Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 108

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant quickly apologized for his ejection in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Game 1 matchup against the LA Clippers, one that saw him constantly jawing with known instigator Patrick Beverley, the last of them with 4:41 left in the fourth quarter, which caused him to hit the showers early: “I […]

Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon is still progressing through a plantar fascia injury in his left foot that could see him miss another two to four weeks, but regardless of his health, the former Rookie of the Year is bound for an upcoming free-agent deal. According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, Brogdon could get […]

Caris LeVert’s return to the court was one of the most unlikely sights of this NBA season after a gruesome foot injury could have potentially sidelined him for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. While it took the shifty swingman three months to fully get back into action, Brooklyn Nets teammate DeMarre Carroll attributes his […]

The Brooklyn Nets were encouraged by Caris LeVert’s emergence as more than a role player for the organization, but that hope was quickly deflated by an early-season foot injury that could have sidelined him for the rest of the season. At first, the gruesome nature of his injury brought back memories of Gordon Hayward’s nasty […]

After having a full-fledged NBA season under his belt, Atlanta Hawks rookie point guard Trae Young explained the difference of playing the position in college as opposed to the NBA: “I mean, you’re managing a game in college,” Young said, with “managing” effectively in air quotes, according to ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz. “But when everyone on […]

Allonzo Trier was one of the bright stories early on the season, for an otherwise forgettable season for the New York Knicks. An undrafted two-way player that earned his spot in the 15-man roster early in the campaign served as an inspiration for those hoping to carve out a spot in the rotation through persistence […]

The Philadelphia 76ers took a gut punch in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, taking a 111-102 loss at home, where they were fervently booed throughout the course of the game. Jimmy Butler’s game-high 36 points weren’t enough to catch up to the Nets, and neither was his impactful play […]

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t the only one who thought his team took the bait when Kevin Durant taunted LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverley in the late stages of the game, as their dual ejection could have been reason for concern if it took place earlier or in a tight game. Assistant […]

The Philadelphia 76ers rolled out a questionable Joel Embiid for Game 1 of the first round against the Brooklyn Nets, but his 24 minutes of action quickly saw something was not right with the big man. Dr. David Chao, a former NFL team doctor who writes a column for The San Diego Union-Tribune, wrote a […]

TNT analyst Charles Barkley asked the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James one last time to come and join the set of Inside The NBA. No, actually he begged him to do so during Sunday’s broadcast of the NBA playoffs. The Lakers forward will be missing the postseason for the first time in 14 years, making […]

Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics pulled off a throwback gritty performance against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their first-round matchup, but it surely didn’t come without the C’s struggling to find a comfort zone without one of its key starters in Marcus Smart. Irving, who led the way with 20 points in […]

It was only a year ago that Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum was interacting with fans shortly after getting swept off the first round by the New Orleans Pelicans to end his 2017-18 season. Jennifer Williams, a Twitter fan, taunted him, asking him to “win a playoff game, then talk.” Clearly, McCollum took that […]

Blake Griffin wasn’t buying his teammate Andre Drummond’s ejection late in the third quarter of Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks, as the Detroit Pistons lost their best scorer and rebounder with Griffin out to injury. Drummond pushed Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the play after he gathered an offensive rebound, warranting a Flagrant 2 call […]

After a pair of unexpected finishes in the NBA Playoffs, the Golden State Warriors were the first home team to avoid defeat on Saturday, notching a 121-104 Game 1 win over the eighth-seeded L.A. Clippers. While the night wasn’t short of fireworks, the Warriors failed the ultimate test, allowing the Clippers a slight sense of […]

In the aftermath of Magic Johnson’s sudden resignation from his post as president of basketball operations, the Los Angeles Lakers and head coach Luke Walton have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced. The Los Angeles Lakers and Luke Walton have mutually agreed to part ways. "We would like to thank Luke for his […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan wouldn’t speculate on the Game 1 status of his leading scorer, Paul George, after he missed Wednesday’s season final against the Milwaukee Bucks, calling him day-to-day, according to ESPN’s Royce Young. The Thunder will take on the Portland Trail Blazers on the first round, but are still at […]

Houston Rockets big man Clint Capela is expected to play in Game 1 of the first round playoff matchup agains the Utah Jazz, despite missing Thursday’s practice with an illness, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “He’s been under the weather the last two days,” said head coach Mike D’Antoni, who recently came […]

Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge still maintains the same priorities he had at the beginning of the season — to re-sign Kyrie Irving. Asked if he was looking to lock him up long-term, a simple “yes” did the trick. The Celtics have been marred by a cluster of mishaps, poor fits and mood swings, turning […]

Atlanta Hawks swingman Kent Bazemore will opt into the last year of his contract, exercising a $19.2 million player-option for the 2019-20 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Baze will play out the last year of his four-year, $70 million contract, one the Hawks have previously tried to get rid of throughout the trade deadline. […]

