Category: News

On Monday, a pair of title hopefuls met inside the Bayou’s Smoothie King Center, when the New Orleans Pelicans welcomed the Milwaukee Bucks to town. There are still roughly four months remaining in the regular-season, but this duel quickly cemented itself as one of the most fascinating matchups of the young year. There will be juicier, more in-the-moment entertaining games, yet ones informing playoff perceptions will likely be much harder to unearth.

For the first time since Nov. 25, Zion Williamson failed to score at least 23 points. His Pelicans fell, 128-119, marking their fourth consecutive loss and first one at home since Nov. 10. The Bucks deviated from their scheme of siphoning off the arc and packed the paint against Williamson. They conceded 45 three-point attempts — more than 45 percent of New Orleans’ field goals came from deep, well above Milwaukee’s season-long defensive rate of 34 percent and New Orleans’ season-long offensive rate of 31 percent.

The Bucks were already embracing a new defensive scheme this year that deterred threes and amended it again to account for the opponent. Earlier this season, in a Dec. 2 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, their devotion to not helping off shooters cost them against a poor-shooting, paint-heavy team like Los Angeles. So, Monday, they came ready to remedy that problem.

Repeatedly, it was easy to spot some issues with the Pelicans’ roster construction, at least it pertains to immediate championship contention. Their three foremost wing-sized, point-of-attack defenders — Herbert Jones, Naji Marshall, and Dyson Daniels — are all shaky shooters. Milwaukee exploited that and often stashed Defensive Player of the Year candidates Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo on one of them to act as a roamer who muddied Williamson’s drives or face-ups.

Offense, really, was not the troublesome side of the ball, though. The Pelicans generated a 113.5 offensive rating (52nd percentile this season, per Cleaning The Glass). The half-court was a bit stickier (94 offensive rating, 43rd percentile), but Brandon Ingram did not suit up. He would provide some stark, necessary diversity alongside Williamson, especially given his penchant for the midrange, a region the Bucks are content to let teams populate — they’re 27th in opposing midrange rate this year. He’s also a tremendous release valve. Sure, hitting 18 of their 45 attempts beyond the arc suggests regression if other teams employ this tactic, but the majority of those looks were wide open and New Orleans made 40 percent of them.

The more pressing matter, at least as I watched this game, was the defense. Milwaukee, with Khris Middleton sidelined, posted a 122.1 offensive rating (78th percentile), including 108.8 in the half-court (83rd percentile). It shot 92 percent (23-for-25) at the rim, 78 percent (32-for-41) on twos, and went to the charity stripe 31 times. New Orleans could hardly slow this group down inside the arc. There’s a glaring lack of size and rim protection in the rotation. While Larry Nance Jr. missed Monday’s game, he is more of a switch big than a looming interior deterrent.

The Pelicans allow the seventh-lowest rate of shots at the rim (31.4 percent), but are dead last in opposing rim field goal percentage at 71.9 percent. Milwaukee, piloted by Antetokounmpo, the league’s premier rim rattler outside of Williamson, are a distinct matchup. Lopez’s presence as a versatile off-ball scorer who doubles as a stout, unflinching defensive anchor furthers that atypical composition. Yet the Bucks are hardly the lone high-level club who employ double-big starting units or apply voluminous pressure at the rim.

The Memphis Grizzlies are first in points in the paint, 10th in rim frequency, and trot out a Jaren Jackson Jr.-Steven Adams frontline. The Denver Nuggets are fifth in rim frequency. The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers sport double-big starting fives. All these teams may not be designed specifically to hamstring New Orleans on both ends like Milwaukee, but the premise of the Bucks not being peerless in broad makeup rings true, although the blend of creation from Antetokounmpo and floor-spacing of a stretch 5 in Lopez is unrivaled by the other four teams.

New Orleans does not have a rim protector. Valanciunas is an impressively versatile scorer and hulking rebounder who can mix between drop and playing at the level to produce tenable ball-screen coverage. He is not, however, a defensive force at the rim. Opponents are shooting 2.3 points better within 6 feet of the hoop when he’s the primary defender, per NBA.com.

The team’s glut of point-of-attack stoppers and penchant for takeaways (ninth in turnover rate) coalesce for rim prevention. The problem is that doesn’t always work. Milwaukee turned it over 17 times on Monday, yet was systematic and dominant on the other trips to counter those gaffes.

