Year: 2024

After the Timberwolves dominated the defending champs in the first two games in Denver, the Nuggets turned the tables in Minnesota with a blowout win in Game 3. That set the table for a very interesting Game 4, with Minnesota needing to respond to their first moment of adversity this postseason, while Denver still needed another win to reclaim homecourt advantage.

Early on, Anthony Edwards made it clear that he was not going to play as flat as he did in Game 3, scoring 23 first half points to set the tone for the Timberwolves as they ran out to an early lead.

However, the MVP likewise showed up to the arena ready to go, as Nikola Jokic nearly matched him with 19 first half points, spurring a big run to close the first quarter and get Denver into the lead.

Denver’s run continued to start the second, even with Jokic on the bench, as Justin Holiday and Aaron Gordon led the way to help push the Nuggets advantage out to double digits.

The Wolves would fight back to cut the deficit down to as few as seven on an Anthony Edwards three in the final minute before one of the more remarkable sequences of the entire postseason. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope answered that three with 20 seconds left to push the lead back to 10, and then Edwards got stripped leading to a Michael Porter Jr. runout bucket. Somehow, that wasn’t the last Nuggets bucket of the half as Jamal Murray hit a halfcourt buzzer-beater off the ensuing inbound to give Denver a 15-point lead at the break and completely deflate the Wolves.

Murray stayed hot coming out of the break and Gordon continued his perfect night from the field to keep Denver afloat for the first half of the third even as Minnesota tried to mount a run.

However, the Wolves would get it back down to 11 as Anthony Edwards simply would not be denied, scoring 14 in the third, including a vicious driving dunk late in the quarter.

The Wolves found their rhythm offensively in the fourth, but they could not get enough stops to ever really threaten the Nuggets advantage. That was thanks to a masterful Jokic performance, but also an unbelievable effort from Gordon, who made his 10th consecutive shot of the night over Rudy Gobert in the fourth.

That pattern continued for the rest of the fourth, as every time Minnesota would make anything that even looked like a run, the Nuggets were able to find an answer on the other end. Typically, it was thanks to a bucket or a pass from Jokic.

The Nuggets ultimately held on for a 115-107 win, with Jokic leading the way with 33 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals on 14-of-25 shooting, as the three-time MVP put forth a sensational effort. In support, Aaron Gordon was phenomenal with 27 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 11-of-12 shooting, as his ability to score inside and out made Denver’s offense impossible to deal with. Jamal Murray added 19 points and eight assists, although he was just 8-of-17 shooting. They even got 21 points from Justin Holiday and Christian Braun off the bench, with Braun closing the game over Michael Porter Jr.

For Minnesota, they just simply couldn’t provide Edwards with enough help. The young star finished the game with 44 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 16-of-25 shooting, but no one else could score more than 15 on the Wolves roster. Those 15 came from Mike Conley (on 12 shots) who also had nine assists, while Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 14 boards. The real issue was that Karl-Anthony Towns could only muster 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting, which allowed Denver to tilt their defense further towards Edwards in the fourth quarter and make it difficult for him to get clean looks at the bucket.

As the series shifts back to Denver, it’s all tied up at 2-2 and the Nuggets will hope to become the first home team to get a win. Game 5 will tipoff at 10:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 14 on TNT.

The first half of Game 4 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves saw both teams’ top stars show out, with Anthony Edwards scoring 23 and Nikola Jokic scoring 19.

Jokic’s Nuggets teammates gave him more support though, and thanks to a massive run between the end of the first and start of the second quarter, Denver seized control of the game. They held a double-digit lead for much of the second, but late in the half it looked like Minnesota would claw their way back into the game going into the break. A mini-run from the Wolves cut the deficit back down to as few as seven, and after a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope three, they had the ball down 10 with under 20 seconds to play.

At that point, though, chaos ensued as Edwards got stripped and Michael Porter Jr. got a leak out dunk, and then the Wolves threw away the inbound with under two seconds to go, with Jamal Murray scooping it up along the sidelines, took two steps to midcourt, and found nothing but net.

Murray, who’d had a tough half scoring up to that point, realized he was right by TNT’s announce table and struck a pose, staring down Kevin Harlan who delivered an incredible call, per usual.

It’s an insanely cool moment with Harlan — who was honored earlier in the night for being the original play-by-play voice of the Wolves — standing up in excitement while Murray basks in what he just pulled off, but it’s also a massive swing in a critical game in the series. With 30 seconds to go in the half, the Wolves had trimmed the deficit to seven and seemed ready to pull back some momentum, only for the Nuggets to hit a three and then get two buckets off turnovers in the final 20 seconds to push their lead back to 15.

