<!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/2021/09/image_2021-09-23_132422.png"></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic hints at subtle change that could spark huge Nuggets season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-22T22:30:53-07:00">September 22nd, 10:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-22T22:30:53-07:00">September 22nd, 10:30pm</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>Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was fully deserving of the MVP award last season. One of the biggest reasons why boiled down to his availability.</p><p>The Joker hasn’t missed a game in the last two seasons, this despite both of them being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Jokic has played in nearly 96% of his contests for the Nuggets throughout his six-year NBA career. But just because he hasn’t broken down yet, doesn’t mean he should be pushing his luck.</p><p>In his recent sit down with reporters, Nikola Jokic was much more open to taking a rest. He’s had conversations with the medical staff and it sounds more likely than not that he may take a few games off next season.</p><p><a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/22/nikola-jokic-baby-nuggets/">Via</a> Mike Singer of the Denver Post:</p><blockquote>Unlike last season, when Jokic’s stubborn streak got the best of him and he refused to rest during his MVP campaign, the 26-year-old is already taking a more prudent approach to his health this season. He stressed how much trust he has in the team’s medical staff, suggesting he’d follow their guidance amid the grind of a new season.“I think (resting is) a smart thing to do, especially, you see last year, how many players got injured,” Jokic said.</blockquote><p>The Nuggets are the last team that needs reminding of the dangers injuries can have on its stars. Jamal Murray’s unfortunate injury derailed what many felt could have been the season Denver dreamed of.</p><p>But the fact that Nikola Jokic will miss games isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Joker will be more fresh for the games he won’t be missing, and more importantly he’ll be primed and ready for a lengthy postseason run.</p><p>Nikola Jokic has come out <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-offseason-transformation-is-terrifying-for-rest-of-nba/">looking svelte in his latest offseason workouts</a>, which coupled with a handful of rest days could mean he’ll be even better than his MVP season performance.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic hints at subtle change that could spark huge Nuggets season

<!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/2021/09/image_2021-09-23_104959.png"></figure><h1>Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s offseason transformation is terrifying for rest of NBA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-22T20:02:42-07:00">September 22nd, 8:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-22T20:02:42-07:00">September 22nd, 8:02pm</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>Part of the mystery that is Nikola Jokic has a lot to do with his physique. The Denver Nuggets franchise player is a tad pudgy and looks awkward on the court despite being utterly dominant on the box score.</p><p>But it looks like the Nuggets star is flipping the script on his fitness. Nikola Jokic looks to be in much better shape based on his latest workout clips.</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUJP5gXIx6X/?utm_medium=copy_link">Via</a> SportsCenter:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUJP5gXIx6X/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by SportsCenter (@sportscenter)</a></p></div></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Let’s not forget that Nikola Jokic is the reigning league MVP. The Nuggets star was unstoppable for the Nuggets on the offensive side of the floor, with his vision and passing ability leaving defenders hesitant to overcommit when guarding him. His overall skill and innate scoring ability also allowed him to overcome his relative lack of athleticism.</p><p>But there have certainly been times when Nikola Jokic looks gassed out there, especially late in the season. Part of that was due to the injury to Nuggets co-star Jamal Murray. However, it’s undeniable that the Joker wasn’t in 100% game shape despite having the talent to overcome that.</p><p>If Nikola Jokic truly does enter next season in incredible shape, the sky’s the limit on what the Nuggets can do. It’s hard to get that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-makes-hilarious-nikola-jokic-admission-when-they-first-met/">much better than the MVP, after all?</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s offseason transformation is terrifying for rest of NBA

