<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-trail-blazers-trade-outlook-deandre-ayton-robert-williams-iii-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Blazers’ trade outlook on Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III gets update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/NBA-rumors-Blazers-trade-outlook-on-Deandre-Ayton-Robert-Williams-III-gets-update.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Blazers’ trade outlook on Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III gets update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-24T12:23:41-08:00">November 24th, 12:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-25T14:50:23-08:00">November 25th, 2:50pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers seemed to still be in the middle of rebuilding their team, but they have some good, young talent on the team that is developing well. The center position is one area where they have a lot of talent, and with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-donovan-clingan-makes-first-nba-bucket-powerful-move-warriors">rise of Donovan Clingan</a>, the other two centers – Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III – may lead to a trade.</p><p>One of the questions asked is if Ayton will be the one that the Trail Blazers would be <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-my-latest-from-the-c5f?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=152086116&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">willing to trade</a> instead of Williams, according to Marc Stein.</p><p>“The natural presumption is <i>yes</i> given how well Williams has played since finally being activated, but Portland’s challenge would obviously be contractual,” Stein wrote.</p><p>“Ayton is earning $34 million this season and is owed $35.6 million next season in the final year of the contract he originally received thanks to a four-year, $133 million offer sheet from Indiana that was matched by Phoenix,” Stein continued. “Williams, despite his injury history, possesses a much more trade-friendly contract with only next season’s $13.3 million owed after this season’s $12.4 million.”</p><p>Out of the three centers, Ayton may be the one that has been the most underwhelming, but due to his contract, the Trail Blazers may not have a choice but to keep him.</p><h2>Donovan Clingan making early impact with Trail Blazers</h2><p>Donovan Clingan has been a great pick for the Trail Blazers, and it’s mostly for what he’s been able to do on defense. He <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-donovan-clingan-portland-feat-not-seen-since-bill-walton">recently surpassed one of Bill Walton’s records</a>, recording a block in 16 straight games as a rookie. Walton once held the record for 15 straight games in the 1974-75 season.</p><p>Clingan seems to be the center of the future for the Trail Blazers, and with his early impact on the court, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he got more minutes on the floor.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Blazers’ trade outlook on Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III gets update

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-blazers-center-very-tradable-not-deandre-ayton');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: The Blazers’ center who is ‘very tradable,’ and it’s not Deandre Ayton');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Blazers-center-who-is-very-tradable-and-its-not-Deandre-Ayton.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: The Blazers’ center who is ‘very tradable,’ and it’s not Deandre Ayton</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-08T20:15:16-07:00">September 8th, 8:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-08T20:15:16-07:00">September 8th, 8:15pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-damian-lillard-trade-blazers-suns">Trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks</a> signaled the start of the Portland Trail Blazers’ rebuild, finally deciding to go in a new direction after languishing in the playoffs with Lillard. The new-look Blazers look to develop <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scoot-henderson-blazers-no-3-pick-2023-nba-draft">Scoot Henderson, the 2023 third overall pick</a>, even after a rookie season with several growing pains. Likewise, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-2024-nba-draft-grade-donovan-clingan">drafting big man Donovan Clingan seventh overall</a> in the latest draft means the Blazers might have to trade centers, but not Deandre Ayton, per rumors.</p><p>In a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst discussed trade rumors in Portland.</p><p>“Jerami Grant–he’s probably one of the guys in the league that teams will look at,” Windhorst said. “But I would also say, with Donovan Clingan getting drafted there and Deandre Ayton on the roster, I don’t think Ayton is very tradable. A guy to watch who is very tradable is ‘The Time Lord,’ one of the great nicknames in the whole NBA, Robert Williams.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><h2><b>Blazers rumors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DeAndre-Ayton-trying-a-layup-amid-two-defenders.jpg"><figcaption>© Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Windhorst then <a href="https://hoopshype.com/rumor/3149470/" rel="noopener">explained why he believes</a> the Blazers might want to send out Williams in a potential deal.</p><p>“Coming back off injury, obviously, he’s a guy who had repeated injury problems, but he makes $13 million. They may be willing to part with him, and he could go to a contender and be a significant piece if he is healthy,” the ESPN analyst added.</p><p>In the Damian Lillard trade, the Blazers acquired Jrue Holiday, who they then traded to the Celtics in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III. The former Celtic big man was a defensive menace who earned a selection to the 2021-22 NBA All-Defensive Team.</p><p>During that season, Williams averaged 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He was also the team’s starting center in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, who eventually won in six games.</p><p>However, a torn ligament cut his first season with the Blazers short. The team is confident that could recover in time for the 2024-25 season, whether as an active player or a trade asset. His relatively affordable contract and defensive capabilities should entice a contender in the Western Conference minefield to trade for him.</p><p>Meanwhile, Deandre Ayton averaged 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds in 55 games with the Blazers, hoping to revitalize his career after the Phoenix Suns traded him to make way for Damian Lillard to arrive at the Bucks. Since January 2023, the Ayton averaged 20.2 points and 12.2 rebounds, giving fans a glimpse to the long-gestating promise he’d shown but never really delivered.</p><p>Further, accusations of a questionable motor hound the former first overall draft pick, and he will have to prove himself again especially if the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/anonymous-exec-claims-dukes-cooper-flagg-could-start-in-nba-today">Blazers end up drafting Cooper Flagg</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: The Blazers’ center who is ‘very tradable,’ and it’s not Deandre Ayton

