Reporting Articles - Page 331

After finishing in second place behind Nikola Jokic for the 2021-22 NBA regular season MVP, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is back with a vengeance. Through the All-Star break, the Sixers center is getting legitimate buzz as this season’s MVP, and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell thinks he deserves even more. The NBA’s biggest stars […]

The Boston Celtics made it official last week and named interim head coach Joe Mazzulla their new head coach. Following a tumultuous training camp and preseason, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics were able to refocus their championship hopes under Mazzulla, and the organization removed the interim tag while removing former head coach Ime Udoka in […]

Momentum appears to be building for a free agency connection between the New York Jets and Derek Carr. After multiple reports about a positive meeting this past weekend, including one from Carr’s brother David, an NFL Network analyst, the latest rumors on Tuesday added fuel to the fire. Connor Hughes of SNY reported that Carr […]

Following a buyout agreement with the Utah Jazz, Russell Westbrook is joining the Los Angeles Clippers. Former Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley was also a free agent available on the buyout market, but he ended up signing with the Chicago Bulls. There were reports that both Westbrook and Beverley had interest in […]

The next 25 games will be just about do-or-die for the Philadelphia 76ers. They’re not in danger of missing the playoffs but they still have not convincingly proven that they’re a title favorite. Joel Embiid and James Harden have made the Sixers one of the best teams in the NBA but that’s not their goal. […]

With the conclusion of Super Bowl 57, NFL teams can now officially turn the page to the 2023 season. While the start of the season is months away, there are lots of important decisions for teams to make in the offseason. In the next few weeks, the Denver Broncos will have to make the difficult […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have 23 games remaining in their 2022-23 season. Over the All-Star break, LeBron James deemed them among the “most important” he’s faced. “It’s 23 of the most important games of my career, for a regular season. It’s the type of mindset that I have, and I hope the guys will have, […]

It appears the New York Jets are quite happy with how their meeting with Derek Carr went this past weekend. Apparently, the free agent quarterback made such a positive impression that the Jets brass faces a difficult decision whether to heavily pursue Carr or wait on Aaron Rodgers. “I was told that it was a […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to maximize their lineup combinations as they pursue a championship. It all starts with Joel Embiid and James Harden but it takes more. The talent around them has to take advantage of their talent and impact the game. Enter Georges Niang. Although the 6-foot-7 power forward is not very well-rounded […]

LeBron James has no intention of allowing the Los Angeles Lakers to miss the playoffs again. With 23 games remaining after the All-Star break, the Lakers (27-32) sit in 13th place in the Western Conference standings, yet only two games out of the final play-in spot and 4.5 games back of the No. 6 seed. […]

Kyrie Irving has been vocal about his time in Brooklyn since the Nets traded him to the Dallas Mavericks two weeks ago. That trend continued at All-Star Media Day. Irving spoke on his tumultuous stint with the franchise, saying he holds “no regrets” with his Nets tenure in the rearview mirror. “I’m grateful to all […]

Kevin Durant followed Kyrie Irving to Brooklyn in 2019. Three and a half years later, he followed him out the door with both requesting trades in a span of five days. Durant’s Nets tenure was marred by off-court drama and severely underwhelming on-court results. Brooklyn looked poised to make a title run in 2021 before […]

Philadelphia 76ers guard Mac McClung rose to prominence as an extraordinary dunker at the high school and college levels before reaching the NBA. The newest member of the Sixers will get the chance to show what he can do at All-Star weekend in the Dunk Contest. McClung previewed the Dunk Contest and his participation (and […]

Mikal Bridges understood the caliber of player he was replacing when the Phoenix Suns traded him to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant. “I get it. You’re getting Kevin Durant. Maybe I’d make that trade, too,” Bridges said of his former team’s decision. It’s true, Bridges is not a perennial MVP candidate or generational scorer. […]

The Los Angeles Lakers revamped their depth chart (and locker room vibes) prior to the 2023 trade deadline. After exchanging Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, Thomas Bryant Damian Jones, and Juan Toscano-Anderson for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba, Davon Reed, and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers are left with one open roster […]

Nearly a week after the 2023 NBA trade deadline, LeBron James offered his first public comments on the Los Angeles Lakers’ flurry of activity. The Lakers exported Russell Westbrook after a hectic 18-month saga, along with Patrick Beverley (who was reported to be a source of locker-room strain), Thomas Bryant, Juan Toscano Anderson, and Damian […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James shed light on the state of his unspecified ankle/foot injury, which has lingered since December and has caused him to miss a handful of games, including the three prior to Wednesday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans. LeBron had an MRI last week on what the Lakers have consistently […]

Jacque Vaughn took over for a Nets team with title aspirations when he stepped in as head coach early this season. Less than three months later he finds himself navigating a rebuild in Brooklyn. A pair of blockbuster trades sending Kevin Durant to Phoenix and Kyrie Irving to Dallas one year after James Harden’s departure […]

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers are heading into the All-Star break with a four-game win streak. Embiid is representing the Sixers in the All-Star Game and was bumped into the starting lineup as an injury replacement. However, he may end up needing a replacement for the game, too. “I’m not sure, I’m […]