<!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/2021/09/exclusive-mpj-interview.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. talks about ‘Curious Mike,’ Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, getting his brain scanned and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-20T18:15:22-07:00">September 20th, 6:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-20T20:02:25-07:00">September 20th, 8:02pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets rising star Michael Porter Jr. has proven himself to be an elite scorer on the court. However, he wants everybody to know he’s more than just that.</p><p>He wants his voice to be heard. He wants people to converse and talk about topics they often avoid. That is why he started his “Curious Mike” show, giving him and others a platform where they won’t be judged or their words misconstrued unlike other social media platforms.</p><p>In a wide-ranging interview with ClutchPoints, Porter discussed his inspiration to start his own show, getting his brain scanned, mental health, working out with Stephen Curry and trying to get him on “Curious Mike,” and even his relationship with Nuggets teammate and reigning NBA MVP Nikola.</p><h2><b>Michael Porter Jr. Gets Curious In “Curious Mike”</b></h2><p>As an athlete playing at the highest level, Porter knows how some stay out of politics and topics they are uncomfortable with. He understands the sentiment, which is why he is “trying to create a space where you can talk about those things without necessarily being judged.”</p><p>“My inspiration really just came from wanting to not only inspire people but just have a voice myself to help create positive change and be an influence in culture not just as a basketball player,” Porter Jr. said in an exclusive interview last week.</p><p>Mental health has been a key topic as of late, with several high-profile athletes like USA gymnasts Simone Biles and Japanese Tennis star Naomi Osaka opening up about their struggles. Osaka, for her part, even <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/naomi-osaka-taking-a-break-from-tennis-after-shock-us-open-defeat-to-leylah-fernandez/" rel="noopener">said that she no longer feels happy</a> when she wins.</p><p>Porter sees his show becoming an avenue where athletes can talk about the real stuff without hiding anything and show that there’s more to them than meets the eye. In the first season of “Curious Mike,” he did just that when he interviewed his draft classmate and longtime friend Trae Young about their time in the AAU circuit, as well as <a href="https://youtu.be/UBj3w5TW3Wk" rel="noopener">with his Aunt Nancy</a> where he discussed chasing joy–something that athletes rarely talk about or even open up.</p><p>“Like I said, I just kinda want people to see that there’s more than meets the eye to athletes. There is so much going around the world right now. Like you just said, there’s a lot of athletes coming out and saying they are not necessarily happy and are going through a lot. That’s real stuff. I just want to create something where you can have conversations,” the Nuggets youngster added.</p><p>“I think people with a lot of influence sometimes don’t like to talk about things like that because they might be put down or crucified on social media, whatever it is. I just want to do something that breaks those boundaries a little bit.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><h2><b>Brandon Roy Opens Up, Stephen Curry Next?</b></h2><p>“Curious Mike” is heading to its Season 2 after its four-episode Season 1. The first episode of its latest installation launches on Tuesday, September 21, and apparently fans will get to see Brandon Roy open up to Porter.</p><p>During the interview, Porter refused to name the player he interviewed that really made a significant impact on him, just saying that “one of the most memorable moments would be bringing to light someone who was largely forgotten about–went through some injuries and stuff throughout his career in the NBA.”</p><p>In a recent teaser on Instagram, though, the Nuggets forward posted a teaser of his talk with the former Portland Trail Blazers guard. Roy was Porter’s high school basketball coach in his senior year in Nathan Hale.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CT-XVAIFGdo/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by CURIOUS MIKE (@curiousmike)</a></p></div></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Aside from Roy, though, Michael Porter Jr. is also hopeful to get Stephen Curry to the show. Like MPJ, Steph is a man of family, faith and basketball–three things that the two can certainly talk about.</p><p>The Nuggets scorer recently worked out with Steph in San Francisco, during which they also discussed about “Curious Mike” while they both listened to Lecrae’s songs. Lecrae was one of Porter’s guests in the first season of his interview-style podcast. To his surprise, Curry watched that episode with the Christian hip hop artist and called it “dope.”</p><p>“I went out to San Fran and worked out with Steph for four or five days. It was just great getting on the floor with him. I’ve been cool with Steph for a while ever since my high school days—[attending] one of his camps—so getting back with him and getting to the gym was awesome,” Porter said.</p><p>He continued: “We’re hoping to get Steph on there Curious Mike]. We haven’t done the interview yet, [but] he’s want’s to be on there so we’re hoping to get that one down sooner rather than later.”</p><h2><b>Michael Porter Jr. Gets Real On Getting His Brain Scanned!</b></h2><p>Porter’s guests in the show are not just athletes, though. He teased that fans “can expect the variety of different guests” since he won’t necessarily “stick to athletes or some type of person” as seen in the first season.</p><p>One of his more prominent non-athlete guests is celebrity psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen. Talking about the interview with the famed medical expert, MPJ shared he got his brain scanned–which was an interesting experience for him as he learned the importance of taking care of the brain for mental and physical health.</p><p>He called the talk the “most beneficial” to him among all the ones he did before. As for the one tip from Dr. Amen that he can share to really take care of our mental health, Porter kept it simple: sleep.</p><p>“One piece of advise would be get seven to eight hours of sleep every night because it’s gonna help you age well, function well throughout the day, get your best work done. I think a lot of people are workaholics, so they do not get as much sleep as they should. But I actually think that if you prioritize sleep, your work would end up being more productive and creative,” he said.</p><h2><b>Will Nuggets Star And NBA MVP Nikola Jokic Be On His Show?</b></h2><p>Michael Porter Jr. sees himself continuing “Curious Mike” beyond Season 2. In fact, he wants to keep it going even after his basketball career is over.</p><p>With that said, it is a possibility people will get to see Nikola appear on the show. While it’s unlikely it would happen in Season 2, as Porter admits he hasn’t bring it up to him yet and he’s uncertain if he knows about it since the Serbian is not on social, he admitted how awesome it would be to show the other side of his Nuggets teammate.</p><p>“Definitely Nikola is a unique dude that I really respect. [I] would love to have him in the show. I got to bring it up to him still. I don’t even know if he knows about it because he’s not on social media or anything. People can learn a lot from that dude: he’s the MVP but he doesn’t really carry himself like he thinks he’s a superstar—he’s just a regular guy.</p><p>“I respect his consistency on and off the court and who he is. He’s a funny guy, so I’m hoping to get him on there so that people can see a different side of Joker, too.”</p><p>Porter Jr. is undoubtedly diving into unfamiliar grounds with his latest project, but it’s quite clear he’s enjoying himself. His sister, Cierra Porter, saw it as well and she’s confident Michael will be able to thrive with it.</p><p>“I think he’s just someone who’s such a light in this world and so gifted. He hasn’t had any training when it come to interviewing, and it’s something that comes so naturally to him,” Cierra said in the same exclusive interview.</p><p>“I think he’s someone people are going to recognize .. very smart, very willing to learn. Someone that people are going to look up to on how he views life.”</p><p>“Curious Mike” has already filmed two episodes and their team hopes to finish the four-episode season before the 2021-22 NBA campaign starts. After the September 21 release of the first episode, MPJ and Co. plan to release the others every week.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. talks about ‘Curious Mike,’ Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, getting his brain scanned and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-18_092930.png"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. makes hilarious Nikola Jokic admission when they first met</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-17T18:34:17-07:00">September 17th, 6:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-17T18:34:17-07:00">September 17th, 6:34pm</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>Nikola Jokic is the engine that makes the Denver Nuggets go. He’s been that for about five years now and shows no signs of slowing down. Michael Porter Jr., however, didn’t get the memo.</p><p>The talented forward sat down with J.J. Redick on <i>The Old Man and the Three</i> podcast, where he talked about a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-throws-shade-at-clippers-doctors-dreadful-pre-draft-report/">host of different topics.</a> One of which was his admission on first meeting Nuggets franchise player Nikola Jokic.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><blockquote>“So, Jokic when I first met him, he was fat. When I first met him, he came to the gym when I first got to Denver. He came to rebound for me for a little bit and I was like ‘oh, he’s a good guy.’ But I didn’t really know too much about him cause I didn’t even watch the Nuggets and he wasn’t as good as he is now.</blockquote><p>At the time, Nikola Jokic was already a rising star in the league. Although he had yet to make an All-Star appearance yet, he was <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jokicni01.html">already averaging</a> 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists during the year that Michael Porter Jr. entered as a rookie. The University of Missouri product clearly didn’t watch any highlights, however, as he questioned why The Joker was even starting in the first place.</p><blockquote>“And then we went to training camp, and I’m watching him play and he’s doing alright but Mason Plumlee was doing just as good as The Joker. And I was like ‘wait, why does Joker start over Mason Plumlee?And then I remember my teammates saying ‘no, when he wants to, he can score 40 a night. Wait until the season starts.”</blockquote><p>Talk about blasphemy for Nuggets fans. Michael Porter Jr. has definitely seen the light now after three seasons alongside Nikola Jokic. He’s still definitely in Mason Plumlee’s good graces, though.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. makes hilarious Nikola Jokic admission when they first met

