percent. It didn’t get much better for the Thunder, either. Giannis Antetokounmpo (26 pts, 19 rebs, 10 ast) and Damian Lillard (23 pts, five 3s) flexed their muscle in the second half as Milwaukee reeled off a 19-5 spurt and dominated in a runaway win. The Bucks put the Thunder offense in a blender throughout the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was just 8-for-24 (21 pts) with a plus-minus of -17. OKC scored just 31 total points in the second half and 81 in the game. The Thunder had scored at least 99 points in every game this season, until the Cup Final.

The Buck Doesn't Stop Here

Milwaukee opened the season 2-8 through their first 10 games, but the Bucks are now 13-3 in their last 16 with a piece of hardware to show off. Giannis and Dame look like they’re starting to gel, and Doc Rivers likes what he sees. You could tell, based on the postgame speeches, this team believes its an "NBA Finals or bust" type of season.

Watch: Bucks Beat Thunder (97-81) to Win NBA Cup 🏆

B/R: Giannis Named NBA Cup MVP as Bucks Win Championship

NFL

Cousins Gets Benched for MPJ

Photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins Gets Benched After 14 Games — The Michael Penix Jr. Era in Atlanta Begins

Kirko may have gotten the bag last spring, but it only took him nine months to get the bench. Ups and downs have followed Kirk Cousins throughout his career. From Washington to Minnesota and now Atlanta, the Kirko carousel might be out of spins. The Falcons benched Cousins on Tuesday following an abysmal Monday Night Football performance (112 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), even though they won. After a 6-3 start, the Falcons are just 7-7 and struggling to earn a playoff spot. Cousins has thrown nine interceptions and just the one touchdown over the last five games. He leads the NFL in INTs this season (16). Atlanta signed him to a 4-year, $180 million deal last March, and that hurts.

The Cousins Conundrum: NFL fans may remember when all hell broke loose last spring in Atlanta. The Falcons drafted QB Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 9 pick just one month after signing Cousins to that massive contract. Heads were scratching. Cousins is 36 years old. The Falcons will also be on the hook for a dead cap charge of $37.5 million if they can't trade him.

Kirk Cousins’ 2024 Stats

3,580 yards | 18 TDs | 16 INTs | 52.7 QBR

Introducing MPJ: As the Penix Jr. era launches, let’s not forget that Atlanta’s new starting quarterback was the Heisman Trophy runner-up. He’s also 24 (an older rookie), and he has a chance to win meaningful games over the holidays and take Atlanta to the playoffs.

SI: NFL World Reacts to Falcons Benching Kirk Cousins Despite Nine-Figure Investment

GOLF ⛳️

The Match: PGA vs. LIV

Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

Scheffler & McIlroy (PGA) Torch DeChambeau & Koepka (LIV) in the The Match: Showdown

Look, I know. These offseason money grabs are painfully obvious to true golf fans, but this wasn’t Charles Barkley and some washed up actors. No. This was four of golf’s biggest stars for the bragging rights to golf’s legacy. The made-for-TV exhibition took place Tuesday night under the lights of Shadow Creek in Las Vegas where Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler (PGA) beat Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau (LIV). The needed just 14 holes to do it, too. McIlroy drilled a 40-foot eagle putt on Hole 4 to take the lead, and the PGA duo never trailed again.

Overall, the rivalry felt more like a friendly foursome with a lot of banter and little substance. Both McIlroy and Scheffler won $5 million in cryptocurrency, but there were a lot of underlying storylines that went untouched during the broadcast.

PGA vs. LIV — The State of Golf

One thing viewers maybe hoped to see (or tuned in for) was some sort of revelation in the PGA-LIV saga. That never happened. Both leagues are still in talks regarding a merger, but it’s been over a year since those discussions began. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has backed LIV Golf since 2022, and they’re reportedly trying to buy into the PGA. Equity programs and antitrust legal battles continue.

For now, it’s a small victory for the PGA, and golf fans everywhere, thanks to McIlroy and Scheffler.

Watch: Scheffler & McIlroy Win The Match

Yahoo! Sports: McIlroy & Scheffler Rout Koepka & DeChambeau in PGA-LIV Duel

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏈 College Football

Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl

#25 Memphis def. W. Virginia (42-37)

Wild Finish Features Missed FG, INT, Fumble & Reversed Call, All in Game’s Final Minute

🏒 NHL

Canadiens def. Sabres (6-1)

Patrik Laine Nets Hat Trick for Montreal

Penguins def. Kings (3-2, OT)

Rickard Rakell Nets OT Winner

Hurricanes def. Islanders (4-0)

Pyotr Kochetkov Records 32-Save Shutout

Blackhawks def. Capitals (3-2)

Chicago Scores 3 Unanswered in 3P Comeback

Bruins def. Flames (4-3, OT)

David Pastrnak Scores OT Winner

🏀 NCAA

M: #7 Florida def. UNC (90-84)

M: S. Carolina def. #25 Clemson (91-88, OT)

W: #10 Oklahoma def. #10 Michigan (72-62)

STORYLINES

⚽️ The Super League’s Relaunch

The promoters of the controversial ‘Super League’ are at it again. A22 Sports plans to relaunch the once-maligned concept as the 96-team ‘Unify League’. (ESPN)

🏈 The 2025 Heisman Favorites

Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, so it’s time to turn the page and name 10 players who could win the prestigious award next season. (NBC Sports)

🏀 The New NBA All-Star Format

Changes are coming to the NBA’s All-Star Game (about time). Here’s how the league’s mini-tournament will work this year — and who will pick the teams. (CBS Sports)

NEWS 📰

⚾️ Yankees Complete Trade With Cubs for Cody Bellinger (CBS Sports)

⚽️ USWNT Legend Becky Sauerbrunn Announces Retirement From Soccer (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Aidan Hutchinson Makes Super Bowl Promise to Lions Amid Injury Rehab (SI)

🏀 Cameron Brink to Join Unrivaled Basketball League After ACL Recovery (B/R)

⛳️ PGA Tour Announces Addition of New CEO Position (NBC Sports)

🥊 Conor McGregor Agrees to Fight Logan Paul in India Exhibition (ESPN)

🏀 A’ja Wilson Agrees to Historic 6-Year Contract Extension With Nike (SI)

🏈 Top DT in Transfer Portal, Jehiem Oatis, Leaves Alabama for Colorado (B/R)

🏈 Michael Vick Accepts Norfolk State Coaching Job (NBC)

SCHEDULE 🗓️

Tonight's Must-Watch List