A NASCAR driver gets roasted by his own sponsor, the Las Vegas Golden Knights make a surprising call, and the Raiders might have a bizarre draft plan. All on last week in Las Vegas sports (Apr 10 – 16). Hop in; it’s going to be a wild one!
Last week was Roast Me Day, which is a time when social media users ask to be made fun of. While it’s supposed to be all in good fun, the jabs can also sting from time to time. For example, Las Vegas native Noah Gragson asked to be roasted on Twitter, and his sponsor Wendy’s did not disappoint.
“Bummer! I don’t know why you cut off the mullet,” Wendy’s said on Twitter. “But it really doesn’t make a difference. No one’s ever behind you anyway!”
The jab is hurtful but also true. In fact, in eight starts, Gragson’s best finish is 12th. Gragson also has four finishes outside the top-25, including a crash at Richmond. Despite these poor showings, he did finish 20th at the COTA road course. That’s no easy feat for a rookie and something he should hang his hat on.
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The Golden Knights defeated the Kracken 3-1 and claimed the Pacific Division title in the final game of the regular season. Three goals were slapped in by Alec Martinez, Reily Smith, and Chandler Stevenson. Jack Eichel, and Ivan Barbashev, each contributed an assist in the victory as well.
The win is interesting, given that the two teams could meet later in the playoffs, but first, Las Vegas must overcome the Jets. Once that series is settled, they must deal with the Oilers or the Kings. Then there’s the semi-finals and the Stanley Cup Finals, with a range of competitors waiting on the other side.
While the Las Vegas Aces have some controversy surrounding them at the moment, it doesn’t seem to be having that much of an effect. In fact, Covers still lists the Aces as the +120 favorite to win the title in 2023. The New York Liberty are sitting at +130, and The Washington Mystics are at +1200 heading into the regular season.
The MVP race is also heating up, with A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart standing as the two front runners. Stewart is the favorite to win at +150, but A’ja Wilson is close behind with 280. Other notable candidates include Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, and Brittney Griner.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us, and 16 teams will battle it out to hold the coveted title. One of those teams is our fan-favorite Golden Knights, who will start their postseason against the Winnipeg Jets. Las Vegas is even going with Laurent Brossoit in their first game of the series against the Jets, which is very surprising.
“We always knew what kind of potential he had,” defenseman Shea Theodore said when asked about the announcement of Brossoit taking the net for the first playoff game. “He’s played incredibly well. You always want to have a hot goalie going into the playoffs.”
Although Brossoit holds a 7-0 record as a starter, it’s surprising to see Las Vegas go with him. Logan Thompson, Adin Hill, and Jonathon Quick all seem like better candidates. However, this move could give those guys some rest while Brossoit keeps his momentum alive.
The Raiders have 12 picks going into the 2023 NFL draft but could be looking for more. What’s behind the all-in strategy for the draft is bizarre and makes little sense, given their current situation. Anyone on the Raiders roster could be expendable to get them up the draft board.
For example, According to Vic Tafur, the Raiders are supposedly looking to get more picks for the draft and will do anything to get there. He even floated the idea that the organization would be willing to trade Hunter Renfrow to move up on the draft board. Just imagine who else is up for grabs if the Raiders are willing to make such a move.
“The Raiders haven’t done much to address their 26th-ranked defense and instead signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, a couple of veteran tight ends to replace Darren Waller, and a lot of receivers. (We sure they’re not trading Hunter Renfrow on draft weekend?).” Tafur wrote.
Some claim that the Raiders want to trade up toward the top of the board to get either CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, or Anthoney Richardson. This news alone will make the draft day very must-see for Raiders fans out there and could be the start of two things: a beautiful change or a terrifying disaster.
Next: 5 Las Vegas Raiders rumors you need to know about
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