BGCSN PERSPECTIVE
Clippers Take Game 1 from the Mavs in Los Angeles
By Cedric Bailey / News Director / BGCSN / BGCSN2, Photo courtesy of Dallas Mavericks
Los Angeles: The inflammation in Kawhi Leonard’s right knee kept him out of the Clippers’ playoff opener against the Dallas Mavericks. And so Paul George, James Harden and the rest of Clippers coach Tyronn Lue’s group had to press forward without their best player. Harden and George did their parts just enough, but the Clippers still crawled to the finish line, doing enough to build a 29-point third-quarter lead and escape with a 109-97 victory over the Mavericks. George had 11 of his 22 in the fourth quarter and Harden had 20 of his 28 in the first half to help the Clippers take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.
Luka Doncic led Dallas with 33 points and 13 assists while Kyrie Irving had 31 points. The Clippers built a 27-point lead in the second quarter, their defense so smothering in the process that the 30 points they held the Mavericks to in the first half were the least amount they have allowed in any half in a postseason game. Ivica Zubac was big for the Clippers in the first half, punishing the Mavericks for 12 of his playoff-career-high 20 points to go along with 15 rebounds.
Game 2 of this series will be at Crypto.com on Tuesday at 9 p.m. Dallas time before the series shifts to American Airlines Center for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday. The Clippers came out swinging and wanted to show that they can survive even without Leonard, who is their leading scorer. With James Harden and Paul George draining shots from downtown, and Ivica Zubac dominating inside the paint, the Clippers mounted a 34-22 lead after the first quarter. From there, it all went haywire for the Mavs, who managed to score just eight points on 2-of-21 shooting in the second quarter and trailed, 56-30 at halftime. The 30 points were the fewest the Mavs have ever scored in the first half of a playoff game.
The Mavs are hoping for better results in Game 2 after the Clippers also got 22 points and six rebounds from George, and 13 points from Russell Westbrook. But the Mavs also have to do significantly better at guarding the three-point line, since the Clippers were 18-of-36 from downtown for 50 percent. “We were preparing as if he was going to play, obviously, but that shouldn’t change our mentality,” Dončić said.
Houston Cougars Survive in Overtime 100-95 against Texas A&M
Cedric Bailey / News Director, BGCSN / BGCSN2, Photo courtesy of Texas A&M
Memphis: Head-shots, knock-downs to the floor, punches and counter-punches. You would think a heavyweight boxing bout broke out in Memphis on Sunday night, but it was all part of the intensity of the No. 1 Houston Cougars' 100-95 overtime win over the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies in the second round of March Madness' South Region.
Coach Kelvin Sampson and the Coogs, two nights removed from a 40-point first-round blowout of the No. 16 Longwood Lancers, engaged in physical play underneath the hoop and used their brand of stifling defense that kept the Aggies at arm’s length for most of the game. That was until the Aggies went on a 13-3 scoring run in the last minutes of regulation, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer by A&M's Anderson Garcia to bring it to 86-86.
Houston's stars came up big, with Emanuel Sharp leading the way with a career-high 30 points, including seven three-pointers. Jamal Shead and L.J. Cryer added 21 and 20 points, respectively. The big story, though, was the foul situation. Cryer and Ja'Vier Francis fouled out before overtime. Sharp and Shead fouled out in OT.
The victory gave the Cougars their fifth consecutive Sweet Sixteen trip. Houston faces the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils on Friday night in Dallas. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:39 p.m. CT. Sunday's game was the second meeting this season between the two teams. The Cougars won the previous matchup in a 70-66 victory over the Aggies at the Toyota Center on Dec. 16, 2023.
Dallas Mavs continues 2nd half of season on the road against the Eastern Conference.
By Cedric Bailey / BGCSN /BGCSN2, Photo courtesy of Dallas Mavericks
After playing Indiana Pacers on this past Sunday evening with huge lost to the Pacers by a score of 133 to 111. Now the Mavs will battle the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Tuesday, and the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday in the second end of a back-to-back. The four-game road trip ends with a Friday game in Boston against the Celtics before the Mavs return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on March 3.
The Cavs (36-19) have the second-best record in the East and the sixth-best record in the entire NBA, and the Celtics (44-12) are owners of the league’s best record, which also includes a league-high 26-3 record at home. So, to say the Mavs will be severely tested over the next week is a major understatement.
