<!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', '/fever-obi-toppin-stephen-curry-praise-indiana-star-storm-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Obi Toppin drops Stephen Curry-level praise for Fever star after Storm win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Fever-news-Obi-Toppin-drops-Stephen-Curry-level-praise-for-Indiana-star-after-Storm-win.jpg"></figure><h1>Obi Toppin drops Stephen Curry-level praise for Fever star after Storm win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-18T18:06:06-07:00">August 18th, 6:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-18T18:08:21-07:00">August 18th, 6:08pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">WNBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/christie-sides-noelle-quinn-get-heated-during-fever-storm-clash">Indiana Fever defeated the Seattle Storm</a> 92-75 on Sunday thanks to the concerted efforts of WNBA star Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Lexi Hull. Clark scored 23 points and dished nine assists, while Mitchell led the team with 27 points. Meanwhile, Hull came off the bench and contributed with 22 points to help lead the Fever to a wall-to-wall victory.</p><p>Fever center Aliyah Boston also grabbed 15 boards in the victory.</p><p>Pacers forward Obi Toppin was courtside at the game, too, and he had nothing but praise for the Fever trio. However, he saved his highest praise for Mitchell, with an amazing comparison to Warriors star Stephen Curry.</p><p>“It was lit today,” Toppin said on an Instagram post shared by the Pacers official account. “Caitlin [Clark] was going crazy. Lexie, Lexie [Hull] was going crazy. She was looking like Steph Curry out there. Kelsey [Mitchell] was going crazy. Yeah, shout out to them. They was doing their thing today, for sure.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-1I488M15A/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p></p></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-1I488M15A/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Indiana Pacers (@pacers)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2>The Fever in the standings</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Caitlin-Clark-passes-the-ball-through-a-double-team.jpg"><figcaption>© Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>With this victory over the Storm, the Fever climb to a 13-15 record to secure third place in the Eastern conference and seventh in the WNBA. Their 13 wins have already tied their record last season, where they finished at tenth place and did not qualify for the postseason. Now, with only over a month left until the playoffs, the Fever look poised to make a splash on the big stage, especially with their No. 1 picks Aliyah Boston and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/fever-news-indiana-record-breaking-caitlin-clark-effect">Caitlin Clark, who popularized women’s basketball</a> thanks in part to her legendary college career.</p><p>Moreover, in her rookie WNBA season, Clark simply picked up where she left off. During the Storm game, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/fevers-news-caitlin-clark-breaks-rookie-assist-record-with-slick-pass-to-lexie-hull">Clark broke the single-season rookie assists record</a>, her nine assists adding to her 225 for the season, and counting. Former Sacramento Monarchs star Ticha Penicheiro once set the record during her own rookie season in 1998.</p><p>These <a href="https://apnews.com/article/storm-fever-score-clark-620c088bf4d2524736bf00ed46bd7908" rel="noopener">types of performances</a> have most likely made the WNBA Rookie of the Year a lock for Caitlin Clark. She is currently averaging 18 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, leading her team in points and assists per game. If this play continues, the team has as good a chance as any to sneak into the postseason. They had started the season losing six of their first seven games, too, so they are starting to put things together at the right time.</p><p>The WNBA may have also found their newest face, as Clark and Chicago Sky star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba-news-sky-angel-reese-fever-cailtin-clark-first-looks-nba-2k25">Angel Reese have drawn ratings</a> for the league. With their rise, the association has never been in a better spot.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Obi Toppin drops Stephen Curry-level praise for Fever star after Storm win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pacers-news-indiana-re-signs-obi-toppin-60-million-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers to re-sign Obi Toppin to $60 million deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Indiana-re-signs-Obi-Toppin-to-60-million-deal.jpg"></figure><h1>Pacers to re-sign Obi Toppin to $60 million deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-30T11:02:20-07:00">June 30th, 11:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-30T11:43:17-07:00">June 30th, 11:43am</time><address><a>Tim Crean</a>Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined ClutchPoints in 2022. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL, NBA, soccer, sports media, and more. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie, it is a dream to write about sports professionally. He’s a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York and when he’s not enjoying a round of golf he's probably coaching youth soccer or flag football. You can catch all of his sports-related musings on Twitter at @twcrean.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Indiana Pacers are starting NBA free agency with a bang, handing 26-year-old <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-obi-toppins-ridiculous-reverse-halfcourt-alley-oop-from-tyrese-haliburton-almost-breaks-the-internet">forward Obi Toppin</a> a four-year, $60 million contract extension.</p><p>“ESPN Sources: Restricted free agent F Obi Toppin intends to sign a four-year, $60 million contract to stay with the Indiana Pacers,” ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski <a href="https://x.com/wojespn/status/1807470215145370089">reported on Sunday</a>. “Toppin emerged as a top bench contributor for the Eastern Conference finalists.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ESPN Sources: Restricted free agent F Obi Toppin intends to sign a four-year, $60 million contract to stay with the Indiana Pacers. Toppin emerged as a top bench contributor for the Eastern Conference finalists. <a href="https://t.co/sJP8q5prJe">pic.twitter.com/sJP8q5prJe</a></p><p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1807470215145370089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Toppin, in his first season with the Pacers, averaged 21.1 minutes, 10.3 points, and 3.1 rebounds per game, which were all career highs. The forward was a restricted free agent this offseason, and the Pacers gave him a qualifying offer before agreeing to this long-term deal.</p><p>Born in Brooklyn and attending (at least part of) high school just north of New York City, Obi Toppin was a huge fan-favorite when he was drafted by his hometown New York Knicks out of Dayton with the No. 8 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. However, the uber-athletic 6-foot-9 forward struggled to find playing time in Madison Square Garden with a glut of forwards on the roster that included Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and others through the years.</p><p>That is why the Knicks dealt Toppin to the Pacers in the 2023 NBA offseason for two future second-round picks as the franchise tried to clear cap space and accumulate assets to create a more balanced roster.</p><p>Once in Indiana, Toppin became the ninth man in the Pacers’ deep rotation, averaging the most minutes of his career. He also played in all 82 games for the team and started 28 games when other players missed time. Toppin’s athleticism fits perfectly with the Pacers’ run-and-gun style, and the team proved that by giving him this new contract.</p><h2>What’s next for the Pacers in NBA free agency?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Obi-Toppin-of-the-Pacers.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Now that the Pacers have given out this Obi Toppin contract extension, it’s fair to ask what’s next for the franchise that exceeded expectations this year, making it to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in a sweep.</p><p>With Toppin back following a massive Pascal Siakam extension, the Pacers’ attention now turns to its other free agents, especially 24-year-old center Jalen Smith, who opted out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.</p><p>It remains to be seen whether the team will try hard to keep Smith, as they already have Myles Turner and promising youngster Isaiah Jackson at the center position.</p><p>Other Pacers unrestricted free agents include Doug McDermott, James Johnson, Isaiah Wong, and Gabe York. Of this group, McDermott is likely out, while if the 37-year-old Johnson wants to continue his NBA career, he could come back on a minimum one-year deal. Wong had some nice time in the G League last year, so he could be back on a minimum deal as well, while the 31-year-old York is probably out.</p><p>If the Pacers do decide to bring in players from outside the organization in NBA free agency this offseason, it will likely be mid-level, not star players. Names that have been floated as potential targets include De’Anthony Melton, Gordon Hayward, and Royce O’Neale.