Two blogs in one today.  Due to various issues, yesterday’s blog did not go out.  Results that would have been in yesterday are here today.  

The Miami Heat will return to the court tomorrow, at the AAA, against Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and the rest of the San Antonio Spurs.  The Heat will be without forward Shane Battier for a few games due to a knee strain.  The number of games is yet to be determined, although Battier said he would be “back in a few”.  Battier is a very important part of the “speed-ball” offense the Heat run.  Rashard Lewis is probably the best solution for additional playing time to keep that same offense running, although he is a liability on defense.  The safest choice for the team would probably be Udonis Haslem, but he has struggled offensively the last two seasons.  However, his solid defense, rebounding, and leadership are a definite plus.  Look for Mike Miller, who is healthy again, to get a lot of playing time as well until Battier is healthy enough to return to the starting lineup.  After the game against the Spurs, the Heat welcome the Brooklyn Nets to the AAA on Saturday, go on a quick trip to Washington DC for a game against the Wizards on Tuesday, and they return home for six straight games, beginning with the Knicks on Thursday, December 6th.

Last night in the NBA, 

Phoenix 91 Cleveland 78

Goran Dragic had 19 points and 7 assists.  Michael Beasley added 15 points

Philadelphia 100 Dallas 98

Evan Turner scored 22 points, Thaddeus Young added 20

Houston 117 Toronto 101

Jeremy Lin and James Harden combined for 40 points and 22 assists

Minnesota 97 Sacramento 89

Kevin Love led the way with 23 points and 24 rebounds

Indiana 79 LA Lakers 77

George Hill scored a basket with 0.1 seconds left in the game to give the Pacers the win.  The Lakers got 40 points from Kobe Bryant but the team was only 23-43 from the free-throw line.

Monday night's results in the NBA,

Brooklyn 96 New York 89 (ot)

The first round in the battle of New York goes to the Nets, thanks to double-doubles from Brook Lopez and Deron Williams.  

San Antonio 118 Washington 92

Seven Spurs finished with double figures in points.  The Wizards have yet to win a game this season and have 12 losses.

Detroit 108 Portland 101

Brandon Knight scored 26 points

Milwaukee 93 Chicago 92

Ekpe Udoh hit the winning basket with 57 seconds left in the game as the Bucks overcame a 27-point deficit late in the third quarter.

Memphis 84 Cleveland 78

Zack Randolph and Marc Gason scored 19 points each.

Oklahoma City 114 Charlotte 69

The Thunder led by 40 at halftime.

Utah 105 Denver 103

Derrick Favors hit three free throws in the final 40 seconds of the game

New Orleans 105 LA Clippers 98

Greivis Vazquez scored 25 points and dished out 10 assists

Tonight’s games:

Portland @ Washington 7:00 pm

San Antonio @ Orlando 7:00 pm

Brooklyn @ Boston                   7:30 pm

Charlotte @ Atlanta         7:30 pm

Phoenix @ Detroit         7:30 pm

Houston @ Oklahoma City 8:00 pm NBA-TV

Dallas @ Chicago 8:00 pm

New York @ Milwaukee         8:00 pm

Toronto @ Memphis         8:00 pm

Utah @ New Orleans         8:00 pm

Minnesota @ LA Clippers         10:30 pm

The Tampa Bay Rays and third baseman Evan Longoria signed a long-term contract extension that will keep Longoria in Tampa for a long time.  Longoria will now earn $136 million from 2013 through 2022, with a club option for 2023.  

The Cincinnati Reds and Jonathan Broxton are in agreement on a new three-year contract, a move that could signal that Aroldis Chapman will move from closer to the starting rotation.

USA Baseball announced the complete coaching staff for the upcoming 2013 World Baseball Classic.  Manager Joe Torre will be assisted by Larry Bowa, who will be his bench coach, Willie Randolph will be the third-base coach, Marcel Lachemann will be the bullpen and pitching coach.  Greg Maddux will also coach the pitchers, and Dale Murphy and Gerald Perry round out the staff.

Phillies All-Star catcher Carlos Ruiz was suspended for 25 games for testing positive for an amphetamine.  The suspension will cost him close to $800,000 of his $5 million annual salary.  Ruiz will serve the suspension the first 25 games of the 2013 season.  He is eligible to play and participate in Spring Training. 

The Winter Meetings start next Monday, December 3rd, in Nashville.  I fully expect a lot of trade activity during those meetings, as well as decisions on some of the popular names among the free agents, such as Josh Hamilton, Zack Greinke, Mike Napoli, Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher, Adam LaRoche, Kyle Lohse, and former Marlins Cody Ross and Anibal Sanchez.  The Boston Red Sox look like they’re trying to get a head start on these meetings, and they are involved in talks with Ross, Napoli, LaRoche, and Swisher.

