Sports
'He brings that punch': Why the Clippers' Norman Powell could win sixth-man award
Norman Powell leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin when he was asked to name the Clippers who have won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
“Lou Will, Montrezl, JCrawford,” Powell said. “Am I missing somebody else?”
He paused for about 10 seconds to gather his thoughts, wanting to make sure he hadn’t left anyone out.
“Lou Will, JCrawford, Montrezl,” Powell repeated. “Go through the years. Go through the years.”
Powell squinted his eyes and shook his head, his mind still racing.
The Clippers have five Sixth Man of the Year Award trophies they can boast about, Powell was told.
He was reminded that Jamal Crawford won two of his three awards with the Clippers, in 2013-14 and 2015-16; Lou Williams won two of his three awards with the Clippers, in 2017-18 and 2018-19; and Harrell won his award with the Clippers in 2019-20.
Powell laughed.
“Twice, I mean, they won,” he said. “That’s crazy, though, twice for Lou Will and JCraw.”
Powell is the sixth-man extraordinaire for the Clippers and has a very good chance of winning the award this season and joining some illustrious company.
Clippers guard Norman Powell dunks over Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell during a game Jan. 7 at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“I think it would be amazing. It would be a lot for me,” he said. “It would be recognition for the importance for the team and being able to step up and help the team win and just a testament to all my hard work throughout the years. I feel like I’ve always been an underdog, having to earn my stripes and my spot. Even when I do really well one season, the next season it’s not automatically given. I’ve got to work to get it and prove myself.
“So, I think that would be an accolade that speaks to the grind and the sacrifice of giving myself up for the team. Even though I see myself as a starter and an impact player that can contribute in a starting role. But I think the biggest thing is sacrificing and giving yourself up and still being able to help the team win.”
The competition for the prestigious honor is stiff because of the high level of play off the bench from Sacramento’s Malik Monk, Cleveland’s Caris LeVert, Minnesota’s Naz Reid, Dallas’ Tim Hardaway Jr., Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. and Utah’s Jordan Clarkson.
Powell is more than holding his own as one of the league’s key reserves for his team.
Here’s a look at some of his stat lines:
• Third-highest scorer off the bench (13.8) and fourth on the Clippers.
• Second-highest field-goal percentage (48.9%) among bench players with a minimum of eight field-goal attempts.
• Second-highest three-point percentage (43.5%) among bench players with a minimum of two three-point attempts per game and seventh in the NBA.
• Fourth-most minutes (25.8) among bench players.
• Seventh highest plus-minus (+2.7) among bench players.
• Third-highest offensive rating (118.1) among bench players.
• Ninth-highest net rating (5.1) among bench players.
• Ninth-highest effective field-goal percentage (59.8%) among bench players.
• Seventh-highest true shooting percentage (62.9) among bench players.
“Norman Powell is doing great, averaging about 14 points a game,” said Crawford, who works as an NBA analyst for TNT and NBA TV, in an interview with The Times. “And he’s on one of the best teams in the league. And he’s doing it when they need him to do it. We know the stars are going to be stars, but they got to have that punch. His punch, when he brings that punch, it can get everybody else on track.”
Crawford has a unique perspective on what it takes to be a successful sixth man because he’s tied with Williams for the most in league history.
Crawford won two while playing alongside Clippers stars Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
Yet Crawford knew his value to the team was high.
“It’s a balance, right, because you got to believe in something bigger than yourself on being on a good team,” Crawford said. “And then you also have to use that confidence in a different way to say, ‘You know what? They started the show, but Superman is coming in.’ You come to save the day. You got to hype yourself up to walk around the stars’ confidence. So, it’s a balance of humility and being humbled but then knowing I’m a bad boy whether I start or come off the bench.”
Powell walks that same tightrope with current Clippers stars.
He’s playing alongside four likely future Hall of Famers in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Even with that, the 6-foot-3 Powell knows his role is important to the team and that foursome.
