Mike Cruz Articles - Page 8

The Milwaukee Bucks will take on the New York Knicks in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament next Tuesday, December 5th. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and the Bucks enter the tournament with the second-best odds to win the NBA Cup behind the Boston Celtics. The Bucks swept through East Group B and had […]

Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is reportedly targeting his return next week, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. This is less than a month after Oubre suffered a fractured rib on November 11th. The 6-foot-7 forward could reportedly suit up as soon as Wednesday when the Sixers take on the Washington Wizards, or Friday […]

The quarterfinals of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament tips off on Monday, December 4th with the Indiana Pacers hosting the Boston Celtics. Right from the jump of the Knockout Stage, the Pacers are already facing the toughest test on their road to the NBA Cup as they are paired up against the odds-on favorite to […]

Dallas Mavericks fans were in for a treat when Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki joined the broadcast as a special guest analyst during their NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. Well, the Mavs X (formerly Twitter) page gave them another treat when they posted a GoPro compilation video of Nowitzki’s best […]

James Harden had by far his best game for the Los Angeles Clippers since making his debut with his new team earlier this month. In light of Harden’s breakout game, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue made sure to let The Beard’s naysayers know what the former MVP proved with his vintage performance on Wednesday night. […]

LeBron James suffered the worst loss of his entire career during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 44-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. James certainly had “a lot” to say following the embarrassing defeat. Well, “a lot” is what LeBron said when asked what needs to change to avoid such a loss. But Lakers […]

The Boston Celtics are currently the best team in basketball this 2023-24 NBA season and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 14-4 record. Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have the 9th-best offense and the No. 2 defense in the league. This balance of offense and defense has earned them […]

The Washington Wizards dropped to 3-15 on the season following a 139-120 loss to the red-hot Orlando Magic Wednesday night. Asked about what spelled doom for the Wizards in this game, Kuzma had a pretty creative way of describing their struggles on the defensive side of the floor. We can’t guard a stop sign,” Kuzma […]

The Toronto Raptors reportedly have some real concerns regarding OG Anunoby’s upcoming free agency situation this summer. According to Hoops Hype, the Raptors are worried that teams could pry away Anunoby from Toronto with a shorter-term max deal because of the relatively weak free agency market in the summer of 2024. League executives expect Anunoby […]

The Golden State Warriors suffered another disheartening defeat Tuesday night when they blew a 24-point lead and lost to the Sacramento Kings, 124-123. Golden State’s early-season struggles have opened discussions on whether the Warriors should make drastic changes this season to maximize the prime of Stephen Curry and improve their chances of winning a championship. […]

Charlotte Hornets veteran Gordon Hayward is reportedly on the radar of “multiple playoff-caliber teams,” according to HoopsHype. The report added that while the Hornets intend to compete for a playoff spot, they would eventually look to give Brandon Miller more playing time at Hayward’s expense should they stay outside the Play-In Tournament picture. Charlotte is […]

Local police reportedly began looking into the social media allegations that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey had an inappropriate relationship with a minor. However, it seems like police inquiries have hit a roadblock as the alleged teen and family are reportedly refusing to coordinate with officials, per TMZ. The Newport Beach Police Department put out a […]

Much like the NBA Finals odds, the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks have emerged as the top two favorites to win the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, per FanDuel. The Celtics are currently slated at +310 to win the NBA Cup, while the Bucks are a close second at +340. Boston being the odds-on favorite […]

NFL legend Tom Brady said, “he’ll do it again.” Brady doubled down on his take last week, where he went off on the “mediocrity” in the NFL today. In the latest episode of his “Let’s Go!” podcast, Brady along with his co-hosts Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray discussed the Philadelphia Eagles versus Buffalo Bills overtime […]

Did Travis Kelce just nonchalantly reveal to the world his nickname for Taylor Swift? During the latest episode of his and his brother Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast as presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end called the global superstar girlfriend “Tay.” You can find the sweet moment at around […]

The Chicago Bulls’ free fall continued Tuesday night after the Boston Celtics mopped them around TD Garden with a 124-97 beatdown. With another disheartening loss, the Bulls are staring at a potential teardown at some point this season with the Zach LaVine trade rumors heating up. LaVine had the roughest night among all Bulls on […]

It’s safe to say the NBA In-Season Tournament has been a success. However, it did uncover a wrinkle that NBA players are not accustomed to. With the point differential being the primary factor of the tiebreaker, teams have been running up the score for the chance to advance in the tournament. That’s exactly what the […]

Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan provided an update on Blake Lizotte’s injury status and indicated that the center may return at some point within the week. However, it will not be on Wednesday, according to Zach Dooley. Lizotte is officially out for the Kings’ clash against the Washington Capitals. McLellan did note that […]

Newport Beach PD is reportedly looking into the social media allegations that surfaced last week surrounding Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey, per TMZ Sports. Asked about the new information, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault declined to “comment on anything as it relates to [Giddey] off the court.” Daigneault also confirmed that his starting guard […]

