Category: Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The XFL’s greatest contribution to football the first time around was the skycam. When the league returns Saturday, the focus will be on bringing fans further inside the game.

ABC/ESPN and Fox will have access to the coach-player communication systems and can go live with the audio at any time. They will also be able to go into the replay booth as plays are being reviewed.

“To hear a play call and the verbiage, is the biggest thing that people will be talking about,” Fox analyst Joel Klatt said. “How often can you see a coach call plays? When you are able to hear the play calls, you can see the philosophy of a team and coach.”

Bill Bonnell, who is ABC/ESPN’s coordinating producer for XFL, oversaw production of the XFL for NBC in 2001. He said the biggest difference this time is the games will be presented as games, instead of feeling like a WWE show. The first XFL used mostly WWE announcers and cameramen.

There will not be a WWE slant this time. The main reason the league is on ABC/ESPN and Fox is because of how they televise football.

“It’s not going to be anything like the first time around,” said Bonnell, who also produces ESPN’s broadcast of the College Football Playoff title game. “I think hardcore fans are going to enjoy watching football. The sound is going to be the innovative part. Bringing the access and the sound is how we are trying to bring out fans.

“This time it seems much more like a football league that we are covering. It is leaps and bounds ahead of the first XFL.”

The replay review process could be another thing fans discuss after the first week of games. The networks will be able to air conversations between the official on the field and the booth. They will also be able to discuss the review with an XFL supervising official following the review.

“In a traditional game we would have a rules expert. Now you are hearing the official making the call and discussing it,” Bonnell said.

Fox’s Curt Menefee said he’s pleased questions about a game can be answered in real time.

“The one thing you don’t want to happen is when you leave a game, something was not called properly. Now questions will be answered,” he said.

The league and broadcasters also won’t shy away from discussing gambling. Point spreads and the over/under will be mentioned during games and will be included on graphics.

ABC has the league’s first game Saturday with Seattle at DC, followed by Los Angeles at Houston on Fox. Fox kicks off Sunday with Tampa Bay at New York with St. Louis at Dallas to follow on ESPN.

Bonnell said games will typically have 16 cameras, which is equivalent to a regular college football game. The skycam will be at every game as well as two remote cameras to go on the field.

Of the league’s 43 games — 40 regular season, three playoffs — 24 are on ABC or Fox. The remainder will air on ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and FS2. Saturday games will be on ABC and Fox while Sunday will be mainly on ESPN/ESPN2 or FS1/FS2.

The Alliance of American Football folded after eight weeks last year but its ratings showed there is an appetite for spring football. The AAF averaged 400,000 viewers per game but only one game was on CBS with the rest on CBS Sports Network, TNT and NFL Network. The games on NFL Network drew audiences equivalent to NFL preseason games.

“A lot of people have tried spring league and someone has to get it right. There definitely is an appetite,” Bonnell said.

New Orleans Pelicans (20-31, 12th in the Western Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (19-33, ninth in the Eastern Conference)

Chicago; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Chicago heads into the matchup against New Orleans as losers of three in a row.

The Bulls are 11-15 on their home court. Chicago ranks third in the Eastern Conference with 15.1 fast break points per game led by Zach LaVine averaging 3.4.

The Pelicans are 10-15 in road games. New Orleans allows 117.2 points to opponents and has been outscored by 2.3 points per game.

The Pelicans won the last meeting between these two teams 123-108 on Jan. 8. Brandon Ingram scored 29 points to help lead New Orleans to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: LaVine is third on the Bulls with 4.9 rebounds and averages 24.9 points. LaVine has averaged 5.8 rebounds and added 26.2 points per game over the last 10 games for Chicago.

Ingram leads the Pelicans averaging 25.1 points and has added 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Jrue Holiday has averaged 14.9 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 34.9 percent over the last 10 games for New Orleans.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 4-6, averaging 105.7 points, 39.5 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 10.1 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.7 points on 51.8 percent shooting.

Pelicans: 5-5, averaging 122.1 points, 48.5 rebounds, 27.2 assists, 7.7 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.2 points on 45.1 percent shooting.

INJURIES: Bulls: Wendell Carter Jr.: out (ankle), Kris Dunn: out (knee), Otto Porter Jr.: out (left foot), Lauri Markkanen: out (ankle).

Pelicans: Kenrich Williams: out (back), Darius Miller: out (achilles), Nickeil Alexander-Walker: day to day (illness).

