| | | | | | | Presented By SiriusXM | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Jan 03, 2023 | | π Good morning. One of the scariest moments in sports history was broadcast on national TV last night. All thoughts are with Damar Hamlin and his family. Today's word count: 1,718 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: π The night the football stopped |  | | | Josh Allen and his Bills teammates react to Damar Hamlin collapsing. Photo: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images | | | | At 8:54pm ET on Monday night in Cincinnati, the score of a football game seemed important. By 8:55pm, it couldn't have mattered less. Driving the news: Monday night's blockbuster matchup between the Bengals and Bills was suspended and later postponed after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field at the 5:58 mark of the first quarter. The latest: The Bills released a statement overnight saying Hamlin "suffered a cardiac arrest" and that his heartbeat was restored on the field before he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He is "currently sedated and listed in critical condition," per the team. "Please pray for our brother." — Josh Allen, Bills QB What happened: Hamlin, 24, made a normal-looking tackle on Bengals WR Tee Higgins, whose helmet appeared to hit Hamlin in the head and chest area as they went to the ground. - Hamlin quickly stood up — then he collapsed backward as his body went limp. He was given CPR on the field before being taken away in an ambulance alongside his mother, who was in attendance.
- Players were in tears as they huddled to pray for Hamlin. Both teams then returned to their locker rooms, where they remained until the game was officially called off roughly 35 minutes later.
The postponement message shown at Paycor Stadium. Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images Timeline: In a media conference call late Monday night, the NFL said the decision to postpone the game came after both head coaches, Sean McDermott and Zac Taylor, met with their teams in the locker rooms. - 8:55pm ET: Injury occurs
- 9:18pm: Game suspended
- 9:25pm: Ambulance leaves
- 10:01pm: Game postponed
The coverage: ABC/ESPN handled things about as well as possible, with the booth (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters) and the studio (Suzy Kolber, Booger McFarland, Adam Schefter) showing humanity and compassion. Former NFL player Ryan Clark later joined Scott Van Pelt on "SportsCenter," where he delivered a powerful message. "Tonight we got to see a side of football that is extremely ugly. A side of football that no one ever wants to admit exists." — Ryan Clark Fans gather at a vigil at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center late Monday night. Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images ❤️ The response: In December 2020, Hamlin set up a community toy drive for children in need in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. - On Monday night, that GoFundMe page became a way for people around the world to send their love and support.
- The original goal of the fundraiser was $2,500. As of 6am ET this morning, nearly $3.2 million had been donated by 124,000 donors.
What's next: The Bengals-Bills game, pegged as one of the season's best matchups, will likely have to be rescheduled. But that's for another day. - "Not in consideration right now," NFL VP Jeff Miller said Monday. "Our concern is with the player and his wellbeing. At the appropriate time I'm sure we'll have a conversation ... regarding the game."
- The Bills returned to Buffalo on Monday night, per the NFL, but some players chose to remain in Cincinnati to be near Hamlin.
Go deeper: Hamlin may have suffered heart arrhythmia, experts say (WashPost) We'll cover the full Week 17 slate tomorrow. Now simply isn't the time for standings and playoff seeds. |     | | | | | | 2. π Mitchell explodes for 71 points |  | | | Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images | | | | Donovan Mitchell erupted for 71 points in the Cavaliers' 145-134 overtime win over the Bulls on Monday night in Cleveland, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Why it matters: That's the most points scored by an NBA player since Kobe Bryant dropped 81 points in 2006, and Mitchell becomes just the seventh player in NBA history to eclipse 70 points. - 100 points: Wilt Chamberlain (March 1962)
- 81: Bryant (January 2006)
- 78: Chamberlain (December 1961)
- 73: David Thompson (April 1978); Chamberlain (January 1962, November 1962)
- 72: Chamberlain (November 1962)
- 71: Mitchell (last night); David Robinson (April 1994); Elgin Baylor (November 1960)
- 70: Devin Booker (March 2017); Chamberlain (March 1963)
By the numbers: Mitchell shot 22-34 from the field, 7-15 from three and 20-25 from the line. He also added 8 rebounds and 11 assists, giving him a hand in 99 of Cleveland's 145 points. - By game score — an all-encompassing metric that evaluates single-game productivity — this was the third-best performance in NBA history behind only Michael Jordan's 69-point, 18-rebound game in 1990 and Bryant's 81-point explosion.
- The sixth-best game happened last week when Luka DonΔiΔ put up a ridiculous 60-21-10 line in a historic comeback win over the Knicks.
The big picture: Mitchell and DonΔiΔ's outbursts are part of a scoring explosion sweeping the NBA this season, with teams averaging 113.7 points per game entering Monday — the highest mark in over 50 years. - Mitchell was one of five players to score 40+ points on Monday, bringing the total to 87 such games this season. At this point last year, there were only 31.
- During the 2012-13 season, there were three 50-point games. There have already been nine this season, with Mitchell joining Klay Thompson (also last night!), DonΔiΔ, Booker, Darius Garland, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry and Pascal Siakam.
Fun fact ... The only players to score 70+ points this century — Mitchell, Booker and Bryant — are all shooting guards who were drafted 13th overall. | | | | | | | | 3. π Bowl season: By the numbers |  | | | Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | Bowl season came to a close on Monday and will forever be remembered for Saturday's epic semifinal doubleheader that needed two different years to contain all the drama, Jeff writes. - 179 points: The CFP semifinals were both high-scoring nail-biters, with 179 total points scored in TCU and Georgia's respective wins over Michigan and Ohio State — both by single digits.