Kevin Durant will love Jamal Crawford’s predictions for the NBA In-Season Tournament. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year has locked in his pick to win the NBA In-Season Tournament: none other than KD’s Phoenix Suns. Crawford recently hopped on the NBA Mailbag. The first question asked which teams he believed would make it to […]

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson finally broke his silence and issued a statement regarding the termination of Corey Perry’s contract. Davidson spoke in a press conference Tuesday afternoon after the Blackhawks announced earlier that they placed the veteran on waivers with the intention of terminating his contract due to “unacceptable conduct.” Blackhawks GM Kyle […]

The NHL is adding a new, yet familiar wrinkle to the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto this February by bringing back the player draft, the league announced on Monday. With the return of the player draft, the league will add a third day to the NHL All-Star festivities. The televised draft will kick off […]

Yegor Chinakhov could reach his boiling point with the Columbus Blue Jackets soon. Chinakhov’s agent Shumi Babaev gave word to Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch that the rising star is not happy with where he stands on the Blue Jackets, who are currently 7-12 this season. “He doesn’t feel they trust him, and he […]

Mark Cuban’s wish has come true. The Dallas Mavericks will still not use their special NBA In-Season Tournament court when they host the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. According to CBS Sports, there remains a manufacturing issue with the Mavs’ In-Season Tournament court which obviously compromises the players’ safety. The NBA has introduced special courts […]

The USC Trojans became the latest NCAA basketball program to express interest in four-star recruit Nikolas Khamenia. Khamenia has become one of the hottest commodities in college hoops. The Trojans joined a long list of Division I programs, headlined by the Gonzaga Bulldogs to hand an offer to the Harvard Westlake junior. The other programs […]

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby was apparently dealing with more than the knee issue that made him appear as “doubtful” on the injury list ahead of their Week 12 showdown against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Via ESPN, Crosby revealed following the Raiders’ 31-17 loss that he made a trip to […]

Benji Gil is reportedly not expected to return to the Los Angeles Angels, even if he did not land the managerial opening for the San Diego Padres, Jon Morosi of the MLB Network reported Sunday evening. He has spent the last two seasons as the Angels’ infield coordinator. Gil does not have experience holding a […]

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for the most 30-10-5 games in franchise history on Sunday. Antetokounmpo tallied 36 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists in the Bucks’ 108-100 come-from-behind win over the Portland Trail Blazers as The Greek Freak notched his 107th 30-10-5 game as a Buck, surpassing Abdul Jabbar’s previous […]

If Paolo Banchero told you the Orlando Magic would be sitting at No. 2 in the Eastern Conference standings through the first month of the 2023-24 NBA season, would you believe him? Not a lot of NBA fans, not even from Orlando, would. But so far, here they are with a 12-5 record after they […]

Despite missing two starters and having a horrendous shooting night from three, the Boston Celtics still managed to take down the Atlanta Hawks, 113-103 on Sunday. Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 34 points, while Jaylen Brown added 21 points as Boston moved to 13-4 on the season. After the game, Brown spoke […]

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Monday morning that Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson’s status is “up in the air” for their upcoming Week 13 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Johnson missed the Eagles’ Week 12 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills due to a groin injury. From @GMFB: The status of […]

If someone told you the Minnesota Timberwolves would hold the best record in the Western Conference after the first month of the 2023-24 NBA season, would you believe them? Most likely not. Surely, not a lot of people penciled in the Timberwolves as the best team in the West. But this development has been a […]

Slowly, but surely, the Milwaukee Bucks are starting to figure it out. Their offense has picked up and their once horrendous defense to begin the 2023-24 NBA season is improving with each game. Milwaukee is still a work in progress and by no means is this team already in peak form. With that said, the […]

The middle is the absolute worst place to be in the NBA. Unfortunately for the Brooklyn Nets, that’s where they currently find themselves this 2023-24 NBA season. As currently constructed, this Nets roster is not capable of competing and making a deep push in the postseason. At best, they should top out as a low-end […]

The Atlanta Hawks have yet to recapture the magic from their Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021. Since then, Atlanta has endured a pair of disappointing first-round playoff exits. By the looks of how the 2023-24 NBA season is going so far, it does not seem like the Hawks are headed back to the spot […]

The San Antonio Spurs are in the midst of a massive free fall as Victor Wembanyama’s team has dropped 10 games in a row. This comes after the Spurs won three of their first five games, which included a pair of impressive victories over Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. As promising as San Antonio […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have cooled off a bit following a scorching start to the 2023-24 NBA season. After beginning the campaign with an 8-1 record, the Sixers have lost four of their last six outings. Despite the cold streak, it’s still great to see the Sixers play with a renewed sense of energy, despite what […]

Though the Dallas Mavericks have cooled off a bit following a scorching 8-2 start to the regular season, they have a lot to be excited about this 2023-24 NBA season. The roster that GM Nico Harrison constructed during the offseason fits better with Luka Doncic and their strong start reflects that. Nonetheless, the Mavericks could […]

The Indiana Pacers have emerged as one of the NBA’s early surprises of the 2023-24 season. Indiana certainly had expectations to take the next step after Tyrese Haliburton broke out into an All-Star last year. Still, not many envisioned the Pacers to run the best offense in the NBA this season. To add more shock […]