<!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/2021/02/image_2021-02-27_222008.png"></figure><h1>3 reasons why Kobe Bryant as the new NBA logo isn’t happening</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-27T06:21:18-08:00">February 27th, 6:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-27T06:21:18-08:00">February 27th, 6:21am</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The first-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death has once again re-ignited discussions about changing the NBA’s current logo to his likeness. The public clamor only grew louder when Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving recently aired his support for the movement.</p><p>Kobe, after all, is a beloved figure all over the world. To this day, millions of heartbroken fans still cannot fathom the reality that the Los Angeles Lakers legend is no longer with us physically. Some believe it’s only fitting to honor Bryant with the ultimate tribute by associating the league’s branding and image to his silhouette.</p><p>As lovely as that sounds for his millions of devoted fans, grief may be clouding people’s judgments a bit too much in this scenario. The NBA has already opposed the idea of basing the logo on an individual player.</p><p>Here are three reasons why Kobe Bryant as the new NBA logo isn’t happening anytime soon.</p><p> </p><h2><b>1. The NBA does not want to give the logo an identity</b></h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Jerry_West_claims__a_lot_of_players__have_Kobe_Bryant_s_mentality_and__not_the_skill_.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><p>By now, it’s like an open secret that Hall of Famer Jerry West is the inspiration for the NBA’s iconic logo. It’s blatantly obvious, as even the logo designer, Alan Siegel, has admitted to using West’s picture when he drew the symbol. The NBA’s logo is pretty much as synonymous with West as Michael Jordan’s Jumpman sigil.</p><p>But despite the entire world knowing this tidbit, the league <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/the-idea-of-changing-the-nba-logo-to-kobe-is-a-wonderful-sentiment-but-its-not-happening-231941802.html">refuses to acknowledge</a> this as a fact even to this day. As far as they are concerned, it’s a default image of a completely random player who just happens to be dribbling the ball in the same manner as<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=jerry+west+logo+photo&amp;sxsrf=ALeKk03EOMDujQfAj6pTQ0eUZHN4Y1BwFg:1614409806812&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=iu&amp;ictx=1&amp;fir=l4sCsNyhbscmXM%252Ca7MmHPgRfnzKwM%252C_&amp;vet=1&amp;usg=AI4_-kS2RGt9FQ7BggMJbmvmfxErxaAKkw&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjj8rmYwYnvAhW1IqYKHbq-AxkQ9QF6BAgCEAE&amp;biw=1536&amp;bih=750#imgrc=l4sCsNyhbscmXM" rel="noopener"> Jerry West in this photo.</a></p><p>The simple reason? The NBA does not want to be associated with just one individual, considering the number of great players that made the league to what it is today.</p><p>This has been the same tune Commissioner Adam Silver has been playing in terms of dealing with the public outcry of a Kobe Bryant logo. The NBA has kept a firm stand about this for years and looks like they will not give in even for a player as popular as Bryant.</p><p> </p><h2><b>2. It will be a commercial nightmare for the league</b></h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-plans-to-gift-No.-23-to-Anthony-Davis-will-wear-No.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><p>There’s another glaring economical reason why the league won’t just change its logo out of the blue. The NBA has become a money-making machine even outside of its ventures from basketball, bringing in huge profits from merchandise, partnership deals, and sponsors who all use that unofficial Jerry West-logo.</p><p>Suddenly changing it to Bryant’s likeness, or to anyone else for this matter, entails a massive global overhaul that the league does not want to deal with right now.</p><p>The NBA already has its hands full with its COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Adding what could have been a completely avoidable problem like this one is not something they’re prepared to go through.</p><p>Sure, it’s nice in theory since honoring an all-time great like Bryant would be terrific PR, but it’s just not a pragmatic choice in the long run.</p><p>Remember last season when LeBron James was <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2020/12/4/22154272/anthony-davis-lakers-jersey-number-not-trade-with-lebron-23-6">barred from giving</a> his no.23 jersey to Anthony Davis due to the massive jersey rollbacks Nike has to do around the world?</p><p>Now that’s just because of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/stats">one player on one team.</a> Imagine how the league will handle pretty much re-branding their entire identity just to honor Bryant.</p><p> </p><h2><b>3. It opens Pandora’s Box of biases</b></h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NBA-GOAT-Michael-Jordan-LeBron-James-Kobe-Bryant.jpg"></figure><p>Kobe Bryant’s death is truly a national tragedy. No one deserves to go out in that manner, regardless of stature. Still, it’s pretty clear that the NBA just wants to remain objective in terms of this whole logo situation fiasco.</p><p>Let’s say the league does decide to put Bryant’s image as the permanent logo. What happens when another legend, perhaps even bigger than Kobe one day, passes away? (*knocks on wood*) There’s arguably going to be more public clamor for another logo change.</p><p>This scenario just creates total confusion for the league and its fans. Being the face of professional basketball should be considered the greatest tribute there is.</p><p>That distinction loses its eminence if the NBA has to deal with debates on whether one player is indeed worthy enough to become the league’s symbol, let alone be forced to change it every time someone great passes away.</p><p>The NBA, of course, already poured out beautiful tributes to commemorate Kobe as a basketball player and an outstanding human being.</p><p>We’ve seen the eight seconds and 24-second violations performed by players around the time of his death. The NBA even created a new NBA All-Star format in his honor and altered the All-Star MVP award in his name.</p><p>However many reasons there are that we can’t have Kobe Bryant as the NBA logo, it takes nothing away from his legacy.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons why Kobe Bryant as the new NBA logo isn’t happening

