Knicks are on fire + a big Lakers win

Good Morning!

It’s Friday, and an All-Star weekend is upon us! Before we get there, we need a brain dump because a thousand things have happened in the last 24 hours.

Let’s begin.

NBA All-Star Selections

We checked in on this a few days ago when the All-Star starters were selected, and now we’ve got the full squads. Check out the full selections from each conference,Knicks are on fire + a big Lakers win and we’ll see who got snubbed.

Who got snubbed? Around the NBA world, there seems to be a consensus that a few ballers got snubbed. Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis from the Celtics, either one could’ve found a spot being a part of the best team in the NBA. Domantas Sabonis is close to averaging a triple-double for the Kings, and if you don’t like that, De’Aaron Fox probably should’ve made the roster. Trae Young is #10 in the league in scoring and #2 in assists, and sure, the Hawks are struggling to keep it together, but Young should be somewhere on this list.

Who are we okay with not making it? Many people think Rudy Gobert got snubbed, but I’m okay with it. I’m not really watching the All-Star game to check out the defense. James Harden is being considered a snub. The Clippers have turned the ship around, but with PG and Kawhi as reserves, I’m fine with Harden being out. The final one I’m definitely okay with is rookie sensation Victor Wembanayama. He looks great already, and he’s a challenger at both rims, but is he All-Star material right now? Eh, I’m not so sure. He’ll most likely get selected for the next 14 years.

Scores From Last Night

Los Angeles Lakers 114 | Boston Celtics 105

👉️ The Celtics have the best record in the NBA, partially thanks to the fact that they were 22-2 at home. The Celtics took another L at home and are now 22-3 after last night’s loss to the Lakers.

👀 The Lakers are making their way around the East Coast and just lost in Atlanta the other night. They had a shorthanded roster last night with AD and LeBron sitting on the bench, but the young guns of LA stepped up. Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 32 points and finished with seven 3-pointers. D’Angelo Russell had 16 points and added 14 assists.

👎️ The Celtics had an off-shooting night and finished with a 42% field goal percentage. Jayson Tatum was the high scorer for the Celtis with 23 points

🗽 The Lakers will make their next stop on Saturday in the Big Apple where they will face the red-hot Knicks

Indiana Pacers 105 | New York Knicks 109

👀 Jalen Brunson was named to his first All-Star team yesterday. He followed the announcement up with a 40-point night, leading the Knicks to their 9th straight win.

👉️ Julius Randle is out with an injury and the Knicks were sitting a few others and this could’ve been the night the Knicks could easily fall to a talented Pacers team that just got Tyrese Haliburton back. That wasn’t going to happen with Bruson catching fire and the Knicks getting double-digit scores from 4 others. It wasn’t just scoring that helped the Knicks, it was the rebounding effort that led to the Knicks grabbing 16 more rebounds than the Pacers.

🏀 Haliburton only played 22 minutes but recorded 15 points. The Pacer's leading scorer came from the bench, with Jalen Smith scoring 20 points. Pascal Siakam also scored 18.

Philadelphia 76ers 127 | Utah Jazz 124

❤️‍🩹 The 76ers were just dealt a bit of a blow as MVP center Joel Embiid is out indefinitely with a torn meniscus. That’s bad news if he can’t make a speedy recovery. Tyrese Maxey was making his way back after being out for a few games with a sprained ankle and the crew could start clicking again.

👀 I guess that ankle was feeling pretty good as Maxey maxed out in the scoring column last night with 51 points to beat an up-and-coming Jazz. Maxey was 7 of 9 from the 3-point land, and he got a little help from his Philly brothers. Tobias Harris added 28, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16.

👉️ Losing is tough, but the Jazz played a solid game and got some great contributions from the young squad. Lauri Markkanen scored 28 points, Collin Sexton finished 22, and Jordan Clarkson added 16 from the bench.

✈️ The Sixers are on their way back to Philly and have a four-game home stretch. A little home-court advantage might be just what they need as Embiid recovers.

What’s Going On In Football Coaching Land?

☠️The Raiders are reportedly adding Kliff Kingsbury to the coaching staff as an offensive coordinator. I think he can be successful, but my one question is this. Who are you getting for QB? Good luck finding one in the draft, because they’re going to go quick!

👀Umm, does the NFC East need to watch out? Dan Quinn has left the Cowboys and the DC is now the HC of the Washington Commanders. Congrats to him; we knew it was coming. Now Quinn might be snagging Chip Kelly away from UCLA and Kelly might be returning to the NFC East, this time as an OC for the Commanders. Kelly is known to run a scary, high-paced offense, but can the offense stay on the field long enough to give the defense enough rest?

❓️ Kingsbury is making his return to the NFL after helping out at USC, and Chip Kelly taking off from the college level might seem like a surprise. Is this part of a bigger trend? Are college coaches getting fed up with the transfer portal, the NCAA investigations, and all the NIL issues? I think that’s exactly what we’re seeing and I think it’s only going to get worse.

An All-Star Weekend

The Pro Bowl is taking place in the NFL on Sunday and we’ll talk about that tomorrow, but today, you can watch some NHL All-Star action.

All-Star Skill Challenge

The NHL All-Star weekend is back, and tonight they have 12 players competing in a skills challenge, and the winner can skate away with $1 million. You can check out the action on ESPN at 7 pm.

Here’s how it’s setup:

ROUND 1

Each Player will compete in four of the first six events, earning points for their respective finish in each event:

💨 Fastest Skater

💪 Hardest Shot

🏒 Stick Handling

🥅 One-Timers Challenge

↔️ Passing Challenge

🎯 Accuracy Shooting

ROUND 2

The top eight point-earners advance to the seventh event:

🚨 One-on-one, where each Player will choose the Goalie they will shoot against

FINAL

Following the Shootout, the top six point-earners will advance to the eighth and final event

📛 Obstacle Course, where the point totals are doubled!

The NHL All-Star with the most points accumulated after the eight events will be crowned the winner!

That’s all for today. We’ll be back tomorrow with more sports.

Enjoy those Friday happy hours!

-The Daily Breakroom