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-new-orleans-betting-favorite-deandre-ayton-next-team');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans emerge as betting favorite to be DeAndre Ayton’s next team');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Pelicans-news-New-Orleans-emerges-as-betting-favorite-to-be-DeAndre-Aytons-next-team.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans emerge as betting favorite to be DeAndre Ayton’s next team</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-28T16:48:05-07:00">June 28th, 4:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-29T09:16:12-07:00">June 29th, 9:16am</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans just revamped their roster on Friday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-atlanta-trades-dejounte-murray-pelicans">acquiring guard Dejounte Murray</a> from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Larry Nance, Dyson Daniels and a draft pick.</p><p>But they could possibly still not be done, with Brandon Ingram still on the Pelicans’ roster after months of trade rumors. If New Orleans is looking for an offensive upgrade at center, they could do worse than Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton. In fact, The Pelicans are the betting favorite <a href="https://sports.betonline.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/nba-specials/specials" rel="noopener">to be Deandre Ayton’s next team</a> if he’s moved this offseason, per BetOnline.</p><p>The Pelicans are +300 to be Ayton’s next team, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder at +400, the Chicago Bulls at +600, and the Los Angeles Clippers at +700.</p><p>Ayton played incredibly well down the stretch for the Blazers, averaging 22.7 points and 12.5 rebounds after the All-Star break. The team struggled to integrate the former top-overall pick earlier in the season. He also dealt with knee tendinitis and missed time with an elbow injury after a brutal collision with Kevin Love of the Miami Heat.</p><p>While Ayton takes a lot of grief from fans and national pundits for his low free-throw rate and the way things didn’t work out in Phoenix, he’s a highly effective offensive player who had one of the top midrange shooting percentages in the NBA last season. Overall, Ayton averaged 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds in 55 games for the Blazers last season.</p><h2><b>Blazers draft decisions could make Deandre Ayton available to Pelicans</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Donovan-Clingan-2.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Portland Trail Blazers got their man, selecting UConn center Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.</p><p>Clingan is definitely more of a throwback center than the other three(!) centers on the Blazers’ roster. Ayton is athletic as heck but instead thrives in the pick-and-pop and seems almost averse to getting to the free-throw line.</p><p>Robert Williams III is a more mobile defensive anchor who succeeds with positioning but can’t be counted on to play a full – or even half – season due to chronic knee issues. And Duop Reath stretches the floor out to the 3-point line to punish defenders helping off of him as Portland’s guards penetrate into the paint.</p><p>Clingan will start next season in the rotation as the firm backup unless Ayton is somehow dealt in the offseason. He should provide the Blazers with a jolt of rim protection and defensive rebounding.</p><p>While his offense isn’t exactly polished, there are reports that his shooting form is further along and better than some people give him credit for. If Clingan can develop any kind of face-up move in addition to his throwback center skills, this pick is a home run.</p><p>It remains to be seen what kind of offers the Blazers could get for Ayton.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans emerge as betting favorite to be DeAndre Ayton’s next team

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/deandre-ayton-shows-why-blazers-wanted-him-after-rocky-start');   ga('set', 'title', 'Deandre Ayton shows why Blazers wanted him after rocky start');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/deandre-ayton-showing-why-blazers-wanted-him-after-rocky-start.jpg"></figure><h1>Deandre Ayton shows why Blazers wanted him after rocky start</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-29T11:04:45-07:00">March 29th, 11:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-29T11:04:45-07:00">March 29th, 11:04am</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the Portland Trail Blazers play out the string in the 2023-24 NBA season, it’s time to start looking back at how key players performed relative to preseason expectations.</p><p>Perhaps no one had more to prove than Blazers center Deandre Ayton.</p><p>Last September, the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-trade-grade-for-deandre-ayton-jusuf-nurkic-swap"> Blazers acquired Ayton</a> in a trade with the Phoenix Suns that sent previous starting center Jusuf Nurkic and forward Nassir Little to the desert.</p><p>Ayton, who was the top overall pick in the 2018 Draft, had seen his relationship with the Suns sour and was looking for a fresh start. An opportunity to play with the rebuilding Blazers was a chance for Ayton to no longer have to sacrifice his individual numbers so that guys like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker could get their shots.</p><p>Many anticipated Ayton to bounce back in his first season with the Blazers. But he initially struggled in a Portland uniform. It wasn’t for a lack of effectiveness, but Ayton didn’t seem to be getting the expected number of touches in the paint. Through Dec. 17, Ayton averaged 12.5 points on exactly 10 shots a night. He was playing defense and rebounding at a high clip, so Blazers fans couldn’t necessarily be unhappy with his play, but it was easy to watch Ayton play and want <i>more.</i></p><p>Ayton missed some time due to right knee tendinitis from late December to mid-January and, after he rejoined the Blazers, he began looking more like the player that Portland hoped would be unlocked. Portland’s guards began looking for Ayton on back cuts, seemingly connecting on two or three alley-oops per game.</p><p>Coach Chauncey Billups talked about the concerted effort the team was making to get Ayton more involved in the Blazers’ offense.</p><p>‘You know, I think Ant [Simons], and Malcolm [Brogdon], and Scoot [Henderson] and those guys have made a real effort to make sure to get him the ball in that pocket. Or, he can roll behind the defense and throwing it up for him. Just made a real concerted effort. You know, we’ve got to try and get more out of D.A. And we’ve been doing that. He’s been great for us. Now we’ve got to just make sure we don’t forget about everything else we’ve been doing, you know?</p><p>Ayton was starting to show genuine connection with the team’s guards when, in a late February game against the Miami Heat, Ayton collided with Kevin Love and sprained his right hand. After missing five games with the injury, Ayton returned to the Blazers lineup like a man possessed. In his next six games, he put up scoring totals of 30, 22, 33, 31, 20, and 25 points. After scoring eight points against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 20, Ayton has been out with elbow tendinitis.</p><h2><b>Deandre Ayton’s future with the Blazers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Deandre-Ayton-Blazers-postgame.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>It was a tale of two halves for Ayton this year. Since Jan. 23, the Blazers center has averaged 20.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game while shooting one of the top percentages from the mid-range in the NBA.</p><p>This is the version of Ayton that many expected when he joined the Blazers this offseason. While Suns fans often point to his scoring peaks and valleys throughout each of his seasons there, this version of Ayton seems more sustainable, as long as Portland’s guards are willing to commit to getting him the ball.</p><p>With a hopefully healthy roster next season, it will be interesting to see what Ayton looks like playing more often with Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. Only 25 years old, Ayton is still young enough to be a player that the Blazers can commit to as they continue their rebuild.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Deandre Ayton shows why Blazers wanted him after rocky start