Throughout much of the game, it felt as though the Bucks’ offensive potency and defensive savvy forced the Pelicans to make substantial concessions in their lineups. Either that fifth dude was a defensive-minded wing aimed to slow Milwaukee’s attack or a floor-spacer to open up Williamson’s endeavors. Concessions occur with any rotational option, but the degree to which those concessions reshaped the process on either end is concerning for New Orleans.

As the trade deadline inches closer, two archetypes emerge as most beneficial to the Pelicans’ chances of solidifying themselves as a championship contender: a wing shooter and backline 4. Stocked with a trove of future draft picks and various young players, avenues to improvement are attainable. The trade market, of course, has to comply, and it’s impossible to predict if that will happen.

Most of their effective, high-volume outside shooting/spacing stems from small-ish guards (CJ McCollum, Devonte’ Graham, Jose Alvarado). Trey Murphy III is the lone frontcourt player shooting at least league average from deep with a three-point rate above .400. Daniels (41.7 percent, .391) is close, but the rookie doesn’t really garner respect as a marksman right now. Adding one more forward (or even a bigger guard) with plus shooting credentials could elevate the offense to a level that trumps any defensive plights. Maybe Ingram (37.8 percent from three as a Pelican), who hasn’t played since Nov. 25 with a toe injury, is that dude and a notable move is unnecessary.

Names like Doug McDermott, Buddy Hield, Josh Richardson, Bojan Bogdanovic, Gary Harris, and Kyle Kuzma all intrigue me to one extent or another, although the finances are hazy with some of them. As for the sweeping, backline 4 for defensive purposes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Kenyon Martin Jr. are plausible and on movable contracts. Vanderbilt is owed $9 million over two seasons and Martin is owed $3.7 million the next two years. Martin also requested a trade this summer.

Neither alleviates the defense-spacing tradeoff enforced by Jones, Marshall, or Daniels, but they’re both bigger with more helpside rim protection chops. Martin’s a perceptive cutter and sprightly finisher (74 percent at the rim this year, 83rd percentile among forwards). Vanderbilt provides more on-ball aptitude defensively and is a nifty connective passer who’s elevated his three-point volume. At the very least, New Orleans would be prudent to broach their availability with each front office.

The Pelicans are excellent. They’re one of three teams among the top 10 in offensive and defensive rating. Only the Boston Celtics join them among the top seven in both categories. They are, nonetheless, a team with apparent flaws. But those can be temporary, if they so choose. This club has the flexibility to its shortcomings. The Bucks highlighted many of them Monday. As both teams progress and eye prosperous playoff ventures, that game should be earmarked and remembered.

I have a confession to make: I didn’t think Portia’s outfits on The White Lotus were that bad. I mean, sure, some of them would make Miranda Priestly drop dead on the spot, but this one wasn’t too bad. And I enjoyed this sweatshirt. Besides, attacking Portia’s fashion choices is an attack on Haley Lu Richardson herself, and I will not stand for that.

The White Lotus actress (who is finally getting the recognition she deserves following scene-stealing performances Support the Girls, The Edge of Seventeen, and After Yang) took to Instagram to share a photo of herself with the caption, “With a heavy heart I can confirm I dress identical to Portia in real life.” Good for her, speaking her truth.

You can see the mirror selfie for yourself here.

Following the season two finale, Lu Richardson defended Portia’s chaotic airport outfit. “In the script, it said that she had a big hat, and then she put on sunglasses at the airport to be incognito,” she told Variety. “[Costume designer] Alex [Bovaird] found that hat and I as Portia was always drawn, if I was given an option, to the thing that was less expected and more off. Because I think that it makes sense for her. Like, she is off.”

Lu Richardson continued, “The people sh*tting on that outfit in particular — it’s like, she literally has been kidnapped. She’s been in the same outfit for two days. She literally just almost died. So what do you expect her to be, like, a fashion icon? I’m confused what people expect of this young woman.” Fair enough, but if Portia was trying to be “incognito,” she failed.

(Via Variety)

Flame Broiler, like Subway and Panera, is one of those chains that exist for people who want the convenience of fast food but don’t really want to eat fast food. The menu is totally devoid of fried foods and it’s one of the rare national chains that didn’t jump on the Popeyes bandwagon and release a chicken sandwich in the wake of the great chicken sandwich wars (unlike Subway and Panera). Even Panda Express has a chicken sandwich! But what is one supposed to do if they want to eat healthily but still want to, you know, have a little fun with their food? Enter Flame Broiler’s new broiled chicken wings.

