US sports compact
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NFL pro banned for illegal sports betting
Dusseldorf While most Europeans are asleep, the North American professional leagues are buzzing. What Happened That Night in American Football, Basketball, and Ice Hockey.
Basketball: Dallas extends winning streak
National basketball player Maxi Kleber continues to ride a wave of success with the Dallas Mavericks in the North American professional league NBA. Led by Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic, the Texans beat the Utah Jazz 111-103 for their fifth win in a row. Kleber contributed eight points and six rebounds to the success, Doncic was the best thrower with 35 points. Dallas is fifth in the West on a playoff course.
Without the injured Dennis Schröder, however, the Houston Rockets had to accept the next bankruptcy. The Rockets, who just ended a 12-game losing streak on Monday, lost 106-123 at the Miami Heat and remain bottom of the Western Conference. Schröder was out for the fourth time in a row after suffering an ankle injury.
The Los Angeles Lakers stumbled again without their superstar LeBron James (knee problems) in the play-off race and lost 110:117 at the San Antonio Spurs. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich (73) drew level with record holder Don Nelson with his 1,335th win in the regular season.
Football: Illegal bets – NFL pro Ridley suspended until the end of the season
NFL pro Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons has been suspended for betting on US Football League games until the end of the 2022 season. This was announced by league boss Roger Goodell on Monday. According to this, Ridley is said to have bet on NFL games for five days last year.
According to the league, the 27-year-old wide receiver should not have used insider information or manipulated games. Coaches, teammates or opposing players are said not to have known about his activities.
“Your actions have compromised the integrity of the game, damaged public confidence in professional football and potentially undermined the reputation of your fellow players throughout the NFL,” Goodell wrote in an open letter to Ridley. Betting on NFL games has been “considered one of the most serious violations of league policy” for decades.
Ridley, who played just five games for the Falcons last season and left the team in late October due to mental health issues, has cooperated with investigators and admitted his wrongdoing. He can submit an application for his return on February 15, 2023 at the earliest.
Draisaitl concedes third loss in a row with Edmonton
The German ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl has lost the third game in a row with the Edmonton Oilers in the North American professional league NHL. The Oilers lost 3-1 (0-0, 0-2, 1-1) to the Calgary Flames on Monday night (local time). Draisaitl was not involved in a goal, as was teammate Connor McDavid, with whom the 26-year-old from Cologne leads the league’s scorer ranking. Tyler Toffoli scored twice for Calgary, leaders in Edmonton’s Pacific Division.
In the meantime, the effect of the change in coaching in February seems to have fizzled out again for the Oilers. After winning five games in a row under new head coach Jay Woodcroft, the team has now lost six of the last eight games. Edmonton is two points behind the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference, which qualifies for playoff participation.
Things are going better for former national coach Marco Sturm, who is on course for the playoffs as assistant coach to the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings clinched their third straight win and their eighth in their last ten games with a 3-2 overtime win at the Boston Bruins.
Basketball: Popovich with a record win
A 131-124 win for the Denver Nuggets over the Golden State Warriors brings the top teams in the West closer together. Denver’s Nikola Jokic, last season’s most valuable player, posted a so-called triple double with two-digit values in three categories. Jokic had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists. The Warriors, who were without their top stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, conceded their fifth loss in a row.
Meanwhile, San Antonio Spurs’ legendary Gregg Popovich has caught up with Don Nelson and is now tied with the most wins in NBA history. The 117-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers was the 1,335th win for the 73-year-old Popovich in the NBA, who has celebrated all of his 26 years as Spurs head coach.
In the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers also won their fifth game with superstar James Harden since his move from the Brooklyn Nets in February. League top scorer Joel Embiid scored 43 points in the 121:106 against the Chicago Bulls. It was Chicago’s fifth loss in a row.
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