David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 2

The LA Clippers shook up the NBA world in the early hours of Wednesday night when it was revealed that they were parting ways with Chris Paul amid the team’s current road trip. In the aftermath, reports have surfaced that Paul’s abrasive leadership style wore thin on the organization amid their struggles to begin the […]

When it comes to NBA trade rumors, one name that has continuously popped up over the last couple of seasons has been Milwaukee Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo. On Wednesday afternoon, a report surfaced claiming that the Bucks and Giannis had begun conversations regarding his potential future with the team. Prior to the Bucks’ game against […]

Given the way things have gone for the Milwaukee Bucks the past couple of seasons, it probably wasn’t too much of a surprise that a report came out Wednesday morning stating that the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo were going to meet regarding his future with the franchise. That obviously led to rampant speculation about Giannis […]

There was a time when Ben Simmons was thought to be one of the next NBA superstars, back when he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. But after multiple injury issues, Simmons’ NBA career hasn’t quite gone as initially expected. The former top overall […]

The Dallas Mavericks are coming off a solid win against the Denver Nuggets, and they have won two straight games since their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last week. With a matchup looming against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, the Mavericks received good news on the injury front regarding big man Anthony Davis. Anthony […]

When the Portland Trail Blazers signed Javonte Cooke before the start of the regular season, he became only the second active NBA player to have played all four years of college basketball at a Division 2 school. The only other current player to have played D2 for all of his college career is Brooklyn Nets […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers saw their seven-game win streak snapped on Monday following their 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns. After a decent start to the first quarter that saw both teams tied at 31, the Lakers were outscored 94-77 the rest of the game. It was an uncharacteristic game from the […]

LOS ANGELES – Just as the Los Angeles Lakers got LeBron James back in the lineup, they lost Marcus Smart who has been dealing with a back injury. Smart was set to miss his third straight game as the Lakers hosted the Phoenix Suns on Monday, but Lakers head coach JJ Redick was optimistic that […]

LOS ANGELES – During the course of an NBA season, lineups are rotations are often fluid due to injuries, absences, trades and roster signings/cuts. For the Los Angeles Lakers, they have had a fairly healthy rotation since the return of LeBron James who missed the first 14 games of the season. Unfortunately for Jarred Vanderbilt, […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best offensive teams in the NBA this season amid their 14-4 start. But when it comes to the Lakers’ defense, that’s been a slightly different story. The teams has a few good individual defensive players, but most on the team believe the defense […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are trying to string together a little win streak as they face off against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Joel Embiid has missed the last nine games for the 76ers as he continues to recover from a knee injury, however, it’s possible he might return to the lineup soon. Joel Embiid was […]

To say the LA Clippers have been struggling this season is a major understatement. The team has not been able to find any consistency, and they sit near the bottom of the Western Conference standings at 5-15. The Clippers suffered another bad loss on Saturday, against the short-handed Dallas Mavericks, and Kawhi Leonard channeled his […]

The Los Angeles Lakers close out the month with a home game on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans, but they’re going to be a little short-handed when it comes to the injury report. LeBron James, who had recently made his return to the Lakers’ lineup after being sidelined to start the season with a […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves came into their game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday looking to snap a three-game losing streak. They did so following a 119-115 win to improve to 10-8 on the season. It was star guard Anthony Edwards who led the way for the Timberwolves, and he had one play in particular where […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have been among the best teams in the NBA to start the 2025-26 season, currently sitting at 14-4 and in the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference Standings. After having gone undefeated in NBA Cup group play, the Lakers have a couple of home games before they head back out […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been struggling this season, currently at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 3-16 record. The Pelicans are looking to get in the win column with a road game against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, but they will be a little short-handed. Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III […]

The Golden State Warriors have struggled in the early goings of the 2025-26 season, they currently sit at .500 with an overall record of 10-10. Amid their struggles, Draymond Green didn’t mince words when critiquing the Warriors’ defense. But the Warriors should have some help soon in the form of De’Anthony Melton who has been […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers have been rolling to start the 2025-26 season. With their latest win, 129-119 against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, the Lakers improved to 14-4 and have won six consecutive games. A major reason for the Lakers’ strong start to the season has been Deandre Ayton. Following the Lakers’ […]

There’s no question that given his body of work, when Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green retires, he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But Green has become one of the most polarizing players in the NBA with fans and media alike debating his level as a player. Count former NBA player Danny […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers finished up group play for the NBA Cup at 4-0 following their 129-119 win against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. With the win the Lakers have assured themselves home court advantage for the quarterfinal round on Dec. 10 against the San Antonio Spurs. But the Lakers still have […]

