Reporting Articles - Page 38

PHOENIX— The Utah Jazz might’ve been spooked on Friday’s rendition of Halloween hoops, courtesy of Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker. After Booker posted 34 points against the Jazz in a Monday overtime loss, he avenged it with a 36-point masterclass in a 118-96 win. He shot 13-23 from the field and had 12 points […]

It’s Halloween night, so it’s fitting that things almost got scary for the Boston Celtics. But instead of blowing a 24-point lead to the rival Philadelphia 76ers on Friday evening, the C’s held on for a 109-108 win and improved to 3-3 with some help from rookie Hugo Gonzalez. Although Gonzalez managed just five points […]

Perhaps an underrated return belongs to Jusuf Nurkic of the Utah Jazz. The current backup center is one of many in Utah’s rotation. One season ago, though, the Phoenix Suns traded Nurkic to the Charlotte Hornets right before the 2024-25 trade deadline. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for both parties. Still, […]

LOS ANGELES – Back during the preseason, the Los Angeles Lakers’ bench unit, mostly composed of Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Marcus Smart all played key roles during the team’s final preseason game, a win against the Golden State Warriors. Since the regular season has begun, that trio hasn’t had much time on the court […]

Before tipping off against the Toronto Raptors to commence Group A play in the Emirates NBA Cup, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson provided a wave of updates on Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland. Both Mitchell and Allen are out for Friday night’s game, their first missed action of the season. They’ll join […]

SAN ANTONIO – For the better part of three seasons, Devin Vassell served as the San Antonio Spurs’ second leading scorer, if not their first offensive option at times. That included two years with Victor Wembanyama. While Vassell’s role has changed and will more than likely continue to do so in 2025-2026, one thing hasn’t. […]

Before his third season officially got underway, Craig Porter Jr. told ClutchPoints that there was much more he could bring to the table for the Cleveland Cavaliers: “It’s all up to me, and that’s good to know.” Just nine days into the 2025-26 campaign with the wine and gold, Porter has excelled in what the […]

The Brooklyn Nets’ selection of Egor Demin with their first lottery pick in 15 years was much-maligned. A large portion of that skepticism stemmed from the Russian point guard’s subpar outside shooting at BYU. However, he’s quelled those concerns across eight Summer League and NBA appearances, converting 23 of 48 (43.8 percent) three-point attempts. The […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti announced Nikola Topic’s testicular cancer diagnosis at shootaround before the team’s game against the Washington Wizards, and after a 127-108 win, Isaiah Hartenstein addressed Topic’s health. Hartenstein talked about the kind of teammate Topic has been throughout his time with the Thunder, explaining how Presti brings […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — After Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe suffered a knee injury in preseason, he made his regular-season debut in Thursday’s 127-108 win against the Washington Wizards, impressing coach Mark Daigneault in the process. Joe wasted no time in making his presence felt, draining two threes in his first five minutes off the […]

Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-115 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, much of the postgame chatter centered around Austin Reaves who capped off a phenomenal week with a game-winner. But as Reaves himself said, it was a total team effort with multiple players stepping up for the Lakers including Jake LaRavia who dropped […]

Two of the most dangerous words in the NBA are “trap game.” And among those dangerous two words are “revenge” and “game.” Put all of that together, and you get what happened to the Golden State Warriors when they met former guard Ryan Rollins on the road in Milwaukee. With Bucks star Giannis Antetoukounmpo out […]

LOS ANGELES – When the Los Angeles Lakers traveled up north to face off against the Sacramento Kings last Sunday, they lost both Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent due to injury during the game. As a result, two-way contract rookie Chris Mañon saw his first NBA minutes. Lakers head coach JJ Redick opted to play […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — For the first time since the announcement of Nikola Topic’s testicular cancer diagnosis, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed the guard’s health during his media availability. Before facing the Washington Wizards, Daigneault took the time to discuss the kind of person Topic is. Daigneault believes Topic couldn’t be in a […]

Though they are expected to get Darius Garland back in the near future, the Cleveland Cavaliers just can’t avoid the early-season injury bug. On Thursday evening, the team announced that Jarrett Allen suffered a non-displaced fracture of his distal phalanx. Allen’s left ring finger injury occurred on Wednesday, the same day the wine and gold […]

The Houston Rockets spent much of the past nine months leaning into their double-big lineup, only to make history once they went in a different direction. Houston opened the season 0-2 with Steven Adams in the starting lineup, fielding the tallest starting five in NBA history. Then head coach Ime Udoka swapped out Adams for […]

PHOENIX— The emergence of the next Phoenix Suns big man could be in the form of 23-year-old center Mark Williams. Let’s take a step back before making any bold claims. When the Suns traded for Williams on draft night, despite taking another center in Khaman Maluach, it felt like Williams might be brushed out of […]

The Brooklyn Nets’ 0-5 start to the season has been a reminder of how ugly a rebuild can be. Jordi Fernandez’s squad has looked non-competitive and, at times, embarrassing through its first five appearances. Brooklyn’s rotation features two rookie point guards in Ben Saraf and Egor Demin. Michael Porter Jr. pointed to the duo’s struggles […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr became the youngest player in franchise history to notch 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in a game on Tuesday, but something else about his performance went under the radar. The 20-year-old dished five assists for the third straight game, and he’s now fifth among NBA big men […]

