<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-receives-57-percent-first-place-votes-espn-mvp-straw-poll');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic receives 57% of first place votes in ESPN MVP Straw Poll');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nuggets-news-Nikola-Jokic-receives-57-of-first-place-votes-in-ESPN-MVP-Straw-Poll.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic receives 57% of first place votes in ESPN MVP Straw Poll</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T08:50:59-08:00">December 20th, 8:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T08:50:59-08:00">December 20th, 8:50am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Yes, it’s still early in the 2024-25 NBA season, but apparently not too early to begin <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-mvp-mondays-24-25-luka-doncic-rejoins-top-5-nikola-jokic-insane-numbers">talking about the MVP race</a>, and with that conversation starting, it’s worth noting that Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is on the precipice of history. With an MVP win this season, Jokic would become the sixth player ever to win four or more MVP awards, and just the third to win four in a five year span, joining Bill Russell and LeBron James in that illustrious category.</p><p>And from the sounds of it, that’s the direction that we’re heading in.</p><p>On a recent episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1334&amp;v=sahzLMR-E6U&amp;feature=youtu.be" rel="noopener">The Hoop Collective Podcast</a>, Tim Bontemps stated that Jokic led all players in ESPN’s first NBA MVP Straw Poll of the year with 57 1st-place votes. He appeared on all 100 ballots that were cast and has been a top-two vote getter in the last seven MVP Straw Polls.</p><p>It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the Nuggets’ star center is considered the MVP front-runner. Right now, Jokic ranks 2nd in points per game (31.0), 3rd in rebounds (13.0), and 2nd in assists (9.8). The only player in NBA history to finish in the top five in points, rebounds and assists per game in the same season was Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in back to back years in 1967 and 1968.</p><p>The standard numbers alone paint a picture where <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-george-karl-fires-off-bold-nikola-jokic-michael-jordan-take">The Joker is clearly one of the most impactful players in the NBA</a>, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find that he’s truly in rarefied air.</p><p>Jokic is shooting 56 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line. If that holds, he’d be the only player <i>ever </i>to average at least 15 points per game with at least 55-50-80 shooting splits. Jokic also leads the league in Vorps and Shmorps — shout-out to the GOAT Zach Lowe — and PER with a 31.9, which is the fifth-highest mark in league history.</p><p>But perhaps most importantly, the eye test leaves no doubt that Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player alive who controls more of the game on any given night than anyone else in the league</p><h2><b>Can Nikola Jokic hold off the rest of the field in the race for the MVP? </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nikola-Jokic-contests-a-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-jump-shot.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Per Bontemps, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was second in the initial Straw Poll after a 2023-24 season in which he finished 2nd in the MVP vote behind Jokic. SGA’s numbers are right on par with where he was at last year — 30 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists per game — and he’s the go-to-guy on the team with the 2nd-best record in the NBA, which is generally enough to land you in the MVP conversation.</p><p>Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was 3rd in the Straw Poll, likely in large part due to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-giannis-antetokounmpo-makes-promise-nba-cup">dominant run through the NBA Cup</a>. Giannis is averaging a career-high and league-best 32.7 points per game for a Bucks squad that is playing their best basketball <i>right now</i>.</p><p>Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic round out the top five less than six months after squaring off in the 2024 NBA Finals.</p><p>In total, fourteen players received a top five vote — Jokic, SGA, Giannis, Tatum, Luka, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant, Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic receives 57% of first place votes in ESPN MVP Straw Poll

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/blazers-news-anfernee-simons-stuns-nikola-jokic-nuggets-with-epic-game-winner');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Anfernee Simons stuns Nikola Jokic, Nuggets with epic game-winner');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Blazers-news-Anfernee-Simons-stuns-Nikola-Jokic-Nuggets-with-epic-game-winner.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers’ Anfernee Simons stuns Nikola Jokic, Nuggets with epic game-winner</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T21:39:28-08:00">December 19th, 9:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T21:49:03-08:00">December 19th, 9:49pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-3-key-blazers-drawing-trade-interest">Portland Trail Blazers were in cruise control</a> against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, taking a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter. But the Nuggets have come from behind on multiple occasions this season, and it looked as though they seized momentum of the game for good after Russell Westbrook swallowed up an Anfernee Simons shot leading to a Michael Porter Jr. dunk that gave Denver a two-point lead. However, it was Simons who had the last laugh, as he <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869978699220824237" rel="noopener">drained a game-winning floater</a> over Westbrook in isolation just as the time expired to give Portland a 122-120 win.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ANFERNEE SIMONS CALLED GAME ON RUSSELL WESTBROOK AND THE NUGGETS 🚨</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@trailblazers</a>)<a href="https://t.co/Cea2J0q7BJ">pic.twitter.com/Cea2J0q7BJ</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869978699220824237?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Simons was on point all night long, and he was the no-brainer pick for the Blazers to give the ball to for the last shot of the game. His isolation on Westbrook was eerily reminiscent of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/paul-george-vs-damian-lillard-a-timeline-of-their-feud">Damian Lillard’s iso against Paul George</a> back in the 2019 NBA playoffs, but this time, Simons drove to the lane and got the step on the Nuggets guard, and all Westbrook could do was flail at the ball to try and swipe it, failing to contest the shot at the apex. This resulted in a pretty easy bucket for Simons who gave the Blazers their ninth win of the season in 27 contests.</p><p>The Blazers breathe a major sigh of relief, especially after Simons slipped in what was a scary moment earlier in the fourth quarter. Simons was making his way to the basket when he slipped on a wet spot near the restricted area, turning the ball over which then led to a Nuggets three-pointer. The 25-year-old guard shrugged off the slip and finished the game off strong, and in the end, he recorded 28 points on 11-20 shooting from the field — a continuation of the trend of good games he’s been having as of late.</p><h2><b>Blazers stave off choke job vs. Nuggets thanks to Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Blazers-Anfernee-Simons-smiling.jpg"><figcaption>© Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It was apparent in the fourth quarter that the Blazers were a less-experienced team than the Nuggets. They were being outplayed and outhustled, with Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray leading them back from 17 down to pave the way for Nikola Jokic to try and cement the game for Denver. But Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe did just enough to lead Portland across the finish line as the victor.</p><p>Simons and Sharpe combined for 18 of the Blazers’ 22 points in the fourth quarter, with the latter hitting two free throws following a Jokic loose ball foul to give the Blazers a 122-120 lead. Jokic retaliated with an easy basket on the other end, but they left too much time for the Blazers, setting up Simons’ heroics.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Anfernee Simons stuns Nikola Jokic, Nuggets with epic game-winner