<!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/2021/02/NBA-Lakers-Dennis-Schroder.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers PG Dennis Schroder’s subtle shot at NBA’s COVID-19 policy</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-27T06:07:34-08:00">February 27th, 6:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-27T06:08:18-08:00">February 27th, 6:08am</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schröder returned to the court on Friday to help his team (23-11) snap a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/schedule">four-game losing skid</a> against the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/portland-trail-blazers">Portland Trail Blazers</a> (18-13), 102-93.</p><p>The aggressive point guard sparked the Lakers with his signature energy on both ends of the floor, dropping 22 points and hitting 9-of-9 from the free-throw line.</p><p>Schröder’s return was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-why-la-missed-dennis-schroder-as-much-as-anthony-davis/">more than welcome</a>. Already suffering through the absence of Anthony Davis (calf strain), L.A. dropped all four contests without Schröder, who learned about an hour prior to last Thursday’s showdown with the Brooklyn Nets that he would be held out due to contact tracing.</p><p>Schröder was subsequently forced to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30936431/los-angeles-lakers-dennis-schroder-tests-negative-7-day-quarantine">quarantine for seven days</a>. As he detailed to the media following the Blazers win, he was mainly relegated to playing video games and working out in his guest house. Instead of empowering his teammates on the court, he was texting them feedback as he watched the Lakers struggle from the confines of his home.</p><blockquote>“I had my thoughts, I’d share with my teammates via text,” he said. “It was just hard for me to be in my guest house. Playing video games, working out. It sucked.”</blockquote><p>Following Friday’s victory, Schröder — who hadn’t spoken publicly since entering health and safety protocols — voiced his displeasure with the NBA’s policies.</p><blockquote>“It hurts,” he said, regarding the forced isolation from the Lakers. “I never had COVID. Tested negative the whole time. The situation is what it is. But the NBA has to do better.”</blockquote><p>(Funnily enough, the Zoom presser temporarily disconnected following that sentence, causing some media members to jokingly speculate that Adam Silver remotely halted the session.)</p><blockquote>“I think they for sure need to be better,” Schröder continued. “I tested negative the whole time. They gotta figure that out, for sure. I don’t wanna go deep into that.”</blockquote><p>Schröder didn’t elaborate on what exactly the league can do differently. But he was clearly irked by being held in quarantine despite the lack of consistent positive tests. He revealed that he apparently violated contact tracing protocol after an interaction with a household mate.</p><blockquote>“Somebody in my house,” he said when asked who he came into contact with. “But the test came back positive, then we put that back in, negative, then another one positive, then put it back in, negative.”</blockquote><p>The guard added that he was “inside the arena already, in the car” last Thursday when he got the call that he might be held out. The news came about 15 minutes after head coach Frank Vogel told reporters that he was specifically looking forward to the matchup between Kyrie Irving and Schröder.</p><p>Dennis Schröder said his wife could sense his elation after he awoke on Friday.</p><blockquote>“My wife said when I got up today, you seem like you … Happy.”</blockquote><p>Predictably, Schröder’s enthusiasm and vigor rubbed off on his teammates, as it has for much of the 2020-21 season.</p><p>“It’s really a two-way thing,” Vogel <a href="https://twitter.com/SpectrumSN/status/1365551904198025216">said</a> about Schröder’s impact. “He gives us a punch. He can create a shot when we have a little bit of a drought.” The coach praised the tone he set with his on-ball defense and tenacity, too.</p><p>James echoed those sentiments and noted the lift his presence gave the entire team.</p><blockquote>“Dennis gives us an automatic spark,” James said. “His energy alone gives us a spark. His competitive nature gives us a spark … To have him back in our lineup and back in our locker room just means so much to our team.”</blockquote><p>L.A. was also powered by a return-to-MVP-form from James, who filled up the box score with 28 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and three blocks.</p><p>Schröder’s primary matchup, Blazers superstar Damian Lillard, got his customary buckets (35 points), but he was held to 11 points in the second half (though he looked to be playing through pain).</p><p>L.A.’s feisty point guard is thrilled to be out of his guest house and back on the court, but his upcoming assignments won’t get any easier. The Lakers will face Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, host Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, then head north to deal with De’Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings.</p><p>On the other hand: Schröder is one of the game’s best competitors, and relishes opportunities to face the best of the best.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers PG Dennis Schroder’s subtle shot at NBA’s COVID-19 policy

<!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/2021/02/image_2021-02-27_211928.png"></figure><h1>VIDEO: LeBron James inbound dish to Marc Gasol draws epic reaction from Lakers bench</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-27T05:24:21-08:00">February 27th, 5:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-27T05:43:44-08:00">February 27th, 5:43am</time><address><a>Jeremy Chua</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers were in a jovial mood all throughout their game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night en route to a commanding victory. Midway through the tilt, the team’s bench mob celebrated as LeBron James gave a bounce pass to the cutting Marc Gasol for an easy two points at the basket.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1365525597456244737?s=20">Watch the play here: </a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The boys are loving it 🙌 <a href="https://t.co/7ry3qBE38w" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/7ry3qBE38w</a></p><p>— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1365525597456244737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Indeed, the rest of the Lakers had something to cheer about as their team finally bounced back after absorbing a string of consecutive losses. Similar to how he did in the video, James was pretty much all over the floor on Friday night as he came out with an all-around performance. He needed to be in his A-game in an effort to halt their four-game losing skid, especially with big man Anthony Davis continuing to miss time due to his calf and Achilles injuries.</p><p>The four-time MVP <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/stats">finished the game</a> with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists for the Lakers. Point guard Dennis Schroder also chalked up 22 points in his first game back after missing their last four contests due to the league’s health and safety protocols.</p><p>With a commanding performance, James and the Lakers emerged victorious on a 102-93 win to maintain their grip on the third spot in the Western Conference with a 23-11 record. The other members of the team will certainly have to step up in light of Davis’ absence as he is still a month away from returning to the court.</p><p>Hopefully, the victory over the Trail Blazers could turn things around for the defending champions and help bring back their confidence to win more games moving forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: LeBron James inbound dish to Marc Gasol draws epic reaction from Lakers bench

<!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/2021/02/image_2021-02-27_210547.png"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Lakers bench goes nuts after successful towel defense on Blazers’ Enes Kanter free-throw</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-27T05:11:51-08:00">February 27th, 5:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-27T05:11:51-08:00">February 27th, 5:11am</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers’ benchwarmers Jared Dudley and Kostas Antetokounmpo did not log in a single second against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday but were still responsible for one defensive stop.</p><p>Well, unofficially, of course. The rowdy duo was seen messing around the Lakers bench at one point in the game while Blazers center Enes Kanter was shooting a freebie from the charity stripe.</p><p>While sitting on the bench, Antetokounmpo perfectly timed the Turkish big man’s shot attempt, as he <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1365534608721330176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1365534608721330176%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1020154action%3Dedit">threw a towel</a> in Dudley’s direction. Kanter missed the free-throw, much to the delight of the Lakers’ two reserves who took the credit for themselves.</p><p>Antetokounmpo’s timely throw had nothing to do with the miss, but he and Dudley probably think otherwise. What do you think? Here’s the hilarious sequence:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">got em! Lakers bench mob pulls off the towel throw distraction against Kanter<a href="https://twitter.com/JaredDudley619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@JaredDudley619</a> <a href="https://t.co/NSRDKpA3As" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/NSRDKpA3As</a></p><p>— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1365534608721330176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Luckily for the Lakers, they were not penalized for Jared Dudley and Kostas Antetokounmpo’s shenanigans <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/roster">on the bench.</a> We’ve seen crazier calls made by referees this season and that could have easily been a technical for delay of game or something.</p><p>The defending champs snapped their four-game skid on Friday, edging the Blazers 102-93. Enes Kanter finished with 11 points and 17 rebounds in the losing effort. Maybe he could have recorded at least one-point more had Dudley and Antetokounmpo not get involved.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Lakers bench goes nuts after successful towel defense on Blazers’ Enes Kanter free-throw

