NBA

Heat 102-91 Bulls: Butler, Strus combine for 62 points as Miami lock up No. 8 seed

Max Strus and Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat high five during the game against the Chicago Bulls during the 2023 Play-In Tournament on April 14, 2023...

Having both endured an inefficient night as Atlanta bested them on Tuesday, Jimmy Butler and Chicago’s own Max Strus combined for 61 points with clutch moments galore to help Miami overcome a six-point fourth quarter deficit against a reactive Bulls team, punching their postseason ticket. Top seed Milwaukee await them on Sunday night in Game 1, to finish a whirlwind week.
Continue reading “Heat 102-91 Bulls: Butler, Strus combine for 62 points as Miami lock up No. 8 seed”

NBA

Bucks lament voter fatigue in MVP race, after another big Giannis showing

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks stands on the sideline during the second half of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Fiserv Forum...

Two-time regular season MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo produced 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting, alongside 14 rebounds and six assists in a dominant display against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, taking them closer to securing the East’s #1 seed. Yet the franchise feel voter fatigue is stopping their star from getting the MVP recognition he deserves, yet again. Continue reading “Bucks lament voter fatigue in MVP race, after another big Giannis showing”

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

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

NBA Q&A: New storylines, burning questions and bold predictions made as 22-23 season tips off

Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece in action against Nikola Jokic of Serbia during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifier game between Serbia and...

If you’ve seen this Q&A style before, you know the drill. If not, where have you been? With a new NBA season already kicking off Tuesday night, I spoke to LA Clippers fan and NBA expert Jack Brown about many topics including: 2022-23 award predictions, more compelling offseason storylines, the newly-formed duos and why he fancies the bullish New Orleans Pelicans – armed with a motivated, injury-free Zion Williamson – as a serious dark horse out West this year. Continue reading “NBA Q&A: New storylines, burning questions and bold predictions made as 22-23 season tips off”

NBA

NBA injury update: Danilo Gallinari diagnosed with torn ACL, Lonzo Ball’s knee issues persist and more

Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls during the game against the Detroit Pistons at United Center on January 11, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER:...

With training camp ahead of the new campaign fast approaching, here’s a look at a few recent injury updates that are set to impact multiple title-contending teams across both conferences as they look for a formidable return to action this month – including Celtics’ offseason acquisition Danilo Gallinari and Lonzo Ball, whose knee issues after surgery in January remain. Continue reading “NBA injury update: Danilo Gallinari diagnosed with torn ACL, Lonzo Ball’s knee issues persist and more”

NBA

Conference Finals set after Celtics, Mavericks dominate their respective Game 7 duels

Grant Williams of the Boston Celtics reacts during the fourth quarter in Game Seven of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals against...

With their Game 1 clash vs. the Miami Heat set for tip-off in a few hours’ time, here’s a quick refresh: Boston Celtics, armed by a new career-high display from Grant Williams, overcame a 3-2 series deficit to knock out the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Hours later, Dallas did similar but in enemy territory, stunning the Phoenix Suns in a historic blowout win. Continue reading “Conference Finals set after Celtics, Mavericks dominate their respective Game 7 duels”

Archives

Relive the action: NBA Playoffs East Semi-finals – Bucks 110-107 Celtics, Game 5

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball against the Boston Celtics during Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference...

Continue reading “Relive the action: NBA Playoffs East Semi-finals – Bucks 110-107 Celtics, Game 5”

Archives

NBA Q&A: Big questions answered, predictions made as 21-22 season into business months

Nikola Jokic of Team LeBron and Joel Embiid of Team Durant talk during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 20, 2022...

A few weeks removed from the All-Star break and now into the home straight for another eventful NBA season, I spoke to LA Clippers fan and NBA expert Jack Brown earlier this month – discussing multiple topics including: under-the-radar players, intriguing offseason storylines, the MVP race as well as why he has a surprise team emerging from the West come playoff time. Continue reading “NBA Q&A: Big questions answered, predictions made as 21-22 season into business months”

Archives

Joel Embiid’s masterful Milwaukee night reinforces his MVP credentials, with Harden to come

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is defended by Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on February...

Leading the league in points per game and posting a monstrous 42-point double-double against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks overnight, Joel Embiid is a clear MVP favourite before this All-Star break. With James Harden still to integrate after last week’s big trade, how will the dynamics shift as the big man hopes to end years of playoff frustration? Continue reading “Joel Embiid’s masterful Milwaukee night reinforces his MVP credentials, with Harden to come”

Archives

Nets 109-121 Bucks: Giannis drops 31 in return as Brooklyn’s slow start proves costly

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on January 7, 2022 at Barclays Center in...

On his return from a non COVID-related illness, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo produced another matchwinning display – 31 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in 27 minutes – as the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks picked up where they left off on opening night with another double-digit road win against their fierce Eastern Conference rival Brooklyn Nets. Continue reading “Nets 109-121 Bucks: Giannis drops 31 in return as Brooklyn’s slow start proves costly”

Archives

Naive or not, Kevin Durant’s visualisations of Kyrie Irving are echoed by many

Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets high fives Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets during Round 2, Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on June 7, 2021 at...

Kyrie Irving’s public anti-vaccination stance has caused tension aplenty, especially as the New York laws require him to get a shot if he wants to participate in home practices or games this season. Kevin Durant admitted his visualisations of his All-Star teammate may be naive, but they represent a belief echoed by many with the new campaign less than two weeks away now.
Continue reading “Naive or not, Kevin Durant’s visualisations of Kyrie Irving are echoed by many”