James Brown is currently a senior at Utica University, studying communications and media with a minor in sports communications. He serves as the Sports Director at WPNR 90.7 FM, the university's radio station, and aspires to be a sports broadcaster
Devin Booker scored 34 points, leading all players, while Kevin Durant made his return from injury to add 30 points, helping the Phoenix Suns win 134-126 against the Utah Jazz on Friday in Salt Lake City.
Tyus Jones contributed 19 points and 11 assists, and Royce O’Neale, a former Jazz player, added 17 points. This win helped the Suns break a three-game losing streak on the final game of their four-game road trip.
Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 23 points, while John Collins scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had six assists. Lauri Markkanen finished with 19 points, and Keyonte George posted 18 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. However, the Jazz lost their seventh game in their last eight.
Utah struggled despite making 22 out of 39 three-pointers (56.4%) and shooting 55.8% from the field. Phoenix matched Utah’s 22 three-pointers, shooting 45 attempts and making 52.8% of their field goals.
Durant returned after missing three games due to an ankle injury, and the Suns have had a tough time without him this season, with only one win in 10 games. Jusuf Nurkic also came back after missing five games with an ankle sprain and thigh injury. He contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
Devin Booker (NBA)
Phoenix had a 12-point lead in the third quarter, but Utah responded with a 15-5 run, narrowing the gap to just two. The Suns went into the final quarter with a 112-105 lead and kept the Jazz from getting closer than four points in the last 12 minutes.
Durant, who made all 12 of his free throws, extended the Suns’ lead to 126-119 with 3:08 left. In the closing minutes, Booker and O’Neale hit key three-pointers to secure the win.
The Jazz led 39-38 after a fast-paced first quarter. The Suns scored 38 points in the second quarter, taking a 76-71 lead at halftime. Booker and Durant combined for 41 points in the first half, with both players finishing with eight assists.
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Charlotte Hornets 109-95 on Friday, controlling the game almost from start to finish with a strong defensive effort to end their three-game homestand.
Chicago opened with a 12-2 run in the first quarter, with Ayo Dosunmu leading the charge. Dosunmu, who scored a team-high 19 points, contributed seven consecutive points during this early stretch.
He was one of six Bulls players in double figures, including all five starters. Coby White added 18 points, scoring half of them in the final five minutes to help keep the Hornets at a distance.
Josh Giddey also had a solid all-around game with 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Zach LaVine scored 13 points, while Jalen Smith, starting in place of the ill Nikola Vucevic, posted 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Smith also contributed to the Bulls’ strong defense with five blocks, helping hold the Hornets to just 35.7% shooting and a poor 8-for-46 (17.4%) from beyond the arc.
Dejounte Murray passes a loose ball away from Jalen Smith
Lonzo Ball finished with 10 points off the bench and also recorded seven rebounds and four assists. He was the only Ball brother playing that night, with Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball still out due to a calf injury.
Chicago maintained a lead that ranged from 10 to 18 points for most of the game, although Charlotte briefly made it close early in the second quarter. Miles Bridges, in his first game since Nov. 19 after recovering from a knee injury, helped Charlotte pull within three points with a layup to start the second quarter. He finished with 14 points.
The Hornets managed to trim the lead to eight points in the fourth quarter, but an 8-0 run from the Bulls, with Ball scoring five of those points, sealed the win.
Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 21 points but struggled with shooting, going just 3-for-15 from three-point range and committing a game-high seven turnovers. Mark Williams shot 6-for-7 from the field, adding 15 points and nine rebounds, but the Hornets fell for the ninth time in their last 10 games.
Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points, and Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, and Jarrett Allen combined to make 24 free throws, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers hold off a surprising challenge from the Washington Wizards to win 115-105 on Friday night.
Garland led the Cavaliers with 24 points, while Allen scored 21 and LeVert added 14. Cleveland improved to 14-1 at home this season.
The Wizards, now 1-10 on the road, shot better than the Cavaliers, making 47.7 percent of their shots compared to 39.6 percent for Cleveland. They also shot 35.0 percent on three-pointers, while the Cavaliers made 30.0 percent. However, the Wizards struggled at the free-throw line, where the Cavaliers scored 28 points to their 9, getting to the line 40 times compared to Washington’s 11.
LeVert scored most of his points from the free-throw line, making 8 of 12 attempts, while Garland was 9 of 10 and Allen was 7 of 10.
