<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-even-jordan-poole-impressed-near-half-court-shot');   ga('set', 'title', 'Even Jordan Poole was impressed with his near half-court shot');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wizards-news-Even-Jordan-Poole-was-impressed-with-his-near-half-court-shot.jpg"></figure><h1>Even Jordan Poole was impressed with his near half-court shot</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T07:20:16-08:00">December 24th, 7:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T07:21:03-08:00">December 24th, 7:21am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Wizards suffered yet another blowout loss as they continue their historically awful start to the season, but they actually competed with the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder for three quarters on Monday night. The biggest reason for that was Jordan Poole, who poured in a team-high 31 points in the 123-105 defeat. Poole also delivered one of the <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1871379670815670414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1871379670815670414%7Ctwgr%5Ee715e613cbe1a4251081619c2b1fb588de516f38%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D3180675action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">best highlights of the night</a> by burying a sick logo 3-pointer from just inside half court at the end of the first half.</p><p>Poole’s reaction was priceless as even he couldn’t believe he hit the shot:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jordan Poole DRAINED this three from the Thunder logo to end the first half 😲</p><p>Poole is up to 22 points on 4-of-8 3PT as the Wizards trail OKC 67-63 at halftime.<a href="https://t.co/AeHr7pORlz">pic.twitter.com/AeHr7pORlz</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1871379670815670414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jordan Poole’s 22-point first-half outburst had the Wizards down by just four points at halftime against the Thunder, and it was still a four-point game heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Washington, OKC’s league-best defense brought out the clamps in the fourth quarter as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over offensively. SGA scored a game-high 41 points to drop the Wizards to a lowly 4-23 on the season and 1-12 on the road.</p><p>While Washington is truly terrible with a -14.8 average point differential, Poole has actually had a decent campaign, especially compared to last season’s disaster. The 25-year-old guard was awful in his first season in the nation’s capital after his trade from the Golden State Warriors, shooting just 41.3% from the field and 32.6% from 3-point range. This season, Poole is putting up a career-high 21.2 points per game while shooting 41.2% from long distance.</p><p>Poole still commits his fair share of turnovers and viral lowlights, like his recent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-viral-epic-trash-talk-fail-payton-pritchard-celtics">failed taunt of Payton Pritchard</a>. And as long as he’s on this terrible Wizards team, it will be hard to shake the negative rep he has developed since the Draymond Green incident with the Dubs.</p><p>However, there have been some <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-wizards-jordan-poole-gets-trade-interest-from-serious-title-contender">trade rumors surrounding Poole</a>, and perhaps he gets sent to a better situation. We’re still not that far removed from the guard being an NBA Finals hero, so maybe he’ll still be able to change his rep for the better.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Even Jordan Poole was impressed with his near half-court shot

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-mystics-news-washington-invests-community-hosting-local-hoops-league-final');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards, Mystics invest into community by hosting local hoops league final');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/WizardsMystics-news-Washington-invests-into-community-by-hosting-local-hoops-league-final.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards, Mystics invest into community by hosting local hoops league final</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T05:00:04-08:00">December 24th, 5:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T09:07:09-08:00">December 24th, 9:07am</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s one thing to entertain fans with highlight-reel plays in professional basketball games, but the Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-washington-give-back-community-special-thanksgiving-event">Wizards and Mystics have a deeper mission</a>. Through their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-qatari-state-fund-monumental-ownership-washington-rebuild-begins">parent company Monumental Sports and Entertainment</a>, both organizations are sponsoring a local hoops league in a community that needs it most.</p><p>Monumental provided funding to a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization named Building Bridges Across the River to help expand its Midnight Basketball League, <a href="https://buildingbridgesdc.org/basketball/" rel="noopener">which was created to</a> “promote nonviolence, equity, and wellness in Ward 8,” via Building Bridges’ website. The league allows Ward 8 youth and adults to play organized basketball on Friday and Saturday nights.</p><p>Ward 8 is a section of D.C. that includes the Congress Heights neighborhood, where Monumental’s Entertainment and Sports Arena is located. The multi-purpose venue serves as the home court for the Mystics, as well as the Wizards’ G League affiliate Capital City Go-Go, and as the practice facility for the NBA club. On Saturday, it was the site of the Midnight Basketball finals, with local kids and adults playing at the state-of-the-art location.</p><p>On top of that, the league is supported by a prominent hoops figure. Former Georgetown basketball coach and current Monumental Basketball Senior Vice President John Thompson III <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1870572999524704433/video/1" rel="noopener">gave opening remarks</a> before the games started, where he thanked everyone involved and spoke on the importance of the league.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Former Georgetown hoops coach and current Monumental Basketball Senior VP John Thompson III giving opening remarks at the Midnight Basketball finals, a youth league for Ward 8 residents in DC. <a href="https://t.co/D8PFk5aEPx">pic.twitter.com/D8PFk5aEPx</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1870572999524704433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>“A lot of NBA players don’t like basketball,” the former USA Basketball assistant coach said. “They play because they were blessed with talent and they can make money…there’s no one in the Midnight Basketball League that don’t like playing basketball.”</p><p>Thompson wasn’t just saying that either, as Midnight Basketball player Myles Whitfield <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/washington-wizards-midnight-league-builds-relationships-on-and-off-the-court/3797983/" rel="noopener">echoed that sentiment</a>, via NBC Washington’s Dominique Moody.</p><p>“I’ve been playing my whole life,” he said. “If I’m being honest, I just like hooping. It just takes my mind away from everything.”</p><h2><b>Building Bridges, Monumental foster growth for Ward 8 youth</b></h2><p>Thompson sat in the stands once the games started, watching with a satisfied grin as the young men put the ball in the basket.</p><p>“It’s a unique experience, it’s very different,” the former Princeton player and coach said about his role with Monumental. “It’s fulfilling. I get the opportunity to influence young men, and now women, because I work with the Mystics also, as they are growing and learning on the court and off the court. So it’s a pretty cool experience.”</p><p>Thompson, though, didn’t want to focus on himself. Rather, he harped on how proud he is of the Midnight Basketball League and Monumental’s investment in the local community.