Mike Cruz Articles - Page 78

Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball played an all-around special alongside superstar teammate LeBron James in their blowout win against the Charlotte Hornets, as the two became the first pair of teammates to notch a triple-double in the same game since 2007. They are also the first Lakers tandem to accomplish the feat since Magic […]

Charles Barkley was one of the greatest players in NBA history. On the court, he used his brute force, strength, and athleticism to become of the one of the most tenacious rebounders the league has ever seen — all that despite being undersized at the power forward position. Currently, Charles Barkley is an NBA TV […]

The Denver Nuggets improve to 19-9 on the season and now sit atop the Western Conference standings following their huge, 109-98, win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray chimed in after the game on why Denver has found its recipe for success early on this season. “We’re taking every game seriously,” Murray […]

Three-time NBA champion Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors said, following their come-from-behind victory over the Sacramento Kings, that games in December do not faze them. “We’ve been to two straight Finals together so we know how to make plays on the highest stage,” Thompson said per ESPN. “A game in December I don’t […]

Philadelphia 76ers superstar big man Joel Embiid had himself a monster night, finishing with 40 points and 21 rebounds on Friday. However, even this wasn’t enough to propel Philadelphia to a win, as they succumbed to the Indiana Pacers, 113-101, at home. Following the heartbreaking defeat, Embiid said that he might need to put up […]

Los Angeles Lakers guard Josh Hart received a very special gift from one of his childhood heroes growing up. Following the Lakers’ close 108-105 victory over the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade gifted his own game-worn sneakers to his longtime fan, along with a very special message to boot: “I love the way you play the […]

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade played his final swan song at Staples Center, but it looks like Lakers fans don’t want to let him go. Following the grueling showdown that saw the Los Angeles Lakers outlast the Miami Heat, 108-105, fans swarmed the Heat superstar on his way out of the arena, asking for his […]

LeBron James is going home a happy man. Following his final showdown with close friend Dwyane Wade, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar showed off a special souvenir from his once partner-in-crime back when they were both with the Miami Heat: https://www.instagram.com/p/BrPOzGphfYM/ James and Wade traded their respective game-worn jerseys after their hard-fought game that came […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves had an opportunity to snatch a win on the road over the Portland Trailblazers, but ultimately came up short in the end game, losing 113-105. Following the game, Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau said that the team didn’t play tough enough in crunch time to get the job done. “Going down the […]

New Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen made bold moves in the team’s embarrassing 133-77 home loss against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. After seeing lackluster effort from his starters in the first five minutes of the game, Boylen immediately pulled his entire starting five and subbed in his second unit. In the second […]

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle saw something very special with his rookie stud Luka Doncic’s performance down the stretch in their come-from-behind victory over the Houston Rockets. “It’s pretty clear that he’s got a flair for the moment,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said per ESPN. “He’s unafraid. You don’t see that every day. It’s […]

Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen is already making some bold moves just a week into his new job. The former associate head coach quickly hooked his entire starting five with over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter as the Boston Celtics raced to a 13-0 lead. He also pulled the plug on them […]

The Chicago Bulls made history on Saturday night, and not for the right reasons. The Bulls suffered their worst loss in franchise history in a 56-point thumping at the hands of the Boston Celtics. After the game mercifully finished, new Bulls coach Jim Boylen was clearly frustrated with his starting unit’s play and sent a […]

Terry Rozier clearly heard the all negative talk when the Boston Celtics started their season slowly. Now that the Celtics have rattled off five straight wins, Rozier has a message for all their naysayers: “I mean, obviously it’s been very good for us, winning our last couple games, so we want to keep it going,” […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart just recently tied his boss, Danny Ainge, currently the team’s president of basketball operations, on the Celtics’ all-time three-point leaders list. The former Celtics great took the news in stride and complimented Smart for this accomplishment, but also joked about trading his defensive guard to prevent him from bumping down the […]

Late in the fourth quarter of their 111-88 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James gave his game-worn sneakers to a Grizzlies ball girl. That person also happened to be a long-time LeBron fan. Following the game, James explained why he made the kind gesture, per Tania Ganguli of The Los […]

Chicago fans are not happy. People in attendance at the United Center booed their hometown Chicago Bulls as they walked off the floor, following their abysmal 133-77 loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Bulls get booed off court following worst home loss in franchise history (56 PTS)… pic.twitter.com/R0vwxmcG3m — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December […]

At just 19 years old, Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic is showing that he is ready for prime time. According to Bobby Karalla of mavs.com, the Mavs phenom has now converted on 14-of-22 in clutch shots and has connected 3-of-7 on three-pointers under the same category. This is good for a 70.5 effective field goal percentage […]

According to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall is feeling a bit under the weather and will be a game-time decision Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, per head coach Scott Brooks. John Wall is in Cleveland with the team but he’s back at the hotel & did not participate […]

Prior to Friday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Steve Kerr was asked to comment on the Golden State Warriors ranking 19th in 3-point attempts this season. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Kerr doesn’t really care if the Warriors rank that low in 3-point attempts, as long as they take good shots: Steve […]

When New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis chose to sign with Klutch Sports, rumblings about his impending departure from The Big Easy grew louder and louder. Moreover, many began to float the idea that this could be an indication of the big man’s eventual move to the Los Angeles Lakers to play alongside Klutch Sports’ […]

