<!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/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-jrue-holiday-final-injury-update-suns-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Jrue Holiday gets final injury update for Suns game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Blazers-guard-Jrue-Holiday-eyes-the-basket-vs.-Lakers.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers’ Jrue Holiday gets final injury update for Suns game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-18T17:19:15-08:00">November 18th, 5:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-18T17:19:33-08:00">November 18th, 5:19pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers (6-7) have had an uneven campaign to this point, dropping four of their last five games after starting 4-2, but Jrue Holiday has been a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-jrue-holiday-vintage-performance-crushed-lakers">welcome addition to the team</a>. He is bringing offensive stability and a wealth of hoops wisdom to Rip City, seamlessly reestablishing himself as a trusted scoring option. Unfortunately, though, the Blazers will not be able to call upon the two-time NBA champion for Tuesday’s game versus the Phoenix Suns (8-6).</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-jrue-holiday-injury-update-suns">Just as was expected</a>, Holiday is being <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1990933373057962305" rel="noopener">ruled out due to calf soreness</a>, per NBA correspondent Marc Stein. This will mark the second straight game the veteran point guard misses. Portland and Phoenix are both scrappy, but this disappointing news will force Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant to carry an even larger burden on offense. The squad could also struggle to replace Holiday’s physicality.</p><p>The two-time All-Star and three-time All-Defensive First-Team selection is posting 16.7 points, 8.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He is also shooting 36.5 percent from 3-point range, a welcome statistic for a Blazers group that is only 33.3 percent from distance this season (26th in NBA). Apart from the big-game experience that Holiday offers, one of the main reasons why Portland traded for him this past summer was for the balance he could add to the roster.</p><p>The 35-year-old will have to find another way to contribute versus Phoenix. The Blazers allowed 278 points in their last two games combined, so they must stand strong defensively versus Devin Booker and the visiting Suns. Perhaps Jrue Holiday can give his teammates some tips from the sidelines. The action tips off at approximately 11 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Jrue Holiday gets final injury update for Suns game

<!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/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-jrue-holiday-injury-update-suns');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Jrue Holiday injury update is bad news for Suns showdown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Jrue-Holiday-during-Trail-Blazers-game-in-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers’ Jrue Holiday injury update is bad news for Suns showdown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-18T07:52:40-08:00">November 18th, 7:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-18T07:52:40-08:00">November 18th, 7:52am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns are set to go head-to-head on Tuesday night. Jrue Holiday is among the Blazers listed on the NBA injury report, however. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-jrue-holiday-vintage-performance-crushed-lakers">Holiday is one of the better players on the Trail Blazers</a> and Portland would obviously love to have him on the floor. The veteran guard is <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2025-11-18_10AM.pdf" rel="noopener">currently listed as doubtful to play</a> due to right calf soreness.</p><p>Overall, Portland is 6-7 to begin the new campaign, sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference standings. The Blazers are not playing an incredibly impressive brand of basketball, but they look like a team that may be able to compete for an NBA Play-In Tournament position at the moment.</p><p>With that being said, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-jeff-teague-predicts-jrue-holiday-trade-houston">Holiday could emerge as a trade candidate</a> closer to the deadline. Perhaps Portland will consider keeping him on the roster if the team is competitive this season. Either way, Holiday is still a reliable guard in the NBA.</p><p>The 35-year-old is averaging 16.7 points, 8.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per outing in his first season with the Blazers. He is also finding the bottom of the net from the field 44.6 percent of the time and from beyond the arc 36.5 percent of the time.</p><p>The Trail Blazers are still a few years away from becoming a legitimate championship contender. Having a veteran such as Jrue Holiday to help the younger players should only help matters. As for Tuesday night’s matchup against the Suns, though, Holiday is unlikely to be available.</p><p>Tip-off is scheduled for 11 PM EST in Portland.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Jrue Holiday injury update is bad news for Suns showdown