Mitchell’s 20-point performance marked his 17th game of the season with 20 or more points. He had 30 points in an earlier win against Washington and made 4 of 11 three-pointers in this game.
Donovan Mitchell celebrates after hitting a 3-point basket in the 2nd half
Allen also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, and Garland recorded 8 assists.
Isaac Okoro added 13 points, and Georges Niang scored 10, making it six Cavaliers in double figures.
The Wizards kept the game close, never trailing by more than 12 points. They were within 94-88 after a dunk by Johnny Davis with 8:52 left, but Washington went scoreless for the next 2:04, allowing the Cavaliers to extend their lead and finish the game comfortably.
Bilal Coulibaly led Washington with a career-high-tying 27 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
Jordan Poole contributed 17 points, six assists, and three steals, while Justin Champagnie added 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Alexandre Sarr scored 14 points for the Wizards.
The Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder may not be the most high-profile NBA Cup semifinal that the league hoped for, but it could be the best glimpse into the future of the Western Conference.
The Thunder are getting used to being the team that others are chasing this season after surprising everyone last year and earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
While they may not catch anyone off guard this year, they are still the deepest and most dangerous team in the conference, even without Chet Holmgren, who has been out for more than a month due to a hip injury.
For most teams, the “next man up” mindset is more of a wish, but for Oklahoma City, it’s a given. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the team, it’s not even a second thought. With the depth Oklahoma City has, it’s expected that others will step up.
The Thunder have gone 11-3 without Holmgren, and they are 19-5 for the season, on track to be the No. 1 seed again.
They made it to the NBA Cup semifinals as the top seed in the West, finishing 3-1 in group play. They secured a spot in Las Vegas by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 118-104 on Tuesday.
Houston Rockets vs San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t plan to leave Las Vegas empty-handed.
“It would mean a lot, this opportunity to win,” he said. “You play the game at a high level as a kid. You tie your shoes up and play AAU ball to win the tournament on the weekend. You go to college to try and win the NCAA Tournament. (Or even) the tournament at the beginning of the season, the Maui Invitational or whatever it’s called.
“You’re always trying to win. That’s my mindset. That’s my teammates’ mindset. We’re always trying to win.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.2 points, ranking fourth in the league before Friday’s games, and 6.3 assists. Jalen Williams has also become a key player; the third-year forward is averaging 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.
Isaiah Hartenstein has stepped into Holmgren’s role in the starting lineup with 11.6 points and 12.8 rebounds per game after making his Thunder debut on November 20.
The Rockets are in a similar position to last season’s Thunder, but their rise is even more surprising. While Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun have shown promise, they both struggled during their first few seasons in the league. Green, in particular, had trouble finding his rhythm.
Houston’s decision to stick with their young duo seems to be paying off. The Rockets are 17-8, second only to the Thunder in the West, and have won seven of their last 10 games. Green is leading the team with 19.2 points per game, while Sengun is averaging 18.8 points and 10.6 rebounds.
Jalen Green and head coach Stephen Silas shake hands after a score and a foul by Green against the New York Knicks during the first half
The Rockets earned the West’s No. 2 seed in knockout play by finishing 3-1 in the group stage. They advanced to Las Vegas with a thrilling but controversial 91-90 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, thanks to a loose-ball foul that sent Green to the line for the game-winning free throws with 3.5 seconds left.
It was a strong defensive performance from the Rockets, who are now one of the toughest defensive teams in the league. Saturday’s semifinal is another chance for them to prove themselves against a Thunder defense that many consider the best in the league.
“I think we’re the top two defenses,” said Rockets coach Ime Udoka. “They’re very stingy on that end and they do it in a different way. They’re one of the best at creating turnovers and drawing (players) into a crowd. They give up some things as well, but they really protect the paint at a high level.
“It’s an honor to get here, and we felt we did good in our group to get here. Now we just want to make some more noise while we’re here.”
Chicago Blackhawks center Frank Nazar participates in the team’s NHL hockey camp
The Chicago Blackhawks recalled their top prospect Frank Nazar from the minor leagues on Friday.
At the same time, the team placed defenseman Alec Martinez on injured reserve, effective from Dec. 7. Martinez, who signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Blackhawks in free agency, is dealing with a neck injury.
Nazar, 20, had 11 goals and 13 assists in 21 games with Rockford of the American Hockey League. He said he tried not to focus on the possibility of a call-up while playing with the IceHogs.