The Philadelphia 76ers (38-19) played the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-23) in their final game before the All-Star break. The Sixers built up a big lead, let the Cavs get back in it and held on to win by a score of 118-112. Let’s break down the Sixers’ stressful win over the Cavs. Sixers player notes: Joel Embiid: […]

CAMDEN, NJ — Dewayne Dedmon is back with the Philadelphia 76ers. But it doesn’t feel like a homecoming. The veteran center played 11 games with the Sixers in the 2013-14 season, spending just 20 days with the tanking squad. Dedmon, who agreed to a deal with the Sixers on Monday, recalls when the team practiced […]

Every NFL offseason brings surprising cuts around the league as teams look to open up cap space to fill out their rosters. The New England Patriots are in an enviable spot with their cap situation relative to most other teams entering the offseason. They’re currently set to have the sixth-most cap space in the league entering […]

No one really expected the Golden State Warriors to beat the LA Clippers on Tuesday night. Not only were the defending champions playing without both Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins on the second leg of a back-to-back, but the Clippers entered at full-strength, Ty Lue’s rotation reloaded after bringing in Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee and […]

The revamped LA Clippers proved too much for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena, sending the defending champions into the All-Star break at .500 with a 134-124 loss. Here are three key reactions from the fatigued, short-handed Warriors’ final game before a much-needed respite in advance of the season’s stretch run. Bench […]

The new-look Brooklyn Nets have reinforcements on the way ahead of their last game before the All-Star break. Brooklyn guard Seth Curry will return to the lineup Wednesday vs. the Miami Heat after missing the team’s last five games with an adductor strain. Curry had struggled to find a rhythm over his last three appearances […]

Klay Thompson has far exceeded even optimistic expectations upon returning from two-and-a-half seasons lost to serious injury last January. He not only helped the Golden State Warriors win a remarkable fourth title in eight years in June, but has risen his game to a higher level since early December, flashing vintage scoring and shot-making form […]

The Los Angeles Lakers, playing without LeBron James, were blown out by a, well, blazing Portland Trail Blazers team, 127-115, on Monday at the Moda Center. The Lakers’ noncompetitive and seemingly nondescript effort spotlighted a few lingering issues plaguing the team as the All-Star break approaches. And no, I don’t mean Anthony Davis’ offensive malaise…yet. […]

PHILADELPHIA — After a brutal week in which he needed to talk through mental struggles with his parents, Tyrese Maxey is back to dominating on the court. The Philadelphia 76ers’ young star has been great for the team in recent games and has expanded his impact to the defensive end. While he may be a […]

The Boston Celtics couldn’t strike a deal last year with forward Grant Williams, and he may decide to up his price when contract talks resume. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Williams is looking for a new deal that could net him around $20 million annually. Stein compared this type of contract to Keldon Johnson’s, […]

As the cliché goes: The NBA is a make-or-miss league. On Monday at the Moda Center, the Los Angeles Lakers could not stop Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers from the perimeter. Led by Dame, the Blazers unleashed an epic 3-point shooting barrage in a 127-115 win that wasn’t as close as that score […]

Steph Curry admitted on Monday he’s not sure what type of player James Wiseman will ultimately become. Like general manager Bob Myers and the Golden State Warriors‘ other head decision-makers, though, Curry seems certain the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft is better off with the Detroit Pistons. “[I have] a lot […]

PHILADELPHIA — Jalen McDaniels’ transition to the Philadelphia 76ers has been as smooth as can be. The Sixers have won each of their three games since trading for McDaniels and although he has only played in two of them, he has played well with his new teammates. Playing on the Sixers is a big difference […]

The Golden State Warriors have extremely slim margin for error over the season’s remainder. A prolonged losing streak wouldn’t just make it much more difficult to make the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference, but perhaps put Golden State at legitimate risk of missing the play-in tournament—an ugly indication of the defending champions’ play this […]

The streak is over. For the first time in over three years, the New York Knicks took down the Brooklyn Nets with a 122-106 victory Monday at Madison Square Garden. The growing pains of Brooklyn’s new-look roster were on full display as the team struggled to string together positive possessions on either end of the […]

The most optimistic Golden State Warriors fans weren’t the only ones who thought Steph Curry avoided serious injury when he came up hobbling in a February 4th win over the Dallas Mavericks. Despite his obvious and immediate on-court pain, the reigning Finals MVP initially believed he’d “shake it off” and soon return to action, too. […]

The Philadelphia 76ers (37-19) took on the Houston Rockets (13-42) on a night when Philadelphians needed something to feel good about. The Sixers didn’t lay a beatdown against the team with the worst record in the NBA but they did secure a win by a score of 123-104. Let’s break down the Sixers’ win over […]

Ben Simmons started every single one of his games during four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. That three-time All-Star has stepped into a different role at points this season, and the trend is continuing following the Brooklyn Nets’ trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Simmons has come off the bench seven times on the […]

The Golden State Warriors didn’t just swallow hard and complete the trade for Gary Payton II despite his uncertain availability over the season’s remainder because they so sorely need the defensive disruptiveness and overall versatility he provides when healthy. As Bob Myers told reporters on Monday, the front office also considered what it would mean […]

Gary Payton II is officially a member of the Golden State Warriors once again. Just because the controversial trade that brought him back to the Bay has finally been completed, though, doesn’t mean Payton will soon be on the floor to help the defending champions rise up the stacked Western Conference standings over the stretch […]