<!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/2021/01/ad-3.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers star Anthony Davis is enraged at Packers’ loss to Buccaneers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T16:09:07-08:00">January 24th, 4:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T16:09:07-08:00">January 24th, 4:09pm</time><address><a>Candice Evans</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Green Bay Packers fans everywhere are mourning their NFC Championship Game loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis is among them.</p><p>The game featured two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, and they did not disappoint. It was a complete roller-coaster ride from start to finish—the Packers falling behind by as much as 18 at one point. They clawed their way back to cut the deficit to five points but spoiled a few opportunities in the fourth quarter and came up short.</p><p>It was a tough way to end a heck of the season, and Davis was left speechless, posting on Instagram after the L (via <a href="https://twitter.com/jovanbuha/status/1353483668002459648">Jovan Buha of The Athletic</a>).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Anthony Davis’ reaction to the Packers’ loss <a href="https://t.co/xQ9xWpMrPq" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/xQ9xWpMrPq</a></p><p>— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) <a href="https://twitter.com/jovanbuha/status/1353483668002459648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Coming into the season, many people felt that Brady took arguably the biggest risk of his professional career, leaving Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots to go play with the Bucs. To make things worse, Brady didn’t have OTAs to collaborate with coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Critics <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/buccaneers-news-tom-brady-deep-ball-ability-is-tampa-bays-biggest-question-entering-2020-season/">pointed to his struggles</a> with the deep ball. They feared his relationship with Arians was already unraveling.<br></p><p>Fast forward and Brady has now eliminated Aaron Rodgers—the presumptive MVP. Brady is now set to attempt something his childhood idol Joe Montana couldn’t do—win it all with a new team in year one. Though Montana did come close, leading the 1993 Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game.</p><p>The Buccaneers will be the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, on Feb. 7. They will host 22,000 fans, among them 7,500 health care workers.</p><p>The Bucs will await either the Buffalo Bills or the Chiefs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers star Anthony Davis is enraged at Packers’ loss to Buccaneers

<!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/2021/01/Would-you-want-36-year-old-LeBron-or-26-year-old-Giannis-with-2021-NBA-title-on-the-line.jpg"></figure><h1>Would you want 36-year old LeBron James or 26-year old Giannis Antetokounmpo with 2021 NBA title on the line?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T14:37:04-08:00">January 24th, 2:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T14:38:31-08:00">January 24th, 2:38pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James versus Giannis Antetokounmpo. The King versus The Greek Freak.</p><p>The Los Angeles Lakers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-dominating-giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks-after-mvp-voting-fiasco-last-season/" rel="noopener">just beat</a> the Milwaukee Bucks <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401267386" rel="noopener">113-106</a> this past Thursday night, and the King vs. Greek Freak debate continues on.</p><p>While Giannis is the reigning MVP winner and Defensive Player of the Year, James is still regarded by many as the best player in the NBA. This is especially true after LeBron won the 2020 NBA title and Giannis fell short in the playoffs yet again.</p><p>Looking ahead to this year’s playoffs, is LeBron or Giannis the guy you want with the 2021 Larry O’Brien Trophy at stake?</p><h2>Giannis Antetokounmpo</h2><p>The Milwaukee Bucks cornerstone piece is once again putting up mammoth numbers in the regular season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.0 points with 10.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game to start the season after winning MVP over LeBron James a few months back.</p><p>Of course, we all know Antetokounmpo can dominate in the regular season. But what about the playoffs?</p><p>Questions about Giannis were at an all-time high in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat. He put up 21.8 points and 11.0 boards per game against the Heat and was forced to sit out Game 5 with a sprained ankle as the Bucks fell in five games. While these are good numbers for most, he averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists during the regular season and was clearly flustered throughout the series, just like he was against the Toronto Raptors the year before.</p><p>The Greek Freak’s shooting struggles played a role again. He shot under 50.8% from the field and 21.4% on 3-pointers. He also shot just 53.7% on free throws, and his shooting from the charity stripe continues to be a big issue this season.</p><p>The Heat built a wall and did an incredible job manning up against Antetokounmpo:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Suns fans, watch this compilation of Jae Crowder guarding Giannis in the playoffs and be happy. <a href="https://t.co/ATfhFAQEUp" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/ATfhFAQEUp</a></p><p>— Sam Cooper (@scooperhoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/scooperhoops/status/1330241246380630017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">November 21, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Giannis failed to make the NBA Finals in his first seven seasons, and he is hoping the eighth time will be the charm. There will be a lot of competition, though, and he must step up on the biggest stage in order to truly be the NBA’s best player. As of right now, he still has to prove he can do it.</p><h2>LeBron James</h2><p>The King is still — somehow — playing at an incredible level, even at the age of 36. James just never seems to slow down, and Father Time has yet to catch up to him.</p><p>LeBron is fresh off an NBA title with the Lakers — the franchise’s first since 2010 — and they are the early favorite to repeat and potentially three-peat after he and Anthony Davis both signed extensions in the offseason.</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LeBron-James-on-meaning-behind-he-and-Anthony-Davis-signing-extensions.jpg"></figure><p>James is an early favorite for MVP this season, posting averages of 23.9 points with 7.9 boards and 7.5 assists in the early stages as the Lakers dominate</p><p>Of course, even though some haters still try to diminish his accomplishments and ability to be clutch, James always seems to hit an extra gear in the playoffs. He had incredible averages of 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the NBA Finals victory over the Miami Heat for yet another Finals MVP.</p><p>LeBron is averaging an incredible 28.4 points per game throughout his career in the NBA Finals, and who knows when he will finally slow down. While his raw numbers are slightly down this season, the Lakers star is still almost as effective as ever.</p><h2>The Answer: LeBron James</h2><p>Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a great player for a long time. However, he has failed to reach the Finals, even despite being the favorite in the Eastern Conference the last two years. Until he gets it done with the Bucks, LeBron James is the guy any team would want when everything is on the line.</p><p>LeBron has four NBA titles and could be on his way to his fifth title if the Lakers keep playing at this rate.</p><p>The one outlier for James was the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, but that is a decade ago at this point. He responded to that failure in amazing fashion and has been to the NBA Finals every year since except 2019.</p><p>When all is said and done, LeBron James is the guy you want leading your team come Finals time — at least until he finally loses a step.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Would you want 36-year old LeBron James or 26-year old Giannis Antetokounmpo with 2021 NBA title on the line?

