<!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/2021/07/image_2021-08-01_104056.png"></figure><h1>Suns’ Devin Booker reveals Draymond Green slapped him with harsh reality on NBA Finals loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-31T19:44:56-07:00">July 31st, 7:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-31T19:44:56-07:00">July 31st, 7:44pm</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>Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns were as close as you can get to an NBA Finals win. But we all know how that turned out. Book revealed that he’s talked to one of his Team USA teammates about the heartbreaking defeat, a man who’s been on both sides of the coin in Draymond Green.</p><p>The Warriors star had been in five straight NBA Finals, with two gut-wrenching losses of his own. The Suns All-Star spoke out about the harsh reality of the situation, as told by Draymond himself.</p><p><a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2021/7/31/22603332/devin-booker-team-usa-olympics-tokyo-2020-phoenix-suis-gregg-popovich">Via</a> Trevor Booth of Bright Side of the Sun:</p><blockquote>“We’ve talked about it in short conversation,” said the Suns guard. “Talked about it with Draymond and him stressing the fact, ‘It’s not going to be that easy to get back to the Finals.’ I remember us as a team saying that right in the locker room after we lost, that we got to understand it’s going to be even harder to make it to the point we were at.Just having an understanding for that, but I’m excited for it. The experience was great. I’m glad I got to do it. Obviously, ended up on the wrong side of the stick but that’s life.”</blockquote><p>The Phoenix Suns got a taste of success many didn’t expect from them last season. They showed that they were more than worth of being on the biggest stage. Now it’s time to prove <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-breaks-silence-on-losing-team-usa-teammates-jrue-holiday-khris-middleton-nba-finals/">that it wasn’t a fluke.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Devin Booker reveals Draymond Green slapped him with harsh reality on NBA Finals loss

<!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/2021/07/Suns-news-Devin-Booker-breaks-silence-on-losing-to-Team-USA-teammates-Jrue-Holiday-Khris-Middleton-in-NBA-Finals-thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns star Devin Booker breaks silence on losing to Team USA teammates Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton in NBA Finals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-28T05:56:45-07:00">July 28th, 5:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-28T05:57:40-07:00">July 28th, 5:57am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt has been an editor at ClutchPoints since 2018. He also covers the Bulls for Forbes and SB Nation's Blog a Bull. In addition, he co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network. If you couldn't tell, he's from Chicago.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker had little time to mourn his NBA Finals loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Booker soon had to get on a private plane with two players who just beat him, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, to fly across the Pacific Ocean to Tokyo for the Olympics, where they would be Team USA teammates.</p><p>Booker spoke to the media right after losing Game 6, but he didn’t speak again until Wednesday in Tokyo. There, the Suns star addressed the Finals loss and being teammates with Holiday and Middleton after engaging in such a hard-fought championship series against them.</p><p><i><b>*Watch the Tokyo 2020 Olympics LIVE with <a href="http://www.fubo.tv/lp/sports/?irad=368998&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener">fuboTV (click for free trial)</a>*</b></i></p><p><a href="https://theathletic.com/2735612/2021/07/28/devin-booker-opens-up-about-pain-of-nba-finals-loss-immediate-turn-toward-team-usa-take-my-l-and-move-on/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">Via The Athletic’s Joe Vardon:</a></p><blockquote>“I’m a forward thinker and able to move onto the next thing, and be able to take my ‘L’ and move on,” Booker said Wednesday, in his first comments since the night his Phoenix Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, eight days ago.“The memories are there, but it’s nothing personal between us,” Booker said. “We lost and that’s it, and I’m man enough to accept that and move on. There’s no hate towards Jrue or K Mid.”</blockquote><p>Devin Booker is keeping it totally professional, and there’s really no reason not to do that. Sure, Holiday and Middleton’s Bucks just beat his Suns in the NBA Finals, but it’s not like there was a whole lot of bad blood there. It was just a competitive series that Milwaukee ended up winning because it had the best player in Giannis Antetokounmpo.</p><p>These three players now have to focus on winning gold for Team USA. Holiday showed great spirit against France by trying to will them to victory in the fourth quarter. While his efforts <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/team-usa-news-americans-collapse-absolutely-epic-fashion-vs-france-open-olympics/" rel="noopener">were for naught</a> against France, Holiday got the start alongside Booker against Iran in a 120-66 win.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns star Devin Booker breaks silence on losing to Team USA teammates Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton in NBA Finals

<!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/2021/07/team-usa-news-gregg-popovichs-heartwarming-gesture-for-devin-booker-khris-middleton-jrue-holiday.jpg"></figure><h1>WATCH: Team USA coach Gregg Popovich’s heartwarming gesture for Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-24T18:03:47-07:00">July 24th, 6:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-24T18:04:35-07:00">July 24th, 6:04pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday have finally arrived in Tokyo as part of Team USA’s contingent for the Olympics basketball tournament. The trio had to spend 12 hours on a plane to get to Japan and it was clear that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-avoids-awkward-plane-ride-to-tokyo-after-nba-finals-loss-to-bucks/" rel="noopener">long-haul flight</a> had taken its toll on them. This is exactly why Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich saw to it that all three players felt warm and welcome as soon as they arrived.</p><p>Booker, Middleton, and Holiday finally made it to their hotel at around 1:00 AM local time, but despite the fact that their arrival came during the wee hours of the morning, coach Pop made sure he was part of their welcoming committee (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1419054656429248512">USA Basketball</a> on Twitter):</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Finals guys have arrived! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸</p><p>Welcome to Tokyo, <a href="https://twitter.com/DevinBook?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@DevinBook</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Jrue_Holiday11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Jrue_Holiday11</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/Khris22m?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Khris22m</a>! <a href="https://t.co/2Z7olhOi4h" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/2Z7olhOi4h</a></p><p>— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1419054656429248512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The trio was visibly exhausted from the flight — not to mention they all just came from an epic six-game NBA Finals series — but it was also clear that they were quite excited to take part in the quest for gold. Booker himself said in the clip that he’s ready to go, and Team USA will definitely benefit from his inclusion in the squad. The same can be said for newly-crowned NBA champs Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.</p><p>As for Pop, it looks like the veteran coach wasted no time giving instructions to his players. It seems like he already laid out what he expects from them in terms of their inclusion in the squad. At 1 o’clock in the morning. After a grueling 12-hour flight. Clearly, there are no days off for coach Pop.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