In case you haven’t noticed, Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook has brought out a new celebration from his bag this season: The Rock-a-Baby. The former MVP usually pulls this off whenever he takes his defender to school. Westbrook recently appeared in an episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and finally, shed some […]

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant continues to be involved with the franchise he spent 20 seasons with. Bryant, who spoke at a Lakers All-Access event on Monday, made headlines once again and gave a stern warning to the Golden State Warriors and its fans. In addition, the five-time NBA champion also had an interesting LeBron […]

“I’m a fun guy.”  These were some of Kawhi Leonard’s first words as a member of the Toronto Raptors. Following the Raptors’ 106-95 road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Leonard found time to joke about Kyle Lowry’s sudden absence from Saturday night’s contest. Toronto ruled out Lowry prior to the game due to a back issue […]

The Boston Celtics have been on a tear ever since superstar Kyrie Irving made his Thanksgiving Rant. According to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston, the Celtics have won four of their last five contests and ranked in the top 10 in offensive rating, defensive rating, and net rating. Boston Celtics since Kyrie’s “F— Thanksgiving” […]

Gordon Hayward got his mojo back. In the process, he accomplished a feat that no other Boston Celtic has ever done. According to Celtics Stats on Twitter, the one-time All-Star became the first Boston reserve to notch 30-plus points, 9-plus rebounds, and 8-plus assists in a game. Gordon Hayward is the first Celtics player in […]

Stephen Curry is back. Everything will be better from now on for the Golden State Warriors now that the two-time MVP has returned. Well, not quite. On Stephen Curry’s return after an 11-game absence, the Warriors laid an egg and looked flat against the Detroit Pistons. Golden State dropped its second straight game, losing on […]

Jonas Jerebko must be taking some acting classes. The Golden State Warriors forward seemed to apply the lessons he learned during their game against the Detroit Pistons. Watch the terrible flop below to see for yourself: It is clear on the replay that Pistons guard Ish Smith did not make any contact with Jerebko, who […]

Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton played just 18 minutes in their 136-134 overtime loss against the New York Knicks. Head coach Mike Budenholzer opted to leave arguably his second best player on the sidelines for the entire fourth quarter and overtime as the Bucks failed to close out the lowly Knicks on the road. According […]

The Boston Celtics have to be fired up after Gordon Hayward’s breakout game. In fact, they couldn’t hide their excitement after dousing their teammate with some Gatorade as he was having his post-game interview, per NBC Sports Boston. 📹 @KyleDraperTV talked to @gordonhayward after the C's win and of course the team had to douse […]

New York Knicks forward Mario Hezonja addressed his walk-over on Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first quarter of their highly-contested game following their 136-134 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Antetokounmpo didn’t appreciate the gesture from the Croatian forward, and vowed to punch him if he ever thinks about doing that again to The […]

The Madison Square Garden crowd went home happy after their New York Knicks pulled off a 136-134 overtime upset over the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the same cannot be said about Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was furious with the officials over the last play. The game went undecided until the final seconds, where a crazy […]

Prior to the start of the season, the Boston Celtics were tagged as the biggest threat to supplant the defending champion Golden State Warriors off their thrones. However, a rough start to the campaign has raised many questions and concerns for the Celtics as they have struggled to get their chemistry on point. Nonetheless, this […]

New York Knicks forward Mario Hezonja threw down a monster slam in transition that sent Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo on his backside. Hezonja then proceeded to step over the Greek Freak, rubbing salt to Antetokounmpo’s already wounded feelings. After the game, reporters asked Giannis Antetokounmpo how he felt about Mario Hezonja’s dunk and step […]

Despite Draymond Green’s testy attitude, he still has someone he can confide to. The Golden State Warriors forward spoke highly about his former college coach, Tom Izzo, and admitted that his Michigan State mentor constantly checks up on him, especially following his recent suspension and altercation with teammate Kevin Durant per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. […]

Mike Conley and Jaren Jackson Jr. became the first Memphis Grizzlies pairing to both drop 35 or more points in the same game:. Jaren Jackson Jr. (Career-high 36 PTS) & Mike Conley (37 PTS, 10 AST) become the first pair of teammates in @memgrizz franchise history to each score 35+ points in the same game! […]

Kyle Korver had a strong debut for the Utah Jazz, helping them edge out the Charlotte Hornets on Friday with a 119-111 victory. The sharpshooting Korver seemed to fit in nicely with the Jazz, notching 14 points and nailing four 3-pointers off the bench as he begins his second stint in Salt Lake City. However, […]

The Golden State Warriors will finally welcome superstar Stephen Curry back on the court Saturday in their game against the Detroit Pistons. According to Mark Medina of The Mercury News, key personalities from the Warriors such as Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and head coach Steve Kerr couldn’t hide their excitement over their sharpshooting point guard’s impending […]

Terry Rozier became a revelation for the Boston Celtics when superstar point guard Kyrie Irving missed the latter part of the 2017-18 season and the entire post-season due to a knee surgery. “Scary Terry” became a thing as he filled in nicely for their injured star as the Celtics made a surprisingly deep playoff run […]