<!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/2021/01/Talen-Horton-Tucker-Alex-Caruso-Lakers-Montrezl-Harrell.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Alex Caruso refuses to let Talen Horton-Tucker get left hanging by Montrezl Harrell</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T11:14:20-08:00">January 24th, 11:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T11:17:53-08:00">January 24th, 11:17am</time><address><a>Immanuel Canicosa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Despite having a short offseason to integrate key players into their rotation, the Los Angeles Lakers have gotten to a strong start, racing to an NBA-best 13-4 record, including a franchise-best 9-0 start on the road.</p><p>Aside from picking up win after win, another sign of the team’s strong chemistry early on is that their players don’t leave their teammates hanging for high-fives <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-unknowingly-reminded-us-josh-hart-goat-being-left-hanging/">unlike they did in the past</a>.</p><p>During the Lakers’ 101-90 win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, big man Montrezl Harrell fell to the floor during one sequence and was picked up by teammates Alex Caruso, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Wesley Matthews. As he rose up, Horton-Tucker tried to give Harrell a high-five, which the reigning Sixth Man of the Year apparently didn’t see as he walked past him.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>That was when Caruso came to save the day, taking the sophomore’s hand and making sure that it is able to high-five Harrell’s. Just when it looked like Horton-Tucker was about to join the list of NBA players who were left hanging by their teammates, most notably former Laker, and New Orleans Pelicans guard<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-video-josh-hart-reacts-to-getting-left-hanging-by-lonzo-ball/"> Josh Hart</a>, Caruso proved that he was a consummate teammate.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/alex-caruso-1.html">former Texans A&amp;M guard</a> finished with just three points, one rebound, and two assists in 18 minutes of play against the Bulls, but he helped the team pick up another win while also giving an assist to his younger teammate by making sure he didn’t get left hanging.</p><p>The Lakers continue their road trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, where Caruso hopes that none of his teammates will get left hanging.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Alex Caruso refuses to let Talen Horton-Tucker get left hanging by Montrezl Harrell

<!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/2021/01/Lakers-news-Magic-Johnson-imagines-Kobe-Bryant_s-GOAT-Hall-of-Fame-speech.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers legend Magic Johnson imagines Kobe Bryant’s GOAT Hall of Fame speech</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T10:39:31-08:00">January 24th, 10:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T10:39:57-08:00">January 24th, 10:39am</time><address><a>Aayush Patel</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Fans around the world can’t wait for the moment Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is officially inducted into the Hall of Fame in May, even if it’s going to be bittersweet due to Bryant’s tragic death last January. Kobe’s Hall of Fame class was supposed to be inducted in 2020, but the enshrinement <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-kobe-bryant-tim-duncan-kevin-garnett-hall-of-fame-induction-set-for-may-2021/" rel="noopener">was pushed back to May 2021</a> due to the ongoing pandemic.</p><p>Hall of Famer and fellow Lakers legend Magic Johnson has anxiously been waiting for this day to come, and he’s bummed out that Kobe won’t be able to give his speech himself. Magic knows it would have been something special.</p><p><a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2021-01-24/magic-johnson-remembers-kobe-bryant-anniversary" rel="noopener">Via Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times:</a></p><blockquote>“I know he was going to give a speech that probably would have been the best all time, cause he’s competitive like that,” Johnson said, laughing. “He probably would have listened to what I said, what Michael [Jordan] said. He would have said, ‘OK, I’m about to give the greatest speech that there has ever been at the Hall of Fame.’”</blockquote><p>Johnson, as well as individuals all around the world, knew that Bryant didn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame solely because of his incredible talent that led the Lakers to five championships. His attitude both on and off the court inspired so many individuals to pursue their dream and achieve nothing less than greatness. Here is what Johnson had to say about Bryant’s lasting impact:</p><blockquote>“His legacy will always be here, his spirit will be here, people will always talk about him because, again, not just what he did on the court, because we’re going to talk about that. But also, what he meant to his family, to women’s sports, to those who are homeless, to those who were struggling with something. They’d get a call from him, ‘Keep your head up.’ He was just unique and special. Yeah, I always have him on my mind.”</blockquote><p>Kobe Bryant will be forever missed by the NBA world, as his Mamba Mentality will continue to inspire and motivate individuals to pursue their passions and be the best that they can be.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers legend Magic Johnson imagines Kobe Bryant’s GOAT Hall of Fame speech

<!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/2021/01/lakers-news-lebron-james-anthony-davis-still-struggling-with-kobe-bryants-death.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis still struggling with Kobe Bryant’s death</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T08:27:51-08:00">January 24th, 8:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T08:38:20-08:00">January 24th, 8:38am</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is nearing the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, and members of the Los Angeles Lakers are still coping with the news. Following Saturday night’s win over the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James and Anthony Davis revealed that they are still struggling with Bryant’s unfortunate death.</p><p><a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30768755/los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-anthony-davis-trouble-kobe-bryant-death" rel="noopener">Via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:</a></p><blockquote>“Man, it’s a saying that time heals all,” James said after a win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday at the United Center, where Bryant’s idol, Michael Jordan, used to play. “And as devastating and as tragic as it was and still is to all of us involved with it, only time. And it takes time. Everyone has their own grieving process.”</blockquote><p>When the news broke of Bryant’s passing, there was a sudden shift of emotions across the world. Bryant was beloved around the globe, becoming a national superstar during his legendary career with the Lakers.</p><p>James was friends with Bryant on and off of the court, while Davis looked up to Bryant as a role model. Ahead of the one-year anniversary of Bryant’s death, Davis shared how surreal it still is to not have Bryant around anymore:</p><blockquote>“As we approach his one-year anniversary, it saddens our hearts to actually come to the realization that he’s gone,” Davis said. “I know I still have trouble with it, you still just can’t believe it.”</blockquote><p>Earlier this week, James shared the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-first-time-ever-playing-kobe-bryant/">first time</a> he ever faced Bryant when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. But despite being asked to recall the moments that ensued when he heard Bryant had passed away, the Lakers star said he would rather not speak about it:</p><blockquote>“I try not to put myself back in that headspace, because it’s just too dark,” James said, “for not only myself but for our organization and for everyone that’s involved in it.”</blockquote><p>The entire world was saddened when Bryant, his younger daughter Gianna, and seven other people passed away last year. Similar to everyone else, James and Davis still need time to grieve the passing of their friend and role model.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis still struggling with Kobe Bryant’s death

