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Dooho Choi is the fighter to watch

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UFC Hall of Famer Choi Doo-ho is back in action after a three-year lay-off at UFC Vegas 68 against Kyle Nelson.

The UFC returns to the UFC APEX on Saturday, Feb. 4th with UFC Vegas 68, where a pair of heavy hitters meet in the main event. Both Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak will be looking to land a devastating blow that signals the end for their opponent, with Lewis aiming to stay in the top 10 with a victory. Spivak, meanwhile, hopes to climb up the heavyweight rankings with a huge win over the UFC’s knockout record holder.

Another man looking to make a statement is non-other than UFC Hall of Famer Dooho Choi (14-4). Inducted in 2022 for his back-and-forth war against Cub Swanson back in 2016, Choi has not fought since December 2019 and is looking to snap a three-fight losing streak against Kyle Nelson (13-5). The fight is scheduled to be the second fight on the main card and it is likely to be in contention for the Fight of the Night bonus.

Can Dooho Choi bounce back from his three-fight losing streak after a three-year layoff?

This fight should be much bigger than it is given that the card was originally scheduled to take place in Choi’s home country of South Korea. Instead, he will have to make the trip to Las Vegas in a bid to snap his three-fight losing streak against a fighter in a similar situation. Kyle Nelson is 1-4 in the UFC since signing back in 2018 and is currently riding a two-fight losing streak. While Choi has the privilege of being a UFC Hall of Famer, don’t be surprised to see the loser of this fight cut from the promotion given their respective losing streaks and the killer-infested water that is the featherweight division.

Either way, to expect anything else than an exciting, back-and-forth bout is discouraged given Choi’s willingness to always put on a show. He has received a bonus in each of his last five fights, including a three-fight-of-the-night bonus streak. Add his impressive power, with 11 of his 14 victories coming by way of knockout, and it’s easy to see how Choi will electrify yet another fight card. Win or lose, the UFC Hall of Famer will surely put on a show.

UFC Vegas 68: Derrick Lewis vs. Sergey Spivak takes place on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.

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Clippers vs. Bulls prediction and odds for Tuesday, January 31

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Sunday was a tough one for the Los Angeles Clippers, but outside of that 122-99 loss to Cleveland, they’ve been rolling.

Prior to Sunday, they had ripped off five straight wins and now sit at 28-25, which is somehow good enough for the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

They’ll look to get back into the win column against the under .500 Chicago Bulls today. It looks like everyone is going to play, but when it comes to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, until that ball is tipped, you never really can say for sure.

Let’s get into the odds for the Clippers and Bulls in Chicago.

Clippers vs. Bulls odds, spread and total

Clippers vs. Bulls prediction and pick

The Bulls are 23-26 and last time out they beat the Magic, 128-109 with 32 points from DeMar DeRozen and Zach LaVine. Between those two, the Bulls might lead the league in capital letters in the middle of names.

They don’t really lead the league in much else though. The 10th seed in the east is 22nd in offensive rating, 12th in defensive rating, 12th in effective field goal percentage. They’re a very middle of the pack team and if the Clippers are at full strength, they should win this one.

The only issue is, I never trust the Clippers to be at full strength. Reggie Jackson is questionable tonight and Kawhi and Paul George are both listed as probable.

Over the Clippers last six games, they’re 5-1, but they’ve done it with the best offensive rating in the NBA, but the 22nd best defensive rating. This team for the season is 23rd and 11th in those categories, so this flip has thrown off Vegas on their totals. The over is 4-0 in their last four and that’ll be our play tonight.

LaVine and DeRozan will be tough for the Clippers to slow down on the wing because Kawhi and George are not the defenders that they once were.

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change

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Kevin Durant wants Zion Williamson, Ja Morant in the Slam Dunk Contest

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Kevin Durant says we need Zion Williamson and Ja Morant in the Slam Dunk Contest. The world agrees but that doesn’t mean it will happen.

The Slam Dunk Contest has waxed and waned over the years, in importance, quality, cultural impact, etc. But the one constant complaint has been that stars rarely participate and so we’re left watching the best dunkers among role players and fringe contributors. The last four players to win the dunk contest are Obi Toppin, Anfernee Simons, Derrick Jones Jr. and Hamidou Diallo.

LeBron James has never competed in a dunk contest. Ditto for Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose. Zion Williamson and Ja Morant regularly produce as many highlight-worthy dunks as almost anyone in NBA history. We’ve never seen either in the dunk contest and modern precedent means that’s unlikely to change.

And that bothers Kevin Durant.

On a recent episode of the ETCs with Kevin Durant podcast he said, “We need Zion, we need Ja. I think the stars need to come back. It felt like there was stars in there every year when I was a kid.”