WATCH: Team USA coach Gregg Popovich’s heartwarming gesture for Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday

<!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/2021/07/Draymond-Green-Jrue-Holiday-Khris-Middleton-Devin-Booker-Tokyo-2020-Olympics.jpg"></figure><h1>Draymond Green gets utterly honest about Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker joining Team USA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-24T07:24:27-07:00">July 24th, 7:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-24T15:39:18-07:00">July 24th, 3:39pm</time><address><a>Johnny Recks</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>A week has not even gone by since the 2021 NBA Finals had concluded with the Milwaukee Bucks winning the Larry O’Brien trophy in six games against the Phoenix Suns, but three key figures of that series — Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Devin Booker — will have more basketball to play, as they will be joining Draymond Green and the rest of Team USA in Japan for the 2020 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/team-usa-news-kevin-durant-reveals-gregg-popovich-working-them-like-dogs/">Olympics</a> in Tokyo.</p><p>For Draymond Green, the fact that Middleton, Holiday, and Booker are all committed to playing for the flag surely deserves his respect, per <a href="https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31874415/draymond-green-feeling-lot-respect-nba-finals-players-sticking-tokyo-commitment">Brian Windhorst of ESPN</a>: </p><blockquote>“I have a lot of respect for those guys for not only committing to do this but actually keeping their word,” Team USA forward Draymond Green said. “You’re talking about three true professionals, three extremely competitive guys that wouldn’t be on their way here if this didn’t mean something.”</blockquote><p>It’s perhaps easier for Middleton and Holiday to pack their bags for Japan. After all, they’re going there still feeling high about their successful championship run in the NBA. It’s a different story for Booker, who will be flying across the Pacific with the lingering thought of how the Suns let the NBA title slip out of their hands despite winning the first two games of the series.</p><p>It will take time for Booker to move on completely from that, but winning the gold in Japan should go a long way in helping him recover from that bitter series. As for Middleton and Holiday, helping Team USA get on top of the podium would add another reason why 2021 will be a year they’ll never forget.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Draymond Green gets utterly honest about Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker joining Team USA

<!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/2021/07/Deandre-Ayton-Devin-Booker-Suns-Bucks-NBA-Finals.jpg"></figure><h1>Devin Booker gets truthful five-word reminder from Deandre Ayton after losing in NBA Finals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-21T20:57:31-07:00">July 21st, 8:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-21T20:59:03-07:00">July 21st, 8:59pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA Finals defeat will continue to sting for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/phoenix-suns">Phoenix Suns</a> in the coming days, especially for young guys like Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton who tasted their most bitter loss in their young careers.</p><p>The fact that they dropped four games to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/giannis-antetokounmpo/ac1b0975">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/milwaukee-bucks">Milwaukee Bucks</a> surely makes everything tougher to bear, with Booker even <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-bookers-instant-one-word-reaction-to-losing-nba-finals-against-giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks/">uttering an instant reaction</a> as he saw their title hopes slip away in Game 6 on Tuesday.</p><p>Ayton, meanwhile, was a bit more even-keeled. After the game, even though he admitted that he’s still reeling from the loss, he also took the good with the bad. The vastly improved Suns big man spoke to Booker in the locker room, reminding him that they’ve barely scratched the surface (via <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10008255-deandre-ayton-told-devin-booker-suns-loss-to-bucks-was-just-the-beginning">Bleacher Report</a>).</p><blockquote>“This is just the beginning. Now we know what we need to do, and no less. We’re gonna keep each other accountable for the rest of our careers.”</blockquote><p>Just in case people forget, Booker is only 24 years old while Ayton is two years younger. Mikal Bridges is also only 24 years old, while Cameron Johnson is only a year older. So clearly, the future is limitless for the Suns.</p><p>It also helps that at a young age, Ayton already experienced a huge setback, which will only make him and the young Suns better, no matter how worn-out that sounds (via <a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2021/7/21/22586468/jae-crowder-deandre-ayton-phoenix-suns-milwuakee-bucks-nba-finals-game-6-takeaways">Bright Side of the Sun</a>).</p><blockquote>“We the Suns know what it takes now and that’s all I’m going off of, to be honest. I mean, nobody really expected us to even, you know, be here. I know people talk about injuries of other teams and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, we playing ball and I’m just really happy how the guys had a wonderful season playing together to get us where we are today.</blockquote><p>Deandre Ayton is a wise man.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Devin Booker gets truthful five-word reminder from Deandre Ayton after losing in NBA Finals