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/arizona-basketball-news-deandre-ayton-makes-mike-bibby-all-time-wildcats-starting-5');   ga('set', 'title', 'Deandre Ayton makes Mike Bibby’s all-time Arizona basketball starting 5');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Deandre-Ayton-makes-Mike-Bibbys-all-time-Wildcats-starting-5.jpg"></figure><h1>Deandre Ayton makes Mike Bibby’s all-time Arizona basketball starting 5</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-25T20:41:02-07:00">March 25th, 8:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-25T20:41:02-07:00">March 25th, 8:41pm</time><address><a href="https://nextmanupblog.medium.com/">Jay Postrado</a>Jay is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, Tennis, and Formula 1. He is a lifelong motorsports and tennis fan. Jay's need for speed may no longer be on the grid or courts but has stayed with him through writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Arizona has been doing well in March Madness with the efforts of Caleb Love and Pelle Larsson shining in the big dance. Stars and legends out of the Wildcats system loved the beating Dayton suffered as they are now headed to the Sweet Sixteen. Before the second weekend, Mike Bibby got into the mood of crafting his all-time starting five from the program. One addition raised eyebrows and that was Portland Trail <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-shutting-out-haters-amid-cruel-season">Blazers big man DeAndre Ayton.</a></p><p>Mike Bibby dropped the whole list and looked fairly confident that these indeed <a href="https://youtu.be/GUC7b-ZxyGY?t=1212">were the best</a> at their positions during their Arizona tenure, via Run It Back.</p><p>“Khalid Reeves, me at the two, three I put Sean Elliott, Derrick Williams at the four, and I have Deandre Ayton at the five, just position-wise,” the Wildcats legend said.</p><p>Chandler Parsons then interjected to gush about the six-foot-eight player who dominated while wearing number 23.</p><p>“By the way, when Derrick Williams was coming out, I thought Derrick Williams was going to be the best player in the NBA when he was coming out of Arizona. Was it the game against Duke where he absolutely torched them? Oh my goodness,” Parsons said.</p><p>All Mike Bibby did was agree about Williams’ dominance with the Wildcats, “And that’s why I put him up there, you’ve got to put him up in the top 5 to ever do it at Arizona.”</p><p>But, Williams was not the notable player that was questionable on this list. It was DeAndre Ayton. The former first-overall pick in the 2018 draft was selected over Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Jaren Jackson Jr.</p><h2><b>Ayton, an Arizona legend</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Portland-Trail-Blazers-center-Deandre-Ayton-2-reacts-against-the-Phoenix-Suns.jpg"><figcaption>© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While his NBA career has not panned out the way most people expected it to be, Ayton’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/arizona-basketballs-caleb-loves-beautiful-message-after-wildcats-secure-sweet-16-berth">career in Arizona was still stellar</a>. In just a single campaign in 2017-18, he sank 61.2% of his attempts from all three levels of scoring to notch 20.1 points. Alongside this, Ayton was able to grab 11.6 rebounds and record 1.9 blocks on a nightly basis.</p><p>All of his production landed Ayton the 2018 Pac-12 Player of the Year award and a consensus All-American nod in his one-and-done season. However, big-name legends from Arizona did not make the list because of his inclusion. Damon Stoudamire, Channing Frye, Chris Mills, and Jason Terry were able to lead Arizona to deep runs in March Madness and in their conference. But, this is still just Mike Bibby’s own list and it is not at all the objective list that everyone should adhere to. After all, Ayton still has the accolades and numbers to back himself up in this conversation.</p><p>As of the moment, he has finally found his footing with the Trail Blazers. His elbow might be a concern as of late but the former Arizona star is still producing at a high rate. He is scoring 15.8 points on average while knocking down 58% of his attempts. Not to mention, his steal and block a game helps the team’s interior defense a lot.</p><p>There is still a lot of time for Ayton to get back to his Arizona form and be great in the NBA.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Deandre Ayton makes Mike Bibby’s all-time Arizona basketball starting 5

