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NFL schedule leaks reveal exciting matchups including games in Australia, Brazil, and Paris, while the Giannis trade market heats up with Milwaukee holding little leverage. Wembanyama's dominant performance pushed Minnesota to the brink of eliminatio
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Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Today on the show: the NFL schedule leaks are rolling in and we've got some great matchups on the slate, the Giannis trade market is officially open for business, Wemby put the Wolves on the brink of elimination, and we lost Brandon Clarke way too young. Let's get into it.
The NFL schedule doesn't officially drop until Thursday night, but the leaks are coming fast and I am eating it up. Let's run through what we know. The season kicks off Wednesday, September ninth — the Seahawks hosting their brand new stadium opener. Thursday night, September tenth, Niners and Rams in Melbourne, Australia on Netflix. That's the first time the NFL has gone to Australia, and they picked the right matchup. Week One Sunday night, Cowboys at Giants. And the first Monday Night Football game of the year — Chiefs hosting the Broncos.
The thing with that Chiefs opener — Mahomes tore his ACL last season. He's been rehabbing all offseason. Giving him that Monday night slot buys him a couple extra days, and honestly, the league probably wanted to make sure their biggest star is out there for prime time. Smart scheduling.
Week Two on Thursday Night Football — Lions and Bills on Prime Video. Two of the best rosters in the league, short week, that game is gonna be massive. And then the international slate is just stacked. Nine games across seven countries. Ravens and Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro — the first NFL game ever in Brazil. Saints and Steelers in Paris during Week Seven. Bengals and Falcons in Madrid. Vikings and Niners in Mexico City the week of Thanksgiving. Oh, and there's a Thanksgiving Eve game this year. That's never happened before. The NFL just keeps expanding the calendar and honestly, I'm here for it. More football is more football.
We're also still watching the Rodgers situation in Pittsburgh. He's forty-two, Tomlin's gone, McCarthy's in — and look, Rodgers played under McCarthy for thirteen years in Green Bay so the familiarity is there. But OTAs start May eighteenth and the Steelers would really like him under contract before that. ESPN's Brooke Pryor flagged that date. If Rodgers isn't signed by then, it gets weird fast. And the A.J. Brown trade watch is still simmering. June first is the magic date where dead cap penalties get cut in half. The Patriots want him. The Eagles seem willing to move him. We're just waiting on the paperwork at this point.
Over in the NBA, Wemby is doing Wemby things. The Spurs crushed the Wolves one twenty-six to ninety-seven in Game Five. San Antonio leads that series three games to two and can close it out Friday in Minneapolis. Wembanyama went for twenty-seven points, seventeen rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. He's averaging four point four blocks per game this postseason. That's not a typo. The dude set a playoff record with twelve blocks in Game One of this series and he just hasn't slowed down. Anthony Edwards had eight points at the half on two of five shooting. Julius Randle had six on two of seven. Minnesota looked lost. The Spurs shot fifty-three percent as a team and Keldon Johnson added twenty-one. If the Wolves can't figure something out on their home floor Friday, this series is done.
Quick context on the Cavs and Pistons — Game Four was Monday night so it's a couple days old, but Game Five is tonight in Detroit so you need to know the setup. Donovan Mitchell went for forty-three points, thirty-nine of them in the second half. He tied Sleepy Floyd's record for most points in a playoff half. The Cavs scored twenty-two straight to open the third quarter and evened the series at two games apiece. That one's gonna be fun tonight.
And the OKC Thunder are eight and oh in the playoffs. Swept the Suns. Swept the Lakers. They're the fourth defending champion to win their first eight games of a postseason. That team is terrifying.
We also gotta talk about Brandon Clarke. The Grizzlies forward passed away Monday at twenty-nine years old. His death is being investigated as a possible overdose. Clarke played his entire seven-year career in Memphis after being drafted twenty-first overall in twenty nineteen. He averaged ten points and five and a half rebounds over his career. He'd only played two games this season due to a calf injury. Adam Silver called him a beloved teammate who played with enormous passion and grit. Twenty-nine years old. Just devastating.
In the NHL, the Sabres evened their series with Montreal at two games apiece. Zach Benson scored the go-ahead goal on the power play in the third and Buffalo held on three to two. And Vegas took a three to two series lead over Anaheim on a Pavel Dorofeyev overtime winner. Game Five at T-Mobile Arena. Dorofeyev had two goals on the night.
Here's the Hangover Take. The Giannis trade market is officially open and the Bucks want a young blue-chip player or a boatload of picks. Cool. Good luck with that. Because everyone knows Milwaukee has zero leverage. Giannis has made it clear he wants out. They went thirty-two and fifty. They missed the playoffs AND the play-in. The Knicks, Celtics, Wolves, and Lakers are all circling. And every single one of those front offices knows the Bucks HAVE to move him. You don't get to demand a king's ransom when the whole league knows the king already has his bags packed. Whoever gets Giannis is getting a thirty-one-year-old two-time MVP who still averaged twenty-seven and a half points in thirty-one games this year. That's an incredible return. But the Bucks are gonna end up settling for less than they think, because that's what happens when everyone in the room knows you're desperate. Milwaukee's rebuild just started whether they like it or not.
That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.