Challenged by coach John Calipari to be tougher, Kentucky made its presence felt against Mississippi State.

Especially Nick Richards, who took the criticism and asserted himself on both ends of the floor.

Richards scored a career-high 27 points, including 25 in the second half, Immanuel Quickley added 21 and No. 15 Kentucky beat Mississippi State 80-72 on Tuesday night for its 14th consecutive victory over the Bulldogs.

Seeking to regroup after last weekend’s 75-66 loss at No. 11 Auburn, the Wildcats (17-5, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) never trailed and led by as many as 14 midway through the second half. They were quicker and more physical against the Bulldogs, outscoring them 38-34 in the paint and 25-8 on the break.

Kentucky also drew fouls and made 31 of 36 chances from the line, including its final 16.

The Bulldogs (14-8, 5-4 SEC) got within 64-59 with 2:36 remaining, but Richards and Quickley closed the victory by combining to make 14 free throws. The Wildcats shot 44% from the field.

After totaling just seven points and seven rebounds on Saturday, Richards bounced back big by making 7 of 10 from the field and grabbing 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double this season. The 6-foot-11 junior shook off 1-for-4 shooting in the first half to hit all six attempts in the second half and 13 of 15 free throws.

“I’ve got great point guards,” said Richards, who topped his previous career best of 25 at Texas Tech nearly two weeks ago. “They found me for open jump shots, quick lobs, quick post-ups to get easy hooks off. Like I said, I’ve got great point guards.”

Mississippi State coach Ben Howland went a bit further in praising Richards and 6-10 forward EJ Montgomery.

“He’s really one of the dominant bigs in all of college basketball,” Howland said of Richards. “The way he shoots the ball, his foul shooting was tremendous. I thought they did a good defensively protecting the paint.”

Quickley offset 3-of-11 shooting to make all 14 from the line and tie a school record for most free throws without a miss. Montgomery added 12 points to score in double figures for the first time in five games and had eight rebounds, his highest total since grabbing 10 against Utah in December. Montgomery also had three of Kentucky’s seven steals.

“What EJ did is what my vision for him is,” Calipari said. “Notice that he didn’t take many jump shots and the ones he did, he missed. Everything else was at the rim. He squared up and drove the ball and that’s all we’ve been trying to get him to do.”

D.J. Stewart Jr. and Robert Woodard II each had 15 points and leading scorer Reggie Perry 14 points for Mississippi State, which outrebounded Kentucky 40-37 but shot just 37% and 31% from long range. The Bulldogs lost for just the second time in seven games.

BIG PICTURE

Mississippi State: Perry had averaged 20.3 points and 11 rebounds in his previous 10 games, but he struggled against Kentucky at both ends. The forward shot just 4 of 16 and had eight rebounds before fouling out. Stewart and Woodard each made 6 of 10 from the field, but the Bulldogs didn’t string together many baskets until late and couldn’t stop Kentucky’s march to the foul line.

Kentucky: The Wildcats had room for improvement in several phases and were consistent on both ends. Their only weakness was 1-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, which didn’t matter because they were strong inside the line. Ashton Hagans had six points and six assists.

“We learned from the mistakes, we got better in practice and the coaches emphasized what we needed to do,” Richards added. “We weren’t rebounding as a team and did drills to make ourselves more aggressive, more active on the glass, and just got better from it.”

UP NEXT

Mississippi State hosts last-place Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Commodores enter Wednesday’s game against first-place LSU 0-8 in SEC play.

Kentucky visits border rival Tennessee on Saturday, looking to end a two-game slide against the Volunteers.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had the strength and savvy to outshine rookie sensation Zion Williamson in the latest double-digit triumph for the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks.

Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 17 rebounds, and the Bucks defeated New Orleans 120-108 on Tuesday night.

“He’s the former MVP,” Williamson said when asked about his first experience playing against Antetokounmpo. “It’s like going up against any great player; you do as much as you can to slow him down.”

The Pelicans struggled to slow Antetokounmpo, as have many teams this season — especially recently. The Greek star now has at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in each of his past four games.

Antetokounmpo also was a factor on defense. While he usually defends off the ball, coming in late for block attempts or rebounds, he had chances in New Orleans to guard Williamson and even dynamic wing player Brandon Ingram.

“I take pride in that, and whenever I have an opportunity to guard a guy 1-on-1, I like it,” said Antetokounmpo, whose defensive highlights included catching Williamson from behind on a fast break and swatting his shot out of bounds.

