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The Denver Nuggets have been enjoying one of the greatest individual seasons from a player that the league has ever seen, as their three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić looks to be the frontrunner to win the award for a fourth time this season. While Jokić has been playing some of the best basketball of his career, it hasn’t led to as many wins as Denver would have hoped for. The Nuggets’ record sits at 12-10 as they hold the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Jokić has done everything possible to keep his team afloat, recently pouring in a career-high 56 points to go along with 16 rebounds and eight assists Saturday night. The only issue is that his historic outing came in a 122-113 defeat against the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the Association. Since Denver’s run to the 2023 NBA championship which saw Jokić win his first Finals MVP award, the supporting pieces around their dominant center have been dwindling. Since the departure of impactful role players like Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jeff Green and Reggie Jackson post-2023, the Nuggets’ improvement has been contingent on the development of their young prospect core. Outside of their recent draft picks Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, Denver’s bench has struggled. To remedy this situation, the Nuggets’ general manager Calvin Booth could be inclined to inquire about a game-wrecking guard from the Memphis Grizzlies. Marcus Smart’s time with the Memphis Grizzlies has been injury-riddled for the most part, but he has still shown the ability necessary to potentially contribute to a winning organization. The winner of the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year award and an important piece to the Boston Celtics’ run to the NBA Finals during that same season, Smart’s reputation has preceded him as one of the best defensive guards the league has to offer when healthy. The three-time All-Defensive Team member has played sparingly this season, but his defensive numbers are comparable to his most productive seasons as a member of the Celtics. Smart is averaging 9.6 points and 4.1 assists on a 47.1% effective field goal percentage, but his 108 defensive rating per 100 possessions and 0.9 defensive box plus-minus figures in 15 appearances are still impeccable. Denver could acquire Smart to hopefully fill in the shoes of Brown or Caldwell-Pope by either shipping out prospects such as Julian Strawther and Zeke Nnaji or attaching draft capital to either player. More NBA: Celtics rank number two on the NBA Week 8 Power Rankings at the quarter-season markJohnny Sexton autobiography wins Irish Sports Book of the Year
CHICAGO (AP) — Aidan Laughery rushed for three touchdowns and No. 22 Illinois topped Northwestern 38-28 on Saturday to reach nine victories for the first time since its 2007 Rose Bowl season. Pat Bryant dashed in to score off Luke Altmyer’s 43-yard pass early in the third quarter as Illinois (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) struck for touchdowns just over 4 minutes apart early in the third quarter to open a 28-10 lead in what had been a tight game. Bryant's 10th receiving touchdown tied a school record. Altmyer, who threw for 170 yards, had a TD himself on a keeper from the 1-yard line early in the second quarter. David Olano added a field goal in the fourth to cap Illinois' scoring. Laughery, a sophomore running back, rushed for a career-best 172 yards and topped 100 for the first time. He entered with only one TD this season and two for his career. He had a career-long 64-yard run for a score early in the second half. Coach Bret Bielema said he wasn't surprised by Laughery's explosive performance as the Gibson City, Illinois product rounded back into form after being hampered by a hamstring injury earlier this season. “I thought today would be a day that could happen,” Bielema said. “Today some of those turned into big home run hits we've kind of been waiting on all year.” Laughery said he's been prepping for this kind of game, when he carried the ball 12 times for an average of 14.3 yards. “Finally, the opportunity was there,” said Laughery, who got the game ball. “You know you gotta' hit one and it came together today.” He credited the Illini offensive line with opening space for his breakout performance. “Those guys were covering them (Northwestern's defense) all day long,” Laughery said. “It was awesome running behind the looks we were getting” Northwestern’s Devin Turner intercepted Altmyer twice, including for a 13-yard touchdown return late in the first quarter. Thomas Gordon caught Jack Lausch's 15-yard TD pass with a minute left, then the Wildcats added a two-point conversion to complete the scoring. Northwestern (4-8, 2-7 Big Ten) didn’t pack it in as hosted its second game this season at Wrigley Field, this time on a breezy sunny day with game-time temperature of 20 degrees. It looked like the Illini might run away after Bryant’s 10th receiving touchdown 4:52 into the third. He entered tied for the Big Ten lead. But Luke Akers kicked his second field goal of the game, a 34-yarder, with 5:35 left in the third quarter to cut it to 28-13. Lausch led the Wildcats on their next possession and finished it with an 11-yard touchdown toss to A.J. Henning to narrow the Illini lead to 28-20. Then Mac Resetich intercepted Lausch’s pass 50 seconds into the fourth quarter. Laughery powered up the middle for 31 yards and his third TD about two minutes later to quell the Wildcats' momentum. Northwestern dominated in possession time — 34:32 to 25:28 —and plays — 90 to 53. The margin was even more pronounced in the first half, but the Wildcats settled for a 13-yard touchdown return on Turner’s second pick of the game with 2:14 left in the first quarter and Akers’ 21-yard field goal that opened the scoring 6:29 in. Illinois led 14-10 at the half on Laughery’s 30-yard TD run midway through the first quarter and Altmyer’s keeper 1:39 into the second. Akers missed wide to the right on a 44-yard attempt as time ran out in the half. Both teams’ leading pass receivers were injured. Northwestern’s Bryce Kirtz was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a lower-body injury after two receptions that upped his total yards to 598. Illinois’ Bryant went to the locker room with about 5 minutes left in the first half after Turner collided with him as he plucked his second interception. Bryant returned, however, for the second half. Illinois: Is in line for a prestigious bowl game appearance and a chance to tie the school record of 10 wins, most recently set during their 2001 Sugar Bowl season. “We wanted to put ourselves in a good position on this day to get to nine wins and see where it can go,” Bielema said. “Just a fun day overall. I don't know what the future holds. It think we're a team that can play with anybody in the country.” Northwestern: Finished its second season under coach David Braun at 4-8 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats dropped their final three and five of the last six. Illinois is headed to a bowl game. Northwestern opens its 2025 season at Tulane on Aug. 30. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25The Denver Nuggets have been enjoying one of the greatest individual seasons from a player that the league has ever seen, as their three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić looks to be the frontrunner to win the award for a fourth time this season. While Jokić has been playing some of the best basketball of his career, it hasn’t led to as many wins as Denver would have hoped for. The Nuggets’ record sits at 12-10 as they hold the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Jokić has done everything possible to keep his team afloat, recently pouring in a career-high 56 points to go along with 16 rebounds and eight assists Saturday night. The only issue is that his historic outing came in a 122-113 defeat against the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the Association. Since Denver’s run to the 2023 NBA championship which saw Jokić win his first Finals MVP award, the supporting pieces around their dominant center have been dwindling. Since the departure of impactful role players like Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jeff Green and Reggie Jackson post-2023, the Nuggets’ improvement has been contingent on the development of their young prospect core. Outside of their recent draft picks Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, Denver’s bench has struggled. To remedy this situation, the Nuggets’ general manager Calvin Booth could be inclined to inquire about a game-wrecking guard from the Memphis Grizzlies. Marcus Smart’s time with the Memphis Grizzlies has been injury-riddled for the most part, but he has still shown the ability necessary to potentially contribute to a winning organization. The winner of the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year award and an important piece to the Boston Celtics’ run to the NBA Finals during that same season, Smart’s reputation has preceded him as one of the best defensive guards the league has to offer when healthy. The three-time All-Defensive Team member has played sparingly this season, but his defensive numbers are comparable to his most productive seasons as a member of the Celtics. Smart is averaging 9.6 points and 4.1 assists on a 47.1% effective field goal percentage, but his 108 defensive rating per 100 possessions and 0.9 defensive box plus-minus figures in 15 appearances are still impeccable. Denver could acquire Smart to hopefully fill in the shoes of Brown or Caldwell-Pope by either shipping out prospects such as Julian Strawther and Zeke Nnaji or attaching draft capital to either player. More NBA: Celtics rank number two on the NBA Week 8 Power Rankings at the quarter-season markShops demolished existed on JDA land: Relief Commissioner Migrants - Greater Kashmir
( ) is a Canada-based company that went public in late 2021. Over the last three years, the has returned over 250% to shareholders, crushing broader market returns by a significant margin. However, PRL stock also trades 8% below all-time highs and remains a top investment choice at current multiples. Here’s why I’m bullish on Propel Holdings stock right now. Propel Holdings is a fintech company that facilitates access to credit products such as installment loans and lines of credit to customers in Canada and the United States. It has increased sales from $60.2 million in 2018 to $416.4 million in the last 12 months. Despite elevated interest rates, Propel increased its sales by 41% year over year to $117.2 million, while adjusted net income growth was higher at 66%. It ended the third quarter (Q3) with a combined loan and advances balance of $432 million, up 44% year over year. While most Canadian banks have a return on equity of less than 20%, Propel reported an ROE of 34% in Q3, up from 27% in the year-ago period. Its adjusted ROE rose from 37% to 45% over the last 12 months. Propel completed the acquisition of QuickMarket for a purchase price of $71 million in Q3, allowing it to enter the U.K. market. The acquisition was funded by an equity offering of $115 million and should be immediately accretive to revenue and earnings. A strong U.S. economy, coupled with low unemployment rates and steady GDP growth, should help Propel increase its revenue over the next 12 months. Unlike several other growth stocks, Propel reports a consistent profit and even pays shareholders a growing dividend. Propel recently raised its annual dividend by 7% year over year to $0.60 per share, which translates to a forward yield of 1.6%. In fact, the company has raised its dividends six times since the start of 2023. Investors should expect the dividend payout to keep growing as revenue is forecast to touch $450 million in 2024 and $629 million in 2025, given consensus estimates. Analysts project adjusted earnings to expand from $0.98 per share in 2023 to $2.57 per share in 2025. So, priced at 14.6 times , PRL stock trades at a reasonable valuation. During the recent earnings call, Propel emphasized leveraging artificial intelligence capabilities to support its credit disbursement process and maintain credit quality. Moreover, its partnership with Coho should expand distribution channels and create a scalable growth avenue by gaining traction in multiple underserved markets. Further, investors are bullish on Propel because of its lending-as-a-service business, which is experiencing ongoing geographic expansion, a widening purchaser base, and an increase in commitments from existing clients. Propel appears to be executing well on multiple fronts while maintaining strong credit quality and operational efficiency. The company’s investment in AI and technology infrastructure seems to be paying off through improved metrics across the board. Analysts tracking the stock remain bullish and expect it to gain over 20% from current levels, given consensus price target estimates.