However, the Mavs have acquitted themselves very well away from American Airlines Center. The Mavs have 15 road wins and only 10 losses this season. The only teams in the whole NBA with fewer road losses are Boston and Cleveland with nine apiece. Entering Sunday’s game, the Mavs have pieced together a seven-game winning streak. That ties for the longest streak of wins for the franchise – they last accomplished this feat from Dec. 21, 2022-Jan. 2, 2023 – over the past 12 seasons.
The fact that the Mavs are nearly completely healthy has played a big role in the team’s success. So, too, has the acquisitions of Daniel Gafford and Washington earlier this month. The Mavs’ 7-0 winning streak started immediately when Kyrie Irving returned on Feb. 5 after missing six games with a sprained right thumb. And the Mavs are a perfect 4-0 since Gafford and Washington played their first game with them on Feb. 10 – a 146-111 blowout victory over the highly-touted Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Mavs’ defense is suddenly rounding into shape. During their seven-game winning streak, the Mavs have held each of their opponents to under 115 points. That’s the first time this season the Mavs have gone seven straight games while holding each foe under 115 points. Mavs guard Dante Exum is listed as out of Sunday’s game with bursitis in his right knee. Exum hasn’t played since he scored nine points in 27 minutes during the 148-143 win in Atlanta on Jan. 26. Luka Dončić, Dereck Lively II and Maxi Kleber are all listed as probable with a broken nose. Luka Dončić leads the NBA in scoring (34.3), is second in three-pointers made per game (3.9), third in assists (9.5), seventh in steals (1.5) and 18th in rebounds (8.8).
UIL Realignment 2024 Recap and
"FOOTBALL TONIGHT" Season Preview
By Gentry “Ace” Little / BGCSN, Edited by Darrell D Day / BGCSN / BGCSN2
First, I personally want to thank all of you for listening to the BGCsports Network UIL Realignment Broadcast earlier this month. Our color commentator Pam Lea was also on hand and did a magnificent job, and a special thanks to all our guests. The Crowley Eagles find themselves in a highly competitive district this year, as they lost Trinity and L.D. Bell, along with Fort Worth Paschal and Chisholm Trail, but picked up Mansfield, Mansfield Legacy and Mansfield Lake Ridge. Just recently, with the release of the 2024 Crowley Football schedule, you may want to get your tickets now”.
Crowley’s 2024 Season kicks off with an excellent matchup against the Birdville Hawks. Next Galena Park North Shore comes to Crowley in Week 2. The Galena Park North Shore Mustangs have several state titles in their pocket, but lost to a powerful Duncanville team, in last year's game, 49-33. This is a huge step for this program to play the Mustangs as Coach Lynn pulls the proverbial “rabbit out of the hat” to secure this game.
Afterwards, the Eagles will go up against Dallas Skyline, a team that went 2-8 last year. This will be the first time ever that Crowley has played a Dallas ISD school. I personally went to Skyline from 78’- 82’, so this a very special game for me to call, and I can’t wait to see my alma mater take on the “Crowley Tough” Eagles. For the 4th game of the season, the Eagles will take on Tyler Legacy, formally known as Tyler Lee. The Red Raiders are coached by former Texas Longhorn; Beau Trahan, who played under the legendary Mack Brown. Coach Trahan is in his second year for the Red Raiders.
The district opener will be against the Weatherford Kangaroos, who are looking to reciprocate last year’s lost, where the Eagles scored 50 points. Boswell will come calling along with the aforementioned Mansfield schools and their “Cross-town rivals” the North Crowley Panthers, and you can hear all the intense football action on the BGCsports Network at BGCsports.net and on TuneIn and Alexa by saying “Alexa start BGCsports Network”.
NBA All-Star Weekend from
Indianapolis, Indiana
By Cedric Bailey - News Director / BGCSN / BGCSN2, Reporter for Lavida News,
Photo courtesy of the NBA and Indy 24
The 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend is in the rearview mirror after multiple record-breaking events in Indianapolis. The Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated the Western Conference All-Stars 211-186 on Sunday. The East's total is the most points scored by a team in an All-Star Game, and the two teams' 397 combined points also set a new mark.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard scored 39 points, including 11 3-pointers, and was named MVP. After successfully defending his 3-point contest title Saturday, Lillard joins Michael Jordan as the only players to win an All-Star Saturday night event and All-Star Game MVP in the same year, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Although the East took the win, the West also had a record-setting performance. Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns posted a game-high 50 points on 23-for-35 shooting, joining Jayson Tatum, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis as the only players to score 50 points in an All-Star Game. Towns broke Tatum's record for most points scored in a half by scoring 40 after halftime. The East also made 42 3-pointers, passing the record set by Team LeBron in 2019.
