Reporting Articles - Page 328

For the first time in over two years, Ben Simmons has a clean bill of health entering training camp. Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said Tuesday that Simmons progressed through a rehab process for his surgically repaired back and will be 100 percent when the team reports to Brooklyn: “Ben is playing five-on-five with no […]

The Brooklyn Nets open training camp next week as they turn the page to the first full season of the post-Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving era. The bulk of Brooklyn’s roster will be comprised of returning contributors from the second half of 2022-23. With that, we breakdown the number one area each returning Net must improve […]

When the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 NBA Finals, they looked to be the league’s next best team that would be contending for a championship every single year. Even though Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are fantastic secondary stars, the reason the Bucks found themselves in a championship position was because of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Arguably […]

The New England Patriots are finally in the win column in 2023, but it didn’t come in the prettiest fashion. The Patriots might have been only two yards away from losing had Randall Cobb been able to snag the deflection on Zach Wilson’s Hail Mary pass. Instead, the ball fell incomplete, and the Patriots walked […]

The chatter of Bill Belichick possibly being on the hot seat seemed to be louder than ever before after the New England Patriots’ 0-2 start. Belichick’s team might have simmered down some of that heat though on Sunday, defeating the New York Jets 15-10 to earn their first win of the season. As many questioned […]

Ezekiel Elliott earned himself major praise from a pair of key members of the New England Patriots on Sunday. Both Bill Belichick and Mac Jones gave the veteran running back heavy compliments following their 15-10 win over the New York Jets, in which Elliott rushed for 80 yards on 16 carries (5 yards per carry) […]

After another terrible performance by the New York Jets’ offense in a 15-10 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 3, coach Robert Saleh confirmed that Zach Wilson will remain the starting quarterback. “Right now, he’s who gives us the best chance to win,” Saleh explained postgame. "Right now, he's who gives us the […]

In the midst of a putrid offensive showing against the New England Patriots on Sunday, frustration bubbled over on the New York Jets’ sideline. Running back Michael Carter was caught by CBS cameras yelling at his position coach, Taylor Embree. Carter was first restrained by rookie wide receiver Xavier Gipson and then special teams captain […]

The 2023 NFL season kicked off with two well-known quarterbacks not present on any roster. Both Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz, the former an MVP winner and the latter a former MVP candidate, were unable to pique the interest of any teams prior to the start of the season. Following the likely season-ending injury sustained […]

It took less than one half of a football game Sunday for Joe Namath to vent his frustration with Zach Wilson and the New York Jets’ offense against the New England Patriots. Broadway Joe took to social media to blast their inept start against a winless division opponent. “I’m starting to wonder if Zach’s playing […]

Marina Rodriguez’s bloody beatdown of Michelle Waterson-Gomez earned her a Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Vegas 79. The two fighters met in a rematch from a previous main event in a higher weight class, this time at strawweight for a three-round fight. Rodriguez dominated the fight from the start, blasting Waterson-Gomez with hard […]

Mateusz Gamrot emerged victorious at UFC Vegas 79, but not in the way he would have liked. Rafael Fiziev suffered a gruesome leg injury in the second round, forcing the fight to be stopped. Gamrot expressed his disappointment in the post-fight interview, saying that his goal was to have stronger defense against Fiziev’s kicks. He […]

Marina Rodriguez put on an impressive performance at UFC Vegas 79 on Saturday, defeating Michelle Waterson-Gomez via TKO in the first round. Rodriguez (16-1-2 MMA, 6-1-2 UFC) dominated the fight from the start, landing a series of strikes that left Waterson-Gomez (20-11 MMA, 8-7 UFC) bloodied and battered. The referee eventually stepped in to stop […]

Charles Jourdain showed he’s got more than just dynamic striking on Saturday when he submitted Ricardo Ramos at UFC Vegas 79. Jourdain (15-6-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) wasted no time engaging with Ramos and quickly took the fight to the ground. Ramos (15-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) tried to scramble back to his feet, but Jourdain locked […]

The New England Patriots are in a must-win situation this weekend. Luckily for them, they’re going up against an opponent they’ve owned over the years as they look to win their 15th game in a row against the New York Jets. Here are five predictions for Sunday’s game in the Meadowlands. *Watch NFL games LIVE […]

Despite a lackluster 12-9 start to the the 2022-23 season, the Memphis Grizzlies still managed to win 51 games, the second consecutive year they crossed the 50-win mark. Even with all the regular-season success this organization has found the last couple of seasons, there are still plenty of question marks surrounding them for various reasons. […]

There’s no replacing a top talent like Trevon Diggs, but that is exactly what the Dallas Cowboys are tasked with doing after the All-Pro cornerback tore his ACL in practice Thursday. As of Thursday evening, the Cowboys were still nailing down an exact timeline for Diggs’ recovery, but reports indicated that the injury would sideline […]

The New York Jets face a critical Week 3 test when they host the New England Patriots on Sunday. The Jets (1-1) are coming off a bad loss to the Dallas Cowboys and, you may have heard, have not beaten the Patriots (0-2) since Dec. 27, 2015. So, will Robert Saleh’s team prove they can […]

When reports surfaced on Wednesday that Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield is seeking a trade, I assume I wasn’t the only person invested in the Los Angeles Lakers to hear The Rock in my head. After all, Hield — a former Rob Pelinka client — has been linked to the Lakers for years (as was […]