On offense, Antetokounmpo’s physical dominance was on full display when he transferred the ball from his left to right hand and flipped it in off the glass as Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday pulled forcefully on his left arm in an attempt to stop him from scoring by fouling.

Khris Middleton scored 20 for the Bucks, who trailed 61-58 at halftime but broke loose for 42 points in the third quarter, when they led by as many as 19.

Ingram scored 32 points and Williamson had 20 for the Pelicans, who briefly got as close as seven twice in the fourth quarter before the Bucks stemmed the tide and improved to 20-4 away from home this season.

“Good win on the road,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We liked the way our defense got better as the game went on.”

Milwaukee defended Williamson aggressively, constantly rejecting or fouling him with multiple defenders and often knocking him to the floor.

“We put a lot of guys, a lot of different looks to him,” Antetokounmpo said. “Just tried to make him guess, just tried to make it tough as possible. You know he’s going to try to go left, try to overpower whoever’s guarding him, try to go finish strong, and guys behind have got to be active.”

It seemed to pay off. Williamson was 5-of-19 shooting with four turnovers, and New Orleans was minus-11 with him on the court.

 

“It was very physical,” Williamson said. “It was one of those nights where I couldn’t get my second-jump layup to fall. It was very frustrating, but my teammates were in my ear, telling me to keep going.”

Williamson still managed to assert himself early in the fourth quarter. His off-balance floater as he lunged across the lane trimmed the Bucks’ lead to 103-96 with 9:26 to go.

Later, Williamson ripped a rebound away from Antetokounmpo under the Milwaukee basket, drew a foul and hit two free throws to cut it 107-100.

But the Bucks responded with Brook Lopez’s layup and Wesley Matthews’ fifth 3-pointer of the game to push their advantage back to 12.

Matthews demoralized New Orleans by reliably hitting open 3s in transition. He hit five from deep and finished with 17 points.

“He was focused. He was playing defense. He was knocking down shots. He was talking to everybody,” Antetokounmpo said. “It was amazing.”

By contrast, the Pelicans missed 35 of their 49 attempts from 3-point range, hitting just three of 19 in the second half.

TIP-INS

Bucks: Came in outscoring opponents by 12.4 points per game and just about equaled that average. … Matched their NBA-best average of 120 points per game. … Hit the 110-point mark for an 11th straight game. … Improved their NBA-best record to 43-7 with their 11th victory in 12 games.

Pelicans: Lonzo Ball had 11 points and 14 rebounds. … JJ Redick scored 13 points. … Williamson was 10 of 14 from the free throw line. … New Orleans shot 38.8% (38 of 98).

IMPRESSED NONETHELESS

Bucks players spoke highly of Williamson after their first up-close look at him.

“He’s a beast, man,” Middleton said. “He’s going to have a heck of a career. He’s a smart player. He creates so much force in that paint with the ball in his hands. He’s going to learn how to be a better player also, which I think is a scary thing to see.”

Added Antetokounmpo: “He’ll be a good player for a lot of years to come. … He’s just got to stay healthy and he’s going to have a bright future.”

UP NEXT

Bucks: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

Pelicans: Visit the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Vanessa Bryant made her first public comment Wednesday since the helicopter crash that killed husband Kobe Bryant, one of their daughters and seven other people, taking to Instagram to thank people for the global outpouring of support since the tragedy.

She also announced the formation of a fund to help support the other families that were affected by the crash.

“Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them,” Vanessa Bryant wrote. “We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.”

The Bryants would have celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary this April. They had four daughters including Gianna, the 13-year-old who died in the crash.

“There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now,” Vanessa Bryant wrote. “I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.”

It was the first statement from the Bryant family since the crash. The Los Angeles Lakers — the team that Bryant spent 20 years with, winning five championships — held a media availability Wednesday as well, their first since learning of Bryant’s death.

Bryant’s Granity Studios also released a statement late Wednesday remembering both Bryant and his daughter as well as the other victims — Alyssa, John and Keri Altobelli; Payton and Sarah Chester; Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan.

“Granity is a word Kobe created that is a combination of greater than infinity. How very Kobe,” the studio’s statement read. “In everything he built, Kobe was driven to teach the next generation how to reach their full potential. He believed in the beauty of the process, in the strength that comes from inner magic, and in achieving the impossible. We honor and will continue Kobe’s mission and commitment to using creative education to inspire people to be the best version of themselves.”