<!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/2021/09/Nuggets-Nikloa-Jokic-Nuggets-X-factor-NBA-Season.jpeg"></figure><h1>The Nuggets X Factor For 2021-22 NBA Season, And It’s Not Nikola Jokic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-10T04:16:56-07:00">September 10th, 4:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-10T04:17:35-07:00">September 10th, 4:17am</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2021-22 NBA season is going to be an interesting year for the Denver Nuggets.</p><h2><b>Nuggets X Factor</b></h2><p>They will miss the services of Jamal Murray for a good chunk of the season as the guard is still recovering from the ACL tear he suffered in April. There’s no question that Nikola Jokic will double his efforts in keeping the Nuggets’ head above water. He was declared league MVP last season for a good reason. However, if you’ve been keeping a close eye on the team, you know that this young gun named Michael Porter Jr. will not just Jokic carry the chores, but will rise up as one of the Nuggets’ X-Factors.</p><p>MPJ was drafted in 2018 as the 14th overall pick. But a back injury forced him to sit out in his entire first year, which effectively made the 2019-20 NBA season his rookie year. Even before the Nuggets picked him up, they had already climbed the Western ranks as one of the elites. In the 2018-19 season, they had a 54-28 win-loss record which ranked second in the West. Not only did the team break its five-year playoff drought, but they seemed to have found their identity in Nikola Jokic.</p><p>This made MPJ’s entry into the team a little awkward. If the Nuggets were either a bottomfeeder or even a mid-tier team, then he would’ve fit right in. But the Nuggets, as mentioned, were quickly rising as legitimate title threats. In recent memory, a player named Darko Milicic was picked second overall by the Detroit Pistons who were then one of the best teams in the league. This certainly hurt Milicic’s confidence as he went on with his NBA career.</p><p>MPJ did not suffer the same fate as Milicic. It’s a combination of Mike Malone’s coaching talent as well as the forward’s. As for one, in MPJ’s first season, Malone did an interesting experiment with regard to his playing time. Malone would field him in the first and last minutes of the quarter. The aim seems to give him a feel for the game in a calculated manner. He averaged just 16.4 minutes per game, a reality that MPJ didn’t necessarily like.</p><p>However, this seemingly odd experiment paid off in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Not only was MPJ an intrinsic part of those back-to-back 3-1 comebacks, but the man showed extreme confidence despite being in the postseason for the first time in his career. He was knocking down critical 3-points left and right, swatting shots, and crashing the boards like a mad man.</p><p>MPJ proved that his postseason performance wasn’t just a fluke. In the 2020-21 NBA season, he boosted his averages to 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game from 9.3 points and 4.7. He was rightfully inserted into the starting lineup and played <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/portemi01.html">31.3 minutes</a> per game. He shot a stellar 54.2 percent from the field and a ridiculous 44.5 percent from deep (on 6.3 attempts per game). For all his efforts, Porter Jr. finished third in the Most Improved Player voting. He’s now on the radar as an up-and-coming star.</p><p>It is this interesting narrative that makes MPJ the player to watch out for. In just two years in the league, Porter Jr. has shown us how well he’s adjusted to the big leagues. This reveals a lot about his talent and also his professionalism. Also, he seems to have that clutch gene inherent in him. He will never shy away from taking the big shot. Not all players have this trait in them.</p><p>Nuggets fans might be sobbing their hearts out after that Murray injury. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2021-nba-free-agency-tracker-signings-agreements-and-deals/" rel="noopener">Yes, the guard’s</a> absence will definitely affect the team. But at the same time, MPJ will take this season as an opportunity to further boost his game. Who knows, maybe he could snag that MIP award once and for all. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll be voted into an All-Star for the first time in his young career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The Nuggets X Factor For 2021-22 NBA Season, And It’s Not Nikola Jokic

<!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/2021/09/Nikola-Jokic-Nuggets.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Nikola Jokic appears to have new hops and the rest of the NBA should take notice</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-09T23:32:20-07:00">September 9th, 11:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-09T23:32:20-07:00">September 9th, 11:32pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo is a freelance writer, TV producer, and news editor based in Manila, Philippines.  He will debate anyone to death that Penny Hardaway is the real GOAT, and he will work for pizza.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Forget Jayson Tatum or De’Aaron Fox or Tyler Herro. The best NBA offseason transformation is Nikola Jokic shedding more weight. The Denver Nuggets main man looks even more svelte these days after losing dozens of pounds.</p><p>The reigning MVP started his weight loss last season and immediately drew surprised reactions. After all, Jokic has always used his size and heft to his advantage en route to being one of the best big men in NBA history.</p><p>With his lighter physique, it appears Jokic’s athleticism has also improved. He used to have the vertical leap of a can of sardines, but judging by the latest workout video posted by the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets">Nuggets’ Twitter account</a>, it looks like Jokic has newfound hops. Or at least by his standards.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">41 days until our season opener❗️ <a href="https://t.co/hiNAts9eTO" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/hiNAts9eTO</a></p><p>— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1435987610099490817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 9, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Jokic’s teammates have teased him in the past for not dunking a lot despite his 7-foot height. But he’s never been a flashy player, he’s a throwback center who likes to operate in the paint with his cocktail of moves. Clearly, it has been effective for the former 41st overall pick.</p><p>The fun-loving giant from Serbia has been putting in the work, but he’s also making sure that he enjoys it, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-gets-hilariously-impersonated-by-pj-dozier/">joking around with his teammates</a> during practices.</p><p>Petition to get Nikola Jokic into the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. No? Okay.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Nikola Jokic appears to have new hops and the rest of the NBA should take notice