“I just play my game, focus on myself and obviously help the team win, best I could do, and let the rest come,” he said.
This move brings Nazar back together with Anders Sorensen, who had been coaching Rockford before taking the interim head coach position with Chicago after Luke Richardson was fired on Dec. 5.
“It’s definitely really nice just to have someone that I know and trust and have a good relationship with,” Nazar said. “I know that he’s going to give good feedback and everything like that, and just help out in areas where I need it.”
Nazar was selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 13 pick in the 2022 draft. After a strong performance at the University of Michigan, the forward signed a three-year contract with the Blackhawks in April.
Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)
Nazar played three games with Chicago at the end of last season, scoring a goal on his first shot in his NHL debut on April 14 against Carolina.
With the Blackhawks being active in free agency, they had Nazar start the season with Rockford to continue his development. However, his impressive performance in the minors made a strong case for him to return to the NHL.
“Frank’s played very well,” general manager Kyle Davidson said last week when asked about Nazar’s promotion. “He’s been a real bright spot for us and his performance has been really exciting.”
Chicago (9-18-2) has lost six of their last seven games heading into Saturday’s game at New Jersey. They will begin a three-game homestand on Sunday against the New York Islanders.
Nazar is expected to play on a line with Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi against the Devils. Sorensen said his advice for Nazar is to trust his instincts.
“He’s been playing real well down there,” Sorensen said. “He can drive a puck and just kind of play his game, right? And then as we go, after the game we’ll talk more.”
Joel Embiid drives the ball forward in the 1st half
Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture when he was hit in the face while trying to grab a defensive rebound late in the first half of the Philadelphia 76ers’ loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
Embiid was battling Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin when he took an errant forearm and elbow to the nose. Embiid fell to the ground as the play continued, and stayed down near the Philadelphia bench, holding his face.
Embiid left the arena for evaluation, and the 76ers later announced that he had a sinus fracture. The team said he would be evaluated again over the weekend.
Embiid scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds, and had five assists in 17 and a half minutes during Philadelphia’s 121-107 loss to the Pacers.
This was only Embiid’s sixth game out of the 23 games the 76ers have played so far this season. He has been dealing with swelling in his left knee and also served a three-game suspension for an incident with a reporter.
Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George—who were expected to form Philadelphia’s “Big Three” after George joined the team in the offseason—have played only three games together. The Sixers’ record for the season is 7-16.
“You just have to move on and practice when we practice again and have a next man up mentality,” said Maxey, who led Philadelphia with 22 points. “What sucks about this is that we were moving in the right direction. Guys were figuring out roles, what coach wants from them, and playing the right way.
Joel Embiid leaves the court after an injury
We know how to play with Joel – and now, we may have to revert our minds back to playing without him. That’s OK. It’s different. That’s how life is.”
Embiid has had several face injuries in the past, including a fractured orbital bone from a collision with Toronto’s Pascal Siakam during the 2022 playoffs and another injury in 2018 when he collided with teammate Markelle Fultz. Last year, Embiid had Bell’s Palsy during a first-round playoff loss to New York.
After Sunday’s victory in Chicago, Embiid told ESPN that the issues with his left knee this season were “depressing” because the swelling wasn’t caused by an injury. That was the 76ers’ last game before Friday’s loss.
“He’s been in a really good place all week and he practiced all week,” coach Nick Nurse said when asked about Embiid’s state of mind. “We did a lot of stuff to get up to speed with him. But I can imagine that he can feel like the black cloud is over him a little bit. He just keeps running into something, really, unfortunately.”
Garrett Crochet quickly realized he had a number problem after being traded to the Boston Red Sox.
He had worn No. 45 with the Chicago White Sox since his MLB debut in 2020, but after being traded on Wednesday, he joined a team that retired that number in honor of Pedro Martínez in 2015.
“Yeah, that’s one of the first things that I realized after the trade went through,” Crochet said on Friday.
His next options were also taken.
“I wore 34 in college, so that one was retired,” he recalled from his time at Tennessee. “Other than that, I never really picked a number since high school, and in high school I wore number 14, which I also believe was retired.”
Boston retired No. 34 for David Ortiz in 2016 and No. 14 for Jim Rice in 2009.
Crochet decided to go with No. 35, which had not been used in 2023. This number had been worn in the past by Richard Bleier (2023), Eric Hosmer (2022), Matt Andriese (2021), and Josh Osich (2020). The last player to wear it for multiple seasons was Steven Wright from 2013 to 2019.