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-nuggets-targeting-zach-lavine-trade-to-pair-with-nikola-jokic');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Nuggets targeting Zach LaVine trade to pair with Nikola Jokic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-rumors-Nuggets-targeting-Zach-LaVine-trade-to-pair-with-Nikola-Jokic.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Nuggets targeting Zach LaVine trade to pair with Nikola Jokic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T19:15:17-08:00">December 17th, 7:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-18T06:54:11-08:00">December 18th, 6:54am</time><address><a>Matty Breisch</a>Matty Breisch is a multifaceted writer who specializes in NFL and WWE content at ClutchPoints. He can be read at Heavy, FanSided, Philadelphia Sports Network, and right here at ClutchPoints. Are you ready to read about football and wrestling? Well, you've come to the right place.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2024 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-critics-on-michael-malone">Denver Nuggets have been rather disappointing versus expectations</a>, right?</p><p>Now, sure, they aren’t the Philadelphia 76ers or some other poor squad that can’t seem to find a win despite adding incredible talent to their roster over the offseason, but after<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-mistake-nuggets-made-with-kentavious-caldwell-pope"> saying goodbye to Kardavious Caldwell-Pope</a> during the offseason, the Nuggets have been treading water in the Western Conference, clearly behind the top teams but not so bad that they could approach a rebuild.</p><p>Could the Nuggets catch fire and go on a run? Sure, but they might just need some help to get there, with the dynamic duo of Tony Jones and Sam Amick discussing some potential options the team could pursue based on their reporting.</p><p>One name to keep an eye on in the Mile High City? Zach LaVine, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6002502/2024/12/17/zach-lavine-trade-rumors-nuggets/" rel="noopener">highest-paid player</a> on the Chicago Bulls, has been on the block for what feels like two years now since the team low-key started to pursue a youth movement around players like Coby White and Josh Giddey.</p><p>“With the NBA’s trade window opening this past weekend, and with the trade deadline less than two months away, the Nuggets are canvassing the league in pursuit of a player who can offer significant help offensively, league sources tell <i>The Athletic</i>,” Tony Jones and Sam Amick wrote for The Athletic.</p><p>“As a result, the Nuggets have either expressed interest in or have had preliminary trade discussions on the following players: Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Washington’s Jordan Poole, Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter, Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson, and Washington’s Jonas Valančiūnas.”</p><p>Alright, while that collection of players is incredibly eclectic, ranging from guards to wings and even a center for good measure, the idea of bringing LaVine to Denver is a very interesting one for more reasons than one.</p><p>On the one hand, LaVine is a good scoring guard who could likely play a similar style to long-time point guard Jamal Murray in the two-man offensive game. He can score from all three levels and is a beast in the fast break, where he could benefit from some Jokic deep passes Bo Nix-style.</p><p>And yet, LaVine is also a poor defender who does pretty much the opposite of what the KCP used to bring to the table. He would certainly start on the team next to Murray and Michael Porter Jr., but his defensive struggles might provide more harm than good for the Nuggets, as opposing teams would almost certainly target him down the stretch in playoff games, where his position could be exploited.</p><p>Factor in the contractual situation, as Lavine is <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/15365/zach-lavine" rel="noopener">making $43 million this season</a>, almost $46 million next year, and nearly $49 million in 2026-27, and the idea of bringing the UCLA product to town feels incredibly unlikely, unless, of course, Denver wants to send MPJ to Chicago to move off of his contract too. And yet, the Nuggets wouldn’t be having conversations with the Bulls about LaVine if they didn’t think he could help them out, so hey, you never really know: maybe the two teams could make a deal before the deadline, and every other team will have to adjust to this new NBA.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Nuggets targeting Zach LaVine trade to pair with Nikola Jokic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-criticism-take-from-ex-nba-player');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nikola Jokic criticism gets 100% real take from ex-NBA player');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nikola-Jokic-criticism-gets-100-real-take-from-ex-NBA-player.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic criticism gets 100% real take from ex-NBA player</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T12:58:22-08:00">December 17th, 12:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T12:58:22-08:00">December 17th, 12:58pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former NBA player Lou Williams weighed in on the criticism surrounding three-time MVP Nikola Jokic during a segment on FanDuel’s Run It Back.</p><p>Jokic, the centerpiece of the Denver Nuggets, continues to draw both praise and scrutiny as he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-mvp-mondays-24-25-luka-doncic-rejoins-top-5-nikola-jokic-insane-numbers">remains a frontrunner for a fourth MVP award</a>. Despite his dominance on the court, some critique his unconventional style and appearance, a topic that Williams and co-host Michelle Beadle addressed on the show.</p><p>Beadle remarked on the unique perception of Jokic.</p><p>“I do think he gets crushed because he’s not chiseled or you know, he looks like he’s stepping out of some stupid muscle magazine,” Beadle said. “I personally like his attitude. He’s like dry and sarcastic – just love that.”</p><p>Williams <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869083858098167987" rel="noopener">offered a candid perspective</a> on the nature of the criticism Jokic faces.</p><p>“That’s just a credit to his greatness. Like none of our greats get out without criticism. None of them,” Williams said. “So the fact that he’s looking at his fourth MVP – at some point, he’s going to get criticized. People get bored with you just being great. People get bored with it, so they start talking s**t.”</p><h2><b>Nikola Jokic’s dominance fuels Nuggets’ surge amid MVP-level campaign</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nikola-Jokic-15-looks-on-during-the-fourth-quarter-against-the-Sacramento-Kings.jpg"><figcaption>© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jokic’s numbers this season have underscored his continued dominance in the league. The Nuggets center is averaging 30.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, 9.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 55.8% from the field and an exceptional 48.9% from three-point range.</p><p>His recent performance in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-mike-malone-sends-warning-denver-getting-away-with-kings-win">Monday night’s 130-129 win over the Sacramento Kings</a> showcased his versatility, as Jokic posted 20 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, two steals, and a block.</p><p>The Nuggets, currently fifth in the Western Conference with a 14-10 record, are riding a three-game winning streak. They look to build on their momentum during a three-game road trip, starting with a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers (8-18).</p><p>Jokic’s sustained excellence remains the driving force for the Denver Nuggets as they continue their push to secure a top spot in the West. While the criticism persists, it serves as yet another testament to his status among the league’s all-time greats.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic criticism gets 100% real take from ex-NBA player