</p><p>“All indicators are that it’s outstanding. You provide something to get the kids off the streets. I hate to word it like that, but that’s accurate,” Thompson admitted. “Give them an outlet, give them something to do. And couple that with all of the positive experiences that come along with a team sport, that come along with basketball. Togetherness, cooperation, executing a plan. I think the league has been a huge success so far, and it’s only gonna get bigger.”</p><p>Ward 8’s <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/washington-dc-ward-8-community-neighborhood-crime-violence-increase-police-mpd-loitering" rel="noopener">homicide and crime rate</a> led the entire city by far in 2023, via ABC News. It’s why Building Bridges, which is based in the ward and aims to aid it through “arts and culture,” “economic opportunity,” and “health and well-being,” started the league back up that summer.</p><p>“This whole Midnight Basketball kicked off last summer when we saw an increasing amount of violence in the community. So we did what we always do: convened with a big public meeting and said ‘Tell us your ideas.'” Building Bridges Senior Vice President Scott Kratz said. “‘How do we build a safe, equitable, and inclusive Ward 8?’ We had over 150 people show up. This was right after the July 4th weekend when five people were tragically murdered in DC.”</p><p>“Everyone was really hungry for ideas, not to come in and complain, but to ask ‘where is our moment of action?’ One of the ideas that came up was that we need to restart Midnight Basketball. We did Midnight Basketball well over 10 years ago, but we heard that idea and said ‘absolutely,'” Kratz continued. “We went out, we raised a little money, and we kicked off our first season this March [with six to seven teams]. This year, the second season, we partnered with Monumental, which enabled us to take things to the next level, so we now have 13 teams every Friday or Saturday night.”</p><p>“This is all about channeling the players’ energy into something positive and good, and share with the youth that are here that we believe in them and believe in their futures.”</p><p>Building Bridges CEO and President Rahsaan Bernard used anecdotal evidence to show the league’s effect on the neighborhood.</p><p>“An interesting story is that our Vice President [Lynnita Jones-Morton] was talking to one of our coaches who goes past a street corner each day, and that corner was littered with young people standing outside,” Bernard explained. We know the corner represents a place where people convene, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad, sometimes indifferent.”</p><p>“In our communities, they’re typically corners where people get hurt. So the idea of this intervention reducing the number of people on the corner,” Bernard continued. “Him walking by and seeing one less, two less, three less people, and now all the corners are empty. And where are the kids? They’re on the court playing basketball.”</p><p>Some of those kids lifted championship trophies in the post-game ceremony, along with MVP awards and the like. Even the players who lost the games, though, still won in the end. It’s not often that people from underserved areas get to play basketball at a professional arena, but Building Bridges and Monumental made it possible.</p><p>The best part is that Monumental has even more in store for the D.C. area.</p><p>“Monumental is supporting many leagues throughout the DMV [D.C., Maryland, Virginia], and this is just one of them,” Thompson said. “With our brand, with our name, with our finances, to increase participation in athletics. Not just in basketball, but also in football and hockey. We’re building courts, we’re building rinks, refurbishing fields, just so that the kids in D.C. can have more opportunities to participate in various sports. That’s something that’s very important as an organization to Monumental.”</p><p>While running teams like the Wizards, Mystics, and Washington Capitals are what usually grab the headlines, Monumental’s community-building efforts are making a difference under the surface.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards, Mystics invest into community by hosting local hoops league final

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-mavericks-stance-on-another-kyle-kuzma-trade-pursuit');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Mavericks’ stance on another Kyle Kuzma trade pursuit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-rumors-Mavericks-stance-on-another-Kyle-Kuzma-trade-pursuit.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Mavericks’ stance on another Kyle Kuzma trade pursuit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T13:27:10-08:00">December 23rd, 1:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T13:27:22-08:00">December 23rd, 1:27pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington Wizards wing Kyle Kuzma perplexed many NBA fans when he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-reveals-the-truth-about-mavericks-trade-interest">pushed back against being traded</a> to the Dallas Mavericks last season. He opted to remain a focal point of a last-place squad rather than join a team he did not consider to be a genuine title contender. The Mavs handled the rejection exceptionally well, completing a different trade with the Wizards for PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford and ultimately reaching the NBA Finals.</p><p>Needless to say, everything seemed to work out for the best in Dallas. Though, given that the Wizards are inclined to cut cost and remodel their roster, is it possible general manager Nico Harrison would pursue Kuzma once more? <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-my-latest-nba-trade?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=153497921&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">Don’t count on it</a>.</p><p>“There were some rival teams at Showcase wondering aloud whether the Mavericks, who are known to be exploring their options for potential frontcourt upgrades, might make another trade run at Kuzma this winter,” NBA correspondent Marc Stein writes in his Substack. “But such a scenario was strongly dismissed to me.”</p><p>The Mavs (18-10) earnestly want to bring home a championship this season, but they are not in the same headspace they were in February. Things have changed since management was rebuffed. Dallas has more depth and is trusting Klay Thompson to be a secondary scorer and reliable 3-point shooting threat. There is also the matter of Kuzma’s plummeting value.</p><p>The 29-year-old is enduring a rapid reversal of fortune, with his splendid 2023-24 being followed by a dreary, injury-ravaged start to this season. As one can imagine, Mavericks fans are pulling out the receipts. Even so, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nikola-vucevic-kyle-kuzma-warriors-trade-targets">Kyle Kuzma might still generate some buzz</a> on the trade market.</p><h2><b>Will Wizards find a trade partner other than the Mavericks?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wizards-Kyle-Kuzma-works-his-way-toward-basket.jpg"><figcaption>Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Kuzma, who is scoring 15.8 points on only 42 percent shooting in 12 games, could sway front offices with his overall body of work. He has won a title as a role player, proving he can be a valuable supplemental piece. One squad in particular might covet his perimeter presence ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline.</p><p>“Sacramento has also been mentioned as a team that could revisit past interest in Kuzma amid the Kings’ 5-10 slump, but it remains to be seen if the versatile 6-foot-9 forward indeed emerges as a true Kings target this winter,” Stein reports. “The Kings’ interest in Kuzma has been up-and-down in recent transaction cycles.”</p><p>The former first-round draft selection could attract more attention by simply going on a hot stretch. He will have to return to the court first, though. Kyle Kuzma has missed nine games in a row due to a rib sprain and it is unclear when he will come back. The Wizards surely want to showcase his talents, which they hope to parlay into future assets who can help cultivate a winning basketball tradition.