Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 204

The Boston Celtics have found their groove — now sporting the second-longest win streak in the league, winning six straight after a bar-measuring win over the first-place Toronto Raptors, putting them only two games behind the leader with six games left in the schedule, including a rematch on the road against their Eastern Conference rivals. […]

Kevin Durant has undergone somewhat of a metamorphosis since joining his new team in the Golden State Warriors, boasting a completely different mojo than the one Oklahoma City Thunder fans had been used to throughout his nine-year stint with the franchise. Durant dealt with the backlash from his choice to join Golden State throughout last […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been trying to keep the ship steady without their main cog in All-Star forward Jimmy Butler, who has been out with a torn meniscus injury since Feb. 25. Following a key loss to the Utah Jazz, who leapfrogged the Wolves for sixth place in the West, Butler is hopeful to make […]

In the midst of a furious race in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook can make some history of his own by totaling 48 rebounds in his last four games of the season — just enough to average a triple-double for the second consecutive year, according to Tommy Beer of Basketball […]

Chris Paul’s absence from the Houston Rockets starting lineup isn’t an excuse for a loss to the San Antonio Spurs in head coach Mike D’Antoni’s eyes, as their run of 11 straight wins came to an end with a road defeat. The Rockets sustained only their second loss since the All-Star break and were held […]

Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni isn’t buying the trend of player rests down the stretch. He is, instead, a huge believer in continuity and establishing a rhythm on the court. “You gotta be careful about taking guys out and rest,” said D’Antoni after a loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. “Everyone wants rest, […]

The Charlotte Hornets have formally offered their vacant general manager position to former Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, as both sides near an agreement, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. The Hornets are confident Kupchak’s University of North Carolina ties with owner Michael Jordan and interim GM Buzz Peterson would be […]

Brooklyn Nets center Jahlil Okafor has had a tough last couple of years finding playing time, despite his talents. Now only two weeks close to the start of his offseason, the 6-foot-11 big man will have to face a murky market for his services, lacking the routine playing time to market himself to NBA teams. […]

The Golden State Warriors faced yet another night of uncertainty coming into Sunday’s back-to-back game against the Phoenix Suns, coming back from Sacramento after reserve guard/forward Patrick McCaw had suffered a scary fall. Head coach Steve Kerr was perhaps the one individual who felt the worst for the second-year player, even reactionarily saying that Vince […]

The Brooklyn Nets’ loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night turned sour as the game got testier, trailing 13 points in the final seconds of the third quarter when enforcer Quincy Acy and All-Star center Andre Drummond got into a heated altercation. In fact, Acy even made inadvertent contact with a referee, and both players […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves faced another rude awakening, this time down another starter with Jeff Teague out of Sunday’s tilt against the Utah Jazz with a knee injury. The Wolves were throttled 121-97, bumping them down to seventh place in the West, as the Jazz leapfrogged a half game above them with the win. “You know, […]

Golden State Warriors marksman Nick Young praised the work of his former teammate, Julius Randle, who’s made a quality leap from an athletic forward with a high ceiling to one blossoming into his game. “I think this summer’s going to be good for him,” said Young, according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times. […]

New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek insisted the recent lineup changes and minute allocations made after the All-Star break have been solely decided by himself and his coaching staff, with no influence by the team’s front office. Hornacek warned prior to the All-Star break that his team would see an infusion of younger faces […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle was likely an afterthought to stay in the City of Angels with the expected frenzy of a free agency this summer. The Lakers have done everything in their power to clear enough cap space to sign the likes of LeBron James and Paul George in hopes of reviving the […]

The Detroit Pistons have gone through plenty of flux throughout this 2017-18 season, and while some have been hampered by injuries, others like Reggie Bullock have made the most of their opportunity. The veteran shooting guard is averaging 11.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game for the Motor City. The fifth-year shooting guard out of […]

The Memphis Grizzlies got off to an awful start to the season, but they’ve compiled this very fact by disgracefully and unashamedly vying for the worst record in the league. On Friday night, what was an even match with the Utah Jazz was turned into a blatant tank job, as head coach J.B. Bickerstaff took […]

The Miami Heat could secure a spot in the 2018 NBA playoffs by winning tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets on their home court or awaiting a Detroit Pistons loss, which would mathematically eliminate them from playoff contention and lock in the Heat by default. “I would love to get that checkmark, X, right next […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered yet another painful loss, this time in a 126-125 overtime contest against the Denver Nuggets, who they eliminated from the postseason late in 2017. Yet, Carmelo Anthony witnessed it from the bench, as the perennial All-Star watched his team get some trouble from the feisty Nuggets. Asked if he was […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have been on a rampant win streak, making it nine in a row against the Atlanta Hawks last night, despite playing without All-Star center Joel Embiid. Rookie sensation Ben Simmons stepped up in a major way, though, tallying his 11th triple-double of the season with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists; […]

Alex Len can’t wait until the Phoenix Suns play out the last five games of the season after candidly hinting at his departure from the team that drafted him with the fifth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. “I’m looking forward to this offseason,” Len said, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. […]

