David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 14

The Portland Trail Blazers had a strong finish to the second half of the season, and it resulted in head coach Chauncey Billups receiving a contract extension. Since January, the Blazers played at a .550 win pace. A big part of the Blazers turnaround was the All-Star level play of Deni Avdija this season. Following […]

The UCLA Bruins came into the 2025 NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. The season didn’t end as they hoped as they were eliminated by UConn in blowout fashion in the Final Four. Following UCLA’s elimination, they lost several players to the transfer portal. But the Bruins got a major decision from a […]

LOS ANGELES – With the Los Angeles Lakers making the playoffs outright and clinching the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, talk has begun to sprout up about the Lakers’ possible championship chances. One reason why the Lakers are being mentioned such talks is because of their defense. And it’s been the oldest player […]

The Los Angeles Lakers clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference standings following their 140-109 win against the Houston Rockets. Having secured their playoff positioning, the Lakers are set to use their season finale against the Portland Trail Blazers as an opportunity to get guys some rest. The Lakers released their injury report […]

LOS ANGELES – Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 140-109 win against the Houston Rockets on Friday, they secured the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs. With the Lakers clinching a playoff spot outright, talk has shifted to whether or not this team can contend for a championship. After the win, […]

The Indiana Hoosiers have already lost several key players from last season’s roster to the transfer portal following the team’s loss in the round of 32 to South Carolina. With only a handful of returners for the 2025-26 season, Indiana has had to dip into the transfer portal to help reshape their roster. Indiana got […]

The Texas Longhorns took a hit to their frontcourt following a run to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. Senior forward Taylor Jones is out of college basketball eligibility while sophomore center Abbie Boutilier entered the transfer portal. Following Texas’ loss to South Carolina, the Longhorns were tasked with improving their frontcourt. Texas managed […]

The Los Angeles Sparks underwent major changes during the offseason. They fired head coach Curt Miller and replaced him with Lynne Roberts. They received the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, and ended up trading it to the Seattle Storm in a three-team blockbuster trade that landed them Kelsey Plum. The Sparks ultimately ended […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers returned home to square off against a Western Conference foe in the Houston Rockets following a successful three-game road trip. With the Lakers able to lock up the third seed in the West with a win, talk has begun to shift to how this Lakers team could possibly […]

With the 2024-25 college basketball season officially over, attention now turns to the transfer portal as teams try and improve their rosters for next year. The South Carolina Gamecocks made arguably the biggest move in the transfer portal with the commitment of former Florida State star Ta’Niya Latson. But it may have come at a […]

Following a decent 2024-25 season for Kentucky in the first year with Mark Pope at the helm as head coach, the Wildcats lost a prized commit as four-star guard Acaden Lewis made the decision to re-open his recruitment and decommit from Kentucky. Amid his decision, Lewis released a message to Pope and to the program, […]

During the NCAA Tournament, perhaps no player saw their NBA Draft stock rise as much as Florida Gators star Walter Clayton Jr. The senior point guard led the Gators to the national championship, Florida’s first since the Billy Donovan years back in 2006 and 2007. With the NBA Draft a little over two months away, […]

With the 2024-25 regular season winding down, this is often a time for rebuilding and non-playoff teams to identify potential young talent and prospects to evaluate for next season. Playoff and play-in teams are looking to fill the back end of their roster. The Toronto Raptors fall in the former category, and they opted to […]

With the 2024-25 college basketball season now over, the focus turns to the upcoming NBA Draft. Early entrants have until April 27 to declare for the draft, and players who maintain their college eligibility have until June 15 to withdraw and return to school. Several projected first round picks have already declared for the NBA […]

The Golden State Warriors suffered a major blow to their playoff aspirations following their 114-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Amid a few missed calls that actually benefitted them, the Warriors were sunk by a Harrison Barnes game-winning three-point shot. The loss put the Warriors in danger of falling into the play-in, […]

Luka Doncic made his return to Dallas on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Lakers squared off against the Dallas Mavericks for the final game of their road trip. The Mavericks honored Luka Doncic with a pregame tribute video that made the former Dallas star emotional. While Doncic admitted getting emotional during the video, it’s interesting […]

With a tight race in the Western Conference for playoff seeding, every game down the stretch is magnified. The Golden State Warriors found themselves in a close game against the San Antonio Spurs that ended with a Harrison Barnes game-winning three-point shot to win the game, 114-111. That shot put a serious damper in the […]

The Texas Tech Red Raiders received good news on Wednesday when it was announced that rising star JT Toppin would bypass the NBA Draft and return to the program amid a lucrative NIL deal. Following Toppin’s decision, Texas Tech received another bout of good news with the commitment of Tyeree Bryan out of the transfer […]

The 2025/26 offseason is going to be a crucial one for the WNBA. WNBA players have already announced their intentions to opt out of the league’s current CBA, bringing it to an end this coming October. Originally, the CBA was set to expire in 2027, but the players had the option of opting out following […]

