<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nuggets-Nikola-Jokic-MVP-NBA-MVP-Julius-Randle-Knicks-1.jpg"></figure><h1>The only way Julius Randle can steal MVP from Nikola Jokic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T07:28:31-07:00">April 22nd, 7:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T07:30:17-07:00">April 22nd, 7:30am</time><address><a>Johnny Recks</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Most signs point to Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic taking him the NBA MVP award this season. He is regarded as the favorite to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. You can just imagine the city of Denver descending into chaos if the Serbian doesn’t win it, especially if anyone not named Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid — regarded as the closest challenger to the Jokic — takes home the honor. But we have seen crazier things happen before in the NBA. Who’s to say that even someone like New York Knicks do-it-all forward Julius Randle <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-julius-randle-vocal-on-whats-behind-his-mvp-level-play/">doesn’t steal the MVP</a> from Jokic?</p><p>At this point of the season, Julius Randle has a microscopic chance of winning the NBA MVP. He doesn’t even half the <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&amp;sum=0&amp;player_id1=randlju01&amp;p1yrfrom=2021&amp;player_id2=jokicni01&amp;p2yrfrom=2021">win shares</a> of Jokic. Before the general public thinks of him as a frontrunner, he’ll have to prove he’s clearly better than the following names I am about to rattle out: the aforementioned Embiid, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, and even Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers.</p><p>All that being said, Julius Randle is technically still in the race, right? Sure, his name doesn’t even show up anymore in most sportsbooks’ odds to win the 2020-21 NBA MVP, but expect him to be back there should the Knicks go on a ridiculous run. By that, I mean the Knicks going nearly undefeated for the rest of the season. The Knickerbockers are currently on an eight-game undefeated streak. They are on pace to locking up a slot in the playoffs for the first time in eight years.</p><p>If they were to win out or go .800 or better until the end of the regular season, it’s not because they took advantage of a weak schedule. In fact, the Knicks have the <a href="http://www.tankathon.com/remaining_schedule_strength">sixth-hardest schedule</a> from this point forward in the NBA, with games against the likes of the Phoenix Suns (<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-york-knicks/schedule">twice</a>), Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics, and —  you guessed it — the Denver Nuggets.</p><p>Over that eight-game win streak, Julius Randle averaged<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/team/1610612752/players-advanced/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=8&amp;sort=DEF_RATING&amp;dir=-1"> 30.0 points</a> with a 42.1% shooting from behind the arc, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, while also recording a 107.9 defensive rating. Sustaining those kinds of numbers until the conclusion of the regular season is at the mercy of the Gods of regression, but if there’s one way for Randle to leapfrog the contenders and snatch the MVP award away from Jokic, he’s going to have to transform into a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/julius-randle/9a6b0863">statistical</a> demon while making sure the Knicks don’t lose games.</p><p>It’s unlikely, but don’t count Julius Randle just yet.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The only way Julius Randle can steal MVP from Nikola Jokic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Of-course-it-was-Russell-Westbrook-who-finally-got-the-better-of-Stephen-Curry-THumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Of course it was Russell Westbrook who got the better of Stephen Curry</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T07:18:37-07:00">April 22nd, 7:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T07:24:52-07:00">April 22nd, 7:24am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry entered Wednesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards playing historic basketball, and most fans expected a ton of fireworks involving Curry, Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal.</p><p>Instead, Curry fizzled out with one of his worst showings of the season, scoring just 18 points and going 2-of-14 from 3-point range to end his run of 11 straight games with at least 30 points. Naturally, it was Westbrook who embraced the challenge of <a href="https://www.nba.com/game/gsw-vs-was-0022000885/box-score#box-score" rel="noopener">taking point</a> on the Curry assignment as the Wizards pulled off a 118-114 comeback victory to make it six wins in a row.</p><p><a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/after-limiting-stephen-curry-russell-westbrook-says-respect-his-defense" rel="noopener">Via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington:</a></p><blockquote>“Steph’s been on a hot streak, he’s been playing really well and I took the challenge to start the game to make sure he didn’t continue his streak on us tonight,” Westbrook said.</blockquote><p>Russell Westbrook got plenty of help from a swarming Wizards defense that made life difficult on Curry, but it should be no surprise that he took it upon himself to be the leader in slowing down the two-time MVP by playing physical and using his athleticism to be a disruptive force.</p><p>Westbrook struggled offensively, but he racked up 20 rebounds (18 defensive) and three steals as part of his strong overall effort. Of course, he did notch a triple-double with 14 points and 10 assists.</p><p>Russell Westbrook’s defense has fallen off in recent years. He can be prone to lapses, gambling and ball-watching. Still, when he puts his mind to it and focuses in, he can be a terror on the defensive end. That was evident on Wednesday night against Curry, which showed that competitive fire and prideful nature of Westbrook:</p><blockquote>“You know what? Definitely. I feel like I’m a player that can do it all. Defend, score; whatever it is that needs to be done,” he said.“My job changes every night and I feel like I’m one of those players that if I need to defend at a high level, I can do that, too. If I need to score at a high level, I can do that. Pass, I can do that. Rebound, I can do that. You want me to coach? S—, I can do that, too. I just feel like I can do everything.”</blockquote><p>Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry have had plenty of battles over the years. While Curry and the Warriors have gotten the last laugh more often than not, Westbrook has had his share of moments and will never back down from the fight.</p><p>That fight has been evident in recent weeks as the Wizards get themselves back in the playoff picture. As it stands now, Washington is the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, which is that final play-in spot. If Westbrook and Co. continue to bring this mentality for the rest of the season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/streaking-wizards-can-throw-a-wrench-into-the-eastern-conference/" rel="noopener">they’ll have a chance to make some noise.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Of course it was Russell Westbrook who got the better of Stephen Curry

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><source type="image/webp"></source><img src="http://cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cavaliers-Collin-Sexton-Darius-Garland.jpeg"><figcaption>Cavaliers fans rejoice!</figcaption></figure><h1>Darius Garland, Collin Sexton embracing backcourt brotherhood in Cleveland</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T06:37:29-07:00">April 22nd, 6:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T06:37:29-07:00">April 22nd, 6:37am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cavs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Cavaliers might not be making the playoffs this year, but they have a bright future ahead of themselves due to their young backcourt. Darius Garland and Collin Sexton are proving they have the potential to become a dominant force in the NBA. They each bring something unique to the table, and the chemistry they’re building together is quickly rising.</p><p>The two shared complementary words about each other during their post-game interviews after defeating the Chicago Bulls 121-105, <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/04/collin-sexton-and-darius-garland-keep-showing-signs-they-can-be-effective-together.html">per Chris Fedor</a>. The duo showed out against Chicago and both seem genuinely excited to continue playing together. Garland breaks down how important Sexton is to the Cavaliers right now.</p><blockquote>“It’s really fun to play with Collin. That’s my guy. He’s grown into a brother just over two years,” Garland said. “It’s cool being out there with him and seeing all the stuff that he can do with the ball and even without the ball. He’s gonna go get it regardless. Anytime we need a bucket, we’re gonna go to him. Like I said, he’s gonna play hard for 48 minutes, he’s gonna do what he do. I’m just happy to share the floor with him and the rest of my teammates.”</blockquote><p>Garland sets it up, and Sexton throws it down. That’s something Cavaliers fans will likely be hearing for the next few years, at least. Sexton also provides a quick insight on playing with Garland, claiming they still have a lot to learn.</p><blockquote>“We’re pretty much just starting to settle in, relax and play free,” Sexton said. “Just have to continue to grow. We have a long ways to go, we’re not where we want to be and we know that.”</blockquote><p>As Darius Garland and Collin Sexton continue to develop in the NBA, they’re only going to improve their game. The Cavaliers have a solid young core that’s trending in the right direction. With the future looking bright for these two rising stars, Cleveland has set themselves up for future success.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Darius Garland, Collin Sexton embracing backcourt brotherhood in Cleveland