<!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/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-deni-avdija-apologizes-game-winning-attempt');   ga('set', 'title', 'Deni Avdija apologizes for one of the worst game-winning attempts you’ll ever see');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Portland-Trail-Blazers-forward-Deni-Avdija-reacts-during-the-second-half-against-the-Dallas-Mavericks-at-American-Airlines-Center.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Deni Avdija apologizes for one of the worst game-winning attempts you’ll ever see</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-17T09:28:54-08:00">November 17th, 9:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-17T09:28:54-08:00">November 17th, 9:28am</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ajay-mitchell-5-most-jaw-dropping-surprises-start-2025-26-nba-season"> have a real ace in Deni Avdija</a>. Currently, he is averaging 26.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.</p><p>However, he <a href="https://x.com/BrickCenter_/status/1990255582117536050" rel="noopener">came up woefully short</a> when the game was on the line against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. With the seconds ticking down and the game tied at 118, Avdija stumbled and threw up an off-balance airball that took the game into overtime.</p><p>Ultimately, the Blazers lost 138-133 and are now 6-7.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">DENI ADVIJA FOR THE WIN 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/CjTuqFO3WB">pic.twitter.com/CjTuqFO3WB</a></p><p>— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrickCenter_/status/1990255582117536050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Afteward, Avdija <a href="https://x.com/highkin/status/1990277495736905959" rel="noopener">took accountability</a> for the missed attempt, per Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report.</p><p>“I take responsibility for that last shot. I could have done better,” he said. “It’s on me. I wasted the clock too much and went for that three. I should have either drove a little bit or gotten closer. But I’m learning from it. I should have been smarter.”</p><p>Avdija has been with Portland since last year. Previously, he played four seasons (2020-2024) with the Washington Wizards. In July, Avdija <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-deni-avdija-knife-back-admission-wizards-trade">was traded from the Wizards to the Blazers</a>. Last season, Avdija averaged 16.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in his first season in Portland.</p><p>Altogether, Avdija is an effective playmaker, a great transition player, and a strong driver to the basket.</p><h2><b>Deni Avdija made an impact on the Israeli national team</b></h2><p>Before he made his way to the NBA, Avdija was an exceptional talent in his home country of Israel. His stomping ground was playing for the youth national team and later the senior national team.</p><p>In 2018 and 2019, he led Israel to back-to-back gold medals at the FIBA U20 European Championships. He received the MVP honors during the 2019 tournament.</p><p>Additionally, he helped lead Maccabi Tel Aviv to three Israeli League championships between 2018 and 2020.</p><p>Also, he was the MVP of the Basketball Without Borders Europe and Global camps in 2019 and 2020.</p><p>In 2020, Avdija was drafted by the Wizards as the ninth overall pick in the NBA Draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Deni Avdija apologizes for one of the worst game-winning attempts you’ll ever see