<!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/2021/01/lakers-news-las-plans-for-1-year-anniversary-of-kobe-bryants-death.jpg"></figure><h1>Report: Lakers’ plans for 1-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s death</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T08:03:02-08:00">January 24th, 8:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T08:03:39-08:00">January 24th, 8:03am</time><address><a>Jeremy Chua</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The one-year death anniversary of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is on Tuesday. According to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30768755/los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-anthony-davis-trouble-kobe-bryant-death">ESPN</a>, Lakers don’t really have any special plans for a formal tribute in order to avoid attracting huge attention on the day of the anniversary.</p><p>They won’t be wearing the Black Mamba jerseys on Monday when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers or as they go up against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Instead, the Lakers will try to remember the legend in their own subtle ways. Wearing pairs of Kobe sneakers on their feet along with a No. 24 on LeBron James’ finger sleeve and commemorating him in every team huddle is already enough to celebrate the life of Bryant.</p><blockquote>“To this day, it’s, ‘Mamba on three!’ anytime we bring it in because we still want to recognize that he’s a part of our organization,” Anthony Davis said via <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30768755/los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-anthony-davis-trouble-kobe-bryant-death">ESPN</a>. “And ever since the tragedy happened, we had a mindset that this is bigger than, you know, ourselves.”</blockquote><p>Many Lakers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-marc-gasol-surprisingly-shuts-down-kobe-bryant-question-nearly-one-year-after-tragic-death/" rel="noopener">are still mourning</a> Bryant’s death up to this day, nearly a year after the tragic helicopter accident took the lives of nine individuals. In response to the situation, the Lakers eventually handled their business on the floor and successfully won the 2020 NBA title in memory of the late Lakers icon.</p><p>However, LeBron James and the team won’t simply settle for a lone championship. Despite all that has happened, Kobe Bryant still serves as an inspiration for the team and will continue to fuel them as they look to notch another successful campaign in the 2020-2021 NBA season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Report: Lakers’ plans for 1-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s death

<!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/2021/01/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-kobe-bryant-emulating-michael-jordans-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers star LeBron James dishes on Kobe Bryant emulating Michael Jordan’s game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T06:07:26-08:00">January 24th, 6:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T06:09:48-08:00">January 24th, 6:09am</time><address><a>Jeremy Chua</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Almost a year after Kobe Bryant’s passing, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James talked about the legend after their win against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday evening.</p><p>Being in Chicago, James was asked his opinion regarding Bryant emulating Michael Jordan’s game. LeBron <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanWardLA/status/1353211068571652096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353211068571652096%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D984252action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">shared</a> that he always respected the Lakers legend for who he was as a player:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron on Kobe emulating MJ's game: “I appreciated Kobe’s game for Kobe’s game. … I respected him for who he was as a player.”</p><p>— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanWardLA/status/1353211068571652096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Bryant’s game has always been compared to Jordan, with the Bulls legend also serving as his childhood idol. The Lakers great didn’t get to have many matchups with MJ as he entered the league when His Airness was already at the tail end of his career, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-michael-jordan-hilarious-nsfw-jab-kobe-bryant-famous-2003-moment/" rel="noopener">but there were a few</a> <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-last-dance-news-jason-kidd-tells-story-of-kobe-bryant-waving-off-karl-malone-to-go-at-michael-jordan/" rel="noopener">notable moments together</a>, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-last-dance-news-michael-jordan-epic-reaction-before-facing-kobe-bryant-in-first-all-star-game/" rel="noopener">including in All-Star Games.</a></p><p>While Kobe did pattern some of his game after Jordan, LeBron clearly wants to appreciate the legends separately. Even with similarities, they were also unique, which is what helped make them so great. The same could be said for LeBron himself.</p><p>Several years after Bryant last took the floor, James now continues to banner the Purple and Gold with an impressive showing in the early stages of the season. The Lakers improved to a 13-4 record and tightened their grip on the top spot in the Western Conference after defeating the Bulls, 101-90.</p><p>James recorded 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, while Anthony Davis produced 37 points, six rebounds, and three assists of his own in the win. The Lakers led by 30 points at halftime and cruised in the second half to the easy victory.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers star LeBron James dishes on Kobe Bryant emulating Michael Jordan’s game

<!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/2021/01/Marc-Gasol-Pau-Gasol-Kobe-Bryant-Lakers.jpg"></figure><h1>Marc Gasol surprisingly shuts down Kobe Bryant question nearly one year after tragic death</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T06:03:36-08:00">January 24th, 6:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T06:03:36-08:00">January 24th, 6:03am</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nearly one year after the tragic helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others, Los Angeles Lakers center Marc Gasol reluctantly shared a few words about the devastating loss.</p><p>Marc, who is one month into his first season in L.A., was asked about Bryant’s passing in his postgame session with reporters after the Lakers win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. His brother, Pau, won two titles alongside Bryant with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010.</p><p>“I’m really not comfortable talking about it, sorry,” Gasol interjected as a reporter began to broach the topic of Bryant. “Still, to this day, I have never really talked about it. I’m sorry that I cannot give you thoughts or stuff on it.”</p><p>The Lakers still break the huddle with a “1-2-3 Mamba” chat in honor of the late legend, a ritual they began doing during their championship season of 2019-20.</p><p>“He will always be a part of, not only the team, but the franchise, the city,” Gasol said. “For each player … it’s very emotional.  He was obviously someone that we looked up to. Sorry. Sorry I could not give you a better answer.”</p><p>Before the Lakers win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, head coach Frank Vogel said the team still feels Bryant’s presence every day and would stick with the chant for the time being.</p><p>Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen &amp; Roll shared a video of Kobe Bryant playfully imploring a younger Marc Gasol to “hang in there for a couple of years. Then come over” to the Lakers.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Marc, whose brother Pau won two titles with Kobe, also knew him at least a little bit, too:<a href="https://t.co/at73NZwhat" target="_blank">https://t.co/at73NZwhat</a></p><p>— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1353228349728976897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Marc did speak on Bryant’s incomprehensible death on the day it took place last year, after Gasol’s Toronto Raptors played through tears in a game vs. the San Antonio Spurs.</p><blockquote>“Obviously, we were all in shock,” he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kGOk2m64b4">said</a> to Raptors media in the locker room after the game. “Not wanting to believe the stuff we were reading … everyone was just trying to find confirmation because no one wanted to believe what was going on. … You can imagine how hard it is to do your job at that point because you’re not thinking about work, you’re not thinking about profession, you’re not thinking about points or anything like that. You’re thinking about life and what’s really important. The bare necessities for you as a human being, and how fragile and how all that can be gone, in a split second. … You think about his family and his friends and the situation that they’re going through. You just want to go home and kiss your kids and your wife.”</blockquote><p>Gasol was asked about special interactions he had with Kobe Bryant over the years.</p><blockquote>“Many many of them, but I don’t think its time to talk about those right now. We are all in shock. We should cherish how lucky we are sometimes. We get so deep in our jobs and our profession about contracts, points, minutes,all-stars whatever,r that you kind of forget what really important in life. And how it can all be gone in an accident. I just want to be home and kiss my kids.”</blockquote><p>Bryant clearly had immense respect for Marc’s game. In 2014, when asked why it was so hard to guard the younger Gasol, Bryant gave a perfectly succinct answer. “He’s a bad boy.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kobe on why it's so hard to guard Marc Gasol – because "he's a bad boy" – Kobe has a lot of respect for both Gasol brothers</p><p>— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricPincus/status/537342584545214464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">November 25, 2014</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Of course, Bryant was a great admirer of Pau, on- and off-the-floor. The two developed a deep relationship during and after their memorable stint as teammates from 2007-14 and bonded over their worldliness and basketball IQ.</p><p>In May, Pau <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-pau-gasol-talks-kobe-bryants-passing-relationship-and-impact-of-michael-jordan/">spoke to ClutchPoints</a> about Bryant’s impact on his life.</p><blockquote>“To me, he was kind of the big brother that I never had. A person that I could count on, that I could rely on. That I could reach out, and we could talk, and we would just enjoy it … Enjoy talking about life, talking about decisions, talking about personal stuff. How I would kind of teach their daughters the culture and the arts and stuff like that, and how he would help my kids.“It was two very close people that appreciated each other being close and being human. That’s kind of what he meant to me.”</blockquote><p>Since last January’s tragedy, Pau Gasol has acted as a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-pau-gasol-films-kobe-bryant-daughter-sinking-putt-on-golf-course/">de facto uncle</a> to Kobe Bryant’s daughters. In September, he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-pau-gasol-announces-birth-of-daughter-named-after-gianna-bryant/">named</a> his newborn daughter Elisabet Gianna Gasol in a tribute to Gianna Bryant.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“So 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥”</p><p>– LeBron reacts to Marc Gasol and him duplicating Kobe-Pau Lakers photo <a href="https://t.co/zSzx9HQmIf" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/zSzx9HQmIf</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1343515875647733767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 28, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Marc Gasol surprisingly shuts down Kobe Bryant question nearly one year after tragic death