Now let’s talk about the 3 point shoot out as Stephen Curry might be considered the greatest shooter in basketball history. But Sabrina Ionescu certainly made him prove it Saturday night as part of NBA All-Star Weekend. The Golden State Warriors guard edged the New York Liberty guard 29-26 in an NBA vs. WNBA 3-point contest -- the first of its kind. Ionescu opened by making seven straight shots before finishing with a total score of 26 -- which happened to tie the highest score by any NBA player in the 3-point contest held earlier Saturday night and won by the Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard.
Curry had perfect racks from both the left and right wings and went into the final rack -- his money-ball rack, with each make worth two points -- with 21 points. He missed his first shot but then made the last four to close with 29 points and the dramatic victory. In closing, LeBron James, speaking before his record-setting 20th NBA All-Star Game appearance, stated the obvious Sunday when he said he's much closer to the end of his brilliant career than he is to the beginning. While the 39-year-old James claims to not have a precise plan in place for what the final stage of his playing days will look like, he said he does have a preference: Suiting up for the purple and gold as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kansas City Chiefs Win Back to Back Super Bowls
By Cedric Bailey, News Director / BGCSN / BGCSN2, Photo Courtesy of AP
Las Vegas: The Kansas City Chiefs claimed victory in Super Bowl LVIII, defeating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime with a score of 25-22. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
Mahomes threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with 3 seconds left in overtime, and the Chiefs rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 on Sunday in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history, becoming the first repeat champs in 19 years and ninth overall. The Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl was the first time the NFL's new overtime rules were used. No longer can the team that gets the ball first win it immediately with a touchdown. Both teams must possess the ball.
Butker makes late field goal, forces OT Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker forced overtime with a 29-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to make the score 19-19. It’s familiar territory for Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers coach was part of the only other OT game in Super Bowl history when he was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator seven years ago. That was the 28-3 blown lead to the Patriots. Jake Moody became the first kicker to make two 50-plus field goals in a Super Bowl –- and this one might be enough to give the 49ers the Super Bowl. His 53-yarder with 1:53 left gave San Francisco a 19-16 lead. Moody made up for a missed extra point.
But Patrick Mahomes will get the ball. He’s shown what he can do in 13 seconds. Mahomes will have a lot more time now. Chiefs stall in red zone, settle for tying field goal in 4th they kept the Chiefs out of the end zone even though they had first-and-goal at the 4, forcing a tying field goal with 5:46 left. Both teams have missed opportunities, so in that way, it’s kind of evened out.
Now Brock Purdy can shed the quarterback-manager label or Patrick Mahomes will add to his extraordinary legacy.
Patrick Mahomes won Super Bowl 58 MVP as the quarterback led the Kansas City Chiefs to their third title in five years by beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime Sunday. Mahomes won the award for the third time in his career. He now is tied with Hall of Famer Joe Montana for the second-most Super Bowl MVPs in NFL history, trailing only Tom Brady, who won five.
Mahomes also becomes the third player ever to win the award in consecutive seasons after also claiming it in the Chiefs' Super Bowl 57 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. On Sunday night, he went 34-of-46 passing for 333 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, adding a team-high 66 rushing yards on nine carries. His 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman in overtime sealed the victory.
Super Bowl 58 Report: San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs
By Cedric Bailey / News Director / BGCSN / BGCSN2, Photo by Thearon W. Henderson
The San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs are playing in Super Bowl LVIII, which kicks off Sunday, Feb. 11, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Few teams have become more synonymous with the Super Bowl than the Chiefs and 49ers. Kansas City is headed to its sixth Super Bowl, including a remarkable fourth in the past five seasons. If that isn't a dynasty, what is? For the 49ers, they are making an eighth appearance in the Super Bowl, but have a chance to win their first since 1994.
This matchup of Super Bowl LIV after the 2019 season, won by the Chiefs, provides a chance at immortality for all involved. But, more specifically, it gives the Chiefs the opportunity to continue a run that has been rarely seen in the NFL. Winning back-to-back Super Bowls has proven to be incredibly difficult, but the Chiefs can accomplish the feat for the first time since the 2003-04 Patriots did it nearly two decades ago. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes becomes the youngest quarterback to start his fourth Super Bowl, while Coach Andy Reid prepares for his fifth Super Bowl, trailing only Bill Belichick (9) and Don Shula (6) in appearances.
