The Pittsburgh Steelers take on what is typically an unenviable task -- traveling on a short week for a Thursday night primetime game. However, a few things are playing in Pittsburgh's favor as Week 12 of the NFL regular season kicks off. Namely, the "trip" to Cleveland is a little more than two hours by road and when the Steelers arrive there, they'll be facing a backup quarterback at the helm of a massively underwhelming 2-8 Browns team. The Steelers (8-2) are coming off a huge win over Baltimore to stay atop the AFC North. And Pittsburgh is beginning to set its sights on potential home-field advantage come playoff time. ODDS AND TRENDS The Steelers are a consensus 3.5-point favorite. That includes at BetRivers, where they have been backed by 80 percent of the spread-line money. Pittsburgh's -195 moneyline to simply win the game has been even more popular, drawing 95 percent of all money wagered. The Browns enter Thursday night having failed to cover the spread in nine of their past 12 games. Meanwhile, the Steelers have covered the spread in every game during their five-game win streak. The 37.0 total points line has seen the Over backed by 65 percent of the money and 70 percent of the total bets. Each of Cleveland's past eight November home games has gone under the total points line. PROP PICKS --Steelers WR George Pickens Over 50 Receiving Yards (-195 at DraftKings): Russell Wilson has thrown six touchdowns in the four games since he took over as the starting quarterback. Two of those have gone to Pickens, who has at least 74 receiving yards in each of those games. There is some concern that Pittsburgh gains a big early lead and turns to a run-heavy attack, but Wilson throws an excellent deep ball and that plays into Pickens' strength. This is the most popular player prop at the book. --Steelers RB Najee Harris Anytime TD (+100 at BetRivers): That potential for a run-heavy approach should benefit Harris, who found the sledding tough against Baltimore with 63 yards on the ground. He was also held out of the end zone for the second time in three games. Keep in mind that Cleveland has allowed only three touchdowns on the ground all season, but the Browns have allowed 12 through the air. Harris has a trio of scores on the ground and receiving through 10 games. KEY STAT The Browns have won the first quarter in five consecutive home games against the Steelers. THE NEWS The Steelers have certainly been locked in. They are currently riding a five-game winning streak, most recently edging the Baltimore Ravens 18-16 on Sunday. Chris Boswell booted six field goals against Baltimore, while Wilson completed 23 of 36 passes for 205 yards and an interception. Meanwhile, Cleveland continues to go through the wringer. The Browns ended up on the wrong end of a 35-14 blowout while facing the host New Orleans Saints on Sunday, marking their seventh loss in the past eight games. Cleveland now has to go up against one of the most unforgiving defenses in the league. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston is determined to direct a fundamentally sound performance against Pittsburgh, which allows the second-fewest points per game in the NFL (16.2). "It's precision passing. Getting the ball out on time. Elite operation and just doing our job. It's the simple things," Winston said. "This team (the Steelers) is not going to try and fool you. They're going to line up and say, 'Give us your best, we're going to give you our best.'" Winston threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns on 30-for-46 passing in the setback against New Orleans, with Jerry Jeudy hauling in six catches for 142 yards and a score. Star running back Nick Chubb continued to struggle since his return from a knee injury that cut his 2023 season short, finishing with 50 yards on 11 carries. INJURY REPORT The Browns could be without standout defensive end Myles Garrett, who missed practice on Tuesday because of a hip injury. Wide receiver Elijah Moore (shoulder), guard Joel Bitonio (pectoral) and cornerbacks Denzel Ward (ribs/ankle) and Greg Newsome II (shoulder) were among those limited during the session. Linebacker Alex Highsmith is dealing with an ankle issue and was ruled out by the Steelers along with cornerback Cory Trice Jr. (hamstring). THEY SAID IT Wilson is starting to feel like he might be part of something special, but he also doesn't want Pittsburgh to get ahead of itself. "I definitely think that we have a chance (to make a deep playoff run)," said Wilson, who has played in two Super Bowls. "I think the biggest thing for us is continuing to just take each week as the most important week of it all. "I think that it's not really even just the week, it's just the day, it's just the moments in between. I think the greatest teams, the greatest players, in any sport, especially the teams I've been on, is the moment -- it's never too far away. It's right here, right now. And you're just locked into that." PREDICTION Divisional road games on short weeks typically shape up as a daunting task. That's not the case for the Steelers, who will be hyper-focused to put this one out of reach early before enjoying 10 days ahead of a trip to Cleveland. With a second game against the Browns before a huge game at Philadelphia, this is not an under-manned opponent Pittsburgh will look past. --Steelers 27, Browns 