<!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="Nets, Kevin Durant, Kevin Durant's greates games of all time" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Kevin-Durant-Kevin-Durants-greates-games-of-all-time-.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p>It’s no doubt that Kevin Durant is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Many regard him as the best pure scorer in NBA history, as he has the ability to score from anywhere on the court. His height and length make him impossible to defend, as he’s nearly seven feet tall and moves fluidly like a guard.</p><p>Since injuring his achillies in the 2019 playoffs, there was some worry that Durant would never be the same. After sitting out the 2019-20 season, Durant came back and now plays for the Brooklyn Nets. This season, the Nets superstar small forward played just 35 games, but he’s played at the same level he always has, averaging 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on the year.</p><p>It’s safe to say that Kevin Durant isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as he’s still capable of putting up monster performances like he did on Tuesday night. He has a plethora of fantastic performances throughout his career, however, here are the top three greatest games of his career.</p><p><strong>3- 2014 regular season performance against the Golden State Warriors</strong></p><p>During Kevin Durant’s lone MVP season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he put up numerous games that could be deserving of being considered a top performance. However, he had one game that stood out amongst the rest. Teammate Russell Westbrook was sidelined with an injury during this matchup, leaving Durant alone with the scoring duties. He didn’t leave Thunder fans disappointed, as Durant finished the game with 54 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.</p><p>This game was Kevin Durant’s career-high in points, as it still holds to this day. His career-high game has to be on this list, as Durant has not surpassed 54 points. What was more impressive in this game is that Stephen Curry was actually outscoring Durant through the first half, but Durant went off in the third and fourth quarters.</p><p><strong>2- 2019 playoff performance against the Los Angeles Clippers</strong></p><p>Kevin Durant was playing on another level before suffering his achillies injury. During the Warriors’ 2019 playoff run, it was looking like they were well on their way to winning another title. Especially after Kevin Durant outplayed the Los Angeles Clippers himself in a heated playoff matchup. Durant gave the Warriors an edge after recording 50 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.</p><p>Not only did Durant stuff the stat sheet, but he was also incredibly efficient in this game. He shot 15/26 from the field and hit all four of his three-point attempts. The Clippers had no answers for the Warriors and Kevin Durant. Had he stayed healthy, the Warriors could have beaten the Toronto Raptors to earn their third consecutive NBA title in a row.</p><p><strong>1- Game 5 against the Bucks in the 2021 NBA Playoffs</strong></p><p>On Tuesday night, Kevin Durant gave the Brooklyn Nets <a href="https://fanatics.ncw6.net/YrDmj" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the boost they needed to take</a> a 3-2 lead in the series against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks were up by 16 points at half time and everything seemed to be going Milwaukee’s way. However, Kevin Durant had different plans. After playing every single minute in the game, the Nets’ star forward ended up with a triple-double, consisting of 49 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists.</p><p>Durant put the team on his back and carried them to the win. It was odd to see James Harden struggle in this one, as he finished with just 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Apparently, his help wasn’t necessarily needed, as Durant did the work himself to stun Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. We’ll see what Durant can do in Game 6, which takes place on Thursday night.</p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kevin-durant-ranking-stars-greatest-games-of-all-time/" rel="nofollow">Ranking Greatest Kevin Durant Games Of All Time</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

Ranking Greatest Kevin Durant Games Of All Time

<!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/2021/06/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-makes-final-decision-on-tokyo-olympics_copy.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets star Nikola Jokic makes final decision on Tokyo Olympics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T07:07:31-07:00">June 16th, 7:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T07:08:39-07:00">June 16th, 7:08am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1405158673245216769" rel="noopener">announced Wednesday</a> he will not be playing for his native Serbia in Olympic qualifying and will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics if the national team does in fact qualify.</p><p>This isn’t much of a surprise given Jokic’s workload the past two seasons. Jokic led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in the bubble, with Denver coming back from consecutive 3-1 deficits before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>After a short offseason, Jokic then played all 72 regular-season games in 2020-21, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-named-2020-2021-nba-mvp/" rel="noopener">winning MVP in the process.</a> He played 10 more games in the playoffs as the Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1 before falling to the Phoenix Suns in a sweep in the Western Conference Semifinals. With Jamal Murray tearing his ACL in mid-April, Joker had to carry an even heavier load.</p><p>Nikola Jokic has earned this time off and will look to get some rest before returning to defend his MVP crown in the 2021-22 season. It’s unclear if Murray will be ready to go by the start of next season since it’s beginning in mid-October (good chance he won’t be), so Jokic will have to be at the top of his game again to lead Denver.</p><p>Jokic isn’t the only NBA star skipping out on the Olympics this season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis won’t be participating, and others are likely to pass as well. Damian Lillard and Draymond Green <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-damian-lillard-draymond-green-commit-to-team-usa-for-tokyo-olympics/" rel="noopener">have committed</a> to play for Team USA in Tokyo.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic makes final decision on Tokyo Olympics

<!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/2021/06/image_2021-06-16_215133.png"></figure><h1>Aaron Rodgers to Broncos trade speculation draws honest response from Drew Lock</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T06:57:56-07:00">June 16th, 6:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T06:57:56-07:00">June 16th, 6:57am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Broncos were one of the teams most heavily linked to Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers as trade speculation swirled surrounding the quarterback.</p><p>But with Rodgers staying put, at least for the time being, the Broncos look to be running things back with incumbent QB Drew Lock. The third year signal-caller <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/1404962407965884420">spoke out</a> on all the noise surrounding his squad potentially gunning for his replacement.</p><p>Via Broncos beat reporter Mike Klis:</p><blockquote>“It came with the lack of wins last year. If we won 10 games, no one would be talking about it,” said the Broncos QB. “But due to play from last yr, to stop those conversations from happening again, I need to play better this year and that’s where my energy was and that’s where all my focus was and that’s quite honestly why I didn’t think about it is because all my energy and all my time was focused elsewhere this offseason, and that was getting this team better.”</blockquote><p>The Broncos were indeed a pretty destitute team last season, finishing 4th in the AFC West with a 5-11 record. Lock himself was far from stellar with a 4-9 record of his own, going for 2933 yards with a 57.3% completion rate in 13 games. He threw a total of 16 touchdowns, just slightly above one per contest.</p><p>Lock hasn’t bee abominable, but he certainly hasn’t been a shining beacon of hope for the Broncos. Unless he takes a massive leap in the coming year, the rumors <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/packers-rumors-aaron-rodgers-trade-to-broncos-starting-to-make-sense-for-some-inside-green-bay-organization/">aren’t bound to stop just yet.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Aaron Rodgers to Broncos trade speculation draws honest response from Drew Lock