<!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/nba-stories/ajay-mitchell-5-most-jaw-dropping-surprises-start-2025-26-nba-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ajay Mitchell and the 5 most jaw-dropping surprises to start 2025-26 NBA season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ajay-Mitchell-and-the-5-most-jaw-dropping-surprises-to-start-2025-26-NBA-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Ajay Mitchell and the 5 most jaw-dropping surprises to start 2025-26 NBA season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-16T10:21:38-08:00">November 16th, 10:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-16T10:21:38-08:00">November 16th, 10:21am</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Basketball is a star-driven sport. A lot of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-top-100-player-rankings-2025-26-season-50-11">best players in the NBA</a> have been doing their thing for quite some time now. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-longest-careers-history">LeBron James, for example, has been in the NBA for a record 23 seasons</a>.</p><p>Despite the presence of proven stars, talent emerges out of nowhere every season. During the early part of the 2025-26 season, in particular, there have been a number of unheralded players who have broken onto the scene.</p><p>Check out the gallery to see the five best pleasant surprises of the NBA’s young campaign so far.</p><h2><b>5. Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Deni-Avdija.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Deni Avdija started to look like a star late last season. After the All-Star break, Avdija averaged 23.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. However, numbers can get wonky late in the season, so a lot of fans weren’t fully convinced, and Avdija wasn’t yet established as a star coming into the year.</p><p>Now, there is no choice but to accept Avdija’s brilliance. He is up to 25.8 points per game and will legitimately contend for an All-Star spot. Avdija was once thought of as a jack of all trades and a master of none, but he is pretty great at numerous aspects of basketball.</p><p>He has thrived despite being forced to lead a team that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-arrested-terry-rozier-fbi-sports-gambling-probe">lost its coach, Chauncey Billups</a>, at the start of the season because of an illegal gambling scandal.</p><h2><b>4. Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Alex-Sarr.jpg"><figcaption>Erik Williams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Last season, Alex Sarr was viewed as somewhat of a disappointment in an overall underwhelming rookie class. The No. 2 overall pick was top six among his <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2024.html" rel="noopener">first-year peers</a> in minutes, points, assists, and rebounds. However, he didn’t look like he’d become the star that the Washington Wizards needed.</p><p>Sarr has looked much better in year two, averaging 19.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. His athletic prowess is impressive for a big man, and it translates to transition points and great inside-outside defense.</p><p>Sarr is fun, as is the rest of Washington’s young core. The team is still developing, and they’ll likely lose a lot of games this year, but Sarr is headed in the right direction and looks capable of leading this franchise.</p><h2><b>3. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Keyonte-George.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Gray-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Utah Jazz have outperformed expectations at times in recent years, largely because they have a number of unheralded players. Keyonte George is one such player who doesn’t get the credit he deserves. George is an effective playmaker (7.1 assists per game), and he balances his game with improved scoring marks (21.3 points per game).</p><p>George gets downhill effectively at will on the offensive end. When he pressures the rim, he can score inside, but if the defense collapses, he thrives at getting his teammates involved. At the pace he is at, it could very well culminate in a Most Improved Player award at season’s end.</p><h2><b>2. Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ryan-Rollins.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Ryan Rollins joined the Milwaukee Bucks last season. It was the third team he’d play for in as many seasons. Rollins was a bust during his previous stops with the Golden State Warriors and the Wizards. It looked like he wasn’t long for the NBA, but he started to show signs of life with the Bucks last season.</p><p>This year, he has really burst onto the scene. Rollins is averaging 16.9 points per game and shooting the deep ball at a 45.7% clip. Rollins’ calling card is defense, though. He is a pesky defender who thrives in the point-of-attack. The Bucks are more of a threat than originally anticipated, and Rollins’ development from a nearly out-of-the-league player to a solid starter alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo is a big reason why.</p><h2><b>1. Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ajay-Mitchell.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder’s rebuild, which led to a championship victory last season, has been so successful because the Thunder find players who fit their system, and they turn them into elite role players. Ajay Mitchell is the latest success story of the Thunder’s talent evaluation and player development program.</p><p>The team has had and will continue having a surplus of first-round picks, but Mitchell was a second-round selection last year. He didn’t play much of a role during the Thunder’s championship run, but he has stepped up to be their sixth man so far and the results have been a pleasant surprise.</p><p>Mitchell is averaging 16.7 points per game, the third most on a deep team loaded with talent. The Thunder have reaped the rewards, as despite the fact that they’ve <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunders-jalen-williams-undergoes-another-wrist-procedure">been without Jalen Williams,</a> they still only have one loss on the season thus far.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ajay Mitchell and the 5 most jaw-dropping surprises to start 2025-26 NBA season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-kevin-durant-blasts-past-the-blazers-30-point-barrage');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Kevin Durant blasts past the Blazers with 30-point barrage');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Rockets-All-Star-Kevin-Durant.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets’ Kevin Durant blasts past the Blazers with 30-point barrage</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-14T20:04:31-08:00">November 14th, 8:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-14T20:04:31-08:00">November 14th, 8:04pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Rockets All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-5-game-winning-streak-fun-now-comes-hard-part">Kevin Durant’s impressive start to 2025-26 continued</a> with a 30-point performance in Friday’s 140-116 win against the Portland Blazers. The Rockets have won eight of their last nine games and improved to 8-1 as Durant’s 30 points led seven players in double figures.</p><p>Durant <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1989533727496568910" rel="noopener">was efficient</a>, going 12-for-19 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from deep, and finished with eight rebounds against the Blazers.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kevin Durant and the Rockets take down the Blazers and move to 8-3 on the season 🚀 </p><p>– 30 points<br>– 5 rebounds <br>– 12-of-19 FG<br>– 3-of-6 3PT</p><p>Houston is 8-1 in their last 9 games 👀 <a href="https://t.co/37J6qpdzBO">pic.twitter.com/37J6qpdzBO</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1989533727496568910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Durant is averaging 24.6 points on 49.1% shooting, including 41.5% from three, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this season.</p><h2><b>What Kevin Durant is grateful for amid first season with Rockets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Rockets-All-Star-Kevin-Durant-2.jpg"><figcaption>Michael McLoone-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/kevin-durant-grateful-how-fueling-rockets-historic-start">Kevin Durant’s happy to be with the Rockets</a> amid his first season and one of the recent connections he’s enjoyed having is with his veteran center, Steven Adams. Durant talked about how the veteran center can still play at a high level and reminded him of their younger days with the Thunder.</p><p>“I don’t believe he’s aged that much,” Durant said about his center. “He’s still playing over the rim like he did when he was young. He’s still physical on the offensive glass, setting great screens, running up in the screens, getting down low in presentation on the pick and roll as a big. Yeah, he’s probably learned the tricks of the trade of being a professional in the NBA and how to practice, how to come into games every day.</p><p>“But as far as his talent level, his skill level, it still reminds me of young Steven 10 years ago. And, you know, that’s a testament to his hard work and his dedication. And he’s been through some injuries, too. So how you bounce back from that shows your mental makeup as a player. So, I’m grateful to be around Steven again,” Durant concluded.</p><p>The Rockets’ 8-3 record is tied with the Spurs for third in the Western Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Kevin Durant blasts past the Blazers with 30-point barrage

