<!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>

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

<!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-damian-lillard-has-eye-popping-workout-6-months-after-surgery');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Damian Lillard has eye-popping workout 6 months after surgery');   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-guard-Damian-Lillard-0-watches.jpg"><figcaption>© Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers’ Damian Lillard has eye-popping workout 6 months after surgery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-04T18:50:19-08:00">November 4th, 6:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-04T18:50:19-08:00">November 4th, 6:50pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On the 27th of April, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-damian-lillard-confirms-achilles-injury-status-2025-26-season">Damian Lillard ruptured his Achilles</a> during the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 4 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. An injury of that kind requires quite the lengthy recovery process, leading to an extended absence. This was something the Bucks could not afford, considering their draft-pick situation and their need to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo. This led to the eventual Lillard waive-and-stretch, which paved the way for the Portland Trail Blazers to bring back one of, if not outright the best player in franchise history.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-damian-lillard-reunites-with-fans-portland-rally">Blazers decided to use their available money</a> to bring Lillard in, which was a move that many fans appreciated even though the star point guard is unlikely to play, if at all, during the 2025-26 campaign. But there are plenty of promising signs that Lillard may not be that far off from an eventual return to game action.</p><p>On Monday night, following the Blazers’ 123-115 loss to the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers, Lillard was seen <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1985864524382011818" rel="noopener">putting in some reps</a> on the Moda Center floor. This is amazing to see when he’s only around sixth months removed from undergoing Achilles surgery.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Blazers' Damian Lillard just 6 months removed from Achilles surgery putting in work last night 👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/Victor_S7709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Victor_S7709</a>)<br> <a href="https://t.co/Qbr2KUCrgE">pic.twitter.com/Qbr2KUCrgE</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1985864524382011818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Of course, no one should expect Lillard to be back in action for the Blazers anytime soon. They did not sign him with the expectation that he’d be making an impact right away anyway. But seeing Lillard move the way he did during this workout session should be encouraging for Blazers fans who want to see nothing less than a smooth return to play for the star point guard.</p><p>Lillard is the Blazers’ all-time leading scorer, with 19,376 points. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/milwaukee-bucks/bucks-news-damian-lillard-heat-trade-request-blazers">He requested a trade</a> in 2023 to try and compete for a championship, only to lose in the first round in consecutive seasons with the Bucks. Now, Lillard will be a part of the Blazers’ nascent core and when he returns, he will help boost their offense that ranks 15th at the moment.</p><h2><b>Damian Lillard should be a strong mentor for the Blazers’ young players</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Blazers-Damian-Lillard-poses-for-photo-during-media-day.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Lillard may not be active on the court right now, but he still provides so much value for the Blazers. Portland has plenty of inexperienced players, with Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan all looking to lead the team, and Lillard’s voice should come in handy. Scoot Henderson should also learn a lot from Lillard.</p><p>The Blazers currently have a 4-3 record on the season, suggesting that they may not be too far off from making it to the playoffs, even in the loaded West.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Damian Lillard has eye-popping workout 6 months after surgery

