David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 33

After the Sacramento Kings decided to fire Mike Brown back in December, they elevated Doug Christie as interim head coach. With the Kings now in offseason mode having not made the playoffs, their first order of business was to remove the interim tag from Doug Christie and make him full-time head coach. And as Christie […]

The LSU Tigers picked up arguably the biggest name in the transfer portal in former South Carolina guard MiLayshia Fulwiley. The star guard will have two more seasons of eligibility left before presumably heading to the WNBA. But before MiLayshia Fulwiley sets foot on LSU’s campus, she was busy winning the MVP with Team USA […]

After securing a top three seed in the Western Conference, there was strong belief that the Los Angeles Lakers could make a deep playoff run. However, those beliefs were quickly dashed as the Lakers were thoroughly outplayed by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. With the offseason now on the […]

This coming Tuesday, May 6 is a big day for Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson as her signature shoe from Nike is set to be released. In anticipation of the A’ja Wilson’s shoe, Nike released an ad that has fans going wild on social media. The ad from Nike for the shoe features a […]

The New York Knicks will square off against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday. While the Knicks were favored coming into their opening round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons, the Celtics will be heavily favored in this series. But that might be a good thing, according to […]

The Dallas Wings certainly have a rookie sensation taking the WNBA by storm this upcoming season in No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. But during the Wings’ preseason game against the Las Vegas Aces on Friday, it was rookie guard JJ Quinerly who stood out in her WNBA debut. The Aces cruised to the preseason win, […]

WNBA preseason got underway on Friday, and one game in particular that drew attention was the Chicago Sky taking on the Brazilian national team at LSU’s home arena. It was significant for the fact that it was a homecoming for Sky players Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith, the latter of whom scored her first […]

Rookie guard Paige Bueckers made her WNBA debut with the Dallas Wings on Friday during a preseason game against the Las Vegas Aces, but it wasn’t to their liking on the scoring front as the Aces cruised to a 112-78 blowout win to start their preseason off right. Not only was the game against the […]

Coming into the 2025 WNBA season, one of the most intriguing headlines is Seattle Storm rookie Dominque Malonga who has already drawn the moniker of ‘female Wembanyama,’ due to fellow countryman Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. Malonga has not yet been a participant at Storm training camp, but that should change soon, as […]

The Houston Rockets are facing another must-win situation in Game 6 against the Golden State Warriors if they want to avoid elimination. Facing a 3-1 deficit in the series, the Rockets responded with a huge 131-116 Game 5 win to force the series back to The Bay. And ahead of Game 6, Rockets guard Dillon […]

LOS ANGELES – Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ early playoff exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, head coach JJ Redick’s postseason coaching debut has come under criticism from fans and pundits alike. Prior to Game 5, Redick got into an exchange with a reporter who seemingly questioned his decision to not make any […]

The New York Knicks punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semifinals following their 116-113 Game 6 win against the Detroit Pistons off of Jalen Brunson’s game-winner. With the clock ticking down in the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson pulled a crossover on Ausar Thompson, stepped into a pull-up three and calmly buried the eventual Game […]

When the Chicago Sky tip-off preseason this week against the Brazilian national team, rookie guard Hailey Van Lith will be back in a familiar setting. The Sky’s first preseason game is going to be held at LSU’s home arena, the place where Hailey Van Lith spent the 2023-24 season of her college career. Speaking ahead […]

Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ early exit in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was evident that the Lakers have pressing roster needs. During a post-playoff-elimination media availability, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka vowed to address those needs in the offseason. With NBA free agency coming […]

One of the biggest storylines during the Golden State Warriors’ opening-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets has been the role of reserve forward Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga’s playing time has been a source of contention for Warriors fans even throughout the season. Jonathan Kuminga missed the Game 5 loss due to illness, but Steve Kerr […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the opening round of the NBA Playoffs following their 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5. One of the biggest developments of the series was the reduced role for Lakers’ starting center Jaxson Hayes and his ultimate benching in Game 5. Following the […]

When the UConn Huskies won the NCAA championship this season, they did so with a much different starting lineup than last season’s Final Four team. While Paige Bueckers was still present, the other four starters didn’t even play for UConn late last year. Kaitlyn Chen was still at Princeton, Sarah Strong was in high school […]

The Orlando Magic were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday following their 120-89 loss to the Boston Celtics. As the Magic continue to try and climb the hierarchy in the Eastern Conference, one piece some have suggested the Magic need is a consistent scoring guard. And there is one prominent NBA media voice who […]

The Milwaukee Bucks took a risk when they shook up the team at the trade deadline and traded for Kyle Kuzma. They lost a key veteran and important piece in Khris Middleton. But there was one prominent NBA voice who believed the Kyle Kuzma trade would be the difference for the Bucks in the second […]