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Clippers-news-Yogi-Ferrell-reacts-to-debut-with-LA-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Yogi Ferrell speaks out after first game with Clippers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T06:25:28-07:00">April 22nd, 6:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T06:31:47-07:00">April 22nd, 6:31am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers earned themselves another hard-fought victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night thanks to the efforts of Luke Kennard, Marcus Morris, and newest signee Yogi Ferrell.</p><p>Kennard finished with a game-high 28 points for the Clippers on 10-of-16 shooting, including six 3-pointers on seven attempts. Morris pitched in another 25 points, while Ferrell scored eight points and dished out seven assists in the win.</p><p>With Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverley, Reggie Jackson, Rajon Rondo, and Serge Ibaka all out due to injury or rest purposes, LA outscored Memphis 64-43 in the second half, turning an 18-point first-half deficit into a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scores/nba/boxscore/memphis-grizzlies-la-clippers-4-21-2021/71554080-e795-4f7b-8402-79c2a8bc582a" rel="noopener">12-point win.</a></p><p>“It just comes down to heart,” head coach Ty Lue said after the game. “Want to compete for 48 minutes, no matter who we are playing, no matter who is playing, and we don’t want to make excuses. A lot of teams are down players, and they’re finding ways to keep playing and keep competing. That is what we want to do. Our guys have stepped up all year with all the injuries we have had. And it is just good to see. They are getting the experience they need going forward. Things like this happen, guys haven’t had a chance to play all season so they will be ready for the playoffs. Our coaching staff, just staying poised, our team staying together, not fragmenting, not going crazy in the huddles, and just staying together. Just trying to weather the storm and continuing to build good habits.”</p><p>In his first game with his new team since signing the 10-day contract, Ferrell came out and played 20 big minutes, including the final 14 minutes of the game. He tied with Terance Mann for a team-high seven assists while scoring timely baskets in the come-from-behind victory.</p><p>How was Ferrell able to make such a seamless transition into the lineup despite playing in his third game all year?</p><p>“A lot of guys have been getting me really acclimated just with the offense,” Ferrell said after his debut. “They’re in my ear basically every play telling me to go out there and lead the team, be positive. They know I’m a new guy so I gotta work my way in, and one thing I’m gonna do out there is go play hard for my guys and that’s all I try to do.”</p><p>The word that was repeatedly mentioned after the game was culture.</p><p>Over the last year, the Clippers have built a culture that exudes grittiness and resiliency on a nightly basis, but especially when the stars are out. Every couple weeks, this team gives its fans another memorable game despite dealing with a slew of injuries. Wednesday was no different.</p><p>“I think we’ve kind of built a culture over this year where everybody believes in each other,” Terance Mann <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1385108637895458817" rel="noopener">said after his 19-point, six rebound, seven-assist game.</a> “And new people coming in and out, whatever it is, when Malik Fitts was here, he knew we all believed in him and took confidence and hit that shot at the top of his key for his first few points. Yogi Ferrell coming in, DeMarcus Cousins making big-time plays with three charges, and so just everybody believes in each other and they feel that when they get here and it’s easy to play when all your teammates believe in you.”</p><p>“The culture of this team is great,” Yogi Ferrell added. “Everybody’s positive, nobody gets down. You know, they want you to shoot the shot if you’re open. They’re not pointing fingers. When we were down, nobody was pointing fingers. We just stayed in the fight, played defense, played together, and when you got all those things clicking, that’s how we can win.”</p><p>Despite having so many players in and out of the lineup, including both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers improved to an NBA-best 18-5 since the All-Star break. They have won 10 of their last 11 games and improved to 11-1 on the second night of a back-to-back set.</p><p>The Clippers have one remaining back-to-back set this season on May 13 and 14 to go along with a relatively lighter <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-clippers/schedule" rel="noopener">schedule</a> the rest of the way. Their toughest matchups include the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers, along with the Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets twice as well.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Yogi Ferrell speaks out after first game with Clippers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><source type="image/webp"></source><img src="https://cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cavs-Darius-Garland.jpg"></figure><h1>Darius Garland makes Cavs history with 3-point barrage vs. Bulls</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T06:18:06-07:00">April 22nd, 6:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T06:20:54-07:00">April 22nd, 6:20am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cavs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Cavaliers potentially played their best game of the season after destroying the Chicago Bulls 121-105 on Wednesday night. The game was never in question, as Cleveland took a commanding 34-12 lead in the first quarter. Chicago was never able to recover. During the game though, Cavs rising star Darius Garland made history with a flurry of 3-pointers he hit during the game.</p><p><a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/04/cleveland-cavaliers-get-greg-buckner-first-nba-head-coaching-win-in-jb-bickerstaffs-absence-avenge-loss-to-chicago-bulls-121-105.html">According to Chris Fedor</a>, “Darius Garland, Sexton’s budding backcourt mate, chipped in with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 4-of-4 from 3-point range. With his last triple — a gorgeous high-arching rainbow that forced Chicago head coach Billy Donovan to call timeout and empty his bench — Garland became the fastest in franchise history to make 200 3s.”</p><p>It’s no question that Garland <a href="https://cavsnation.com/darius-garland-is-the-kyrie-irving-replacement-the-cavs-needed/">will be a star in the NBA</a>. The Cavs should be excited about what this team will look like down the road, as he and Collin Sexton should give them a fighting chance the more they develop. After becoming the fastest in franchise history to make 200 three-pointers, Garland thanks his coaches and teammates for helping him accomplish this amazing feat.</p><blockquote>“My coaches, they’ve been on me a lot. Teammates telling me to shoot the ball when I’m open. And then just trusting my work,” Garland said. “I put in the work every day. It’s just a matter of me shooting the ball when I’m open. Having that confidence in myself that I can do it and make these shots.”</blockquote><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/schedule">2021 season</a> hasn’t gone in Cleveland’s favor, but this organization has the potential to become a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference as soon as next year. Garland will look to build upon his fabulous sophomore season on Friday night, as the Cavs play against the Charlotte Hornets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Darius Garland makes Cavs history with 3-point barrage vs. Bulls

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Sixers-Joel-Embiid.jpeg"><figcaption>Will Embiid suit up against Milwaukee?</figcaption></figure><h1>Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid reveals why he played hurt vs. Suns, teases status vs. Bucks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T06:14:53-07:00">April 22nd, 6:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T06:15:37-07:00">April 22nd, 6:15am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia 76ers currently reside in first place in the Eastern Conference. At just half a game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers are doing everything they can to secure the number one seed for the playoff race.</p><p>Joel Embiid has been a monster this season, to say the least. Currently, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/joel-embiid/bafc0a09/stats">he is averaging 30.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks on the year for the Sixers</a>. Embiid is making a case to be regarded as the best center in the NBA. Due to his injury history, however, Sixers fans wince anytime their superstar center plays through an injury. <a href="https://twitter.com/DerekBodnerNBA/status/1385057418661478413">According to Derek Bodner</a>, Embiid plans to push through the rest of the year to help Philadelphia clinch the one seed for the postseason.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Embiid says he plans on playing tomorrow in Milwaukee. </p><p>He then went on to say "Even tonight, I wasn't supposed to play" </p><p>"We got a bunch of guys out. It's my job, just go out and be a leader, just push every night. I can't rest, even if I'm hurt."</p><p>"That #1 seed is important."</p><p>— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DerekBodnerNBA/status/1385057418661478413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Toughness, grit, determination, leadership. Those are the four words that best describe Joel Embiid’s mentality during the final stretch of the season. However, the best-case scenario for the Sixers would be to pull away from the Nets and clinch first place in the Eastern Conference as soon as possible. Clinching the one seed is the goal, but potentially losing Embiid in the playoffs would be detrimental to this team’s chances of winning a championship.</p><p>Playing Embiid is similar to the double-edged sword analogy. On one hand, they need him if they plan on clinching the first seed in the playoffs, but on the other, they likely won’t finish in first place if they rest him. There is the risk for injury for every player, but it’s up in the air if Embiid can handle another serious grievance.</p><p>It’s likely in his best interest to sit out the Sixers’ next game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. Good luck telling Joel Embiid that.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid reveals why he played hurt vs. Suns, teases status vs. Bucks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nuggets-Austin-Rivers-Nikola-Jokic.jpeg"><figcaption>It's not too complicated for the Nuggets</figcaption></figure><h1>Austin Rivers hilariously reveals entire Denver playbook in 10 words</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T05:56:21-07:00">April 22nd, 5:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T05:56:21-07:00">April 22nd, 5:56am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets are one of the hottest teams in the league right now after securing their fourth straight win on Wednesday night. Even with the loss of Jamal Murray, the Nuggets are still finding ways to win.</p><p>Recently the Nuggets brought in Austin Rivers to play point guard as a way to fill in for Murray for the rest of the year. He made his debut appearance for Denver during Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, where he finished with five points and three rebounds.</p><p>During the post-game interview, Rivers was asked about learning and adjusting to the Nuggets’ playbook. He provided a short answer that summed it up perfectly, <a href="https://twitter.com/msinger/status/1385096676671574016">per Mike Singer</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Austin Rivers on learning the Nuggets’ offense: “It’s not too difficult. Most of them go through Jokic.”</p><p>— Mike Singer (@msinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/msinger/status/1385096676671574016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Nikola Jokic is easily one of the best centers in the league. The guy can do it all: shoot, rebound, play low, hit threes, and find the open teammate. His abilities make him a one-of-a-kind athlete that Denver utilizes to the fullest.</p><p>Rivers is catching onto Denver’s playbook rather quickly. He proved that in his debut game. When it doubt, give the ball to Jokic. A strategy that has been working for the Nuggets all year. For the Nuggets’ new point guard, he seems to be in a good spot to get his career back on track. After a rocky start to the season with the New York Knicks, Rivers believes he’s in a position to succeed in Denver.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Austin Rivers said he reflected a ton the last few weeks &amp; asked himself why he was even in the position he was in. He cited professionalism, positive energy, being good teammate. Rivers said his pitch to the Nuggets was “positive energy” all times. </p><p>He’s in a great head space.</p><p>— Mike Singer (@msinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/msinger/status/1385098001585037314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Denver Nuggets are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference and aim to close the gap on the Los Angeles Clippers before the end of the season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/denver-nuggets/schedule">They’ll have a chance to do just that on Friday night, as the Nuggets take on the Golden State Warriors</a> in a favorable matchup as they will try to make it five straight wins entering the stretch run of the regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Austin Rivers hilariously reveals entire Denver playbook in 10 words