Joel Embiid’s impending return has put an ominous streak on the Philadelphia 76ers’ eight-game winning streak, the largest streak since 2003; as he is slated to miss two to four weeks after undergoing surgery for an orbital fracture and passing the concussion protocol. Yet instead of looking to put the pressure on the faulty Cleveland […]

The Philadelphia 76ers will enter a muddy final stretch of the season without their All-Star center Joel Embiid, missing not only 23 points and 11 rebounds of production on a nightly basis, but also his intimidating defense. In fact, head coach Brett Brown appeared most worried about the team’s defense after his big man suffered […]

The Houston Rockets are coming off a franchise-first clinching of the top seed in the West, following a Golden State Warriors loss to the Milwaukee Bucks — but to MVP frontrunner James Harden, the team hasn’t done much yet without their regular season accolades translating to the playoffs. “It’s good. Our main focus is keeping […]

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without their rookie point guard Lonzo Ball, who suffered a bruised left knee during Wednesday’s win against the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. The City of Angels will get another rookie back at the most opportune time, as Josh Hart will be available after initially being listed […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo has made massive strides after every season, making perhaps the biggest in 2017-18, building off a Most Improved Player season and becoming the all-around leader in all five major categories once again, while being in the shortlist of the league’s top scorers. The Greek Freak looked like one of the early-season favorites to […]

The Phoenix Suns might be scuffing now, piling up the losses without their star Devin Booker on the floor, but soon enough, they could go back to their days of prominence, expected to swing for the fences with some genuine pieces already in place. Following the score of a starting point guard in Elfrid Payton […]

The Houston Rockets have signed guard Tim Quarterman to a two-year deal, with a team-option for next season, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. The team is likely to release forward Le’Bryan Nash, who was signed to a 10-day contract last week to replace the injured Brandan Wright, allowing the completion of the deal. […]

Mirjam Poterbin, mother of top European prospect Luka Doncic, recently confirmed that her son will declare for the upcoming NBA Draft, noting he probably won’t be there when NBA commissioner Adam Silver calls his name, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of EuroHoops. “He will declare for the Draft but he will probably not be there (USA). […]

The results are in and the MRI in Blake Griffin’s injured right ankle revealed a bone bruise, sidelining him for at least the next three games, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. He is slated to be re-evaluated in a week, with a chance to being shut down for the season if his ankle doesn’t […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves passed up a key opportunity when looking for their next star at the wing in the 2010 NBA Draft, reportedly interested in Paul George, who they failed to draft, despite holding the fourth overall selection. According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Timberwolves’ front office hesitated on going with George and […]

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will reportedly have one of its most illustrious classes of recent memory, inducting the likes of Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Maurice Cheeks, and Tina Thompson, to name a few. Among the candidates eligible for a trip to Springfield is Ray Allen, one of the finest shooters in […]

Indiana Pacers All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo showed glances of a vintage Dwyane Wade, stuffing the daylight out of Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein on Thursday night. The former Hoosier’s block was so impressive, that it had both commentators in vocal unison during the play. Take a look at the video below. Get up, Vic! […]

The reigning Most Valuable Player in Russell Westbrook was not happy with himself after a disappointing fourth-quarter stretch wound out as a key loss for the highly-talented yet utterly-inconsistent Oklahoma City Thunder, surrendering their fourth place in the Western Conference playoff race to the grizzled and battle-tested San Antonio Spurs. During crunch time, the ball […]

The never-ending tiff between Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant and the game officials has been something in the crosshairs of the NBA league office. Upon his return after a six-game absence, Durant earned his fifth ejection of the season right before the end of the first half, playing just 17 minutes before the early […]

Former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd has been relaxing at his California home ever since getting the boot from his last franchise in late January, but he might have to ditch the slippers for a marker and clipboard in just a matter of weeks. In the midst of being one of the three teams […]

Kevin Durant’s impending return to the court lasted all but 17 minutes, as the Golden State Warriors’ All-Star forward collected 10 points, three rebounds, and six assists before departing through his ejection in the winding seconds of the first half. Durant was irate at a couple of missed calls from referee Tre Maddox and got […]

Another one bites the dust. The Golden State Warriors will likely be without their sixth man Andre Iguodala on Saturday which is the first game of a back-to-back weekend against the struggling Sacramento Kings. “I probably won’t play him in Sacramento (on Saturday),” said head coach Steve Kerr, who saw him bang his knee during […]

Detroit Pistons shooting guard Reggie Bullock has become one of the latest 3-point shooting commodities of this NBA season, but his time didn’t come without the proper wait to shine. The fifth-year University of North Carolina product had only seen seven starts in the league prior to this season, primarily a deep reserve during his […]

Despite an onslaught of injuries plaguing the roster in this recent stretch, the Boston Celtics still manage to impress. The second-best team in the league now leads the league with five go-ahead field goals in the final five seconds of a game, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Jaylen Brown’s recent 3-point dagger to bury […]