<!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/2021/02/Damian-Lillard-drops-Dennis-Schroder-on-his-knees-with-nasty-step-back.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Blazers star Damian Lillard drops Dennis Schroder on his knees with nasty step-back</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T22:33:31-08:00">February 26th, 10:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T22:33:31-08:00">February 26th, 10:33pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard had no chill against Dennis Schroder on Friday, who was just returning from a four-game absence for the Los Angeles Lakers. The two point guards were matched up in the post in the fourth period of the two teams’ showdown at Staples Center.</p><p>Dame completely faked out the playmaker from Germany, as he performed a beautiful spin move-stepback combo that had Schroder dropping to his knees. The Lakers guard was unable to recover, with Lillard finishing the beautiful play with a jumper that hit nothing but nylon. Here’s the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1365530313234018304" rel="noopener">ankle-breaking play</a> courtesy of the six-time All-Star.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">That's TOUGH, Dame. 😳 <a href="https://t.co/dD3abMqYAz" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/dD3abMqYAz</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1365530313234018304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While Dame did get the better of Schroder in that play, the Lakers were the ones who ended their losing skid with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scores/nba/boxscore/portland-trail-blazers-los-angeles-lakers-2-27-2021/fe297b2a-e48b-44b0-a59a-bc0e1e83efe6" rel="noopener">102-93 win</a> over the Blazers. Damian Lillard had the superior numbers of 35 points, three boards and seven assists, but he was unable to prevent his team from dropping its fourth game in a row.</p><p>Dennis Schroder, meanwhile, looked terrific in his return from a lengthy absence due to the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The 27-year-old guard notched 22 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the field, to go along with three boards, two assists and one steal in 32 minutes. Schroder was able to shake off the cobwebs early and was a big factor for the reigning champs on both sides of the ball. The Blazers star may have schooled him on this one, but Dennis will be happy just to get W.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Blazers star Damian Lillard drops Dennis Schroder on his knees with nasty step-back

<!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/2021/02/image_2021-02-27_142551.png"></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James fires back at Zlatan Ibrahimovic over ‘shut up and dribble’ remarks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T22:29:12-08:00">February 26th, 10:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T22:29:12-08:00">February 26th, 10:29pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James broke his silence on Friday after getting criticized by football icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic about his strong political views. The Swedish striker practically mirrored disgraced news anchor Laura Ingraham controversial “shut up and dribble”  comments to the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, after basically claiming that James should do what he’s good at and stay away from politics.</p><p>James had this <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1365539221847437312">curt response</a> to Ibrahimovic on Friday, per Michael Corvo of ClutchPoints.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron on Zlatan's comments: </p><p>“I speak from a very educated mind. I’m kind of the wrong guy to actually go at, because I do my homework.”</p><p>— michael corvo (@_michaelcorvo_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1365539221847437312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no stranger to LeBron and Los Angeles, having played for the LA Galaxy from 2018-19. While the two do not actually have a personal relationship, it’s shocking that the 39-year-old soccer star set his crosshairs on James for always speaking his mind about social and political issues.</p><p>Earlier, Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-lebron-james-gets-strong-support-from-enes-kanter-after-controversial-remarks-from-zlatan-ibrahimovic/" rel="noopener">defended James from Zlatan’s comments,</a> claiming there’s nothing wrong with using a platform to fight against oppression. This is indeed an interesting development, considering Kanter has had his brush-ins with LeBron on the court over the years.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Someone tell <a href="https://twitter.com/Ibra_official?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Ibra_official</a> <br>There is a difference between political opinions and speaking up against persecution, oppression and calling out Dictators. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BLM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#BLM</a> isn’t a political statement,<br>it’s speaking up against oppression.</p><p>In America, we call it Freedom of speech. <a href="https://t.co/eEpERmUaXl" target="_blank">https://t.co/eEpERmUaXl</a></p><p>— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) <a href="https://twitter.com/EnesKanter/status/1365466765925314562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Superstar athletes from all sports, meanwhile, hold a great influence on their millions of fans across the world. There are a select few brave enough to speak out on pressing societal issues, while others cower for fear of upsetting brands and losing endorsement deals. James has used his influence to be the voice for so many others, and he isn’t shying away from the spotlight even when it’s outside of the basketball court.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I have 300+ kids at my school who need a voice and I'm their voice…I'm the wrong guy to go at, I do my homework." <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@KingJames</a> weighs in on the recent comments made by soccer superstar <a href="https://twitter.com/Ibra_official?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Ibra_official</a> that people should "do what they're good at" and "stay out of politics". <a href="https://t.co/Scfp6HhnP2" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/Scfp6HhnP2</a></p><p>— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpectrumSN/status/1365545091306188807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While politics is indeed not everyone’s cup of tea, it’s also not wise to bring down other athletes trying to make a difference. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has the right to voice out his opinion as everyone does, but so does LeBron James, who wants to be remembered not only as a terrific basketball player, but also an outstanding role model who sparked change.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James fires back at Zlatan Ibrahimovic over ‘shut up and dribble’ remarks

<!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/2021/02/LeBron-James-shares-special-moment-with-Blazers_-Carmelo-Anthony-prior-to-tip-off.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Lakers star LeBron James shares special moment with Blazers’ Carmelo Anthony prior to tip-off</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T20:33:58-08:00">February 26th, 8:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T20:33:58-08:00">February 26th, 8:33pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s safe to say <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Lakers</a> star LeBron James is more than hyped to face his good friend, Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony.</p><p>Ahead of Friday’s showdown between the Lakers and Blazers, LeBron <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1365501680339443712" rel="noopener">showed some love</a> to his Banana Boat brother with an awesome pre-game greeting. The two players hugged it out, with LeBron’s face showing his excitement to see and play against Melo.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron and Carmelo caught up before facing off 😊 <a href="https://t.co/nvRHDRbY1E" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/nvRHDRbY1E</a></p><p>— ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1365501680339443712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony will always be brothers, and while they have never become teammates in the NBA, it’s clear they have nothing but love and respect for each other.</p><p>To recall, there were rumors that Melo could sign with the Lakers last season before he found a home in Portland. Moreover, after he joined the Blazers, the King shared he would have loved to play alongside Anthony–though he emphasized he has no regrets.</p><blockquote>“I think everything happens for a reason and everything works its way out how it’s supposed to,” James said, per <a href="https://lakersnation.com/lebron-james-not-resentful-lakers-didnt-sign-carmelo-anthony/2020/08/22/" rel="noopener">Lakers Nation</a>. “Obviously I would’ve loved for him to be a Laker at that point in time, but I’m not sitting here saying, ‘Damn, he’s supposed to be a Laker. He should be doing that for us.’”</blockquote><p>It’s still unknown if the two will ever get a chance to play alongside each other in an NBA team, but instead of wishing for something that is uncertain to happens, we should just appreciate the greatness of the LeBron and Melo while they are still in the league.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Lakers star LeBron James shares special moment with Blazers’ Carmelo Anthony prior to tip-off