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/76ers-vs.-Bucks-prediction-odds-pick-and-more.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA odds: 76ers vs. Bucks prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T05:39:55-07:00">April 22nd, 5:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T05:40:56-07:00">April 22nd, 5:40am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia 76ers will head to the Midwest to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. It’s time to continue our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2021-nba-championship-odds/" rel="noopener">NBA odds</a> series and make a 76ers-Bucks prediction and pick.</p><p>The first head-to-head matchup between these teams saw the Bucks pull off a thrilling 117-109 victory in overtime back in March. Both teams enter having lost each of their last two games coming in and will be looking to get back on track with just a few weeks left to play in the regular season.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/basketball/nba" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening 76ers-Bucks odds.</p><h2><b>NBA Odds: 76ers-Bucks Odds</b></h2><p>Philadelphia 76ers +5.5 (-105)</p><p>Milwaukee Bucks -5.5 (-115)</p><p>Over 226.5 Points (-110)</p><p>Under 226.5 Points (-110)</p><h2><b>Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Sixers are currently atop the Eastern Conference standings and will be looking to clinch the top spot in the coming weeks. Despite losing the last two games, Philadelphia has been playing great basketball of late, winning five of the last eight games. The Sixers lost a thriller on Wednesday night, which almost went to overtime as Joel Embiid rimmed out a full-court heave at the buzzer. Embiid may have missed the shot, but he had yet another incredible performance in the loss against the Suns.</p><p>The Sixers big man finished with a double-double, registering 38 points and 17 rebounds. He also added four assists, a steal, and a block in a monstrous all-around performance for his club. Embiid was joined by four other double-digit scorers in the loss as well. What was probably most impressive about the loss to the Suns was the fact that they stuck around throughout without three top contributors in Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Seth Curry. These three players are listed as day-to-day, and it’s currently unclear who’s going to play on Thursday.</p><h2><b>Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>Like the Sixers, the Bucks also fell to the Suns this week in an overtime thriller. Unlike the Sixers, Milwaukee was at full strength for matchup with the Western Conference juggernaut. The Bucks have been playing fairly well of late, but the issue for this squad has been the inconsistency of their key role players down the stretch. Milwaukee’s Big Three all had very productive nights against the Suns in the recent loss.</p><p>Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for his club with 33 points, eight boards, two assists, a steal, and a block. He was sidelined for the final minutes of overtime with leg cramps, which very well could’ve been the difference. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday scored 26 and 25 points, respectively. The main deficiency for Milwaukee was its 3-point shooting, which is typically lethal. The Bucks shot 32.4% from deep, but made up for the deficit in other areas of the game to remain competitive. Milwaukee will enjoy a nice advantage as it is 5-1 ATS in the last six home games against Philly.</p><h2><b>Final 76ers-Bucks Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>This crucial Eastern Conference matchup will ultimately come down to who’s healthier. With the clubs set to face each other twice over the next two days, it’ll be interesting to see how each head coach handles their squad. With Philadelphia hurting on the second night of a back-to-back, Milwaukee has the advantage. Even if Embiid plays like he says he will, he won’t be in the best shape and might not get much help. Giannis will certainly get up for this game, and The Greek Freak should be in line for a big night.</p><p>FINAL PICK: Milwaukee Bucks -5.5 (-115)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA odds: 76ers vs. Bucks prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Blazers-Damian-Lillard-Nikola-Jokic.jpeg"><figcaption>Will Portland turn things around?</figcaption></figure><h1>Damian Lillard blasts Trail Blazers for falling into the same traps</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T05:35:39-07:00">April 22nd, 5:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T05:35:39-07:00">April 22nd, 5:35am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the playoffs right around the corner, the Portland Trail Blazers have found themselves in a rut the last few games. They’re currently on a three-game losing streak after suffering a tough loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/portland-trail-blazers/schedule">They’ve lost five of their last six games, all of which have been by nine points or less.</a></p><p>Superstar guard Damian Lillard is growing frustrated and rightfully so, <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/trail-blazers/blazers-still-searching-sense-urgency-following-loss-nuggets">per NBC Sports</a>. The Trail Blazers are coming close in nearly every game they play in lately but can’t close them out for a win. Portland could just as easily be on a three-game winning streak if they could maintain the leads they generate. Instead, everything collapses and they find themselves with a loss.</p><blockquote>“We’ve got a bad habit of working hard and putting possessions together and putting stretches together and then we relax.”</blockquote><p>A bad habit this team needs to break soon if they intend on making a deep run in the playoffs. The Trail Blazers currently sit in sixth place in the Western Conference. However, they’re only half of a game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.</p><blockquote>“We build a 10-point lead or an eight-point lead and then we feel like we got room, and we just relax, and you can see it and you can feel it sometimes,” Lillard added.</blockquote><p>If Portland doesn’t correct this issue, they could find themselves participating in the play-in tournament this year. That is a situation this organization would like to avoid, as it could mean the Trail Blazers miss the playoffs for the first time in Damian Lillard’s career.</p><p>We’ll see if the Trail Blazers can break this bad stretch on Friday night, as they face off against the Memphis Grizzlies in an incredibly important matchup as everyone tries to stay in the top six of their respective conference to avoid the dreaded play-in tournament.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Damian Lillard blasts Trail Blazers for falling into the same traps

