NFL: St. Brown scores seventh touchdown in Lions win
Thanks to German-American Amon-Ra St. Brown’s seventh touchdown of the current season, the Detroit Lions have continued their winning streak in the NFL. The Lions won their away game at the Houston Texans 26:23 after an impressive comeback in the second half. For Detroit it was the seventh win in a row and the eighth in the ninth game of the season. The Lions continue to lead the NFC.
At half-time it looked like a defeat for the guests. Houston led comfortably 23-7, partly because Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a bad evening. In the first half alone he threw the ball to the opponent three times, followed by two more so-called interceptions after the break. But because the Texans no longer appeared offensively in the second half, Detroit was able to gradually catch up.
A good twelve minutes before the end of the game, St. Brown shortened the lead to 20:23 with his touchdown, Lions kicker Jake Bates later perfected the victory with two converted field goals. St. Brown has now reached the end zone once in seven straight games.
Clear defeats for Jets and Cowboys
While the Lions have almost secured their ticket to the playoffs, four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets will probably have to say goodbye to any hopes of participating in the knockout rounds in the new year. The Jets suffered a bitter 6:31 defeat at the Arizona Cardinals. After a glimmer of hope with a win against the Texans the previous week, New York suffered the next bitter setback.
The Dallas Cowboys also had no chance in their home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Without their injured starting quarterback Dak Prescott, the Texans lost 6:34 and probably have little realistic chance of making the playoffs. Prescott, who became the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback through a contract extension before the season, is at risk of missing the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury.
NHL: Sturm shoots Sharks to victory
National ice hockey player Nico Sturm led the San Jose Sharks to their fifth win of the season in the NHL. Sturm scored the goal of the evening in the 17th minute of the 1-0 win at the New Jersey Devils; it was the 29-year-old’s third goal of the season.
San Jose goalie Mackenzie Blackwood also shone in goal, securing the success with 44 saves against his former team. With twelve points from 16 games, the Californians are still one of the weakest teams in the league.
Lukas Reichel also got a narrow victory with the Chicago Blackhawks, who beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 after overtime. Philipp Kurashev made the decision in the second minute of overtime.
NBA: Second win in a row for Wagner brothers and Orlando
Thanks to another strong performance from basketball world champion Franz Wagner, the Orlando Magic celebrated their second win in a row in the NBA. The team from Florida easily won their home game against the Washington Wizards with 121:94 and seems to have finally shaken off their recent form crisis with five defeats in a row. Orlando now has five wins and six losses this season.
Franz Wagner, who is under a lot of pressure in the absence of top star Paolo Banchero, who is still injured, was his team’s best scorer with 23 points. Brother Moritz, who initially sat on the bench as usual but is an important part of the rotation, recorded 16 points. German rookie Tristan da Silva was also impressive, scoring eleven points and scoring in double figures for the second time in his young NBA career.
Antetokounmpo and Irving lose despite scoring 43 points each
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks suffered another setback – despite a gala performance from superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks lost to the reigning champions Boston Celtics 107:113, meaning the 2021 champions had to accept their eighth defeat in the tenth game of the season. Antetokounmpo was the game’s standout player with 43 points, his first game with at least 40 points this season.
A 43-point gala wasn’t enough for the Dallas Mavericks to win either. Without Maximilian Kleber, who is still injured, the Texans lost 120:122 to the Denver Nuggets. For Dallas, preseason NBA finalist, Kyrie Irving stood out with 43 points. The Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic scored 24 points, but showed unusual weaknesses when throwing. The Nuggets were once again able to rely on Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP contributed a triple-double with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists.
