The NBA season has started! And it started with a bang! In fact 29 of them from beyond the arc from the Celtics, tying an NBA-record set by the Bucks in 2021! Outside of that we saw more history with the first-ever father and son duo playing together in an NBA game! Yup. That’s right. Naz Reid and his son Raz Neid suited up at the same time! An all-time moment for the NBA! Happy Wednesday!

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🏈 On this day in 2000, the Jets pulled off what is now known as the “Monday Night Miracle.” Down 30-7 at the end of the 3rd quarter, the Jets lit up the scoreboard for 33 points to defeat the Miami Dolphins, 40-37 in overtime.

The Jets were led by RB Curtis Martin and QB Vinnie Testaverde to make the improbable comeback a reality.

If you open up ANY sports media platform they’ll be talking a Lakers rookie alright, but they’ll be talking about LA’s second-round pick. When they zig, we zag, it’s just that simple. Let’s talk about the 17th overall pick, Dalton Knecht.

There’s been a lot of media coverage on a rookie in LA for the Lakers this preseason, but it hasn’t been their first-round pick. WIth the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Dalton Knecht out of Tennessee. In a draft class that seemed to be a little weird without the one marquee name that everybody was expecting to go early, there was plenty of talent that slid down the board.

Knecht (pronounced ‘connect’ by the way. Like Connect 4. Which is the game where you have to get four of your pieces in a row either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Never forget about the diagonals! Anyways…) is 23 years olf and comes into the league with some experience. A lot of the top overall picks are usually freshmen who have very high ceilings but are still a little raw. Knecht has all the tools.

In his last year at Tennessee, he averaged 22 points and shot a remarkable 40% from beyond the arc. You would expect a drastic dropoff going into preseason but he kept it up with 18 points per game and 36% shooting from downtown! Knecht is a bucket getter! He will play a pivotal role in the Lakers bench play this season.

In yesterday’s home opener, the 6’6 rookie got 15 minutes off the bench. At times I’m sure you confused him for Austin Reaves out there but I’m sure we won’t make that mistake again (definitely will…). In these minutes, he went 2/4 from the field, hitting his first two shots for 5 points. He tacked on a rebound and 2 assists.

Does 5, 2, and 1 jump off the stat sheet? No. It doesn’t. But hey. That’s ok! It’s not supposed to be fireworks right out of the gate for everybody! Knecht will find his spot, and as he gains more and more confidence this year, he will absolutely be a reason the Lakers have success this year!

🏀 Day one of the NBA is in the books! The Celtics put on a SHOOTING CLINIC against the Knicks last night, tying the all-time NBA record for threes in a game with 29! The Celtics had no problem defeating the Knicks, 132-109! Tatum put up 37 and Brown 23! The Champs start their 2024 campaign off with a strong showing!

🏀 The nightcap was the Lakers defeating the T’Wolves, 110-103! After 12 hours, Anthony Davis is the front-runner for league MVP with his 36-point & 16-rebound performance! He was a monster against the multi-time DPOY in Rudy Gobert. Lebron added 16 and Rui Hachimura was a pleasant sight for Lakers fans with 18 of his own! ANT-MAN put up 27 but Minnesota just lacked the defensive intensity we saw down the stretch last season.

⚾ The game one World Series pitching matchup is finally set! The Dodgers will strut out their mid-season acquisition, Jack Flaherty, who has been dominant in the second half of the season. Flaherty got rocked for 8 runs in his last start against the Mets, but started game one against the Mets and went 7 innings while only allowing 2 hits. The Yankees, unsurprisingly, will have their ace Gerrit Cole take the bump. Both guys are from the LA area and dreamed of this moment from their childhood. Who will rise to the occasion?

🏈 Some WR injury updates from the NFL: 49ers WR Deebo Samuel was released from the hospital yesterday after dealing with pneumonia, his status for this week is uncertain. In other 49ers news, the team confirmed that their other star receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. The Bucs are facing a similar issue, as Chris Godwin will miss the rest of the season with a dislocated ankle and Mike Evans will be out until after their bye week with a hamstring injury. Lastly, the Rams opened the window for their star WR Puka Nakua to return to practice.

🥊 Somehow, a $375 million settlement case between the UFC and former fighters has went extremely under the radar. Yesterday, the two parties reached an initial agreement for the UFC to pay out the several hundred fighters apart of the case. The final settlement decision will take place in the coming months. Following that decision, the UFC will potentially payout the fighters once lawyer fees are calculated. The settlement dates all the way back to 2014 when the UFC was accused of violating antitrust laws for paying fighters less than they were entitled to and hurting other MMA promoters.

⚽ What a day from the Champions League! The biggest matchup came in the form of Real Madrid versus Borussia Dortmund. It was a CLASS match from Dortmund in the first half, as they took a 2-0 lead into halftime. After that, it was all Madrid. Antonio Rudiger broke through in the 60th minute, and then Vini Jr. managed to put together a final 30-minute hat trick with goals in the 62nd, 86th, and 93rd minute. Lucas Vazquez added one in the 83rd minute to make the final score 5-2, in favor of Real Madrid.

💯Top Performers:

🏀 The Banner has risen in Boston.

🏒 DON’T LEAVE THE NET, GOALIE!

🏈 Announcing football with shades on… ELECTRIC!

🏀 Father and Son!

🏀 JT Talks Banner #18!

💯 Full Scoreboards: MLB, Soccer, PGA, NFL, WNBA, NCAAF, NHL

Trivia Answer:

D. 3 minutes! Bubba Wells did not play a lot that year, and this was his head coach’s tactic to try and beat the Jordan Bulls. He subbed in Wells and intentionally fouled Dennis Rodman, a sub-40% free throw shooter. This was the FIRST instance of a “hack-a-player” in NBA history!

Can’t thank you enough for sticking to the end of this thing we call The Daily Stump. If you know anybody who might want this bit of daily sports news in their life, send them this link! It would go a long way! Appreciate the hell out of you all!

Trees get chopped. Stumps hold strong!