<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lebron6-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to dropping season-high 46 points vs. Cavs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-25T21:31:15-08:00">January 25th, 9:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-25T21:32:07-08:00">January 25th, 9:32pm</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For so many years, LeBron James carried the Cleveland Cavaliers on his back. On Monday night, he defeated the Cavs nearly all by himself with the Lakers.</p><p>A scorching-hot LeBron James dropped a season-high 46 points in his return to Northeast Ohio, propelling the Lakers to a 115-108 win at the RocketMortage FieldHouse. It marked James’ highest scoring total against his former franchise (previous high: 43 on <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201403180CLE.html">March 18, 2014</a>, as a member of the Miami Heat).</p><blockquote>“Home-cooking,” LeBron James cited as the main factor for his monster game. “Got an opportunity to see your mom, have a home-c0ooked meal. … It feels good to be back in my haven.”</blockquote><p>LeBron James’ performance was illustrative of perhaps the most notable difference in his game since he took his talents from Cleveland to L.A: his three-point shooting. He’s taking and making more threes than ever before and doing so with more ease, variety, and range. His absurd shooting performance on Monday caused head coach Frank Vogel to compare him to two of the game’s all-time legends.</p><blockquote>“We’ve been encouraging him to shoot over the top and beat defenses because he shoots it at a high clip,” Vogel said after the game about LeBron James. “MJ and Kobe went into the fadeaway jumpers in the post a lot towards the latter part of their careers. He’s doing that as well. But, he’s also bringing the ability to beat teams from deep … He shoots the heck out of it from that range.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron from the Cavs logo 👌🏽<a href="https://t.co/WfuCgQgoKS" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/WfuCgQgoKS</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353907208627445761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In another connection to the late Lakers legend, LeBron James <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1353913176325292034">became</a> the oldest Lakers player to score 40 in a game since Bryant‘s historic 60-point career finale. (On that note, Vogel will grant his team the day off on Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of Bryant’s death).</p><p>Overall, LeBron James shot 19-of-26 from the field, 7-of-11 from deep, and put on a clinic of heat-check threes and long jumpers in the final minutes to ice the game. The King added eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks for good measure.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">this is getting ridiculous… <a href="https://t.co/TThEJLFqIu" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/TThEJLFqIu</a></p><p>— michael corvo (@_michaelcorvo_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1353910754618056704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>However, it may not just have been the homecoming that set the King off in the final period. After LeBron James missed a jumper at the third-quarter buzzer, a court-side spectator misguidedly caught the attention of the four-time champion.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">if you’re wondering why LeBron decided to rain napalm on Cleveland in the 4th Quarter, you can thank whoever said something and made him react like this. <a href="https://t.co/xrGTMOJX9c" target="_blank">https://t.co/xrGTMOJX9c</a> <a href="https://t.co/oQuKcUVwLL" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/oQuKcUVwLL</a></p><p>— LeWob James (@WorldWideWob) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1353919608743469058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In the fourth quarter, LeBron James outscored the Cavs by himself, 21-19.</p><p>After the fact, LeBron James said he was familiar with the person in the front row, who is apparently a member of the Cavaliers organization.</p><blockquote>“Yeah, someone I know for sure. Felt like he was a little too excited about seeing me miss. That’s what happened… I know who he is. He’s a part of the front office group.</blockquote><p>LeBron James re-iterated that the spectator didn’t say a word, just appeared a bit too giddy.</p><blockquote>“He was really excited about me missing that shot. A little bit more extra than I would have liked. But he’s gotta root for his team obviously … I knew I had another quarter, and the fourth quarter’s my favorite.”</blockquote><p>Courtside nuisances aside, LeBron James said that it will always be special to play in Cleveland.</p><blockquote>“I would be unhuman [not to be emotional], even though you guys probably think I am unhuman the way I play the game.”</blockquote><p>The former Ohio high-school football star also pointed to this weekend’s NFL conference championship games as sources of inspiration. Specifically, LeBron James cited the enduring greatness of Tom Brady — the only other 21st-century athlete in major American sports to play in 10 title games — and a clip of Kansas City Chiefs tight end (and his buddy) Travis Kelce motivating wide receiver Mecole Hardman after a key mistake.</p><p>LeBron James’ hometown-adjacent performance came two days after Anthony Davis enjoyed a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-response-to-saying-he-sucks-just-2-days-ago/">his own memorable homecoming</a> against the Chicago Bulls. On Saturday, Davis dropped a season-high 37 points on 14-of-21 from the field to fuel L.A.’s victory at the United Center.</p><blockquote>“I had it going at Chicago,” Davis said after Monday’s game. “[LeBron’s] at home, he gets it going early … Everyone was cheering for him cause he’s back at home. We missed it last year, so he got a chance to score 46, back at home… It’s fun to watch.”“Anytime we play one of our teammate’s former teams,” Kyle Kuzma said. “We don’t want to let them lose. Historically in LeBron’s career…he doesn’t like to lose to those teams. He just rises to the occasion every time.”</blockquote><p>Davis’ offense was out-of-sync vs. Cleveland — thanks in part to the physicality of Andre Drummond (25 points, 17 rebounds). However, he said LeBron James’ scoring allowed him to focus on other areas, such as screen-setting, offensive rebounding, and defense — reminding the league what makes them such a dominant duo.</p><p>Davis finished with 17 points (5-of-16 FG, 0-3 3-Pt, 7-9 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks.</p><p>LeBron James’ cold-blooded finish book-ended his stellar outing. He scored 17 points in the first quarter and was immediately flying all around the court. He beat the buzzer of the first and second quarters with highlight-reel buckets.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron closes out 17-point first quarter in Cleveland with this shameless heat-check 3, his fourth triple of the quarter <a href="https://t.co/rU2YhcLnpH" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/rU2YhcLnpH</a></p><p>— michael corvo (@_michaelcorvo_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1353881189849968640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><blockquote>“I knew when he had 19 in the first … it was over,” Davis said. “It’s one of those nights for him. He was getting to the basket, he was hitting his three. He was getting to the midrange and hitting his turnaround. He wasn’t missing… And then late in the game … he was everywhere on the floor… After the first quarter I knew it was gonna be a good night for him.”“Just one of those nights for the ages for him.” Vogel said of LeBron James. The coach added that it ranked “right up there at the top” with James’ best performances since he’s been the Lakers coach.</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bron Baby Sky Hook <a href="https://t.co/xVkhhcrLCW" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/xVkhhcrLCW</a></p><p>— michael corvo (@_michaelcorvo_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_michaelcorvo_/status/1353883790490423298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>What do the Lakers do when LeBron James is that hot? Simple.</p><blockquote>“We get out of the way,” Davis said.</blockquote><p>Vogel was out of answers too.</p><blockquote>“Obviously, he wanted to win versus his former team here. Came out of the gates really strong … still quarterbacking our defense… The shot-making was just ridiculous. … If I’m playing against him, I’m not really sure what I’m doing to slow him down when he’s shooting that well from the perimeter.”</blockquote><p>L.A.’s previously scheduled visit to Cleveland was scrapped due to the pandemic. The last time LeBron James faced his former team in Ohio came on Nov. 21, 2018, when he dropped 32 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in an L.A. victory.