SPORTS WRAP
By William Hathaway, Jr.
The United States Football League has been formed once again, and kicked off its inaugural season on Saturday night. It was a perfect way to start the season, with the New Jersey Generals losing a tough fought game against the Birmingham Stallions 28-24. Stallions quarterback Jamar Smith led his team to the victory on a nine play, 50 yard drive for a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the game.
In the second game of the day, the Houston Gamblers beat the Michigan Panthers 17-12. The Gamblers scored all their points in the first half. Panthers quarterback Shea Patterson, who played for the Michigan Wolverines in college, fumbled a snap and Houston linebacker Reggie Northrup ran it in for a touchdown. Also, Clayton Thorston found Isaiah Zuber for a 12 yard touchdown.
In other action, the New Orleans Breakers defeated the Philadelphia Stars 23-17, and the Tampa Bay Bandits beating the Pittsburgh Maulers 17-3.
Switching to the NBA, the Nets lost their first game against the Celtics 115-114 on a Jayson Tatum spinning layup at the buzzer. During the contest, Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who led all scorers with 39, flipped off the Boston crowd several times. Also, the #2 ranked Memphis Grizzles took a stunning Game 1 loss at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Finally, reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic is vying for his second straight trophy against former two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. This year, Embiid became the first Center to lead the NBA in scoring (30.6) since Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-2000.
