<!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/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-dennis-smith-jr-headlines-players-waived-dallas');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dennis Smith Jr. headlines players waived by Mavericks');   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/2025/06/Dennis-Smith-Jr-looks-on.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Dennis Smith Jr. headlines players waived by Mavericks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-17T14:42:35-07:00">October 17th, 2:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-17T14:42:35-07:00">October 17th, 2:42pm</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">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Dallas <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/realistic-mavericks-bold-prediction-2025-26-nba-season">Mavericks are getting ready to start</a> the regular season in about a week, which means they have to make some roster moves. <a href="https://x.com/joeymistretta_/status/1979276761352307187?s=46" rel="noopener">One of their moves</a> was waiving one of their former draft picks, according to Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints.</p><p>“The Mavericks announced they waived the following players today: Dalano Banton, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Dennis Smith Jr.,” Mistretta wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Smith was selected with the ninth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Since then, he’s played for the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, and Brooklyn Nets. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-dennis-smith-jr-returns-one-year-deal">Mavericks signed him to a one-year deal</a> this offseason, and it seemed like Smith was excited to be back where it all started for him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dennis Smith Jr. headlines players waived by Mavericks

<!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/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-pj-washington-dennis-smith-jr-dallas');   ga('set', 'title', 'PJ Washington welcomes Dennis Smith Jr. back to Mavericks with 3-word message');   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/2025/09/PJ-Washington-brings-the-ball-up-the-floor.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>PJ Washington welcomes Dennis Smith Jr. back to Mavericks with 3-word message</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-19T12:50:39-07:00">September 19th, 12:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-19T12:50:39-07:00">September 19th, 12:50pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-dennis-smith-jr-returns-one-year-deal">Dallas Mavericks and guard Dennis Smith Jr. reportedly agreed to a contract</a> on Tuesday. Shams Charania of ESPN <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1968804746048819503" rel="noopener">reported the news</a>. Smith began his NBA career in Dallas during the 2017-18 season, so the agreed upon contract represents a reunion between the Mavs and the veteran guard. After the news was announced, Mavericks forward PJ Washington welcomed Smith back to Dallas <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1969076117068763503" rel="noopener">with a post</a> on his Instagram Story.</p><p>“Welcome back family,” Washington wrote.</p><p>Washington, who has emerged as one of the leaders on the team, is seemingly excited for Smith’s return. The Mavericks feature plenty of star-power on the roster, but depth is also of the utmost importance.</p><p>Smith most recently appeared at the NBA level during the 2023-24 campaign with the Brooklyn Nets. He’s enjoyed some respectable seasons during his time in the league, but his future in the NBA was uncertain after not playing in the league this past season.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/1-mavericks-player-in-danger-of-losing-starting-job-in-2025-26-training-camp">Mavericks are currently preparing for training camp</a> and the preseason, where Smith will attempt to earn a role on the NBA team. He is eligible to play in the G League if he doesn’t make the 15-man roster. Either way, Smith gives the Mavs extra guard depth — something that will be especially important with Kyrie Irving not expected to return until January or February of 2026.</p><p>The Mavs will begin training camp in early October. Dallas’ roster is set for the most part, but there will be opportunities for certain players to try to earn spots with the team. Dennis Smith Jr. will be an intriguing player to follow throughout training camp and the preseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

PJ Washington welcomes Dennis Smith Jr. back to Mavericks with 3-word message

<!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/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-dennis-smith-jr-returns-one-year-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dennis Smith Jr. returns to Mavericks on one-year deal');   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/2025/09/Mavericks-guard-Dennis-Smith-Jr.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn</figcaption></figure><h1>Dennis Smith Jr. returns to Mavericks on one-year deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-18T16:57:28-07:00">September 18th, 4:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-18T16:57:28-07:00">September 18th, 4:57pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Dallas Mavericks are reuniting with veteran Dennis Smith Jr. — their No. 9 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. After spending half a season playing overseas, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-ex-mavericks-knicks-guard-dennis-smith-jr-set-to-attempt-nba-return">Smith Jr. was reportedly eyeing an NBA comeback</a>. He’s latched onto the Mavericks’ training camp roster with hopes of earning a roster spot ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.</p><p>Smith <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1968804746048819503" rel="noopener">agreed to a one-year deal</a> with the Mavericks, which was first revealed by ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>“Guard Dennis Smith Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Dallas Mavericks, agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management tells ESPN,” Charania reported. “Smith reunites with the franchise that drafted him No. 9 overall in 2017 and now he’ll compete in training camp in Dallas.”</p><p>As Kyrie Irving’s recovers from a torn ACL, the Mavericks added D’Angelo Russell to their backcourt, joining point guard Jaden Hardy, as two facilitators who will most likely take on increased roles in Irving’s absence.</p><p>Smith averaged 6.6 points on 43.5% shooting, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals for the Brooklyn Nets in 2023-24, his last season in the NBA. However, in order for Smith Jr. <a href="https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1968805061267526001" rel="noopener">to make the team</a>, the Mavs will have to either waive Brandon Williams or trade someone to make space, according to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel.</p><p>After a season and a half with the team that drafted him, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavs-news-it-would-be-a-major-surprise-if-dallas-doesnt-trade-dennis-smith-jr-soon">Smith Jr.’s trade to the Knicks felt inevitable</a> amid the team’s logjam at the point guard position between Jalen Brunson, Devin Harris, JJ Barea, and Luka Doncic in his rookie season. After Smith Jr. averaged a career-best 15.2 points and finished fifth for Rookie of the Year, he was traded to the Knicks mid-season. Dennis also played for the Detroit Pistons, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Charlotte Hornets.</p><h2><b>D’Angelo Russell makes bold admission ahead of Mavericks debut</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mavericks-DAngelo-Russell.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Mavericks veteran D’Angelo Russell is excited for his start with the Mavericks. Upon entering his 11th NBA season, Russell feels like he’s at his best ahead of his tenure with the Mavericks. As the team’s projected starting point guard settles into his new surroundings, he’s feeling stronger than ever, following his first decade in the association.</p><p>Russell <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59V8hkcaKbg" rel="noopener">explained his maturation over the years</a> via his Backyard Podcast w/D’Angelo Russell.</p><p>“I feel like I’m in my prime,” Russell said. “Like, I don’t feel old. I feel stronger, I feel wiser. I feel more careful.”</p><p>Russell and the Mavericks will begin their preseason schedule against the Thunder on October 6.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dennis Smith Jr. returns to Mavericks on one-year deal