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When the Chicago Bears were busy keeping Justin Jefferson quiet last month, the Minnesota Vikings put Jordan Addison to work. With the way Sam Darnold has been throwing the ball, the difficult task of defending this passing attack has become quite the chore. The Bears will be retesting on Monday night in Minnesota. “We always say that we’re the best duo in the entire league,” Jefferson said after he and his sidekick reached a new height in the rich history of Vikings receivers last week in a 42-21 victory over Atlanta that served as a breakthrough of sorts for an offense that hadn't yet hit its highest gear. Jefferson and Addison in that game became the first pair of players in the franchise's 64 seasons to each record at least 100 yards receiving and two touchdown catches. Addison scored three times, giving him 17 touchdowns in just 28 career games. Only Randy Moss (28), Rob Gronkowski (27), Ja'Marr Chase (22), Odell Beckham Jr. (19) and Larry Fitzgerald Jr. (18) scored more before turning 23. Addison, the team's first-round draft pick last year, has had a rocky start to his career off the field with a couple of driving incidents that could still lead to punishment from the NFL . After a contrite arrival at training camp and a slow start to this season as he worked through a severe ankle sprain to make the opener and then suffered another one on the opposite foot, Addison has caught stride along with Darnold as the revitalized quarterback keeps delivering game-winning performances for the Vikings (11-2). Addison has 23 catches for 410 yards and five scores over the last four games, helping the Vikings stretch their winning streak to six despite a constant effort by opponents to send safeties toward Jefferson for double or sometimes triple coverage. “Especially with how Justin gets defended, normally the player that’s defending Jordan or even if it’s within zone coverages, these guys know that they’re being told this guy will be wide open if you don’t get your hands on him, and that couldn’t be more true," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. “Now, he’s actually proven that he can play through that contact and play down the field through contact.” Addison's catch early in the third quarter at Chicago on Nov. 24 was a prime example of that ability to maintain balance and control despite his smaller stature at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds. Darnold dropped a perfectly placed ball into the space in the zone coverage between linebacker T.J. Edwards and safety Jonathan Owens, whose shoulder-first attempt to knock Addison down near the sideline failed badly during a 69-yard catch and run . “That’s all part of what we projected with Jordan, knowing he had elite quickness, separation skills, fantastic hands and ball tracking,” O'Connell said. “As he’s gotten stronger, he’s put a lot of work in. It’s showing up with his play style.” Jefferson, who is five years into a spectacular career of rewriting the NFL receiving record books, had just two receptions for 27 yards in that 30-27 overtime win over the Bears in Week 12. But Addison had eight catches for 162 yards, tight end T.J. Hockenson had seven receptions for 114 yards and Aaron Jones rushed for a season-high 106 yards that afternoon. “We assume that they’re going to come out and try to stop Justin, but we could get there and it could be something completely different, so everybody just has to be ready to roll at all times,” Jones said. “I feel like we have one of the best skill groups in the league now.” Darnold was serenaded with some “MVP” chants late in the game last week as the Vikings pulled away with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. He has completed 68% of his passes over the last four games for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns without an interception. “I think the biggest thing for me is just continuing to make good decisions and being able to, when I do let the ball rip, let it rip with confidence,” Darnold said. Bears tight end Cole Kmet acknowledged the mental toll this season has taken on him, with the team on a seven-game losing streak. A recent pep talk from his father, Frank, who starred as a defensive lineman at Purdue, helped him find perspective. “He was saying he’d give anything to go back and just to play one more game, to be in the shape that I’m in right now and to go out and play football. I think that’s kind of the perspective that I want to have going forward," Kmet said. “It’s a hard deal, for sure. I just have to keep the type of mindset that this type of adversity will only make me stronger going forward.” The first game with defensive coordinator Eric Washington calling the plays instead of coach Matt Eberflus, who was fired on Nov. 29 , didn't go well. The Bears gave up a season-most 38 points and matched their second-worst total by allowing 452 yards in a loss to San Francisco. Interim coach Thomas Brown said communication issues contributed to breakdowns in coverage. “I wouldn’t say it’s anything with a new play caller because we still have the same defense. We’ve all been with each other since the spring. The plays are the same. It’s just different flows,” Owens said. "It just comes down to us communicating and us executing it. After playing last week in all purple, the Vikings will don their “ Winter Warrior ” look with not only white jerseys and pants but the first usage of a white helmet in franchise history. “The helmet’s already insane,” outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard said. “I feel like I might go to sleep in it. I’m excited to put it on.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLSouth Florida defeats Portland 74-68
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West Virginia knocks off No. 3 Gonzaga in overtime