<!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="Lakers, Anthony Davis Trade, Lakers Trades" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="675" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/lakers-trades-pau-gasol-kareem-abdul-jabbar-wilt-chamberlain-kobe-bryant-magic-johnson.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p>Two years ago yesterday, the Los Angeles Lakers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-complete-timeline-of-the-anthony-davis-trade/" target="_blank">completed the trade</a> that delivered Anthony Davis, and, soon after, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/a-timeline-of-what-happened-after-the-lakers-won-the-2020-nba-championship-in-orlando-bubble/#:~:text=SPORTS%20STORIES-,A%20timeline%20of%20what%20happened%20after%20the%20Lakers%20won,NBA%20Championship%20in%20Orlando%20Bubble&amp;text=Though%20the%20circumstances%20were%20irregular,victory%20over%20the%20Miami%20Heat." target="_blank">an NBA championship</a>.</p><p>The return was bountiful, but the Lakers paid a steep price for Davis: two recent No. 2 overall picks (Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram), another quality young player (Josh Hart), and three future first-rounders.</p><p>Ball and Ingram, in particular — like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/leftover-lakers-how-las-2014-17-nba-draft-picks-are-thriving-elsewhere/" target="_blank">many other ex-Lakers of that era</a> — leveled up with their next team. Both 23, Ball, is set to get upwards of $20 million annually in free agency, while Ingram earned an All-Star nod and was named Most Improved Player of the Year in 2019-20.</p><p>Plus, if the Lakers are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-10-things-you-should-wonder-about-the-offseason/" target="_blank">unable to retain</a> Talen Horton-Tucker and/or Alex Caruso, they’ll be looking at a roster bereft of under-25 rotation pieces with a near-empty cabinet of picks.</p><p>That said, the AD blockbuster has to be considered a smashing success for the Lakers. Yes, his tendency for bumps and bruises, exemplified by his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-2-biggest-problems-all-season-are-costing-them-vs-suns/" target="_blank">relative inability</a> to handle the condensed calendar of 2020-21, is a concern. And, as triumphant as the bubble ‘chip was, his second campaign in Los Angeles was equally underwhelming.</p><p>On the other hand, Davis played 83 of 93 possible games (including playoffs) in 2019-20. A <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-unveil-17th-banner-to-celebrate-2020-nba-championship/" target="_blank">17th banner</a> is priceless and everlasting, and the Lakers now have a foundational star to build upon as Father Time belatedly approaches LeBron James.</p><p>So, two years in, where does GM Rob Pelinka’s biggest move rank amongst the greatest trades in the storied history of the Los Angeles Lakers, and, specifically, their storied history of trading for stars?</p><p>Lakers fans (and only Lakers fans) fondly remember the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-stephen-a-smith-recalls-epic-kwame-brown-rant-13th-anniversary-trade/" target="_blank">stunning Pau Gasol coup</a> before the 2007-08 trade deadline — the finest moment for ex-GM Mitch Kupchak. At the <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2757808-ten-years-after-pau-gasol-trade-to-lakers-changed-nba-deal-makes-sense-now" target="_blank">behest</a> of small-market execs, coaches, and fans, the Memphis Grizzlies dealt the (<a href="https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/columnists/mark-giannotto/2021/01/26/kobe-bryant-death-memphis-grizzlies-legacy-pau-gasol-trade-los-angeles-lakers/4203937001/" target="_blank">disgruntled</a>) star and a second-rounder to Los Angeles, in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, the contract of semi-retired Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Pau’s younger brother, Marc Gasol (a hit), and two first-rounders.</p><p>Pau developed a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-kobe-bryant-two-sides-as-a-teammate-per-pau-gasol/" target="_blank">deep bond</a> with Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers reached three straight Finals, winning twice, in Gasol’s first three springs in town.</p><p></p><p>In 1968, a 32-year old Wilt Chamberlain was ready to pull a Fresh Prince and head from Philadelphia to sunny California and spend his free time <a href="https://www.insidehook.com/article/sports/remembering-wilt-chamberlain-pro-volleyball-career" target="_blank">running the Muscle Beach volleyball scene</a>. The Lakers were able to snag Wilt for a laughable package comprised of Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark, and Darrall Imhoff (apologies to those men).</p><p>How? Decades before AD (via Rich Paul) would publicly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/sports/anthony-davis-fine-trade.html" target="_blank">indicate his intention</a> to play in L.A., Wilt went full Player Empowerment and leaked his desire to form a superteam with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.</p><blockquote><p>“I’d pretty much decided I’d like to play for the Lakers the next season,” he said in the Spring of ’68, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/7/9/17547692/wilt-chamberlain-lakers-trade-50-year-anniversary-lebron-james" target="_blank">per The Ringer</a>.</p></blockquote><p>Wilt averaged 17.7 points and 19.2 rebounds in six seasons with the Lakers (1968-73) and led the team to four Finals. In 1972, he was named Finals MVP as the Lakers capped one of the <a href="https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/7172lakers" target="_blank">greatest seasons of all time</a>.</p><p></p><p>By 1974, Wilt, West, and Elgin had retired. Conveniently, though, another iconic center jonesed for a change of scenery.</p><p>At 27, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar already owned a ring (1971) and two MVPs and made the ’74 Finals. That fall, the former UCLA star (neé Lew Alcindor for the Bruins) <a href="https://tsa.substack.com/p/when-kareem-wanted-out-a42" target="_blank">demanded a trade from the Milwaukee Buks to a coastal city</a>, which crushed the Bucks’ leverage. Eight months later — precisely 46 years ago, on June 16 — Kareem and Walt Wesley were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/17/archives/abduljabbar-traded-by-bucks-for-four-lakers-jabbar-traded-to-lakers.html" target="_blank">shipped to L.A.</a> for Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith, and Brian Winters.</p><p>Abdul-Jabbar won five titles and four MVPs across 14 seasons in Los Angeles.</p><p>Overall, the Lakers have an unparalleled, though <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--lakers--magic-in-blockbuster-four-team-trade-talks-to-send-dwight-howard-to-l-a-.html" target="_blank">not unblemished</a>, track record of acquiring established star bigs in trades. In each case, the organization undeniably benefited from glamour and location.</p><p>In terms of wings, the Lakers have relied on a combination of savviness and good fortune.</p><p>At the 1996 NBA Draft, West, as general manager, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-vlade-divac-admits-he-would-have-traded-himself-for-kobe-bryant-too/" target="_blank">traded</a> seasoned center Vlade Divac for 17-year old Kobe Bryant, who was selected No. 13 overall by the Charlotte Hornets. Divac is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-vlade-divac-talks-about-love-in-hall-of-fame-induction-speech/" target="_blank">in Springfield</a> for the breadth of his international hoops career, but the Lakers <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kobe-bryant-death-hornets-gm-says-trade-that-sent-nba-legend-to-lakers-in-1996-draft-almost-never-happened/" target="_blank">accurately pinpointed</a> Bryant’s talent and drive. (Again, it greatly helped that Kobe’s agent <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2020/02/24/kobe-bryant-death-arn-tellem/4850465002/" target="_blank">discouraged</a> other teams from taking him, with the hope that West could swing a trade.)</p><p>Almost exactly 47 years ago, on June 14, 1974, the Los Angeles front office pulled off, frankly, the first of two <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-history-before-the-nba-stopped-the-chris-paul-to-lakers-trade-they-forced-new-orleans-jazz-to-trade-the-magic-johnson-pick-to-the-lakers/" target="_blank">historically lucky transactions</a>. Veteran Lakers great Gail Goodrich wanted to sign with the Utah Jazz, which, per league rules, would cost Utah draft compensation. Consequently, the Jazz traded three future first-round picks (1977-79) and a 1980 second-rounder for a first (1978) and a second (1977).</p><p>Utah was the worst team in basketball in 1978-79, and the Lakers won a coinflip over the Chicago Bulls to earn the No. 1 pick in 1979, despite already turning around their franchise with Kareem. Here’s how those picks ended up playing out:</p><ul><li><strong>Jazz</strong>: Essie Hollis (1977), Jack Givens (1978)</li><li><strong>Lakers</strong>: Kenny Carr (1977), Freeman Williams (1978), <em>Magic Johnson (1979)</em>, Sam Worthen (1980).</li></ul><p>Magic, you may have heard, won Finals MVP as a rookie.</p><p></p><p>That same year, in 1980, the Lakers set themselves up to hit the jackpot, once again. GM Bill Sharman <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1296565-lakers-12-most-fortunate-trades-in-team-history#:~:text=Big%20Game%20James%20Worthy%20Lands%20in%20L.A.&amp;text=In%201980%2C%20the%20Lakers%20traded,first%20round%20pick%20in%201982.&amp;text=That%20meant%20all%20the%20Lakers,for%20the%20first%20overall%20selection." target="_blank">traded</a> Don Ford and a first-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Butch Lee and an ’82 first-rounder. Sure enough, the Cavs plummeted to the worst record in hoops in 1982, and the Lakers won another coinflip, earning the No. 1 overall pick.</p><p>Los Angeles took NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player James Worthy out of North Carolina, who became perhaps the best third-option in NBA playoff history.</p><p></p><p>In all those cases, the Lakers were able to acquire a Hall of Famer on an extreme bargain. The Davis trade was different — by far the most the franchise has offered up for a star. Still, the Lakers swung for the fences, and they hit a Grand Slam in the first inning with plenty of game left to play.</p><p>This summer, Pelinka will scour the trade market with the ideal vision of adding a third-banana/borderline star to buoy Davis and LeBron. However, in the aftermath of the AD acquisition, the Lakers are limited in their flexibility — both in terms of assets and finances.</p><p>Sign-and-trade Dennis Schroder or Montrezl Harrell? Offer Kyle Kuzma/and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, along with the upcoming No. 22 pick and 2027 first (the only future pick they’re allowed to trade)? This is what the Lakers have to work with. In other words: don’t expect a James Worthy-type (i.e. Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal) to walk through that door.</p><p>But, as we’ve learned from the past, the Lakers have repeatedly found ways to land that next big name.</p><p>As Alex Caruso acknowledged <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heres-what-every-lakers-free-agent-said-about-the-future-after-exit-interviews/" target="_blank">at exit interviews</a>, there is simply a unique appeal of hooping for an L.A.-based company.</p><p>“I’m a realistic human being. I understand different things happen in L.A. for certain reasons,” he said. “I’m forever grateful for that, and we’ll see where everything lies…Those are definitely things that L.A. takes into consideration maybe more so than other places.”</p><p>To the franchise’s credit, the Lakers have cultivated their baseline appeal with a prioritization on winning and willingness to spend the money. It truly is championship or bust, and the players feel it.</p><p>Ultimately, the success of the Davis trade and its overall place in Lakers’ history will hinge on how the team maximizes the roster for the rest of his prime. As Rich Paul recently <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/06/07/lebron-james-agent-is-transforming-the-business-of-basketball" target="_blank">told Isaac Chotiner of The New Yorker</a>, he orchestrated the trade explicitly so his client would be on a team willing to cash the checks to win Larry O’Briens. Jeanie Buss vowed to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axX9u_sax8s" target="_blank">open the checkbook</a>, and Pelinka said he’s been commanded to “smartly” build a contender.</p><p>“Jeanie and the ownership group has empowered the front office to do one thing, and that’s to smartly build a roster to win championships,” Pelinka <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heres-what-every-lakers-free-agent-said-about-the-future-after-exit-interviews/" target="_blank">said</a>. “That’s been the hallmark of this team since Dr. Buss acquired it and continues to be today. Clearly, all 30 NBA teams are confined by a salary cap so we’ve gotta be really smart with how we put all the different puzzle pieces together. But there is only one goal.”</p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-ranking-anthony-davis-among-5-greatest-trades-in-la-history/" rel="nofollow">Where the Anthony Davis deal falls amongst the greatest trades in Lakers history</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