<!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-standout-dennis-smith-jr-sponsors-hbcu-golf-tournament');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA standout Dennis Smith Jr. sponsors HBCU golf tournament');   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/2024/08/0NBA-standout-Dennis-Smith-Jr.-sponsors-HBCU-golf-tournament0.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA standout Dennis Smith Jr. sponsors HBCU golf tournament</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-17T17:20:36-07:00">August 17th, 5:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-17T17:20:36-07:00">August 17th, 5:20pm</time><address><a>Randall Barnes</a>Randall Barnes is a Fall 2019 Graduate of Fort Valley State University, an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) in Fort Valley, Georgia, where he majored in Media Studies. He is the Founder of HBCU Pulse, a multimedia outlet with the mission to tell the authentic stories of HBCU Life via traditional, digital and social media outlets to amplify our voice. He is also the host of HBCU Pulse Radio, which can be heard on SiriusXM Channel 142 HBCU Fridays at 5 p.m. EST and wherever you get your podcasts.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golf</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA standout Dennis Smith Jr. is paying it forward to an HBCU. Per a statement by Fayetteville State University athletics, the former 2017 Dallas Mavericks draftee <a href="https://hbcugameday.com/2024/08/17/dennis-smith-jr-sponsors-golf-tourney-for-hometown-hbcu/">will be the title sponsor</a> of the McDougal-Scurry Golf Tournament alongside the Two-Six project.</p><p>In a statement, Smith expressed his excitement to sponsor the tournament and his love for Fayetteville State University, saying, “Fayetteville State has always been a safe space for me. I’m thrilled to support this event and continue my partnership with the athletics department. It’s important for me to continue to support my hometown and home HBCU to give other athletes a safe space!”</p><p>Smith is certainly familiar with the institution, as a Fayetteville native. He attended Trinity Christian School for high school and was a standout player for the team. He eventually went on to play for North Carolina State University and was eventually drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. </p><p>Smith has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/players/ce400a58/dennis-smith-jr">had a adventurous NBA career</a>, playing for the Mavericks for two years before departing the squad. He’s had stints with the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Portland Trailblazers and Charlotte Hornets <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-dennis-smith-jrcontinued-absence-major-blow-brooklyn-defense">before concluding last season </a>with the Brooklyn Nets. </p><p>Grant Bennett, founder and president of The Two-Six Project, also spoke about being a title sponsor for the event, saying, “There is no better one than Fayetteville State. We grew up working out over here and playing our youth championship games here. Dennis still practices here. We definitely wanted to find a way to give back to home and do it in a way that supports the athletic program here that gives back to us in so many ways.”</p><p>Fayetteville State fields a competitive golf program, <a href="https://www.uncfsu.edu/fayetteville-state-university-captures-2023-ciaa-golf-championship">most recently winning</a> the 2023 CIAA Golf Championship. They finished the three rounds of the championship with a 54-hole total of 873 (+9), capturing their first championship since 2012. </p><p>The Broncos golf team also took home significant honors, as then-freshman Caden Hodges won the Championship’s Low Medalist Award, the Golfer of the Year, and the Rookie of the Year Awards. Meanwhile, head golf caoch John Cole was voted the Coach of the Year by the CIAA Golf Coaches’ and Sports Information Director’s Associations.</p><p>The McDougal-Scurry Golf Tournament is scheduled for Friday, September 6, at the Gates Four Golf and Country Club. The event is designed to raise funds for HBCU student-athlete scholarships and aims to unite golf fans, local companies, and community figures.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA standout Dennis Smith Jr. sponsors HBCU golf tournament

