Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 207

Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker put on a show through three quarters against a hapless Memphis Grizzlies team, banged up and unwilling to fight back against a Hornets squad that didn’t hesitate to put their feet on the throat of these Grizzlies. Despite being without center Dwight Howard who was serving a one-game suspension […]

Indiana Pacers swingman Lance Stephenson is trying to take over the crown as the sneaker king of the NBA. Though his latest sneaker snafu against the Los Angeles Lakers could cost him some reputation. Stephenson wore a custom pair of Nike Air Huarache 2K4, one of the first shoes The Black Mamba wore with Nike […]

The Memphis Grizzlies ran into a buzzsaw of a team in the Charlotte Hornets, suffering a monumental loss that will go down on the books as the worst and best of each franchise, respectively. The Hornets’ 140-79 victory is the first win for any NBA team of 60 points or greater since 1998 and only the sixth […]

Kevon Looney’s two-year stint with the Golden State Warriors had left much to desire from the young forward, a reason the team did not pick up his option earlier this season. “It was kind of a let down,” Looney told Tim Kawakami and Marcus Thompson on the Warriors Plus/Minus Podcast. “I knew it was up in the […]

Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown is likely to make his impending return to the court on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Brown was under the concussion protocol and claims he’s feeling a lot better after suffering the injury. “I’m feeling a lot better,” said Brown. “I’m […]

The San Antonio Spurs are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 21 seasons, thanks to a wild tornado of a race in the Western Conference and the injury woes they’ve faced all season long. Yet it’s the captain of this ship, head coach Gregg Popovich, who has shined the brightest […]

The Golden State Warriors have listed point guard Stephen Curry as probable for Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, listing the rest of his All-Star teammates as out for the game, according to Melissa Rohlin of the San Jose Mercury News. Curry has been practicing during the last few days with no setbacks, making him […]

The never-ending saga of Kawhi Leonard’s impending recovery has shaken an otherwise quiet San Antonio Spurs organization into the same class as others, filled with rumors that question the veracity and transparency of what the franchise has to say. Endless reports of Leonard’s injury and the rift between him and the organization have made a […]

Following a splendid 32-point, 30-rebound performance against the Brooklyn Nets, the league office has suspended center Dwight Howard after he was assessed his 16th foul of the season, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. The one-game suspension is expected to be served tonight, as the Charlotte Hornets host the Memphis Grizzlies, with the […]

Consistent with an earlier report by Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Timers, the Milwaukee Bucks explored many options during the trade deadline, but ultimately kept forward Jabari Parker on the roster. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Bucks will likely match offers coming for the star forward, but not necessarily making him […]

The Toronto Raptors have finally made the splash their fans had been hoping they make, leading the Eastern Conference as a top seed by a wide margin. Yet there still remains some hesitation of their postseason chances after being bounced from the playoffs the last two years and failing to make a run at the […]

The San Antonio Spurs’ reported players-only meeting with Kawhi Leonard‘s has a slightly different tone than first suggested by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski‘s original piece. According to Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News, players did not implore Leonard’s return, but rather wanted to gauge the extent of his injury and getting a feel if he […]

San Antonio Spurs forward Danny Green didn’t take long to refute a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, which claimed the Spurs held a players-only meeting with Kawhi Leonard, inquiring and imploring him to return to the court, following his clearance for game action. Green took to Twitter, claiming the report “couldn’t be anymore incorrect” — […]

The Portland Trail Blazers had seen their promising All-Star backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum fall short in two consecutive postseasons, despite both players proving to be a spectacular one-two punch. Starting a new season and in the midst of contention, coach Terry Stotts tasked his staff with diagnosing what had plagued this team […]

The San Antonio Spurs held a closed door players-only meeting imploring their star forward Kawhi Leonard to return this season and help the team make a final push for the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The players, reportedly led by veteran point guard Tony Parker, who suffered a quad injury similar to Leonard’s, met […]

Kyle Lowry expressed his utter disappointment after the Toronto Raptors’ narrow 132-129 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on Wednesday night. “It was a trash game by us,” said Lowry, according to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg. ” They shot 60 percent from the field. It was a disgraceful display of defense by us and […]

Klay Thompson is in the argument for being the best shooter in the NBA, but if it wasn’t enough to be 6-foot-7, have a perfect stroke from 30-feet and in, along with one of the quickest triggers in the game, he might just be the best skateboarder in the league, by his own admission. “I […]

Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst refuted two earlier reports made about his team, the first by longtime Bucks Insider Gery Woelfel, who reported the Bucks had been “very close” to trading forward Jabari Parker at the trade deadline and that there was a “slim to none” chance he would remain with the team next season. […]

Lonzo Ball has been scuffing shooting the ball during his rookie year for the Los Angeles Lakers after showing a sparkling 55 percent efficiency in his lone year at UCLA. Thus far this season, the Lakers point guard has struggled to meet the very minimum standard for efficiency, shooting a horrid 35.7 percent from the […]

In his fourth time trying to lead the pack for the Most Valuable Player award, Houston Rockets star James Harden has not gotten any closer than he is right now to take the prized hardware with him at season’s end. Lauded by executives, coaches, fans, and players for his excellent play, The Beard has heard […]