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Jeff Teague has decided to exercise his $19 million player-option to remain with the team for the 2019-20 season, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Wolves’ starting point guard will turn 31 years old in June and it appears he prefers to stick it out for another season in […]

Dwyane Wade had made a statement during his last home stand of the season, trotting out a 30-point performance in winning fashion, as the Miami Heat pulled off a 122-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. But he had one last game to play, a road game against the Brooklyn Nets to finish out the season. […]

Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and had to undergo an emergency appendectomy, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The young wing is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks, likely causing him to miss beyond the first-round of playoff action. The Raptors were already down one lengthy […]

Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard CJ Miles has opted into the last year of contract, one which will see him make $8.7 million for the 2019-20 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. His deal is fully guaranteed, and likely the best figure he could fetch in a free agent market loaded with shooters. The lefty sharpshooter […]

DeMarcus Cousins joined his new Golden State Warriors on Jan. 18, with plenty of questions yet to answer over the course of the regular season. Among them, for coach Steve Kerr, was his defensive prowess, especially guarding pick-and-roll action — which have proven his greatest concern, now playing in a switch-happy defense. “The thing we […]

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has seen new acquisition DeMarcus Cousins progress through his rehabilitation process, grow, and adapt to a new system throughout the length of the 2018-19 regular season, yet his excitement for Cousins to make the first playoff start of his career is only rivaled by the nostalgia seeing him go […]

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni recently returned from an illness to see his team seeded fourth in the Western Conference by season’s end — not exactly the result he expected, but one that will still allow him to propel this team throughout the playoffs. As fate would have it, a last-second 3-pointer by Paul […]

Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has yet to watch Game 7 of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Should he? Maybe. Maybe not. But there are reasons why the third-year wing has yet to relive his Celtics blowing a 12-point lead down the stretch to a team spearheaded by LeBron James. He […]

The recent public resignation of Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson has forced controlling-owner Jeanie Buss to be on the lookout for her next executive. The process of doing so will start with feeling out the temperature of the likes of R.C. Buford (San Antonio Spurs), Bob Myers (Golden State Warriors), Sam Presti (Oklahoma City Thunder), […]

Jimmy Butler has gone from a do-it-all gem for the Minnesota Timberwolves to a superstar Swiss army knife for the Philadelphia 76ers after being traded early in the season. His numbers don’t reflect the All-Star that he’s been the last four seasons (18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.9 steals), yet it reflects the kind […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have used this season as a win-now predicament to finally catapult them over their biggest competitors in the East, acquiring star swingman Jimmy Butler and an All-Star-caliber forward in Tobias Harris. It’s put the Sixers in a good spot. Those big names have managed to mesh well playing together, but unfortunately, there […]

The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t had the same defensive intensity that at one point characterized them during a 16-game end-of-season streak at the end of last season, but head coach Brett Brown is aware that adding superstar talent come with its share of headaches when trying to put together a winning formula. “I would point the […]

The NBA has seen plenty of surprises in another action-full regular season, but there are a few teams that have left their mark in one way or another. On the verge of completing an arduous run of 82 games over the course of a six-month campaign, ClutchPoints is proud to bring you the end-of-season awards: […]

Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams is among the prime candidates to take over as head coach of the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. An earlier report indicated newly-extended GM Vlade Divac is preparing to fire coach Dave Joerger over a face-to-face meeting later today. Williams has a proven track record of coaching young […]

Following the end of the 2018-19 season, the Phoenix Suns have named James Jones as the full-time general manager, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Jones already held the title of interim GM before he was announced as the full-fledged man for the job. The former NBA journeyman took over the helm of the […]

The Sacramento Kings are reportedly looking at Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton as a potential replacement for Dave Joerger, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. Neither head coach is available at the moment, but Joerger is reportedly in deep waters with the Kings front office and newly-extended general manager Vlade […]

Newly-extended general manager Vlade Divac is preparing to fire Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger over a face-to-face meeting later today, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Divac recently received a four-year extension, which will keep him at the helm of the front office decision-making until the 2022-23 season, according to earlier reports. It appears his […]

Reflecting on his career as a longtime general manager of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey delighted Kelly Iko of The Athletic with an anecdote that could have changed the balance of power in the West back in the day. Asked of the most audacious acquisition that never materialized, Morey was quick to point out a […]

James Harden has changed the course of the Houston Rockets, bringing the franchise from playoff hopeful into a championship contender. It all started with general manager Daryl Morey’s pursuit of Harden after three years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Morey’s aggressive tactics resulting in the acquisition of the young star, one who would soon […]

Having fallen short of reaching the postseason, Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic is set to weigh his future in the coming months of the offseason, likely considering opting out of the $19.2 million player-option in his contract. “I’m not going to talk about that now. It doesn’t make sense right now,” he said, according […]