Cam Thomas
Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

New York’s NBA squads go 0-2.

ESNY Morning Shootaround logo

Welcome to the Morning Shootaround!

Wednesday night wasn’t good for our hoops teams. Both lost, the Knicks in Miami and the Nets at home to the Nuggets.

But there were a few impressive performances, perhaps the best of the week coming from… Chiefs fans.

What we’re watching tonight:

  • NHL: Rangers @ Blue Jackets — 7 PM ET
  • NHL: Devils @ Lightning — 7 PM ET
  • NHL: Kings @ Islanders — 7 PM ET
  • NBA: Lakers @ Sixers — 7:30 PM ET

Beautiful tribute

On the second anniversary of the tragic helicopter crash that took the lives of nine people including Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, a statue of the two Bryants was placed at the site of the crash.

The statue includes the names of the seven other victims of the crash and will only be in that location temporarily. What a stunning tribute!

 

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Hank and Jimmy

Did you catch Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last night? He was amazing — as always.

And the fit? Hank is still the best dressed in the game. There is no denying it.

Feelin’ the Heat for real

The Knicks took their talents to South Beach and… took the L. The Heat won 110-96.

Obi Toppin was the best on the floor for the Knicks, scoring 18 with five boards off the bench.

The plus-minus for some of the key players on the Knicks’ roster were gross:

  • RJ Barrett: -36
  • Julius Randle: -34
  • Kemba Walker: -30
  • Evan Fournier: -27

Oh for the Big 3

James Harden joined Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out of the Nets’ lineup on Wednesday night, which was predictably a recipe for disaster. Denver came into Brooklyn and left with a 124-118 win.

Cam Thomas, Brooklyn’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft, scored a career-high 25 points in the loss.

They scored how many?

The Charlotte Hornets went off on Wednesday night. LaMelo Ball recorded his fourth triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Ball was +45 in the game!

They hit 24 three-pointers and scored a franchise record 158 to beat the Pacers in Indy.

Mara backs Jones

In a rare moment of transparency, Giants president John Mara spoke to the media about a wide range of topics on Wednesday. He was clear that the Giants want nothing to do with Deshaun Watson and went on to admit that the organization has failed in developing Daniel Jones.

KC masterpiece

After they broke the hearts of Josh Allen, the Bills and their fans, the Chiefs celebrated. Their fans took a page out of the Bills Mafia playbook and started donating in $13 increments — in honor of the Chiefs’ 13-second drive.

According to the Buffalo News, as of late Wednesday night than $285,000 had been donated to the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo by more than 14,400 Chiefs fans.

Much respect, Chiefs Nation!

Tab has written about MLB, the NHL and the NFL for more than a decade for publications including The Fourth Period, Bleacher Report and La Vida Baseball. He is the author of two books about the Chicago Blackhawks and has been credentialed for the MLB All-Star Game and postseason and multiple Stanley Cup Finals. He is the co-host of the Line Drive Radio podcast.