NBA

Karl-Anthony Towns relishes big impact on his return as Timberwolves beat Hawks

Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 22, 2023 at Target Center in...

After a 52-game absence through injury, Minnesota Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns marked his return with a storybook ending: scoring 22 points, including the go-ahead free throws in the final seconds, helping them overwhelm the Atlanta Hawks with a 125-124 victory last night. Continue reading “Karl-Anthony Towns relishes big impact on his return as Timberwolves beat Hawks”

NBA

Stupid or smart? Confusing extension? Atlanta agree four-year, $68m Bogdanovic deal

Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Atlanta Hawks moves the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2023 at Capital One Arena in...

Fans and critics alike were surprised upon hearing the news of Atlanta’s latest move overnight, tying up sharpshooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic to a long-term $68m extension – ignoring injury concerns and much more, including their Kevin Huerter trade decision that hasn’t exactly aged well, eight months on. Continue reading “Stupid or smart? Confusing extension? Atlanta agree four-year, $68m Bogdanovic deal”

NBA

Nuggets 118-113 Raptors: Jokic jolt, Murray momentum see Denver earn comeback win

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is defended by O.G. Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors in a game at Ball Arena on March 6, 2023 in Denver, Colorado....

They were down eight against an imposing Raptors side for large stretches of an exciting fourth quarter, but Denver refused to decelerate in their attempts to secure a morale-boosting comeback win and did just that. When you have a two-time MVP in full flow, games are rarely over until the final buzzer sounds. Continue reading “Nuggets 118-113 Raptors: Jokic jolt, Murray momentum see Denver earn comeback win”

NBA

Mavericks 122-124 Pacers: Missed crunch-time shots prove costly as Haliburton ascends

Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers dunks the ball against Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks in the first half at American Airlines Center on...

Luka Doncic led all scorers with 39 points but in the battle of two All-Star birthday boys, Tyrese Haliburton had the last laugh. The 23-year-old reeled off an efficient 32-point display, complete with seven rebounds, six assists and a sneaky block on Kyrie Irving – who missed a go-ahead stepback three late, as the Mavs were resigned to an alarming fifth defeat in their last six games. Continue reading “Mavericks 122-124 Pacers: Missed crunch-time shots prove costly as Haliburton ascends”

NBA

NBA trade deadline day – a week on: A look at moves, winners and losers plus new season projections

New Nets players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson watch from the crowd after being traded for Kevin Durant during the game against the Chicago Bulls at...

February 9 is now in the rearview mirror, with All-Star weekend almost upon us. After the Kyrie Irving move to Dallas opened up a series of trades – both small and significant – I take a look at them in this piece, assessing where that leaves some ball clubs as well as specific players who’ll find themselves in differing situations over the coming months – like the pair above in Brooklyn. Continue reading “NBA trade deadline day – a week on: A look at moves, winners and losers plus new season projections”

NBA

Lakers 130-133 Thunder: OKC hold firm away as LeBron breaks Kareem’s 38-year scoring record

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after scoring to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, surpassing...

Lakers star forward LeBron James made history in the early hours on Wednesday, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38-year record as the league’s highest points scorer of all-time. A recurring foot issue saw him sidelined late on but didn’t dampen the mood on a celebratory night, despite what proved a narrow 133-130 home defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Continue reading “Lakers 130-133 Thunder: OKC hold firm away as LeBron breaks Kareem’s 38-year scoring record”

NBA

Worth the gamble? Dallas Mavericks’ trade for unsettled Irving raises big questions for both

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in action against Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on October 27, 2022 in New York City. The...

Overnight, news emerged that the Dallas Mavericks agreed a trade package to acquire wantaway star guard Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets, a few days after his trade request. Given their lofty ambitions to build a true championship contender around franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic, the effort is commendable but will this move age well in the long run? Continue reading “Worth the gamble? Dallas Mavericks’ trade for unsettled Irving raises big questions for both”

NBA

NBA: Clippers linked with VanVleet, Kings monitoring Thybulle, two teams want Olynyk reunion and more

Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket against the LA Clippers on December 27, 2022 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario,...

The February 9 trade deadline is just a week away, and Rui Hachimura’s surprise trade move to the LA Lakers last month – January 23 – hasn’t exactly caught fire as far as opening the floodgates for moves across the league. That much should change though before long, so here’s a round-up of the latest news and chatter, including the Clippers’ search for a guard. Continue reading “NBA: Clippers linked with VanVleet, Kings monitoring Thybulle, two teams want Olynyk reunion and more”

NBA

The Wembanyama tank race: What does the Jakob Poeltl contract situation say about San Antonio?

Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets goes up for a rebound against Jakob Poeltl of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter of the game at Barclays...

Jakob Poeltl. The 27-year-old Austrian big man is averaging 11.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game on 62.4 FG% for a rebuilding San Antonio Spurs ball club primed to battle other strugglers in hopes they get the number one draft pick this coming summer. Should they sell high while they have a chance before the deadline, or hold off with bigger plans in mind? 
Continue reading “The Wembanyama tank race: What does the Jakob Poeltl contract situation say about San Antonio?”

NBA

NBA news round-up: Anunoby, Bogdanovic, Crowder and more as trade season hots up

Bojan Bogdanovic of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket against Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center on...

It’s NBA trade season, so speculation is predictably in full flow as teams – whether championship contenders, pretenders or rebuilding teams – are all involved between now and the Feb. 9 deadline. Will any team satisfy Toronto’s big expectations in an OG Anunoby trade? What about Bojan Bogdanovic in Detroit, or the silence coming from the Suns about wantaway wing Jae Crowder? Read about all of that and more, with some free agent chatter to finish. Continue reading “NBA news round-up: Anunoby, Bogdanovic, Crowder and more as trade season hots up”

NBA

Nets 108-107 Hawks: Irving’s big fourth quarter sees Brooklyn snatch win, now on 10-game win streak

Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on December 28, 2022 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia....

Kyrie Irving recorded a 15-point fourth quarter, as the surging Brooklyn Nets produced a big defensive second-half to snatch a gritty away win over an Atlanta side without star guard Trae Young. However, they had a heart-in-mouth moment at the buzzer after his backcourt partner Dejounte Murray’s contested three attempt could’ve sealed an impressive comeback win. Continue reading “Nets 108-107 Hawks: Irving’s big fourth quarter sees Brooklyn snatch win, now on 10-game win streak”

NBA

NBA Q&A – Christmas special: A look at struggling teams, trade targets and stories to watch

Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls look on against the Boston Celtics during the second half at United Center on November 21, 2022 in...

More than a third of the way through the NBA regular season, title contenders and tanking teams have largely been identified. As for the cluster of teams flickering in the middle, the race to February’s All-Star break will decide where their future lies. I spoke to NBA expert Jack Brown for another Q&A, featuring Chicago’s issues, best Victor Wembanyama landing spots and more.
Continue reading “NBA Q&A – Christmas special: A look at struggling teams, trade targets and stories to watch”