<!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/2021/07/Devin-Booker-takes-unfiltered-shot-at-Cleveland-after-NBA-Finals-loss-vs-Bucks.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns star Devin Booker takes unfiltered shot at Cavs after NBA Finals loss vs. Bucks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-21T16:44:00-07:00">July 21st, 4:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-21T19:57:31-07:00">July 21st, 7:57pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-bookers-instant-one-word-reaction-to-losing-nba-finals-against-giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks/">understandably upset</a> following Tuesday’s heartbreaking loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. After the championship-deciding defeat, the 24-year-old was asked to talk about what the Suns intend to do from here, and as it turns out, Book just couldn’t help but take a shot at the Cleveland Cavaliers in his postgame press conference.</p><p>Booker decided to use the Cavs to illustrate his point, and it isn’t exactly a compliment for Cleveland:</p><blockquote>“Championship basketball and nothing less than that,” Booker responded when asked what type of foundation this season laid for the Suns moving forward, via <a href="https://theathletic.com/2719066/2021/07/21/whats-next-for-the-suns-after-an-nba-title-slipped-from-their-hands/?source=twitterhq">Anthony Slater of The Athletic</a>. “So, going into next season, on a Tuesday night playing against Cleveland, if we don’t have it, we will be quickly reminded about the details and if you don’t want to give it your all right now, what can happen and this feeling right now that we’re feeling can happen. This isn’t something you want to feel. I haven’t felt a hurt like this in my life. So, that’s when I know we have a base and a foundation. Just championship basketball at all times.”</blockquote><p>Shots fired. Shocked Cavs fans must be thinking what the hell they did to deserve such a blatant shot from the Suns star? I mean, they were probably just enjoying what turned out to be an epic NBA Finals series only to be dragged into the conversation in a terrible way. Booker was clearly upset about conceding the title to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, but did he really have to sucker punch the Cavs here?</p><p>To be fair, though, Booker isn’t completely wrong here. The Cavs haven’t been the most competitive team over the past few years, and the Suns star is simply speaking facts. For Cavs fans though, they’re hoping that their team is able to turn their fortunes around sooner rather than later. This shot from Booker is also something that they will keep in mind for sure.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns star Devin Booker takes unfiltered shot at Cavs after NBA Finals loss vs. Bucks

<!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/2021/07/Devin-Booker-avoids-awkward-plane-ride-to-Tokyo-after-NBA-Finals-loss-to-Bucks.jpeg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Devin Booker avoids awkward plane ride to Tokyo after NBA Finals loss to Bucks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-21T15:09:06-07:00">July 21st, 3:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-21T18:53:39-07:00">July 21st, 6:53pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Things didn’t end quite how the Phoenix Suns envisioned. Game 6 went to the Milwaukee Bucks, as did the NBA title, as Giannis Antetokounmpo exploded for a 50-piece to take home the Finals MVP. For Suns guard Devin Booker, he is off to the Tokyo Olympics to play for Team USA and will be playing alongside the Bucks duo of Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.</p><p>It looked as if the three would ride together, which would’ve been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-bookers-incredibly-awkward-12-hours-with-two-bucks-stars-after-finals-loss/">extremely awkward</a> after the way the Finals ended. As it turns out, Booker headed out as early as he possibly could. (<a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2021/07/21/phoenix-suns-devin-booker-quickly-went-game-6-loss-flight-headed-tokyo-olympics/8047571002/">h/t Duane Rankin of the AZ Central</a>)</p><blockquote>“During the NBA Finals, Booker said he’d be on the “next thing smoking” headed to the Summer Olympics after the series ended. After Tuesday’s Game 6 loss in Milwaukee, Booker said he was scheduled to fly to Tokyo “in a couple of hours.”’</blockquote><p>Smart choice. Processing a loss in the NBA Finals is tough as it is. Now imagine having to process that on a plane ride with two players who just beat you for the NBA title.</p><p>Booker has nothing to be ashamed about after a spectacular performance in the playoffs. However, the Suns fell short, and the young star was kicking himself afterward. While having to play with Holiday and Middleton could be tough, Booker isn’t worried about that.</p><blockquote>“Representing your country is a whole different dynamic than competing against each other in the NBA Finals, but I can always respect somebody that competes at the highest level.”</blockquote><p>By now, it is no secret that Team USA could definitely use the influx of talent. Bradley Beal went into health and safety protocols, and Kevin Love withdrew from the team. JaVale McGee and Keldon Johnson were named as replacements, and now three players from the NBA Finals will be joining.</p><p>The Tokyo Olympics start on Friday, July 23, and Booker will get settled in a bit earlier as the Bucks duo celebrates their title a bit longer.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Devin Booker avoids awkward plane ride to Tokyo after NBA Finals loss to Bucks

<!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/2021/07/image_2021-07-21_153515.png"></figure><h1>Devin Booker’s incredibly awkward 15 hours with two Bucks stars after Suns’ Finals loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-21T00:42:28-07:00">July 21st, 12:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-21T06:39:10-07:00">July 21st, 6:39am</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>Devin Booker just endured the worst loss of his basketball career at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks. Now the Phoenix Suns star could potentially have to endure spending an entire day confined with two of his recent foes.</p><p>Devin Booker is one of three stars in the NBA Finals who <a href="https://www.usab.com/mens/national-team/roster.aspx">are slated to play</a> for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics. The other two joining the Suns guard? Bucks stars Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Now Devin Booker has to fly 19 hours or whatever to Tokyo with Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton</p><p>— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1417696495613190144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">So…Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Devin Booker have to jump on a private plane to head to Tokyo to join Team USA. </p><p>That's going to be a mighty awkward flight 😳</p><p>— Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) <a href="https://twitter.com/BritniDWrites/status/1417697075735654401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Based on a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&amp;q=milwaukee+to+tokyo+flight+duration&amp;sourceid=opera&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8">quick google search</a>, a standard flight from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Tokyo, Japan lasts around 15 hours. That’s a ton of time to spend in an enclosed space together with two men who are probably on “WANTED” posters in Phoenix, Arizona.</p><p>But in all likelihood, Booker, Holiday, and Middleton will all probably get along assuming they do spend that time aboard a plane. There wasn’t any lingering animosity between them throughout the series, and both Suns and Bucks players stayed respectful of one another throughout. While it’s a tough pill to swallow for DBook, he’s a big boy who can probably compartmentalize his emotions as he transitions into Team USA mode.</p><p>I feel sorry for whoever defender is assigned to check Devin Booker at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. You better believe the Suns All-Star is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-chris-pauls-snarky-response-answer-to-rachel-nichols-question-on-2021-nba-finals-loss/">giving everyone the business.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Devin Booker’s incredibly awkward 15 hours with two Bucks stars after Suns’ Finals loss

