Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 15

The Oklahoma City Thunder were nearly in the clear in Game 1 of their second-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets ended up trimming their lead to one, 115-114, but a Russell Westbrook missed triple and a blocked Aaron Gordon putback forced both teams into the free-throw game. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic […]

On Monday night, the Denver Nuggets stunned the entire NBA world yet again after mounting a come-from-behind win in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Down by 11 with around four minutes to go, the Nuggets chipped away at the Thunder’s lead and set up a crazy turn of events […]

For much of Game 1 of their second-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets, the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that’s won 72 games thus far this season, were in control. Even in the dying embers of the game, the Thunder were in command, as they held a 119-116 lead with 11 seconds to go after […]

The New York Knicks may have overcome the Detroit Pistons in a six-game series thriller, but the reward for their troubles was a second-round matchup against the reigning champion Boston Celtics. This did not bode well for the Knicks. After all, they lost all four of their regular-season matchups against the Celtics, and three of […]

All night long, the Denver Nuggets were fighting an uphill battle against the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their second-round matchup. Seemingly every time the Nuggets were making a run, the Thunder had an answer. But the Nuggets remained poised, kept within striking distance, and managed to steal Game 1, 121-119, […]

The Denver Nuggets are undoubtedly the underdog entering their second-round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But no one is daring to count them out of this series, as they have arguably the best player in the entire world in Nikola Jokic. Jokic is brilliant and can solve every kind of defense, but ever since […]

When the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Alex Caruso in a trade that required them to give up Josh Giddey, they envisioned how much of a wrecking ball Caruso could be for their defense, especially come playoff time. Caruso, as no one would soon forget, played such a huge role in the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship […]

The New York Knicks were not given much of a chance in their second-round series against the Boston Celtics. After all, they went 0-4 against them in the regular season, and three of those losses weren’t particularly close. But in Game 1, the Knicks came out with a vengeance, overcoming a 20-point deficit in the […]

Heading into their second-round matchup against the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics and their fanbase were very confident of their chances to advance. After all, the Celtics had the Knicks’ number all season long, sweeping them in their season series, 4-0. And the first half of Game 1 proved […]

After taking care of the LeBron James and Luka Doncic-led Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be rewarded with a second-round matchup against another one of the greatest superstars of this generation in Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. Considering the way the Timberwolves handled the Lakers […]

Like clockwork, the Golden State Warriors have taken care of business against the Houston Rockets in the playoffs. On Sunday, they avoided a 3-1 choke job by taking a 103-89 win against the Rockets on the road — with Buddy Hield proving to be the biggest difference-maker after he dropped 33 points on nine made […]

Draymond Green is one of the most volatile players in the association. The Golden State Warriors, of all teams, would know just how important his contributions on the court are even though they may not all show up on the box score. But Green has a tendency to lose control of his emotions and end […]

The Houston Rockets fanbase entered the 2025 NBA playoffs with so much hope; their rebuild has finally bore fruit in the form of being the second-seed in the stacked Western Conference after winning 52 games in the regular season. But all the Rockets got as a reward for their troubles was a first-round matchup against […]

All series long, the Houston Rockets have made it a point to rough up the Golden State Warriors and prevent them from running roughshod with their three-point centric attack. They are putting two defenders on Stephen Curry on nearly every possession, freeing up plenty of opportunities for the Warriors’ supporting cast to do damage. And […]

The start of the 2025 season has not been very kind to the Baltimore Orioles. Believed to be an AL East powerhouse for years to come, especially with their bright young prospects, such as Jackson Holliday, breaking through in the big leagues, the Orioles have begun the season playing sub-.500 baseball, with things going from […]

Despite being a heavy underdog, the Indiana Pacers have stunned the NBA world by taking Game 1 of their second-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 121-112. These Pacers continue to flourish under the grand postseason stage, as they are boasting the same core that they had last year when they made it all the way […]

It has been a rough go for Jonathan Kuminga over the past few weeks. The Golden State Warriors have basically made it clear where he stands in the organization, and that’s as nothing more than an emergency option for when they need an additional scoring punch or for when Jimmy Butler is out injured. But […]

Houston Rockets big man Steven Adams has emerged as a major thorn in the Golden State Warriors’ side during their first-round matchup in the 2025 NBA playoffs. Adams continues to provide a world of difference for the Rockets, with his mere presence on the floor being a huge threat to the Warriors’ small-ball approach. On […]

Will the Memphis Grizzlies ever consider starting from scratch this offseason? They have spend the past seven to eight years assembling their post Grit and Grind core, and the farthest they’ve gone since then is the second round of the playoffs, and that was back in 2022. In the three years since, the Grizzlies have […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are in the middle of a crossroads and they will have to make plenty of tough decisions this offseason. The team has failed to make forward progress over the past few seasons; the 2023-24 season was an all-out disaster amid the team’s injury woes, and then during the 2024-25 campaign, they lost […]