</p><p>The franchise sits alone in the cellar with a 4-22 record, and Kuzma has not been able to facilitate a break-out. It is apparently time for both parties to move forward in separate directions. But unfortunately for the Wizards, the Mavericks are doing the same by the sound of it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Mavericks’ stance on another Kyle Kuzma trade pursuit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kyle-kuzma-wont-repeat-wizards-trade-shutdown');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Why Kyle Kuzma won’t repeat a Wizards trade shutdown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Why-Kyle-Kuzma-wont-repeat-a-Wizards-trade-shutdown.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Why Kyle Kuzma won’t repeat a Wizards trade shutdown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T11:51:06-08:00">December 23rd, 11:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T12:21:52-08:00">December 23rd, 12:21pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Wizards have, predictably, been one of the worst teams in the NBA so far this season. Heading into Monday night’s slate of games, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-laughs-off-stephen-a-smith-diss-barbershop-talk">Wizards have the worst record in the league at 4-22</a>.</p><p>Of course, this means that contenders around the league will be keeping an eye on some of the team’s better veteran players who could be traded if the Wizards decide to be sellers by the trade deadline. With Washington seemingly in a place where they would be ready to offload some of those players in exchange for expiring contracts or draft capital, forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nikola-vucevic-kyle-kuzma-warriors-trade-targets">Kyle Kuzma is one player to watch</a> in a potential deal.</p><p>Kuzma could have been traded last season, but he preferred to stay in Washington, D.C., and the Wizards granted that wish despite not being forced to buy anything in the 29-year-old’s contract. However, that <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-my-latest-nba-trade?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=153497921&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">may not be the case</a> this year, according to NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line.</p><p>“The rising belief leaguewide is that the Wizards are eager to find a trade partner for Kuzma at some point during the next six-plus weeks … and that Kuzma would want to depart this time with the 4-22 Wizards scarcely even trying to be competitive heading into the loaded 2025 NBA Draft,” Stein reported.”</p><p>Last season, Kuzma seemed likely to be headed to the Dallas Mavericks before they ended up with P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. This season, other contenders could be searching for help in the form of Kuzma.</p><h2><b>Potential Kyle Kuzma trade suitors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Kyle-Kuzma_c168dc.jpg"><figcaption>Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ranking-kyle-kuzma-trade-destinations-wizards-historically-bad-start">Kyle Kuzma could be a big addition</a> to a contender’s rotation, given his size, shooting, and scoring ability, and his proclivity to contribute on the glass.</p><p>Despite burning a lot of their assets last season to bolster their big man rotation, the Mavericks could still be a team that is in play for Kuzma, though that would take the kind of all-in move that may not be worth it for Kuzma’s level of play, so Dallas may be one of the teams on the outside looking in in these sweepstakes.</p><p>One team to closely monitor is the Sacramento Kings. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-domantas-sabonis-injury-report-pacers-sacramento-struggles">Kings have had a very disappointing season</a> and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, so they could be one team that is looking for a serious upgrade at the deadline. Kuzma could give them some more size in the front court, which is something the Kings desperately need next to the somewhat undersized Domantas Sabonis. Sacramento will have some options at the deadline, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kyle-kuzma-nba-trade-rumors-lakers-warriors">Kuzma is a name that could be close to the top</a> of the list.</p><p>One other team that has the kind of draft capital that the Wizards will be seeking in a deal is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sam Presti has become famous for stockpiling picks, and now he can start unloading some of them to get his team some help on the wing.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Why Kyle Kuzma won’t repeat a Wizards trade shutdown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-news-john-wall-next-career-move-retirement-horizon');   ga('set', 'title', 'John Wall eyes next career move with retirement on horizon');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/John-Wall-eyes-next-career-move-with-retirement-on-horizon.jpg"></figure><h1>John Wall eyes next career move with retirement on horizon</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T12:16:16-08:00">December 22nd, 12:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T12:16:16-08:00">December 22nd, 12:16pm</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Two years removed from his last year in the NBA, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-john-walls-ready-make-nba-return-as-role-player">John Wall is still holding out hope</a> for one more shot in the league. However, aware that his retirement is just around the corner, Wall is dabbling in a potential broadcasting career with the G-League.</p><p>Wall was hired by the G-League to commentate on a couple of games during the league’s 31-game winter showcase, which was broadcast on ESPN+. The annual event is held in Orlando, near Miami, where the 34-year-old lives. Once he officially retires, Wall believes that commentating <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-john-wall-e482d20e5f7dc0691f2202d5a488bab1" rel="noopener">could satisfy him</a> as a hypothetical career.</p><p>“I’m always going to critique myself,” Wall said, via Associated Press. “I can get a lot better. I’m learning more and more, but for me, it’s talking about basketball — what I love to do. It’s what I do when I’m home, watching with my friends and kids.”</p><p>Wall was only hired for one day, but he hopes that his on-air debut will lead to further opportunities. He continues to train at the University of Miami with an ultimate goal to return to the NBA, per Reynolds.</p><p>Wall has not stepped onto an NBA court since Jan. 13, 2023, when he last played for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was traded to the Houston Rockets in the following days — where he spent the 2020-2021 season — who released him shortly after. Wall has not been with a team since.</p><p>Whether he officially enters broadcasting or not, Wall plans to remain within the basketball world upon his retirement as a player. He has a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-video-john-wall-using-extended-break-wisely-finishing-degree-through-online-classes">business degree from the University of Kentucky</a>, which he obtained by attending online classes in 2018, nearly a decade after he left the school to enter the NBA Draft.</p><h2><b>John Wall’s career injury struggles</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/John-Wall.jpg"><figcaption>Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Injuries have consistently been the main asterisk in Wall’s otherwise dynamic career. A former five-time All-Star through nine seasons with the Washington Wizards, he has dealt with a plethora of health concerns that hampered him late in his career.</p><p>Wall’s career in Washington ultimately ended with a heel injury in 2018. His recovery was further extended with a bizarre slip in his own house that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-john-wall-has-a-ruptured-achilles-out-for-a-year">caused a ruptured Achilles tendon</a>. He was given a 12-month recovery timeline for the Achilles injury, causing him to miss the entire 2019-2020 season.</p><p>Since leaving the Wizards, Wall has played in just 74 combined games with the Rockets and Clippers. He still averaged over 20 points per game with Houston in 2020-2021, but he lost most of the speed and athleticism that made him the player he once was.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

John Wall eyes next career move with retirement on horizon