<!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/2021/07/Devin-Booker-Suns-Bucks-Giannis-Antetokounmpo-NBA-Finals.jpg"></figure><h1>Devin Booker’s instant one-word reaction to losing NBA Finals against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-20T21:49:06-07:00">July 20th, 9:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-20T21:49:06-07:00">July 20th, 9:49pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s difficult to be in Devin Booker’s shoes right now. The highly competitive guard of the Phoenix Suns just suffered his most painful loss after they bowed out of the NBA Finals in Game 6 on Tuesday.</p><p>After winning the first two games convincingly, the Suns couldn’t stop the Milwaukee Bucks in the last four outings. The Suns became the first team in the NBA Finals to drop four straight games after erecting a 2-0 lead since the Dallas Mavericks in 2006.</p><p>During the dying moments of Game 6, as the defeat slowly sunk in, Booker had a one-word reaction from the bench (via <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/ooi3dv/highlight_devin_booker_says_damn_postgame/">Reddit</a>).</p><blockquote>      <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/ooi3dv/highlight_devin_booker_says_damn_postgame/?ref_source=embed&amp;ref=share">[Highlight] Devin Booker says "damn" postgame</a> from      <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/">nba</a>    </blockquote><p>No need to be an expert lip reader for that.</p><p>It’s very understandable for Booker to feel angry and frustrated. In the biggest game of his career, the former Kentucky standout failed to deliver. He only scored 19 points on an atrocious 8-of-22 shooting from the field, including 0-of-7 from beyond the arc.</p><p>Booker <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/devin-booker/b19d09ab/gamelog">couldn’t follow up</a> on his 40-point explosion in Game 5, missing shots he would normally make. The Bucks defense clearly made it difficult for the two-time All-Star, with guys like PJ Tucker, Jrue Holiday, and Pat Connaughton all serving as a revolving door of stoppers.</p><p>Booker might also rue his crucial blunder in Game 5 when he turned the ball over against Holiday, which led to an and-1 dunk from Giannis Antetokounmpo, which proved to be the biggest factor in the Bucks’ win.</p><p>But all great players suffer bitter setbacks before rising to the zenith. Devin Booker will take everything he can from their loss in the NBA Finals and continue his mission: Be legendary.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Devin Booker’s instant one-word reaction to losing NBA Finals against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

<!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/2021/07/Jared-Dudley-Giannis-Antetokounmpo-Devin-Booker-Lakers-Suns-Bucks-NBA-Finals.jpg"></figure><h1>Jared Dudley hilariously hints at taking credit for rise of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-20T20:52:28-07:00">July 20th, 8:52pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-20T20:54:28-07:00">July 20th, 8:54pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There are only two types of people in the world: Those who hate Jared Dudley and those who love Jared Dudley.</p><p>The Los Angeles Lakers forward has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/jared-dudley/9b6308e9/stats">in the NBA for years now</a>, finally taking home a championship last season. The Lakers have been out of contention since the first round after they got booted out by the Phoenix Suns. But still, Dudley’s presence has been felt throughout the NBA Finals.</p><p>Or at least that’s what he likes to think.</p><p>Brooklyn Nets reporter Billy Reinhardt pointed out that Dudley has played with key guys in the NBA Finals, including the Milwaukee Bucks’ pair of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton and the Suns’ backcourt duo of Devin Booker and Chris Paul. Dudley, however, also noted that he also played with PJ Tucker.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="sv">And PJ!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/7obXOpTeZC" target="_blank">https://t.co/7obXOpTeZC</a></p><p>— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredDudley619/status/1417686207656386560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Did the 36-year-old Dudley, who has played for seven teams in 15 seasons, just take credit for the resurgence of these players? Knowing his fun-loving character, it’s not implausible. But of course, it’s all in good fun.</p><p>But there’s also truth in it. Dudley indeed mentored Giannis during his early days in the NBA when he was with the Bucks in the 2014-2015 season (via <a href="https://www.basketballinsiders.com/jared-dudley-on-veteran-mentorship/">Basketball Insiders</a>), and he did have an impact on the eventual two-time MVP.</p><blockquote>“I think the year I left, Giannis said that he missed me in the game huddle adjustments I used to tell him.”</blockquote><p>Dudley, who returned with the Suns in the 2016-2017 season also took Booker under his wing, hanging out with the then-rookie frequently to help him transition to the rigors of the NBA.</p><p>We stan Jared Dudley!</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jared Dudley hilariously hints at taking credit for rise of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker

<!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/2021/07/Jrue-Holiday_s-mentality-that-should-scare-Devin-Booker.jpg"></figure><h1>Bucks star Jrue Holiday’s mentality that should scare Devin Booker</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-20T15:43:23-07:00">July 20th, 3:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-20T15:59:10-07:00">July 20th, 3:59pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Milwaukee Bucks star Jrue Holiday has been tasked to guard Devin Booker in their NBA Finals series against the Phoenix Suns, and he is embracing the challenge without hesitation.</p><p>While Holiday admitted that it’s really tough to guard Booker given his ability to score the basketball in a multitude of ways, he is not one to back down. After all, above anything else, he has this desire to stop the young scorer no matter what.</p><blockquote>“It’s a challenge. He can score from everywhere. He can score in a variety of ways and slowing him down is a challenge. But it’s also fun to witness, like the offensive performance that he’s putting in the Finals and having to just kind of put his team on his shoulders,” the Bucks floor general said on Booker, per <a href="https://twitter.com/malika_andrews/status/1417534096683700235" rel="noopener">Malika Andrews of ESPN</a>.</blockquote><p>When asked about how guarding Booker pushes him to be better, Holiday had a simple and straightforward answer with regards to his mentality.</p><blockquote>“I don’t want him to win. I don’t want him to score,” the 31-year-old NBA veteran added.</blockquote><p>Devin Booker has been phenomenal for the Suns in the series, averaging 30.0 points on 47.1 percent shooting in the Finals so far. In Games 4 and 5, he actually banked back-to-back 40-point outings, albeit in a losing effort.</p><p><i><b>*Watch Game 6 of the NBA Finals LIVE with <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener noreferrer">fuboTV (click for free trial)</a>*</b></i></p><p>That doesn’t mean Jrue Holiday and the Bucks are doing a poor job defending him. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-jrue-holiday-reveals-true-hero-of-clutch-game-5-steal-and-its-not-giannis-antetokounmpo/" rel="noopener">Holiday’s Game 5 steal</a> is a clear indication how hard they are defending the 24-year-old.</p><p>As Jrue mentioned, though, Booker’s scoring ability is just top-notch. Fortunately, the Bucks have someone who is willing to take the hit to stop the Suns’ best player.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ahead of the biggest game of his career, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday discusses his monster Game 5 steal, defending Devin Booker and more. Oh, and he has a pretty good “Giannis stare” impression. <a href="https://t.co/RjHTFqHdxb" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/RjHTFqHdxb</a></p><p>— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) <a href="https://twitter.com/malika_andrews/status/1417534096683700235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bucks star Jrue Holiday’s mentality that should scare Devin Booker