<!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/houston-rockets/tiago-splitter-alperen-sengun-rockets-breakout-star');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Tiago Splitter helped Alperen Sengun become Rockets’ breakout star');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Sengun-with-Rockets.jpg"><figcaption>Erik Williams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>How Tiago Splitter helped Alperen Sengun become Rockets’ breakout star</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-14T13:32:54-08:00">November 14th, 1:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-14T13:32:54-08:00">November 14th, 1:32pm</time><address><a>Luke Mauro</a>Luke Mauro is a sports journalist based in Houston who covers the Rockets for ClutchPoints. Luke has covered sports for nearly two decades, including the Rockets for the last three years. His life consists of sports, music and Seinfeld.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s a week of reunions at the Toyota Center for the Houston Rockets. The headline on Wednesday was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/why-rockets-made-right-choice-moving-on-cam-whitmore">the return of former first-round pick Cam Whitmore</a>. But the more meaningful reunion arrives Friday night, when Tiago Splitter returns to Houston.</p><p>Splitter, who played in the NBA from 2010-17, is now the interim head coach for the Portland Trailblazers following <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-arrested-terry-rozier-fbi-sports-gambling-probe">the arrest of Chauncey Billups</a> last month.</p><p>But before that, Splitter served as an assistant coach in Houston for the 2023-24 season. He worked very closely with Rockets star forward Alperen Sengun.</p><p>“He taught me a lot when he was here.” Sengun said before Friday’s matchup, “He was my brother. Mentally, I would say he helped me a lot. Because, like before the game, we are playing Joel Embiid, [Nikola] Jokic, you know, I was telling him, ‘We’re gonna play with the tough bigs tonight and I need to lock in.’ And he was saying, like, ‘They need to lock in to guard you. So that’s what they think right now.’’’</p><p>Splitter, a Brazilian native who spent over a decade playing professionally in Spain before joining the NBA, helped a young Sengun unlock his confidence. That season, Sengun’s third, the Turkish big man made his largest leap: his scoring increased by 6.3 points per game, he made a career-high 8.4 shots per game, and his rebounding, assists, and steals averages all increased as well.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-alperen-sengun-1-word-reaction-making-first-nba-all-star">Sengun then followed that breakout year with his first All-Star appearance a year ago</a> and has now played his way into MVP conversations this season.</p><p>While Kevin Durant is the biggest name on the Rockets roster, Sengun is the homegrown cornerstone that Houston can build around for years to come. And that’s, in large part, due to Splitter’s impact.</p><p>Splitter was already familiar with Sengun before he arrived in Houston, having coached against him while on the Brooklyn Nets staff. But once he was hired by the Rockets, Splitter developed the then 21-year-old into the Rockets’ top scorer and rebounder, while becoming a consistent low-post threat for the first time.</p><p>“He’s one of those, we could say, old-school big guys playing back to the basket and a lot of speed moves, up-and-unders, pump fakes, using his body,” Splitter said. “Hook shots, baby hook shots, running hooks. So all those type shots that maybe in the 2000s or ‘90s, big guys would have. And we don’t see that many big guys like that. You know, all the newbie guys, they’re playing facing the basket, shooting threes. And when you see a guy like that, like an old-school big guy playing, it always caught my attention because he was a little bit [of] the era that I play.”</p><p>Splitter, who was 38 and six years removed from his playing days at the time, guarded Sengun in their first practice together and was immediately impressed by his quickness.</p><p>“I had to guard him to really feel him, how fast he was,” Splitter said. “It’s a different sport, but Tyson Fury, one of the biggest boxers in the world, he moves very well. And you look at him, and you say, “Oh, he can’t move.’ But Alpi is one of those guys. Like, he got the quickness on short movements that nobody’s expecting, and then he’s got touch, right? You’ve got to be able to do that, and to finish the play, and he got the soft touch. Basically – you’re born with that.”</p><p>Friday night marks the first time Splitter and Sengun will face each other since the coach left Houston. And Portland will most certainly have to lock in to guard him, just like their coach said two years ago.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Tiago Splitter helped Alperen Sengun become Rockets’ breakout star