<!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/2021/09/Nuggets-Nikola-Jokic-Michael-Porter-Jr.-Jamal-Murray.jpg"></figure><h1>3 reasons Nikola Jokic, Nuggets are being massively slept on for title this season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-05T23:26:32-07:00">September 5th, 11:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-05T23:26:32-07:00">September 5th, 11:26pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The offseason was a treat to NBA fans as they saw their favorite teams beef up their roster to bolster their title hopes. Teams such as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers">Los Angeles Lakers</a>, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, and Miami Heat among others had some key additions. These teams were the talk of the town as fans started to fantasize about all sorts of <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/nba-power-rankings-dallas-mavericks-luka-doncic-lakers-suns-warriors-clippers">winning scenarios</a>. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/denver-nuggets">Denver Nuggets</a>, however, were not a part of these conversations.</p><p>It’s a puzzling occurrence. The Nuggets have been one of the best teams in the Western Conference for the past three seasons but they get this sort of treatment. But there are three reasons why Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are being massively slept on for the title this season.</p><h2><b>“Stacked” Storylines</b></h2><p>It’s safe to assume that teams that qualified in last year’s NBA Playoffs, including the Nuggets, will maintain their stature (if not improve on it) in the 2021-22 NBA season. In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns will be carrying all the momentum from last year’s stellar performance. The Lakers, who massively overhauled their roster, will once again be favorites to win the crown. There are doubts whether their new lineup filled with old men will work, but fans and analysts should know by now that it’s foolish to doubt a team’s chances especially if the squad has LeBron James. Of course, there’s also the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/golden-state-warriors">Golden State Warriors</a> with the returning Klay Thompson.</p><p>With regards to the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks will remain a threat to the title. The Nets, with the key additions of Patty Mills and Paul Millsap, have boosted their chances once again. Teams like the Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and New York Knicks, are also expected to compete. The Bulls, who loaded their roster with Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso, are now tagged as a serious up-and-coming squad.</p><p>These different storylines might have overshadowed the Nuggets, who only have veteran forward Jeff Green as their major addition. Their lack of offseason activity isn’t necessarily a failure on the part of the front office. The roster is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/denver-nuggets/roster">already pretty stacked</a> with the presence of Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and the ever-improving Michael Porter Jr. But this is the way the NBA operates at times. Teams who have a history of winning or who have “generational talent” seem to get more exposure than the others.</p><h2><b>Health</b></h2><p>The Nuggets’ campaign last season was slightly derailed due to the injuries of Murray and Will Barton. Barton was able to return and play four games in the NBA Playoffs. Murray, who went down with an ACL tear in April, missed the entire postseason. Barton has since recovered from his hamstring injury but there will still be concerns moving forward. After all, he will be tasked to do more than his usual given Murray’s absence.</p><p>Similar concerns will be placed on Murray, but on a deeper level. Back then, ACL tears were the kiss of death to one’s career. But athletes nowadays have done a good job in returning to tip-top shape after gruesome injuries. As such, the concern lies more on the time Murray is set to miss. So much so that there are some doubters on the Nuggets’ chances to even qualify for the postseason. But the reality is, the Nuggets will still make it even without Murray. The bigger question is how will his long absence and sudden presence affect the overall dynamic of the team?</p><p>This seems like a trivial concern especially since Murray has long been part of Mike Malone’s system. So it’s safe to assume that the squad will adjust easily once he returns. This shouldn’t mean that we should completely disregard the possibility of a bit of disarray in the team’s chemistry once the rotation is tweaked.</p><h2><b>Last Season’s Poor Playoff Run</b></h2><p>The Nuggets were booted out in four games by the Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals. We can say that the Suns entered the series with a slight advantage given that the Nuggets were shorthanded. But the Nuggets still had the league MVP in the fray. Not only that, but they also had other key pieces like Barton, Monte Morris, and PJ Dozier. Let’s not forget about Porter too who rapidly improved last season.</p><p>It was inevitable that the Nuggets would lose. But shouldn’t they have taken at least a game or two from the Suns? Not only do they have the tools, but they were a much more experienced postseason squad as well.</p><p>Perhaps this is what’s on the mind of fans and critics alike. The Nuggets’ poor run in last year’s NBA Playoffs might have dampened their hopes. Momentum plays a key part in everything, most especially in sports.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons Nikola Jokic, Nuggets are being massively slept on for title this season

<!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/2021/08/Nikola-Jokic-PJ-Dozier-Nuggets-Jamal-Murray-Michael-Porter-Jr..jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Nikola Jokic gets hilariously impersonated by PJ Dozier</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-31T21:26:34-07:00">August 31st, 9:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-31T21:26:34-07:00">August 31st, 9:26pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo is a freelance writer, TV producer, and news editor based in Manila, Philippines.  He will debate anyone to death that Penny Hardaway is the real GOAT, and he will work for pizza.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets haven’t made big moves in the offseason, choosing to largely stay pat with the roster that had another strong run last season. But that doesn’t mean Nikola Jokic and company aren’t putting in the work.</p><p>In fact, it appears Jokic is already back at it, shooting hoops at the Nuggets’ practice facility. But of course, being the fun-loving gentle giant that he is, the reigning MVP is also making sure to have some fun with his teammates. After all, all work and no play makes The Joker a dull boy.</p><p>Nuggets guard PJ Dozier, who had a solid campaign last season, made a funny impersonation of Jokic, imitating his slow moves in the low post and his shooting form.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">On a scale of 1 to MVP, how well does <a href="https://twitter.com/Dozier_Kid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Dozier_Kid</a> imitate Nikola??? <a href="https://t.co/h7ATD8NllL" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/h7ATD8NllL</a></p><p>— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1432863307308826640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>As usual, Jokic was a good sport, laughing throughout Dozier’s antics. It is exactly this light-hearted personality that makes the versatile big man from Serbia one of the most likable NBA stars in recent years.</p><p>Nikola Jokic has already <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-shedding-baby-fat-a-scary-sight-for-rest-of-nba/">lost even more weight</a> in the offseason, showing he is hell-bent on leading the Nuggets into an even deeper run in the NBA Playoffs. With most teams strengthening their roster, the relatively unchanged Nuggets will be even more challenged.</p><p>But with Jamal Murray <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/jamal-murray-injury-update-nuggets-star-guard-remains-out-indefinitely-after-surgery-on-torn-acl-in-left-knee/">expected to return</a>, Michael Porter Jr. continuing his ascent, and a supporting cast of Dozier, Aaron Gordon, Monte Morris, Will Barton, and Facundo Campazzo, the Nuggets will be no pushovers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Nikola Jokic gets hilariously impersonated by PJ Dozier

<!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/2021/08/download-1-30.jpg"></figure><h1>Oscar Robertson names real MVP of 2020-21 season … and it’s not Nikola Jokic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-25T15:37:23-07:00">August 25th, 3:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-25T15:56:30-07:00">August 25th, 3:56pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic won the 2020-21 MVP award, and deservingly so. However, if you ask NBA legend Oscar Robertson, he believes another player deserved it more: new Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook.</p><p>According to Robertson, it’s hard to believe that a player who averaged a triple-double didn’t win MVP, let alone finish as a finalist for the highest individual award in the NBA. The new Lakers star finished 11th in the voting, getting only one third-place vote for five points. Jokic, Joel Embiid and Stephen Curry round up the Top 3 for the MVP award.</p><blockquote>“I look at Westbrook, and he got triple-doubles this year and no one even noticed it, they didn’t think it was such a big deal,” Robertson said on <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/oscar-robertson-nba-basketball-knuckleheads-podcast" rel="noopener">The Knuckleheads podcast</a>, via <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/trail-blazers/damian-lillard-and-one-lucky-fan-recreate-dames-epic-shots-while-partnering" rel="noopener">NBC Sports</a>. “I think that’s totally unfair. I think he should have won [MVP] again. If he [averaged] a triple-double again, and he didn’t win [MVP], so why keep stats then?”</blockquote><p>Russell Westbrook averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists for the Washington Wizards in 2020-21. He was a big reason why the team made the playoffs, though they were no match to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.</p><p>The argument on Westbrook’s MVP case (or lack thereof) is the Wizards’ poor record as a sub-500 team. Nonetheless, Oscar Robertson argued that at the end of the day, only one team truly wins.</p><blockquote>“I think he’s a great basketball player but for some strange reason some of the sportswriters are saying things like ‘Oh he got another triple-double, but they got beat,'” Robertson added. “So what? If you look at it, only one team wins it every year.”</blockquote><p>While that is a legitimate perspective, it’s still hard to give the Lakers playmaker a strong nod for MVP. After all, Nikola Jokic himself almost averaged a triple-double–putting up 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. He also played all 72 games and was a major contributor in the Nuggets’ 47-25 record (fifth best in the whole NBA).</p><p>Robertson is right to say that Westbrook’s triple-doubles were overlooked, though, and perhaps he deserved more votes than what the media has given him.</p><p>Now that he’s with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/roster" rel="noopener">Lakers</a>, though, the nine-time All-Star will be more focused on winning the title than individual accolades.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Oscar Robertson names real MVP of 2020-21 season … and it’s not Nikola Jokic