When the Chicago Sky began training camp this past weekend, there was a familiar face on the roster, at least for Angel Reese. Hailey Van Lith, the Sky’s first round draft pick this year, was beginning her rookie year in the WNBA. Reese played with Van Lith for one season at LSU, and now that […]

While the Houston Rockets have not yet been eliminated from the playoffs as they currently trail the Golden State Warriors, 3-1, in their opening round series, they are primed to make a potential major offseason trade. With the Rockets potentially hunting for a star player for them to take the next step, it will almost […]

The Milwaukee Bucks came into Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers short-handed and facing elimination. Star point guard Damian Lillard suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Game 4 and was sidelined. The Bucks were unable to overcome his absence as they fell to the Pacers, 119-118. After the game, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo lamented the […]

Following the Indiana Pacers taking a 2-0 series lead in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tyrese Haliburton was hit with a ‘most overrated’ label according to an anonymous survey of his NBA peers done by The Athletic. But with the chance to eliminate the Bucks in Game 5 on […]

The Milwaukee Bucks came into Game 5 of their opening round series of the NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers needing a win. After their loss in Game 4, they faced elimination with star point guard Damian Lillard sidelined. Unfortunately for the Bucks, they couldn’t muster enough to hold off their offseason as they fell […]

The Milwaukee Bucks came into Game 5 of their opening round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers facing elimination. The Bucks were already reeling from not having Damian Lillard after he suffered a season-ending ACL injury during Game 4. After Game 5 went into overtime, the Bucks were ultimately eliminated after their 119-118 loss to […]

At this point in his career, Golden State Warriors vet Draymond Green is known for his antics just as much as his on the court play. Green has already gotten into it with Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green following the Warriors’ Game 3 win, and his antics annoyed the Rockets again at the start of […]

The pivotal Game 4 between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets got fiery in the second quarter. Emotions had been boiling throughout the series so far, and it finally spilled over with a mini-altercation involving Stephen Curry and Dillon Brooks. It initially began when Curry attempted to navigate a screen set by Draymond […]

The Golden State Warriors took a 2-1 series lead in their opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets following their 104-93 win in Game 3. A key factor in the Warriors Game 3 win was the play of Gary Payton II. Payton didn’t play so well during the first two games in […]

The Miami Heat came into Game 4 of their first round series of the NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers facing elimination after their 124-87 loss in Game 3. Even though the team vowed to play better in Game 4, that didn’t seem to be the case as the Heat trailed by close to 30 […]

MINNEAPOLIS – The Los Angeles Lakers are facing elimination following their 116-113 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of their opening round series of the NBA Playoffs. But there is still optimism in the locker room that the Lakers can win this series, and LeBron James is the reason why. Following the Lakers’ […]

MINNEAPOLIS – The Los Angeles Lakers are sitting where no NBA team wants to be in the playoffs. That’s staring down the wrong end of a 3-1 series deficit, which is where the Lakers stand following their 116-113 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4. Head coach JJ Redick opted to go with major […]

The Golden State Warriors came into Game 3 of their opening round playoff series against the Houston Rockets a little shorthanded. They were without Jimmy Butler who had suffered an injury in Game 2. And if Warriors’ fans are to be believed, the team was even more behind the eight ball against the Rockets in […]

The Los Angeles Clippers had come all the way back from a 20-point deficit to take the lead late in Game 4 of their opening round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. But with overtime looming, the Clippers had their hearts ripped out on their home floor, 101-99, after Aaron Gordon dunked in a game-winner […]

The Golden State Warriors are coming into Game 3 of their first round playoff series against the Houston Rockets having gotten a 1-1 split in the first two games. Coming back to their homecourt, the Warriors will have the support of their fans behind them in Game 3. And they might have extra motivation as […]

MINNEAPOLIS – The Los Angeles Lakers are facing essentially a must-win situation following their 116-104 Game 3 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the prospect of facing a 3-1 deficit in the series, and a potential elimination game in Game 5, Game 4 becomes that much more magnified. And as Lakers star LeBron James put […]

MINNEAPOLIS – The Los Angeles Lakers found themselves in unenviable territory following their 116-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series. In playoff history, the team that has won Game 3 in a 1-1 series has gone on to win the series 73.3 percent of the time, according to […]

MINNEAPOLIS – When LeBron James takes the court for Game 3 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ opening round series of the NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it will be his 290th career playoff game. He was in the NBA Finals for eight consecutive seasons from 2011-2018. Ahead of the Game 3, Lakers head coach […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were facing essentially a must-win game heading into Game 3 of their opening round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They lost both games on the road to start the series and to fall into an 0-2 hole. But as the Grizzlies returned to their home court for Game 3, they […]

Over the weekend, the NBA announced their finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year Award, The DPOY candidates included the Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley and the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green. On Thursday, it was revealed that Mobley had won the award. Following the announcement, Hawks’ star Trae Young […]