<!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-draymond-green-says-watch-out-overlooked-trail-blazers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Draymond Green says watch out for overlooked 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/Trail-Blazers-Deni-Avdija-Jrue-Holiday.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Draymond Green says watch out for overlooked Trail Blazers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-03T13:36:54-08:00">November 3rd, 1:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-03T13:36:54-08:00">November 3rd, 1:36pm</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>Don’t sleep on the this year’s Portland Trail Blazers, who handed Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors their first lost of the regular season. They also hold the fourth-best record (4-2) in the Western Conference, as the up-and-coming squad are making strides. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-player-shock-world-breakout-2025-26-season">Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe could have a breakout season</a> and the same could be said about Portland’s leading scorer Deni Avdija, who’s leading the team with 22.7 points per game.</p><p>Green talked about the Trail Blazers’ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JMunZFCZ2Q&amp;t=1632s" rel="noopener">impressive start</a>, including beating the Warriors, and why he’s believes the young team will be much better than many expected heading into the 2025-26 season, per 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 beat the Denver Nuggets 109-107 in an NBA Cup game for their fourth win in six tries. Avdija’s 23 points on 7-of-13 attempts, led six players in double figures, including Sharpe’s 19 points, and Jerami Gran’s 16 points, which led the bench.</p><p>Adding veteran Jrue Holiday has undoubtedly bolstered the Blazers’ defense in the backcourt, while second-year center Donovan Clingan is off to a stellar start up front. It’s the kind of combination of veteran and young skills that could make for a competitive season, according to Warriors veteran Draymond Green.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/trail-blazers-news-portland-inks-toumani-camara-82-million-rookie-contract-extension">Toumani Camara’s defense led to a four-year extension</a>, worth $82 million. He’s one of Portland’s defenders who can guard positions one through five, while averaging 11.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.</p><h2><b>Trail Blazers emerges as a top-5 NBA defense</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Trail-Blazers-Kris-Murray.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Two weeks into the 2025-26 regular season and the Trail Blazers have the fifth-best defensive rating (110.1) in the NBA, trailing the defending champion Thunder (104.2), the Spurs (108.2), the Heat (108.9), and the Nuggets. It’s still too early to determine if this Blazers defense is sustainable throughout the regular season.</p><p>However, the young talent sprouting throughout the roster should make for a fruitful season as the rebuilding team looks to continue making a significant stride in a competitive Western Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Draymond Green says watch out for overlooked Trail Blazers

<!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/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-best-bo-nix-impression-full-court-pass');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic does best Bo Nix impression with wild full-court pass');   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/2025/10/Nikola-Jokic-does-best-Bo-Nix-impression-with-wild-full-court-pass.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic does best Bo Nix impression with wild full-court pass</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-01T00:01:52-07:00">November 1st, 12:01am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-01T00:01:52-07:00">November 1st, 12:01am</time><address><a>Allan Binoy</a>Allan Binoy is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NCAA Football, and NBA for ClutchPoints. With a deep passion for storytelling and analysis, he brings fans closer to the action by breaking down the biggest moments and storylines across the world of sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic turned a routine rebound into a Hail Mary. Off a scrum under Denver’s rim, the Denver Nuggets star uncorked a full-court dime to Peyton Watson in stride, the kind of quarterback heave that would make Bo Nix grin. The clip rocketed around social feeds as Denver and the Portland Trail Blazers traded punches in their NBA Cup opener. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Did Nikola Jokic even see the receiver on this full-court assist? 🤯<a href="https://t.co/aw9NFFUww1">pic.twitter.com/aw9NFFUww1</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1984472873462009931?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The pass wasn’t a one-off either. Jokic kept testing Portland’s floor balance with long outlets, and one of them sprung Watson for a finish through contact. It’s the latest entry in Jokic’s growing archive of “did he even see that?” assists, a play that flips the court before defenses can load up.   </p><p>The ending didn’t cooperate for Denver. Jerami Grant buried two free throws with 1.4 seconds left, and Portland escaped, 109–107. Jokic’s 13-footer at the horn rimmed off, sealing a comeback the Trail Blazers built with a 38–26 fourth quarter. ESPN’s <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401809508" rel="noopener">box score</a> shows Jamal Murray leading Denver with 22 points, while Jokic finished at 21 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-ties-oscar-robertson-triple-double-record">one shy of a fifth straight triple-double to open the season</a>. Deni Avdija paced Portland with 23.  </p><p>Denver controlled most of the night and still walked away empty. Turnovers (19) and late-game fouls cracked the door, then Shaedon Sharpe’s block and Grant’s free throws kicked it open. A lengthy first-quarter clock malfunction didn’t help the rhythm either. For the Nuggets, it’s a missed chance to cash in a double-digit fourth-quarter lead; for Portland, it’s a resilient Cup win that snaps Denver’s three-game streak.  </p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-humble-response-effortless-play-style">Jokic is Denver’s cheat code in transition</a>, weaponizing rebounds like touchbacks and punishing any slow switch between offense and defense. The Nuggets can live with that process. Either way, quarterbacks aren’t the only ones throwing lasers on fall Fridays.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic does best Bo Nix impression with wild full-court pass

<!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-matisse-thybulle-out-indefinitely-after-undergoing-thumb-surgery');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Matisse Thybulle out indefinitely after undergoing thumb surgery');   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/2025/10/Matisse-Thybulle-out-indefinitely-after-undergoing-thumb-surgery-2.jpg"><figcaption>Soobum Im-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers’ Matisse Thybulle out indefinitely after undergoing thumb surgery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-31T18:08:23-07:00">October 31st, 6:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-31T18:08:23-07:00">October 31st, 6:08pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-jamal-murray-injury-report-nba-cup-game-blazers">Trail Blazers had some injury news</a> to share about defensive guard Matisse Thybulle.</p><p>Thybulle suffered an apparent hand injury during the Trail Blazers’ matchup against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. It forced him out of the game as he underwent an MRI on Thursday, which revealed that he tore the UCL in his left thumb.</p><p>Portland <a href="https://x.com/trailblazers/status/1984406621733413362" rel="noopener">revealed the news</a> on Friday, stating that he underwent surgery and will miss 4-6 weeks while he recovers.</p><p>“Matisse Thybulle injured his left thumb during Wednesday’s game at Utah. A subsequent MRI conducted Thursday revealed a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the left thumb. Thybulle underwent successful surgery this morning and will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks,” the post read.</p><p>Thybulle averaged five points, 2.5 steals and one rebound per game in the four contests he appeared in prior to the injury.</p><h2><b>What’s next for Blazers after Matisse Thybulle injury</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Matisse-Thybulle-out-indefinitely-after-undergoing-thumb-surgery-1.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Trail Blazers will certainly miss Matisse Thybulle’s defensive presence while he recovers from the injury.</p><p>Portland has been off to a promising start to the 2025-26 campaign, having a 3-2 record after five games. They look to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season, hoping to end a four-year drought from postseason action.</p><p>Deni Avdija has shined as Portland’s top scoring option, producing 22.6 points per contest. Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe have been active despite having poor starts in terms of shooting efficiency. Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday has provided valuable defense with his experience and Jerami Grant has been a remarkable spark plug off the bench with 21.6 points per game.</p><p>Portland is currently seventh in the league with one of the best offenses with 123.6 points per game. They are also 12th in offensive rating (116.6), 17th in scoring defense (118.6) and ninth in defensive rating (111.9).</p><p>The Trail Blazers will continue preparation for their next matchup, being at home. They host the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 31 at 10 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Matisse Thybulle out indefinitely after undergoing thumb surgery

