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💰 Five things to know Thursday
- The NBA is investigating the Clippers for allegedly circumventing the salary cap. Kawhi Leonard has raked in nearly $250 million in his six seasons in Los Angeles. And it would seem there’s more money changing hands under the table. Reporting from Pablo Torre suggests Clippers owner Steve Ballmer arranged for a $28 million “no-show” endorsement for Leonard to evade the NBA salary cap.
- Red Sox rookie superstar Roman Anthony to miss 4-6 weeks. After suffering a strained oblique, Anthony is expected to be out until the start of the playoffs. Since being called up in June, Anthony has boasted a slash line of .292/.396/.463 with eight home runs and 32 RBI. Boston’s run up the AL East standings just hit a major speed bump.
- The new CBS Sports 136 was released, and LSU was a notable riser. I guess that’s what a season-opening road win in (the other) Death Valley will do for you. The Tigers earned their boost from No. 9 to No. 2, but the news wasn’t as rosy for everyone. Alabama more than deserved its 18-point drop.
- Naomi Osaka reaches the US Open semifinals, keeping her Grand Slam streak alive. With her win over Karolína Muchová, Osaka reached 13-0 all-time in quarterfinal, semifinal and final matches at Grand Slam events. Osaka will now face a somewhat unlikely opponent in the form of American Amanda Anisimova, but more on that later.
- Lamar Jackson debuts at No. 1 in our NFL QB Power Rankings. Jackson gets the nod over reigning MVP Josh Allen, and while those two at the top may not be surprising, there is much more room for debate at No. 3 and beyond. Where is Super Bow LIX champ Jalen Hurts? How about three-time champ Patrick Mahomes?
🏈 Do not miss this: The NFL is BACK!
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Not that you would miss the return of the NFL, but I just wanted to be sure. After what has felt like an interminable offseason, there will be real NFL action on our TV screens tonight. The Eagles will begin their defense as Super Bowl champions, and we’ll get our first look at the Cowboys in the post-Micah Parsons era.
Losing Parsons right before this matchup has to sting for the Cowboys defense — here’s how it reportedly could have been worse, though — but they did get some good news. Star cornerback Trevon Diggs is good to go after undergoing an offseason knee procedure; he will be needed to contain A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cowboys will be rolling out new starting running back Javonte Williams, who has earned the trust and support of his teammates throughout camp. George Pickens is also a new face in Dallas, and he’s looking to break the curse of former Steelers WRs.
Of course, tonight’s game is just the appetizer for a weekend-long football feast. Pete Prisco has unveiled his full slate of Week 1 picks, including an upset when the Raiders roll into Foxborough for their clash with the new-look Patriots.
- Prisco: “This is a long first trip for the Pete Carroll-led Raiders. The Patriots will have Mike Vrabel making his debut as coach as well. The Patriots should be improved this season, but I think Geno Smith will do enough here to pull it out late. Carroll gets more revenge against the team that fired him.”
Before the Cowboys and Eagles take the field tonight, fantasy football managers across the country will be agonizing over their start/sit decisions for the first weekend of the season. Luckily, our crack team of fantasy experts has you covered with the best insights in the industry:
🎾 Anisimova pulls off stunning upset of Swiatek at US Open
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Less than two months ago, Iga Swiatek humiliated Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. When those two battled their way to a rematch in the US Open quarterfinals on Wednesday, Anisimova got a healthy slice of redemption.
The match got off to an ominous start for Anisimova when Swiatek scored a break of Anisimova’s serve in the opening set. However, Anisimova didn’t let that faze her, and she continued to battle. As the match went on, Anisimova continued to frustrate Swiatek en route to a 6-4, 6-3 win.
Anisimova’s win was no fluke. The proof of her brilliance is in the pudding, as our own Brent Brookhouse wrote:
- Brookhouse: “Anisimova scored four breaks to just two for Swiatek, with a 29-23 advantage in receiving points won. The other telling statistic for Anisimova was a 56% win percentage on her second serve, holding much stronger after first serves than Swiatek, who won just 37% of her second serves.”
With Jessica Pegula also reaching the semis, this is the third year in a row that two American women have reached the semifinals at the US Open.
Keep track of all our live US Open updates here.
🏆 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
📺 What we’re watching Thursday
⚾ Phillies at Brewers, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🎾 US Open, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Mercury at Mystics, 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Yankees at Astros, 7:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 Cowboys at Eagles, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Lynx at Aces, 10 p.m. on Prime Video