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The Toronto Raptors (28-53) cruised past the Charlotte Hornets (19-62) with a 126-96 win on Wednesday, April 9, as rookie Jonathan Mogbo recorded the NBA’s first triple-double by a rookie this season.
Mogbo finished with 17 points, a career-high 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in the milestone performance. Jared Rhoden led all Raptors scorers with 23 points, and Scottie Barnes added 17 points and 11 rebounds as Toronto improved to 18-23 at home and extended its home win streak over the Hornets to nine games.
The Raptors matched their largest win margin of the season, equaling a 30-point victory over Brooklyn on March 26.
Charlotte was led by Nick Smith Jr., who posted 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Jusuf Nurkic, who added 26. The Hornets, missing nine players including Miles Bridges and Mark Williams, have now lost five straight and seven in a row on the road.
Veteran forward Taj Gibson played in the 1,000th game of his NBA career, finishing with two points and five rebounds. Gibson debuted in 2009-10 with the Chicago Bulls.
Raptors guards RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley both played limited minutes, logging 14 each in the first half before sitting the rest of the game. Barrett had 11 points and Quickley chipped in eight.
Toronto outscored Charlotte 35-23 in the third quarter to push the lead to 20, with Barnes and Rhoden combining for 18 points in the period. The Raptors' bench poured in 64 points, outscoring Charlotte’s reserves by 44.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic announced that forward Brandon Ingram has been shut down for the season after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his injured left ankle.
The Raptors visit the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, April 11. The Hornets travel to face the Boston Celtics the same night.
More must-reads:
- Former Heat employee pleads guilty in stolen memorabilia case
- Shaquille O'Neal makes peace with longtime enemy — mostly
- The '2024 NFL rushing TD leaders' quiz
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Bulls reinforce directionless future with questionable Josh Giddey offer
Josh Giddey, like most of his fellow restricted free agents, has spent much of the summer holding out for the best possible contract offer. The 22-year-old has reportedly been looking for a deal that pays him close to $30 million annually, but that's a pipe dream for a player who hasn't made positive contributions on a winning team. However, he may have just received the best offer he'll get from the Chicago Bulls — or any team, for that matter. Following extension talks that have spent weeks in limbo, the Bulls put a long-term offer on the table, according to Chicago Sports Network's K.C. Johnson. The deal would reportedly pay Giddey an average of $20 million per year, a much more reasonable number. Giddey will be hard-pressed to find a more lucrative contract offer, despite his potential. No matter how long he waits, no team is going to throw borderline All-Star money for a player with pronounced weaknesses. He has averaged 14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game across four seasons. For that reason, Giddey should take Chicago's offer. But even if the Bulls do keep their guy, an extension of this magnitude would only reinforce what many believe about the team: It's a franchise with no direction. Possessing a roster without a true star, the Bulls are setting themselves up for disappointment if they expect Giddey to reach that level of effectiveness. The franchise would be better off betting on Coby White's future rather than a guard who struggles to both shoot and defend. Giddey should be elated that the Bulls decided to meet him halfway on a contract offer, especially considering his lack of other suitors. If an extension does get done, though, Chicago will eventually look back and wonder if those resources could have been better spent elsewhere. With a return to the draft lottery likely, the Bulls don't have any expectations for 2025-26. But rather than try something new after several years of underperforming and missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, Chicago is falling into the trap of committing to mediocrity.