The Yankees are very close to reaching a deal with Andy Pettite. a one-year deal for $11 million, and are hopeful of reaching agreement with Mariano Rivera this week.   

Outfielder BJ Upton still expects to make a decision this week on where he is going to sign, and the clubhouse leader at this point may be the Atlanta Braves.  

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Free agent outfielder BJ Upton will be making a decision this week where to sign, and the Atlanta Braves are the leaders in the clubhouse right now.  What is BJ’s full name?  Tell you later, alligator. 

The Miami Dolphins are getting ready to take on the New England Patriots on Sunday at the Seven-Names Stadium, something that is never an easy task.  Tom Brady is playing at his usual level, so the Dolphins defense will have their work cut out for them this week.  The Pats have won five games in a row, and during those five games, they are averaging 44 points per game.  In his last four games here in Miami, he has completed 91-126 passes (72.2%) with an average of 344 yards per game, 13 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions.  As Fins coach Joe Philbin said, “We’re going to have to play our best game of the year to win.”  Game time on Sunday is 1:00 pm, and, if it sells out, will be televised by Channel 4, CBS, here in Miami.   

This week’s complete schedule in the NFL:

THURSDAY

New Orleans @ Atlanta

Atl -3.5 8:20 pm NFL Network

SUNDAY

New England @ Miami

Mia +9 1:00 pm CBS  Channel 4

Seattle @ Chicago

Chi -3.5 1:00 pm

Minnesota @ Green Bay

GB -9.5 1:00 pm

San Francisco @ St. Louis

StL +7 1:00 pm

Arizona @ New York Jets

NYJ -4.5 1:00 pm

Carolina @ Kansas City

KC +3 1:00 pm

Indianapolis @ Detroit

Det -4.5 1:00 pm

Jacksonville @ Buffalo

Buf -7 1:00 pm

Houston @ Tennessee

Ten +5.5 1:00 pm

Tampa Bay @ Denver

Den -8 4:05 pm

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore

Bal -3 4:25 pm

Cleveland @ Oakland

Oak -1.5 4:25 pm

Cincinnati @ San Diego

SD +1 4:25 pm

Philadelphia @ Dallas

Dal -10.5 8:20 pm NBC  Channel 6

MONDAY NIGHT

New York Giants @ Washington

Was +1 8:30 pm ESPN

In college football, Notre Dame remained atop the BCS rankings after defeating USC. 22-13.  The Fighting Irish will play in the BCS championship game against the winner of the SEC Championship game this Saturday between #2 Alabama and #3 Georgia.  Key games this week in NCAA football:  

THURSDAY, 11/29

Louisville @ Rutgers7:30 pm ESPN

FRIDAY, 11/30

#21 N. Illinois @ #17 Kent State

7:00 pm ESPN2

MAC Championship

#16 UCLA @ #8 Stanford 

8:00 pm FOX Ch 7

Pac-12 Championship

SATURDAY, 12/1

Central Florida @ Tulsa

12:00 pm ESPN2

Conference USA Championship

#11 Oklahoma @ TCU

12:00 pm  ESPN

#2 Alabama @ #3 Georgia

4:00 pm CBS Ch 4

SEC Championship

#18 Texas @ #6 Kansas State

8:00 pm ABC Ch 10

#12 Nebraska @ Wisconsin

8:00 pm FOX Ch 7

Big 10 Championship

#13 Florida State @ Ga. Tech

8:00 pm ESPN

ACC Championship

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Free agent outfielder BJ Upton will be making a decision this week where to sign, and the Atlanta Braves are the leaders in the clubhouse for his services right now.  What is BJ’s full name?  His name is Melvin Emmanuel.  He goes by “BJ” for “Bossman Junior”, in reference to his father, Manny Upton, who was known as “Bossman”.         

Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com. 

The 9:25 am segment on Radio Esperanza is brought to you by the fine folks at La Lechonera Products.  The inventors of the original mojo criollo way back in 1970, also offer the BEST naranja agria (sour orange marinade) product on the market, along with the latest additions to the family - the SALSA PICANTE (hot sauces, both HOT and EXTRA HOT), SALSA DE ALITAS (Buffalo Wings Sauce) and the truly incredible SALSA PICANTE con AJO (Garlic Pepper Sauce - Sriracha).  Look for all the La Lechonera products at Publix, Winn Dixie, Sedano’s, Presidente, and GFS.  If they don’t have it where you shop, ask nicely the first time, then use whatever means necessary to make sure they start offering the complete line of products.  Go to www.lalechoneraproducts.com and LIKE them on Facebook.  Check out some great recipes!  

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Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.