Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 130

The Chicago Bulls have missed a vital offensive output from starting point guard Kris Dunn in recent games, putting up only six points in four of his last five games. The third-year guard admitted he’s indeed going through a slump in this stretch of the season, as his mid-range game has vanished in recent games. […]

The Los Angeles Lakers will have a chance to shoot their best shot this offseason for their main target in New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis. While the purple-and-gold have two recent No. 2 overall picks on their roster, their best young trade asset isn’t Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball, but rather their 27th overall […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are unlikely to snag New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis before the trade deadline, but could instead focus their efforts on a swap before the NBA Draft as a last resort. A former NBA executive put the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics ahead of the Lakers due to a strong […]

The race for New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis might have to wait until the offseason, but even then, a former NBA executive thinks the Los Angeles Lakers would only be third in the sweepstakes, despite boasting the player that publicly stated his eagerness to play with him, LeBron James, and his agent Rich Paul […]

Derrick Rose continued to make his case for an All-Star bid and the Most Improved Player award on Sunday night, pulling the Minnesota Timberwolves from a potentially embarrassing loss, snatching a last-second game-winner against the Phoenix Suns. Rose scored 29 of his game-high 31 points in the second half and hit an 18-footer with 0.6 […]

Back-to-back Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant is a man of the people in many respects, but when the lack of it comes around, the Golden State Warriors forward will have none of it. The two-time Finals MVP was seen escorted by security during a recent event, only to have his hat snatched by a […]

A shocking chain of events had Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. change his mind and rejoin the team after a short hiatus due to a multitude of mysteries surrounding his relationship with the Mavs. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Smith’s decision to return wasn’t so much about coach Rick Carlisle convincing him that […]

DeMarcus Cousins’ debut with the Golden State Warriors will come with no minutes restrictions, according to head coach Steve Kerr. The big man will play in short bursts, though, as the coaching staff watches him closely, per ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly. The Warriors were expected to play Cousins under a minutes restriction, but it looks like […]

The Phoenix Suns were minutes from pulling off the unthinkable, holding a 95-87 advantage in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors, only to see the lead evaporate as tempers flared and Josh Jackson earned his second technical foul of the quarter, resulting in his ejection. The ejection proved to be a game-changer, as the […]

The Dallas Mavericks recently listed guard Dennis Smith Jr. as “questionable” with an illness, missing Friday’s practice ahead of a Saturday game against the Indiana Pacers. Head coach Rick Carlisle has reached out to him and his agent, and expressed that he is welcomed back whenever he desires to rejoin the team. “When he’s feeling […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have rapidly faded after an encouraging start to the season, clearly showing that the current roster just doesn’t have what it takes to contend in this loaded Western Conference. Marc Gasol, the oldest player on the roster who now nears his 34th birthday, is unlikely to get a multi-year extension when he’s […]

A little past the halfway mark of the 2018-19 regular season, DeMarcus Cousins is slated to make his debut in a Golden State Warriors uniform on Friday against the LA Clippers. The wait is indeed over. Showtime Sports tweeted a one-minute video showcasing the grind Cousins endured after suffering a torn Achilles in late January, nine […]

If the Dallas Mavericks are unable to get past the current impasse with Dennis Smith Jr. that has kept him out of the lineup the past three games, a potential trade with the Orlando Magic won’t be limited to a “singular focus” on any particular target, according to Mike Fisher of 247Sports. The Mavs could […]

Enjoying his 21st season in the league, Atlanta Hawks forward Vince Carter came into the league in a way most members of a basketball family don’t expect themselves to. Drafted fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors and then traded for University of North Carolina teammate Antawn Jamison, who went a pick above to the […]

Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell won’t defend his title as the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest winner in this year’s All-Star Weekend, choosing to set his sights solely on the pursuit of the playoffs in a tight Western Conference race. “I loved doing the dunk contest last year and it was a ton of fun, […]

Kyle Lowry’s original plan was to sit out against one of the NBA’s worst teams in the Phoenix Suns, as the Toronto Raptors noted “load management” as the reason for his and Kawhi Leonard’s absence. Leonard sat out, but Lowry did anything but, playing a whopping team-high 40 minutes in a close game against the […]

TNT analyst Charles Barkley didn’t hold back during Thursday’s double-header that featured the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers, harshly judging the Sixers for their decision to play Joel Embiid through a back injury: “Let me just say this about the Philadelphia 76ers: they got to be the stupidest organization in the history of sports,” said […]

The Washington Wizards have shown “little appetite” for trading forward Otto Porter Jr. anywhere for a return that is heavy on future assets and cap flexibility, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe. The Sacramento Kings have been chasing Porter ever since first setting eyes on him during the 2017 offseason, and while they have the need for […]

Despite a recent hiatus while still being a member of the Houston Rockets, forward Carmelo Anthony is still widely expected to find a suitor in today’s NBA, though there is no clarity if he will be traded before the Feb. 7 trade deadline, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. Anthony still has “multiple choices […]

Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady isn’t happy with the way the All-Star fan voting has gone through the first three returns of balloting, seeing Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic get even more votes than two-time MVP Stephen Curry. McGrady said as a guest on ESPN’s The Jump: “This is so disrespectful on all levels of […]