Zion Williamson and Ja Morant won’t be in the Slam Dunk Contest this year

Durant (and the rest of us) will likely have to wait at least another year to get our wish. Three participants have already been announced — rookie Shaedon Sharpe of the Trail Blazers, KJ Martin of the Houston Rockets and Max McClung of the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats.

The field usually includes at least four participants but there’s no reason to think Morant or Williamson would fill the final spot. There’s no real incentive to participation other than a personal desire to build your reputation in that particular way. For players like Morant and Williamson, with their eyes already on a title, there are just bigger fish to fry.

Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.

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Stats prove the refs aren’t out to get the Lakers this year

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The Lakers and the fans were rightly angry after a crucial missed call contributed to a loss against the Celtics. But there was nothing darker at work here.

You’ve probably seen the video. LeBron drives and gets hit on the arm by Jayson Tatum. No call is made. LeBron goes berserk, leaping in the air, looking for intervention before falling to the floor in frustration. Patrick Beverley, passive-aggressive rather than aggressive-aggressive, grabs a photographer’s camera and tries to show the referees what they missed.

In the end, nothing changed and the Lakers took a 125-121 loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers and the fans were furious and they had every right to be. The league’s Last 2 Minute Report confirmed it was an incorrect no-call. It was bad enough that the NBA referees apologized through the official Twitter account of their union.

But it was just a terribly timed coincidence.

There is no anti-Lakers conspiracy among NBA refs

Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports combed through all the Last 2 Minute Reports for Lakers’ games this year and found that, generally, they’ve benefited from incorrect calls far more than they’ve suffered from them this season.

An industrious NBA Redditor took things one step further and compared those counts to a few other teams, finding the Lakers got incorrect calls in their favor a lot more often than most other teams, Not all of those calls are of equal significance but if you’re inclined to believe in a vast refereeing conspiracy, there’s more evidence of the Lakers benefiting from said conspiracy, rather than being punished by it.

Another wild fact making the rounds after Sunday night was that the Celtics were 39-2 in games refereed by the head official for the game against the Lakers. It turns out that was completely made up, and not based on anything.

Long story short — the Lakers lost a game because of a bad call. But it was an unfortunate coincidence, not an elaborate conspiracy.

Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.

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Joseph Ossai’s most important critic has walked back his words

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Joseph Ossai’s harshest critic from the AFC Championship loss was none other than his own teammate. Germaine Pratt has since apologized for his outburst.

Joseph Ossai’s harshest critic from Sunday night’s AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was none other than his own Cincinnati Bengals teammate, Germaine Pratt. After a few days of reflection, Pratt has apologized for his violent outburst.

Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt went viral earlier this week for his hostile reaction to his teammate’s blunder at the end of the AFC Championship game.

It’s never a good look when your teammate curses you out on camera, and Pratt recognized his mistake and issued a statement admitting he was in the wrong:

“I was in the moment. I was wrong. I would say I was wrong. As a man, you can look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I was wrong.’ I wasn’t a great teammate in that moment. That doesn’t define me as a man.”

A behind-the-scenes video showed Pratt walking to the locker room after his team was defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs, 23-20. Visibly upset and frustrated, Pratt yelled, “Why would you touch the f—ing quarterback?,” referencing Joseph Ossai’s careless penalty at the end of the fourth quarter in which he shoved Patrick Mahomes when Mahomes was already out of bounds.

Ossai was flagged for unnecessary roughness, leading to an automatic 15-yard gain for the Chiefs that put Kansas City in prime field goal position. With three seconds remaining, Harrison Butker then kicked the game-winning 45-yarder to send the Bengals packing.

Bengals’ Germaine Pratt regrets blowing up at Joseph Ossai after AFC Championship loss

While the rest of the NFL world came together in support of Ossai, who was seen crying on the sidelines, Pratt was one of the only ones who reacted in such a hostile and negative way.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor defended Ossai, claiming the game didn’t come down to that one play, and defensive tackle B.J. Hill acted extra-protective of Ossai in the locker room when the media came for questions.

Pratt is set to become a free agent this offseason, yet his recent antics probably won’t factor into whether he will be extended by the Bengals as it does indeed seem like a one-time incident.

The 2019 third-round pick had put together a solid 2022 season for Cincinnati in which he recorded 99 tackles, 10 passes defended, and one sack in 15 games. In the AFC Championship, he recorded a team-high seven tackles and looked like one of the team’s most reliable defenders out there.

Pratt was likely just feeling the heat of the moment after a tough playoff defeat, and he has otherwise behaved as an upstanding teammate for the past four years in Cincy.

One emotional outburst shouldn’t ruin his career, just as Ossai’s costly penalty doesn’t make him any less than.

