Last night, round 1 of the NFL draft was full of twists, turns and surprises. Our team recapped them all here. But the biggest one involved a phone call. Or technically, two phone calls. When one team thought they were drafting a player, only for another team to swoop in. We’ll explain.
Plus, Rohan Nadkarni breaks down all the action from last night’s NBA playoffs, and Joe Prince-Wright previews this weekend’s Premier League slate. Jam-packed newsletter today and even more coverage, as always, on the NBC News website.
In recent years, a new tradition has been adopted at the NFL draft, especially in the first round. Teams will record them calling their draft pick, to capture the excitement in the room, and then release the video on social media.
It’s supposed to be an easy promotion for the team. But on these phone calls, we’re learning, a lot can go wrong.
Last night, the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock at pick No. 20 when Makai Lemon, a wide receiver from USC, received a call from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who held the No. 21 pick. Pittsburgh had apparently assumed the Cowboys weren’t taking him.
Lemon’s phone kept ringing. He looked and it was the Philadelphia Eagles. They had traded with the Cowboys. The Eagles now owned the No. 20 pick and were taking Lemon.
“I feel like everything happened for a reason,” Lemon said later. “They traded up, so it means a lot. They really want me. I’m all in, and they’re going to get everything that I got.”
The Steelers were left to select Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor.
Earlier in the night, the Arizona Cardinals were delayed in calling Jeremiyah Love, a running back from Notre Dame, whom they selected with the No. 3 pick. “We had the wrong phone number,” Monti Ossenfort, the Cardinals’ GM, said. “The phone number that we were given was the wrong one.”
“Technical difficulties,” he joked.
When the New York Jets called Kenyon Sadiq, a tight end from Oregon, to tell him he would be their choice at No. 16, he didn’t believe them at first.
“I was thinking it was a prank call for a second,” Sadiq said on the call.
“No, we’re not pranking you, brother,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn told him. “You’re gonna be a Jet. You’re gonna be a Jet. Trust me on that, man. You’ve been a target for us for a while.”
The No. 3 seed New York Knicks fought back after trailing by as many as 18 points to take a lead late in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell to the No. 6 Atlanta Hawks, 109-108. New York has now lost back-to-back games by 1 point, becoming the first team in NBA playoff history to lose two straight games in regulation by only 1 point.
After CJ McCollum scored a late go-ahead bucket to give Atlanta the lead, the Knicks had the ball in the waning seconds with a chance to win. Instead, on a set play following a timeout, Knicks star Jalen Brunson was swarmed by multiple defenders and turned the ball over — meaning New York didn’t even get a shot off on its final possession.
“I wish I had a better answer for you,” Brunson said when asked what went wrong on the play. “I got nothing right now.”
Meanwhile, another No. 6 seed, the Minnesota Timberwolves, dismantled the No. 3 Denver Nuggets and won 113-96 last night to take a 2-1 series lead.
The Nuggets were playing without do-it-all forward Aaron Gordon, whose athleticism and defensive tenacity were sorely missed.
The Wolves, on the other hand, have seemingly found the answer to slowing down Nikola Jokić , who is widely believed to be the NBA’s best offensive player: Rudy Gobert. A four-time Defensive Player of the Year and longtime Jokic foe, Gobert has been sensational this series. Through three games, Jokic is averaging 25.3 points on only 40% shooting.
Finally, the Toronto Raptors got on the board yesterday, winning their first game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Raptors won 126-104 in large part because RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes each scored 33 points.
For the Cavs, James Harden and Donovan Mitchell combined for 33 points — and 8 turnovers.
Quite simply, Spurs have to win at already-relegated Wolves tomorrow if they’re going to stay in the Premier League. No matter how many times you read that sentence, it’s still shocking to digest. But it’s the reality of where the Spurs are after a truly shambolic season on and off the pitch.
Their third manager of the season, Roberto De Zerbi, has come in and cajoled this broken side a little, but their expensively assembled squad, which was supposed to challenge for the top four, has still underachieved epically. De Zerbi’s desire and clear message, plus injuries calming down, have led to two improved performances against Sunderland and Brighton. But only 1 point has arrived since De Zerbi stepped in as Spurs let in a heartbreaking late equalizer at home to Brighton last weekend.
With relegation now confirmed for Wolves, they have nothing but pride to play for, but would relish dragging Spurs down into the Championship, England’s second tier, with them.
With games against Aston Villa, Leeds, Chelsea and Everton remaining after this weekend, Spurs know that three points at Wolves is an absolute must.
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If you’re a real NFL draft junkie, it continues tonight with rounds 2 and 3. If you skip it, we’ll have more draft coverage in Monday’s newsletter. There’s also three NBA playoff games on tonight.
We’ll be particularly watching the No. 7 seeds in each conference. Can the Portland Trail Blazers keep pushing the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs, now that Victor Wembanyama is dealing with a concussion? Also, can Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe repeat his 30-point performance from earlier this week against the No. 2 Boston Celtics?
Both series are tied 1-1, and tonight are their pivotal Game 3’s.
All times are Eastern:
That’s it for now! We’ll be back Monday.
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