🎾Rafael Nadal Retires, Cavs Lose Their First Game, College BBall Recap, + More!

Good Morning Blitzers,

Hope you’re having a great week so far. No preamble today, let’s Blitz!

WTF Stat: James Harden now sits at #2 in made 3-pointers, here is a cool little diagram showing his progression up the ranks:

It does seem unfair to me that guys like James Harden (36%) and LeBron James (35%) show up on this list more because of their longevity and volume shooting, and less because they were pure 3-point shooters like Steph Curry (43%), Kyle Korver (43%), Ray Allen and Reggie Miller (40%).

🎾 Rafael Nadal's illustrious tennis career came to a close on Tuesday after Spain was eliminated from the Davis Cup by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. The 38-year-old, who had already announced that this would be his final tournament, had hoped to retire after leading Spain to a Davis Cup victory on home soil in Málaga. However, Spain lost 2-1 to the Netherlands, with Nadal falling to Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-4 in his singles match. Nadal retires with 22 Grand Slam titles, including a record 14 French Open titles.

• 🔥Take: Nadal aka the “King of Clay” was one of the most fun players to watch. Quickness, power, hustle. Love it all. Plus, it’s pretty cool to be known for just dominating on a certain type of playing field. I’m known as “King of the Couch” on Sundays during football season, I dominate in a similar fashion as Nadal.

🏒 The Boston Bruins have fired head coach Jim Montgomery after a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season, with the team sitting at an 8-9-3 record. Despite Montgomery's previous successes, including winning the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year in 2022-23, the Bruins have struggled this season, ranking 31st in offense and 28th in defense. Associate coach Joe Sacco has been promoted to interim head coach.

• 🔥Take: The Bruins are second to last in goals scored and point differential in the NHL, and have the most penalty minutes, yet are 8-9-3 and sit middle of the pack in their division. Isn’t that pretty amazing coaching? Joe Sacco is going to have an uphill battle.

🏈 Here is a look at the latest College Football Playoff rankings:

College Basketball Shootaround

In Case You Missed It

Men’s Basketball

Over the Weekend

#13 Purdue 87 - #2 Alabama 78: The sluggish start for the Tide continued, but this time they were playing a very talented Purdue team. Trey Kaufman-Renn poured in 26 points and the Boilermakers only turned over the ball three times. Big early statement for Purdue…but what if I told you…it would be short lived.

Wisconsin 103 - #9 Arizona 88: How bout them Badgers? 103 points?! The Wisconsin I used to know wouldn’t score 103 over the span of three games. John Tonje scored 41 points, 21 of which was from the free throw line. Big wins for the Big Ten.

Tuesday, November 19th

#15 Marquette 76 - #6 Purdue 58: Kam Smith logged only the 3rd triple-double in Marquette history (17 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast) and Shaka Smart’s crew improved to 5-0 in the early goings with a dominant win over 6th ranked Purdue. The Golden Eagles were ferocious on defense, turning Purdue over 15 times. It was the first non-conference loss for Purdue in 39 games.

Women’s Basketball

Over the Weekend

#2 UConn 69 - #14 UNC 58: Paige Bueckers and the Huskies passed its first test of the season with an 11-point win over the Tar Heels. Future first overall pick Bueckers scored 29 points.

#20 Kentucky 71 - #18 Louisville 61: The Wildcats had 4 players in double-figures to push them past in-state rival Louisville. The Cardinals started with high expectations but have lost two games early in the season. Kentucky on the other hand stayed undefeated.

Games to Watch

Men’s Basketball

Wednesday, November 20

#25 Illinois at #8 Alabama - 9:00 PM (SEC Network)

Thursday, November 21

Bahamas Championship

#13 Baylor vs. #22 St. Johns - 7:00 PM (CBSSN)

Virginia vs. #11 Tennessee - 9:00 PM (CBSSN)

Friday, November 22

Bahamas Championship

Winner of BAY/STJ vs. Winner of UVA/TENN - 9:30 PM (CBSSN)

#12 Duke at #17 Arizona - 10:30 PM (ESPN2)

Women’s Basketball

Saturday, November 23

#6 Notre Dame at #3 USC - 4:00 PM (NBC)

Sunday, November 24

#1 South Carolina at #5 UCLA - 4:00 PM (FS1)

Men’s Basketball Power 5

1. Kansas (5-0)

2. Gonzaga (3-0)

3. Auburn (3-0)

4. UCONN (4-0)

5. Kentucky (4-0)

Women’s Basketball Power 5

1. South Carolina (4-0)

2. UCONN (3-0)

3. USC (4-0)

4. Notre Dame (4-0)

5. LSU (4-0)

Top NBA Games

Celtics 120, Cavaliers 117: The Celtics ended Cleveland's perfect 15-0 start to the season. Despite a strong second-half push from the Cavaliers, who dominated in the paint, the Celtics held on for the win. Jayson Tatum led Boston with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists, while the team shot a blistering 22-for-41 from beyond the arc. A key 3-pointer from Payton Pritchard in the final minutes sealed the victory for Boston.

Nets 116, Hornets 115: Cam Johnson scored 34 points, and Dennis Schroder added 14 points and 12 assists to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 116-115 victory. The game came down to the final seconds when Brandon Miller of the Hornets missed a 3-pointer to tie the game, and Grant Williams tipped the ball as time expired.

Nuggets 122, Grizzlies 110: Denver bounced back from a two-game losing streak, defeating Memphis 122-110 in last night’s NBA Cup game. Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 27 points, while Michael Porter Jr. contributed 24 points and 10 rebounds. Christian Braun added 19 points, and Russell Westbrook recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds.

See full NBA scoreboard here, and standings here.

Top NHL Games

Jets 6, Panthers 3: Mark Scheifele scored a hat trick, leading Winnipeg to a 6-3 victory, ending their two-game losing streak. With this win, the Jets remain atop the NHL standings with a 16-3 record and 32 points. Morgan Barron contributed two empty-net goals, while Kyle Connor added a goal and an assist.

Lightning 3, Penguins 2: Brayden Point scored a game-winning goal at 3:58 of overtime, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 victory. Point, who had missed the previous two weeks due to a lower-body injury, began the Lightning's comeback with a goal in the third period, and then secured the win with his 10th goal of the season in overtime.

Rangers 4, Canucks 3: The Rangers bounced back from a recent offensive slump, securing a 4-3 win over the Canucks. Chris Kreider broke the 3-3 tie in the 3rd period, scoring what would end up being the winning goal. It was the third win in a row for New York who now have a 12-4 record.

See full NHL scoreboard here, and standings here.

On this day in 1902, Geo Lefevre and Henri Desgrange create Tour de France bicycle race. The roots of the Tour de France trace back to the emergence of two rival sports newspapers in the country. Long-distance cycle races were a popular means to sell more newspapers, and a six-day race around France was suggested.

Yesterday’s Trivia Time Answer

Who is the youngest MLB player to win the MVP award?

A) Vida Blue - In 1971, at 21 years old, Blue won the AL MVP. Blue went 24-8, with a 1.82 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 8 shutout victories. Not surprisingly he also won the Cy Young award that year as well. Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Cal Ripken Jr., Johnny Bench, and Stan Musial all won the award at 22-years old.

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