👑 4th Quarter King

Rise and Shine! We were going to start today with the Dicky V Men's Classic, where two blue bloods took the Garden floor in a fiery top-10 tussle. Yes, it was "awesome, baby!" But then LeBron James reminded us that he's still the King, and the Lake Show stole the show in an intense In-Season Tournament quarterfinal between two title contenders. However, LA's win didn't come without controversy. Back East, Giannis and Dame reminded the Knicks why you should Fear the Dear and bludgeoned New York with a blistering scoring outburst. On the ice, the three Hughes brothers got together for a thrilling family reunion, and the Sharks beat the buzzer for another upset victory. Finally, the United States showed off its offensive artillery by unleashing some rockets on China (in women's soccer), while Arsenal avoided implosion with a last-second score. Let's go!

WTF Stat: NFL teams are 52-3 this season when holding their opponent to 10 or fewer points. The Patriots have held their opponent to 10 or fewer points in their past three games. They've lost all three games.

Whether it's your best friend or most deserving friend, share the Blitz!

🏈 Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence suffered a high ankle sprain in Jacksonville's loss to the Bengals on Monday Night Football, and there is no timetable for his return - however, Lawrence has yet to be ruled out for Sunday's game against the Browns

⚾️ Guardians were awarded the No. 1 overall pick in next summer's 2024 MLB Draft after winning the second-ever draft lottery - Cleveland had just a 2% chance to win the lottery, and it will be their first No. 1 overall pick in franchise history

⚾️ Yankees acquired OF Alex Verdugo in a trade with the Red Sox for right-handed pitchers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert, and Nicholas Judice - Verdugo, 27, batted .264 last season with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 140 games

NBA In-Season Tournament - Quarterfinals

• West | Los Angeles Lakers 106, Phoenix Suns 103: The King still wears the crown. In a playoff-like atmosphere at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers took a feverish quarterfinal where LeBron James (40 MIN, 37 PTS, 8 REB, 11 AST, 5 STL) took over down stretch, dropping 15 in the 4th quarter before Austin Reaves (20 PTS, 6 REB) splashed a massive lead-extending three with 15 seconds remaining to outlast Kevin Durant (31 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST), Devin Booker (21 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST), and the Suns, punching LA's ticket to Vegas where they'll face the Pelicans on Thursday - Anthony Davis (27 PTS, 15 REB) was a beast, a controversial timeout bailed out Los Angeles in the final seconds, and Durant air-balled a deep contested three at the buzzer

• East | Milwaukee Bucks 146, New York Knicks 122: Julius Randle (41 PTS, 14-19 FG, 6 REB, 5 AST) and Jalen Brunson (24 PTS, 6 AST) did their best to keep New York in it, and they only trailed by three at the half, but Giannis Antetokounmpo (35 PTS, 15-22 FG, 8 REB, 10 AST) and Damian Lillard (28 PTS, 7 AST) were simply too much, and the Bucks pulled away to set up a semifinals matchup with the Pacers on Thursday in Vegas - it was a season-high in scoring for Milwaukee, who shot 60.5% (23 of 38) from three and 60.4% overall

NBA In-Season Tournament - Semifinals

(Thursday, Las Vegas, NV, T-Mobile Arena)

• East | #1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. #2 Indiana Pacers 5:00pm ET, ESPN

• West | #1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #3 New Orleans Pelicans 9:00pm ET, TNT

See Tuesday's full box scores here and the entire ITS bracket here.

Men's College Basketball - Top Games

• #5 UConn 87, #9 North Carolina 76: No love was lost when these two blue bloods squared off in the headliner of the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, where the "Boys Latin Bucket," Cam Spencer (23 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST) dropped 16 in the first half before he and the Huskies pulled away in the second to take down RJ Davis (26 PTS, 4 REB) and the Tar Heels for a bounce-back W after a four-point loss to Kansas on Friday - UConn freshman Solomon Ball (13 PTS) knocked down three triples in the second half, and Spencer and Armando Bacot (13 PTS, 13 REB, 5 AST) were both T'd up following multiple heated discussions

• #20 Illinois 98, #11 Florida Atlantic 89: In the Jimmy V Classic opener, Johnell Davis (19 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST) helped build FAU a seven-point lead shortly after the break, but the Owls had no answer for Marcus Domask (33 PTS, 15-21 FG, 6 REB) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (33 PTS, 10-14 PTS), who finished with 33 apiece to surge past last year's NCAA tournament semifinalists - Illinois shot 63% from the field compared to FAU's 48%

• #23 Wisconsin 70, Michigan State 57: Football season is over for the Spartans, but somehow things are getting worse in East Lansing. The preseason's No. 4 ranked team fell to 4-4 on the year and 0-1 in conference play, as AJ Storr (22 PTS, 5 REB) and Steven Crowl (18 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST) led the Badgers to a wire-to-wire win at the Breslin Center - after a 1-2 start, Wisconsin has won six in a row

See the full men's scoreboard here and the full women's scoreboard here.

NHL - Top Games

• New Jersey Devils 6, Vancouver Canucks 5: In a Hughes' family affair, the red light was flashing all night with six goals in the 1st period alone, resulting in a 4-2 lead for Jack Hughes (1 G, 2 A) and the Devs, and although Nils Hoglander (1 G) tied the game for Vancouver late in the 3rd period, Jesper Bratt (2 G) tapped in the game-winner with 33 seconds remaining, giving New Jersey an electric dub above the border - it was the first time that the Devils' Jack and Luke Hughes (1 G) were playing against their brother, Quinn Hughes (good job, mom and dad!)

