Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 129

LeBron James is quickly approaching the one-month mark since first suffering a strained groin on Dec. 25 in a blowout of the Golden State Warriors, as the Los Angeles Lakers’ initial day-to-day timeline soon turned into a week-to-week situation. Head coach Luke Walton noted the team won’t plan for James’ return anytime soon. “We’re not […]

It’s no surprise James Harden is making yet another push for the Most Valuable Player award after finally winning it last year after leading the Houston Rockets to a franchise-best 65 wins. With little hopes of pulling out a season as impressive as the former, The Beard recognizes his scoring dominance has been the direct […]

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni has run out of superlatives to describe his star player James Harden, who has singlehandedly kept the team afloat in the midst of key absences in the lineup. Perhaps what’s been the most amazing part of his recent scoring tear is that all baskets have come unassisted, a trend […]

Houston Rockets guard James Harden has quickly climbed up to put his name in the record books, currently in the midst of the most ambitious scoring barrage of his career. His 35.7 points per game average is the most since 1987-88, when Michael Jordan averaged 37.1 points to win the scoring crown, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s […]

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook made the case for Paul George as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year after a dominant outing against the Portland Trail Blazers, resulting in a 123-114 win on Tuesday night. “He should be,” said Westbrook when asked if he felt George deserved the title of DPOY. “He’s […]

Dennis Smith Jr. shined in his return to the Dallas Mavericks starting lineup after a short hiatus, dropping 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a win over the L.A. Clippers. A scene in which his teammates hugged him in the fourth quarter drew attention, but the second-year guard noted it wasn’t much to […]

A third-quarter confrontation between Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Gorgui Dieng had both players ejected after getting dangerously close to each other during an inbounds play, provoking each other in front of the officials. Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. watched it happen up close and was proud of his teammate looking […]

Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. returned from a six-game absence on Tuesday, posting 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal in a win over the L.A. Clippers. His rookie teammate Luka Doncic was glad his hiatus finally came to an end, but the Mavs’ second-year guard wouldn’t comment on his recent […]

The Golden State Warriors All-Star studded “death lineup” of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and the newly-added DeMarcus Cousins has already managed to brutalize the NBA, despite their short time together on the floor. Through 18 minutes on the floor, the Warriors have outscored their two opponents, the L.A. Clippers and the […]

The Houston Rockets were dealt their biggest loss of the season during a 121-93 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. James Harden scored 37 points in three quarters, but sat during the fourth quarter with the game already out of hand. “The Beard” is hoping his recent scoring barrage can help him keep his […]

The trade call between the Houston Rockets, the Chicago Bulls, and the league office will have to wait, as the deal “might have to be amended over a discrepancy involving the rights to an international player,” according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. It was due to this very reason that the league […]

Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is slated to start at his usual spot after reports of his decision to rejoin his teammates after a short hiatus went public, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. A bench role was never discussed between he and coach Rick Carlisle before the 21-year-old took his mysterious sabbatical. The […]

Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Luka Doncic has been fined $10,000 for kicking a basketball into the stands during Saturday night’s 111-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. This is Doncic’s first-ever fine at the NBA level, and one he’ll surely learn from after he was ejected for the first time in […]

An influx of healthy bodies has put Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra in a tough position, forced to shuffle his lineup and accommodate his players in different minute allocations. Center Kelly Olynyk now finds himself as the odd man out in the rotation, obscured by a tandem of starter Hassan Whiteside and second-year big […]

DeMarcus Cousins’ road to recovery was a trying one, as the big man was forced to start very slowly, knowing it would take months to fully heal the Achilles injury he suffered in a win over the Houston Rockets on Jan. 26 after busting out a triple-double. The Golden State Warriors center had his days […]

Fire and Ice — a perfect nickname to what was thought to be an imperfect partnership between DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. The New Orleans Pelicans’ former frontcourt tandem quickly proved the NBA wrong, terrorizing teams in the low post and out-smarting them from the outside, building one of the most feared big-men pairing in […]

DeMarcus Cousins experienced uncharted waters during his first time as a free agent, not only getting an underwhelming offer from the New Orleans Pelicans, but even getting teams scoffing at the notion of a one-year run to boost his value back to health. The big man noted how other teams around the league didn’t care […]

What seemed like an inevitable marriage between the Houston Rockets and Danuel House Jr. turned into a contractual disagreement and a consequent send-down to the G League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers after House’s 45 days of service with the NBA team were up. While the two parties could not agree on a suitable contract, there […]

Jordan Bell’s argument with head coach Steve Kerr was the lone lowlight of a rousing 130-111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the second-year center was visibly frustrated with his coach after he engaged with him on the bench. Teammate Kevin Durant, who pulled Bell away from Kerr […]

The Washington Wizards are in the midst of the most unlikely playoff push in today’s NBA, now boasting a 7-5 record since All-Star point guard John Wall went down to a season-ending heel injury. Head coach Scott Brooks is confident this isn’t just a run-of-the-mill coincidence, but knows his team is hitting stride at the […]