Where the Anthony Davis deal falls amongst the greatest trades in Lakers 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/2021/06/Suns-Chris-Paul-2021-NBA-Playoffs.jpeg"><figcaption>CP3 has entered the Covid-19 health and safety protocols list</figcaption></figure><h1>3 reasons Suns would be screwed if Chris Paul misses any Western Conference Finals games</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T06:44:54-07:00">June 16th, 6:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T06:44:54-07:00">June 16th, 6:44am</time><address><a>Mitchell Widmeier</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After sweeping the Denver Nuggets out of the postseason in four quick games to reach the Western Conference Finals, it appeared the Phoenix Suns had set themselves up perfectly. With the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz in a slugfest in the other Western Conference playoff series, the Suns were set to kick their feet up and recharge the batteries for about a week. Now that has all changed.</p><p>Chris Paul is set to be sidelined for an indefinite period of time, landing on the Covid-19 health and safety protocols list. <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1405142801625620483">This according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.</a></p><p>While the Suns were able to scoot by the Los Angeles Lakers in round one with CP3 dealing with a brutal shoulder injury, him missing any full games in the Western Conference Finals poses a bigger threat to the Suns winning the title. Here are three reasons the Suns would be screwed if Chris Paul misses any Western Conference Finals games.</p><h2>Chris Paul was at least able to play through the shoulder injury in Round 1</h2><p>There’s no doubting that CP3 was labored by his shoulder injury in the first round against the Lakers. The Suns’ maestro only attempted 21 total shots in the first three games combined after suffering the injury in Game 1 against LA. Still, the threat of CP3 just being on the floor is enough for the opposition to have to pay him some attention even when he’s injured.</p><p>This was the case for the Lakers as well. Sure, CP3 was at well less than 100% but his decision making was still top notch as was his ability to work the pick-and-roll to some extent while being more of a facilitator for the Suns.</p><p>All of that goes out the window if Paul misses any games in the Western Conference Finals. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-chris-paul-out-indefinitely-covid-19-protocols/">These guys can play through injuries like CP3 did, there’s no escaping the Covid-19 health and protocols list</a> until there’s a full clearance from the league.</p><p>Cam Payne has been awesome this postseason for the Suns, there’s no doubt about it. But if CP3 misses one or even two games, it could put Phoenix squarely behind the 8-ball in the Western Conference Finals.</p><h2>Devin Booker wouldn’t have a true co-star</h2><p>Devin Booker and CP3 have formed one heck of a duo for the Suns this year. They coexist perfectly on the floor together and Paul really helps to compliment Booker’s game.</p><p>Perhaps without Paul for any number of games, the Suns could mold into what the Utah Jazz are, but the Jazz have been this team all year while the Suns would be learning on the fly to work without the services of CP3.</p><p>The Jazz are the rare case of being one of the best teams in the league but doing it with a legitimate team effort.</p><p>Donovan Mitchell is “the guy” in Utah just like Booker would be without CP3. But Mitchell is surrounded by other really great talent like NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanvoic, Joe Ingles, Mike Conley (when healthy), NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson. The list goes on and on.</p><p>Phoenix has some good depth too with Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges and others. But the formula for success for the Suns this year has been working with two co-stars in Paul and Booker.</p><p>Ayton isn’t quite to the level of being a consistent co-star but could do it sporadically on any given night, maybe.</p><p>Different recipes work for different teams and the Suns would have to hope that they could do what Utah does by finding means of success through a large group effort. Doing so without CP3 is a tough burden.</p><h2>Would either team that advances have a significant injury like the Suns’ first two opponents?</h2><p>Let’s get out in front of this by saying the Suns are legit. There’s a reason they are in the Western Conference Finals, it’s not a fluke. However, they have caught some unfortunate “luck” in the first two rounds of the playoffs.</p><p>CP3 dealt with his own injury but as mentioned, was able to grind through it and play through it.</p><p>The same can’t be said for Anthony Davis, who basically missed two full games for the Lakers in round one. It’s very possible the Suns win the series even if Davis is healthy, but that question will never have an answer.</p><p>Denver gave an admirable effort at the tail-end of the regular season when Jamal Murray tore his ACL. It came back to haunt and catch up with the Nuggets in the second round when their guards like Austin Rivers and Monte Morris disappeared for some full games against the Suns.</p><p>Tip of the cap to Phoenix for assisting in those poor efforts from Denver’s guards but looking ahead, the Jazz are almost at full go.</p><p>Utah is missing Mike Conley, a huge piece for their squad but it sounds like a return in the WCF would be likely for Utah’s floor general. Meanwhile, the news on Wednesday was not great for the Clippers as Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 5 and potentially the rest of the series for LA. It’s tough to try and imagine a scenario where LA advances without Leonard playing but if they do, then the Suns could catch that break.</p><p>It’s been an incredible season for the Suns and fingers crossed, it will be one that continues on for Phoenix fans. There’s a chance Chris Paul is cleared for Game 1, there’s a chance he misses a couple of games. The best bet for now, is for Suns fans to come together and hope the Jazz – Clippers series goes a full seven games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons Suns would be screwed if Chris Paul misses any Western Conference Finals 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;*/}.webfeedsFeaturedVisual {	display: None !important;}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <div><img alt="2014 NBA Draft, NBA draft card, NBA Draft cards, Nikola jokic, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2014-NBA-Draft-NBA-draft-card-NBA-Draft-cards-Nikola-jokic-Joel-Embiid-Julius-Randle.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it comes to rookies, most basketball fans would turn to the draft classes of 2017, 2018, and 2019 as some of the most talented in the league right now. Rightfully so, because the likes of Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant came from these classes. While they’re all the rage among collectors these days, rookie cards coming from the 2014 NBA Draft also deserve attention. Oddly enough, a reason for this is for a at-the-time unknowns such as Nikola Jokic. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While some consider this particular class to be a weak one, this simply isn’t the case anymore. You’ve got Zach LaVine going insane on offense during the regular season, Jerami Grant becoming the top guy for the Detroit Pistons, and Jordan Clarkson becoming the Sixth Man of the Year. But of all the stars from this class, there are three who stood out in the card market this season.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We take a look below at who these three players are and how their cards have risen in value in the past months.</span></p><h2><strong>Julius Randle</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julius Randle was on a mission all season long for the New York Knicks. While some taught his ceiling was limited, the power forward would go on to prove them wrong along the way.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the regular season, Randle took a leap in all aspects of his game by notching 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and six assists per contest. He also improved his outside shot by connecting 41% from downtown.</span></p><p><img class="aligncenter" height="609" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/N4EAAOSwyfBgrnQF/s-l1600.jpg" width="350"></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His ascension to franchise player status is one of the key reasons why the Knicks went from bottom dwellers to playoff participants. Likewise, </span><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/julius-randles-all-star-berth-has-cemented-his-nba-cards-value/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julius Randle rookie cards</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have also enjoyed a boost in value, especially during the past few months. Last April, his PSA 10 Prizm Silver rookie card sold for </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/384073547463?hash=item596c913ec7:g:IxwAAOSwa1NgZiLD" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$420</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. A month later, that same card is now worth </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/353493098567?hash=item524dd4a047:g:2UEAAOSwqfJgnGjH" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$795</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><h2><strong>Joel Embiid</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another standout from the 2014 Draft Class who’s making a lot of noise recently is Joel Embiid. After five years of playing in the NBA, it’s only this year when the All-Star center was included in the MVP conversation. With averages of 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds over the course of 51 games, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sixers-news-joel-embiid-all-nba-honor-leads-to-50-million-question-for-philly/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Embiid has helped the</a> Philadelphia 76ers finish the regular season with the top seed.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That level of talent has now translated well into the postseason. Embiid is currently averaging 27.4 points and 9.9 rebounds in the eight games he played against the Washington Wizards, and currently, the Atlanta Hawks. And while he’s battling injuries all throughout these two series, the impact Embiid contributes to Philadelphia cannot be equaled.</span></p><p><img class="aligncenter" height="598" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/foIAAOSwRp1gwWak/s-l1600.jpg" width="350"></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His rookie card value, meanwhile, is also going up. Before May ended, Embiid’s PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card was valued at </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/402874973610?hash=item5dcd383daa:g:F1AAAOSwflxgrnpM" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$700</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on eBay. That figure </span><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-massive-joel-embiid-rookie-card-dip-you-must-get-in-on/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">went down</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at the start of June to </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/224487145008?hash=item344479fe30:g:-l8AAOSwIExgu64s" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$455</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Now, his card value has rebounded up to </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/393391899982?hash=item5b97fc054e:g:foIAAOSwRp1gwWak" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$567</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><h2><strong>Nikola Jokic</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the past few years, the 2014 NBA Draft Class was all about Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, and Aaron Gordon, among others. While Embiid has proven himself as an All-Star talent, the other two weren’t quite as fortunate to make the leap. The biggest surprise from this class, instead, came at the 41st pick – Nikola Jokic.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The All-Star center proved to be the most talented big man to step on the court for a long time. During the regular season, he posted 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 72 games. He also boasted a league-leading 9.2 offensive box score, making him the favorite to win the MVP award for months now.</span></p><p><img class="aligncenter" height="570" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bU8AAOSwxOBgvXyj/s-l1600.jpg" width="350"></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And while Denver was swept by the Phoenix Suns recently, Jokic’s accomplishment this season cannot be understated. The All-Star’s worth on the court has also translated well to his </span><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-card-watch-nikola-jokic-rookie-cards-reaching-insane-heights-amid-mvp-season/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">value in the card market</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Back in May, Jokic’s PSA 10 Prizm Silver rookie card was valued at </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/224449015822?hash=item344234300e:g:pCIAAOSwaAdgkFs7" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$4,555</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. A month later, that figure has jumped up to </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/224486128923?hash=item34446a7d1b:g:SloAAOSwmDtgun-O" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$6,500</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While most people slept on the 2014 NBA Draft Class, three of its members have been on a tear all season long. Their cards are also making a killing in the market these past months. Those who need to diversify their collection with valuable cards would do well to take a look at these guys and their rookie cards. After all, Nikola Jokic, Julius Randle, and Joel Embiid don’t look like they will be slowing down anytime soon. </span></p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nikola-jokic-and-2-most-stunning-card-rises-from-2014-nba-draft-ranked/" rel="nofollow">Nikola Jokic and the 2 other most stunning card rises from 2014 NBA Draft, ranked</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic and the 2 other most stunning card rises from 2014 NBA Draft, ranked

<!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/2021/06/bucks-news-jrue-holidays-baffling-response-to-not-attacking-one-legged-james-harden_copy.jpg"></figure><h1>Jrue Holiday’s baffling response to Bucks not attacking one-legged James Harden</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T06:41:25-07:00">June 16th, 6:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T06:42:43-07:00">June 16th, 6:42am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Brooklyn Nets star James Harden played 46 minutes on a bum leg against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 on Tuesday night, but the Bucks weren’t able to punish Harden’s defense in a dreadful second-half performance. Milwaukee’s offense devolved into bad isolations and too often let Harden off the hook despite the fact that he couldn’t move laterally because of his hamstring injury.</p><p>After a devastating 114-108 loss, Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday was asked about not attacking Harden more. His answer was weak and featured complaining about the officials:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jrue Holiday, on attacking Harden better: "Honestly, attack him, but it's not like he's going to get calls on him, so I don't know. It's hard out here."</p><p>— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) <a href="https://twitter.com/eric_nehm/status/1405016628249698304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Not really sure what the officials have to do with not taking advantage of a one-legged defender and instead settling for a bunch of bad shots. You don’t need calls if you’re just able to roast the guy and put the ball in the basket.</p><p>Holiday <a href="https://twitter.com/eric_nehm/status/1405016629214388224" rel="noopener">also complained about the officiating</a> in terms of playing defense against a red-hot Kevin Durant, which is more understandable at least. The Bucks had a bunch of guys in foul trouble and KD took 16 free throws, which nearly matched Milwaukee’s 17 attempts.</p><p>But even then, Milwaukee’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-giannis-antetokounmpo-speaks-out-guarding-kevin-durant-after-getting-roasted-not-doing-it/" rel="noopener">defensive strategy</a> against Durant wasn’t sound, with Mike Budenholzer slow to adjust as he got cooking. Perhaps the Bucks would have had more success if they were allowed to be more physical, but that shouldn’t let them off the hook.</p><p>This sounds like a lot of sour grapes from Holiday, who needs to be better if Milwaukee is going to win this series. The Bucks traded a lot for Holiday to be better than Eric Bledsoe, but that upgrade <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jrue-holiday-must-take-that-eric-bledsoe-mask-off-bucks-beat-nets/" rel="noopener">hasn’t shown up</a> against Brooklyn.</p><p>Even after the devastating Game 5 loss, Milwaukee is still in decent shape. The Bucks have Game 6 at home against a Nets team that will still be banged up, and then anything can happen in a Game 7. We’ll see if they can shake it off.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jrue Holiday’s baffling response to Bucks not attacking one-legged James Harden