<!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/2021/01/Anthony-Davis-Marc-Gasol-LeBron-James-Lakers-Montrezl-Harrell.jpg"></figure><h1>Anthony Davis’ response to saying he ‘sucks’ just 2 days ago</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T22:47:56-08:00">January 23rd, 10:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T05:16:05-08:00">January 24th, 5:16am</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>This just in: Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers does not, in fact, suck.</p><p>Entering Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, Davis had failed to reach 20 points in five consecutive contests for the Lakers. The star big-man had been averaging just 21.1 points per game on the season, which would be his lowest mark since his sophomore campaign. In the five outings prior to Saturday, Anthony Davis had been averaging just 17.8 PPG on frigid .479/.167/.714 shooting splits.</p><p>In fairness, he had still been a major positive on both ends. His defense remains uniquely dominant and rangy, and his rebounding, two-way effort, and decision-making were as good as ever. Arguably, his passing has been better than ever, as of late.</p><p>And granted, with an infusion of offensive depth and red-hot team-wide three-point shooting, the Lakers haven’t necessarily needed Davis to score at his usual rate so far this season.</p><p>In the playoffs, though, the Lakers will.</p><p>After Thursday’s tough win for the Lakers over the Milwaukee Bucks — in which LeBron James produced his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-dominating-giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks-after-mvp-voting-fiasco-last-season/">biggest scoring performance</a> of the year — Davis called himself out for his scoring troubles.</p><blockquote>“I think I suck right now,” a frustrated Anthony Davis <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-says-he-sucks-right-now-after-game-vs-giannis-antetokounmpo-and-bucks/">said</a> in his postgame remarks after going 8-of-18 from the field for the Lakers. “I’m not making shots. I’m not making free throws.”</blockquote><p>For what it’s worth, his head coach didn’t seem too concerned about his superstar’s relative scoring drought.</p><blockquote>“No, I don’t think it was warranted,” Frank Vogel <a href="https://twitter.com/LakeShowCP/status/1353153924962770945">said</a> on Saturday to Lakers reporters when asked about Davis’ harsh self-assessment. “He’s not in rhythm likes he’s used to, but he’s still doing a lot of winning things, on both sides of the ball … He’s got a high bar set for himself, and he’s going to be hard on himself when he falls short of that.”“I’m really not concerned about Anthony Davis,” he added.</blockquote><p>In the comfort of his hometown of Chicago on Saturday — albeit under distinctly unusual circumstances — Davis validated his coach’s confidence, and his bucket-getting from all over the court provided a welcome sight for Lakers fans.</p><p>At an empty United Center rather than in front of a section packed with friends and family, Davis hunted for points as aggressively as he has since the bubble. He made his first seven field goals (including 13 points in the first six minutes) and dropped 26 points in the first half, fueling a 30-point Lakers lead at the break.</p><blockquote>“Just came out very aggressive,” Davis said, <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=anthony%20davis&amp;src=typed_query&amp;f=video">via Mike Trudell of Spectrum</a>. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to be better to help the team win and I was able to see the ball go in tonight.”</blockquote><p>In 28 minutes over three quarters, Anthony Davis finished with a season-high 37 points on 14-of-21 shooting, including 11 points in the paint for the Lakers. Notably, he hit 2-of-3 from deep and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe to go along with six rebounds, three assists, and his customary contributions on the defensive end.</p><blockquote>“I loved the way we approached this game,” Vogel said about the Lakers’ performance. “We want to make sure we’re playing through him. We knew this week … was the time to have him be more assertive. … Tonight, he was dominant.”</blockquote><p>The win pushed the Lakers to 9-0 on the road this season, extending their franchise record.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p> </p><blockquote>“Maybe it was home cooking,” Lakers center Marc Gasol jokingly speculated afterward. “Once he starts making shots, you can see the confidence in him. Once he starts hitting the mid-range, the floor opens up.”</blockquote><p>James clearly felt the Windy City vibes blowing for the Lakers in the favor of Davis and fellow Chicago-native Talen Horton-Tucker.</p><blockquote>“AD came out from the start, being a hometown kid, him and Talo, it was our job to get the ball to them and let them make plays, and they both did that.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">FACTS!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/C9un7tkp8F" target="_blank">https://t.co/C9un7tkp8F</a></p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1353213900972576768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>James also noted that, as a leader on the Lakers, he treated Davis’ recent scoring funk with a combination of distance and support.</p><blockquote>“Sometimes you allow a guy to go through it and figure it out for himself, and let him know that we’re here for him,” James said in his post-game Zoom session. “It started with us getting him the ball early and often tonight. Just right back on track.”</blockquote><p>In reality, because of COVID-19 restrictions, neither Davis nor Horton-Tucker had a typical homecoming visit to Chi-Town with the Lakers. Yet, Davis seemed to enjoy hooping on the friendly confines of the United Center, where he played and attended various games at different levels prior to reaching the NBA.</p><blockquote>“It’s tough. Usually, when I come home, I get to see my family and they come to the games and support me,” he noted. “I miss them in the stands … But, it’s always good to play on this floor.”</blockquote><p>After being kept out of Vogel’s rotation for the past few games, Horton-Tucker saw some run for the Lakers as early as the first quarter and took advantage of his teammates’ effort to get him looks. He reached double-digits (10 points) for the fourth time this season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">THT getting 1Q run in his hometown <a href="https://t.co/mMKs3gyUXe" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/mMKs3gyUXe</a></p><p>— michael corvo (@_michaelcorvo_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1353170539435745280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>James mainly ceded the scoring load to Davis and others, finishing with 17 points (6-of-16 FG), 11 rebounds, and six assists for the Lakers. He was the beneficiary of Davis’ early aggression, as AD showed off his improved passing skills after drawing early double teams.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">look out <a href="https://t.co/w1Z8cP7oLP" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/w1Z8cP7oLP</a></p><p>— michael corvo (@_michaelcorvo_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1353166672526508033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In addition to Anthony Davis’ offensive onslaught in the first half, the Lakers were buoyed by their staunch defense. L.A. held the Bulls to 39.3 percent shooting from the field and limited Zach LaVine to an inefficient 21 points and seven turnovers. Afterward, Vogel praised his team for one of their finest defensive showings of the young season.</p><p>Next, the Lakers (13-4) will pay a visit to James’ native region, in a meeting with the frisky Cleveland Cavaliers (8-7) at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Anthony Davis’ response to saying he ‘sucks’ just 2 days ago