<!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/2021/02/Lakers-Jamal-Crawford-LeBron-James.jpg"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford fires back at LeBron James advanced stats tweet attacking Lakers star</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T19:48:20-08:00">February 26th, 7:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T19:48:47-08:00">February 26th, 7:48pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jamal Crawford is not a fan of StatMuse’s most recent advanced statistics highlighting Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James’ supposed decline this season. As the numbers pointed out, The King is experiencing career-lows in several categories in 2020-21, including win shares, value over replacement player, player efficiency rating, and box plus/minus.</p><p>An unamused Crawford re-tweeted the post on Friday and claimed that James’ greatness goes far beyond what the box score suggests. Plus, other Twitter users are already questioning the legitimacy of the tweet since it came <a href="https://twitter.com/JCrossover/status/1365496580896292866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1365496580896292866%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1019985action%3Dedit">from a rather unreliable source</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eye test shows he's doing things that no one has this late in their career…. <a href="https://t.co/mNd10U8yw0" target="_blank">https://t.co/mNd10U8yw0</a></p><p>— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCrossover/status/1365496580896292866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It’s hard not to agree with Jamal Crawford on this one given the magnificent things James consistently does on the floor in his 18th season in the league. After all, fans are so used to the Lakers forward’s greatness that even the slightest dip in his performance becomes national news.</p><p>The 4-time NBA MVP is once again a frontrunner for the award this season, with averages of 25.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in 33 games prior to the Lakers’ game versus the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/schedule">The reigning champions</a> haven’t looked as formidable as of late, losing four games in a row, and have gone 5-5 in their last 10 contests. LeBron will always be looked under a microscope each time his team struggles, regardless of the unfavorable circumstances that the Lakers have right now. Pundits often disregard the fact that a 36-year-old forward is trying his best to keep his team afloat, despite playing without two starters in Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder.</p><p>Jamal Crawford, meanwhile, is indeed a veteran of the sport and knows firsthand that numbers don’t always reveal the full story.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Crawford fires back at LeBron James advanced stats tweet attacking Lakers star

<!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/2021/02/Lakers-Dennis-Schroder.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Dennis Schroder will start vs. Blazers after four-game absence</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T18:02:08-08:00">February 26th, 6:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T18:03:00-08:00">February 26th, 6:03pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers finally received some good news as they will welcome back one of their starters against the Portland Trail Blazers. While superstar Anthony Davis will still be in street clothes for the sixth straight game, point guard Dennis Shroder has been cleared to play after missing four games due to the league’s health and safety protocols.</p><p>Lakers head coach Frank Vogel confirmed this ahead of tip-off on Friday at Staples Center, via <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1365471436232527877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1365471436232527877%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1019894action%3Dedit">ESPN’s Dave McMenamin</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dennis Schroder will return to the starting lineup tonight, per Frank Vogel.</p><p>— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1365471436232527877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>This is definitely a welcome development for the defending champions, who have been sorely missing the services of their two-way guard. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/schedule">The Purple and Gold</a> are currently in the midst of their worst stretch of the 2020-21 campaign, losing four straight games that Dennis Schroder missed.</p><p>AD’s lengthy absence due to an Achilles strain is indeed problematic for LeBron James and Co. but having the 27-year-old German playmaker back should make things a bit easier for them moving forward. In his first season with the Lakers, Schroder has been averaging 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from downtown in 29 games.</p><p>The 6-foot-3 guard has stepped up as LA’s third-leading scorer behind Davis and LeBron. James, meanwhile, has been forced to carry a heavy load in Davis and Schroder’s absence. The King will need all the help he can get against Lillard and the Blazers, who have also figured in a losing streak of their own, dropping their last three contests.</p><p>Schroder’s return, meanwhile, does not guarantee that the Lakers will get back to their winning ways. After all, he might still need his legs back after that significant absence.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Dennis Schroder will start vs. Blazers after four-game absence

<!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/2021/02/Why-L.A.-missed-Dennis-Schroder-as-much-as-Anthony-Davis.jpg"></figure><h1>Why the Lakers missed Dennis Schroder as much as Anthony Davis</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T17:45:20-08:00">February 26th, 5:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T17:45:20-08:00">February 26th, 5:45pm</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dennis Schroder will return to the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineup for their matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on Friday night.</p><p>“Dennis is back, he’s available,” head coach Frank Vogel confirmed in his pre-game Zoom with reporters.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Back to work.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LakeShow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#LakeShow</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/beatsbydre?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@beatsbydre</a> <a href="https://t.co/54F1ku3rwM" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/54F1ku3rwM</a></p><p>— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1365467804946735106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The point guard has missed the past four games due to health and safety protocols (related to contact tracing, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30936431/los-angeles-lakers-dennis-schroder-tests-negative-7-day-quarantine">not a positive COVID-19 test</a>).</p><p>The Lakers have dearly missed Schroder, especially on top of the simultaneous injury to Anthony Davis, who has missed six consecutive outings with a calf strain. The fatigued Lakers (<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/standings" rel="noopener">22-11</a>) have dropped five of those six games and enter Friday on a season-high four-game losing skid.</p><p>Certainly, Davis is LA’s second-best player. However, the absence of Schroder has arguably been just as crippling, at least during this particular February stretch.</p><p>Schroder is third on the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. In the scattered first six games Davis missed before reaggravating his calf, the Lakers were 5-1, with Schroder, crucially, averaging nearly 17 per contest. They are winless without both.</p><p>Predictably, Schroder’s absence has rendered the sluggish Lakers unable to overcome the scoring void left sans AD (22.5 PPG). In their last game with Dennis the Menace and without Davis, the Lakers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-what-we-learned-in-first-game-of-anthony-davis-absence/">adequately made-up</a> for a missing Davis in a W against the Minnesota Timberwolves—the team’s most recent victory—led by Schroder’s 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting.</p><h2><b>Dennis Schroder’s Importance to Lakers</b></h2><p><a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2021/2/25/22301500/lakers-injury-report-dennis-schroder-returns-friday-vs-portland-trail-blazers">As Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll</a> (via <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https://www.nba.com/stats/team/1610612747/onoffcourt-advanced/?sort=OFF_RATING&amp;dir=-1&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2021/2/25/22301500/lakers-injury-report-dennis-schroder-returns-friday-vs-portland-trail-blazers&amp;xcust=___sb__p_22065541__t_w__d_D">NBA.com</a>) noted, the Lakers are nearly 10 points per 100 possessions better with Schroder on the court (114) than on the sideline (104.6)—the biggest difference of any Laker besides Davis.</p><p>Beyond the numbers, though, Dennis the Menace’s ability to break down defenses, create kick-outs, and opportunities for cutters and drop-offs allowed the offense to continue humming. Perhaps more importantly, his on-ball defense helped keep ball-handlers out of the paint, where Davis’s absence is most glaring.</p><p>“It’s tough to pinpoint one area,” where they missed Schröder the most, Vogel said Friday. “He’s such a complete, two-way player. He’s an elite defender. The head coach also cited his “containment ability” and the tone he sets “picking up full-court.” On offense, Vogel credited his ability to attack the paint and create looks for others.</p><p>Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker are adequate bucket-getters, but they don’t generate offense off-the-dribble the way Schroder is capable of.</p><p>During the dog days of a condensed season, where the Lakers are over-taxed and under-motivated, the team needs Schroder’s bouncy energy and relentless hustle to spark the group and provide the type of “edginess” that Vogel has repeatedly mentioned this season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Schroder leaving it all on the court. Work to do in the second half <a href="https://t.co/c6bhqzOT5w" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/c6bhqzOT5w</a></p><p>— LakeShow (@LakeShowCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakeShowCP/status/1357545896506920960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 5, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>“Dennis carries a big load for us. He’s a big minutes guy,” Vogel said. “Really moves the needle for us on the defensive end with his containment and pressure, sets the tone for us. And obviously the versatility he brings to the table offensively with the ability to bring the ball up and have another ball-handler alongside ‘Bron — but also carry the scoring load as well. I think we missed him on both sides of the ball.”</p><p>Or, in the words of the greatest Lakers point guard of all-time:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Lakers</a> really miss Anthony Davis and Dennis Schröder because they affect the game on both ends of the court.</p><p>— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/1363710329922887680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><h2><b>Dennis Schroder Returns at Perfect Time</b></h2><p>Schroder’s return comes just in the nick of time. Here are the Lakers’ point guard matchups over the next six days before the break: Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, De’Aaron Fox. I’m exhausted just writing that list of names.</p><p>“Everyone’s just speaking about AD, and that’s a big hit, but we also haven’t had Dennis along this stretch for a few games too,” James said. “He’s a big piece of our puzzle as well. Everyone has to be put into positions they normally wouldn’t be put into under normal circumstances.”</p><p>The Lakers—or any team, for that matter—simply aren’t build to play without two of their three best players, and their efforts to overcome Schroder and Davis’ combined absence have accelerated the mid-season fatigue. If anything, Schroder’s return should ease the short-term burden on James.</p><p>One thing is clear: three months into his first season with the Lakers, the German guard’s intrinsic value is already readily apparent.</p><p>Next up: <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2021/2/14/22280571/lakers-roster-dennis-schroder-extension-free-agency-date-contract-salary-cap-bird-rights">working out an extension</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why the Lakers missed Dennis Schroder as much as Anthony Davis

