<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-elfrid-payton-decision-amid-mccollum-murray-injury-returns');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans make Elfrid Payton decision amid CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray injury returns');   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/2024/12/NOLA-makes-Elfrid-Payton-decision-amid-CJ-McCollum-Dejounte-Murray-injury-returns.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans make Elfrid Payton decision amid CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray injury returns</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-03T14:44:12-08:00">December 3rd, 2:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-03T14:44:39-08:00">December 3rd, 2:44pm</time><address><a>Kris Pursiainen</a>Kris Pursiainen is an Associate Editor for all sports based in the NJ/NYC area. Kris brings several years of experience reporting on and writing about professional teams to the table. With experience all over the country as a New York Knicks, New York Jets, New York Mets, Super Bowl LVIII, and Big East beat reporter, Kris has been breaking news and reporting on the NBA, NFL, MLB, and college basketball landscapes for years. Kris is a proud graduate of Fordham University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans’ injury woes are lightening up. This leaves the team with decisions to make regarding the players that stepped up in the absence of guards CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray. And in the case of Elfrid Payton, the decision from the team on Tuesday was to waive the veteran guard, <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1864062914811801839" rel="noopener">per ESPN’s Shams Charania</a>.</p><p>“The New Orleans Pelicans are waiving guard Elfrid Payton, sources tell ESPN,” Charania wrote. “Payton averaged 6.7 points, 6.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds in seven games for the Pelicans — including a 14-point, 21-assist performance on Nov. 25.”</p><p>The seven games in New Orleans were Payton’s first at the NBA level since the 2021-22 season, when he averaged 11.0 minutes per game for the Suns. The statement performance Charania alluded to came in the team’s 114-110 loss to the Indiana Pacers on November 25. Payton had <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-elfrid-payton-internet-buzzing-posting-assist-total-pacers">fans of all NBA teams buzzing on social media</a> with his resurgence.</p><h2><b>Payton’s departure from Pelicans marks potential turning point</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Elfrid-Payton-New-Orleans-Pelicans.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Payton did everything the Pelicans asked of him when they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-rewarded-elfrid-payton-years-long-resiliency-nba-return-john-ehret-university-louisiana">called him up from the G-League</a>. With several starting guards injured, he gave the team earnest veteran guard play. But with Murray and McCollum back from injuries, Payton’s role dwindled majorly. After playing only 17 minutes in the team’s 118-85 blowout loss to his former Knicks, the guard played just six minutes during Monday night’s 124-112 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.</p><p>It’s understandable for general manager David Griffin to waive Payton. It’s an acknowledgement that neither party is optimizing their time with the veteran sitting on the bench. But the team needs the move to mark an inflection point in its season.</p><p>The Pelicans are dead last in the Western Conference. They have lost nine straight games. As a result, they sit at 4-18 and have only won one game out of their last ten. The team is 1-11 on the road this season. The list goes on.</p><p>With Brandon Ingram <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-pelicans-brandon-ingram-intriguing-move-klutch-sports">apparently willing to jump ship in search of a new contract</a>, Griffin’s vision seems to have just been a mirage. Unless Willie Green and the Pelicans can turn things around now, the team is in danger of having its season become another full of disappointment.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans make Elfrid Payton decision amid CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray injury returns

