Tag: NBA basketball

What I saw Lakers v Rockets: Trouble on the horizon in Lakerland??

Brandon King

Saturday night marked the Staples Center unveiling of this highly publicized and scrutinized version of the Los Angeles Lakers, starring LeBron James. It was an entertaining game but it will be most remembered for this little incident: https://youtu.be/8iA94g0A7lE   Now the fisticuffs themselves do not bother me; the typical NBA altercation these days is usually just some vociferous smack talk and maybe pushing and shoving (especially if there are people around to hold them back before anything could really happen). The main protagonists Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul, decided to…

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What I saw in the Lakers/Blazers game

Brandon King

The Lebron James era in Lakerland was officially rolled out in games that count last night against Portland. Though the Lakers came up short, losing 128-119, I saw a lot of positives ,and a few negatives ,out of this iteration of Los Angeles. The caveat to this analysis is that this is just after one game so the right activities can be stopped and the wrong ones can be perpetuated. Overall Effort and Intensity Though Luke Walton’s Lakers clubs have not been successful in terms of wins and losses, one…

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SST NBA Power rankings

Brandon King

10. Portland Trailblazers 2017-18 record:  49-33 2017-18  Season outcome: L 4-0 to Pelicans in 1st round of playoffs Key Losses: Ed Davis, Shabazz Napier, Pat Connaughton Key Acquisitions: Seth Curry, Nik Stauskas, Gary Trent Jr, Anfernee Simons Things broke exactly right for the Portland Trailblazers to ascend to the 3rd spot in the Western Conference last season.  Teams like the Jazz, Nuggets and Timberwolves left a path for Portland to step into a higher position than was expected. It also helped that the Blazers remained relatively healthy, as only the Oklahoma…

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Spurs’ starting point guard Derrick White tears plantar fascia

Brandon King

The injury bug is kicking the San Antonio Spurs, at least the point guards, right in the tushy. Sunday, starting lead guard Dejounte Murray was lost for the season with a torn ACL and now recently named starting point guard Derrick White has also went down with an injury. According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Expree-News, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich initially indicated Friday that White would be out six to eight weeks with a heel injury. However the team announced later than an MRI revealed a tearing of…

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Jimmy Butler shows up and shows out at Timberwolves practice

Brandon King

If nothing else, the protracted Jimmy Butler-Minnesota Timberwolves divorce has been a boon for team content. The smoke, the back and forth on social media has been tragically entertaining to watch what was potentially a team on the rise become a toxic dumpster fire. As a trade had not been reached as the season loomed, Jimmy Butler would be expected to report to the team and when he did, high-grade accelerant would be added to that fire. That fire was fueled Wednesday. Butler showed up unexpectedly to Timberwolves’ practice (he…

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Lonzo Ball to play Wednesday in Vegas

Brandon King

After dealing with a nagging knee injury that cost him 30 games of his rookie campaign , Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball had surgery in July to remove the torn meniscus in his left knee.  In his absence, offseason acquisition Rajon Rondo has been operating as the starting lead guard. Acccording to Mike Trudell of Spectrum, Lonzo Ball will make his preseason debut Wednesday when the Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors in their next preseason game. Lonzo Ball said he’s playing tomorrow. — Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter)…

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Spurs’ Murray tore his ACL, surgery forthcoming

Brandon King

The injury bug continues to bite the Spurs and the season has  it even begun yet. Now just two days after promising rookie Lonnie Walker IV tore his meniscus in the fourth quarter of the Spurs’ preseason game against the Pistons, point guard Dejounte Murray has suffered a tear of his right anterior cruciate ligament, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.    Torn right ACL for @DejounteMurray. — Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) October 8, 2018   The injury befell Murray happened during San Antonio’s preseason game against the Houston Rockets. Since…

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The When, Where and How You can see tonight’s Lakers and Clippers preseason game

Brandon King

Lebron James is the best player and the biggest mover of the needle in the NBA. When he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers it has thrust the team back into the spotlight. All of their preseason games have been televised ( when was the last time that happened?) and they have been analyzed ad nauseum. The Lakers and Clippers will face each other Saturday night in their next preseason game. Tonight’s game will take place not in the Staples Center but will be played in Anaheim, California. Here is…

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MRI for Draymond Green comes back clean, no timetable for his return

Brandon King

Golden State Warriors All-Star forward has been dealing with knee soreness over the past few days. The rash of recent injuries- to players like the Dallas Mavericks’ Harrison Barnes, who’s tweaked hamstring has him ” expected to be out ” a while and the Chicago Bulls’ Lauri Markkanen out six to eight weeks with an elbow strain and guard Zach LaVine suffering a thigh contusion- will likely lead the Warriors to be cautious with bringing their Swiss Army knife forward back. To bolster that point, the team does not have an…

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James Ennis still feels Rockets will defeat Warriors

Brandon King

James Ennis certainly appears to not lack for confidence. One of the recent additions to the Houston Rockets has no doubt that his team can defeat the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Here is what Ennis said to Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic: I have a chip on my shoulder. I have a lot to prove. So this year,coming in, I’m just really focused on just being the player I can be and being someone Coach can put in at anytime and help. [We have] a lot of power. A…

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