“Yeah, definitely. I think the roles change, Powell said. “I think especially with this team and how dynamic we are, especially with the star power that we have — four Hall of Famers, four guys who have had teams built around them. It’s me trying to earn my way and battle and fight and make it tough for those guys and show that I’m here as well.
Clippers guard Norman Powell, center, blocks a shot by Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt during a game Jan. 23.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“They have the lifelong career of accolades and All-Star games and I still see myself at that level that I can be given the opportunity. So it’s balancing yourself out, knowing that you’re as good as these guys. You might not have the notoriety, but the skillset, the determination, the work ethic is right at the top with them. But balancing it out and knowing that they are the guys that we are going to play through. They are the guys we are built around and it’s my job to help them, making it easier on them and give them the best opportunity for me to be successful as well.”
The idea that the Clippers have garnered more sixth-man awards than any other NBA team made Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers smile with pride.
Rivers was the coach of the Clippers when Crawford, Williams and Harrell were the winners, and he sees Powell in the same vein.
“He is just a flamethrower,” Rivers said. “He has great confidence. All three of those guys — Jamal, Lou, Norman — could have easily started on most teams and they accepted like, ‘I’ll be the guy coming off the bench.’ That’s a place they mentally have to go to. So, yeah, the Clippers have another great sixth man in Norman.”
In a high-stakes game at Minnesota earlier this month, Powell showed his worth.
Clippers stars Paul George and James Harden struggled during the game. George was five-for-15 shooting from the field with 15 points while Harden missed all 10 of his shots and scored just four points.
Powell stepped into that void, playing efficient basketball in scoring 24 points on nine-for-13 shooting that included six of eight from three-point range.
Clippers guard Norman Powell, left, steals the ball from Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado during a game Feb. 7.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
He missed Sunday night’s game against Atlanta because of a left lower leg contusion. The Clippers missed Powell’s scoring and energy.
“The biggest thing about being a good sixth man is sacrifice and then, two, being able to watch the game and put your input on there and what the team is needing and what the game flow is calling, asking for, what the team is lacking,” Powell said. “Every game is going to be different. It might not be scoring. It might be defensive rebounding. It might be getting defensive stops. It might be communicating.
“It might not be your night, in terms of putting up stats, but you’re helping the guys on the floor with what you see in that sixth-man role coming off the bench. It could be how the refs are calling [the game], what we’re lacking offensively, defensively and building that confidence. I think that’s what the sixth-man role is, that next player up that helps the team no matter what’s being asked of him.”
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Napoleon Solo took home the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, the 151st running of the race.
The favorite in Taj Mahal, the 1 horse, was in the lead from the start until the final turn until Napoleon Solo made his move on the outside and took the lead at the top of the stretch. As Taj Mahal fell off, Iron Honor, the 9 horse, snuck up, but the effort ultimately was not enough.
Napoleon Solo opened at 8-1 and closed at 7-1. Iron Honor, at 8-1, finished second, with Chip Honcho fishing third after closing at 11-1. Ocelli, one of just three horses to run both the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and Saturday’s Preakness, finished fourth at 8-1.
A Preakness branded starting gate is seen on track prior to the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026 in Laurel, Maryland. For the first and only time, Laurel Park is hosting the Preakness Stakes which is the second race of the Triple Crown jewel due to the traditional home of the race of the Pimlico Race Course undergoing complete renovations. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
A $1 exacta paid out $53.60, while a $1 trifecta brought in $597.10. But someone out there is very lucky, as a $1 superhighfive – picking the top-five finishers in order – paid out $12,015.70.
Even moreso, a 20-cent Pick 6 – picking the winners of the six consecutive races, with the final being the Preakness, paid out $33,842.34.
The race was run without the Kentucky Derby winner for the second year in a row. After Sovereignty did not run the Preakness last year – and wound up winning the Belmont Stakes – the training team of Golden Tempo opted to skip the Maryland race.