</p><p>Kuzma, once again, excelled in the hustle-based categories (six offensive rebounds, multiple shot contests), while Montrezl Harrell (15 points, six rebounds, +18) provided an essential boost off the bench.</p><p>The win moved the Lakers and LeBron James to a league-best 14-4 and extended their franchise-record 10-game road winning streak to open the season.</p><p>Next up: The Lakers will face MVP-candidate Joel Embiid and the East’s top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (12-6) at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday.</p><p>Not next up: LeBron James running for office.</p><p>In his postgame Zoom session, LeBron James was asked if he’s considered a run for United States Senator from Ohio now that Sen. Rob Portman has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/25/politics/rob-portman-not-running-reelection-ohio-senate-race/index.html">announced</a> that he won’t seek re-election. Evidently, James would prefer to simply run his home state on the basketball court, and he swatted the idea down like <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353904280130842624">a Collin Sexton layup</a>.</p><blockquote>“Nah, I haven’t thought about that at all. I still got a job to do here, playing at a high level … I owe it to the game. … I haven’t even thought about … being in office or things of that nature. That’s definitely not in my thinking right now.”</blockquote><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to dropping season-high 46 points vs. Cavs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lebron5-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Anthony Davis, Frank Vogel can’t believe LeBron James’ monster 46-point game for Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-25T21:17:54-08:00">January 25th, 9:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-25T21:17:54-08:00">January 25th, 9:17pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It was another day in the office for the 36-year-old LeBron James, as The King led the Los Angeles Lakers to their 10th straight road win this season.</p><p>The Lakers edged out the Cleveland Cavaliers, 115-108, with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-joins-kobe-bryant-in-old-man-record-with-monster-46-point-game/" rel="noopener">James scoring a season-high of 46</a> in his old stomping grounds.</p><p>James’ dazzling performance left head coach Frank Vogel in complete awe. Vogel had to acknowledge how amazing the four-time MVP was again against his former team.</p><blockquote>“It’s right up there. It’s right up there with the top for sure” Vogel said when asked where LeBron’s 46-point evening ranks in his recent time with the Lakers (via <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanWardLA/status/1353918319032721409">Ryan Ward of Lakers Daily</a>).</blockquote><p>Vogel also emphasized LeBron’s shot-making for the Lakers, which he described as “pretty awesome” and “just ridiculous.” For what it’s worth, LeBron <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-fearless-lebron-james-takes-crazy-logo-shot-despite-only-2-point-lead-vs-cavs/" rel="noopener">made a deep logo shot</a> in the fourth quarter of the game despite the team leading only by two points.</p><p>James was 19-of-26 from the field, knocking down a season-high seven 3-pointers out of 11 attempts. He also finished the game with eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.</p><p>The reigning Finals MVP erupted in the fourth quarter where he scored 21 of his 46 points.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron from the Cavs logo 👌🏽<a href="https://t.co/WfuCgQgoKS" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/WfuCgQgoKS</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353907208627445761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>LeBron’s Lakers teammate Anthony Davis said after the game that he knew the game was over as early as the opening quarter when LeBron exploded for 17 points, including four triples. With Cleveland keeping things close down the stretch, Davis said that they only had to get the ball to LeBron and watch him do his thing.</p><blockquote>“We get out of the way,” Davis said when asked what his Lakers should do in these types of situations when LeBron has it going, per Ward.</blockquote><p>James’ masterful performance on Monday helped the Lakers stay perfect on the road. They will look to keep their streak going when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Anthony Davis, Frank Vogel can’t believe LeBron James’ monster 46-point game for Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lebron4-2.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James joins Kobe Bryant in old-man Lakers record with monster 46-point game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-25T21:01:10-08:00">January 25th, 9:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-25T21:03:40-08:00">January 25th, 9:03pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, LeBron James exploded for 46 points. This makes James the <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1353913176325292034" rel="noopener">oldest Laker</a> with a 40-point game since Kobe Bryant’s 60-point explosion in his final career game.</p><p>James’ scoring outburst guided the Lakers to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scores/nba/boxscore/los-angeles-lakers-cleveland-cavaliers-1-26-2021/8b81c907-a114-4e12-b371-3bd3a7767fd8" rel="noopener">115-108 victory over the Cavs</a>. He shot 19-of-26 from the field, 7-of-11 from deep, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. James also had eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks.</p><p>The win marked the Lakers’ third consecutive victory. On the road, they remain undefeated with a 10-0 record.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron James is the oldest Laker with a 40-point game since Kobe Bryant scored 60 in his final career game. <a href="https://t.co/CTcLQZe5an" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/CTcLQZe5an</a></p><p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1353913176325292034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Bryant played the final game of his Lakers and NBA career in April 2016 against the Utah Jazz. With the whole world watching, Bryant capped off his legendary stint by exploding for 60 points. More importantly, his team got the victory, cementing his legacy as truly one of the greats to ever play.</p><p>With his output, Bryant claimed many records, including the oldest player to score that amount at 37 years old and 234 days. It’s also the highest scoring output by a player in the final game of his career.</p><p>Coincidentally, LeBron James achieved the old-man feat on the same day he passed Kobe Bryant in the all-time scoring list exactly a year ago. James spoke highly of the Lakers icon after breaking the record, sharing narratives of how he had participated in Kobe’s basketball camps.</p><p>Bryant, for his part, congratulated James on his Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Continuing to move the game forward <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@KingJames</a>. Much respect my brother 💪🏾 #33644</p><p>— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) <a href="https://twitter.com/kobebryant/status/1221276426164269056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The tweet, which has now garnered over 2.7 million likes, carries bittersweet undertones, as it was the last tweet Bryant sent out. The following day, the Black Mamba perished in a helicopter crash along with eight others.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James joins Kobe Bryant in old-man Lakers record with monster 46-point game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/LeBron-James-Lakers-Cavs.jpg"></figure><h1>Fearless LeBron James takes crazy logo shot despite only 2-point lead vs. Cavs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-25T20:49:38-08:00">January 25th, 8:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-25T20:49:38-08:00">January 25th, 8:49pm</time><address><a>Nick Andre</a>Basketball Enthusiast</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James was in a rhythm all night long in their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. He was knocking down shots from all angles of the floor and the hapless Cavaliers had no answer for The King. </p><p>Things, however, got pretty intense in the middle of the fourth quarter. The Los Angeles Lakers held a precarious 100-98 lead with only 4:45 remaining. But with LeBron having the hot hand, it was only necessary to keep feeding him the ball. As the shot clock was running down, the four-time MVP, with all the audacity in the world, took advantage of the space he was given and made a three-pointer from the logo. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron from the Cavs logo 👌🏽<a href="https://t.co/WfuCgQgoKS" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/WfuCgQgoKS</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353907208627445761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The closest player to defending LeBron was Taurean Prince, who was still around 20 feet away from him. The crazy three-point bomb was a prime example of LeBron having the full arsenal as he extended their lead to five and didn’t look back. </p><p>The deep attempt at such a critical juncture in the game would’ve been terrible for most teams. But LBJ clearly has the license from coach Frank Vogel to shoot from anywhere.</p><p>The Lakers <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401267421">walked away with a 115-108 victory</a> over the Cavaliers in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-kobe-bryant-honored-in-lebron-james-return-to-cleveland/">LeBron’s return to his old stomping grounds</a>. He finished with a season-high 46 points on an insane 73% shooting. He also added eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks.</p><p>The defending champions improve to an NBA-best 13-4 and remain undefeated on the road at 9-0.</p><p>With LeBron James in the groove and firing from all cylinders, the Purple and Gold will continue piling up wins.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fearless LeBron James takes crazy logo shot despite only 2-point lead vs. Cavs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lebron2-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James plays volleyball, swats away Collin Sexton’s shot to the bench</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-25T20:22:11-08:00">January 25th, 8:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-25T20:22:47-08:00">January 25th, 8:22pm</time><address><a>Nick Andre</a>Basketball Enthusiast</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It was a <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353904280130842624">back and forth matchup in</a> Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Collin Sexton sought to build on their momentum while the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James tried to stay undefeated on the road. Given the Lake Show’s championship experience, the team understands how to make big plays in the fourth quarter, and it showed <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-what-lebron-james-told-a-crying-anthony-davis-minutes-before-winning-nba-title/">on Monday night</a> against the Cavs, who are trying to learn on the job as a young team and evolve quickly enough that they could become a factor in the Eastern Conference in two or three years. </p><p>With the Lakers up 95-93 with 9:32 left in the fourth, the Cavs once again looked to Collin Sexton to provide a spark for the team. With that being said, Sexton tried to make an aggressive move before LeBron James came from behind and swatted the shot out of bounds. James has always been famous for his chase-down blocks around the rim. Monday’s block on Sexton was just another example of his effort and his consistent ability to be a dynamic enforcer by protecting the paint. </p><p>James’ block was just a perfect example of the defensive job the Lakers did all night. </p><p>They forced the Cavaliers into 16 turnovers on the night and it led to 20 points for the Lakers on the other end. Cleveland’s struggles to take care of the basketball ultimately cost the Cavs late in the game and they could never recover. </p><p>The Lakers finished off the Cavs 115-108 behind LeBron James’ impressive 46 points on 73% shooting. James was in rhythm all night and the defense could not make proper adjustments. </p><p>The win puts the Lakers at 13-4 on the season along with 9-0 on the road. With the impressive win late in Cleveland, the Lakers will continue to keep things rolling through the rest of their road trip. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James plays volleyball, swats away Collin Sexton’s shot to the bench

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lebron-1-1.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Kobe Bryant gets honored as LeBron James, Lakers return to Cleveland</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-25T18:32:16-08:00">January 25th, 6:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-25T18:32:16-08:00">January 25th, 6:32pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. The Cavs took this as an opportunity to honor the late, great Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on the eve of his death anniversary.</p><p>The Cavs showed a tribute video honoring the Black Mamba prior to tip-off (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353881142080933888">ClutchPoints</a> on Twitter):</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Cavaliers played a tribute video for Kobe Bryant before their matchup with the Lakers 💛💜<a href="https://t.co/7HiUDYjlCE" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/7HiUDYjlCE</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353881142080933888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It’s been a year since one of the greatest ever passed away in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-kobe-bryant-killed-helicopter-crash/" rel="noopener">tragic helicopter crash</a>. So much has transpired since that fateful day, but after seeing this moving tribute, it all of a sudden feels like Kobe was taken away from us just yesterday. Kudos to the Cavs for this endearing gesture, which features some of Bryant’s most memorable moments involving the Cavaliers.</p><p>As for LeBron, Tuesday’s matchup is not the first time he’s returning to his former stomping ground since making the move to Hollywood in 2018. Nevertheless, it’s still an emotional moment for James, who has an opportunity to play in his beloved home town again. This is something that doesn’t get old, regardless of the fact that they play inside a crowdless arena. The pre-game Kobe tribute only adds to the emotions entering the matchup.</p><p>The Lakers come into Monday’s contest following consecutive wins against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls. LeBron and Co. are in the midst of a seven-game road trip which will commence with a back-to-back set against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Kobe Bryant gets honored as LeBron James, Lakers return to Cleveland

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lakers-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Anthony Davis claims he’s never seen Lakers teammate LeBron James upset</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-25T17:03:40-08:00">January 25th, 5:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-25T17:03:40-08:00">January 25th, 5:03pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the biggest aspects that led to the Los Angeles Lakers’ historic title run last season was the leadership of LeBron James. If you ask teammate Anthony Davis, LeBron’s ability to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-named-time-athlete-of-the-year-for-2020/">excel both on and off the basketball court</a> has to boil down to his success in finding a proper work-life balance.</p><p>When talking about LeBron’s overall disposition, Davis admitted that he has never seen the four-time league MVP angry:</p><blockquote>“He’s always happy. I’ve never seen LeBron mad — he’s always happy,” Davis told <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/anthony-davis-pursuit-of-lakers-repeat-fueled-by-joy-balance-family-motivation-i-want-that-feeling-again/">Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports</a>. “But on the flipside, he’s so determined and hard-working for basketball. So it’s a balance, and you’ve got to find a balance.”</blockquote><p>We’ve all seen LeBron exhibiting some frustration during games — that’s only natural. However, as Davis expressed above, this is not something that lingers in James’ mind. He leaves everything on the basketball court knowing at the back of his mind that at the end of the day, this is just a game.</p><p>In spite of the fact that LeBron is widely considered as one of the greatest to have ever played the sport, what makes him even more admirable is the things he does outside the realm of basketball. A highly-respected family man, James is also a prominent voice in the African American community as he never shies away from getting heavily involved in socio-political issues whenever he deems apt and necessary. LeBron is an established entrepreneur as well, with several lucrative business ventures under his belt.</p><p>As Davis said above, it’s all about finding a balance.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Anthony Davis claims he’s never seen Lakers teammate LeBron James upset