19 --Field Level MediaAcademy Sports to Buy Back Up to $700M in StockWalker hurt his ankle in last week's loss to Minnesota and left that game after sitting out the previous two because of a calf problem. He also missed two weeks in September with an oblique issue. Walker has run for 573 yards and seven touchdowns on 153 carries. A second-round draft pick by Seattle in 2022, he has 2,528 yards rushing and 24 TDs in his career. Walker could, in theory, return if the Seahawks win two playoff games, though their postseason hopes were slim entering the game against Chicago. Seattle (8-7) trailed the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams (9-6) by one game with two to play. The Seahawks' best path to the postseason was to win the final two regular-season games and have Los Angeles lose to Arizona on Saturday. Seattle visits the Rams to close the regular season. With Walker out, Seattle signed rookie running back George Holani off the practice squad. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Christmas: Atiku Felicitates With Christians, Calls For Peace, Unity Among NigeriansA pair of squads who have been stumbling as of late meet up on Wednesday, Dec. 4 when the Miami Heat host the Los Angeles Lakers at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on NBA TV and FanDuel Sports Network Sun . Fans looking to watch this NBA game can do so by using FuboTV , which offers $30 off your first month, or DirecTV Stream, which offers a free trial or with SlingTV, which doesn’t offer a free trial but has promotional offers available . Both teams enter this game after losing on Monday. The Lakers fell to 12-9 after a 109-80 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Heat have lost two straight to get to 9-10, losing to the Toronto Raptors, 119-116 and then the very next night to the Boston Celtics, 108-89 in the second night of a back-to-back. Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat When: Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. EST Where: Kaseya Center in Miami Stream: FuboTV ; Sling ; DirecTV Stream (free trial) Betting: Check out our MA sports betting guide , where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts. More College Football What is FuboTV? FuboTV is an internet television service that offers more than 200 channels across sports and entertainment including Paramount+ with SHOWTIME . From the UEFA Champions League to the WNBA to international tournaments ranging across sports, there’s plenty of options available on FuboTV, which offers $30 off the first month for new customers. What is DirecTV Stream? DirecTV Stream offers practically everything DirecTV provides, except for a remote and a streaming device to connect to your television. Sign up now and get three free months of premium channels including MAX , Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and Starz. What is SlingTV? SlingTV offers a variety of live programing ranging from news and sports and starting as low as $20 a month for your first month. Subscribers also get a month of DVR Plus free if they sign up now. Choose from a variety of sports packages without long-term contracts and with easy cancelation. RELATED CONTENT: Analysis: The NBA’s 3-point craze is only getting crazier, with the Celtics leading the charge By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer Make more 3-pointers than your opponent in this NBA era, and you’re likely to win. Make a lot more 3s than your opponent, and you’re almost certain to win. The Boston Celtics are clearly banking on that thinking as they seek back-to-back titles. All the 3-point numbers in the NBA are on the rise yet again, with the league on yet another record pace for both 3s made and 3s attempted. This can’t come as a surprise, given there’s been a steady rise in those numbers across the league for more than a decade. But the Celtics are relying upon the 3-pointer like no team in NBA history — on pace to smash the league records for 3s made and attempted in a season — and other teams are taking note of the approach. “When we’re at our best, you have to have an understanding,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “This is what we do. ... At the end of the day, we’re trying to be the best version of ourselves more than other people.” The best version of the Celtics is the version that includes them shooting it from deep and shooting it from there often. They’re not alone in that sort of thinking. Of the NBA’s 30 teams, 13 are on pace to shoot more 3s this season than they ever have before. “It helps, for sure, and our guys have really worked at that,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team is one of the 13 — along with Boston, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio and Washington — on a franchise-record pace for 3-point attempts. “It all works together, though. It can’t just be 3s and it can’t just be paint attacks.” It’s silly to say that one stat — other than points, obviously — can dictate winning or losing, but it sure seems like an edge in 3-pointers made equates to victories. So far this season, the team that takes more 3-pointers in a game wins 53% of the time. The team that makes more 3-pointers wins 67% of the time. If a team makes five more 3s than its opponent, it wins 75% of the time. And if a team makes 10 more 3s than its