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison became arguably the most reviled person in professional sports when he decided to trade Luka Doncic, a perennial first-team All-NBA player and MVP candidate, to the Los Angeles Lakers for a return deemed to be pennies on the dollar for a superstar in the middle of his prime. But […]

The Denver Nuggets are heading into Game 6 of their first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night up 3-2 in the series thanks in large part to Jamal Murray’s incredible play in Game 5. Murray caught fire and didn’t cool off, finishing with 43 points on eight made threes for his sixth […]

The Los Angeles Lakers decided that the risk that came with acquiring Luka Doncic in a trade was minimal compared to the reward. But while the Lakers should still be lauded as the runaway winner of that trade, that deal still did cost them Anthony Davis, a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate and […]

When the Los Angeles Lakers decided to trade Anthony Davis away in the Luka Doncic trade, they were widely regarded as the big winner of that blockbuster deal. Nonetheless, the Doncic trade depleted further what already was a shorthanded frontcourt for the Lakers, and it stripped the roster of their only legitimate rim protector. So […]

What started off as such a promising season has ended in yet another heartbreak for the Los Angeles Lakers. On Wednesday night, they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 103-96 win in Game 5 of their first-round matchup. This is shaping up to be a crucial offseason for the Lakers, […]

Luka Doncic went from making it all the way to the NBA Finals last season with the Dallas Mavericks to yet another first-round exit, this time in his first half-season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic was a major defensive target for the Minnesota Timberwolves to expose, and expose him they did […]

Despite being favored by many experts to make it to the next round of the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers have seen their season come to a premature end after suffering a 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their first-round matchup. This was not what the Lakers envisioned for themselves when […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves have managed to play above expectations in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, and on Wednesday night, they sent the favored third-seeded Lakers packing with a 103-96 win in Game 5. Anthony Edwards continues to blossom as a major force, and it’s no mean feat to be able to send […]

The Los Angeles Lakers, hyped up by many as a potential dark-horse to make it deep into the playoffs, couldn’t even make it past Game 5 of their first-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves bested the Lakers yet again in the fourth quarter and eliminated the much-ballyhooed team led by Luka Doncic and […]

The Boston Celtics have been through a frustrating first-round series against the Orlando Magic; they have been complaining about how physical the Magic have been all series long and it looked like these frustrations of theirs were persisting during the first half of Game 5. But the Celtics, like the reigning champion they are, managed […]

Russell Westbrook looms as perhaps the biggest X-factor on either side of the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers’ first-round matchup. And after missing Game 4 with a foot injury, Westbrook came back with a vengeance in his return to the active lineup for Game 5. In just 25 minutes off the bench, Westbrook scored […]

The Denver Nuggets can only go as far as Nikola Jokic takes them, but Jokic can only do so much if his teammates don’t provide him with the requisite support. But Jokic got more than just support on Tuesday night in the crucial Game 5 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, as […]

Facing elimination, the Detroit Pistons needed a major effort from Cade Cunningham to extend their season. And even with the Pistons down 3-1 on the series, there has barely been any separation between them and the New York Knicks, so it came as a surprise to exactly no one that Game 5 gave fans another […]

The Milwaukee Bucks looked like they were dead in the water after they lost Damian Lillard to an Achilles injury. But the Bucks didn’t get the memo and didn’t just roll over in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Alas, thanks to a legendary choke job, the Bucks have now been […]

In the second quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ 109-106 win over the Houston Rockets, Stephen Curry and Dillon Brooks got into a dust-up that had the officials whistle both of them (as well as Draymond Green) for a technical foul. Brooks, after getting Curry on a switch, bumped into the Warriors star, knocking him […]

Jimmy Butler went down with a pelvic injury after he was undercut while grabbing a rebound during the early goings of Game 2 of the Golden State Warriors’ first-round clash against the Houston Rockets. Butler then proceeded to miss the rest of Game 2 and the entirety of Game 3, and there was much concern […]

During the dying minutes of the first half of Game 4 of the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets’ first-round matchup, Jimmy Butler had some spicy words for Dillon Brooks while Tari Eason was at the free-throw line. Butler called Brooks “a bum and a b***h” and called him “weak” as well, although the Rockets […]

The Golden State Warriors are one win away from booking their place in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs after they took a 3-1 series lead courtesy of a 109-106 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night. This is quite the turnaround for the Warriors, a team that had its championship window […]

When Jimmy Butler was undercut during a battle for a rebound in Game 2, there was much concern about his physical well-being and whether or not he’d be able to suit up for the rest of the Golden State Warriors’ first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets. Butler was ruled out for the rest of Game […]