The Miami Heat have gone a mere 5-5 since getting bodies back into the rotation, slipping to seventh place in the Eastern Conference and in danger of missing out on the postseason. Forward James Johnson knows that after losing five of their last eight games, head coach Erik Spoelstra will shuffle up his current lineup, […]

The Orlando Magic have experienced a see-saw first half of the season, full of encouraging and disappointing stretches. For center Nikola Vucevic, there has never been a clearer time to let go of the breaks and storm full steam ahead, hoping to keep himself and his teammates accountable after slipping out of the playoff race […]

Stephen Curry had yet another dismal game shooting the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Golden State Warriors guard wasn’t just misfiring from beyond the arc, but also from in close. Curry got a hold of a steal and raced up court only to slip and fall before attempting a wide-open layup. Curry […]

The explosion at Staples Center during and after an overtime loss to the LA Clippers saw two close friends in Draymond Green and Kevin Durant exchange fiery words in an altercation that could have divided the Golden State Warriors. While friction was high, both men took the initiative to reconcile their relationship and strengthen the […]

Kevin Durant was rather nonchalant after teammate Klay Thompson tied a few NBA records with a scorching 44-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers, only waiting for the next display of fireworks to come along. The Golden State Warriors sharpshooter shot a blistering 10-of-11 from beyond the arc after catching fire in the third quarter, […]

It took DeMarcus Cousins only 36 minutes of floor time with the Golden State Warriors to witness NBA history happen right before his very eyes, watching teammate Klay Thompson erupt for a game-high 44 points and can 10 of his 11 three-point attempts against the Los Angeles Lakers to tie the NBA record in consecutive […]

Klay Thompson lit Staples Center ablaze with another third quarter for the history books, draining 3-pointer after 3-pointer to incinerate the Los Angeles Lakers for 44 points on 17-of-20 shooting from the floor and an incandescent 10-of-11 from beyond the arc. Asked about what ignited his performance, the Golden State Warriors guard admitted he was […]

James Harden joined basketball royalty on Martin Luther King Jr. Day by scoring 37 points in three quarters in a loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, making it his 20th straight game with 30 or more points and joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players to have reached that streak. Following a 28-point loss on […]

Every NBA season brings a trade rumor or two involving the Portland Trail Blazers’ high-powered duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. In the latter’s case, he’s often the one involved in potential musings, recalling a recent swap idea for Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon. “What’s his name… Bill Simmons has been trying to get […]

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard will be available to play on Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings after missing the last two games with what the coaching staff described as “load management,” according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Center Jonas Valanciunas and forward OG Anunoby will not play. Leonard is coming off a season-long injury that forced […]

Draymond Green’s incident with Kevin Durant after an overtime loss to the L.A. Clippers proved that his leadership style could at times come off as too abrasive to others. Yet the Golden State Warriors forward won’t change his leadership style just because one incident that went sideways. “I am the leader that I am, at […]

Russell Westbrook had himself field day playing against the hapless New York Knicks, even having the pleasure of schooling fellow point guard Frank Ntilikina with a brilliant pump-fake near the lane. Following the easy lay-in, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard had to let the second-year player know just how good he had him with that […]

Narratives of a potential implosion in Golden State after Draymond Green and Kevin Durant exchanged fiery barbs during and after a loss to the LA Clippers have been left behind (like a ponytail). The Warriors had gone through their most trying stretch of the season and somehow managed to calm the waters by getting back […]

The Golden State Warriors started showing signs of mortality for the first time last season, looking unmotivated and at times scoffing at the importance of the regular season. Injuries late through the 2017-18 campaign caused them to finish below the 60-win mark, with a 58-24 record seven wins behind the West-leading Houston Rockets. Draymond Green […]

The Golden State Warriors have been relatively quiet during the past few seasons when it comes to making acquisitions. Still boasting an open spot from Patrick McCaw’s departure to the Cleveland Cavaliers and then to the Toronto Raptors, the Warriors could address their need at the center position through a trade or a buyout situation. […]

While some stars have focused their future in lining up the next NBA superteam, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has vastly set himself apart from that club. Lillard is a franchise player, but not one willing to wear an extra hat as a front office executive, determining who to target in free agency and […]

Jimmy Butler’s controversial heated conversation with Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown has been beaten like a drum since reports of their “confrontation” went viral after a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Butler addressed the origin of it one last time, hoping to bring clarity to the nature of their exchange. “I want to understand […]

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale had a clear-the-air conversation with his center Enes Kanter after the team returned from London, hoping to explain his thought process amid the changes in the rotation. Fizdale benched Kanter earlier this season and admitted his priority is to develop his young centers Luke Kornet and Mitchell Robinson […]

Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin clearly still harbors hard feelings for his former team, the L.A. Clippers, but his reasons are completely understandable. Griffin was sold on being the face of the franchise and rewarded as such with a five-year, $173 million contract during the offseason of 2017, only to be traded in late January […]