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Tag: the team

  • Depleted Bulls look to build win streak vs. Magic

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    (Photo credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images)

    Aiming to secure a winning record in a three-game road trip that concludes with Friday’s visit to the Chicago Bulls, the Orlando Magic will look to build upon a clutch performance that boosted them Wednesday.

    Paolo Banchero swished the go-ahead layup with 7.5 seconds left to lift the Magic to a 112-110 win at Indiana.

    Orlando trailed by 10 points in the third quarter but rallied behind Banchero (29 points, 10 rebounds) and a deep attack that included Desmond Bane (18 points) and Anthony Black (15).

    ‘We just had to battle it out and play to the final buzzer,’ Banchero said.

    Monday’s 107-106 loss in Toronto to open the trip saw the Magic stumble in that regard; they squandered a 21-point second-quarter lead while tallying just 12 points in the fourth quarter.

    While Orlando remains without top scorer Franz Wagner (high ankle sprain), the team is getting closer to full health after welcoming point guard Jalen Suggs (hip) back to the lineup after a seven-game absence.

    Suggs contributed 11 points and three assists at Indiana.

    ‘Great to see him back out there, great to have him out there,’ Banchero said of Suggs. ‘Just his energy out there, he’s just a huge part of the team. So when he’s out there, I just think we’re better.’

    Chicago knows too well about the impact injuries can have on cohesion. The Bulls’ top two scorers – Josh Giddey and Coby White – recently were sidelined by a left hamstring strain and right calf tightness, respectively, and will sit out Friday.

    Center Zach Collins (right toe sprain) also is out for at least another week.

    On Wednesday, shorthanded Chicago stopped a two-game skid with a 134-118 win against New Orleans to improve to 1-2 on a five-game homestand.

    Sparked by Isaac Okoro’s season-best 24 points and double-doubles from Tre Jones and Jalen Smith, the Bulls placed eight scorers in double figures. Each starter contributed at least 14 points.

    ‘That’s how we’ve been winning,’ Jones said. ‘Guys down (now), we need everyone on the team; depth is one of our main things. Having that many guys in double figures, we need that to continue to stack these wins. Definitely a good way to go out in the year and head into a new year on a good note.’

    The winner of Friday’s game will earn at least a split of the season series. The visiting Bulls topped the Magic by 12 on Oct. 25 behind 21 points from Giddey before Orlando defended its home court with a 125-120 victory on Dec. 1. Bane scored 37 points, a season-high total he has achieved three times, in that win.

    Orlando has won seven of 10 the series with Chicago but has been susceptible to one of its former players lately.

    Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, who spent parts of nine seasons with the Magic before joining the Bulls in a midseason trade in 2020-21, has posted a double-double in seven of his past 10 games against Orlando. He is averaging 17.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game over that span.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Steeped in drama, Michigan, Texas get back to football in Citrus Bowl

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    (Photo credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images)

    Before the College Football Playoff bracket was complete, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian delivered a strong rebuke of the process, well aware the Longhorns weren’t in position to make the 12-team field.

    That drama turned out to be minor compared to Michigan’s stunning firing of Sherrone Moore for having an improper relationship with a female football staffer and the coach’s subsequent arrest.

    The No. 13 Longhorns and the No. 18 Wolverines are surely happy to see the calendar turn to 2026 but first they fittingly ring out the current year together on Wednesday at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

    Both teams went 9-3 in the regular season before their campaigns were overshadowed by outside factors. Biff Poggi is serving as Michigan’s interim coach for the bowl game.

    Sarkisian lobbied for his team’s inclusion into the playoffs after a 27-17 victory over then-No. 3 Texas A&M on Nov. 28.

    He pointed out the team’s three top 10 wins and a season-opening loss to then-No. 3 Ohio State, and even threatened to remove the Buckeyes from the 2026 schedule to make his point. But it was an early October setback against Florida that sank his team.

