Huffman Sports Wire News Break · ALL · Reporting · Published · Huffman Sports Wire News Desk
NBA: Two games, two season openers, and one big Allen question
Thursday shrinks the schedule to 2 games, and both of them carry a season opener. Cleveland opens its season at Philadelphia at 7 ET on ESPN, and Denver opens its season at Oklahoma City at 9:30 ET on ESPN. Philadelphia arrives at 1-0 after a 106-100 win at New York on Tuesday, when Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points, Jaylen Brown added 19 points with 8 rebounds and 6 assists, LeBron James finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and Joel Embiid added 13 points with 11 rebounds.
The injury report decides how Cleveland starts. Jarrett Allen is questionable with right patellar tendinopathy, and Khalifa Diop and Nae'Qwan Tomlin are out for the Cavaliers. Philadelphia lists Dean Wade as questionable with a left ankle sprain, and Dominick Barlow, Tacko Fall and Ariel Hukporti are out for the 76ers. Cleveland still brings James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley into the opener, so a missing starting center against Embiid is the swing item of the night.
Oklahoma City arrives at 1-0 after a 116-104 win at San Antonio on Tuesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points in that win, Jared McCain added 20 points with 6 3-pointers, and Victor Wembanyama finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks while shooting 1-for-13 from the field. Denver plays its first game of the season against that defense, and the injury lists stay short on one side and crowded on the other. Oklahoma City ruled out Otega Oweh, Thomas Sorber and Nikola Topic, and Denver ruled out Julian Strawther while listing Spencer Jones as questionable. Two openers, 1 questionable All-Star center and a Wembanyama line that still looks like a typo is a solid Thursday trade for an 11-game Wednesday hangover.
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MLB: Tampa Bay still has not named a Game 1 starter, and the clock is loud
Game 1 of the World Series is Friday, October 23 at 8 ET on FOX in Milwaukee, and Jacob Misiorowski will start for the Brewers. Tampa Bay has yet to reveal its pitching plans for the series. Drew Rasmussen is the logical choice for the Rays, and one reported scenario on Thursday had Tampa Bay deliberating over holding Rasmussen until Game 2 for extra rest, with Nick Martinez starting Game 1 and Freddy Peralta starting Game 3.
The numbers explain why the decision matters so much. Rasmussen is 2-0 with a 1.29 earned run average over 21 innings in 3 postseason starts this year. Peralta is 2-0 with a 1.08 earned run average over 16.2 innings in the postseason, and Peralta earned American League Championship Series most valuable player honors against Cleveland. Milwaukee still had not finalized a World Series roster decision on Brandon Woodruff as of the Thursday preview coverage, and Woodruff has been out since July with a right shoulder injury.
The lineup chess has started early as well. Junior Caminero closed the American League Championship Series hitting cleanup for Tampa Bay after opening that series hitting third, and Caminero hit third in all 3 games of the American League Division Series. Christian Yelich did not play in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series and started on the bench again in Game 3 of that series against left-handed starters, and the Tampa Bay rotation of Rasmussen, Martinez, Peralta and Griffin Jax is entirely right-handed. A Game 1 starter TBA against the best pitcher in baseball is either gamesmanship or genuine indecision, and Friday night grades the homework either way.
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NFL: A reshuffled line meets a blitz, and two star backs trend in opposite directions
Week 7 opens Thursday night with New England at Chicago at 8:15 ET on Prime Video, and both teams are 4-2. New England ruled out left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker with a hamstring injury, right guard Ben Brown with a knee injury and cornerback Carlton Davis III with a neck injury. Walter Rouse will make his first career start in place of Vera-Tucker, Matt Pryor will start at the other guard spot, and right tackle Morgan Moses is questionable with a foot injury. Chicago brings a 42.3 percent blitz rate into the matchup, and that pressure now aims at a front with 2 new starting guards on a short week.
Chicago has its own holes to fill. Running back Kyle Monangai will miss a third straight game with thumb and turf toe injuries, linebacker Jack Sanborn is out with a concussion, linebacker T.J. Edwards is doubtful with a hamstring injury, and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson is questionable with a hip injury after practicing in full on Wednesday. The rushing drop without Monangai is stark in the numbers. Chicago averaged 196.25 rushing yards per game in the 4 games Monangai played this season and 89.5 rushing yards per game in the 2 games without him.
The Sunday and Monday injury picture added 2 major updates on Thursday. Reports said Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley is expected to practice on Thursday and play Monday night against Dallas after missing 2 games with a hamstring injury. Barkley was injured on October 4 in a 24-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and Barkley has 36 carries for 182 yards this season for a Philadelphia team that is 2-4 and has lost 4 straight games. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, and the session was his first practice work since a left ankle sprain on October 4 against Tennessee cost him 2 games. Jackson remains uncertain for Sunday against Cincinnati, Tyler Huntley has started the last 2 games for Baltimore, and center Cam Jurgens was a full participant on Wednesday as he works toward a Ravens debut. One star back is racing back for Monday night, one MVP quarterback is limping toward a Sunday decision, and Chicago gets to test a backup-guard offensive line in about 8 hours, so Thursday is doing plenty of heavy lifting this week.