<!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="Alex Caruso’s girlfriend, Alex Caruso, Abby Brewer, Abby Brewer Alex Caruso, Caruso’s girlfriend" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Alex-Carusos-girlfriend-Alex-Caruso-Abby-Brewer-Abby-Brewer-Alex-Caruso-Carusos-girlfriend.jpg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One day, people will be looking back at Alex Caruso’s career and think he’s got to be the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/maybe-alex-caruso-deserves-to-be-paid-more-than-dennis-schroder/" target="_blank">GOAT</a>. The Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard has exploded into the NBA scene as one of the most popular players today. He’s in that extremely exclusive territory of players with zero haters. We all just love to see Caruso get on the floor and take flight for a powerful dunk to the astonishment of folks who had never seen him play before — the same people who originally thought he only checked into the game as a novelty. Everybody loves Caruso, but only one can say that she does so romantically. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you, Alex Caruso’s girlfriend: Abby Brewer.</span></p><h2><b>Alex Caruso’s girlfriend: Abby Brewer</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Abby Brewer’s real name is Abigail Katherine Brewer. She was born on June 27, 1995, in Phoenix, Arizona. She is just younger by a little over a year than Caruso, who came into this world on February 28, 1994. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A beauty from the desert, Brewer is gifted with fantastic genes. After all, her mother, Deborah Mosely, was Miss Georgia in 1978. Brewer’s father is Robert, a real estate agent and son of a respected lawyer, who specialized in injuries. Although both her parents did not have much athletic background, that did not stop Abby and her siblings from gravitating towards sports. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Deborah, however, worked as a sports anchor in Phoenix for nearly a decade, so one could just imagine the Brewer children growing up being immersed in the world of sports more than the other kids.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alex Caruso’s girlfriend is the younger sister of Charles Brewer, who played baseball well enough to earn a short-lived career in the majors as a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. She also has a brother, Chase, who played collegiate baseball for the UCLA Bruins. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another athlete in the Brewer household is Connor, who had a stint with the Virginia Cavaliers as a quarterback. Lastly, there’s Abby’s sister, Ashley, who works for ESPN as a sports anchor/reporter. Ashley also played college sports. She made the swimming team of the Texas Longhorns. She even vied for a slot on United State’s Olympic team in 2012.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what about Alex Caruso’s girlfriend? Did she play any sport, too? Yes.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Abby Brewer knows sports, too. She was spiking balls as part of the volleyball team of the Chaparral High School and went on to play collegiately for the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she also earned a bachelor’s degree from the School of Journalism &amp; Electric Media. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She also went to the USC and got another bachelor’s degree, this time, in broadcast journalism. Just like her mother and sister, Abby tried to see what was in store for her in sports broadcasting.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to her </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/abby-brewer-b00b17ba" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">LinkedIn profile</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Abby served as an intern at ABC News in 2016. In the same year, she also interned at Crimson Marketing &amp; Public Relations (CMPR). The following year, Abby took it up a notch and earned a desk internship at Fox Sports. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the time, Alex Caruso was already earning his stripes in the  NBA Developmental League after not hearing his name get called in the 2016 NBA Draft. Caruso donned the Texas A&amp;M Aggies basketball jersey for four years before trying his luck in the NBA.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alex Caruso’s girlfriend is currently working for The Power Group, a small public relations and communications company consisted of no more than 10 employees,  as a senior account executive. She is indeed a career-driven woman who wants to carve his own path in the real world. If you ask us, she is definitely a winner for Alex Caruso, who is an NBA champion himself.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Abby describes herself perfectly on her LinkedIn account as a “Highly ambitious Account Executive with strong leadership and relationship-building skills. Technically-savvy with a background in social media, public relations, digital marketing and advertising. Pays close attention to detail and thrives in a creative environment.”</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even though she’s focused on her professional goals, Alex Caruso’s girlfriend still knows how to have fun, which you could easily tell from the hundreds of pictures she has on her </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/abbykbrewer/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instagram account</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She currently has over 13,500 followers on Instagram, which is relatively few compared to other wives and girlfriends of NBA players, but she’s definitely turning lots of heads with her charming blend of smarts and great looks.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Abby and Alex have been dating for years now, and they seem to be very happy in the company of each other. All we can say now is that Caruso is truly the GOAT.</span></p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/alex-carusos-girlfriend-abby-brewer/" rel="nofollow">Alex Caruso’s girlfriend: Abby Brewer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso’s girlfriend: Abby Brewer

<!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/2021/06/image_2021-06-16_211729.png"></figure><h1>BREAKING: Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard in jeopardy of missing rest of series vs. Jazz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T06:17:57-07:00">June 16th, 6:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T06:33:18-07:00">June 16th, 6:33am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers have come storming back from their 0-2 deficit against the Utah Jazz. But it looks like Kawhi Leonard might not be there to help them complete the comeback.</p><p>The Clippers star’s knee injury is <a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/status/1405150340010422281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1405150340010422281%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1261895action%3Dedit">expected to knock him out</a> of Game 5, and potentially even the rest of the series, as reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss Game 5 against the Jazz tonight with a knee injury suffered in game 4, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/ramonashelburne?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@ramonashelburne</a> &amp; me. His status for rest of series is in doubt as well.</p><p>— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/status/1405150340010422281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Windhorst continued:</p><blockquote>Leonard told teammates last night to prepare for him to be out. He landed awkwardly on a drive in the fourth quarter and grimaced in pain Monday night. He briefly stayed in game but didn’t finish as the Clippers secured the win to even series 2-2.</blockquote><p>What a stunning turn of events. First, Phoenix Suns All-Star point guard Chris Paul <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-chris-paul-out-indefinitely-covid-19-protocols/">could potentially miss</a> the start of the Western Conference Finals after being forced to enter Health and Safety protocols. Now the Clippers might lose their own star player as they try to keep pace with the West’s top seed.</p><p>The Clippers looked to be in the driver’s seat against Utah, taking firm control of Games 3 and 4 after some sound defensive adjustments. For all the talent on both sides, Kawhi Leonard was still clearly the best player in the series, and it showed.</p><p>Stay tuned for more updates on Kawhi Leonard’s status for the Clippers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

BREAKING: Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard in jeopardy of missing rest of series vs. Jazz

<!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/2021/06/suns-news-chris-paul-out-indefinitely-due-to-covid-19-protocols.jpg"></figure><h1>BREAKING: Suns star Chris Paul out indefinitely due to COVID-19 protocols</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T05:46:06-07:00">June 16th, 5:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T06:00:37-07:00">June 16th, 6:00am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns star point guard Chris Paul is out indefinitely after entering the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, <a href="https://theathletic.com/news/suns-chris-paul-enters-nbas-covid-19-health-and-safety-protocols-sources/AnqFCLjqlqkT" rel="noopener">according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.</a></p><p>This puts Paul’s status for the start of the Western Conference Finals in jeopardy. Charania notes that “depending on the medical circumstance, an isolation period could be shorter for a vaccinated individual.” It’s unclear if CP3 has been vaccinated.</p><p>Chris Paul and the Suns advanced to the Western Conference Finals by sweeping the Denver Nuggets. Phoenix is waiting on the winner of the series between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, which is tied at 2-2.</p><p>With this news, the Suns are certainly hoping that series goes a full seven games, giving them as much time off before the Western Conference Finals as possible. It’s not yet known when Game 1 of that next series will be.</p><p>Chris Paul has been dynamite for the Suns in these playoffs, so it would obviously be a crushing blow if he has to miss any games. This would seem to be just another unlucky break for him in the playoffs, but if he’s not vaccinated, that’s on him and could cost his team a trip to the NBA Finals. Let’s hope that he is and will miss a shorter period of time than normal. Perhaps he even misses no games depending on how the other series goes.</p><p>Phoenix hasn’t lost a game in the playoffs since going down 2-1 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The Suns dominated the Lakers the next three games with Anthony Davis hurting, and they destroyed a shorthanded Nuggets squad. Paul <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-chris-paul-gets-ultimate-praise-that-will-shock-magic-johnson-stephen-curry/" rel="noopener">had 37 points in the closeout Game 4</a> and averaged 25.5 points and 10.3 assists in the series while shooting 62.7%.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

BREAKING: Suns star Chris Paul out indefinitely due to COVID-19 protocols

<!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/2021/06/Dodgers-Trevor-Bauer.jpeg"><figcaption>Wow! 😂</figcaption></figure><h1>Dodgers star Trevor Bauer savagely trolls Rob Manfred and MLB</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T05:41:41-07:00">June 16th, 5:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T05:41:41-07:00">June 16th, 5:41am</time><address><a>Mitchell Widmeier</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Rob Manfred and Major League Baseball once again find themselves in the forefront of the news cycle for a topic that isn’t going to help grow the game of baseball and its popularity. As a result, Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher Trevor Bauer decided to go troll mode and chime in with his own thoughts.</p><p>The debate of pitchers using “sticky substances” to help with the grip of the baseball has all of a sudden jumped the line for Manfred and MLB as the number one priority to deal with. Almost every player, including pitchers have said this isn’t new, that everyone’s favorite pitcher dating back decades has likely used some sort of substance to help with the grip.</p><p>What has brought this to the top of the food chain for discussion is the term “spin rate.” Some believe using spider tack or sunscreen is enhancing pitchers performances. As a result, Manfred has now implemented a rule that any pitcher caught using any sort of sticky substance will be suspended 10 days, with pay. Here’s what Bauer, one of the Dodgers’ aces thinks about that.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@mlb</a> I have a question for you. <a href="https://t.co/jbZibZltQJ" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/jbZibZltQJ</a></p><p>— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) <a href="https://twitter.com/BauerOutage/status/1404952197398286336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Trevor Bauer is the Stone Cold Steve Austin to Rob Manfred’s Vince McMahon. <a href="https://t.co/Iy8L5cg6me" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/Iy8L5cg6me</a></p><p>— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jared_Carrabis/status/1405014790309810177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-trevor-bauer-sounds-off-on-why-hes-pissed-off/">The Dodgers flamethrower is not shy on speaking up on issues he’s passionate about</a> and while it rubs some the wrong way, the majority will likely side with Bauer when it comes to this topic.</p><p>Others like Tyler Glasnow of the Tampa Bay Rays <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWhiteSox/status/1404952165676953604">and Carlos Rodon of the Chicago White Sox</a> have really spoken out as well, along with the Dodgers righty.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Carlos Rodón goes in on MLB commissioner Rob Manfred:</p><p>"You're giving out 10-game suspensions for cheating, but you give the Astros no suspensions at all." <a href="https://t.co/ZFAwU7H5cp" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/ZFAwU7H5cp</a></p><p>— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWhiteSox/status/1404952165676953604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tyler Glasnow sounds off on MLB's foreign substance crackdown and how it may have led to injury 😳 <a href="https://t.co/47rcTnpk0l" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/47rcTnpk0l</a></p><p>— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/BRWalkoff/status/1404928878456426498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 15, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Whether or not this works out the way Manfred and MLB hope is yet to be seen. But one thing that is for sure, pitchers across the league aren’t too thrilled with the decision.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers star Trevor Bauer savagely trolls Rob Manfred and MLB