The college basketball transfer portal has been humming for the past few weeks even as the NCAA Tournament was still going on. The Alabama Crimson Tide struck early with a transfer portal commitment from former Bucknell star Noah Williamson. But Alabama has also lost players to the transfer portal this offseason, with former four-star big […]

Back during the 90s era of the NBA, one of the most fierce and big rivalries in the league was between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. The Knicks, coached by the legendary Pat Riley at the time, were known for playing a physical style of basketball. So much so, that former Pacers […]

With the explosion of NIL (name, image, likeness) deals in college basketball, it’s had an effect on players deciding to declare for the NBA Draft. In some cases, the NIL deals might surpass what they might make on an NBA rookie contract. Texas Tech Red Raiders’ star JT Toppin opted to skip the NBA Draft, […]

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is arguably the most recognizable and well-known NBA player off the court, and his popularity is set to reach new heights. LeBron James is set to be come the first ever NBA player and male professional athlete to have a Barbie doll made in their likeness, as per David […]

The Denver Nuggets made a shocking decision with the firing of head coach Michael Malone with just three games remaining in the season. The Nuggets are also in the midst of a four-game skid as they try and hang on to a top four seed in the Western Conference standings. But on the heels of […]

The Memphis Grizzlies shocked the NBA world when they fired head coach Taylor Jenkins with just nine games remaining until the playoffs. Well, the Denver Nuggets one-upped that surprising move with the firing of head coach Michael Malone with only three games remaining in the regular season. A potential head-coach replacement for the Nuggets following […]

The Michigan State Spartans were one of the best teams in the Big Ten this season, but their run came to an end in the NCAA Tournament as they fell to Auburn in the Elite Eight. Head coach Tom Izzo has seen plenty of players go on to the NBA, including former NCAA champion Jason […]

The Dallas Mavericks have yet to recover from the shocking Luka Doncic trade, and it certainly doesn’t help that the team is struggling for play-in positioning after reaching the NBA Finals a season ago. While many things have been writing attempting to understand the Mavericks rationale for the trade, one big reason appears to be […]

As the 2024-25 regular season winds down and the Dallas Mavericks in the middle of a positioning race for the postseason play-in tournament, having enough available players is key. The Mavericks are set to make a roster move involving two-way contract player Brandon Williams, as per Shams Charania of ESPN. The roster move to convert […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off arguably their best win of the 2024-25 season, 126-99, against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers have a rematch against the Thunder on Tuesday, but following such a dominant performance, it’s possible that the team decides to sit a few players. Sure enough the Lakers’ injury report seemed […]

If there’s one player in the NBA who fans are not surprised by them picking up a flagrant foul, it’s Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Green has managed only two flagrant fouls this season, but he picked up another one on Sunday during the Warriors’ game against the Houston Rockets. However, the flagrant foul […]

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has been making a late-season push for the MVP Award, and he continued making his case on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers. Nikola Jokic had a triple-double in the game, surpassing one of former NBA star, the late Wilt Chamberlain’s epic records, as per StatMuse. With Nikola Jokic’s triple double […]

The Denver Nuggets are trying to stay afloat amid a tough playoff race in the Western Conference, and an injury to Jamal Murray. They are currently on a three-game losing streak as they try to hold on to the No. 4 seed in the West standings. Thankfully for the Nuggets, they have Nikola Jokic on […]

The Denver Nuggets are currently in the fourth seed in the Western Conference standings and are on a three-game slide. There isn’t much time left in the regular season until the NBA Playoffs start, and the Nuggets are hoping they won’t be short-handed by the time the postseason rolls around. Nuggets star Jamal Murray is […]

It’s been a long road filled with many challenges for UConn wing Azzi Fudd, but she was on top of the world on Sunday following dominating performances against UCLA and South Carolina en route to taking home Final Four MOP [Most Outstanding Player] honors. During UConn’s win against UCLA in the Final Four, Azzi Fudd […]

The South Carolina Gamecocks were looking for a rare repeat as national champions, but ultimately fell short of their goal following their 82-59 loss in the NCAA Tournament to the UConn Huskies. Winning back-to-back titles is no easy feat, and the Gamecocks just couldn’t match up with the Huskies. Following the loss, South Carolina head […]

LOS ANGELES – While the Los Angeles Lakers formed a new star duo, pairing LeBron James with Luka Doncic following a shocking NBA trade deadline, it’s possible that the team actually has a star trio. Fourth-year guard Austin Reaves is in the midst of a breakout season for the Lakers, and at times has looked […]

LOS ANGELES – Early in the 2024-25 season, fans of the Los Angeles Lakers were in awe of rookie wing Dalton Knecht. Despite falling to the mid-first round of the NBA Draft, Knecht was playing like one of the best players of this draft class. His play had come back down to earth a bit […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers grabbed a huge win on Monday against the Houston RocketsLakers grabbed a huge win on Monday against the Houston Rockets amid a tight race for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. But the Lakers followed it up with a 123-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors during which […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of the home stretch of the regular season. They have seven games remaining and are currently in the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference standings. And it’s possible that they get additional reinforcements before the playoffs begin. Backup big man Maxi Kleber has been sidelined due […]