<!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/2021/08/download-9-1.jpg"></figure><h1>WATCH: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s hilarious reaction to kids asking him to dunk</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-21T20:49:05-07:00">August 21st, 8:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-21T20:52:28-07:00">August 21st, 8:52pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic was literally the best player in the league last season. The Denver Nuggets superstar came away with the Most Valuable Player award, winning the coveted title over more than a few big names across the league.</p><p>Jokic is an absolute wizard with the basketball and his skill level is second to none. However, one thing the Serbian can’t do well is dunk the basketball. This is exactly why Jokic came up with a hilarious response when a group of kids asked him to do a dunk during a recent <a href="https://streamable.com/19kloa">basketball camp</a>:</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Jokic is one funny dude (thus the nickname, “The Joker”) and his full comedic genius was on full display here. The Nuggets big man’s self-deprecating humor is a total hit, and this is just one of the things that makes Nikola Jokic such a lovable guy.</p><p>Despite his attempt to dissuade his audience, however, the kids weren’t about to let Jokic off the hook. They wanted a dunk from the MVP and they weren’t going to relent until Jokic gave them their wish. The bad news is that it resulted in an epic wedgie.</p><p>In case you were wondering, Jokic can actually <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-has-bizarre-two-word-description-for-his-dunks/" rel="noopener">dunk the ball</a>. He currently averages 0.0069 dunks per game. Safe to say, Nikola Jokic isn’t going to be joining a Dunk Contest anytime soon. Not ever, actually.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

WATCH: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s hilarious reaction to kids asking him to dunk

<!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/2021/08/download-3-6.jpg"></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic disrespect gets heavy blasting from Nuggets teammate Austin Rivers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-20T17:04:26-07:00">August 20th, 5:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-20T17:04:26-07:00">August 20th, 5:04pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets won’t be playing on Christmas this 2021-22, which means Nikola Jokic is the first reigning MVP not to play on December 25 since the league went to five holiday games in 2008. Sure enough, it<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-christmas-snub-gets-2-word-reaction-from-denver/" rel="noopener"> didn’t sit well with Denver</a> and his teammate Austin Rivers.</p><p>After the NBA officially announced its Christmas schedule, Rivers commented on the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSzrUo1pC4S/" rel="noopener">league’s Instagram post</a> to express his dismay over the clear disrespect.</p><blockquote>“The mvp doesn’t get a Christmas game. Yup that makes a lot of sense,” the Nuggets guard <a href="https://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/austin-rivers-calls-out-nba-nikola-jokic/582842" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, per Larry Brown Sports.</blockquote><p>Teams like the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz are all scheduled to play on Christmas.</p><p>Denver had a Christmas game in the past season, but despite their fifth-best record in 2020-21 and the fact that Nikola Jokic won MVP, those efforts were not enough to warrant a special place in the schedule.</p><p>While some might argue that the Nuggets didn’t have the star appeal like the other teams chosen for Christmas 2021, it’s hard not to argue that the league did Jokic dirty. After all, how can the Most Valuable Player in the league not be featured in one of the most important and highly anticipated game days of the campaign?</p><p>Jokic is unlikely to make a big deal out of it, but it could very well serve as fuel to another MVP-caliber season from the Serbian.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic disrespect gets heavy blasting from Nuggets teammate Austin Rivers

<!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/2021/08/image_2021-08-18_111858.png"></figure><h1>Does LaMelo Ball seriously not know who Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-17T20:50:33-07:00">August 17th, 8:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-17T20:54:22-07:00">August 17th, 8:54pm</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>LaMelo Ball has been making the headlines recently for reasons other than basketball. The Charlotte Hornets rookie made a controversial statement <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-claims-schools-are-worthless/">dissing the need</a> to go to school that he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-clarifies-comments-on-school-on-ig/">later had to clarify.</a> He probably ticked off a few educators with his take, and now he might have some angry Denver Nuggets fans hitting up his DM’s.</p><p>In another recent interview with GQ, LaMelo Ball was asked to go undercover and answer some burning questions from fans online. At <a href="https://youtu.be/OIqOVX2Cv3k?t=151">around the 2:30 mark</a>, he was asked to rank six players in terms of passing ability: LaMelo Ball, LeBron James, Ben Simmons, Trae Young, Chris Paul, and Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.</p><p>At first watch, it’s honestly subtle. But listen to the Hornets star butcher Nikola Jokic’s name like he’s never watched a Nuggets game before. While that can be overlooked, as some people truly struggle with pronunciation, Ball later admits that he actually didn’t recognize the name at all:</p><blockquote>“Oh, that’s the Joker?” Ball says surprised about the Nuggets center.</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Another tell is that they had to cut out an in-between part of the video. The clip of him reading the question and him figuring out that it was the Nuggets franchise player was spliced together with an evident gap in the middle. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I’d bet good money that was when he had to clarify who that was.</p><p>Someone better show Nikola Jokic this video. The Nuggets star is no stranger to poking fun right back and might have to teach LaMelo Ball a lesson.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Does LaMelo Ball seriously not know who Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is?