<!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/2021/06/bucks-news-giannis-antetokounmpo-speaks-out-on-guarding-kevin-durant-after-getting-roasted-for-not-doing-so.jpg"></figure><h1>Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo speaks out on guarding Kevin Durant after getting roasted for not doing it</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T05:34:34-07:00">June 16th, 5:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T05:35:52-07:00">June 16th, 5:35am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant was roasting the Milwaukee Bucks to a crisp in Tuesday’s epic Game 5 comeback, Giannis Antetokounmpo was getting roasted for not stepping up to the challenge and trying to slow down the scorching-hot KD. As a former Defensive Player of the Year winner, many believe Giannis should have taken on the Durant assignment instead of constantly standing in the corner against Joe Harris. The critics included several other NBA players, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-greens-two-word-shade-after-kevin-durants-game-5-takeover/" rel="noopener">including</a> Draymond Green, and this debate is similar to the one had last season when Jimmy Butler killed Milwaukee.</p><p>Well, <a href="https://twitter.com/CassidyHubbarth/status/1405010050905776133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1405010050905776133%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1261726action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">it looks like we could see</a> Antetokounmpo get a crack at Durant in Game 6:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Giannis on guarding KD in game 6 "I want to take on the challenge."</p><p>— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) <a href="https://twitter.com/CassidyHubbarth/status/1405010050905776133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While it might not have mattered who was guarding KD on Tuesday night, the Bucks’ defensive approach against him was totally bizarre. There was way too much Brook Lopez in drop coverage, allowing KD to come off screens and dribble right into easy jumpers. Milwaukee mostly opted against sending hard doubles and instead did some soft switching for much of the night. It helped Durant find a rhythm as he went for a ridiculous 49-point performance.</p><p>The idea that Giannis just needs to man up and guard KD is a bit misguided to a degree, as that kind of defense against that player isn’t really The Greek Freak’s strength. Antetokounmpo got smoked by Durant earlier in this series trying to guard him and is most effective as a help defender.</p><p>However, there was no excuse not to at least try Giannis on Durant as the Nets star was going off in Game 5. At least use him and his length to double KD in an attempt to throw him off. If Durant still would have gotten the best of them, at least you know you tried everything. That didn’t happen, and now the Bucks are kicking themselves after an inexcusable loss, which also happened because the offense went in the tank in the second half.</p><p>We’ll see if Giannis actually guards Durant in an elimination Game 6 and if he has any success.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo speaks out on guarding Kevin Durant after getting roasted for not doing it

<!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/2021/06/Kevin-Durant-gets-pissed-at-Giannis-Antetokounmpo-over-foul-in-clutch-moment.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant gets pissed at Giannis Antetokounmpo over foul in clutch moment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T04:02:55-07:00">June 16th, 4:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T04:03:24-07:00">June 16th, 4:03am</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Tuesday’s matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks was as intense as everyone expected. Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo shared a heated moment late in the game, which pretty much epitomized just how much both teams wanted to emerge as the victors here.</p><p>Durant took exception to a hard foul from Giannis and the pair exchanged some words i<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vafwuDtmGkg" rel="noopener">n a heated moment:</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>KD didn’t appreciate Giannis’ foul, and he made sure to let him know about it. This was also a frustration foul from Antetokounmpo after missing yet another clutch free throw for the Bucks. No wonder he put a bit of force on the foul. That also happened to be his sixth and final foul of the evening, so he probably thought he might as well make it count before leaving the basketball court.</p><p>PJ Tucker also got involved in the mini-melee, and we all know how the Bucks vet has a bit of history with Durant, particularly in this series. The pair nearly came to blows in Game 3, only for the Nets star’s bodyguard to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-kevin-durant-bodyguard-gets-punishment-from-nba-after-pj-tucker-shoving/">intervene</a> on the court. That’s an entirely different narrative on its own.</p><p>In the end, the Nets managed to escape with a win despite going down big against Giannis and the Bucks. It took a masterful performance from Kevin Durant, who ensured that Milwaukee wasn’t going to steal away Game 5 in Brooklyn’s own home floor.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant gets pissed at Giannis Antetokounmpo over foul in clutch moment

<!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="Chris Paul" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Chris-Paul_s-NBA-contracts.jpg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p>Since entering the NBA back in 2005 as the fifth overall pick, Chris Paul has made $299,909,419 through NBA contracts alone, per <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/chris-paul-2609/" target="_blank">Spotrac</a>.</p><p>The first contract Paul signed in the NBA was his rookie deal with the New Orleans Hornets. It was a two-year, $6.52 million contract. Paul averaged 16.1 points and 7.8 assists during his rookie season. He won Rookie of the Year and made $3,144,240.</p><p>In his second season in the league, Chris Paul earned $3,380,160 and increased his scoring average to 17.3 points and his assists average to 8.9. CP3 made his first All-Star team during his third season in the league and it set him up to sign a lucrative rookie-scale extension with the Hornets.</p><p>In the summer of 2008, Paul signed a four-year, $63.6 million rookie-scale extension with the Hornets. The contract kicked in during the 2009-10 season. Paul made $15 million that year and also averaged 18.7 points and 10.7 dimes.</p><p>Chris Paul kept putting up superstar numbers for the Hornets but the team didn’t have enough talent around CP3 and he got tired of losing. The future Hall of Famer requested a trade and was initially sent to the Los Angeles Lakers to play with Kobe Bryant.</p><p>However, David Stern vetoed the trade and Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers instead in December of 2011.</p><p>In the process of the trade, Paul exercised his $17.8 million player option with the Clippers for the 2012-2013 season. CP3 made $13,167,648 in his first season with the Clippers and averaged 19.8 points and 9.1 assists. Lob City was born shortly after Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan began terrorizing the rims with their spectacular alley-oops.</p><p>In the summer of 2013, Chris Paul signed a five-year, $107.3 million maximum extension with the Clippers. He started making over $20 million a year during the 2014-15 season and it has been like that ever since.</p><p>In his final season with the Clippers, Paul made $23,529,828. He requested a trade to the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2017, ending the Lob City era.</p><p>Paul made $24,268,959 in his first season with the Rockets. He averaged 18.6 points and 7.9 assists. The team made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals and probably would have won the series if Paul didn’t get hurt in Game 5.</p><p>Without CP3, the Rockets couldn’t win Games 6 or 7 and watched the Golden State Warriors end James Harden’s MVP season.</p><p>That defeat didn’t stop the Rockets from paying Chris Paul, though. Houston signed him to a four-year, $159.7 million maximum contract in the summer of 2018, only to trade him one year later.</p><p>That’s right. The Rockets traded Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal that brought them Russell Westbrook. The Thunder are now stuck with Paul and his lucrative contract.</p><p>Before the 2019-20 season was suspended due to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-nba-season-suspended-after-rudy-gobert-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/" target="_blank">COVID-19</a>, Paul was averaging <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/chris-paul/a53c094a/stats" target="_blank">17.6 points</a>, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists for the Thunder. He is scheduled to make $41.4 million in 2020-21 and has a player option worth $44.2 million for the 2021-22 campaign.</p><p>There’s no way Paul is going to decline that player option since he won’t make that type of money on the market.</p><p>Chris Paul is 36-years-old and has a lot of mileage on his body. Even at his age, he was able to lead the Phoenix Suns to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, thanks to a 51-21 record in the regular season. It’s hard to imagine the Suns, despite all the talent they have, achieving a high seed, without the guidance on the floor by the Point God.</p><p> </p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chris-paul-nba-contracts/" rel="nofollow">Chris Paul’s NBA contracts</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

Chris Paul’s NBA contracts

<!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/2021/06/LeBron-James-Draymond-Green-Lakers-Warriors.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James’ five-word response to Draymond Green’s sarcastic comment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T23:18:52-07:00">June 15th, 11:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T06:10:15-07:00">June 16th, 6:10am</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has heard it all before, especially the taunts. But it seems his favorite shade on him is “Washed King.” So much so that it has become an inside joke for him and his peers.</p><p>After being named to the All-NBA Second Team on Tuesday, LeBron was congratulated by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green <a href="https://www.instagram.com/money23green/?hl=en">on his Instagram Story</a>, punctuating it with a sarcastic caption of “WASHED” plus a crown emoji. To this, LBJ appropriately responded with “SUPER WASHED!” before expressing his gratitude to Green.</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/lebron-draymond.png"></figure><p>LeBron and Green have truly built a rosy relationship in recent years. After going at it in heated encounters in the NBA Finals, the two All-Star forwards have become really chummy. Draymond joining Klutch Sports surely helped as he and LeBron now share the same agent in Rich Paul.</p><p>The King extended his NBA record with his 17th selection to the All-NBA Team. It was his third nod to the All-NBA Second Team and was actually on track for his fifth MVP and easily an All-NBA First Team spot before a high ankle sprain derailed his campaign.</p><p>LeBron finished the season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/lebron-james/b1a9094f/stats">with impressive averages</a> of 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Definitely not washed-up numbers. Although at 36 years old and missing extended time for the second straight season, as crazy as it sounds, it seems LBJ is gradually breaking down.</p><p>But still, it would be foolish to think he’s already washed up. As Draymond Green could definitely attest, counting out LeBron James isn’t a very sound decision.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James’ five-word response to Draymond Green’s sarcastic comment