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-elfrid-payton-internet-buzzing-posting-assist-total-pacers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Elfrid Payton has the internet buzzing after posting unreal assists total vs. Pacers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Elfrid-Payton-has-the-internet-buzzing-after-posting-unreal-assist-total-vsPacers.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Elfrid Payton has the internet buzzing after posting unreal assists total vs. Pacers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-26T08:14:48-08:00">November 26th, 8:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-26T08:14:48-08:00">November 26th, 8:14am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a long absence in the NBA, veteran point guard and former first-round pick Elfrid Payton is back in business in the league. And in just his third game since officially returning to the league <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-rewarded-elfrid-payton-years-long-resiliency-nba-return-john-ehret-university-louisiana">via a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans</a>, Payton managed to do something no other player so far in the 2024-25 NBA season has done.</p><p>On Monday night, Payton, who was selected 10th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers at the 2014 NBA draft, recorded a total of 21 assists against the Indiana Pacers. Those were the <a href="https://x.com/statmuse/status/1861233722948817023" rel="noopener">most dimes dropped by a player this season</a>.</p><p>Payton may have spent a long time away from the NBA before the Pelicans gave him a chance, but he’s never forgotten to set the table right for his teammates. He also had fans on social media buzzing over his unselfishness on the court, albeit in a 114-110 loss to the Pacers.</p><p>“Orlando Magic LEGEND,” <a href="https://x.com/playmaker/status/1861233819812041046" rel="noopener">commented</a> an X (formerly Twitter) user.</p><p>From <a href="https://x.com/siryungyul/status/1861237618156896557" rel="noopener">another commenter</a>: “Keep in mind he wasn’t in the league just a couple weeks ago. Glad Elfrid Payton is back in the league and balling out, I remember watching him during the Orlando Magic days. 14 points and 21 assists is insane. He always been a triple double threat”</p><p>“He decided to be magic johnson for no reason,” <a href="https://x.com/269Ray/status/1861237836868895151" rel="noopener">posted</a> a social media user.</p><p>“Great game from a great guy. He never should have waited 3 years for another nba contract,” a <a href="https://x.com/loynerlucas/status/1861234006659924232" rel="noopener">different comment</a> read.</p><p>One take <a href="https://x.com/BackbBanter/status/1861234737987121659" rel="noopener">read</a>: “This man just reappeared out of nowhere after 2 years to ball out for a week and will dissapear again”</p><p>“He wasn’t even on a roster 2 weeks ago and now he has the best assist game of the season. Insane,” <a href="https://x.com/BrysonWright3/status/1861234650749739064" rel="noopener">marveled</a> an X user.</p><h2><b>Elfrid Payton shines amid the Pelicans’ loss to Pacers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Elfrid-Payton-in-action-during-a-Pelicans-Pacers-game.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Payton’s assists total shadowed all the other good things he did on the floor against Indiana. Apart from his assists, the 30-year-old Payton also scored 14 points on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting from the field and grabbed seven rebounds. He had five turnovers but those were par for the course considering all the playmaking he did for his teammates.</p><p>The Pelicans decided to sign Payton to <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/15362/elfrid-payton" rel="noopener">a one-year deal worth $2.49 million</a> amid a rash of injuries. It will be interesting to see how big of a role he will have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-dejounte-murray-date-injury-return">once New Orleans gets a little healthier</a>, but what’s certain at the moment is that he’s been a fantastic pickup for the Pelicans, who are sporting a 4-14 record.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Elfrid Payton has the internet buzzing after posting unreal assists total vs. Pacers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-rewarded-elfrid-payton-years-long-resiliency-nba-return-john-ehret-university-louisiana');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Pelicans rewarded Elfrid Payton’s years-long ‘resiliency’ with NBA return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Why-Willie-Green-rewarded-Elfrid-Payton.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Pelicans rewarded Elfrid Payton’s years-long ‘resiliency’ with NBA return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-20T21:26:58-08:00">November 20th, 9:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-20T21:26:58-08:00">November 20th, 9:26pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a Memphis Grizzlies beat reporter for ClutchPoints who has also covered the New Orleans Pelicans. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-dejounte-murray-catch-possible-luxury-tax-break-amid-hand-fracture-injury">New Orleans Pelicans need bright spots and good news</a> wherever they can be found. There are few silver linings to be celebrated going into the holiday season considering the injuries to Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, and Brandon Ingram. Willie Green’s squad is mostly sitting on the sidelines, waiting to be cleared for action by the medical staff. Fortunately, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-new-orleans-reunites-with-former-lottery-pick">Pelicans found a serviceable backup</a> right around the corner from the Smoothie King Center in Elfrid Payton.</p><p>Where can a coach start when it comes to addressing a 128-100 blowout on the road when most of the team never suited up in a uniform? Highlighting local talent that represents the best of what the region can offer is always a good look. Green went with Payton’s return to an NBA court in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUK2ncJ4LSg" rel="noopener">cooling-off post-game media session.</a></p><p>“Start with Elfrid. It’s been two seasons so we’re extremely proud of him for having the resiliency that it takes, the faith that it takes to stick with it,” Green explained. “I’m extremely grateful that (the Pelicans) could be in a position to get him back in the NBA. It’s actually where he belongs. (Payton) is an NBA point guard.”</p><p>“(Payton) was great, to have not played in an NBA game going on two seasons,” continued Green. “To be able to step on the floor and have such a command of the offense and control over what’s going on on the floor. He had some early turnovers. That’s rust but eight assists, finding guys on time and on target. He is a really good defender and can rebound. It was good to have him on the floor. We needed him.”</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Elfrid-Payton-Pelicans.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Payton’s presence around the team since training camp helped the newest point guard get on the same page with others rather quickly. Still, any team missing Williamson, Ingram, McCollum, Murray, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy III is going to have chemistry issues. Most of the preseason process was built around those foundational pieces after all.</p><p>So, sure, picking up things on the fly is bound to cause some headaches. Green is no stranger to early-season struggles though, and these trying times shall pass eventually.</p><p>“This is definitely difficult,” Green allowed. “It’s challenges involved in it. It’s hard but when you’re in adversity, when you are facing these difficult moments, for us it’s stay steady. Stay consistent and eventually, it turns. This makes us stronger. It’s hard to go through it. Nobody wants to go through the hard moments in life. But the only way to get through it is to get through it and we are. I’m super proud of our guys, how they’ve continued to stick together.”</p><p>Elfrid Payton stuck with his dream and it landed the University of Louisiana-Lafayette product with the hometown team. Amid a losing season, that is something any local fan can be proud of considering the circumstances.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Pelicans rewarded Elfrid Payton’s years-long ‘resiliency’ with NBA return

<!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-news-former-lottery-pick-elfrid-payton-eyes-comeback-attempt');   ga('set', 'title', 'Former lottery pick Elfrid Payton eyeing NBA comeback attempt');   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/2023/03/Former-lottery-pick-Elfrid-Payton-wants-to-make-comeback-attempt.jpg"></figure><h1>Former lottery pick Elfrid Payton eyeing NBA comeback attempt</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-25T12:24:07-07:00">March 25th, 12:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-25T12:24:07-07:00">March 25th, 12:24pm</time><address><a>Quenton Albertie</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Having started 397 of the 504 games that he’s played in since joining the NBA, nobody can blame 29-year-old <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-elfrid-paytons-mom-puts-new-york-on-blast-for-starting-derrick-rose-over-son" rel="noopener">Elfrid Payton</a> for wanting another shot at being in the NBA.</p><p>Currently playing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, a quality G League team affiliated with the Indiana Pacers, Payton has averaged 8.1 points, 6.0 assists, and 1.4 steals in 21.0 minutes per game.</p><p>Those numbers don’t particularly stick out for their volume. Instead, they highlight the steadiness of Payton. A player who simply plays his game.</p><p>Payton, speaking to AllPacers about <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/pacers/news/one-on-one-fort-wayne-mad-ants-guard-former-top-10-pick-elfrid-payton-indiana-pacers" rel="noopener">his desire to return</a> to the NBA, says that joining the Mad Ants “was something that [he] thought [he] could do to help [his] career.”</p><p>However, while “the ultimate goal is to get back into the NBA,” Payton hasn’t been speaking to any NBA teams about signing a contract.</p><p>“Maybe my agent [has],” Payton reveals.</p><p>“[I’ve] been talking to the GM down here. Stuff like that. That hasn’t really been my focus. I’m just enjoying the journey. Trying to get better every day. Trying to help these guys as much as I can, give them as much knowledge about the NBA and what’s expected, stuff like that.”</p><p>“I’m enjoying the journey just wherever this takes me, man.”</p><p>Drafted with the 10th overall pick in 2014, Payton has seen his fair share of ups and downs in the NBA.</p><p>At first, Payton’s career looked promising, with the University of Louisiana – Lafayette product making the All-Rookie team after averaging 8.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game for the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately for Payton, guards were being looked at to score and stretch defenses more than ever; his skillset started to be look outdated.</p><p>With the league less focused on finding a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-ayesha-curry-named-latest-appointees-under-potus-joe-biden" rel="noopener">Steph Curry</a> remake, now may be Payton’s best chance to make a comeback.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Former lottery pick Elfrid Payton eyeing NBA comeback attempt