<!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', '/nets-news-dennis-smith-jr-hilarious-shares-woj-typo-almost-ruined-trade-deadline-day');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. hilariously shares how Woj ‘typo’ ruined his trade deadline day');   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/nets-news-dennis-smith-jrs-hilarious-reaction-to-woj-accidentally-tweeting-he-was-traded.webp"></figure><h1>Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. hilariously shares how Woj ‘typo’ ruined his trade deadline day</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-11T10:04:53-08:00">February 11th, 10:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-11T10:04:53-08:00">February 11th, 10:04am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There isn’t an NBA reporter busier on trade deadline day than ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The veteran insider has dominated the intel market over the last decade. However, the rush to break news on deadline day can lead to mix-ups, and Brooklyn Nets guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-dennis-smith-jr-reaction-woj-mistakenly-raptors-trade">Dennis Smith Jr. was caught in the crossfire</a> on Thursday.</p><p>Wojnarowski reported that Smith was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-nets-raptors-trade-spencer-dinwiddie-dennis-schroder">traded to the Toronto Raptors</a> alongside Spencer Dinwiddie in a deal for Dennis Schroder, only to correct the mistake minutes later and clarify that Smith was not involved in the deal, as Schroder was the only Dennis being traded. Smith, who has been part of two midseason trades during his NBA career, quickly <a href="https://twitter.com/Dennis1SmithJr/status/1755650702624354578" rel="noopener">showed his nerves</a> on Twitter after Wojnarowski’s clarification.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/Rtv4PZAB4P">pic.twitter.com/Rtv4PZAB4P</a></p><p>— Dennis Smith Jr. (@Dennis1SmithJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dennis1SmithJr/status/1755650702624354578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The seven-year NBA veteran recounted the experience of briefly thinking he was traded following Brooklyn’s 123-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.</p><p>“I got Woj tweets on, so all of his tweets come to my phone as soon as he tweets them on deadline day,” Smith said. “I see Spencer going there. I’m on FaceTime, and I see my name pop up. I’m like, ‘Hell nah!’ I click on it, and it says, ‘Dennis Smith Jr. traded to the Raptors.’ I had a knot in my stomach, I was sick!”</p><p>“I’m looking at my phone and it says [Nets assistant General Manager] Andy Birdsong. He’s calling me as I saw it. And I’ve been traded before mid-year so I’m like, ‘He’s gonna deliver the news.’ So I’m looking that thing like, ‘I’m not gonna answer this shit!’ Then I press answer and he’s like, ‘Nah! Nah! Nah! It’s a typo. You good. You staying here. Don’t worry.’ So I start hitting everyone up and telling them, ‘That’s cap! I ain’t going nowhere!”</p><p>Smith said his phone was “blowing up” after the fake report.</p><p>“I ain’t even get no pregame nap that day,” he said. “I was sick. I went outside and took a little walk to try to decompress. It was crazy.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dennis Smith Jr. reacts to Woj accidentally tweeting that the Nets traded him:</p><p>“I got Woj tweets as alerts on my phone… I see my name pop up and I’m like, ‘Hell nah!’… My phones blowing up. I ain’t even get no pregame nap that day. I was sick.”</p><p>😂😂😂😂 <a href="https://t.co/emNVjw0qaZ">pic.twitter.com/emNVjw0qaZ</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1756502175679754419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Smith drew laughs from the room full of reporters and strolled off the podium with a smile. He returned to the Nets locker room, where he’ll remain for the rest of the season.</p><p>The offseason minimum signing has been productive as a sparkplug off the bench this season, averaging 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals in 20.2 minutes per game. Brooklyn’s new-look Dennis-Dennis backcourt featuring Schroder and Smith <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-dennis-schroder-draws-major-praise-spurs-blowout-debut">showed promising results</a> in its first appearance Saturday.</p><p>Schroder posted 15 points and 12 assists on 6-of-13 shooting, becoming the fourth player in Nets franchise history to record a points-assists double-double during a debut, joining James Harden, Deron Williams, and Kelvin Ransey. Smith posted 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a block on 6-of-9 shooting on his way to a plus-18 in 24 minutes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. hilariously shares how Woj ‘typo’ ruined his trade deadline day

<!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', '/nets-news-dennis-smith-jr-reaction-woj-mistakenly-raptors-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets: Dennis Smith Jr.’s hilarious reaction to Woj mistakenly reporting him in Raptors trade');   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/Dennis_Smith_Jr._s_hilarious_reaction_to_Woj_mistakenly_reporting_him_in_Raptors_trade.webp"></figure><h1>Nets: Dennis Smith Jr.’s hilarious reaction to Woj mistakenly reporting him in Raptors trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-08T12:11:11-08:00">February 8th, 12:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-08T12:28:16-08:00">February 8th, 12:28pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets made a couple of trades ahead of the deadline on Thursday. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-dennis-schroder-nets-spencer-dinwiddie-trade-deadline-deal" rel="noopener">Nets sent Spencer Dinwiddie</a> to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Dennis Schroder and then sent Royce O’Neale to the Phoenix Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-royce-oneale-nets-grizzlies-multi-team-deal" rel="noopener">for more draft picks</a>. Dennis Smith Jr.’s name was mentioned in the initial report by Adrian Wojnarowski, although it was later taken out.</p><p>Smith himself had a <a href="https://twitter.com/Dennis1SmithJr/status/1755650702624354578?s=20" rel="noopener">hilarious reaction</a> to his name being included in Woj’s tweet:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/Rtv4PZAB4P">pic.twitter.com/Rtv4PZAB4P</a></p><p>— Dennis Smith Jr. (@Dennis1SmithJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dennis1SmithJr/status/1755650702624354578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Despite Woj initially saying Smith was going to Toronto, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-nets-raptors-trade-spencer-dinwiddie-dennis-schroder" rel="noopener">package turned out</a> to be Dinwiddie going to the Raptors in exchange for Schroder and veteran Thaddeus Young.</p><p>Smith has played a reserve role for the Nets, appearing in 34 games and averaging just 7.3 PPG in 19 minutes per contest. He has bounced around the league quite a bit since being drafted No. 9 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in 2017. Smith has played for six different teams and is in his first season with the Nets.</p><p>The Nets are 20-30 entering Thursday’s game and are outside of the playoff race, although things can change over the next few weeks. Still, they made a series of moves at the deadline.</p><p>The good news for Dennis Smith Jr. is that he was not included in the deal involving Dinwiddie, contrary to the initial report from the tweet by Adrian Wojnarowski. With the NBA trade deadline officially over, it looks like Dennis Smith Jr. will be staying in Brooklyn for now, although he could still get released and sent to the buyout market.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets: Dennis Smith Jr.’s hilarious reaction to Woj mistakenly reporting him in Raptors trade

