Day: October 7, 2025

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to Milwaukee Bucks practice on Saturday, joining the team for the first time this season after staying in Greece to recover from COVID-19.

Coach Doc Rivers said Giannis took part only in non-contact drills and will need a few days to regain full fitness.

“He said he’s going to need a good three days,” Rivers told reporters.

The 31-year-old star admitted the illness slowed him down:

“It took a toll on my body. I’m not feeling 100% yet physically… just taking it day by day, getting back in shape. I’ve got like 18 days until the first game so I think I’ll be fine.”

Giannis, entering his 13th season with Milwaukee, has averaged 30+ points in each of the last three campaigns — a feat matched only by Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Rivers noted that Giannis’ absence early in camp allowed the team to work on rotations without their leader:

“The key to our team every year is the minutes when Giannis is off the floor. Maybe this helps us in the long run.”

Joel Embiid participated in the Philadelphia 76ers’ first full practice of the season on Saturday, showing positive signs in his recovery from the left knee injury that limited him last year.

The reigning MVP went through five-on-five scrimmages, midrange shooting drills, and even some competitive half-court shots — sinking one on his second try to the cheers of teammates.

Head coach Nick Nurse said Embiid did “quite a bit” and looked sharp. The big man appeared slimmer and trained without a bulky knee brace.

“I feel pretty good,” Embiid said. “We’re taking it day by day. I just want to keep getting stronger and better. There isn’t an expectation on when I’ll be back — we’re making sure everything is right first.”

Embiid didn’t need post-practice icing and stressed he won’t rush his return, focusing on long-term health and strength.

The Las Vegas Raiders released veteran linebacker  Germaine Pratt on Monday after just four games with the team.

Head coach Pete Carroll said the decision was straightforward:

“We just thought it was time to go in a different direction.”

Pratt, 29, signed with the Raiders in June shortly after being released by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he’d played more than 100 NFL games. Initially viewed as a solid veteran addition, his stint in Las Vegas was short-lived.

Pratt appeared in the Raiders’ first four games of the 2025 season, recording 25 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two passes defensed. However, he posted a 56.7 grade on Pro Football Focus, ranking 88th of 132 linebackers.

Signs of a split surfaced last week when Pratt didn’t travel with the team to Indianapolis for Week 5, despite being fully healthy.

The move comes as Las Vegas looks to shake things up after four straight losses following their season-opening win.

The Tennessee Titans finally got the breaks they’d been missing all season – and they made the most of them.

Down 21-6 in the fourth quarter on Sunday in Arizona, Tennessee stormed back for a 22-21 comeback victory, their first win of the season and one that head coach Brian Callahan called much-needed.

“Things just have to go your way sometimes,” Callahan said, via The Associated Press. “We haven’t had a lot of that so far this year, haven’t had a lot of bounces in our favor, and sometimes you need that.”

The game swung when Cardinals running back Emari Demercado dropped the ball just before crossing the goal line at the end of a 72-yard run that could have sealed the game for Arizona. Tennessee turned the mistake into a six-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by rookie quarterback Cam Ward’s 47-yard strike to Calvin Ridley.

Moments later, a bizarre Cardinals fumble in their own end zone gifted the Titans another touchdown.

Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, then orchestrated an 11-play, 71-yard march in the final minute, hitting Ridley for a 38-yard gain to set up kicker Joey Slye’s game-winning field goal.

“I wish I had started better,” Cam Ward said. “But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish.”

Rico Dowdle had a point to prove — and he delivered.

The Carolina Panthers running back erupted for 234 total yards (206 rushing, 28 receiving) and a touchdown in Sunday’s 27-24 comeback win over the Miami Dolphins. It was the best game of his NFL career and came just a week before facing his former team, the Dallas Cowboys.

Dowdle, who spent five seasons in Dallas before leaving in free agency, didn’t hold back after the victory.

“They got to buckle up,” Dowdle said, via ESPN. “I think they know for sure. They didn’t keep me there for five years for no reason.”

Dowdle was a 1,000-yard rusher in his first season as the Cowboys’ lead back before joining Carolina. His explosive Week 5 outing now adds extra spice to the Panthers’ Week 6 clash with Dallas.

The New York Giants’ momentum from Jaxson Dart debut win came to a screeching halt in Week 5, as turnovers doomed them in a 26-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The Giants squandered an early 14-3 lead by coughing up the ball five times, fueling a Saints comeback that left New York frustrated and empty-handed.

“We have to cut that (stuff) out, and it starts with me just being a leader,” Dart said, via AP. “As a quarterback, I put that on myself. I told the guys in the locker room this one’s on me and I’m going to get better.”

Dart himself was responsible for a crucial second-half fumble while scrambling untouched, halting a promising drive in Saints territory with the Giants down just two points.

New York’s collapse overshadowed what could have been a second straight win under their new QB, leaving plenty of work to do before Week 6.