<!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/2021/06/image_2021-06-16_140550.png"></figure><h1>Does Kevin Durant own the crown for best player in the world?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T23:11:15-07:00">June 15th, 11:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-15T23:12:59-07:00">June 15th, 11:12pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s been a hot minute since the media went crazy over Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant. For much of the 2020-21 NBA regular season and the earlier part of the playoffs, fans and analysts have talked about LeBron James or Luka Doncic. But lo and behold, the media favorites are nowhere near the title chase. After Durant’s 49-point explosion against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, fans and analysts declared him the best player in the world right now.</p><h2><b>Is Kevin Durant wearing the crown for NBA’s best player?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/kevin-durants-legacy-if-he-leads-nets-without-kyrie-irving-james-harden_copy.jpg"></figure><p>Even if you’re a Durant hater, you’d still nod your head to this statement. James has held this crown for a long while. But the Lakers’ early exit was a clear sign of his decline to lead. Among those still in the postseason, perhaps Giannis Antetokounmpo is the one who can challenge for this title. After all, he’s a two-time MVP and has a Defensive Player of the Year trophy on his shelf. The Bucks also look as hungry as ever after several disappointing playoff campaigns.</p><p>However, all the hype surrounding Giannis and the Bucks went down the drain after Durant’s explosion. Let’s not forget that the Bucks are the number one defensive team in the playoffs with a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/defense/?sort=DEF_RATING&amp;dir=-1">102.1 defensive rating</a>. Do they say defense wins titles? It seems that that adage doesn’t apply when Durant is around.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A 49-point triple-double. Just incredible.</p><p>📼 <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@KDTrey5</a> 📼 <a href="https://t.co/nRNmDN2qaC" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/nRNmDN2qaC</a></p><p>— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1405013514167668737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>There’s really no other player like the Slim Reaper. Here you have one of the smoothest strokes in the game, laced with incredible handles, all in a seven-foot frame. It’s hilarious how head coach Mike Budenholzer assigns PJ Tucker to guard him. Yes, the veteran guard can get physical and get into his mind. But there’s no way Tucker can stop Durant when he rises up for those perimeter jumpers. Even if Tucker fully extends his arms, his hands still can’ reach Durant’s head.</p><p>Enough about his offense because it’s pretty much common sense that Durant is the best scorer in NBA history. Let’s talk a bit about his defense which has been vastly snubbed over the years. It was actually Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr who first pointed out how great of a defensive presence Durant is. His wingspan has not only enabled him to swat shots but also deflect passes. In fact. Durant averages <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/hustle/?sort=DEFLECTIONS&amp;dir=1">2.8 deflections</a> in the playoffs which falls within the top 10. In terms of contested 3-point shots, he averages 4.1 per game which ranks ninth in the playoffs.</p><p>It’s unfortunate that fans only noticed Durant after his 49-point outburst in Game 5. The truth is, Durant has always fallen within the Top 2 of the Best Player in the World crown. The series of injuries which caused him to miss some games might’ve washed him away from our consciousness. And of course, his questionable move to the 73-win Warriors squad will forever be brought up when discussing his legacy.</p><p>But at the end of the day, we watch basketball mainly for entertainment. And every time Kevin Durant steps onto the hard court, it’s almost a guarantee that we’ll have our money’s worth. We are witnessing an athlete who has perfected his craft and is still getting better. This after all the criticism thrown at him for joining a powerhouse squad. We should be thankful that Durant is still playing at the highest level. It’s a cliche but there a lot of truth in it when we say we may never see another one like Kevin Durant.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Does Kevin Durant own the crown for best player in the world?

<!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/2021/06/STALKER-2-Heart-of-Chernobyl-Release-Date-Revealed-during-E3.jpg"><figcaption>GSC Game World</figcaption></figure><h1>STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl Release Date Revealed during E3 2021</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T23:10:20-07:00">June 15th, 11:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-15T23:10:20-07:00">June 15th, 11:10pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NeutralGGEsports" rel="facebook">Franz Christian Irorita</a>A writer and content creator, focusing on video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Gaming</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><i>STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl</i> comes out on <b>April 28, 2022. </b>It will be exclusively released on PC and Xbox Series X/S, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/s-t-a-l-k-e-r-2-confirmed-to-be-part-of-xbox-game-pass-on-day-one/">and will launch as part of the Xbox Game Pass</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjDMwsbaSd8">official gameplay trailer</a> looks amazing, with next-gen graphics in full display. We get to see a short cinematic trailer, interspersed with gameplay moments. We get to see how Chernobyl aged throughout the years. Some new tools also made an appearance, which we get to play with once <i>STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl</i> comes out next year. There’s a detector stick called Gilka, as well as a Jelly that restores your stamina.</p><p>With the game being a native next-gen only game, it’ll be able to use fully next-gen graphics upgrades, such as Ray Tracing and 4K resolution. Ray Tracing was in full display in the campfire scenes in the trailer, which shows dynamic lighting and shadows. If you ask us, <i>STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl </i>might become Xbox Series X/S’s <i><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ratchet-clank-rift-apart-review-scores/">Ratchet &amp; Clank: Rift Apart</a> </i>in terms of bringing the best out of the console’s graphics capabilities.</p><p>Players can now pre-order a copy of <i>STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl</i> either on the <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/stalker-2">Xbox Game Store</a> or through other PC storefronts like <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1643320/STALKER_2_Heart_of_Chernobyl/">Steam</a>. Pre-ordering the game from anywhere unlocks “Early Bird” content, including a weapon skin, a costume skin, a multiplayer badge, and extended campfire content. Buying either the digital deluxe or the ultimate editions will also unlock additional single-player content, including side-quests.</p><p><i>STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl </i>will be the fifth official game in the <i>S.T.A.L.K.E.R. </i>franchise.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl Release Date Revealed during E3 2021

<!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/2021/06/image_2021-06-16_134851.png"></figure><h1>Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell and the All-NBA Snubs Team</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T22:49:52-07:00">June 15th, 10:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-15T22:49:52-07:00">June 15th, 10:49pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA just named its All-NBA Teams and as usual, fans went irate on social media. The All-NBA First Team includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Kawhi Leonard. The All-NBA Second Team is comprised of Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Julius Randle. Finally, the All-NBA Third Team is comprised of Bradley Beal, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Rudy Gobert, and Kyrie Irving.</p><p>If this is the first time you’re seeing the list, then you’re probably scoffing at the names, too. Some players definitely deserve to be there. But there are also those who don’t. We’ll leave it up to the fans to pluck out the players who they feel are not worthy. But for this article, we’ll list down the All-NBA Snubs Team led by Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell.</p><h2><b>2021 All-NBA Snub Team</b></h2><p><b>Devin Booker</b></p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Devin-Booker-Suns.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><p>Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is the obvious snub here. The fact that Booker and the Suns are now in the Conference Finals speaks volumes of how the guard was disrespected in the voting. If you’re a fan of Booker, you’re well-aware of h0w he’s been snubbed for most of his NBA career. He’s been in the league for six seasons but he’s only been selected into the All-Star team twice. In the recent All-Star game, he was inserted into the team as a mere replacement. It’s hard to believe that a player like Booker — who’s been often compared to Kobe Bryant for his scoring prowess — is not being recognized time and time again.</p><p>It’s difficult to figure out why voters did not receive an ample amount of votes to be included in the teams. Perhaps much of it has to do with the Chris Paul narrative over the past two seasons. Last year, he guided the young Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs. This season, he took things up a notch by leading the Suns deep into the postseason. There’s no doubt that Paul is indeed the Point God. But sticking to this narrative disregards Booker’s accomplishments, not to mention the guidance of Monty Williams as well.</p><p> </p><p><b>Donovan Mitchell</b></p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Donovan-Mitchell-_fired-up_-alongside-teammates-for-long-awaited-start-of-2020-21-season.jpg"></figure><p>The voters must’ve been blind or weren’t really watching NBA basketball. The Utah Jazz are practically the best team of the 2020-21 NBA regular season. And contrary to All-Star Team selections which are based on a player’s popularity, a player gets selected into the All-NBA teams with respect to their team’s standing.</p><p>Mitchell caught the attention of analysts and fans since he entered the league in 2017. He came out the gates as an athletic guard with much offensive prowess. Now in his fourth year in the league, he’s continuing to play his style of basketball, albeit more sharp and mature in his decision-making. The results pretty much speak for themselves. Mitchell’s statistics has been pretty much consistent all these years. As noted, what’s more important is how he’s guided his team to the best record in the NBA. Apparently, these facts weren’t enough to please the voters.</p><p><b>Jayson Tatum</b></p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Celtics-news-Jayson-Tatum-Boston-still-getting-wrecked-by-COVID-19-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><p>Boston Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum is another name that was brought up by the legions of NBA fans upon the release of the All-NBA Teams. The man dropped 60 points in the regular season (tied with Bradley Beal for second-most points in a game in the 2020-21 season), as well as a couple of 50 and 40-point outbursts for good measure.</p><p>It was unfortunate that the Celtics didn’t perform that well though. They qualified for the playoffs as the seventh seed and got booted out in five games by the mighty Brooklyn Nets. However, this doesn’t take away the fact that Tatum should be in the All-NBA squad. Some fans believe that he should at least be a member of the All-NBA Third Team. In particular, Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler — given his inconsistencies all season long — should be booted out. Besides, Butler has never been the type of player who carries his team night in and night out — one of the major prerequisites to considered a member of the All-NBA Teams.</p><p> </p><p><b>Clint Capela</b></p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Hawks-news-Atlanta-big-man-Clint-Capela-out-for-season-opener-vs.jpg"></figure><p>Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela might be the odd-man-out here. After all, when we think of the Hawks, our minds drift to Trae Young and what he’s done this season. What the voters missed is how Capela has been instrumental in the Hawks’ offense and defense. The man led the league in rebounds with <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/capelca01.html">14.3 per game</a>. He also averaged 2.0 blocks per game in the regular season which ranked third. These types of statistics won’t grab your attention. But as mentioned, the All-NBA Teams are not so much a matter of popularity, but a matter of a player’s contribution to his team’s success.</p><p>As of writing, the Hawks are still battling it out with the powerhouse Philadelphia 76ers. They’re tied at 2-2 and from the looks of it, the Hawks have a real chance of upsetting Joel Embiid and crew. And if you’ve seen the games, it’s crystal clear that Capela has done a stellar job at defending the Cameroonian.</p><p> </p><p><b>Domantas Sabonis</b></p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Domantas-Sabonis-scheduled-to-return-to-NBA-bubble.jpg"></figure><p>The NBA is pretty stacked with talented big men which have made it extra-difficult for the likes of Clint Capela and Indiana Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis to be selected into the All-NBA squad. Both players received six total points. Sabonis himself received three All-NBA Third Team votes (worth three points) and one All-NBA Second Team vote (worth three points).</p><p>Sabonis’ unfortunate case isn’t really his fault. To recall, the Pacers had to endure massive changes to their roster. They lost star guard Victor Oladipo to a trade, endured controversies involving head coach Nate Bjorkgren, among others. This pretty placed the Pacers under the shadows. But Sabonis himself had a pretty good season with <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sabondo01.html">20.3 points</a> and 12.0 rebounds per game. There’s no question he would be at least a member of the All-NBA Third team if it wasn’t for the Pacers’ misfortunes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell and the All-NBA Snubs Team