<!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/2021/07/Devin-Booker-Bucks-Khris-Middleton-Suns.jpg"></figure><h1>Bucks’ Khris Middleton opens up about teaming up with Devin Booker</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-20T07:08:09-07:00">July 20th, 7:08am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-20T07:08:43-07:00">July 20th, 7:08am</time><address><a>Johnny Recks</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/khris-middleton/af6e0952">Khris Middleton</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/devin-booker/b19d09ab">Devin Booker</a> are in the middle of a tight and drama-filled battle in the 2021 NBA Finals, with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/milwaukee-bucks">Milwaukee Bucks</a> being just a win away from winning it all. That’s all the focus right now for both Middleton and Booker, but waiting in the wings for the two stars is a commitment to Team USA basketball.</p><p>See, Middleton and Booker are expected to join the USA men’s national basketball team bound for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics right after the Finals. When asked about his thoughts on becoming teammates with Booker following such a tough Bucks-Suns NBA series, Middleton had the following to say, per <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2021/07/19/how-finals-participants-transition-into-usa-teammates/8022080002/">Mark Medina of <i>USA TODAY</i></a>:</p><blockquote>“I think we’ll be fine,” Middleton said. “I’m sure we won’t be best buddies during Team USA, but we’ll be teammates, for sure. We’ll be on the same path, talking basketball X’s and O’s, trying to get the job done.”</blockquote><p>Gregg Popovich could certainly use the scoring of the Bucks’ forward and Devin Booker, especially with injuries and other issues taking a toll on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-bold-predictions-for-team-usa-at-tokyo-olympics-after-uneven-exhibition-slate/">Team USA’s</a> roster ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The team has already dropped two games in exhibition matches in Las Vegas at the hands of Nigeria and Australia, though it has regained its footing and momentum with a win over Spain on Sunday. </p><p>Middleton and the Bucks will look to close the Finals out Wednesday night at home.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bucks’ Khris Middleton opens up about teaming up with Devin Booker

<!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/2021/07/Giannis-Antetokounmpo-Devin-Booker-Suns-Bucks-NBA-Finals.jpg"></figure><h1>Devin Booker drops harsh truth with three-word description of Giannis Antetokounmpo</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-19T19:20:54-07:00">July 19th, 7:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-20T06:21:05-07:00">July 20th, 6:21am</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s the proverbial calm before the storm for the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo and company are just a win away from capturing the NBA title for the first time in 50 years.</p><p>To put it simply, the Suns are in trouble. They’re in a do-or-die situation on the road, with momentum wrapped around the Bucks. It doesn’t help as well that Giannis has been playing incredibly in his first NBA Finals, repeatedly saving the Bucks from the pangs of defeat with his out-of-this-world athleticism and sheer desire.</p><p>Even Suns star Devin Booker couldn’t help but marvel at Giannis, giving a three-word compliment to the two-time MVP (via <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/phoenix-suns/chris-paul-giannis-antetokounmpo-shade/">Heavy</a>).</p><blockquote>“He’s a freak of nature.”</blockquote><p>Booker, who committed the costly turnover in the dying seconds of Game 5, which led to a Giannis alley-oop and-1 slam, added they simply can’t allow the Greek Freak to assert his dominance on both ends, especially on the boards.</p><blockquote>“He’s a different-sized dude. So he, even if he’s boxing out, getting a hand on it is tough. So, you just have to put a body on him.”</blockquote><p>Giannis also had a key offensive rebound in the waning moments of Game 5, tipping his missed free throw to Khris Middleton, giving the Bucks another chance of sealing the game, which they did.</p><p>Devin Booker and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been extra special in the NBA Finals, both already <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/devin-booker/b19d09ab/gamelog">scoring 40 points twice</a>. But for the Suns, they can’t just trade buckets with the Bucks, especially with a hostile crowd looming in Game 6 on Tuesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Devin Booker drops harsh truth with three-word description of Giannis Antetokounmpo