<!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;*/}.webfeedsFeaturedVisual {	display: None !important;}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <div><img alt="NBA, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Bruce Bowen, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NBA-LeBron-James-Kevin-Durant-Bruce-Bowen-Michael-Jordan-Scottie-Pippen-Dennis-Rodman.jpg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kevin Durant and Lebron James have been at the top of the NBA for nearly a decade. The two have very different games that have resulted in similar results, Durant sporting two rings and James rocking four.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While there are very few players currently who can contain the two offensive juggernauts, there are some NBA former players who would’ve been able to take on the challenge. Here are four 90’s defenders who would’ve contained both Kevin Durant and LeBron James.</span></p><h2><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>4. Bruce Bowen</strong><br></span></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bruce Bowen already answered half of this question in the 2007 NBA Finals. The Spurs absolutely dominated James– largely because he was a younger not fully realized Lebron James. The fact still remains that we already have a glimpse of Bowen’s defensive prowess on James and in that glimpse Bowen was fantastic–  containing James to just 23 points on six turnovers per game in the 2007 Finals.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bowen is one of the greatest perimeter defenders the league has seen.  He is 6’7″ and 200 pounds and had the footwork, skills, and aggression combined with hard work to make him a feared player on defense. He was often tasked with defending players from multiple positions too, anything from 1-4, and he did it at a high level.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">James is an NBA all-time great.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/would-you-want-36-year-old-lebron-james-26-year-old-giannis-antetokounmpo-with-2021-nba-title-on-the-line/" target="_blank"> He has a resume that has put him in the GOAT conversation</a>. Bowen has defended players in that same conversation and has done it very well. He would’ve been able to get under James and Durant’s skin. There aren’t many people in the league who pressure the ball at a real arms-length anymore. Instead, guys back of sort of ushering players instead of getting in their jersey. Bowen was in your jersey, jabbing at the ball before it was put on the ground, and mirroring it once it was picked up. He was the definition of a pest.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Imagine Patrick Beverley, but instead of racking up a bunch of fouls and getting scorched for 40 points, holding a star to reasonable numbers. That was Bruce Bowen.</span></p><h2><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>3. Michael Jordan</strong><br></span></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s a reason why so many people consider Jordan to be the GOAT. Aside from scoring at an all-time elite level, Jordan was also an brilliant defender. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jordan </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">got nine All-NBA First Defensive Team selections, a record that he shares with Gary Payton. He also </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">is one of three players to win MVP and DPOY in the same season– the other two being Hakeem </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Olajuwon and Giannis Antetokounmpo.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He had quick hands that he used to strip the ball and cause many fast breaks. His ability to block shots was crucial to his defensive skill set. He often locked his man without a problem. Jordan’s defense was just as lethal as his offense for any reason, but primarily because of his edge.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The same way Lebron James watches enough film to call out opponents plays, Jordan is relentless in studying his enemy. Even to this day, Jordan is studying opposing players. In an aged article for Bleacher Report, Jordan broke down how to defend James.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So if I have to guard him,” </span><a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1532988-michael-jordan-breaks-down-blueprint-for-defending-lebron-james" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jordan says</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, “I’m gonna push him left so nine times out of 10, he’s gonna shoot a jump shot. If he goes right, he’s going to the hole and I can’t stop him. So I ain’t letting him go right.”</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jordan was a menace on both ends in the NBA. His will to win is one of the most admired in the sports world. That will is what drove his defensive tenacity and is why he would’ve been able to contain both Lebron James and Kevin Durant.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even the shiftiest of ball handlers weren’t able to shake Jordan.  Even the infamous crossover Allen Iverson hit Jordan with didn’t get rid of MJ, he was still able to recover and contest the shot– it was just a good shot. More importantly, he kept Iverson on one side of the court.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it comes to defending Durant and James, staying in front of the ball and shrinking the court is the most crucial aspect to containing them. When they are able to play with the ball and get to the middle, not only do they have more options of how to score but they also have the entirety of the court around them to make a play for someone else.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jordan was a master at disrupting players’ handles and pushing them to one side. He would not only be able to stay in front of Durant and James in today’s NBA, but he would also disrupt their signature moves.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The best bet for both players would be to post Jordan up, a ploy that limits their all-around effect on the offensive side. </span></p><h2><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>2. Dennis Rodman</strong><br></span></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dennis Rodman couldn’t do many things right, but for everything bad that he did on and off the court, he was an fantastic defender.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He was one of the most versatile defenders in the 90s. Rodman’s strength and tenacity allowed him to force players into their worst shooting nights. He wasn’t the strongest, tallest, or even the quickest, but he was a skilled and productive defender.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And in this case, Rodman has already weighed in on one of the players mention.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“LeBron is so easy to play,” </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z11yXv1f34w" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rodman said on the YouTube channel Overtime</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “He is so f——- easy to play. He don’t have any moves, he ain’t got no moves.”</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And while Rodman’s words were considered by many in today’s NBA to be an example of an “old head” hating on the new generation, he wasn’t completely wrong. When you think of signature moves, you often think of handles or a secondary counter move. James doesn’t have any of that. His move is his strength, and for the most part, it’s unstoppable.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rodman was freakishly strong and barbarically physical. James would not have been able to play bully ball with Rodman, and he might not have even wanted to. Outside of the physicality of Rodman, he also moved his feet very well and had an extremely high defensive IQ.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He knew how to shrink the court and lay in space. He used help defense to his advantage and forced players into uncomfortable situations. In the case of James, he would’ve forced him into becoming a jump shooter. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the case of Durant, Rodman would’ve been ultra physical with him. Durant’s offensive skill set is more complex than James’, but his physical prowess isn’t on the same level. That is where Rodman would’ve attacked. Again, Rodman was a master at getting under players’ skin. He would’ve pushed Durant off his spot prior to getting the ball and would’ve been physical with Durant whenever he didn’t have the ball– on defense and offense.</span></p><h2><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>1. Scottie Pippen</strong></span></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Everything that was said about Michael Jordan’s defense is Scottie Pippen but in a 6’8 frame.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pippen is arguably the greatest perimeter defender in league history. He was an athletic forward with long hands and footwork combined with nice skills that earned him eight All-Defensive NBA First Team selections.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He was the A-defender– meaning he defended the other team’s best ball handler– on the best team of the ’90s. He had a high IQ that he used in order to beat multiple players, and he was a versatile stopper who could switch to defend everything from the 1 to 4 positions.