<!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/2021/02/LeBron-James-gets-strong-support-from-Enes-Kanter-after-controversial-remarks-from-Zlatan-Ibrahimovic.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James gets strong support from Enes Kanter after controversial remarks from Zlatan Ibrahimovic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T17:32:25-08:00">February 26th, 5:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T17:32:25-08:00">February 26th, 5:32pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James has been the face of many topics over the past couple of years in an effort to make his voice heard. However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn’t like the fact that James and other athletes speak their minds, saying they should stick to sports.</p><p>Portland Trail Blazers big man Enes Kanter showed his strong support in favor of LeBron after hearing Zlatan’s comments.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Someone tell <a href="https://twitter.com/Ibra_official?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Ibra_official</a> <br>There is a difference between political opinions and speaking up against persecution, oppression and calling out Dictators. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BLM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#BLM</a> isn’t a political statement,<br>it’s speaking up against oppression.</p><p>In America, we call it Freedom of speech. <a href="https://t.co/eEpERmUaXl" target="_blank">https://t.co/eEpERmUaXl</a></p><p>— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) <a href="https://twitter.com/EnesKanter/status/1365466765925314562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Zlatan joins the many people that insist that these athletes should “stick to sports” and not talk publicly about many controversial issues, which have started to happen more in recent years for a number of reasons.</p><p>Kanter said there is a “difference” and voiced his support of King James, even after the previous run-ins the two NBA players have had with each other.</p><p>James made his presence known many times, including in the Orlando Bubble as many teams, including LeBron’s Lakers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers">squad</a>, did their best effort to stand up for BLM and many other things that were plaguing the country at the time, and still do to this day.</p><p>LeBron is having a terrific year and posting averages of <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html">25.6 points with 8.1 boards</a> and eight assists and was once again named a starter for the All-Star team to the surprise of nobody. However, he’s not one to hide his feelings and thoughts and will continue to speak up on these pressing matters, no matter what Zlatan and others say about it.</p><p>James has become the face of the NBA for his play and will continue to use his status to speak out on these issues in an effort to help make a difference and better this country for the sake of everybody.</p><p> </p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James gets strong support from Enes Kanter after controversial remarks from Zlatan Ibrahimovic

<!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/2021/02/LeBron-James-hilariously-called-out-by-Richard-Jefferson-for-being-_afraid_-of-the-dunk-contest.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers starLeBron James hilariously called out by Richard Jefferson for being ‘afraid’ of the dunk contest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T16:12:08-08:00">February 26th, 4:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T16:12:08-08:00">February 26th, 4:12pm</time><address><a>Aayush Patel</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former NBA player and current TV analyst Richard Jefferson called out <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Lakers</a> superstar LeBron James when talking about Zion Williamson and whether he would join the dunk contest.</p><p>Jefferson <a href="https://youtu.be/OFI_EeiNc3M" rel="noopener">made it a point</a> that those who have the ability to join the dunk contest but choose not to are simply afraid and don’t have what it takes. He then followed his statement by saying LeBron James was “100 percent afraid” of entering the competition all these years. In fact, the former teammate of the Lakers forward noted that James doesn’t have that “sexiness” needed to join and win the annual slam competition.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>It’s not surprising to hear something controversial coming out of Jefferson’s mouth, but to say that LeBron James is afraid of something is pretty out there–even for Jefferson.</p><p>James did not win four championships, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs and become a legend because he was afraid of his opponents or the platform he was playing on. Even Kendrick Perkins was taken aback by what Jefferson had to say the Lakers star’s hypothetical fear of an All-Star weekend competition.</p><p>Many do wonder why James, who could have entered the dunk contest at least once in the 18 seasons he has played in the NBA, has never made an appearance against the league’s high flyers. The Lakers star doesn’t need to explain his decisions though, especially not to Jefferson. He has always put his talents on display in the regular season, postseason, and even in the countless All-Star games he has played in. His one-of-a-kind game will continue to leave NBA fans, teammates and opponents speechless.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers starLeBron James hilariously called out by Richard Jefferson for being ‘afraid’ of the dunk contest

