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Sports

Why the Trail Blazers’ Ja Morant Gamble Could Pay Off

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Oct 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesOct 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Coming off his second straight All-NBA finish in 2023, the future seemed so bright for Ja Morant. Despite a tough playoff loss to an underseeded Lakers squad, the Grizzlies still had a ton to be excited about moving forward.

Morant looked like a superstar in the playoffs, and Memphis was going to be one of the best teams in the West for years to come. Unfortunately, injuries and, more importantly, off-the-court issues have derailed Morant’s blossoming career, and Memphis was looking for any way to move on from him.

Portland decided to take a risk on Morant, and I think it’s a genius move. Morant turns 27 this season but has played only 79 games over the last three regular seasons. Durability is a massive concern, but Portland has the luxury of a very deep backcourt to bail him out.

Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, and Morant make one of the most interesting backcourts in the league, but it’s more than just depth that intrigues me.

Some players simply need a change of scenery. Not to analyze Morant and the people he surrounds himself with, but it didn’t take a genius to see that Memphis was only exacerbating his issues.

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Recent interviews have shined a much more positive light on Morant. He’s spoken very highly of his All-Star teammate Deni Avdija and seems much happier in Portland.

If Morant can stay on the floor, he really could raise Portland’s ceiling to that of a Western Conference contender. Throughout their first-round battle with the eventual Western Conference champs, the San Antonio Spurs, defense wasn’t the issue for the Blazers.

Henderson had some of the brightest moments of his career in the postseason, but he’s not ready to be a guy you’ll consistently trust to get clutch buckets. It’s too early to see if Lillard still has anything left in the tank, but those two could be a very exciting pairing with solid defensive options around them like Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan.

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Currently, Portland has the 18th-best odds to make the Finals at +7500. Unless Avdija and company take massive leaps, I’m not sure they’re actually Finals contenders, but there still seems like some massive value to be found there.

Not a ton of books have odds yet, but the Blazers are projected to have a win total around 40.5 this year, and if that’s where the market opens, make sure to hammer the over for Portland.

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India on brink of historic Lord’s Test victory after Yastika Bhatia’s record-breaking century | Cricket News

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India on brink of historic Lord's Test victory after Yastika Bhatia's record-breaking century
India batter Yastika Bhatia (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

India Women moved to the brink of a historic maiden Test victory at Lord’s after a dominant third day, powered by Yastika Bhatia’s record-breaking maiden century before the bowlers reduced England to 130/6 in pursuit of an improbable 457-run target.With just four wickets separating them from scripting history at the Home of Cricket, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side ended the day firmly in control despite a spirited lower-order resistance from Amy Jones and Mady Villiers.

Yastika scripts history at the Home of Cricket

Resuming Day 3 with a healthy first-innings lead, India continued to pile on the runs despite England enjoying a better opening session with the ball. Lauren Bell removed Smriti Mandhana (70) early before also dismissing Jemimah Rodrigues. Sophie Ecclestone then trapped Harmanpreet Kaur lbw as England briefly clawed their way back into the contest.However, Yastika Bhatia remained unfazed. Displaying remarkable composure and elegant strokeplay, the left-hander brought up her maiden Test century to become the first-ever woman to score a Test hundred at Lord’s. Her memorable knock of 113 off 158 balls also became the highest score by an Indian woman in the third or fourth innings of a Test match.England spinner Sophie Ecclestone fought tirelessly and completed her fourth five-wicket haul in Women’s Tests, but lacked support from the other end as India continued to dominate.

Richa Ghosh provides late fireworks

Following Bhatia’s departure, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh injected fresh momentum into the innings with a brisk unbeaten 50 off 52 balls, taking the attack to the England bowlers. With India’s lead swelling beyond 450, captain Harmanpreet Kaur declared the innings at 341/7, leaving England with a mammoth 457-run target to survive or chase down.

