David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 23

The Los Angeles Lakers have a big showdown coming up at home against the Denver Nuggets this weekend. The Nuggets received a major boost on Friday with Nikola Jokic making his return to the lineup after being out due to the birth of a new child. But the Lakers are set to receive a boost […]

LOS ANGELES – One of the biggest headlines from the Los Angeles Lakers this season has been the stellar play of rookie wing Dalton Knecht. Knecht has moved into the starting lineup amid the absence of Rui Hachimura due to injury, and he’s responded very well. He set a career-high in points against the New […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers had a six-game win streak snapped at the hands of the Orlando Magic, 119-118, on Thursday night. Franz Wagner hit a step back three-point shot with 2.5 seconds remaining, and the Lakers couldn’t convert on the other end. Following the Magic loss, Lakers head coach JJ Redick had […]

The Los Angeles Sparks are coming off their fourth consecutive season of missing the WNBA playoffs. The last time the team made the postseason was during the bubble year in 2020 when they were eliminated in the second round after receiving a first round bye as the No. 3 seed. But with new head coach […]

The Utah Jazz are one of the teams in the running for the possible Cooper Flagg sweepstakes this season. They are mired in a mini-rebuild with a lot of youth on their roster. Following their latest loss, against the Los Angeles Lakers during which head coach Will Hardy was not pleased, the Jazz made a […]

Throughout Geno Auriemma’s tenure as head coach of the UConn Huskies, he’s been involved in a few NCAA record-setting events. But perhaps none were as a big as the new one he accomplished this week, becoming the NCAA’s all-time leader in coaching wins. The previous record was held by former Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers grabbed their sixth consecutive win on Tuesday, defeating the visiting Utah Jazz, 124-116. But the talk of the night following the game was Lakers’ rookie wing Dalton Knecht reaching a new career-high in points with 37. Lakers head coach JJ Redick, being a shooter himself, spoke after the […]

The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2024-25 season so far. They’re near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and things don’t look like they’re getting better any time soon. But there could be help on the horizon for the Bucks in the form of Khris Middleton who has […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have settled on a new head coach following the surprising end of season ouster of Curt Miller. The Sparks announced on Tuesday that they have selected Lynne Roberts as their new head coach for the 2025 season. Roberts has been the head coach at the University of Utah for the past […]

The Los Angeles Lakers return home from their brief two-game road trip for an NBA Cup matchup against the Utah Jazz. The Lakers went 2-0 on the trip with rookie Dalton Knecht putting up a career-high in points against the New Orleans Pelicans. But as they return home, they have some injury issues to sort […]

The Los Angeles Sparks came into Sunday’s 2025 WNBA Draft lottery with the top odds at landing the No. 1 overall pick. But that was not to be as the Dallas Wings bumped them to grab the No. 1 pick in the draft. Instead, the Sparks will once again have the No. 2 pick in […]

When the 2024 WNBA season came to an end, the Los Angeles Sparks had locked in the top odds at the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. But when the draft lottery was held on Sunday, it was the Dallas Wings that grabbed the No. 1 pick. Following the WNBA Draft lottery results, […]

The 2025 WNBA Draft lottery was held on Sunday and the Chicago Sky came way with the No. 3 overall pick. It’s the second consecutive year the Sky have had the No. 3 draft pick, but they might not be making that selection this season. In search of an impact wing player, the Sky could […]

The Miami Heat came into their game on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers without star wing Jimmy Butler who was ruled out with an ankle injury. And now with the game over after losing, 119-110, to the Pacers, they have more injury concerns to worry about. Jaime Jaquez Jr. left the Heat’s game against the […]

The Houston Rockets have been one of the better teams in the Western Conference this season with a record of 9-4. They are in the West playoff picture and could be looking to add a major piece via trade at some point to elevate their status. Kevin Durant has been mentioned as a potential dream […]

The Duke Blue Devils were reeling from a disappointing loss to the Kentucky Wildcats during which star freshman Cooper Flagg committed late game blunders that contributed to the loss. Duke had a chance to bounce back and erase the bitter taste of the loss against Wofford on Saturday, which they did by a score of […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have relied heavily on rookie guard Dalton Knecht this season, and he’s responded as the team’s most consistent player off the bench. He’s moved into the starting lineup though for the past couple of games due to an injury to Rui Hachimura. During the Lakers’ 104-99 win against the New Orleans […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the top teams in the NBA so far this season, but they’ve suffered major injuries to both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. The injury bug has depleted the Thunder’s center depth, forcing them to make a roster move this week. The Thunder added Branden Carlson to their […]

The Milwaukee Bucks’ recent loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday involved a controversy involving the refs and a Doc Rivers rant following the game. The Bucks lost by one, 115-114, to the Hornets with LaMelo Ball sinking two late free-throws to seal the win. But following the game, the official pool report confirmed that […]

