David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 24

The Phoenix Suns have been off to a fantastic start to the 2024-25 season at 8-1 under new head coach Mike Budenholzer. Kevin Durant’s play during the Suns’ hot start had his name in the early MVP race, but the team received disappointing injury news on Saturday. Durant suffered a calf strain during the team’s […]

LOS ANGELES – Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-106 win at home against the Philadelphia 76ers, much of the postgame chatter centered on D’Angelo Russell coming off the bench. Lakers head coach JJ Redick made the decision to bring Russell in with the second unit while moving Cam Reddish into the starting lineup. Russell’s second […]

The 2024-25 G League regular season is set to tip-off this weekend, and when the South Bay Lakers take the court they will have Bronny James in the lineup. There is no doubt that fans will want to get an up close look at Bronny James as he joins the Los Angeles Lakers’ G League […]

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is going to be a Hall of Famer one day. Tatum has been setting records and already has one NBA championship to his name. Jayson Tatum came into the Celtics’ game against the Golden State Warriors only three, three-point shots away from passing former NBA star Baron Davis on the […]

The Phoenix Suns have been one of the best teams in the NBA so far this season with a record of 6-1. They have a chance to improve on that record on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks. While star guard Bradley Beal appeared on the Suns’ injury report ahead of the game, as per the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers return home against the Philadelphia 76ers after a tough five-game road trip that saw the Lakers go 1-4 with some frustrations boiling over. But with Friday’s game approaching, the Lakers are hoping to have Anthony Davis back in the lineup amid a foot injury. The foot injury is something that Anthony […]

The San Antonio Spurs are in the midst of trying to build a competitive and contending team around budding star Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs are hoping that Jeremy Sochan can be a part of that group, but he recently underwent surgery following a thumb injury. Ahead of the Spurs’ Wednesday game against the Houston Rockets, […]

The Detroit Pistons have been an improved team from last year in the early goings of the 2024-25 regular season. They are currently 3-5 and last season, they did not pick up their third win until the Pistons dragged through a 28-game losing streak. But Detroit caught a bit of bad news during their game […]

The Milwaukee Bucks, who had championship aspirations when they made the trade for Damian Lillard last season, have gotten off to a disappointing start this year at 1-6. That’s gotten the rumor mill churning regarding Bucks and possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade scenarios. But despite the poor start to the season, neither the Bucks nor Giannis […]

The Indiana Pacers have suffered a couple of major blows early in the 2024-25 season with injuries to two of their centers in James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson. The Pacers still have Myles Turner up front, but the injury bug leaves them very thin in terms of their center rotation. It would be wise for […]

The Baylor Bears had a good 2023-24 season, finishing with an overall record of 26-8 and advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Nicki Collen and the Bears will be looking to build off that momentum. It’s rare for a team to pick up a key player in the transfer portal […]

The LSU Tigers may have lost Angel Reese to the WNBA Draft, but they still have a formidable roster as the 2024-25 NCAA season is set to tip-off this week. And the Tigers have positioned themselves well for future seasons too. Over the weekend, LSU landed the commitment from a top 2025 recruit in ZaKiyah […]

The Los Angeles Lakers finally got a win on their current road trip against the Toronto Raptors, after starting the trip, 0-2. The trip continues in Detroit for a clash against the Pistons on Monday. But the Lakers’ lineup could be short-handed as starting guard D’Angelo Russell is listed as questionable on the team’s injury […]

The North Carolina Tar Heels had a disappointing end to the 2023-24 season, losing to Alabama in the Sweet 16 after having national championship aspirations. The Tar Heels have a solid roster for this year, but they have a bright future as well. North Carolina and head coach Hubert Davis landed a big commitment from […]

The Duke Blue Devils have plenty to look forward to this season, with the biggest reason being the debut of highly-touted freshman Cooper Flagg. But looking ahead to the future, the Blue Devils will be in good shape having just secured the commitment of one of the top small forwards in the country, Shelton Henderson, […]

The Kentucky Wildcats have undergone major changes with Mark Pope as new head coach being first and foremost. With the departure of former head coach John Calipari to Arkansas, Pope is tasked with bringing the Wildcats back to national basketball prominence. Pope took a big step towards that goal on Saturday with the commitment of […]

The Utah Jazz visit the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Lauri Markkanen appeared on the Jazz injury report initially as doubtful with a back injury. Markkanen had missed the Jazz’s last game against the San Antonio Spurs due to said back injury. But at Jazz shootaround in the afternoon ahead of their game against Denver, […]

The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off a disappointing 2023-24 season during which they were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in a blowout by Gonzaga. With several key returners this season, the Jayhawks are hoping to bounce back in 2024-25. And Kansas recently received major news this week with the commitment of […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a five-game road trip and have dropped their last two games after starting the season 3-0. But as of publication, they were on pace to snap their two-game losing streak as they held a double-digit lead in the second half against the Toronto Raptors. The Lakers […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a five-game road trip and have dropped their first two games of the trip after starting the season 3-0. They are already short-handed as Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt have been out due to injury. And now they might have another issue to worry about. During […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the best teams in the NBA so far with a record of 4-0. A team like that probably isn’t looking to make any changes, especially so early in the season. But the Thunder did make a roster move this week adding a former summer league and preseason standout […]