<!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', '/colorado-football-news-travis-hunter-historic-feat-nikola-jokic-nathan-mackinnon');   ga('set', 'title', 'Colorado’s Travis Hunter completes historic feat involving Nikola Jokic, Nathan MacKinnon');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Travis-Hunter-holds-up-the-Heisman-Trophy.jpg"><figcaption>Lucas Boland-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Colorado’s Travis Hunter completes historic feat involving Nikola Jokic, Nathan MacKinnon</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-15T06:09:02-08:00">December 15th, 6:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-15T06:09:02-08:00">December 15th, 6:09am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NCAA Football</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In what turned out to be the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-how-many-votes-did-travis-hunter-get-to-win-heisman-trophy">closest Heisman Trophy race in fifteen years</a>, Colorado Buffaloes two-way star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-travis-hunter-named-heisman-winner-over-ashton-jeanty">Travis Hunter edged out Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty</a> to win the most prestigious award in college sports on Saturday night, capping off a tremendous junior season that will likely catapult Hunter to NFL stardom.</p><p>Hunter’s Heisman win makes him the first defensive player to win the award since Charles Woodson in 1997, and the first Colorado Buffalo to earn the honor since Rashaan Salaam rushed to the award in 1994. Additionally, thanks to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Colorado Avalanche centre (notice the spelling difference) Nathan MacKinnon, Hunter is now part of a piece of some <a href="https://x.com/OptaSTATS/status/1868112308817580090" rel="noopener">unique Centennial State history</a>.</p><p>According to OptaSTATS:</p><p>“2024 is the first year in which the winners of the Heisman Trophy (Travis Hunter), NBA MVP (Nikola Jokic) and NHL MVP (Nathan MacKinnon) all played for teams in the same state.”</p><p>For Nikola Jokic, taking home the NBA MVP award is old news, as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-video-captures-heartwarming-moment-nikola-jokic-learned-of-third-mvp-win">The Joker is one of just nine players in league history to win the award three or more times</a>. For Nathan MacKinnon, it was the first time that one of this generation’s most talented players was given the hardware to prove it.</p><p>Although the winners of the Heisman Trophy, NBA MVP and NHL MVP have never come from the same state prior to this season, there has been one other instance this century where four major award winners played in the same state. In 2002, the NFL MVP (Rich Gannon), MLB AL and NL MVP’s (Barry Bonds and Miguel Tejada), and Heisman Trophy winner (Carson Palmer) all played in the state of California. Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal finished third in the NBA MVP voting.</p><p>Next up for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-deion-sanders-shedeur-sanders-travis-hunters-bowl-status">Travis Hunter will be an appearance in Alamo Bowl against the BYU Cougars</a>. For both Hunter and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, it will be their final college game before they both head to the NFL Draft, where they’ll <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-deion-sanders-drops-shocking-shedeur-sanders-travis-hunter-nfl-draft-admission">each be in play for the No. 1 overall pick</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Colorado’s Travis Hunter completes historic feat involving Nikola Jokic, Nathan MacKinnon

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-dominance-paul-pierce-come-out-of-retirement');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Nikola Jokic’s dominance has Paul Pierce ready to come out of retirement');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Why-Nikola-Jokics-dominance-has-Paul-Pierce-ready-to-come-out-of-retirement.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Nikola Jokic’s dominance has Paul Pierce ready to come out of retirement</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-13T10:22:45-08:00">December 13th, 10:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-13T10:22:45-08:00">December 13th, 10:22am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic has been one of, if not, the most dominant player in the NBA. Despite his dominance, he doesn’t have a flashy game, much like former Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce. On the KG Certified Podcast, Pierce and former teammate Kevin Garnett joked about how Jokic’s lack of athleticism means that <a href="https://youtu.be/sfN7nA1pGBs?t=1139" rel="noopener">retirement could be postponed</a>.</p><p>“That’s why I’ve been saying… I could come back,” Pierce said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. No athleticism, and can barely jump. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Why can’t I come back if that’s the league? Look at our top players. Luka (Doncic), no athleticism. Joker, come on, dog, I can spot up, I give you some slow motion.”</p><p>Although <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/paul-pierces-10-wildest-nba-takes">Pierce is known for wild NBA takes</a>, he has a point here. His game was not built around athleticism, but rather his skill. He was known as a true three-level scorer who can score from anywhere and at any time. Pierce did play an impressive 19 seasons in the NBA, recording 26,397 points in his career. He knows how to put the ball in the hoop through shot-fakes, footwork, and fundamentals that are frequently overlooked.</p><h2><b>Nikola Jokic’s dominance for the Nuggets is somewhat resemblant of Paul Pierce’s game</b></h2><p>Pierce and the Nuggets MVP aren’t the same in terms of dominant, but their skill sets align. Even after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-the-time-nikola-jokic-flexed-pretended-to-be-tyson-fury">Jokic pretended to be Tyson Fury</a>, the athleticism isn’t there. The former Celtics forward made his career known for his shooting and savvy scoring. He averaged over 20 points per game for seven straight seasons. In a league where shooting wasn’t a priority, he would thrive in today’s game. </p><p>Not to mention, Pierce played a hefty amount of minutes in his career. He never had a season averaging below than 32 minutes per game. Funny enough, that’s one of the underrated aspects of Jokic’s game, that he looks slow and nonathletic. However, to play 37.6 minutes per game at a high level and dominate the way he is means something else. He has to be one of the most in shape big men in the NBA. Jokic is currently <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jokicni01.html" rel="noopener">second in the NBA in minutes per game</a>, only behind Knicks’ Mikal Bridges. </p><p>The Truth shouldn’t attempt a comeback at this point in his life. He’s been out of the league since the 2016-17 season. However, his point illustrates a concept that many can agree with. Non-athletic guys like Pierce could dominate in today’s league. The offensive emphasis could heighten those players and add years to their respective careers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Nikola Jokic’s dominance has Paul Pierce ready to come out of retirement

<!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', '/kings-news-why-domantas-sabonis-better-playmaker-nikola-jokic-mike-brown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Domantas Sabonis is a better playmaker than Nikola Jokic, per Mike Brown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Why-Domantas-Sabonis-is-a-better-playmaker-than-Nikola-Jokic-per-Mike-Brown-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Domantas Sabonis is a better playmaker than Nikola Jokic, per Mike Brown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-12T10:50:25-08:00">December 12th, 10:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-12T10:52:10-08:00">December 12th, 10:52am</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>One of the most disrespected and looked-over stars in the NBA is Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis. When it comes to consistency and playing his role as the Kings’ second star next to De’Aaron Fox, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-domantas-sabonis-kings-surprising-demar-derozan-addition-final-piece">Sabonis is the definition of perfection</a>. That is why Mike Brown loves his big man so much. However, Sabonis isn’t the only “do-it-all” center in the NBA, as Denver Nuggets three-time MVP Nikola Jokic surely takes the mantle of best big man in the league due to everything he can do.</p><p>There are a lot of similarities between Jokic and Sabonis. While Jokic is obviously the best player in the world right now, both big men help initiate their respective teams’ offenses. After all, they are the only players in the league averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists per game this season.</p><p>Perhaps the most intriguing statistics that connect Jokic and Sabonis are how many times they have the ball in their possession every game. In fact, among the top 25 players in total touches last season, Sabonis had the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/42911487/nba-all-star-domantas-sabonis-legendary-father-arvydas-enormous-weight-legacy" rel="noopener">second-shortest average touch length</a>, behind only Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. This is the reason why Brown believes Sabonis has an edge over Jokic.