<!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', '/knicks-news-josh-hart-goes-full-nsfw-about-making-dennis-smith-jr-pay-for-flexing-thought-st-was-sweet');   ga('set', 'title', 'Knicks’ Josh Hart goes full NSFW about making Dennis Smith Jr. pay for flexing');   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/2024/01/Knicks-Josh-Hart-goes-full-NSFW-about-making-Dennis-Smith-Jr.-pay-for-flexing.webp"></figure><h1>Knicks’ Josh Hart goes full NSFW about making Dennis Smith Jr. pay for flexing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-24T05:47:30-08:00">January 24th, 5:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-24T05:47:30-08:00">January 24th, 5:47am</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>The Brooklyn Nets, coming off a rough choke job on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-josh-hart-mikal-bridges-recruitment-not-fun-comment-new-york-fans" rel="noopener">played a nip-and-tuck affair</a> on Tuesday against the New York Knicks to kick off Rivals Week. Backup point guard Dennis Smith Jr. played a huge part in giving the Nets some much-needed energy. He was active on defense, and he was fearless in getting to the rim. On one play in the second quarter, with the Nets down by two, 46-44, Smith converted a tough contested layup, outmuscling Josh Hart and flexing on him after the play.</p><p>This play, however, ended up being burned on Hart’s head. With the game tied at 101 with around a minute left in the contest, Hart <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/24/sports/julius-randles-tunnel-vision-slam-fuel-knicks-turnaround/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nypost_sitebuttons" rel="noopener">had his sweet revenge</a> on Smith, blocking the Nets guard’s  with Julius Randle punctuating the sequence with a dunk to take a lead that the Knicks wouldn’t relinquish in a 108-103 victory.</p><p>Josh Hart, following the game, seemed none too pleased that Dennis Smith Jr. thought he would get the Knicks guard twice. He made sure that lightning would not strike twice for Smith, who may have been encouraged to take on Hart at the rim due to his prior success.</p><p>“I knew that he had that against me and flexed a little bit. So I figured he’d probably go to the basket because he thought s**t was sweet. So luckily I was able to get a piece of it,” Hart said in his postgame presser, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.</p><p>That was a golden opportunity for the Nets to take the lead at such a crucial juncture in the game, but Josh Hart and the rest of the Knicks defense was not having it. After Hart’s vengeful block on Smith, OG Anunoby also swatted a go-ahead attempt from Cam Johnson. Hart then saved the ball from going out of bounds, leading to a Julius Randle leak out dunk.</p><p>This victory is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-julius-randle-drops-truth-bomb-leading-ny-jalen-brunson-dramatic-win-nets" rel="noopener">extra sweet for the Knicks</a>, as it’s always a point of pride for them to assert themselves as the better team in the state. The Nets are fading fast in the Eastern Conference standings, which should put an even bigger smile on Knicks fans’ faces.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Knicks’ Josh Hart goes full NSFW about making Dennis Smith Jr. pay for flexing

<!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', '/nets-news-dennis-smith-jrcontinued-absence-major-blow-brooklyn-defense');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dennis Smith Jr.’s continued absence a major blow to Nets defense');   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/2023/12/nets-news-dennis-smith-jrs-continued-absence-a-major-blow-to-brooklyns-defense.webp"></figure><h1>Dennis Smith Jr.’s continued absence a major blow to Nets defense</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-12-12T16:31:17-08:00">December 12th, 4:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-12-12T17:12:58-08:00">December 12th, 5:12pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets have <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2023-12-12_06PM.pdf" rel="noopener">officially ruled out</a> guard Dennis Smith Jr. for Wednesday’s road matchup with the Phoenix Suns. The absence will mark Smith’s third straight due to an upper back sprain.</p><p>After missing six games from Nov. 19-30 due to a lower back sprain, the offseason minimum signing was among Brooklyn’s most productive players during last week’s wins over the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks. Smith averaged 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals on 53 percent shooting during the pair of victories.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dennis Smith Jr. has been outstanding on both ends tonight. <a href="https://t.co/R8vlyIHm2u">pic.twitter.com/R8vlyIHm2u</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1732590701471289585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>His <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-dennis-smith-jr-s-perfect-reaction-to-comeback-vs-magic-proves-hes-100-savage" rel="noopener">tenacious point-of-attack defense</a> provided a major boost for a Nets unit that has performed well below expectations this season. Smith played the most significant role among Brooklyn’s defenders in slowing down Dejounte Murray and Trae Young during a last-second win at Atlanta.</p><p>With the first-year Net sidelined, Brooklyn’s defensive deficiencies were on full display during Monday’s 131-118 loss to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings set a franchise record with 25 made threes on 45 attempts. De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk combined for 5o points on 9-of-17 shooting from behind the arc.</p><p>Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn said Monday that Smith did not travel with the team for the Sacramento matchup, the first of a five-game West Coast trip.</p><p>Without Smith, the Nets will have their hands full defensively against Devin Booker at the point of attack. Bradley Beal is also expected to return to Phoenix’s lineup Tuesday vs. the Golden State Warriors and could be available against Brooklyn. Things won’t get any easier for the Nets’ backcourt from there, with matchups against Jamal Murray and Stephen Curry looming after the Suns showdown.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dennis Smith Jr.’s continued absence a major blow to Nets defense

