Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 141

Those who have watched Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins take the floor for five-on-five drills this month have walked away impressed at the effectiveness of his recovery. The All-Star big man was seen handling the ball, running and throwing down dunks with ease off his injured left foot after having suffered a torn Achilles […]

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was part of two controversial calls during his brief stint on the court against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. Referee Tom Washington explained his thought process for the first foul of the game, which happened during the tip-off, along with Gobert’s consequent ejection at the 9:13 mark of the […]

The Utah Jazz went down a starter quickly Thursday night against the Houston Rockets, as center Rudy Gobert was tossed at the 9:13 mark of the first quarter, logging less than three minutes in the game. Gobert was called for an offensive foul battling for position against James Harden — his second of the game […]

The Golden State Warriors have started their 2018-19 season a pedestrian 17-9 by their standards, but their efficiency shooting the ball has somehow remains equilaterally impeccable despite the myriad of injuries they have faced through the early stretch of the season. ESPN’s Zach Lowe pointed to the Warriors’ shooting numbers, which rank first or second […]

After a terrific 6-2 start to the season, the San Antonio Spurs suffered yet another deflating loss, this time at the hands of LeBron James and the young Los Angeles Lakers. Veterans DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge aren’t losing hope though, despite a disappointing 11-14 record a quarter of the way through the regular season. […]

Los Angeles Lakers center Tyson Chandler wasn’t happy about how teammate LeBron James was portrayed in a story from Bleacher Report‘s Ric Bucher, which swung around the narrative of star players no longer seeing the benefits of teaming up with James. Bucher interviewed a fair share of stars, role players and even former Lakers players […]

The rivalry between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers has clearly ended, as evidenced by Wednesday’s rout at The Q — yet the rivalry between between Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Kevin Durant is very much alive, as the two rub elbows for the title of the NBA’s best player. Durant […]

A future Hall of Famer, LeBron James’ 42 points against the San Antonio Spurs helped the Los Angeles Lakers close out a swift 4-0 homestand, with 20 of them coming in the fourth quarter to give his team a 121-113 win. Following the game, James was asked if the recent talk surrounding his high usage fueled […]

Toronto Raptors dime wizard Kyle Lowry was frosty cold in his response to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols when asked of his relationship with president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, claiming the two only have a working relationship, which is independent of one another. Ujiri insists he and Lowry don’t have an acrimonious relationship and have never had so much […]

Atlanta Hawks rookie point guard Trae Young has seen the effects of the rookie wall very early in his NBA career, as he’s struggling to carry the same electric pace he showed during his lone year at the University of Oklahoma with his new NBA team. Young is shooting 37.7 percent on the season and […]

After being ruled out for the entirety of the Golden State Warriors’ East Coast road trip, Draymond Green is expected to rejoin the starting lineup early next week, according to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News. Head coach Steve Kerr said that the team expects Green to return for Monday’s home game against […]

Karl-Anthony Towns has started to consistently put the Minnesota Timberwolves on his back after Jimmy Butler was dealt out of The Twin Cities, going from a disappointing 4-9 record to surpassing the .500 mark for the first time this season with a rousing 121-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Teammates like Taj Gibson and Derrick […]

Mike Conley has gotten the chance to be the frontman of this Memphis Grizzlies team and despite being seemingly comfortable being in the shadows of elite players at his position, the 31-year-old admitted he’s looking to leave his mark in the game before it’s all said and done. When evaluating point guards, names like Stephen […]

The awakening of Karl-Anthony Towns is the single-most anticipated even for the Minnesota Timberwolves and on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, the big man showed strong signs of making the right strides and teammates like Jeff Teague are seeing it happen right before their eyes. Towns put up one of the best stat lines […]

For those who doubted if Kawhi Leonard is finally back from the mysterious injury that kept him out for the vast majority of the 2017-18 season, look no further than his 36-point masterpiece in a 113-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. While his stroke from deep was near-flawless (5-of-6 from long range) and his efficient […]

The new-look Minnesota Timberwolves faced the Houston Rockets for the first time since being eliminated from the first round of the playoffs last season. Yet the score at the half was not the only reason for concern, as being outscored by 14 in a quarter was only the beginning of veteran Taj Gibson’s ire. “You […]

Los Angeles Lakers new acquisition Tyson Chandler put on a Dennis Rodman-esque performance coming off the bench, registering a whopping plus-27 while snatching nine boards, adding an assist and a steal in his 27 minutes on the floor, helping his team grab a 121-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Coach Luke Walton happily gave […]

The Boston Celtics got off to a rough start this season despite being one of the favorites to gun for the vacant Eastern Conference throne, now that LeBron James released his stronghold by going West for the first time in his career. Second-year forward Jayson Tatum reflected on the team’s subpar start as they head […]

Kevin Durant dropped a bombshell of a take on why star players have taken a pass at the chance of playing next to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. Former teammate Chris Bosh and former NBA star Tracy McGrady weighed Durant’s comment on the latest edition of ESPN’s The Jump. “Kevin knows the game,” said […]

Damian Lillard is as determined as ever to carve out the rest of his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers, as he demonstrated through a busy summer of 2018, when rumors of a potential partnership with LeBron James picked up spark right before he quickly put them out. Prompted with the same hypothetical situation, […]