- 11:59pm: Ohio State's would-be game-winning FG was kicked at 11:59pm ET in 2022 and landed — way wide left — at 12am in 2023.
- 88 years: Tulane's wild comeback win over USC in the Cotton Bowl was the program's first major bowl victory since 1935. The Green Wave finish 12-2 after going 2-10 last season — an extraordinary turnaround.
- 31.5 points: The over/under for the Music City Bowl (31.5) was by far the lowest of any bowl game since 2000 — and it still hit the under with ease (Iowa beat Kentucky, 21-0).
- 56-point margin: LSU's 63-7 victory over Purdue in Monday's Citrus Bowl tied the largest margin of victory in bowl game history.
- 16-26: Underdogs went 16-26 (.381) this bowl season, significantly better than their .264 winning percentage (28-78) across the previous three.
Go deeper: | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Get free access to music, sports, news and more | | |  | | | | Subscribe to SiriusXM Streaming and get access to 3 months of free: - Expertly curated ad-free music.
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More info: Listen on your phone, at home and more with the SXM App. See offer details. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Screenshot: @stallingsgolf (Twitter) | | | | ⛳️ The other Scott: PGA Tour pro Scott Stallings never received his Masters invitation in the mail. Why? It was mistakenly sent to a different Scott Stallings, who messaged him on Instagram to let him know. π΅ Rose's wager: Pete Rose, who received a lifetime ban from baseball for betting on games that he managed, placed the first legal sports wager in Ohio history on Sunday — a bet on the Reds to win the World Series. π₯ Hot streaks: The Nets have won 12 straight games (longest streak in the NBA this season), and the Hurricanes have won 11 straight games (longest streak in franchise history). ⚽️ 85 years later: Brentford beat Liverpool for the first time since 1938 on Monday (3-1 final score) to move just two points behind the Reds in the Premier League standings. | | | | | | | | 5. π Stat du jour: One unbeaten left |  | | | Rutgers celebrating. Photo: Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | Rutgers beat No. 1 Purdue, 65-64, on Monday night, handing the Boilermakers their first loss of the season. Wild stat: No. 21 New Mexico (14-0) is now the only undefeated team left in men's D-I college basketball. It's only January 3! | | | | | | | | 6. π₯ "This is SportsCenter" returns |  | | | Photo: Courtesy of ESPN | | | | "This is SportsCenter" commercials are back, baby. The first new ad since 2019 premiered during Friday night's Orange Bowl. ICYMI: The new commercial, titled "Orange Slices," features USWNT stars alongside "SportsCenter" anchor Nicole Briscoe and Syracuse mascot, Otto the Orange. Top 10 ... Here are our 10 favorite spots from the popular "This is SportsCenter" advertising campaign, which dates back to the mid-1990s: - Performance enhancers
- John Clayton
- Ortiz in a Yankees cap
- The "Melrose Place" trade
- LeBron can't fix the copier
- The Manning bros
- Lance keeps the lights on
- Old Timers' Day
- Arnold Palmer makes a drink
- Ovechkin: Russian spy?
| | | | | | | | 7. π The world in photos | | Photo: Sky Candy Studios/NHLI via Getty Images BOSTON — The Bruins beat the Penguins, 2-1, on Monday to win the 2023 Winter Classic in front of 39,423 fans at Fenway Park. Photo: Wagner Meier/Getty Images SANTOS, Brazil — PelΓ© returned Monday to the Santos Futebol Clube stadium, where the king of soccer spent much of his career. His coffin was placed in the center of the pitch for 24 hours to allow fans to say goodbye. Photo: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images YANBU, Saudi Arabia — The 45th Dakar Rally is underway, kicking off a two-week long endurance race through the deserts of Saudi Arabia with five competitive divisions: motorcycles, quads, cars, UTVs and trucks. | | | | | | | | 8. πΊ Watchlist: Gunners vs. Magpies |  Table: Axios Visuals Two of the Premier League's top three teams face off today in London as first-place Arsenal host surging Newcastle (2:45pm ET, USA). - Arsenal (14-1-1; 1st place): The Gunners have been in first all season, with their only loss coming four months ago.
- Newcastle (9-7-1; 3rd): This time last year, the Magpies had just one win. Quite the turnaround under manager Eddie Howe.
More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. π NFL draft trivia |  | | | Will Anderson Jr. (L), Bryce Young and Nick Saban. Photo: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | Alabama stars Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. have both declared for the NFL draft, where they could become the first teammates since 2000 to be drafted first and second overall. - Question: Which college teammates went 1-2 in 2000?
- Hint: Big Ten school. Both defensive players.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. πΏ Top plays: New Year's Weekend |  | | | Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images | | | - π Davante isn't human
- πΎ Through the legs winner
- π Oh my goodness, this catch
- π Kyrie Irving!!!
- π Bonkers buzzer-beater
- π Tyler plays the Herro
- π No-look pass, no-look finish
- π Bedard's filthy finish
- π Markkanen poster
- π Stroud escapes, finds Harrison
Watch all 10. | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Stream SiriusXM now and get 3 months for free | | | | | | | | Stream more than 425 channels on your devices for free on the SXM App, including expertly curated ad-free music, live sports, personalized stations and more. Next steps: Sign up now to get 3 months free. Cancel anytime. Learn more about the offer and start streaming. See offer details. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Just horrible" Baker Trivia answer: Penn State DE Courtney Brown (No. 1 to Browns) and LB LaVar Arrington (No. 2 to Redskins) π Be well, friend. Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Bryan McBournie for copy edits. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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