Justin Benton Articles - Page 6

James Harden gave the NBA more of the same on Wednesday night against the New York Knicks. Leading the Houston Rockets to a 114-110 victory over the Knicks, Harden put up 61 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals in his latest stop on the MVP campaign trail. Justin Kobatko pointed out a particular […]

In an annual tradition for NBA TV’s the Starters, each of the four hosts of the show will predict headlines from the upcoming NBA season prior to its tipoff. However, host J.E. Skeets had some serious foresight, with one of his predictions from three seasons ago coming true Wednesday night in the form of Houston […]

Joel Embiid is no strange to on-court beef. However, he seems to have no interest in starting a feud off the court with an unlikely character. Joel Embiid's reaction to what sounded like a rat in the ceiling during his postgame interview is priceless 😂 pic.twitter.com/5436xdl2y1 — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 24, 2019 Following […]

Right now is a good time to be the Philadelphia 76ers. Their 121-93 MLK Day win over the Houston Rockets sans Jimmy Butler helped push them to 31-17 on the season. They are only a game behind the Indiana Pacers and the third seed. The surging Sixers could see themselves rise up the Eastern Conference […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are now fielding calls regarding trades for Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. However, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, neither of the two requested a trade. Gasol and Conley met with owner Robert Pera in Memphis recently, but neither expressed a desire to be traded, league sources told ESPN. Both Marc Gasol […]

Newly signed Houston Rockets forward Kenneth Faried isn’t holding back when talking about his time with the Brooklyn Nets. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Faried explained on Tuesday that he never got a straightforward answer on why he never received playing time. He said the team delivered excuses. However, an […]

As the Memphis Grizzlies continue to struggle, the idea of trading away either Marc Gasol or Mike Conley is becoming a more realistic option. However, if Memphis does pursue a deal that would ship out one of their star players, they would like to shed some salary as well. According to Marc Stein of the New […]

The Houston Rockets have long been interested in trading for Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith. Nonetheless, working out a way to send the veteran swingman from the Cavs to the Rockets might be difficult. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, there are concerns about bringing J.R. Smith aboard in Houston. While he is […]

After just one game with his new team, Kenneth Faried is already enjoying the fresh start. After the Houston Rockets fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 121-93, Kennet Faried opened up a little about his time with the Brooklyn Nets. “It’s been crazy for me,” Faried told Sarah Todd of Philly.com. “To be basically traded, go to […]

With the Feb.7 NBA Trade Deadline just right around the corner, the possibility of a trade giving a team that needed edge to push past the competition lingers. In recent years, we have seen big names like Carmelo Anthony, DeMarcus Cousins, and Isaiah Thomas moved around at the last minute midseason. The 2018-19 NBA season […]

D’Angelo Russell has been on fire lately, helping the Brooklyn Nets get win after win. The team has climbed its way to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and there is now a legitimate case to be made for Russell’s presence in the All-Star game Jared Dudley, in fact, has started campaigning for his […]

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown announced that star forward Jimmy Butler would not play against the Houston Rockets on the NBA’s loaded Martin Luther King Jr. Day schedule due to a wrist injury. Jimmy Butler is out with sprained right wrist — Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 21, 2019 For Philadelphia, this is discouraging, as […]

The Houston Rockets are waiving James Nunnally with the intention of signing Kenneth Faried, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Houston Rockets are waiving guard James Nunnally to create roster space for Kenneth Faried, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 21, 2019 James Nunnally, who was signed to a […]

Luka Doncic has been having an incredible rookie season. In the Dallas Mavericks’ matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Doncic added a milestone to his already impressive list of first-year feats. 10-10-10 https://t.co/5OCw6oimvS — Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 21, 2019 This put Luka Doncic down as only the second player […]

After securing the top seed in the Western Conference and taking the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference Finals last season, the Houston Rockets have struggled a little so far this season. The Rockets failing to bring back all of their same roster from last year, namely Trevor Ariza and Luc […]

Ahead of his return to Salt Lake City to play his former team, the Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Alec Burks relishes the opportunity he has now that he is with the Cavs. The Cavs play the Jazz tonight, which will be Alec Burk’s first return to Vivint Smart Home Arena since being traded. After […]

Eric Bledsoe has been instrumental to the dominant season the Milwaukee Bucks are having. It’s hard for the NBA world to forget how he arrived in Milwaukee, though. It was one of the funniest and most interesting storylines in recent league history, but Eric Bledsoe is trying to put his tweet that led to his […]

Friday night is set to be a coming-out party for DeMarcus Cousins, who will make his debut with the Golden State Warriors as they face off against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Cousins, who has been out for almost a year rehabbing a ruptured Achilles, has been the subject of discussion for many […]

Charlotte Hornets rookie Miles Bridges plans to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend next month. The news, coming from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, isn’t surprising, as Bridges has been creating highlight after highlight this season with his extraordinary dunks. The Hornets rookie has been having a solid season, helping his team continue to […]

Great news came Friday for Los Angeles Lakers fans, as Rajon Rondo has been cleared for a return to full contact practice, per ClutchPoints’ Ryan Ward: #Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo has been cleared to return to full contact practice. — Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 18, 2019 The news comes after an impressive overtime victory […]