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pippen was a defensive beast in every sense of the word, so of course, he would’ve been able to not only contain but stop Durant and James. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This can’t be stressed enough, Lebron James isn’t an overly crafty scorer. He doesn’t hit defenders with hesitations moves, up and unders, or five combination dribbles. He plays in straights line– which isn’t a bad thing. He knows where he wants to go and he put his head down and gets there. That is all physicality, and not a lot of people can stop it. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pippen was just a big as James and was nearly as strong. James would not have been able to bully Pippen down the lane. Throwing his elbow into a layup would not have moved Pippen. Lebron would’ve been forced to add a sharper handle into his arsenal or even become a stronger shooter from the perimeter if Scottie Pippen was dropped into this era.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kevin Durant has a much larger offensive arsenal. He can score from anywhere and at an extremely high level. This matchup would’ve been a sight to see. Pippen at 6’8 has the length to disrupt Durant’s jumpshot and the footwork to stay in front of him. He is strong enough to push Durant off of his spots prior to getting the ball and skilled enough to apply full-court pressure.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There is a reason that Pippen is regarded as the NBA’s perimeter defensive GOAT.</span></p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/4-best-90s-defensive-stoppers-who-would-contain-lebron-james-kevin-durant/" rel="nofollow">4 best 90s defensive stoppers who would contain LeBron James, Kevin Durant</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

4 best 90s defensive stoppers who would contain LeBron James, Kevin Durant

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Would-you-want-36-year-old-LeBron-or-26-year-old-Giannis-with-2021-NBA-title-on-the-line.jpg"></figure><h1>Would you want 36-year old LeBron James or 26-year old Giannis Antetokounmpo with 2021 NBA title on the line?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T14:37:04-08:00">January 24th, 2:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T14:38:31-08:00">January 24th, 2:38pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James versus Giannis Antetokounmpo. The King versus The Greek Freak.</p><p>The Los Angeles Lakers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-dominating-giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks-after-mvp-voting-fiasco-last-season/" rel="noopener">just beat</a> the Milwaukee Bucks <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401267386" rel="noopener">113-106</a> this past Thursday night, and the King vs. Greek Freak debate continues on.</p><p>While Giannis is the reigning MVP winner and Defensive Player of the Year, James is still regarded by many as the best player in the NBA. This is especially true after LeBron won the 2020 NBA title and Giannis fell short in the playoffs yet again.</p><p>Looking ahead to this year’s playoffs, is LeBron or Giannis the guy you want with the 2021 Larry O’Brien Trophy at stake?</p><h2>Giannis Antetokounmpo</h2><p>The Milwaukee Bucks cornerstone piece is once again putting up mammoth numbers in the regular season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.0 points with 10.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game to start the season after winning MVP over LeBron James a few months back.</p><p>Of course, we all know Antetokounmpo can dominate in the regular season. But what about the playoffs?</p><p>Questions about Giannis were at an all-time high in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat. He put up 21.8 points and 11.0 boards per game against the Heat and was forced to sit out Game 5 with a sprained ankle as the Bucks fell in five games. While these are good numbers for most, he averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists during the regular season and was clearly flustered throughout the series, just like he was against the Toronto Raptors the year before.</p><p>The Greek Freak’s shooting struggles played a role again. He shot under 50.8% from the field and 21.4% on 3-pointers. He also shot just 53.7% on free throws, and his shooting from the charity stripe continues to be a big issue this season.</p><p>The Heat built a wall and did an incredible job manning up against Antetokounmpo:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Suns fans, watch this compilation of Jae Crowder guarding Giannis in the playoffs and be happy. <a href="https://t.co/ATfhFAQEUp" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/ATfhFAQEUp</a></p><p>— Sam Cooper (@scooperhoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/scooperhoops/status/1330241246380630017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">November 21, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Giannis failed to make the NBA Finals in his first seven seasons, and he is hoping the eighth time will be the charm. There will be a lot of competition, though, and he must step up on the biggest stage in order to truly be the NBA’s best player. As of right now, he still has to prove he can do it.</p><h2>LeBron James</h2><p>The King is still — somehow — playing at an incredible level, even at the age of 36. James just never seems to slow down, and Father Time has yet to catch up to him.</p><p>LeBron is fresh off an NBA title with the Lakers — the franchise’s first since 2010 — and they are the early favorite to repeat and potentially three-peat after he and Anthony Davis both signed extensions in the offseason.</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LeBron-James-on-meaning-behind-he-and-Anthony-Davis-signing-extensions.jpg"></figure><p>James is an early favorite for MVP this season, posting averages of 23.9 points with 7.9 boards and 7.5 assists in the early stages as the Lakers dominate</p><p>Of course, even though some haters still try to diminish his accomplishments and ability to be clutch, James always seems to hit an extra gear in the playoffs. He had incredible averages of 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the NBA Finals victory over the Miami Heat for yet another Finals MVP.</p><p>LeBron is averaging an incredible 28.4 points per game throughout his career in the NBA Finals, and who knows when he will finally slow down. While his raw numbers are slightly down this season, the Lakers star is still almost as effective as ever.</p><h2>The Answer: LeBron James</h2><p>Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a great player for a long time. However, he has failed to reach the Finals, even despite being the favorite in the Eastern Conference the last two years. Until he gets it done with the Bucks, LeBron James is the guy any team would want when everything is on the line.</p><p>LeBron has four NBA titles and could be on his way to his fifth title if the Lakers keep playing at this rate.</p><p>The one outlier for James was the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, but that is a decade ago at this point. He responded to that failure in amazing fashion and has been to the NBA Finals every year since except 2019.</p><p>When all is said and done, LeBron James is the guy you want leading your team come Finals time — at least until he finally loses a step.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lakers-news-lebron-james-anthony-davis-still-struggling-with-kobe-bryants-death.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis still struggling with Kobe Bryant’s death</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T08:27:51-08:00">January 24th, 8:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T08:38:20-08:00">January 24th, 8:38am</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is nearing the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, and members of the Los Angeles Lakers are still coping with the news. Following Saturday night’s win over the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James and Anthony Davis revealed that they are still struggling with Bryant’s unfortunate death.</p><p><a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30768755/los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-anthony-davis-trouble-kobe-bryant-death" rel="noopener">Via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:</a></p><blockquote>“Man, it’s a saying that time heals all,” James said after a win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday at the United Center, where Bryant’s idol, Michael Jordan, used to play. “And as devastating and as tragic as it was and still is to all of us involved with it, only time. And it takes time. Everyone has their own grieving process.”