Rodney Smith Jr., of Huntsville, Alabama, was recently profiled by KMBC for his generous donation to two 11-year-olds who fulfilled his 50 Yard Challenge in Gadsden, Alabama. Ja’Torrian Taylor and Tevin Rice, founders of TJ & JT Mowing Service, completed Smith’s challenge to mow 50 yards for the elderly, veterans, and people unable to care for their lawns for free.

“I’m heading down to Gadsden right now. These are good, hard-working kids that deserve some gratitude,” Smith, known as “The Lawnmower Man,” told KMBC. Smith had been told that Taylor and Rice were sharing an old lawnmower that a neighbor had donated to them.

When he arrived, he gave both teens a mower, a blower and a trimmer for their hard work, hoping they’ll use their new equipment to expand their business. “Giving these boys lawn equipment is teaching them discipline,” Smith said. “If they tell someone they are going to mow a lawn, they need to mow the lawn.”

“Remember, this is not the end; it’s just the beginning,” Smith added. “This could be the beginning of a successful lawn service.”

Smith’s commitment to taking care of people’s lawns started in 2015, and the following year he went viral for helping a 93-year-old woman who could no longer mow hers. The photo of Smith and the woman received over 1 million likes.

Five years ago, Upworthy profiled Smith for setting a bold goal of mowing lawns for free in all 50 states. His goal was to promote his initiative that “provides free lawn care to our elders, those who are disabled, single mothers, and our veterans, who do not have the time, resources, and/or money to manicure their yards.”

As part of this goal, he created the 50 Yard Challenge, which has been a smashing success.

As of May 2023, 4,588 pre-teens and teens are participating in this challenge across the United States. If everyone completes the challenge, that will bring the total number of lawns mowed for free by Smith’s Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service to 229,400.

Kids and teens can take part in the challenge by sending them a photo holding up a sign that says, “I accept the 50 Yard Challenge,” and in return, they’ll receive a white Raising Men/Women shirt along with shades and ear protection to get started. For every 10 lawns cut, they will get a new color shirt.

• 10 lawns earn an orange shirt

• 20 lawns earn a green shirt

• 30 lawns earn a blue shirt

• 40 lawns earn a red shirt

• 50 lawns earn a black shirt

After completing the challenge, the child or teen will receive a mower, a blower, and a trimmer, just like Ja’Torrian Taylor and Tevin Rice from Alabama.

Smith’s story is an incredible example of how one good deed from a kind-hearted person can lead to an outpouring of kindness across the country. It also teaches young people the values of giving back and self-discipline as well as the entrepreneurial spirit.

Learn more about Smith’s nonprofit and donate at Weareraisingmen.com.

This article originally appeared on 6.23.23

Southern food is beloved by many, and those of us raised on it just consider it dinner, not a special cuisine. But since Southern food is pretty geographical, there are plenty of Americans who haven’t had the opportunity to try authentic Southern food. There are a few soul food restaurants that get it right sprinkled across the country, but all are not created equal.

Since Southern cooking isn’t available throughout all of America, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s not a staple across the pond. Josh Carrott, author of “Once Upon A Time in Carrottland,” runs the YouTube channel Jolly, where he has people try new foods. He decided to invite a group of British schoolboys to try a few Southern staples. The boys are in year 9 in England, which means they’re between the ages of 13 and 14.

Since Carrott isn’t Southern, or even American for that matter, I can’t say how the food was prepared. What I can say is that my very Southern grandmother would give the sausage gravy preparation the side eye, but other than that, it looked as authentic as possible.

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The boys were served biscuits that were perfectly golden, and there was immediate confusion. Apparently biscuits are flat and hard in England, so the boys were sure they were being served scones. It only took one bite for them to come around to the idea of the buttery fluffy delight that is the Southern biscuit. But the taste test for the biscuits wasn’t over—Carrott mixed up some white sausage gravy and smothered the delicious bread.

None of the boys were eager to try a meal that many Southern households eat regularly.

“Let’s call it interesting for now. I’m not going to make a judgment,” one boy says.

“It looks like a chopped-up ferret,” another lamented.

To be fair, if you’ve never seen biscuits and gravy, it doesn’t look instantly appealing, but once you try it, the dish suddenly looks amazing every time you encounter it moving forward. Maybe it isn’t everyone’s favorite thing, but being able to drive through a Whataburger and grab it to go brings me childlike joy.

After trying everything offered, all of the boys agreed that the Southern food was delicious, including the sweet tea. Several of them said they preferred it over their British hot tea—no one tell their parents. It feels like it would be as shocking as finding a Southerner who prefers unsweet tea. You can watch the entire video below.