<!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/2021/02/NBA-odds-Blazers-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA odds: Blazers vs. Lakers prediction, odds, pick, more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T13:36:20-08:00">February 26th, 1:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T13:37:01-08:00">February 26th, 1:37pm</time><address><a>Noam Bernstein</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/portland-trail-blazers" rel="noopener">Portland Trail Blazers</a> face off against the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time this season at Staples Center. It’s time to continue our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2021-nba-championship-odds/" rel="noopener">NBA odds</a> series and make a Blazers-Lakers prediction and pick.</p><p>The Blazers currently hold an overall record of 18-13 and are 17-14 against the spread. Portland is coming off a close loss to the Denver Nuggets.</p><p>The Lakers stand at 22-11 but are only 14-19 against the spread. Los Angeles is on a four game losing streak, with the last loss coming in blowout fashion to the Utah Jazz.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/basketball/nba" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Blazers-Lakers odds.</p><h2><b>NBA Odds: Blazers vs. Lakers Odds</b></h2><p>Portland Trail Blazers +5 (-112)</p><p>Los Angeles Lakers -5 (-108)</p><p>Over 221.5 Points (-112)</p><p>Under 221.5 Points (-108)</p><h2><b>Why The Blazers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>While both these teams enter this matchup on losing streaks, the Lakers are in far poorer form than the Blazers.</p><p>In their last 10 games, the Lakers are a miserable 2-8 against the spread. On the other hand, the Blazers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10.</p><p>The Lakers have struggled in pretty much every category since Anthony Davis’ injury. The two that stand out are defending the 3-point line and converting their own 3-point shots.</p><p>Before the Davis injury, the Lakers were the second-best team at defending the 3-point line. They have dropped to seventh in opponent 3-point percentage.</p><p>Los Angeles has been torched from deep. In the last five games, three of the Lakers’ opponents shot better than 45% from beyond the arc.</p><p>Against a Blazers team that makes the second-most 3-pointers in the league per game, this could be disastrous for L.A.</p><p>Offensively, the Lakers aren’t getting much of anything out of anyone not named LeBron James. Los Angeles failed to break 100 points in three of its last four contests. Much of this is due to the fact that they are ice cold from deep.</p><p>In their last four games, the Lakers combined to shoot 29% from deep. No matter how good defensively a team is, they’re going to struggle at that rate.</p><p>The Blazers’ 3-point defense has been mediocre all year, but at this rate, it doesn’t have to be great for Portland to pull off an upset.</p><p>As long as Portland amps up the pace, the Lakers won’t be able to hang with them in a shootout.</p><h2><b>Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Lakers are looking forward to much-needed reinforcements with Dennis Schroder probable to play.</p><p>Schroder missed four games due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols, and it was reflected in L.A.’s offensive output.</p><p>As the Lakers’ third-leading scorer and second best ball handler, Schroder is a key piece to this Lakers offense. Assuming he plays, a huge weight will be taken off LeBron James’ back.</p><p>After facing the best defense in the league in Utah, seeing this Blazers defense has to be a relief for the Lakers. Their only tolerable offensive game was against the Wizards over this stretch, a team that allows the second-most points in the league. Thankfully for the Lakers, the Blazers aren’t much better, allowing the sixth-most points.</p><p>Since Jusuf Nurkic’s injury, Portland has been playing with a very small lineup with little rim protection. Davis will be sorely missed, but LeBron and Schroder should still find their share of easy buckets at the hoop.</p><p>Defensively, L.A. needs to force Lillard and company to put the ball on the floor and go to the rim. The Blazers get 42% of their points from beyond the arc, the second-highest in the league.</p><p>While the Blazers shoot the ball well, they struggle to convert inside the 3-point line. Portland is seventh in the league in 3-point percentage but just 26th in the league in field goal percentage.</p><p>Another important point for the Lakers will be keeping the Blazers off the free-throw line.</p><p>Portland is bottom-tier in free-throw attempts (21st) but fifth in percentage. As long as L.A. keeps them off the charity stripe and 3-point line, this Portland offense can be slowed.</p><h2><b>Final Blazers-Lakers Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>Even with Schroder’s return, the Lakers will still struggle offensively as he shakes off the rust from a long absence. Barring a superhuman performance from LeBron, the Blazers should keep this game close. Los Angeles has shown the inability to finish teams off and close strong recently, and against a sharpshooting team like Portland, this is deadly. Even if the Blazers go down early, their 3-point prowess should keep them in the game. I’ll take Portland with the points here, and it might even be worth it to put a little on the Blazers moneyline.</p><p>FINAL PICK: POR +5</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA odds: Blazers vs. Lakers prediction, odds, pick, 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/2020/10/LeBron-James-or-Anthony-Davis-PICK-ONE-is-in-line-to-win-2020-NBA-Finals-MVP-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Trail Blazers-Lakers: Game Time, Odds, Schedule, TV Channel, Betting Odds, and Live Stream (Friday, February 26th)</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T13:00:19-08:00">February 26th, 1:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T13:00:19-08:00">February 26th, 1:00pm</time><address><a>ClutchPoints</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA Game Time</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/portland-trail-blazers">Portland Trail Blazers</a> (18-13) take on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers">Los Angeles Lakers</a> (22-11) at Staples Center.</p><p><b>Game Time:</b> 10:00PM EST/7:00PM PST on Friday, February 26th</p><p><b>TV:</b> ESPN</p><p><b>Betting Odds:</b> <a href="https://www.bovada.lv/sports/basketball/nba" rel="noopener noreferrer">NBA Odds</a></p><p><b>Live Stream:</b> Watch the game <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408&amp;bgvideo=NBATV.mp4" rel="noopener noreferrer">online with fuboTV (free trial)</a>. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. With a subscription, you can watch the live stream on <a href="http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn" rel="noopener noreferrer">Watch ESPN app</a>. You can also follow the game live on the <a href="http://bit.ly/CPAppNow" rel="noopener noreferrer">ClutchPoints app</a>. <br> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/adamsilver4live/comments/ezi3xz/games_will_be_posted_here/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reddit Thread.</a></p><p><b>Trail Blazers Active Roster:</b> Carmelo Anthony, Robert Covington, Damian Lillard, Derrick Jones Jr., Enes Kanter, Gary Trent Jr., Anfernee Simons, Harry Giles III, Nassir Little, Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, CJ McCollum, Rodney Hood, Keljin Blevins, CJ Elleby</p><p><b>Trail Blazers Injured Players:</b></p><ul><li>Harry Giles III (Out – Calf): The Trail Blazers have listed Giles III as OUT for Friday’s game (Feb. 26) against the Lakers.</li><li>Jusuf Nurkic (Out – Wrist): Nurkic is recovering from a broken right wrist and is expected to miss at least eight weeks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.</li><li>Zach Collins (Out – Ankle): The Trail Blazers announced that Collins underwent revision surgery and is out indefinitely.</li><li>CJ McCollum (Out – Left foot): The Trail Blazers announced that McCollum will be out for at least four weeks.</li></ul><p><b>Lakers Active Roster:</b> Jared Dudley, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/lebron-james/b1a9094f">LeBron James</a>, Markieff Morris, Damian Jones, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/kyle-kuzma/afa10932">Kyle Kuzma</a>, Wesley Matthews, Montrezl Harrell, Alex Caruso, Dennis Schroder, Talen Horton-Tucker, Marc Gasol, Devontae Cacok, Alfonzo McKinnie, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kostas Antetokounmpo, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/anthony-davis/b77109e3">Anthony Davis</a></p><p><b>Lakers Injured Players:</b></p><ul><li>LeBron James (Day To Day – Ankle): The Lakers have listed James as PROBABLE for Friday’s game (Feb. 26) against the Trail Blazers.</li><li>Markieff Morris (Day To Day – Ankle): The Lakers have listed Morris as PROBABLE for Friday’s game (Feb. 26) against the Trail Blazers.</li><li>Kyle Kuzma (Day To Day – Back): The Lakers have listed Kuzma as PROBABLE for Friday’s game (Feb. 26) against the Trail Blazers.</li><li>Dennis Schroder (Day To Day – Health and Safety Protocols): The Lakers have listed Schroder as PROBABLE for Friday’s game (Feb. 26) against the Trail Blazers.</li><li>Anthony Davis (Out – Achilles): The Lakers announced that Davis has been diagnosed with a strained Achilles and will miss at least 2-3 weeks.</li></ul><p><b>Follow us on Twitter</b> at <a href="https://twitter.com/BlazersNationCP" rel="noopener noreferrer">@BlazersNationCP</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/LakeShowCP" rel="noopener noreferrer">@LakeShowCP</a>.</p><p><b>Follow us on Facebook</b> at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TrailBlazersNation" rel="noopener noreferrer">Portland Trail Blazers</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesLakeShow" rel="noopener noreferrer">Los Angeles Lakers</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Trail Blazers-Lakers: Game Time, Odds, Schedule, TV Channel, Betting Odds, and Live Stream (Friday, February 26th)

