ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Winter weather is expected to arrive in Western North Carolina on Jan. 5.

The weather is forecasted to begin with light rain around sunset on Sunday, transitioning to the possibility of freezing rain overnight into Monday, Jan. 6

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ISSUED FOR MCDOWELL COUNTY WITH POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ICING

William Kehler, Emergency Services Director for McDowell County, released a statement on how the county is preparing for the incoming weather:

“We are monitoring the situation closely and will adjust staffing levels at EMS and 911 accordingly should the forecast change. These are the types of systems where a degree or two in temperature can make a big difference. The main areas of impact for us, based upon the advisory from NWS, will be the high elevation areas in NW McDowell County.”

Robin Gardner told News 13 that she has lived in Old Fort for about 40 years and still ventures out for essentials before harsh weather.

“We have extra propane bottles filled up, and we just got our 100-pound tank hooked up today—I have groceries stocked, all the things, gas in my vehicle,” she said.

Gardner said while she plans to stay inside and away from the cold, she also has a plan in case she has to venture out again.

“I will just stay inside for the next few days, and if I do have to go out, I’ll dress in layers — leggings on top of leggings, on top of jeans, on top of sweatpants,” she said.

According to News 13’s weather report, temperatures are expected to drop below freezing, with high wind gusts reaching approximately 30 mph.

While most areas in the region are not expected to experience freezing rain, the likelihood of freezing rain is highest along and near the Blue Ridge escarpment in areas such as Black Mountain, Ridgecrest, Montreat, Spruce Pine, Woodlawn, and Newland.

WINTER WEATHER TO BRING RAIN AND POSSIBLE FREEZING RAIN TO WNC STARTING JAN. 5

By Monday morning, temperatures in these areas are expected to rise above freezing, while the rest of the region will continue to experience cold rain.

For more information or details about the incoming weather, visit the National Weather Service’s website.

In what very well may be a preview of this year’s NBA Finals, the Celtics take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 3rd game of a 4 game road trip. The Celtics opened the trip with wins over the Timberwolves and the Rockets. this is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will meet for the 2nd and final time in Boston on March 12. They split the series 1-1 the last two seasons with each team winning on their home court. The Celtics are 79-66 overall all time against the Thunder and they are 39-38 in games played in Oklahoma City.

The Celtics remain 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind the first place Cleveland Cavaliers, who have win their last 8 games. The Celtics are now 2 ahead of the 3rd place Knicks, who won 9 straight before losing their last game to the Thunder. The Celtics are 12-3 on the road and they are 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 4-2 against Western Conference opponents and have won their last 3 games.

The Thunder are in first place in the West. They are 6.5 games ahead of 2nd place Memphis and 7 ahead of 3rd place Houston. They are 9 games ahead of the 4th place Los Angeles Lakers. They are 15-2 at home and they are 10-0 in their last 10 games. They are 10-0 against Eastern Conference opponents and they currently have a 14 game win streak.

The Thunder made several key moves in the off season. The biggest move may have been signing Isaiah Hartenstein away from the NY Knicks. He has especially been important due to the absence of Chet Holmgren. They also traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso. They drafted Nikola Topic, who will miss the entire season with a torn ACL. They also drafted Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell, with an eye to the future. Finally, they signed undrafted Alex Ducas to a 2 way contract.

This is the third game of a 4 game Western road trip that started with back to back wins in Minnesota on Thursday and in Houston on Friday. After this game, they will finish the road trip in Denver on Tuesday. They will return home to face 2 more Western Conference teams, Sacramento and New Orleans. They then head to Toronto to face the Raptors again for the 3rd time. They will then host Orlando and Atlanta before their 2nd Western road trip of the month through Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers and Dallas.

Kristaps Porzingis returned to the starting lineup in the Celtics’ last game against the Rockets after missing 4 straight games with a sprained ankle. He should be ready to play in this game as well. Al Horford sat out Friday’s game for rest but is expected to return for this game. Jalen Brown has missed the Celtics’ last two games with a shoulder strain and is questionable for this game. I’m using wishful thinking and including him in the starting lineup. If he can’t play once again, Sam Hauser should once again get the start in his place.

For the Thunder, Alex Caruso will miss his 7th game with a hip strain. Cason Wallace will likely continue to start in his place. Chet Holmgren is out with a right iliac hip fracture. I expect Isaiah Hartenstein will continue to start in his place. The Thunder’s 3 two way players are all also out with injuries. Alex Ducas (back), Adam Flagler (finger), and Ajay Mitchell (toe) are all out for this game. Rookie Nikola Topic is out for the season with an ACL tear.

Probable Celtics Starters

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PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Kristaps Porzingis

Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Sam Hauser
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson

Injuries/Out
Jaylen Brown (shoulder) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Thunder Starters

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PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Cason Wallace
SF: Lugentz Dort
PF: Jalen Williams
C: Isaiah Hartenstein

Thunder Reserves
Branden Carlson
Ousmane Dieng
Isaiah Joe
Dillon Jones
Aaron Wiggins
Jaylin Williams
Kenrich Williams

2 Way Players
Alex Ducas
Adam Flagler
Ajay Mitchell

Injuries/Out
Alex Caruso (hip) out
Alex Ducas (back) out
Ajay Mitchell (toe) out
Chet Holmgren (hip) out
Adam Flagler (finger) out
Nikola Topic (ACL) out

Head Coach
Mark Daigneault

Key Matchups

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  Jrue Holiday
  
  

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  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  
  
  Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
  

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Jrue Holiday vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 52.5% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. Gilgeous-Alexander is tied for the lead in the MVP race and is the key to the Thunder’s winning ways. In order to slow the Thunder, the Celtics must slow down SGA.

