Chicago Sports

The Chicago Bulls host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night, after three days of rest following Wednesday’s loss to New Orleans.

The 6-7 Chicago Bulls look to upset the 8-4 Denver Nuggets at the United Center Sunday night, after dropping Wednesday’s game against the Pelicans. The Bulls find themselves at 2-point underdogs at the time of writing for the second consecutive game.

Tonight’s game will see the first case of a very well rested Chicago Bulls squad, as the Bulls welcome their first case of three days of rest to the schedule. Tonight will mark the sixth straight game for Denver playing on one day of rest. They snapped a four-game win streak on Friday night, losing on the road in Boston 131-112.

Now turning to the best bet blogs, we have got some work to do folks. After a strong 6-2 start, we have lost our you-know-what’s off, and I plan on that stopping today. We’re leaving the props on the table tonight and finding what looks to be a strong spot to back our Bulls at home! Best of luck, see some red, and GO BULLS!!

2022 Chicago Bulls Best Bet Record: 6-7 (5 Game L Streak!!)

Chicago Bulls +2 (Sportsbook odds may vary)

I am taking a swing with the Chicago Bulls getting a couple of points tonight at the UC. Despite the loss on Wednesday, also as two-point dogs, listing the Bulls at the same number against a better team in my opinion is an indicator that the oddsmakers think Chicago has a chance of winning this game.

It appears that oddsmakers are taking a stance with the Bulls, in hopes that bettors will flock to the Nuggets at an incredibly reasonable number. Having tracked NBA lines around the league with success, I can say confidently that I would take the Bulls at this number, even if I was a neutral player that was not expected to make a play on every single Chicago Bulls game. In my opinion, if Denver was going to cruise to a victory, they would have been posted at the very least at 4.5 point favorites.

Beyond the line reading and pricing of odds, the Bulls have a few other favorable trends or indicators. Last season, these teams matched up twice against each other, with the Bulls taking both contests. Nikola Jokic was active for only one of the two games, and additionally, Lonzo Ball was active for the Bulls in both contests. Zach LaVine was the star of both of those meetings in 2021, scoring over 30 in each game. If I had to take a player prop tonight, I’d probably head to Zach’s over.

I don’t always give gambling trends, as I think some are coincidental, but occasionally there are some that I think are less of a coincidence, and potentially a decent indicator. The Bulls are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games having three or more days of rest. Some teams come out rusty with rest, the Bulls under Billy Donovan have been great. Trends for one day of rest seem coincidental to me, but significant positive or negative records on no days off, or like this case with multiple days off, are worth looking at.

Another one to mention, the Bulls are 18-7 against the spread in their last 25 Sunday games. Day of the week is certainly less of an indicator than the days off trend, but it feels worth mentioning.

Let’s get ourselves back into the win column and even both our best bet record and the Bulls overall record! Best of luck, and GO BULLS!!

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

Read More

Sixteen students from St. Ignatius College Prep were injured when a tractor-trailer rig crashed into their bus Saturday evening in Indiana.

The speeding and swerving semi struck the bus around 8 p.m. in Warsaw, about 50 miles south of South Bend, Warsaw police said in a statement.

On board the bus were 23 students and two coaches. The St. Ignatius junior varsity boys hockey team was headed to a hotel after competing in a tournament earlier in the day at Culver (Ind.) Military Academy.

Police said they arrested the truck driver on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Charges have not been announced. Officers on the scene “detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and in the cab of the semi,” according to police.

The bus driver was turning left off U.S. 30 when the semi driver went through a red light and struck the rear of the bus, flipping the bus on its side, police said.

The semi driver was stopped less than a mile away from the intersection after driving off the roadway and into a ditch, police said.

Three of students were in “very critical” condition after the crash, but had been upgraded to “stable” condition by Sunday morning, Warsaw Police Capt. Brad Kellar said.

Ten other people on the bus were uninjured, police said. The students were between 14 and 17 years old.

Police said they already were responding to calls reporting a semi driver “swerving into other lanes and driving at excessive speed” before being alerted that the driver had crashed into the school bus.

An official from St. Ignatius said a Mass for the students was being planned for Monday.

“Our heartfelt prayers are with our students and their families,” the school official said.

Read More

The two most awkward weeks to do rankings have arrived. I did my best to mix in the teams still playing with teams eliminated from the larger classes.

