Sam DiGiovanni Articles - Page 34

A new NBA season is upon us, which means that the Chicago Bulls are back to put on an incredibly mediocre and disappointing display of basketball. They kicked off their season by losing 124-104 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bulls trailed for much of the second half and got outscored by 11 in the […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — Matching up with Giannis Antetokounmpo is usually an intimidating assignment for NBA players. Paul Reed embraces the challenge and is looking forward to duking it out with one of the NBA’s greats to begin his fourth season in the league. The Philadelphia 76ers will face the Milwaukee Bucks at the Fiserv Forum […]

While the importance of Joel Embiid to the Philadelphia 76ers doesn’t need to be rehashed, perhaps no other guy is keeping the franchise afloat more than Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers have asked Maxey to grow as a player while withholding his contract extension until next summer in an effort to preserve flexibility. The soon-to-be-23-year-old has […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers will begin their 2023-24 season without James Harden. The Sixers star returned to the team at Wednesday’s practice after being away for over a week but was asked not to travel with the team ahead of its season opener. The Sixers begin their season on Thursday against the Milwaukee […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — Rookie center Filip Petrusev has a tough road to making his mark with the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid and Paul Reed occupy the center spots. His path to playing time will be crowded, even with Nick Nurse being willing to play two-big lineups. Still, the fact that he’s here shows the belief […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — In two days, the Philadelphia 76ers’ defense will face one of the biggest tests any defense will see all season: trying to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo AND Damian Lillard. The Sixers open their 2023-24 season with a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, which offers them an early shot at one of the […]

What’s in store for Joel Embiid in the 2023-24 NBA season? The Philadelphia 76ers superstar was riding as high as can be last season, winning an MVP award and leading the Sixers to one of the most successful regular seasons in recent franchise history. Then he put up a horrific final five quarters in the […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — Tired of getting rolled over in the deeper part of the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers are continuing to build an identity around toughness and physicality. Toughness has been at the forefront of the identity the Sixers have been trying to create since the beginning of last season when they prioritized hard-nosed veterans […]

How good will the Philadelphia 76ers be this season? The James Harden drama makes that question complicated. Because Philly is dealing with a star that wants out and their main conference rivals have gotten even better, many people are ready to write the team off as just another playoff team that won’t be a title […]

The Houston Astros could be without relief pitcher Bryan Abreu in the final game(s) of the ALCS. After he plunked Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia, sparking a dugout-clearing brouhaha, he was ejected and hit with a two-game suspension. Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports reports that Abreu will indeed appeal his suspension, which could necessitate […]

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in a pivotal NLCS Game 5 matchup, taking the series lead back home with them. The 6-1 game included some early fireworks when Bryce Harper scored on a play at home that looked rough for Gabriel Moreno in the top of the first inning. Harper added to the […]

With the 2023 NFL trade deadline approaching, what will the Las Vegas Raiders end up doing? They have a 3-3 record so far yet they don’t look to be all that impressive on either side of the ball. Their -31 point differential is tied for the third-worst in the AFC. Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby […]

The Philadelphia Eagles are once again one of the very best teams the NFL has to offer. But the Birds have been bitten badly by the injury bug, which will necessitate some moves ahead of the October 31 trade deadline. The Eagles signed Julio Jones amid injuries to their wide receivers and now will look for […]

When the Philadelphia Phillies needed it most, Zack Wheeler did what he usually does in the playoffs: shove. After letting the Arizona Diamondbacks tie up the NLCS at two games apiece, Wheeler out-dueled Zac Gallen to lead the Phillies to a 6-1 win in Game 5. With the exception of a solo home run from […]

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers closed out their preseason with a win. But more importantly, it gave Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey a chance to work together under new head coach Nick Nurse before the Sixers started playing real games. The Sixers have been reliant on Embiid for every year of his career and are […]

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are going to look a bit different under Nick Nurse. Joel Embiid isn’t just okay with it, he’s very pleased with what the Sixers’ new coach is looking to implement. Embiid helped the Sixers beat the Atlanta Hawks in his first game under Nurse, Philly’s preseason finale. He shot the […]

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid and Nick Nurse’s first time joining forces led the Philadelphia 76ers to a victory. The Sixers ended their preseason with a win over the Atlanta Hawks despite a less-than-stellar scoring night from the reigning MVP. Embiid had 21 points on 3-12 shooting from the field in 33 minutes in his only […]

The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Atlanta Hawks for their final exhibition match before the 2023-24 NBA season. Once again finding themselves in the backdrop of playoff baseball, the Sixers rode a dominant second half to a win by a final score of 120-106. Embiid finally took the court for Nick Nurse after missing the first […]

The Las Vegas Aces recaptured the WNBA championship by defeating the New York Liberty in a star-studded series. They held on for the win in Game 4 over the team that had beaten them in the Commissioner’s Cup tournament and had been billed as their main rivals all season long. The Aces triumphed despite injuries […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — Deja vu has struck the Philadelphia 76ers like lightning this offseason as yet another star guard has demanded a trade and awkwardly looking to distance himself from the team. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and many other Sixers are sitting through James Harden’s ugly (eventual) exit just two years after Ben Simmons’ lengthy […]