Martínez, now a special assistant for the Red Sox and a spring training instructor, is someone Crochet hopes to meet.
“Having any sort of conversation with Pedro would be my ideal world,” Crochet said. “But I’m kind of going in with low expectations, hoping to bump into guys when I can.”
Crochet was traded during the winter meetings for catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth, right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez, and outfielder Braden Montgomery.
Boston Red Sox players in the 1st inning
“It’s a big relief,” Crochet said. “It takes a lot of stress out of the way of, I suppose, in spring training being curious where we’re going to be living, the housing situation is tough to figure out, so it’s nice to kind of be ahead of the game in that regard.”
Crochet had a record of 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts for a White Sox team that finished with a 41-121 record, the worst in baseball since 1900. The 25-year-old was named to the AL All-Star team in his first season as a starter.
“The opportunity to play for the market of Boston, the fan base that’s representing the Red Sox is about as great of an opportunity as you can come by in this game,” he said.
“Especially growing up that’s what you imagine it to be, is Major League Baseball, playing in the AL East, Boston, New York, the whole thing like that. And I grew up watching Big Papi, so it’s going to be a very surreal moment to play where he played.”
Crochet is eligible for arbitration this offseason and next, and unless he signs a long-term deal, he can become a free agent after the 2026 World Series.
“I really haven’t had much time to give it a lot of thought,” he said. “For me this time of year the main thing that I’m focused on is my training and getting ready for spring training.”
The championship goal that made Nathan Eovaldi choose to sign with Texas as a free agent two years ago is the same one that led him to return to the Rangers.
Eovaldi won a World Series title in his first season with Texas, followed by a losing record this year.
“I believe in the guys in the group that we have. We were able to do it in ‘23. I don’t feel a lot has changed,” Eovaldi said on Friday, a day after agreeing to a three-year, $75 million contract. “We had a down year last year, but I’ve said it before, you learn a lot from losing seasons.”
Eovaldi had turned down a $20 million player option to become a free agent again and reached a deal during the winter meetings in Dallas. Texas also made a trade to acquire slugging corner infielder Jake Burger from Miami.
Burger had fallen asleep before receiving a call late Tuesday night about his trade to Texas, where his family plans to move after the October birth of a daughter with Down syndrome.
Texas Rangers players celebrates after a home run in the 9th inning
“The other city that is really good other than Nashville in terms of children’s hospital and resources for her Downs is in Dallas,” Burger said. “Not just from the baseball spectrum, from the life aspect as well… I feel like it was meant to be, and we couldn’t be more excited about that.”
Burger lives near Rangers manager Bruce Bochy in the Nashville area and plans to visit him soon. His former manager with the Marlins, Skip Schumaker, was hired by the Rangers last month as a senior adviser for baseball operations. Luis Urueta, who was the Marlins’ bench coach for the past two seasons, recently joined Bochy’s on-field coaching staff for 2025. Burger and Rangers pitcher Dane Dunning were once roommates in the White Sox organization.
Burger hit .250 with 29 home runs and 76 RBIs in 137 games for the Marlins last season, starting 59 games at third base and 50 at first base. He was traded from the White Sox to Miami on Aug. 1, 2023, and hit his first homer with the Marlins at Globe Life Field just four days later.
In the Rangers’ World Series run in 2023, Eovaldi was 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA in six postseason starts. He was the winning pitcher in the World Series Game 5 that clinched the title in Arizona. Eovaldi was also part of the Boston Red Sox team that won the 2018 title.
Nathan Eovaldi preps to pitch in the 1st inning
This year, Eovaldi was 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA in 29 starts, including seven scoreless innings in the regular-season finale. Over the past two seasons, he has a 24-13 record with a 3.72 ERA in 54 starts for Texas.
The new contract for the Texas native, who turns 35 in February, includes a $12 million signing bonus, half of which will be paid on Nov. 15, 2026, and the rest on Jan. 15, 2028. He will earn $18 million in 2025, $25 million in 2026, and $20 million in 2027. The deal also includes a full no-trade clause.
After being welcomed back by Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations, Eovaldi said he never felt like he had really left. The Rangers had stayed in contact throughout the process after he declined his option on Nov. 4.
“Kind of listening to the market and everything, I’m extremely happy to be back. I’m glad we were able to make it all work out,” Eovaldi said. “We had a lot of teams reach out right away, and we were in contact with most of them across the league. In the end, we were able to make it back here.”