<!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/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-dunk-contest-shaedon-sharpe-tomahawk-pelicans');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dunk contest ready? Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe skies for bonkers tomahawk vs. Pelicans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Portland-Trail-Blazers-guard-Shaedon-Sharpe.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Dunk contest ready? Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe skies for bonkers tomahawk vs. Pelicans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-12T18:54:48-08:00">November 12th, 6:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-12T18:54:48-08:00">November 12th, 6:54pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers visited the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday at Smoothie King Center, and Shaedon Sharpe made sure to give the fans a special treat.</p><p>The Trail Blazers got off to a strong start, outscoring the Pelicans in the first quarter, 30-25. New Orleans, however, returned the favor in the second frame to keep in step with Portland.</p><p>But <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-shaedon-sharpe-makes-portland-history-not-even-damian-lillard-reached">Sharpe left his stamp</a> in the last minute of the first half after <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1988792896297001160" rel="noopener">unleashing a tomahawk slam</a> on the break off an assist from Kris Murray. Even the commentator couldn’t believe what he saw, judging by his voice.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">SHAEDON SHARPE TOMAHAWK WITH AUTHORITY 🔨</p><p>He's got 20 points for the Trail Blazers at the half!<a href="https://t.co/59tNbWJaME">pic.twitter.com/59tNbWJaME</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1988792896297001160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jose Alvarado made the right decision to get out of the way.</p><p>The 22-year-old Sharpe has collected quite a handful of jaw-dropping dunks in his young career. Fans have been wanting to see the high-leaping guard in the Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend. He committed in 2023 but later withdrew.</p><p>Sharpe, drafted as the seventh overall pick in 2022, is one of the key cogs of the Trail Blazers. He is coming off a strong stint in his third season, averaging 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.</p><p>This season, he has upped his numbers to 19.7 points and 5.1 rebounds, as he has gotten more comfortable with a bigger role. Playing alongside Jrue Holiday in the backcourt definitely helps, as he surely learns a lot from the veteran guard.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-jerami-grant-yves-missi-ejected-trail-blazers-pelicans-fight">Jerami Grant and Yves Missi were ejected</a> from the game in the second quarter after a physical altercation.</p><p>As of writing, the Trail Blazers have erected a double-digit lead over the Pelicans heading into the fourth quarter.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dunk contest ready? Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe skies for bonkers tomahawk vs. Pelicans

<!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/nba-stories/nba-news-jerami-grant-yves-missi-ejected-trail-blazers-pelicans-fight');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jerami Grant, Yves Missi ejected from Trail Blazers-Pelicans game for fight');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Jeremi-Grant-vs.-the-Pelicans.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jerami Grant, Yves Missi ejected from Trail Blazers-Pelicans game for fight</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-12T18:14:11-08:00">November 12th, 6:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-12T19:12:38-08:00">November 12th, 7:12pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The game between <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-uninspiring-injury-updates-zion-williamson-jordan-poole">the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans</a> on Wednesday got heated early as Jerami Grant and Yves Missi got into a scuffle in the second quarter at Smoothie King Center.</p><p>After Trey Murphy missed his three-point attempt, Grant and Missi battled for the rebound. They locked arms under the basket, which led to a lot of pushing and pulling, and eventually, <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1988787962042257666" rel="noopener">to a physical altercation</a>.</p><p>Teammates had to break them apart, and luckily, cooler heads prevailed. Grant and Missi were ejected from the game. Shaedon Sharpe and Herb Jones, meanwhile, were each whistled for a technical foul.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jerami Grant and Yves Missi have been EJECTED from the game following this altercation 👀</p><p>Shaedon Sharpe and Herb Jones both received a technical foul. </p><p> <a href="https://t.co/gAWI7iTkJH">pic.twitter.com/gAWI7iTkJH</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1988787962042257666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Some could argue that the ejections were too harsh since no punches were thrown, but perhaps the referees didn’t want anything to spiral out of control.</p><p>The injury-stricken Pelicans are already without Zion Williamson and Jordan Poole due to injuries, and the exit of Missi surely won’t help their cause. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/sources-where-pelicans-sit-with-willie-green-entering-brutal-five-game-homestand">New Orleans is struggling with a 2-8 record</a>, including 1-2 at home.</p><p>Grant, meanwhile, has been the Trail Blazers’ top weapon off the bench, and his ejection has forced the team to find other scoring options. Grant is averaging 19.7 points on 48.3% shooting. Portland is sitting on a 5-5 card.</p><p>NBA commissioner Adam Silver has repeatedly stressed that fighting won’t be tolerated, underscoring the responsibility of players to stay professional. But of course, as competitors, they can’t keep their emotions in check at times.</p><p>Grant and Missi could face hefty fines from the league because of their incident.</p><p>As of writing, the Pelicans are leading the Trail Blazers at halftime, 59-57.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jerami Grant, Yves Missi ejected from Trail Blazers-Pelicans game for fight

