Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 77

The Detroit Pistons, in Year 5 of their rebuild, have looked like a much better team under the tutelage of veteran head coach Monty Williams. The underlying metrics may paint a picture of mediocrity for the Pistons, but that is already a marked improvement from their putrid play over the past few seasons. Now, there […]

The New York Knicks appeared well-positioned to continue their run as one of the Eastern Conference’s solid playoff teams entering the 2023-24 season. After all, they brought back most of the core of last season’s 47-win team while adding the ever-helpful combo guard Donte DiVincenzo in free agency. However, Julius Randle has been off to […]

There weren’t too many pundits that were optimistic about the Washington Wizards’ chances of remaining a bit competitive for the 2023-24 season. After all, the Wizards traded away Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, effectively downgrading two spots of their starting five, and then handing the keys to the franchise to Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma, […]

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors will be looking to bounce back from their loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night when they take on the Detroit Pistons on the second night of a back-to-back. The Warriors’ matchup against the Pistons isn’t without its fair share of subplots, one of them this being […]

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green got a dose of his own medicine against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night, and he did not like it one bit. Early on in the Warriors’ eventual 115-104 loss to the Cavs, Green was the recipient of a kick to the groin area from Jarrett Allen, crumpling to […]

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed Gabe Vincent to a three-year, $33 million deal, fans of the Purple and Gold were delighted. After all, Vincent was the starting point guard for a Miami Heat team that only recently made the NBA Finals, and his skillset makes him quite the good fit alongside LeBron James and […]

The San Antonio Spurs appeared headed for their fourth win of the season after they took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter of their Monday night tilt against the Toronto Raptors. However, some of the Spurs’ past demons came back to haunt them once more. Similar to their Thursday night contest against the Phoenix […]

The San Antonio Spurs, thanks in large part to the emergence of ballyhooed youngster Victor Wembanyama, appear to be on a steep upward trend. Coming off two consecutive spirited victories against the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs, once again, found themselves in a position of victory on Sunday night against the Toronto Raptors, leading by as […]

When the San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, many believed that it would take time for the 19-year old Frenchman to develop into one of the most impactful players in the league, citing issues with efficiency and issues with dealing with physicality. But on Thursday […]

Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks didn’t start off the 2023-24 season on the right foot, losing their first game against the mediocre Charlotte Hornets then failing to bounce back against old rival New York Knicks. But since then, the Hawks have gone on to win three straight games, including a blowout win over the […]

It’s difficult to believe but it’s already been a year since Matt Ryan, then with the Los Angeles Lakers, snatched the New Orleans Pelicans’ souls with a clutch, fallaway, game-tying three to send the game to overtime at the buzzer. But Larry Nance Jr., who’s now teammates with Ryan, did not forget at all about […]

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama has arrived. Projected by many as the next game-changing prospect in the NBA due to the incredible skill he possesses for his freakish size, Wembanyama put all of his tools on display on Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns, snatching their souls with a stellar two-way effort that should […]

The Memphis Grizzlies, expected by many pundits to remain afloat despite Ja Morant’s 25-game absence due to suspension, have been terrible to begin the 2023-24 season. Facing a plethora of absences that stretch far beyond Morant (the Grizzlies have also been missing Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke, Santi Aldama, and Luke Kennard for much of the […]

There will come a time when San Antonio Spurs youngster Victor Wembanyama blossoms into the unstoppable force many project him to be, and all that’s left for fans of 29 other teams is to hope that he misses shots. Wembanyama has already shown flashes of being the all-world superstar he’ll be in his prime, dazzling […]

Some things are definitely worth the wait. Now, fans of the Los Angeles Lakers definitely did not expect that they’ll be losing 11 straight games to the Los Angeles Clippers from December 2020 to April 2023. But finally, victory is theirs once more. On Wednesday night, thanks to a huge night from LeBron James who […]

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has built a reputation over the years for being petulant, complaining incessantly to officials every time he feels the slightest bit of contact and doesn’t get the whistle. For the past few years, Doncic has routinely ranked atop the NBA leaderboard in technical fouls, which isn’t exactly a badge of […]

Every time the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers square off against each other is appointment viewing, especially ever since the Clippers have stopped being the laughingstock of the NBA. But over the past three seasons, the results of these contests haven’t been particularly kind to LeBron James the Lakers; in fact, their most […]

The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, whenever they come up against each other, never fail to deliver the excitement many have come to expect from two high-octane offenses that operate at breakneck pace. Despite not having the services of De’Aaron Fox due to an ankle injury, the Kings gave the Warriors hell for 48 […]

