David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 49

The Boston Celtics were leading comfortably against the New York Knicks with the return of Kristaps Porzingis in the fourth quarter on Friday, but that’s when the fireworks happened. Celtics star Jaylen Brown picked up back to back technical fouls and was given an ejection from the game. Jaylen Brown was ejected after receiving two […]

For the past couple of seasons, it’s seemed like the New York Knicks have registered trade interest in almost every available star player. They were mentioned in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes and have been mentioned as monitoring the Zion Williamson situation in New Orleans. But one name the Knicks have reportedly not been keeping trade […]

All eyes are going to be on the USC Trojans this weekend as Bronny James is set to make his long-anticipated college basketball debut. Ahead of that game, we’ll be making a few Bronny James bold predictions. USC had a lot of hype coming into this season not just because of James. NBA scouts and […]

The Indiana Pacers were all smiles following their 128-119 win against the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals. They will await the winner of the other tournament semifinal between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans. Led by MVP candidate Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers have been putting the league on notice […]

The Sacramento Kings are looking to get back on track following their elimination from the NBA’s In-Season Tournament by the New Orleans Pelicans. Their next opponent is the Phoenix Suns on the road on Friday. The Kings are currently 11-8 and have won six of their last ten games. They also got got news on […]

The Indiana Pacers have been very impressive during their run to the NBA In-Season Tournament Finals. Following their 128-119 win against the Milwaukee Bucks in the tournament semifinals, they will await the winner between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans. Leading the way for the Pacers has been Tyrese Haliburton. Following the win, […]

Nothing can seem to go right for the Detroit Pistons this season. They are currently mired in an 18 game losing streak and may have drastic changes coming up. They are 2-19 and hold the absolute worst record in the NBA right now. To make matters worse, the Pistons are going to be without promising […]

The NBA In-Season Tournament continues this week with the semifinal matchups. In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Indiana Pacers are looking to keep their hot streak going against their next opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers had used a strong third quarter to take a commanding lead at the half, but as of publication, they […]

In today’s media age, being the first to breaking news certainly gives you an advantage in this business. In the college basketball world, Wednesday was significant on that front in that five-star point guard Dylan Harper was set to make his college decision. Longtime NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN was the first to break […]

When the concept of the NBA In-Season Tournament was first revealed, it was met with a mixed reaction from fans and media alike. But it’s safe to say that the inaugural edition of the tournament has been a huge success. In one semifinal matchup, the New Orleans Pelicans will look to advance to the finals […]

The NBA In-Season Tournament has been largely a success in its first season. One of the most hyped matchups of the quarterfinals was the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns highlighted by LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The Lakers advanced with a 106-103 win, but the game was not without controversy. LeBron James was […]

To say the Memphis Grizzlies have been hit hard this season by injuries would be an understatement. They were already without Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the season due to his suspension. But they’ve been missing key players as well due to various injuries. The NBA awarded the Grizzlies two emergency hardship […]

The NBA In-Season Tournament has finally reached the knockout rounds. The Indiana Pacers have earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a perfect 4-0 record. Only the Milwaukee Bucks are ahead of them due to point differential. The Pacers will be facing the Boston Celtics without Kristaps Porzingis, and they might short-handed […]

The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference so far to start this season, but it’s clear they’re still working through some kinks on the heels of the Damian Lillard trade. On Sunday, they found themselves trailing the Portland Trail Blazers by 26 points before rallying to a 108-102 […]

The San Antonio Spurs may not be a very good team this season but they’ve still been a league pass favorite due to the play of rookie star Victor Wembanyama. Each game, fans are tuned in to see what logic-defying stunt Wembanyama will pull off next. On Sunday, his latest insane play came against Reggie […]

The Indiana Pacers have come out of the gates as one of the better teams in the NBA for the 2023-24 season. Led my Tyrese Haliburton’s strong season, the Pacers have a chance to win the in-season tournament and find major success as the regular season progresses. The Pacers have been getting key contributions from […]

The Charlotte Hornets have been playing better basketball as of late behind star point guard LaMelo Ball. But the team and the fan base are certainly on edge after Ball suffered an ankle injury during the Hornets’ game against the Magic on Sunday. Ball left early and was later ruled out for the remainder of […]

When NBA rookies first get to the NBA and play their first minutes, most of them remember when they got their first ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment. Whether it’s getting scored on, getting dunked on, getting the ball stolen or matching up against a future Hall of Famer, it’s usually a moment they won’t soon […]

Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers had Scotty Pippen Jr., the son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, on their roster. They had signed him to a two-way contract and he spent most of the season playing for their G League affiliate the South Bay Lakers. They didn’t re-sign him this offseason and no […]

