Reporting Articles - Page 236

Since joining the Los Angeles Clippers, talking heads, fans, and voters in the media always built an easy case against Kawhi Leonard winning the NBA’s most prestigious award an individual can receive: The MVP Award. “Kawhi doesn’t play enough games.” “The Clippers haven’t won enough games.” “He load manages the regular season.” “He doesn’t look […]

On Sunday afternoon, former Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart will hear plenty of cheers at TD Garden. Although the ex-Celtic is now with the Memphis Grizzlies, he’ll be embraced like he never left. Of course, Smart didn’t choose to go, as Boston included him in a three-team trade this offseason to acquire center Kristaps Porzingis. […]

The final play of the San Antonio Spurs’ 114-113 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night may serve as the most obvious example, but it wasn’t the only instance in which the home team didn’t rely on super rookie Victor Wembanyama down the stretch. In fact, the top pick in last summer’s draft […]

For the first time in forever, the Cleveland Cavaliers were fully healthy and playing their preferred starting five of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons. While it was only the 12th time the unit had shared the floor together, it didn’t continue after Cleveland’s […]

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with a displaced flap in the meniscus in his left knee, according to Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The superstar big man is considering surgery to address the injury, which has already sidelined him for multiple games. Charania and Vardon write that a displaced […]

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James spoke to reporters on Saturday for the first time since his hourglass tweet on Tuesday raised questions about whether the 39-year-old is losing confidence in his team as the trade deadline approaches. When asked directly if he’d like to clarify his tweet — which came on the heels of back-to-back […]

The San Antonio Spurs have been asked related questions numerous times this season. Too many to count. Unfortunately for them, so are the turnovers. For a second straight game, the Spurs lack of ball security took big portions of the press-game post conference. ClutchPoints asked point guard Tre Jones about the continued issue. “Honestly, just […]

San Antonio Spurs Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich didn’t need to say a lot and didn’t need to name any names to make his displeasure known over his team’s final shot. Instead of passing to Victor Wembanyama, who was open and heading to the basket, Devin Vassell missed a three-pointer at the buzzer with […]

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is looking like one of the best players in the NBA. Booker Thursday was named Western Conference Player of the Month and earned his fourth NBA All-Star Vote as one of seven reserves for the West. He spoke to AZCentral.com’s Duane Rankin about his All-Star honor. “It means a lot,” […]

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is struggling. Beal, who is expected to be the missing piece in the Suns’ pursuit of a championship, went 0-of-7 from three in the team’s 129-120 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Friday. Beal is having a slump, making just 23.8 percent of his threes since Jan. 16. Beal’s play is […]

The Charlotte Hornets lost their sixth straight game to one of the top teams in the West on Friday, falling 126-106 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was just a rough game all around for Charlotte, who was down by as many as 30 points before extended garbage time. Things just never really materialized for […]

Poor fourth quarter showings have become a problematic trend as of late for the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Prior to Friday night, Minnesota had four different fourth quarters scoring 22 points or less in their last seven games. Three of those poor showings resulted in frustrating losses to the San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City […]

The Denver Nuggets were without superstar big man Nikola Jokic against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. While the Nuggets fared somewhat well, his absence was still palpable. Jokic was able to return to the lineup against the Portland Trailblazers on Friday. In his return, Jokic ended up having a massive game, notching another triple-double […]

The Golden State Warriors took care of business on Friday night, beginning a critical road trip by dispatching of the severely undermanned Memphis Grizzlies in convincing 121-101 fashion. Jonathan Kuminga picked up in February where he left off a career-altering January, scoring 29 points on more highly efficient shooting. Draymond Green did it all for […]

Prior to the New York Knicks’ Thursday matchup with the Indiana Pacers, it was revealed that Julius Randle’s dislocated shoulder would be re-evaluated in two to three weeks. No final decision has been made regarding in-season surgery, but all reports so far indicate it is probably unnecessary. The operative word here is “re-evaluated.” With the […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are going into the NBA trade deadline armed with two draft picks in what most agree is an uninspiring 2024 class. Odds are the organization opts to defer the selection owed by the Los Angeles Lakers until the heralded 2025 NBA Draft. However, the Lakers’ struggles make it difficult to ignore […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are not actively pursuing Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan ahead of next week’s NBA trade deadline, team sources not authorized to speak publicly told ClutchPoints. Recently, sources outside the Sixers organization shared that Philadelphia had an interest in DeRozan. It was said that the 76ers would be willing to offer a first-round […]

Dereck Lively II recently became the first Dallas Mavericks player to earn an NBA Rising Stars Game selection since Luka Doncic in 2019 and 2020. Lively, who’s dealing with a nasal fracture, learned of the honor while battling his injury. Still, he is “grateful” for the selection. “Sadly, yeah,” Lively said on Friday of finding […]

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons is probable for Saturday’s road matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons missed Wednesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns after injuring his knee Monday vs. the Utah Jazz, his first game back from a three-month absence due to a back injury. Head coach Jacque Vaughn said the three-time All-Star was […]