For a limited time only, participating Flame Broilers nationwide have started selling flame-broiled wings as a two-piece side, a dedicated plate with rice, and a single order of a dozen. The bone-in wings are made from the same antibiotic-free chicken made with zero oil or breading that makes Flame Broiler, you know, Flame Broiler but they offer a more hands-on form factor.

So are they any good? We decided to find out!

Flame Broiler — Flame Broiled Wings

Tasting Notes:

For this taste test, I tried Flame Broiler’s five-piece charbroiled wings plate which features five wings over a bed of rice, a cabbage salad, and a big ass slice of orange. The wings are doused in what Flame Broiler calls “magic sauce” which as far as I can tell is some sort of simplified version of teriyaki sauce. Think teriyaki without the mirin or sake. If you like your wings light and crispy this, unfortunately, is not that. Since these are cooked over a flame and not fried, the skin never gets as crispy or thinned out as what you’d expect from wings, instead, the fat here stays… fatty.

That sounds like a bad thing, but if you can handle your wings being a bit chewier than you’re used to there is little to complain about — fat is flavor, after all! The chicken is incredibly tender, once I bit into it the meat easily tore off the bone, and that savory mix of sweet soy-based sauce and charbroiled flavor from the fire is a winning combination. These wings taste great and Flame Broiler didn’t cut any corners by ditching the fryers for this one.

If you’ve frequented a Flame Broiler you know that the menu is at its best when the dishes are elevated with the side sauces, and the charbroiled wings are no different. Flame Broiler has four side sauce options: Hot Sauce, Jalapeño Hot Sauce, Seoul Scorcher, and the Secret Korean Spicy Chicken Hot Sauce, I tried all four with the wings and each one elevates the dish with an extra hint of flavor. I like the vegetal and peppery quality of the Jalapeño Hot Sauce the most but the strong kick coming from the Seoul Scorcher is a close second.

If these wings end up being successful enough to earn permanent menu status, I hope Flame Broiler starts cooking the wings in the sauces. Then Flame Broiler would truly be competing with the big wing chains flavor-wise, and having a healthier option out there is a win for all of us.

The Bottom Line:

Flame Broiler took a big swing by introducing wings to its menu and frankly, I’d say they knocked it out of the park. While these aren’t the fried variety that comes to mind when you think “chicken wings,” no sacrifices have been made in the flavor department. Get ’em while you still can!

Find your nearest Flame Broiler here.

If you need a surprise guest to show up at your white nationalist gathering, Marjorie Taylor Greene is your gal. And if you need help planning an insurrection at the Capitol, she might be down to sit in on a brainstorming session or two. But it turns out that when it comes to conspiracy theory-loving congresswomen, unhinged MAGAs might have taken more of a shine to Colorado’s favorite “Karen,” Lauren Boebert.

Politically-speaking, Greene and Boebert are typically pretty closely aligned on most issues. One thing they definitely do NOT agree on is whether Kevin McCarthy should be Speaker of the House when the GOP regains control next year. Boebert says no; Greene says yes. Greene also says that any talk of another viable candidate, etc. coming from Boebert — or Matt Gaetz — is BS.

Their disagreement on this point has spilled over into the public, with the two of them spending much of the past week taking pathetic little potshots at the other. While it’s an entertaining enough diversion (for a time) for non-Republicans, Ali Alexander — a prominent far-right activist and key organizer of the Stop the Steal rally — is not OK with the snitty little stink bombs MTG has been throwing in Boebert’s direction. And he let her know it!

As Raw Story reports, Alexander called out Greene on his Telegram page for the regular attacks she’s been launching against Boebert when he posted: “MTG is now attacking Rep. Lauren Boebert like a trailer park hoodrat.”

Sadly, that could be the full extent of Alexander’s MTG takedown. Earlier this month, Alexander agreed to head up Kanye West’s presidential campaign, so… we’re pretty sure he’ll be real busy with that.

(Via Raw Story)

While The Last Dance was primarily the story of Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, the documentary could not have happened without the various antagonists that popped up over the course of Jordan’s career. High on the list were Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons squad famously known as the “Bad Boys,” who were a frequent thorn in Jordan’s side as he attempted to win his first championship.