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  Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
  

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  Jalen Williams
  
  
  Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
  

Jayson Tatum vs Jalen Williams
Williams is averaging 20.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He is shooting 48.1% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. Williams can score both inside and out and so the Celtics must stay with him on defense whether he is in the paint or on the perimeter. Jayson Tatum has been playing very well on this road trip and the Celtics need him to continue that trend on both ends of the court in this game.

Honorable Mention
Kristaps Porzingis vs Isaiah Hartenstein
Hartenstein is averaging 12.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. He is shooting 57.3% from the field and 0% from beyond the arc. He is a threat to score inside and is a very good rebounder and shot blocker. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and away from the rim.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Thunder average 115.4 points per game (10th) The Celtics average 119.4 points per game (4th). This is going to be a tough matchup for the Celtics as the Thunder are first in the league with a defensive rating of 102.9 while the Celtics are 6th with a defensive rating of 109.4. The Celtics need to tighten up their defense and make playing defense a priority especially against this Thunder team that plays lock down defense. The Celtics need to especially defend the paint since the Thunder are 10th in the league with 49.9 points in the paint per game.

Rebound – Rebounding is also a key to winning. The Celtics need to rebound on the defensive end to keep the Thunder from getting second chance points and they need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions. The Thunder are 18th with 43.6 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 8th with 45.0 rebounds per game. Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics as a team have to put in the extra effort to grab rebounds.

Take Care of the Ball – The Celtics need to keep their focus and not turn the ball over. The Thunder are 1st in the league with 23.4 points off turnovers per game. They are also 1st with 11.8 steals per game. The Celtics have to move the ball because they are a much better team when they move the ball and don’t over dribble. But they must focus and make careful passes and not get sloppy. They also have to be aware when dribbling the ball so as not to allow the Thunder to get steals. The Thunder will make them pay if they get sloppy and turn the ball over.

Be Focused and Ready for a Tough Game – The Thunder have not lost to an Eastern Conference team this season. They have also only lost 5 games. The Celtics have to be ready to go to the basket if they struggle from three. They also have to be ready to shoot from midrange if both the paint and the perimeter are defended tightly. The Celtics must stay focused on playing hard for 48 minutes and on playing tough defense and on playing the right way.

X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics are playing in their 3rd straight road game. The Celtics have the advantage of having a mostly healthy roster but then, the Thunder have won 14 straight games in spite of missing some players. The Thunder have the advantage of being at home in front of their fans and they have great fans. The Celtics need to overcome the distractions of travel and playing on the road in front of hostile fans.

Coaching – Joe Mazzulla led the Celtics to a championship in just his second season but Mazzulla didn’t win the Coach of the Year last season. It was Thunder coach, Mark Daigneault that won the Coach of the Year honor. He is also the Coach of the Month for December this season. Both rosters are deep and talented and so coaching may be a factor in this game.

Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. How the refs call the game has a big influence on how the teams play. Will they let them play or call every little bit of contact? Will they call it evenly or will they favor one team or the other. It all effects the outcome of the game and the Celtics need to play the right way and not allow the officiating to take them out of their game. The Celtics should never be caught complaining to the refs while the other team goes in for a score.

And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community.

These days, signing a Name, Image and Likeness deal and a return to football for the following season seem to go hand-in-hand.

That was the case for South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor.

The Garnet Trust, South Carolina’s NIL collective, announced on Saturday that it had reached a deal with Harbor, a wide receiver who is poised to have a huge season in 2025.

The Garnet Trust announced the deal on social media.

The sophomore didn’t make a formal announcement that he was returning for 2025, but the NIL likely cements a third season for him in Columbia. Plus, he posted this to social media shortly after the Garnet Trust announced the deal.

The 6-5, 235-pound receiver is one of the top athletes in the SEC and his numbers suggest that 2025 could be huge year for him, the first year he’ll be eligible for the NFL Draft.

The former five-star prospect caught 24 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns. That was second on the team behind tight end Joshua Simon.

With quarterback LaNorris Sellers returning, Harbor could have a big year after South Carolina went 9-4 in 2024.

Harbor could be preparing for a second season with the Gamecocks’ track and field team, as he was a two-sport athlete in high school and has continued so in college. That kept him out of spring drills last season.

During the outdoor season he earned co-SEC Freshman of the Week accolades after posting the third-fastest 100 meters in school history. Harbor also recorded his best times during the outdoor season of 10.11 in the 100m dash and 20.20 in the 200, earning second-team All-America honors in both events.

As a true freshman in 2023, Harbor played in all 12 games for South Carolina, including starts each of the final five games. He finished with 12 receptions for 195 yards, with an average of 16.3 yards per catch, along with a touchdown.

The Gamecocks recruited him out of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., where he played both football and ran track.

On the football field, he was a tight end and defensive end who was named a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in the District of Columbia.

He was also a two-time Gatorade Boys Track and Field Player of the Year in the District of Columbia (2021-22). He swept the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the 2021 and 2022 state meets and is the state record-holder in both events.