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Elfrid Payton agrees to deal with Suns');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Elfrid-Payton-agrees-to-deal-with-Phoenix-2.jpeg"></figure><h1>Elfrid Payton agrees to deal with Suns</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-09T18:03:48-07:00">August 9th, 6:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-09T18:05:13-07:00">August 9th, 6:05pm</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 Phoenix Suns have brought back basically everybody from this past group that made their way to the NBA Finals before losing in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks. They brought back Chris Paul on a huge contract and brought back Cam Payne as well.</p><p>Well, the Suns didn’t stop there and are now bringing in another point guard. <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1424893058684915716">According to Shams Charania of The Athletic,</a> the Suns have agreed to a deal with Elfrid Payton.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Free agent guard Elfrid Payton has agreed to a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Stadium</a>.</p><p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1424893058684915716?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Payton <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-tom-thibodeau-explains-benching-elfrid-payton-derrick-rose/">spent last season</a> with the New York Knicks and was the starter for much of the season as Tom Thibodeau kept him in the lineup. Once the Knicks got Derrick Rose, Payton’s minutes began to decrease and the split became inevitable.</p><p>As NBA free agency has dried up, Payton now will head to the Suns and add another guard to their talented rotation that includes Paul, Payne, and Devin Booker, not to mention the remaining of their roster that is full of youth and talent.</p><p>The Suns should be pegged as one of the favorites in the Western Conference once again after a successful season, their first under head coach Monty Williams.</p><p>It is now official, and Payton is headed to the Suns.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Elfrid Payton agrees to deal with Suns

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau explains benching Elfrid Payton for Derrick Rose');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/knicks-news-tom-thibodeau-explains-benching-elfrid-payton-for-derrick-rose.jpg"></figure><h1>Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau explains benching Elfrid Payton for Derrick Rose</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-05-30T08:17:14-07:00">May 30th, 8:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-05-30T08:18:15-07:00">May 30th, 8:18am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau finally pulled the plug on Elfrid Payton as the starting point guard in Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks, inserting Derrick Rose into the starting lineup. Thibodeau technically first made the move at halftime of Game 2 when he had Rose start the second half of that victory.</p><p>Thibs explained afterward why he made the decision:</p><blockquote>“You always have to do what you feel is best for your team,’’ Thibodeau said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/05/30/other-fallout-from-derrick-rose-becoming-knicks-starter/" rel="noopener">via New York Post Knicks beat writer Marc Berman.</a> “Sometimes it’s matchups. Elfrid’s a critical part of the team. He’s had a very good year for us. It’s just also, like, what we’re looking at, and what we think gives us our best chance right now.“We’ve asked everyone to sacrifice and put the team first, and he’s done that. We have great veteran leadership and guys have sacrificed a lot, whether it’s starting, not starting, shots, rotation, not rotation. But this team has been a very together team from start to finish.’’</blockquote><p>Payton’s mom <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-elfrid-paytons-mom-puts-new-york-on-blast-for-starting-derrick-rose-over-son/" rel="noopener">clearly wasn’t happy with the move</a>, but the guard has been scuffling for a long time. Rose stepped up to the plate in Game 3, going for 30 points in 39 minutes of action. Unfortunately, the veteran guard got no help in a 105-94 loss. With Rose in the starting lineup, as well as Taj Gibson with Nerlens Noel not totally 100%, the Knicks’ rotations were totally different. That’s something they’ll have to adjust to in Game 4 and beyond, assuming the lineup stays the same.</p><p>Of course, simply getting better performances from Julius Randle and RJ Barrett will go a long way toward New York having more success. Randle <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-derrick-rose-could-be-a-bad-julius-randle-game-away-from-exploding-on-his-team/" rel="noopener">has had a real rough go of it</a> in this series, and the Knicks won’t advance past the Hawks if their All-Star doesn’t step up to the plate.</p><p>Thibodeau finally made the right decision to make the change at point guard. Now the rest of the Knicks must get the job done.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau explains benching Elfrid Payton for Derrick Rose

