NBA Cup Articles - Page 16

In an attempt to remedy the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-quarter struggles, Darvin Ham shook things up ahead of Friday’s In-Season Tournament matchup vs. the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center. When the starting fives were unveiled 30 minutes before tip-off, Cam Reddish was listed in place of … Austin Reaves? A lineup change was not […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Cam Reddish knows he has to stay ready whenever he’s on the court with LeBron James, and that’s exactly what he did on Friday as he helped the Purple and Gold stage a comeback win against the Phoenix Suns in their NBA In-Season Tournament showdown. The Lakers trailed by as much […]

On Friday night, the Los Angeles Clippers looked to get back on track in a difficult matchup against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. And for a while, it seemed as though the Clippers were beginning to figure it out. However, Kyrie Irving led the Mavs back from a 12-point first quarter deficit and the […]

The Dallas Mavericks did not get off to strong start during their Friday night battle against old rival Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA In-Season Tournament. They went down by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, with the Clippers looking like they’re putting it together. The Mavs, however, came roaring back in […]

Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins didn’t hold back in his criticism of the officiating in Friday’s NBA In-Season Tournament loss to the Utah Jazz. The injury-riddled Grizzlies fell to 1-7 on the season with the 127-121 defeat. However, Jenkins didn’t like the fact that the free throw disparity between Memphis and Utah were huge, highlighting […]

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons in a physical, initially sloppy game to record their seventh straight win. The Sixers overcame a 16-point deficit behind strong second-half efforts from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Following the game, Embiid said there was the potential for extracurricular activity between him and his opponents. The Sixers and […]

The Washington Wizards will find wins difficult to come by during the 2023-24 season after they gutted their team in preparation for a rebuild. Thus, whenever there’s an opportunity for the Wizards to take home a victory, they must seize it. However, on Friday night, during the second game of their NBA In-Season Tournament journey […]

The Brooklyn Nets had remained competitive in every game this season entering Friday’s in-season tournament matchup with the Boston Celtics. However, with Ben Simmons and Cam Thomas sidelined in Boston, that streak ended with a 121-107 loss before a sellout crowd at TD Garden. Here are three takeaways from Brooklyn’s decisive loss. Lonnie Walker continues […]

The Detroit Pistons have clearly shown improvement relative to their on-court product for the past three years, which is a testament to the continued development of youngsters Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson as well as the stable coaching ways of Monty Williams. But it hasn’t quite resulted in success in the win column […]

The Los Angeles Clippers have been preaching patience after losing their first two games following their bombshell trade for James Harden. But on Friday night, things went from bad to worse for the veteran Clippers team. Despite running out to an early 12-point lead, the Clippers, plagued by familiar offensive woes, simply could not buy […]

Tyrese Maxey has been sensational for the Philadelphia 76ers to start the 2023-24 season, so much so that Philly fans couldn’t help but mock James Harden and emphasize they aren’t missing him at all with the youngster having a breakout campaign. On Friday in the Sixers’ NBA In-Season Tournament showdown with the Detroit Pistons, Maxey […]

The first NBA In-Season Tournament game for the Philadelphia 76ers (7-1) matched them up with the Detroit Pistons (2-8) at Little Caesars Arena. In a showdown between the respective owners of the best and worst record in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers shook off a bad start and won 114-106. Let’s break down the Sixers’ […]

The Los Angeles Lakers begin In-Season Tournament play on Friday with a West Group A matchup vs. the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center. “Some of the courts looked a little funky,” said LeBron James, “but I think it’s great, in the sense of, for the league, to spice things up.” New In-Season Tournament, new […]

The Los Angeles Lakers face off against the Phoenix Suns in the NBA In-Season Tournament on Friday. However, the Lakers got some good news on the injury front with superstar Anthony Davis being upgraded to probable for the contest, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. “Lakers star Anthony Davis (hip/groin) has been upgraded to probable […]

The Dallas Mavericks will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday in the NBA In-Season Tournament. However, the Mavs won’t be playing on their special in-season tourney court. “The Mavericks will play tonight’s game on their core court due to a manufacturing issue with the team’s In-Season Tournament court,” an NBA spokesperson said, via Andrew […]

Before the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs face off tonight, big-man Rudy Gobert gave his insight into rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama. Both being from France, Gobert said to the media that watching him is like being a “proud dad” and acknowledges how impressive he’s been according to Jon Krawczynski, senior writer for The Atheltic […]

The San Antonio Spurs are set for their first NBA In-Season Tournament game. It should prove a tough match-up for Victor Wembanyama and company considering they’ve lost their last three. The Minnesota Timberwolves head into the Frost Bank Center Friday on a four-game win streak that’s included victories over the defending champion Denver Nuggets and […]

The NBA In-Season Tournament is here. The Philadelphia 76ers will make their tourney debut in the second slate of games as they strive for a new goal and look to build upon their impressive opening to the 2023-24 season. The league’s new tournament aims to break up the monotony of the regular season and give […]

The Houston Rockets have been a pleasant surprise to the 2023-24 NBA season. They are 4-3 to start the year. In comparison, they did not register their fourth win in the 2022-23 season until their 18th game of the year. The Rockets are set to take on the New Orleans Pelicans as their in-season tournament […]