Guard Anfernee Simons of IMG Academy has decided to forego his college eligibility and declared for the NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Simons is ranked as the 19th overall prospect in ESPN’s most recent mock draft and will be represented by super-agent Drew Rosenhaus and Bobby Petriella. Simons will turn 19 in June […]

The Golden State Warriors lost their very last All-Star remaining on the floor, as Draymond Green sat out after the 7:13 mark of the second quarter after receiving a shot to the groin by San Antonio Spurs forward Danny Green. Draymond Green went to the locker room because he got knee’d/kicked by Danny Green… pic.twitter.com/pRe2msKqnl […]

University of Arizona freshman center DeAndre Ayton has declared for the NBA Draft, according to a report by The Associated Press. Ayton is widely considered to be the top pick in the NBA Draft this June. A 7-foot-1, 260-pound big man, Ayton was named the Pac-12 player of the year this season after posting averages […]

The Houston Rockets have been red-hot since James Harden came back from a Grade 2 hamstring sprain at the start of the calendar year, winning a whopping 27 of 29 games since his return, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Point guard Chris Paul missed a large chunk of the start of the […]

The Houston Rockets entered the fourth quarter of last night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers trailing by one, facing the hottest team in the league and one who had not lost a game since the All-Star break. Yet an air of confidence breezed through the entire lineup, as they managed to take control from […]

J.J. Redick has proven to be one of the most cerebral talents of this NBA era, and his never-stopping basketball brain wasn’t shut off even during the offseason. At the midst of a Chris Paul departure in L.A. and a Clippers team that seemed committed to shuffling the pieces, Redick listened as the Philadelphia 76ers […]

Trae Young made the first major appearance of his post-collegiate career in ESPN’s First Take, logically prompted by native New Yorker Steven A. Smith of the possibility of playing for his hometown Knicks. The Oklahoma product replied eagerly, noting that dealing with the media during his lone breakout season in college has prepared him to […]

Despite the recent rumors of Kawhi Leonard making a return before the end of the season, his teammate Manu Ginobili isn’t holding his breath awaiting his return. “For me, he’s not coming back, because (thinking he is) is not helping,” said Ginobili, according to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio News-Express. “We fell for it […]

Gordon Hayward’s recovery process has been the result of the never-ending support he’s received from his family, friends, and those in the NBA family that have showered him with advice on how to best tackle such a daunting process after suffering a freak injury. Among the most vital to reach out was Paul George, who […]

The Toronto Raptors have run into a buzzsaw in their last two postseason trips, falling to the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers, who have made the NBA Finals the past three seasons. To some, the Raptors are still unproven, given their propensity to fall off before reaching the big stage, but that’s not the way head […]

Jayson Tatum had perhaps his most-shining moment in a Boston Celtics uniform on Tuesday night, leading his team with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double, including the game-winning pass that set up Marcus Morris for a clutch three to give the Celtics a razor-thin win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Forward Paul George noted the rookie out […]

Steven Adams mentioned at the start of the season that his biggest challenge wasn’t scoring or rebounding, but rather closing out on 3-point shooters from the center position. On Tuesday night, that played a critical role when up two points in the dying seconds of the game, when a capable Marcus Morris pump-faked a flying […]

Kyle Lowry has proved to be a great floor general during his last few years with the Toronto Raptors, and an All-Star caliber one at that — but the 30-year-old knows his limitations, and coaching a team is one of them. When prompted with the possibility of following up his playing days with a stint […]

Marcus Morris made perhaps his most important contribution to the Boston Celtics since being traded by the Detroit Pistons in the offseason. The hybrid forward nailed a cold-blooded, game-winning 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of a running Steven Adams to give the Celtics a 100-99 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Marcus Morris game […]

The NBA trade deadline was a hot-seat moment for many stars in the league, but one of the most surprising was Kemba Walker, on his way of being a two-time All-Star after blossoming into a franchise player for the Charlotte Hornets. The rumors of the front office using him as a pot-sweetening player to take […]

James Harden put on a show-stopping performance, putting an end to the Portland Trail Blazers’ 13-game winning streak on Tuesday night after dropping 42 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in a 115-111 victory. While not one of his best statistical nights in comparison to his 60-point triple-double antics, Harden impressed and solidified his case […]

Despite making his intentions of being a starter real clear during a revealing interview with Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Isaiah Thomas wouldn’t rule out a return to this team, even in the current backup point guard job he holds. “I like it here, I like the situation I’m […]

The Milwaukee Bucks made a key choice this season by not extending or picking up a team-option on their second most valuable asset in Jabari Parker after the Duke product suffered his second ACL injury in his short tenure with the team. According to Gery Woelfel of The Racine-Journal Times, who is close with Parker’s […]

Blake Griffin’s arrival in the Motor City hasn’t been able to turn the Detroit Pistons’ season around as initially expected, as the Pistons have won only nine of their last 22 games since acquiring their new star forward prior to the trade deadline. Yet this rough patch hasn’t discouraged the 29-year-old from pouring it on […]