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Elfrid Payton’s mom puts Knicks on blast for starting Derrick Rose over son');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/knicks-news-elfrid-paytons-mom-posts-cryptic-tweet-after-game-3-loss-vs-hawks.jpeg"></figure><h1>Elfrid Payton’s mom puts Knicks on blast for starting Derrick Rose over son</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-05-28T20:11:50-07:00">May 28th, 8:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-05-28T21:15:15-07:00">May 28th, 9:15pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Knicks made a lineup change ahead of Game 3 as Tom Thibodeau inserted Derrick Rose into the starting lineup, replacing Elfrid Payton. Rose has been fantastic, and frankly, should have been starting earlier.</p><p>However, Elfrid Payton’s mom <a href="https://twitter.com/danniep19/status/1398434792501354498?s=21">took to Twitter</a> after the Knicks’ Game 3 loss vs the Atlanta Hawks and was displeased with the decision.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">How that worked out for you! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProudMama?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#ProudMama</a> <a href="https://t.co/c8hNWvcQTA" target="_blank">https://t.co/c8hNWvcQTA</a></p><p>— DannieP (@DannieP19) <a href="https://twitter.com/DannieP19/status/1398434792501354498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">May 29, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The hashtag is perfect, and she is a #ProudMama. However, it’s tough to say that wasn’t the right move. In the first two games – ones which Payton started – the Knicks scored a combined 36 points in the 1st quarter. In Game 3, New York scored 31 in the 1st quarter, with Rose dropping 11 in the opening period alone. So, is it really because Payton wasn’t in the lineup?</p><p>Payton didn’t play a single minute in Game 3 but had totaled just over 13 minutes through the first pair of games for the Knicks with a combined stat line of one point and one assist.</p><p>Is it really because Payton didn’t start? Absolutely not, but the tweet itself is hilarious. As for the Knicks, they need to find a way to win Game 4 before they end up with a 3-1 deficit and on the brink of elimination as the series would then shift back to Madison Square Garden.</p><p>The Knicks need to find a way to snag game 4 and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-spike-lee-depressing-reaction-after-trae-young-hawks-game-3-win/">head back home</a> with an even series, and maybe Thibs goes back to Payton. Although, after Rose dropped a game-high 30 points on 13-21 from the field, it is highly unlikely.</p><p>Either way, the Knicks are in serious trouble and perhaps Coach Thibs has some more tricks up his sleeve for Game 4 before falling behind too much. The Knicks were sensational in the regular season, but after Game 3, they have some figuring out to do after another subpar offensive performance from Julius Randle and company.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Elfrid Payton’s mom puts Knicks on blast for starting Derrick Rose over son

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Adam Sandler in a polo is a better starting point guard option for Knicks than Elfrid Payton');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Knicks-Adam-Sandler-Elfrid-Payton.jpg"></figure><h1>Adam Sandler in a polo is a better starting point guard option for Knicks than Elfrid Payton</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-05-17T12:02:32-07:00">May 17th, 12:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-05-17T12:03:01-07:00">May 17th, 12:03pm</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Freelance Sports Journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Knicks have one clear weakness on their roster: point guard. Should they look to lifelong fan Adam Sandler?</p><p>The Hollywood star was hilariously seen ballin’ with a bunch of youngsters in Long Island over the weekend in the most classic Adam Sandler-like outfit ever. An oversize polo and baggy shorts. <a href="https://twitter.com/APOOCH/status/1394144919351070722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1394144919351070722%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">Take a look</a>:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Friend sent me this video of Adam Sandler hoopin’ on Long Island… He’s out here playing pick up everyday 😂 <a href="https://t.co/9JzbqQyeaK" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/9JzbqQyeaK</a></p><p>— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) <a href="https://twitter.com/APOOCH/status/1394144919351070722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">May 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Sandler is clearly getting his exercise in. I mean, he’s not the most skilled, but Sandler did show some vision with that cross-court pass to the top of the key.</p><p>He’s been a die-hard supporter of the Knicks for years and you better believe Sandler is excited that New York <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-york-knicks/records">is in the postseason for the first time since 2012/13</a>.</p><p>2020 was a good year for Adam Sandler, appearing in numerous movies such as Hubie Halloween and Goldman vs Silverman while narrating for Nature Planet. He also starred in Uncut Gems in 2019, which featured Kevin Garnett.</p><p>The Knicks meanwhile are preparing to take on the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the NBA playoffs. NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has encouraged all fans to get vaccinated, while team owner James Dolan has said 13,000 supporters will be allowed in MSG. About half of those fans will need to have the vaccine, while there will be a separate section for fans who haven’t yet been vaxxed.</p><p>It wouldn’t be any surprise to see Adam Sandler as one of them courtside.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Adam Sandler in a polo is a better starting point guard option for Knicks than Elfrid Payton

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Glaring stat proves Knicks’ Derrick Rose needs to start for over Elfrid Payton ASAP');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/image_2021-05-10_135634.png"></figure><h1>Glaring stat proves Knicks’ Derrick Rose needs to start for over Elfrid Payton ASAP</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-05-09T23:21:01-07:00">May 9th, 11:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-05-09T23:21:01-07:00">May 9th, 11:21pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Knicks got some big-time point guard play during their upset win over the Los Angeles Clippers on the road, 106-100. But it wasn’t from their starter, Elfrid Payton.</p><p>The seven year veteran posted a paltry two points, with just one made field goal in five attempts. But on a night where All-Star Julius Randle was relatively held in check, it was backup point guard Derrick Rose who came up big.</p><p>Rose racked up 25 points on an extremely efficient 11 for 17, to go along with six rebounds and eights assists. His positive impact on Knicks has been felt throughout the season, and the numbers show exactly that. The former MVP is the proud owner of the best +/- point differential on the Knicks at +206 even though he’s played in less than half their contests.</p><p>The incumbent starter Payton has been the <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1391515553773150209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1391515553773150209%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">absolutel worst</a> on the entire team at -84 through 59 games. That number is especially jarring considering how much success the Knicks have had this season. Taking things in a vacuum, it would seem as through they’ve been winning both because of Rose and in spite of Payton.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Derrick Rose is +206 in 32 games (highest +/- on team).</p><p>Elfrid Payton is -84 in 59 games (lowest +/- on team).</p><p>Guess who’s the starting point guard? <a href="https://t.co/mFEzRLqqig" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/mFEzRLqqig</a></p><p>— StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1391515553773150209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">May 9, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Rose himself isn’t exactly clamoring to start, <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/05/09/derrick-rose-carries-knicks-to-sensational-win-over-clippers/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&amp;utm_medium=site%20buttons&amp;utm_campaign=site%20buttons">as reported</a> by the New York Post’s Marc Berman.</p><blockquote>“Whatever the team needs. I’m the newcomer. I let Thibs worry about that. So I don’t know when I’m coming in, I don’t know when I’m coming out. But I just got to make sure I prep myself before I go into games.’’</blockquote><p>But it’s definitely surprising that the swap still hasn’t been made, especially given the fact that Tom Thibodeau, Rose’s long-time coach on three different teams, is the shot-caller for the Knicks.</p><p>However, there does seem to be merit in having him come off the bench to provide a spark for the offense while Julius Randle <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-york-knicks/stats">does the heavy lifting</a> for the starting lineup.</p><p>Whether he’s starting or the first body off the bench, the New York Knicks need to lean heavily on Derrick Rose come playoff time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Glaring stat proves Knicks’ Derrick Rose needs to start for over Elfrid Payton ASAP