Another season, another slow start for the Los Angeles Lakers. After getting blown out 128-94 by the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, the Lakers’ record through their first eight games sits at just 3-5, and their start to this campaign has been quite reminiscent of last season’s when they won just two of their first […]

The NBA is doing something it’s never done before with the inaugural in-season tournament. And while the new regular season format has provided plenty of excitement so far, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is a bit indifferent about it. Boston will have its first in-season tournament game at home on Friday, November 10th against the […]

Last week, we got our first look at the NBA In-Season Tournament. It was the first chance for fans to get a feel for what the pace of the games would look like, but more importantly, it was the first chance for the fans to see the new In-Season Tournament courts. The bright, bold courts […]

The NBA is trying to spice the regular season up with its inaugural In-Season Tournament, which tipped off last Friday with a highly competitive slate of matchups. And while the Boston Celtics haven’t started group play yet, the new tournament has already provided some entertaining games. This tournament format is unknown territory for the NBA. […]

As the NBA experiments with novel formats like the Play-In Tournament, this season introduces the inaugural In-Season Tournament. The Orlando Magic kicks things off Tuesday, November 14 against the Brooklyn Nets. Let’s delve into the tournament’s structure, the Magic’s schedule, and bold predictions for their final record. NBA In-Season Tournament Format The 2022-23 NBA In-Season […]

The Utah Jazz have been off to an inconsistent start to begin the 2023-24 campaign, a stark contrast to how they opened last season. Last year, many counted out the Jazz after trading away their established stars, but they began the season with a 10-3 record before falling off. This time, it appears as though […]

The Indiana Pacers have been looked at by plenty of analysts as a dark-horse playoff team in the congested Eastern Conference postseason picture, and it’s not hard to see why. After all, the Pacers were the fourth seed last year before Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury. But the early goings of the 2023-24 […]

The Detroit Pistons, in Year 5 of their rebuild, have looked like a much better team under the tutelage of veteran head coach Monty Williams. The underlying metrics may paint a picture of mediocrity for the Pistons, but that is already a marked improvement from their putrid play over the past few seasons. Now, there […]

The New York Knicks appeared well-positioned to continue their run as one of the Eastern Conference’s solid playoff teams entering the 2023-24 season. After all, they brought back most of the core of last season’s 47-win team while adding the ever-helpful combo guard Donte DiVincenzo in free agency. However, Julius Randle has been off to […]

There weren’t too many pundits that were optimistic about the Washington Wizards’ chances of remaining a bit competitive for the 2023-24 season. After all, the Wizards traded away Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, effectively downgrading two spots of their starting five, and then handing the keys to the franchise to Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma, […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have one of the been most impressive teams at the start of the 2023-24 season. Despite injuries to key guys like Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, Larry Nance Jr., and Jose Alvarado, numerous individuals have stepped up in their absence. The tremendous success has been led by Zion Williamson and CJ […]

The Dallas Mavericks (4-1) look much-improved in many areas from last season, but there are still kinks for this team to work out before they can reach their top form. Luka Doncic touched on some of the issues still holding the Mavs back, which were on display in their first NBA In-Season Tournament game versus […]

As the NBA In-season tournament kicked off last night, the Miami Heat started the inaugural event off with a bang as they beat the Washington Wizards in their first group play game, 121-114. It’s not a secret that people have questions about the tourney itself and the level of stakes it really provides for players […]

The NBA In-Season Tournament is going to be an acquired taste for many fans. The group-play format and ostentatious courts are not going to connect with everyone. The idea, though, is to create enough buzz and high-stakes action to draw more eyeballs to an early regular season game. It remains to be seen if the […]

Oklahoma City Thunder standout rookie Chet Holmgren had his welcome to the National Basketball Association moment on Friday night — a 141-139 loss to Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in each club’s first In-Season Tournament game. Despite the Thunder defeat, Holmgren explained how the thrilling contest felt like a full-circle moment for the […]

With Adam Silver at the helm, the NBA continues to implement innovative new additions to the best sports league in the world, with the latest example of that being the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, which kicked off on November 3rd. Similar to the league’s decision to draft teams for the NBA All-Star Game and the creation […]

The Milwaukee Bucks’ dream season hasn’t been completely sunshine and rainbows so far. After trading for Damian Lillard, everyone expected Milwaukee to run over the rest of the competition. Unfortunately, they’ve had some bad performances ugly losses to the Hawks and the Raptors, two teams that they are expected to beat on sheer talent alone. […]

The New York Knicks lost a nailbiter to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, getting to within one with under a minute and a half left but ultimately losing 110-105 in each team’s respective first NBA In-Season Tournament game. Julius Randle admitted he wasn’t at his best after the disappointing defeat. “I’m just not in […]

Michael Malone and the Denver Nuggets played their first In-Season Tournament game against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. The Mavs came into the game undefeated on the season, but the Nuggets handed them their first loss, with the final score settling in at 125-114. Nuggets’ star center Nikola Jokic was just one assist shy […]

The Golden State Warriors picked up a hard-fought win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to kick off their In-Season Tournament slate, as a last-second layup from Stephen Curry gave the Dubs a 141-139 victory. While Golden State got the result they wanted, Draymond Green believes that a simple move could have helped the Warriors make […]