Jack Winter Articles - Page 54

The Portland Trail Blazers fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-101 at Moda Center, a sixth loss in seven games that pushes them to a season-worst 10 games under .500. What played out on Friday night was eerily similar to how the Blazers have consistently failed to capitalize over the last couple weeks, since a rash […]

The Portland Trail Blazers continue a four-game homestand on Friday by welcoming the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers to Moda Center. The Blazers, 14-23, have been without Damian Lillard for the last two games as he continues managing pain and discomfort from abdominal tendinopathy. Will Portland’s superstar point guard be back in the lineup against Cleveland? Is […]

There’s still no telling how long Damian Lillard will be out of the lineup as he takes more time to manage his nagging core injury. If their superstar point guard is out for an extended period, though, the Portland Trail Blazers will at least have several ball-handlers to pick up his slack. Portland on Friday […]

The war of words and accusations between Antonio Brown and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seems unlikely to end anytime soon. During a Friday appearance on the Full Send Podcast, Brown offered a public response to former coach Bruce Arians demanding he “get the f*** out of here” after the seven-time Pro Bowler refused to take […]

There’s a possibility Damian Lillard returns to the court in a few days after seeking further consultation for abdominal tendinopathy. It seems only a matter of time until C.J. McCollum suits up again, now fully healed from a collapsed right lung that’s caused him to miss a full month of the regular season. Even if […]

There was still time left in the fourth quarter when Jusuf Nurkic laid a bone-crushing screen on Tyler Herro Wednesday night at Moda Center. But with just over a minute remaining and the Miami Heat leading 101-92, the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers were well on their way to another frustrating loss. There’s no debating that […]

The Portland Trail Blazers announced on Wednesday that Damian Lillard will be out at least the next three games while seeking “further evaluation and consultation” on his abdominal tendinopathy and be re-evaluated next week. Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will undergo further evaluation and consultation concerning his lower abdominal tendinopathy, the team announced today. […]

Jim Harbaugh just finished leading his alma mater to its best finish in at least a decade. Even as he already publicly prepares for another season at the University of Michigan, though, rumors continue to swirl about Harbaugh’s prospective return to pro football. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that he’s “hearing rumblings” […]

Anfernee Simons played the game of his life with a heavy heart. The Portland Trail Blazers guard poured in a career-high 43 points and doled out seven assists in his team’s thrilling 136-131 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, going toe to toe with Trae Young as an injured Damian Lillard watched from […]

The writing was on the wall long before a few weeks ago, when Joe Cronin forecasted inevitable change for the Portland Trail Blazers during his introductory press conference as the team’s interim general manager. Remember, Portland never discussed hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, winning the West or even advancing to the Conference Finals at Media […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are poised to get a much-needed boost ahead of this week’s crucial four-game homestand at Moda Center. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has cleared health-and-safety protocols and is set to be on the sidelines on Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey […]

One of the most consequential and controversial years in Portland Trail Blazers history ended in depressingly fitting fashion on Friday night, as the Los Angeles Lakers blew out Damian Lillard and company 139-106 to ring in 2022. LeBron James, who turned 37 on Thursday, celebrated his birthday with one of the most ruthlessly efficient and […]

The Los Angeles Chargers got some good news ahead of their biggest game of the regular season. The Chargers announced on Friday that star safety Derwin James is available to play in Week 17 against the Denver Broncos. #Chargers S Derwin James is off the injury report and set to play Sunday. — Taylor Bisciotti […]

The Chicago Bears are officially eliminated from the playoffs with two games left to play. Making matters even more unfortunate for Bears fans? They may not even get the chance to glimpse the future over the next two weeks as Chicago finishes off a disappointing regular season. Chicago coach Matt Nagy announced on Friday that […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are hardly the only ones who hope to start again when the calendar flips to 2o22. Suddenly almost halfway through a tumultuous regular season marked by Damian Lillard’s early struggles, Neil Olshey’s eventual ouster and a roster ravaged by injuries and then COVID-19, Portland finds itself at 13-21 heading into Friday’s […]

No one expected the Portland Trail Blazers to put up much of a fight against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at Moda Center, even with Donovan Mitchell back in Salt Lake City nursing a minor back injury. Tough as it is for the thoroughly depleted Blazers to swallow, a burgeoning number in the loss […]

The Portland Trail Blazers’ skeleton crew of healthy players and coaches fell to the Dallas Mavericks 132-117 on Monday night at Moda Center. With seven players plus head coach Chauncey Billups in health-and-safety protocols, the Blazers fielded a team of just eight full-time players plus three recent G-League call-ups in Cameron McGriff, Brandon Williams and […]

When Skyy Clark soon takes the floor for the first time with Montverde Academy, he won’t just be following in the footsteps of alumni like Cade Cunningham, Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell as the star floor general for the country’s premier prep hoops powerhouse. Clark’s Montverde debut will be the culmination of what can only […]

Some argue that Klutch Sports badly mismanaged the circumstances of Ben Simmons’ trade request from the Philadelphia 76ers. Others maintain that the aggressive tactics of Rich Paul and company have all been in their client’s best interest, especially once it became clear Simmons’ mental health was a factor in this ongoing stalemate with his team. […]

Jayson Tatum celebrated the holiday by etching his name deeper into Boston Celtics history books. The Boston star entered Saturday’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks needing just 20 points to surpass Paul Pierce for the second-most points ever scored by a Celtic before turning 25. Tatum, unsurprisingly, made quick work of that feat, moving ahead […]