<!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', '/nets-news-dennis-smith-jr-s-perfect-reaction-to-comeback-vs-magic-proves-hes-100-savage');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets: Dennis Smith Jr.’s perfect reaction to comeback vs Magic proves he’s 100% ‘savage’');   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/2023/12/Nets-news-Dennis-Smith-Jr.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets: Dennis Smith Jr.’s perfect reaction to comeback vs Magic proves he’s 100% ‘savage’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-12-02T19:31:19-08:00">December 2nd, 7:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-12-02T19:31:19-08:00">December 2nd, 7:31pm</time><address><a>Nick Meyer</a>Nick Meyer is a sports writer for ClutchPoints based in the Metro Detroit area. He has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the NFL, UFC, and College Football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets aren’t given the spotlight lately that they got when Kevin Durant was in town, but they are doing their best to please the hometown fans.</p><p>On Saturday, the Nets snapped the Orlando Magic’s <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/orl" rel="noopener">nine-game winning streak</a> with a 129-point explosion in the Empire State. The Nets got 42 points from Mikal Bridges and 22 points from Spencer Dinwiddie on the night.</p><p>The Nets also revealed information about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-rehab-plan-explained-after-concerning-injury-update" rel="noopener">Ben Simmons’ injury rehab plan</a>. Cam Thomas of the Nets revealed his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-cam-thomas-biggest-area-growth-must-improve-2023-24" rel="noopener">biggest area of growth</a> and what he must do to improve the rest of the season.</p><p>Smith, Jr. had 10 points and 11 rebounds along with six assists on the night.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"You missed the last 6 games, you come out here and was that energy that this team needed on both ends of the floor. How were you able to do that?"</p><p>Dennis Smith Jr: "I'm a savage." </p><p>😅🔥<a href="https://t.co/TocNesYvTk">pic.twitter.com/TocNesYvTk</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1731142982940962870?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“First time in the building this season. Glad I got to see some Dennis Smith Jr run. He’s got to be in the rotation,” one fan espoused on X after the game.</p><p>“Dennis Smith Jr. would help this Bucks team a lot,” an adoring fan of another team added.</p><p>“He’s really doing the things that separate guys from being good to being great,” Dennis Smith Jr. added about Nets teammate Mikal Bridges.</p><p>Smith Jr. played the role of floor general on the evening. He stuffed the stat sheet and made Nets fans happy during what looked like a daunting challenge heading into the game against Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and a surging Orlando team.</p><p>The Nets signed Smith Jr., an unrestricted free agent at the time, to <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2023/7/1/23780997/signed-dennis-smith-jr-joining-nets-on-one-year-deal-per-shams" rel="noopener">a one-year contract</a> prior to the season, and the former Dallas Mavericks top ten overall pick is doing everything in his power to make it look like a good decision lately.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dennis Smith Jr. in the win over ORL:</p><p>10 PTS<br>11 REB<br>6 AST<br>2 STL<br>1 BLK</p><p>..in 21 MP</p><p>It’s just the second time in NBA history a player has put up at least 10-10-5-2-1 in under 22 minutes</p><p>It was DSJ’s first game back after missing the last six with a lower back sprain<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NetsWorld</a> <a href="https://t.co/4dw3U8NVWG">pic.twitter.com/4dw3U8NVWG</a></p><p>— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UsherNBA/status/1731141410429038980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets: Dennis Smith Jr.’s perfect reaction to comeback vs Magic proves he’s 100% ‘savage’

<!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', '/nets-news-brooklyn-injury-woes-continue-with-surprise-dennis-smith-jr-absence');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ injury woes continue with surprise Dennis Smith Jr. absence');   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/2023/11/Brooklyn_s-injury-woes-continue-with-surprise-Dennis-Smith-Jr.-absence.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets’ injury woes continue with surprise Dennis Smith Jr. absence</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-11-19T12:42:44-08:00">November 19th, 12:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-11-19T12:44:22-08:00">November 19th, 12:44pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets have been plagued by injuries early this season, with Cam Thomas, Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, and Cam Johnson all missing extended time. Those injury woes continued Sunday, with the team ruling out guard Dennis Smith Jr. ahead of their matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.</p><p>The Nets listed Smith as questionable with lower back soreness on Saturday’s initial injury report. They downgraded him to out shortly before tip-off Sunday, changing the 25-year-old’s status to a lower back sprain.</p><p>“He practiced yesterday. It wasn’t a tough practice, but he reported that it just wasn’t feeling right after,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said pregame. “So he got some treatment at night and tried to come in (so we could) assess him this morning. He tried to go through a little bit of warm-up and see if he could play. We’re technically diagnosing (his injury) as a sprain. He will not play today.”</p><h2><b>Dennis Smith Jr.’s Nets impact</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Brooklyn-signs-former-lottery-pick-to-one-year-deal.jpg"></figure><p>Smith signed with Brooklyn for the minimum after revitalizing his career as one of the NBA’s top point-of-attack defenders with Charlotte last season. The 6-foot-3 guard ranked in the 99th percentile for defensive estimated plus-minus in 2022-23, per dunksandthrees.com.</p><p>His high-level defense has carried over to Brooklyn’s backcourt early this year. Smith <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-overall?PlayerPosition=G&amp;PerMode=Totals" rel="noopener">is allowing</a> the second-lowest defended field goal percentage among all NBA guards (minimum 35 shots defended).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">DEFENSE CREATING OFFENSE</p><p>LOVE TO SEE IT <a href="https://t.co/dtqA1kV02n">pic.twitter.com/dtqA1kV02n</a></p><p>— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1722441782888186132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>However, as in Charlotte, his offensive game has left much to be desired. He’s averaging 5.8 points and 3.0 assists on 39.7 percent shooting. While Smith offers ball handling in the absence of Simmons and Thomas, his lack of an outside shot (23.6 percent from three on 1.5 attempts per game over his last three seasons) neutralizes him as a pick-and-roll and spot-up threat.</p><p>If Dennis Smith Jr. is to miss extended time, Lonnie Walker IV should be in line for added work. The 24-year-old <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-lonnie-walker-iv-reveals-reason-league-leading-stat-breakout" rel="noopener">is off to</a> the best start to a season of his career, averaging 15.7 points per game on 51/44/77 shooting splits. Trendon Watford is another option to receive extended minutes as a ball handler off the bench.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ injury woes continue with surprise Dennis Smith Jr. absence