In the Wedding Singer, when Adam Sandler’s character melts down, it’s Jon Lovitz who reaps all the benefits. For the Houston Rockets, when Kevin Durant is added to the mix, it’s Jabari Smith Jr. who gets to do the same. Durant’s arrival in Houston hasn’t just changed the Rockets’ offense (currently ranked No. 1 in […]

The New Orleans Pelicans, who have started the 2025-26 season with a 0-4 record, are holding serious internal discussions about moving on from head coach Willie Green, multiple league sources told ClutchPoints. Although ownership has stood by Green’s side over the years, including when David Griffin wanted to move on from Green in the offseason, […]

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland was assigned and recalled from the G League this week, spending time with the Cleveland Charge to continue his conditioning and get practice reps as he recovers from left great toe surgery. Since the Cavs were in Detroit and Boston, Garland would’ve been unable to maintain his return-to-play regimen. He […]

The Detroit Pistons returned to their winning identity by decisively beating the Orlando Magic 135-116 and improving to 3-2. The breakout performance from All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham led the way with a historic stat line in Detroit’s much-needed victory. Cunningham turned in his most dominant performance of the season, recording 30 points, 10 assists, […]

Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets superstar center, continues to rewrite the record books while maintaining his trademark humility. After leading his team to a dominant win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Jokic responded to a reporter’s question suggesting that his historic performances appear to come so easily to him. When asked about starting the season […]

Although there wasn’t much to like about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ latest 125-105 loss to the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden, Jaylon Tyson proved to be a bright spot. The Cavs’ second-year swingman drew his third start of the campaign and delivered with Sam Merrill out of action with a right hip contusion, scoring a […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a quick, two-game road trip, one that began with a thrilling, 116-115 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves following Austin Reaves knocking down the game-winner. The road trip concludes against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, and the Lakers might get more reinforcements soon. Lakers rookie Adou Thiero […]

The Los Angeles Lakers’s current two-game road trip got off to a thrilling start after Austin Reaves sank a game-winner to bury the Minnesota Timberwolves, 116-115. The shot capped off what’s been a massive week for Reaves beginning with his career-high 51 points he dropped on the Sacramento Kings last Sunday in a win. Following […]

For the eighth time in his 935 games as a full-time starter in the NBA in 2012, James Harden recorded just one assist in a basketball game. Tuesday night’s loss against the Golden State Warriors was an encapsulation of a horrid shooting night in which the Clippers shot just 18.2 percent from three and didn’t, […]

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks were dealt an early blow against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, as Anthony Davis exited the game in the first quarter with an apparent injury. At the half, Davis was officially ruled out for the remainder of the contest due to lower left leg soreness. However, the Mavs were […]

DALLAS — Anthony Davis was initially listed as probable due to bilateral Achilles tendinopathy heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers before ultimately being made available before tip-off. In the first quarter, however, Davis headed to the locker room after suffering an injury scare. According to the Mavs, AD is dealing with left […]

With a week before the regular season, the Phoenix Suns announced that Jalen Green would miss the season opener due to a hamstring injury. Originally, he was to be evaluated within 10 days, which prompted him to miss the first game. However, he missed the next three. Still, there is reason to be hopeful after […]

DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams was arrested over the weekend according to an incident report, as first reported by Ron Harrod Jr. of DLLS. According to Harrod, Williams was charged with possession of marijuana at DFW Airport after previously attending to a personal matter. Williams — who is available on Wednesday night against […]

Amidst the 2025-26 NBA season’s first-week overreactions, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell received serious consideration for this year’s Most Improved Player award from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Mannix, who’s calling the race early. Mitchell continues to make headway for the Thunder in a secondary scorer/playmaker role amid All-Star Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe’s absence throughout […]

One week has passed since the 2025-26 NBA season began, and so many storylines exist already across the league. Players are scoring 40 and 50 points like it is nothing, international players are dominating the MVP leaderboard, and NBA fans are flying off the handle with plenty of overreactions about their teams. No matter which […]

For a team with championship aspirations, losing your veteran point guard right before the season starts feels like a nightmare. So much so, that the injury to Fred VanVleet shaved three victories off the Houston Rockets’ projected win total in Vegas. VanVleet was the Rockets’ most valuable postseason performer last year, and the most experienced […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — After a 107-101 victory against the Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander revealed why Ajay Mitchell, who was a third-string rookie last season, is making headway amid Jalen Williams’ absence and a 5-0 start. Mitchell’s (18 points) scoring and playmaking off the bench helped his team out of a 10-point […]

Donovan Mitchell has been on a scoring mission. Through the first week of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ dynamic guard is averaging 31.3 points in over 33 minutes a night in a four-game sample size with a .564/.355/.788 slash line. While his free-throw percentage should be much better, Mitchell’s relentlessness is on display. […]

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks are just 1-3 so far in the 2025-26 campaign. The Mavericks’ offense has been an issue to begin the new season, as turnovers and overall shooting efficiency have been problematic. Perhaps a player such as Jaden Hardy — who features offensive potential — can help matters. At just 23 years […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 10-point second-half comeback win against the Sacramento Kings, he discussed how his team managed to flip a switch during the game’s most critical moments. The Thunder went 5-for-32 from the floor in the third quarter, including 2-for-23 from inside the 3-point arc. Then, Oklahoma […]