The Lakers had been scheduled to play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, a game the NBA postponed out of respect to Bryant, the other victims and the grieving process. The Lakers will next play on Friday, at home against Portland.

“I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them,” Vanessa Bryant wrote. “But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.”

There has been no announcement on funeral or memorial plans yet for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. Vanessa Bryant asked for continued respect of her family’s privacy as it begins to “navigate this new reality.”

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More AP coverage of the life and death of Kobe Bryant: https://apnews.com/KobeBryant

DENVER (AP) — Colorado was the epicenter of Kobe Bryant’s worst moment, but even in Denver, in a building where he was frequently booed, there were tears and stunned silence.

It started with a moment of silence for the NBA great, who was killed in a helicopter crash about an hour before the game, and led to chants of “Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!”

The game became secondary on this melancholy Sunday at Pepsi Center as the Denver Nuggets held off the Houston Rockets 117-110.

“I’ve got to be honest, it wasn’t on my mind when we lost, us losing the game,” Rockets guard Austin Rivers said. “This pain is not going to go away anytime soon. You don’t even have to be a basketball fan to feel this.”

In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort. He had said the two had consensual sex, and the charge was eventually dropped. The woman later filed a civil suit against Bryant that was settled out of court. Bryant’s adulation remained strong in Los Angeles even amid the allegations.

But not so much in Denver, where, for years, his every appearance was met with lusty boos from fans who heard more about Bryant’s case than those in other NBA towns.

All afternoon, the mood was somber.

A few of the Denver players sat at their lockers before the game, staring at their phones in disbelief with the details of Bryant’s death starting to emerge. The 41-year-old Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among the nine people killed in the crash near Calabasas, California, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Houston players Tyson Chandler and P.J. Tucker were visibly upset during the tribute, while Rivers covered his eyes with his arm. Rivers also had a tribute to Bryant on his shoes. So did Tucker, who wrote, “There will never be another.”

“This is beyond tough. I don’t have the words,” Tucker said. “There will never be another person like him. Still trying to process it. … I don’t even really remember much from the game. I’m sorry. Just didn’t mean a whole lot now.”

Nikola Jokic said he got goosebumps when he heard of Bryant’s death.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Jokic, who finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season. “He’s not just a legend here, he’s a legend across the world. We lost a huge person, a role model. It’s a huge loss for everybody.”

Jokic gave everything in honor of the player nicknamed Black Mamba.

“When you think about Kobe it’s, ‘No excuse. Nothing can put your mind off what you love to do,’” Jokic said. “It’s the Mamba mentality, for sure.”

Like many around the league, Jerami Grant called Bryant his favorite player growing up.

“Watching everything he did on the court, off the court, the way he carried himself,” said Grant, who scored a season-high 25 points. “It’s extremely tough.”

The first half remained a complete blur for Michael Porter Jr. as he processed his feelings. He remembered meeting Bryant at a Nike camp, when the superstar offered him encouragement.

“We all look up to him,” said Porter, who scored 17 points to help the Nuggets even the season series with Houston at two apiece. “I didn’t think it was real.”

Russell Westbrook scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half. Eric Gordon added 19 points and Ben McLemore scored 15 in the absence of leading scorer James Harden, who sat out with a bruised left thigh.

Once the final horn sounded, reality of Bryant’s death set back in.

“It’s devastating. This one hurt to the core,” Gordon said. “To hear news like that before the game, it was tough to stay focused. It’s tough to hear news like that before the game — a guy you admire, a guy you looked up to.”

TIP-INS

Rockets: Westbrook had 10 turnovers. … Clint Capela grabbed 12 rebounds.

Nuggets: It was Jokic’s 37th career triple-double. … Morris finished with 17. … The Nuggets were without Jamal Murray (left ankle sprain), Paul Millsap (bruised left knee) and Mason Plumlee (right foot).

DIFFERENT STORY

Rockies All-Star shortstop Trevor Story drained the pregame free throw while wearing a pair of Kobe Bryant shoes. Story has always been a big fan of Bryant.

“The way he played the game was so inspiring to me,” Story said. “The Mamba mentality, you try to mimic that. The intensity he played with was so special.”

UP NEXT

Rockets: At Utah on Monday. Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni listed Harden as doubtful for the game against the Jazz and added that Westbrook will sit it out.

Nuggets: At Memphis on Tuesday. The Nuggets are 2-0 against the Grizzlies this season.

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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports