Mike Cruz Articles - Page 51

The Utah Jazz once again tried their hand at another gimmick defense in an attempt to slow down the Houston Rockets. This time, they matched up their 7-foot-1 defensive anchor Rudy Gobert on Houston’s jump-out-of-the-gym speedster Russell Westbrook. After Houston’s 120-110 victory, Westbrook spoke about the defensive scheme that Utah deployed on him on Saturday, […]

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons will undergo MRI for his injured lower back on Sunday. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Sixers are reportedly concerned about the extent of Simmons’ injury. There is some level of concern surrounding the possible nature of the injury, league sources tell ESPN. A clearer picture is expected after […]

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid previously declared that he is the best player in the world. Ideally, those remarks might not sit well with the NBA’s reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks. After the Antetokounmpo’s Bucks bludgeoned Embiid’s Sixers on Saturday night, reporters asked The Greek Freak to comment on The Process’ bold […]

The city of Los Angeles will hold the “Celebration of Life” memorial in honor of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on Monday, February 24th at Staples Center. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother, announced on Instagram that the memorial will begin at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET). “#2, #24 #20 years […]

The Miami Heat deservedly retired Dwyane Wade’s iconic no. 3 jersey on Saturday night. Many of Wade’s contemporaries, rivals, and close friends shared special messages to the three-time NBA champion, including his good buddy Chris Paul. The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard took to Twitter to publicly congratulate D-Wade. My BROTHER!! Congrats!!! ⚡️ https://t.co/mLUTbZrdxL — […]

The L.A. Clippers dropped another winnable game at home, this time at the hands of the Sacramento Kings. Following another disappointing loss, Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard urged the entire team to get things together now that the postseason is on the horizon. Clippers' Kawhi Leonard on concerns – "You never know what could happen, but […]

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons will undergo an MRI on Sunday after he re-aggravated a lower back injury in the Sixers’ match against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. Philadelphia's Ben Simmons will undergo an MRI on his lower back on Sunday, league source tells ESPN. He was definitely in […]

The death of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has certainly impacted the entire NBA community in some way or form. This includes Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, who had his iconic no. 3 jersey raised in the rafters of the American Airlines Arena on Saturday night. Speaking to the press after his jersey retirement, […]

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons exited the first quarter of Saturday night’s road game against the Milwaukee Bucks after irritating his lower back, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He did not return after finishing with five points in four minutes. The #Sixers PG irritated his lower back on a layup in the first […]

Several players and other NBA figures have voiced out their displeasure with how officials assess certain plays, especially on the newly-implemented challenge and last two-minute review system. The latest to do so is Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who went on an epic Twitter rant following the Mavs’ narrow 111-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. […]

The Miami Heat deservedly retired Dwyane Wade’s jersey on Friday night. Unfortunately, LeBron James did not make the trip to Miami to support his best friend as the Los Angeles Lakers had a game scheduled that same evening. To make up for his absence, James sent in a very special video message for the Heat […]

New Orleans Pelicans star rookie Zion Williamson has gone on record saying that Thanos is his favorite character from the Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. In their game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, he rocked Thanos-inspired Jordan XXX4’s. Zion Williamson warms up in a new Jordan XXX4 in Portland! #NBAKicks pic.twitter.com/KMKdCJ2CED — 🏀 #NBAKicks […]

The Boston Celtics will have an early 12:30 pm tip-off against their arch-rivals Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night and Gordon Hayward absolutely loves it. The Celtics swing man’s plans are already ready for the morning. He added that this is the cause of being a dad. When told that Sunday’s tip-off is scheduled for […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are having a historic 2019-20 season with reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and two-time All-Star Khris Middleton leading the way. Sporting a 47-8 record at this point of the season, Milwaukee is on pace to beat the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors for the earliest to clinch the playoffs, per JR Radcliffe of the […]

Earlier this season, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James caused a courtside mishap when they met the Portland Trail Blazers. The King bumped into a vendor and caused a major spill on the sidelines. LeBron did help the innocent lady up and gave her an apology, which she smilingly accepted, creating a viral moment. On […]

The late, great Kobe Bryant certainly had a major impact on a lot of the stars in the NBA today, including Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant. In an exclusive interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, Durant explained how Bryant impacted him as a player. Durant mostly shared about his experience with Kobe in the […]

The New York Knicks are reportedly targeting a scoring point guard in the upcoming NBA draft, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Though this class isn’t as loaded as in past drafts, the Knicks have quite a number of options to choose from. However, among all the possible prospects they can target, […]

It’s not always that the NBA Slam Dunk contest turns out as successful as the most recent one, with Derrick Jones Jr. edging out Aaron Gordon in controversial fashion. Arguably the last time we had a great one was in 2016, with the blockbuster showcase between Gordon and Zach LaVine. One of the main recipe […]

At this year’s February trade deadline, the Houston Rockets traded away their only rim protector in Clint Capela and brought in an elite 3-and-D wing in Robert Covington. Just recently, they signed veterans Jeff Green and Demarre Carroll to bolster their wing depth ahead of the postseason. With these moves, the Rockets have made it […]

The 2020 NBA Slam Dunk contest saw Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. take home the crown, edging out Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon in a finale for the ages. Unfortunately, a rather controversial result that saw Gordon lose another close call clouded the classic showdown between two of the best dunkers in the NBA […]

It seems like the controversial result of the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest really soured on Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant. After seeing what transpired on Saturday night, the high-flying point guard posted a cryptic tweet, likely indicating he will never enter the Slam Dunk competition. y’all just made my decision easier 🤝💯 https://t.co/RNV80N0cIY — Ja […]

NBA fans on Twitter were up in arms over the controversial result of the 2020 Slam Dunk Competition that saw Derrick Jones Jr. edge out Aaron Gordon in two tie-breaker rounds. People complained about how the judging went and even criticized Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, who was among the five judges on Saturday night, […]

The NBA All-Star weekend is when fans, especially kids, can meet and greet their favorite players. And if they get lucky, they might also just take home some signed memorabilia from their idols. L.A. Clippers guard Patrick Beverley was among those signing some shirts on Saturday. But he won’t give you his autograph if you […]

Zach LaVine tried his hand at the 3-point Contest in this year’s 2020 All-Star Saturday night showcase. Unfortunately, the Chicago Bulls guard wound up empty handed. LaVine expressed his disappointment over not winning the long-ball crown, via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. LaVine: “I wanted to bring that trophy home. I’m pissed.” — K.C. […]

Head coaches around the league rewarded Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert a well-deserved spot as a reserve in this year’s NBA All-Star game. Gobert’s game isn’t predicated on flashy offensive highlights, which is what fans look for in the All-Star weekend’s main event. However, Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell doesn’t think the two-time Defensive Player of […]

“It’s a wrap.” Aaron Gordon is done with the dunk contest after losing another controversial one, this time to Derrick Jones Jr. of the Miami Heat. Shortly after Gordon announced his retirement from the high-flying competition, Derrick Jones Jr. of the Heat did not take long to challenge him to a rematch, according to Rachel […]

Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. took home the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest crown on a controversial decision by the judges in the second tie-breaker over Aaron Gordon. After Aaron Gordon completed his final dunk, a dunk over 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall, most of the people in the arena, including Reggie Miller and Kenny “The Jet” […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James gave his two cents on the exhilarating yet controversial NBA Dunk Contest showdown between Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon and Miami Heat swingman Derrick Jones Jr. LeBron called Gordon and Jones Jr. professional dunkers and said that each of them should have received trophies after their amazing performances on […]

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade and WNBA star Candace Parker led the All-Star Saturday night Chicago crowd to a 24.2-second standing ovation in honor of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, and former NBA commissioner David Stern. Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker lead the crowd in honoring David Stern, Kobe Bryant […]

Dallas Mavericks big man Boban Marjanovic didn’t play a single minute in their home game against the Utah Jazz on Monday, but he arguably had the biggest assist of the night. The ball got stuck behind the backboard during the contest. Mavs star Kristaps Porzingis tried to save the day by attempting to poke the […]

Zion Williamson hasn’t even played 10 games for the New Orleans Pelicans, yet he has already made a huge impact for the team that drafted him first overall last summer. In just his ninth career game, Williamson scored a career-high 31 points and added nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Pelicans to a […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James headlines the 44-man preliminary Team USA roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, despite being the marquee name on the list, the Lakers star has yet to make an official decision on whether he will banner the flag this summer. The King shared the factors that will go into his […]

D’Angelo Russell made his Minnesota Timberwolves debut on Monday night, and perhaps for the first time in over two months, Karl-Anthony Towns had some real fun playing on the basketball court. Despite the 137-126 loss to the Toronto Raptors, Towns was in good spirits. The former no. 1 overall pick expressed his happiness about playing […]

Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins played his first game with Draymond Green on Monday night. Following their 113-101 loss to the Miami Heat, Wiggins spoke about his first experience playing alongside Golden State’s charismatic veteran: “It was great. He’s a great motivator. Great leader and if you’re open he’s going to find you.” Wiggins […]

Sixers big man Joel Embiid left Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies with neck stiffness. Fortunately for the Philadelphia 76ers, the All-Star center will not miss any time for them. Derek Bodner of The Athletic reports that Embiid will suit up for their game against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. Joel Embiid, who was questionable […]

Indiana Pacers shooting guard Victor Oladipo recently made his return to the court after missing over a year due to a ruptured quad tendon in his knee. The Pacers might have thought Oladipo’s return would give them a boost as they look to make noise in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened. Oladipo’s […]

In case you missed it, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James delivered this beautiful reverse windmill throwdown on the break against the Houston Rockets on Thursday. That particular dunk was eerily similar to a dunk that late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant pulled off 19 years ago. Lakers fans can’t help but put the two highlights side […]

Sacramento Kings sharpshooter Buddy Hield converted his 800th career three-pointer in their win against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. With that, Hield became the fastest player to get to 800 career three-pointers, per Jason Jones of The Athletic. The 27-year old took 296 career games to make 800 triples, which breaks Golden State […]

Andrew Wiggins played his first game as a Golden State Warrior and coach Steve Kerr seems happy with the 24-year old’s first day on the job. Speaking to reporters after their 125-120 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, Kerr just just said it feels good to finally have a wing that fills in their most […]