On Sunday, Feb. 5, the National Football League has its biggest game of the season in Houston, Texas with Super Bowl LI (51) taking place. The New England Patriots will face the Atlanta Falcons with quarterback Tom Brady and bench boss Bill Belichick vying for their fifth Super Bowls as a coach/player duo.
On the other side, MVP frontrunner Matt Ryan is looking for his first Super Bowl championship with a top-ranked offence behind him, including wide receiver Julio Jones.
This year’s game will be broadcasted by Fox and has a final point total of 56, the largest in the past 10 years. Kickoff goes at 7:30 p.m.
The National Basketball Association has seen some great performances from multiple players this season, and point guard Russell Westbrook has been the best. He leads the NBA in scoring, is second in assists and 11th in rebounds.
The Oklahoma City Thunder currently sit sixth in the Western Conference, and Westbrook has carried the team on his back.
This week, the Thunder have a few challenging opponents, as they head to San Antonio to face the second-ranked Spurs.
This will be the second meeting of the season, with the Spurs prevailing by a score of 108-106 in the first one. The upcoming meeting has a 9:30 p.m. start time Tuesday night, Jan. 31.
The Thunder face another test the following night, as they host the Chicago Bulls. On Friday evening, the Memphis Grizzlies come to town, and they only trail the Thunder by half a game in the standings.
Oklahoma City closes out the week with a Sunday matinée against the Portland Trailblazers.
Also, the NBA All-Star Game starting lineup was announced Thursday, Jan. 19, and Westbrook – the leading MVP candidate – was snubbed in favour of point guard Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. If you compare the numbers, Curry currently sits 12th in scoring and 16th in assists, so the popular vote from fans, players and coaches decided the outcome.
Curry and the Warriors head to Los Angeles Thursday night to face the Clippers on TNT. The game between two heated rivals has an 11:30 p.m. start time at Staples Center.
In the National Hockey League, the Washington Capitals – who won the President’s Trophy for the best regular season record last year – have started to put the league on notice with their current hot streak.
They will try to continue their winning ways with their first game after the all-star break, with the Caps heading to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to face the New York Islanders at 8 p.m.
The Islanders will finish their season under interim head coach Doug Weight, who also served as their captain from 2009 to 2011. Weight took the reins on Jan. 17 from Jack Capuano, who was fired as the Isles’ bench boss after the team went 17-17-8 in its first 42 games. The Isles were last in the Eastern Conference when Capuano was cut loose.
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the Capitals will head home and face the struggling Boston Bruins with a game on NBC for Wednesday Night Rivalry.
Washington also has a Saturday matinée with the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is at 2 p.m.
February is a pivotal month in the NHL season, with the trade deadline just around the corner.
Some teams will be scrambling to add depth to their rosters for a potential playoff run, and other teams who sit lower in the standings will try to sell players with contracts expiring at season’s end for draft picks and prospects in return.
Tuesday, Feb. 28 is the deadline, so the race is on to improve your team.