</p><p>“I’m not saying Domas is better than Jokic or anything like that,” Brown told Holmes. “But, to me that’s why Domas is a better playmaker than Jokic.”</p><p>Brown also went on to explain how Sabonis is utilized more as a point guard for the Kings than a center. Sabonis brings the ball up the court and initiates the offense on either side, regardless of what the opposing defense looks like.</p><p>While Jokic may be the best player in the NBA right now, Brown is sticking with his big man.</p><h2><b>Domantas Sabonis’ value to Kings</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Domantas-Sabonis-celebrating.jpg"><figcaption>Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When it comes to making plays for others and increasing the team’s overall ability on offense, Sabonis is exactly what the Kings hoped he would be alongside Fox.</p><p>The three-time All-Star is among the best passers in the league, not just at the center position, and he has been the best when it comes to grabbing rebounds. Sabonis has led the league in rebounds each of the last two seasons, and he set some video game-like numbers on the glass last season.</p><p>Aside from recording 77 double-doubles in 82 games last season, the most in the league, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-domantas-sabonis-breaks-55-year-old-record-with-stunning-performance-vs-bucks">Sabonis set a new franchise record for consecutive double-doubles</a>, passing the great Jerry Lucas with 47 consecutive double-doubles during the 2023-24 season. The Kings big man also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-kevin-love-domantas-sabonis-double-double-reaction">surpassed Kevin Love’s 53 consecutive double-double mark</a>, giving Sabonis the longest streak with a double-double since the 1976-77 NBA/ABA merger.</p><p>Sabonis has proven to be one of the most impactful players in the entire NBA, which is why everyone in the Kings organization loves him. Whether or not Sabonis is better than Jokic in any category is open for discussion, but Brown and Sacramento are as happy as they can be with their All-Star center.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Domantas Sabonis is a better playmaker than Nikola Jokic, per Mike Brown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-the-time-nikola-jokic-flexed-pretended-to-be-tyson-fury');   ga('set', 'title', 'The time Nikola Jokic flexed in a mirror and pretended to be Tyson Fury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/The-time-Nikola-Jokic-flexed-in-a-mirror-and-pretended-to-be-Tyson-Fury.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>The time Nikola Jokic flexed in a mirror and pretended to be Tyson Fury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-11T09:44:41-08:00">December 11th, 9:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-11T09:44:41-08:00">December 11th, 9:44am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, known for his humility and quiet dominance on the basketball court, <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1866873458426265894" rel="noopener">provided a rare glimpse</a> into his self-assured nature through an analogy recently shared by teammate DeAndre Jordan. Speaking on FanDuel’s “Run It Back,” Jordan recounted a lighthearted moment that perfectly encapsulated Jokic’s understated confidence.</p><p>“He gave us a pretty good analogy the other day,” Jordan said during the segment hosted by Michelle Beadle, Lou Williams, and Chandler Parsons. “He looked himself in the mirror, flexed, and said, ‘I am Tyson Fury.’”</p><h2><b>Nikola Jokic’s playful Tyson Fury analogy his quiet confidence and historic dominance</b></h2><p>Jordan elaborated, explaining Jokic’s meaning behind the playful comment. “He said, you don’t see it, but I am really, really good.”</p><p>Parsons added context to the analogy, likening Jokic’s comparison to Tyson Fury, the heavyweight boxing champion known for his unassuming demeanor but extraordinary skill. “He is right. Like, I’m scared as s**t of Mike Tyson, but Tyson Fury is just as good—he’s just less intimidating.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“He looked at himself in the mirror, flexed, and said, ‘I am Tyson Fury.'”</p><p>DeAndre Jordan says Nikola Jokic’s mindset is that of a world champion 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/RunItBackFDTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RunItBackFDTV</a>)<a href="https://t.co/YSta8YJPwJ">pic.twitter.com/YSta8YJPwJ</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1866873458426265894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>The moment offered a rare insight into Jokic’s personality, blending humor with a recognition of his immense talent.</p><p>Jokic, currently in the midst of a historic season, continues to build his case as one of the greatest centers in NBA history. The two-time MVP is averaging 32.3 points, 13.6 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, while shooting an impressive 56.1% from the field and 50% from three-point range.</p><h2><b>Jokic’s record-breaking performances anchor Nuggets amid slow start to the season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nikola-Jokic-15-controls-the-ball-against-the-Atlanta-Hawks-during-the-first-half.jpg"><figcaption>© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In a recent stretch of games, Jokic delivered one jaw-dropping performance after another. Against the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nikola-jokic-career-high-performance-spoiled-with-nuggets-loss-to-wizards">Washington Wizards, he scored a career-high 56 points</a>, grabbed 16 rebounds, and dished out eight assists in a narrow loss. He followed that with a dominant 48-point, 14-rebound, eight-assist, and three-steal performance in the Nuggets’ commanding 141-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks.</p><p>Despite his video game-like numbers, Denver has had a slow start to the season, sitting at 12-10. Jokic’s performances, however, have kept the Nuggets competitive and fueled conversations about a potential fourth MVP award.</p><p>The Nuggets return home Friday night to host the Los Angeles Clippers (14-11) after a challenging road trip where they went 1-2. As the season progresses, Jokic’s remarkable consistency and leadership will be crucial for Denver to solidify its position in the Western Conference standings.</p><p>Jordan’s anecdote serves as a reminder of Jokic’s unique blend of self-awareness and humor, qualities that complement his dominance on the court. Whether flexing in front of a mirror or recording another triple-double, Jokic continues to redefine greatness for centers in the NBA.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The time Nikola Jokic flexed in a mirror and pretended to be Tyson Fury

<!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-mvp-mondays-24-25-luka-doncic-rejoins-top-5-nikola-jokic-insane-numbers');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA MVP Mondays: Luka Doncic rejoins Top 5 amid Nikola Jokic’s insane numbers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-MVP-Mondays-Luka-Doncic-rejoins-Top-5-amid-Nikola-Jokics-insane-numbers.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA MVP Mondays: Luka Doncic rejoins Top 5 amid Nikola Jokic’s insane numbers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-09T14:04:03-08:00">December 9th, 2:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-09T14:04:03-08:00">December 9th, 2:04pm</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">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There is no question as to who the best player in the NBA is at this juncture. What Nikola Jokic has done individually is starting to reach untouchable territory, as the Denver Nuggets big man continues to forge his own lore in NBA history in search of his fourth MVP award. However, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-denver-struggles-continue">Nuggets have struggled through the first quarter</a> of the 2024-25 season, which leaves the door open for others like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic in the NBA MVP race.</p><p>What is interesting about this MVP race is that each player carries different responsibilities and has their respective teams in various positions.</p><p>Tatum and Gilgeous-Alexander have the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder at the top of their conference standings, yet Giannis has led the league in scoring, which is the main reason the Milwaukee Bucks have been able to turn around their season. Then there is Luka, who started the season a little slower than expected, but has the Dallas Mavericks in a position to possibly win the Emirates NBA Cup.