Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 200

The Boston Celtics have fared just fine this postseason, getting their first win in Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks without their leading scorer Kyrie Irving, who is out for the season, and their spark plug off the bench, Marcus Smart. Smart has “100 percent” healed from the UCL tear in his left thumb and […]

TNT analyst Charles Barkley was impressed with James Harden’s Game 1 performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the Houston Rockets superstar dropped a game-high 44 points, scoring 25 of them in the last 18 minutes of the game, preventing an early upset against a threatening defensive team. Slithering through the defense, knocking back step-back jumpers, […]

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson had nothing but praise for a James Harden MVP-like performance against the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, starting to earn his stripes in playoff contention. Harden led all scorers with 44 points, eight assists, and four rebounds on the night, burying 7-of-12 of his shots from beyond the arc, preventing […]

The Golden State Warriors finished out the regular season limping their way to the playoffs, having had a massive lead over the Portland Trail Blazers and for once in the past four years — content to go into the postseason with something other than the top seed. Draymond Green has received enough lectures of having […]

As the Los Angeles Lakers season got under wraps, head coach Luke Walton commended rookie Lonzo Ball for his performance this season, aware of all the scrutiny he’s faced from the media, fans, and pundits for his ups and downs in 2017-18. “For a rookie, he did it all with a smile on his face,” […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have suspended Fox Sports Oklahoma play-by-play announcer for Game 1 of a first-round best-of-seven series against the Utah Jazz, according to ESPN’s Royce Young. Davis will be suspended for one game, after making a questionable on-air remark about point guard Russell Westbrook during the team’s season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies. […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone is expected to return to his post next season, according to Harrison Wind of BSN Denver. The team is now expected to prioritize efforts into securing a contract extension for franchise talisman Nikola Jokic, who is going into the fourth year of his rookie deal. The Nuggets faced yet […]

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry is expected to return at some point during the Western Conference Semifinals after undergoing his three-week evaluation, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. Curry has missed the last 10 games of the season after sustaining a Grade 2 MCL sprain after center JaVale McGee accidentally landed on […]

The Charlotte Hornets’ firing of head coach Steve Clifford was reportedly a premeditated one, having started background checks on former Memphis Grizzlies head coach and Miami Heat assistant David Fizdale before announcing Clifford’s dismissal, according to Mitch Lawrence of Forbes.com. Fizdale appears to be the leading candidate for the job under the new front office […]

The Toronto Raptors have been part of a curse that has proven tough to shake off — since 2002 they haven’t been able to secure a Game 1 win in the postseason. Matter of fact, the streak extends to an even more abysmal record, going a haunting 1-12 in Game 1s since the inception of the […]

Ben Simmons has played out of his mind during his rookie season, making him the frontrunner of the Rookie of the Year race after leading his Philadelphia 76ers to 16 straight wins to finish out the season in full stride. Recently, teammate Marco Belinelli, who was acquired after a buyout with the Hawks, lauded Simmons […]

Draymond Green is perhaps the lone member of the Golden State Warriors with the most to prove, having proven turnover-prone in the second half of the season, and not the game-changer on defense that he was during his 2017-18 Defensive Player of the Year season. But even if he has yet to pin a Damian […]

The Charlotte Hornets have fired head coach Steve Clifford after concluding his fifth season with the team, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Clifford is the third coach fired after Jeff Hornacek (New York Knicks) and Frank Vogel (Orlando Magic) were both dismissed from their respective teams after the regular season concluded. The Hornets, now boasting […]

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been officially ruled out for Game 1 of the first-round series against the Miami Heat, as head coach Brett Brown confirmed it earlier today in The Dan Patrick Show, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The big man suffered an orbital bone fracture after an errant elbow […]

Despite Enes Kanter recently claiming that he’s leaning toward opting out of his $18.6 million player-option with the New York Knicks, his new agent, Mark Bartelstein, said his client has a long ways to go on making a decision on his player-option and that his comments in Thursday’s press conference was “much ado about nothing,” […]

Despite having a career-best season with the Brooklyn Nets, forward DeMarre Carroll is putting all of his eggs in young D’Angelo Russell, who came in as part of a trade for the team’s leading scorer from 2016-17, Brook Lopez. Russell showed flashes of becoming the go-to player for this system, but a knee injury set […]

The Phoenix Suns wasted no time after the end of the regular season, hoping to find their soon-to-be new head coach prior to the NBA Draft Lottery. One of their first requests for an interview came to franchise icon Dan Majerle, who now coaches at Grand Canyon, was met with a simple thanks, but no […]

In light of an upcoming best-of-seven matchup with the league-leading Houston Rockets, Jimmy Butler of the Minnesota Timberwolves posted a “today-back-then” picture of himself on Instagram, reverting back to the time he was only a middle schooler in his hometown of Tomball, Texas. https://www.instagram.com/p/BhewCvwH3X7/?hl=en&taken-by=jimmybutler His old high school teammate Jimmy Rogers chimed in on his […]

Aaron Gordon is set to become a restricted free agent in a couple of months and the Orlando Magic are determined to make his signing a top priority in the summer. The Magic will also have to deal with the impending free agency of their next two highest scorers in Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic […]

