
LeBron James continues to amaze in Year 22 as he’s shown he’s still got enough in the tank to help lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a deep playoff run.
Although he had a rough performance in the Lakers’ first loss of the 2024-25 season against the Phoenix Suns, there’s little doubt that LeBron will bounce back at some point during the team’s road trip.
Los Angeles will head East to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that LeBron has numerous ties with. A Cleveland native who spent nearly half of his career with the Cavaliers, James always has a little extra juice playing against his former squad.
This time, however, will be different as Bronny James will be along for the ride and LeBron acknowledged it’ll be a moment to remember playing against Cleveland with his son, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“It’s definitely gonna be very special to be back home and be able to run out with my son,” LeBron said. “We spent a lot of time on that floor throughout my days when I played there for 11 years.”
As far as the matchup is concerned, LeBron admitted it’ll be tough for him and the Lakers to head out East against a strong Cavaliers squad:
“It’s always tough playing that first East Coast game on a road trip. We know what they’ve been able to do over the last couple years and it looks like they’re picking up from last year and getting better and better. They also have a new coaching staff as well but they’re playing good ball, they have a great starting lineup that’s one of the best to complement Donovan and some of those guys as well. Obviously DG, one of the heads of the snake at the point guard position, and Mobley and Allen. So we got to be ready for a physical game. It’s an East Coast game so they’re usually physical and just see where we’re at.”
Beating Cleveland will require a full-team effort considering their size, physicality and guard play, but Los Angeles has shown it can compete with any team when they’re locked in. As for Bronny, this could be one of the final times he gets to share the floor with LeBron as he’ll begin shuttling back and forth between the main roster and the G League following the road trip.
While it would be fun to see LeBron and Bronny on the floor together again, the main priority is bouncing back with a win.
Dropping a winnable game like the one to Phoenix is tough, but LeBron James stressed the importance of bouncing back quickly to avoid things spiraling.
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The biggest game on Wednesday’s NBA slate is a clash between the 9-3 Houston Rockets and the 10-5 Cleveland Cavaliers. The Rockets are off to a hot start thanks in part to the ageless brilliance of Kevin Durant, who scored Houston’s 117-113 overtime win over the Orlando Magic. But the contributions of their 23 year old center Alperen Sengun can’t be understated either. Sengun added 30 points of his own, adding 12 rebounds and eight assists in his fourth-straight double-double. The big man has been great across the board, but has made a particular leap in his passing, averaging a career-best 7.4 assists-per-game so far this season. Which brings us to today’s quiz. Sengun finished behind only Jalen Green in points-per-game for the Rockets last season with 19.1, and is likely to finish second on his squad again thanks to the presence of Durant. With that being said, can you name every NBA team’s second-leading scorer in the 2024-25 season? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
The College Football Playoff committee released its latest set of rankings on Tuesday night without too many surprises. Oklahoma was the biggest mover, going up to No. 8 after a road win over Alabama, which dropped to No. 10. The Crimson Tide are effectively holding onto the last playoff spot. Miami, the top-ranked ACC team, is projected to get that league's spot for now, while Tulane would get the last automatic berth, going to the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion. That leaves BYU and Utah on the outside looking in. Vanderbilt, USC, Georgia Tech and Michigan are some other teams looming. USC can make a statement this weekend, with a road win over Oregon. The Ducks are ranked seventh, while USC is 15th. For the Trojans, a win this week likely catapults them into the top 10. It could also expose a top-10 team that doesn't have the resume of a top-10 team. Three teams are being overvalued by the College Football Playoff committee, and the list starts with Oregon. Oregon (No. 7) The Ducks have beaten up on some weak opponents, but their best wins this season were an ugly victory at Iowa and a 20-point road win over Northwestern. They don't have a single win over a currently ranked team. Alabama has beaten two teams in the top 14 and four in the top 25. Oregon passes the eye test. But it feels like the Ducks are getting too much credit for a win at Penn State that's not all that impressive, and a close home loss to Indiana, something the Ducks share with Iowa. Oregon has looked great at times. It also looked unimpressive in a 21-7 win over 3-7 Wisconsin. Saturday's game will answer some questions, yet the Ducks are being overvalued by the committee. Tennessee (No. 20) Strength of schedule should matter, but not when the College Football Playoff committee is artificially pumping up the schedule strength of one conference in particular: the SEC. The five teams in the top 10 are worthy. It's hard to argue against them. But outside of that, the SEC feels propped up. Tennessee, for instance, hasn't beaten a single team with a winning record this season. Losing to Georgia in overtime and to Oklahoma by single digits isn't a good enough reason to be ranked. Missouri (No. 22) Like Tennessee, the best achievement of the Missouri Tigers has been losing to ranked teams. SMU, from the ACC, has a similar record. It has three losses to teams with winning records, plus a win over No. 13 Miami, a better win than Tennessee or Missouri, yet the Mustangs didn't crack the top 25. No. 23 Houston is 8-2. The Cougars lost to fifth-ranked Texas Tech earlier in the season, plus to West Virginia. They also beat 25th-ranked Arizona State on the road, yet are ranked behind two teams that haven't beaten a single team with a winning record. It feels like the College Football Playoff committee continues to favor the SEC, but it's about more than that. Too much is being based on the eye test. That's why Oregon is ranked where it's at and some SEC teams, too. The resume should matter above everything. Performance on the field should be the determining factor, but once again, that doesn't appear to be the case.