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-isaiah-hartenstein-keeps-100-trail-blazers-handing-first-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Isaiah Hartenstein keeps it 100 about Trail Blazers handing Thunder its first loss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Thunder-center-Isaiah-Hartenstein-i.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Isaiah Hartenstein keeps it 100 about Trail Blazers handing Thunder its first loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-06T10:45:53-08:00">November 6th, 10:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-06T10:49:23-08:00">November 6th, 10:49am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Isaiah Hartenstein and the Oklahoma City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-set-new-franchise-record-spoil-james-harden-big-night">Thunder cemented their best start in franchise history</a> at 8-0. After a 121-119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Hartenstein addressed what led his team to cough up a 22-point lead. On the second night of a back-to-back on the road, the shorthanded Thunder nearly erased an eight-point deficit with less than three minutes left on the game clock. But came up short in the end.</p><p>After the loss, Hartenstein discussed the Blazers’ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvzwzsgDNGQ&amp;t=100s" rel="noopener">growth as a team</a> and the Thunder’s shortcomings in Wednesday’s two-point loss.</p><p>“They’ve been playing great all year. I think, especially young teams, at the beginning of the year, always kind of come out with that kind of energy,” Hartenstein said. “I think they’ve done a good job getting the right people in. Jrue has been really big for them. Guys have been developing a lot. It was a good win for them. Those are the kinds of games that help you build confidence, even though we have like eight, seven guys out, and coming off a back-to-back. But I think just for them, it’s a good learning block.”</p><p>For Hartenstein, the Thunder didn’t play at a high level to overmatch the Blazers in the fourth quarter.</p><p>“I think most of it was we didn’t execute as well as we should,” Hartenstein added. “I think there were some plays that we could have controlled. Some missed layups here and there, but I don’t think it was that crazy of a game to be honest.”</p><p>Isaiah Hartenstein recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) with three assists and two steals against the Blazers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 35 points led three Thunder players who finished with 20+ points, including Ajay Mitchell (21 points), who started alongside SGA, and Aaron Wiggins (27 points), who connected on seven threes.</p><p>The Thunder were without Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, and Alex Caruso for Wednesday’s matchup. The three players joined All-Star forward Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams, who’ve yet to make their regular-season debut, on Oklahoma City’s injury report.</p><h2><b>Blazers hand Thunder first loss amid bizarre finish</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Thunder-center-Isaiah-Hartenstein-ii.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Amidst a critical moment toward the end of the Thunder’s 121-119 loss to the Trail Blazers, Isaiah Joe had an opportunity to tie the game at the free-throw line. Trailing the Blazers by three, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-gives-thunder-first-loss-not-bizarre-ending">Joe drew a shooting foul from three</a> against Toumani Camara before the officials reviewed the play to determine that Isaiah’s foot was on the three-point arc when he was fouled.</p><p>After making his first free throw, Joe missed the second on purpose in hopes of a put-back to send the game into overtime, but the Thunder came up short as the game clock expired.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Isaiah Hartenstein keeps it 100 about Trail Blazers handing Thunder its first loss