The clock is officially ticking down until the NBA trade deadline passes. In less than a week, there will be a handful of teams around the league making moves to not only put themselves in a better position to contend in the postseason but continue building for future success as well. Although this year’s trade […]

The New Orleans Pelicans can win the season series over Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs but the game is just window dressing for the main attractions. Unfortunately, hoops fans might not get to see a second round of Zion Williamson versus Wembanyama. After yesterday’s practice, head coach Willie Green shared that the 2019 NBA Draft’s […]

The Dallas Mavericks will be one of the most intriguing teams to follow ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Dallas has dealt with an injury-plagued season, yet they are still within distance of making a legitimate run in the Western Conference. The Mavs have been linked to forwards such as Kyle Kuzma and Andrew Wiggins, […]

For quite a while now, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen has been streaking. No, it wasn’t anything like indecent exposure. Instead, Allen had taken the reigns of the franchise’s double-double record and run away with it. But all good things eventually have to end, and Allen saw his streak snapped in the Cavs’ 108-101 […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, possibly longer, with a right foot injury. Vanderbilt will undergo further evaluation on his right foot to determine the duration of his absence, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin reported on Friday. A season-ending procedure is on the table. Vanderbilt injured […]

The Phoenix Suns are sixth place in the West at the beginning of February, which will consist of the NBA All-Star break. Phoenix, which is led by Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, is one of the best offensive teams. But the Suns need to shore up defensively to accomplish their championship goals. ClutchPoints […]

The Dallas Mavericks will battle the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at the American Airlines Center. Dallas received a plethora of injury updates Friday during practice. Luka Doncic has been removed from the injury report, while Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II are both listed as questionable for Saturday’s game. Derrick Jones Jr. and Maxi […]

The New England Patriots have found their new offensive coordinator, hiring Alex Van Pelt to lead the unit and replace Bill O’Brien. Van Pelt, 53, is the most senior coordinator of new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo’s staff. The former NFL quarterback has spent 18 seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL, most recently […]

The biggest omission from the NBA All-Star game may not have been the biggest – in terms of height and stature – omission among those not chosen. At 7-foot-4 and with the hype that towers over the field, Victor Wembanyama probably wasn’t the most deserving snub. In averaging 20.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game […]

Next man up has always been a tried but true cliche, especially if you’re the Cleveland Cavaliers. All season long, the Cavs have been dealing with injuries all over their roster, with the latest keeping Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee) out for over a month. In their duo’s absence, Cleveland didn’t see its […]

The Dallas Mavericks have been linked to Kyle Kuzma ahead of the NBA trade deadline. However, the Sacramento Kings also have interest in Kuzma, and Dallas is reportedly “pursuing a much wider range of players” than Sacramento, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Fischer adds that the Mavericks are still “connected” to Andrew Wiggins and […]

When the Philadelphia 76ers were more down on their luck than they ever were at any point this season, Tyrese Maxey swooped in with a masterful performance to rejuvenate the team’s spirits. Joel Embiid’s left meniscus injury, which will continue to sideline him, will be watched closely. It holds the Sixers’ season in the balance. […]

The Philadelphia 76ers (30-17) wrapped up a long, dreadful road trip against the Utah Jazz (24-26). The Sixers played a very good game and came out victorious in a fantastic game, winning 127-124 to snap a four-game losing streak. Let’s break down the finale of this 76ers road trip. 76ers player notes: Tyrese Maxey: 51 […]

There are no certainties in the NBA, and that was proven on Thursday night when the Boston Celtics lost 114-105 to the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. was without its two best players, as 2024 All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis both missed the nationally televised contest with various injuries. All of Boston’s starters were […]

The Boston Celtics are sending two players to Indianapolis for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, but guard Derrick White isn’t among them. White, who’s started every game he’s played for the C’s this season, has been hearing plenty of All-Star noise lately. Yet he was left off the list of Eastern Conference All-Star reserves before […]

Powered by a red-hot Austin Reaves, the Los Angeles Lakers improbably defeated the Boston Celtics, 114-105, at TD Garden on Thursday night, despite the absence of LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (hip). The Celtics (now 37-12) entered Thursday with the best record in the NBA and a historic 22-2 mark at home. The Lakers […]

Ahead of the February 8th trade deadline, the Houston Rockets have made a bit of noise. The Rockets on Thursday sent Victor Oladipo and three second-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Steven Adams, according to reports. Houston is finally offloading Oladipo’s $9.4 million contract as well as extra draft capital to the […]

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker had a whirlwind of a Thursday. The team’s second-leading scorer was named the Western Conference Player of the Month and earned his fourth NBA All-Star appearance. Booker is one of seven reserves for the All-Star game. Making his 4th #NBAAllStar appearance… Devin Booker of the @Suns. Drafted as the 13th […]

Only 12 players from the Eastern Conference and only 12 players from the Western Conference receive the honor of being called NBA All-Stars every single season. After the five starters from both conferences were announced a week ago, highlighted by LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA revealed the seven remaining All-Star reserves from each […]

After LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo highlighted the list of players named as the starters in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, the league has announced the 14 reserves who will take part in this year’s festivities. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is the most notable All-Star reserve, making his 10th All-Star appearance, while New […]