<!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/2021/01/LeBron-James.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James’ 1-word reaction to Anthony Davis lighting up his hometown Bulls</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T22:46:52-08:00">January 23rd, 10:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T22:46:52-08:00">January 23rd, 10:46pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It wasn’t too long ago that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-blasted-his-own-play-frank-vogel-responds/">calling himself trash on the court</a>. The big man certainly hasn’t been his usually dominant self lately.</p><p>And while it hasn’t exactly caused the Lakers much on-court success, with LA sweeping their road games and winning 11 of their last 13 games, the underperformance has been somewhat noticeable.</p><p>After five straight games failing to break the 20-point barrier, apparently all Anthony Davis needed was some hometown cooking. The Chicago native bounced back in a massive way against the Bulls – blowing up for 37 huge points that easily could have been more had the game not been a blowout.</p><p>His Lakers teammates were quick with the fire emojis for this one. Jared Dudley tweeted out that AD was a man on fire, to which LeBron James had a <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1353213900972576768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353213900972576768%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">simple 1-word response</a> – FACTS.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">FACTS!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/C9un7tkp8F" target="_blank">https://t.co/C9un7tkp8F</a></p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1353213900972576768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>For Laker nation, it’s great to see Anthony Davis breakout again for the Purple &amp; Gold. But realistically speaking, his struggles didn’t seem to be much to worry about.</p><p>As head coach Frank Vogel noted, AD was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-blasted-his-own-play-frank-vogel-responds/">still impacting the game</a> in other ways:</p><blockquote>“I think he’s not in rhythm like he’s used to, but I think he’s still doing a lot of winning things. … I’m really not concerned about Anthony Davis.”</blockquote><p>It was only a matter of time before the Lakers superstar would find his footing again. The fact that they went 4-1 in Davis’ cold stretch, with the lone loss coming from a herculean effort from Stephen Curry and the Warriors, just goes to show that the Lakers are clearly the team to beat this season.</p><p>The good teams win when their stars play well, the great ones can withstand the adversity.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James’ 1-word reaction to Anthony Davis lighting up his hometown Bulls

<!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/2021/01/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-was-calling-out-Bulls-plays-claims-Bulls-rookie-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James was calling out Bulls plays, claims rookie Patrick Williams</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T22:27:00-08:00">January 23rd, 10:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T22:28:00-08:00">January 23rd, 10:28pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James of the Lakers has been around the block for so long that he probably is familiar with almost every play in a coach’s playbook… so much so that The King is always one step ahead of his opponents’ sets. Just ask Chicago Bulls rookie Patrick Williams.</p><p>After facing the Lakers at United Center on Saturday, Williams revealed that the four-time NBA MVP already knew what the Bulls would do even <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyWesterlund/status/1353205853499879424?s=20">before the play materialized</a> (via The Score’s Cody Westerlund).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Patrick Williams says LeBron James was calling out some of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bulls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Bulls</a>' plays ahead of time.</p><p>"You can tell he watches a lot of film," Williams says.</p><p>— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyWesterlund/status/1353205853499879424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Now that’s just an unfair advantage. The Lakers boast one of the best defensive ratings in the entire league this season, and a lot of that has to do with LeBron James’ leadership. Aside from being one of the most physically gifted athletes the league has ever seen, LBJ is also an astute student of the game.</p><p>He probably has seen and heard it all during his storied 18-year NBA career, so Patrick Williams shouldn’t be that surprised that the Lakers star had his team’s number for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-what-lebron-james-told-a-crying-anthony-davis-minutes-before-winning-nba-title/">most of the game.</a></p><p>With LeBron predicting sequences before it even happens, the Lakers dominated the Bulls on the road, 101-90. James had a rather pedestrian outing by his standards, pitching in 17 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in just 28 minutes. The four-time champion didn’t really need to score as much, as his teammate Anthony Davis put up 37 points against his hometown team.</p><p>Patrick Williams, meanwhile, had 13 points and eight rebounds in his second encounter with LeBron and the Lakers. As Williams learned on Saturday, teams must be extra wary with their play-calling especially when LeBron is around.</p><p>The Lakers haven’t been flawless this season — they have experienced a few lapses at times — but they are still the class of the Western Conference and appear to be the favorites to not only defend their conference championship but also defend their NBA title from 2020.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James was calling out Bulls plays, claims rookie Patrick Williams