The top five has remained remarkably stable for awhile. That will likely change this weekend, as there are several clashes between the area’s elite. The semifinals should be excellent.

York’s crowd against Glenbard West was massive, and even with the lousy winter weather, the envigorated fanbase in Elmhurst should provide an interesting challenge for Loyola. There are rumors that Mount Carmel vs. St. Rita will be televised. Glenbard West vs. Lincoln-Way East is a battle of two of the state’s most successful and consistent programs. St. Ignatius at Prairie Ridge is an intriguing, unique matchup.

New additions this week are St. Ignatius, Providence, Morris and St. Francis. The Wolfpack was ranked in the preseason. This is the season debut for Providence, which has knocked off Joliet Catholic and Richmond-Burton (two of the Class 4A title favorites) so far in the playoffs.

Week 13’s Super 25With record and last week’s ranking

1. Mount Carmel (12-0) 17A: at No. 6 St. Rita

2. Loyola (11-1) 28A: at No. 4 York

3. Lincoln-Way East (12-0) 38A: vs. No. 5 Glenbard West

4. York (12-0) 48A: vs. No. 2 Loyola

5. Glenbard West (11-1) 58A: at No. 3 Lincoln-Way East

6. St. Rita (10-2) 6vs. No. 1 Mount Carmel

7. Lemont (12-0) 76A: vs. East St. Louis

8. Prairie Ridge (11-1) 116A: vs. No. 21 St. Ignatius

9. Batavia (9-3) 137A: at No. 10 Lake Zurich

10. Lake Zurich (11-1) 147A: vs. No. 9 Batavia

11. Sycamore (12-0) 165A: vs. No. 12 Nazareth

12. Nazareth (8-4) 245A: at No. 11 Sycamore

13. Maine South (9-3) 9Season complete

14. Crete-Monee (9-3) 10Season complete

15. St. Charles North (10-2) 12Season complete

16. Warren (10-2) 8Season complete

17. Lyons (9-3) 18Season complete

18. Marist (8-3) 19Season complete

19. Simeon (10-1) 20Season complete

20. Hersey (10-1) 22Season complete

21. St. Ignatius (10-2) NR6A: at No. 8 Prairie Ridge

22. Providence (8-4) NR4A: at No. 25 St. Francis

23. Morris (10-2) NR5A: at Peoria

24. IC Catholic (11-1) 253A: vs. Byron

25. St. Francis (11-1) NR4A: vs. Rochester

Read More

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, the Bears’ best defensive player, will play Sunday against the Lions.

The Bears had called him questionable to play because of an oblique injury that Johnson casually referred to as a “battle wound” Thursday.

Starting right guard Teven Jenkins won’t play after being limited the last two practices with a hip injury. Veteran Michael Schofield is expected to take his place.

Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad won’t play because of a knee injury.

The Bears will once again sit receiver Velus Jones, the rookie third-round pick. He was a healthy scratch for the first time last week against the Dolphins, and said he knows he needs to improve.

Receiver Byron Pringle who was activated from injured reserve Saturday, is active. He hurt his calf in late September and returned to practice two weeks ago. To make room for Pringle, the Bears are sitting receiver N’Keal Harry, the former first-round pick. Harry played 28 percent of the Bears’ offensive snaps last week, the fewest of any of the team’s receivers.

“You can’t have six or seven receivers up, which we beg for each week,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said this week.

Cornerback Kindle Vildor was ruled out Friday; he hurt his ankle on the second defensive play of the Dolphins game. The Bears are sitting cornerback Harrison Hand and guard Ja’Tyre Carter, too.

Read More

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Some NHL wingers can play either side almost interchangeably.

Until this season, Blackhawks forward MacKenzie Entwistle wasn’t one of them. A right-handed shot, he only had played right wing and a little bit of center; he never truly had played left wing.

But Hawks coach Luke Richardson has changed that recently, slotting Entwistle at left wing on the third line. As it turns out, he enjoys it.

”Skating through the neutral zone, everything is now on your backhand,” Entwistle said Friday. ”But it’s nice getting into the zone. You can open your body up, and everything is a one-timer.”

Added Richardson: ”It’s a tough spot for a big, lanky guy to play on his off-wing. There are a lot of pucks in your feet. . . . But he’s versatile. For a coach, a utility player is great to have on your team. And he’s a bright-eyed young kid. He’s always listening, learning and trying to put that into his game.”

