April 13, 2022
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OTD six years ago, Kobe Bryant dropped 60 points in his final career NBA game. Mamba’s six 60-point games rank second in league history behind Wilt Chamberlain — who had 32.
Villarreal Pull UCL Upset of Bayern, World’s 3rd-Richest Club
Villarreal CF
In his first season with Villarreal, Unai Emery delivered the club’s first Europa League title. In his second, he has engineered an even bigger continental result — and arguably his masterpiece to date.
On Tuesday, Villarreal knocked European giants Bayern Munich out of the Champions League with a 1-1 away draw at Allianz Arena, advancing to their second-ever semifinals 2-1 on aggregate.
Since joining the Yellow Submarine on a three-year deal, Emery has made the most of a club that have been massively outspent by Europe’s heavyweights and are an afterthought in La Liga.
Villarreal brought in [[link removed]] $134.9M in revenue during the 2020-21 season, not even cracking the world’s top 30; Bayern earned [[link removed]] $633.7M — good for third.In 2021-22, they rank [[link removed]] 34th in the world in transfer fees ($170M); Bayern rank 11th ($418.6M).They finished seventh in La Liga last year, only qualifying for UCL with their Europa title.Villarreal have never won La Liga and are once again sitting seventh in the table; if they don’t improve their position, they’ll have to win the Champions League to qualify for next season’s edition.
Emery made his name by winning an unprecedented three consecutive Europa titles as Sevilla’s manager from 2013 to 2016, but this is the furthest he’s ever advanced in the Champions League.
If Villarreal want to extend their dream run, they’ll have to do so against either Benfica or Liverpool in the semifinals.
Derek Carr Becomes 5th-Highest-Paid QB with $121.5M Extension
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
A month ago, the Raiders made a blockbuster trade to bring Davante Adams to Las Vegas — reuniting the wideout with his college quarterback.
On Wednesday, Derek Carr reportedly [[link removed]] agreed to a three-year, $121.5 million extension, keeping him under contract through 2025 and including a no-trade clause.
At 31, the longest-tenured QB in the AFC West is finally getting paid like a top-tier signal-caller.
Carr is set to earn $19.9M this season (No. 15 among QBs) — the last of his five-year, $125M extension from 2017.When his new extension starts in 2023, he’ll be the seventh player to ever earn $40M per year.His $40.5M AAV will rank fifth in the NFL (Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen).He threw for a career-high 4,804 yards and tossed 23 TDs in 2021; he holds the franchise record in passing yards (31,700) and TD passes (193).
Though Carr is fifth among active QBs for both game-winning drives (30) and fourth-quarter comebacks (24), he’s led the Raiders to just two postseasons and hasn’t won a playoff game.
But if the Vegas fanbase is excited for Year 1 of the Carr-Adams duo, bookmakers aren’t convinced just yet: The Raiders have the 17th-best odds to win the Super Bowl (+3,500).
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Stream 2,000+ soccer matches live from the biggest leagues in the world on Paramount+ [[link removed]]. Superstars from the men’s and women’s game take to the pitch in the UEFA Champions League, Italy’s Serie A, the National Women’s Soccer League and more!
There are two UEFA Champions League quarterfinal matches [[link removed]] left before the semifinals arrive! Which clubs will advance?
Man City currently holds a slim 1-0 lead over Atlético, and Benfica faces a tough task, needing at least three goals on the road to avoid elimination against Liverpool.
With crucial matchups on the slate, don’t miss out! Both matches start at 3 p.m. ET. Stream the UEFA Champions League live and check out the new UCL Multicast feature on Paramount+. Try it FREE [[link removed]]!
Will Nets’ $110M Trio Finally Play In Round 1?
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Nets formed a new Big Three at the trade deadline, but Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons have yet to play a game together.
Now, after clinching the 7-seed for a first-round series against Boston, there’s a good chance [[link removed]] that Simmons (back) could make his season debut in Game 3 or 4 in Brooklyn.
That’s good news for the Nets, who have dedicated 63% of their payroll to the trio — with a $33 million cap hit for Simmons alone.
Durant, Irving, and Simmons account for $110M of Brooklyn’s $174.5M payroll.Brooklyn’s 10th-worst defensive rating (112.3) would improve immensely with the two-time All-Defensive First Teamer.Simmons’ 106.1 defensive rating in 2020-21 was tied for fourth in the NBA.With Simmons on the court last year, the 76ers had a 107.4 defensive rating, which would’ve ranked second.
This season’s Nets have posed a conundrum for sportsbooks and bettors: Brooklyn is a star-studded team on paper whose stars have barely played together.
Yet despite making the postseason as a 7-seed through the play-in, the Nets still have the third-best odds (+600) to win it all behind the Suns (+255) and Bucks (+475).
Brooklyn also has a slight advantage (-120) to win its series with Boston (-110) — but at Caesars Sportsbook, 98% of bettors have put their money [[link removed]] on the Celtics to win the series.
Making Headlines
Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Alyssa Nakken became the first woman to coach on-field in an MLB game, replacing 1B coach Antoan Richardson, who was ejected during the Giants’ 13-2 win over the Padres; Nakken’s helmet will be sent [[link removed]] to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Soccer: Trinity Rodman scored her first career international goal during the USWNT’s 9-0 rout of Uzbekistan in an international friendly; her four-year, $1.1M deal with the Washington Spirit is the largest [[link removed]] contract in NWSL.
NBA: The Timberwolves clinched the postseason for the first time since 2018 after winning just 23 games [[link removed]] last season. Also: Monty Williams won the National Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year award; he’s the favorite (-2000) to win the NBA’s COTY.
Written by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]], Chris Kuc [[link removed]], Anthony Puccio [[link removed]]
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