Seeing red | Sports Daily Newsletter

The Sixers played an NBA In-Season Tournament game the other night on a special Wells Fargo Center court that was a garish red, to put it mildly.

Aesthetics aside, our David Murphy is seeing red over the new tournament already. Murphy’s point: The setup offers a $500,000 payoff for players on the championship team, but why should the fans care? Does it really matter to them if Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey get a little extra in their paychecks with a title?

How about some real stakes to make the fans care about this thing? The NBA needs to find some meaningful team reward for winning the tournament, Murphy writes. It could be a playoff spot or other postseason incentives. For now, all Sixers fans really get out of it are sore eyes.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The bye week seems to have given Jalen Hurts the rest and recovery he needed to prepare for the second half of the season. He indicated on Thursday that it was a good week for him as his knee has been less than 100% in recent weeks.

Hurts will be without tight end Dallas Goedert for several weeks because of a fractured forearm. The Eagles won’t be able to replace him, but reserve tight ends Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra gained experience last season, helping particularly in the running game.

Next: The Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m., 6abc).

The Eagles will visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

After getting off to an 8-1 start and serving as one of the NBA’s best early-season stories, the 76ers dropped back-to-back games this week against the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. But that shouldn’t be cause for concern, writes The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. This was simply a tough stretch for a tired, undermanned squad that doesn’t deserve to be shrouded in gloom and doom.

Next: The Sixers play the Hawks in Atlanta at 7:30 p.m. Friday (NBCSP).

Dave Dombrowski has said re-signing Aaron Nola is the Phillies’ priority, but what if they don’t? There’s another intriguing — and younger — right-hander on the market who has attracted plenty of interest from the Phillies already. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 25, is one of the most accomplished pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball history and he’s ready to cash in with MLB. Here’s why he could be a fit with the Phillies.

The Flyers have won three straight and are a surprising 8-7-1 so far.

One of the keys to the team’s newfound success has been a team commitment and collective buy-in under coach John Tortorella. Nowhere was that more evident than on Wednesday night when the Flyers blocked 30 shots to secure a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

But a willingness to block shots is more significant than it might appear on the surface. Former Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen explains.

Next: The Flyers host the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights at 1 p.m. Saturday (NBCSP).

After a disappointing loss to Michigan that all but ended their College Football Playoff hopes, the 12th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions are looking to regroup on Saturday.

“Naturally, you’d want there to be a grieving period,” says right tackle Caedan Wallace. “But we can’t do that. We couldn’t take a day off or practice off or a period off because we were grieving our last loss because then it’ll turn into another loss.”

Next: Penn State will host Rutgers at noon Saturday (FS1).

We asked you: Do you think the Tush Push gives the Eagles an unfair advantage? Among your responses:

Not really. All the other teams can use it if they choose. Most if them don’t from what I’ve been seeing. The Eagles just happen to be good at it. — Jack H.

Unfair? Absurd! Every team is free to run this play; however, many just aren’t skillful enough to succeed with it. Remember: There’s no crying in football! — Joseph R.

There is nothing unfair about the Eagles’ innovative play. It is what it is and as long as the NFL finds that it breaks no rules they should continue to use it. And at least for we Eagle fans, it is sure fun to watch. — Everett S.

Nobody squawked when Chicago used “the Fridge” in comparable situations back in the day. — Paul S.

Push is not a football play and should be banned. I thought we play football, not rugby. — James H.

The National Football League — football, in general — is all about innovation and imitation, especially on offense. ... While the “tush push” may seem like a return to the football Stone Age, teams fervently and consistently seek success with “what works.” Yeah, the tush push is somewhat ugly and perhaps ultra-orthodox trench football. But since it works and other teams will no doubt copy it, I say let it run. — Larry C.

The play doesn’t give the Eagles an unfair advantage — the Eagles are just bigger and stronger. — Eric R.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, EJ Smith, Josh Tolentino, Keith Pompey, Alex Coffey, Jackie Spiegel, Max Ralph, Brooke Ackerman, Jeff Neiburg, Kerith Gabriel, Aaron Carter, and Jonathan Tannenwald.

What’s the over-under on Taylor Swift mentions during the Monday Night Football telecast? At any rate, rest up for that game and we’ll see you on Monday.

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