<!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/2021/01/LeBron-James-Lakers-tight-rope.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: LeBron James practices his tight rope skills on the scorers’ table</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T19:44:33-08:00">January 23rd, 7:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T19:44:33-08:00">January 23rd, 7:44pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-dennis-schroder-reveals-how-much-he-bet-lebron-james-no-look-3-pointer/">truly having a blast</a> in the 2020-21 season so far. The King showcased just how freakishly athletic he is even at 36, as he decided to practice his tight rope skills in the middle of their game against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.</p><p>LBJ ran out of bounds at one point and leaped right at the scorer’s table at United Center. The 6-foot-8 forward proceeded to <a href="https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1353169943324286977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353169943324286977%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D983896action%3Dedit">perform a balancing act</a> before returning to the playing court.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron is just messing around. 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/i335VoIT1r" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/i335VoIT1r</a></p><p>— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1353169943324286977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>NBA officials working the scorer’s table, meanwhile, are already quite familiar with LeBron over the years because of that chalk ritual he used to perform before tip-off. Looks like the 4-time NBA MVP has found a new way to mingle with them during games. Some fans on Twitter, meanwhile, are already questioning why the Lakers superstar was not called for a technical foul for his actions.</p><p>LeBron and the reigning champs currently hold the best record in the league at 12-4. They won four of their last five games and are seeking to put an end to the Bulls’ three-game winning streak. James continues to be phenomenal in his 18th season in the league, notching 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in 16 games, while knocking down 48.3 percent of his field goals and 39.6 percent of his threes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: LeBron James practices his tight rope skills on the scorers’ table

<!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/2021/01/lakers-news-lebron-james-flies-off-the-tarmac-for-monster-two-hand-flush.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Lakers superstar LeBron James flies off the tarmac for monster two-hand flush</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T18:57:10-08:00">January 23rd, 6:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T19:06:33-08:00">January 23rd, 7:06pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Saturday night featured a matchup between the defending champs, the Los Angeles Lakers, against the Chicago Bulls in the United Center. LeBron James came up with a highlight play early in the game, as the four-time league MVP skied to the rim for a monstrous jam.</p><p>Here’s a look at LeBron rising up for an awe-inspiring two-handed slam down the middle, via <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353167904800268290?s=20">ClutchPoints</a> on Twitter:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LEBRON RISES!<a href="https://t.co/Pje1bL7UFO" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/Pje1bL7UFO</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353167904800268290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Kudos to Anthony Davis for that awesome bounce pass as the Bulls defense collapsed on him down low. Clearly, the AD-Bron connection was on point on Saturday against Chicago.</p><p>For his part, Davis hasn’t been too pleased with how he’s been playing over the past few games. This resulted in a rather <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-says-he-sucks-right-now-after-game-vs-giannis-antetokounmpo-and-bucks/" rel="noopener">harsh-self assessment</a> from the All-Star big man. Needless to say, Davis came into the Bulls matchup looking for some redemption, especially since he was playing in his home city.</p><p>As for LeBron, he’s been nothing short of amazing for the Lakers to start the season. The 37-year-old has been putting up averages of <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html#all_per_game">24.4 points</a> (on 48.3 percent shooting), 7.8 rebounds, and 7.6 assists, while also connecting on a career-best 2.6 triples per game on a 39.6-percent clip. James had led the Lakers to a 12-4 record entering Saturday’s contest against Chicago.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Lakers superstar LeBron James flies off the tarmac for monster two-hand flush

<!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/2021/01/lakers-news-anthony-davis-blasted-his-own-play-frank-vogel-responds.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers star Anthony Davis blasted his own play, Frank Vogel responds</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T18:46:31-08:00">January 23rd, 6:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T18:46:31-08:00">January 23rd, 6:46pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis is not happy with his recent play. So much so, that the All-Star big man event went as far as saying how he believes that “<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-says-he-sucks-right-now-after-game-vs-giannis-antetokounmpo-and-bucks/">I suck right now</a>” — something that L.A. head coach Frank Vogel was having none of.</p><p>Vogel refuted Davis’ harsh self-assessment, as the Lakers shot-caller explained why he believes Davis is still able to contribute to his team despite being in a bit of a funk:</p><blockquote>“I don’t think it was warranted,” Vogel said, via <a href="https://twitter.com/MMoreno1015/status/1353145650985136129">Matthew Moreno</a> of Lakers Nation (h/t <a href="https://www.talkbasket.net/120087-i-am-not-really-concerned-about-anthony-davis-says-frank-vogel">TalkBasket.Net</a>). “I think he’s not in rhythm like he’s used to, but I think he’s still doing a lot of winning things. … I’m really not concerned about Anthony Davis.”</blockquote><p>Over the past three games, Davis has been shooting just <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/davisan02/gamelog/2021">38.0 percent</a> from the field — a far cry from his career shooting average of 51.6 percent. Needless to say, Davis has been having trouble finding the net of late and given his extremely high standards, it resulted in an excessively savage assessment from him. Nonetheless, the Lakers were still able to win two out of those three games, and there’s no denying that the seven-time All-Star played a key role in both victories.</p><p>Davis and Co. face off against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, as they look to log their 13th win of the campaign. The Lakers entered Saturday’s contest with a 12-4 record, and are tied with the Los Angeles Clippers at the top of the Western Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers star Anthony Davis blasted his own play, Frank Vogel responds

<!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/2021/01/paul-george-kawhi-leonard-kobe-bryant-tyronn-lue-clippers.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George’s tough questions on Kobe Bryant, per Tyronn Lue</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T17:22:42-08:00">January 23rd, 5:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T17:23:22-08:00">January 23rd, 5:23pm</time><address><a>Dave Monaco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-clippers">L.A. Clippers</a>‘ dynamic duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George has been playing at a high level this season, elevating the team to the top seed in the Western Conference.</p><p>After a very disappointing end to last season inside the Disney World bubble, the Clippers are looking to redeem themselves this year and dethrone their fellow L.A. squad in the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>One way to do that would be for the Clippers’ top players to channel their inner Black Mamba. Lucky for them, their head coach, Tyronn Lue, used to play with Kobe Bryant.</p><p>According to coach Lue, Paul George and Kawhi constantly ask him questions about Kobe, per <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30765751/los-angeles-clippers-coach-tyronn-lue-searches-closure-one-year-kobe-bryant-death">ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk</a>.</p><blockquote>“They always want to know how Kobe was, what he did, how he worked, how would Kobe react to this,” Lue said. “It’s tough sometimes talking about it but it’s good that those guys respect him and look up to what Kobe has done as a player, a person and a businessman.”</blockquote><p>The Clippers coach went on to say it’s tough to think about the situation still, but sharing Kobe stories keeps his legacy going through these players. Bryant’s mentality and love for basketball was a spectacle to see, even for teammates.</p><p>Bryant’s impact on the game of basketball goes so far beyond his accomplishments on the court. He was the picture-perfect ambassador for the game, being an excellent role model for athletes in all sports across the world.</p><p>It has been a year since Kobe passed away and the basketball world still seems to be in shock. The Mamba lives on forever through the players and coaches who revere him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George’s tough questions on Kobe Bryant, per Tyronn Lue

