GoneTrending

The Phoenix Suns became the second team from the Western Conference to punch their ticket to the second round with a hard fought Game 6 win in New Orleans to knock out the scrappy Pelicans.

While Devin Booker made his welcome return to the lineup after suffering a hamstring injury in Game 2, it was Chris Paul that carried the load in the Game 6 win, scoring 33 points on a perfect shooting night, hitting all 14 of his field goal attempts and all four of his free throws. It was a truly sensational offensive performance from Paul, one that is fitting for a player that has long been a model of efficiency.

Booker was unaware of Paul’s perfect night until he arrived at the podium with the future Hall of Famer for their postgame press conference, and his reaction to Paul going 14-of-14 was incredibly on brand.

“I was not aware at all,” Booker said. “I believe in the heat check though. 14-15 looks a lot better than 14-14 to me. I’ll never have one of these games, these perfect ones.”

It’s a perfect Devin Booker quote, as he’s never met a shot he didn’t like (and usually for good reason), and it shows the difference in he and Paul’s approach to the game and why they’re great foils for one another in the backcourt. Paul’s patient approach balances with Booker’s aggressiveness in a way that’s made the Suns one of the best teams in the league since they joined forces, becoming particularly dangerous in the fourth quarter because of the way they can play off of each other.

Giveon arrived as one of the most promising new acts in R&B in 2020 thanks to the release of two EPs over the years: Take Time and When It Was All Said And Done. The projects produced fan favorites like “The Beach,” “Like I Want You,” “Still Your Best,” and more, and his success as a solo artist earned him highlight features with the likes of Drake, Snoh Aalegra, and Justin Bieber (where he earned his first No. 1 single). Nowadays, Giveon is taking steps toward his next project as he released “For Tonight,” at the end of last year. After letting that record run its course, he returns with a brand new track.

“Lie Again” is the latest single from Giveon and it’s an effort that finds him in a very reflective state as he refuses to accept the truth about a failing relationship. Giveon begs his lover to lie to him in order to continue the relationship as he knows the truth will hurt, and in the end, it’s a pain he’d rather not deal with. The new song also arrives with a heartful music video that watches Giveon pour his feelings out as he walks through a busy city street. He also teases an unreleased song at the end of the visual.

Giveon’s new single comes after he performed “Peaches” with Justin Bieber and Daniel Caesar at the 2022 Grammys. Before that, he performed “Heartbreak Anniversary” at the 2021 AMAs and “For Tonight” on The Tonight Show.

You can listen to “Lie Again” in the video above.

There is always one selection in the first round of the NFL Draft that leaves people scratching their head. The Seahawks taking Bruce Irvin and the Raiders taking Clelin Ferrell are some of the most memorable examples, and Thursday night brought another shocker, this time courtesy of the New England Patriots.

After trading back, as they so often do, the Pats found themselves sitting at No. 29 and decided to forego the big names still on the board to take Cole Strange, an offensive linemen out of Chattanooga that most expected to be a third or fourth round pick. Neither of the TV broadcasts on ESPN or NFL Network were prepared for the pick with any video clips of Strange, which almost never happens for a first rounder, and it wasn’t just fans or the media that were stunned.

While that was going on, the Rams were holding a press conference with head coach Sean McVay and GM Les Snead, as the defending champs weren’t picking as they have famously dealt away most of their first round picks for years to come. When Strange went off the board, the two had an incredible reaction, laughing and joking that they wasted their time watching his film when they were prepping for the 104th overall pick.

It’s not often you get this kind of live reaction from another team about a pick, but it was that big of a shocker to see Strange go off the board. For it to be a guy the Rams had studied tells you everything you need to know about where the rest of the league expected him to be available, as they won’t pick until the end of the third round.

One of the big talking points surrounding the 2022 NFL Draft was the relatively weak quarterback class. There wasn’t a clear-cut No. 1 signal caller, nor was there a guy who was pegged to go anywhere near the top pick. In fact, it took 20 picks for Roger Goodell to step to his podium and Las Vegas and read off the name of a QB.

