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🏒 Good morning to all, however particularly to …

CANADA

An unimaginable 4 Nations Face-Off got here to an unimaginable finish, due to an unimaginable participant. Connor McDavid scored a blistering shot to the higher nook 8:18 into additional time to elevate Canada over Workforce USA, 3-2, within the championship.

After all, McDavid would not even get that probability if not for Jordan Binnington. The up-and-down Blues goalie pulled off a efficiency paying homage to his 2019 Stanley Cup Recreation 7 — in the exact same constructing, in truth — stonewalling a number of nice probabilities for the Individuals, together with two from goal-scorer extraordinaire Auston Matthews.

McDavid’s winner additionally conjures up the comfortable reminiscence of Sidney Crosby‘s additional time winner towards the U.S. within the 2010 Winter Olympics gold-medal sport. Historical past, it seems, has a method of repeating itself.

However this is not about historical past. That is in regards to the future, the place the sport goes. The arrow could be very a lot pointing up, making the sport of hockey as an entire a giant winner from the previous week and a half, Chris Bengel writes.

• Bengel: “No matter what nation you had been pulling for, hockey followers had been by far one of many greatest winners. In spite of everything, there hasn’t been a best-on-best event within the hockey world because the World Cup of Hockey again in 2016. NHL gamers, corresponding to McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Nathan MacKinnon, hadn’t been capable of swimsuit up for his or her respective international locations since getting into the league previous to this occasion.”

👍 Honorable mentions

🏀 And never such a very good morning for …

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA AND THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Victor Wembanyama‘s season is over. The Spurs star was recognized with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder. He had skilled low power just lately, and after issues did not enhance following a trip after All-Star Weekend, he underwent assessments revealing the situation.

• Deep vein thrombosis is the event of a blood clot in veins deep in your physique as a result of the vein is injured or the blood flowing by it’s “too sluggish,” per the Cleveland Clinic. Attainable causes embrace lengthy intervals of inactivity — as an NBA participant, Wembanyama takes lengthy airplane rides, for instance — or dehydration. Here is our full clarification.
• The Spurs are optimistic it is a one-time situation, which could be very, superb information. Different NBA gamers have had DVT, most notably Chris Bosh, whose situation ended up being career-ending. However, Brandon Ingram had season-ending DVT in 2019, had surgical procedure and gained Most Improved Participant the following season.

Wembanyama is on a celebrity monitor, if he is not there already. He is averaging 24.3 factors, 11 rebounds and a league-leading 3.8 blocks. The one different gamers to try this in an entire season are Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Take into account that Wembanyama simply turned 21.

Clearly it is a enormous blow for the Spurs. Sam Quinn checked out three ripple results from the harm, together with …

• Quinn: “The Spurs are doubtless headed for the lottery — That is probably not what the Spurs had been planning after they traded for Fox, nevertheless it’s clearly not a foul place to be. It is a very robust draft class, and if Wembanyama continues to progress as he has to date, the Spurs will not be utilizing their very own first-round decide within the lottery once more for fairly a while. It by no means hurts so as to add one additional blue-chip expertise.”

It additionally re-opens the Defensive Participant of the 12 months race, which Wembanyama had all however clinched. Gamers should play 65 video games to be eligible for particular person awards; Wembanyama has performed 46. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Evan Mobley are among the many betting favorites after Wembanyama’s harm, however Sam likes a special participant on one of many league’s greatest groups.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 Rating prime 25 NBA gamers this season, plus who will make distinction throughout stretch run?

The NBA received absolutely again underway final night time post-All-Star break, and with the common season roughly two-thirds of the best way over, Brad Botkin ranked the league’s prime 25 gamers up to now.

The participant ranked No. 1 is not the present MVP favourite.

• Botkin: “Nikola Jokic — He is been one of the best participant not simply this season, however this is likely one of the best seasons we have ever seen from anybody at any time. Jokić is on tempo for the best PER in historical past. He is third in factors per sport, second in assists, fourth in rebounds and fourth in steals. The Nuggets’ level differential plummets by 24 factors per 100 possessions when he leaves the courtroom.”

That looks like a very good argument for MVP for me, although it is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 2 on Brad’s listing) who presently has that title.

Not on that listing? Luka Doncic, who missed a lot of the season with harm and continues to be discovering his footing enjoying for the Lakers alongside LeBron James. However Doncic leads Colin Ward-Henninger’s listing of gamers who might outline the stretch run. Additionally on that listing is …

• Ward-Henninger: “Chet Holmgren — The Thunder had been arguably one of the best group within the NBA even with out Holmgren, however with him they cannot solely distance themselves from any Western Convention competitors, however may also give themselves a significantly better shot towards any of their potential Finals opponents from the East. … Holmgren takes the Thunder from an important defensive group to a just about impenetrable one.”

🏈 2024 NFL season grades

4 groups earned grades within the “A” vary in Bryan DeArdo’s 2024 NFL grades. Three — the Eagles, Chiefs and Commanders — had been in all probability fairly simple guesses. The fourth? Possibly not as clearly, however actually well-deserved.

• DeArdo: “Broncos — A- | Denver’s 2024 season began with some criticism after the group paid Russell Wilson $39 million to play for the Steelers. Few folks had been discussing that by season’s finish, nevertheless, as rookie quarterback Bo Nix loved an distinctive marketing campaign whereas serving to the Broncos snap their nine-year playoff drought.”

Denver wager actually large on Sean Payton, who in flip wager large on Nix. Each delivered.

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, six groups received an “F.” Yikes!

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

🏀 Knicks at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 16 Marquette at Villanova, 7 p.m. on FS1
🏀 No. 14 Michigan State at No. 12 Michigan (M), 8 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Timberwolves at Rockets, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

🏀 No. 6 Tennessee at No. 7 Texas A&M (M), midday on ESPN
🏀 Oregon at No. 11 Wisconsin (M), midday on Fox
🏒 Wild at Purple Wings, 12:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 8 Iowa State at No. 5 Houston (M), 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Capitals at Penguins, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Georgia at No. 1 Auburn (M), 4 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas (M), 4 p.m. on CBS
🏀 No. 17 Kentucky at No. 4 Alabama (M), 6 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 3 Duke vs. Illinois (M), 8 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Lakers at Nuggets, 8:30 p.m. on ABC

Sunday

🏀 UConn at No. 10 St. John’s (M), midday on Fox
🏀 No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 13 NC State (W), midday on BTN
🏀 No. 17 West Virginia at No. 10 TCU (W), midday on ESPN2
🏀 Knicks at Celtics, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏒 Oilers at Capitals, 1 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 No. 13 Purdue at Indiana (M), 1:30 p.m. on CBS
🏀 No. 3 UCLA at Iowa (W), 2 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 9 North Carolina at Louisville (W), 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Mavericks at Warriors, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏒 Rangers at Penguins, 3:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 No. 25 Illinois at No. 4 USC (W), 4 p.m. on FS1
🏀 No. 7 LSU at No. 14 Kentucky (W), 4 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ USWNT vs. Australia, 5 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Grizzlies at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Thunder at Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN