<!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', '/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-lance-stephenson-rap-video');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to Lance Stephenson’s rap video');   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/2024/10/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-reacts-to-Lance-Stephensons-rap-video.jpg"><figcaption>10/12/2024</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to Lance Stephenson’s rap video</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T09:49:13-07:00">October 12th, 9:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T09:49:13-07:00">October 12th, 9:49am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were off to a 2-1 start to their preseason schedule when a veteran in former teammate Lance Stephenson caught the four-time champion’s eye on social media. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-unheralded-player-praise-win-bucks">LeBron praised Quincy Olivari</a> for impacting the Lakers’ 107-102 win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday on his Instagram, he showed Stephenson love on that same platform. James reacted to Stephenson’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/kingjames/3476801404407427656/" rel="noopener">rap video</a> on his 24-hour story.</p><p>“GO CRAZY BORN READY!” LeBron captioned On The Radar With Gabe P’s IG video of Stephenson rapping in a studio.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/image.png"></figure><p>Stephenson, who last played for the Atlanta Hawks in 2021-22, spent 2018-19 with James and the Lakers. That season, he averaged 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 16.5 minutes per game. However, earlier in Lance’s 11-year NBA career, he was James’ rival during his time with the Miami Heat.</p><p>Lance Stephenson and the Indiana Pacers faced James and the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals in back-to-back years in 2014, with the Heat beating the Pacers in both appearances.</p><h2><b>Shocking stat highlights Bronny James’ preseason struggles</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lakers-rookie-Bronny-James-Lakers-superstar-LeBron-James-1.jpg"><figcaption>Michael McLoone-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In preparing for his 22nd NBA season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-responses-lebron-james-complaint-milwaukee-preseason-game">LeBron James is adjusting to the monotony of traveling</a> in the preseason as the Los Angeles Lakers traveled East for their exhibition against the Milwaukee Bucks. James finished with 11 points on 4-of-11 attempts, six rebounds, and three assists in 16 minutes in the Lakers’ second win in three tries, but his son, Bronny James, struggled.</p><p>After the win, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-shocking-stat-highlights-rookie-bronny-james-preseason-struggles">a shocking statistic magnified Bronny’s struggles</a> compared to the rest of the NBA. In the early stages of preseason, <a href="https://x.com/sportingnews/status/1844795896078139865" rel="noopener">he has the worst plus/minus through three games</a>, per The Sporting News’ Steph Noh.</p><p>“Through three preseason games, Bronny James has the worst plus/minus of all 494 players to log exhibition minutes thus far,” Noh reported.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Through three preseason games, Bronny James has the worst plus/minus of all 494 players to log exhibition minutes thus far 😳<a href="https://twitter.com/StephNoh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephNoh</a> on Bronny's early struggles 👇<a href="https://t.co/9DK2Y16pNI">https://t.co/9DK2Y16pNI</a> <a href="https://t.co/ExU4ys683j">pic.twitter.com/ExU4ys683j</a></p><p>— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/sportingnews/status/1844795896078139865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><p>The second-round pick went scoreless after going 0-for-4, including 0-for-2 from deep, without recording another stat in 6:07 in Thursday’s win against the Bucks. Three games into the preseason, he’s yet to record a field goal since his preseason debut when he finished with two points on 1-of-6 attempts, three blocks, one assist, and one rebound in 16 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After that, Bronny finished with zero points (0-for-1), two rebounds, and four turnovers in a loss against the Phoenix Suns.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Lakers’ undrafted rookie Quincy Olivari, who signed an Exhibit-10 contract during the offseason, recorded 11 points on 4-of-6 attempts, including 3-for-4 from deep, five rebounds, and two assists in nine minutes against the Bucks. He finished the night a plus-20.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to Lance Stephenson’s rap video

<!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', '/timberwolves-news-minnesota-surprisingly-adds-lance-stephenson-g-league-roster');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves surprisingly add Lance Stephenson to G-League roster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Minnesota_surprisingly_adds_Lance_Stephenson_to_G-League_roster.webp"></figure><h1>Timberwolves surprisingly add Lance Stephenson to G-League roster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-12-11T11:10:02-08:00">December 11th, 11:10am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-12-11T11:10:02-08:00">December 11th, 11:10am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management and for a while ran his own sports website. Sports are his passion, and he thoroughly enjoys writing about thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. He has been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston and loves discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves have shocked everyone by racing out to a 17-4 record through their first 21 games, which is the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-takeaways-beatdown-grizzlies" rel="noopener">best record</a> in the entire NBA heading into Monday’s slate of games. The Timberwolves have a unique blend of star power and depth, and it looks like they may have found a way to add more depth to their squad via a reunion with Lance Stephenson.</p><p>Stephenson spent pretty much the entire 2022-23 campaign out of basketball, as he briefly played with Leones de Ponce of the Puerto Rican basketball league before he was eventually released. Stephenson played 46 games in the 2021-22 season after spending the prior year playing in China, but it looks like he may have found a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-lance-stephenson-nba-comeback-nets-knicks" rel="noopener">new home</a> for himself in the NBA, as he’s <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/1734276129760920059" rel="noopener">latched on</a> with the Timberwolves G-League affiliate for the time being.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">NBA 10-year veteran Lance Stephenson is joining the Minnesota Timberwolves G League affiliate, Iowa Wolves, league sources told <a href="https://twitter.com/hoopshype?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hoopshype</a>. Minnesota has an open NBA roster spot. <a href="https://t.co/A9SnUTp3W3">pic.twitter.com/A9SnUTp3W3</a></p><p>— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/1734276129760920059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Stephenson has played for a handful of teams during his time in the NBA, and one of them just happens to be the Timberwolves. Back in the 2016-17 campaign, Stephenson played six games for Minnesota, and while his stint wasn’t very impactful at all, it is a mini-reunion of sorts to have him back in town amid the team’s blazing hot start to the season.</p><p>As of right now, Stephenson isn’t on the Timberwolves NBA roster, but since they have an open roster spot, it seems like there’s a decent chance that he would be their choice to fill that spot if that’s their desired course of action. Stephenson has been a decent spark plug scorer throughout his career, and the hope for Minnesota is likely that he can provide a similar boost to their bench unit if he does in fact find his way on the NBA roster.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves surprisingly add Lance Stephenson to G-League roster

<!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', '/lakers-news-lance-stephenson-gets-hilariously-honest-on-viral-lebron-james-ear-blow');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lance Stephenson gets hilariously honest on viral LeBron James ear blow');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lance_Stephenson_gets_hilariously_honest_on_viral_LeBron_James_ear_blow.jpg"></figure><h1>Lance Stephenson gets hilariously honest on viral LeBron James ear blow</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-28T16:47:02-07:00">July 28th, 4:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-28T16:47:02-07:00">July 28th, 4:47pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Lance Stephenson is popular for many things. However, there’s no denying that he will forever be remembered for the viral and meme-worthy moment when he blew into LeBron James’ ear during Game 5 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat.</p><p>Previously when asked about why he did it, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lance-stephenson-reveals-truth-about-blowing-in-lebron-james-ear" rel="noopener">Stephenson said that</a> he only wanted to win. The veteran NBA journeyman doubled down on that in a recent interview with Bally Sports’ NBA Insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, emphasizing that he was just “<a href="https://twitter.com/ScoopB/status/1685017122152304641" rel="noopener">playing hard</a>.”</p><p>“Just playing hard, man. We were trying to win a Championship playing hard against one of the greatest players to ever play basketball, so you know I bring it all. I brought the New York out and trying my best to stop him. So we won that game, that’s all that mattered,” Stephenson told Scoop B at the And 1 Open 1 at Kingdome in Harlem, New York City.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Paul George the GOAT &amp; NOT MJ-LeBron is confusing! </p><p>Lance Stephenson reveals why young people like PG13:</p><p>"He brings it every night. He works hard, he's a great shooter, great off the dribble &amp; he plays great defense."</p><p>Our chat at <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ballysports</a> ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/bhAwpPkO2c">https://t.co/bhAwpPkO2c</a></p><p>— <a href="https://t.co/0YfbjWNTPP">pic.twitter.com/0YfbjWNTPP</a></p><p>— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScoopB/status/1685006844933083137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>For what it’s worth, it did seem to work in that particular game. LeBron James finished with just seven points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field. Lance Stephenson outscored the Heat star as well, finishing with 12 points as he helped the Pacers avoid elimination and force Game 6.</p><p>While Indiana eventually lost the series, that particular moment between Stephenson and Lance has lived until today. Whenever Stephenson gets interviewed, the LeBron ear blow is something that often comes up.</p><p>It’s definitely a funny story. And making things more interesting, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-lebron-james-las-2019-title-run-draws-lance-stephenon-take" rel="noopener">Stephenson and James eventually became</a> teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers, albeit for just one season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lance Stephenson gets hilariously honest on viral LeBron James ear blow

<!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', '/lakers-lebron-james-las-2019-title-run-draws-lance-stephenon-take');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lance Stephenson drops truth bomb on LeBron James, Lakers’ botched 2019 title run');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lakers-news-Lance-Stephenson-drops-truth-bomb-on-LeBron-James-LA_s-botched-2019-title-run.jpg"></figure><h1>Lance Stephenson drops truth bomb on LeBron James, Lakers’ botched 2019 title run</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-28T15:25:31-07:00">July 28th, 3:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-28T17:42:10-07:00">July 28th, 5:42pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Paolo has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Lance Stephenson is your <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-lance-stephenson-signs-with-new-team-after-failed-nba-comeback" rel="noopener">prototypical NBA journeyman</a>. After spending the first four years of his career with the Indiana Pacers, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-indiana-plan-for-lance-stephenson-after-fourth-10-day-contract-expires" rel="noopener">bounced around the league</a> for quite a bit. This included no less than eight different teams in his 10-year career. One of them happened to be the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>According to Stephenson himself, his lone year playing alongside LeBron James and the Lakers was the closest he got to potentially winning an NBA championship. This was during the 2018-19, which incidentally, was LeBron’s first year in Hollywood. Unfortunately for them, injuries got in the way:</p><p>“LeBron <a href="https://www.ballysports.com/watch/vod/lance-stephenson-indiana-s-tyrese-haliburton-plays-like-a-veteran-already" rel="noopener">got hurt that</a> year with his groin, [Kyle] Kuzma got hurt,” Stephenson told Bally Sports’ NBA Insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson at the And 1 Open 1 at Kingdome in Harlem, New York City. “A lot of guys got hurt that year. I feel like we would’ve won it that year.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"LeBron [James] got hurt that year with his groin, [Kyle] Kuzma got hurt. A lot of guys got hurt that year. I feel like we would've won it that year."</p><p>Do you agree with Lance Stephenson that the Lakers would have won the championship in 2019 if everyone had stayed healthy? 🤔… <a href="https://t.co/gvORfA9cyS">pic.twitter.com/gvORfA9cyS</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1685007792120152064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>LeBron’s debut season with the Lakers was cut short by injury. He ended up playing just 55 games that year, which at that point, was the least number of games he had played throughout his career. As Stephenson said, Kyle Kuzma also got hurt that year, but this was already during the latter part of the season, and the Lakers were virtually out of the playoff race at that point.</p><p>Be that as it may, Stephenson is adamant that had it not been for their bad luck with injuries, the Lakers would have won it all that season. For what it’s worth, they would have needed to go through the Kevin Durant iteration of the Golden State Warriors in the West and Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals. At this point, this is just going to be one of the biggest what-ifs in Lakers franchise history — at least in the mind of Lance Stephenson.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lance Stephenson drops truth bomb on LeBron James, Lakers’ botched 2019 title run

<!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-lance-stephenson-nba-comeback-nets-knicks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lance Stephenson drops Nets, Knicks bombshell as he eyes return to the NBA');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NBA-news-Lance-Stephenson-drops-Nets-Knicks-bombshell-as-he-eyes-return-to-the-Association.jpg"></figure><h1>Lance Stephenson drops Nets, Knicks bombshell as he eyes return to the NBA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-26T07:25:12-07:00">July 26th, 7:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-26T07:26:12-07:00">July 26th, 7:26am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Lance Stephenson will <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-paul-george-spills-on-lebron-james-lance-stephenson-ear-blowing-moment" rel="noopener">forever be remembered</a> in the NBA as the Indiana Pacers player blowing into LeBron James’ ear when he was a member of the Miami Heat. A signature photo in NBA lore, Stephenson always embraced his role of being a “villain” on the floor and doing everything he could to get inside the heads of his opponents.</p><p>Nowadays, we see several players that have followed in his footsteps of being a bad boy, as Draymond Green, Patrick Beverley and Dillon Brooks are all names who come to mind that play the game in a similar manner from a mental approach.</p><p>While he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-lance-stephenson-signs-with-new-team-after-failed-nba-comeback" rel="noopener">signed a contract</a> and spent time over the last few months with Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico, Stephenson is <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/25/lance-stephenson-wants-nba-return-to-be-with-knicks-or-nets/" rel="noopener">eyeing a comeback</a> to the NBA once again and there are only two teams he would like to play for.</p><p>“I think it is time for a New York team,” Stephenson told the New York Post’s Tashara Jones. “I want to play for the Nets or the Knicks, either one would do.” While he did not mention it, one could assume that the ten-year veteran would also welcome a chance to return to the Indiana Pacers, an organization he spent seven seasons with prior.</p><p>“I definitely miss the NBA now that I am playing in Puerto Rico,” the veteran continued. “I did not want to leave. So my goal right now is to get back in there and show them that I am born ready.”</p><p>In his ten NBA seasons, Stephenson played for eight different franchises: the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans. During the 2021-22 season, he played in six games for the Hawks and 40 games for the Pacers, averaging a combined 8.3 points and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor.</p><p>It makes sense that Stephenson would want to return to the league and play in New York, as he was born in Brooklyn and went to high school at Abraham Lincoln in Brooklyn. At this point in his career, he may not be the effective talent he once was, but Stephenson can definitely be a mentor for the youthful talents both the Knicks and Nets have in their respective locker rooms.</p><p>At this time, New York does not have an open roster spot and Brooklyn has just a single spot remaining. Both teams could potentially invite Stephenson to training camp in September, but there does not appear to be any momentum regarding a potential deal for him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lance Stephenson drops Nets, Knicks bombshell as he eyes return to the NBA

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <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', '/pacers-news-paul-george-spills-on-lebron-james-lance-stephenson-ear-blowing-moment');   ga('set', 'title', '‘What the f**k’: Paul George spills on LeBron James-Lance Stephenson ear blowing moment');   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/2023/05/What-the-fk-Paul-George-spills-on-LeBron-James-Lance-Stephen-ear-blowing-moment.jpeg"></figure><h1>‘What the f**k’: Paul George spills on LeBron James-Lance Stephenson ear blowing moment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-05-28T19:48:13-07:00">May 28th, 7:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-05-28T19:48:13-07:00">May 28th, 7:48pm</time><address><a>James Salmon</a>James is a published author, sports writer and editor from Melbourne, Australia. 'Sport's Greatest Statistical Anomalies' is his book, and aside from being a BRILLIANT read, is testament to his love of all things sport, and in particular stats. A Nets fan, James yearns for the days of yesteryear, when playoffs were all but irrelevant and the likes of Caris Levert and Jarrett Allen were running the show.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Paul George has given his version of the famous incident which saw <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lance-stephenson-reveals-truth-about-blowing-in-lebron-james-ear" rel="noopener">Lance Stephenson blow in LeBron James’ ear</a> in Game 5 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals.</p><p>It went down in NBA folklore as one of the strangest in recent memory, sitting atop what is a very lengthy list of bizarre moments from the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-lance-stephenson-steals-show-from-kyrie-irving-nets" rel="noopener">enigmatic former Pacer</a>. Paul George, who was of course playing alongside Stephenson for the Indiana Pacers at the time, had a front row seat as it all unfolded.</p><p>On Podcast P with Paul George presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, George <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1662899079200886784" rel="noopener">shared his thoughts</a> following the incident.</p><p>“For the series, I’m guarding LeBron,” he said. “So, like, bro…what the f**k are you doing?”</p><p>The insinuation was clearly that Stephenson’s strange actions were going to rile up LeBron – something the Pacers and particularly his direct opponent in George would probably prefer not to happen. However, George’s memory of the moment isn’t all negative.</p><p>“I thought it drew to our intensity of like, we not backing down to y’all. I thought we stood behind Lance after he did that, as opposed to like, you know, getting on him about it or breaking up about it. I thought we backed him up and it made for us just raise the intensity.”</p><p>The Pacers did end up losing the series in six games – with LeBron James playing a key role in the Game 6 blowout. In Game 5, however, with the Pacers down 3-1, LeBron had one of the worst games in his postseason life, finishing up with five fouls and playing just over 24 minutes and logging only five points (on 2-10 shooting), two boards and four assists. Maybe that tickle in his ear distracted him after all.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

‘What the f**k’: Paul George spills on LeBron James-Lance Stephenson ear blowing moment

<!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-lance-stephenson-signs-with-new-team-after-failed-nba-comeback');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lance Stephenson signs with new team after botched NBA comeback');   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/2023/04/NBA_news_Lance_Stephenson_signs_with_new_team_after_botched_NBA_comeback.jpg"></figure><h1>Lance Stephenson signs with new team after botched NBA comeback</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-04-27T17:53:18-07:00">April 27th, 5:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-04-27T17:53:18-07:00">April 27th, 5:53pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lance-stephenson-reveals-truth-about-blowing-in-lebron-james-ear" rel="noopener">Lance Stephenson</a> was hoping to get back in the NBA this season after finishing the 2021-22 campaign with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-early-2023-nba-draft-targets-for-pacers-with-no-7-lottery-slot" rel="noopener">Indiana Pacers</a>. unfortunately for the 32-year-old veteran, no team in the league deemed him worthy of a roster spot, which has now prompted Stephenson to take his talents abroad.</p><p>According to league insider Alberto De Roa of HoopsHype, Lance Stephenson has now <a href="https://hoopshype.com/rumor/2025208/" rel="noopener">agreed to a deal</a> with Puerto Rican outfit Leones de Ponce for the 2023 season. The team plies its trade in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), which is the top tier of professional basketball in the Caribbean island.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="es"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BSNPR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BSNPR</a> | ÚLTIMA HORA: El ex-NBA Lance Stephenson es el nuevo refuerzo de los Leones de Ponce.</p><p>Stephenson mide 6’6, tiene 30 años y ha participado de 554 partidos de NBA. <a href="https://t.co/CxGxxD9h1i">pic.twitter.com/CxGxxD9h1i</a></p><p>— La Guerra del BSN (@LaGuerraBSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaGuerraBSN/status/1651618555115216897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>We last saw Stephenson in the NBA last season with the Pacers, which happened to be his third stint with the team. He played 40 games for Indiana that year, averaging <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stephla01.html#all_transactions">9.3 points</a>, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 18.6 minutes per contest. This was Lance’s third stint with the Pacers. Indiana drafted him as the 40th overall pick in 2010 and he spent the first four years of his career with the team. After stints with the Charlotte Hornets, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Memphis Grizzlies, Stephenson reunited with the Pacers in 2017.</p><p>Also known as <i>Born Ready</i>, Stephenson’s second-longest stint in the NBA came with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played 68 games alongside LeBron James during the 2018-19 season.</p><p>This isn’t Lance Stephenson’s first rodeo abroad after also spending time in the CBA in China with the Liaoning Flying Leopards during the 2019-20 season. He is now hoping to resurrect his career in Puerto Rico with his new team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lance Stephenson signs with new team after botched NBA comeback

<!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', 'Lance Stephenson reveals truth about blowing in Lakers star LeBron James’ ear');   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/2022/06/lakers-3.jpg"></figure><h1>Lance Stephenson reveals truth about blowing in Lakers star LeBron James’ ear</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-06-15T21:20:07-07:00">June 15th, 9:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-06-15T21:21:26-07:00">June 15th, 9:21pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While Lance Stephenson has had a pretty decent NBA career, he is perhaps best remembered for blowing in LeBron James’ ears when the now-Los Angeles Lakers star was still with the Miami Heat.</p><p>During Game 5 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and Indiana Pacers, broadcast cameras <a href="https://youtu.be/Cz3wvCNnF98" rel="noopener">caught Stephenson trying to distract James</a> by blowing in his ear. Interestingly, it looked like Stephenson’s antics affected LeBron, as the Heat star finished with just seven points and four assists in the contest.</p><p>The moment became a meme that has lived and continues to trend until today:</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Now speaking on Bleacher Report, Lance Stephenson revealed the rather obvious reason why he did that to LeBron James. Of course he wanted to win and would do anything to make that happen.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I just wanted to win.”</p><p>Lance Stephenson on why he blew in LeBron’s ear in the 2014 ECF 🌬</p><p>From B/R X <a href="https://twitter.com/carsdotcom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@carsdotcom</a> <a href="https://t.co/LgBrGaTjDH" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/LgBrGaTjDH</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1537209808650051584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 15, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While that is probably not the explanation people wanted to hear, it’s not like the issue remains a big deal today. After all, it has been eight years since it happened and both players have since moved on.</p><p>As every NBA fan knows, LeBron and Stephenson even <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/roster/" rel="noopener">played together with the Lakers for one year during the 2018-19 season</a>. The ear-blowing incident was a major talking point at the time, but in the end, it all boiled down to the two being competitors.</p><p>Hopefully, though, we get to see Stephenson blow in LeBron’s ear again or annoy the hell out of him when they play each other.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lance Stephenson reveals truth about blowing in Lakers star LeBron James’ ear