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}.webfeedsFeaturedVisual {	display: None !important;}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <div><img alt="" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Kyle-Kuzma-Tattoos-Lakers-Kyle-Kuzma-Tattoo.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p>Los Angeles Lakers talent Kyle Kuzma is a very visible NBA star off the court. Kuz often makes waves with his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-kyle-kuzma-goes-galaxy-brain-talking-covid-19-deaths/" target="_blank">social media posts</a> that update Laker Land on his daily life. His fans also stay up to date with the latest news on his dating life. The man’s got just as much game off the court as he does on it. In this specific post, we’re dedicating our time to Kyle Kuzma tattoos.</p><p>But Kyle Kuzma clearly has a more private side to him, and this comes out when looking through his tattoos. His ink serves as a reminder of the things he plays for; the different motivators off the court that he has for performing well on the court.</p><p>Kuz Kontrol gave an in-depth look at this tats <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MZQgWxm5WI" target="_blank">during a segment</a> with GQ Sports.</p><p>Here’s a closer look at each one of Kuzma’s main tattoos and the inspirations behind them.</p><h2><strong>Kyle Kuzma Tattoos</strong></h2><p><img alt="Lakers, Kyle Kuzma, Kyle Kuzma Tattoos" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1092895" height="563" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kyle-Kuzma-channels-inner-LeBron-James-in-posterizing-Bismack-Biyombo-1024x576.jpg" width="1000"></p><p>Kuzma shares that his favorite hoops idol as a kid was Philadelphia 76ers legend and cultural icon – Allen Iverson. The Answer made a major impact on sports, both on and off the court. His outspoken style and behavior and visible tattoos were a definite inspiration for a young Kuzma</p><p>Another inspiration for him was the Birdman – Chris Andersen. When it came to his art and showcasing his style, the Birdman was as loud as it gets. He would sport wild hairstyles and display a full sleeve of multi-colored tattoos that surely caught the attention of Kyle Kuzma growing up.</p><p><strong>Kyle First Tattoo Ever</strong></p><p>Kyle Kuzma’s very first tattoo is that of a Lion head on his left shoulder. Kuzma was born on July 24, 1995, which makes his zodiac sign appropriately a Leo. He got this tattoo when he was 18 years old, which sounds longer ago than on its own, but is actually just six years ago for the 24-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star.</p><p>The tattoo transitions from a lion around the front to a basketball closer to the back. It took three whole hours to get the entire piece done.</p><p><strong>Kyle Kuzma’s Hometown Tat</strong></p><p>A proud native of Flint, Michigan, Kyle Kuzma displays his home town in ink on his lower left arm.</p><p>Kuzma <a href="https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/06/05/kyle-kuzma-nba-draft-2017/" target="_blank">shares</a> that the place where he grew up influenced him a lot, and really helped him find his love for the sport of basketball. He found his safe space within the confines of a basketball court.</p><blockquote><p>“a really violent place [where] there’s a lot of temptation to get into the streets.'” However, Kuzma described basketball as his “‘safe haven”</p></blockquote><p>Despite being known now as an offensive talent, Kyle was much more of a defensive impact player for his local Bentley High School in Michigan. He averaged just 17.9 points per game, but also 3.4 blocks as a junior.</p><p><strong>Kuzma’s Ode to New Beginnings</strong></p><p>Kuzma has a few religious tattoos as well. The first he shares are the numerous tattoos of doves spread across different parts of his arm.</p><p>He shares that these doves are meant to symbolize new beginnings. They were the doves during the time of Noah’s ark. After the great flood, they had sent out the doves, who in turn found branches that signified the new beginning that the people would have.</p><p>This biblical scripture feels very relevant for Kyle Kuzma, who’s dealt with and overcome various hardships throughout his lifetime.</p><p><strong>Kyle Kuzma’s Favorite Bible Verse</strong></p><div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_825277" style="width: 667px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-825277" height="424" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Kuz-5.jpg" width="657"><p class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-825277">GQ Sports</p></div><p>Kyle also has a bible passage etched in the inner part of his left forearm. It comes from Proverbs 16 verse 20:</p><blockquote><p class="passage-display"><em><span class="passage-display-bcv">Proverbs 16:20-22</span> <span class="passage-display-version">Modern English Version (MEV)</span></em></p></blockquote><div class="poetry top-1"><blockquote><p class="line"><span class="text Prov-16-20" id="en-MEV-16861"><sup class="versenum">20 </sup>He who handles a matter wisely will find good,</span><br><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Prov-16-20">and whoever trusts in the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>, happy is he.</span></span></p></blockquote><p><strong>Eye and Cross Tattoo</strong></p><p>Right above the scripture tattoo, Kyle had done an eye with a cross intersecting it.</p><p>But for this one, he just felt like it looked good there.</p><p><strong>Kyle Kuzma’s Dedication to Nipsey </strong></p></div><p>Another meaning piece of work for Kyle Kuzma was this dedication to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle.</p><p>The tattoo shows a striped flag with letters marking it for <em>TMC</em>, which stands for one of Nipsey’s sayings – <em>The Marathon Continues. </em>Hussle tragically died in March of 2019, so Kuzma dedicated this space in his memory.</p><p>Kuzma believes that his life has really felt like a marathon with the different adversities that he’s faced. The saying is a reminder to just keep running towards the finish line.</p><p><strong>Kyle Kuzma’s Monopoly Ink</strong></p><p>Kuzma also has a tattoo of an angry <em>Rich Uncle Pennybags</em>, more commonly known as the monocle man from the board game monopoly.</p><p>Monopoly was apparent a favorite in their household growing up, and the Kuzma family would have games that stretched for up to seven hours as Kyle mentions.</p><h2><strong>Other Kyle Kuzma Tattoos</strong></h2><p><strong>Snake and Gorilla Tat</strong></p><div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_825287" style="width: 850px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-825287" height="635" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Kuz-9.jpg" width="840"><p class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-825287">GQ Sports</p></div><p><strong>Speak Less, Listen More Tattoo</strong></p><p><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-825288" height="531" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Kuz-10.jpg" width="701"></p><p><strong>Dedication to Grandparents</strong></p><p><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full_size wp-image-825289" height="609" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Kuz-11.jpg" width="912"></p><p><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full_size wp-image-825290" height="580" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Kuz-12.jpg" width="950"></p><p><strong>Space Jam Tattoo</strong></p><p><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full_size wp-image-825291" height="512" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Kuz-13.jpg" width="748"></p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kyle-kuzma-tattoos/" rel="nofollow">Kyle Kuzma Tattoos</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

Kyle Kuzma Tattoos

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Stephen-Curry-Draymond-Green-Warriors.jpg"></figure><h1>Draymond Green sounds off after Stephen Curry’s rough night</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T23:23:53-07:00">April 21st, 11:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T23:23:53-07:00">April 21st, 11:23pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors were sent crashing back to Earth after they hit a huge wall against the Washington Wizards. Curry and company brought their red-hot shooting to DC only to be extinguished by the stifling defense of the Wizards en route to a tough 118-114 loss.</p><p>The Warriors are now heading home after a five-game road trip which ended up being a huge disappointment according to Draymond Green (via <a href="https://twitter.com/Con_Chron/status/1385052430182731778?s=20">Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle</a>).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Draymond Green: "I think it could've easily been a 5-0 trip. Tonight, definitely, we lost a game we should've won."</p><p>— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) <a href="https://twitter.com/Con_Chron/status/1385052430182731778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Despite Curry’s almost immaculate shooting form this month, the Warriors were outgunned by the Wizards who have been on quite a run as of late. After putting himself in the record books game after game, Curry finally had an off-night and shot just 7-of-25 from the field, including 2-of-14 from the three-point area for a mediocre 18 points. Green, meanwhile, chipped in eight points, four rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.</p><p>For the past few seasons, the two-time MVP has been the ultimate barometer of the Warriors and his bad evening definitely impacted their four-point loss. It was only their second loss in seven outings though as they continue to climb back to postseason contention. But Green is not ready to relax yet.</p><blockquote>“I think we’re getting better, but part of our getting better and part of being a good team is you have to win the games you’re supposed to win. We’re still not doing that.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Draymond Green: "I think we're getting better, but part of getting better and part of being a good team is you have to win the games you're supposed to win. We're still not doing that."</p><p>— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) <a href="https://twitter.com/Con_Chron/status/1385053177565749251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>With just <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/golden-state-warriors/schedule">13 games to go</a>, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and the rest of the Warriors must lock in if they want to return to the NBA Playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Draymond Green sounds off after Stephen Curry’s rough night

