ClutchPoints Articles - Page 10

Game 5 between the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers had an unusually early start time for a playoff game, with tip-off coming at 6:00 PM EST earlier this evening. Knowing that some fans would struggle to get out of work and make their way to the arena in time in such a big city […]

The Toronto Raptors find themselves in a bit of a hole in the first round of the playoffs once again. After going up on the seventh seeded Pacers two games to one, Indiana won Game 4 and currently holds a 61-52 lead at the half of Game 5. All-Star DeMar DeRozan is one of the […]

As the Toronto Raptors prepare for a critical Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs tonight, fans can look forward to yet another t-shirt giveaway to unite the crowd as one. Or, at least they were looking forward to them previously. The only problem? They’re hideous. The […]

The Sacramento Kings haven’t made the playoffs in a decade, and while they do have some promising, talented players on the roster to make a run at the postseason next year, the organization decided to get a fresh look overall. The crown that many of us have grown up with is being replaced with a […]

Despite only playing for a total of 19 minutes in a series that lasted five games before the Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated the Dallas Mavericks, Charlie Villanueva still made quite a bit of noise while trying to get into the heads of superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Right at the start of the series, Villanueva […]

After building a quick 2-0 lead in their series against the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat lost both games in the Queen City, bringing it back to South Beach tied at 2-2. In their 89-85 defeat, the Heat were called for a total of 26 fouls, sending the Hornets to the free throw line 30 times. […]

It wasn’t easy, but the Charlotte Hornets were able to edge out a 89-85 victory over the Miami Heat to even the series at two games apiece. Kemba Walker‘s 34 points led the way for Charlotte, but Jeremy Lin had a big performance with 21 of his own. Three of those came on a crucial […]

On Monday night, the Los Angeles Clippers were not only dealt a Game 4 defeat at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers that evened the series; they also lost Chris Paul to a fractured hand, and now they might be without Blake Griffin as well. Shortly after CP3 went down, Griffin suffered a left […]

During the 3rd quarter of the Clippers–Blazers game, Chris Paul suffered a fractured hand. The injury occurred after a routine strip of the basketball from Gerald Henderson. Here’s a look at the injury: And Now is Chris Paul 😢https://t.co/kt5Uf0znJz — JCP (@JuanCarllos0404) April 26, 2016 And then this was a dejected Chris Paul on the […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks series has had its testy moments with both teams getting in each others faces at times. Despite the tension, Russell Westbrook has continued to perform his pregame dances and Game 5 was no different. However, this time Westbrook busted out some new moves from the iconic film Pulp […]

A big decision looms for Mike Conley. The Ohio State point guard has spend his entire career with the Memphis Grizzlies, leading competitive teams who’ve made the playoffs year after year, only to be knocked out before ever reaching the Finals. Now, he has a choice on whether he wants to stay with the franchise, […]

A major shift in momentum has struck the Atlanta Hawks, and not for the better. After taking a 2-0 series lead over the Boston Celtics, Atlanta has fallen twice in a row in close games on the road to even the series. Game 4 was especially notable because they held a 16-point advantage before Marcus […]

The news Golden State Warriors fans, and basketball fans alike, have been waiting to hear has finally been announced. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the MRI on Stephen Curry‘s right knee came back negative; there’s no damage. He has only been diagnosed with a Grade 1 sprain, and could be out two weeks. […]

Early this season, the Houston Rockets surprisingly fired Kevin McHale after a subpar start to the new year. He was just one season removed from a Western Conference Finals appearance, and he’d just begun a new three-year extension with the club. Now, after surveying his options and enjoying the season off, McHale appears to be ready […]

It was a disappointing week for the Detroit Pistons. After battling into the playoffs for the first time since 2009, Detroit was swept straight out of the playoffs by the favorite to take the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Still, looking back at the series, it was far from a blowout. Other than Game 2, the […]

When you need a crucial road victory in the playoffs, picking up your sock game is one route to go. Before the Golden State Warriors took on the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of their first round matchup on Sunday, the Dubs’ assistant general manager Kirk Lacob was spotted wearing some pretty flashy footwear. RELATED: Warriors […]

Stephen Curry has already missed two full games in the Warriors vs. Rockets series after sustaining an injury to his leg. Curry returned to the lineup today for Game 4 but landed extremely awkwardly on a defensive play in the first half. While landing, Curry appeared to tweak his leg and had to head back […]

The Mavs and Thunder series has had its confrontational moments including when Charlie Villanueva interrupted Russell Westbrook’s pregame dance. In Game 4 on Saturday, things got even more heated between the teams when Mavs’ center Salah Mejri got into it with the Thunder bench. When Mejri tried to get the ball from the Thunder bench, […]

In game 3 of the Rockets vs. Warriors series, the game came down to a very crucial game-winning shot by James Harden and a key turnover by Draymond Green. However, after officials reviewed Harden’s final shot the day after, they discovered that Harden got away with a foul after pushing Igoudala to create space. Despite […]

After the Raptors routed the Pacers 101-85 to take a 2-1 lead in their opening round playoff series, the team’s global ambassador Drake took to Instagram. RELATED: Gregg Popovich discusses his relationship with Drake https://www.instagram.com/p/BEfCknkjQPP/ Savage, Drake.