<!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', 'Kevin Durant’s 3-word callout on ridiculous ‘elbow’ to Lance Stephenson that got Austin Rivers ejected');   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/2022/03/Nets-news-Kevin-Durant_s-3-word-callout-on-ridiculous-_elbow_-to-Lance-Stephenson-that-got-Austin-Rivers-ejected.jpeg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant’s 3-word callout on ridiculous ‘elbow’ to Lance Stephenson that got Austin Rivers ejected</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-03-30T19:31:14-07:00">March 30th, 7:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-03-30T23:51:51-07:00">March 30th, 11:51pm</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 Brooklyn Nets were out of action on Wednesday night, but that didn’t mean Kevin Durant was taking a break from consuming some basketball. The former MVP was left a stunned spectator over one particular call as the Indiana Pacers took on the Denver Nuggets.</p><p>With Nuggets guard Austin Rivers in a triple-threat position, he swung lightly from left to right to create some space between him and Pacers wing Lance Stephenson. Despite the fact that Rivers barely grazed Stephenson, he was subsequently ejected from the game and looked absolutely stunned while walking off the court. Check out the scene below:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Austin Rivers got ejected for 'throwing an elbow' in Lance Stephenson's face. Upon replay, Rivers didn't hit Stephenson.</p><p>Good or bad call on this ejection? 🤔<a href="https://t.co/iq7kCVojq6" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/iq7kCVojq6</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1509335435452956676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 31, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Kevin Durant couldn’t believe it either. The Nets star <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1509340189059166211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1509340189059166211%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">took to Twitter to react</a> to the bogus call on Austin Rivers.</p><blockquote>“This is embarrassing,” said the Nets forward.</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is embarrassing <a href="https://t.co/eGA8epyrSj" target="_blank">https://t.co/eGA8epyrSj</a></p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1509340189059166211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 31, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The fact that even the Pacers broadcast commentating on the play called it “garbage” despite the call benefitting Indiana goes to show that the decision was the wrong one.</p><p>Nuggets fans can take solace in the fact that the play didn’t impact the outcome of the game. Denver came out on top, 125-118, in a game that neither Austin Rivers nor Lance Stephenson played a particularly large role. The two combined for just eight points, four rebounds, and one assist in limited minutes for their respective teams.</p><p>But if the call was made against a star player like Nikola Jokic or Kevin Durant during a Nets game, safe to say there would be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-kevin-durant-reacts-viral-meme-unearthing-demon-time-myspace-profile/">more fans up in arms over the controversial call.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant’s 3-word callout on ridiculous ‘elbow’ to Lance Stephenson that got Austin Rivers ejected

<!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', 'REPORT: Pacers’ plan for Lance Stephenson after fourth 10-day contract expires');   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/2022/02/Pacers-news-Indiana_s-plan-for-Lance-Stephenson-after-fourth-10-day-contract-expires.jpg"></figure><h1>REPORT: Pacers’ plan for Lance Stephenson after fourth 10-day contract expires</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-02-02T20:35:00-08:00">February 2nd, 8:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-02-02T21:01:40-08:00">February 2nd, 9:01pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Lance Stephenson’s current 10-day contract with the Indiana Pacers has come to an end. This is already his fourth 10-day deal with the team which means that the Pacers can no longer offer him another short-term contract.</p><p>The good news for Stephenson is that according to <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1489076391735967752">multiple</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1489086424842485762">reports</a>, Indiana has decided to table a deal that will see the 31-year-old veteran remain with the squad for the remainder of the season:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lance Stephenson has completed his fourth 10-day contract with Indiana but sources say Stephenson remains on course to soon sign a rest-of-the-season Pacers deal. </p><p>Indiana has held off finalizing that deal until now for added roster flexibility in advance of the trade deadline.</p><p>— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1489076391735967752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 3, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">After four consecutive 10-days, Lance Stephenson is signing a contract with the Indiana Pacers for the rest of the season, 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>. Stephenson earns full deal after averaging 9.4 points and 4.2 assists in 17 Pacers games.</p><p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1489086424842485762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 3, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>There you have it, folks. Born Ready isn’t going anywhere. After playing his part for the Pacers in the 17 games he’s taken part of this season, Stephenson has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-3-reasons-lance-stephenson-deserves-contract-rest-of-season/">earned</a> himself a nice payday for the rest of the campaign. Lance is a fan favorite and I’m pretty sure this development is going to be welcomed by Indiana supporters everywhere.</p><p>The Pacers have been linked to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-rumors-washington-making-trade-push-for-pacers-star-domantas-sabonis/" rel="noopener">mid-season overhaul</a> as the trade deadline approaches. Indiana has reportedly put its stars on the trade block, which could put this Stephenson decision into perspective. If the Pacers do end up parting ways with a handful of players on their roster then they might need to lean on guys like Stephenson to help them the rest of the way. Even if Indiana doesn’t shake up its roster in the coming weeks, Stephenson can still be an important part of the rotation for the remainder of the campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