<!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', '/nets-news-spencer-dinwiddie-dennis-smith-jr-reveal-injury-status-in-season-tournament');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie, Dennis Smith Jr. reveal injury status for in-season tournament game vs. Bulls');   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/2023/11/Spencer-Dinwiddie-and-Dennis-Smith-J.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie, Dennis Smith Jr. reveal injury status for in-season tournament game vs. Bulls</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-11-03T10:05:17-07:00">November 3rd, 10:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-11-03T10:05:17-07:00">November 3rd, 10:05am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets are receiving reinforcements for their first in-season tournament game in franchise history. After missing Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dennis Smith Jr. will return for Friday’s road matchup with the Chicago Bulls.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-spencer-dinwiddie-versatility-new-role-unique-weapon-nets-2023-24-season" rel="noopener">Dinwiddie exited midway</a> through Brooklyn’s win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. Smith Jr. was able to finish the game after taking a hard fall but was noticeably hobbled. With the Nets already down Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson, both were ruled out for the road matchup with Miami.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-unlikely-brooklyn-mvp-armoni-brooks-stunned-reaction-to-historic-stat-after-comeback-win-over-heat" rel="noopener">Brooklyn’s bench stepped up</a> in Dinwiddie’s absence to secure a comeback win over the Heat, with two-way Armoni Brooks scoring 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from three and Trendon Watford posting 11 points, four rebounds and four assists in their Nets debuts. Lonnie Walker also posted 17 points and four assists on 8-of-11 shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>After scoring just five points in Brooklyn’s season-opening loss to Cleveland, Dinwiddie caught fire during a homecoming matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, posting 23 points and eight assists on 6-of-12 shooting from three. The 30-year-old played just 13 minutes against Charlotte before exiting with the ankle sprain.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">SPENCER'S COOKING RIGHT NOW <a href="https://t.co/KpMHoBm0V4">pic.twitter.com/KpMHoBm0V4</a></p><p>— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1718078910699581845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Smith Jr.’s best game came in the Nets’ season-opener when he posted 10 points and four rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting. He played 14 minutes during the win over Charlotte, posting three points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal on 1-of-4 shooting.</p><p>Ten players saw time during Brooklyn’s win over Miami. With Dinwiddie and Smith Jr. returning, head coach Jacque Vaughn will likely trim the rotation against Chicago.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie, Dennis Smith Jr. reveal injury status for in-season tournament game vs. Bulls

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <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', '/nets-news-dennis-smith-jr-playing-season-opener-vs-cavs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Is Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. playing in season opener vs. Cavs?');   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/2023/10/Nets-news-Is-Dennis-Smith-Jr.-playing-in-season-opener-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Is Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. playing in season opener vs. Cavs?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-10-25T09:32:59-07:00">October 25th, 9:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-10-25T09:34:01-07:00">October 25th, 9:34am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. Graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum. Keeping you up to date on everything Nets. Follow on Twitter below.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After missing the Brooklyn Nets’ final two preseason games <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-cam-johnson-dennis-smith-jr-jacque-vaughn-injury-updates-opening-night-approaching" rel="noopener">with an ankle sprain</a>, Dennis Smith Jr. is expected to play in Brooklyn’s season opener Wednesday vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers.</p><h2><b>Dennis Smith Jr.’s injury</b></h2><p>Smith was in a walking boot following the injury, which occurred while landing on a defender’s foot during Brooklyn’s Oct. 12 exhibition vs. Maccabi Ra’anana. However, he rejoined practice as a limited participant on Sunday and ramped up to a full participant on Tuesday.</p><h2><b>Dennis Smith Jr.’s role on Nets</b></h2><p>The former lottery pick signed with the Nets on a minimum contract this summer after playing last season in Charlotte. Dennis Smith Jr. emerged as one of the NBA’s top point-of-attack defenders last season, ranking in the 99th percentile in <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/epm" rel="noopener">defensive estimated plus-minus</a>, per dunksandthrees.com.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dennis smith Jr was one of the best defenders at any position this season and this didn’t come by any surprise if you really watched Dennis in detroit and Portland.</p><p>High IQ defender with excellent hands on that end and also brought a whole new energy on defense for the Hornets <a href="https://t.co/qMfyb1ax9z">https://t.co/qMfyb1ax9z</a> <a href="https://t.co/JLktNrWNyg">pic.twitter.com/JLktNrWNyg</a></p><p>— Pistons Draft Talk (@PDTScouting) <a href="https://twitter.com/PDTScouting/status/1656023985056882718?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>That tenacious defense caught the Nets’ eye, so much so that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-dennis-smith-jr-ready-role-brooklyn-defensive-resurgence">they told</a> Smith he was “a priority” ahead of free agency.</p><p>Brooklyn is incorporating more drop coverage against the pick-and-roll this season, a change aimed at improving their 28th-ranked defensive rebounding. The coverage places a huge premium on screen navigation, an area Smith excelled with the Hornets. That skill played a role in the 24-year-old’s recruitment, with the guard emphasizing his defensive versatility to head coach Jacque Vaughn during his free agency meeting.</p><p>“I explained to him that I see that your scheme is a switching thing, but that’s what makes me unique on defense. I can get through ball screens and navigate and things like that,” Smith said during training camp.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dennis Smith Jr. said he emphasized his ability to play different defensive schemes to Jacque Vaughn during his free agency meeting:</p><p>"I watched them a lot and I know Nic Claxton is great, Mikal's a great defender, Cam and Doe are really good defenders. I'm explaining to him that… <a href="https://t.co/er1xcCvYfM">pic.twitter.com/er1xcCvYfM</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1710364416594559432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Offensively, Smith’s lack of a three-point shot is cause for concern at 21.7 percent on 1.5 attempts per game over his last two seasons, especially given Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton’s presence in the rotation as non-shooters. He will need to be an overwhelming positive defensively, creating turnovers and running the floor in transition to compensate for his limitations as a floor spacer in the half-court offense.</p><p>Dennis Smith Jr. joins a Nets backcourt rotation that includes Ben Simmons, Spencer Dinwiddie and Cam Thomas ahead of opening night against the Cavs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Is Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. playing in season opener vs. Cavs?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <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', '/nets-news-cam-johnson-dennis-smith-jr-jacque-vaughn-injury-updates-opening-night-approaching');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Cam Johnson, Dennis Smith Jr. get injury updates with opening night approaching');   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/2023/10/Cam-Johnson-Dennis-Smith-Jr.-get-Jacque-Vaughn-injury-update-with-opening-night-approaching.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Cam Johnson, Dennis Smith Jr. get injury updates with opening night approaching</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-10-15T08:44:40-07:00">October 15th, 8:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-10-15T08:45:23-07:00">October 15th, 8:45am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. Graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum. Keeping you up to date on everything Nets. Follow on Twitter below.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets have yet to get a look at their new-look starting five through two preseason games. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-cameron-johnson-hamstring-injury-training-camp" rel="noopener">After straining his hamstring</a> days before training camp, Cam Johnson has been held out of training camp thus far.</p><p>Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn is optimistic that the 6-foot-8 sharpshooter could join practice next week. However, Vaughn wouldn’t commit to Johnson appearing in one of Brooklyn’s two remaining preseason games, as the team wants to ensure he’s ready for opening night Oct. 25 vs. Cleveland.</p><p>“I’m gonna be extremely cautious,” Vaughn said of Johnson at Saturday’s Practice in the Park. “I’d rather have him available that first game versus Cleveland than try to speed him along and play him in a preseason game. But no setbacks, which is good. He’s heading in the right direction.”</p><p>Johnson, Brooklyn’s top three-point shooter, is a crucial piece of the Nets’ starting unit as they attempt to create sufficient spacing around <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-preseason-debut-positive-return" rel="noopener">Ben Simmons</a> and Nic Claxton. The 28-year-old is a career 39.3 percent shooter from deep on 5.6 attempts per game. Johnson also flashed a growing repertoire as an on-ball creator after stepping into an expanded role with Brooklyn late last season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">HAVE A HALF, CAM JOHNSON.</p><p>22 points (Playoff career-high)<br>4 threes<br>9/13 FG</p><p>📺: TNT | Game 2 | PHI Leads 1-0<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> presented by Google Pixel <a href="https://t.co/e8smk0R9tm">pic.twitter.com/e8smk0R9tm</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1648125556205006848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Vaughn didn’t sound as optimistic about Dennis Smith Jr., who was in a walking boot after turning his ankle in Thursday’s preseason win. The coach said the free-agent acquisition will be out for at least a week.</p><p>“We’re being precautionary with the boot. It’s an ankle sprain. He’s got some bone bruising, so we’ll see what he looks like a week from now,” Vaughn said. “Luckily, I think no ligament damage, so we’ll take that.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">➡️ <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrooklynNets</a> HC Jacque Vaughn discusses today’s event at <a href="https://twitter.com/barclayscenter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@barclayscenter</a>, provides team injury updates, along with so much more.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NETSonYES?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NETSonYES</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NetsWorld</a> <a href="https://t.co/jYlkWMCROo">pic.twitter.com/jYlkWMCROo</a></p><p>— YES Network (@YESNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/YESNetwork/status/1713277060464926965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Smith was expected to man the point with Brooklyn’s second unit after signing for the minimum this offseason. The former lottery pick revitalized his career last season with Charlotte, establishing himself as one of the NBA’s top point-of-attack defenders.</p><p>Beyond that, Lonnie Walker IV practiced in full Saturday after suffering a right wrist contusion Thursday. Nic Claxton (glute) and Day’Ron Sharpe (ankle) are day-to-day after missing Thursday’s game.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Cam Johnson, Dennis Smith Jr. get injury updates with opening night approaching