Last night, the Houston Rockets shocked the NBA world with their 97-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Yes, the Dubs were without MVP Stephen Curry, but many analysts still didn’t give Houston a chance of winning a single game. Include Charles Barkley in that bunch, literally writing off Games 5-7 for the Rockets-Warriors series from […]

Stephen Curry has been nothing short of phenomenal on the heels of a MVP and a championship last season. This year, Curry actually improved even further, serving as the catalyst for the Golden State Warriors as they won a record 73 wins. Curry will probably be voted as the MVP once again, but his finish in […]

Earlier this week, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a huge move by hiring former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau to be their president of basketball operations as well as their head coach. Over the next four to five years, expectations are going to be sky high for Thibodeau as he attempts to build a winning culture […]

It all came together for C.J. McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers this year, as he became the unquestioned right-hand man of superstar Damian Lillard as the team shocked critics to reach the postseason. Now, he’s being honored for his incredible rise. This morning, it was announced that McCollum is the winner of the Kia […]

It was an abysmal night for Draymond Green. The record-breaking Warriors looked to take a strangle-hold on their first round series against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, but they eventually found themselves in a 17-point hole. The Dubs battled back to take a late lead, but James Harden hit a fadeaway jumper to make […]

After blowing a substantial 17-point lead, the Houston Rockets managed to come alive when it counted most, defeating the Golden State Warriors 97-96 to drop their series deficit t0 2-1. The Rockets had gone several minutes without a field goal when the Warriors finally took the lead. After a pair of Houston free throws, Golden […]

After missing Game 2 between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, Stephen Curry will sit out again tonight and miss Game 3. Warriors beat writer Diamond Leung reported it first on Twitter. Curry left Game 1 in the second half with an ankle sprain, and was unable to return. He has since done some […]

Earlier today, the world was saddened by the news that pop legend Prince had passed away. A number of NBA players used Twitter to express their condolences. One former player, Carlos Boozer, got to know Prince like few others did. Back in 2011, Nick Friedell of ESPN wrote a story about the time that Boozer rented […]

More details on the Wizards‘ push to land former Thunder head coach Scott Brooks have been released. Yesterday, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical revealed that Washington general manager Ernie Grunfeld met with Brooks in Southern California and offered him the head coaching position. Now, we know the specifics of that deal. According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the […]

Earlier today, it was announced that the incredibly talented and world-renowned musician Prince had passed away at the age of 57. He was found in his Minnesota home. Many NBA players were infatuated with Prince and his music. Here are some of their reactions to his sudden and tragic death. He will forever live on.. […]

Last week the NBA Board of Governors officially decided to patch advertisements to NBA jerseys in a small corner on the shoulder area. Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN the reason they decided to give this a go: “The media landscape is changing, People are watching less live television outside of sports. People are watching fewer […]

The Washington Wizards are putting the full-court press on former Thunder coach, Scott Brooks. Both the Wizards and the Houston Rockets have emerged as the top candidates for Brooks’ services, even though he apparently expressed interest in possibly coaching the Lakers. Now, Washington has pulled ahead. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, general manager Ernie […]

It’s only been one week since the final game of Kobe Bryant‘s career, and while some people continue to celebrate the Mamba, the focus of many Lakers fans is back on one of the biggest subplots of the season: should the franchise keep Byron Scott moving forward? Throughout his tenure, Scott’s methods have been criticized […]

It’s safe to say Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy wasn’t pleased with the officiating in game one of his team’s first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. When Van Gundy was interviewed during the game, he claimed that the referees weren’t calling offensive charging fouls on LeBron James because “LeBron’s LeBron” and “he gets […]

Boban Marjanović is a big guy. In fact, he’s three inches over seven feet, and just a few pounds under 300. So inbounding the ball around him? Not an easy task, as Matt Barnes learned in Game 2 of the Grizzlies–Spurs opening playoff series. RELATED: Matt Barnes compares his Grizzlies against Spurs as a ‘gunfight with spoons’ […]

Tom Thibodeau is making his return to the NBA, and it’s coming with the young, up-and-coming Minnesota Timberwolves. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the T-Wolves are finalizing a five-year deal with Thibodeau worth $10 million per year as the franchise’s head coach and president of basketball operations. The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed the report as […]

Isaiah Thomas is on a mission to turn the fortunes around for the Boston Celtics in their first round series against the Atlanta Hawks. From getting the team to switch jerseys for game two, to changing his sneakers at halftime, to even taking off his patented headband, Thomas is pulling out all of the tricks […]

The Boston Celtics are in deep trouble. After a strong regular season that included an exciting win over the Golden State Warriors that broke their 54-home game winning streak, the Celtics have lost the opening two games of their first round matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. Game one came down right to the wire before […]

A number of teams have their eye on Warriors assistant Luke Walton for their coaching vacancies. Before the Suns made Earl Watson their full-time head coach, Walton’s name was mentioned there. He’s also been connected to Phil Jackson and the Knicks on a number of occasions, although it doesn’t appear that’s happening, at least for […]