LOS ANGELES – It’s a new NBA season, but the taste of the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks still reverberates across the league. With the Lakers set to square off against the Mavericks in their final NBA Cup matchup amid a bevy of familiar faces, Lakers head coach […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers come into their NBA Cup matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday as the No. 2 team in the Western Conference at 13-4. While the Lakers have gotten off to a good start, their defense can still be improved. One player, however, who has been making an impact […]

Since JJ Redick has been head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, he’s stressed what he calls a ‘banshee’ mentality. That is, in his words, “in Laker culture it’s somebody who’s all in two feet in the circle. A faucet, not a drink. It’s somebody who’s just all in full tilt,” Redick explained prior to […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to move to 4-0 in NBA Cup play in order to host at least one game of the knockout stage, and they have one more matchup remaining in group play against the Dallas Mavericks. It’s a big game for the Mavericks as well as Anthony Davis is set to […]

The qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup are currently ongoing, and Thursday’s schedule saw a thriller of a matchup between Lithuania and Great Britain. Lithuania ultimately defeated Great Britain, 89-88, pulling off a comeback that was reminiscent of Tracy McGrady spearheading a comeback for the Houston Rockets back in 2004-05 NBA season. Tracy McGrady […]

During the early-goings of the 2025-26 college basketball season, Duke freshman forward Cameron Boozer has been making his case to potentially be one of the top-three picks of the 2026 NBA Draft. The Blue Devils have started off the year at 7-0, and during Duke’s game against Arkansas on Thanksgiving, Cameron Boozer added to his […]

The Los Angeles Lakers clinched a spot on in the NBA Cup quarterfinals following their win against the LA Clippers on Tuesday, and they have one more cup game remaining against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. The Lakers were without Deandre Ayton in the win against the Clippers due to a knee injury, but he […]

The Michigan State Spartans are off to a strong start to the 2025-26 season at 7-0 following their 74-58 demolishing of North Carolina on Thanksgiving. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo remains one of the best coaches in college basketball, and his star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. believes he might just be tops in […]

In a move that shocked nobody, the Dallas Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison earlier this month. Harrison had come under fire following last season’s shocking Luka Doncic trade, and amid the Mavericks’ struggles this season, calls for his firing only grew louder. Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of the trade for the Mavericks, recently gave […]

The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Tennessee Volunteers, 81-76, in the third place championship game of the Players Era Festival, a tournament that has come under scrutiny due to its seeding format. Count Kansas head coach Bill Self as one of the voices suggesting that a change in the format of the Players Era tournament could […]

Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson is in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but so far Jayhawks fans have been left wondering when they’ll see the future NBA player on the court again. Darryn Peterson has been dealing with a hamstring injury that’s kept him sidelined for the past […]

The Tennessee Volunteers fell to the Kansas Jayhawks, 81-76, in the third place championship of the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. But prior to that loss, Tennessee came up with an impressive win against the Houston Cougars on Tuesday to reach the game against Kansas. Bishop Boswell played a key role in Tennessee’s […]

A season after reaching the NCAA Tournament national championship game, the Houston Cougars have once again looked like one of the better teams in the country during the early stages of the 2025-26 season. Houston is coming off a 2-1 finish at the Players Era tournament, and head coach Kelvin Sampson spoke about his mindset […]

The Toronto Raptors suffered a major blow during their game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday after Gradey Dick suffered a head injury. Dick was being checked for a possible concussion, and was ruled out for the rest of the game, as per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel. The injury occurred after Dick went up to grab […]

With the Players Era Festival in the second year of its existence, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish received the unlucky draw of facing the Houston Cougars for the second consecutive season. Notre Dame lost to Houston once agains while at the Players Era Festival, and Fighting Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry wants to change that, […]

With this time of the year being the time that many non-conference college basketball tournaments are being held, one of the new additions to the field was the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Iowa State Cyclones came out of the Players Era Festival at 3-0, but their overall finish wasn’t exactly as […]

LOS ANGELES – During the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 135-118 NBA Cup win against the LA Clippers, things got a little heated between Luka Doncic and Kris Dunn. Amid the initial confrontation, Jaxson Hayes came to the defense of Doncic, earning the Lakers’ big man a technical foul. Following the game, Lakers […]

LOS ANGELES – Amid the Los Angeles Lakers’ 12-4 start to the season, they are among the middle of the pack when it comes to the defensive end. The Lakers’ defense could stand to get better, but the team has had a few strong individual defenders this year, including Marcus Smart. Lakers head coach has […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers came into their NBA Cup matchup against the LA Clippers a little short-handed as Deandre Ayton was ruled out due to a knee injury. Ayton suffered the injury during the Lakers’ win against Utah Jazz on Sunday. But Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn’t seem to think that […]