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-shutting-out-haters-amid-cruel-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Deandre Ayton shutting out haters amid cruel season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Blazers-news-Deandre-Ayton-shutting-out-haters-amid-cruel-season.jpeg"></figure><h1>Blazers’ Deandre Ayton shutting out haters amid cruel season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-15T09:38:27-07:00">March 15th, 9:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-15T09:38:27-07:00">March 15th, 9:38am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There is no doubt that it has been a tumultuous season for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-deandre-ayton-trying-to-bust-that-ass-amid-hot-streak" rel="noopener">Portland Trail Blazers star Deandre Ayton</a>, but he’s recently turned it on in a nice stretch of outings that has showed why he was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2018. While there is still the question on consistency, his motivations are clear with shutting out the haters and even said he does <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2024/03/trail-blazers-deandre-ayton-takes-game-to-a-new-level-im-trying-to-be-a-winner.html" rel="noopener">“thank them”</a> according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian and Oregon Live.</p><p>“It’s making me approach this game the right way and carry the PDX on my back all the way,” Ayton said. “So, I thank them. I’m wearing the cape all the way.”</p><p>So far in the month of March, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-portland-outlasts-hawks-behind-deandre-ayton-monster-game" rel="noopener">Ayton has averaged</a> 29 points and 16.8 rebounds per game with the past two games eclipsing the 30-point park. He said that he’s “more dominant” and that he’s “trying to do everything” at the moment for the Blazers.</p><p>“I’m honestly going into these games, I’m trying to do everything,” Ayton said. “Not only do my requirements, my role for this team, but do a lot more and that’s where I’m at. I’m more dominant. People like to laugh at it, but it’s the truth.”</p><p>This is a much different player than it has been most of the season where scoring in single-digits was not out of the ordinary. He was traded to Portland from his original team in the Phoenix Suns as it was a part of the deal that sent Damian Lillard from the Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks.</p><h2><b>Ayton says his game and Blazers are “flowing”</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Deandre-Ayton-attempting-a-three-point-shot-in-the-Blazers-loss-to-the-Knicks.jpeg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While Ayton was searching for a fresh start, his stint <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-scoot-henderson-pretty-comfortable-back-starting-lineup" rel="noopener">with Portland has</a> been a up-and-down rollercoaster. However, “everything is flowing” in his eyes as on the season, he’s averaging 15.6 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting 57.6 percent from the field.</p><p>“Everything is flowing,” Ayton said. “We have this little language going with our body language, eye contact and things like that where we know what the defense is giving us. It’s like music, just good chemistry going.”</p><p>His uptick in performance has caught the eye of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-loss-celtics-best-team-for-reason" rel="noopener">Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups who</a> has praised Ayton for being “unlocked” during his first season with the team. He would go on to say that the University of Arizona product is “a monster” and has been a “super efficient” player at 25-years old.</p><p>“I think we’ve unlocked him and we’re getting the best version of him offensively, for sure,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told reporters. “He’s been a monster, he’s been a monster on that glass. He’s just been all over the place. Super, super efficient obviously. So, he’s been awesome. And I think our guys are just kind of following his lead. He’s given us so much.”</p><p>The goal is simple for Ayton which is no doubt to get scoffed at because of his current situation. At the end of the day, he wants to be a “winner in this league.”</p><p>“I’m trying to be a winner in this league,” Ayton said. “I’m trying to be known as that guy. If you’re around me, you’re going to learn how to win.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/anfernee-simons-thinks-blazers-making-good-progress" rel="noopener">Portland is currently</a> 19-47 on the season, putting them 14th in the Western Conference. Their next game is Saturday as they face the New Orleans Pelicans.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Deandre Ayton shutting out haters amid cruel 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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/blazers-deandre-ayton-trying-to-bust-that-ass-amid-hot-streak');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Deandre Ayton trying to ‘bust that ass’ amid hot streak');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Blazers-Deandre-Ayton-trying-to-bust-that-ass-amid-hot-streak.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers’ Deandre Ayton trying to ‘bust that ass’ amid hot streak</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-14T08:52:24-07:00">March 14th, 8:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-14T08:52:24-07:00">March 14th, 8:52am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Deandre Ayton has been the subject of plenty of criticism over the past few years. It hasn’t helped matters at all that Ayton, as the number one overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, hasn’t quite impacted the game as much as his other draft class peers have. But lately, Ayton has taken his game to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-portland-outlasts-hawks-behind-deandre-ayton-monster-game" rel="noopener">the next level</a> for the Portland Trail Blazers, looking more and more like a talent for the rebuilding team to keep for the long haul.</p><p>Ayton, since returning from an injury on March 9, has been a monster, and he continued that hot streak on Wednesday night in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Blazers center put up 33 points on an elite 15-20 shooting from the field, and he cleaned up the boards for good measure, hauling in 19 boards.</p><p>Questions about motor, effort, and desire to improve have plagued Deandre Ayton, especially over the past few seasons. But now, the Blazers center is taking it upon himself to <a href="https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/deandre-ayton-using-the-hating-to-fuel-the-dominating" rel="noopener">cut all the noise</a> and focus on how he can be his best “Dominayton” self every time he steps foot on the hardwood.</p><p>“I just be trying to bust that ass. That’s about it. Whether I look like the bad guy or not, I’m trying to be great. I’m trying to be a winner in this league. I’m trying to be known as that guy. If you’re around me, you’re going to learn how to win,” Ayton said, per Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com.</p><p>If there’s anything the Blazers need at this point of the rebuild, it’s players who can help create a winning culture. Deandre Ayton is one of their most prominent players with plenty of experience on a winning team, seeing as he made the NBA Finals in 2021, and now, his play on the court is allowing him to back up his words.</p><p>Ayton may never be a prototypically dominant big man. He does not seem very comfortable with being a bruiser, preferring to do his damage from the midrange area. But the Blazers franchise knows how to succeed with someone who plays like he does on offense (LaMarcus Aldridge), so Ayton may have landed with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-center-deandre-ayton-offense" rel="noopener">best team possible</a> to reach his full potential.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Deandre Ayton trying to ‘bust that ass’ amid hot streak