As many were laying their heads to rest for the evening last night the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros were making moves. The two organizations decided to swap infielders as the Astros sent second baseman Mauricio Dubón to Atlanta in exchange for one of their infielders, Nick Allen. Dubón is further along in his career than Allen meaning he will hit free agency after the 2026 season so while this trade may seem on the more insignificant side it is crucial to the Astros cash flow in the coming years. Houston should save several million in the difference in the arbitration costs of the two players. Now that is has come official there are many fans asking about Allen as the Braves aren't even in the same league, let alone division. Who is Nick Allen? Allen is actually a player who was drafted straight out of high school, so even though he had committed to playing at the University of Southern California, he chose the professional life right off the bat as he was drafted in 2017 by the Oakland Athletics. It was not until 2022 that the 27-year-old made his debut (for the Athletics), but it is safe to say that he never quite found his swing with that ballclub. He took on a heavy work load for the Athletics for two years, but after struggling at the plate he spent most of 2024 on Triple-A. This isn't actually the first time in his career that Allen has been traded as the Athletics decided to trade him around this time last year to the Braves for a pitcher, but his tenure in Atlanta has now come to a close and he is officially with the Astros. Allen's stats from last season don't exactly jump off the page by any means, but remember neither did Dubón. After playing in 135 games for the Braves he finished with a .221 batting average, 11 doubles, 22 RBI, 31 drawn walks and 8 stolen bases. While Allen's offensive numbers don't draw much attention his ability to make plays when he's on defense definitely do which is why he was named a finalist for the NL Gold Glove Award at shortstop. By the end of 2025 he ended up fourth in the rankings in Outs Above Average (17). The Astros will be making many moves in the upcoming months as missing out on the playoffs is not an option in 2026. This year was anything but acceptable for management and that means they have to plenty to address this offseason. While this wasn't a big move it does definitely matter as the 2026 chess game starts to unfold.
Trevon Diggs watched on as Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys ended a two-game skid, defeating Geno Smith and the Las Vegas Raiders 33-16 in Week 11's edition of "Monday Night Football." Now, the Cowboys improve to 4-5-1 on the 2025 NFL season with a Week 12 NFC East matchup on the horizon against the Philadelphia Eagles. Ten games into the regular season, the Cowboys have fielded one of the NFL’s worst defenses, allowing 378.7 total yards per game, 30th in the league, and a league-worst 258.7 passing yards. With the unit struggling, Jerry Jones decided it was time for upgrades, acquiring defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson at the trade deadline. The team also welcomed back linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who had been recovering from a knee injury. With the reinforcements arriving for the Raiders matchup, the defense delivered its best performance of the season, allowing just 236 total yards, including only 27 on the ground. Despite the impressive outing, Dallas was still without one of its top defenders, as Diggs remained sidelined. Ahead of the Cowboys’ Week 7 win over the Washington Commanders, Diggs was ruled out after suffering a concussion in an accident at home. The following week, he was placed on injured reserve while also dealing with a separate knee injury. He has missed Dallas’ last four games, during which the team went 2-2. Diggs won't be able to make his return until the Thanksgiving matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, meaning he will be out against the Eagles. But on Wednesday, Schottenheimer had a positive update to share on his Pro Bowl cornerback. "Brian Schottenheimer says that Solomon Thomas is 'making progress' and with Trevon Diggs, 'all signs are that he's doing everything he's supposed to do,'" Cowboys reporter Tommy Yarrish wrote on X. "#Cowboys are doing walkthroughs today, so they'll know more on the injury front tomorrow." The Cowboys will take on the Eagles on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET at AT T Stadium.
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