<!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/chauncey-billups-hires-donald-trump-former-lawyer-gambling-arrest');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chauncey Billups hires Donald Trump’s former lawyer after gambling arrest');   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/2025/10/Chauncey-Billups_164bfa.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Chauncey Billups hires Donald Trump’s former lawyer after gambling arrest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-31T07:00:38-07:00">October 31st, 7:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-31T07:01:18-07:00">October 31st, 7:01am</time><address><a>Andrew Korpan</a>Andrew Korpan is the lead entertainment editor and film critic for ClutchPoints. He's also an award-winning author and Ken Jeong's best friend.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After his surprise <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-arrested-terry-rozier-fbi-sports-gambling-probe">arrest as part of the FBI’s gambling probe</a> that has rocked the NBA, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-basically-already-been-fired-without-being-fired">Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups</a> has made a key legal move in his attempt to fight his case, hiring a lawyer who previously represented President Donald Trump.</p><p>The New York Times reports Billups has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6763902/2025/10/30/chauncey-billups-hires-attorney-marc-mukasey/" rel="noopener">hired trial lawyer Marc Mukasey</a> to represent him in the federal investigation. Previously, Mukasey represented President Trump, Edward Gallagher, and Rudy Giuliani.</p><p>So, he is no stranger to such high-profile cases. His defense of Gallagher, a former Navy SEAL, led to an acquittal of murder charges. Additionally, he represented Sam Bankman-Fried during his sentencing after his conviction on fraud and conspiracy charges. Bankman-Fried was the founder of a bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange.</p><h2><b>Chauncey Billups’ arrest was part of a federal gambling probe</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Chauncey-Billups.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The feds’ ongoing gambling probe has led to several arrests. Billups’ arrest was announced on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. That came on the same day as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-terry-rozier-arrested-fbi-gambling-probe">Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier’s</a> arrest. Former NBA player Damon Jones was also arrested.</p><p>After his arrest, it was revealed that Billups was charged with being tied up in an illegal poker operation that was tied to the Mafia. Billups was allegedly used as a “Face Card” to attract unwitting gamblers to poker games, where they were then scammed with the help of high-tech equipment.</p><p>Meanwhile, Rozier’s arrest was for a “separate but related betting case.”</p><p>Billups is currently a coach, but he was a standout NBA player. He was drafted with the third overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, and he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame after his playing career.</p><p>Throughout his career, Billups played for seven NBA teams. He was named to five All-Star teams, and he was also named to three All-NBA teams.</p><p>In 2004, Billups helped lead the Detroit Pistons to the NBA Finals. They won the NBA championship, and Billups was named NBA Finals MVP.</p><p>Following his retirement in 2014, Billups began his coaching career in 2020. He started as an assistant coach under Tyronn Lue on the Los Angeles Clippers.</p><p>After the 2020-21 season, Billups was hired as the Blazers’ head coach. They have not finished better than fourth place in the Northwest Division during his four years as their coach. The 2024-25 season was his best, as the Blazers went 36-46, and he was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-contract-extension">rewarded with a contract extension</a>.</p><p>Billups has since been placed on leave after his arrest and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-basically-already-been-fired-without-being-fired">isn’t really involved with the team</a>, with Tiago Splitter taking over as the interim head in Portland.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chauncey Billups hires Donald Trump’s former lawyer after gambling arrest

<!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/trail-blazers-news-jrue-holiday-outlines-shocked-reaction-chauncey-billups-arrest');   ga('set', 'title', 'Trail Blazers’ Jrue Holiday outlines ‘shocked’ reaction to Chauncey Billups arrest');   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/2025/10/Holiday-celebrates.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Gray-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Trail Blazers’ Jrue Holiday outlines ‘shocked’ reaction to Chauncey Billups arrest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-30T09:02:54-07:00">October 30th, 9:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-30T09:02:54-07:00">October 30th, 9:02am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-tyronn-lue-speaks-out-on-allegations-against-best-friend-chauncey-billups">Portland Trail Blazers organization is still recovering</a> from the shock that resulted from their head coach Chauncey Billups being arrested by the FBI for supposed activity in rigged poker games. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-basically-already-been-fired-without-being-fired">Billups was one of three</a> publicly revealed NBA figures to have been arrested as part of a wide-ranging investigation that included both the poker games as well as the illegal selling of information for NBA betting, a scandal that has rocked the league to its core.</p><p>Recently, newly acquired Blazers guard Jrue Holiday spoke on<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46775199/how-portland-trail-blazers-nba-grappling-chauncey-billups-stunning-downfall" rel="noopener"> his initial reaction</a> to the news.</p><p>“Honestly, we were shocked,” said Holiday, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.</p><p>Holiday also spoke on the respect he personally has for Billups, considering the way Billups helped get him to the Boston Celtics when Holiday was first traded to the Blazers from the Milwaukee Bucks back in 2023.</p><p>“Chauncey really did me a solid the first time I was traded here, just being able to see things through my lens and ask me what I wanted,” Holiday said. “Not many coaches would do that. But he understood because he was also a player in this league.”</p><p>“We talked all the time,” Holiday added. “A little bit of basketball. A lot of life.”</p><h2><b>A shocking scandal for the Blazers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Chauncey-Billups-coaching-during-a-game-in-2025.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In the meantime, the Blazers have soldiered forward without Billups manning the sidelines, currently sitting at 3-2 after a recent narrow road win over the Utah Jazz. The Blazers are expected by many to take a step up next year, thanks to the addition of Holiday as well as expected growth from young players like Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara.</p><p>Still, the Billups saga has clearly hung a bit of a cloud over the franchise for now, as the team tries to figure out if they’ll ever be getting their head coach back. Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are both on leave right now, which the NBA announced would be unpaid earlier this week.</p><p>The Blazers will next take the floor on Friday evening against the Denver Nuggets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Trail Blazers’ Jrue Holiday outlines ‘shocked’ reaction to Chauncey Billups arrest