With the team heading into the post-Ben Roethlisberger era, the Pittsburgh Steelers opted to pick the local kid and select Pitt signal caller and Heisman Trophy finalist Kenny Pickett as the future face of their franchise.

A New Jersey native, Pickett was a three-star prospect who opted to play his college ball in western Pennsylvania. His career is a story of perseverance and continued development, as no one had Pickett going in the first round prior to the 2021 college football season.

Then, Pickett exploded with a redshirt senior year to remember. He navigated the Panthers to 11 wins and an ACC championship while going 334-for-497 (67.2 percent) for 4,319 yards with 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He racked up accolades as a senior, getting named a first-team All-American, the ACC Player of the Year, and winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Pickett will presumably compete with Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky for the team’s starting quarterback job. At the very least, he can give his fellow members of Pittsburgh’s draft class some dynamite restaurant recommendations.

With Devin Booker returning after a three-game absence due to a hamstring issue, the Phoenix Suns appeared to be in a favorable position in advance of Game 6 against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday. Though there were rumblings Booker could return and his presence was an undeniable positive, it was Chris Paul that stole the show at Smoothie King Center, putting together an all-encompassing performance that included perfect shooting and 33 points. The Suns needed every bit of the effort from the future Hall of Fame point guard, but Phoenix survived and eliminated New Orleans with a 115-109 victory.

The Suns started well, taking an early lead, using the first bucket (on the first shot) from Booker to take an early 11-4 lead.

New Orleans was not going to fade, though, and it became clear in a hurry. The Pelicans responded to tie the game at 28-28 at the end of the first quarter, winning on the margins by not committing a single turnover and punishing Phoenix on the glass.

New Orleans would then dominate the second quarter, leading by 10 at the halftime break and putting some real pressure on the Suns going into the locker room. Phoenix did take control midway through the third quarter, riding a 10-0 run to the lead. As was the case throughout the evening, Paul was the centerpiece, scoring seven straight points of his own.

The Pelicans did recover, and New Orleans took repeated punches. In fact, the Pelicans led by three points at the end of the third quarter, and the New Orleans crowd was in a frenzy.

Both teams scuffled a bit on offense for much of the quarter, leading to a slugfest that was also hotly contested. However, a Brandon Ingram bucket gave the Pelicans the lead with two minutes remaining.

In a fashion that was fitting for the league’s best team this season, Phoenix seized the opportunity to put the series away from there, scoring the next seven points. When that spurt ended, the Suns held a six-point lead that looked to be relatively comfortable.

One more time, the Pelicans climbed back into the mix, cutting the margin to three with less than a minute to go. Then, the dagger arrived from Paul, who made his 14th consecutive shot to ice the game.

As a team, the Suns scored more than 1.2 points per possession in the game, shooting 60 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range. It was a meticulous and impressive performance from Phoenix, with five players in double figures. Still, the individual star was Paul, who made a bit of NBA history by finishing 14-of-14 from the field for 33 points to go along with eight assists and five rebounds.

For New Orleans, this is the end of the line for the 2021-22 season, but the Pelicans put forth an incredible effort in the series. Phoenix was clearly respectful of what New Orleans was able to do after the series, including an emotional sendoff from Pelicans head coach Willie Green, who was a Suns assistant just one year ago.

Booker’s return certainly comes at a strong time for Phoenix, and the Suns can now take a step back to enjoy the series win and prepare for the second round. The Suns will take on the winner of the first round matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz and, if Phoenix can capture this performance from Paul with Booker getting healthy and a balanced team approach, they will be difficult to unseat at the top of the West.

The 2022 NFL Draft started fairly calmly, with the first six picks all going to the teams originally slotted to pick there, but after the Giants trade up to the No. 7 pick to land Alabama tackle Evan Neal, the floodgates opened on first round trades.

Picks 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, and 19 all got shuffled around in deals, with the 18th overall pick going from Philadelphia to Tennessee in a blockbuster deal that saw the Eagles, who moved up to No. 13 to land defensive tackle Jordan Davis, send the 18th overall pick (and the 100th pick) to the Titans in exchange for star receiver AJ Brown.