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image_2021-04-22_135726.png"></figure><h1>Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. react to big man making Grizzlies season debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T23:04:02-07:00">April 21st, 11:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T23:04:02-07:00">April 21st, 11:04pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s been over a year since Jaren Jackson Jr. last played for the Memphis Grizzlies, but boy was he worth the wait. Ja Morant knows this and couldn’t be happier to have his partner-in-crime back on the floor.</p><p>The Grizz’s playoff push just got a much-needed boost, as Jackson returned to action on Wednesday in the team’s 117-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Although Memphis <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/memphis-grizzlies/records">failed to get the victory</a>, the 21-year-old big man had an impressive performance following an extremely lengthy lay-off after recovering from a torn meniscus.</p><p>After the match, Morant was still in high spirits and <a href="https://twitter.com/Meghan_Triplett/status/1385094829626040320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1385094829626040320%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1114201action%3Dedit">shared his delight</a> upon seeing Trip back to his old self, per Meghan Triplett of Grind City Media.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ja Morant said it was great to be back playing with Jaren Jackson Jr.  and that it was a good sign. Ja said everyone knows how excited he was with his posts and said his message to Jaren was to just go out and play his game.</p><p>— Meghan Triplett (@Meghan_Triplett) <a href="https://twitter.com/Meghan_Triplett/status/1385094829626040320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins understandably limited Jackson to just 18 minutes versus the Clippers. But he made every second count, producing 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field, along with eight rebounds and four rejections. His impact was felt right away on both ends of the floor. His ability to defend and stretch the floor is something Memphis has been missing the entire season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Final Numbers 📊</p><p>Ja: 22 points 6 reb 4 a <br>Trip: 15 points 8 reb 4 blocks<br>SLOMO: 12 points 3 reb 3 blocks <br>Bane: 10 points 2 reb <br>DB: 8 points <br>X: 8 points 12 reb 2 a 2 stl <br>BC: 6 points 4 reb <br>G3: 6 points <br>Melt: 5 points <br>Stones: 4 points 3 a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GrzNxtGen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#GrzNxtGen</a></p><p>— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) <a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/1385089036629409792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Jackson, for his part, said he was just happy to be back on the floor and grateful for his teammates for having his back throughout the entire grueling recovery process.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I am going to have their back. They are going to have my back always!"  </p><p>-Jaren Jackson Jr. on the support of his teammates</p><p>— Meghan Triplett (@Meghan_Triplett) <a href="https://twitter.com/Meghan_Triplett/status/1385096493321887745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The 6-foot-11 slotman certainly rewarded his team’s patience with the way he played in his first game back. Big things were expected out of the Michigan State alum after a breakout sophomore campaign last season. Jackson was developing into one of the most promising two-way bigs in the league, averaging 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 57 games before his season was cut short due to injury.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. react to big man making Grizzlies season debut

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}.webfeedsFeaturedVisual {	display: None !important;}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <div><img alt="Sixers, Joel Embiid, NBA" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Sixers-news-Joel-Embiid_s-secret-to-significant-improvement-as-a-perimeter-shooter-Thumbnail.jpg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p>Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers almost made one of the most unbelievable shots in NBA history. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sixers-news-sixers-center-joel-embiid-nearly-makes-80-foot-buzzer-beater-to-force-ot-vs-suns/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Almost</em></a>. The 27-year-old big man nearly knocked down a one-handed heave from 80-feet on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns to try and push their game to OT. Unfortunately, Embiid might need to form a separate list of incredible shots that almost counted which he and Jae Crowder (from his Boston Celtics <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm8CS9DVsUA" target="_blank">days</a>) of the Suns would be headlining.</p><p>For now, let’s focus on insane shots that did count. Here’s five of the longest shots made in NBA history.</p><h2><strong>5. Herb Williams (1986)</strong></h2><p>We had to scour the archive for this one but there weren’t a lot of Instagram accounts in the 80s, so we’ll have to use our imagination here. Before going around the league to play for different squads, Herb Williams had a colorful career with the Indiana Pacers.</p><p>On January 8, 1986, Williams shot himself to the league history books as he knocked down an insane shot from 81-feet against the Sacramento Kings. Embiid might want to take some notes from his fellow big man.</p><h2><strong>4. Vince Carter (2016)</strong></h2><p>Every NBA fan knows that Vince Carter has a million dunk highlights under his name, but only the real ones know that VC has a few long-range bombs that are worth mentioning. Aside from owning the world record for the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqxwUWw4ibE" target="_blank">longest shot</a> while sitting down (yup, you read that right), “Half Man Half Amazing” is also in the record books for the fourth-longest made shot in NBA history.</p><p>In 2016, Carter knocked down an unbelievable Hail Mary from way out (82 feet to be exact) to beat the third-quarter buzzer. All net.</p><p></p><h2><strong>3. LeBron James (2007)</strong></h2><p>Of course, The King makes this list. LeBron James has been dominating highlight reels ever since he entered the NBA, so it’s going to be rather unusual to not have him in a crazy list like this.</p><p>In 2007, while he was still playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the four-time MVP made an unthinkable 3-point bomb from the other side of the TD Garden in downtown Boston. James had one second left and made the most out of that single second to bury a triple from 83 feet.</p><p></p><h2><strong>2. Norm Van Lier (1977)</strong></h2><p>The late Norm Van Lier also makes it to this list. The three-time All-Star set the record back in 1977 when he was still playing for the Chicago Bulls. Van Lier was one heck of a lockdown defender and was a staple in the NBA All-Defensive Team in multiple seasons, but the Ohio native made sure to put up some memorable offensive highlights to etch his name in history.</p><p>Against the San Antonio Spurs, the point guard threw a lob from 84 feet out and found the bottom of the net to make Windy City history.</p><h2><strong>1. Baron Davis (2001)</strong></h2><p>Last but certainly not least, we have the one and only Baron Davis. Ever since he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as their third overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, we knew almost instantly that Davis will have an incredible career in the NBA. His flashy play coupled with his insane bucket-getting ability put him in the conversation of being one of the best court generals in the 2000s.</p><p>In 2001, Davis made NBA history and punched in an unimaginable one-handed shot from the parking lot of the Milwaukee Bucks stadium. With one second to go, Davis got the ball and launched a cannonball from 92-feet which didn’t even hit the rim. To this day, Davis’ breathtaking shot is still the longest made shot in NBA history.</p><p></p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/joel-embiid-and-5-longest-shots-made-in-nba-history/" rel="nofollow">Joel Embiid and the 5 longest shots made in NBA history</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

Joel Embiid and the 5 longest shots made in NBA history

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Buddy-Hield-Kings-Timberwolves.jpg"></figure><h1>Buddy Hield reacts on beating Timberwolves with cold-blooded dagger</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T22:49:57-07:00">April 21st, 10:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T22:49:57-07:00">April 21st, 10:49pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Buddy Hield must be the most hated man by Minnesota Timberwolves fans—all 40 of them—after he sank the go-ahead three-pointer on Wednesday, leading the Sacramento Kings to a come-from-behind win, 128-125.</p><p>Hield drained the dagger from deep with less than 10 seconds left to give the Kings a 126-125 advantage. The Timberwolves failed to score in the ensuing possession and the Kings closed it out to avenge their loss in the first night of their back-to-back matchup and gave some life to their flatlining play-in tournament hopes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">CHAVANO CALLED 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄!</p><p>🎥 | <a href="https://twitter.com/Lexus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Lexus</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExperienceAmazing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#ExperienceAmazing</a> <a href="https://t.co/oX5oDcNBVX" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/oX5oDcNBVX</a></p><p>— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1385090515171897346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>After the game, Hield talked about how important it is to close out games and welcomed the extra pressure of playing back-to-back outings (via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1385089757261144068%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">NBCS Kings</a>).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Buddy and the Kings came out hungry tonight 😤 <a href="https://t.co/5bQyz82WjE" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/5bQyz82WjE</a></p><p>— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSKings/status/1385089757261144068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The former University of Oklahoma standout scored 29 points against the Timberwolves, built on 7-of-11 marksmanship from long distance. He also added six rebounds and five assists, backstopping backcourt mate De’Aaron Fox who topscored with 30 markers on top of five boards and seven dimes.</p><p>This season has been a tough one for Hield. There are nights when he’s as hot as a scalding saucepan. Then there are games when he can’t seem to buy a bucket even when it’s on a Black Friday sale, making his NBA Fantasy owners madly contemplate the true meaning of life.</p><p>He had it going on Wednesday though, making up for his poor 11-point performance in their loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday. The Kings will have a four-day break before getting into another <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/schedule">tough back-to-back schedule</a> against the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks.</p><p>To summarize, Buddy Hield needs to stay hot.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Buddy Hield reacts on beating Timberwolves with cold-blooded dagger