<!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/2021/08/Denver_s-2-word-response-to-NBA_s-shocking-decision-on-MVP-Nikola-Jokic.jpg"></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic Christmas snub gets 2-word reaction from Nuggets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-17T15:46:26-07:00">August 17th, 3:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-17T15:46:26-07:00">August 17th, 3:46pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets finished with the fifth-best record in the NBA in 2020-21 and even made it to the second round of the playoffs despite being hobbled by injuries. However, that’s apparently not enough to warrant a Christmas Day game for the upcoming season.</p><p>With that said, Jokic also ended up on the wrong end of history. He became the first reigning MVP to not get a Christmas Day schedule since the event increased to five games in 2008, something that the Nuggets are <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1427708074572222467?s=20" rel="noopener">certainly not happy about</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">cool cool <a href="https://t.co/h9cshLSob4" target="_blank">https://t.co/h9cshLSob4</a></p><p>— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1427708074572222467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The apparent disrespect to one of the best players in the NBA is quite clear. While only 10 teams are given the opportunity to play on Christmas every year, it’s undoubtedly surprising to see Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets get snubbed this time around.</p><p>Denver played during Christmas last season, and with Jokic winning MVP and the Nuggets playing well in the past campaign, the expectations were they’re going back at home for another winter showdown.</p><p>While the Nuggets are out of the Christmas schedule, some newcomers made it. The Atlanta Hawks are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-trae-young-reacts-to-playing-knicks-at-msg-on-christmas-day/" rel="noopener">playing a December 25th game for the first time in 32 years</a>, while the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz are also in after dominating the West in the past season.</p><p>Still, it’ll be weird without The Joker showing the world why he’s the reigning Most Valuable Player.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic Christmas snub gets 2-word reaction from Nuggets

<!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/2021/08/Nikola-Jokic-Nuggets.jpg"></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic shedding baby fat a scary sight for rest of NBA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-03T20:44:18-07:00">August 3rd, 8:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-03T20:44:18-07:00">August 3rd, 8:44pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While the rest of the NBA teams are busy shedding salaries to acquire more talent in free agency, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/denver-nuggets">Denver Nuggets</a> big man <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/nikola-jokic/9a2908b3">Nikola Jokic</a> has been busy shedding weight.</p><p>Yes, Jokic is losing the baby fat. Let’s say that again with more emphasis so that everyone will be reminded accordingly: JOKIC IS LOSING THE BABY FAT!</p><p>In a picture that’s making the rounds on social media, the reigning MVP looks every bit of a physical specimen, with more defined muscles and an even leaner body.</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/227350046_957642578440419_5612357663520296561_n.jpg"></figure><p>Let this serve as a warning to the NBA. Jokic is ready to take on all comers. With non-fat milk on the side. Jokic losing weight a couple of years ago <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2877147-nikola-jokic-credits-20-25-lb-weight-loss-for-improved-play-in-nuggets-season">was a huge story</a>, as it came as a surprise to many. Since then, he has developed into <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/nikola-jokic/9a2908b3/stats">one of the best big men</a> in NBA history.</p><p>The 26-year-old Jokic has used his heft to tremendous advantage, throwing his body around to offset his lack of speed and agility. He has repeatedly punished thinner big men in the paint, using his guile and high basketball IQ to score. His wide frame has also helped him as an adept passer, using his physique to fend off defenders to issue clearer passes. But with a leaner body, the pride of Serbia can be even more dangerous.</p><p>The Nuggets once again fell short in the NBA Playoffs last season. But with Nikola Jokic continuing to put in the work on his body, it will only be a matter of time when he leads Mile High City to the Promised Land. Where he can eat anything he wants.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic shedding baby fat a scary sight for rest of NBA

<!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/2021/06/Suns-Deandre-Ayton-Nikola-Jokic.jpeg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Deandre Ayton shares special gift he received from Nikola Jokic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-17T12:54:16-07:00">June 17th, 12:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-17T12:54:16-07:00">June 17th, 12:54pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton and Denver Nuggets star big man Nikola Jokic seem to have a greater appreciation for one another after doing battle in the playoffs.</p><p>Ayton <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1405607966179536900">shared</a> a picture of a signed jersey Jokic gave him after the Suns defeated the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinal. Jokic called Ayton a “beast” and encouraged him to keep working.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@DeandreAyton</a> shared a pic of a Nikola Jokić jersey the reigning MVP signed for him after they battled in the playoffs 👏 </p><p>Respect. <a href="https://t.co/NK8SJa3lq8" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/NK8SJa3lq8</a></p><p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1405607966179536900?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Suns center has proven some things to more than a few people throughout the course of the playoffs.</p><p>Ayton is averaging 15.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest during the playoffs. However, it was Ayton’s effort on the defensive end that stood out more, especially in how he made things more difficult for “The Joker.”</p><p>Jokic averaged 25.0 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists during the course of the series, but he shot 47.7 percent from the field and just 27.8 percent from beyond the arc. Those shooting percentages fall well behind his numbers during the regular season, a real credit to Ayton’s ability to be more physical and also switch out and get back to Jokic in pick-and-roll.</p><p>The Suns will assuredly need Ayton to maintain his high level of play and energy <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-hooking-up-suns-in-4-guy-after-fight-with-nuggets-fans/">going forward</a>.</p><p>Ayton could be a handful for a somewhat lackluster Los Angeles Clippers frontcourt, while he would have to battle for the boards with Rudy Gobert in the event the Utah Jazz overcome their 3-2 deficit. He gives Chris Paul and the Suns an outlet as a rim-runner in pick-and-roll as well as a guy who excels in transition and will fight for loose balls.</p><p>Perhaps Ayton will try to channel a bit of Jokic as Phoenix tries to get back to its first NBA Finals since 1993.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Deandre Ayton shares special gift he received from Nikola Jokic

<!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/2021/06/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-makes-final-decision-on-tokyo-olympics_copy.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets star Nikola Jokic makes final decision on Tokyo Olympics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T07:07:31-07:00">June 16th, 7:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T13:08:04-07:00">June 16th, 1:08pm</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1405158673245216769" rel="noopener">announced Wednesday</a> he will not be playing for his native Serbia in Olympic qualifying and will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics if the national team does in fact qualify.</p><p>This isn’t much of a surprise given Jokic’s workload the past two seasons. Jokic led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in the bubble, with Denver coming back from consecutive 3-1 deficits before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>After a short offseason, Jokic then played all 72 regular-season games in 2020-21, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-named-2020-2021-nba-mvp/" rel="noopener">winning MVP in the process.</a> He played 10 more games in the playoffs as the Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1 before falling to the Phoenix Suns in a sweep in the Western Conference Semifinals. With Jamal Murray tearing his ACL in mid-April, Joker had to carry an even heavier load.</p><p>Nikola Jokic has earned this time off and will look to get some rest before returning to defend his MVP crown in the 2021-22 season. It’s unclear if Murray will be ready to go by the start of next season since it’s beginning in mid-October (good chance he won’t be), so Jokic will have to be at the top of his game again to lead Denver.</p><p>Jokic isn’t the only NBA star skipping out on the Olympics this season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis won’t be participating, and others are likely to pass as well. Damian Lillard and Draymond Green <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-damian-lillard-draymond-green-commit-to-team-usa-for-tokyo-olympics/" rel="noopener">have committed</a> to play for Team USA in Tokyo, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-team-usa-plan-after-boston-playoffs-heartbreak/" rel="noopener">as has</a> Jayson Tatum.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic makes final decision on Tokyo Olympics