As a lefty on the right side, Patrick Kane has spent his whole career playing on his off-wing. So Entwistle — even as a much different style of forward — has studied Kane’s tendencies and talked with him about the adjustment.

Regular linemates Jason Dickinson and Sam Lafferty also have helped Entwistle, although Dickinson missed the Hawks’ game Saturday against the Ducks with an illness and was replaced on the line by Boris Katchouk.

Entwistle’s biggest adjustment has been in the defensive zone. When he picks up pucks along the boards while facing his own net, he now does so on his forehand rather than on his backhand. That makes it easier for him to identify and make a play to orchestrate a breakout.

”Being able to look around your left shoulder is a little easier than, when your body is on your backhand, looking across and seeing what’s coming down your right side,” Entwistle said. ”Most [defensemen] pinch down, so it’s a tough play, trying to pick it up on your backhand and trying to make a play to the middle or a play out.”

In addition to the wing switch, Entwistle has taken on power-play duties this season for the first time in his career. He has averaged 1 minute, 54 seconds of power-play ice time per game on the second unit after previously receiving less than five total minutes of power-play time in his first two NHL seasons.

In those situations — and in general during attacking shifts — he’s working on holding on to pucks longer down low, taking advantage of the extra eight pounds (boosting his weight to 200) he added to his 6-3 frame during the offseason.

That’s all part of Entwistle’s plan to repurpose himself gradually into a middle-six, two-way threat rather than purely a bottom-six grinder. He mentioned Lightning forward Alex Killorn as a best-case comparison during training camp.

”Killorn [is] a guy with a bigger frame that can move,” Entwistle said. ”He protects the puck so well, takes pucks to the net. . . . That’s something I definitely want to be. Whether I get to that point or not, ultimately that’s going to be up to me. But it’s definitely attainable.”

So far this season, there’s not much in the numbers to suggest a Killorn-esque breakout is imminent. Entwistle entered the game Saturday with two points — both assists — in 13 games while producing the fewest individual scoring chances per minute among Hawks forwards at five-on-five.

He is only 23, however, and clearly is motivated to improve.

”He’s a guy we can count on for pretty much anything,” Richardson said. ”So we hope he just keeps building his game.”

Read More

ANAHEIM, Calif. — There’s something in the Honda Center ice that gives Jarred Tinordi an extra spark.

For the second year in a row, Tinordi took a shot from the left point just inside the left-side blue line in Anaheim, had it deflect flukily off a Ducks defender and past Ducks goalie Anthony Stolarz.

When it happened in January, it gave the Rangers a third-period lead they never relinquished. And when it happened Saturday, it gave the Blackhawks a lead with 2:42 left that they preserved for a 3-2 win.

“Maybe it’s the building that’s got me some good vibes out there,” Tinordi joked.

The journeyman defenseman doubled his previous NHL career goal total with two strikes Saturday, and the first one was actually far more impressive than the second. Uncharacteristically racing behind the Ducks’ defense, Tinordi received a well-placed Max Domi pass and deked around Stolarz to give the Hawks life in the first period.

That goal completely turned the momentum of the game, which had started out completely slanted in the Ducks’ favor. The hosts had raced out to a 2-0 lead with a 15-1 shots advantage as the Hawks looked inexcusably slow and weak from the opening faceoff.

“[Tinordi] had a great game for us,” coach Luke Richardson said. “He was the only one that was really into the game, other than our goaltender, early on. We got our feet under us [when] that goal kinda got us some momentum.”

The Hawks’ pair of Swedes, goaltender Arvid Soderblom and defenseman Filip Roos, both also delivered strong performances to help the Hawks’ contingent of dads witness a win — the Hawks’ first in regulation since Oct. 25.

Roos scored his first career goal to tie the game in the second period. Soderblom continued his fantastic autumn by stopping 39 of 41 shots, including a massive save on a 3-on-1 rush shortly before Tinordi’s go-ahead goal.

“You never want to start the game down 2-0,” Tinordi said. “If you can get one after that, it gets you feeling good, gets you moving in the right direction… We really picked our game up heading into the third period, and that’s what we really needed.”

