THURSDAY’S BEST BET ON TELEVISION
Miami tries to stay in the playoff picture when it plays at Carolina. 8 p.m., NFL Network
LOCAL POWER RANKINGS — WHO’S GENERATING BUZZ IN THE D.C. AREA?
ALEX OVECHKIN
The Moscow Dynamo looked in midseason form after a six-game absence, scoring his 15th goal in as many games for the Capitals on Tuesday.
CLINTON PORTIS
Interesting situation for Portis, who for the first time in his Redskins career is being looked at as expendable by the team’s fan base.
RALPH FRIEDGEN
The Terrapins are 2-8, and now he sees recruiting rival Virginia Tech scheduling games within miles of his stadium. More tough times are ahead.
ANTAWN JAMISON
The Wizards forward made his season debut Wednesday against Cleveland. Maybe he can keep the team from digging an insurmountable hole.
JON GRUDEN
His decision to stay in the “Monday Night Football” booth creates a problem for NFL owners who wanted to hire him. Do they wait for him?
TWT FIVE — SURPRISING NBA STORYLINES
1. Phoenix Suns - They were disappointing last year but are atop the Western Conference (10-2) and have six players averaging at least 11 points.
2. Brandon Jennings’ impact - A rookie for Milwaukee, he is ninth in scoring (25.5 points) and already has a 55-point game.
3. Tim Floyd is back - Instead of breaking up catfights at a casino, he has returned to an NBA sideline as an assistant in New Orleans.
4. How much New Jersey stinks - The Nets are 0-11, and that’s tough to do in the NBA. Six of the defeats have been by 10 or more points.
5. Wizards’ struggles - The 50-win talk was too much, but so is this. It’s time to pick it up.
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