Kriel Ibarrola Articles - Page 9

The clock is now ticking for the Toronto Raptors and the rest of the league to make some last-minute adjustments before the window for trades closes for good this season. Early on, it appeared that the Raps just needed some help with their frontcourt to regain their status as title contenders in the much-improved Eastern […]

It didn’t take long for Caris LeVert to make his presence felt in an Indiana Pacers uniform. In just his seventh game back from that scary kidney surgery, the 26-year-old swingman showcased why the Pacers thought highly of him in that blockbuster James Harden trade. LeVert showcased his clutch gene versus the pesky Detroit Pistons […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder received some troubling news following reports that their best player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be out for a significant amount of time. What was initially deemed as a minor foot injury appears to be serious, as confirmed by Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault to the media on Wednesday. Via Bryan Keating of […]

NBA Fantasy players who currently own Joe Harris and Jeff Green in their respective teams have huge grins on their faces at the moment for a great opportunity at hand. While the two veterans are just role players in the Brooklyn Nets behind Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, they’ll have the rare opportunity […]

As the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline looms, the Los Angeles Clippers’ most glaring need remains the same as last year. The team still badly needs a true starting point guard to steer that ship. Reggie Jackson, Patrick Beverley, and Lou Williams all have their strengths in that position, but they are NOT the playmaker the […]

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban showed utmost trust in Luka Doncic when he moved heaven and earth for a chance to select him back in the 2018 NBA Draft. That proved to be one of the wisest decisions the Mavs franchise has ever made. While Doncic is already considered one of the league’s most special […]

Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell was in awe of his fellow All-Star teammate Rudy Gobert’s block party against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Mitchell, however, was also left baffled by Zach LaVine and the Bulls’ insistence on attacking the paint, knowing well that the Stifle Tower will be there to deny every shot. Gobert finished […]

Sacramento Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton is indeed a class act, evidenced by his empathy for fellow first-year player LaMelo Ball after the Hornets star’s apparent season-ending wrist injury. According to The Athletic’s Jason Jones, the 21-year-old playmaker sounded off on some social media users who were excited by Ball’s tough luck and even kept tagging […]

The Los Angeles Clippers are making room for some possible player movement ahead of the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline this Thursday. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clips dealt seldom-used center Mfiondu Kabengele to the Sacramento Kings, along with a future second and cash in exchange for a protected future second-round pick. Clippers are trading Mfiondu […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out of the Milwaukee Bucks game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday due to a left knee sprain. The Greek Freak made sure he was still there to support his teammates by being their biggest cheerleader on the bench. The two-time NBA MVP took the role of the perfect hype man […]

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr remains unfazed about superstar Stephen Curry’s latest injury and stands by his belief that he’ll be back in no time. The multi-titled tactician doubled-down on his earlier sentiments even after the two-time MVP was scratched for the third straight game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday due to a […]

The struggling Boston Celtics are deemed to be major players in the NBA Trade Deadline this Thursday, and Tristan Thompson is expected to be one of the team’s key moving pieces. According to several sources privy to the Celtics’ front office’s decisions, the team still views the 30-year-old center as a vital cog for the […]

New York Knicks head coach Tim Thibodeau is not one to dwell on losses and quickly moves on to the next one. However, he recently admitted that their latest loss to the Philadelphia 76ers after a Julius Randle foul call is still a tough pill to swallow. After all, it wasn’t the first time this […]

Sunday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks turned ugly real quick for Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. After all, they were on a receiving end of a humiliating 40-point home thrashing as the Mavericks completely outplayed them, 132-92. A debilitating defeat like this one is simply unacceptable for a competitor of Lillard’s caliber, as […]

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is indeed a true MVP both on and off the court. The Greek Freak once again showcased his compassion for a young Bucks fan and even gave him one birthday to remember. As detailed by Willie Thompson Jr. in a now-viral Facebook post, a young boy named Malachi spent his […]

Julius Randle’s displeasure with NBA officiating continues, as a controversial call cost the New York Knicks yet another close defeat on Sunday. The Knicks fell to the visiting Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden, 101-100, after a questionable foul by Randle gave the Sixers two free throws to ice the win. After the contest, an […]

The number 20 seems to be lucky for New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson right now. In their impressive 113-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on Sunday, the high-flying forward notched 20 points or more for the 20th straight game at 20 years of age, as noted by Christian Clark of NOLA […]

The Chicago Bulls’ activity before the upcoming 2021 NBA Trade Deadline may very well determine if they’ll make it to the playoffs this season. The team is currently out of the playoff picture, sitting at 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 19-22 slate. They have also gone 4-6 in their last 10 games. […]

Despite the massive improvement of his play as of late, it seems that Kelly Oubre Jr.’s stint in The Bay might be a short one. The Golden State Warriors are reportedly exploring their options for the 25-year-old swingman before Tuesday’s NBA trade deadline, per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.  Oubre, who is set to make […]

Marcus Smart and the Boston Celtics’ struggles have been evident in the first half of the 2020-21 NBA campaign. Initially viewed as strong contenders in the loaded Eastern Conference, the Cs underwhelmed early on and currently stand towards the bottom of the playoff picture. Their 107-96 loss to the Sacramento Kings proved to be the […]

It took Blake Griffin some time to score his first official basket as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, but boy was it special. After hearing all naysayers questioning if he can even dunk the basketball at this stage of his career, BG looked like his old self with this vintage move against the Washington […]

A hefty fine will likely be heading the way of Denver Nuggets players Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray after publicly criticizing officials on Sunday. The Nuggets duo did not hide their displeasure in the aftermath of the team’s close 113-108 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Both players cited the huge free throw disparity between […]

NBA fans are still patiently waiting for the day when outspoken TNT analyst Charles Barkley joins social media. But as far as the Hall of Fame forward is concerned, the day will probably never come simply because he doesn’t want to dignify any person spreading toxicity online. Sir Charles made his point clear in the […]

Jeremy Lin continues to remain vocal following the rising numbers of anti-Asian-related attacks around the United States. The latest and most devastating one occurred earlier this week in several Atlanta Spas, where eight people were killed by one Caucasian male shooter. Lin, who has used his platform to speak out for the Asian-American community since […]

LeBron James went down hard on Saturday, much to the agony of Los Angeles Lakers fans across the globe. A high-ankle sprain will cost The King some time following that hard collision he suffered in the first half against the Atlanta Hawks. Here's the video of LeBron rolling his ankle:pic.twitter.com/pXDV0YXobF — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 20, […]

Memphis Grizzlies budding star Ja Morant owns some of the best handles in the game today. However, the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year made sure to honor the great ankle breakers before him, especially Jamal Crawford who turned 41 on Saturday. Apart from greeting the three-time Sixth Man of the Year Winner, Morant tried […]

Ja Morant and Draymond Green figured in an intense match-up during the Memphis Grizzlies’ hosting of the Golden State Warriors at FedEx Forum on Saturday. But once the final horn sounded, the Grizz sophomore guard had nothing but love for the three-time Dubs All-Star. The pair of fiery combatants were seen exchanging some complimentary words […]

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris has been having a blast with the now-infamous “I took that personally” Michael Jordan meme from the Last Dance documentary. He inadvertently (or very advertently) set himself up for the same hilarious meme, following his postgame comments in the aftermath of the Sixers’ 129-105 rout of the Sacramento Kings at […]

If there’s any team in the league in need of some changes ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline on Tuesday, it’s the Boston Celtics. Jaylen Brown understands that but reiterated his goal to cancel out the noise and just continue finding ways to help his team win. The Celtics All-Star made this clear shortly after […]

It’s still too early to tell how good LaMelo Ball truly is or will be in his career, but his game has already received some impressive reviews at the beginning of his rookie season. Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego, meanwhile, may have given the most spot-on player comparison about the 19-year-old phenom. Ahead of […]

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has been ruled out against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum on Saturday after the scary tailbone contusion he suffered against the Houston Rockets earlier in the week. Still, the two-time NBA MVP made the trip with his teammates and entered the arena donning an interesting ensemble. Curry rocked […]

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain after Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. LeBron suffered the injury early in the second quarter while gathering a loose ball. Based on the videos, he injured the ankle after a collision with Solomon Hill. The Lakers star was eventually ruled out […]

Several NBA contenders have already bolstered their respective rosters ahead of the 2021 Trade Deadline next week. The Los Angeles Clippers are well aware of this and are likely plotting their next move as well. The Clips, after all, do need all the help they can get at the moment after losing six of their […]

After a slow start to his NBA career, Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards seems to have figured things out, judging by his scoring rampage as of late. The first overall selection of last year’s draft has become the first teenager in league history to drop a combined 105 points in just three straight games. Anthony […]

Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier is probably still having nightmares about the time LeBron James completely erased his shot to oblivion in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018. Fast forward to today, The King reminded Scary Terry of that feeling by emphatically swatting his shot with one of his patented chasedown blocks. […]

UFC president Dana White has extinguished the flames surrounding a possible comeback fight for former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. On Thursday, the UFC head honcho posted a tribute message for The Eagle on his social media accounts, thanking him for his time with the company and congratulating him for his retirement.   View this post […]

Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker’s euro-step is indeed a thing of beauty, that even injured teammate Anthony Davis can’t help but emulate his move while on the bench. THT once again pulled off that deceitful side-step against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday at Staples Center. The Lakers sophomore brilliantly used Motrezl Harrell’s screen to […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has definitely taken huge strides to become a more complete player in his fourth season in the league. Against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, Kuz displayed what a willing passer he has become, electing to forego an easy bucket for an even better look for his trailing teammate LeBron […]

By now, we all know that a Zion Williamson dunk is an inevitable occurrence in every New Orleans Pelicans game. The Portland Trail Blazers are well aware of this fact ahead of their matchup at Moda Center on Thursday. But they still had no answer for what was coming. Around the nine-minute mark of the […]