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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”
Disaster has already struck for OKC after news today confirmed their no. 2 draft pick, Chet Holmgren, will miss his entire rookie season with a Linsfranc injury to his right foot suffered in last week’s CrawsOver Pro-Am event. OKC’s GM Sam Presti told reporters this unwelcome blow will not impact the team’s competitiveness this coming season. But how does he know?
Continue reading “Chet Holmgren injury: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti stresses team won’t tank after Lisfranc diagnosis”
After countless reports suggested Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr would be this summer’s top draft pick, the Orlando Magic presented the first in a night of surprises and trade moves aplenty by selecting Duke’s Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick – adding another talented youngster to an ever-growing core of players hopeful they’ll be nowhere near the lottery in the near future. Continue reading “NBA Draft: Orlando take Paolo Banchero with No. 1 pick, Holmgren to OKC and Smith Houston-bound”
On another evening decided by slim margins, reigning MVP Nikola Jokic produced a masterful showing and played through an intricate eye injury late on to help a depleted Denver overcome the tenacious Thunder without their two best players. With seven regular season games left, it makes you wonder: how will they manage in the playoffs? Continue reading “Jokic again justifies the MVP chants with 35-point winning performance vs. Thunder”
Tyrese Haliburton has now recorded six games with 20+ points this season — five have come since December 17, with franchise guard De’Aaron Fox missing four outings during that stretch after entering the league’s health and safety protocols. Given the startling statistics with and without his backcourt partner, do Sacramento have a potential long-term issue on their hands? Continue reading “Tyrese Haliburton’s recent surge shows Sacramento have long-term puzzle to consider”
Memphis Grizzlies’ franchise star Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence on Monday, but the 22-year-old point guard was hurt by heckling home fans courtside who suggested he “sit back out,” en route to their 102-99 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder – amidst a deep dive into whether they’re actually a more efficient unit without his ball-dominant tendencies. Continue reading “Ja Morant is right to feel hurt, but Memphis must show their star some love”
After agreeing to a buyout on Friday from the Cleveland Cavaliers, two-time All-Star center Andre Drummond has joined the Los Angeles Lakers for their postseason push – despite a competitive race for his services with the Boston Celtics and LA Clippers among four other teams to meet with the 27-year-old this past weekend before his final decision was made.
Continue reading “Back to work: Lakers win Andre Drummond race after he agrees buyout”
Read on for two NBA match previews as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (12-18) host a determined Miami Heat (13-17) side, while reigning West Player of the Week Damian Lillard looks to propel an undermanned Portland Trail Blazers (18-11) to a big road win vs. Phoenix Suns (19-10), with both vying for fourth place out West. Who will prevail? Continue reading “NBA Previews: OKC Thunder vs Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns host Trail Blazers”
After a whirlwind month which saw his mentor Chris Paul depart for Phoenix, a new head coach appointed, multiple teammates leaving in trades or free agency, it’s become increasingly clear that the Oklahoma City Thunder are both prepared and willing to build their team around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander going forward – a belief echoed by GM Sam Presti earlier this weekend. Continue reading “Oklahoma City Thunder rightly building around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander”
On an eventful night as far as NBA transactions go, there was significant movement across the league – namely with the Milwaukee Bucks going all in to secure more firepower with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo still considering whether he’ll sign their super-max offer. Chris Paul has a new home in Phoenix, while Trevor Ariza returns to Houston and more besides. Continue reading “NBA’s Manic Monday: Chris Paul to the Suns, Holiday-Bogdanovic join Giannis and more”
As reported by The Athletic and ESPN, Houston Rockets All-Star guard Russell Westbrook has expressed his desire to leave – less than 18 months after joining in a blockbuster trade from Oklahoma City. After taking a moment to absorb the news, you’ll quickly begin to understand that this latest development isn’t really a surprise at all. Why though and how did we get here? Continue reading “Russell Westbrook’s trade request and tensions in Houston is no surprise”
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According to ESPN reports, the Phoenix Suns have had ongoing discussions about acquiring All-Star point guard Chris Paul from their Western Conference rivals Oklahoma City Thunder – the 35-year-old has two years and is owed $85.5m on his existing four-year contract, which was among the main reasons why he remained in Oklahoma after last summer’s blockbuster trade. Continue reading “Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder discussing potential Chris Paul trade”
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