🏀 NBA Midseason Awards, Suns Complete Trade, + More!

Morning Blitzers,

Hope everyone’s having a great week. Let’s get right into the Blitz!

WTF Stat: Interesting roster loophole to help teams stack more pitchers on their roster this coming MLB season:

baseballdoesntexist

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🏀 The Phoenix Suns acquired center Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for forward Josh Okogie and three second-round draft picks. Richards, who is averaging 8.9 points and 7.5 rebounds this season, has been more productive as a starter, with 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. The Suns, who have struggled at center, hope Richards can address their frontcourt issues. Meanwhile, the Hornets gain draft capital and Okogie, a defensive wing with a team-friendly contract.

⚽️ Neymar, the Brazilian football superstar currently with Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, is in early talks with three MLS teams, including Chicago Fire FC, about a potential move. However, Inter Miami is not pursuing Neymar due to MLS roster restrictions, according to their new manager, Javier Mascherano. Despite this, Neymar has hopes of reuniting with former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez in South Florida if he moves to MLS.

🏈 The Baltimore Ravens claimed WR Diontae Johnson off waivers after he was released by the Houston Texans. Johnson had previously been waived by the Ravens earlier in the season. The move could result in a compensatory draft pick for Baltimore, depending on the contract Johnson signs in free agency. He will officially join the Ravens on February 10, after the Super Bowl. The Texans attention turns to their playoff game against the Chiefs this Saturday.

Midseason NBA Awards

MVP

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City - Leader of the 33-6 Thunder team, second in PPG (31.4), third in steals (2.0 per game), plus adds 6 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. He is also one of the best defenders in the NBA.

Runner Up: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee

Defensive Player of the Year

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio - Wembanyama is likely to win in a landslide. He’s averaging 3.9 blocks per game (1.5 more than the next player on the list), 10.7 RPG, and 1.1 steals per game.

Runner Up: Evan Mobley, Cleveland

Rookie of the Year

Jaylen Wells, Memphis - The second-round pick from Washington State has already played significant minutes (26 per game) for the third-place Grizzlies. He’s averaging 11.7 PPG on 44% shooting. His fellow rookie teammate, Zach Edey, may also split the votes with him.

Runner Up: Stephon Castle, San Antonio

Sixth Man of the Year

Payton Pritchard, Boston - Pritchard is shooting 46% from 3-point range, ranks 17th in the NBA in plus/minus, and is averaging 17.2 PPG in only 29 minutes per game.

Runner Up: De'Andre Hunter

Coach of the Year

Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland - The Cavaliers had a talented team coming into the year, they went 48-34 last season. But Atkinson, in his first year, has taken pretty much the exact same roster and led them to am NBA-best 34-5 record.

Runner Up: Ime Udoka, Houston

Top NBA Scores

(this didn’t count and Victor Wembanyama had 8 blocks in the first half!)

• Knicks 125, 76ers 119: Jalen Brunson scored 16 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to help the Knicks defeat the 76ers 125-119. Josh Hart recorded his 11th career triple-double with 10 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists. Mikal Bridges contributed 23 points, and OG Anunoby added 17. Despite trailing by as many as 16 points, the 76ers tied the game in the final seconds of regulation but fell short in overtime.

• Raptors 110, Celtics 97: RJ Barrett led the Toronto Raptors to victory, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The win snapped Toronto's 10-game losing streak against Boston. Jakob Poeltl added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Scottie Barnes contributed 18 points. The Celtics have now lost three of their last five games.

• Rockets 128, Nuggets 108: Jalen Green scored 34 points, and Alperen Sengun contributed 20 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 128-108 victory over the short-handed Denver Nuggets. Green, who made six 3-pointers, continued his strong scoring run, averaging 32 points over the past six games. The Rockets won their fifth straight game and improved to 10-3 in their last 13 games, solidifying their position as the No. 2 team in the Western Conference.

See full NBA scoreboard here, and standings here.

Top NHL Scores

• Sabres 4, Hurricanes 2: Ryan McLeod scored a hat trick, leading the Sabres to a 4-2 victory. McLeod's three goals included a quick opener just 43 seconds into the game and a late goal with six seconds left in the second period to make it 3-0. Dylan Cozens also scored for Buffalo, and Jason Zucker added two assists.

• Oilers 5, Wild 3: Connor McDavid scored twice and added an assist, while Vasily Podkolzin netted the game-winning goal in the third period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also contributed a goal and assist. The Wild, missing several key players including Kirill Kaprizov, have lost three of their last four games.

See full NHL scoreboard here, and standings here. Just two games last night.

On this day in 1988, Bill Bidwill, the owner of the (NFL) St. Louis Cardinals, announced that the team would move to Phoenix, Arizona. They would be known as the Phoenix Cardinals until they changed their name to the Arizona Cardinals in 1994.

St. Louis had both a baseball and football team called the Cardinals from 1960 to 1987.

Yesterday’s Trivia Time Answer

Which player leads the NBA in steals this year and averages an incredible 3.1 steals a game?

B) Dyson Daniels - Having a really impressive season so far, his 3.1 steals a game would put him 8th all-time for an NBA season. All the top steal seasons also occurred in the 80s and 90s likely because the the game was a lot more condensed. So it makes Daniels statistics stand out even more.

Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's trivia question and more info!