<!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/2021/07/lebron-james-cavs-suns-devin-booker.jpeg"></figure><h1>Suns star Devin Booker brushes off LeBron James comparison amid ominous odds</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-19T18:48:59-07:00">July 19th, 6:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-19T18:50:42-07:00">July 19th, 6:50pm</time><address><a>Arlos Sara</a>Arlos Sara graduated with a degree in Psychology. He is an NBA writer and editor for ClutchPoints and Cavs Nation. Back in the day, while other kids were consumed by their toys and comic books, young Arlos was already thumbing through the pages of sports magazines.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/devin-booker/b19d09ab">Devin Booker</a> and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/phoenix-suns">Phoenix Suns</a> are about to enter an unfamiliar territory in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Down 3-2 against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Suns now face their first elimination game in the 2021 postseason.</p><p>However, the odds are stacked against the Suns before tipoff in Milwaukee on Tuesday night. <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31844798/optimistic-monty-williams-wants-phoenix-suns-confidence-facing-elimination-first">ESPN’s Dave McMenamin</a> notes some intriguing numbers that Phoenix will not like.</p><blockquote>In the 2-2-1-1-1 Finals formats, teams that go down 3-2 in the series are just 4-21 (4-22 including the 2020 bubble, which didn’t involve travel between games). Considering the history, the Milwaukee Bucks are massive favorites at this point.</blockquote><p>One of the four teams who overcame the 3-2 obstacle is the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.</p><p><i><b>*Watch Game 6 of the NBA Finals LIVE with <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener noreferrer">fuboTV (click for free trial)</a>*</b></i></p><p>That said, Booker, in the same ESPN article, chooses to distance the Suns from the feat achieved by James and Co., saying:</p><blockquote>“It’s kind of hard to compare and contrast what LeBron [James] did in the Finals in whatever year, you know what I’m saying? We have a group that’s us, and that’s how we keep it. We’re trying to figure it out right now, how we’re going to go out there and do it. We know it’s possible with the group that we have and what we have leaned on for most of the season.”</blockquote><p>At this point, the Suns could care less about historical comparisons. They already have their hands full in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s been playing out of his mind in his first NBA Finals trip.</p><p>Like Antetokounmpo, Booker is also playing high-level basketball for the Suns. They’re both enjoying splendid performances in this series, registering two 40-point games each.</p><p>Milwaukee did engineer a comeback early in Game 5. It’ll be just as dangerous counting out the Suns.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns star Devin Booker brushes off LeBron James comparison amid ominous odds

<!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/2021/07/suns-news-devin-booker-gets-brutally-honest-about-rumord-beef-with-giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns star Devin Booker gets brutally honest about rumored beef with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-19T15:41:10-07:00">July 19th, 3:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-20T07:57:40-07:00">July 20th, 7:57am</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There’s absolutely no love lost between the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks in what has been a truly epic NBA Finals matchup. There’s an extremely high level of competition between players on both sides, which has unsurprisingly resulted in a number of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-savagely-stares-down-giannis-antetokounmpo-after-monster-poster-dunk/" rel="noopener">heated moments</a> throughout the series.</p><p>For his part, however, Suns star Devin Booker has sounded off on the perceived beef between his suns and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks. Booker made it abundantly clear that all the “animosity” is ruled over by an underlying level of respect:</p><blockquote>“It’s never personal between who you’re going with, unless lines are crossed,” Booker said, via <a href="https://www.sunherald.com/sports/article252885958.html">Steve Megargee of the SunHerald</a>. “Those guys aren’t that type and I would never go that way with them, because there’s a high respect level for each other. I think that’s why we’re in the position that we’re in right now.”</blockquote><p>It’s interesting to note that as soon as the NBA Finals concludes, Booker will be heading to Tokyo to join Team USA for the Olympics. Also part of that team will be two players from the Bucks in Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. This fact adds a bit of drama to the feud narrative between the Suns and the Bucks.</p><p>According to Middleton, however, he believes that there shouldn’t be any issues between himself and Booker once they link up as teammates for the national squad:</p><blockquote>“I think we’ll be fine,” Middleton said. “Right now, we haven’t said a word to each other. I’m sure we won’t be best buddies during Team USA, but we’ll be teammates, for sure. We’ll be on the same path, talking basketball X’s and O’s, trying to get the job done. That’s what being competitors is all about, but also what being a teammate is all about.”</blockquote><p>All in all, it’s been a pretty smooth sailing series for the Suns and the Bucks. There haven’t been too many moments that will lead you to believe that players on both teams just don’t like each other. Nevertheless, we also have had no shortage of career-defining epic moments throughout the series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns star Devin Booker gets brutally honest about rumored beef with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