Last season, the Chicago Bears aided their rebuilding efforts by trading Roquan Smith for draft compensation. They could do the same by trading Jaylon Johnson at this year’s trade deadline, which falls on Halloween. Johnson and the Bears have yet to strike an agreement on a contract extension and those talks don’t appear to have […]

The Cincinnati Bengals are once again off to a slow start to a season. One of the favorites to make it to the Super Bowl, the Bengals have one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the league so far and are averaging almost 10 fewer points per game than they did last year. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr […]

The New Orleans Saints were so close to stealing a win on Thursday Night Football against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Driving late in the game with a chance to tie it up from the red zone after trailing 24-9 heading into the fourth quarter, they came away empty, falling to 3-4 on the season. A dropped […]

The final preseason game is here for the Philadelphia 76ers. They will face the Atlanta Hawks at home as their last on-court experience before the regular season begins. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST. But with two key Sixers yet to play in the preseason, a big question lingers: Are Joel Embiid and James […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers’ preseason finale against the Atlanta Hawks will give them one more shot to get prepared for the season. Even as the game goes on, the focus will continue to be on James Harden, whose practice absences have renewed curiosity about his status with the Sixers and whether he will […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are going with another totally new look for their City Edition jerseys. In addition to slightly new Icon and Association jerseys, the Sixers are going with an alternate kit that looks unlike anything they have worn previously. A picture of the Sixers’ mascot, Franklin the Dog, in some never-before-seen threads was posted […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — Tyrese Maxey is about to see his role with the Philadelphia 76ers increase this season. Part of that is because the 22-year-old is continuing to grow as a player. But it’s also because the Sixers will probably be short-handed in the ball-handling department to start the year. James Harden’s latest no-show invites […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers-James Harden situation has taken a sharp turn into being contentious again. The Sixers guard skipped the first practice following their latest preseason game to the surprise of the team. Any doubt that he would suit up for Philadelphia in the regular season has grown tenfold. Joel Embiid spoke to […]

BROOKLYN, NY — The Philadelphia 76ers put on a clinic in disruptive defense in their first 2023 preseason victory. Going against the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers showed as clearly as possible how great defense fuels great offense. De’Anthony Melton tallied four steals and a block and Kelly Oubre Jr. notched a pair of blocks and […]

The Los Angeles Chargers are at it again. Talent be darned, Justin Herbert and the gang just continue to sputter and lose in ridiculous ways, this time to the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 20-17. Herbert took the blame for the loss, according to Kris Rhim of ESPN. The Chargers’ star quarterback recognized what […]

The Boston Red Sox are continuing to search for their next general manager. The latest candidate to be named in rumors is James Click, the architect of the latest Houston Astros championship team. The Red Sox are considering James Click, the former Astros GM and current Toronto Blue Jays vice president of baseball strategy, according […]

The Houston Astros find themselves in relatively unfamiliar territory in the 2023 ALCS. It has been three years since they trailed a series 2-0. That’s where they find themselves now after getting beat twice by the Texas Rangers at home. Houston has been good at getting out to series leads throughout their stretch of dominance […]

The Dallas Cowboys’ latest win, a 20-17 victory on Monday Night Football over the Los Angeles Chargers, was an absolute doozy. The game at SoFi Stadium included 20 penalties, long stretches of failures to get drives going, a muffed punt catch that gave the Chargers the chance to tie the game, a controversial call that […]

On the surface, the Baltimore Ravens are doing just fine. They have a 4-2 record and are showing some improvements from last year with Lamar Jackson continuing to lead the way. But one underlying factor that could spell doom for them is their recent struggles in the red zone. The Ravens have gone from hot […]

BROOKLYN, NY — Nick Nurse has his first (unofficial) win as the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. In a wire-to-wire victory over the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers continued to exude Nurse’s teachings with a wild display of up-tempo basketball. Nurse has stressed a multitude of talking points to the Sixers as he prepares them […]

After a pair of preseason games against the same opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers faced off against the Brooklyn Nets in the Barclays Center. With the Phillies again drawing eyeballs away from them, the Sixers built a big lead and held on, winning by a score of 127-119. Joel Embiid was out, despite an expectation that […]

NEW YORK, NY — In one corner of the main basketball court at Baruch College, where the Philadelphia 76ers held their pregame shootaround before facing the Brooklyn Nets, Patrick Beverley gets up some jumpers. On the other end, Jaden Springer gets up some of his own looks. Beverley has seen the NBA court 631 more […]

NEW YORK, NY — Joel Embiid will miss his third preseason game as the Philadelphia 76ers prepare to face the Brooklyn Nets in the lead-up to the 2023-24 campaign. This will be the first time the Sixers’ superstar will play less than two preseason games since his rookie season of 2016-17 (save for 2020-21, where […]

The Philadelphia 76ers’ preseason marches on with a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets up next. The Sixers will head back to the site of a testy playoff series as they look to get warmed up for the 2023-24 season. But with their two biggest stars yet to take the court, the question must be asked: […]