</blockquote><p>When the news broke of Bryant’s passing, there was a sudden shift of emotions across the world. Bryant was beloved around the globe, becoming a national superstar during his legendary career with the Lakers.</p><p>James was friends with Bryant on and off of the court, while Davis looked up to Bryant as a role model. Ahead of the one-year anniversary of Bryant’s death, Davis shared how surreal it still is to not have Bryant around anymore:</p><blockquote>“As we approach his one-year anniversary, it saddens our hearts to actually come to the realization that he’s gone,” Davis said. “I know I still have trouble with it, you still just can’t believe it.”</blockquote><p>Earlier this week, James shared the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-first-time-ever-playing-kobe-bryant/">first time</a> he ever faced Bryant when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. But despite being asked to recall the moments that ensued when he heard Bryant had passed away, the Lakers star said he would rather not speak about it:</p><blockquote>“I try not to put myself back in that headspace, because it’s just too dark,” James said, “for not only myself but for our organization and for everyone that’s involved in it.”</blockquote><p>The entire world was saddened when Bryant, his younger daughter Gianna, and seven other people passed away last year. Similar to everyone else, James and Davis still need time to grieve the passing of their friend and role model.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-kobe-bryant-emulating-michael-jordans-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers star LeBron James dishes on Kobe Bryant emulating Michael Jordan’s game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-24T06:07:26-08:00">January 24th, 6:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-24T06:09:48-08:00">January 24th, 6:09am</time><address><a>Jeremy Chua</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Almost a year after Kobe Bryant’s passing, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James talked about the legend after their win against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday evening.</p><p>Being in Chicago, James was asked his opinion regarding Bryant emulating Michael Jordan’s game. LeBron <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanWardLA/status/1353211068571652096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353211068571652096%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D984252action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">shared</a> that he always respected the Lakers legend for who he was as a player:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron on Kobe emulating MJ's game: “I appreciated Kobe’s game for Kobe’s game. … I respected him for who he was as a player.”</p><p>— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanWardLA/status/1353211068571652096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Bryant’s game has always been compared to Jordan, with the Bulls legend also serving as his childhood idol. The Lakers great didn’t get to have many matchups with MJ as he entered the league when His Airness was already at the tail end of his career, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-michael-jordan-hilarious-nsfw-jab-kobe-bryant-famous-2003-moment/" rel="noopener">but there were a few</a> <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-last-dance-news-jason-kidd-tells-story-of-kobe-bryant-waving-off-karl-malone-to-go-at-michael-jordan/" rel="noopener">notable moments together</a>, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-last-dance-news-michael-jordan-epic-reaction-before-facing-kobe-bryant-in-first-all-star-game/" rel="noopener">including in All-Star Games.</a></p><p>While Kobe did pattern some of his game after Jordan, LeBron clearly wants to appreciate the legends separately. Even with similarities, they were also unique, which is what helped make them so great. The same could be said for LeBron himself.</p><p>Several years after Bryant last took the floor, James now continues to banner the Purple and Gold with an impressive showing in the early stages of the season. The Lakers improved to a 13-4 record and tightened their grip on the top spot in the Western Conference after defeating the Bulls, 101-90.</p><p>James recorded 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, while Anthony Davis produced 37 points, six rebounds, and three assists of his own in the win. The Lakers led by 30 points at halftime and cruised in the second half to the easy victory.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/LeBron-James.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James’ 1-word reaction to Anthony Davis lighting up his hometown Bulls</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T22:46:52-08:00">January 23rd, 10:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T22:46:52-08:00">January 23rd, 10:46pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It wasn’t too long ago that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-blasted-his-own-play-frank-vogel-responds/">calling himself trash on the court</a>. The big man certainly hasn’t been his usually dominant self lately.</p><p>And while it hasn’t exactly caused the Lakers much on-court success, with LA sweeping their road games and winning 11 of their last 13 games, the underperformance has been somewhat noticeable.</p><p>After five straight games failing to break the 20-point barrier, apparently all Anthony Davis needed was some hometown cooking. The Chicago native bounced back in a massive way against the Bulls – blowing up for 37 huge points that easily could have been more had the game not been a blowout.</p><p>His Lakers teammates were quick with the fire emojis for this one. Jared Dudley tweeted out that AD was a man on fire, to which LeBron James had a <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1353213900972576768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353213900972576768%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">simple 1-word response</a> – FACTS.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">FACTS!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/C9un7tkp8F" target="_blank">https://t.co/C9un7tkp8F</a></p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1353213900972576768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>For Laker nation, it’s great to see Anthony Davis breakout again for the Purple &amp; Gold. But realistically speaking, his struggles didn’t seem to be much to worry about.</p><p>As head coach Frank Vogel noted, AD was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-blasted-his-own-play-frank-vogel-responds/">still impacting the game</a> in other ways:</p><blockquote>“I think he’s not in rhythm like he’s used to, but I think he’s still doing a lot of winning things. … I’m really not concerned about Anthony Davis.”</blockquote><p>It was only a matter of time before the Lakers superstar would find his footing again. The fact that they went 4-1 in Davis’ cold stretch, with the lone loss coming from a herculean effort from Stephen Curry and the Warriors, just goes to show that the Lakers are clearly the team to beat this season.</p><p>The good teams win when their stars play well, the great ones can withstand the adversity.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-was-calling-out-Bulls-plays-claims-Bulls-rookie-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James was calling out Bulls plays, claims rookie Patrick Williams</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T22:27:00-08:00">January 23rd, 10:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T22:28:00-08:00">January 23rd, 10:28pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James of the Lakers has been around the block for so long that he probably is familiar with almost every play in a coach’s playbook… so much so that The King is always one step ahead of his opponents’ sets. Just ask Chicago Bulls rookie Patrick Williams.</p><p>After facing the Lakers at United Center on Saturday, Williams revealed that the four-time NBA MVP already knew what the Bulls would do even <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyWesterlund/status/1353205853499879424?s=20">before the play materialized</a> (via The Score’s Cody Westerlund).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Patrick Williams says LeBron James was calling out some of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bulls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Bulls</a>' plays ahead of time.</p><p>"You can tell he watches a lot of film," Williams says.</p><p>— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyWesterlund/status/1353205853499879424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Now that’s just an unfair advantage. The Lakers boast one of the best defensive ratings in the entire league this season, and a lot of that has to do with LeBron James’ leadership. Aside from being one of the most physically gifted athletes the league has ever seen, LBJ is also an astute student of the game.