<!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/2021/02/Jeanie-Buss-reacts-to-Kyrie-Irving-Vanessa-Bryant-calling-for-Kobe-Bryant-to-be-new-NBA-logo.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers owner Jeanie Buss reacts to Kyrie Irving, Vanessa Bryant calling for Kobe Bryant to be new NBA logo</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T12:23:07-08:00">February 26th, 12:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T12:23:07-08:00">February 26th, 12:23pm</time><address><a>Immanuel Canicosa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>More than a year after his untimely death and former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant continues to receive tributes from NBA players.</p><p>While the NBA itself has also showered Bryant with honors, such as renaming the All-Star Game MVP award after him, there are those who want the league to pay tribute to him by changing their logo to that of the five-time champion.</p><p>Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1364692575538479105">has been vocal</a> about wanting the NBA logo to be changed from another former Laker in Jerry West to Bryant. Irving’s suggestion gained support from Bryant’s wife Vanessa and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-vanessa-bryant-supports-kyrie-irving-proposed-kobe-bryant-nba-logo/">now finds another supporter</a> in Lakers team owner and president Jeanie Buss, who also <a href="https://twitter.com/jeaniebuss/status/1365351614203183111?s=21">supported the idea</a> on social media.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I agree with Vanessa Bryant. Kobe set a standard and players agree too. Let me know what you think. <a href="https://t.co/5dpMGZuDKA" target="_blank">https://t.co/5dpMGZuDKA</a></p><p>— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeanieBuss/status/1365351614203183111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Aside from agreeing to the idea of having the Black Mamba on the league’s logo, Buss added that Bryant set a standard during his 20-year career that he spent entirely with the Lakers, and that players agree to the idea as well.</p><p>It is understandable that Buss will also like the idea of putting Kobe Bryant on the NBA logo, as she and her father Jerry were close to the two-time Finals MVP since he joined the team in 1996. As she said, the potential move is also backed by several players, many of whom grew up watching and admiring Bryant and his legendary work ethic.</p><p>Even West, the man whose silhouette is in the league’s logo, has <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2021/02/25/jerry-west-would-be-ok-with-kobe-bryant-replacing-him-as-the-logo-but-it-may-be-unlikely-to-happen/?sh=6b9e5fc4f07f">supported the idea</a> of having Bryant on the logo. The ball, however, will ultimately rest in the hands of the league office and commissioner Adam Silver on whether this move will actually be done or not.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss reacts to Kyrie Irving, Vanessa Bryant calling for Kobe Bryant to be new NBA logo

<!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/2021/02/Lakers-news-Anthony-Davis_-brutally-honest-take-on-LeBron-James_-MVP-candidacy-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Anthony Davis’ brutally honest take on Lakers co-star LeBron James’ MVP candidacy</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T12:03:15-08:00">February 26th, 12:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T12:03:15-08:00">February 26th, 12:03pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Amid the Los Angeles Lakers’ four-game losing streak, LeBron James remains as a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/has-the-lakers-losing-skid-cost-lebron-james-his-mvp-hopes/">potential MVP candidate</a> this season. He’s averaging 25.6 points, 8.0 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game. Just an absolutely amazing feat considering he’s 36 years old.</p><p>The Lakers won the championship last season in the NBA bubble and aim to do so again as they currently rest in third place in the stacked Western Conference. Although James is in the race for the MVP trophy this year, Anthony Davis shared his opinion on James’ mindset if he were to lose the coveted award to someone else:</p><blockquote>“Put it to you like this,” Davis said, via <a href="https://theathletic.com/2412546/2021/02/25/anthony-davis-on-his-injury-lakers-slide-and-stepping-into-a-coaching-role/">Bill Oram in The Athletic</a>. “I know that that man does not care about MVP awards. He cares about championships. So if he loses the MVP and wins the championship like he did last year, he doesn’t care. So that’s what his mindset is, he’s not focused on MVPs. He’s focused on Finals MVPs.”</blockquote><p>Anthony Davis literally describes a winning mindset with his take on LeBron James. As a player who has faced scrutiny throughout his career, James is on the path of silencing the critics by the time the Lakers superstar retires.</p><p>James is chasing more than just trophies, he’s chasing a legacy. With four rings in his collection already, James hopes to acquire a fifth by the end of this year. Additionally, he’s inching closer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record as well.</p><p>Constantly being compared to Michael Jordan, LeBron James is attempting to make a strong case to be considered as the greatest player of all time, otherwise known as the GOAT. If LeBron keeps up his high level of play, he may surpass Jordan in titles and Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring title before it’s all said and done.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Anthony Davis’ brutally honest take on Lakers co-star LeBron James’ MVP candidacy

<!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/2021/02/LeBron-James-reacts-to-Kelly-Loeffler-selling-Atlanta-Dream-to-ex-star-Renee-Montgomery.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James reacts to Kelly Loeffler selling Atlanta Dream to ex-star Renee Montgomery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T11:12:36-08:00">February 26th, 11:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T11:13:08-08:00">February 26th, 11:13am</time><address><a>Immanuel Canicosa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Aside from being one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has also never been shy to use his platform to speak out about social issues.</p><p>Earlier this year, James voiced his support for players of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, who stood up against co-owner and former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler’s comments opposing the Black Lives Matter movement.</p><p>With the team now being <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba-news-kelly-loeffler-finally-sells-atlanta-dream/">sold to a three-member investor group</a> that includes former Dream star Renee Montgomery, James was one of the athletes <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1365354492783329280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1365354492783329280%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1019506action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">who congratulated</a> Montgomery and her group about the sale on social media:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">So proud of this Queen. This is everything we are about! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Morethananathlete?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Morethananathlete</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/morethanavote?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@morethanavote</a> <a href="https://t.co/7xddvmG8UU" target="_blank">https://t.co/7xddvmG8UU</a></p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1365354492783329280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Aside from voicing his support to the Dream players against the team’s former co-owner, LeBron James also previously hinted at the possibility of putting together an ownership group to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lebron-james-teases-atlanta-dream-ownership-amid-georgia-senate-runoffs/">purchase the team from Loeffler</a>. He even shared a picture of the players wearing black “Vote Warnock” T-shirts and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/georgia-based-pro-teams-lebron-james-going-all-in-on-senate-races/">voiced his support</a> for Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock, who went on to defeat Loeffler in the United States Senate runoff elections in Georgia last month.</p><p>Even though James did not end up putting up an ownership group and becoming an owner of the Dream, it’s clear that he’s happy with how the sale of the franchise turned out and supportive of Montgomery’s group as they begin a new chapter in the franchise’s history.</p><p>Meanwhile, LeBron James and the Lakers remain third in the Western Conference with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/records" rel="noopener">22-11 record</a> but have struggled in the absence of big man Anthony Davis and point guard Dennis Schroder. They look to stop a four-game slide <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/schedule" rel="noopener">on Friday</a> when they face the Portland Trail Blazers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James reacts to Kelly Loeffler selling Atlanta Dream to ex-star Renee Montgomery