Jordan, to put it lightly, is not a fan of Thomas, to the point that he called him an asshole in the documentary. Well, it’s been nearly three years since The Last Dance dropped, and on a recent episode of The Pivot Podcast, Thomas got asked about Jordan calling him out that explicitly.

“I was upset, I was highly upset,” Thomas said of Jordan calling him an asshole in the documentary at the 33:07 mark of the above video. The Hall of Fame guard then explained that his relationship with Jordan was pretty good while he was establishing himself in the city that Thomas called home.

“I was upset of watching a documentary of a guy being an asshole to everybody, but then called me a asshole, and I ain’t been nothing but nice to this dude,” Thomas said. “Now, this is real talk, go back and document it. You can go back on the west side of Chicago. I ain’t talking about Michigan Avenue, where they used to kick me off for shining shoes. I couldn’t shine shoes on Michigan Avenue, I couldn’t shine shoes on Rush Street, they kicked me outta there. On the west side of Chicago, that’s where I’m from, OK? Now, on the west side of Chicago, when Michael Jordan got to Chicago, I made it real easy for him to walk those streets on the west side of Chicago. My family took care of him. My sister and his brother hung out as friends. My little nephew lived with Michael Jordan. I’ma say this again: My little nephew lived with Michael Jordan. Now, I’m being extremely good to this dude. I’m calling his house during this period of time. So all this, ‘Isiah was an asshole,’ no no no no, dude, I was looking out for you.”

Thomas then brought up when the teams would play — Detroit famously had their “Jordan Rules,” which involved the team being ultra-physical with the Bulls star. But he was quick to point out that he never hit anyone, with Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn putting hands on players, whether they were opponents or Thomas himself.

Thomas has said that he did not realize just how strongly Jordan felt about him until after The Last Dance aired, and it’s pretty obvious the whole thing still rubs him the wrong way.

Lizzo has achieved a lot of professional success in recent years, and as tends to happen when a celebrity reaches that level of prosperity, people start spreading rumors and even resenting them for enjoying the opportunities their talents have afforded them. That’s been happening on TikTok recently and Lizzo shared her thoughts.

Today (December 22), Lizzo stitched a video from real estate-focused TikTok account @mansiontok, which claims that Lizzo lives in a 4,300 square-foot home in Palm Springs that, based on the included photo, is so opulent that it includes a helipad. The video claims Lizzo is “supposedly” renting the four-bedroom, five-bathroom home for $5,000 per night.

Lizzo’s post only included a small portion of the original video before she interrupted, “We need to talk about the epidemic of people believing absolutely anything they see on social media.”

She continued, “Not only did you watch this video and believe it, but you were so enraged by the content of this video that you chose to step outside yourself and comment on the video and talk sh*t about me, a person you don’t know, a person who you don’t know where I live, and even if I did choose to live in a helicopter-ass pad in Palm Springs, that’s my prerogative! What does where I live got to do with you? People be so passionate about absolutely nothing. Now I know why people say ‘touch grass,’ because clearly all you doing is touching this computer screen, chronically online.”

Lizzo concluded, “Somebody was like, ‘She hasn’t had a hit since 2019, she’s only had two hit songs: How can she afford to live there?’ If that’s not the most broke b*tch mentality comment I’ve ever heard… keep that energy away from me.”

Check out the video above.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

It’s been over 15 years since the last basement hang at Eric Foreman’s house, and yet there is still likely a pretty pungent stench of marijuana ingrained into that couch. Technically, those 15 years have covered the 80s (we don’t talk about those) and now, Eric and Donna Foreman have a teenage child who is looking to embark on her own various shenanigans in the wonderful world of the 1990s. Maybe there will be Polly Pockets!

In That ’90s Show, the appropriately named Leia Foreman heads to Wisconsin to spend the summer with her grandparents Kitty and Red, who somehow look exactly the same and seem to exist beyond the concept of aging. As per the official Netflix description:

It’s 1995 and Leia Forman is desperate for some adventure in her life or at least a best friend who isn’t her dad. When she arrives in Point Place to visit her grandparents, Red and Kitty, Leia finds what she’s looking for right next door when she meets the dynamic and rebellious Gwen. With the help of Gwen’s friends, including her lovable brother Nate, his smart, laser-focused girlfriend Nikki, the sarcastic and insightful Ozzie, and the charming Jay, Leia realizes adventure could happen there just like it did for her parents all those years ago. Excited to reinvent herself, she convinces her parents to let her stay for the summer. With a basement full of teens again, Kitty is happy the Forman house is now a home for a new generation and Red is, well…Red.