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why the Clippers should trade for Elfrid Payton');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Why-the-Clippers-should-trade-for-Elfrid-Payton.jpg"></figure><h1>Why the Clippers should trade for Elfrid Payton</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-05T08:04:51-08:00">March 5th, 8:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-05T20:18:21-08:00">March 5th, 8:18pm</time><address><a>Joseph Cervantes</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the season progresses, it’s becoming clearer that the Los Angeles Clippers still need a playmaker.</p><p>Don’t get me wrong here, Ty Lue has done a phenomenal job transforming the Clippers offense’ into a fast-paced moving offense. Due to their insane ball-movement, they’re able to generate a ridiculous number of open three-point shots, which is why they lead the league in three-point percentage (41%).</p><p>However, the truth is, you can’t win a championship with this type of offense because, eventually, the threes will stop falling. And when the three’s stop falling, you have to rely on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George hitting difficult shots.</p><p>In other words, what the Clippers are basically doing right now is “masking” their playmaking problems. When the playoffs start, their offense will start becoming more predictable in a seven-game series. Defenses will start clamping down the three-point line, meaning, Leonard and George will have to hit their tough one-on-one shots, or else <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-clippers/roster">they’ll</a> go on offensive droughts. This has happened numerous times this season, which is one of the reasons why they keep blowing leads.</p><p>If you look at the past 10 NBA championship teams, they’ve all had true playmakers (Steph Curry, Kyle Lowry, LeBron James, Tony Parker). This is no coincidence, every team must have a true playmaker to win the championship. Leonard has grown a lot as a playmaker but he’s simply not good enough to consistently run the offense. Leonard doesn’t play well in ISO either, which is why he needs a true point guard to set him for his mid-range shots.</p><p>So with that being said, the most realistic playmaker the Clippers can trade for that can fulfill their needs is Elfrid Payton. He has played a vital role in the Knicks’ success this season as they have emerged as a playoff-contending team. However, with the recent acquisition of Derrick Rose, the New York Knicks may be seeking to move on from Payton. <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2021/02/09/rumor-at-least-one-team-reached-out-to-knicks-about-elfrid-payton-trade/">According to Ian Bagley of SNY</a>, one contender team has already inquired the Knicks about the possibility of trading for Payton.</p><p>Yes, there are far more talented playmakers out there in the market such as George Hill, but realistically speaking, trading for him is highly improbable. First and foremost, the Oklahoma City Thunder would never do a trade that would benefit the Clippers. Since the Thunder own three of the Clippers’ first-round draft picks, they’re hoping the Clippers championship aspirations can fall apart so that they can get higher draft picks. Also, there have been rumors circulating about the Clippers trading for Kyle Lowry, but that’s also unrealistic because the Clippers would have to trade around four players to match salaries.</p><p>Nevertheless, for those who aren’t familiar with Payton’s game, he’s a pass-first point guard who looks for his teammates first. The 27-year-old point guard is averaging 12.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in just 28.0 minutes per game.</p><p>To be honest,  Leonard and George have had their best seasons be with a point guard that can run the offense. With Payton’s playmaking ability, he’ll be able to set them up for great shots in their spots. This will be very beneficial for Leonard, especially since he likes to sit at the elbow spot to do his mid-range jumpers.</p><p>Also, having Payton on this team will be very beneficial for Nic Batum, Serge Ibaka, Luke Kennard, and Patrick Beverly. Since Payton consistently likes to drive to the paint, he can easily just kick out to them for the three-point shot.</p><p>Here’s a video of Payton aggressively driving to the paint:</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p> </p><p>Also, another underrated thing about Payton’s game is his defense. Standing at 6’3 and possessing a 6’7 wingspan, Payton has excellent size and length for a point guard. Earlier this season, when Stephen Curry was defended by Payton, he shot 38.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range. Then a few weeks ago, when Payton guarded John Wall, he held him down to just 50% shooting from the field.</p><p>With all this being said, it’s safe to assume that Payton won’t be a liability on defense in the final minutes of the game, unlike Lou Williams or Reggie Jackson.</p><p>Here’s a video of Payton putting the clamps on John Wall:</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p> </p><p>Here’s another video of Payton locking down Trae Young:</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Nevertheless, if the Clippers do a trade for Payton, he doesn’t necessarily have to be a one-year rental. Payton is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and the Clippers will have enough cap space to re-sign him to a deal worth around $11 million per year. Furthermore, Payton is only 27 years old and has already proven this season that his game is still evolving. So with that being said, he could most definitely be the point guard of the future for the LA Clippers.</p><p>Here are a few hypothetical trades the Clippers can do:</p><p><b>Los Angeles Clippers Receive:</b> G Elfrid Payton</p><p><b>New York Knicks Receive:</b> G Lou Williams, F Mfiondu Kabengele, 2022 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screen-Shot-2021-03-05-at-4.26.47-AM.png"></figure><p>Lou Williams has done so much for the Clippers’ organization in the past four years, but sometimes the hardest choices require the strongest wills. We’re already halfway finished with the season, and it’s clear that Williams isn’t the same player as he was last year. The 34-year-old guard has been highly inconsistent this season, and that should be a major concern for the Clippers, considering that he’s supposed to be the best player coming off the bench.</p><p>Nevertheless, his inconsistently is nothing new, for example, taking a look back at last season, Williams was nowhere to be in the Denver Nuggets series, especially in Game 6, where he scored just four points. The media likes to talk about Leonard and George choking in that series, but Williams deserves to get the same slack as them as well.</p><p>Heck, in the 16 years he’s been in the league, he’s never been on a team that has won a championship — so that should say a lot about him. Furthermore, he’s been in the playoffs eight times in his career, and in seven of those times, his scoring average took a dip from what he was producing in the regular season.</p><p>So the truth is, Williams isn’t a player you can count on in the playoffs — and he never has been, which is why the Clippers should trade him as soon as possible before it’s too late.</p><p><b>Los Angeles Clippers Receive:</b> G Elfrid Payton</p><p><b>New York Knicks Receive:</b> G Reggie Jackson, F Mfiondu Kabengele, 2022 second-round pick</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screen-Shot-2021-02-11-at-2.01.20-PM.png"></figure><p>Reggie Jackson played phenomenally as a starter during Patrick Beverly’s absence back in February, however, his decision-making and inconsistently is still a concern to this day. When the playoffs start, it’s very likely he won’t be getting any minutes because of those two flaws. Also, his defense is horrendous — he has a defensive rating of 114.0, which is one of the worst in the NBA. If the Clippers do trade Jackson, they won’t be losing much either. Payton can easily match his scoring, which is what Jackson ultimately brings the most to the Clippers.</p><p>However, since Jackson re-signed with the Clippers on a one-year contract, he has the right to veto the trade. So with that being said, it might be difficult trading Jackson away.</p><p>As for Mfiondu Kabengele, his time with the Clippers will most likely be coming to an end this offseason, so trading him now won’t be such a bad idea. Since the Clippers declined Kabengele’s third-year option for the 2021-22 season back in December, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.</p><p><b>Los Angeles Clippers Receive:</b> G Elfrid Payton, 2022 second-round pick (Via Detroit), 2022 second-round pick</p><p><b>New York Knicks Receive:</b> G Terance Mann, F Mfiondu Kabengele, C Daniel Oturu</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screen-Shot-2021-03-04-at-2.27.23-AM-1.png"></figure><p>While Clipper fans will disagree with the idea of trading Mann, but the truth is, this is a championship or bust season – meaning the Clippers must do whatever it takes to upgrade their roster — even if it means trading their young prospects.</p><p>Mann has exceeded many expectations this season — and has slowly found himself becoming a rotation player for the Clippers. However, when the playoffs start, it’s very likely he won’t be getting any minutes. Nevertheless, if the Clippers do trade Mann, they won’t necessarily be losing much. Payton is only two years older than Mann and has already shown way more potential than him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why the Clippers should trade for Elfrid Payton