The Phoenix Suns are set to face the New York Knicks on Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden, but it’s not yet clear if Kevin Durant will be in uniform. Durant is listed as questionable on the Suns’ injury report, per Kellan Olson of Empire of the Suns. Kevin Durant (right foot soreness) is questionable […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are among the teams that have taken one of the biggest leaps in the 2023-24 season from last year. They’re currently 11-5 and in second place in the Western Conference standings. A big reason for the Thunder hot start is the star duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. The duo […]

There can be a lot of pressure that comes with being the first player from your home country to make it to the NBA. Such is the reality for Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard D’Moi Hodge. When the Lakers signed him to a two-way contract ahead of NBA Summer League, Hodge became the first NBA […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have been struggling to start the 2023-24 NBA season, which is not too surprising considering this is a young, inexperienced team with some injury concerns as well. The Blazers have a Sunday game against the Milwaukee Bucks but it looks like they might have a full roster for that matchup. After […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have had their struggles to start the 2023-24 season. They have yet to incorporate Ja Morant into the lineup as he continues to serve his 25 game suspension for his social media activity. They have also had a lengthy injury report with several key players sidelined with various ailments. Grizzlies guard Desmond […]

The Orlando Magic have been the surprise team of the 2023-24 NBA season so far. They just knocked off the Eastern Conference leading Boston Celtics, 113-96 to improve to 11-5 and extend their current win streak to six games. The Magic were able to hold the Celtics to under 100 points and following the game […]

The South Carolina Gamecocks under head coach Dawn Staley have become a national powerhouse. While the team may have lost several key players to the WNBA from last year’s team, Staley’s group of returners and transfers have not missed a beat. They are currently ranked the No. 1 team in the country and are undefeated behind […]

The Arkansas Razorbacks came into this week’s Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament with a record of 3-1. After beating Stanford in the first round of their tournament bracket, they dropped two straight games against Memphis and UNC. But it was what happened near the end against UNC that had everyone holding their breaths. Arkansas guard Tramon […]

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is no stranger to trade rumors. This entire summer his name came up in regards to the Heat’s interest in Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal but he ultimately remained with the team. Now as the 2023-24 season has gotten underway, Herro has once again found found himself in trade chatter, […]

Last season was a tough year for the Villanova Wildcats. It was Kyle Neptune’s first year as head coach after the retirement of legendary head coach Jay Wright. Villanova finished with a record of 17-17 and 10-10 in Big East Conference play. The team missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in about a […]

The Miami Heat may have missed out on their top offseason targets in Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday, but the group that’s been on the floor for the 2023-24 season has been pretty solid. With a record of 10-5, the Heat are among several teams vying for the second best record in the Eastern Conference. […]

NBA players are the best basketball players in the world, that’s no question. One of the most interesting things though is seeing how some of the top superstars view their peers. Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard has consistently been one of the top players in the league the past few seasons. But who does he […]

The Phoenix Suns made a bewildering trade during the preseason as part of the three-team deal involving Damian Lillard heading to the Milwaukee Bucks. As part of the trade, the Suns sent promising young center Deandre Ayton to the Portland Trail Blazers while receiving Jusuf Nurkic in return. The move puzzled fans and pundits alike […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have seemingly found a working combination early in this season by moving Austin Reaves to the bench and starting Cam Reddish in his place. Reaves was expected to take a major leap this season after last year but he hasn’t yet been able to find a consistent rhythm. Reddish on the […]

The Phoenix Suns have not been able to realize their full potential yet as their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal has not had consistent playing time together due to injury. They were considered a championship contender coming into the season and only time will tell if those predictions are accurate. […]

The Orlando Magic have been one of the surprise teams of the 2023-24 NBA season so far. They are currently 9-5 and on a four game win streak. Compared to last season, the Magic did not reach nine wins until their 29th game of the year. At that point they already had 20 losses. Magic […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have come out the gates storming this season. They are currently 10-3 and behind only the 11-3 Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings. They had to navigate the James Harden drama at the beginning of the season and Harden did not suit up at all for the team this year before […]

The Sacramento Kings suffered a humiliating 129-93 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. The loss snapped a six game win streak. The loss wasn’t all they suffered, however. The Kings lost starting wing Keegan Murray during the game due to a back injury. Murray did not come out of the locker room for […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have had some unfortunate luck this season when it comes to injuries. Surprisingly though, franchise player Zion Williamson has not had any injury concerns so far despite being limited the past few years. The Pelicans have managed to stay competitive while they await the return of several key players. The Pelicans […]

The Denver Nuggets have been one of the better teams in the NBA to start the 2023-24 season, as expected. They’re currently navigating an injury to Jamal Murray but have maintained their position as one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Part of the reason is that they’re getting key contributions from players […]