The Brooklyn Nets enter the 2023-24 campaign absent a superstar following the trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. In a league where a top-tier star is required to compete for a title, that reality casts a bleak shadow over the upcoming season. However, there’s reason for hope that Brooklyn could soon re-enter the inner […]

After the first 12 games of the 2022-23 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were the laughingstock of the NBA with a 2-10 record. There were not only questions about if they were going to miss the playoffs, but if general manager Rob Pelinka and president Jeanie Buss were going to blow everything up by moving […]

Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard is one of the best players in the NFL. He recently took some time for an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints. In addition to discussing his new partnership with Chili’s, Pollard talked about Ezekiel Elliott’s departure, Dak Prescott criticism, the Cowboys’ Super Bowl chances, and more. Without further ado, let’s […]

LOS ANGELES – Cade Cunningham entered his second season ready to capitalize on a strong rookie campaign, but his 2022-23 campaign was cut drastically short. Now, he’s looking to re-establish himself among the best young players in today’s NBA. After playing just 12 games in his sophomore season, Cunningham was shut down and underwent season-ending […]

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson has been in Demario Douglas’ shoes before. When Stevenson was a rookie in 2021, he fumbled in his second career touch in his first-ever NFL game. Stevenson didn’t see the field for the remainder of that Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins and was scratched from the […]

Bill Belichick faces the real prospect of finishing in last place in the AFC East for the first time since 2000, his first year with the New England Patriots, if his team goes into MetLife Stadium Sunday and loses to the New York Jets. Most don’t remember Belichick’s five-year run with the Cleveland Browns from […]

The Philadelphia 76ers don’t officially play basketball again until Sunday, October 8, when they face the Boston Celtics in TD Garden after a week of training camp at Colorado State University’s Moby Arena. But plenty of Sixers players already have hit the court together in the months leading up to camp. Rico Hines, one of […]

ClutchPoints’ Lakers reporter Michael Corvo recently spoke with Austin Reaves’ older brother, Spencer, about Austin’s basketball journey, his experience with the Lakers and Team USA, LeBron James’ generosity, golf, and more. Here’s that conversation (edited and condensed for clarity). CP: You look more like Austin than I realized. It’s the hair, I guess. SR: Yeah, […]

The New England Patriots are rewarding one of their top veteran players with a pay bump. Trent Brown and the Patriots have reportedly agreed to a revised deal, affording the veteran tackle an extra $2 million in contract incentives this season. “New England OT Trent Brown agreed to a revised, improved contract with the Patriots, […]

When James Harden was the featured star of the Houston Rockets, this team was always one of the final squads standing in the playoffs, right on the cusp of the NBA Finals. However, Harden and the Rockets were never able to break through, resulting in the franchise taking a step back. Three seasons have come […]

The NBA loves to emphasize the offensive side of the ball, but Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is taking a different approach this season. Although the two-time All-Star is primarily known for his offense, he’s looking to become a more complete two-way player. On Instagram, Brown even left a comment declaring that he wants to […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have needed wing depth all offseason and waited until there were just a few weeks left until training camp to make veteran additions in that position. Kelly Oubre Jr. is the Sixers’ latest addition after they brought back Danny Green. Oubre agreed to a one-year, minimum deal with the Sixers, giving him […]

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is one of the faces of the NBA’s new rules regarding stars taking off games. The Sixers will face fines if they rest their superstar center on certain games and will face more rest restrictions if James Harden suits up (which is also heavily incentivized by the new rules). Embiid […]

Four championships in an eight-year span. Not many professional sports organizations can say they have accomplished this. The Golden State Warriors joined elite company and formed this generation’s NBA dynasty in 2022 when they once again won the Larry O’Brien championship trophy. A feat that nobody thought was possible after missing the playoffs in back-to-backs […]

Paul Reed’s role with the Philadelphia 76ers has grown each season since being drafted 58th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. With the Sixers in dire need of depth heading into the 2023-24 season, Reed is in for a huge season. The Sixers have mostly asked the same of Reed as they have with all […]

Since the start of the 2009-10 season, the Detroit Pistons have made the playoffs only two times. In fact, they have not won a playoff series since 2008, a year in which they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth consecutive year with Chauncey Billups as their leader. Over the last four seasons, […]

Despite building momentum and hanging tight against two of the league’s top teams, the New England Patriots have suddenly fallen to 0-2 in the 2023 season. Their Week 2 loss was eerily similar to their Week 1 loss to the Dolphins. The Patriots fell into an early double-digit hole, trailing 17-3 at halftime and later, […]

In late June, the Celtics were hours away from sending Malcolm Brogdon across the country. The 2023 Sixth Man of the Year was going to be involved in a three-team deal that’d trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers and bring Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. However, Brogdon’s recent injury to his shooting arm halted the […]

Who is the best player in the NBA? This is a question basketball fans debate every single year, and it’s one that often has no right answer. MVP candidates such as Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry and LeBron James are obviously amongst the best of the best, but one player cannot win […]

Demario Douglas appeared to enter the doghouse following a pivotal mistake in the first quarter of the New England Patriots’ loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night. The Patriots’ rookie wide receiver didn’t play another snap after he fumbled the ball at the end of the first quarter, getting the ball punched out of […]