<!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/2021/01/lakers-news-kobe-bryants-confession-on-guarding-allen-iverson-in-the-finals-per-tyronn-lue.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s confession on guarding Allen Iverson in the Finals, per Tyronn Lue</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T17:00:56-08:00">January 23rd, 5:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T17:00:56-08:00">January 23rd, 5:00pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the most memorable moments of the 2001 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers was Allen Iverson stepping over a hapless Tyronn Lue after making a jumper. In spite of this rather forgettable moment from Lue’s end, however, it appears that even the late, great Kobe Bryant knew just how much Lue’s relentless defense on Iverson all series long proved to be a key piece to L.A.’s championship.</p><p>Speaking to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30765751/los-angeles-clippers-coach-tyronn-lue-searches-closure-one-year-kobe-bryant-death">ESPN’s Ohm Younmisuk</a>, Lue, now the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-tyronn-lue-finalizing-5-year-deal-as-new-head-coach/">head coach</a> for the Los Angeles Clippers, shared a memorable exchange he had with Kobe, as the Black Mamba admitted just how difficult it was for him to guard Iverson:</p><blockquote>“Kobe said, ‘You know, I don’t know if we would have been able to win that series without you,'” Lue recalled. “He said, ‘because I was getting worn out having to guard [Allen] Iverson, and the job you did on him really took a lot of pressure off me. So man, you just meant so much to this championship.'”</blockquote><p>At that time, Lue was just in his third year in the NBA and was, at best, a role player for the Lakers’ star-studded squad. However, coach Phil Jackson thrust him into the unenviable role of having to guard Iverson in the Finals, who himself bagged the MVP award after leading the Sixers to the best record in the East.</p><p>The Lakers ended up losing Game 1 of that Finals series — the only game they lost throughout the playoffs — but thanks to Lue’s leech-like defense on Iverson, Kobe was able to focus much of his energy on the offensive end. This resulted in the Lakers winning the next four games of the series, en route to title No. 2 of their historic three-peat.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s confession on guarding Allen Iverson in the Finals, per Tyronn Lue

<!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/2021/01/The-strange-Kobe-Bryant-admission-by-Jalen-Rose.jpg"></figure><h1>The strange Kobe Bryant admission by Jalen Rose</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T14:04:31-08:00">January 23rd, 2:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T14:04:31-08:00">January 23rd, 2:04pm</time><address><a>David Bernal</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Few players, past or present, have had to face Kobe Bryant at the peak of his powers with the same frequency as Jalen Rose. With the first <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/sports/nba/2021/01/21/kobe-bryant-anniversary-legal-fallout-deadly-helicopter-crash/4189988001/">anniversary</a> of Bryant’s tragic death quickly approaching, as well as the 15th anniversary of Kobe’s historic 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors having only just passed, Rose has spent the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jalen-roses-lasting-memory-from-kobe-bryants-81-point-game/">last several days reflecting</a> on the legacy of the Lakers’ great.</p><p>Yet, for all the anecdotes Rose has provided recently about Kobe as a man and a player, his revelation Friday might be the most surprising.</p><p>Sitting down with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=265&amp;v=v7GDDH_xmXA&amp;feature=youtu.be">ESPN’s Jorge Sedano</a> to discuss his experience guarding Byrant during the 2000 NBA Finals, Jalen admitted that he intentionally placed his foot under Byrant when the latter rose for a jump shot, with the hope that Kobe would land and injure himself.</p><blockquote>“One of the things that happened in my career, and I don’t think it’s cute or cool and I’m not proud of it, [but] playing in that series Kobe went up for a jump shot, and the reason why this ended up happening is because in Games 1, 2, and 3, I realized…we can’t guard him,” Rose explained.“So he went up for that jump shot and I purposely acted like I was contesting the shot and made him come down on my foot. In my mind I clearly didn’t want him to. break his ankle, but in my mind it would be great if he missed the next three games.”</blockquote><p>As most Lakers fans will recall, it was Kobe Bryant’s ability to return and help win the series, despite playing on the injured ankle, that cemented his place as a franchise great. Though Bryant was almost certainly aware of Rose’s intention when the play occurred, the two appeared to have patched things over as the years progressed, at one point appearing in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTBs1rqLtSk">commercial</a> for ESPN together.</p><p>Regardless, Jalen Rose’s revelation is another reminder that even injuries couldn’t slow Kobe Bryant down when he was at his best.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The strange Kobe Bryant admission by Jalen Rose

<!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/2021/01/LaVar-Ball_s-bold-prediction-for-future-of-L.A.jpg"></figure><h1>LaVar Ball’s bold prediction for future of Lakers after LeBron James, Anthony Davis leave</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T13:00:47-08:00">January 23rd, 1:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T13:00:47-08:00">January 23rd, 1:00pm</time><address><a>Isaac Doctor</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LaVar Ball is at it again with the bold declarations. In an interview with <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/01/23/lavar-ball-lamelo-charlotte-hornets-starting-5/">TMZ Sports</a>, Ball <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-charlotte-hornets-lamelo-ball-lavar-ball-my-sons-are-not-freakin-role-players">discussed</a> the possibility of his three sons—Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo playing together for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/news">Los Angeles Lakers</a>.</p><blockquote>“When their contracts are over, who’s to say that [when] all the LeBron drama and everything in L.A. is over with and they losing, my Ball boys decide, at the top of their game, they say, ‘You know what? Let’s all decide to go to L.A.“Who ain’t gonna take them Ball boys? … [When] AD is gone — his contract is up — LeBron is gone, I mean, you gonna need a buzz and you want to win! Now, the Ball boys say, ‘We back in L.A. What’s going on?'”</blockquote><p>Towards the end of the interview, the outspoken father affirmed that his sons would be the best big three the NBA has seen, competing with the Brooklyn Nets’ newest trio. This is because his sons have similar builds and were groomed to play with one another for years.</p><p>Lonzo and LaMelo Ball play for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-orleans-pelicans">New Orleans Pelicans</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/charlotte-hornets">Charlotte Hornets</a>, respectively. Lonzo is off to a slow start in his fourth year—his second season with the Pelicans after his Lakers ouster—in the league and is working to have a more efficient game.</p><p>Meanwhile, the youngest Ball, LaMelo, is playing solid basketball in his rookie year. He is putting up 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game, although his father states that he is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-secretly-unhappy-with-bench-role-claims-lavar-ball/">not pleased coming off the bench</a>. On the other hand, LiAngelo plans to play in the NBA G League bubble.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LaVar Ball’s bold prediction for future of Lakers after LeBron James, Anthony Davis leave