<!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/nba-stories/nba-news-adam-silver-congressional-committee-meeting-chauncey-billups-terry-rozier');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Adam Silver missed Congressional committee meeting on Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/NBA-Commissioner-Adam-Silver-2_ff271c.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Adam Silver missed Congressional committee meeting on Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-06T07:15:39-08:00">November 6th, 7:15am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-06T07:15:39-08:00">November 6th, 7:15am</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">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-league-to-meet-with-congressional-committee-fbi-indictments">NBA had a meeting with the Congressional committee</a> in the wake of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-basically-already-been-fired-without-being-fired">FBI indictments of Chauncey Billups</a>, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones. During the meeting, there were some <a href="https://x.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1986211910304592248" rel="noopener">important people absent,</a> on which included commissioner Adam Silver, according to Marc Stein.</p><p>“Neither Adam Silver nor deputy commissioner Mark Tatum were in attendance today, source tells The Stein Line, at the Congressional committee meeting with the NBA sparked by the recent indictments of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones,” Stein wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Instead, league attorneys and a gambling consultant <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6781280/2025/11/05/nba-officials-congress-briefing-gambling/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">answered questions from lawyers</a> and congressional aides for the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. The meeting lasted for less than an hour, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.</p><p>“The House sought details about the fraudulent, illegal, and alleged betting practices in connection with NBA players, coaches, and officials, including the actions of NBA players and coaches identified in the recent indictment; as well as prior instances,” Vardon wrote.</p><p>Billups was indicted for his alleged participation in a wide-ranging, years-long scheme to defraud card players in poker games in 2019 when he wasn’t a coach or a player. Rozier was charged for allegedly taking himself out of a game on purpose in 2023 so a co-conspirator could place a bet and win.</p><p>As for Jones, he was charged with using his relationship with Los Angeles Lakers players to place bets. In 2023, Jones found out that LeBron James was not playing against the Milwaukee Bucks, and he told an unnamed co-conspirator to place a bet on the Bucks. Jones also did the same thing in 2024 when he learned from a trainer that a Lakers player was hurt and his minutes would be restricted.</p><p>Two men who were identified in the charging documents as “Co-conspirator 1” and “Player 2” are both former or current NBA players, but haven’t been charged yet. Player 2 was a starter for the Orlando Magic in 2023.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Adam Silver missed Congressional committee meeting on Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier

<!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/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-gives-thunder-first-loss-not-bizarre-ending');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers gives Thunder first loss but not before bizarre ending');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Trail-Blazers-forward-Toumani-Camara.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers gives Thunder first loss but not before bizarre ending</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-05T22:58:44-08:00">November 5th, 10:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-05T22:58:44-08:00">November 5th, 10:58pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers snapped the Oklahoma City Thunder’s perfect record as defending champions in a 121-119 win that went down to the wire at the Moda Center. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-matisse-thybulle-out-indefinitely-after-undergoing-thumb-surgery">Amid injuries the Blazers continued their impressive start</a> with possibly their best performance yet. Portland erased a 22-point deficit, but with 2:48 left, nearly coughed up an eight-point lead (112-104). The Thunder pulled to within three with 6.5 seconds remaining.</p><p>Then, Thunder guard Isaiah Joe drew <a href="https://twitter.com/SMHighlights1/status/1986309340744085604" rel="noopener">a three-point shooting foul</a> on Toumani Camara with 0.6 seconds left in the game. However, upon the officials’ review, it was determined that Joe’s foot was on the three-point arc and not behind it, sending him to the free-throw line for two, and not three, which would have given Joe an opportunity to tie the game.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Toumani Camara got called for a foul on Isaiah Joe with half a second left, but it was his KD moment 😭</p><p>His foot was on the line. <a href="https://t.co/fjAwtdDtIa">pic.twitter.com/fjAwtdDtIa</a></p><p>— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) <a href="https://twitter.com/SMHighlights1/status/1986309340744085604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Instead the Blazers improved to 5-3, handing the Thunder — the only undefeated team left this season. Deni Avdija came one assist shy of a triple-double (26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists) led three Blazers players with 20+ points, including Jrue Holiday (22 points, six rebounds), and Jerami Grant (20 points), who led Portland’s bench.</p><h2><b>Draymond Green warns NBA about the Trail Blazers’ ascension</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Trail-Blazers-forward-Deni-Avdija.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite missing All-Star Damian Lillard and Matisse Thybulle, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-draymond-green-says-watch-out-overlooked-trail-blazers">the Trail Blazers’ hot start compelled Draymond Green</a> after a 139-119 loss during the first week of the regular season. It was enough for Green to say watch out for the overlooked Blazers, who now have sixth-best record in a competitive Western Conference.</p><p>Green talked about the Blazers’ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JMunZFCZ2Q&amp;t=1632s" rel="noopener">dynamic core</a> on the Draymond Green Show.</p><p>“Portland is a tough, tough game. They’ve got a bunch of length, switchable guys. Defensively they are all 6’7, 6’8 can move their feet. Can guard positions one through five,” Green said. “Jrue Holiday’s leadership is proven to be invaluable for this team. They’ve got centers, they’ve wings. They’ve got young scoring wings that can go get it. They’ve got defenders, they’ve got a true point guard in Jrue Holiday.</p><p>“That team is the young team that I think a lot of people aren’t looking out for that I think is going to have a good year.”</p><p>The Blazers will take the next two days off before facing the Heat on the road on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers gives Thunder first loss but not before bizarre ending