</p><p>He probably has seen and heard it all during his storied 18-year NBA career, so Patrick Williams shouldn’t be that surprised that the Lakers star had his team’s number for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-what-lebron-james-told-a-crying-anthony-davis-minutes-before-winning-nba-title/">most of the game.</a></p><p>With LeBron predicting sequences before it even happens, the Lakers dominated the Bulls on the road, 101-90. James had a rather pedestrian outing by his standards, pitching in 17 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in just 28 minutes. The four-time champion didn’t really need to score as much, as his teammate Anthony Davis put up 37 points against his hometown team.</p><p>Patrick Williams, meanwhile, had 13 points and eight rebounds in his second encounter with LeBron and the Lakers. As Williams learned on Saturday, teams must be extra wary with their play-calling especially when LeBron is around.</p><p>The Lakers haven’t been flawless this season — they have experienced a few lapses at times — but they are still the class of the Western Conference and appear to be the favorites to not only defend their conference championship but also defend their NBA title from 2020.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/LeBron-James-Lakers-tight-rope.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: LeBron James practices his tight rope skills on the scorers’ table</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T19:44:33-08:00">January 23rd, 7:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T19:44:33-08:00">January 23rd, 7:44pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-dennis-schroder-reveals-how-much-he-bet-lebron-james-no-look-3-pointer/">truly having a blast</a> in the 2020-21 season so far. The King showcased just how freakishly athletic he is even at 36, as he decided to practice his tight rope skills in the middle of their game against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.</p><p>LBJ ran out of bounds at one point and leaped right at the scorer’s table at United Center. The 6-foot-8 forward proceeded to <a href="https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1353169943324286977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353169943324286977%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D983896action%3Dedit">perform a balancing act</a> before returning to the playing court.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron is just messing around. 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/i335VoIT1r" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/i335VoIT1r</a></p><p>— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1353169943324286977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>NBA officials working the scorer’s table, meanwhile, are already quite familiar with LeBron over the years because of that chalk ritual he used to perform before tip-off. Looks like the 4-time NBA MVP has found a new way to mingle with them during games. Some fans on Twitter, meanwhile, are already questioning why the Lakers superstar was not called for a technical foul for his actions.</p><p>LeBron and the reigning champs currently hold the best record in the league at 12-4. They won four of their last five games and are seeking to put an end to the Bulls’ three-game winning streak. James continues to be phenomenal in his 18th season in the league, notching 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in 16 games, while knocking down 48.3 percent of his field goals and 39.6 percent of his threes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lakers-news-lebron-james-flies-off-the-tarmac-for-monster-two-hand-flush.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Lakers superstar LeBron James flies off the tarmac for monster two-hand flush</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T18:57:10-08:00">January 23rd, 6:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T19:06:33-08:00">January 23rd, 7:06pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Saturday night featured a matchup between the defending champs, the Los Angeles Lakers, against the Chicago Bulls in the United Center. LeBron James came up with a highlight play early in the game, as the four-time league MVP skied to the rim for a monstrous jam.</p><p>Here’s a look at LeBron rising up for an awe-inspiring two-handed slam down the middle, via <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353167904800268290?s=20">ClutchPoints</a> on Twitter:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LEBRON RISES!<a href="https://t.co/Pje1bL7UFO" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/Pje1bL7UFO</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1353167904800268290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Kudos to Anthony Davis for that awesome bounce pass as the Bulls defense collapsed on him down low. Clearly, the AD-Bron connection was on point on Saturday against Chicago.</p><p>For his part, Davis hasn’t been too pleased with how he’s been playing over the past few games. This resulted in a rather <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-says-he-sucks-right-now-after-game-vs-giannis-antetokounmpo-and-bucks/" rel="noopener">harsh-self assessment</a> from the All-Star big man. Needless to say, Davis came into the Bulls matchup looking for some redemption, especially since he was playing in his home city.</p><p>As for LeBron, he’s been nothing short of amazing for the Lakers to start the season. The 37-year-old has been putting up averages of <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html#all_per_game">24.4 points</a> (on 48.3 percent shooting), 7.8 rebounds, and 7.6 assists, while also connecting on a career-best 2.6 triples per game on a 39.6-percent clip. James had led the Lakers to a 12-4 record entering Saturday’s contest against Chicago.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/LaVar-Ball_s-bold-prediction-for-future-of-L.A.jpg"></figure><h1>LaVar Ball’s bold prediction for future of Lakers after LeBron James, Anthony Davis leave</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T13:00:47-08:00">January 23rd, 1:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T13:00:47-08:00">January 23rd, 1:00pm</time><address><a>Isaac Doctor</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LaVar Ball is at it again with the bold declarations. In an interview with <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/01/23/lavar-ball-lamelo-charlotte-hornets-starting-5/">TMZ Sports</a>, Ball <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-charlotte-hornets-lamelo-ball-lavar-ball-my-sons-are-not-freakin-role-players">discussed</a> the possibility of his three sons—Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo playing together for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/news">Los Angeles Lakers</a>.</p><blockquote>“When their contracts are over, who’s to say that [when] all the LeBron drama and everything in L.A. is over with and they losing, my Ball boys decide, at the top of their game, they say, ‘You know what? Let’s all decide to go to L.A.“Who ain’t gonna take them Ball boys? … [When] AD is gone — his contract is up — LeBron is gone, I mean, you gonna need a buzz and you want to win! Now, the Ball boys say, ‘We back in L.A. What’s going on?'”</blockquote><p>Towards the end of the interview, the outspoken father affirmed that his sons would be the best big three the NBA has seen, competing with the Brooklyn Nets’ newest trio. This is because his sons have similar builds and were groomed to play with one another for years.</p><p>Lonzo and LaMelo Ball play for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-orleans-pelicans">New Orleans Pelicans</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/charlotte-hornets">Charlotte Hornets</a>, respectively. Lonzo is off to a slow start in his fourth year—his second season with the Pelicans after his Lakers ouster—in the league and is working to have a more efficient game.</p><p>Meanwhile, the youngest Ball, LaMelo, is playing solid basketball in his rookie year. He is putting up 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game, although his father states that he is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-secretly-unhappy-with-bench-role-claims-lavar-ball/">not pleased coming off the bench</a>. On the other hand, LiAngelo plans to play in the NBA G League bubble.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Bucks-Khris-Middleton-Giannis-Antetokounmpo-Lakers-LeBron-James-Anthony-Davis.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James bested Bucks, but Khris Middleton claims team has ‘nothing to prove’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-23T06:21:18-08:00">January 23rd, 6:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-23T06:21:53-08:00">January 23rd, 6:21am</time><address><a>Mike Cruz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers bested the Milwaukee Bucks in what <i>could </i>be a potential NBA Finals preview. The Lakers’ loss comes after a defeat to one of their top threats in the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets.</p><p>Bucks star Khris Middleton was asked if they saw the game against the defending champs as a proving ground for their status as legitimate contenders, especially after already flaming out in two consecutive postseasons. The multi-faceted wing didn’t look too much into the loss and emphasized that the playoffs is all that matters for them.</p><p>Via <a href="https://lacrossetribune.com/sports/college/all-about-the-postseason-no-panic-for-bucks-after-losses-to-nets-lakers/article_9079e8f1-5e4b-5e51-99e1-8c88d29cba4f.html">Andrew Wagner of La Crosse Tribune</a>:</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James bested Bucks, but Khris Middleton claims team has ‘nothing to prove’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lebron-james-lakers-3.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers star LeBron James reveals LeBron 8 V/2 ‘Graffiti’ on social media</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-22T18:05:11-08:00">January 22nd, 6:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-22T18:06:06-08:00">January 22nd, 6:06pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/news">Los Angeles Lakers</a> forward LeBron James just doesn’t seem to slow down at all—even at the age of 36.</p><p>James and company just beat the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, 113-106, on Thursday night. The four-time MVP led the way with 34 points on 13-of-25 shooting from the field to go with six boards and eight assists.</p><p>The most recent NBA Champion took to social media on Friday to show off a new pair of shoes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The LeBron Watch is ON, starting with the LeBron 8 V/2 “Graffiti” 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/dz6IWTMEpE" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/dz6IWTMEpE</a></p><p>— LeBron Nation (@LeBronNationCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeBronNationCP/status/1352795289510244352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 23, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Everybody knows about The King’s love for sneakers, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. James is always looking to do as much as possible, recently signing a major sponsorship deal with Pepsi after spending his entire NBA career with Coca-Cola.</p><p>The four-time Larry O’Brien Trophy winner signed a two-year, $85 million extension to stay in Los Angeles until at least 2023, so Frank Vogel’s squad shouldn’t be going away anytime in the near future.</p><p>For James and the Lakers, the 2020-21 NBA season has been so far, so good as the Purple and Gold sit atop the Western Conference with a 12-4 record to lead the entire league.</p><p>James is getting some buzz for MVP candidate early on, averaging <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html">24 points</a> with seven boards and seven assists on the season while leading Los Angeles as the Lakers look like the favorites to repeat as NBA champions.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers star LeBron James reveals LeBron 8 V/2 ‘Graffiti’ on social media

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Nets-Kyrie-Irving-Kevin-Durant-Cavs-LeBron-James-Kevin-Love.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Kyrie Irving reveals what Kevin Durant, James Harden can learn from his Cavs’ Big 3 with LeBron James, Kevin Love</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-22T17:51:15-08:00">January 22nd, 5:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-22T17:51:48-08:00">January 22nd, 5:51pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving is no stranger to being part of a superteam, having been alongside LeBron James and Kevin Love back in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lone championship in 2016. Fast forward to today, Uncle Drew is part of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kevin-durant-james-harden-show-nets-dont-need-kyrie-irving/">another Big 3 after James Harden joined him and Kevin Durant in Brooklyn</a>.</p><p>As the Nets try to temper the expectations surrounding the league’s latest superstar trio, Irving claimed that his team could take a page out of that 2016 Cavs unit.</p><blockquote>“It took resolve, compromise, sacrifice and communication for that team to work,” Irving said,<a href="https://www.bellinghamherald.com/sports/nba/article248709375.html" rel="noopener"> per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.</a>“We had a great collection of gamers, hoopers. So when we jelled, it was just playing the game the right way, and if we weren’t jelling, we were just trying to climb back out of things because we were just throwing our talent everywhere. We knew coming into every game that we had a great chance to win. It took time, and it took communication, so to your point, as I take you down memory lane, it just took a lot of resolve and honest communication.”</blockquote><p>Kyrie Irving and company took on the powerhouse Golden State Warriors in the Finals that year in a classic series that stretched seven games. After trailing 3-1, the Cavs stormed back and won three straight to capture the Larry O’Brien trophy. It was Kyrie who delivered the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8yCJgsF_4" rel="noopener">dagger in Game 7 that sealed the victory.</a></p><p>While the jury is still out if the Nets can achieve the same level of greatness that the ’16 Cavs did, Kyrie Irving remains optimistic about his new team’s chances.</p><p> </p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Kyrie Irving reveals what Kevin Durant, James Harden can learn from his Cavs’ Big 3 with LeBron James, Kevin Love

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NBA-news-LeBron-James-Kevin-Durant-snap-back-at-_old-heads_-hating-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James, Kevin Durant snap back at ‘old heads’ hating on NBA stars</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-22T11:51:05-08:00">January 22nd, 11:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-22T14:49:29-08:00">January 22nd, 2:49pm</time><address><a>Immanuel Canicosa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As athletes who play a sport watched by millions around the world, NBA players are no strangers to criticism, whether they are made by strangers online or by fellow players. Some even welcome criticism at times as they look to improve and become better versions of themselves.</p><p>However, for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, there’s a difference between constructive criticism and just hate, especially when it comes to the way former NBA players comment on today’s stars:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"There’s a difference between constructive criticism and soft hating… You can hear it in their delivery."</p><p>"Them old heads need to go enjoy retirement. These boys have coaches they work with everyday lol."</p><p>LeBron James &amp; Kevin Durant react to Shaq's Donovan Mitchell comments. <a href="https://t.co/osVrkyxciu" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/osVrkyxciu</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1352749097002778624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In an Instagram post, the user @CuffsTheLegend asked why young NBA players are sensitive to constructive criticism made by older players, questioning why the level of respect has changed. James and Durant took the time to comment on the post, with Durant telling the older players to just enjoy retirement while saying that today’s players already work with the coaching staff of their respective teams.</p><p>James, meanwhile, made it clear that there is a difference between a player offering constructive criticism and simply hating, adding that he has mostly received the hate. The four-time champion revealed that he noticed that he could always tell the difference in the way the criticism is delivered.</p><p>Former players have recently been more vocal in criticizing today’s players, such as when Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/james-harden-trade-shaquille-oneal-charles-barkley-take-shots-at-newest-member-of-nets/">offered their takes on James Harden’s departure</a> from the Houston Rockets. On Thursday night’s edition of TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” Shaq made a blunt comment about Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell not being able to reach the next level, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-donovan-mitchell-has-pointed-one-word-reply-to-shaqs-blunt-comment-about-his-game/">which Mitchell shrugged off with a pointed reply</a>.</p><p>This IG conversation involving LeBron and KD was clearly in reference to that viral moment, and they don’t seem to be too happy about these “old heads” criticizing the NBA’s current stars.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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