NBA Articles - Page 187

Game 2 is Wednesday night as the Orlando Magic aim to even the series against the Boston Celtics. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series with a Magic-Celtics prediction and pick. Paolo Banchero and the Magic showed up in Boston and threatened the defending champs in the first half of Game 1. After a […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves made a questionable trade when they sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks last offseason. The team sacrificed a lot of 3-point shooting and offensive pop when they made that deal. Julius Randle was the centerpiece of what they returned in the trade, but he has had an up-and-down season with […]

Despite their continued rise and individual achievements, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner remain underappreciated by many of their peers, according to The Athletic’s annual anonymous NBA player poll. The survey, which polled 158 players across the league on a variety of categories, offered a revealing look into how players perceive rising talent, underrated contributors, and […]

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been a target of criticism due to the way he runs the team for a long time, but Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is taking the brunt of the heat after the controversial trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Jones was asked about the Doncic […]

Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards has been fined $50,000 by the NBA league office for what is being labeled as “directing inappropriate language and making an obscene gesture toward a fan,” the league announced on Tuesday afternoon. The incident occurred during Game 1 of the first-round series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers […]

After Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard exchanged words, the Indiana Pacers point guard is having more criticism come his way. In a story by The Athletic, they anonymously asked players who the most overrated player in the league. Haliburton was at the top of the list, with 14.4% of the votes. In second, Rudy Gobert, […]

Throughout the 2024-25 season, the main topic of discussions regarding the NBA has been the constant change in viewership and ratings. Although ratings were high during the second half of the season, the league saw a big drop in numbers near the start of the year. Now that the NBA Playoffs are here, the league’s […]

Even dream jobs have nightmare days. Fortunately, Tuomas Iisalo was able to laugh off uncomfortable questions after Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies suffered through a 51-point blowout loss (131-80) to open the NBA Playoffs. A first-round Game 1 against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder did not go as planned but there are brighter days ahead according […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to respond after a disappointing 117-95 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Ahead of Game 2, which tips off Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT, former NBA player Marcus Morris issued a stark warning on ESPN’s First Take, emphasizing the stakes […]

The Memphis Grizzlies will not be caught off guard by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA Playoffs Game 2 tilt. At least, that is what Scotty Pippen Jr. stated after the Grizzlies took a historically bad loss on the chin Easter Sunday. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Edey talked about […]

One day after Nico Harrison made a shocking admission regarding Luka Doncic, Stephen A Smith was dumbfounded. It takes a lot to make him perplexed, but the Dallas Mavericks general manager seemed to do the trick. When asked about Harrison’s comments on First Take, Smith had a simple answer. .@stephenasmith reacts to Mavs GM Nico […]

A group of NBA players are tired of having to deal with angry sports bettors. Forty-six percent of pro players think gambling partnerships are bad for the league, according to a poll in The Athletic. The betting question was one of several posed to NBA players as a way to get the opinions of league […]

The Denver Nuggets dropped Game 2 of their first-round playoff series to the Los Angeles Clippers, and one play, in particular, sticks out as a massive missed opportunity. With less than three minutes to go in the game, the Nuggets trailed the Clippers 98-97. And then Aaron Gordon came into the picture, driving into the […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault appreciated Isaiah Hartenstein advocating for Lu Dort, protesting that the Thunder guard wasn’t named a finalist for DPOY. Hartenstein wasn’t the only one pulling for Lu. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander endorsed Dort for DPOY, and so did his fellow All-Star teammate Jalen Williams. Daigneault addressed the support for Dort when […]

The Boston Celtics have emerged as the overwhelming favorite among NBA players to win the 2025 NBA Finals, according to The Athletic’s annual anonymous player poll released Tuesday. Out of 137 votes cast, the Celtics received 57.7% of the total, far ahead of their closest competition. The Oklahoma City Thunder were next with 17.5% of […]

The Athletic recently ran its 2025 edition of its anonymous player survey, which reflected lots of interesting results. On the subject of which organization is the best in the NBA, 21.9 percent of 137 votes picked the Golden State Warriors, who are now in pursuit of another NBA title with Stephen Curry spearheading the team […]

The New York Knicks started Game 2 out poorly. Other than Karl-Anthony Towns, everyone played below what they are capable of through the first quarter—and the Knicks shot an atrocious 0-for-8 on 3-pointers in that period. The poor play continued for most of the remainder of the game. Save for a run that came up […]

Mike Budenholzer continues to catch strays as the offseason looms. The Phoenix Suns fired Budenholzer after one season, and it was a disaster. The 36-46 record was less than appetizing. However, in a post by The Athletic, an anonymous player poll said that Budenholzer was the second-most overrated coach in the league. 17.8% of players […]

NBA players are not getting behind the idea of shortening the basketball season, and there’s a big reason why. An anonymous poll taken with players showed more than 80 percent of guys were against the idea of shortening the season, per The Athletic. That was because a shorter season would also mean a smaller salary […]

The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award is annually given to the most outstanding defensive player of the regular season. Throughout league history, several Hall of Famers have claimed the award. While it was a walk in the park for some, others had to endure a neck-and-neck race to call themselves an elite defender. […]