    While the anger has dissipated, disappointment lingers at Texas over a spot in the Citrus Bowl.

    ‘A lot of the other guys see it as a chance to compete, prove ourselves, especially being in (the CFP) last year, not being in this year, we get a chance to prove the committee wrong,’ Longhorns guard Luke Hutson said. ‘So I’m really excited for that, and I think it should be really awesome.’

    Michigan formally introduced new coach Kyle Whittingham on Sunday, something nowhere on the radar when the month began.

    Moore’s arrest changed everything.

    After being informed of his firing on Dec. 10, he allegedly confronted the woman at her home and was arrested. Two days later, he was charged with felony home invasion and two misdemeanors (stalking and breaking and entering).

    The incident and Moore’s meltdown left the Michigan program swirling in chaos.

    ‘I was kind of stunned for a while,’ Wolverines linebacker Cole Sullivan said. ‘I didn’t know what to think. But at the end of the day, we’re still the same team. One person doesn’t define who we are. I’m not going to let what happened define me. And I know the rest of the team isn’t also going to let that happen.’

    Whittingham is focused on preventing a mass exodus and met with freshman Bryce Underwood on Sunday as speculation swirls that the No. 1 recruit of the 2025 class is considering his options.

    Underwood has passed for 2,229 yards and nine touchdowns against six interceptions while adding five scores on the ground.

    He said he’s looking forward to playing in the Citrus Bowl.

    ‘Playing football is our fun,’ Underwood said. ‘Us playing our game, and in any way possible we can be good, that’s what we’ll do.’

    Defensive end Derrick Moore (team-high 10 sacks), linebacker Jaishawn Barham (10 tackles for loss) and guard Giovanni El-Hadl have opted out of the game. Linebacker Ernest Hausmann (68 tackles) wasn’t in Orlando over the weekend and his status is unclear. Running back Justice Haynes (857 yards, 10 touchdowns) is bothered by a foot injury.

    The Longhorns had more than a dozen opt-outs. Four running backs headed to the transfer portal. Leading rusher Quintrevion Wisner (597 yards) opted out late last week to join CJ Baxter, Jerrick Gibson and Rickey Stewart Jr. on the departure list.

    Texas’ main ball-carriers against Michigan will be freshmen Christian Clark (131 yards, one TD) and James Simon (122 yards).

    All-American safety Michael Taaffe (70 tackles) isn’t playing so he can start preparing for the NFL Draft. Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (69 stops) declared for the draft and is skipping his senior season. Another linebacker, Liona Lefau (69 tackles), entered the transfer portal.

    Quarterback Arch Manning confirmed Sunday that he will indeed return for the 2026 season. He has thrown for 2,942 yards and 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions and added eight scores on the ground.

    ‘I felt like I developed a lot this year, especially toward the back half,’ Manning said Sunday. ‘I want to keep it going. There’s no reason to leave. I think I’ve got a lot more football left to play, and I’m excited to still be a part of this team.’

    Texas has won both previous meetings against Michigan, including a 31-12 victory last season in Ann Arbor.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Report: Liberty tab Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as head coach

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    (Photo credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)

    The New York Liberty have agreed to name Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their new head coach, ESPN reported on Friday.

    DeMarco, 40, has held a number of roles — including assistant coach and player development coach — during his 13 seasons with the team. He also serves as head coach of the Bahamian senior men’s national team.

    The Liberty opted against renewing the contract of Sandy Brondello on Sept. 23, one season after the team won its first WNBA championship. That news came out four days after New York was bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury.

    ‘We need to nail this,’ Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said on Sept. 25 of the coach selection. ‘If we’re going to make a bold decision like this, our players deserve to get the best, and so we’ll take the time necessary.’

    Brondello, 57, is the winningest head coach in franchise history, posting a 107-53 record during her four years at the helm. The Liberty recorded identical 32-8 records in 2023 and 2024, falling to the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals in the first year before beating the Minnesota Lynx last season.

    –Field Level Media

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