The NBA playoffs are one day away from tipping off and the Golden State Warriors are anxious to take the taste of a 40-point season finale loss to the Utah Jazz out of their mouths. While going 7-10 in the last 17 games of the season has brought up a feeling of vulnerability with this […]

Former NBA player Glen “Big Baby” Davis was named a person of interest in a parking lot beatdown that left a man hospitalized, according to TMZ Sports. Local police said witnesses told investigators Davis was driving aimlessly in a parking lot on Sunday evening near Factory nightclub in West Hollywood and after nearly hitting the victim […]

Less than 24 hours after the firing of head coach Jeff Hornacek, New York Knicks president Steve Mills vowed the franchise won’t attempt any quick fixes in its pursuit of a new head coach, as the front office has done in the past. Mills noted owner James Dolan has given him ample room to be […]

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau was ultimately fond of his players for gutting out a pivotal win over the Denver Nuggets in overtime, clinching the very last spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The usually compliment-less coach lauded his team for showing that fight he had called for, securing a ticket to the postseason […]

Chicago Bulls Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson confirmed that head coach Fred Hoiberg will remain with the team, despite a 27-55 record, the sixth-worst in the league, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “Fred will be back,” assured Paxson during his exit media availability, noting that most players in the current roster […]

Following a heartbreaking loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night, Denver Nuggets forward Will Barton has set his eyes on the impending free agency, only a few months away from July 1, when he will be free to sign with the team of his choice. The Nuggets sixth man expressed his desire to be with […]

New York Knicks center Enes Kanter is likely to opt out of his current $18.6 million player-option in hopes of a long-term deal, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley. The Turkish international expressed his desire to remain in The Big Apple, but will command more compensation for his services after having a career-year with the Knicks. […]

The L.A. Clippers are out of the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons and with that comes a series of choices for the franchise to make, including the impending free agency of center DeAndre Jordan — the lone remaining starter from last season’s roster. Jordan has been in the center of rumors throughout […]

The NBA regular season is under wraps, and James Harden is likely only months away from receiving his much-eluded Most Valuable Player award, but in retrospect — it would have been completely out of the realm of possibility had he stayed put in OKC. Prior to the step back, the saucy escape dribble and the […]

A 42-40 season was Doc Rivers’ 11th in a row above the .500 mark, yet surprisingly not enough to make the playoffs for the first time in that stretch. With a completely different-looking roster and new pieces to work with, Rivers worked tirelessly to keep the team afloat despite the many changes in the lineup, […]

Dwyane Wade concurred with a previous rumor of a potential Kawhi Leonard trade this summer, given that the San Antonio Spurs have had a clear divide with their star forward and his camp on his return from a quad injury. A previous talk revealed that the Boston Celtics would have the best assets to offer […]

L.A. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger are both expected to return to their respective teams for next season, despite neither making the playoffs in 2017-18, according to NBA.com’s David Aldridge. Rivers’ Clippers lost their last four games of the season and six of their last seven, ultimately costing […]

The New York Knicks have expressed interest in contacting Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright to inquire about their head coaching vacancy, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. The organization has reportedly reached out to the 56-year-old coach, who is fresh off winning a second championship in three seasons with the […]

The Washington Wizards have signed point guard Ty Lawson ahead of their first-round playoff matchup with the Toronto Raptors, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Lawson received letter of clearance after his playoff run in the Chinese Basketball League and was allowed to sign for the rest of the season with the Wizards in […]

Wayne Ellington was emotional after a season finale that had his Miami Heat claw its way back from a seven-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, forcing overtime, and snatching one last win from the Toronto Raptors to finish out the regular season. The North Carolina product was the hero in a night where the starting […]

The New York Knicks made perhaps their most important move of the offseason, wasting no time and sacking Jeff Hornacek from his head coaching job, setting up a clean slate for a new regime in The Big Apple. The front office also fired assistant coach Kurt Rambis, who had worn players thin during the last […]

The Orlando Magic have fired head coach Frank Vogel after two seasons with the team, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. This is the second quick-fire since Jeff Hornacek was relieved of his duties with the New York Knicks last night, shortly after the end of their season. Vogel went 25-57 this season, finishing with the […]

Jimmy Butler was ultimately resilient approaching a win-or-go-home scenario tonight against the Denver Nuggets, claiming he won’t approach it “any different from any other game.” Tonight’s matchup, which is now scheduled to air on NBA TV due to the nature of its importance, will decide which team gets into the postseason and which packs it […]

Lance Stephenson had the highlight of the night against the Charlotte Hornets for all the right and wrong reasons, perfectly summing up who he is as a player. The Brooklynite trailed a gathering Dwight Howard and pinned his shot off the glass, which ricocheted and found an open Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who slammed it home as Stephenson […]

In the aftermath of an underperforming season, the New York Knicks will have some decisions to make over the summer, including their choice of head coach after a new regime of president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry inherited Jeff Hornacek at the helm of the team. The former player-turned-coach expressed his desire to […]