<!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/2021/07/Devin-Booker-Suns-Kendall-Jenner-Jared-Dudley.jpeg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Jared Dudley goes off on true reason Suns’ Devin Booker is so good</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-19T15:30:07-07:00">July 19th, 3:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-19T15:30:07-07:00">July 19th, 3:30pm</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a>Los Angeles Lakers beat reporter and writer for ClutchPoints. Aspiring Shane Falco. NYC native, LA resident, USC grad. Tennis Fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Devin Booker has taken his game up more than a few levels since he and Jared Dudley were teammates with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/phoenix-suns">Phoenix Suns</a>. Not surprisingly, the outspoken <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers">Los Angeles Lakers</a> free-agent-to-be has a host of theories as to what’s enabled Booker to become an NBA superstar.</p><p>During an appearance on J.J. Redick’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qirzmOlyhbI&amp;t=1728s">The Old Man and the Three</a>” podcast on Monday, Dudley listed a series of contributing factors to Booker’s improvement, including his physical transformation, his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-kendall-jenners-5-word-reaction-to-watching-devin-booker-in-the-nba-finals/">relationship with Kendall Jenner</a>, and his improved passing.</p><blockquote>“Booker always was super-talented: Footwork-wise, work ethic, had it all in him, had the swagger,” Dudley said. “He became such a better student of the game, of studying film. If you look at his body now, he now finally has cuts in his body, got serious with his nutrition … In a way, I think him having a girlfriend has helped him. Helped him stay more focused, less out in the nightlife.</blockquote><blockquote>“It was his passing ability that was poor,” Dudley added. “He could shoot the ball. The whole <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-video-devin-booker-gets-pissed-after-being-double-teamed-open-gym-joakim-noah-reacts/">big viral video of doubling him during summertime</a>, you remember when Joakim Noah doubled? … Nah, like, you’re going to be doubled … For him to become a better passer and getting his first triple-double…I knew <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-jared-dudley-predicts-devin-booker-will-be-an-all-star-after-40-point-effort-win-over-sixers/">he was going to be an All-Star player</a>, but I just think he took the next step with his body. He’s in phenomenal, phenomenal shape. He’s cut up. The first thing I saw was, looking at his face, I could see his cheekbones. He’s been with the Kardashians, I didn’t know if he had surgery or he lost some weight.”</blockquote><p>Booker averaged 3.5 assists per 36 minutes during the two seasons (2016-17) he played with Dudley. His dimes were down this season due to the addition of Chris Paul, but he increased his assists per 36 to 7.0 and 6.5 in 2018-9 and 2019-20, respectively.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here’s <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredDudley619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@JaredDudley619</a> on BOOK. One of the best teammates around. <a href="https://twitter.com/jj_redick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@jj_redick</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/talter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@talter</a> <a href="https://t.co/nXxALe4ySE" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/nXxALe4ySE</a></p><p>— TheOldMan&amp;TheThree (@OldManAndThree) <a href="https://twitter.com/OldManAndThree/status/1417180740274503684?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Due to his midrange prowess and the work ethic that Dudley is alluding to, Booker’s game has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-ways-devin-booker-is-exactly-like-kobe-bryant/">frequently compared</a> to Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, especially during the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals. However, Booker — a mentee of Kobe’s — <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-sounds-off-kobe-bryant-comparisons/">rejected that notion</a> during a spot on ESPN’s “The Jump.”</p><blockquote>“I know it’s something that everybody has going on right now. I didn’t make that comparison myself. I’ll just leave it at what he’s done for me as a mentor and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-fulfills-kobes-challenge-with-legendary-record/">advice that he’s left me with</a>. I try to take bits and pieces of his mentality and approach. But I should never be compared to Kobe Bryant.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I should never be compared to Kobe Bryant." </p><p>—Devin Booker <a href="https://t.co/hcXFSPLScm" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/hcXFSPLScm</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1417219186938548231?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In the same chat with Redick, Dudley broke down his singular value to the Lakers locker room, which, in his words, manifests in practice, the film room, and at the gambling table (“camaraderie”).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">a crucial presence in the Lakers film room and at the gambling table, per Jared Dudley <a href="https://t.co/QYpg2l2kqw" target="_blank">https://t.co/QYpg2l2kqw</a></p><p>— michael corvo (@_michaelcorvo_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1417233996686237699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Dudley, 36, is one of the 10 players who the Lakers have to decide on re-signing. Considering his lack of playing time and the Lakers’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-10-things-you-should-wonder-about-the-offseason/">tight cap situation</a>, they have to determine whether Dudley’s locker room contributions are worthy of an active roster spot (a la Udonis Haslem). The Lakers could retain Dudley in a non-player role — perhaps as a special assistant coach or front office consultant.</p><p>Dudley has developed tight relationships with LeBron James and Anthony Davis during his tenure in Los Angeles. When asked at exit interviews whether he planned to return to the Lakers, Dudley had a confident outlook: “<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heres-what-every-lakers-free-agent-said-about-the-future-after-exit-interviews/">1,000 percent</a>.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"1,000%. They need me like I need them. Come on, man."</p><p>Jared Dudley when asked if he'll be back and if the Lakers will have him.</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@_michaelcorvo_</a>) <a href="https://t.co/M2pcPhxG3C" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/M2pcPhxG3C</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1400922570745008132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 4, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns will have an opportunity to force Game 7 on Tuesday in Milwaukee.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Jared Dudley goes off on true reason Suns’ Devin Booker is so good

<!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/2021/07/suns-news-devin-booker-sounds-off-on-kobe-bryant-comparisons.jpeg"></figure><h1>Suns star Devin Booker sounds off on Kobe Bryant comparisons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-19T14:25:19-07:00">July 19th, 2:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-19T14:25:19-07:00">July 19th, 2:25pm</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt has been an editor at ClutchPoints since 2018. He also covers the Bulls for Forbes and SB Nation's Blog a Bull. In addition, he co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network. If you couldn't tell, he's from Chicago.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-ways-devin-booker-is-exactly-like-kobe-bryant/" rel="noopener">is often compared</a> to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant because of his cold-blooded ability to go get buckets from anywhere on the court, and especially from the mid-range area. While Booker is an assassin out there, the Suns shooting guard doesn’t actually want to be compared to the late superstar.</p><p>Booker <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1417219186938548231" rel="noopener">said this on ESPN</a> ahead of Tuesday’s Game 6 of the NBA Finals:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I should never be compared to Kobe Bryant." </p><p>—Devin Booker <a href="https://t.co/hcXFSPLScm" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/hcXFSPLScm</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1417219186938548231?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While Devin Booker has modeled some of his game after Kobe Bryant, he knows he has to do a whole lot more in his career to truly be comparable to the Lakers legend. Bryant won five championships in his illustrious NBA career, while Booker is going for his first title in his first playoff appearance.</p><p>Booker has certainly gotten buckets like Bryant in the last two games, going for 42 points in Game 4 and 40 points in Game 5. Unfortunately, these monster performances were all for naught in two Suns losses, putting Phoenix on the brink of elimination.</p><p>The Suns star has received some criticism for resorting to hero ball too much, which is also something Kobe took some heat for in his career. <a href="https://twitter.com/tomhaberstroh/status/1417216148374949891" rel="noopener">Booker doesn’t have a single assist</a> in the fourth quarter in the NBA Finals, so he could try to do a better job looking for his teammates in crunch time and in general.</p><p>Of course, it’s hard to blame Devin Booker too much given how efficient he was with his shooting the last two games. Book did get ripped by Jrue Holiday on that crucial play late, but he also hit so many big shots to help keep Phoenix in it.</p><p>Booker will try to bring his Mamba Mentality into Game 6 to keep the Suns alive for a Game 7.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns star Devin Booker sounds off on Kobe Bryant comparisons