The series will debut on Netflix on January 19th. Of course, the gang isn’t complete without the original cast, Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, and Wilmer Valderrama, who will be guest-starring on the show. Kunis and Kutcher’s Jackie and Kelso also have a teenage kid, so who knows how he will turn out. Hopefully, Kunis and Kutcher actually bathe their fictional child.

T.I.’s former landlord claims the Atlanta rapper is not only responsible for extensive damages to a California rental home but refuses to pay for the repairs, which total up to $77k.

In legal documents obtained by Radar Online, Farzin Fazeli, the rapper’s former landlord, claims he is responsible for at least $127k in damages done to a rental home in Encino, California.

Fazeli argues that T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, merely “handed over a $50,000 deposit to cover the extensive damages but avoided paying the outlying $77,182.65.”

“The damages arise from a significant number of alterations done to the property that were done either without knowledge or some limited knowledge, but all with the agreement that the house would be placed back to how it was when it was originally leased,” the lawsuit reads.

The damaged property includes a projector, the pool house floor, a kitchen pantry door, drywall, ceiling damage, and more.

Fazeli also noted that the rapper leased out the property in July 2020 and that “he gave him a 60-day notice to vacate the property in June 2022.” However, T.I. allegedly only paid rent through August and moved out by the end of the month.

The landlord is suing not only for breach of contract but he asked the court to award him more than $77,000 to force T.I. to cover his legal fees. Ouch.

But Tip isn’t the only one in the Harris family facing legal troubles. His 18-year-old son, King, was arrested this past September for not wearing a seatbelt in Atlanta. The rapper eventually responded to the incident via Instagram, noting he spoke to his son and admitted he has tried to steer him in the right direction because of his personal experience, but says he will have to learn on his own.

“[I] got a small request,” T.I. said in the video. “Stop hitting me and getting in my comments, telling me what to tell King, okay? I know my son. Think I ain’t spoke to my son? Think I ain’t told my son, his mama, and his grandmama? His a** [is] going to prison if he g*ddamn keeps [this] up. His a** [is] going to prison. Ain’t no way around it.”

Despite going from rags to riches in a relatively short span of time, Cardi B has remained pretty in touch with her roots. She’s been known to comment on inflation, reflect the population’s fears and fancies, and respond to fans’ questions and criticisms with the same unabashed honesty that earned her thousands of fans, even before “Bodak Yellow” took off in 2018. Cardi was again prompted to respond earlier this week when she warned her followers that the depressed economy was looking a lot like a recession.

“We going through a recession…..Merry Christmas,” she wrote ominously on Twitter. When a commenter snarked “says the rapper worth 40 million,” Cardi retweeted the reply to set the record straight. “I’m worth more then that and guess what?” she clapped back. “If I don’t save ,work and budget I could lose it too! What makes you think that no matter how much money you got you can’t lose it all if you don’t manage your money correctly.I too have bills,responsibilities and people I have to help.”

Fans chimed in to back her up, remembering performers who previously lost their riches and pointing out that “net worth” doesn’t exactly equate to money in the bank. Still, there were also those who picked up the thread of criticism, pointing out how the recession would affect her long after it did the majority of people. Check out some of those responses below.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Last night, December 21, a two-hour special called Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute To The Songs Of Paul Simon aired on CBS in celebration of the star. A lot of that time was dedicated to performances by a variety of artists paying tribute to Simon, including the Jonas Brothers, Dave Matthews, Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Eric Church, Rhiannon Giddens, Susanna Hoffs, Little Big Town, Dave Matthews, Brad Paisley, and more.

The performances are all electrifying and classy, staying true to Simon’s smooth sound. The Jonas Brothers made “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” their own with their beautiful harmonies. About performing, Joe Jonas said in an interview on the Grammys site: “How do you say no? It’s such an honor to perform any Paul Simon song, but to also be amongst some of these amazing fellow musicians who are here tonight and to perform not only for Paul in the room but for loving fans that you can obviously see these people have waited hours to see some of these people perform. We’re really lucky and grateful to be here.”

Watch their performance above, and watch performances by Dave Matthews, Brad Paisley, Sting, and Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood below.

Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute To The Songs Of Paul Simon is currently available to stream on Paramount+.