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-vs-bucks-prediction-odds-pick-12-21-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards vs. Bucks prediction, odds, pick – 12/21/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wizards-vs-Bucks-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards vs. Bucks prediction, odds, pick – 12/21/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T08:35:53-08:00">December 21st, 8:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T08:36:40-08:00">December 21st, 8:36am</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>We’re back with continued coverage of today’s NBA slate as we bring another betting prediction and pick for this next matchup in the Eastern Conference. The <b>Washington Wizards (4-21) </b>will visit the <b>Milwaukee Bucks (14-12) </b>with the Bucks leading the series 1-0. It’s time to continue our NBA odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Wizards-Bucks prediction and pick.</p><p>The Washington Wizards most recently beat the Charlotte Hornets 123-114, snapping a three-game losing streak. They’ve gone just 2-13 over their last 15 games and currently hold the worst record in the NBA. They’ll look for an upset as they meet the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time this season.</p><p>The Milwaukee Bucks most recent won the NBA Cup after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81. They’ve now won 11 of their last 13 games and have dug themselves out of their early season hole. Now, they’ll look to notch a fifth-straight win as the heavy betting favorites in this matchup.</p><p><b><i>Here are the Wizards-Bucks <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba" rel="noopener">NBA odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>NBA Odds: Wizards-Bucks Odds</b></h2><p>Washington Wizards: +11.5 (-106)</p><p>Moneyline: +460</p><p>Milwaukee Bucks: -11.5 (-114)</p><p>Moneyline: -620</p><p>Over: 223 (-110)</p><p>Under: 223 (-110)</p><h2><b>How To Watch Wizards vs. Bucks</b></h2><p>Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT</p><p>TV: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass</p><p><i><b>*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(Get Access | Save $30)</a>*</b></i></p><h2><b>Why the Wizards Could Cover the Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Not much is going right for the Washington Wizards this season and it’s clear this team doesn’t have much support with Kyle Kuzma out to injury. They’re looking towards Jordan Poole for most of their scoring production with his 20.6 PPG, but without Kuzma in the lineup, Malcolm Brogdon serves as their number two option with his 14.6 PPG. Nevertheless, the Wizards will have to find sufficient scoring production from bench players willing to step up and make contributions.</p><p>The Wizards fell to the Bucks 114-124 during their last meeting, but it’s worth noting that the Wizards managed to out-rebound their opponents during that one. They’ll have a chance to cover a wider spread if they’re able to do the same here, but their real answers will need to come on the offensive side of the ball. They could be getting a gift in Bucks’ Damian Lillard potentially missing another game, so Jordan Poole will have to make the most of this matchup and lead his team to a respectable performance.</p><h2><b>Why the Bucks Could Cover the Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Milwaukee Bucks have hit their stride over the last month and it was clear that winning the NBA Cup meant a lot to this group. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 26 points as the games leading scorer and the Bucks were lucky enough to see OKC turn in their worst shooting performance of the season. They should be able to force the Wizards into similar woes during this game and they’ll be hoping to bounce back after their loss to Cleveland without Damian Lillard in the lineup.</p><p>It’s still unclear whether Lillard will get the nod to play in this one, but it offers an opportunity for players like Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green to step up in his absence. They’ve been the two best three-point shooters on the team over the last few games, so we should see them letting it fly during this one and looking to improve upon their recent lackluster performance. The Bucks’ defensive efforts will be the most crucial part of their game as they’re fully capable of holding this Wizards team to a modest total.</p><h2><b>Final Wizards-Bucks Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Milwaukee Bucks firmly handled the Wizards the first time these two teams met and we should expect much of the same during this second meeting. While the status of Damian Lillard is still in question, the Bucks will have to find answers in terms of scoring along the perimeters and alleviating some of the pressure off Giannis in the paint.</p><p>Still, the Wizards can be a pesky team at times and if their three-ball begins to fall in this one, they could see a chance to keep this one close and make Milwaukee play hard to close the game out. Look for Jordan Poole to try and shoot the Wizards into a rhythm behind the arc.</p><p>Either way, the Bucks have a ton of mismatches on offense and if they’re able to control the paint and rebound, they should be able to roll over this Wizards team. Look for Giannis Antetokounmpo to have another big performance as he’s likely to draw a ton of fouls and find easy points at the line. For our final prediction, let’s roll with the Milwaukee Bucks to win this game and cover at home.</p><p><b>Final Wizards-Bucks Prediction &amp; Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -11.5 (-114)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards vs. Bucks prediction, odds, pick – 12/21/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-alex-sarr-1-wish-bilal-coulibaly-after-slam-vs-hornets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Alex Sarr reveals 1 wish for Bilal Coulibaly after electrifying slam vs. Hornets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wizards-news-Alex-Sarr-reveals-1-wish-for-Bilal-Coulibaly-after-electrifying-slam-vs.-Hornets.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Alex Sarr reveals 1 wish for Bilal Coulibaly after electrifying slam vs. Hornets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T01:54:23-08:00">December 21st, 1:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T00:27:05-08:00">December 22nd, 12:27am</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nikola-jokic-career-high-performance-spoiled-with-nuggets-loss-to-wizards">Wizards had a landmark day</a> on Thursday, from start to finish. Not only did the organization release new renderings of upcoming renovations to Capital One Arena, but<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-bilal-coulibaly-receives-espn-honor-after-strong-start-season"> Bilal Coulibaly delivered one of the best</a> dunks of the young NBA season in the 123-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets.</p><p>However, No. 2-overall pick Alex Sarr<a href="https://twitter.com/chasedcsports/status/1869957878448009414?s=46" rel="noopener"> is not satisfied,</a> via Monumental Sports Network’s Chase Hughes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Sarr had a great view of Bilal Coulibaly’s alley oop tonight: “It was very spectacular. I want to see more of that.” <a href="https://t.co/mM0RwpY4vn">pic.twitter.com/mM0RwpY4vn</a></p><p>— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/chasedcsports/status/1869957878448009414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“It was pretty crazy. I thought he was gonna miss it, like I was getting ready to go get a board, but it was wild,” the French international said. “He jumped really high, it was very spectacular. I want to see more of that.”</p><p>It makes sense that Sarr doubted Coulibaly while he was in midair, as the latter Frenchman jumped as high as Michael Jordan. Coulibaly, though, <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869930937930092851" rel="noopener">emphatically finished the alley-oop</a> after Jordan Poole tossed the lob.