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/blazers-news-portland-outlasts-hawks-behind-deandre-ayton-monster-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers outlast Hawks behind Deandre Ayton’s ‘monster’ game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Blazers-news-Portland-outlasts-Hawks-behind-Deandre-Ayton-_monster_-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers outlast Hawks behind Deandre Ayton’s ‘monster’ game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-13T22:37:38-07:00">March 13th, 10:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-13T22:37:38-07:00">March 13th, 10:37pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers topped the Atlanta Hawks 106-102 on Wednesday night behind another huge performance from center Deandre Ayton.</p><p>The Blazers big man couldn’t be stopped as he used a variety of moves out to 15 feet, finishing with 33 points and 19 rebounds on 15 of 20 shooting from the floor.</p><p>Ayton’s big night is just the latest in a string of huge performances that is turning heads. In the Blazers’ loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday, he had 22 points and 15 rebounds. In Portland’s win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, the big man finished with 30 and 19.</p><p>After the win over Atlanta, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups spoke about Ayton’s continued run of dominant performances.</p><p>“We’ve unlocked him, and we’re getting the best version of him. He’s been a monster. He’s just been all over the place. Super, super efficient. He’s been awesome.”</p><p>Billups has spoke at times throughout the season about the Blazers working to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-portland-effort-more-deandre-ayton" rel="noopener">get the most out of Ayton</a>. Earlier in the season, he was solid in terms of defense and rebounding, but didn’t get many looks.</p><p>Through the season’s first 25 games, Ayton averaged 12.5 points on 10 shots per night. Since returning from knee tendonitis on Jan. 19, Ayton has seen his scoring jump to 17. 2 points on just under 14 shots per game.</p><p>Said Ayton on his scoring burst, “Just played hard man. Approached the game I want to approach it. Every night’s a big night.”</p><p>After being asked if he feels like he’s fully unlocked at this point in the season, Ayton answered in the affirmative.</p><p>“Yeah, most definitely. Coming into these games, I’m trying to do everything. Not only my requirements, my role on this team, but do a lot more. That’s where I’m at.”</p><p>Ayton then took a shot at the those who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-tried-for-hours-to-leave-house-amid-ice-storm-before-missing-nets-matchup" rel="noopener">enjoy poking fun at him online</a>. “People like to laugh at it, but it’s the truth.”</p><p>The Blazers big man has another chance to silence doubters on Thursday night when Portland hosts the New York Knicks on the second of a back-to-back.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers outlast Hawks behind Deandre Ayton’s ‘monster’ game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-devin-booker-jusuf-nurkic-take-draws-deandre-ayton-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns: Devin Booker’s awesome Jusuf Nurkic take sparks Deandre Ayton buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/booker-6.jpeg"><figcaption>Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker, Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers, Deandre Ayton </figcaption></figure><h1>Suns: Devin Booker’s awesome Jusuf Nurkic take sparks Deandre Ayton buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-13T20:19:22-07:00">March 13th, 8:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-13T20:19:22-07:00">March 13th, 8:19pm</time><address><a>Trevor Booth</a>Trevor Booth is a beat writer covering the Phoenix Suns, in addition to working as an associate editor. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports journalism from Arizona State University in 2021. Booth is passionate about his faith, video games, sports with friends and making the most of his time with his girlfriend when he's not working.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jusuf Nurkic <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-jusuf-nurkic-31-rebounds-franchise-record" rel="noopener">has been everything Phoenix Suns fans hoped for</a> since he was traded. The 29-year-old center has played the most games (61) of the Suns’ starters and been a terrific teammate.</p><p>Devin Booker, <a href="https://twitter.com/DevinBookerMuse/status/1767972089741586830">who was interviewed by JJ Redick</a> on “The Old Man &amp; The Three” podcast, said he has enjoyed playing with Nurkic.</p><p>“Being able to talk through certain situations is the most impressive to me,” said Booker. “I love being on the court with him.”</p><p>Nurkic was traded to the Suns for former center Deandre Ayton, who plays with the Portland Trail Blazers. However, Booker seems to have not forgotten about Ayton, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-deandre-aytons-feelings-on-possible-trade-amid-teammates-frustrations" rel="noopener">who was rumored to frustrate Booker and other teammates</a> with his lack of effort.</p><p>“He takes matchups personally,” Booker said about Nurkic, who this month is averaging over 14 rebounds. “He’s down to get aggressive and physical, and that’s all you want.”</p><p>Ayton had said previously he operated on “<a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2023/4/24/23696386/phoenix-suns-deandre-ayton-shrugs-off-question-about-motor-dominayton-tesla-car" rel="noopener">Tesla battery</a>” when asked about his questionable motor. But the Suns’ former No. 1 pick had struggled to box out or compete against Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic in the postseason and later said Phoenix “accommodated” his wishes, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-deandre-ayton-tardiness-tantrums-the-athletic" rel="noopener">seemingly to be traded</a>, at media day.</p><p>Ayton (14.9 points, 10.9 rebounds) is actually averaging similar numbers to that of Nurkic (11.6, 10.8) who is making one-third of the salary.</p><p>The Suns have looked like one of the best teams when healthy, but they have had their “Big 3” of Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal available for 24 games. Nurkic has been the healthiest starter.</p><p>The Suns need Nurkic to perform to win their first-ever title. Phoenix is back on the court Thursday against the best team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, who played the Suns without Booker last week. Nurkic had 11 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns: Devin Booker’s awesome Jusuf Nurkic take sparks Deandre Ayton buzz