COVID-19 kept Trae Young from taking the floor against the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. The crowd at Madison Square Garden made sure he was a part of their team’s rousing win over the Atlanta Hawks anyway. Familiar “F**k Trae Young” chants rained down from the stands early and often throughout Saturday’s game, a […]

The holiday season is in full swing, but the Portland Trail Blazers haven’t exactly enjoyed much good cheer. They’re 13-19 over the first nine weeks of the regular season, tumbling to 11th in the Western Conference after losing 11 of the last 14 games. Even Portland’s recent hopes of a quick turnaround proved short-lived. Chauncey […]

Damian Lillard is finally playing at his typical All-NBA level. Now that C.J. McCollum is closer to taking the floor again, perhaps it’s only a matter of time until the Portland Trail Blazers turn around their season. During media availability at Thursday’s practice, Chauncey Billups told reporters that though there’s still no concrete timetable for […]

Le’Veon Bell’s most recent stops in the NFL haven’t exactly gone as planned. If Tom Brady’s knowledge and experience rub off on the former All-Pro Running back, though, don’t be surprised if Bell makes a significant impact for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they need him most. During his first practice on Wednesday as a […]

Damian Lillard was fighting like hell on Tuesday night to will his short-handed team to a rare victory outside Rip City. Considering how well he’d been playing since not just opening tip against the New Orleans Pelicans, but also the Portland Trail Blazers’ last two games, no one would’ve been shocked if Lillard pulled it […]

Damian Lillard was the driving force behind a Portland Trail Blazers victory for the second straight game on Sunday. Believe it or not, the Blazers are a much different team when their superstar point guard isn’t just available to play, but reaches the All-NBA level of performance that has been his constant for the better […]

The Portland Trail Blazers had countless opportunities to squander yet another close game. Instead, they buckled down even harder when it mattered most, holding on for their first win away from home since November 12th. The Blazers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 105-100 on Sunday at FedEx Forum, their second consecutive victory in wake of dropping […]

Damian Lillard had a lot to be happy about late Friday night. Not only had the Portland Trail Blazers just ended a seven-game losing streak, but they beat the Charlotte Hornets 125-116 in a convincing wire-to-wire victory with C.J. McCollum still watching from the sidelines. The Blazers’ dominant offensive performance absent one of basketball’s best […]

Damian Lillard was definitely happy that his team ended its seven-game losing streak on Friday night, beating the Charlotte Hornets 125-116. The Portland Trail Blazers superstar was no doubt pleased he fully shook off early-season struggles, too, playing by far his best game of 2021-22 and one of the most efficient of his entire career. […]

Making his season-long struggles seem almost impossible to fathom, Damian Lillard reached his peak form on Friday night, spearheading the Portland Trail Blazers’ 125-116 win over the Charlotte Hornets at Moda Center with an utterly dominant offensively performance. Lillard dropped a season-high 43 points on the Hornets, scoring however he wanted en route to one […]

Trevor Ariza is available to play for the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this season. Unfortunately for the veteran swingman and his team, though, Ariza’s status is more a reflection of the Lakers’ increasingly dire COVID-19 straits than his readiness to re-debut in purple and gold. The Lakers upgraded Ariza to questionable for […]

The Golden State Warriors have provided another update on the playing status of star sharpshooter Klay Thompson. Well, sort of. Less than 24 hours after it was reported the three-time champion won’t make his long-awaited return to the floor on Christmas, the Warriors announced that Thompson completed a “successful rehab assignment” with the Santa Cruz […]

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards will have to wait to capitalize on momentum forged from the best shooting game of his young career. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 draft has entered the league’s COVID protocols and will miss tonight’s nationally-televised matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, his team announced on Friday morning. […]

The Portland Trail Blazers fell to the Phoenix Suns 111-107 in overtime on Tuesday night, extending their losing streak to six games. Even that depressing string of defeats, unfortunately, isn’t an accurate indication of the Blazers’ current depths. Portland is now 1-9 in its last 10 games and has lost five straight at Moda Center […]

Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder made pointed efforts to curtail the NFL’s investigation into widespread allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace against his franchise, according to Will Hobson and Liz Clarke of The Washington Post. In summer 2020, after the probe into Washington’s workplace culture had already begun, investigators learned of a decade-plus […]

Domantas Sabonis has emerged as a popular potential trade target for the Portland Trail Blazers as his team looks to tweak a roster that clearly tops out below legitimate contention in the Eastern Conference. Does the Indiana Pacers’ state of flux seem familiar? The similarities between Portland and Indiana’s on-the-fly retooling is reason enough for […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have reached out to the Detroit Pistons about a possible trade for Jerami Grant, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Monday morning. Last week, we named Grant as one of three potential targets interim general manager Joe Cronin and the Blazers front office must seek out prior to the trade […]

Damian Lillard’s long-awaited return to the floor didn’t end the Portland Trail Blazers’ losing streak. Despite another defeat pushing them further down the Western Conference standings, though, the Blazers still received much-needed reasons for optimism on Sunday night — the biggest one just happened to come after their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Portland fell […]

Damian Lillard isn’t anywhere near Steph Curry’s imminent record for the most made three-pointers in NBA history. The Portland Trail Blazers superstar has connected on 2,106 triples throughout his career, tenth most all-time yet still over 800 fewer than his Golden State Warriors counterpart. Still, with Curry set to supplant Hall-of-Famer Ray Allen at the […]