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Another look at Bilal Coulibaly getting ALL THE WAY up to finish the alley-oop dunk 🤯<a href="https://t.co/ubf5SfDX5x">pic.twitter.com/ubf5SfDX5x</a> <a href="https://t.co/2iAdYkAdAr">https://t.co/2iAdYkAdAr</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869930937930092851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While Sarr’s “want to see more” comment was light-hearted, it’s a good point to make. Thursday was the type of day the organization needs to have periodically as it rebuilds with a new front office, coaching staff, and roster. From NBA commissioner Adam Silver announcing that future All-Star Games will be held in Washington, to Coulibaly’s viral highlight, and to winning its fourth game of the season, the day was a doozy in the best way possible. However, the Wizards must continue the momentum.</p><p>Outside of the dunk, Coulibaly posted a decent stat line of 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting, with seven rebounds and five assists. The second-year guard’s 2-of-7 clip from deep, though, leaves something to be desired, especially against a non-contending team like the Hornets.</p><p>Taking the good with the bad is what rebuilding is all about, though. While Sarr didn’t produce sexy highlights, for example, he delivered a well-rounded line of 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting (3-6 3Pt) with nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.</p><p>The blocks are par for the course with the seven-footer, but the efficient three-point shooting and assist numbers show that he’s growing in weaker areas of his game. He’s now shooting 37.8% from deep over his last 10 games, and it would be a revelation for Washington if he maintains that for the rest of the year.</p><p>While there’s still plenty of room to grow for both players, they deserve to celebrate whenever the trials and tribulations finally pay off in wins.</p><h2><b>Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards vets encouraged rookies during slump</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Wizards_-Bilal-Coulibaly-falling.jpg"><figcaption>© Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Thursday’s victory brought Washington to 4-21 on the year, a game and a half behind the New Orleans Pelicans (5-23) at the very bottom of the NBA standings. While this season was always about development more than winning, it’s still hard to lose so much and stay invested, especially for young players.</p><p>Coulibaly, though, is in a unique position. The 20-year-old is still new himself, but he’s already<a href="https://twitter.com/bijan_todd/status/1868474602466455804" rel="noopener"> become a mentor</a> for the Wizards’ rookies, via Monumental Sports Network’s Bijan Todd.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bilal Coulibaly says he and the vets talk to the rookies often through the losing streak to encourage them.</p><p>“In 5 years we’re gonna look back and be like, ‘Man, it was tough,’ and we’re gonna laugh about it.”</p><p>Says the rookies are mad with the slump, but learning. <a href="https://t.co/eXltbGarnQ">pic.twitter.com/eXltbGarnQ</a></p><p>— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) <a href="https://twitter.com/bijan_todd/status/1868474602466455804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“We’re trying to talk to them a lot, me, JP, all the vets,” Coulibaly said after Washington’s 112-98 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.<br>“We’ve been through this last year. In five years we’re gonna look back and be like ‘Man it was tough,’ and we’re gonna laugh about it. Now, we’re just gonna stay with it. It’s tough, really, tough, but that’s how you get better.”</p><p>It’s one thing for veterans such as Poole, Malcolm Brogdon, and Jonas Valanciunas to take the young bucks under their wings, as they all have established track records and know everything there is to know about playing in the NBA.</p><p>Conversely, Coulibaly is still finding his way while also guiding Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George. Most second-year players wouldn’t have so much mentoring responsibility, but the fact that he produces on the court while also supporting three rookies through the toughest stretches imaginable is a good sign for the franchise.</p><p>“They’re mad because we’re losing a lot, and I get it, I’m mad too,” Coulibaly continued. “But we’re just not trying to show them that we’re mad, ’cause they gotta learn from us.”</p><p>Those frustrating moments are what makes days like Thursday so much sweeter. Building character during tough times isn’t just a cliche, it results in payoffs like glorious alley-oops and Sarr unexpectedly becoming a reliable three-point shooter so early in his career, despite being drafted as a defensive player.</p><p>Now, Washington must be consistent. The club has shown flashes recently, such as Thursday’s win, a hard-fought 115-105 loss to the 24-4 Cleveland Cavaliers on December 13th, and a 122-113 victory over the Denver Nuggets on the 7th. Once they deliver these types of performances in consecutive games, the Wizards will be in the best position they could’ve hoped for at this point.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Alex Sarr reveals 1 wish for Bilal Coulibaly after electrifying slam vs. Hornets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-laughs-off-stephen-a-smith-diss-barbershop-talk');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Jordan Poole laughs off Stephen A. Smith’s diss as ‘barbershop talk’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-laughs-off-Stephen-A_8a4648.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Jordan Poole laughs off Stephen A. Smith’s diss as ‘barbershop talk’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-18T16:22:57-08:00">December 18th, 4:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-18T17:35:40-08:00">December 18th, 5:35pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Celebrating and showboating after a nice play have always been a big part of the NBA, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-viral-epic-trash-talk-fail-payton-pritchard-celtics">Jordan Poole is especially known for that.</a> However, famed TV personality <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-stephen-a-smith-blasts-jordan-poole-failed-payton-pritchard-taunt">Stephen A. Smith doesn’t think</a> the Washington Wizards guard has earned the right.</p><p>Poole <a href="https://x.com/joshvaldez100/status/1869460022876635178?s=46" rel="noopener">won’t stop being himself</a>, though.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I asked Jordan Poole how he felt about Stephen A. Smith’s recent comments…he laughed it off and dismissed it as “barbershop talk” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wizards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wizards</a> <a href="https://t.co/rwkAgBswQT">pic.twitter.com/rwkAgBswQT</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1869460022876635178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Nah, I don’t even be watching it, [Smith’s show]” the former NBA champion said with a smile after Wednesday’s practice. “It’s just barbershop talk to me. That’s all it is.”</p><p>Smith criticized a viral moment during Sunday’s 112-98 loss to the Boston Celtics. Poole crossed up Celtics guard Payton Pritchard and pointed at him when he fell to the ground, but the playful taunt allowed fellow Celtic Sam Hauser to close out. Thus, Poole had to pass the ball instead of taking the wide-open jumper seconds earlier.</p><p>Both the play and Smith’s comments are <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869063323779744174" rel="noopener">in the clip below</a>, via ESPN First Take.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Gone from a champion [in the Warriors] to a [Wizards] team that since he has arrived is 18-88. 70 games under .500 but you showboated. That's why his a*s is in the nation's capital."</p><p>Stephen A. Smith on Jordan Poole's taunt to Payton Pritchard.<a href="https://t.co/KrVOuhvhG2">pic.twitter.com/KrVOuhvhG2</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869063323779744174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“We all know he caused a little trouble in Golden State. Ego got a bit big. We know how Draymond [Green] responded to that, and ultimately how he couldn’t stay there any longer,” Smith said. “So he gets moved, and he gets moved to a situation going from a champion to a team that since he’s arrived is 18-88. 