David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 7

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 […]

The Miami Heat received a huge boost in the lineup on Monday as Tyler Herro made his season debut against the Dallas Mavericks, returning from an ankle injury he suffered in the offseason. As of publication, the Heat led the Mavericks by double digits at halftime, and Herro got his first points of the year […]

The Los Angeles Lakers will put their undefeated NBA Cup game record on the line as they face off against the LA Clippers on Tuesday. The Lakers hold a 2-0 record in cup games so far, and the Clippers have a 2-0 record as well. But the Lakers are going to be a little bit […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard might not be teammates anymore, but there is still a great deal of respect between the two. The Portland Trail Blazers were set to face off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard shared a fun moment between former teammates before the game began. Giannis […]

Throughout their history, the Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the premier franchises in the NBA with a total of 17 championships. The most recent stars to have led the Lakers to titles were LeBron James (2020) and the late Kobe Bryant (2009/10). The Lakers are ushering in a new era with Luka Doncic […]

LOS ANGELES – After a solid run at backup point guard and his first career start, the Los Angeles Lakers made the decision to assign Bronny James to the G League with South Bay. James is no stranger to the G League having spent a good portion of his rookie season with South Bay. James’ […]

The Sacramento Kings have been off to a disappointing start to the 2025-26 season, and that start has reportedly been accompanied by trade calls from teams around the league. But there is one player in particular whom the Kings have seen draw a lot of trade interest as the rumor mill continues to churn. As […]

Philadelphia 76ers rookie guard VJ Edgecombe is set to miss his first game of the season, against the Miami Heat, due to a knee injury. Edgecombe had appeared on the 76ers’ injury report earlier this season, but he ultimately didn’t need to miss any games. But as VJ Edgecombe is now ruled out on the […]

When it comes to NBA trade rumors, there was a bit of a buzz caused this past week when a report came out that Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball might be open to a trade amid the team’s poor start to the season. Following the report, Ball took to social media to essentially deem […]

The Orlando Magic grabbed a big win against the New York Knicks on Saturday, 133-121, but much of the focus after the game was the health of head coach Jamahl Mosley. Mosley suffered a brief health scare during the Magic’s game, and he was unable to coach out the second half against the Knicks. However, […]

The Pelicans have been slugging through another disappointing season that has already seen the organization fire head coach Willie Green. One bright spot for the Pelicans though has been the play of rookie forward Derik Queen, who recently added to his list of early highlights with a steal and a slam dunk against the Atlanta […]

The Detroit Pistons have been the best team in the Eastern Conference so far with a record of 13-2, and the team received a major boost over the weekend with the return of Jaden Ivey from injury for their game against the Milwaukee Bucks. As of publication, the Pistons were well on their way to […]

The Orlando Magic have gotten off to a so-so start to the 2025-26 season, and they have been without star forward Paolo Banchero who has been sidelined due to a groin injury. With the Magic set to take on the Boston Celtics on Sunday, head coach Jamahl Mosley gave an update on the former No. […]

LA Clippers guard James Harden set a franchise record for most points scored in a single regular season game on Saturday amid the team’s 131-116 win against the Charlotte Hornets. Harden’s offensive eruption was a welcome one for the Clippers as the team snapped a three-game losing streak. Harden’s outburst drew no shortage of reactions […]

The NC State Wolfpack are in their first season with Will Wade at the helm after the program hired him away from McNeese State during last season’s NCAA Tournament. Under Wade, the Wolfpack have started the 2025-26 seasons at 4-0 and are ranked No. 25 in the country in the AP poll. NC State will […]

LOS ANGELES – LA Clippers guard Chris Paul made headlines on Saturday when it was announced that he would head into retirement following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. There was never a public concrete timeline in place in terms of how long he wanted to play, but Paul’s decision was first revealed as the […]

LOS ANGELES – While the Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to an 11-4 start and have been among the top teams in the Western Conference, there is room for improvement in terms of defense. Even so, the Lakers have a few players on their roster who have been positives on defense this season, including […]

The Creighton Bluejays have started off the 2025-26 season at 3-1 amid adding key transfers, and they are currently in first place in the BIG EAST through early non-conference schedule. But the Bluejays suffered a major blow as they head into their huge matchup against Baylor early next week. Forward Jackson McAndrew has been ruled […]

The Toronto Raptors have quietly snuck up on the rest of the Eastern Conference in recent weeks as they stand at 10-5 and are in second place in the standings behind only the Detroit Pistons. The Raptors have currently won five games in a row, and are looking to make it six straight as they […]

San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper is currently sidelined due to a calf injury, but that didn’t stop him from bringing Thanksgiving holiday cheer in the form of a turkey giveaway. Spurs’ Dylan Harper here at Holy Redeemer Parish Center on the East Side (off N. Braunfels & Nevada) giving away 200 Turkeys 🦃 […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the better teams in the Western Conference in the early-goings of the regular season with an 11-4 record. While the Lakers’ offense has been solid, the team’s defense could stand to improve as the season goes on. Following Lakers’ practice on Thursday morning, Luka […]

Last month, the WNBA and the players association agreed to a 30-day extension in terms of the ongoing negotiations as they faced an Oct. 31 deadline to agree on a new CBA. With the second deadline approaching on Nov. 30, some of the details of the WNBA’s latest proposal have come to light, including a […]

The TCU Horned Frogs and head coach Mark Campbell have built a reputation over the past couple of seasons of being able to land major players out of the transfer portal. This season, TCU brought in arguably their biggest transfer of the past few years in Olivia Miles, a potential lottery pick in the 2026 […]

The Purdue Boilermakers are the top-ranked college basketball team in the AP-poll, and they continued their strong start following their 80-71 win against the Memphis Tigers in the opening game of the Baha Mar Hoops tournament. With the win, Purdue improved to 5-0 on the season, but head coach Matt Painter gave a ton of […]