<!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', '/dennis-smith-jr-matchup-vs-tyler-herro-miami-pro-league-will-have-nets-fans-hyped');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dennis Smith Jr.’s matchup vs.Tyler Herro in Miami Pro League will have Nets fans hyped');   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/2023/08/Smith-Jr.jpg"></figure><h1>Dennis Smith Jr.’s matchup vs.Tyler Herro in Miami Pro League will have Nets fans hyped</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-08-13T17:12:05-07:00">August 13th, 5:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-08-13T17:12:05-07:00">August 13th, 5:12pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For NBA fans looking for their basketball fix in the offseason, they have a couple of options. This summer specifically has the FIBA World Cup set to begin at the end of the month <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/fiba-world-cup-news-intense-team-usa-vs-spain-exhibition-has-fans-hyped" rel="noopener">with friendly scrimmages</a> leading up to the start of the event. There is of course the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas held over a two month period in July. But there is also the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jonathan-kumingas-epic-performance-at-the-crawsover-will-have-golden-state-fans-hyped" rel="noopener">various summer pro-am leagues</a> across the country. These pro-ams give fans who might not be able to afford tickets to an NBA game, the opportunity to see some of their favorite NBA players up close. Recently, new Brooklyn Nets point guard Dennis Smith Jr. found himself matched up against Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro at the Miami Pro League. Smith <a href="https://x.com/brooklynnetcast/status/1690533351977873409?s=61&amp;t=TZ_l9NemhwIAfOmcns4-kw" rel="noopener">put the defensive clamps</a> on Herro in this particular game.</p><p>https://x.com/brooklynnetcast/status/1690533351977873409?s=61&amp;t=TZ_l9NemhwIAfOmcns4-kw</p><p>While pro-ams like the Miami Pro League don’t always include much defense, Nets fans will certainly be excited about watching this particular clip of Dennis Smith Jr. against Tyler Herro. Smith was signed as a free agent this offseason by the Nets after he had a resurgent season with the Charlotte Hornets.</p><p>Smith suited up in 54 games for the Hornets last season, including 15 starts, in a little over 25 minutes per game. He averaged 8.8 points per game, 3.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals with splits of 41.2 percent shooting from the field, 21.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 73.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Smith was able to revive his NBA career and was one of the better backup point guards on the free agent market.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dennis Smith Jr.’s matchup vs.Tyler Herro in Miami Pro League will have Nets fans hyped