<!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/2021/02/Lakers-news-LA-makes-next-move-at-center-after-waiving-Quinn-Cook-Thumbnail-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers make next move at center after waiving Quinn Cook</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T10:54:26-08:00">February 26th, 10:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T10:56:52-08:00">February 26th, 10:56am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers are beefing up the frontcourt after waiving Quinn Cook. The Lakers <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1365366656478846984" rel="noopener">announced Friday</a> the signing of center Damian Jones to a 10-day contract.</p><p>It always seemed likely the Lakers were going to pursue a big man after waiving Cook.</p><p>Anthony Davis is still likely out until after the All-Star break with his leg injury. Veteran enter Marc Gasol has started all 33 games, but is averaging just over 20 minutes per contest. Head coach Frank Vogel would likely prefer to use Kyle Kuzma in more of a swingman role, but has had to deploy Kuz more as a 4-man due to Davis’ injury. The Lakers also just generally lack frontcourt depth outside of Gasol, Montrezl Harrell and an undersized Markieff Morris.</p><p>Jones is hardly the flashiest signing. He is a bench piece, averaging 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds for his career. Jones played 14 games with the Phoenix Suns this past season, though he averaged under seven minutes per contest.</p><p>There had been speculation as to whether the Lakers might pursue a reunion with DeMarcus Cousins after the Houston Rockets waived the former All-Star. Cousins cleared waivers Thursday, but reports <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2021/2/23/22297541/lakers-rumors-not-interested-demarcus-cousins-rumors-quinn-cook-waive-roster-spot-options">suggested</a> the Lakers never had real interest in bringing Cousins into the fold.</p><p>Los Angeles is desperately struggling for momentum. The Lakers were destroyed by the Utah Jazz Wednesday night in Salt Lake City and have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/schedule" rel="noopener">now lost four in a row.</a> They will look to bounce back with a win Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, with Jones having the opportunity to show his value in the frontcourt.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers make next move at center after waiving Quinn Cook

<!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/2021/02/kyrie2-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Kyrie Irving amplifies previous remarks on Lakers’ Kobe Bryant as new NBA logo</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-25T21:18:13-08:00">February 25th, 9:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-25T21:23:37-08:00">February 25th, 9:23pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving is continuing with his campaign to try to put the silhouette of the late Kobe Bryant as the iconic figure representing the NBA logo. Kobe would replace Jerry West, who is nicknamed both “Zeke from Cabin Creek” and — in reference to the NBA’s branding over the past half-century — “The Logo.”</p><p>Kyrie Irving claims that it’s only just fitting to put a figure like Kobe Bryant <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/news">as the league’s logo</a> and echoes his previous statements that “Black kings built the league”.</p><blockquote>“My thing is paying homage to the example that’s been set by that man,” Irving said (via <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYNets/status/1365141957517926402">SNY Nets</a>). “Kobe Bryant. Logo. Yes. Needs to happen. I don’t care what anyone says. Black kings built the league. That’s exactly what I meant, it’s exactly where I stand.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kyrie Irving further echoes his call for Kobe Bryant to be the new logo of the NBA:</p><p>"Kobe Bryant. Logo. Yes. Needs to happen. I don't care what anyone says. Black kings built the league. That's exactly what I meant, it's exactly where I stand" <a href="https://t.co/s21zowRjdg" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/s21zowRjdg</a></p><p>— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYNets/status/1365141957517926402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>With everything going on in the world today, plus everything that’s been happening in the league these past few years, one could understand Irving’s rather stubborn perspective regarding Kobe Bryant. The iconic NBA logo of the legendary Jerry West has been the league’s banner since 1969 and if there’s a time to rebrand and modernize this emblem, it’s probably now.</p><p>And, to Irving’s point, it would be fitting to put a character like Kobe Bryant as the league’s symbol not just to honor his contributions in his time in the league but also the cultural implications of putting a Black man as the NBA’s main symbol moving forward. Pushing such an initiative will further advance the movement of social justice and inclusivity and would be a monumental decision that would echo across different generations and cultures.</p><p>Though Irving has put out a few questionable concepts in the past, this Kobe Bryant logo campaign is something a lot of people in and out of the league will definitely support in the coming months.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kyrie Irving amplifies previous remarks on Lakers’ Kobe Bryant as new NBA logo

<!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/2021/02/image_2021-02-26_120306.png"></figure><h1>Kevin Garnett breaks down Kobe Bryant’s clutch assist to Metta World Peace in 2010 Lakers vs. Celtics Finals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-25T20:27:19-08:00">February 25th, 8:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-25T20:38:12-08:00">February 25th, 8:38pm</time><address><a>Nick Andre</a>Basketball Enthusiast</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Hall of Fame legend Kevin Garnett took an epic stroll down memory lane. In this excerpt from his recent penned work on Bleacher Report’s <b>Kevin Garnett ‘Uncensored’</b>, Garnett spoke on the 2010 NBA Finals matchup against the Celtics’ rival, the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>Garnett would come up short of a championship, losing the series four games to three. The series came down to an epic three-pointer by Metta Sandiford-Artest, then known as Ron Artest, which came off of a pass from Bryant.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Garnett expressed the level of respect that he had for Kobe Bryant throughout the series. Bryant faced a physical Celtics team playing through a broken index finger, bone spur in his right ankle, and also a lingering knee injury.</p><blockquote>“We told ourselves in that Game 7 that we were gonna stop Kob. That was our strategy. But Kob found a way to win anyway. While he was struggling, he was quick to see who wasn’t. Metta Sandiford-Artest, still called Ron back then, had a hot hand. He scored 20. The last three were the most important,” Garnett said.“We played that critical possession perfectly. Fourth quarter. Minute left on the clock. Lakers up three. Bean has the ball on the wing. Ray is playing him straight-up. Everybody in the building knows he wants to take that shot. F–k no, we ain’t gonna let him. Rasheed comes over to double, and Kob drives right. But Ray cuts him off, doesn’t let him in the lane. So Bean goes up in the air and gets off a tough pass to Metta behind the arc. Paul [Pierce] has already rotated over and gets a hand in his face, makes a nice contest. We do everything we’re supposed to do. Ball just goes in”</blockquote><p>Despite the abnormal circumstances, Bryant managed to average 28.6 points along with four assists in the meantime. Garnett and his squad had a game plan to slow down Bryant offensively, which they did as he shot 6-24. Bryant still managed to impact the game by rebounding and trusting his teammates.</p><p>The Celtics figured that Bryant was going to take the final shot with a minute remaining. As Boston double-teamed him at the top of the key, Bryant made a play that crushed the Celtics’ chances of winning. Garnett <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2933193-kevin-garnett-uncensored-excerpt-when-kobe-and-i-were-the-future">explained</a> that Artest’s three-pointer became the exclamation point, as the Lakers defeated the Celtics 83-79.</p><p>Garnett expressed that Boston’s game seven loss remains hard to accept 10 years later. The Celtics were on the pace of winning their second championship in three seasons. The win in Staples Center nearly went into the hands of the Celtics. But Bryant’s terrific decision-making was what stunted Boston from clinching their 18th title.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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