Derrick Jones Jr.’s calling card, ever since coming into the league during the 2016-17 season, has been his hops. Now playing for the Dallas Mavericks seven years into his career, Jones continues to defy gravity, and on Wednesday night, one of his athletic feats came at the expense of his former Chicago Bulls teammate Zach […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder, for most of their Wednesday night battle against the New Orleans Pelicans, were on cruise control, even going ahead by as many as 22 points in the second quarter after a Chet Holmgren and-one layup. But as we’ve seen in just the past week, there is no such thing as a […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers, after the 2021 season, decided to let Corey Seager leave for the Texas Rangers in free agency as they had belief that the options they had in the organization were more than capable of replacing his production. But Seager, despite already being elite in a Dodgers uniform, appears to have only […]

The Toronto Raptors have been one of the hardest teams to figure out thus far in the 2023-24 season. Coming off an embarrassing loss against the terrible Portland Trail Blazers, it was unclear which version of the Raptors would show up against the mighty Milwaukee Bucks. But the Raptors set the pace with a torrid-shooting […]

The Texas Rangers, after 62 years of existence as a franchise and 51 years of stay in the Lone Star state, have finally accomplished the ultimate goal of baseball — to win the World Series. The Rangers memorably fell short in back-to-back years to start the 2010s, heartbreakingly choking away a 3-2 lead with the […]

No one expected the Arizona Diamondbacks to mount that serious of a push for the World Series title after barely qualifying for the postseason. They entered the 2023 MLB playoffs with the second-worst odds of winning a championship, per FanDuel; after all, they won just 84 games and limped to the finish line. But Diamondbacks […]

The entire population of the state of Texas (or at least the subset of its population that are not fans of the Houston Astros) awaited Wednesday night with bated breath as the Texas Rangers faced off against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 of the 2023 World Series with a chance to secure the franchise’s […]

The Los Angeles Clippers have, once again, renewed hopes when it comes to winning a championship after finally pulling off the much-awaited blockbuster trade that brings James Harden to town. Now, the Clippers have three All-Star-caliber players in Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George, with a high-variance player in Russell Westbrook leading the way for […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves, against all the criticisms they’ve received over the past year or so, wanted to give the Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert twin-tower experiment more time to figure things out. After all, Towns played in just 29 games last year, and members of the reigning champion Denver Nuggets said that their toughest matchup […]

The reputation hit Russell Westbrook took during his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers must be studied by future generations; that’s how damaging his one-and-a-half year stint with the Purple and Gold was to how fans perceived Westbrook’s value. It has now reached the point where fans are convinced that Westbrook is simply a losing […]

It was concerning for the Phoenix Suns when, before their opening night clash against the Golden State Warriors, Devin Booker popped up on the injury report with a toe injury. Nonetheless, Booker was able to play, and in fact, he was great during that game. He put up 32 points, six rebounds, and eight assists […]

At first glance, the package the Philadelphia 76ers received from the Los Angeles Clippers in the James Harden trade is exceptionally underwhelming. The Sixers received four of the Clippers’ power forwards in Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, and KJ Martin, and none of those players particularly move the needle for a team hunting for […]

Bradley Beal hasn’t suited up for the Phoenix Suns since he missed their preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers back on October 12. While there were no indications back then that the back injury he was dealing with at the time was anything serious, it’s certainly looking as though this knock will linger far […]

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, in the lead-up to the 2023 NBA Draft, was drawing lofty comparisons to Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant for his incredible ball-handling skills for his size as well as Minnesota Timberwolves rim protector Rudy Gobert for his impeccable timing and positioning as a rim protector. And on Tuesday night, […]

James Harden, after a drawn-out leverage battle involving the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, finally got his wish as the Sixers sent him packing to the Clippers four months after the Beard initially requested a trade after opting into his contract for the 2023-24 season. This, according to a few reputable analysts, was a […]

The San Antonio Spurs had no business winning their Tuesday night affair against the Phoenix Suns; after all, for most of the night, Victor Wembanyama and company looked off the pace, thoroughly outclassed by the veteran execution of the Kevin Durant-led squad. But the Spurs simply do not know when to quit. They came roaring […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were expected to at least remain afloat, hovering around the .500 mark as they await Ja Morant’s return from a 25-game suspension. However, the Grizzlies have had a disastrous start to the 2023-24 season thus far. They have gone winless in four tries, including a defeat to the moribund Washington Wizards. Simply […]

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs looked outclassed for the majority of their Tuesday night battle against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. The Suns led by double digits for the majority of the game, all the while Wembanyama was having his fair share of struggles in putting the ball through the hoop. But […]

The Texas Rangers didn’t exactly enter Game 4 of the 2023 World Series on the highest of notes despite coming off a 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 3. The Rangers, despite being in a promising position, will have to continue their pursuit of the franchise’s first-ever championship without the services of both […]

It’s always a treat when two of the best players on the floor, even if they don’t play the same position, end up being matched against each other. It becomes an even greater delight to watch when those players take on each other in isolation. On Tuesday night, that’s exactly what Phoenix Suns star and […]

There’s a certain sense of joy that comes with getting exactly what you wanted after waiting for it to come for a long time. And in the early hours of Tuesday morning, James Harden finally got his wish after the Philadelphia 76ers pulled the trigger on the deal that would send him to the Los […]