For the Niners, it's a chance to finally break through after advancing to the NFL Championship Game seven times since 2011 without a single Super Bowl title. As great as the franchise has been, the reality is it has been 29 seasons since the 49ers last won a championship, with Steve Young winning MVP in Super Bowl XXIX. Brock Purdy is no Steve Young, but winning his first Super Bowl would be a big first step for the young 49ers quarterback.
The 49ers don't exactly have fond memories of playing the Chiefs on a big stage. The Niners lost to the Chiefs in their last Super Bowl appearance four years ago. And while the Niners haven't played the Chiefs since Oct. 23, 2022, they lost by three touchdowns that day and have not defeated Kansas City in a game with Mahomes at quarterback. None of that should prevent the Niners from turning the tables, but there's something to be said for the idea that the Chiefs are simply a bad matchup for them.
The Chiefs during the regular season led the league in dropped passes, were second in offensive penalties and tied for seventh in turnovers. They have won in the playoffs despite their sloppiness. Inside the red zone alone in the wild-card win over the Dolphins, they dropped a pass, botched a shotgun snap and had a penalty that wiped out a TD on three different drives, leading them to kick field goals. Mecole Hardman Jr.'s goal-line fumble in the divisional round allowed the Bills to stay close. How much longer can the Chiefs continue to beat good teams by playing this way?
In Closing my pick to win it all will be the Kansas City Chiefs. Their defense is playing very well, while the 49ers' defense has declined in recent weeks. Both running backs should have nice games, but only the Chiefs have Mahomes.
Cowboys Take the NFC East Division and Claim the #2 seed in the Playoffs
By Cedric Bailey, News Director / BGCSN / BGCSN2 / Lavida News, Photo Courtesy of Dallas Cowboys
The final playoff spots were claimed and the postseason seeding fell into place on the last day of the NFL regular season. The top seeds in each conference already had been determined before Sunday’s play began. The Baltimore Ravens had clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The San Francisco 49ers had secured the NFC’s top seed. They will have opening-round byes next weekend and home-field advantage through the conference championship games, if they advance that far.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Sunday to clinch the NFC South title. The Dallas Cowboys secured the NFC East crown and the conference’s No. 2 seed. The Cowboys struggled just a bit in the game’s early going but then took control to beat the Washington Commanders handily, 38-10, Sunday at FedEx Field. They benefited from the Eagles’ late-season downward spiral to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Cowboys will host the Packers in an opening-round game next weekend, as Coach Mike McCarthy will face his former team.
The Cowboys last won the division two years ago. They last reached the Super Bowl in the 1995 season. Last month, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called the team’s failure to win a championship in the 2007 season, when it went 13-3 with Tony Romo at quarterback, his “biggest disappointment since I’ve been with the Cowboys.” He acknowledged then that this season represents the Cowboys’ best Super Bowl opportunity since.
They have spent this season tantalizing their fans with the possibility of postseason glory. Too often in the past, they have failed to deliver on such promise. They have to hope things will be different this time based on the play of quarterback Dak Prescott, the exploits of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and a sometimes-overpowering defense. The Cowboys are on a 16-game winning streak at home, and now are looking at the prospect of playing at AT&T Stadium through at least the divisional round of the postseason.
The Jacksonville Jaguars failed in their bid to win the AFC South, handing the division title to the Houston Texans and clinching playoff spots for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. The Green Bay Packers reached the postseason as a wild-card entry in the NFC. The Bills beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night to win the AFC East, dropping the Dolphins into a wild-card spot.
The Bills resembled a championship team at times this season. Just as often, they looked nothing like that. But they are right back in the Super Bowl-contending mix. They won the AFC East for a fourth straight season and seized the No. 2 seed in the AFC by defeating the Dolphins, 21-14, Sunday night in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Bills will host the seventh-seeded Steelers next weekend in Orchard Park, N.Y. The Dolphins dropped to the No. 6 seed as a wild card and will travel to Kansas City to play the third-seeded Chiefs.