<!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/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-injury-update-lu-dort-ruled-out-trail-blazers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chet Holmgren’s injury update after Thunder’s Lu Dort is ruled out vs. Trail Blazers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Thunder-forward-Chet-Holmgren_5144d9.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chet Holmgren’s injury update after Thunder’s Lu Dort is ruled out vs. Trail Blazers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-05T15:11:29-08:00">November 5th, 3:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-05T15:11:29-08:00">November 5th, 3:11pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-set-new-franchise-record-spoil-james-harden-big-night">Thunder’s 8-0 record is its best start</a> in team history, following a 126-107 win against the Los Angeles Clippers, but will finish a back-to-back without Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort against the Portland Trail Blazers. If the Thunder want to extend its historic regular-season start to 9-0, it’ll have to do it against a talented Trail Blazers team on the road.</p><p>The Thunder announced its injury report, listing Holmgren, Dort, and Alex Caruso (rest) out for Wednesday’s matchup. For the second time this week, head coach Mark Daigneault will enters a game missing two of his starters, as Holmgren and Dort were ruled out for Sunday’s 137-106 blowout win against the New Orleans Pelicans.</p><p>Daigneault gave Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins the nod against the Pelicans, which could be what he does again for Wednesday’s matchup against the Trail Blazers, as the Thunder will go for a nine-game winning streak as defending champions.</p><p>Chet Holmgren, who’s been dealing with a sore lower back, will record his fourth absence through five Thunder games. Dort, who was listed as questionable before being cleared to play on Tuesday, tweaked his shoulder against the Clippers. He’s dealing with an upper right trap strain. This is the Thunder’s second back-to-back of the season and its first matchup against the Trail Blazers, who enter Wednesday’s game with a 4-3 record.</p><h2><b>SGA reaches 80th straight 20+ point performance in Thunder win</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-passes-oscar-robertson-on-this-all-time-nba-list-with-big-game-vs-clippers">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak of 20+ point games</a> was extended to 80 in Tuesday’s win against the Clippers, making it the third-longest streak in NBA history. He surpassed Oscar Robertson’s (79) longest streak and only Wilt Chamberlain, who holds the first (126) and second (92) longest streaks of consecutive 20-plus point games.</p><p>After beating the Clippers in a game where Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in three quarters, including 18 after halftime, head coach Mark Daigneault addressed his MVP’s admirable approach to the game during his postgame media availability.</p><p>“When it comes to his consistency, I always think about his work. His work’s so consistent. His life is so consistent in terms of his routine,” Daigneault said. “Everything is his life revolves around his family and being the best basketball player he can be. And he lives that every day. So, when the lights are on and you guys see consistent performance, it’s backed by consistent, disciplined practice.”</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander was recently named the NBA <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/nba-players-week-shai-gilgeous-alexander-tyrese-maxey" rel="noopener">Western Conference Player of the Week</a> for Week 2 of the 2025-26 season on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Portland
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Trail Blazers News: Get the latest Portland Trail Blazers news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Trail Blazers News

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PortlandTrail Blazers NEWS

Trail Blazers News: Get the latest Portland Trail Blazers news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Trail Blazers News

Blazers’ Jrue Holiday gets final injury update for Suns game

Blazers’ Jrue Holiday injury update is bad news for Suns showdown

Deni Avdija apologizes for one of the worst game-winning attempts you’ll ever see

Ajay Mitchell and the 5 most jaw-dropping surprises to start 2025-26 NBA season

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How Tiago Splitter helped Alperen Sengun become Rockets’ breakout star

Dunk contest ready? Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe skies for bonkers tomahawk vs. Pelicans

• Jerami Grant, Yves Missi ejected from Trail Blazers-Pelicans game for fight

• Isaiah Hartenstein keeps it 100 about Trail Blazers handing Thunder its first loss

• Why Adam Silver missed Congressional committee meeting on Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier

• Blazers gives Thunder first loss but not before bizarre ending

• Chet Holmgren’s injury update after Thunder’s Lu Dort is ruled out vs. Trail Blazers

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