🏈 Ravens & Bengals TNF Preview, Big NBA Games, + More!

Morning Blitzers,

This is just a reminder that we’re 3 weeks away from Thanksgiving. Don’t do what I do every year, which is wait until the last minute and scramble to prepare things all day on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is for sitting on the couch, drinking your beverage of choice, watching a ton of football, and doing as little as possible. Oh, and I guess it’s for hanging out with family and all that other stuff. But start preparing now, you’ve been warned. Let’s get into the Blitz!

Instead of WTF Stat doing a little poll:

🏈 Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is dealing with a partial avulsion of his right hamstring, where part of the tendon has detached from the bone. He hasn't yet been placed on injured reserve yet, but sources suggest his recovery might take longer than four weeks. Prescott injured his hamstring during a 5-yard scramble in Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

• 🔥Take: Well, now Cowboys fans and Mike McCarthy have their season (and likely McCarthy’s job security), in the hands of QB Cooper Rush. Rush (who has an awesome name), has started 6 games, going 5-1 and passing for 9 TDs, and 6 INTs. If he can find a way to pull out a win against the Eagles at home, without WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys fans will anoint him the new savior.

🏀 The Grizzlies defeated the Lakers 131-114 last night and coach JJ Reddick is already showing frustration over his teams effort (outside of LeBron James), "I think LeBron was fantastic tonight. Biggest thing that stood out. ... He played hard. Almost 40 years old and played the hardest on our team. It says a lot about him." The Lakers have fallen to 28th in defensive efficiency.

• 🔥Take: We’re 8 games into the season JJ (the Lakers are 4-4), maybe pump the brakes a bit. I get that JJ is competitive but you need your coach to be a bit more level headed. If the media can get you to react like this over a pretty benign question, then they’re going to start doing a lot more to get under your skin and get these types of reactions. The only reason you react like this is 1) you actually really hate your team and you’re already sick of them after 8 games and can’t hide it 2) you’re so used to being in the media/on podcasts where you need hot takes (wait what is this section called?) or big emotional swings to convey your message. My assumption is it’s the second one and JJ will learn to save those outbursts for when he really needs them, because it’s a long season.

Thursday Night Football Preview

Game: Bengals (4-5) @ Ravens (6-3) at 8:15 EST

Why we’re watching: Because this should be a great game, just like their first game a few weeks ago. These AFC North games are always super competitive, physical games, that come down to the end. Hopefully this one is no different. The Bengals this year have actually been better on the road (3-1) and QB Joe Burrow looks to be hitting his stride (5 TD passes last week) even with WR Tee Higgins out. When the Ravens are on they look unbeatable. They demolished a good Broncos defense last week and look out for blood after a bad loss to the Browns. Can’t wait for this one!

Key Matchup: Which air attack wins out? The Ravens and Bengals are both top 5 in the league in passing yards and TDs. They both also happen to defend the pass poorly with the Ravens allowing a league worst 2,718 yards through the air. They did just acquire CB Tre'Davious White, but it’s unclear how much he has left in the tank. The Bengals pass defense has benefited from playing some easier teams this year, but they let up 348 yards and 4 TDs to QB Lamar Jackson last time they played, so we’ll see if they can improve on that number.

TNF Prop Bets: Jean (3-5) - Dionte Johnson over 20.5 yards receiving — Keith (5-3) - Zay Flowers over 60.5 yards receiving.

D-Man’s Pick (4-4 TNF): Bengals (+6) and the over (53 points). The last time these two teams played it was a barn burner that ended in overtime. What has changed? Both defenses are susceptible. Both offenses are rolling. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Top NBA Scores

• Warriors 118, Celtics 112: Golden State went to Boston and secured their 5th win in a row thanks to Stephen Curry’s 27 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. Boston was missing star Jaylen Brown due to a strained hip flexor, and the Warriors dominated in the paint, outscoring Boston 52-36.

• Suns 115, Heat 112: Kevin Durant scored 32 points, and Jusuf Nurkic added 20 points and 18 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 115-112, extending their winning streak to six games. Phoenix trailed 79-64 in the third quarter but rallied with a 15-3 run to cut the deficit to three. The game remained close in the fourth, but Durant’s clutch jumper with 16 seconds left gave the Suns a four-point lead, which they held onto.

• Nuggets 124, Thunder 122: Oklahoma City suffered their first loss of the season in a close game that was sealed by Peyton Watson’s last-second block of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, and Nikola Jokic delivered a monster performance with 23 points, 20 rebounds, and 16 assists. Despite trailing by 16 points in the third quarter, the Nuggets rallied behind strong second-half performances from Christian Braun (24 points) and Michael Porter Jr. (21 of his 24 points in the second half).

• Cavs 131, Pelicans 122: The Cavs refuse to lose, as they’ve now started the season 9-0, the first time they’ve done this in their 55-year history. The Pelicans on the other hand, are a disappointing 3-6. Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points in the win and Cleveland’s bench played a big role, contributing 50 points, led by Caris LeVert and Ty Jerome (11 points).

• Hornets 108, Pelicans 107: Brandon Miller's buzzer-beating putback lifted Charlotte to a dramatic 108-107 victory over Detroit. Miller finished with 19 points, while Miles Bridges scored 27 and LaMelo Ball added 25 points, including five 3-pointers. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Hornets.

See full NBA scoreboard here, and standings here.

Top NHL Scores

• Capitals 3, Predators 2: Alex Ovechkin scored his 861st career goal to help Washington defeat Nashville 3-2. Ovechkin's goal, his eighth of the season, came midway through the third period and gave the Capitals the lead. He is now just 34 goals shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record. Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas also scored for Washington, while Logan Thompson made 33 saves to improve to 6-0-0 in his first six starts with the Capitals.

• Red Wings 4, Blackhawks 1: Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat each had a goal and an assist to lead Detroit to a 4-1 win over Chicago. Joe Veleno and Andrew Copp also scored for Detroit, and Cam Talbot made 28 saves in the victory. The Red Wings bounced back from a three-game skid with their second consecutive win.

• Golden Knights 4, Oilers 2: Noah Hanifin scored twice, including the game-winning goal in the final minute, to lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, spoiling Connor McDavid's return to the lineup. Jack Eichel added a goal and two assists, and Mark Stone also scored for the Golden Knights, who secured their first road win of the season and have now won six of their last seven games.

See full NHL scoreboard here, and standings here.

On this day in 1989, Baltimore Orioles Gregg Olson becomes the first relief pitcher to win AL Rookie of Year. Olson went 5-2, 27 saves, an ERA of 1.69 and a 1.21 WHIP. Olson was elected to the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame In 2008.

Yesterday’s Trivia Time Answer

Which Alabama WR has the most yards in school history?

B) DeVonta Smith - Smith left Alabama with the most receiving yards (3,965), receptions (235), and TDs (46) topping some huge names.

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