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Elfrid Payton in disbelief over questions on Julius Randle’s All-Star nod');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Elfrid-Payton-in-disbelief-over-questions-on-Julius-Randle-All-Star-nod.jpg"></figure><h1>Elfrid Payton in disbelief over questions on Julius Randle’s All-Star nod</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-03T21:56:00-08:00">February 3rd, 9:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-03T21:56:48-08:00">February 3rd, 9:56pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-york-knicks">New York Knicks</a> guard Elfrid Payton is clearly a fan of his teammate <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/julius-randle/9a6b0863">Julius Randle</a>. He said the much-improved forward has done enough to make a case for his first ever NBA All-Star stint.</p><p>Payton is all in on the Randle Bandwagon as the 26-year-old has been showcasing his all-around game throughout this season as the Knicks’ main gunner. After their 107-103 win over the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/chicago-bulls">Chicago Bulls</a> on Wednesday, Payton had nothing but positive things to say when asked about Randle’s possible NBA All-Star nod (via <a href="https://twitter.com/IanBegley/status/1357183951023075328">Ian Begley of SNY TV</a>).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Is Julius Randle an All-Star? "Honestly, it's not even a question; I don't even know what we're talking about," Elfrid Payton says. "He's definitely been playing at an All Star level… I think it would mean a lot to him. He puts in a lot of work … that people don't see."</p><p>— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) <a href="https://twitter.com/IanBegley/status/1357183951023075328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 4, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Randle was indeed at an All-Star level against the Bulls. He led the Knicks with a game-high 27 points and added six boards and six assists. This marked the 15th 20-plus point game for the former Kentucky standout this season.</p><p>The 7th overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft has been a huge lift for the Knicks since arriving from the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-orleans-pelicans">New Orleans Pelicans</a> last season. This year though, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-julius-randle-obsessed-on-offseason-workout-because-he-was-mad-says-trainer/">a whole different Randle has emerged</a>. He’s playing at an elite level, averaging career-highs of 23.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He’s also shooting better from the field, from long distance, and from the charity stripe.</p><p>Randle’s impressive campaign has helped the Knicks look like a team bound for the NBA Playoffs as they skim the surface of the Eastern Conference postseason picture with a 10-13 record.</p><p>The last time a Knicks player was given an NBA All-Star nod was when Kristaps Porzingis was chosen as a reserve in 2018. Could Julius Randle be the next one?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Elfrid Payton in disbelief over questions on Julius Randle’s All-Star nod