REPORT: Pacers’ plan for Lance Stephenson after fourth 10-day contract expires

<!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', 'WATCH: Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga is 100% fed up with Lance Stephenson’s antics');   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/2022/01/Jonathan-Kuminga-is-100_-fed-up-with-Lance-Stephenson_s-antics.jpg"></figure><h1>WATCH: Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga is 100% fed up with Lance Stephenson’s antics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-20T20:49:30-08:00">January 20th, 8:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-21T07:52:03-08:00">January 21st, 7:52am</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Golden State Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga was the latest victim of Lance Stephenson’s unique antics as the Dubs took on the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. Kuminga was called for a technical foul after shoving the Pacers vet — a development that Stephenson was clearly lobbying for.</p><p>Stephenson is an absolute pro when it comes to getting on his opponents’ nerves and, unfortunately for him, the <a href="http://fanatics.93n6tx.net/za2bWm" rel="noopener">Warriors</a> youngster fell right into Lance’s trap (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1484372738382856192">Warriors on NBCS</a> on Twitter):</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kuminga was whistled for a technical foul after getting mixed up with Lance Stephenson 😬 <a href="https://t.co/IkFTzjd2v2" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/IkFTzjd2v2</a></p><p>— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1484372738382856192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 21, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Kuminga clearly did not appreciate Stephenson getting too close to him and decided to push the Pacers wing away. Lance was clearly asking for it and, as usual, he did an excellent acting job of selling the call to the game officials.</p><p>Here’s another angle of the shove. You can see Stephenson’s facial expression more clearly here and it’s just hilarious:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lance being Lance 😅 <a href="https://t.co/LdbkL4sjnV" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/LdbkL4sjnV</a></p><p>— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1484371682861092864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 21, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>That’s just Lance Stephenson at his best and this is one of the reasons why the Pacers decided to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-indiana-makes-decision-on-lance-stephenson/">sign</a> him. Unfortunately for Jonathan Kuminga, the young <a href="http://foco.vegb.net/qe5Yg" rel="noopener">Warriors</a> stud learned firsthand here just how much of a pest Stephenson can be. This should serve as a lesson for the 19-year-old, so I guess in this respect, he has to thank Lance Stephenson for the impromptu tutorial.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

WATCH: Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga is 100% fed up with Lance Stephenson’s antics

<!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', 'Pacers make decision on Lance Stephenson');   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/2022/01/Day90.00.05.jpg"></figure><h1>Pacers make decision on Lance Stephenson</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-11T12:03:45-08:00">January 11th, 12:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-11T12:04:43-08:00">January 11th, 12:04pm</time><address><a>Karl Rasmussen</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/indiana-pacers/news">Indiana Pacers</a> brought back fan-favorite Lance Stephenson on a 10-day hardship contract. Stephenson made the most of his opportunity with the Pacers, appearing in five games and making noticeable contributions for the team. Well, with the veteran’s 10-day contract set to expire, the Pacers were forced to make a decision on Stephenson’s future with the organization. <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1480986391358042113">Per Chris Haynes</a>, the Pacers and Stephenson agreed to terms on a second 10-day hardship contract on Tuesday.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Indiana Pacers are signing Lance Stephenson to a second 10-day hardship contract, league sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@YahooSports</a>.</p><p>— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1480986391358042113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 11, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While it’s no surprise that the Pacers wanted to keep Stephenson in town, the fact that they didn’t sign him to a guaranteed contract for the rest of the season is somewhat unexpected. <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1480222836996415490">NBA insider Marc Stein reported</a> over the weekend that the Pacers intended to sign Stephenson for the remainder of the season, but for whatever reason, the two agreed to terms on a second 10-day deal.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Pacers are expected to keep Lance Stephenson for the rest of the season, league sources say, thanks to his very strong play in this third Indiana stint that has won admiration from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. </p><p>Stephenson has one day left on his initial Indiana hardship deal.</p><p>— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1480222836996415490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 9, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>That doesn’t mean that the team won’t sign Stephenson the rest of the year when this second 10-day contract expires, so there’s still a chance that the 31-year-old sticks around in Indiana for the remainder of the season.</p><p>Across five games for the Pacers in 2021-22, Stephenson has posted averages of 7.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He’s knocked down 49% of his field-goal attempts and is converting at a 32% clip from 3-point territory across 24.4 minutes per night.</p><p>The veteran guard spent the first four years of his career with the Pacers. He has since spent time with the Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Atlanta Hawks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers make decision on Lance Stephenson