The Los Angeles Lakers botched a major opportunity to snatch one of the best all-around players in the league in Kawhi Leonard, as the Toronto Raptors beat the rest of the league to the punch, dealing a haymaker of an acquisition for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. While rumors have swirled of a […]

Derrick Rose gave some deserving praise to teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Robert Covington for their work on defense against the Houston Rockets, a game that saw the Minnesota Timberwolves pull back to the .500 mark after starting the season 4-9 with Jimmy Butler on the roster. Since, the Wolves have gone an impressive 8-3, powered […]

Despite the recent initiative to get Atlanta Hawks swingman Vince Carter back into the dunk contest one last time, the veteran formerly known as “Half-Man, Half-Amazing” won’t even dabble in consideration of it, noting it would sour the memories of what’s arguably the best Slam Dunk Contest of all time. “I don’t think about doing […]

San Antonio Spurs big man Pau Gasol can speak to the nature of the beast that is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, having two rings on his resume to show for it. LeBron James has nearly a third of the season under his belt in purple and gold, but as the former two-time champ […]

Phoenix Suns forward Trevor Ariza is primed to be among the top trade targets after the Dec. 15 deadline, yet he has noticed the trend of superstar players refraining from joining the biggest star in the game: LeBron James. Stars like Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, and now even Kawhi Leonard could pass up on the […]

Throughout 15-plus years of his career, one thing has proven true about playing next to LeBron James: it takes a special person to be able to handle what comes with it. From the incessant attention to the constant share of the blame that comes with playing next to such an idolized star in the NBA, […]

The Phoenix Suns faced the crude reality of playing without their two top scorers with Devin Booker and T.J. Warren out of the lineup, picking up a sixth straight loss against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday after being down 36-9 in the first quarter. Head coach Igor Kokoskov and rookie center Deandre Ayton were puzzled […]

Draymond Green won’t take the floor for Wednesday’s road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Golden State Warriors forward wasn’t short of smoke for his roast upon arriving at the new locker room in Cleveland. Green, who has already been ruled out for the remainder of the Warriors’ road trip, took some time to […]

The Los Angeles Lakers thought they were in for a boon when they secured a four-year, $154 million agreement with LeBron James to bring his talents to the West Coast, yet the master recruiter did not attract any big-time free agents to join him in La La Land. Kevin Durant, who has tested his mettle […]

The LeBron James era is in full effect, but contrary to those who thought players would flock to him in a big market like the Los Angeles Lakers provides, he wound up with myriad misfits as role players — something that has greatly slowed his rise as a powerhouse in the Western Conference. Golden State […]

Phoenix Suns forward Josh Jackson is not too concerned about star teammate Devin Booker, who suffered a left hamstring injury upon a brief return from a left leg injury that caused him to miss a matchup against the Orlando Magic. Booker played only 17 minutes before departing a blowout loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, […]

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry hasn’t been president Masai Ujiri’s biggest fan since he traded his backcourt mate DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs over the summer. ESPN’s Rachel Nichols asked the pressing question, one that Lowry’s icy response got the message across just fine. Nichols: How would you define your relationship with Masai […]

Anthony Davis’ decision to switch agencies to Klutch Sports, a company led by LeBron James’ longtime friend and right-hand man Rich Paul, sent the NBA into a frenzy — thinking yet another All-Star would leave a small market team for the bright lights. Yet neither Davis nor his camp have expressed even a hint of […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart was encouraged by his team’s progression after a lackluster start to the regular season, winning three straight games and four of their last five since getting off to a mediocre 9-9 start to the 2018-19 campaign. “Everybody is playing with a little bit more attitude, a little more swagger. Like […]

New head coach Jim Boylen ran the second practice of his new tenure at the helm of the Chicago Bulls, and if his introductory press conference wasn’t enough sign of it, Boylen intends to make clear changes in Chicago. For starters, the new coach intends to put the Bulls’ $40 million signing to work right […]

Reminiscing of the battles between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers in the last four years, shooting guard Klay Thompson had no need for brakes on this ride to memory lane. The four-time All-Star was quickly reminded of the time LeBron James spearheaded a 2016 Halloween party that featured him and backcourt partner Stephen […]

The NBA league office has fined L.A. Clippers guard Patrick Beverley $25,000 for his actions during his ejection in the fourth quarter of a 114-110 Sunday night loss to the Dallas Mavericks, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. Beverley tossed the basketball toward longtime Mavs season-ticket holder Don Knobler after the two traded verbal spats throughout the […]

Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey took a few playful digs at forward Joe Ingles, a self-proclaimed sniper from long distance after knocking down treys at 44 percent or better during the last two seasons. Ingles declared himself the league’s best shooter (even above the Golden State Warriors backcourt duo of Stephen Curry and Klay […]

The Dallas Mavericks have developed much faster than anticipated after drafting EuroLeague superstar Luka Doncic this summer, putting the pressure on Mavs point guard Dennis Smith Jr. to keep pace and fit into Rick Carlisle’s offense as they sail towards a competitive future. According to Tim Cato of The Athletic, the second-year point guard could […]