Despite winning the NBA Championship and an Olympic gold medal, Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum has garnered a lot of flack.

Even though he was a key part of both teams, Tatum has garnered criticism for not being named Finals MVP (that went to teammate Jaylen Brown) and for being benched for Team USA against Nikola Jokic and Serbia.

However, fans and experts have begun to take back their negative comments on the five-time All-Star, including former Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins.

“Jayson Tatum, I apologize because we should mention your name more often when it comes down to the three letters of MVP,” Perkins said on NBA Today. “We talk about everybody else, but we don’t talk about this man who, constantly night in and night out, is flirting with 30-point triple-doubles.”

Tatum has been having an incredible season, averaging 28.4 points, 8.2 total rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game across 18 games. He is also shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from the three-point line.

This is easily keeping him on pace with other MVP frontrunners, like the aforementioned Jokic.

Jokic, a three-time MVP, is currently averaging 29.7 points, 10.9 assists, 1.5 assists, and a league-leading 13.4 total rebounds with the Denver Nuggets.

Additionally, Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers is also having a career-best season, averaging 29.8 points, 11.4 total rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game.

One major advantage Tatum has over both of these players is his team’s record. The Celtics are currently second in the Eastern Conference with a 15-3 record, right behind the 17-1 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets are boasting a 9-7 record and the Lakers have a 10-7 record in the Western Conference. This gives Tatum an additional edge over his MVP competitors, especially since he leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game.

This marks the closest Tatum has come in the MVP race since the 2022-23 NBA season where he came in fourth behind Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. That season, Tatum averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 total rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game across 74 games.

In the end, it’s going to be a tough MVP race, and a few bad games could easily be the decider for who walks away with the NBA’s top individual prize.

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Two of the National Football League’s best teams this season are located on opposite ends of Pennsylvania.

In two weeks, they will meet at the Linc in Philly with playoff position and seeding on the line. The Week 15 game on Dec. 15 will start at 4:25 p.m. ET and will air on Fox and will be available to live stream on fubo TV (FREE trial), among others.

Pittsburgh is 8-3 and owns a half-game lead over Baltimore in the AFC North heading into this weekend’s game. It’s a game back of Buffalo for best record and top seed in the conference.

The Steelers had won five straight games before a disappointing setback on a snowy field in Cleveland on Nov. 21. They have managed to win with a top-10 defense, allowing only 20 TDs to date, fourth-best in the league.

Philly has won seven straight since getting crushed by Tampa Bay on Sept. 29. At 9-2, the Eagles have a comfortable lead over the Washington Commanders in the NFC East and are a game behind Detroit for best record and top seed in the conference.

Philly ranks No. 1 in the NHL in defense, allowing an average of 274.6 yards and 21 TDs. They rank third in offense, averaging 389.1 yards.

The Eagles and Steelers have one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL, dating back to 1933. The teams played each other twice a year during the first three decades of the rivalry but since 1970 have met only 12 times.

The Eagles won the last game between the two in 2022 by a score of 35-13.

As of 12:15 p.m. on Nov. 28, here are sites where you can buy tickets for this intra-state clash, along with the lowest prices:

StubHub: Prices start at $235

Vivid Seats: Prices start at $224

Viagogo: Prices start at $207

SeatGeek: Prices start at $239

Connecticut State Police have made 11 DUI arrests since the start of the holiday weekend as of Thanksgiving morning, they said. 

The statistics reflect Wednesday, starting at midnight, until 8 a.m. Thursday, state police said. In addition, the statistics only reflect trooper patrolled roadways.

State police said that in addition to the nearly dozen DUI arrests made, there have been 164 car crashes. Twelve of those 164 crashes caused injury, but there have been no serious injuries thus far.

Motorists have made 1,927 calls requesting service and there have been 114 “traffic services” made, police said. “Traffic services” can be anything from helping with a disabled car or clearing debris off a roadway, police said.

Police also said that 451 motorists have been pulled over, but did not provide information on how many were given traffic citations.