This article originally appeared on 6.22.23

Anthony Edwards‘ play during the 2024 NBA playoffs has led to some comparisons to Michael Jordan. To be clear, there haven’t been people explicitly saying that Edwards is the second-coming of arguably the greatest player of all time, but there are things in his game that look a lot like the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards legend — Jamal Crawford, in particular, noticed something while he was on the call for a Minnesota Timberwolves game against the Phoenix Suns.

Not everyone is buying this, though, like Edwards, who really wants people to stop doing this. And prior to Game 4 of the Wolves’ series against the Denver Nuggets, Charles Barkley begged basketball fans to not compare the two.

“Please, America, please stop the Michael Jordan stuff,” Barkley said. “This guy’s had one good playoff run. I think he’s gonna be a great player, he’s a really nice kid, we root for him, we want him to be…”

Barkley was cut off by Shaquille O’Neal, who asked if Edwards is close to Jordan, to which he replied “hell no.” Even when Shaq specifically asked if he is close to where Jordan was at 23 years old, Barkley wasn’t sold.

“I love Anthony Edwards,” Barkley said. “Do not do that.”

Kenny Smith then chimed in and made another common comp for Edwards, saying “his body type, and the way he plays, to me, reminds me more of D-Wade, young D-Wade, when he was carrying that team when he had Lamar Odom and he was going through the playoffs for the first time.”

There is an abundance of reality competition shows. But when you think of the music wing of this programming niche, American Idol remains the dominate household name. Whether you’re watching to cheer on a hometown budding star, judges panel (Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie), or special guest cameos, producers of the show intend to keep it that way following the show’s recent renewal.

On May 10, in a collaborative post on Instagram between ABC and the show, they revealed the news with a graphic labeled: “We will be back for a new season.”

The excitement spilled over into the post’s caption which read: “Keep the stage lights on because #IDOL will be back for another season on ABC and Stream on Hulu.”

However, when the show returns, it will be down a judge. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live back in February, Katy Perry announced her exit and according to Billboard, the search to replace her is still on.

“I think this probably will be my last show, my last season for ‘Idol,’” she said. “I mean, I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat, you what I’m saying, Jimmy? I want to go and see the world and maybe bring new music.”

The Eastern Conference semifinals series between the Knicks and Pacers will return to New York all knotted up at 2-2 after Indiana defended homecourt with an emphatic 121-89 Game 4 win.

After three straight hard fought games, the series finally produced its first blowout as the Pacers jumped on the Knicks from the opening whistle and never let New York get into the game, leading by 20 after the first quarter and as many as 40 in the fourth.

It was a combination of stout defense and explosive offense that got the Pacers rolling, with Tyrese Haliburton continuing his trend of hot starts from Games 2 and 3, scoring 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting (4-of-10 from three) in just 28 minutes of action.

Haliburton had plenty of help, with TJ McConnell putting up another big two-way performance, hounding Jalen Brunson on defense and producing 15 points and 10 assists on the other end.

Just about everyone got in on the fun for the Pacers, as Pascal Siakam had 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, Myles Turner had 13 on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting afternoon, and Obi Toppin chipped in 14 off the bench, including the third quarter exclamation point with a reverse alley-oop finish from McConnell.

It was a genuinely incredible Pacers performance on both ends of the floor, as they shot 56.8 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from three, compared to 32.9 percent and 17.2 percent, respectively, from the Knicks. New York finally looked like a team that was banged up and had been playing its main guys a ton of minutes all playoffs, as they just could not create anything on offense or keep the Pacers from getting whatever they wanted on the other end.

The Knicks will hope this was a blip on the radar and they can find their energy again back in New York, while the Pacers are hoping they’ve worn down the Knicks and now have the advantage in the series. We’ll find out in Game 5 on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

In 2023, every musician on planet Earth seemed to have made a comeback. That trend bled well into 2024. From Nsync (and Justin Timberlake) to No Doubt, pop music fans have been quite spoiled.

But there is still one act missing from the rolodex of returns—Shawn Mendes. However, the wait could be over. Yesterday (May 11), the “Heartbeat” singer was spotted on the streets by fans. After asking Mendes for a quick photos they couldn’t help but ask about the status of his next studio album.

“[Its] coming soon,” he said. “Actually, we just finished it like 10 minutes ago.”

Mendes’ last release, Wonder, will celebrate its fourth anniversary this coming December. Not to sound harsh (but speaking on behalf of his supporters for a moment) it is about damn time he made his way to the booth.