Despite a scrappy season that has seen them go on two 6+ game win streaks, the Indiana Pacers have lost some impactful games as of late. Going 3-3 in their last six games, they have taken double digit losses to the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76er’s. Indiana star, Victor Oladipo, puts their recent […]

Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has been making headlines lately. Through back and forth reports that the Mavs have interest in finding a trade for Smith, his time with the team appears it could be coming to an end in only his second year in the league. The latest news comes from ESPN’s […]

Following his departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers via trade request in the summer of 2017, Kyrie Irving aimed to be the leader and number one guy on an up and coming Boston Celtics team. Through on and off struggles this season, Irving’s eyes have opened more to what it takes to lead a team with […]

Nikola Jokic may be the most unique player in the league today. In a game against the Chicago Bulls, the Denver Nuggets center pulled off a behind-the-back move to snag a bucket and simultaneously draw a foul from fellow Euro, Lauri Markkanen. https://twitter.com/TheRenderNBA/status/1086096904000360448 This is just one of the incredible highlights in the Nuggets’ win […]

Paul Millsap may not be as young as he used to be, but he made sure to put the league on notice that he is still a bad, bad man. After sealing an overtime victory with a second chance bucket against the Chicago Bulls earlier this season on Oct. 31, Millsap hammered down a put […]

In a game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers, Ja Morant, point guard for the Murray State Racers, caught some serious hang time on a dunk launched from a step inside the free throw line. Projected to be the fourth overall pick in the latest ESPN mock NBA draft, Morant already has some serious skills. The […]

Shaquille O’Neal payed homage earlier today to the iconic 90’s Utah Jazz team led by John Stockton and Karl Malone. An Instagram post with the caption “this is true we couldn’t beat these boy for nothing” broke down how the 1998 Utah Jazz swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. https://www.instagram.com/p/BswMQ1zh3tN/ The […]

Rookie dunking sensation Miles Bridges is back at it again. As the Charlotte Hornets take on the Sacramento Kings, the young stud delivered a nasty dunk towards the end of the first quarter. Miles Bridges. Oh man. 😳 pic.twitter.com/C2Rs2hP75G — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 18, 2019 The dunk came off of a Tony Parker assist […]

In a Q and A session on Twitter earlier today, Quincy Pondexter had the perfect response to a fan’s question. When asked to choose between fellow teammates DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge on who he would rather see be an All-Star this season if only one can make it, he had this to say: Currently […]

The New York Knicks played in the NBA’s London game in the O2 Area today, facing off against the Washington Wizards. The Knicks made the trip, though, without one of their key players: Enes Kanter. Afraid to leave the United States due to the possibility of being arrested, or even killed, by the Turkish government, […]

The entire NBA is on watch as DeMarcus Cousins is slated to make his NBA debut this Friday night. He will return in the Golden State Warriors game against the Los Angeles Clippers in Staples Center after missing almost 12 months. Having him on the court will undoubtedly be huge for Golden State, but one […]

The Washington Wizards and New York Knicks faced off tonight for the NBA’s annual London game at O2 Arena. The game went down to the wire until the very last second, when the Wizards pulled away with a victory off a goaltend with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. As Thomas Bryant steamed towards the […]

In the NBA’s annual London game, Washington Wizards rookie Troy Brown Jr. put down a monster jam on New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina. The crowd inside the O2 went wild as a Bradley Beal drive and dish turned into Brown Jr. attacking the basket and pulling off the poster. 😮 TROY 😮😳 BROWN 😳🤯 […]

After three championships in four years, including back to back victories, it is still hard to refute that the Golden State Warriors are the favorite to win it all again. That said, the gap between them and the field has narrowed a little this season. Multiple teams in the Western Conference have surged and proven […]

Following an Eastern Conference Finals appearance despite missing key players, expectations for the Boston Celtics this season were high. Unfortunately, the reintegration of Kyrie Irving and Gordan Hayward into the Celtics lineup alongside young players hasn’t lived up to those expectations. So far this season, Boston has gone 25-18, earning them the fifth seed in […]

It has felt like forever since the Sacramento Kings were good. With a 23-21 record right now, the Kings are finally a viable NBA team again. They even have the possibility to make the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, the Western Conference is about as tight as it can get, with the third seed and 10th spot, […]

This season has been a rollercoaster for the Los Angeles Lakers. After a rocky start, it seemed the Lakers had found their footing and climbed their way into the top of the Western Conference standings. An injury to LeBron James has taken the team a step back. Since going down with a groin injury in […]

Nike made big waves today posting a video featuring young NBA players trying on their new self-lacing basketball shoes. Though the teaser doesn’t show the shoes, Jordan Bell summarized the video perfectly with his opening line: “Oh sh**.” The video, including players such as De’Aaron Fox, Kyle Kuzma, Jayson Tatum and more, showcased the players’ […]

Bad news for the Houston Rockets could turn into worse news for Clint Capela. News broke today that Rockets big man, Clint Capela is expected to miss four to six weeks of action. Ligament damage to his right thumb will sideline him, doing Houston’s depth concerns nor Capela’s prospective contract bonuses no favors. ESPN Insider […]