Read More

Junior Braden Tischer and senior Jimmy Curtin are a year apart in school but as close as can be as partners in the Lincoln-Way East passing game.

“They played together growing up here and were big-time players for the Frankfort Falcons back in the day,” Griffins coach Rob Zvonar said.

Now they’re making big plays for a Lincoln-Way East offense that isn’t as run-heavy as in past years. Tischer found Curtin open twice in the first half for touchdowns of 23 and 80 yards, getting the Griffins off and running to a 35-14 victory Saturday afternoon over visiting Warren in the Class 8A quarterfinals.

Tischer completed 12 of 16 passes for 151 yards, with Curtin making five catches for 111 yards.

On the 80-yarder, which helped stake Lincoln-Way East (12-0) to a 14-0 halftime lead, Curtin took a short pass and went into another gear to run away from the Warren defense down the right sideline.

“Coaches were making fun of me the last 5-10 yards, said I looked a little slow,” Curtin said with a smile. “But I scored so it’s all right.”

It’s an example of offseason work — three or four days of speed drills every week with his uncle, former college football player Kevin Curtin — paying off. “I feel like I got faster for sure,” Jimmy Curtin said.

“He’s been working on his speed in the offseason and it showed,” Tischer said. “But I mean, now it’s like another level of speed and he just accelerated past everyone. That was something special to watch.”

It’s not like Lincoln-Way East is going to abandon what is an effective running game. James Kwiecinski grinded out 20 carries for 86 yards on Saturday and Petey Olaleye added 46 yards on 11 runs.

But the Griffins have the personnel to do damage in the passing game and will do so if the opportunity presents itself as it did on Saturday.

“In the past we’ve run a lot, and to just air it out a little more today felt great,” Tischer said. “Especially for me to show off what I can do and what our receivers can do. And our O-line did a great job blocking.

“We saw that [the Blue Devils] like to man up so we knew we had to have some one-on-one battles there on the outside. And that was our focus for the week on offense.”

Tischer’s third TD pass of the day, a six-yarder to Olaleye, pushed the lead to 21-0 through three quarters. Kwiecinski added a 24-yard touchdown run early in the fourth and when Warren fumbled the kickoff, Dylan Weathers ran it back for another TD and a 35-0 lead with 8:55 remaining.

Warren (10-2) didn’t quit, scoring a pair of TDs on a blocked punt return by Jaden Turner and on Adam Behrens’ pass to Niko Mantzoros. But it wasn’t enough to prevent the Griffins from advancing to the semifinals for the eighth time.

“You don’t expect it to be 35-0,” Zvonar said. “Just a great all-around effort on ‘O,’ ‘D’ and specials to be able to control a game. … It’s unbelievable.”

Read More

Mount Carmel’s first drive flamed out quickly. It appeared the matchup between the Caravan and South Side Catholic rivals Brother Rice could become a defensive battle. Well, at least for a few minutes.

Then Mount Carmel quarterback Blainey Dowling found Damarion Arrington sprinting down the middle of the field. Arrington caught the pass and raced past the last two defenders for a 64-yard touchdown and the rout was on.

The host Caravan beat Brother Rice 48-12 to clinch a spot in the Class 7A state semifinals.

“I saw the safety move over and I knew we were good,” Arrington said. “We had to come out and set the tone on offense. That’s what we do.”

Mount Carmel (12-0) led 40-0 at halftime, which led to a running clock in the second half. Brother Rice (7-5) didn’t score on the Caravan’s first team defense. The regular season matchup between the two teams was competitive, with Mount Carmel winning 28-21 at Brother Rice.

“In the first game we didn’t have [linebacker Parker Startz],” Arrington said. “Today we had Parker. That made all the difference and we were ready.”

Darrion Dupree, the Caravan’s star running back, was injured in Week 9 against Loyola and won’t be back this season. Mount Carmel is still finding its way without him. But the passing attack is peaking at just the right time.

“It’s going to take weeks to learn how to play without Dupree,” Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch said. “But we found our rhythm. It started out a little slow but the defense was flying around all night and that kind of made [Brother Rice] one dimensional.

Dowling was 15 of 26 for 319 yards and five touchdowns. He didn’t play in the second half.

“When we win it is nothing crazy like how they stormed the field last year,” Dowling said. “When we win, that’s the Carmel way right there.”