70 games under .500, but you showboated. That’s why his a** is in the nation’s capital.”</p><p>Poole, of course, played for the Golden State Warriors before they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jordan-poole-chris-paul-trade-mike-dunleavy-jr-eating-his-words">traded him to Washington</a> in July 2023. Smith was referring to when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jordan-poole-gets-honest-on-relationship-with-draymond-green-months-after-punch">Green punched Poole at practice</a> in the fall of 2022, framing it as a result of the latter player’s ego. Poole had reportedly called Green an <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/what-jordan-poole-is-rumored-to-have-said-to-spark-draymond-green-punch" rel="noopener">“expensive backpack for 30,”</a> implying that Steph Curry carried him throughout his Hall-of-Fame-caliber career, via NBC Sports.</p><p>Old locker-room drama aside, does Smith have a point, or should he relax?</p><h2><b>Jordan Poole has matured on the Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jordan-Poole.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Poole was both a different player and person when Golden State drafted him 28th overall in 2019. The Michigan alum was coming off a successful collegiate career in which he led the Wolverines to two straight Sweet Sixteen berths. While he often flashed his dynamic scoring ability in both the NBA and G League his first couple of seasons, he was criticized for having more flare than polish.</p><p>Poole’s basketball IQ hadn’t evolved yet, as he sometimes took ill-advised shots instead of spreading the ball around, which led to streaky results. However, the Milwaukee native took a step forward in the 2021-22, becoming a mainstay in Golden State’s rotation and leading the league with a 92.5 free-throw percentage. It’s no coincidence that the Warriors won the championship that year.</p><p>Poole played well again the following season despite the drama, averaging 20.4 points and 4.5 assists across 30 minutes a game while appearing in all 82 regular-season contests. It was clear at this point that the talented showman’s trajectory was going up.</p><p>Poole getting traded from a contender to a losing team as a punishment for being egotistical is one way to spin the narrative, but what does it matter? The NBA is a business, and organizations are more worried about winning than settling petty scores with young and ascending players.</p><p>While Golden State’s brass may have favored the well-established Green over Poole, it didn’t ship out the latter hooper for nothing. The Warriors didn’t trade him until they felt they could get a valuable return, which turned out to be 12-time All-Star Chris Paul.</p><p>Nowadays, “Point Poole” is flourishing in Washington. The 25-year-old is having a career year running the Wizards’ offense, averaging 20.3 points and 5.1 assists with a 43.4% clip from the field and 39.2% from deep. While the Pritchard incident wasn’t his finest moment, it’s nothing compared to how much he’s helped the team, as he leads in points, assists, and steals (1.7 per game). His efficient shooting and consistent facilitation show growth, as his assist and three-point shooting averages are both career-highs.</p><p>Additionally, it’s not a revelation to point out that a rebuilding organization sports a subpar record recently. While Washington isn’t winning many games right now, Poole is leading a young group that has shown promise, and these games are important for its development. Moments like Bilal Coulibaly shutting down the league’s best players on the perimeter or Alex Sarr constantly blocking shots show that the reps are paying off.</p><p>Conflating Poole’s Warriors era with the Pritchard incident doesn’t hold much weight once considering his body of work in the nation’s capital thus far. However, “barbershop talk” will always be popular, and these types of narratives are par for the course.</p><p>Poole, though, has bigger fish to fry as he reaches his prime.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Jordan Poole laughs off Stephen A. Smith’s diss as ‘barbershop talk’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-wizards-jordan-poole-gets-trade-interest-from-serious-title-contender');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Wizards’ Jordan Poole gets trade interest from serious title contender');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-rumors-Wizards-Jordan-Poole-gets-trade-interest-from-serious-title-contender.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Wizards’ Jordan Poole gets trade interest from serious title contender</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T21:24:51-08:00">December 17th, 9:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T21:24:51-08:00">December 17th, 9:24pm</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">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s only a matter of time before the Washington Wizards become active once again on the trade market. Their team is going nowhere fast, and they still have a few veterans that could net them some quality assets moving forward amid their pivot to a youth movement. And perhaps <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-stephen-a-smith-blasts-jordan-poole-failed-payton-pritchard-taunt">Jordan Poole could find himself on the move</a> later on this season after bouncing back from his debut season in the nation’s capital.</p><p>Poole has a history of contributing to a title-winning team (with the Golden State Warriors in 2022), so it should not come as a surprise that he is drawing some trade interest from a team with lofty ambitions of winning a championship. And according to Tony Jones and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Denver Nuggets are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6002502/2024/12/17/zach-lavine-trade-rumors-nuggets/" rel="noopener">casting a wide net</a> in their search for a roster upgrade, and that now includes the polarizing Wizards guard.</p><p>It looks as though the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nuggets-targeting-zach-lavine-trade-to-pair-with-nikola-jokic">Nuggets’ main target on the trade market</a> might be Chicago Bulls wing Zach LaVine, although finding any trade will require Denver to give up on Michael Porter Jr., a valued member of the roster. But if the Bulls trade LaVine elsewhere or the two teams can’t work on constructing an agreeable deal, then the Wizards guard could be a legitimate alternative.</p><p>If there’s anything the Nuggets are in dire need of, it’s additional shot creation from the perimeter. Only Jamal Murray consistently provides that skillset for them at the moment, with Julian Strawther providing that in spurts, and if there’s anything Poole specializes in, it’s providing an additional offensive punch.</p><p>Poole is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-delivers-intriguing-take-desire-washington-alpha">currently averaging 20.3 points per game</a> on a career-best 39.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc for this season. He is in the second year of the four-year, $128 million contract he signed with the Warriors in 2022.</p><h2><b>Nuggets cast a wide net in the trade market in search of an upgrade (or two)</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-Wizards.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In addition to identifying Wizards guard Jordan Poole as a potential trade target, the Nuggets’ gears have been turning, as they have also looked into the possibility of bringing in Jordan Clarkson, De’Andre Hunter, Cam Johnson, and even Jonas Valanciunas.</p><p>The Nuggets badly need additional frontcourt depth in addition to more perimeter scoring, and perhaps they could swing a trade with the Wizards that takes care of two birds with one stone, bringing in both Poole and Valanciunas. A trade package built around Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji could be a worthwhile starting point in talks between the two teams.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Wizards’ Jordan Poole gets trade interest from serious title contender

