Shoot for the stars 🏀 | Sports Daily Newsletter

While the 3-13 Sixers have been without Joel Embiid and Paul George, there’s been a consistent bright spot on the team’s roster and that’s Jared McCain, who’s making a case as a front-runner for NBA Rookie of the Year.

McCain, drafted 16th overall out of Duke in June, is also in the midst of one of the best starts in NBA history. He led all rookies in points, scoring average, and made three-pointers ahead of Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

But defenses are starting to pick up on the guard’s tactics. Against the Clippers, McCain had his first ugly NBA shooting performance, going 3-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-11 from three-point range to break his streak of seven consecutive 20-point games.

When asked about how opponents have changed their approach against him, McCain acknowledged that now it’s his turn to adjust, without abandoning his fearless style.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

❓ What do you think of McCain’s game and his case for Rookie of the Year? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Sports Daily will be taking a long holiday weekend. There will be no newsletters on Thursday or Friday. We’ll return to your inboxes on Monday, but remember you can access our coverage of the Philly sports scene anytime at Inquirer.com/sports. Happy Thanksgiving.

The Eagles play Sunday afternoon in Week 13 against the Ravens in Baltimore. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from M&T Bank Stadium.

Nick Sirianni understands what it’s like to be sidelined with a serious injury. The fourth-year Eagles coach suffered a calf injury during his sophomore season as a wide receiver at Mount Union. It nearly ended his playing career. But Sirianni said that Brandon Graham’s season-ending triceps tear doesn’t mean that the defensive end won’t be able to make an impact: “He’s going to be still leading.”

However, with Graham’s absence from the field, the defense will have a veteran-spot to file. The team signed free-agent edge rusher KJ Henry and claimed Charles Harris off waivers on Tuesday, though, it will mainly fall on second-year pass rusher Nolan Smith and rookie Jalyx Hunt to fill Graham’s production.

And after Sunday’s win over the L.A. Rams, the Eagles moved up to the top three in the power rankings.

Paul George said the recovery process from a bone bruise in his knee has been frustrating. The nine-time All-Star will miss his third straight game Wednesday when the Sixers play the Houston Rockets but hopes to take the floor next week, although he hasn’t been cleared by the team. George partially participated in Tuesday’s practice, donning a bulky brace on his knee while partaking in post-practice one-on-one drills. “I’m just still trying to check off more boxes,” he said.

Before he returned Saturday, Cam York had not been in a game since Oct. 23. He missed 13 games after taking a hard hit along the boards in the Flyers’ 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals. The 23-year-old defenseman said it was the longest disruption of his NHL career and it took a while to get his legs back under him, but he performed even better against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.

The Union announced their end-of-year roster moves, which didn’t bring much clarity to the team’s future. Five players’ contract options for 2025 have been declined and they are in negotiations with out-of-contract midfielder and longtime captain Alejandro Bedoya.

Who holds the Eagles’ record for rushing touchdowns in a season?

D) LeSean McCoy rushed for 17 touchdowns in 2011. John M. was first with the correct answer.

We asked: How do you think the Eagles match up against the 10-1 Lions? Among your responses:

To me it’s all about getting off to a quick start offensively. If the Birds do that we can unleash the defense and make Goff hurry his passes. If we can get ahead, Saquon can do his thing and Jalen won’t have all the pressure on him to perform. Score early and often, that the secret sauce to best Detroit. — Tom G.

Unless you subscribe to Red Zone, the Lions are so rarely om TV in the Philly area, who knows??? Doubtful they are better than the Eagles from Sunday night, even though they play in a tougher Division. — Bill M.

I think the Eagles match up very well with the 10-1 Lions. Both have played 11 games so their stats can be equally matched. Offensively the Lions are #2 in total yards and the Eagles are #3. Defensively the Eagles are #1 in fewest yards allowed while the Lions are #12. Considering points scored and allowed, the Lions are #1 in scoring at 32.7 per game while the Eagles are 7th at 26.9. Points allowed Detroit is 2nd best at 183, while the Eagles are 5th at 199. Interesting that the Eagles ratio of points scored per yards gained is not that good. They are dominating teams in yards gained, but not scoring as often. We don’t play the Lions so for now the BIG concerns are the Ravens and Steelers. — Everett S.

Have no fear of the Lions. Somehow, someway, somewhere the Lions will figure out a way to lose the BIG game. E A G L E S defense will destroy them in a Championship game IF we both get that far. Plus we have a Super Human playing on the home team. He’s saving his triple fake, spin around, backwards leaping touchdown for the Lions. They do indeed have a great indoor stadium. That’s why it’s so important for the Eagles to get that all important home field advantage. Let em’ play in 16 degree temperature, maybe snowing-maybe not. Looking forward to the post season this year Last year was a total bummer! — Ron R.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Gina Mizell, Mike Sielski, EJ Smith, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Jonathan Tannenwald, Olivia Reiner, Ariel Simpson, Katie Lewis, and Owen Hewitt.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading! Have a happy Thanksgiving, Philly. We’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. — Bella