<!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-chauncey-billups-basically-already-been-fired-without-being-fired');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chauncey Billups has basically already been fired by Blazers without officially being fired');   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/2025/10/Blazers-Joe-Cronin-with-Chauncey-Billups.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chauncey Billups has basically already been fired by Blazers without officially being fired</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-30T08:23:41-07:00">October 30th, 8:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-30T08:23:41-07:00">October 30th, 8:23am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Whether Chauncey Billups coaches in the NBA again is heavily dependent on the outcome of his FBI investigation. However, it appears that Billups’ days with the Portland Trail Blazers are already over, despite the organization not having officially fired him.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/what-we-know-about-terry-rozier-chauncey-billups-fbi-investigations">Billups was arrested by the FBI</a> on Thursday, October 23, for allegedly participating in and having direct knowledge of an illegal gambling ring that rigged high-stakes poker games, defrauding many of millions of dollars. This plot was run by some of the most notable crime families, including members of the La Cosa Nostra.</p><p>At the same time Billups was arrested, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was also taken into custody by the FBI and accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using insider NBA information. Former NBA talent and coach Damon Jones was also arrested by the FBI for his involvement in both illegal schemes.</p><p>Immediately, the same day he was arrested, Billups’ future with the Trail Blazers became clouded. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-terry-rozier-chauncey-billups-placed-on-immediate-leave-by-league">NBA placed Billups, along with Rozier, on immediate leave</a>, and it was revealed on Wednesday that neither would be receiving their NBA salary for the 2025-26 season while on leave.</p><p>Since Billups’ arrest in Portland, more details have emerged about what happened behind the scenes, as general manager Joe Cronin and the organization appointed former NBA champion and assistant coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-who-will-replace-chauncey-billups-interim-head-coach">Tiago Splitter to take over on the sidelines</a>.</p><p>Splitter and Cronin addressed the Blazers’ locker room hours after news of Billups’ arrest became public, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/44655802/sources-trail-blazers-chauncey-billups-reach-multiyear-deal" rel="noopener">relaying details and any instructions</a> that they had, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. While they did not know much about what was happening, Splitter and Cronin delivered a stern mandate to the players, telling them not to contact Billups.</p><p>Although he was only placed on leave and not actually fired by the team, it seems like the Blazers have already moved on from the Hall of Famer.</p><p>Many Blazers players have wanted to reach out to Billups, as he has been a leading voice for the organization’s youth over the years. But no player has spoken with Billups since he was arrested.</p><p>Before their first game without Billups on the sideline, the Blazers held a player-only meeting, led by veterans Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday, per Shelburne. Lillard emphasized how important it was for the group to remain united, no matter what happens with Billups or how much certain individuals worry about him because other teams won’t feel sorry for them.</p><p>With Splitter as the interim head coach, the Trail Blazers have won three of their last four games, averaging 126 points per contest.</p><p>What happens with Billups from here on is solely dependent on what happens with the FBI’s investigation. Then again, it appears as if the Blazers are already moving on and putting Billups in the rear-view mirror after he was placed on leave.</p><p>This past April, Billups and the Trail Blazers agreed to a new multi-year extension after finishing his fourth season with the team. It is likely that this contract will be voided with cause should Billups be found guilty of the charges he faces.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chauncey Billups has basically already been fired by Blazers without officially being fired

