Author: Michael

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Plus all the rest from a jam-packed 13-game night in the NBA.
Joel Embiid leads Sixers past Celtics, 103-101
Though Boston had a chance to win it at the end on the heels of a late comeback bid…

… this one was all about Joel Embiid’s brilliance. Behind 52 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, he led the Sixers to a crucial win over rival Boston for the first time this season. Embiid shot 20-for-25 from the field en route to his ninth 40-and-10 game of the season.

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. My head is spinning after running through all these NBA playoff scenarios.
In today’s SI:AM:
🗽 The Knicks’ blessing in disguise
🏈 Allegations against Cardinals’ owner
🤼 WWE and UFC’s shared history
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Five days left
Though the NBA regular season wraps up April 9, there’s still plenty to be decided by Sunday night.

Thanks to Hugh Freeze, conversations around college football this week have centered around potential scrimmages between teams, instead of bland Spring games. On Tuesday, it was Troy’s Jon Sumrall who offered a new scenario.
On Monday, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze again brought up the idea of substituting a traditional spring game for a scrimmage between in-state schools. The idea has sparked conversations between college football coaches, with Troy’s Jon Sumrall bringing another option to the table.

Since Lakers forward Lebron James returned from a foot injury on March 26, Los Angeles has taken tentative steps toward saving its season. The Lakers have won four of their last five games, and getting out of the Western Conference’s play-in quagmire appears to be a distinct possibility.
With Los Angeles firing on all cylinders in a dramatic 135–133 overtime win over the Jazz Tuesday night, James’s teammates feted him accordingly.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer contributed 37 points, five rebounds and six assists in the win, which he punctuated with the game-winning layup.

Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcántara is the defending National League Cy Young Award winner and it already looks like he should be the favorite to win that trophy again this year. 
Alcántara was lights out in Tuesday night’s win over the Minnesota Twins. He pitched another complete game (a game that finished under two hours at 1:57) in which he gave up just three hits and had five strikeouts.
One of his most ridiculous pitches was a 91-MPH breaking ball that Twins right fielder Trevor Larnach had no chance of hitting.

All year the Lakers have been scratching and clawing for this moment. Several years of disappointment in the postseason has left a sour taste in the team’s mouth and this year has been anything but easy with nearly every team in the Western Conference battling to at least secure a spot in the play-in tournament. Thanks to the heroics of LeBron James on Tuesday night, Los Angeles is in complete control of their future.

BAAAA! Wait… do goats baa?
It’s not easy being the GOAT. There’s a weight of expectation hoisted on you at every turn, and you immediately become a lightning rod for criticism when a team underperforms — whether you’re a part of the struggles or not.
Sometimes it even means getting interrupted during your post-game interviews in the locker room by teammates who won’t stop making goat sounds.

The last few times LeBron James has addressed the media at his locker, his teammates have chimed in with noises.

Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo are putting the finishing touches on their respective cases.

The most recognizable face in Broncos history has seen his tenure with Denver has come to an end.
Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway is no longer employed by the Broncos in a consulting role, according to a Tuesday report from James Palmer of NFL Network. His contract expired at the end of the league year and will not be renewed by mutual agreement.
Elway moved into consulting after the 2021 season, during which he served as the club’s president of football operations. Before that, he spent 2011 to ’20 as Denver’s general manager, winning Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos in 2015.

Austin Ekeler is one of the best running backs in the National Football League.
Over the last two years, he leads the position with 177 catches, 1,369 receiving yards and 38 total touchdowns (no other back has more than 26). Also, his 3,195 scrimmage yards ranks third and is just two behind Nick Chubb for second.
Did I mention he’s also been the best fantasy football running back in that time?
Despite this success, Ekeler finds himself in a spot that a lot of runners have fallen into in recent seasons.