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Eagles may have applied unconventional coaching search strategy to find their next great executive

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The Philadelphia Eagles have a knack for going against the grain with hires. Their recent executive hire may be along those same lines.

In a recent column from Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer looking at the team’s hiring tendencies with head coaches, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie spoke about the team’s repeated decision to ignore what is expected and considered “normal” when it comes to hiring head coaches.

There’s one simple key: Lurie and the Eagles decide to do the right thing and have confidence in their decisions.

“I know it’s not the conformist thing to do,” Lurie said. “As I said, nobody wanted Andy. Nobody wanted Doug. Nobody knew about Nick, I guess. I don’t know. Didn’t make sense to me. Didn’t make sense to Howie. We feel: Just do the right thing, and you’re going to have a chance to be great. And if you don’t do the right thing, you have no chance. That’s kind of what it is. Just have confidence in what you think is the right way and what gives you the best chance of high success.”

A recent executive hire follows that same archetype.

The Eagles hired someone with unexpected background as a new executive

According to a report from Bloomberg.com, Adam Berry has been hired to the Eagles (subscription required) as an executive. Berry is joining the personnel department.

Fans might be surprised to take a look at his prior experience, which is far from the sports industry. Berry is leaving a role as Managing Director and Head of U.S. Bank Loan Trading at Goldman Sachs.

Not every day you find your next great executive in the banking world, so what makes Berry a fit?

Well, for one, it runs in the family. Andrew Berry, Adam’s brother, is the Cleveland Browns General Manager. Adam also played wide receiver at Princeton University.

The Eagles have to be pleased with the team current GM Howie Roseman has built, but at 35, Berry could be a general manager candidate for the future, whether with the Eagles or elsewhere.

Clearly, the Eagles must be confident in his skills, despite the lack of football experience at the executive level. We’ll see if the unconventional hiring continues to pay off. Maybe more Browns and Eagles deals to come, too, with the new family connection the two teams have.

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NFL executive reveals where Tom Brady expected to land this offseason

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Talks in NFL executive circles are pointing Tom Brady toward one very specific scenario if he chooses to return for another playing season.

Tom Brady will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, free to make a choice on what he wants to do next with his NFL career. While the possibility remains that he will retire for real this time, Brady has continually reinvented what’s possible as far as career length.

Of course, the legendary quarterback has only played for two teams to this point: The New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It seems as if his time in Tampa, whether it be via retirement or free agency, is probably over. That has yet to be confirmed officially, though.

After the last three years in Tampa, one league executive thinks that a new destination is in-line for the QB based on what he’s heard around the league.

San Francisco 49ers have a plan involving Brock Purdy and Tom Brady

The San Francisco 49ers seem to want to take a specific route with Brock Purdy’s development that resembles that of Brady or Aaron Rodgers. Brady started as a backup behind Drew Bledsoe before filling in due to injury and ultimately taking the starting job and running with it to the tune of seven championships for New England. Rodgers developed for a bit under Brett Favre in Green Bay before taking over.

Now, it seems as if the Niners want to consider moving forward with Purdy after he proved his winning ability this season. He’s 7-1 as a starter, including in the playoffs. But after being shoved into the spotlight this season, it looks like the most likely possibility is developing him under Brady.

An executive (from a non-Niners team) that spoke to Mike Sando of The Athletic revealed what the ‘chatter’ is around the Niners. Sando said many are expecting the Niners to trade Trey Lance to the Titans and use Purdy as Brady’s backup after getting Brady in free agency.

This is far from a report and seems to be an executive’s best hypothesis based on what they’ve heard from other execs, not a guarantee. So don’t expect this to happen for sure, but it is informed by plenty of context around what will transpire this offseason.

Brady, of course, grew up in San Mateo, California, 20 miles from San Francisco and 27 miles from Santa Clara, where the Niners play today.

Before this can even become a possibility, though, Brady needs to actually decide he’ll play in 2023. That’s not a guarantee. Then, the Niners will have to do the legwork on exploring a fit with the veteran QB.

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3 Super Bowl x-factors who have to step up for the Kansas City Chiefs

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Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15): Sam Greene-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs survived the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship to make it to the Super Bowl. Who must step up for the Chiefs to win their second championship?

It came down to the very end, but the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals thanks to a field goal with just three seconds left.

The end of the game had questionable play calling, weird decisions, and major risks. Yet, Andy Reid is heading to Phoenix for another Super Bowl. This time, he’s facing the only other team he’s led the Philadelphia Eagles.

The two No. 1 seeds will face off in the Big Game. They both had interesting runs to the Super Bowl, but there’s a reason that the Eagles are favored to win. This is a team that has been dominant all season (outside of when Jalen Hurts was injured), and they were even better in the playoffs.