<!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-rumors-jeff-teague-predicts-jrue-holiday-trade-houston');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jeff Teague predicts Jrue Holiday trade for Rockets');   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/2025/10/Jrue-Holiday-5-looks-to-pass-the-ball-around-Utah-Jazz-forwardcenter-Lauri-Markkanen-23.jpg"><figcaption>© Peter Creveling-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jeff Teague predicts Jrue Holiday trade for Rockets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-29T09:58:40-07:00">October 29th, 9:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-29T09:59:01-07:00">October 29th, 9:59am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former NBA guard Jeff Teague believes veteran guard Jrue Holiday will be on the move once again — this time to the Houston Rockets. On the latest episode of his Club 520 Podcast, Teague predicted that the Portland Trail Blazers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEmVh5Fig0c" rel="noopener">will trade</a> Holiday to Houston by the 2025–26 trade deadline.</p><p>“He’s gonna be traded at the deadline,” Teague said. “You know where Jrue is going? It just came to me… Houston. I just figured it out — Jrue Holiday is going to Houston.”</p><p>He added, “Hey Jrue, get ready. Get your bags packed brother, you going to Houston.”</p><p>Holiday, 35, is in his first season with Portland after being <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jrue-holiday-trade-grades-for-celtics-blazers-after-stunning-deal">acquired from the Boston Celtics in the offseason</a>. Boston traded the veteran guard shortly after its 2024 championship run, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-jrue-holiday-fires-back-miserable-unhappy-speculation-celtics-trade">sending him to Portland in exchange for Anfernee Simons</a> and two second-round picks. Holiday has since stepped into a leadership role on a young Trail Blazers roster, helping guide them to a 2–2 start.</p><p>Through four games, Holiday is averaging 17.8 points, 7.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 48.2% from the field and 38.5% from three in 31.5 minutes. He most recently led Portland to a 122–108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers with a 24-point, six-assist performance on 10-for-15 shooting.</p><h2><b>Jeff Teague’s Jrue Holiday trade prediction clashes with Rockets’ hard cap reality</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Jrue-Holiday-5-dribbles-ball-against-Golden-State-Warriors-guard-Moses-Moody-4.jpg"><figcaption>© Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Holiday’s early-season form has drawn praise, a move to Houston is complicated by financial and roster limitations. The Rockets are currently hard-capped at the first apron — $195.9 million — following their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/kevin-durant-trade-grades-7-teams-blockbuster">acquisition of Kevin Durant in a sign-and-trade</a> this summer. As a result, they cannot exceed that threshold under any circumstance. Holiday is owed $32.4 million annually through the 2027–28 season, making any trade to Houston financially difficult unless matching salaries are moved.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-fred-vanvleet-optimistic-acl-injury-return-outlook">Rockets are also navigating the absence of Fred VanVleet</a>, who tore his ACL during an offseason workout. VanVleet re-signed with Houston on a three-year, $119 million deal earlier in the summer. His injury has left a vacancy at the lead guard spot, fueling speculation like Teague’s.</p><p>In the meantime, Houston has turned to younger guards and rotational depth. Second-year guard Reed Sheppard is averaging 11.0 points, 4.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals while shooting 36.4% from the field and 44.4% from three across 24 minutes per game. Veteran wing Josh Okogie has also stepped up, averaging 9.3 points, two rebounds, and one assist in 22.7 minutes per game on 58.3% shooting from the field and 57.1% from three.</p><p>Houston (1–2) snapped a two-game skid on Monday with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-ime-udoka-right-formula">137–109 win over the Brooklyn Nets</a>. They now prepare for a road matchup against the Toronto Raptors (1–3) on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET.</p><p>Holiday and the Trail Blazers (2–2) are set to face the Utah Jazz (2–1) on Wednesday night at the Delta Center.</p><p>While Teague’s comments added buzz to the early trade chatter, the Rockets’ hard-cap restrictions and Holiday’s sizable contract leave the possibility of a midseason deal in question — for now.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jeff Teague predicts Jrue Holiday trade for Rockets