Brown had expressed his frustration with his situation in Tennessee this offseason, making it clear that he would like to find a new home if the Titans wouldn’t pay him, and when the run on receivers happened from the No. 8 to No. 12 picks, with four of the top wideouts being selected, Philadelphia pivoted to finding a veteran with their stash of selections. Brown will immediately provide Jalen Hurts with the No. 1 option they’ve lacked in Philly, while the Titans moved on and used the 18th pick to take receiver Treylon Burks out of Arkansas as a replacement for Brown — and Julio Jones who likewise left Tennessee this offseason.

As part of the deal, Brown also inked a $100 million extension, with $57 million guaranteed for the next four years.

The Arizona Cardinals have spent this offseason trying to decipher what the future holds for starting quarterback Kyler Murray. As it turns out, one potential solution they’re going to explore is trading for a receiver with whom he played during his time with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Cardinals and the Baltimore Ravens came to terms on a trade that will see Marquise “Hollywood” Brown go from the AFC North to the NFC West, along with the No. 100 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. In exchange, Arizona will sent Baltimore the No. 23 overall selection.

Murray and Brown were teammates in Norman for two seasons, but the former only spent one year as the team’s starting signal caller. That one season ended up being quite productive for both, as Murray won the Heisman Trophy and Brown 75 balls for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. Brown has spent the entirety of his NFL career in Baltimore.

While he has not always been the most consistent option in the Ravens’ offense, Brown’s speed and big play ability should be a snug fit in Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Through his three seasons in the NFL, Brown has hauled in 195 receptions for 2,361 yards and 21 scores as one of Lamar Jackson’s preferred targets.

If spending your days and nights traveling the world one port at a time aboard a luxurious cruise ship sounds like a dream job, three former Scientologists have got news for you. As The Daily Beast reports, Gawain Baxter, Laura Baxter, and Valeska Paris — who have lived and worked on the organization’s Freewinds cruise ship for more than a decade — have filed a lawsuit against Church leader David Miscavige and five related organizations for alleged human trafficking.

All three individuals were born into the organization and claim that such early indoctrination made it impossible to leave what they described as “a world filled with abuse, violence, intimidation, and fear.” According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the trio were all part of the group’s Sea Org and Cadet Org, subdivisions within the Church that require members to sign one of those famous “billion-year” contracts, in which they agree to provide free or cheap labor.

In exchange and according to their legal complaint (which was filed in Florida), they endured more than a decade of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse.

As Ben Schneiders wrote for the Herald:

One of the plaintiffs alleged they were confined to a hot engine room for days after being accused of “monopolizing” the attention of a prominent celebrity who had their birthday on the ship in 2004, and who is believed to be actor Tom Cruise. There is no suggestion Cruise was aware of the plaintiff’s situation.

The case, brought by leading US plaintiff law firms, alleges the free labor on the cruise ship allowed Scientology leader Miscavige to “maintain a facade of legitimacy, a luxurious lifestyle … and influence over members including celebrities.”

The 86-page filing details how parents hand over custody of their children, some of them as young as six, and are only allowed to see each other once a week. Plaintiff Gawain Baxter was just six when he became a member of Cadet Org. By the time he was 10, he would see his parents for just a few hours a week and spent up to 10 hours per day providing free labor.

When he began working on the Freewinds, which the Herald notes “never docks in U.S. ports or territorial waters,” Gawain had his passport confiscated and would sometimes work 24 hours per day.

“To this day, there are completely defenseless minors being mistreated by Scientology leadership,” Baxter said in a statement. “Just as I was, they are isolated from family and have no way to protect themselves. Scientology must be held accountable for the human rights abuses and trauma it has inflicted without a shred of remorse.”

Fellow plaintiff Valeska Paris also became a member of Cadet Org at the age of six, and she says that she was sexually assaulted on several occasions over the next decade. By the time she was 15, Paris was working as a personal assistant to Miscavige, a role that required her to regularly work 16-hour days.