</p><p>Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander will face off on Tuesday night in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-warriors-headline-nba-cup-knockout-round-siegels-scoop">NBA Cup quarterfinals with a trip to Las Vegas on the line</a>. Although he has missed some games this season due to injuries, Doncic is playing his best basketball and is coming off back-to-back triple-doubles. A win over the Thunder would surely open some eyes to Doncic’s MVP case this season, especially since the Mavs have soared up the Western Conference standings after a 5-7 start.</p><p>Still, this is Jokic’s race to lose, and the three-time MVP is going above and beyond in what may be his best season in the NBA. While Denver’s star still sits at the top of the NBA MVP rankings, there are still a lot of games left to be played and a lot of opportunities that can present themselves to the rest of the field.</p><p><i><b>Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-mvp-mondays-24-25-nikola-jokic-leads-giannis-antetokounmpo-jayson-tatum">Week 6</a> | <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-mvp-mondays-24-25-giannis-antetokounmpo-charges-back-into-race">Week 5</a> | <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-mvp-mondays-24-25-nikola-jokic-overtakes-jayson-tatum-anthony-davis">Week 4</a> | <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-mvp-mondays-24-25-nikola-jokic-dominance-overlooked">Week 3</a> | <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-mvp-mondays-24-25-shai-gilgeous-alexander-leads-jayson-tatum-anthony-davis">Week 2</a> | <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-mvp-mondays-24-25-jayson-tatum-dominance-celtics-title-chances">Week 1</a></b></i></p><h2><b>1. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nikola-Jokic-dribbling.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous ranking: #1</i></p><p><i>2024-25 season stats: 19 games, 32.3 points, 13.6 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 56.3 FG%, 50.6 3P%</i></p><p>There aren’t any words to describe how good Jokic is. When you think he’s done the best he can and won’t make any more history, Jokic goes out on the court and simply puts up numbers you would only see in video games. That was the case this past week with ridiculous back-to-back performances.</p><p>While the Nuggets lost on the road to the Washington Wizards, the worst loss any team in the league could suffer, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nikola-jokic-career-high-performance-spoiled-with-nuggets-loss-to-wizards">Jokic recorded a career-high 56 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists in 39 minutes</a>. He returned the next game with 48 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists in a 30-point win over the Atlanta Hawks. When Jokic plays, the Nuggets have the best offensive rating in the league. When he is out of the game, Denver ranks 30th in offensive efficiency.</p><p>That should tell you everything you need to know about why Jokic remains the clear favorite for the NBA MVP award.</p><h2><b>2. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Bucks-Giannis-Antetokounmpo.jpg"><figcaption>Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous ranking: #2</i></p><p><i>2024-25 season stats: 21 games, 32.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 blocks, 61.1 FG%</i></p><p>The Bucks were once 2-8 with the sky falling around them. This team is now 12-11 and right in the thick of things near the top of the Eastern Conference because of how good Giannis is. The two-time MVP is leading the league in scoring with 32.5 points per game and is currently tied for fifth in rebounding. Antetokounmpo also ranks fifth in field goal percentage.</p><p>No matter who the Bucks are playing, Antetokounmpo seems to be getting 30 points and 10 rebounds on any night. He has achieved this 13 different times this season, four games ahead of Jokic for the <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/who-has-the-most-games-with-30-points-and-10-rebounds-this-season" rel="noopener">league-lead in this category</a>. Giannis has a streak of three straight games with at least 30 points, 11 rebounds, and shooting over 50 percent from the floor.</p><p>With a win on Tuesday over the Orlando Magic, Giannis and the Bucks will head to Las Vegas for a chance to compete in the semifinals of the NBA Cup. Winning this tournament would only add value to Antetokounmpo’s MVP resume for this season.</p><h2><b>3. Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Joe-Mazzulla-and-Jayson-Tatum.jpg"><figcaption>Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous ranking: #3</i></p><p><i>2024-25 season stats: 23 games, 28.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 45.3 FG%, 36.4 3P%</i></p><p>Everyone knows how good Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are. This is the team to beat since they are the defending champions. But what goes unnoticed regarding Tatum due to the talent across this Boston roster is how he contributes in more ways than just one.</p><p>Aside from ranking sixth in scoring and fourth in total points this season, Tatum is also tied for 19th in the entire league in rebounding. In fact, he’s fourth behind Giannis, Jalen Johnson, and Evan Mobley in rebounding for all non-centers. This season in particular, Tatum has improved immensely as a passer and overall playmaker for his teammates.</p><p>For the Celtics to have a chance at defending their title, they needed Tatum to evolve into a two-way superstar who can score and create for others. He has done just that through the first quarter of the season.</p><h2><b>4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunders-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous ranking: #4</i></p><p><i>2024-25 season stats: 23 games, 29.8 points, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, 50.8 FG%, 32.6 3P%</i></p><p>Much like how Giannis can record 30 points and 10 rebounds on any given night, it is becoming very normal for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to have 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists in any game. The Thunder guard has achieved this five different times this season, and he has come close in so many other contests.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder currently reside at the top of the Western Conference standings at 18-5 and they and seize the mantle as the best team in the league should they go on to win the NBA Cup. Even without Chet Holmgren by his size, SGA is still finding ways to keep the Thunder in a position to win games.</p><p>When it comes to two-way play at the point guard position, Gilgeous-Alexander is the best in the NBA.</p><h2><b>5. Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Mavs-Luka-Doncic.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous ranking: #9</i></p><p><i>2024-25 season stats: 18 games, 28.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.9 steals, 45.0 FG%, 34.8 3P%</i></p><p>Since Doncic returned from a wrist injury that sidelined him for five games, the Mavericks’ star has averaged 31.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from three-point range. These numbers are better than those that Doncic was putting up last season when he finished third in the NBA MVP voting.</p><p>The main reason Luka has jumped into the top five of this week’s MVP rankings is that he’s nearly averaging a triple-double since his return. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-reveals-4-top-reasons-winning-streak">Mavs are also riding a seven-game win streak</a> into their NBA Cup quarterfinals game against Oklahoma City. As long as they keep winning and Luka keeps putting up these numbers, it will be hard to overlook him as the league’s MVP.</p><h2><b>Just missing the cut</b></h2><p>6. Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers (Ranked No. 5 last week)</p><p>7. Karl-Anthony Towns – New York Knicks (Ranked No. 10 last week)</p><p>8. Kevin Durant – Phoenix Suns (Ranked No. 6 last week)</p><p>9. Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves (Ranked No. 8 last week)</p><p>10. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs (Unranked last week)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA MVP Mondays: Luka Doncic rejoins Top 5 amid Nikola Jokic’s insane numbers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-critics-on-michael-malone');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic critics put on blast by Michael Malone after latest masterpiece');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nuggets-news-Nikola-Jokic-critics-put-on-blast-by-Michael-Malone-after-latest-masterpiece.