• San Jose Sharks 5, New York Islanders 4 (OT): After an 0-10-1 start, the Sharks are now a relatively respectable 7-17-2 and notched their fourth win in six games last night in thrilling fashion as Tomas Hertl (3 G) earned a hat trick with two late scores in regulation to cap a three-goal comeback in the 3rd period before William Eklund (1 G, 2 A) found the back of the net with five seconds left in overtime to stun the Islanders on their home ice

• Detroit Red Wings 5, Buffalo Sabres 3: "Holy schnikes!" Dylan Larkin (2 G) batted in a must-see bingo to get the party and then sealed a win for the winged wheels with an empty-netter to stave off a Jeff Skinner (1 G, 1 A) and the Sabs, who got within one in the 3rd period after falling into a 4-0 hole - Detroit has now won three straight games

See the full NHL scoreboard here and the current standings here.

International Soccer - Top Matches

• Women's Friendly | United States 2, China 1: After defeating China on Saturday, the Americans took the second of two matches against their Asian counterparts as Samantha Coffey (62') delivered a shot of energy with a second-half equalizer before 19-year-old Jaedyn Shaw (79') blasted a game-winning firecracker in her hometown of Frisco, Texas - it was the USWNT's final match of the year

• Premier League | Arsenal 4, Luton Town 3: In an enthralling match featuring three quick equalizers, bottom-feeding Luton Town found themselves tied with the Premiership leaders in the final minute of stoppage time, but Declan Rice (90'+7') got his head on a cross and glanced it past a diving Thomas Kaminski (5 SV) to give the Gunners an unbelievable last-second victory on the road - Arsenal has 36 points through 15 games, with Liverpool on 31 and champions Manchester City on 30

See the full international soccer scoreboard here.

In partnership with Friday Beers

🍻 TIME TO COMMENCE SUCKDOWN 🍻

Introducing the beverage that's about to revolutionize your sports-watching experience: Friday Beers! Launching for the first time ever in Boston.

Picture this: You and your crew (including a Fringe Guy), are heading to Gillette for a Pats game, and you need to stock up the tailgate cooler to properly endure the performance Mac Jones is about to unfortunately deliver to your eyes. There's only one option... Friday Beers.

We've taste-tested the product and can assure you that it's the perfect brew for sports-watchin', tailgate rippin', and couch chillin'. Find the nearest liquor store carrying Friday Beers and have a day – just remember to be 21 years old, please!

So, don't just survive the week – celebrate the end of it with Friday Beers! It's not just a drink; it's a lifestyle. Of all the light beers we’ve guzzled, these things just hit different.

Including yesterday's deal that sent OF Alex Verdugo to New York, how many trades have the Yankees and Red Sox made with one another since the start of the Divisional Era in 1969?

A. 5

B. 8

C. 13

D. 21

On December 6, 1992, 49ers WR Jerry Rice caught his 101st career touchdown, setting an NFL record. The monumental score came during a 27-3 win over the Miami Dolphins, breaking former Seahawks WR Steve Largent's record of 100 touchdown grabs. It took Largent 14 seasons to reach the century mark — Rice did it in only eight. Originally nicknamed "World" because of his superb catching ability, the Niners superstar not only went on to nearly double the record (197) but also broke the all-time touchdown mark among non-quarterbacks. Rice went on to play 20 seasons in the league, finishing with an unprecedented 1,549 receptions for 22,895 yards, which are also NFL records.

NBA

• Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers 7:00pm ET, Local

• San Antonio Spurs @ Minnesota Timberwolves 7:30pm ET, ESPN

• Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Clippers 10:00pm ET, ESPN

• Full Schedule

NHL

• Pittsburgh Penguins @ Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Dallas Stars @ Florida Panthers 7:00pm ET, TNT

• Vegas Golden Knights @ St. Louis Blues 9:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Carolina Hurricanes @ Edmonton Oilers 9:30pm ET, TNT

College Basketball

• NCAAM: #12 Texas @ #8 Marquette 8:00pm ET, FS1

• NCAAM: South Carolina @ #24 Clemson 8:00pm ET, ACCN

• NCAAW: #4 Iowa @ Iowa State 7:00pm ET, ESPN2

• NCAAW: Morgan State @ #1 South Carolina 7:00pm ET, SECN+

• Men's Full Schedule

• Women's Full Schedule

English Premier League

• Aston Villa @ Manchester City 3:15pm ET, Peacock

• Chelsea @ Manchester United 3:15pm ET, Peacock

Grab $20 off tickets to your favorite games, concerts and events using code TORCH20 at Vivid Seats - Promo is for first-time buyers and orders over $200!

Trivia Time Answer

B. Eight. Perhaps it stems from New York paying $125,000 in 1920 for a little-known player named Babe Ruth, or simply bad blood, but since the start of the Divisional Era in 1969, the Yankees and Red Sox have only completed eight trades with one another. However, yesterday's deal marked the third trade the rivals have made in the last two years - in 2021, the Yanks traded Frank German and Adam Ottavino for cash, and last May, Boston exchanged Greg Allen for Diego Hernandez.

"Lock" of the Day

In partnership with FanDuel

Men's College Basketball - Big East-Big 12 Battle

• #12 Texas @ #8 Marquette: UT +8.5 (-110) - this is a real shot in the dark here

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Yes, I called UConn a blue blood. Five national championships in 25 years. Feel free to debate me on it. (PS: Army-Navy CFB preview coming tomorrow!!!)