New report sheds light on how Cowboys view Micah Parsons situation
It is no secret that the relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys is not on solid ground, but that does not necessarily mean it is tarnished beyond repair. On the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter predicted that Parsons and the Cowboys are "headed towards divorce." Schefter said the two sides have not spoken since April and that it seems like a matter of when — not if — they part ways. Longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson was told the situation is not quite that grim, at least from the Cowboys' perspective. Anderson reported on Tuesday evening that the relationship between Parsons and Dallas "has not deteriorated to the point of an imminent divorce." "I did not detect any obvious tones of concern in my sourced conversation when I recently asked about ESPN's Adam Schefter's report stating he sees 'these two sides headed towards a divorce, in time.' ... I just feel Dallas has so much history with protracted (and) sensitive negotiations, thus my current impression is the club remains unrattled, at this time," Anderson wrote in a post on X. Parsons is earning just over $24M in the final year of his rookie contract this season. The 26-year-old had 12 sacks in 13 games last season and has 52.5 sacks in 63 career games. Parsons is arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL when healthy. Although Parsons has formally requested a trade, the Cowboys maintain that they have no intention of dealing their four-time Pro Bowl defensive end. The only real leverage Parsons has is creating a headache in Dallas. He remains under contract, and the Cowboys also can use the franchise tag on him in each of the next two seasons. If Parsons were to sit out regular-season games, his contract would eventually toll. Even with Jerry Jones publicly taking shots at Parsons, one massive contract offer could change everything.
Aaron Judge seemed annoyed with Aaron Boone over troubling health update
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered a concerning update on Tuesday about Aaron Judge's recovery from an elbow injury, and the slugger did not seem thrilled about that. Judge returned to the Yankees' lineup on Aug. 5 following a 10-day stint on the injured list. The two-time American League MVP had a flexor strain in his throwing elbow, and he has been slotted in as New York's designated hitter since he returned. In an interview with WFAN on Tuesday morning, Boone said he does not believe that Judge will get back to "throwing like he normally does" at any point for the remainder of the season. Judge was caught off guard by his manager's remarks. Before Tuesday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Judge told reporters that he is unsure of why Boone provided the pessimistic update. "I don’t know why he said that. He hasn’t seen me throw the past two weeks," Judge said. "I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to that.” Boone later admitted that he may have misspoken during the WFAN interview. Many were surprised by the apparent disconnect between Judge and Boone. It is possible that what Boone said in the initial interview was accurate, and Judge did not want that information to be made public. The alternative is that Boone is not completely up to speed on his best player's recovery from an injury, which would be a bad look for the manager. Judge is batting .333 with 39 home runs and 91 RBI this season. His bat is far more important to the Yankees than his glove, but he has struggled at the plate a bit since returning. Judge is batting just .229 with a .429 slugging percentage in 11 games since he came off the injured list.
Kyle Shanahan reflects on Trey Lance's failed 49ers tenure
Before Los Angeles Chargers backup quarterback Trey Lance became one of the standout players of the ongoing preseason, he failed to cement himself as a long-term option for the San Francisco 49ers after they made him the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was part of the regime that brought Lance to San Francisco. On Tuesday, Shanahan reflected on Lance's failed 49ers tenure as Shanahan's club prepares to host the Chargers for this coming Saturday's preseason finale. "When I revisit that, we knew where our team was at and where it was going to be the next couple years, and we were committed to getting a rookie quarterback," Shanahan said about the 49ers' decision to draft Lance, as shared by Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area. "We weren't sure that it would be forever, but we thought that was important, contractually, where our team was at, in order to keep a good team together." Lance spent the bulk of his rookie year as a backup, and he then suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2022 campaign. Later that year, Brock Purdy became a rookie sensation en route to guiding the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. In the summer of 2023, Lance fell to third on the 49ers depth chart beneath Purdy and Sam Darnold. San Francisco then traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round draft choice in late August 2023. In total, Lance made just four regular-season starts for the 49ers. More recently, he rushed for a touchdown and passed for 296 yards with two scores over the Chargers' first three preseason games. It seems he still has a fan in his former coach. "I'm pulling for Trey. I love Trey," Shanahan added about Lance. "One of the best people I've been around, and I really hope it works out for him." One may never know if Shanahan truly wanted to select Mac Jones over Lance in the spring of 2021. Jones is now on track to open the upcoming season as Purdy's primary backup, while Lance is trying to revive his career with the Chargers. It could be interesting to see if Shanahan and Lance get together for a chat after Saturday's matchup wraps up.
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