Paolo Mariano Articles - Page 10

It is not preposterous to imagine New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson having a list of people he wants to dunk on posted on his bedroom wall, reviewing it intently before every game. Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton was probably on the list. On Wednesday, Williamson decided that he would suck the soul out of […]

The life of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is an open book. He has learned to live with the spotlight always on him. It is the trade-off for being one of the best athletes in the galaxy. James is generous with his thoughts, regularly sharing them on social media. He can be funny, cryptic, […]

The Philadelphia 76ers lost a key member of the rotation after forward Dominick Barlow suffered a back injury in the early goings of the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Wednesday. Barlow writhed in pain as he grabbed his lower back after falling to the floor following his blocked attempt. […]

The Utah Jazz looked to remain in the win column as they visited the Chicago Bulls at United Center on Wednesday. The Jazz upset the Cleveland Cavaliers, 123-112, at Rocket Arena on Monday, and they want to build on it with another victory. Utah beat Chicago in double overtime in their last meeting in November. […]

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid added another accolade to his illustrious career as they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The 76ers are coming off a win against the Toronto Raptors, 115-102, on Monday and are 6-2 in their last 10 games. Obviously, they want to keep their momentum going against […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks got embarrassed on their home floor on Tuesday as they were walloped by the Minnesota Timberwolves, 139-106. The Bucks still failed to win even though the Timberwolves were already severely handicapped without Anthony Edwards, who was out with a foot injury, and Rudy Gobert, who was serving a one-game […]

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped their three-game losing streak after destroying the Atlanta Hawks, 141-116, at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday. The Lakers erected a 21-point lead at halftime and did not look back. They improved to 24-14, including 11-7 at home. The Hawks, on the other hand, fell to 20-22. LeBron James delivered the play […]

Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts was an image of despair as he walked off Lincoln Financial Field following their loss to the San Francisco 49ers, 23-19, in the wild-card round on Sunday. The Eagles failed to defend the title, as they unraveled in the fourth quarter against the 49ers. They had a chance to win […]

St. John’s went on a hot start and never relented, as it cruised past Marquette, 92-68, at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The Red Storm did not give any chance to the Golden Eagles to mount a comeback in the second half, improving to 12-5, including 5-1 in the Big East. But while they looked […]

It will be a classic clash of offense versus defense as the Buffalo Bills take on the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday. The Bills, led by Josh Allen, will have to power through against the Broncos’ defense, which helped the team earn the […]

Connecticut displayed enough poise in crunch time on Tuesday, holding on to beat Seton Hall, 69-64, at Prudential Center to stay unbeaten in the Big East. Silas Demary Jr. saved the day for third-ranked Huskies after sinking four free throws in the final 30 seconds. They have now won 13 straight games and are 7-0 […]

It was a marquee matchup in the NBA on Tuesday as the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs—the top two teams in the Western Conference—met for the fourth time this season. The Thunder erected a large lead in the third quarter. In the closing seconds, Shai Gilegous-Alexander stirred Paycom Center to a frenzy […]

The tension boiled over in the second half between the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns at Kaseya Center after Norman Powell and Dillon Brooks got into it. Brooks was going for a layup in the third quarter when he and Powell collided. Brooks appeared to have shoved Powell, who did not appreciate the act. He […]

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence finally had his breakout campaign after leading the team to a 13-4 record and only four points shy of advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. While their season came to an end after losing to the Buffalo Bills, 27-24, in their wild-card meeting on Sunday, the Jaguars, under […]

The Detroit Pistons are enjoying another strong campaign, as they are comfortably atop the Eastern Conference with a 28-10 record. At one point, led by Cade Cunningham, they dominated with a 13-game winning streak, tying the franchise record. But before getting to this point, the Pistons had to endure long years of mediocrity, wrought by […]

Memphis Grizzlies guard Jaylen Wells will play in his first-ever overseas game as they go up against the Orlando Magic at Uber Arena in Berlin on Thursday. It is another milestone for the 22-year-old Wells, who is just in his second year in the league. Over the years, he has accumulated many amazing experiences, a […]

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane probably circled on the calendar the date of their game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Aside from battling his former team, it is extra special as the NBA scheduled it in Berlin on Thursday. The Grizzlies traded Bane to the Magic in the offseason in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, […]

Aaron Rodgers will be reflecting for the next few days as he ponders his next move following the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Houston Texans, 30-6, in the wild-card round on Monday. Rodgers exited Acrisure Stadium possibly for the last time. It is a tough way to go out if the legendary quarterback decides to […]

The Houston Texans had a historic night after crushing the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-6, at Acrisure Stadium on Monday to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. The Texans notched their first-ever road win in the postseason after going 0-6 in their previous attempts. Running back Woody Marks was instrumental against Pittsburgh, tallying 19 carries […]

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is on the hot seat yet again after they got eliminated by the Houston Texans, 30-6, in the wild-card round at Acrisure Stadium on Monday. Tomlin was badly outsmarted by Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, and fans are not having it. Once again, they are calling for Tomlin’s firing, with some […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a brutal loss to the Houston Texans, 30-6, in their wild-card meeting at Acrisure Stadium on Monday. Yet coach Mike Tomlin sounded defiant. The Steelers let the game slip away in the fourth quarter, allowing the Texans to outscore them, 23-0. What was a winnable game spiraled into another disaster. Pittsburgh […]