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nikola-Vucevic_s-epic-106-game-streak-ends-with-Chicago-scuffling.jpg"></figure><h1>Nikola Vucevic’s epic 106-game streak ends with Bulls scuffling</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T22:35:00-07:00">April 21st, 10:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T22:36:13-07:00">April 21st, 10:36pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It has been a while since Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic scored below 10 points in an NBA game: 106 games to be exact. Unfortunately, that amazing streak came to an end on Wednesday in the Bulls’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scores/nba/boxscore/chicago-bulls-cleveland-cavaliers-4-22-2021/164ba8be-6222-48e8-83ed-51f85fa28e20" rel="noopener">121-105 loss</a> to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.</p><p>Bulls coordinator Jeff Mangurten confirmed this after Vooch only put up a meager nine points against the Cavs.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nikola Vucevic's career-long streak of 106 consecutive double figure scoring games has come to an end. </p><p>It was the fifth-longest active streak in the league.</p><p>— Jeff Mangurten (@JeffGurt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffGurt/status/1385038462114439169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It just wasn’t Nikola Vucevic’s night from the get-go against Cleveland, as he never really found his groove all game long. His nine-point outing is a result of poor 4-for-12 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from past the arc. The usually effective all-around player had a subpar night altogether, tallying just five boards, two assists and one steal in 25 minutes of action. To be fair, the Bulls center was matched up against Jarett Allen, one of the most promising defensive-minded centers in the league.</p><p>Still, the two-time All-Star was certainly not his usual self, which also played a big factor in the Bulls’ defeat. Since joining Chicago at the trade deadline, Vucevic has been tallying 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 14 games.</p><p>Vooch, alongside fellow All-Star Zach LaVine, is expected to be one of Chicago’s key pieces in their bid to return to the playoffs this year. The loss, however, dropped their record to 24-34 and now in 11th place in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/standings/" rel="noopener">Eastern Conference Standings</a>.</p><p>Vucevic is pretty much a walking bucket with his well-rounded game. He is a problem for opposing bigs on the low block, while his ability to space the floor makes him hard to contain. Still, everyone figures in an off night once in a while and looks like Vucevic will have to start his scoring streak once more in the coming games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Vucevic’s epic 106-game streak ends with Bulls scuffling

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image_2021-04-22_132231.png"></figure><h1>Karl-Anthony speaks cold hard truth after Timberwolves’ epic collapse vs. Kings</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T22:27:21-07:00">April 21st, 10:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T22:27:21-07:00">April 21st, 10:27pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ struggles in the 2020-2021 NBA season continue as they dropped another heartbreaking loss against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. It was the Wolves’ game to lose as they were up by double-digits early in the final quarter when the Kings turned on their jets and went on a late run to steal the W.</p><p>After the loss, KAT wasn’t throwing anyone else under the bus. Or better yet, he was throwing everyone under the bus – including himself.</p><blockquote>“I’m going to look at the man in the mirror first,” Towns said after the 128-125 loss (via <a href="https://twitter.com/JonKrawczynski/status/1385091278816391170">Jon Kwawczynski of The Athletic</a>). “I have to do a better job of getting us to understand consistency. We all gotta do a better job including myself.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">KAT: "I'm going to look at the man in the mirror first. I have to do a better job of getting us to understand consistency. … We all gotta do a better job including myself."</p><p>— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonKrawczynski/status/1385091278816391170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Ironically, the only consistent thing about the Wolves’ 2020-21 campaign has been their inconsistency. They’ve again found themselves in the bottom of the league as they currently carry the second-worst record in the NBA on their sleeves.</p><p>Minnesota has been on a tough journey this season with their stars <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/stats">not being able to get the rep</a>s in and really work on their chemistry. Towns has missed a total of 22 games this season after dealing with a wrist injury and going through a traumatic COVID-19 experience. His long-time buddy in D’Angelo Russell has also missed 30 games, while the addition of their lottery pick in Anthony Edwards has been a true roller coaster ride this season.</p><p>As Towns mentioned, it all starts and ends with him. He knows that he is the leader of this team and if he wants the Wolves to get in the win column, he has no choice but to step up to the challenge and put this team on his broad shoulders.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Karl-Anthony speaks cold hard truth after Timberwolves’ epic collapse vs. Kings

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DeMar-DeRozan-Spurs-1.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan’s strong statement on getting Spurs to playoffs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T22:23:44-07:00">April 21st, 10:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T22:25:00-07:00">April 21st, 10:25pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar DeRozan and the San Antonio Spurs were embarrassed at home by the visiting Miami Heat on Wednesday. The Spurs fell to a 107-87 blowout loss, their biggest home loss against the Heat in team history.</p><p>Not surprisingly, this got the highly competitive DeRozan a bit worried for his young squad with the NBA Playoffs approaching (via <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffGSpursZone/status/1385082449898741764">JeffGSpursZone of News 4 San Antonio</a>).</p><blockquote>“We have spurts where we show and compete with the best of the teams and we show why we’re a great team. For some reason every time we come home, we kind of struggle.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"We have spurts where we show and compete with the best of the teams and we show why we’re a great team. For some reason every time we come home we kind of struggle," – DeRozan following loss to Heat <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gospursgo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#gospursgo</a> <a href="https://t.co/ppVaoj2eOc" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/ppVaoj2eOc</a></p><p>— JeffGSpursZone (@JeffGSpursZone) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffGSpursZone/status/1385082449898741764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Spurs had no answer to Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler who led the way for the Heat. Adebayo had 23 points and five rebounds while Butler was his usual dominant self with 18 points, seven rebounds, and a game-high 11 assists. DeRozan and the rest of the Spurs, meanwhile, couldn’t get it going as only three of them scored in double-digits. DeRozan had a quiet 15 points while Derrick White and Dejounte Murray contributed 13 and 11 markers, respectively.</p><p>Despite the loss, the Spurs are still clinging on to the 10th spot in the Western Conference which gives them a ticket to the play-in tournament if the regular season ended now. And for DeRozan, all they need is a chance.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"As long as we have the opportunity to be able to get to the playoffs. That’s our goal and we have to fight for that goal and make it to the playoffs.” – DeRozan <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gospursgo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#gospursgo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nba?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#nba</a> <a href="https://t.co/Q8gdJfXrUg" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/Q8gdJfXrUg</a></p><p>— JeffGSpursZone (@JeffGSpursZone) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffGSpursZone/status/1385083554141515776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Spurs have a four-game cushion from the New Orleans Pelicans who are sitting at the 11th spot. DeMar DeRozan and company hope they’ve done enough to separate themselves from the rest of the pack as they continue to navigate the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/san-antonio-spurs/schedule">rollercoaster month of April</a>, having a 4-12 record.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan’s strong statement on getting Spurs to playoffs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image_2021-04-22_130046.png"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant is NOT the Nets’ Most Valuable Player</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T22:07:28-07:00">April 21st, 10:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T22:07:28-07:00">April 21st, 10:07pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>News flash, Kevin Durant isn’t the best player in the Brooklyn Nets right now. It’s James Harden. This isn’t a diss to the Slim Reaper. This is me simply saying that Harden is truly the Nets’ biggest asset this season. Don’t believe me? Here are some juicy numbers for you.</p><p>Since his controversial move from the Houston Rockets, Harden’s production has been stellar. The 31-year-old has moved from being one of the <a href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/2020/2/17/21140888/james-harden-houston-rockets-is-still-the-most-hated-player-in-the-nba">most polarizing figures</a> in the NBA in his last few months in H-Town to being the best player, not just for the Nets, but for the entire league. Yes, the Harden slander is still as loud as usual but slowly, the former MVP is silencing all the haters out there.</p><p>Harden has risen to become the league’s top-assist guy this season, neck-and-neck with former teammate Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards. He’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/brooklyn-nets/records">been averaging</a> 10.9 assists per game all season including 12 triple-doubles for Brooklyn in 34 games. With him leading the pack, the Nets have had a 27-5 record with Harden active and his dominance has helped the Nets stay in their hunt to be the top Eastern Conference team heading to the playoffs even with Durant and Kyrie Irving missing a ton of time.</p><p>Prior to forming Brooklyn’s Big Three with both Durant and Irving, there were a lot of questions on who will be handling the ball and how Harden’s style of play will fit the seemingly ball-heavy styles of his superstar teammates. But, apparently, Haden quickly adapted and became the Nets’ most important player in their roster even with a healthy Durant and Irving in the line-up. So far, these three have only suited up in seven games together this season with various injuries and health concerns hurdling them.</p><p>Unfortunately for the Nets, Harden has been dealing with his own injury concerns over these past few games. Harden has missed eight straight games for Brooklyn due to a hamstring injury and, unlike when they’ve missed Durant, the Nets have clearly struggled without their court general. The Nets are 4-4 in their last stretch with Harden watching from the sidelines.</p><p>To further belabor the point, Durant has missed a total of 34 games in his first season back since rupturing his Achilles back in June of 2019. The Nets have been extra cautious with the former MVP and have opted to sit him out and rest him from time to time. But, even though Durant has sat out more than half of his games for Brooklyn this season, the Nets have stayed afloat and are still just a half-game away from the Philadelphia 76ers.</p><p>Kevin Durant clearly makes the Nets a surefire favorite to win the title. But at this point, he seems more like an all-time great amplifier rather than the actual engine that runs the show. James Harden has undoubtedly been the team’s catalyst this season, Durant or no Durant.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant is NOT the Nets’ Most Valuable Player