Senior Denny Furlong caught a 43-yard and a 16-yard touchdown pass. Jaden Bossie hauled in a 20-yard touchdown and Danyil Taylor Jr. had a three-yard scoring grab.

“Furlong’s catch, oh my gosh,” Dowling said. “That kid is a freak athlete. All the guys are making me look good.”

Mount Carmel’s special teams had a major moment as well. Vince Winters blocked a punt deep in Brother Rice territory and DJ White-Payne fell on the ball in the end zone for the touchdown that made it 34-0.

“It was just a great special teams play,” White-Payne. “I just love this team so much. I’m blessed to be around all of them.”

The Caravan will travel to St. Rita for the semifinals next weekend. Mount Carmel beat St. Rita 35-3 at home in the season opener.

“It’s a great rivalry and a great tradition,” Lynch said. “They are probably the most improved team in the whole entire state from what I saw today and the last few weeks watching them play. Those guys play hard and they are running the crap out of the ball and playing great defense.”

Read More

The Chicago Bears will have a speed threat back in Week 10

The Chicago Bears wide receiver corps was noticeably better against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 after the addition of Chase Claypool. The Bears had been dealing with injuries this season, with multiple vital targets for second-year quarterback Justin Fields. Fields should have another speedy wide receiver to throw the ball to against the Detroit Lions in Week 10.

According to a statement by the Bears, wide receiver Byron Pringle has been activated from the injured reserve. The Bears will activate defensive end Gerri Green and cornerback Harrison Hand who have been on the practice squad.

Pringle was placed on injured reserve in late September after sustaining a calf injury in late September during the Bears’ win over the Houston Texans. The Bears will have a much more healthy and skilled group than they had in early October, with Pringle and N’Keal Harry finally healthy to join the tandem of Darnell Mooney and Claypool.

Hand’s activation from the practice squad makes sense with the Bears’ injury report on Friday. Kindle Vildor has been ruled out against the Lions. Jaylon Johnson is questionable to play Sunday.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

Read More

The first sack in Nazareth’s 29-0 shutout of Morgan Park on Saturday was by freshman Lesroy Tittle. Then later in the first quarter sophomore Gabe Kaminski got in on the action, sacking Mustangs quarterback Marcus Thaxton.

It was that kind of afternoon for Morgan Park, which was overwhelmed by the young Roadrunners in a Class 5A state quarterfinal game in LaGrange Park.

“Our coaching staff is the best in the state so we were prepared,” Kaminski said. “[Morgan Park] played exactly how we thought they would.”

Nazareth relied on its rushing game offensively. Sophomore Alexander Angulo had 21 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Justin Taylor contributed 53 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

“There has been so much growth from Week 1 until now,” Roadrunners quarterback Logan Malachuk, a sophomore, said. “We have come together now and are looking pretty good.”

Malachuk, who took over as the starter late last season, was 7 of 11 for 55 yards with one interception.

Nazareth (8-4) lost four of its first six games. All of the losses were to ranked teams, but it is unique to see a team recover from a 2-4 start and make the state semifinals.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding for me,” Roadrunners coach Tim Racki said. “I’ve never had this many young kids. I didn’t yell at them early. I kept picking them up and they responded to that. About Week 7 we really saw the maturing and they knew they belonged up here.The seniors were always patient with them. It was like raising a kid. You see them grow in to men and now I took the training wheels off and I’m a proud dad.”

Nazareth will be on the road against undefeated Sycamore in the semifinals.

Morgan Park (10-2) played most of the game without star junior Tysean Griffin. The talented junior had seven carries for 23 yards.

“We knew he was only 50 or 60 percent healthy but he’s our guy and we wanted to give him a chance,” Mustangs coach Chris James said. “But he wasn’t even close to being who he needed to be.”

Sophomore quarterback Marcus Thaxton was 9 for 21 passing for 99 yards with one interception. Junior Chris Durr had six catches for 76 yards.

“They had the most speed we’ve seen since Kankakee,” Racki said. “But the boys responded to our game plan. It was an incredible defensive performance. I did not think we would shut them out.”

Morgan Park battled with bad field position throughout the first half and was unable to connect on a big offensive play in the game.

“We’re a young team,” James said. “I don’t want to downplay the contribution the seniors made but we have a heck of a group coming back, just losing four starters. So we will get back to work and keep building.”

Read More