<!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-vintage-performance-crushed-lakers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers’ Jrue Holiday explains vintage performance that crushed Lakers');   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/2025/10/Jrue-Holiday.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers’ Jrue Holiday explains vintage performance that crushed Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-28T08:46:31-07:00">October 28th, 8:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-28T08:48:14-07:00">October 28th, 8:48am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jrue <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-jrue-holiday-fires-back-miserable-unhappy-speculation-celtics-trade">Holiday looked like the veteran star</a> Portland envisioned when they traded for him this offseason. On the second night of a back-to-back, the 35-year-old guard led the Portland Trail Blazers to their first road win of the season, a 122-108 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, with a vintage two-way performance that set the tone for the young roster.</p><p>Holiday finished with 24 points and six assists on an efficient 10-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while providing his usual defensive stability and leadership. After the game, Holiday was calm and composed when asked about his early-season form in Portland.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">It's early</p><p>But Jrue Holiday is averaging:<br>– 17.8 points (most since 2023)<br>– 5.5 rebounds (most ever)<br>– 7.8 assists (most since 2013)<br>– 1.3 steals (most since 2022)<br>– 2.5 3s (most ever)</p><p>Asked Holiday about standing out in Portland to begin the season <a href="https://t.co/YqH2eivlY0">pic.twitter.com/YqH2eivlY0</a></p><p>— Law Murray 🎃 (@LawMurrayTheNU) <a href="https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1983070677612802331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I just gotta do what’s needed,” Holiday said. “We got a lot of talent on this team, people who can make plays for others, people who can make plays for themselves. Whatever’s needed, that’s pretty much what I do.”</p><p>It was a simple explanation for a complex performance. Holiday controlled tempo, spaced the floor, and found his rhythm early while balancing the offensive flow with Deni Avdija, who scored a team-high <a href="https://www.espn.in/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401809977" rel="noopener">25 points.</a> Jerami Grant added 22 off the bench, while Donovan Clingan and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-shaedon-sharpe-makes-portland-history-not-even-damian-lillard-reached">Shaedon Sharpe chipped in 16 apiece</a>, helping the Blazers outpace a Lakers team missing LeBron James and Luka Doncic.</p><p>Holiday’s play reflected exactly what the Blazers hoped for when they brought him in: composure, versatility, and the ability to elevate a young group learning to win together, whether it was finding Avdija for corner threes or orchestrating pick-and-rolls with Clingan. The veteran guard’s impact extended beyond the box score.</p><p>Portland’s starters combined for 85 points, shooting 53 percent from the field, but it was Holiday’s leadership that kept the team steady whenever the Lakers made a push. The Blazers outscored Los Angeles 33-31 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.</p><p>“We’re figuring out what works,” Holiday added. “It’s about staying connected, doing the right things, and trusting each other.”</p><p>With the victory, Portland improved to 2-2 and will wrap up its three-game road trip on Wednesday in Utah. If Holiday continues to perform at this level, the Blazers might find themselves ahead of schedule in the Western Conference race.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Jrue Holiday explains vintage performance that crushed Lakers

