SI:AM | Reggie Jackson Powers Shorthanded Nuggets to Impressive Win

Plus, candidates for the Panthers to pursue after firing Frank Reich.

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m glad I didn’t bother watching that sloppy Bears-Vikings game.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏈 Panthers’ coaching candidates

🤼‍♂️ CM Punk’s controversial WWE return

🎤 ​​A catcher’s country music career

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Reggie Jackson went off against his old team

The Nuggets came into last night’s game against the Clippers seriously shorthanded. Jamal Murray missed his 11th straight game with a hamstring injury, Aaron Gordon was sidelined for the second straight game with a heel injury and Nikola Jokić missed his first game due to lower back pain. And still, despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back without their three best players, the Nuggets won 113–104.

The key for Denver: Reggie Jackson had the game of his life. Playing against his former team, he dropped 35 points, the fourth most of his career, on a remarkable 15-of-19 shooting and also added 13 assists. DeAndre Jordan, another former Clipper, also showed out with 21 points. It was the first time since 2019 that he scored at least 20 points.

Jackson had a little extra motivation playing against the team that unceremoniously dumped him at last year’s trade deadline.

“I challenge Reggie Jackson to tell himself in his mind that he’s playing the Clippers every game,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after the game.

Malone also pointed out that his team “did it here last year in this building without Nikola Jokić—same thing,” referring to a 115–103 win over the Clips in January. But Denver wasn’t as undermanned in that game. Only Jokić missed the January game, and the Clippers were without Paul George. Last night’s win came with the Nuggets missing two more starters against a full-strength L.A. team.

Picking up a win like that, especially on the road in the second half of a back-to-back, is as impressive as anything the defending champs have done thus far this season. They’re undefeated at home but have struggled on the road (3–6 before last night). And they played far from a perfect game. The only two regular starters in the lineup, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, were a combined 6-for-27 from the field. But Denver got significant contributions from some unlikely sources. Jordan, who averaged just 15 minutes per game last season, played 33 minutes while recording just his third double-double of the past two seasons. Justin Holiday had 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting along with six rebounds. Peyton Watson played a season-high 23 minutes and had eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, including six points in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets erased an 11-point deficit. Zeke Nnaji had seven rebounds in just 11 minutes.

If the Nuggets are going to repeat as champions, it’ll be because of Jokić, with some help from Murray and Gordon. But having players like Jackson, Jordan, Holiday and Watson capable of stepping up is crucial for playoff positioning.

For the Clippers, the loss was the latest in a string of disappointments following the acquisition of James Harden. L.A. lost its first five games with Harden in the lineup but had won four of its last five entering last night’s game. But the team has a lot to figure out, though. The Clippers have four sure-fire future Hall of Famers and missed a big opportunity to beat a depleted opponent. But George was dismal in the loss, scoring just six points on a woeful 2-of-13 shooting. Harden had 11 points but didn’t even take a shot in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets stormed back to take the lead. Star power can take a team only so far.

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The best of Sports Illustrated

The Panthers are looking for a new coach after firing Frank Reich yesterday.  / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

• Connor Orr has a list of names for the Panthers to consider as they look to replace coach Frank Reich.
• Astros minor leaguer Luke Berryhill is chasing another dream as he works his way to the majors. Emma Baccellieri has more on the catcher’s budding country music career.
• Pat Forde breaks down what’s at stake in college football’s conference championship weekend.
• CM Punk’s return to WWE this weekend came as a total shock and left fans wondering not if but when it will backfire. Bryan Alvarez explains why his comeback is so controversial.
• Russell Westbrook was involved in a verbal altercation with a fan during last night’s game and spoke out afterward about feeling disrespected.
• After a prolonged free agency, Patrick Kane is signing with the Red Wings.
• Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell left the door open for a change at quarterback after Joshua Dobbs threw four interceptions last night.

The top five...

… things I saw last night:

5. Jordan Poole’s hilariously failed layup.

4. A flawless alley-oop by Zion Williamson.

3. CM Punk’s promo in his first WWE appearance in nearly a decade.

2. Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s diving stick save.

1. The brawl between the Panthers and Senators that led the referee to announce a penalty on “every player on the ice.”

SIQ

On this day in 1929, Ernie Nevers made NFL history by scoring all of his team’s points in a 40–6 win over the Bears. Which team did the Hall of Fame fullback play for?

• Packers
• Giants
• Cardinals
• Staten Island Stapletons

Yesterday’s SIQ: On Nov. 27, 1971, players from which team fell to the ground simultaneously, allowing the opposing team to score so that they could get the ball back and have their quarterback pursue the NCAA passing yardage record?

• Florida
• USC
• Boston College
• Oklahoma

Answer: Florida. The play came to be known as the Gator Flop.

Florida quarterback John Reaves entered the final game of the season (and the final game of his college career) 343 yards shy of Jim Plunkett’s NCAA record for career passing yards. But when Reaves threw an interception in the fourth quarter still needing 10 yards to break the record, he was in danger of falling short of the mark. As Miami marched slowly toward the end zone, Gators coach Doug Dickey called two timeouts to stop the clock. But with time ticking away, he eventually ordered his team to allow the Hurricanes to score. With Florida already leading 45–8, allowing Miami to score would have no bearing on the outcome of the game, but it would give Reaves a chance to break the record.

The moment the Hurricanes snapped the ball, Florida’s entire defense dropped down on the Orange Bowl turf and played dead.

The Gators got the ball back, and Reaves completed a 15-yard pass to Carlos Alvarez as time expired to break the record.

“I still hear about it a lot,” Reaves told ESPN in 2010. “I even have a friend here in town who calls me Flop.”