<!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', '/nets-dennis-smith-jr-ready-role-brooklyn-defensive-resurgence');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dennis Smith Jr. ready to carve out role with Nets after defensive resurgence');   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/2023/07/nets-news-dennis-smith-jr-ready-to-carve-out-role-in-brooklyn-following-defensive-resurgence.jpg"></figure><h1>Dennis Smith Jr. ready to carve out role with Nets after defensive resurgence</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-10T12:57:30-07:00">July 10th, 12:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-10T12:59:52-07:00">July 10th, 12:59pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. Graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum. Keeping you up to date on everything Nets. Follow on Twitter below.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dennis Smith Jr. found perspective in his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hornets-news-dennis-smith-jr-breaks-silence-beating-luka-doncic-mavs-twice" rel="noopener">second-chance stint</a> with the Charlotte Hornets in 2022-23, a season that may have resurrected his career. He’s continuing his newfound opportunity with the Brooklyn Nets after signing for the minimum. And the former lottery pick is bullish on his fit with Brooklyn’s new-look roster.</p><p>“I just thought it was hand and glove fit,” Smith Jr. said Sunday while watching the Nets play at Summer League. “As soon as free agency opened, the Nets were the first call I got. It was communicated to me that I was a priority.”</p><p>“The direction they were trying to go in was also on the same trajectory that I am in my career. Being able to play with this staff and the players they put out there, I could maximize my game.”</p><p>Spencer Dinwiddie will lead the Nets’ backcourt after re-joining the team at last year’s trade deadline. Edmond Sumner’s 2023-24 outlook is in question after Brooklyn pushed back the guarantee date of his contract to July 15. And despite their glaring need for scoring following Kevin Durant’s and Kyrie Irving’s departures last season, Cam Thomas could not crack the rotation post-trade deadline.</p><h2><b>Dennis Smith Jr. and the Nets</b></h2><p>That opportunity caught Smith Jr.’s eye ahead of free agency.</p><p>“I had thought about (the opportunity in the backcourt) a couple of weeks before I had a call with them. So my excitement was matching theirs whenever they were on a call with me,” he said. “It was a place I could see myself at and it worked out perfectly.”</p><p>“I’m going to have to come in and earn my minutes like everybody else. That’s on par with my brand. Ain’t nothing been given to me. So I’m looking forward to that.”</p><p>Smith Jr., the ninth overall pick by the Mavericks in 2017, entered the league as a high-flying offensive talent. Things didn’t work out in Dallas, and he was traded to the Knicks in a package for Kristaps Porzingis. His shooting struggles and injuries continued in New York, nearly ending his career.</p><p>However, a second chance in Charlotte last year saw the 25-year-old focus his athletic prowess on impacting the game defensively, a development that opened a new role for him in the NBA.</p><p>“It actually started a little bit before Charlotte. It’s a lot of film study. And actually just having my minutes taken away from me, just trying to figure out different ways to get on the court, impact the game whenever my role decreased.”</p><p>“So a lot of film study, studying those guys that are really good at it; Jrue Holliday, Avery Bradley, just to name a few. Chris Paul in his prime, like, he was really, really good defensively. I started studying those guys and picking up little things from each one of them and added them to my game… I checked my ego at the door and it’s worked out for me.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dennis Smith Jr.'s disruptive defense has gotten the Hornets back into this one. <a href="https://t.co/OcrxQ7ZnPi">pic.twitter.com/OcrxQ7ZnPi</a></p><p>— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephNoh/status/1587254163846594560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The top Point of Attack Defenders in our defensive impact metric D-LEBRON this season:</p><p>+2.31: Alex Caruso<br>+1.60: Jevon Carter<br>+1.35: De'Anthony Melton<br>+1.32: Dennis Smith Jr.<br>+1.32: Derrick White<br>+1.12: Jaden McDaniels<br>+1.10: Josh Hart<br>+1.09: Dillon Brooks</p><p>POA Role Explainer ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/OeTlQjyBv7">pic.twitter.com/OeTlQjyBv7</a></p><p>— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_BBall_Index/status/1614732136065499140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Smith Jr. joins a Nets roster full of versatile defenders in Nic Claxton, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale and Cam Johnson. That squad’s defensive capabilities were a draw, although Smith Jr. was cautious of bold predictions given his familiarity with New York.</p><p>“I’m not going to make bold claims because I know how y’all do in NY,” he said with a laugh. “I think we could be a really, really good defensive team. We got all the pieces in place for it. I think coach is on board with it as well. So I’m looking forward to getting there.”</p><p>“Just a whole bunch of guys that can play both ways… That’s why the choice was kind of easy for me. Like I said, everything that they have going on with the guys they have was just on brand with how I see the game and how I want to play.”</p><p>Offensively, Smith Jr. averaged 8.8 points and 4.8 assists on 41 percent shooting in 25.7 minutes per game last season. He continued to struggle as a shooter, converting at a 21.6 percent clip on 2.1 three-point attempts per game last season. However, he is an aggressive slasher who can provide some much-needed rim pressure for the Nets, who <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/shooting?DistanceRange=By%20Zone&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=Restricted%20Area%20FGA" rel="noopener">attempted the second-fewest</a> shots at the rim in the league last season, per NBA.com.</p><p>That aggression attacking the paint, along with Smith Jr.’s defensive prowess, are qualities that general manager Sean Marks emphasized when speaking about his newest signing.</p><p>“You look at Dennis and you look at the course of his career, and he’s had a couple of setbacks here and there, and he’s a fighter. You’ve seen him come back, you’ve seen the competitive spirit. I love seeing that there’s a chip on his shoulder, a very clear chip on his shoulder. And we’ve talked over the years about finding guys who have something to prove, and continually want to build on themselves and Dennis is exactly that,” Marks said.</p><p>“You know what he brings on the court, his defensive prowess, you see how he’s never shied away from anything. I mean, he’s an elite defender. He can touch the paint offensively, he’s a great athlete. So you know, we’re bringing another person in there that fits our timeline. He’s young, chip on his shoulder and something to prove, which would be great for this group.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.6	2.9	3.6	0.2	1.2

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.6	2.9	3.6	0.2	1.2

Dennis Smith news

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