“Scientology is a system that is designed to perpetuate fear, and I continue to struggle with the trauma,” she said. “No person–child or adult–should have to go through the daily abuse and manipulation I faced.”

The Herald reached out to the Church of Scientology for comment, but had not received one by press time.

(Via The Daily Beast & Sydney Morning Herald)

The Philadelphia 76ers will not be the first team to lose a series despite taking a 3-0 lead. The team went north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors on Thursday evening, and thanks to a dominant performance in the second half, Philly picked up a dominant 132-97 Game 6 win to move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Neither team was able to get a whole lot of breathing room in the first half. While the Sixers led by five at the end of the first and one at the end of the second, the Raptors always seemed to have an answer — after Joel Embiid scored at the start of the second quarter to open up a 7-point lead, Toronto ripped off an 11-0 run to take the lead.

Part of the reason they had an answer throughout the first was their ability to maul Philly on the offensive glass. Toronto pulled in 10 offensive boards in the first half, and a rather surprising 1-2 punch made the Sixers pay. Siakam had 18 points, five boards, three assists, and a pair of steals at the break, while Chris Boucher came off the bench and went for 19 points and nine rebounds in the first half.

The Sixers relied heavily on Embiid, who gave them 16 first-half points, and got a good first half from James Harden, who gave them 12 points and eight assists. Add in that Danny Green hit four of the team’s seven triples in the half and Philadelphia looked like it did not have a hangover from its tough Game 5 loss.

Out of the break, the Sixers started to pour it on. The team ripped off a 15-0 run at one point early in the third quarter and led by as many as 23 points in the quarter.

Harden, in particular, looked like the guy worthy of the bounty the Sixers paid at the trade deadline. The former league MVP generated 18 of the Sixers’ 37 third-quarter points, whether it was due to his scoring or his ability to set up his teammates.

The fourth quarter was merely a march towards the inevitable, and by the time it ended, Philly outscored Toronto in the second half, 70-36. Embiid led the way with 33 points and 10 rebounds, while Harden likewise had a double-double, going for 22 points and 15 assists with six rebounds. Maxey pitched in 25 points and eight assists, Tobias Harris had 19 points and 11 boards, and Green had 12 points, all off of threes. For Toronto, Boucher had 25 points and 10 rebounds; Siakam stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, and three steals; Trent had 19; and Scottie Barnes had 18 with seven rebounds and three assists.

With the win, Philadelphia punched their ticket to the second round for a matchup with the Miami Heat, which are led by former Sixer Jimmy Butler. The two teams split their season series with two wins each.

While the early part of the 2022 NFL Draft was defined by unpredictability, one thing that was missing through the first 10 picks was a team trading up. After the New York Jets selected Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson with the No. 10 overall pick, the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions decided it was time to make a move.

New Orleans called up the Washington Commanders, which sat at No. 11, and pulled off a move to jump up from 16. According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, the Saints put together that pick with a pair of picks a little later in the Draft to go get someone.

As for who that someone ended up being, it turns out New Orleans was a little worried about the run on wide receivers that was happening and wanted to go get their guy. The team decided that they did not want Michael Thomas to be their only former Buckeye at receiver and selected Chris Olave.

A back-to-back first-team All-Big Ten selection and one of the best receivers in the sport over the last two years, Olave might be the smoothest route runner in the entire 2022 Draft, and should give Saints QB Jameis Winston one heck of a vertical threat. During his four-year collegiate career, Olave caught 175 balls for 2,702 yards and 35 touchdowns.

One pick later, the Lions called up the Minnesota Vikings to get a game-changing receiver of their own. The team moved up from 32 to get Jameson Williams, a dynamic pass catcher from Alabama who spent one year in Tuscaloosa after teaming up with Olave and Wilson at Ohio State.

While Williams is coming off of a torn ACL, his season with the Crimson Tide made him one of the best receiving prospects in this Draft. As a result, Jared Goff now has a No. 1 receiver who caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 19 touchdowns en route to earning first-team All-American honors.