<!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', '/hornets-vs-wizards-predictions-odds-pick-12-19-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets vs. Wizards predictions, odds, pick – 12/19/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Hornets-vs-Wizards-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Hornets vs. Wizards predictions, odds, pick – 12/19/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T13:17:34-08:00">December 17th, 1:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T13:17:34-08:00">December 17th, 1:17pm</time><address><a>Cameron Zunkel</a>Cameron Zunkel is a former college athlete for the University of Illinois, Springfield. During that time, he earned his masters degree in Communication. After graduating in 2022, Cameron signed to play independent professional baseball with the Joliet Slammers, but his time was cut short due to injury. Nonetheless, his love for baseball and all sports never faded.Cameron loves the sports media and sports journalism side of things and does some light writing for a Chicago Cubs blog, as well. To go along with that, he loves sports betting and fantasy sports. He also loves digging on the research and creating content for both sports betting and fantasy sports!</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets head to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards. It’s time to continue our NBA odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Hornets-Wizards prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.</p><p><b><i>Here are the Hornets-Wizards <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba" rel="noopener">NBA odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>NBA Odds: Hornets-Wizards Odds</b></h2><p>Charlotte Hornets: -3.5 (-110)</p><p>Moneyline: -168</p><p>Washington Wizards: +3.5 (-110)</p><p>Moneyline: +142</p><p>Over: 222.5 (-110)</p><p>Under: 222.5 (-110)</p><h2><b>How To Watch Hornets-Wizards</b></h2><p>Time: 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT</p><p>TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, Monumental Sports Network</p><p><i><b>*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(Get Access | Save $30)</a>*</b></i></p><h2><b>Why the Hornets Could Cover the Spread/Win</b></h2><p>LaMelo Ball is the reason the Hornets will be able to win this game. Ball is the best player on the Hornets, and he is their first, second, and third option when it comes to scoring. Ball averages 30.2 points per game, which is fourth in the NBA. He is also 11th in the NBA with 7.2 assists per game. In his last five games, Ball has averaged 35.2 points per game, 7.0 rebounds, and 9.0 assists. With that, he is playing okay defense. If Ball can have another good game, the Hornets will be able to win.</p><p>Washington is the worst defensive team in the NBA. They allow 123.0 points per game, which is the most in the NBA. The Wizards have also allowed their opponents to shoot 47.9 percent from the floor, and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc. Those two number are the sixth and seventh-highest in the NBA. Washington does not do a good job defensively, and the Hornets have to take advantage of that if they want to cover this spread on the road.</p><p>Charlotte has done an okay job on defense lately. They have allowed 108.9 points per game in their last 10 games, which gives them a good chance to cover the spread. Washington scores 107.1 points per game, which is the sixth-lowest in the NBA. The Wizards also have the fifth-lowest field goal percentage in the NBA. With Washington struggling on offense, the Hornets should be able to shut them down.</p><h2><b>Why the Wizards Could Cover the Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Washington has to lock down the Hornets Thursday night. The good news is the Hornets are not a good offensive team. Outside of LaMelo Ball, Charlotte has no real threats. As a team, Charlotte scores the third-fewest points per game, and they have the lowest field goal percentage in the NBA. The Hornets are also a team that rarely gets to the free throw line. They attempt the fewest free throws per game this season, and they do not draw a lot of fouls in general. If the Wizards can have a good defensive game, they will cover the spread.</p><p>The Wizards have not done a great job in December. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-stephen-a-smith-blasts-jordan-poole-failed-payton-pritchard-taunt">Jordan Poole is struggling</a> as he is shooting under 40 percent, and the team is not scoring all that much. However, they have a few players stepping up. Justin Champagnie has stepped up for Washington. He is averaging 15.0 points, and 8.6 rebounds in December. Along with that, he averages 2.2 steals this month. The Wizards will need Poole and Kyle Kuzma to play well, but Champagnie is a player to watch. If he can have a good game, the Wizards will win.</p><h2><b>Final Hornets-Wizards Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>This is a game between some of the bottom teams in the NBA. I do not trust the Wizards to play good enough defense, though. I will take the Hornets to win straight up.</p><p><b>Final Hornets-Wizards Prediction &amp; Pick: Hornets ML (-168)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets vs. Wizards predictions, odds, pick – 12/19/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-stephen-a-smith-blasts-jordan-poole-failed-payton-pritchard-taunt');   ga('set', 'title', 'Stephen A. Smith blasts Wizards’ Jordan Poole for failed Payton Pritchard taunt');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Stephen-A.-Smith-blasts-Jordan-Poole-for-failed-Payton-Pritchard-taunt.jpg"></figure><h1>Stephen A. Smith blasts Wizards’ Jordan Poole for failed Payton Pritchard taunt</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T11:05:36-08:00">December 17th, 11:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T18:28:13-08:00">December 17th, 6:28pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole has been under the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons, and this time, it’s courtesy of Stephen A Smith. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-viral-epic-trash-talk-fail-payton-pritchard-celtics">Poole tried to taunt Payton Pritchard,</a> and it completely backfired. On Tuesday’s edition of First Take, the ESPN host had <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869063323779744174" rel="noopener">some harsh comments</a> for Poole after his failed taunt on Pritchard. </p><p>“Gone from a champion [in the Warriors] to a [Wizards] team that since he has arrived is 18-88,” Smith said. “Seventy games under .500, but you showboated. That’s why his a*s is in the nation’s capital.”</p><p>Smith isn’t wrong about the Wizards’ abysmal record. However, it has more to do with who’s around Poole than his production itself.</p><p>Although he was a part of the 2022 Golden State Warriors championship squad, he is still a young player. Poole knocked down some tough shots and even helped the Warriors win a game. Regardless, an incident with Draymond Green the next season limited any success.</p><p>Fast-forward, and he’s officially in the Nation’s Capital for the 2023-24 campaign. It was a rocky season, to say the least.</p><p>Going from a title-contending team to a rebuilding one is tough for any player. However, Smith expected more of a leadership role from the Wizards guard. Although <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-delivers-intriguing-take-desire-washington-alpha">Poole is embracing the alpha leader role for the Wizards</a>, he thinks it should’ve happened sooner.</p><h2><b>Stephen A Smith’s criticism of Jordan Poole’s taunt reveals youth of Wizards</b></h2><p>Again, Smith’s comments are rough because of his expectations of Poole. Being on a championship team means learning and implementing a championship standard. While it’s tough to do in DC, it’s still a skill that he knows. Establishing quality habits, regardless of performance, is pivotal for a rebuilding team. After all, the Wizards extended Poole in the 2024 offseason.</p><p>They have an extremely young team with at least six players having four seasons or fewer of NBA experience. Not to mention, their head coach is in his first full season. There hasn’t been much improvement, but they have some accomplishments to hang their hats on. For example, the Wizards defeated the Denver Nuggets at home despite Nikola Jokic dropping 56 points in the loss.</p><p>However, there’s much of the season left. While the Wizards are likely not competing for a playoff spot, their pride could be on the line. A <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WAS/2025.html" rel="noopener">3-21 record isn’t satisfying</a> unless you’re aiming for the No. 1 pick. If that’s the case, then they’re doing a good job. In the meantime, they’ll look to hopefully build consistent habits but not the ones that Poole demonstrated.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Stephen A. Smith blasts Wizards’ Jordan Poole for failed Payton Pritchard taunt