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-status-update-grizzlies');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Deandre Ayton receives status update ahead of Grizzlies clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Deandre_Ayton_receives_status_update_ahead_of_Grizzlies_clash-1.webp"></figure><h1>Blazers’ Deandre Ayton receives status update ahead of Grizzlies clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-29T14:57:56-08:00">February 29th, 2:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-29T14:57:56-08:00">February 29th, 2:57pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers kick off a quick three-game road trip on Friday with the first of two matchups with the Memphis Grizzlies.</p><p>Blazers center Deandre Ayton, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-deandre-aytons-scary-injury-crucial-update-chauncey-billups" rel="noopener">suffered a hand injury</a> in Portland’s loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, has been <a href="https://x.com/TrailBlazersPR/status/1763332854250090510?s=20" rel="noopener">ruled as doubtful</a> by the team.</p><p>After the game, x-rays on Ayton’s hand were negative, according to Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. Further testing on Wednesday showed that the injury is a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-receives-update-injured-hand" rel="noopener">right-hand sprain</a> and that Ayton will be treated as day-to-day moving forward.</p><p>Ayton will join Scoot Henderson, Malcolm Brogdon, Shaedon Sharpe, and Robert Williams III on the injury report for the Blazers.</p><p>Notably, backup center Moses Brown, who has been out since early January after fracturing his wrist in the Blazers’ New Year’s Day game against the Phoenix Suns, is questionable for Friday’s game.</p><p>With the aforementioned guards all out for the Blazers, Ayton has stepped his game up considerably of late. Over his last 13 games, Ayton has averaged 18.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first half against the Heat before being forced to depart.</p><p>There’s no clear timetable for Ayton’s return to the court for Portland. After Friday’s game at Memphis, the two teams turn around and play each other again on Saturday. After that, the Blazers depart for the Midwest to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.</p><p>It may make sense for the Blazers to hold Ayton out for the brief road trip and aim for him to make his return at home on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Billups has said the Henderson already isn’t anticipated to play on the trip and hasn’t resumed on-court basketball activities at this point.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Deandre Ayton receives status update ahead of Grizzlies clash

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-receives-update-injured-hand');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Deandre Ayton receives update on injured hand');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Blazers_news_Deandre_Ayton_receives_update_on_injured_hand_copy.webp"></figure><h1>Blazers’ Deandre Ayton receives update on injured hand</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-28T14:17:22-08:00">February 28th, 2:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-28T14:17:22-08:00">February 28th, 2:17pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton injured his hand in the second quarter of Portland’s loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.</p><p>The Blazers big man was driving to the rim when Kevin Love slid in to take a charge. Both players stayed down for an extended period of time.</p><p>Ayton returned to the game several minutes later but did not return for the Blazers in the second half. After the game, Portland head coach Chauncey Billups said, “X-rays were negative. I’m pretty sure there’s going to be some further testing done. He was in quite a bit of pain.”</p><p>Now, per Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report, the injury is being <a href="https://x.com/highkin/status/1762959305949819175?s=20" rel="noopener">ruled a right hand sprain</a>. Ayton will be considered day-to-day for the Blazers:</p><p>“Deandre Ayton underwent more evaluation on his right hand today that determined the injury he suffered last night against Miami is a hand sprain, according to a league source. He will be considered day-to-day moving forward.”</p><p>The injury comes at a time when the Blazers can least afford it. The team is already without backup centers Robert Williams III and Moses Brown, as well as Malcolm Brogdon, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson.</p><p>With the aforementioned <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-malcolm-brogdon-making-good-progress-injury-recovery-return-still-unclear" rel="noopener">guards all out</a> for the Blazers, Ayton has stepped his game up considerably of late. Over his last 13 games, Ayton has averaged 18.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first half against the Heat before being forced to depart.</p><p>Up next for the Blazers – the team heads to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Deandre Ayton receives update on injured hand