<!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="2014 NBA Draft, NBA draft card, NBA Draft cards, Nikola jokic, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2014-NBA-Draft-NBA-draft-card-NBA-Draft-cards-Nikola-jokic-Joel-Embiid-Julius-Randle.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it comes to rookies, most basketball fans would turn to the draft classes of 2017, 2018, and 2019 as some of the most talented in the league right now. Rightfully so, because the likes of Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant came from these classes. While they’re all the rage among collectors these days, rookie cards coming from the 2014 NBA Draft also deserve attention. Oddly enough, a reason for this is for a at-the-time unknowns such as Nikola Jokic. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While some consider this particular class to be a weak one, this simply isn’t the case anymore. You’ve got Zach LaVine going insane on offense during the regular season, Jerami Grant becoming the top guy for the Detroit Pistons, and Jordan Clarkson becoming the Sixth Man of the Year. But of all the stars from this class, there are three who stood out in the card market this season.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We take a look below at who these three players are and how their cards have risen in value in the past months.</span></p><h2><strong>Julius Randle</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julius Randle was on a mission all season long for the New York Knicks. While some taught his ceiling was limited, the power forward would go on to prove them wrong along the way.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the regular season, Randle took a leap in all aspects of his game by notching 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and six assists per contest. He also improved his outside shot by connecting 41% from downtown.</span></p><p><img class="aligncenter" height="609" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/N4EAAOSwyfBgrnQF/s-l1600.jpg" width="350"></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His ascension to franchise player status is one of the key reasons why the Knicks went from bottom dwellers to playoff participants. Likewise, </span><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/julius-randles-all-star-berth-has-cemented-his-nba-cards-value/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julius Randle rookie cards</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have also enjoyed a boost in value, especially during the past few months. Last April, his PSA 10 Prizm Silver rookie card sold for </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/384073547463?hash=item596c913ec7:g:IxwAAOSwa1NgZiLD" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$420</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. A month later, that same card is now worth </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/353493098567?hash=item524dd4a047:g:2UEAAOSwqfJgnGjH" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$795</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><h2><strong>Joel Embiid</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another standout from the 2014 Draft Class who’s making a lot of noise recently is Joel Embiid. After five years of playing in the NBA, it’s only this year when the All-Star center was included in the MVP conversation. With averages of 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds over the course of 51 games, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sixers-news-joel-embiid-all-nba-honor-leads-to-50-million-question-for-philly/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Embiid has helped the</a> Philadelphia 76ers finish the regular season with the top seed.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That level of talent has now translated well into the postseason. Embiid is currently averaging 27.4 points and 9.9 rebounds in the eight games he played against the Washington Wizards, and currently, the Atlanta Hawks. And while he’s battling injuries all throughout these two series, the impact Embiid contributes to Philadelphia cannot be equaled.</span></p><p><img class="aligncenter" height="598" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/foIAAOSwRp1gwWak/s-l1600.jpg" width="350"></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His rookie card value, meanwhile, is also going up. Before May ended, Embiid’s PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card was valued at </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/402874973610?hash=item5dcd383daa:g:F1AAAOSwflxgrnpM" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$700</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on eBay. That figure </span><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-massive-joel-embiid-rookie-card-dip-you-must-get-in-on/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">went down</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at the start of June to </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/224487145008?hash=item344479fe30:g:-l8AAOSwIExgu64s" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$455</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Now, his card value has rebounded up to </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/393391899982?hash=item5b97fc054e:g:foIAAOSwRp1gwWak" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$567</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><h2><strong>Nikola Jokic</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the past few years, the 2014 NBA Draft Class was all about Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, and Aaron Gordon, among others. While Embiid has proven himself as an All-Star talent, the other two weren’t quite as fortunate to make the leap. The biggest surprise from this class, instead, came at the 41st pick – Nikola Jokic.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The All-Star center proved to be the most talented big man to step on the court for a long time. During the regular season, he posted 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 72 games. He also boasted a league-leading 9.2 offensive box score, making him the favorite to win the MVP award for months now.</span></p><p><img class="aligncenter" height="570" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bU8AAOSwxOBgvXyj/s-l1600.jpg" width="350"></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And while Denver was swept by the Phoenix Suns recently, Jokic’s accomplishment this season cannot be understated. The All-Star’s worth on the court has also translated well to his </span><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-card-watch-nikola-jokic-rookie-cards-reaching-insane-heights-amid-mvp-season/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">value in the card market</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Back in May, Jokic’s PSA 10 Prizm Silver rookie card was valued at </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/224449015822?hash=item344234300e:g:pCIAAOSwaAdgkFs7" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$4,555</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. A month later, that figure has jumped up to </span><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/224486128923?hash=item34446a7d1b:g:SloAAOSwmDtgun-O" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$6,500</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While most people slept on the 2014 NBA Draft Class, three of its members have been on a tear all season long. Their cards are also making a killing in the market these past months. Those who need to diversify their collection with valuable cards would do well to take a look at these guys and their rookie cards. After all, Nikola Jokic, Julius Randle, and Joel Embiid don’t look like they will be slowing down anytime soon. </span></p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nikola-jokic-and-2-most-stunning-card-rises-from-2014-nba-draft-ranked/" rel="nofollow">Nikola Jokic and the 2 other most stunning card rises from 2014 NBA Draft, ranked</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic and the 2 other most stunning card rises from 2014 NBA Draft, ranked