The Milwaukee Bucks have been arguably the most disappointing team of the 2024-25 NBA season so far. They’ve gotten off to a 4-9 start and have shown no signs of turning things around. Following their most recent loss on Saturday to the Charlotte Hornets, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers did not hold back on blaming […]

When Ariel ‘Air’ Hearn suited up in training camp with the Phoenix Mercury ahead of the 2024 WNBA season, she found herself alongside Athletes Unlimited teammate Natasha Cloud. Hearn has competed alongside and against Cloud at Athletes Unlimited for the past couple of seasons. Athletes Unlimited was founded in 2022 as an alternative for WNBA […]

When San Antonio Spurs’ point guard Chris Paul is finished with his NBA career, he will for sure be a Hall of Fame inductee. In the meantime though, Chris Paul is still adding to his resume as he just reached an important career assist record. Chris Paul became only the third player in NBA history […]

During the 2023-24 college basketball season, former Iowa star Caitlin Clark made history becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. But in a couple of seasons, that record could be broken by USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins who recently reached the 1,000 career points milestone. During USC’s win against Santa Clara on Friday, JuJu Watkins became […]

LOS ANGELES – Three straight wins for JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers, and three straight triple doubles for LeBron James. Following the Lakers most recent win against the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron James made NBA history becoming the oldest player to record three consecutive triple doubles. And the Lakers needed every bit of his […]

LOS ANGELES – Shooters keep shooting, that’s the old basketball adage. It doesn’t matter if they’re in a slump, shooters have to keep taking shots. Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht has been in a shooting slump, but broke out against the Memphis Grizzlies with a career game. Dalton Knecht dropped a career best 19 […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers take their first step towards defending their NBA Cup title when they hit the road against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. Although the Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup, they proceeded to lose ten of their next 13 games. Following the Lakers’ home win against the Memphis […]

The Kansas Jayhawks came into the 2024-25 college basketball season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country in the AP men’s basketball poll. So far, they’ve lived up to that ranking, getting off to a 3-0 start. Kansas is coming off a big win against Michigan State, that proceeded the Jayhawks landing the […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers may have had Tuesday off in terms of game schedule, but the team took part in a Thanksgiving event for elementary school children hailing from nearby Crete Academy. The event included pictures with Lakers players, Thanksgiving food, merchandise giveaways and carnival-style games. Lakers guard Gabe Vincent was among […]

With Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood both sidelined due to injury, the Los Angeles Lakers have relied heavily on backup center Jaxson Hayes to give them a frontcourt boost. Wood recently suffered a setback and will be reevaluated in four weeks while there is no new update on Vanderbilt. And now Jaxson Hayes’ name has popped […]

LOS ANGELES – To win a title in the NBA, it takes a lot of sacrifice from every player on the roster all the way from one to 15. After having been a part of the 2020 championship team with the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis understands the need for sacrifice. The Lakers and head […]

LOS ANGELES – Throughout Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell’s ten-year NBA career he’s played with some great players. His rookie season with the Lakers was Kobe Bryant’s final year in the NBA. He played alongside Stephen Curry during his brief stint with the Golden State Warriors. And now, his second go-round with the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell […]

The Arkansas Razorbacks made a massive change this offseason, bringing in a top-notch coach in John Calipari. Calipari replaced Eric Musselman who departed the program for USC. It is very early in Calipari’s Arkansas tenure, but it appears as if it’s already paying off as the program just landed a major recruit in five-star guard […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers began the 2024-25 season with a depleted frontcourt due to both Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt sidelined due to injury. Neither one has made their season debut yet. But what their absence has done is create opportunity for Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes. Hayes has been an impact […]

LOS ANGELES – One of the biggest talking points following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-106 win against the Phildelphia 76ers on Friday was D’Angelo Russell’s move to the bench. Even though Russell is coming off the bench for the time being, he’s still going to see quite a bit of time alongside Anthony Davis in […]

The main headline on Saturday night was Bronny James as he made his debut in the G League with the Los Angeles Lakers’ South Bay affiliate. It was opening night for South Bay and Bronny had social media buzzing following the game. But prior to the Lakers’ game on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors, they […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers returned home on Friday with a 116-106 win against the Philadelphia 76ers and with a major change in the starting lineup. Head coach JJ Redick opted to move Cam Reddish into the starting lineup with D’Angelo Russell moving to the bench. It’s a role that Cam Reddish has […]

All eyes were on the South Bay Lakers on Saturday as the 2024-25 G League season tipped-off with Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James beginning his assignment. Earlier this month, the Lakers revealed their G League plan for Bronny to get him live game reps. Bronny scored the first points of South Bay’s opening night […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers got back in the win column on Friday with a 116-106 win against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, with Anthony Davis leading the way with a game-high 31 points as he made his return from injury. With the Lakers next game coming up on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors, […]

The 2024-25 G League season got underway this weekend, and plenty of eyes were on South Bay, the affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers as one Bronny James was set to make his debut. The Lakers laid out their plans for Bronny in the G League amid their recent five-game road trip. It was a […]