opponent, game over: Those clubs, after the Celtics did it to the Heat on Monday, are now 31-0 this season. “Rhythm shots, catch-and-shoot 3s, open shots, you’ve got to be willing to take those,” Toronto coach Darko Rajaković said. “Players at this level, they spend so much time working on their shot — working in the offseason, working in-season — you’ve got to have confidence to take those shots.” Only two teams in league history — the 2018-19 Houston Rockets and 2020-21 Utah Jazz — have finished a season having gotten more points off 3-pointers than they did 2-pointers. That club is going to have a new member or two when this season is over. This is an example of how what Boston is doing is never-before-seen. The Celtics are getting 47% of their points off 3s and only 37% off 2s, an unprecedented difference. (And most of those 2s are at the rim.) Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets are getting 45% of points off 3s, 42% off 2s. It’s almost unheard of to be that 3-point reliant. The Jazz got 43% of their points on 3s in 2020-21, 42% on 2s. The Rockets got 42% of their points on 3s in 2018-19, 41% on 2s. Charlotte is in its first year under coach Charles Lee — who, it should be noted, coached in Boston last season under Mazzulla. It’s not a stretch to conclude that Lee brought the Boston-3-party mentality to Charlotte and gave his shooters a very green light. “We’re challenging them in a lot of different ways,” Lee said. There have been six instances entering this week of a player taking at least 18 3-pointers in a game this season. One was by Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton. Another was by Boston’s Jayson Tatum. The other four were by Charlotte players — three by LaMelo Ball (including the NBA’s first 20 3-point-attempt game this season) and the other by Brandon Miller. All this comes in an era where basically everybody is shooting 3s and has been for some time. The Heat had a game last week where Spoelstra played 10 players and all of them tried at least two 3s in a game. Of the top 200 scorers in the league this season in terms of total points, 95% of them have made at least one 3-pointer. And the 5% that aren’t in that group, they’re all post players who almost never venture outside the arc — guys like Ivica Zubac, Jakob Poeltl, Daniel Gafford, Jarrett Allen, Clint Capela and Rudy Gobert. Rajaković doesn’t see this increased 3-point reliance ending anytime soon. “If you make them, awesome, get back to the gym and work and get in more,” Rajaković said. “If you miss them, get back to the gym and work and get in more.” The Associated Press contributed to this articleLiverpool's lead cut in Premier League and Man City ends slump. Chelsea and Arsenal win

Sydney Sweeney Shares Emotional Statement After Christy Martin Movie Wraps By took to social media on Monday to share a heartfelt message to former boxer , who Sweeney is playing in an upcoming, to celebrate the film’s wrap on production. What did Sydney Sweeney say about the Christy Martin movie? In a lengthy post on Instagram, Sweeney shared a photo of her and Martin, and announced that production on the upcoming movie had officially wrapped. In the post, Sweeney called the production “one of the most emotional, transformative experiences” of her life, and also praised Martin for being by her side throughout the entire shoot. “I don’t usually write a lot in my captions but this movie and experience I feel needs more than just a few words. We have wrapped filming Christy Martin’s story and it has been one of the most emotional, transformative experiences of my life,” Sweeney’s post read. “Christy’s journey is so deeply inspiring, and having her by my side during this process was nothing short of surreal. There were moments on set where I’d glance over at her standing by the monitors, cheering us on, and I’d just become so emotional. Knowing what she’s endured, what she’s pushed through to be there in that moment—it made me want to cry.” Sweeney went on to thank the cast and crew of the production, as well as her co-star, Ben Foster, for inspiring her to continue. She ended the post by saying how happy she was for people to see the movie, which she called “a testament to resilience, survival, and finding the strength to keep fighting.” The currently untitled Christy Martin movie will see Sweeney take on the role of the legendary boxer, who was the first female boxer elected into Nevada’s Boxing Hall of Fame and is also an International Boxing Hall of Famer. The movie will not only chronicle Martin’s rise to fame in the boxing world, but also the attempted murder of her by her husband in 2010, as well. Along with Sweeney, the movie, which Black Bear is financing, will star Ben Foster, Merritt Weaver, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor, Katy O’Brian, Chad L. Colman, and Tony Cavlero. Currently, no release information for the movie is available. Anthony Nash has been writing about games and the gaming industry for nearly a decade. When he’s not writing about games, he’s usually playing them. You can find him on Twitter talking about games or sports at @_anthonynash. Share articleFootball clubs ‘alarmed’ by lack of consultation on regulator – Karren Brady‘World at dawn of third nuclear age’, armed forces chief warns

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