David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 72

The Chicago Bulls have been playing better basketball as of late after their uneven start to the season. They’ve now won eight of their last 11 games and are moving up in the Eastern Conference standings. Much of what the Bulls do offensively is centered around Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan is leading the […]

San Antonio Spurs rookie Malaki Branham thought he had a good look at a three-point shot. The Spurs were down by 13 points with a little over one minute to go in the second quarter at home against the Boston Celtics and that shot could have given them some momentum heading into halftime. Maybe Branham […]

Until 2006, high school basketball players were allowed to skip college and enter their names in the NBA draft. During those years, quite a few players took advantage of that opportunity with notable names such as Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady. There were those that didn’t end […]

The Chicago Bulls got a monster performance from Zach LaVine on Friday as he went off for 41 points in a win against the Philadelphia 76ers. It was LaVine’s third 40-point game of the season and it comes amid a stretch where the Bulls have been playing improved basketball. His 41 points also put him […]

The Utah Jazz have been one of the surprising teams in the NBA this season. They got off to a strong start and for a while held one of the top four seeds in the Western Conference standings. They’ve since come back down to earth a little bit but they still are in the mix […]

In 2021, the social media company Overtime launched their Overtime Elite program as a means to give high school basketball players a different path rather than the traditional route of playing NCAA basketball before playing professional basketball. The program has grown in popularity with several of the top high school basketball players in the country […]

The Golden State Warriors received a big boost on Friday with the news that veteran wing Andre Iguodala was set to make his season debut on Saturday against the Orlando Magic. While Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had just stated that he had no timetable for Iguodala’s return, Iguodala himself dropped the news on Friday […]

Paolo Banchero has been etching his name in the NBA’s record books this season as he makes his case for the league’s Rookie of the Year award. The No. 1 overall pick out of Duke University, Banchero showed enough in two summer league games for the Magic to shut him down for the remainder of […]

Draymond Green is no stranger to being fined and suspended by the NBA. Earlier this season, Green was fined $25,000 for a verbal spat with a fan during a game against the Dallas Mavericks. He has been fined multiple times throughout his career after criticism of the officiating. Throughout his NBA career, Green has amassed […]

Jae Crowder has not played a single game for the Phoenix Suns this season as he is awaiting a trade to another team. The situation was a little bizarre given the fact that Crowder had been an integral piece of the team the last two seasons and was a vital contributor to the team that […]

If there’s one player in the NBA who has seen his name mentioned numerous times in trade chatter over the last couple of seasons, it’s been Myles Turner. If rumors are to be believed, the Indiana Pacers have been actively shopping him almost every trade deadline yet he’s still remained on the team. The Pacers […]

Tyler Herro ended 2022 with a bang as he knocked down a buzzer-beating game-winner for the Miami Heat against the Utah Jazz on the road on Saturday. Herro’s willingness and confidence to have the ball in his hands during crunch time is something that has become more natural for the fourth-year wing and something that […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have been without prized free agent signing Gary Payton II this season as he was making his recover from off-season abdominal surgery. But it appears as if he is finally ready to make his 2022-23 season debut on Monday against the Detroit Pistons as per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Portland […]

Nikola Jokic is the reigning NBA MVP having won the award in back to back seasons now. This season, he’s making the case for a third straight MVP, but there are concerns that the voters might not want to award Jokic the MVP again due to him winning the previous two seasons. According to Nuggets […]

Ever since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Oklahoma City Thunder, he has blossomed into a superstar player. But he flashed star potential as a rookie with the Clippers during the 2018-19 season. In fact, former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was so convinced that Gilgeous-Alexander was going to be […]

LeBron James celebrated his 38th birthday on Friday in a big way. As the Los Angeles Lakers continued their road trip against the Atlanta Hawks, James went for 47 points, ten rebounds and nine assists in a Lakers win. Those numbers made him only the second 38-year-old to put up at least 45 points, ten […]

Gary Payton II was an integral piece of the Golden State Warriors championship run last season, but he was unable to get his championship ring at the beginning of the season as he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in the off-season. The Blazers made their way to the Chase Center on Friday and it […]

To the untrained eye, it might appear as if Draymond Green is having a down year for the Golden State Warriors. His numbers don’t look all that flashy and he’s probably been more in the news for things not related to his on-court production. But according to Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Green is still […]

The Charlotte Hornets are presently in a position that one year ago they didn’t imagine they would be. Last season they were 19-17 heading into the New Year and were looking like one of the more promising young teams in the NBA. Flash forward to present day and they are sitting at 10-26 and near […]

Zion Williamson continued his phenomenal season as he went off on Wednesday in the New Orleans Pelicans win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He poured in a career-high 43 points completely dominating the Wolves with the Pelicans needed every single one of those points as they narrowly escaped with a 119-118 win after Anthony Edwards’ misfired […]