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic critics put on blast by Michael Malone after latest masterpiece</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-09T08:36:17-08:00">December 9th, 8:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-09T08:43:58-08:00">December 9th, 8:43am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Although many consider him the best basketball player in the world, Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic has plenty of haters. Jokic’s critics don’t doubt his basketball ability, especially after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nuggets-want-to-make-a-trade-but-theres-a-problem">Denver superstar has averaged a triple-double this season</a>. Instead, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-denver-struggles-continue">Jokic gets heat for his conditioning</a>. Or, in his hater’s case, the lack of conditioning.</p><p>Well, after Denver’s latest win over the Atlanta Hawks, where Jokic had 48 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-216073-mike-malone-praises-nikola-jokic-reacts-104-points-endurance-efficiency.html" rel="noopener">put his superstar’s haters on blast</a>.</p><p>“We were joking the other day. People say, ‘Oh, Joker is not in shape.’ You can’t do what he does if you’re not in shape. You really can’t,” Malone said. “Is he ever going to win an athletic contest? No. But he has endurance. And what you really marvel at the 48-14-8 is just how efficient he is. I mean, he’s not one of these guys that’s putting huge numbers, stat hunting, and taking bad shots. He’s doing it all for his team, and I feel privileged to have the chance to coach and watch him every night. I never take it for granted.”</p><p>Despite Jokic’s impressive start to the season, the Nuggets have struggled. While other teams begin to hit their stride, Denver appears to be moving in the opposite direction.</p><h2><b>The Nuggets have failed to support Nikola Jokic this season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/okic-dribbles-Hawks-Nuggets.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Their struggles are multifaceted. There’s always inconsistent free-throw shooting. Lackluster defensive efforts have left them vulnerable. There have been persistent communication breakdowns on the court and disappointing performances from beyond the arc. These issues seem to compound each other, creating a troubling atmosphere for the team as they seek to regain their footing.</p><p>“We’re going in the wrong direction,” said Jokic. “I think it’s everybody’s fault. It’s not just the coach’s fault; it’s not his fault that we cannot make shots. It’s not his fault that we don’t communicate. Of course, there is a little bit. I think it’s the whole, collectively, that we’re not good, and we’re going in a bad direction.”</p><p>The Nuggets are 5-5 in their last ten games. If the playoffs started today at 12-10, Denver wouldn’t automatically qualify. Instead, they’d have to scrap and claw through the Play-In Tournament to reach the postseason. That’s unacceptable for a team like the Nuggets that’s looking to win another NBA Championship.</p><p>“We have to realize that we all have to start participating in our own recovery,” said Malone. “Because no one’s going to give you an olive branch. No one’s going to give you one because they feel sorry for you. We have to (do it). And again, we have film sessions. And you watch the film; you hold guys accountable, you address the issues, and they just kind of are being repeated, over and over and over again. … I’ve done a poor job as a head coach in preparing this team, not only to win but to go out there and execute. I have no problem owning that.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic critics put on blast by Michael Malone after latest masterpiece

<!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', '/hawks-news-quin-snyder-dyson-daniels-explain-atlanta-nikola-jokic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Quin Snyder, Dyson Daniels explain why Hawks couldn’t contain Nikola Jokic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Quin-Snyder-Dyson-Daniels-explain-why-Atlanta-couldnt-contain-Nikola-Jokic-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Quin Snyder, Dyson Daniels explain why Hawks couldn’t contain Nikola Jokic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-08T18:53:35-08:00">December 8th, 6:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-08T18:53:35-08:00">December 8th, 6:53pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>ATLANTA – <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nikola-jokic-career-high-performance-spoiled-with-nuggets-loss-to-wizards">Nikola Jokic has been hard to stop</a> this season and the Atlanta Hawks got a taste of it, breaking their six-game win streak and losing 141-111. After coming off of a game where he finished with 56 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists, Jokic came back the very next day and<a href="https://x.com/Ballislife/status/1865930371361128519" rel="noopener"> finished with 48 points</a>, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. From the opening to seconds to where he hit a three-pointer to the end of the game, Jokic dominated and the Hawks didn’t have an answer.</p><p>“To me, it starts with [Jokic] is the best player in the world, but you can’t get back cut on an out-of-bounds [play],” head coach Quin Snyder said after the game. “We didn’t have the urgency we needed on the defensive end. Offensively, we got some really good looks, so some of that, you want to say we need to hit more shots. I think we took some contested shots at the rim, and we could’ve got better ones.”</p><p>The Hawks did get some good shots throughout the game, but they weren’t falling. They started the first quarter 0-from-8 from three and missed some easy layups at the rim as well. Wherever there was a mistake, or the Nuggets were in the halfcourt, Jokic found a way to hurt them almost every time.</p><p>“It’s hard to contain a guy like that,” Dyson Daniels said. “You have to either give up a big game to him or give up a big game to their other guys. We just throw double and triple teams at him. I think we had the right game plan tonight we just didn’t execute. Jokic killed us. A guy like that, it’s tough. It’s not really one thing you can do to slow him down. It’s just more about being solid, taking away that roll and pocket pass, and trying to make it tough on him. Tonight, we were sloppy and didn’t take much away, so they got whatever they wanted.”</p><p>The Hawks found some life in the second half and went on a 16-2 run to cut their 30-point deficit down to 16, but the Nuggets put their foot on the pedal and grew back their lead.</p><h2>Hawks’ six-game losing streak broken by Nuggets</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dyson-Daniels-2.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Hawks came into the game without Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanovic, two of their key players who helped them through their winning streak and are important to the overall team’s success. Their absence showed as the offense found it hard to generate points consistently throughout the game unless Trae Young was on the court.</p><p>“When you don’t have all your guys in the lineup, it’s back to where we were last time before our winning streak,” Young said. “Tough to find a rhythm, that didn’t give us an excuse for losing. We still should’ve went out there and played better. When you step out there you should feel like you have a chance to win. We still had a chance to do that tonight, but I don’t think that’s going to carry over the next game.”</p><p>Young couldn’t get it going in the beginning, going into halftime with only one point, but he started to get more aggressive in the second half.</p><p>[Russell Westbrook] was face-guarding me the whole time, he didn’t really leave me,” Young said. “When I came off of screens Jokic was sometimes up, sometimes be in drop. I really wasn’t seeing anything differently. It’s just one of them games. We’re going to scratch this, learn from some of the mistakes we did, and move on. We’ll be alright.”</p><p>The hope is that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-quin-snyder-thoughts-healthy-roster">Hawks can get back to full health</a> in their next game, as they face the New York Knicks in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. This team has shown over the past two weeks what they can do when everyone is available, and in a game like that, it’ll be important to have everyone on deck.