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Indian pacers rip through England’s top order

India’s bowlers wasted little time in tightening their grip on the contest.Debutant Kranti Gaud and Sayali Satghare produced another outstanding new-ball spell, removing openers Tammy Beaumont and Maia Bouchier inside the opening four overs. Beaumont’s dismissal also marked the end of her international career, while former captain Heather Knight, playing her final Test before retirement, was later dismissed by Kranti Gaud and received a touching guard of honour from the Indian team as she walked off.England’s problems deepened when Sneh Rana bowled Nat Sciver-Brunt with a beauty before Sayali breached Alice Capsey’s defence, reducing the hosts to 59/5.

Jones, Villiers delay the inevitable

Just when India appeared set to wrap up the match on the third evening itself, Amy Jones and Mady Villiers mounted a determined fightback. The duo stitched together a resilient 67-run partnership, frustrating the Indian attack and briefly keeping England’s hopes alive.The stand was eventually broken in spectacular fashion as Richa Ghosh pulled off a stunning close-in catch at silly point to dismiss Villiers off Sneh Rana’s bowling. Jones continued her resistance, bringing up a gritty half-century, but England still finished the day in deep trouble at 130/6, requiring another 327 runs with only four wickets in hand.

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Stan Wawrinka vs Jaime Faria preview, head-to-head, odds, prediction and betting tips

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Match Details

Fixture: Stan Wawrinka vs Jaime Faria

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Date: July 13, 2026

Tournament: Swiss Open

Round: First round (Round of 32)

Venue: Gstaad, Switzerland

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Category: ATP 250

Surface: Clwycourt (Outdoors)


Stan Wawrinka vs Jaime Faria preview

Stan Wawrinka will arrive in Gstaad for his home event, the Swiss Open, looking to put on a good show in his farewell season. He, however, faces a tricky first opponent in the form of clay specialist Jaime Faria.

Wawrinka’s 7-12 win-loss for the season is not the most impressive, but he has shown plenty of fight in his recent matches against the likes of top names like Matteo Berrettini at Wimbledon and Jesper De Jong at the French Open.

That said, the Swiss player has not won back-to-back Tour matches since reaching the third round at the Australian Open all the way back in January. He will hope to turn things around at home.

Faria is a clay specialist. (Source: Getty)Faria is a clay specialist. (Source: Getty)
Faria is a clay specialist. (Source: Getty)

Faria, on the other hand, continues his transition onto the main Tour. A five-time finalist (all clay events) on the Challenger, he is beginning to make his presence felt with solid showing on the big stage.

The Portuguese player recently put in his best Grand Slam showing, reaching the third round of the French Open with wins over Denis Shapovalov and Jan-Lennard Struff. He has not played too many Tour matches but has a positive 5-4 win-loss for 2026.

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Stan Wawrinka vs Jaime Faria head-to-head

The two have crossed paths on Tour before, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.


Stan Wawrinka vs Jaime Faria odds

(Odds to be updated)


Stan Wawrinka vs Jaime Faria prediction

Stan Wawrinka will be bouyed by the home support. (Source: Getty)Stan Wawrinka will be bouyed by the home support. (Source: Getty)
Stan Wawrinka will be bouyed by the home support. (Source: Getty)

At just 22, Jaime Faria has already built a reputation as a bit of a claycourt specialist. All his Challenger-level finals came on the red dirt and his biggest breakthrough on the main circuit has also come on the same surface, at the recent French Open.

Stan Wawrinka has himself enjoyed plenty of success on clay, even winning the French Open. Over the last few years though, his movement has slowed down and results have expectedly dried up on the surface.

The Swiss player still has some of the most sublime-looking groundstrokes. He, however, could struggle to keep pace with his younger opponent in the rallies. Faria likes to hit his inside-out-forehand and down-the-line backhand to keep his opponents constantly on the move, which could make like difficult for Wawrinka.

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The home hope will be buoyed by a boisterous crowd supporting him. He even has the brute strength to pull off a set, but the longer the match goes one, the more likely Faria is to get the win.

Prediction: Faria in three sets


Stan Wawrinka vs Jaime Faria betting tips

Tip 1 – Winner: Faria

Tip 2 – Each player to win a set

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Tip 3 – No more than 10 aces