Buddy Hield has been one of the premier three-point shooters in the NBA since he was drafted and it appears that teammate Tyrese Haliburton’s dad knows that. Prior to the Indiana Pacers game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Haliburton’s dad John implored Hield to just let it fly every time he catches the ball. "I don't […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been without Brandon Ingram since Nov. 25 when he suffered a toe injury against the Memphis Grizzlies. There has been no real timetable for his return to the court and the Pelicans have been cautious in not rushing him back too soon. On Thursday, Ingram revealed that he’s not really […]

Jimmy Butler has always been one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA. On Wednesday in a win against the Los Angeles Lakers, Butler tied his season-high with six steals. After the game, he revealed that his penchant for playing defense came from his early days in the league with the Chicago Bulls and […]

Tempers flared up during the game between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic on Wednesday the resulted in Pistons wing Killian Hayes throwing a punch to the back of Magic forward Moe Wagner after Moe shoved Hayes into the sideline while they both chased down a loose ball. Moe Wagner was assessed a flagrant two […]

Victor Wembanyama is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. While he may have some competition for the top spot from Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite, it’s tough to imagine any team that lands the top pick passing up on Wembanyama. He’s drawn praise from various […]

In a season that has not gone all that well for the Los Angeles Lakers, the continued development of second-year guard Austin Reaves has been one of the team’s lone bright spots. So much so that it’s possible this coming off-season, his current play could force the Lakers to push further into the luxury tax […]

Coming into Christmas Day, the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies Western Conference Semifinal rematch had lost some of its luster with Warriors star Stephen Curry sidelined due to a shoulder injury. Curry is actually on pace to return soon, but once the game began the rest of the Warriors made sure they gave their […]

The Boston Celtics got a huge win on Christmas Day against the Miwaukee Bucks and it was none other than Jayson Tatum who led the way. Tatum went head-to-head against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and he managed to out-duel the Greek Freak in a big way. He even managed to throw down perhaps his best […]

The Boston Celtics got a much-needed Christmas Day win at home over their Eastern Conference rival, the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to the game, the Celtics had lost three of their last four games and according to Celtics star Jaylen Brown, the home crowd along with it being Christmas Day played a big factor in getting […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have managed to win two straight games without Zion Williamson while he was in health and safety protocols. Williamson is due back on Monday against the Indiana Pacers, but the Pelicans depth has shown in these two wins. In the second of those two wins on Friday against the Oklahoma City […]

Zion Williamson has missed the last two games for the New Orleans Pelicans due to being placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. But he is on track to return to the lineup on Monday against the Indiana Pacers as per Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Zion Williamson is no longer listed on the Pelicans’ […]

The Golden State Warriors have been without Andrew Wiggins for the past nine games due to an adductor injury, and there’s no set timetable for his return to the lineup as his recovery has not gone as quickly as initially expected, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. The Warriors were originally targeting their Christmas Day game […]

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns have been two of the top teams in the Western Conference the past couple of seasons and it appears they may have a bit of a rivalry brewing. On Wednesday, the Grizzlies gave the Suns a beatdown. They were up 39-20 after the first quarter and cruised to […]

The Sacramento Kings were given some tough news after Thursday’s game against the Washington Wizards when it was revealed that star forward Domantas Sabonis had suffered a injury to his hand during the game. The play where he suffered the injury came when he was covering Bradley Beal in the backcourt and from replays, it’s […]

The Phoenix Suns have been without star guard Devin Booker the past three games due to a groin injury. They have a big Christmas Day matchup against the Denver Nuggets and it appears that Booker will be back in the lineup as per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. ESPN Sources: Suns star Devin Booker (groin) is […]

Prior to this season, Bol Bol was a huge question mark. Despite being in the NBA for three seasons already, injuries combined with sporadic playing time left much to be desired. This season though, Bol has been a revelation for the Orlando Magic. He’s enjoying the best season of his career and he credits it […]

Joel Embiid has been on a tear this season and on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers, he put up 44 points in a game that saw the Sixers down 20 points only to rally back to win 119-114 at home. His 40+ point game now ties Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most 40-point games in […]

RJ Barrett has been playing good basketball for the New York Knicks during their recent improved play and on Friday against the Chicago Bulls, he threw down one of the top dunks of the season. Barrett caught the ball near the three-point line, attacked the basket, rose up and put Nikola Vucevic in a poster. […]

DeMar DeRozan has become one of the most clutch players in the NBA and on Friday he added to his legacy with the go-head bucket against the New York Knicks on the road with 0.6 seconds remaining in the game. He was fouled on the play by Quentin Grimes and ended up missing the free-throw […]