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nuggets-news-Nikola-Jokic-turns-on-the-jets-for-rim-rocking-dunk.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic turns on the jets for rim-rocking dunk</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T21:33:54-07:00">April 21st, 9:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T21:33:54-07:00">April 21st, 9:33pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic won’t be winning any sprint contests anytime soon. However, The Joker looked uncharacteristically agile on one particular play against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Wednesday.</p><p>With under two minutes left before halftime, Jokic caught his defender Jusuf Nurkic napping at the top of the key and turned on the jets.</p><p>After <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1385066563250753536" rel="noopener">blowing by</a> the Bosnian Beast, the Serbian used a deceiving euro step to completely evade Robert Covington’s help defense. The MVP frontrunner put the cherry on the top of that highlight by finishing with a two-handed jam.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This could be our favorite JOKER JAM of the season <a href="https://t.co/iCLLC8bCUW" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/iCLLC8bCUW</a></p><p>— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1385066563250753536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Now that’s speed and athleticism in one play. Are we sure this is the same Nikola Jokic we’re seeing? The Nuggets star is supposed to be a slow, flat-footed big man, right?</p><p>Sure, Air Jokic won’t become a thing any time soon. His move might not be as graceful as when a guard does it, but Jokic certainly fooled the Blazers defense on this play.</p><p>With Jamal Murray set to miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL, Jokic has definitely shifted to an even higher gear this season. The 7-foot Nuggets center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/nikola-jokic/9a2908b3" rel="noopener">averaged</a> 26.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.4 steals in 57 games before facing the Blazers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic turns on the jets for rim-rocking dunk

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Luka-Doncic-Mavericks-Russell-Westbrook.jpg"></figure><h1>Luka Doncic has gone anti-Russell Westbrook over last 17 games</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T21:33:19-07:00">April 21st, 9:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T21:33:19-07:00">April 21st, 9:33pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s been a peculiar season for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Though they managed to pull off a much-needed win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, Doncic missed another triple-double by a single assist after tallying 30 points, 10 rebounds, and nine dimes.</p><p>If you ask him, his numbers don’t really matter at the end of it all as long as they got the W, but the sensation from Slovenia has been on a triple-double drought that’s worth going in on.</p><p>Doncic missed his 10th triple-double this season by a single assist, which forced <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1385067150738558976">StatMuse</a> to pull up some mildly interesting numbers on the Mavericks superstar.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mildly interesting stat:</p><p>Luka hasn’t recorded a triple-double in his last 17 games.</p><p>The last one he had was over a month ago.</p><p>He had 9 triple-doubles this season before this stretch. <a href="https://t.co/bE0FPvibSk" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/bE0FPvibSk</a></p><p>— StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1385067150738558976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>According to the numbers, Doncic is on a 17-game drought and has seemingly lost some pace after tallying nine triple-doubles earlier this season. Obviously, this isn’t a matter of concern for the Mavericks but it is worth noting that it’s been a full calendar month since Luka Magic put up magical numbers.</p><p>For the average player, this is totally normal. But for Doncic, who has spoiled us all with stellar numbers in his young NBA career, this is definitely unusual (via <a href="https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/1385064619576803328">Callie Caplan of Dallas News</a>).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Luka triple-double watch: 27 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists.</p><p>He hasn't notched one since March 15 against the Clippers, which feels reasonable by normal standards but like a drought by his.</p><p>— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) <a href="https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/1385064619576803328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>With the win over the Pistons, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks did end up breaking their four-game losing streak, helping them cling on to the seventh spot in the Western Conference. They have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/dallas-mavericks/schedule">15 games left</a> to try and climb up a spot or two to take out the burden of the play-in tournament, starting with a back-to-back homestand against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Luka Doncic has gone anti-Russell Westbrook over last 17 games

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Jaguars-will-be-making-a-huge-mistake-by-taking-Trevor-Lawrence-in-2021-NFL-Draft-THumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Jaguars will be making a huge mistake by taking Trevor Lawrence in 2021 NFL Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T14:22:41-07:00">April 21st, 2:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T14:22:41-07:00">April 21st, 2:22pm</time><address><a>David Bernal</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For the better part of the past year, the conventional <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2021-nfl-mock-draft-round-1/">wisdom</a> has held that former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence would not only be the top overall selection in the upcoming NFL Draft but is also a <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/back-2-campus/once-in-a-generation-is-trevor-lawrence-nfl-s-next-big-thing">generational</a> talent capable of singlehandedly changing the fortunes of whichever franchise lucky enough to select him. While Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars appear <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/with-urban-meyer-trevor-lawrence-and-a-new-look-jaguars-fans-are-sold-on-whats-going-on-in-jacksonville/">set</a> to follow the thinking of the masses and choose Lawrence with the first pick in the draft, the reality is that the QB prospect is less of a sure thing than his proponents would have you believe.</p><p>Specifically, Lawrence could struggle in a league where there is enough parity across the board that he cannot simply out-talent his way to victory.</p><p>During his tenure with the Tigers, Lawrence tended to rely on his brute arm strength and superior speed of his receivers to force the ball into tighter windows than he otherwise should have. Through a combination of sheer athletic talent on the side of the Clemson receiving corps and the strength of Lawrence’s right arm, the former National Championship MVP was picked off only 17 times over the course of his three-year career with the Tigers–good enough for a <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4360310/trevor-lawrence">minuscule</a> 1.4 interception rate. Emboldened by his continued success attacking secondaries down the field, Lawrence largely operated in the same way throughout his tenure, valuing quick releases and his throwing ability rather than trusting his offensive line to hold the pocket while he made more mature reads.</p><p>Even if his career numbers are positive–and to be clear, Lawrence’s raw production while in the NCAA is quite frankly staggering–the process by which they are accumulated often matter as much as the total themselves.</p><p>By all accounts, the quarterback possesses a high football IQ, able to break down film and identify trends and schemes as they develop, but his unwillingness, or inability, to deploy that knowledge during the heat and pace of games may turn out to matter more than his work in the leadup to Sundays. In a league where windows are tighter and top-level players are only marginally better than the average ones, a player’s success often depends on their ability to maximize the gifts they have rather than hoping their talent will do all the work.</p><p>For the past three years, Lawrence could rest knowing that he stood head and shoulders above whatever opponent the Tigers had that week. In the NFL, he will have no such luxury.</p><p>Trevor Lawrence may grow and find a way to maximize every opportunity a defense allows him, but we haven’t seen him do so yet.  It’s time to stop pretending he’s a finished product when in reality, he is a prospect that could very easily fail. Hopefully, the Jaguars have considered all of their options</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jaguars will be making a huge mistake by taking Trevor Lawrence in 2021 NFL Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-will-miss-first-game-of-the-season-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James responds to criticisms on now-deleted Ma’Khia Bryant tweet</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T16:39:03-07:00">April 21st, 4:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T17:06:28-07:00">April 21st, 5:06pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James practice what he preached and showed some accountability following the ramifications of his now-deleted tweet in response to the Ma’Khia Bryant shooting in Columbus, Ohio. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1385011051087810561" rel="noopener">admitted</a> that anger clouded his judgement at a time of turmoil and apologized for letting emotions getting the better of him.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ANGER does any of us any good and that includes myself! Gathering all the facts and educating does though! My anger still is here for what happened that lil girl. My sympathy for her family and may justice prevail! 🙏🏾✊🏾🤎👑</p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1385011051087810561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The four-time NBA champion received major flak when he posted a photo of the police officer who shot the 16-year-old African-American girl. Twitter users did not appreciate LeBron’s threatening caption “YOU’RE NEXT” alongside the hashtag #ACCOUNTABILITY. The King eventually deleted the tweet following the backlash, which also came after more details about the incident surfaced.</p><p>LeBron James, of course, is never one to just shut up and dribble when it comes to matters of social injustice. He also tweeted “Accountability” on Tuesday following Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict over the killing of George Floyd. LeBron probably got carried away after hearing another death of an African-American.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ACCOUNTABILITY</p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1384629525749788676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>After all, this one hits close to home for James, who was born and raised in Akron, which is not too far from Columbus.</p><p>But by doing so, he neglected to get his facts straight first and get the whole picture before his tweet. As it turns out, according to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lebron-james-responds-to-criticisms-on-now-deleted-makhia-bryant-tweet/" rel="noopener">reports</a>, the victim figured in an attempted stabbing of another civilian before the police officer resorted to shooting her.</p><p>More information are expected to be revealed as authorities conduct their investigation. For now, LeBron James is only hoping for true justice to prevail.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James responds to criticisms on now-deleted Ma’Khia Bryant tweet