Jimmy Butler’s tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves was clouded with his poor fit alongside young players like Karl-Anthony Towns, even having his college coach, University of Kentucky’s John Calipari, saying Towns was bullied by the now-Philadelphia 76ers forward. Butler took exception to that: “Whatever. That’s OK,” Jimmy Butler told ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan after hearing of […]

The pairing of Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns proved to be a poor fit during a year-and-change of being partners on the court, which can be traced to having much different personalities. The now-Philadelphia 76ers forward thinks his former teammate is just “too nice” — which likely played a part in why Butler didn’t see […]

Shooting guard Zach LaVine was crystal clear when it comes to how opponents view the Chicago Bulls on their schedule. And it wasn’t fun to admit it. “We’re getting blown out every game,” said Zach LaVine, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “People are licking their chops, looking at us on the schedule, […]

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith believes Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving could explore a potential reunion with former teammate LeBron James as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers during his unrestricted free agency this summer. The recent call with James to address his departure and apologize for his erroneous ways of handling a trade […]

The Dallas Mavericks have been plagued with recent rumors regarding second-year point guard Dennis Smith Jr., who has reportedly been on the trade block after proving to be a poor fit next to rookie phenom Luka Doncic. Smith allegedly has had an ongoing rift with head coach Rick Carlisle, one that has been viewed as […]

In light of the recent rumors, the Dallas Mavericks insist on a potential reconciliation with point guard Dennis Smith Jr., noting they won’t trade him unless they get good value in return for their 2017 lottery pick, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Plan A” is to fix the issue, instead of looking for a way […]

Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has reportedly refused to keep playing for the team and is ready to move on to the next phase of his career. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon shared in Thursday’s episode of The Hoop Collective that the Mavs aren’t the ones behind the changing of his status (one that changed from […]

Oklahoma City Thunder center Nerlens Noel has passed the concussion protocol and been cleared to return for Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN’s Royce Young. Noel has missed the team’s last three game with concussion symptoms since suffering a hard fall against the Minnesota Timberwolves, exiting after scoring six points and […]

The clock is ticking on DeMarcus Cousins’ awaited return to the court, with the date of Jan. 18 now merely hours away. It is Friday that will mark the NBA’s apocalypse, the date when basketball meets its end, the day the Golden State Warriors go from ruining the game, to flat out obliterating it. But […]

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is soon become the fourth 70-year-old coach in the history of the league, but remains undecided about coaching the Spurs beyond this season, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. Popovich, who will turn 70 on Jan. 28, joining Bill Bertka, Hubie Brown and Larry Brown […]

The clock is officially ticking on DeMarcus Cousins’ awaited return after missing close to a full calendar year with a torn Achilles, an injury that ended his season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Now a member of the villainized Golden State Warriors, Cousins claims he won’t be the same double-double stud who suited up for […]

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert put up his most dominant game of the season, netting his first 20-20 game of the year with a 23-point, 22-rebound performance against the LA Clippers on the road. Yet it didn’t take long for his teammate Derrick Favors to not let him be great, urging him to stop stealing […]

While the Golden State Warriors were mounting a comeback against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic took to Twitter to advertise his new book: KD: Kevin Durant’s Relentless Pursuit to Be the Greatest, which will release on May 14. Talent. Heart. Passion. A biography of Kevin Durant. Out May 14. Preorder […]

The Brooklyn Nets survived an offensive onslaught from Houston Rockets star James Harden, who set back-to-back career-high scoring efforts with a 58-point overtime performance following his 57 against the Memphis Grizzlies two days prior. Head coach Kenny Atkinson marveled at the scoring monster Harden has become over the last few games, combining a barreling driving […]

Those familiar with the Dallas Mavericks might already have taken notice, but DeAndre Jordan’s overnight improvement of his free-throw shooting percentage is the byproduct of one small quirk: talking. Jordan had been a career-long 45 percent and under free-throw shooter, one of the biggest deterrents of having him on the floor when the chips are […]

Golden State Warriors veteran Shaun Livingston enjoyed a little blast from the past, showing some true vintage bounce with a slam dunk over New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Jrue Holiday. The 33-year-old attacked the rim fearlessly, despite the much younger Holiday waiting in the vicinity to time his block attempt, but to no avail, as […]

Andre Iguodala has been stringing together some solid games for the Golden State Warriors through a six-game winning streak, but none more crucial than his role on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, tallying a vital 13 points to keep the team afloat in the fourth quarter while Stephen Curry took his usual early-fourth-quarter […]

Shortly after the Golden State Warriors mustered a record-breaking performance for threes made in a game along with the Sacramento Kings, the Dubs and the New Orleans Pelicans combined for a new NBA record, hitting 43 combined 3-pointers on Wednesday night’s high-scoring affair, according to ESPN’s Nick Friedell. The @warriors (24) and @PelicansNBA (19) combine […]

The Chicago Bulls mounted a late-game assault to get within five points of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center. Yet as the LeBron-less purple and gold salted away the game in the last minute of regulation, all that was left was to spoil fans’ dreams of free tacos if the Bulls […]