<!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/2021/01/Heat-pay-fitting-tribute-to-Kobe-Bryant-with-mind-boggling-stat.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat pay fitting tribute to Kobe Bryant’s 81 points with mind-boggling stat</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T12:06:01-08:00">January 23rd, 12:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T12:06:01-08:00">January 23rd, 12:06pm</time><address><a>Aayush Patel</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Jan. 22, 2006, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors—the second-most points in a single game to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100.</p><p>On the 15th anniversary of Bryant’s insane display of offensive talent, <a href="https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1353022321980821504">Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press</a> shared a statistic that may send some shivers down people’s spines, and the NBA world can thank the Miami Heat for making this possible:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Holy Mother of Stat God. It's crazier than I thought.</p><p>Jan. 22, 2006 – Kobe scores 81 vs. Toronto.</p><p>Exactly 10 years later, Jan. 22, 2016 – Heat score 81 vs. Toronto, lose 101-81.</p><p>Exactly 15 years later, Jan. 22, 2021 – Heat score 81 vs. Toronto, lose 101-81. <a href="https://t.co/UN5LTo7sdy" target="_blank">https://t.co/UN5LTo7sdy</a></p><p>— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1353022321980821504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 23, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Though the Heat were on the wrong side of the 81-point games, it does not take away from the jaw-dropping 81-point performance from Bryant. Jalen Rose, who mostly guarded Bryant on that night, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jalen-roses-lasting-memory-from-kobe-bryants-81-point-game/">reflected on what it felt like</a> to be a victim of Mamba Mentality, via <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30704884/the-unstoppable-kobe-bryant-told-defenders-tasked-stopping-him">Jorge Sedano of ESPN</a>:</p><blockquote>“When you go back and watch that game, he wasn’t running around the court doing airplane wings, thumping his chest or pointing at the sky,” Rose recalled. “As a matter of fact, he didn’t say a word.”“The Mamba mentality,” Rose said.</blockquote><p>An ESPN commercial and nonstop teasing were what resulted after that night for Rose, but he even had to tip his hat to Bryant, as he had a front-row seat to witnessing a legend have the game of his life. Sedano collected the stories from players such as Tony Allen and Shane Battier, some of the best defensive players to ever play the game. They recalled attempting to stop Kobe Bryant in games where they were assigned to him, but it just ended up being a futile task.</p><p>Bryant’s 81-point game, a feat no one has surpassed ever since, will continue to inspire individuals all around the world to settle for nothing but greatness.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat pay fitting tribute to Kobe Bryant’s 81 points with mind-boggling stat

<!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/2020/11/bulls-waiting-for-the-right-time-to-trade-zach-lavine.png"></figure><h1>Lakers-Bulls: Game Time, Odds, Schedule, TV Channel, Betting Odds, and Live Stream (Saturday, January 23rd)</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T12:02:18-08:00">January 23rd, 12:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T12:02:18-08:00">January 23rd, 12:02pm</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/los-angeles-lakers">Los Angeles Lakers</a> (12-4) take on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/chicago-bulls">Chicago Bulls</a> (7-8) at United Center.</p><p><b>Game Time:</b> 9:00PM EST/6:00PM PST on Saturday, January 23rd</p><p><b>TV:</b> NBCS-CHI</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. Local viewers watch the live stream on <a href="http://stream.nbcsports.com/nbc/" rel="noopener noreferrer">NBC Sports</a>. Non-local viewers watch the live stream on <a href="http://www.nba.com/leaguepass" rel="noopener noreferrer">NBA League Pass</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>Lakers Active Roster:</b> Jared Dudley, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/lebron-james/b1a9094f">LeBron James</a>, Markieff Morris, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/kyle-kuzma/afa10932">Kyle Kuzma</a>, Wesley Matthews, Montrezl Harrell, Alex Caruso, Quinn Cook, 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>Jared Dudley (Out – Calf): Dudley is out for Saturday’s (Jan. 23) game against Chicago.</li><li>LeBron James (Day To Day – Ankle): James is listed as QUESTIONABLE for Saturday’s (Jan. 23) game.</li><li>Kostas Antetokounmpo (Out – Knee): Antetokounmpo is out for Saturday’s (Jan. 23) game against Chicago.</li><li>Anthony Davis (Day To Day – Ankle): Davis is listed as PROBABLE for Saturday’s (Jan. 23) game.</li></ul><p><b>Bulls Active Roster:</b> Denzel Valentine, Thaddeus Young, Cristiano Felicio, Adam Mokoka, Daniel Gafford, Lauri Markkanen, Chandler Hutchison, Patrick Williams, Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., Ryan Arcidiacono, Devon Dotson, Tomas Satoransky, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Garrett Temple, Luke Kornet</p><p><b>Bulls Injured Players:</b></p><ul><li>Adam Mokoka (Out – Concussion): Mokoka is out for Saturday’s (Jan. 23) game against the Lakers.</li><li>Wendell Carter Jr. (Out – Quad): Carter Jr. is out for Saturday’s (Jan. 23) game against the Lakers.</li><li>Otto Porter Jr. (Out – Rest): Porter Jr. is out for Saturday’s (Jan. 23) game against the Lakers.</li></ul><p><b>Follow us on Twitter</b> at <a href="https://twitter.com/LakeShowCP" rel="noopener noreferrer">@LakeShowCP</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/BullsNationCP" rel="noopener noreferrer">@BullsNationCP</a>.</p><p><b>Follow us on Facebook</b> at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesLakeShow" rel="noopener noreferrer">Los Angeles Lakers</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheBullsNation" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chicago Bulls</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Los AngelesLakers NEWS

Los Angeles
Lakers NEWS