Kelsey Plum drops out of UnRivaled, Kyle Buch reflects on his record, and Tom Brady stirs up excitement in Las Vegas. Let’s talk last week in Las Vegas sports news (Nov 23 -29).
#5 Las Vegas Raiders fall short of beating the Kansas City Chiefs
The Las Vegas Raiders can’t catch a break, and Black Friday was no different. This time, the team took on the Kansas City Chiefs in a 19-17 loss that had fans on the edge. Aidan O’Connell was even leading the Raiders down the field for what could have been the game-winning drive. He honestly looked like he might successfully pull off the fourth-quarter comeback after a beast of throws to Brock Bowers.
Unfortunately, a miscommunication at the snap sent the ball flying onto the ground. The Chiefs managed to recover the lucky fumble and seal the Raiders’ ninth straight loss.
Aidan O’Connell finished the game with 23 of 35 completions for 340 yards, two touchdowns, and the deciding fumble. He also managed some brilliant passes, including a 33-yard dart to Brock Bowers for his first touchdown of the game.
#4 Kelsey Plum backs out of UnRivaled League
Kelsey Plum is dropping out of the UnRivaled basketball league only a week after A’ja Wilson declined to compete. She was drafted to the Laces alongside Alyssa Thomas, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams.
The departure is significant because it leaves the league three players short. UnRivaled first left two wild card spots open in hopes of courting a surprise acquisition, but it hasn’t worked out yet. Now Plum has dropped out, leaving the Laces and the UnRivaled league in trouble.
“I’ve decided to not take part in the inaugural season of Unrivaled to take some more time for myself this offseason,” Plum posted in an Instagram story on Wednesday. “I appreciate the league’s understanding and being so accommodating. I wish the league and all of the players nothing but the best and I’m excited to watch!”
#3 Kyle Busch comments on losing his legendary winning streak
There will never be another Kyle Busch. The Las Vegas native notched 19 consecutive seasons with at least one victory. This is a NASCAR record previously set by Richard Petty.
Unfortunately, Busch failed to win a race in 2024 and didn’t qualify for the playoffs either. It’s the first time in a decade that he failed to qualify for the postseason. He ended his season with five top-fives, ten top-tens, and an average finish of 18th. D
“Certainly frustrating,” Busch said about his poor performance in 2024. “Just not at all what we had hoped it to be after some success last year… We probably had a handful of opportunities that slipped out from under us.”
#2 Las Vegas Golden Knights get shut out by the Utah Hockey Club
The Las Vegas Golden Knights were shut out 6-0 by the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday in what has to be their toughest loss of the year. This is also the Golden Knights’ second shutout of the season, leaving many fans in shock.
Utah hit the gas pedal early with four goals in the first period alone, making Ilya Samsonov look like a fool. The usually white-hot Las Vegas Golden Knights never managed to respond.
Samsonov blocked 22 of the 28 shots sent his way on Saturday for a GAA of .786 and a record of 5-3 as a starter. The night before, the team played the Winnipeg Jets with Adin Hill tending. Hill managed to stop 22 of 25 shots for a GAA of .880%.
#1 Tom Brady will have “dominant voice” with the Las Vegas Raiders
Tom Brady purchased a 5% ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders in October, which has many fans speculating. Some even believe Brady will have the “dominant voice” in the room. Hondo Carpenter spoke about this during a recent episode of the Raiders Insider podcast.
“[Tom Brady] is going to have a loud [voice], and as much as Mark Davis lets him, he could be the most dominant voice,” Carpenter said.“I suspect that Mark Davis is going to let Tom Brady have the most dominant voice…”
This means that changes are most likely on the way for the Raiders organization. With Brady at the helm, his choice of quarterback and head coach will probably be one of the bigger storylines of the offseason.
Hondo Carpenter also takes a jab at who the next head coach will be if Antonio Pierce gets fired. He cautions everyone that he doesn’t know if that will happen yet but believes he knows who the replacement will be.
“If they move on from Antonio [Pierce], I believe Mike Vrabel will be the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” Carpenter said. “I am in no way advocating for moving on from Antonio, at all, and I want to make that clear. But I believe that if they move on from him, it will be Mike Vrabel. He has a great relationship with [Tom] Brady. They are very close.”