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Quin Snyder, Dyson Daniels explain why Hawks couldn’t contain Nikola Jokic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <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', '/nikola-jokic-career-high-performance-spoiled-with-nuggets-loss-to-wizards');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nikola Jokic career-high performance spoiled with Nuggets’ loss to Wizards');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nikola-Jokic-career-high-performance-spoiled-with-Nuggets-loss-to-Wizards.jpg"></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic career-high performance spoiled with Nuggets’ loss to Wizards</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-08T15:26:59-08:00">December 8th, 3:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-08T15:26:59-08:00">December 8th, 3:26pm</time><address><a>Rachel Strand</a>Rachel Strand is a credentialed beat reporter covering the Denver Nuggets and Denver Broncos for ClutchPoints. She is also the creator of DailyDenverBroncos.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Saturday night, Nikola Jokic scored a career-high 56 points against the Washington Wizards. Jokic’s monster performance would unfortunately be overshadowed by the Denver Nuggets losing to the Wizards, 113-122.</p><p>To make matters worse, the loss came against the worst team in the NBA. The Wizards had been on a 16-game losing streak before knocking off the Nuggets.</p><p>The Nuggets’ struggles continue to be quite alarming, as the team is only two years removed from winning an NBA championship.</p><p>Following the loss to the Wizards, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5977323/2024/12/07/nuggets-nikola-jokic-highlights-wizards-loss/" rel="noopener">Jokic did not sugarcoat his feelings</a> about the current state of the team.</p><p>“We’re really going in the wrong direction,” said Jokic. “I think it’s everybody’s fault. It’s not just coach’s fault. It’s not his fault that we cannot make shots. It’s not his fault that we don’t communicate. Of course, there is a little bit, I think it’s the whole, collectively, that we’re not good, and we’re going in a bad direction.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jokić posted HISTORIC numbers for the Nuggets!</p><p>🃏 56 PTS (career-high)<br>🃏 16 REB<br>🃏 8 AST<br>🃏 3 3PM</p><p>He's the first player in NBA history to total 55+ PTS, 15+ REB, 5+ AST and 3+ 3PM in a single game. <a href="https://t.co/7L0lM1e5bJ">pic.twitter.com/7L0lM1e5bJ</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1865592087741165655?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Nuggets reach new low with loss to Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Denver-Nuggets-center-Nikola-Jokic-walks-off-the-court-after-the-game-against-the-Washington-Wizards.jpg"><figcaption>© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Just a quarter of the way through the NBA season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-denver-struggles-continue">the Nuggets are struggling to find their identity.</a> Even though they were without Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets were still expected to beat the Wizards.</p><p>But aside from Jokic, no one stepped up, and the Wizards carved up the Nuggets.</p><p>“Aaron’s an important part of that. Jamal obviously didn’t play tonight. But the young guys are more than capable. Tonight, just like Coach took responsibility, I think I’ll take responsibility. I could have played a lot better,” said Michael Porter Jr. “I think overall, as a team, we’ve got to find our swag back, our jive, like knowing when we come into buildings, we’re supposed to beat teams. And I don’t think we have that right now. We’ve just been very, very mediocre.”</p><p>While other teams are starting to find their groove, the Nuggets seem to be heading in the opposite direction. Their struggles seem to be wide-ranging. Trouble at the free throw line, lackluster defense, communication issues, and even poor 3-point shooting. Just pick your poison.</p><p>Head coach Michael Malone is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J1aZ_vWQDs&amp;t=1s&amp;ab_channel=DenverNuggets" rel="noopener">shouldering the blame.</a></p><p>“We have to realize that we all have to start participating in our own recovery,” said Malone. “Because no one’s going to give you an olive branch. No one’s going to give you one because they feel sorry for you. We have to (do it). And again, we have film sessions. And you watch the film, you hold guys accountable, you address the issues and they just kind of are being repeated, over and over and over again. That’s where I take blame for us to be 11-10, because obviously I’ve done a poor job as a head coach in preparing this team, not only to win, but to go out there and execute. I have no problem owning that.”</p><p>No time for the Nuggets to be down on themselves, though. They’ll look to get back into the win column as they face the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday evening.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic career-high performance spoiled with Nuggets’ loss to Wizards

<!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', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-franchise-history-overpower-nikola-jokic-nuggets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jordan Poole makes franchise history to overpower Nikola Jokic, Nuggets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wizards-news-Jordan-Poole-preaches-patience-amid-Washingtons-brutal-skid.jpg"></figure><h1>Jordan Poole makes franchise history to overpower Nikola Jokic, Nuggets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-07T20:00:25-08:00">December 7th, 8:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-07T20:00:25-08:00">December 7th, 8:00pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-injury-woes-concerning-update-13-game-losing-streak-2">Wizards haven’t had much to cheer about this season</a>. They hold the worst record in the NBA so far at 3-18. Coming into their matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, the Wizards were on a 16 game losing streak. But all it took was a little bit of Wizards franchise history from Jordan Poole to snap the streak.</p><p>The Wizards got a 122-113 win over the Nuggets behind Jordan Poole’s <a href="https://x.com/StatMamba/status/1865585829566968161" rel="noopener">history-making stat-line</a> of 39 points eight assists and nine made three-point shots, as per StatMamba. Nobody in franchise history has put up those numbers before.</p><p>The nine three-pointers were a career-high for Poole. Overall, he finished with 39 points, five rebounds and eight assists. He shot 12-0f-26 from the field, 9-of-20 from the three-point line and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.</p><p>Poole had a so-so season last year, his first with the Wizards, following an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jordan-poole-breaks-silence-on-golden-state-wizards-trade">offseason trade with the Golden State Warrior</a>s. This season, although the Wizards have been tops in the sweepstakes for the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Poole’s play has rebounded a bit.</p><p>This season, he’s appeared in 18 games, at a little over 29 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 20.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals with splits of 43.6 percent shooting from the field, 40.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 84.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Poole’s three-point percentage of 40.6 percent is a career-high. He’s averaging around 7.4 attempts from three-point range, which is the third-highest mark in his career. With the exception of his rookie year in 2019-20, Poole has been a double digit scorer in the NBA.</p><p>The former No. 28 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Warriors, Poole was a key contributor during Golden State’s 2022 championship run. He is in the second year of a four-year contract extension he signed with the Warriors prior to the trade.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jordan Poole makes franchise history to overpower Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-denver-struggles-continue');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nikola Jokic gets brutally honest as Nuggets’ early-season struggles continue');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nuggets-news-Nikola-Jokic-gets-brutally-honest-as-Nuggets-early-season-struggles-continue.jpg"></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic gets brutally honest as Nuggets’ early-season struggles continue</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-06T14:25:11-08:00">December 6th, 2:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-06T14:25:11-08:00">December 6th, 2:25pm</time><address><a>Rachel Strand</a>Rachel Strand is a credentialed beat reporter covering the Denver Nuggets and Denver Broncos for ClutchPoints. She is also the creator of DailyDenverBroncos.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Two seasons ago, the Denver Nuggets were NBA Champions. But now it seems like the team has struck a bit of a wall in their quest for more NBA titles.