<!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/2021/06/James-Harden-Steve-Nash-Nets-Bucks.jpg"></figure><h1>James Harden’s rocky injury situation given tough assessment by Steve Nash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T22:28:17-07:00">June 15th, 10:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-15T22:28:17-07:00">June 15th, 10:28pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After several days of dilly-dallying due to his hamstring injury, James Harden finally decided to suit up for Game 5 on Tuesday.</p><p>Harden, however, was as rusty as an old nail, tallying only five points on a terrible 1-of-10 shooting from the field. He did have six rebounds and eight assists, but also committed four turnovers. A very encouraging sign though is that he was healthy enough to play close to 46 minutes.</p><p>After the game, Harden said he just felt good when he woke up, urging him to suit up and help out the Brooklyn Nets hack out the win against the Milwaukee Bucks (via <a href="http://espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401332961">ESPN</a>).</p><blockquote>“I woke up and was like, ‘You know what? Let’s go.’ I tried to go out there and do the best I can. Hopefully, I gave my teammates some encouragement and some life.”</blockquote><p>While it was obviously good for the Nets to have Harden back, especially with Kyrie Irving sidelined, coach Steve Nash admitted they’re still walking on eggshells with The Beard’s injury. Clearly, they’re erring on the side of caution, since a player’s health is always the top priority. Nash admitted though that Harden has the final say.</p><blockquote>“So James is driving this. We have to try to support him the best way we can and be an aide for him to figure this out, but it’s a tricky situation but it’s one that we’re willing to go down with James.”</blockquote><p>The Nets’ Game 5 victory definitely eased the worries about James Harden’s hamstring injury. He made the right decision to suit up and now, they’re <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/brooklyn-nets/schedule">just a win away</a> from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

James Harden’s rocky injury situation given tough assessment by Steve Nash

<!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/2021/06/Draymond-Green-Kevin-Durant-Giannis-Antetokounmpo-Nets-Bucks-Warriors.jpg"></figure><h1>Draymond Green takes shot at Giannis Antetokounmpo after getting owned by Kevin Durant</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T22:01:14-07:00">June 15th, 10:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-15T22:01:14-07:00">June 15th, 10:01pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s not <i>really</i> a shade, but it sounds like a shade. But whatever the case may be, Draymond Green was only spitting facts.</p><p>Golden State Warriors reporter Marcus Thompson, who has gotten close with Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson, throughout the years, said the former Defensive Player of the Year won’t allow Kevin Durant to go off easily in Game 5.</p><p>And of course, being the biggest Draymond Green stan, Draymond Green totally agreed.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">That part!! 🗣🗣🗣 <a href="https://t.co/Dh5BFQsfag" target="_blank">https://t.co/Dh5BFQsfag</a></p><p>— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) <a href="https://twitter.com/Money23Green/status/1404998751299653635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Durant was absolutely a house on fire against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. He <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/kevin-durant/b0360985/gamelog">finished with 49 points</a> on a crazy efficient 16-of-23 marksmanship, leading the Brooklyn Nets to a come-from-behind victory and take a 3-2 lead in the second round series.</p><p>As Green pointed out, he would’ve taken the assignment to guard Durant, especially when he was already tossing fireballs from everywhere. It could be a subtle shade at Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who didn’t cover KD during the crucial stretches of the game, leaving an undersized PJ Tucker to shackle the Nets’ alpha dog. Which he failed to do, obviously.</p><p>Durant also made his presence felt in other facets of the contest, grabbing 17 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists, totally outplaying Giannis.</p><p>It’s hard to argue with Green, who is mostly known <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/Warriors-Draymond-Green-named-All-Defensive-16247626.php">for his defensive prowess</a> and yes, bold self-confidence. After all, he has taken on the likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden in past encounters in the NBA Playoffs. He knows Durant pretty well too.</p><p>Draymond Green was recently named to his fourth All-Defensive First Team. So there’s that part as well.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Draymond Green takes shot at Giannis Antetokounmpo after getting owned by Kevin Durant

<!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/2021/06/3-ideal-trade-destination-for-cavs-collin-sexton.jpg"></figure><h1>3 ideal trade destinations for Cavs’ Collin Sexton</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T15:34:08-07:00">June 15th, 3:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-15T19:51:43-07:00">June 15th, 7:51pm</time><address><a>Robbie Stratakos</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Collin Sexton <a href="https://cavsnation.com/">is the best thing</a> the Cleveland Cavaliers have going for them. However, there appears to be some friction and uncertainty <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/news">about their marriage</a> moving forward.</p><p>Recent reports have suggested and stated that the Cavaliers could be open to moving Sexton this offseason (<a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/05/whats-next-for-cavaliers-koby-altman-collin-sexton-dan-gilbert-hey-terry.html">Terry Pluto</a> of the Plain Dealer brought up this possibility). The University of Alabama product is coming off his most productive season in the NBA, as he averaged 24.3 points per game while shooting 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.</p><p>The idea of trading Sexton derives from him potentially being a restricted free agent in a year and the Cavaliers drafting a pair of guards/wings over the last two years <a href="https://cavsnation.com/cavs-news-clevelands-cornerstone-stud-of-the-future-revealed-and-its-not-collin-sexton/">in the first round </a>(Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro). There has also been buzz about Sexton at times holding on to the ball a bit too much.</p><p>One way or another, Collin Sexton is a proven scorer and an impact player. No one puts up 24-plus points per game by accident. Here are three ideal trade destinations for the point guard if the Cavaliers look to make a move.</p><h2><b>Collin Sexton trade destinations: </b></h2><h2><b>Los Angeles Lakers</b></h2><p><i>Lakers receive: Collin Sexton</i></p><p><i>Cavaliers receive: Kyle Kuzma, Lakers’ 2021 first round draft pick (22), and Lakers’ 2025 second round draft pick</i></p><p>The Lakers will attempt to surround LeBron James and Anthony Davis with players who can complement and take some pressure off them. Sexton would give coach Frank Vogel another legitimate scorer.</p><p><a href="https://cavsnation.com/cavs-news-collin-sexton-reveals-biggest-influence-on-his-game/">Sexton would go from the focus of defensive attention</a> to a secondary thought. He’s efficient from the field, can attack the rack, and would benefit from the attention James and Davis attract. In their first round series loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers’ offense was a mess when Davis was off the floor. They relied too much on James and few stepped up in a profound way to aid the scoring cause. If that scenario presents itself again, they’d have someone who can play in isolation in Sexton, who’s a bit of an upgrade over impending free agent Dennis Schroder.</p><p>Los Angeles moves on from Kuzma, whose career continues to stagger, as well as a first- and second-rounder for the sake of getting quicker and deeper in the backcourt (the Lakers had plenty of frontcourt depth this season). From the Cavaliers’ perspective, they can attempt to make Kuzma one of the driving forces of their offense and add a player of their choosing in the mid-to-late first round to go along with their lottery selection.</p><p>The knock on the Lakers making such a move is them having the option to instead re-sign Schroder without surrendering picks or pursue a cheaper route while keeping Kuzma in the fold.</p><h2><b>Boston Celtics</b></h2><p><i>Celtics receive: Collin Sexton</i></p><p><i>Cavaliers receive: Aaron Nesmith, Romeo Langford, and 2021 first round draft pick (16)</i></p><p>The coach became the president, the coaching position is vacant and the Celtics have to make some tough decisions with their roster this offseason. Sexton would add a spark to their rotation.</p><p>Jayson Tatum and a healthy Jaylen Brown make for a sturdy one-two punch, but it’s not enough for the Celtics to overcome Eastern Conference powerhouses like the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Brooklyn Nets. With Sexton present, the Celtics would have three bonafide scorers. Traditionally, the Celtics have been a defensive-minded, halfcourt team. While he perhaps lacks a bit defensively, Sexton adds a new dimension to their offense. It would be difficult to double-team either one of the team’s new Big 3 if you will, given how the trio is efficient from the field and can all get to the rim off the dribble.</p><p>This trade allows the Celtics to clear out some of the lottery selections that either haven’t panned out or won’t get the playing time to blossom into a productive rotation fixture. If all goes well and the Celtics become a conference contender again, they should have the cap room to pay Sexton handsomely (at least a $20 million average annual salary). <a href="https://cavsnation.com/cavs-news-cleveland-targeting-lakers-guard-alex-caruso-in-free-agency/">From the Cavaliers’ perspective</a>, they get another first-rounder this year and can experiment with a pair of talented lottery selections in Nesmith and Langford while lowering future payroll.</p><p>Why wouldn’t the Celtics trade for Sexton? Well, they could run it back with Kemba Walker at point guard for another year. Speaking of Walker, there’s talk of the Celtics having to attach draft picks to him via trade to move his salary. There would be a lot of moving pieces.</p><h2>New York Knicks</h2><p><i>Knicks receive: Collin Sexton</i></p><p><i>Cavaliers receive: Kevin Knox, 2021 first round draft pick (19), 2022 first-round draft pick, and Detroit Pistons’ 2021 second round draft pick (32)</i></p><p>The Knicks need another prominent scorer and a facilitator. They could potentially get two-for-one by trading for Sexton.</p><p>Julius Randle had a breakout campaign and needs someone to score at a high level alongside him. Sexton would handle the rock, serving as coach Tom Thibodeau’s number two scorer. His ability to attract attention off the dribble and in general would create open looks for RJ Barrett and other perimeter players. Sexton would help Randle, and Randle would help Sexton. Neither player would have to be the focal point of an offense, like they’ve respectively been in each of the last two seasons.</p><p>The Knicks would trade Knox, who has been unable to gain traction in the NBA, and a boatload of draft picks. They have four selections in this year’s draft and five first-rounders over the next three years, giving them the arsenal to surrender a few enticing picks. With minimal payroll commitments for the 2022-23 season, the Knicks would have no problems forking over the money necessary to ink Sexton to a long-term deal past next season. They’ll also still have in the ballpark of $50-60 million in cap space to toy with after trading for Sexton. The 22-year-old could be the start of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ranking-the-primary-kelly-oubre-jr-free-agent-suitors-based-on-fit/">a vibrant, transcendental offseason for the Knicks</a>.</p><p>From the Cavaliers’ point of view, they get two draft picks this year, that being the better of the Knicks’ two first-rounders and the Pistons’ second-rounder, which is an essential late first-rounder. They also get the Knicks’ first-rounder next season and keep their payroll down for the long haul. All the while, they can attempt to get Knox on the right path. He was drafted in the top 10 for a reason: He has talent and can be a big-bodied scorer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 ideal trade destinations for Cavs’ Collin Sexton