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers to re-sign Obi Toppin to $60 million deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pacers-news-obi-toppin-delivers-savage-message-brother-better-dunker-claim');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers’ Obi Toppin delivers savage message to his brother after ‘better dunker’ claim');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/pacers-news-obi-toppin-delivers-savage-message-to-his-brother-after-better-dunker-claim.webp"></figure><h1>Pacers’ Obi Toppin delivers savage message to his brother after ‘better dunker’ claim</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-17T16:28:46-08:00">February 17th, 4:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-17T16:29:39-08:00">February 17th, 4:29pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/how-to-watch-att-slam-dunk-contest-on-tv-date-time-contestants" rel="noopener">Saturday night’s 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest</a> may be lacking in star power, but not intrigue. It also has a little bit of drama added to it before the event, with Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin and his brother, Jacob Toppin of the New York Knicks, having some good old sibling trash talk.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jacob and Obi Toppin going back and forth before the dunk contest 😅</p><p>Jacob: “He can’t give me any advice. I’m the better dunker”</p><p>Obi: “Hold up. I’m the champ already. You still gotta become a champ."</p><p>Jacob: “I’m the better dunker.”</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAAllStar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBAAllStar</a>)<a href="https://t.co/eqoMXgNDmP">pic.twitter.com/eqoMXgNDmP</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1758974438698074159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The high-leaping Pacers forward has the advantage in bragging rights (for now) since he had already <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2022-att-slam-dunk" rel="noopener">won the event before</a>. Obi, who was still with the Knicks at the time, won the slam dunk title back in 2022 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. (He was traded by the Knicks to the Pacers in 2023 for some picks). He bested Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, Houston Rockets youngster Jalen Green, and Orland Magic guard Anthony Cole Anthony.</p><p>This time, Jacob will look to add dunk prestige to the Knicks — and Toppin family, Jacob, who is on a two-way contract with the Knicks, will be battling against Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Jaime Jaquez Jr. of th Miami Heat, and the reining dunk contest champion and G Leaguer MacMcClung.</p><p>Although the NBA Slam Dunk Contest has seemingly lost significant luster over the past several years, it remains to be one of the most anticipated events in NBA All-Star breaks. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-drops-extremely-bold-claim-dunk-contest" rel="noopener">Brown’s inclusion</a> on the list of participants in the dunk contest adds a much-needed star power to the event, but his popularity isn’t going to be much of a factor here where athleticism, creativity, showmanship, and crazy leaping abilities are kings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers’ Obi Toppin delivers savage message to his brother after ‘better dunker’ claim

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pacers-news-jalen-smith-obi-toppin-all-star');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers star Obi Toppin heroics vs. Suns sparks All-Star question from Jalen Smith');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Obi_Toppin_heroics_vs._Suns_sparks_All-Star_question_from_Jalen_Smith.webp"></figure><h1>Pacers star Obi Toppin heroics vs. Suns sparks All-Star question from Jalen Smith</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-27T08:39:49-08:00">January 27th, 8:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-27T08:39:49-08:00">January 27th, 8:39am</time><address><a>Max Escarpio</a>Max Escarpio has experience covering multiple leagues, including the NBA, NCAA, NFL, and FIBA. He has most recently carried titles as an expert analyst for football and basketball for Bleacher Report and SB Nation.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Indiana Pacers role player Jalen Smith gave his Obi Toppin All-Star case following the Pacers’ win over the Phoenix Suns. Toppin scored the go-ahead basket in the matchup versus the Suns, totaling 23 points and three assists. He’s had a career resurgence after struggling with the New York Knicks early in his career. Toppin has turned into a vital piece for a Pacers squad that stands at No. 6 in the Eastern Conference standings.</p><p>“Why isn’t Obi Toppin an <a href="https://twitter.com/iPacersblog/status/1751077210490867813" rel="noopener">All-Star?</a> We need these answers now. Why is Obi Toppin not an All-Star,” said Smith, via Pacers Blog on X.</p><p>Toppin and the Pacers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-rick-carlisle-epic-message-on-slowing-down-suns-despite-devin-bookers-big-game" rel="noopener">stunned the Suns</a> with Devin Booker’s 62-point performance. This was a tremendous win for the Pacers in a game where star guard Tyrese Haliburton was sidelined. The former first-round pick is averaging 11.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in his first with the Pacers. Indiana has produced one of the best-scoring offenses in the league with an extremely young roster and Toppin has been a beneficiary.</p><p>He’s having a career year with the Pacers, posting career-high numbers across the board, including points, rebounds, assists, and field goal percentage. Toppin’s usage has always been relatively high, but the role he’s played under Rick Carlise seems to fit his skillset. He may be an All-Star candidate, but making the game this year may be pushing it.</p><p>While Toppin has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-tyrese-haliburton-emotional-reaction-to-being-named-all-star-starter" rel="noopener">had a great year</a> with the Pacers, All-Star weekend is still levels away. Smith may be vouching for his teammate a bit too early in his Pacers tenure. Toppin has the talent to keep improving and he’s in the best place to do so.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers star Obi Toppin heroics vs. Suns sparks All-Star question from Jalen Smith

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pacers-news-obi-toppin-spoils-devin-bookers-monster-62-point-masterclass-epic-game-winner');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers’ Obi Toppin spoils Devin Booker’s 62-point masterclass 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/2024/01/Pacers_news_Obi_Toppin_spoils_Devin_Booker_s_monster_62-point_masterclass_with_epic_game-winner.webp"></figure><h1>Pacers’ Obi Toppin spoils Devin Booker’s 62-point masterclass with epic game-winner</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-26T19:23:22-08:00">January 26th, 7:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-26T21:45:26-08:00">January 26th, 9:45pm</time><address><a>Brian Buyawe</a>Brian Buyawe is a sports aficionado with a passion for basketball, football and Formula One. His hobbies include running, reading and playing in recreational leagues. Back when he was a kid, Brian stumbled upon an old Larry Bird documentary among his family's collection of movies, which made him a lifelong Celtics fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Fresh off his 46-point outing against the Dallas Mavericks just days ago, Devin Booker once again put on a scoring clinic, going for 62 points <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-pacers-prediction-odds-pick-how-to-watch-1-26-2024" rel="noopener">against the Indiana Pacers </a>on Friday. Unfortunately for him, Obi Toppin’s <a href="https://twitter.com/clutchpoints/status/1751069599062511899?s=46" rel="noopener">heroics played spoiler</a>.</p><p>The game was tied at 131 apiece during the closing moments of regulation. With 11 seconds left, Pacers guard Benedict Mathurin drove to the rim but his layup attempt missed. Pascal Siakam then tried to follow with a putback, but it wouldn’t fall in as well. Luckily for the Pacers, the ball found itself in the hands of Toppin, who was able to successfully lay it in with 3.4 seconds remaining. (clip via ClutchPoints)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">OBI TOPPIN REBOUND AND GAME WINNER!</p><p>Pacers come back from down 17 to beat the Suns despite 62 points from Devin Booker!<a href="https://t.co/my7vK3jY03">pic.twitter.com/my7vK3jY03</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1751069599062511899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Obi Toppin finished the game with a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 10-of-15 from the field. Additionally, the Pacers have just halted Phoenix’s seven-game win streak from expanding any further.</p><p>And as mentioned, Devin Booker’s season-high 62 points was all in vain. The Suns superstar shot 22-of-37 from the floor, which included six 3-pointers. He also added five rebounds and four assists for Phoenix. However, the Suns’ squandered fourth-quarter lead would be their downfall.</p><p>Entering the final period, Phoenix held on to a nine-point advantage. However, behind a run sparked by Mathurin, the Pacers would rally back, eventually tying the game late in the quarter. Then, of course, Obi Toppin came in clutch.</p><p>For the Pacers, Pascal Siakam finished with 31 points. All in all, six Indiana players managed to tally double figures in the absence of their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-tyrese-haliburton-emotional-reaction-to-being-named-all-star-starter" rel="noopener">All-Star player Tyrese Haliburton</a>. The team is currently sixth in the Eastern Conference and looks to continue its momentum against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
10.7	4.1	1.8	0.4	0.8

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
10.7	4.1	1.8	0.4	0.8

Obi Toppin

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Pacers’ Obi Toppin spoils Devin Booker’s 62-point masterclass with epic game-winner

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