<!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-shaedon-sharpe-makes-portland-history-not-even-damian-lillard-reached');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shaedon Sharpe makes Blazers history not even Damian Lillard reached');   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/2025/10/Blazers-guard-Damian-Lillard-left-and-guard-Shaedon-Sharpe-17-sit.jpg"><figcaption>© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Shaedon Sharpe makes Blazers history not even Damian Lillard reached</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T21:29:23-07:00">October 27th, 9:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T21:29:23-07:00">October 27th, 9:29pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers might be at the center of the biggest gambling scandal the NBA has ever seen, but make no mistake about it, their young core is improving at a rapid rate. One of the most <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-player-shock-world-breakout-2025-26-season">prominent members of that aforementioned core is Shaedon Sharpe</a>, the seventh overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. Sharpe is best known for his incredible feats of athleticism, but he’s been quietly expanding his game — emerging as a more dangerous all-around scorer with each passing season.</p><p>In fact, Sharpe notched a scoring feat that not even Blazers legend and arguable GOAT Damian Lillard reached. According to the official Blazers account on X (formerly Twitter), Sharpe <a href="https://x.com/trailblazers/status/1983015622796857471?s=46&amp;t=vnLDgTn4yNZudl1UzUUjJA" rel="noopener">became the youngest</a> player in franchise history to score 1,000 field goals, at 22 years and 151 days old.</p><p>Of course, Lillard did make his NBA debut when he was already 22 years of age, as he was an older rookie after spending four years at Weber State. Now, Lillard’s decision to stay all four years in college paid off, as he was a polished product already by the time he reached the league, and he was already a 19-point scorer in his rookie campaign.</p><p>Lillard reached 1,000 field goals quicker for his career than Sharpe did, needing only two seasons to do so. (Sharpe is in his fourth season as a pro.) It has taken Sharpe quite some time to establish himself as an undisputed starter and major part of the Blazers’ offense, but now, it’s all systems go for the young highflyer, especially when the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/trail-blazers-news-portland-contract-spree-shaedon-sharpe-deal">Blazers signed him to a huge contract extension</a> prior to the start of the new campaign.</p><p>The 2025-26 season has not gone very smoothly for Sharpe thus far; he’s shooting 28.8 percent from the field through his first four games of the season, although that suggests that there’s nowhere to go for him but up.</p><h2><b>Blazers look to put up winning 2025-26 campaign</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Blazers-Shaedon-Sharpe-1.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Blazers have built such an incredible defensive core, with Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, and Deni Avdija comprising an impressive defensive backbone. It’s on offense where Portland needs help, although a breakout year from Avdija and a bounce-back campaign from Holiday would help massively. Lillard’s eventual return next season would help a lot as well in getting this Portland squad to the next level.</p><p>At present, the Blazers are in control of their Monday night contest against the severely shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers, leading 89-77 after three quarters.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Portland
Trail 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 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

Blazers’ Damian Lillard has eye-popping workout 6 months after surgery

Draymond Green says watch out for overlooked Trail Blazers

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic does best Bo Nix impression with wild full-court pass

Blazers’ Matisse Thybulle out indefinitely after undergoing thumb surgery

Chauncey Billups hires Donald Trump’s former lawyer after gambling arrest

• Trail Blazers’ Jrue Holiday outlines ‘shocked’ reaction to Chauncey Billups arrest

• Chauncey Billups has basically already been fired by Blazers without officially being fired

• Jeff Teague predicts Jrue Holiday trade for Rockets

• Blazers’ Jrue Holiday explains vintage performance that crushed Lakers

• Shaedon Sharpe makes Blazers history not even Damian Lillard reached

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 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

Blazers’ Damian Lillard has eye-popping workout 6 months after surgery

Draymond Green says watch out for overlooked Trail Blazers

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic does best Bo Nix impression with wild full-court pass

Blazers’ Matisse Thybulle out indefinitely after undergoing thumb surgery

Chauncey Billups hires Donald Trump’s former lawyer after gambling arrest

• Trail Blazers’ Jrue Holiday outlines ‘shocked’ reaction to Chauncey Billups arrest

• Chauncey Billups has basically already been fired by Blazers without officially being fired

• Jeff Teague predicts Jrue Holiday trade for Rockets

• Blazers’ Jrue Holiday explains vintage performance that crushed Lakers

• Shaedon Sharpe makes Blazers history not even Damian Lillard reached

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