<!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/2021/06/Warriors_-subtle-move-that-could-pry-Nikola-Jokic-from-Nuggets.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ subtle move that could pry Nikola Jokic from Nuggets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T16:15:09-07:00">June 15th, 4:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-08T19:08:16-07:00">July 8th, 7:08pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Are the Golden State Warriors making a play for Denver Nuggets superstar and newly-crowned league Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic? One of their most recent offseason moves seems to imply that they have at least taken this into consideration.</p><p>According to <a href="https://theathletic.com/2653190/2021/06/15/the-warriors-hiring-of-dejan-milojevic-signals-increased-focus-on-james-wisemans-development/?source=emp_shared_article&amp;redirected=1">The Athletic’s Anthony Slater</a>, the Warriors are set to hire Jokic’s former coach in Serbia, Dejan Milojevic, as part of Steve Kerr’s coaching staff. Milojevic coached Jokic early in his career and is credited for “some of Jokic’s foundational basketball grooming.” If the Dubs are somehow looking to bring Jokic to Golden State in what is undoubtedly going to be one of the biggest blockbuster moves in league history, then this could be a good first step in that direction.</p><p>To be clear, the Nuggets are not in any position to even listen to trade offers for their prized star. It is clear that they consider the Serbian to be their cornerstone superstar and that they intend to build around him for years to come. It is worth noting, however, that Jokic currently has two more years remaining in his contract which means that Denver will need to extend his deal in the near future. Needless to say, that’s going to require the Nuggets to dig deep into their pockets for what could be a franchise-record deal.</p><p>However, if for some reason Jokic feels like his time in Denver has come to an end, then he could always force a move away from the Nuggets. This has become quite commonplace in the league right now, with stars now possessing the power to dictate their future. Jokic just won the MVP award with the Nuggets and it looks like he’s more than happy in Denver. Then again, their second-round sweep by the Phoenix Suns could always cast some doubt on how Jokic views his future with the team.</p><p>If he actually decides to part ways with Denver then it would likely be for a team with championship aspirations. Do the aging Warriors fit that bill? Absolutely. Is this actually something that will come to fruition? Probably not.</p><p>For a bit of perspective though, the Los Angeles Lakers have taken a bit of a similar approach in their rumored quest to bring Giannis Antetokounmpo to Hollywood. Not only did they hire Giannis’ former coach in Jason Kidd, but they took it a step further by bringing on Giannis’ brother, Kostas Antetokoumpo, to LA. Sure you can argue that both moves had nothing to do with Giannis, but then again, you also can’t completely count out the fact that they do, right?</p><p>Going back to Milojevic, the more logical reasoning behind the Warriors’ decision to bring him on as an assistant coach seems to be related to the future of James Wiseman with the squad. There have been rumors of the Dubs looking to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-would-be-disrespecting-stephen-curry-if-they-dont-trade-james-wiseman/">trade</a> their young center in order to add more pieces to their current win-now core, but this move seems to prove otherwise. If Milojevic can work his magic on Wiseman then we could be looking at Golden State’s big man of the future. He may not reach Jokic’s level anytime soon, but if you think about it, Wiseman definitely has cornerstone potential.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ subtle move that could pry Nikola Jokic from Nuggets

<!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/2021/06/nuggets-news-nikola-jokics-brothers-were-ready-to-throw-hands-in-devin-booker-altercation.jpeg"></figure><h1>Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s brothers were ready to throw hands in Devin Booker altercation</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-15T11:29:49-07:00">June 15th, 11:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-15T11:29:49-07:00">June 15th, 11:29am</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Game 4 between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns ended in an unfortunate sweep of Nikola Jokic and Co. However, things got chippy as Jokic was called for a questionable flagrant 2 and was ejected. After the call, things got heated between the MVP winner and Suns guard Devin Booker as they got into an altercation.</p><p>It turns out that Nikola Jokic’s brothers were just a few rows behind and were ready to <a href="https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1404859567780110345?s=20">step in</a> and help their brother out.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Jokic brothers wanted every piece of available smoke 😂😂😂 <a href="https://t.co/pmUUb4gELw" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/pmUUb4gELw</a></p><p>— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1404859567780110345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 15, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>They were more than ready to step in and one can only imagine what would have happened if they did. After all, that is a lot of size between the Jokic trio, especially against the smaller body of Devin Booker.</p><p>The Nuggets tensions were<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-bookers-ig-response-to-fan-from-viral-nuggets-fight-video/"> running high</a> while being down 3-0 and losing their best player and the NBA MVP after a highly debatable flagrant 2 call. Booker took exception to the play by Jokic and got into it.</p><p>Unfortunately, the Nuggets season came to an end as the Suns are headed to the Western Conference Finals.</p><p>Make no mistake: the Nuggets aren’t going away anytime soon as Jokic continues to blossom into one of the best players in the league and his brothers will have his back every step of the way.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s brothers were ready to throw hands in Devin Booker altercation

<!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/2021/06/Stephen-Curry-Warriors-LeBron-James-Nikola-Jokic-Damian-Lillard-Giannis-Antetokounmpo-Paul-George-Joel-Embiid.jpg"></figure><h1>Stephen Curry destroys LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Damian Lillard in critical statistic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-14T23:20:44-07:00">June 14th, 11:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-14T23:20:44-07:00">June 14th, 11:20pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The talent level in the NBA today is through the roof. Various superstars are in full swing like Joel Embiid’s elbows. But when it comes to a key statistic, it is Golden State Warriors main man Stephen Curry who’s head and shoulders above the rest.</p><p>According to a <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steph-curry-continues-dominance-obscure-nba-value-stats?fbclid=IwAR2ztR9uwofsvxDwGYt1Wg04SEutRxxTidW9NB7CrWZUyOj9zHssMkwwF2M">report by NBC Sports Bay Area</a>, Curry is the undisputed leader in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus (RPM), which is “measured in net point differential per 100 offensive and defensive possessions.” The RPM also includes teammates’ numbers, opponents, and other pertinent factors.</p><blockquote>Outside of the 2019-20 season in which Curry was limited to five games by injuries and the coronavirus suspension of the season, he has led the NBA in RPM in every season since 2012-13.</blockquote><p>This season, Curry averaged a 7.08 RPM, increasing his figure from the previous campaign, which was obviously marred by his wrist injury. He bested LeBron James, who had a 6.73 for second place, Rudy Gobert, Paul George, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Also finishing in the top 10 were Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, James Harden, Damian Lillard, and a bit surprisingly, Lonzo Ball.</p><p>While the RPM may be a bit too, um, nerdy, the fact remains: Curry’s value to the Warriors is unparalleled. There were many instances this season when he singlehandedly led his team to victory. While some have written him off, the 33-year-old flamethrower <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/stephen-curry/b95c09e7/stats">churned out an MVP campaign</a>, winning the scoring title with a career-high 32.0 points per outing.</p><p>LeBron James actually picked Stephen Curry as this season’s MVP. Because as the age-old philosophical saying goes: Real recognize real.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.4	10.8	8.3	0.7	1.3

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.4	10.8	8.3	0.7	1.3

Nikola Jokic news

Nikola
Jokic news