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/blazers-news-deandre-aytons-scary-injury-crucial-update-chauncey-billups');   ga('set', 'title', 'Deandre Ayton’s scary injury gets crucial update from Blazers HC Chauncey Billups');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Blazers_news__Deandre_Ayton_s_scary_injury_gets_crucial_update_from_Chauncey_Billups.webp"></figure><h1>Deandre Ayton’s scary injury gets crucial update from Blazers HC Chauncey Billups</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-28T00:16:23-08:00">February 28th, 12:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-28T00:27:37-08:00">February 28th, 12:27am</time><address><a>Brian Buyawe</a>Brian Buyawe is a sports aficionado with a passion for basketball, football and Formula One. His hobbies include running, reading and playing in recreational leagues. Back when he was a kid, Brian stumbled upon an old Larry Bird documentary among his family's collection of movies, which made him a lifelong Celtics fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The woes continue for the Portland Trail Blazers. On Tuesday, the team suffered its ninth straight loss against the Miami Heat, 106-96. To make things worse, center Deandre Ayton suffered a right-hand sprain following a collision with Miami’s Kevin Love during the first quarter.</p><p>As Ayton attacked the basket, Love attempted to draw a charge, and <a href="https://twitter.com/BlazersNationCP/status/1762697754818883874" rel="noopener">the resulting collision</a> caused Ayton to fall to the ground with his wrists in an uncomfortable position. (via ClutchPoints and Blazers Nation)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Deandre Ayton is now QUESTIONABLE to return with a right hand sprain after this collision with Kevin Love in the 1st Half 🙏<a href="https://t.co/RyOE4YTM9G">pic.twitter.com/RyOE4YTM9G</a></p><p>— Blazers Nation (@BlazersNationCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlazersNationCP/status/1762697754818883874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Blazers big man still saw action during the second quarter but was ruled out the entire second half. In over 18 minutes of playing time, Ayton had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.</p><p>Following the game, Portland head coach Chauncey Billups said that the x-rays on Ayton’s right hand <a href="https://twitter.com/CHold/status/1762714541006459132" rel="noopener">came back negative</a>. While there will be more imaging follow-ups to go, no broken bones were found. (per Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl)</p><p>The Blazers led by as much as 15 points during the first half and entered halftime with a 10-point cushion. However, without Deandre Ayton’s presence in the last two quarters, the Heat surged back, tasting their first lead of the game with 4:07 left in the third period.</p><p>It was a close affair early in the fourth but sooner or later, Miami pushed the lead to double-digits and sealed the win.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/portland-trail-blazers-bold-predictions-after-2024-nba-all-star-break" rel="noopener">For the Blazers</a>, Anfernee Simons led the way with 26 points while forward Jerami Grant added 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists.</p><p>On the other corner, Jimmy Butler paced Miami with 22 points, nine assists and four steals.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-local-tv-viewership-down-nba-worst-49" rel="noopener">The Blazers look</a> to end their losing streak when they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Deandre Ayton’s scary injury gets crucial update from Blazers HC Chauncey Billups

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-deandre-ayton-tardiness-tantrums-the-athletic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Former Suns center Deandre Ayton criticized for…tardiness and tantrums, per report');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/nba-rumors-deandre-aytons-blazers-future-uncertain-amid-tardiness-and-tantrums.webp"></figure><h1>Former Suns center Deandre Ayton criticized for…tardiness and tantrums, per report</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-10T13:02:00-08:00">February 10th, 1:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-10T13:02:00-08:00">February 10th, 1:02pm</time><address><a>Trevor Booth</a>Trevor Booth is a beat writer covering the Phoenix Suns, in addition to working as an associate editor. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports journalism from Arizona State University in 2021. Booth is passionate about his faith, video games, sports with friends and making the most of his time with his girlfriend when he's not working.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Deandre Ayton is the epitome of a hypocrite.</p><p>Ayton was shipped to Portland, where he said he desired to be, and is still struggling with employee concerns of his heart and desire to win basketball games.</p><p>Ayton is averaging just 13.8 points — well below his average of 16.7 for his career and 18.0 with the Suns in 2022-23. He is also playing with a team that is guard-dominant and not running through him on offense.</p><p>“Although his play has spiked for the better in the past month, his first months in Portland were defined by tardiness and tantrums, according to team sources,” <a href="https://theathletic.com/5262507/2024/02/09/trail-blazers-trade-deadline/?source=user_shared_article&amp;access_token=12902765" rel="noopener">wrote</a> The Athletic’s Jason Quick.</p><p>Quick’s story did not specifically mention a game he missed because of ice at his house, although each one of his teammates were able to make the game despite the weather conditions.</p><p>Ayton is a child. He built arguments with coach Monty Williams and teammates, yet he seemed to be open to walking out of Arizona, a home state since he moved from The Bahamas, even though coach Frank Vogel stated publicly in the media his intention to make Ayton a restored All-Star talent.</p><p>“I thank them for handling it the way they handled it, and just accommodating to my wishes,” Ayton said.</p><p>What wishes, Deandre? The one where a coach asked you to be more of a force, and you decided to go somewhere else to be “DominAyton?”</p><p>The Phoenix Suns play the Golden State Warriors tonight at 6:30 p.m. AZ time. The game will be televised by ESPN.</p><p>Ayton is averaging slightly better numbers than Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, who has been praised as a teammate, which Ayton was not. Nurkic is averaging 12.0 points and 10.2 rebounds while shooting 51.8 percent.</p><p>The Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-royce-oneale-nets-grizzlies-multi-team-deal" rel="noopener">are 31-21 and rising in the West standings</a> while Ayton and Portland are 14th in the conference.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Former Suns center Deandre Ayton criticized for…tardiness and tantrums, per report