<!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/2021/07/Bradley-Beal-Wizards-Chris-Paul-Devin-Booker.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Bradley Beal openly thrashes reporter who dared ask Devin Booker dumb Chris Paul question</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-18T11:42:28-07:00">July 18th, 11:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-18T11:43:24-07:00">July 18th, 11:43am</time><address><a>Johnny Recks</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal, already frustrated over the fact that he won’t be with Team USA in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, had another reason to feel annoyed. That’s after he watched a reported hurl a ridiculous <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-chris-paul-give-death-stares-at-reporter-for-ridiculous-postgame-question/">question</a> at Devin Booker about Chris Paul following the Phoenix Suns’ heart-wrenching loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Finals.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dumb ass question <a href="https://t.co/k89O5caW96" target="_blank">https://t.co/k89O5caW96</a></p><p>— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealDealBeal23/status/1416802578008993792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>As an NBA player himself, Bradley Beal is fully aware that these kinds of questions from reporters who are desperate to have something to write about, regardless of the setting. Then again, a dumb question is a dumb question at the end of the day, which was exactly what Booker got during that particular moment of Saturday night’s postgame presser.</p><p>But not even a poorly constructed question could devalue the otherwise entertaining 2021 NBA <a href="https://www.nba.com/playoffs/2021/the-finals">Finals</a> series, with the Suns and the Bucks putting up one classic game after another. Unfortunately for Devin Booker and the Suns, Game 5 didn’t go their way, as they suffered their first home loss of the Finals. A must-win game on the road is ahead of them, with Game 6 set to be played Tuesday at Fiserv Forum.</p><p>As for Beal and the Wizards, they have a long offseason to plan the team’s direction. They had a slow start to the 2020-21 NBA season but turned it on in the second half to catch the boat to the playoffs where they were quickly folded by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Bradley Beal openly thrashes reporter who dared ask Devin Booker dumb Chris Paul question

<!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/2021/07/Jrue-Holiday-reacts-to-clutch-steal-on-Devin-Booker-alley-oop-to-Giannis-Antetokounmpo.jpg"></figure><h1>Jrue Holiday reacts to clutch steal on Devin Booker, alley-oop to Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-17T22:28:36-07:00">July 17th, 10:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-17T22:28:36-07:00">July 17th, 10:28pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Giannis Antetokounmpo may have delivered the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-finals-news-giannis-antetokounmpo-throws-down-game-winning-dunk-over-chris-paul-to-take-game-5/" rel="noopener">game-winning dunk</a> for the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5, but it was Jrue Holiday who made everything possible.</p><p>Holiday pulled off two huge clutch plays in the final 20 seconds of the contest, first stealing the ball away from Booker before delivering a ballsy lob to Giannis for the thunderous and-1 slam that sealed the deal.</p><p>The 31-year-old guard suggested that his steal from Booker had a stroke of luck in it since the Suns scorer turned to him at the crucial moment.</p><blockquote>“He turned right into me. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time,” Holiday said, per <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcJSpears/status/1416616618168291331" rel="noopener">Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated</a>.</blockquote><p>As for his brilliant and fearless alley-oop to Giannis that followed, Holiday mentioned he simply noticed the Greek Freak running and decided to throw the ball to him–which speaks volumes on the chemistry the two have created in their first season together.</p><blockquote>“Giannis took off and he was running for the ball. At that point, I threw it as high as a I could,” the Bucks <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcJSpears/status/1416617421843140609" rel="noopener">playmaker</a> added.</blockquote><p>Here’s the double game-winning play Jrue Holiday just performed to give the Bucks the 3-2 lead:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">GIANNIS AND ONE</p><p>Misses the free throw but gives the Bucks a three point lead 💪<a href="https://t.co/zjtlO4nYiO" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/zjtlO4nYiO</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1416601944089448449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Holiday finished the contest with 27 points and a game-high 13 assists, on top of three steals and one block. Without Jrue, it would have been unlikely for Milwaukee to stage a comeback after falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter,</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jrue Holiday reacts to clutch steal on Devin Booker, alley-oop to Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo

<!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/2021/07/image_2021-07-18_124702.png"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Suns’ Devin Booker, Chris Paul give reporter death stares for ridiculous postgame question</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-17T21:49:08-07:00">July 17th, 9:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-18T06:41:43-07:00">July 18th, 6:41am</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’s safe to say that the Phoenix Suns aren’t in the best of spirits right now. Their backcourt tandem of Chris Paul and Devin Booker made that perfectly clear during the postgame presser after Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Suns stars directed a pair of death stares at a reporter for a question they found rather perplexing to say the least.</p><p>Devin Booker was asked the following query:</p><blockquote>“This is obviously a really tough loss. Devin, how frustrated are you for Chris right now?”</blockquote><p>To which both Suns stars responded with <a href="https://twitter.com/cguzzle/status/1416608780884668416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1416608780884668416%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">piercing looks</a>, followed by two words a reporter never wants to hear:</p><blockquote>“Next question.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">😂😂 Down bad <a href="https://t.co/9DDSZC7OFt" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/9DDSZC7OFt</a></p><p>— Fire Kerr Trade Draymond (@cguzzle) <a href="https://twitter.com/cguzzle/status/1416608780884668416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Did y’all  see the look on Chris Paul’s face, though? He looked like he was about to chew the guy’s head off. Tough to blame him for it right after the <a href="http://fanatics.ncw6.net/4eaNk9" rel="noopener">Suns’</a> dispiriting loss at the hands of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.</p><p>From a statistical standpoint, Chris Paul and Devin Booker were exceptional in Game 5. Book finished with another 40-point performance while shooting better than 50% from the field. CP3, meanwhile, tallied 21 points and 11 assists. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story, as both players figured in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-finals-news-giannis-antetokounmpo-throws-down-game-winning-dunk-over-chris-paul-to-take-game-5/">crucial sequence</a> that led to the Giannis alley-oop that sealed the game.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">JRUE TO GIANNIS. WOW. 😱 <a href="https://t.co/1R8RH3pONC" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/1R8RH3pONC</a></p><p>— NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1416602346780467201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and the rest of the <a href="http://foco.vegb.net/NKGqd7" rel="noopener">Suns</a> need to regroup as they head on the road for a do-or-die Game 6. Here’s to hoping they aren’t ticked off by any questions after that one.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
25.6	4.2	4.3	0.2	0.8

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
25.6	4.2	4.3	0.2	0.8

Devin Booker news

Devin
Booker news