Monday Quickies: Rise of Skal Edition

Skal Labissiere is on a mission to prove draft experts wrong, and he’s succeeding thus far.

In Labissiere’s latest game against the Houston Rockets, a game in which he started, he dropped 25 points (a career-high), grabbed six rebounds, dished three assists and swiped two steals.

Labissiere has scored in double-figures in four of his last five games, and he doubled his point production from February to March. So far in April he’s averaging 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Tweet of the day

Yeah, he also did that.

Your quickies

Labissiere flashes immense talent, looks to prove critics wrong - Herald-Leader
Skal is making steady improvement this season and showing incredible potential. Skinny stretch bigs are becoming more and more prominent in the NBA, and Skal fits that mold well.

De’Aaron Fox agrees to go to prom with Kentucky fan - KSR
I know two things. One: He’ll be the most popular person there, and two: there’s no way they won’t wear blue.

Lynn Bowden not focused on comparisons - SEC Country
“I can only be me,” Bowden says. Bowden being himself means good things for Kentucky football; he’s one heck of an athletic talent.

Kentucky baseball loses series to Mississippi State - Herald-Leader
The Cats had a three-run lead, but couldn’t hold onto it, causing them to lose Sunday’s game 10-6, which gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 series win.

Todd McShay projects Jon Toth as a fifth-round draft pick - 247
According to McShay, the Kentucky center would be the fourth center taken in the draft.

UK fans who harassed John Higgins could face serious trouble - Nation of Blue
Sometimes fans take things a bit too far. These UK fans aren’t a representation of the whole of Big Blue Nation, but they went too far, and they could face felony charges and lawsuits.

Sergio Garcia’s green jacket took a little magic and a lot of maturity - Golf Channel
Garcia’s lead vanished before his eyes late on Sunday. He was forced into a playoff, and it was looking as though that major title he’s been searching his whole career for would elude him yet again. But he stayed composed, and put together one last great hole to win The Masters.

Tim Tebow homers for the second time in three games - ESPN
The Tebow hype train is picking up steam!

Russell Westbrook surpasses the Big O for most triple-doubles in a season - CBS
Oscar Robertson is no longer the single-season triple-double king. Russell Westbrook has surpassed him, as so many suspected he would early on in the year. To make it even more significant, he capped it off with a buzzer-beater to drop the Denver Nuggets. Can’t imagine anyone else winning MVP at this point.

The Cavs melted down in the fourth...again - FOX Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t been the best at keeping a lead lately. Maybe they could use a defender off the bench. You know, maybe a low-cost option, someone who won’t score a lot but can shut down even the best shooters...Wait, didn’t they just waive somebody like that?

Angels complete epic ninth-inning comeback - Sporting News
The Angels were trailing the Seattle Mariners 9-5 with two outs in the ninth. But Los Angeles scored a total of seven runs in the ninth (thanks in part to four walks) to walk-off on the Mariners.

D’Angelo Russell hits game-winner to down TWolves - Los Angeles Times
This shot is 100 times more significant for Russell because he just lost his grandmother. Sports often give us a script more often than we could ever write ourselves.

Some packaged salads recalled after a dead bat was found inside - CBS
EEK!!