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Elfrid Payton agrees to re-sign with Knicks');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Knicks-news-Elfrid-Payton-agrees-to-re-sign-with-New-York-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Elfrid Payton agrees to re-sign with Knicks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-11-21T14:38:03-08:00">November 21st, 2:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-11-21T14:44:28-08:00">November 21st, 2:44pm</time><address><a>Ashish Mathur</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA veteran point guard Elfrid Payton is re-signing with the New York Knicks, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1330274911068315649">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN</a>.</p><p>Payton has agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with the Knicks.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Elfrid Payton has agreed to one-year, $5M deal with Knicks, agents Aaron Mintz and Ty Sullivan of <a href="https://twitter.com/CAA_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@CAA_Basketball</a> tell ESPN.</p><p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1330274911068315649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">November 21, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Elfrid Payton appeared in 45 games for the Knicks in 2019-20 before the season was suspended in March due to COVID-19. He averaged 10.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists a night while shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 20.3 percent from beyond the arc and 57.0 percent from the free-throw line.</p><p>Payton was the 10th overall pick of the 2014 draft. He has career NBA averages of 11.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists with the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans and Knicks.</p><p>New York drafted Obi Toppin with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft. The team’s core is now made up of RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr. and Toppin.</p><p>The Knicks haven’t made the playoffs or had a winning record since the 2012-13 season. Fans in the Big Apple, though, are hopeful that new president of basketball operations <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-leon-roses-instant-reaction-to-knicks-getting-8th-pick-in-nba-lottery/">Leon Rose</a> and head coach Tom Thibodeau can turn the franchise around.</p><p>Rose used to run CAA, while Thibodeau has coached the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. He won the 2011 Coach of the Year Award with the Bulls and helped former Knicks point guard Derrick Rose win the MVP Award in the same season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Elfrid Payton agrees to re-sign with Knicks

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Elfrid Payton, Grizzlies’ Jae Crowder get into massive fight');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Elfrid-Payton-Jae-Crowder-Knicks-Grizzlies.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Elfrid Payton, Grizzlies’ Jae Crowder get into massive fight</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-01-29T19:15:45-08:00">January 29th, 7:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-01-29T19:30:57-08:00">January 29th, 7:30pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/adnw_request?placement=1709097162682630_1935907953334882&amp;adtype=banner300x250" width="300" height="250"></iframe></figure></header><p>The New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies faced off in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night with the visiting Grizz getting the best of the Knicks by a final margin of 127 to 106. The game was not without its drama, however, as a <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1222716416672976896">brawl broke out with under a minute to go</a> in the game kicked off by a confrontation between the Knicks’ Elfrid Payton and the Grizzlies’ Jae Crowder:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe class="no-margin"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Knicks and Grizzlies got into it 😳 <a target="_blank" href="https://t.co/ysQO5S7aWC">pic.twitter.com/ysQO5S7aWC</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1222716416672976896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></iframe></figure><p>As you can see, Payton gets a cheap shot in on Crowder as the latter attempts a strong-side corner three and then tries to nail him as he gets up as well.</p><p>Payton was clearly miffed by Crowder attempting a 3-pointer with the game well out of reach but nonetheless the usual suspects of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-bobby-portis-fined-25000-for-flagrant-foul-kentavious-caldwell-pope/">Knicks Garden-protectors</a> were involved such as Marcus Morris and the wild-eyed Bobby Portis.</p><p>Suspensions were surely be coming for some of the players involved in this scuffle, with Payton clearly being the aggressor in this instance.</p><p><i>___</i></p><p><i>Follow ClutchPoints on <a href="https://twitter.com/clutchpointsapp">Twitter</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/clutchpoints/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClutchPoints/">Facebook</a>. We can also be found on Flipboard where you can subscribe and follow us.</i></p><p><i>All of our NBA content can be found on the NBA section of the ClutchPoints home page <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba-news">here</a>. For all of our college basketball content, click <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/">here</a>.</i></p><p><i>Follow NBA games live by downloading the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/clutchpoints-live-sports/id1044413150">ClutchPoints App</a> and heading to the scores tab under the NBA section.</i></p><p><i>You can listen and subscribe to the Battle for LA podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/battle-for-la-podcast-clutchpoints/id1454992632">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5okIevNHpv8dWj4E9iciry">Spotify</a>, and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/battleforlaclutchpoints">Soundcloud</a>. You can also find new episodes of Battle for LA, the ClutchPoints NBA Podcast, and Establish the Pass under the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/podcast/">Podcast tab</a> on the ClutchPoints home page.</i></p><figure class="op-tracker"><iframe><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', 'auto');  ga('set', 'campaignSource', 'Facebook');  ga('set', 'campaignMedium', 'Instant Article');  ga('set', 'title', ia_document.title);  ga('send', 'pageview');</script><iframe>    <script type="text/javascript">        window._taboola = window._taboola || [];        _taboola.push({            article: 'auto',            ref_url: 'http://instantarticles.fb.com'        });        !function (e, f, u, i) {            if (!document.getElementById(i)) {                e.async = 1;                e.src = u;                e.id = i;                f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);            }        }(document.createElement('script'),            document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],            'https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/clutchpoints-clutchpoints/trk.js',            'tb_loader_script');        if (window.performance) {          if (typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') {            window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');          }        }    </script>    </iframe></iframe></figure></article>    </body></html>