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NCAAF: Three Thursday games, and a Friday injury report that hurts NC State
Week 8 continues Thursday night with 3 games in the evening window. James Madison visits Appalachian State at 7 ET on ESPNU, Liberty visits Kennesaw State at 7 ET on CBS Sports Network, and East Carolina visits Memphis at 7:30 ET on ESPN2. The 3 games cover the Sun Belt, Conference USA and the American Conference, and the slate serves as the runway into a Friday schedule and a loaded Saturday.
The Friday injury news landed a day early for NC State. The Wolfpack will be without running back Duke Scott, safety Tristan Teasdell, guard Kamen Smith and wide receiver Jojo Trader on Friday at Stanford, and Trader will miss a second straight game. Scott leads NC State in rushing yards this season, and Davion Gause is set to replace Scott in the backfield. NC State plays at Stanford at 10:30 ET on Friday on ESPN, and the Wolfpack will play that game short-handed across the offensive line, the backfield and the receiving group at the same time. Three midweek games and 1 very long Friday night in Palo Alto is exactly how Week 8 sneaks up on a depth chart.
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CBB: Arkansas and Gonzaga treat an exhibition like a main event
The best game of the college basketball weekend does not count in the standings. Arkansas hosts Gonzaga in an exhibition on Saturday, October 24 at 4 ET at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, with coverage on SEC Network Plus. Gonzaga finished 31-4 last season and reached the NCAA Tournament for a 27th straight season, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in August. Arkansas opens its third season under John Calipari with a roster built to fix the frontcourt problems that hurt the Razorbacks last season.
The frontcourt matchup is the whole test on Saturday. Gonzaga forward Braden Huff averaged 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds last season while shooting 66.2 percent from the field, and Massamba Diop averaged 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game as a freshman at Arizona State last season. Arkansas countered its size problem by adding 6 players who stand 6-foot-10 or taller, and Cooper Bowser and Miikka Muurinen are expected to start in the frontcourt for the Razorbacks. The regular season opens on November 2, and Arkansas still has a final exhibition against Memphis after the Gonzaga game. An exhibition with a Hall of Fame coach, 2 top-15 programs and a real frontcourt fight is a preseason game in name only, and Bud Walton Arena will treat it that way.
That is the Afternoon Edition. Five sports, zero filler. See you at halftime.
Sources: - [WhyNBA](https://whynba.com/nba-thursday-october-22-2026-preview-cavaliers-76ers-nuggets-thunder-tip-times-cairo/) - [Sixers Wire](https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/sixers/2026/10/22/sixers-vs-cavaliers-preview-how-to-watch-lineups-broadcast-info/92365137007/) - [ClutchPoints](https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-tyrese-maxey-ties-wild-julius-erving-record-opening-night-knicks-takedown) - [ClutchPoints](https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cavs-vs-76ers-injury-report-jarrett-allen-questionable-joel-embiid-matchup) - [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/thunder-withstand-spurs-rally-western-conference-finals-rematch--flm-2026-10-21/) - [The Oklahoman](https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/nba/thunder/2026/10/22/thunder-nuggets-channel-tonight-nba-games-live-time-tv-schedule-streaming/92371200007/) - [Heavy](https://heavy.com/sports/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/injury-report-vs-nuggets-october-22/) - [MLB Trade Rumors](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/10/the-opener-rays-g1-starter-caminero-yelich.html) - [MLB Trade Rumors](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/10/the-opener-peralta-brewers-bauers-rays-g1-starter.html) - [Brew Crew Ball](https://www.brewcrewball.com/milwaukee-brewers-analysis/91736/2026-world-series-preview-milwaukee-brewers-vs-tampa-bay-rays) - [RotoWire](https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/headlines/brandon-woodruff-injury-unlikely-to-be-on-world-series-roster-1027966) - [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/patriots-be-without-both-starting-guards-vs-bears--flm-2026-10-21/) - [Touchdown Wire](https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2026/10/22/bears-patriots-kyle-monangai-out-turf-toe/92369757007/) - [Athlon Sports](https://athlonsports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/bears-blitz-defense-patriots-offensive-line-drake-maye) - [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/reports-eagles-rb-saquon-barkley-return-vs-cowboys--flm-2026-10-22/) - [NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/rashod-bateman-joins-lamar-jackson-as-limited-participant-wednesday-cam-jurgens-fully-participates) - [Ravens Wire](https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/ravens/2026/10/21/ravens-bengals-injury-report-wednesday-lamar-jackson-cam-jurgens/92369408007/) - [College Football News](https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/college-football-week-8-schedule-predictions-scoreboard) - [247Sports](https://247sports.com/college/north-carolina-state/article/nc-state-vs-stanford-injury-report-duke-scott-tristan-teasdell-out-jojo-trader-kamen-smith-questionable-291570704/) - [Southwest Times Record](https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/sec/2026/10/22/arkansas-basketball-gonzaga-exhibition-questions-john-calipari/92281054007/) - [Gonzaga University Athletics](https://gozags.com:443/news/2026/10/21/mens-basketball-mbb-starts-season-with-top-15-exhibition) - [Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/arkansas/men-s-basketball/calipari-wants-arkansas-exhibition-vs-gonzaga-to-be-a-war)
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