Texas Longhorns “Roll Past” the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12 Championship game 49-21
By Cedric Bailey, News Direrctor / BGCSN / Reporter for Lavida News, Photo by David Pearson BGCSN / Lavida News
Arlington- On Saturday afternoon the Texas defeated Oklahoma State 49-21 in its last Big 12 game to win the conference crown. They’ll rightfully play in the SEC next year, however the win was good enough to get them in the College Football Playoff against the Washington Huskies. The Texas offense, which rolled up a Big 12 Championship Game record 662 yards, didn’t punt until the third quarter – long after viewers at home flipped the channel over to something more entertaining, like the MAC championship.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers set a career-high mark for passing yards (452) and became the first player in the game’s history to throw four touchdown passes in one half. For Oklahoma State, it served as a standard for where it needs to go to become a conference champion and a contender in the 12-team playoff picture next season. Texas had a better game plan and better players to execute it. It wasn’t just the trick plays. Texas outgained Oklahoma State by 381 yards, had 20 more first downs, converted on 63 percent of its third downs and possessed the ball for 21 more minutes. And defensively, Sarkisian boasted holding Ollie Gordon, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, to 34 yards. OSU contributed to shutting Gordon down – part by design and part out of necessity. The Cowboys are now 0-3 in Big 12 play when Gordon has fewer than 20 carries. All season, Gundy and Dunn have said this team is not built to play one-dimensionally. Texas and OSU could have played that game 10 times, and Texas would have won at least nine of them – maybe in nine different ways.
When Texas was announced as the No. 3 team in the College Football Playoff, many speculated that Oklahoma would be thrust into the New Year’s Six, leaving Oklahoma State with the top Big 12 bowl selection. Instead, the Sooners were left out of the top-11 teams in the CFP rankings, so Oklahoma State was selected to play in the Texas Bowl against Texas A&M. The game will be played on Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. in NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
The programs’ most recent matchup came in the 2019 Texas Bowl when the Aggies beat the Cowboys, 24-21. “The Bowl has become one of the largest annual events in our community and we’re excited to welcome back Texas A&M and Oklahoma State to Houston,” said Texas Bowl Executive Director David Fletcher in a statement. “We can’t wait to host these teams and their fan bases for a full week of Texas-themed events that will culminate in a primetime showdown.”Coach Mike Gundy said he has given the players a week off, and he expects to know who will be available for the game by Monday after transfer portal decisions are made.
Dallas Mavericks Fall to the Sacramento Kings at the AAC 129-113
By Cedric Bailey, News Director / BGCSN / Reporter for Lavida News,
Photo by David Pearson / BGCSN /Lavida News
Dallas: The Sacramento Kings spent their Sunday afternoon in Texas, dominating the Dallas Mavericks in a 129-113 win. The Kings extended their win streak to six games, including three consecutive victories on the road. The Mavericks are a talented team, moving to 9-5 after the loss, but remain first in the Southwest Division. During their six-game win streak, the Kings have beaten their opponents by an average of 10.3 points per game. The highlights of Sacramento's streak have been their All-Star duo of G De'Aaron Fox and C Domantas Sabonis, who both put on a show in Dallas on Sunday night.
In just 31 minutes of action, Fox finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, and three steals on 10-20 shooting and 6-10 from deep. The All-NBA point guard continues to make a case to enter the MVP while leading the Kings to 4-0. Sabonis has been just as dominant as his All-Star counterpart, averaging 25.8 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game during their win streak. In Sunday's win over the Mavericks, Sabonis dropped 32 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.
During the first 14 games of the season, the Dallas Mavericks are currently riding a two-game losing streak. And though for the most part, the Mavs have played well to start the season, Dallas' defense as a whole has left much more to be desired, especially from their reserve big men behind rookie starting center Dereck Lively II. While Maxi Kleber has missed nine of Dallas' 14 games, Dwight Powell has underwhelmed in reserve minutes, and Richaun Holmes only touches the floor in garbage time.
After losing in Milwaukee on Saturday night, 132-125, the Mavs boarded their charter and didn’t get home until after midnight. And just before the fourth quarter started Sunday, the Mavs’ tank was noticeably empty and there wasn’t nearly enough time to re-fuel after they completed a road trip that consumed four games and eight-plus days.
Looking fresh after last playing Friday night in San Antonio, the Kings took advantage of the dead-legged Mavs and won going away on the coattails of a 22-6 edge in second-chance points. Luka Doncic, who led the Mavs with 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, said the long road trip had nothing to do with Dallas’ performance against the Kings.
The Mavs will try and reverse their recent misfortunes when they open a two-game road trip Wednesday in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
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