Still, the Chiefs are very much in this game. They need a few things to go right for the Chiefs to lift the Lombardi Trophy in a couple of weeks. There’s one very clear x-factor.

Chiefs Super Bowl x-factors: 1. Patrick Mahomes’ ankle

Patrick Mahomes we trust. His ankle, however, cannot be trusted right now. It looked really bad when a Jacksonville Jaguars player rolled over his right leg. That’s Mahomes’ plant leg, and it’s very important for the Chiefs that he’s as healthy as possible.

The Eagles are very good. The Chiefs aren’t too bad, but without a fully-healthy Mahomes, they would have a lot of trouble beating the Eagles on a neutral site.

Mahomes was still good against the Bengals, but they needed a lot to go right to beat the Bengals. They had calls go their way, a few mistakes by the Bengals, and a last-second field goal go through the uprights.

Mahomes had 326 yards and two passing touchdowns just one week after the injury. One would think he could do much better with two more weeks of rest. The Chiefs rely on that.

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Kawhi wants Clippers to trade for former teammate

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The Clippers will be looking for an upgrade and NBA trade rumors say Kawhi Leonard is encouraging them to trade for a former teammate of his.

According to Matt Moore of Action Network, Kawhi Leonard has it made clear to Clippers management that he wants an upgrade at guard. Specifically, he wants one of his old teammates — either Kyle Lowry or Fred VanVleet.

Leonard was recovering from an ACL injury last season and missed the entire season. He has been missing games at times this season due to treatment and load management for the same injury. Paul George hasn’t had a clean bill of health this season either, missing 17 games already due to various injuries.

The only other consistent besides Leonard and George missing games has been poor point guard play. The Clippers have consistently struggled to find someone who can create offense for others.

NBA trade rumors about John Wall or Reggie Jackson moving have been persistent for a while. The Clippers don’t really have any first-round draft picks to trade (only 2027 and 2029 first-rounders available) so they can upgrade their guard spot, but they do so by including some young players like Terrance Mann or Brandon Boston. Additionally, they could trade one of their wings in any deal for a guard, someone like Nicolas Batum or Marcus Morris.

If the Clippers do trade for an upgrade at point guard, the most realistic offer may be is Wall/Jackson, Mann, and second-round picks. VanVleet is probably unreachable unless you offer those two first-round picks. The Clippers likely won’t do that, as they have better options that fit with them long-term (while still getting an upgrade). Lowry is a lot more reachable but matching his salary may be a problem.

Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.



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New player of interest has attention of multiple teams

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As several high-profile names seem to be coming off the board, NBA trade rumors have identified a new focus for multiple teams.

Rui Hachimura has already been traded. The Wizards seem to be broadcasting their willingness to keep Kyle Kuzma and try to re-sign him. Myles Turner has signed an extension with the Indiana Pacers. Bojan Bogdanovic has said the Pistons told him they have big plans for him next season.

Many of the trade targets we’ve been obsessing over for the past few weeks look increasingly likely to stay where they are and that means teams looking for depth and wing upgrades are looking in new places. According to The Athletic, several of them are beginning to hone in on Jalen McDaniels of the Charlotte Hornets.

According to Shams Charnia: “Forward Jalen McDaniels continues to be a name several teams like the Suns, Raptors, Jazz, Pacers and Spurs are closely monitoring, but the Hornets value the 6-foot-9 forward whom they have developed over the past four seasons. Teams with interest and cap space this offseason, such as the Jazz, Pacers and Spurs, may opt to wait until free agency to court McDaniels, who will be unrestricted, instead of trading an asset to acquire him now while having to compensate him in July.”

How could Jalen McDaniels help an NBA playoff team?

Even in a good year, the Hornets don’t get a lot of national attention. Since they’re one of the worst teams in the league this season, it’s not surprising that many fans don’t know a ton about McDaniels.

The long combo forward was a highly touted high school recruit but struggled in his lone season at Washington and fell to the Hornets in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft. At 25 years old and in his fourth season, he has fully established himself in Charlotte’s rotation, averaging more than 20 minutes per game for the first time in his career and already starting more games this season than he did in the previous two combined.

McDaniels is averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals, in 27.0 minutes per game. He’s hitting an unspectacular 33.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s, but he hit 38.0 percent last year and there’s reason to think he can be a decent floor-spacing threat.

McDaniels is also a very positive defender with the size and athletic tools to defend multiple positions. According to the NBA”s matchup statistics, the players he’s spent the most time as the primary defender on this season include Jayson Tatum, Desmond Bane, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan.

As was mentioned in Shams’ article, the fact that he’s an unrestricted free agent may cool the trade market for McDaniels as interested teams opt to wait for the summer to pursue him. But as other wing players keep dropping off the board, the Hornets are going to have more and more leverage to try and make a trade.

Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.



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