Elfrid Payton, Grizzlies’ Jae Crowder get into massive fight

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chris Paul reacts to referee telling Elfrid Payton to thank Thunder star for untucked jersey call');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Chris_Paul_reacts_to_referee_telling_Elfrid_Payton_to_thank_OKC_star_for_untucked_jersey_call.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Chris Paul reacts to referee telling Elfrid Payton to thank Thunder star for untucked jersey call</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2019-12-15T22:57:16-08:00">December 15th, 10:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2019-12-17T16:17:19-08:00">December 17th, 4:17pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/adnw_request?placement=1709097162682630_1935907953334882&amp;adtype=banner300x250" width="300" height="250"></iframe></figure></header><p>Looks like Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul impacts games he’s not even a part of. A week removed from him “snitching” to the refs about Jordan Bell’s untucked jersey, referees are now paying more attention to offending players and are quick to issue delay of game warnings. New York Knicks guard Elfrid Payton experienced Paul’s influenced to the refs on Sunday, as he was flagged against the Denver Nuggets at the Madison Square Garden. Payton was tucking-in his uniform as he entered the ball game for the first time when he was penalized for delaying the game.</p><p>The official was even caught on record saying: “Y’all thank Chris Paul for it.”</p><p>Amused by what transpired, Paul tagged Payton and commented a laughing and a shrugging emojis in a video of the incident which was posted by House of Highlights on Instagram.</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/79479499_446951065988635_630737774441398272_n.png"></figure><p> </p><p>Unlike in Paul’s case where the call had an impact in the outcome of OKC’s match versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, Payton’s blunder did not seem to play a factor in the Knicks 105-111 defeat. Payton pitched in 10 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.</p><p>He’s been averaging 8.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.7 steals in his first year in New York, while shooting 42.4% from the field and 36.8% from three.</p><p>Paul, meanwhile, is also on his first tenure with the Thunder this season, tallying 15.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.7 steals in 25 games so far.</p><p>Officials usually disregard players’ untucked jerseys, especially at the end of games. Paul’s mastery of the league rules has put referees on notice, and we should expect more players getting flagged for untucked jerseys in the coming games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"><iframe><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', 'auto');  ga('set', 'campaignSource', 'Facebook');  ga('set', 'campaignMedium', 'Instant Article');  ga('set', 'title', ia_document.title);  ga('send', 'pageview');</script><iframe>    <script type="text/javascript">        window._taboola = window._taboola || [];        _taboola.push({            article: 'auto',            ref_url: 'http://instantarticles.fb.com'        });        !function (e, f, u, i) {            if (!document.getElementById(i)) {                e.async = 1;                e.src = u;                e.id = i;                f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);            }        }(document.createElement('script'),            document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],            'https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/clutchpoints-clutchpoints/trk.js',            'tb_loader_script');        if (window.performance) {          if (typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') {            window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');          }        }    </script>    </iframe></iframe></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Paul reacts to referee telling Elfrid Payton to thank Thunder star for untucked jersey call

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'VIDEO: Referee tells Knicks’ Elfrid Payton to ‘thank Chris Paul’ after calling him out for untucked jersey');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Referee_tells_Elfrid_Payton_to__thank_Chris_Paul__after_calling_him_out_for_untucked_jersey.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>VIDEO: Referee tells Knicks’ Elfrid Payton to ‘thank Chris Paul’ after calling him out for untucked jersey</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2019-12-15T19:08:29-08:00">December 15th, 7:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2019-12-15T19:08:29-08:00">December 15th, 7:08pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/adnw_request?placement=1709097162682630_1935907953334882&amp;adtype=banner300x250" width="300" height="250"></iframe></figure></header><p>NBA referees are now most likely to call delay of game due to untucked jerseys, thanks to Chris Paul’s snitching antics earlier this season. New York Knicks point guard Elfrid Payton saw that firsthand on Sunday in their home game versus the Denver Nuggets.</p><p>With the Nuggets up 16-12 at the 4:11 mark of the first quarter, Payton checked in to the ball game while tucking his jersey as he stepped foot onto the playing court.</p><p>The official quickly blew his whistle and called the Knicks guard for delay of game, causing Payton to have a bewildered look on his face. “Ya’ll thank Chris Paul for that,” the referee exclaimed as can be heard from the video below.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe class="no-margin"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"You can thank Chris Paul"</p><p>The ref told Elfrid Payton to thank CP3 for getting a delay of game for having an untucked jersey 💀 <a target="_blank" href="https://t.co/VD0bzxnlbw">pic.twitter.com/VD0bzxnlbw</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1206395914803277824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2019</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></iframe></figure><p>NBA rules clearly state that players should have their uniforms tucked in while on the playing court or risk getting called for delay of game or even a technical foul for repeated infractions.</p><p>Referees usually treat such instances as minor disturbances and often let such calls go, up until <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-chris-paul-admits-jordan-bell-untucked-jersey-callout-was-intentional/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chris Paul called out Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jordan Bell</a> for doing so in their game last week. The Oklahoma City Thunder eventually came out on top of that close match, thanks to Paul’s heads-up play.</p><p>—</p><p><i>Follow ClutchPoints on </i><a href="https://twitter.com/clutchpointsapp"><i>Twitter</i></a><i> &amp; </i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/clutchpoints/?hl=en"><i>Instagram</i></a><i>, and like us on </i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClutchPoints/"><i>Facebook</i></a><i>. We can also be found on Flipboard where you can subscribe and follow us.</i></p><p><i>All of our NBA content can be found on the NBA section of the ClutchPoints home page </i><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba-news"><i>here</i></a><i>. For all of our college basketball content, click </i><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/"><i>here</i></a><i>.</i></p><p><i>Follow NBA games live by downloading the </i><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/clutchpoints-live-sports/id1044413150"><i>ClutchPoints App</i></a><i> and heading to the scores tab under the NBA section.</i></p><p><i>You can listen and subscribe to the Battle for LA podcast on </i><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/battle-for-la-podcast-clutchpoints/id1454992632"><i>Apple Podcasts</i></a><i>, </i><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5okIevNHpv8dWj4E9iciry"><i>Spotify</i></a><i>, and </i><a href="https://soundcloud.com/battleforlaclutchpoints"><i>Soundcloud</i></a><i>. You can also find new episodes of Battle for LA, the ClutchPoints NBA Podcast, and Establish the Pass under the </i><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/podcast/"><i>Podcast tab</i></a><i> on the ClutchPoints home page.</i></p><figure class="op-tracker"><iframe><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', 'auto');  ga('set', 'campaignSource', 'Facebook');  ga('set', 'campaignMedium', 'Instant Article');  ga('set', 'title', ia_document.title);  ga('send', 'pageview');</script><iframe>    <script type="text/javascript">        window._taboola = window._taboola || [];        _taboola.push({            article: 'auto',            ref_url: 'http://instantarticles.fb.com'        });        !function (e, f, u, i) {            if (!document.getElementById(i)) {                e.async = 1;                e.src = u;                e.id = i;                f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);            }        }(document.createElement('script'),            document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],            'https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/clutchpoints-clutchpoints/trk.js',            'tb_loader_script');        if (window.performance) {          if (typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') {            window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');          }        }    </script>    </iframe></iframe></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.7	3.4	6.9	0.4	1.4

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.7	3.4	6.9	0.4	1.4

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