<!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', '3 reasons Lance Stephenson deserves Pacers contract for rest of season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/X-reasons-why-Lance-Stephenson-deserves-a-guaranteed-contract-for-the-rest-of-the-season.jpg"></figure><h1>3 reasons Lance Stephenson deserves Pacers contract for rest of season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-09T09:07:02-08:00">January 9th, 9:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-09T09:07:53-08:00">January 9th, 9:07am</time><address><a>Diego Vergel de Dios</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With all the COVID-19 cases in the NBA, a slew of players have been given a humble opportunity to play in the league for a minimum of 10 days. Lance Stephenson is a player who has received another chance after being out of the league for several years.</p><p>Stephenson was initially signed by the Atlanta Hawks for 10 days, and then the Indiana Pacers signed him for 10 days to start 2022. This is Stephenson’s third stint with Indiana, and he has looked like his old self. The Pacers just recently waived Kelan Martin to open up a roster spot, and there is no doubt that Stephenson deserves that guaranteed roster spot in Indiana. These past two games against tremendous contenders in the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz showed why the veteran should stick around, and NBA reporter Marc Stein says Stephenson <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1480222836996415490" rel="noopener">is expected to get a rest-of-season contract.</a></p><p><i><b>*Watch NBA games LIVE with <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener noreferrer">fuboTV (click for free trial)</a>*</b></i></p><h2>Why Lance Stephenson deserves Pacers contract for rest of season</h2><p><b>1. Shot creator, manufacturing offense</b></p><p>Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert are typically tasked to handle the ball-handling duties for the Pacers, but they have been inconsistent and in and out of the lineup this season. Stephenson has the enormous confidence to handle the ball and constantly involve his teammates all throughout the game. Even if he did not start at point guard, Stephenson recorded a career-high 14 assists against the Jazz.</p><p>Although he sometimes has the tendency to commit boneheaded errors, Stephenson can still make a lot of exceptional plays. With the Jazz failing to contain his pick-and-roll play with Domantas Sabonis, Stephenson kept feeding Sabonis the ball down on the block en route to a career-high 42 points. With Brogdon still expected to be the primary playmaker, LeVert and Stephenson could alternate at the other guard position and become the secondary shot creator for Indiana.</p><p><b>2. Spitfire production off the bench</b></p><p>While Stephenson racked up 14 assists against the Jazz, the Pacers saw his scoring prowess off the bench in a tough loss against Brooklyn. The veteran put up 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting while also handing out five dimes. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-lance-stephensons-electric-return-results-in-rare-feat/" rel="noopener">He even scored 20 straight points</a> in the first quarter.</p><p>Stephenson won’t play as big a role when Indiana’s roster is healthy, with Brogdon and LeVert set to return soon from health and safety protocols. But it is obvious that Stephenson is still in tip-top shape as Carlisle played him 32 and 28 minutes, respectively over the past two games. The Pacers’ offense has been mediocre this season, so they could use a spark off the bench.</p><p><b>3. Veteran presence for a young team</b></p><p>With the Pacers struggling to the tune of a 15-25 record this season, they’re looking to make some big roster changes. But they reportedly don’t want to go through a full rebuild, instead preferring to just retool and try to remain competitive. There’s a good amount of talent on this roster, with almost all of it in their 20s.</p><p>Stephenson is one of just three Pacers in their 30s right now, and he has high-level playoff experience. The classic series pitting Indiana against the Miami Heat in 2013 and 2014 were the accurate representation of Stephenson’s impact and value on the team. His numbers do not tell the whole story, but there were games in which his hustle and desire to win were a tremendous help in the midst of a crucial series.</p><p>Stephenson’s veteran presence could be good for rookie Chris Duarte and other younger players on the roster.</p><p>***</p><p>With Stephenson’s 10-day deal expiring this week, the Pacers must consider bolstering their depth and bringing in tenured people to their lineup. It is a long shot for Indiana to even reach the play-in tournament this season, but this must be the start for them to retool and become a constant staple in the playoffs once again. One small step in reaching that goal is giving Stephenson this opportunity for the second half of the season and then possibly retaining him for 2022-23.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons Lance Stephenson deserves Pacers contract for rest of season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Kyrie Irving, James Harden react to Lance Stephenson’s 30-point explosion');   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/2022/01/Kyrie-Irving-James-Harden-react-to-Lance-Stephenson_s-30-point-explosion.jpeg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Kyrie Irving, James Harden react to Lance Stephenson’s 30-point explosion</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-06T14:49:47-08:00">January 6th, 2:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-07T07:51:27-08:00">January 7th, 7:51am</time><address><a>Dave Early</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets traveled to take on the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. Normally that game wouldn’t garner much national attention. But it was Kyrie Irving’s first game of the season. All eyes were on the 6’2” guard who missed the first 35 games of the year because he’s not yet vaccinated. The Nets initially decided they don’t want part-time players, but general manager Sean Marks and the front office changed their mind after being hit with a wave of COVID-19 cases.</p><p>Not every team has the luxury to tap a superstar to fill in for players entering health and safety protocols like the <a href="http://fanatics.93n6tx.net/vnZ3LN" rel="noopener">Nets.</a> The Pacers turned to Lance Stephenson, who was with the squad in his first four years in the NBA. It was perfectly fitting that Stephenson nearly stole the show in Irving’s debut.</p><p>“Born Ready” returned to his former team amid the wave of 10-day contracts and hardship exceptions being offered to available free agents, as teams scrambled to field enough bodies in an ongoing pandemic. Lance was making them dance. He scored 20 points in the first quarter, hitting four shots from downtown, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-lance-stephenson-steals-show-from-kyrie-irving-nets/" rel="noopener">including a buzzer-beater to end the period.</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">we have just witnessed the most unfathomable heater of the NBA season. Lance Stephenson hits his 20th point of the quarter at the buzzer in SIX minutes played. unbelievable. <a href="https://t.co/oFFSvWmPeh" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/oFFSvWmPeh</a></p><p>— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1478897077413285892?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Irving started off a little bit cold but would eventually find his rhythm. The seven-time All-Star finished with 22 points, helping snap a three-game losing streak for Kevin Durant and company.</p><p>“I just think it’s funny cause it would happen to us. You know what I mean, they had 37 points and he had 20,” James Harden said about Stephenson, as he shook his head after the game.</p><p>“We didn’t play hard enough, we didn’t show enough respect for the game, we weren’t into bodies, gave up 73 points in the first half, that’s unacceptable,” said coach Steve Nash.</p><p>The Nets were down by 17 points with just over 15 minutes remaining. But they stormed back. Durant’s game-high 39 points and <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1479199846661767174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1479199846661767174%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1604651action%3Dedit">Irving’s 10 markers in the fourth quarter fueled the comeback.</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kyrie did it on both ends with 22 points and 3 steals<a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@KyrieIrving</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAAllStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#NBAAllStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/LV5QGotPFa" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/LV5QGotPFa</a></p><p>— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1479199846661767174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>“Yeah, I think we’ve shown that when guys are out of the lineup, we let our foot off the gas,” admitted Nash. “I don’t think it’s giving away team secrets to say that. It took us to get in a deep hole before we kinda showed the game the respect it deserved, the opposition, when at that point (the Pacers had a) lot of confidence, they can see a big win.”</p><p>Nash also lamented that they let Stephenson get loose. He provided a major spark with 30 points and five assists in 32 minutes of action.</p><p>“(We) kind of let (Stephenson) dance around, went under screens, let him shoot, once you let the cat out of the bag by making defensive lapses. A guy can get hot,” added Nash.</p><p>After the game, Irving was asked if the game meant a little something extra. Maybe felt some pregame jitters.</p><p>“I think in the first possession when I shot that shot, I was so caught in just making my first two points, I was so nervous, and naturally. You know, as a performer, I still get nervous. But that first shot was like ‘Man, I wanted that to go in’ then I settled down,” admitted Irving.</p><p>Did he feel any growing pains being out there for the first time in so long?</p><p>“Oh yeah, absolutely. Absolutely,” said a candid and emotional Irving. “It honestly hit me in the first half when we were just watching Lance Stephenson give us his best rendition of his show. I told Lance during the game, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen you have a 20-point quarter like that.’ His debut, here at Indiana, we knew was going to be a big deal but we didn’t know he was gonna come out like that. And we all took it personal when we came out in that second half.”</p><p>Stephenson attempted to steal the show. He may have earned some more run beyond his 10-day contract. But it sounds like Irving hinted he may have also poked the bear, causing the <a href="http://foco.vegb.net/15GNdB" rel="noopener">Nets</a> to take things personally and steal back the night. This was supposed to be Irving’s big return not Stephenson’s. But for a while there, it almost went the other way. As Harden might say, that <i>would </i>happen to them.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Kyrie Irving, James Harden react to Lance Stephenson’s 30-point explosion