The Los Angeles Clippers evened up their series with the Denver Nuggets on Monday night with a win in a back-and-forth affair. These two teams have delivered two great games so far as Game 1 went to overtime, and Game 2 came down to the final possessions as well. Nikola Jokic had a big game […]

The Denver Nuggets missed a golden opportunity to get to a 2-0 series lead in their first-round matchup versus Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers Monday night. Denver ended up absorbing a 105-102 loss at their home, Ball Arena, but the result could have been a different and more favorable one for the home […]

The San Antonio Spurs were rumored to be interested in Trae Young last offseason, but a deal for the point guard never came to fruition. Now, San Antonio has their point guard of the future, as they made a deal for De’Aaron Fox ahead of the NBA trade deadline. However, a trade for Young could […]

Kawhi Leonard put the Los Angeles Clippers on his back and led them to a much-needed Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets in their first round playoff series. Leonard’s performance was so incredible, James Harden said that all he could do was watch. Leonard’s performance was one for the history books, and another game […]

When the Sacramento Kings hired Scott Perry as their general manager, it might not have pleased Zach LaVine. When Perry was hired, an old quote from 2023 resurfaced regarding the shooting guard. “No question that Zach LaVine can score the basketball…Does he impact winning?” Perry said on an episode of The Hoop Genius Podcast with […]

The Denver Nuggets dropped Game 2 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers 105-102 on Monday night, but the spotlight shifted postgame to Michael Porter Jr.’s shoulder injury and its potential impact moving forward. Porter bounced back from a quiet Game 1 — where he finished with just three points and four rebounds […]

The Eastern Conference battle between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks is quickly becoming must-watch basketball. After pulling off a clutch victory in Game 1, the Knicks couldn’t keep pace in Game 2, falling to a determined Pistons squad. With the series now knotted at 1-1, both teams head to Detroit looking to seize […]

Through three-and-a-half quarters, Monday night’s Game 2 between the LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets felt eerily similar to Game 1 two nights ago. Except this time, Kawhi Leonard put on his superhero cape and willed his Clippers to a win on the backs of a historic performance. But this was nothing new for Leonard and […]

The New York Knicks bet the farm on Mikal Bridges being the missing piece to their championship hopes. That move looked like a losing proposition throughout the regular season. Bridges’ start to the playoffs hasn’t changed that sentiment. The forward, acquired from the Brooklyn Nets for five first-round picks last summer, was benched down the […]

The Milwaukee Bucks have their backs against the wall early in their series in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. In Game 1 last Saturday, Milwaukee got crushed by Tyrese Haliburton in a 117-98 loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana. It was glaring evidence of how much the Bucks […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were embarrassed by the Oklahoma City Thunder 131-80 in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs first-round face-off. After a lopsided, historically bad loss on Easter Sunday, Ja Morant is making guarantees for the regrouping Grizzlies. Scotty Pippen Jr. is being more practical, emphasizing a forward-focused mindset. Adapting to how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder […]

The Sacramento Kings saw their season come to an end after they conceded to the 10th-seeded Dallas Mavericks, 120-106. Let’s not forget that the Mavericks also had their fair share of struggles this year. It was a rough 2024-25 season for Sacramento, as the foundation of the very team that ended the franchise’s playoff absence is slowly withering […]

The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers played out a classic in Game 2, and Inside the NBA was eager to dive into the analysis. However, midway through the discussion about Kawhi Leonard, Charles Barkley noticed Shaquille O’Neal suddenly stand up and hobble out of the studio, catching everyone off guard. Shaquille O’Neal abruptly left […]

The Los Angeles Lakers were humbled in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite getting a strong outing from Luka Doncic, the Lakers’ defense couldn’t hold down the Timberwolves as Minnesota exploded for 21 made three-pointers on 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc to take a 117-95 win on the […]

The Detroit Pistons ended a historic playoff skid Monday night at Madison Square Garden, grinding out a 100-94 win over the New York Knicks in Game 2. The victory snapped the franchise’s 15-game postseason losing streak, marking its first playoff win since May 26, 2008. Cade Cunningham took control with 33 points, powering Detroit to […]

There has been much excitement for how the Los Angeles Lakers would perform in the playoffs with Luka Doncic and LeBron James leading the team. Alas, Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves could not have gone any further from plan for the Purple and Gold. Courtesy of some poor defensive decision-making […]

Kawhi Leonard has long been one of the greatest playoff risers in the history of the NBA. Leonard seems to always flip a switch when the postseason begins, although over the past half-decade or so, injuries have limited his postseason impact significantly, dashing the Los Angeles Clippers’ championship hopes over and over again. But on […]

Kawhi Leonard returned to form, powering the Los Angeles Clippers past the Denver Nuggets 105-102 on Monday to even the first-round playoff series at 1-1. Leonard dominated across the board, finishing with 39 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, a block, and just 1 turnover in 39 minutes. He was nearly unstoppable, hitting 15 […]

Nikola Jokic does everything in his power to win, especially in the playoffs. This is what makes him the best player in the world and the main reason why the Denver Nuggets, despite their topsy-turvy 2024-25 campaign, must be taken seriously as a threat to make a deep playoff run. But on Monday night, the […]