</p><p>Despite having Nikola Jokic, the best player in the NBA, on their roster, the Nuggets sit at 11-9 early in the season. This Nuggets team looks like a shell of themselves, even though most of their starters were on the roster for their championship-winning season.</p><p>Following a miserable 126-114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, <a href="https://x.com/VicLombardi/status/1864867901586407728?s=19" rel="noopener">Jokic did not hold back</a> when talking about his team’s woes. So far, he is not liking what he is seeing out of the Nuggets so far this season.</p><p>“I think 20 games in we should know who we are and we should know what we’re supposed to do,” said Jokic, via Vic Lombardi of AltitudeTV.</p><h2><b>Nuggets struggling to find an identity</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nuggets-Nikola-Jokic-and-Michael-Malone-argue-a-call.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>For weeks now, the Nuggets have looked tired and unmotivated whenever they get on the court. Even though they are just a squeak above a .500 record, they’ve often looked a step or two behind whatever team they’ve faced.</p><p>The lack of effort was even called out by Nuggets head coach Michael Malone in a recent postgame press conference.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Michael Malone calls out starters after the blowout loss to the Knicks.</p><p>"I need Nikola Jokic. I need Jamal Murray. I need guys that have been here in that starting lineup to be vocal."</p><p>Malone frustrated that they're having to talk about effort just 16 games into the season. <a href="https://t.co/QNKJj54lnX">pic.twitter.com/QNKJj54lnX</a></p><p>— Rachel Strand (@MileHighRachel) <a href="https://twitter.com/MileHighRachel/status/1861271732255887384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Following the loss to the 114-126 loss to the Cavaliers, <a href="https://x.com/AltitudeTV/status/1864864002444087594?s=19" rel="noopener">Malone was equally as unhappy</a> with his team’s performance. When asked how the Nuggets measured up against the Cavaliers, Malone admitted that they weren’t even close.</p><p>“They’re 20-3 now for a reason. We’re a team that’s trying to find themselves, and I think that was fairly obvious tonight,” said Malone, via AltitudeTV. “They’re a superior team across the board.”</p><p>One of the biggest knocks against the Nuggets this season has been their defensive effort. They have also done an abysmal job guarding the three-point line. The Cavaliers would bully the Nuggets from three-point range, knocking down 22 threes.</p><p>“Just all night long, it felt like we were stuck in mud just chasing our tail,” said Malone. “… We got a lot of film to watch. There was a lot of breakdowns in that communication and our gameplan and our discipline tonight. That can’t be the case against a team like that.”</p><p>The Nuggets will look to get back into the win column as they face the Washington Wizards on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic gets brutally honest as Nuggets’ early-season struggles continue

<!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', '/wizards-news-alex-sarr-fires-warning-washington-nikola-jokic-matchup-2');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Sarr fires ‘locked in’ warning to Wizards before Nikola Jokic matchup');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wizards-news-Alex-Sarr-fires-locked-in-warning-to-Washington-before-Nikola-Jokic-matchup.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Sarr fires ‘locked in’ warning to Wizards before Nikola Jokic matchup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-06T12:43:02-08:00">December 6th, 12:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-06T12:43:02-08:00">December 6th, 12:43pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-alex-sarr-joins-bradley-beal-exclusive-club">Wizards rookie Alex Sarr</a> is off to a promising start, as he’s tied for seventh in the NBA with 1.9 blocks per game. However, the No. 2 overall pick will have his hands full guarding <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-why-another-nikola-jokic-mvp-award-is-bad-for-the-nba-per-kevin-hart">three-time MVP Nikola Jokic</a> on Saturday night.</p><p>Sarr admitted that Washington <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1865104581132165158?s=46" rel="noopener">must be ‘locked in,</a>‘ as the Serbian international is known to wreck games.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Sarr mentions Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic as players he’s now faced that he watched growing up abroad. Also mentioned the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wizards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wizards</a> need to be “locked in” against three-time MVP Nikolai Jokic tomorrow night. <a href="https://t.co/yxkp9IZ3JA">pic.twitter.com/yxkp9IZ3JA</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1865104581132165158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“It’s gonna be interesting. I think we all gotta be locked in,” Sarr said. “He’s good in the post, so it’s really important for me to do my work early and for us to be in good rotation spots.”</p><p>The French international admitted that he could learn plenty from “The Joker,” but he’s not in a studious mood.</p><p>“Probably a lot of stuff, but I’m going into the matchup competing,” Sarr continued.</p><p>Jokic has dominated as usual this season, ranking third in the league with 29.9 points per game, first with 13.4 rebounds, second with 10.4 assists, and 16th with a 55.9% shooting clip. Both Sarr and fellow big man Jonas Valanciunas will need to be at their best to deal with such a daunting assignment, especially because Washington is banged up. Corey Kispert, Kyshawn George, and Malcolm Brogdon, who all could play help defense on Jokic if healthy, are listed as game-time decisions against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.</p><p>Jokic is the latest in a long line of NBA stars that will go toe-to-toe with Sarr after he watched him growing up.</p><p>“Yeah, I watched a lot of players, honestly. Growing up, I used to watch a lot of NBA games,” the 19-year-old said. “I watched Kyrie [Irving], I watched Luka [Doncic], all those guys. It’s almost every night that we go up against a player I used to watch.”</p><p>With that being said, Sarr’s idols are now his rivals, and there’s no time to be sentimental when lining up against a future Hall-of-Famer.</p><h2><b>Alex Sarr has unusual amount of responsibility on Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Victor-Wembanyama-2.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Sarr, who was brought in for his defense and rebounding prowess,<a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1865091122302709793" rel="noopener"> is performing up to</a> Washington head coach Brian Keefe’s standard.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wizards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wizards</a> head coach Brian Keefe commends Alex Sarr’s rim protection and offensive rebounding against the Mavericks. The No. 2 overall pick has 17 boards and four blocks over the last two games. <a href="https://t.co/IhQG3Ztrdi">pic.twitter.com/IhQG3Ztrdi</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1865091122302709793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I thought Alex did a pretty good job protecting the rim last night,” he said about Sarr’s outing in Thursday’s 137-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. “His plus-minus looked good when he was on the court, and I thought he found some offensive rebounds and rolls to the rim there in the second half. I thought his presence was pretty good.”</p><p>Indeed, the 7-footer’s eight rebounds were tied for the team lead, and his two blocks were business as usual, as he’s recorded a rejection in 19 of his 20 games played. His 6.3 rebounds per game are second on the Wizards only to Valanciunas.</p><p>Sarr’s scoring has been reliable as well, though, relative to his experience level. The former Australian League player is sixth among rookies with 10.6 points per game and 18th with a 38.3% clip from the field. That’s an encouraging sign for a player who wasn’t known for his offense coming into the league.</p><p>Playing professionally overseas is a legitimate way to prepare for the NBA, as players like Doncic have proven. Sarr is the latest example of that, and in his case, it’s impressive that he’s shouldering such a significant role right away. The benefit of starting on a rebuilding team like Washington is that it allows young players to get more playing time, and that can only mean good things for the defensive stalwart.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
30.9	12.5	9.7	0.7	1.7

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
30.9	12.5	9.7	0.7	1.7

Nikola Jokić news

Nikola
Jokić news