Wide receiver Marquise Brown joined practice with the Chiefs on Friday, and there’s hope within the team that one of their top free-agent signings will be able to make a difference as the season moves toward the playoffs.
Brown has been on injured reserve since he dislocated the sternoclavicular joint in his shoulder when he was tackled on the first play of their preseason opener against Jacksonville. His return to practice opens a 21-day window in which the Chiefs must decide whether to activate him. However, this decision will likely be made sooner.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed that Brown would not play on Sunday against Cleveland, but he may return the following week for a Saturday game against Houston or for the Christmas Day game against Pittsburgh.
“It’s nice to have him back out there and going. He got a lot of good work in today,” Reid said. “You can tell he’s been working. The conditioning part wasn’t a problem. He took quite a few reps.”
Brown signed a $7 million contract with Kansas City, hoping that a successful season with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the team would help him secure a multiyear deal next offseason. Over his first five seasons in the NFL, he has 313 catches, 3,644 yards, and 28 touchdowns.
He participated in the full offseason program with Kansas City, even spending time with Mahomes in Texas, but he dislocated his shoulder in the game against Jacksonville on August 10.
Andy Reid speaks at the news conference
Initially, the injury was expected to keep Brown out for a few weeks. However, when scans showed the joint was not healing properly, he underwent surgery to fix it. The Chiefs are hopeful that Brown will be ready to contribute in the playoffs, as they have already secured the AFC West title for the ninth consecutive year and hold a two-game lead for the top spot in the conference.
“As a person we’re excited to get Hollywood back whenever he’s ready, just because his personality is so infectious,” said Chiefs wide receivers coach Joe Bleymaier. “The football side of stuff, he’s built those reps, that camaraderie with Pat and other receivers — he’s been here. He’s done it. He’s done it in the past, he just hasn’t done it in a game, which is strange.”
When Brown returns, he will join a wide receiver group that has changed significantly since the offseason. After Brown’s injury, the Chiefs signed veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster for more depth.
They also saw Rashee Rice suffer a season-ending knee injury in Week 4 against the Chargers, which led to a trade for three-time All-Pro Deandre Hopkins from the Titans. Recently, they also lost Mecole Hardman to a knee injury.
“He wouldn’t be coming back if he wasn’t 100% and ready to roll,” Bleymaier said about Brown. “Maybe it’s just the optimism (but) you hope he’s right there. He’s done it. We’ve seen him do it. Now it’s a matter of him going out and doing it.”
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said linebacker De’Vondre Campbell will no longer be part of the 49ers after he refused to enter a game following the loss of his starting position.
Shanahan explained that the team is still working on how to handle Campbell, who walked to the locker room during a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night after refusing to play.
“His actions from the game are not something you can do to your team or teammates and still expect to be a part of our team,” Shanahan said on Friday. “We’re working through the semantics right now, but we’ll handle the situation appropriately.”
Shanahan stated that Campbell will not be with the team for the last three weeks of the season. According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams can suspend players for up to four games without pay for conduct that harms the team.
The 49ers might also choose to waive Campbell, which would allow him to potentially be claimed or signed by another team. Campbell signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the 49ers in March.
Kyle Shanahan walks on the sidelines in the 2nd half
Campbell had started 12 of the first 13 games of the season and played 90% of the defensive snaps, but he was benched Thursday night after Dre Greenlaw returned from an Achilles tendon injury.
When the 49ers wanted to put Campbell back in the game in the third quarter because Greenlaw was experiencing soreness in his Achilles, Campbell refused, which Shanahan said was something he had never encountered in his coaching career. Shanahan also said he has not received any explanation from Campbell for his refusal to play.
Campbell then walked off the field with a towel over his head and went to the locker room before the game ended, which almost cost the 49ers their playoff chances. Shanahan said he didn’t tell Campbell to leave the field and didn’t know why he did so.
“Once I found out he wasn’t playing, I moved on to people we could count on,” Shanahan said. Campbell’s actions angered and confused his teammates.
“He’s a professional,” cornerback Charvarius Ward said after the game. “He’s been playing for a long time. If he didn’t want to play, he shouldn’t have dressed out. He could have told them before the game. So I feel like that was selfish. It definitely hurt the team. Dre went down and we needed a linebacker. … For him to do that, that’s sucker (stuff) in my opinion. He’s probably going to get cut soon.”