In March, Mendes teased an unreleased song but that has yet to formally announced or uploaded to any streaming services. So, his fans are primed and ready to support. Following Mendes’ abrupt 2022 tour cancellation, in his base’s eyes he has a lot to make up for. The less he can do is drop something to hold them over until the full length body of work is ready.

The 2024 NBA Draft order is finally set after the Draft Lottery on Sunday afternoon saw three teams jump up into the top-4, headlined by the Atlanta Hawks landing the No. 1 overall pick despite having just a three percent chance coming in.

While the 2024 Draft isn’t particularly strong at the top, there is still talent to be had and teams will have to put in the leg work to make sure they’re finding the right talent and fit in the first round. A number of teams will get multiple cracks at a first round selection on Wednesday, June 26, with the Wizards (2 and 26), Spurs (4 and 8), Blazers (7 and 14), Jazz (10 and 29), Pelicans (17 and 21), and Knicks (24 and 25) all having a pair of first round picks at their disposal.

The second round, which is now on a separate day — Thursday, June 27 — will only have 28 selections after Philadelphia and Phoenix forfeited their second round picks due to tampering violations.

2024 NBA Draft Order

First Round
1. Atlanta Hawks
2. Washington Wizards
3. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn)
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Detroit Pistons
6. Charlotte Hornets
7. Portland Trail Blazers
8. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto)
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. Utah Jazz
11. Chicago Bulls
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston)
13. Sacramento Kings
14. Portland Trail Blazers (via Golden State)
15. Miami Heat
16. Philadelphia 76ers
17. New Orleans Pelicans (via Los Angeles Lakers)
18. Orlando Magic
19. Toronto Raptors (via Indiana)
20. Cleveland Cavaliers
21. New Orleans Pelicans (via Milwaukee)
22. Phoenix Suns
23. Milwaukee Bucks (via New Orleans)
24. New York Knicks (via Dallas)
25. New York Knicks
26. Washington Wizards (via LA Clippers)
27. Minnesota Timberwolves
28. Denver Nuggets
29. Utah Jazz (via Oklahoma City)
30. Boston Celtics

Second Round
31. Toronto Raptors (via Detroit)
32. Utah Jazz (via Washington)
33. Milwaukee Bucks (via Portland)
34. Portland Trail Blazers (via Charlotte)
35. San Antonio Spurs
36. Indiana Pacers (via Toronto)
37. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Memphis)
38. New York Knicks (via Utah)
39. Memphis Grizzlies(via Brooklyn)
40. Portland Trail Blazers (via Atlanta)
41. Philadelphia 76ers (via Chicago)
42. Charlotte Hornets (via Houston)
43. Miami Heat
44. Houston Rockets (via Golden State)
45. Sacramento Kings
46. Los Angeles Clippers (via Indiana)
47. Orlando Magic
48. San Antonio Spurs (via Los Angeles Lakers)
49. Indiana Pacers (via Cleveland)
50. Indiana Pacers (via New Orleans)
51. Washington Wizards (via Phoenix)
52. Golden State Warriors (via Milwaukee)
53. Detroit Pistons (via New York)
54. Boston Celtics (via Dallas)
55. Los Angeles Lakers (via LA Clippers)
56. Denver Nuggets (via Minnesota)
57. Memphis Grizzlies (via Oklahoma City)
58. Boston Celtics (to Dallas via Charlotte)

When you think of Donald Glover, music might be the last time to come to mind. However, the Mr. And Mrs. Smith actor hasn’t abandoned that creative lane just yet.

Fans of his work as Childish Gambino are in luck. According to the multifaceted entertainer, he still has two more project in him, the first of which, Atavista, is set to hit streaming platforms soon.

According to NFR Podcast, the forthcoming project is set to be released on tomorrow (May 13) and contains a total of ten songs. The platform revealed that Atavista currently features one credited guest appearance by Young Nudy. Continue below to view the full speculative tracklist and artwork.

If the titles seems familiar to you, that’s because they are.

Back in March 2020, the songs were initially shared on Gambino’s website as part of the album, 3.15.20. However, the body of work, which featured Ariana Grande, Kadhja Bonet, 21 Savage and Ink, has apparently since been scrubbed from the site. But based on rumors, the songs have undergoing creative updates.

Tracklist

1. “Atavista”
2. “Algorhythm”
3. “Time”
4. “Psilocybae (Millennial Love)”
5. “To Be Hunted”
6. “Sweet Thang”
7. “Little Foot Big Foot” Feat. Young Nudy
8. Why Go To The Party
9. Human Sacrifice
10. “Violence”
11. “Final Church”

Artwork