<!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', '/ranking-russell-westbrooks-10-best-teammates');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ranking Russell Westbrook’s 10 best teammates');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ranking-Russell-Westbrooks-10-best-teammates.jpg"></figure><h1>Ranking Russell Westbrook’s 10 best teammates</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T09:25:50-08:00">December 17th, 9:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T09:25:50-08:00">December 17th, 9:25am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/spencersee10" rel="facebook">Spencer See</a>Spencer See is a part-time writer at ClutchPoints focusing on the NBA, evergreen content and celebrity lifestyle. He is also a lifelong fan of LeBron James. In his free time, he either goes fishing or watches basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Russell Westbrook is a future Basketball Hall of Famer, highlighted by an NBA MVP award in 2017 coupled with a handful of seasons that saw him average a triple-double.</p><p>While Westbrook has been an absolute beast on the court, an NBA championship remains elusive in his career, prompting the NBA MVP to jump from one team to another. This has resulted in Westbrook teaming up with several NBA stars. Here is Russell Westbrook’s 10 best teammates, ranked.</p><p>Check out the gallery below.</p><h2><b>1. Kevin Durant</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kevin-Durant-and-Russell-Westbrook.jpg"><figcaption>Mark D. Smith-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Russell Westbrook’s career hasn’t been the same since Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although this paved the way for Westbrook to become a triple-double machine leading to a historic MVP season, it has been a different story in terms of team success. Without Durant, Westbrook has yet to make another NBA Finals appearance.</p><h2><b>2. Steven Adams</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Steven-Adams-talks-to-Russell-Westbrook.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As a gentle giant from New Zealand, Steven Adams isn’t one of the All-Stars in this list. However, he perfectly blended well with Westbrook’s play.</p><p>In fact, with Adams as the starting center, Westbrook had a reliable big man to go to while he was running the show in Oklahoma. While Adams isn’t the most dominant center, he perfectly knew how to play off of Westbrook’s all-around style of play.</p><h2><b>3. Serge Ibaka</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Serge-Ibaka-and-Russell-Westbrook-celebrate.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>There’s no doubt that it was Serge Ibaka who anchored the Oklahoma City Thunder when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were running the show. Ibaka was a defensive-minded big man, who also complemented Westbrook’s play quite well.</p><p>His defensive tenacity made life easier for Westbrook on the defensive end while also being an inside threat offensively. He was a crucial piece to the Thunder’s 2012 NBA Finals appearance.</p><h2><b>4. Bradley Beal</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Bradley-Beal-hugs-Russell-Westbrook.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Mills-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Landing in Washington, Westbrook had to play alongside Wizards star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-10-greatest-players-in-franchise-history-ranked">Bradley Beal, one of the Wizards’ best players in their history</a>. The duo in Washington ultimately transformed the Wizards into a competitive playoff squad.</p><p>While they didn’t exactly go deep, just helping the Wizards make the playoffs was already a huge achievement. Moreover, Westbrook still managed to get his triple-double average while Beal was dominating his scoring output.</p><h2><b>5. James Harden</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-and-James-Harden-celebrate.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The duo between Westbrook and James Harden has drawn some mixed results. While they did go to the 2012 NBA Finals together, since then they’ve reunited twice. One time came in Houston, where they ended up getting the boot in the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs.</p><p>The second time around, they teamed up with the Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-james-harden-sixers-trade">Clippers after they traded for Harden</a>, which never went deep enough to get a sniff of a Finals appearance.</p><h2><b>6. Kawhi Leonard</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-and-Kawhi-Leonard-in-a-game.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Kawhi Leonard is one of the elite forwards in the NBA, having led two franchises to an NBA title. However, he has yet to do so with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-russell-westbrook-8-million-deal-with-la-draws-befuddled-fan-reactions">Clippers, even when Westbrook came on board</a>. The team-up failed to produce results. While the duo has displayed some glimpses of their greatness, the lack of playoff success ultimately ended their partnership.</p><h2><b>7. Paul George</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-and-Paul-George-interaction.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>From teaming up in Oklahoma to playing together in LA, the story was the same for both Westbrook and Paul George. While the duo has consistently expressed their positive feelings about teaming up, the lack of playoff success proves that this duo wasn’t formidable enough.</p><p>On paper, this duo has plenty of star power. However, they’ve never materialized their potential in their two stints together.</p><h2><b>8. Nikola Jokic</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-fouls-Nikola-Jokic.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-6-8-million-contract">signing with the Denver Nuggets during the offseason, Westbrook</a> teamed up with another NBA MVP in Nikola Jokic. The reigning three-time NBA MVP should be a promising teammate for Westbrook, who should be gunning for an NBA title to his resume.</p><p>While the Nuggets are off to a bit of a slow start at just 14-10, Jokic is <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jokicni01.html" rel="noopener">averaging over 30 points per game</a>, which would be a career high for a full season.</p><h2><b>9. Anthony Davis</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-and-Anthony-Davis-in-action.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Another major star that Westbrook had a chance to play with was Anthony Davis. While Westbrook had a forgettable stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, he did show some glimpses on the floor with Davis. Unfortunately, their star powers weren’t enough to even make a playoff push possible. Their partnership could be described as disastrous at best.</p><h2><b>10. LeBron James</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/LeBron-James-gives-a-high-five-to-Russell-Westbrook.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>A lot of NBA fans will agree that Westbrook’s stint with the Lakers was the worst point of his decorated NBA career. While teaming up with LeBron James may have looked good on paper, the fit was a huge question mark.</p><p>James and Westbrook had relatively the same all-around play styles that need the ball to be effective. As a result, Westbrook had one of his worst performances in a Lakers uniform. In fact, the Lakers didn’t even make the playoffs with Westbrook.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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