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-deandre-ayton-blazers-future-uncertain-amid-tardiness-tantrums');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton’s Blazers future uncertain amid ‘tardiness and tantrums’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/nba-rumors-deandre-aytons-blazers-future-uncertain-amid-tardiness-and-tantrums.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton’s Blazers future uncertain amid ‘tardiness and tantrums’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-09T12:59:58-08:00">February 9th, 12:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-09T12:59:58-08:00">February 9th, 12:59pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers made a minor move at the trade deadline, sending a heavily protected second round pick to the Boston Celtics for Dalano Banton, holding on to all of their rotation players.</p><p>While Blazers GM Joe Cronin made a good case for doing so on Friday, there have been <a href="https://theathletic.com/5262507/2024/02/09/trail-blazers-trade-deadline/" rel="noopener">reports of issues</a> with starting center Deandre Ayton, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic:</p><p>“But I would have liked something bold. A trade of Deandre Ayton, for starters. Although his play has spiked for the better in the past month, his first months in Portland were defined by tardiness and tantrums according to team sources. And there has been an eerie resemblance to Hassan Whiteside, the former Blazers’ center whose statistics looked nice, but had little to no impact on a game. The quicker the Blazers can move off Ayton, the sooner I will believe this franchise is headed in the right direction.”</p><p>It’s true that Ayton has been playing better of late, averaging 19 points and 7.6 rebounds in his last seven games as the Blazers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-portland-effort-more-deandre-ayton" rel="noopener">make a concerted effort</a> to get him more involved. But the center has generally been underwhelming this season since coming from the Phoenix Suns as part of the multi-team Damian Lillard trade.</p><p>Ayton has also missed 17 games so far this season due to knee tendonitis, illness, and famously missing a game due to weather because he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-injury-return-botched-concerning-weather" rel="noopener">couldn’t get to the arena</a>. Though to be fair, anyone making fun of Ayton for missing that game hasn’t been to the West Hills area of Portland during an ice storm.</p><p>On the season, Ayton is averaging 13.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for the Blazers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Deandre Ayton’s Blazers future uncertain amid ‘tardiness and tantrums’

<!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>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-hilariously-loses-blazers-deandre-ayton-fake-of-century');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic hilariously loses Blazers’ Deandre Ayton with ‘fake of the century’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Nuggets_news__Nikola_Jokic_hilariously_loses_Blazers__Deandre_Ayton_with__fake_of_the_century__copy.webp"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic hilariously loses Blazers’ Deandre Ayton with ‘fake of the century’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-05T07:21:18-08:00">February 5th, 7:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-05T07:22:22-08:00">February 5th, 7:22am</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sportswriter who is comfortable covering many different sports. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic has made a career out of defying expectations. From being a second-round draft pick to not exhibiting much outward athleticism, the 2023 NBA Finals MVP <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-notches-monster-triple-double-in-win-over-blazers" rel="noopener">continues to boggle minds</a> after all these years. He dug deep into his bag of tricks in the Denver Nuggets’ 112-103 win against the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday night.</p><p>During the second quarter, Jokic brilliantly <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1754331477972541621" rel="noopener">pulled out a pump fake</a> on center Deandre Ayton from beyond the 3-point line. And boy did the Blazers big man bite.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nikola Jokic’s pump fake had Deandre Ayton LOST 😂<a href="https://t.co/IdhKg5Pq5S">pic.twitter.com/IdhKg5Pq5S</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1754331477972541621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Serbian sensation continues to display supreme skill not typically associated with players of his frame, finishing the act of deception for a nice drive to the basket and a three-point play. He finished with 29 points (12-of-20 from the field), eight rebounds and seven assists. The usually hyper-scrutinized Ayton will be the butt of many jokes after staring at the rim waiting to see the trajectory of a shot that was never released, but he is just Joker’s latest victim.</p><p>Jokic is a true anomaly. Although teams are well-aware of the two-time MVP’s masterful court vision and awareness by now, they simply cannot figure him out. He can bury opponents in the low post, in the two-man game <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-jamal-murray-fires-stern-reminder-nba-after-all-star-snub" rel="noopener">with Jamal Murray</a> and as a playmaker. His perimeter prowess is often overlooked, however.</p><p>The 28-year-old averages nearly 35 percent shooting from 3-point range for his career, which is more-than respectable production for a modern center. It is a vitally important weapon in his lethal arsenal that forces defenders to spread out and be wary for a potential open look.</p><p>Unfortunately, Deandre Ayton was a bit too prepared for it. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets (35-16) get a few days off before visiting the Los Angeles Lakers (26-25) on Thursday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.4	10.0	1.4	0.9	0.9

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.4	10.0	1.4	0.9	0.9

Deandre Ayton news

Deandre
Ayton news