Did we see the last game of Mike Tomlin as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers? Even with Houston Texans star CJ Stroud having a god-awful game and the home fans cheering them on, the Steelers still could not get the job done in their wild-card clash at Acrisure Stadium on Monday. Pittsburgh was absolutely outclassed […]

It looks like Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud woke up on the wrong side of the bed on Monday. The Texans are leaning on Stroud to lead them past the Pittsburgh Steelers in their wild-card meeting at Acrisure Stadium. The star signal-caller, however, has struggled mightily so far. In the first half, he committed five […]

When fully healthy, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is arguably the most dominant player in the NBA. His combination of size and dexterity makes him nearly impossible to stop. The Toronto Raptors realized that on Monday. In the second quarter at Scotiabank Arena, Embiid drove to the rack before unleashing a vicious slam. The 76ers’ […]

The Philadelphia Eagles fell short of their mission to reclaim the crown after losing to the San Francisco 49ers, 23-19, in the wild-card round on Sunday. Lincoln Financial Field was stunned, as the defending champions exited the field pondering the what-ifs. The defeat was not without drama. Wide receiver AJ Brown and coach Nick Sirianni […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to stay alive in the playoffs as they hosted the Houston Texans in the wild-card round at Acrisure Stadium on Monday. Clearly, the outcome will have a significant impact on the field, but with all the drama surrounding coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, it could also largely affect […]

The Toronto Raptors have become one of the pleasant surprises this season, as they have shown how good they can be with their positionless approach under coach Darko Rajakovic. As of writing, the Raptors are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 24-16 record. Not too shabby at all for a team that was largely […]

They had to really work for it, but the Buffalo Bills claimed their first road win in the playoffs in over three decades after fending off the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-24, in the wild-card round at EverBank Stadium on Sunday. Josh Allen proved once again why he is the reigning MVP after going 28-of-35 for 273 […]

The Philadelphia Eagles are in a world of hurt right now after getting eliminated in the wild-card round by the San Francisco 49ers, 23-19, at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. The Eagles had a last chance to steal the win with 43 seconds left, but Jalen Hurts’ pass to Dallas Goedert from the 21-yard line […]

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes may be one of the goofiest players in the league, but when it comes to talking about the undying support of their fans, he can get pretty serious. The Raptors escaped the Philadelphia 76ers, 116-115, in overtime after Barnes drained the game-winning free throw with 0.8 seconds left at Scotiabank […]

As they say, winning is hard, but maintaining is much harder. The Philadelphia Eagles definitely know that after getting upset by the San Francisco 49ers, 23-19, in the wild-card round at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. The Eagles failed to defend their crown, as their offense sputtered in the second half. The next few days […]

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had to be carted off the field in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday after suffering an Achilles injury. It was a painful exit for Kittle, who many consider the heart and soul of the 49ers. With the severity of his ailment and the possibility of […]

Jalen Johnson continues to soar for the Atlanta Hawks—literally and figuratively. The Hawks’ trading of Trae Young to the Washington Wizards signaled that Johnson is now the face of the franchise. On Sunday, he led the Hawks to their third straight win after trouncing the Golden State Warriors, 124-111, at Chase Center. Johnson tallied 23 […]

The New England Patriots will have to finish their do-or-die game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday without a valuable asset after Christian Gonzalez suffered a head injury. The Patriots announced on X that Gonzalez is questionable to return to the wild-card tussle at Gillette Stadium. .@Patriots Injury Update: CB Christian Gonzalez (head) is […]

Anthony Edwards soaked up the crowd’s admiration after leading the Minnesota Timberwolves past the San Antonio Spurs by the slimmest of margins, 104-103, at Target Center on Sunday. Edwards made the game-winning runner with only 16.8 seconds left, as the Timberwolves completed a 19-point comeback and improved to 26-14. They have won five of their […]

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is still nursing an ankle injury and did not suit up in the wild-card round against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. He, however, ensured that he made his presence felt by supporting his teammates. When the 49ers completed the upset, 23-19, to stun everyone at Lincoln Financial Field, Warner […]

Optimism is high for the San Francisco 49ers after they outlasted the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-19, at Lincoln Financial Field in the wild-card round on Sunday. The 49ers eliminated the defending champions after Brock Purdy connected with Christian McCaffrey for the go-ahead touchdown with less than three minutes left in the game. The defense then held […]

The Vince Lombardi Trophy will have a new home after the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 23-19, at Lincoln Financial Field in the wild-card round on Sunday. The Eagles failed to defend their title, as they were badly outplayed in the fourth quarter, 13-3. Wide receiver AJ Brown did not speak to […]

Ole Miss will marinate in despair for the next few days after suffering a painful loss to Miami, 31-27, in the semifinal of the CFP at State Farm Stadium on Thursday. The Rebels looked like they were on their way to the national championship game with less than three minutes remaining after taking the lead, […]