Last season, the Alabama Crimson Tide had a strong NCAA Tournament run to the Final Four where they ultimately fell to the eventual champion UConn Huskies. With the 2024-25 season approaching, they’re hoping for continued success. But Alabama is dealing with a few injury issues ahead of the season opener. Alabama head coach Nate Oats […]

The Los Angeles Lakers started out the season hot at 3-0, but they’ve stumbled a bit on their current road trip. They dropped their first two games of the trip with a third coming up on Friday against the Toronto Raptors. They might have some injury concerns to monitor as the trip continues. Anthony Davis […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves shocked many when they got Rob Dillingham from Kentucky in the 2024 NBA Draft. A lottery pick, Dillingham was originally selected by the San Antonio Spurs but had has draft rights traded to Minnesota. Adding a lottery pick to a Western Conference Finals team is a no-brainer, but Dillingham hasn’t been able […]

The Denver Nuggets have had a so-so start to the 2024-25 regular season. They have started the season at 2-2, recovering to win consecutive games after dropping their first two of the year. But through the early ups and downs, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has been dominant on his way to making NBA history. About […]

The Dallas Mavericks are squaring off against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team they beat in the Western Conference Finals last season, and they avoided a major scare. Mavericks star Luka Doncic suffered an apparent injury and immediately went to the locker room, as per John Hollinger of The Athletic. But when the Mavericks started the […]

LOS ANGELES – Through the Los Angeles Lakers’ first four games of the season, one thing is clear, this team is vastly different than last year. Despite the Lakers’ recent loss to the Phoenix Suns, they’re playing a much better brand of basketball. One Lakers player who is having a strong start to the 2024-25 […]

Last season, the Orlando Magic took a huge leap, making the playoffs and putting up a solid showing against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. Magic star Paolo Banchero is off to a strong start to the year and he just made NBA history with his stat line against the Indiana […]

The New York Knicks’ trade for Karl-Anthony Towns sent shock waves through the NBA world on the eve of training camp. After finishing the 2023-24 season with the second best record in the Eastern Conference, many felt the trade could vault the Knicks into title contender status. Count Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson as […]

The Golden State Warriors have gotten off to a solid start to the 2024-25 NBA season with a 2-1 record. Their resolve is going to be tested in the coming days, however. Star guard Stephen Curry was just ruled out due to injuryStephen Curry was just ruled out due to injury for at least the […]

With the 2024-25 NBA season underway, the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly interested in making a trade for an upgrade at center. One of the names that’s been linked to the Lakers via trade is Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler. But for the Lakers to acquire Walker Kessler through a trade, it would likely […]

After the Los Angeles Lakers began the 2024-25 season with three-consecutive home games, they will head out on a five-game road trip. The trip begins in Phoenix against the Suns on Monday and culminates in Memphis against the Grizzlies on Nov. 6 with stops in Cleveland, Toronto and Detroit. But ahead of the upcoming road […]

LOS ANGELES – De’Aaron Fox had just knocked down back-to-back three-point shots to give the Sacramento Kings a 94-87 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. The Kings had closed the third quarter on a 6-0 run to snatch the momentum heading into the final period. That was when Lakers head coach JJ Redick […]

LOS ANGELES – Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 131-127 win against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, the main focus postgame was the fourth quarter explosion by LeBron James. But also important in the Lakers’ win was the backcourt performance of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. While D’Angelo Russell’s name was in trade rumors throughout the […]

LOS ANGELES – Gabe Vincent’s first season with the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t quite go as planned. He spent most of the 2023-24 season battling a knee injury that limited him to only 11 games. But he’s healthy now and has already earned the trust of Lakers head coach JJ Redick. During the Lakers’ 123-116 […]

This is the generation of NBA players’ sons. It seems like everywhere you look, a former player’s kid is rising up in the ranks, carving a path of their own. For some, that process came quickly like in the case of LeBron James and Bronny James. For others, like Alijah Arenas, the son of former […]

The Los Angeles Lakers resume the 2024-25 NBA season at home on Friday against the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers are coming off a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves while the Suns are also coming off a win against the Los Angeles Clippers. But the Lakers will be without reserve guard Jalen Hood-Schifino who appeared on […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers opened the 2024-25 NBA season with a 110-103 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Tuesday night. While all eyes were on the Lakers debut of Bronny James playing alongside LeBron James, it was Anthony Davis who shined the brightest. Davis led the way with a game-high […]

The Los Angeles Clippers came into the 2024-25 NBA season with a brand new arena but also with some bad news in that Kawhi Leonard would not be available due to injury. In addition to that, the Clippers have been without veteran forward PJ Tucker who is reportedly seeking an early season trade as per […]