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/LeBron-speaks-out-on-now-deleted-tweet-on-police-shooting-in-Columbus.jpeg"></figure><h1>LeBron James speaks out on now-deleted tweet on police shooting in Columbus</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T19:06:44-07:00">April 21st, 7:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T19:06:44-07:00">April 21st, 7:06pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After landing in hot waters over a classic tweet and delete gaffe on Wednesday, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James once again spoke about the shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio. It was another case of a police officer firing shots at an African-American civilian. This one happened near James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio, which further elicited a response from The King.</p><p>James <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1385013333007343619">doubled down on his earlier sentiments</a> demanding accountability, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the harrowing incident.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn’t about one officer.  it’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY</p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1385013333007343619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>LeBron James was criticized earlier for posting a photo of the law enforcement officer who shot and killed the 18-year-old Bryant. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/lebron-james/b1a9094f">four-time NBA MVP</a> wrote “YOU’RE NEXT”, a reference to the recent guilty verdict of policeman Derek Chauvin over the murder of George Floyd. However, it was later revealed that Bryant was about to stab another civilian and the officer had no choice but to fire at her. More details about the incident remain scarce at the moment, but it seems LeBron jumped the gun by coming to conclusions.</p><p>In a separate tweet, the Lakers megastar has since apologized for acting out of anger without knowing the full story first. While The King acknowledged his mistake, he stood by his demand for accountability and echoed the ongoing fight against racial injustice.</p><p>LeBron, of course, is a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. It seems he clearly did not intend to create hate with his initial tweet. But given his massive influence, a lot of people perceived it that way.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James speaks out on now-deleted tweet on police shooting in Columbus

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Eagles-Jalen-Hurts-Joe-Flacco-Nick-Sirianni.jpg"></figure><h1>Eagles make shocking Jalen Hurts decision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T09:31:11-07:00">April 21st, 9:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T09:31:42-07:00">April 21st, 9:31am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia Eagles are in a bit of turmoil at the moment. Since winning the Super Bowl back in 2018, the franchise has nearly dropped off the face of the earth. They’ve traded away Carson Wentz, making room for Jalen Hurts to grow and prosper.</p><p>However, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1384895336829923339">according to Adam Schefter</a>, Nick Sirianni is not willing to name Hurts as the starting quarterback as of yet. A decision that typically makes sense, as most clubs welcome competition to ensure they have the best players moving forward. For Hurts though, he was drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft, and it’s been speculated he’s the clear-cut starting quarterback moving forward.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eagles’ HC Nick Sirianni declined today to name Jalen Hurts his starting QB and instead said it will be an open competition.</p><p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1384895336829923339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It raises concern for Eagles fans, as Sirianni’s take has generated speculation that Philadelphia might select another quarterback early in the upcoming draft. despite signing Joe Flacco in the offseason as well. Luckily, not too long after this report, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1384898805045338115">Adam Schefter provided</a> some context to Sirianni’s words.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Clarification: Nick Sirianni said he won’t name a starter at any position because he’s only had two days of virtual meetings – and therefore he is looking at competition at every position. <a href="https://t.co/buVnU8pNIx" target="_blank">https://t.co/buVnU8pNIx</a></p><p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1384898805045338115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Now it all makes sense. Sirianni was named the head coach of the Eagles back in January. He hasn’t had much time to spend <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/roster">with anyone on the team</a>, especially with COVID-19 protocols still prevalent. According to Sirianni, there will be a position battle for each spot on the roster.</p><p>For a new head coach for a new team, this approach makes complete and total sense. Only being able to meet a handful of players on the roster through a virtual meeting just isn’t enough for a coach to evaluate his team.</p><p>With this recent news, it’s no wonder the Eagles have been trading back to acquire as much draft capital as possible for the future. Philadelphia is likely going to cast a wide net in the upcoming draft, as Sirianni will be searching for players to fit his scheme.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Eagles make shocking Jalen Hurts decision

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1c.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA odds: Suns vs. Sixers prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T12:29:42-07:00">April 21st, 12:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T12:30:28-07:00">April 21st, 12:30pm</time><address><a>Noam Bernstein</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns will face off against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday as they continue their Eastern Conference road trip. It’s time to continue our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2021-nba-championship-odds/" rel="noopener">NBA odds</a> series and make a Suns-Sixers prediction and pick.</p><p>The Suns hold a record of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/phoenix-suns/records" rel="noopener">41-16 overall</a> and 36-21 against the spread. Phoenix is coming off a hard-fought win over the Milwaukee Bucks.</p><p>The Sixers hold the best record in the East at <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/philadelphia-76ers/records" rel="noopener">39-18 overall</a> and 30-24-3 against the spread. Philadelphia is coming off a loss to the Golden State Warriors.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/basketball/nba" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the Suns-Sixers odds.</p><h2><b>NBA Odds: Suns-Sixers Odds</b></h2><p>Phoenix Suns -3.5 (-115)</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/philadelphia-76ers" rel="noopener">Philadelphia 76ers</a> +3.5 (-105)</p><p>Over 219.5 Points (-110)</p><p>Under 219.5 Points (-110)</p><h2><b>Why The Suns Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Suns hold the second-best spread record in the league and the second-best record in the West. They are adept at covering away from Phoenix, holding their own with a 16-9 ATS road record.</p><p>Monty Williams’ group could get some help from the injury report, as the Sixers have Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris and Seth Curry as questionable to play.</p><p>The Sixers played their last matchup against the Warriors without Simmons and Harris, and the result wasn’t pretty. They badly missed Simmons’ perimeter defense and Harris’ ability to spread the floor and get a bucket.</p><p>When Embiid was double-teamed, it seemed like Philly was helpless on the offensive end.</p><p>These problems will be made even more evident against a Suns team that has a much more balanced scoring attack than a one-man show of a Warriors team.</p><p>Phoenix is second in the league in field goal percentage and has multiple players who can drop 15-20 points with ease. Losing both Philly stars puts them in a serious hole.</p><p>On the defensive end, the Suns hold opponents to 108.2 points per game, which ranks fifth in the NBA. Their interior defense will be particularly important against Embiid, if he plays.</p><p>Deandre Ayton should be able to hold his own, and as long as he doesn’t allow an Embiid rampage, the Suns are in good shape.</p><h2><b>Why The Sixers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>While the Suns have a great spread record, they’ve been shaky of late, only going 5-5 ATS in their last 10 matchups.</p><p>The Sixers have had their own spread struggles of late, but they still hold the second-best home ATS record in the East, standing at 16-12 at the Wells Fargo Center.</p><p>The Sixers should be particularly motivated after a brutal loss to the Warriors as Stephen Curry made them a victim on his historic run.</p><p>Philadelphia hasn’t lost two straight home games all year, and MVP candidate Joel Embiid should be ready to ensure that it stays that way if he suits up.</p><p>Embiid has been on an absolute tear in his last five games, averaging 33.2 points and 11.4 rebounds on 49.0% shooting. He is a rare player who can lead his team to a win nearly single-handedly with his end-to-end play.</p><p>Sixers bettors need to bank that the injury report brings good news in a potential Finals preview.</p><h2><b>Final Suns-Sixers Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The injury report is much too scary to touch as a Sixers bettor at the moment. Joel Embiid and Seth Curry joining the injury report has the line moving in the Suns’ direction. You could wait a bit to get a better idea of who will play in this game, but as of now, Phoenix holds the advantage.</p><p><i><b>FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: PHX 113, PHI 107 (PHOENIX SUNS -3.5)</b></i></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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