<!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', 'Lance Stephenson’s electric return to Indiana results in rare feat in Pacers loss');   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/2022/01/Pacers-Lance-Stephenson-.jpeg"></figure><h1>Lance Stephenson’s electric return to Indiana results in rare feat in Pacers loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-06T05:40:49-08:00">January 6th, 5:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-06T05:40:49-08:00">January 6th, 5:40am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | Victor Cruz and RJ Barrett are my GOATs</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Indiana Pacers hosting the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night featured two big storylines. First, it was the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kyrie-irving-reacts-to-first-game-back-with-nets-from-covid-vaccine-controversy/">season debut of Kyrie Irving</a>, who will start playing in only road games for the Nets. Second, it was Lance Stephenson’s (second) homecoming to Indiana. He was recently signed by the team and played his first home game as a Pacer since 2018.</p><p>Stephenson was met with a huge ovation from the crowd and put on a show worth celebrating. In the first quarter, he scored <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-lance-stephenson-steals-show-from-kyrie-irving-nets/">20 consecutive points</a> for the Pacers in less than seven minutes. Several of the league’s best players, including Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade have never scored that many consecutive points.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lance Stephenson – who just re-joined the Pacers less than a week ago – scored 20 straight points for them Wednesday.</p><p>Some of the best scorers this century have NEVER done it over their careers (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/EliasSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@EliasSports</a>). <a href="https://t.co/jHkOw4wH1E" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/jHkOw4wH1E</a></p><p>— ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1478961227632033797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Stephenson only missed one shot in his first-quarter explosion, helping the Pacers take a lead over the title-contending Nets at the end of the period. He became the <a href="https://twitter.com/PatBoylanPacers/status/1478899638744793094?s=20">first bench player</a> to score 20 points in a single quarter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">20 points.<br>8-9 shooting.<br>4-5 from deep.</p><p>In one quarter.</p><p>Lance. Stephenson. 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/kaNyZvlniZ" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/kaNyZvlniZ</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1478897710451380225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Ultimately, the Pacers lost 129-121. They took a 13-point lead into halftime and dropped 73 points on one of the league’s best defenses thanks to Stephenson. Brooklyn flipped the script in the second half, though, which featured a dominant fourth quarter that allowed them to win the game. They now sit at 24-12, making them the second seed in the Eastern Conference currently, while the Pacers sit at 14-25, good enough for just 13th place.</p><p>Stephenson is not equipped to be an offense-carrying player but he brings the funk and confidence as if he were one. Even though he won’t help the Pacers make up ground in the standings, he is a welcome addition for Indiana as they head towards a rebuild.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2018-19 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
7.2	3.2	2.1	0.1	0.6

2018-19 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
7.2	3.2	2.1	0.1	0.6

Lance Stephenson news

Lance
Stephenson news