Get ready, because we have a lot to talk about. Come on a wild ride as we examine what happened last week in Las Vegas sports (Sept 18 – 24)!
#5 Kyle Busch faces uphill battle after early exit at Texas Motor Speedway
Kyle Busch’s championship hopes have taken a massive hit after his racecar violently spun and backed into the wall at Texas Motor Speedway. The incident occurred only a few laps after the Las Vegas native told his team about possible tire issues and came at a horrible time for Rowdy. Unfortunately, the early exit puts him dead last in the standings and 17 points off the cut line.
He now has to make up those points at some of the most challenging tracks in the playoffs. The first is Talladega Super Speedway, where drivers ride around at speeds of 190 MPH, jockeying for position. One wrong move can turn the field into a junkyard and put Kyle Busch in a must-win situation.
And then there’s the Charlotte Roval for a brutal cutoff race. The track is designed to utilize the turns of Charlotte Motor Speedway while also fixing the infield into an awesome road course. Busch needs good finishes on both these tracks, which is difficult without good luck. He does have two wins at Talladega, though, marking his best chance at victory.
#4 The Las Vegas Aces top the Dallas Wings in game one of round two
The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Dallas Wings 97-83 to take a one-game lead in the second round of the playoffs! The effort was led by A’ja Wilson, who scored 34 points, one assist, and eight rebounds. Jackie Young also impressed with 19 points, seven assists, and ten rebounds.
The victory is a great way to start the series and improves their undefeated streak to three straight games in the playoffs. The Aces now need two more wins over Dallas to make it to their third WNBA Finals appearance in 4 years. The Dallas Wings might not be pushovers, though.
The Aces and Wings went blow for blow in the first two periods. Las Vegas outscored the Wings 20-19 in the first quarter. They then outscored The Mercury 29-26 in the second period for a four-point lead. That means they were only separated by five points at halftime. The Aces then went on to outscore the Wings by 14 and extend the lead to 19! The Aces always seem to grind out most of their wins in the second half.
#3 Las Vegas Golden Knights App offering free trial during preseason
The Knighttime+ is coming to the rescue for many Golden Knights fans by providing streaming access this season! You can now simply download the Knighttime+ app to watch games and pay a nominal fee to see all the action.
The fee is a little disappointing, but there are a couple of things to note. The first is that the preseason games are free for new users, giving people a chance to check out the app. The streaming service also has some reasonable options. These include a $69 per year plan or $6 for any game.
“The creation of KnightTime+ is a significant advancement for our organization and, most importantly, our incredible fanbase that can’t get enough of the Golden Knights,” team president Kerry Bubolz said in a statement.
Scripts Sports has also announced a deal with the Knights that allows fans to watch the games via antenna. This is great news for fans who thought they might miss the season and could be a reliable option.
According to TVAnswerMan.com, “NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights earlier this year announced a new multi-year agreement with Scripps Sports to broadcast all Golden Knights non-national games for free to residents of Nevada and surrounding states in the team’s TV territory, starting with the 2023-24 season. The games will air on the local Las Vegas station, KMCC-TV, also known as Vegas 34, which used to air programming from ION. Scripps’ national network.”
Ranking every Las Vegas sports team by net worth
#2 Anonymous NFL Executive calls Chandler Jones’ situation a death blow for Raiders
Chandler Jones is an ongoing storyline in the NFL this season, and other teams are taking notice. Sports Illustrated interviewed NFL executives around the league and asked about the Chandler Jones problem.
“I am sorry, but the Chandler Jones fiasco has been a real death blow,” an executive told Sports Illustrated. “He wasn’t playing great, as many defensive linemen over 30 do, but he was playing with effort. To have lost him before the season and having to carry him on the roster is brutal. (Tyree) Wilson is a machine, but we all knew he was raw coming out.”
#1 Las Vegas Raiders Fall short in home opener against the Steelers
The Las Vegas Raiders fell to 1-2 this week after suffering a 23-18 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game started out pretty promising, with Jimmy Garoppollo finding Davante Adams for a touchdown in the first quarter. This is sadly the only offensive highlight of the first half and indicates that there needs to be changes.
The Steelers led 13-7 at halftime and piled on ten points in the third to extend the lead to 23-7. This is where Las Vegas finally responded with another touchdown to Adams and a two-two-point conversion. Despite this 11-point comeback, the Steelers still managed to run out the clock and win.
Jimmy Garoppolo completed 22 of 33 passes for 284 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. That brings Garoppollo to four touchdowns and six interceptions this season and may force the Raicers to bench him. Joshua Jacobs didn’t have a great night either, taking 13 carries for 49 yards and 3.8 yards a carry.
The Raiders aren’t in panic mode yet, but they are inching closer with games like this. They seem to be the same team that they were last year. The offense fails to produce when needed, and the defense never seems to get the opposing team off the field. It’s just a vicious cycle and hard to watch.
Next: How The Las Vegas Aces can win The AFC West