<!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/2021/06/nba-playoffs-odds-bucks-vs-nets-game-5-prediction-odds-pick-and-more-publish-on-6-15.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA Playoffs odds: Bucks vs. Nets Game 5 prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T12:49:11-07:00">June 15th, 12:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-15T12:51:20-07:00">June 15th, 12:51pm</time><address><a>Noam Bernstein</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Milwaukee Bucks head back to New York on Tuesday night to match up against the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/brooklyn-nets" rel="noopener">Brooklyn Nets</a> for a critical Game 5. It’s time to continue our NBA Playoffs odds series and make a Bucks-Nets prediction and pick.</p><p>The Bucks hold an overall record of 6-2 in the postseason but are only 4-4 against the spread. Milwaukee is 2-2 on the road so far in the playoffs, with both losses coming to the Nets.</p><p>The Nets stand at 6-3 overall in the postseason and are 7-2 against the spread. Brooklyn is undefeated on its home floor in the playoffs so far.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/basketball/nba" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the Bucks-Nets odds.</p><h2><b>NBA Odds: Bucks-Nets Game 5 Odds</b></h2><p>Milwaukee Bucks -2.5 (-107)</p><p>Brooklyn Nets +2.5 (-113)</p><p>Over 220.5 Points (-110)</p><p>Under 220.5 Points (-110)</p><h2><b>Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The biggest news for the Nets is the possible availability of James Harden. Harden has been upgraded twice from his original out status, moving to doubtful and then questionable on Tuesday. The Beard r<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-james-harden-plans-to-play-in-game-5-vs-bucks/" rel="noopener">eportedly plans to play</a> barring a setback in warmups.</p><p>This is massive news for Nets bettors. Brooklyn is obviously a much improved team with Harden in the lineup.</p><p>The Nets’ newest star has only played 43 seconds in the Milwaukee series so far. In the Celtics series, Harden averaged 23.2 points. 8.8 assists, and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 55.6% from the field and 47.5% from 3.</p><p>With Kyrie Irving out, Brooklyn badly needs their best playmaker back on the floor. It was clear in Game 4 that Kevin Durant would not be able to hold down the fort by himself against a stacked Milwaukee team.</p><p>Assuming Harden plays and is able to stay healthy, the Nets should be rejuvenated. Brooklyn has struggled mightily to score the ball of late, failing to top 100 points in both Games 3 and 4. The Beard will change that. In the 41 games that Harden has played in a Brooklyn uniform, the Nets have failed to reach triple digits just once. The one time came against Dallas with both Durant and Irving sidelined.</p><p>The biggest boost we’ll see from Harden’s addition in Game 5 will be the Nets’ 3-point shooting. Brooklyn shot 25.0% from deep in Game 3 and 30.3% in Game 4.</p><p>Even if Harden doesn’t play significant minutes, this number is bound to go up. Harden sucks in defenders with dribble drives and is excellent at finding his open teammates, who should get much more quality looks. Additionally, Nets shooters are too good to put up three atrocious shooting games in a row.</p><p>Brooklyn is undefeated on its home floor this postseason. Expect the home crowd and the likely return of Harden to have the Nets juiced and ready to go from the tip.</p><h2><b>Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>After going down 0-2 in the series, many wrote the Bucks off as doomed to fall short of the Eastern Conference Finals for another year. Instead, two games later, Milwaukee is favored to win the series.</p><p>Of course, it took some Nets bad luck to get to this point. Harden hasn’t played a full minute against the Bucks, and Irving will miss this matchup after missing a good portion of Game 4.</p><p>Still, the bookmakers have made the correct move in marking the Bucks as favorites in Game 5, for multiple reasons.</p><p>One, we have no idea how many quality minutes James Harden will play. Harden might suit up, but we don’t know how fit he is. We’ve already seen one star try to play through injury in the postseason (Anthony Davis) and exit early. Hopefully, Harden is healthier than AD was, but it remains to be seen.</p><p>Secondly, this Bucks team has been completely rejuvenated in their last two matchups. Game 4 was a particularly high point for the Bucks’ supporting cast. Milwaukee finally clicked on the offensive end, getting 20-plus points from Giannis and having five Bucks score double digits in the same game for the first time all series.</p><p>The Bucks had every player play their role to perfection. P.J. Tucker played bulldog defense on Kevin Durant and hit his corner 3s. Khris Middleton got key buckets when needed. Jrue Holiday mixed distribution in with scoring, coming an assist away from a double-double.</p><p>Perhaps most importantly, Giannis has found his groove. In two games in Milwaukee, the Bucks star averaged 33.5 points and 13.0 rebounds, as opposed to 26.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in Brooklyn.</p><p>The key for the Bucks will be Giannis’ shot selection and distribution. For some reason, Giannis shot 13 3-pointers in Milwaukee. This number should be closer to one or two 3-pointers a game. When the Bucks star pulls up for 3, it’s a win for the defense.</p><p>Expect Giannis to come out with his head down in Game 5, looking to get to the bucket and either score or find an open teammate.</p><h2><b>Final Bucks-Nets Game 5</b><b> </b><b>Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>I fully expect Harden to suit up for this game, and he will make an impact. But it’s doubtful he tops 25 minutes, and there’s only so much one player can do in half a game. We saw what happened in Game 4 when Durant was forced to go at it by himself. Assuming Harden isn’t full strength and KD will have to play heavy minutes with just his role players, Milwaukee has the firm upper hand. Give me the Bucks to cover on the road and get their first postseason win at Barclays.</p><p>FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: MIL 117, BKN 110 (MILWAUKEE BUCKS -2.5)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA Playoffs odds: Bucks vs. Nets Game 5 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/2021/06/x-bold-clippers-jazz-predictions-for-crucial-game-5-after-la-ties-up-series.jpg"></figure><h1>3 bold Clippers-Jazz predictions for crucial Game 5 after LA ties up series</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T13:09:58-07:00">June 15th, 1:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-15T13:11:06-07:00">June 15th, 1:11pm</time><address><a>Kousha Kangarloo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After another dominant performance in Game 4, the Los Angeles Clippers are now all knotted up with the Utah Jazz heading into Game 5 back in Utah. With the Clippers setting a certain trend in this year’s postseason and the Jazz looking all out of sorts during the past two games, it’s starting to look more and more like this will be a <a href="https://www.nba.com/playoffs/2021/west-semifinal-1" rel="noopener">seven-game series.</a> With this in mind, let’s take a deep dive into three bold predictions for Clippers-Jazz Game 5.</p><h2><b>1. Jazz will be much more efficient on offense </b></h2><p>After a horrid showing on offense in Game 4, the Jazz will need to be much more effective shooting the ball. Despite Donovan Mitchell putting up 37 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists, the Jazz were just not in sync on offense and looked all out of sorts from the start. Now with them having home-court advantage once again for Game 5, you can definitely expect there to be a more explosive and effective showing from the No. 1 seed in the Western conference.</p><p>With the speed, scoring, and passing that this squad possesses, there’s no doubt that they’ll be firing on all cylinders right out of the gate. As one of the league leaders in 3-point shooting, the Clippers should definitely not expect a repeat of Game 4 with the Jazz missing countless open jumpers. Come Wednesday night, you definitely can expect to see a more aggressive and fluid offensive game from Utah.</p><h2><b>2. Jazz will rev up their defensive tenacity </b></h2><p>Aside from the Jazz having shooting woes all night long, the Clippers were having their way with them the entire game and completely took them out of their element defensively. With the next game heading back to Utah, the Clippers should not expect Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Derrick Favors, or Royce O’Neale to have quiet games on the defensive end.</p><p>As a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Gobert will be back to disrupting the passing lanes, blocking shots and denying finishes at the rim as previously seen in this series, and it can be expected that Mitchell, Ingles, O’Neale, and Favors will follow suit closely. With a deep roster of lockdown and versatile defenders, the Jazz will definitely be stepping up their defensive intensity and look to regain their edge in this series over the feisty Clippers.</p><h2><b>3. Clippers will pull off a third straight win</b></h2><p>After falling short of a road upset in the first two games of this series, the Clippers have found new life after taking Games 3 and 4 in completely dominant fashion and tying up the series. Having said this, the one thing that is certain is that these Clippers are for real and are not the same team that they were a year ago.</p><p>With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George coming up big for them, the Clippers now have powered through and are two wins away from their first conference finals appearance in franchise history. If Leonard and George continue to come through for them while Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, and Luke Kennard keep up their stellar play on both ends, the Clippers will be able to take Game 5 by storm and showcase their dominance once again in this series, no matter how well the Jazz play.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Latest SPORTS News