San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams and teammates take the field for an NFL football game
Ward, who has played through personal challenges this season, including the death of his 1-year-old daughter on October 28, returned to play the last three games for San Francisco.
Tight end George Kittle called Campbell’s actions “stupid” and “immature.”
“It’s one person making a selfish decision,” Kittle said. “I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that and I hope I’m never around anybody who does that again.”
The 31-year-old Campbell joined the 49ers after being cut by the Green Bay Packers in March. He had been an All-Pro in 2021 with the Packers but struggled in the last two seasons. His poor performance led to him complaining on social media that Green Bay had misused him.
He was excited about joining a new team, but he never regained his All-Pro form. While Campbell had some strong moments with the 49ers this season, he struggled with tackling and coverage.
De’Vondre Campbell’s choice to leave his team during the game took attention away from the larger problems for the San Francisco 49ers.
An offense that was one of the most powerful in the NFL during their Super Bowl run last season has been mostly average in 2024 and was particularly poor in a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, which nearly ended San Francisco’s playoff chances.
San Francisco (6-8) managed just 191 yards, the fewest in a regular-season game in eight years under coach Kyle Shanahan, and its lowest point total since Shanahan became head coach in 2017. The game, which was played in the rain, will be remembered mainly for Campbell leaving the field in the middle of the game with a towel covering his head.
The game also saw San Francisco go three-and-out on four drives as Brock Purdy struggled to find his receivers. Deebo Samuel dropped a possible touchdown pass after complaining earlier in the week about not getting enough touches.
San Francisco 49ers in the 2nd half
Purdy then missed Ricky Pearsall on an underthrown deep pass in the fourth quarter, before throwing an interception in the end zone that ended the 49ers’ attempt at a comeback.
“I just feel like I had a lot of plays left out there that I could have made for our team,” Purdy said. “I thought the defense and special teams played so good. That’s what’s hurting me is I just feel like I failed the team. I could have been better for our offense and we could have put up more points.”
Scoring has been a problem for the 49ers this season, especially with key players like Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk missing for much of the year. San Francisco is averaging 8.5 fewer points per game than it did after 14 games last season.
Martin Necas' Breakout Season Propels Him to Top of NHL Scoring Race and Award Contention
Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes has been one of the most surprising players of the NHL season, making a fast start that has put him among the league’s top point scorers. As of mid-December, Necas is tied for second in points with 43, behind only Nathan MacKinnon. In addition to his scoring, Necas has also showcased incredible speed, reaching the highest skating speed of the season at 24.49 mph during a game against the Colorado Avalanche. This speed ranks him among the league’s fastest players, sitting just behind elite names like Connor McDavid and MacKinnon.
Necas’s impressive performance has placed him in contention for major individual honors, particularly the Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the league’s top scorer. Though he faces stiff competition from other superstars like MacKinnon and McDavid, Necas is having a breakout season. His 43 points through 28 games are the most in Hurricanes history for this point in the season, surpassing the previous record of 41 points set by Eric Staal in 2005-06. His current points-per-game rate of 1.54 puts him on track for 126 points, which would break the franchise’s single-season record.
Martin Necas’ Breakout Season Propels Him to Top of NHL Scoring Race and Award Contention
What makes Necas’s breakout even more remarkable is his rapid improvement compared to last season. At this point in the previous season, Necas had only 43 points through 56 games, highlighting the jump in his production. This season, he has already surpassed his total number of multipoint games from last year, and he is one of the league leaders in such performances. His all-around play has also been impressive, as he has nearly as many games with three or more points (four) as he has with no points (five).
Beyond his scoring, Necas is a key contributor in all aspects of the game. He boasts a strong shot, with a top speed of 94.62 mph, placing him in the 97th percentile among forwards. His midrange shooting also ranks highly, both in shots on goal and goals scored from that area. Additionally, Necas is a force defensively, leading Hurricanes forwards with 11 takeaways. His success is also tied to the Hurricanes’ possession-based style of play, which has helped them dominate shot attempts, particularly at 5-on-5.
Necas has been an important player on the Hurricanes’ top power-play unit, leading the NHL with 19 power-play points. His production on special teams has been a key factor in Carolina’s success, as he has been on the ice for 55 of their goals this season. With his current contract expiring after the 2025-26 season, Necas has put himself in a position to be a major factor in the NHL’s award races and could become one of the league’s top players in the years to come.