From 1960 to 2018, only three Derby winners did not run in the Preakness. Three Derby winners have skipped the Preakness in the last five years, and for the sixth time in eight years, for various reasons, the Triple Crown had already been impossible to accomplish by the time the Preakness even rolled around.
“I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” Golden Tempo’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, told Fox News Digital earlier this week.
Paco Lopez, right, atop Napoleon Solo, edges out Iron Honor, ridden by Flavien Prat, to win the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON MAKING KENTUCKY DERBY HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACE
Only three horses from two weeks ago – Ocelli, Robusta, and Incredibolt, were back at the Preakness. Corona de Oro, the 11 horse on Saturday, was scratched well ahead of the Derby, and Great White, who reared up and fell on his back after becoming startled shortly before entering the Derby gate, took the 13 post on Saturday.
The Preakness went off roughly 24 hours after a horse died following the completion of his very first race.
Hit Zero, trained by Brittany Russell, came into the race as the favorite. However, he finished last in the race, which was won by another one of Russell’s horses, Bold Fact — and upon crossing the finish line, Hit Zero reportedly began coughing, dropped to his knees, then put his head down and died.
The Preakness took place at Laurel Park as Pimlico undergoes renovations. It was the first time ever that Pimlico did not host the race, moving roughly 20 miles south.
Paco Lopez, atop Napoleon Solo, wins the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
The Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, will take place on June 6. The race will return to Saratoga for a third year in a row as Belmont Park continues to be renovated.
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HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VOLLEYBALL
CITY SECTION FINALS
FRIDAY
At Birmingham
DIVISION I
#1 Taft d. #3 Cleveland, 25-23, 25-14, 25-21
DIVISION IV
#7 Maywood CES d. #4 Math & Science College Prep, 25-17, 25-17, 25-23
At Venice
DIVISION II
#4 Marquez d. #6 Narbonne, 23-25, 25-19, 29-27, 25-16
DIVISION III
#13 Birmingham d. #2 Legacy, 25-20, 17-25, 31-33, 25-21, 15-10
SATURDAY
At Birmingham
OPEN DIVISION
#3 Chatsworth d. #1 Granada Hills, 24-26, 25-21, 25-14, 25-18
DIVISION V
314 Franklin d. #13 Rancho Dominguez, 25-18, 25-19, 25-16
SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS
THURSDAY
At Home Sites
DIVISION 9
Vasquez d. Tarbut V’ Torah, 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10
FRIDAY
At Cerritos College
DIVISION 1
#1 Mira Costa d. #3 Loyola, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22
DIVISION 4
Sunny Hills d. Royal, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23
At Home Sites
DIVISION 5
Bishop Diego d. St. Anthony, 25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23
DIVISION 8
Temescal Canyon d. West Valley, 24-26, 25-16, 25-19, 25-23
SATURDAY
At Cerritos College
DIVISION 2
Orange Lutheran d. Edison, 3-1
DIVISION 3
Windward d. St, John Bosco, 24-26, 25–21, 25-22, 25-20
DIVISION 6
Culver City d. Garden Grove, 27-25, 25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 15-9
Sports
It’s Game 7, and we have a bet locked in as the Cavaliers and legacies are on the line against the Pistons
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The NBA takes a lot of flak for having meaningless games, and I can definitely understand it, watching on a random Wednesday in January. However, the playoffs have delivered over and over to viewers and rewarded us for putting up with garbage regular-season games.
This will be the fourth Game 7 of the playoffs. Three series have been sweeps, and the other three have been six games. That shows competitive hoops. Now, how do we bet this Game 7 in the Eastern Conference?
The Cleveland Cavaliers blew it. After not winning a road game all postseason, they took Game 5 in surprising fashion. It looked like they were going to win in six games. After all, they hadn’t lost a game at home in the postseason.
Instead, Detroit came out and blitzed the Cavs, never giving them a chance to get their footing. They lost in an ugly fashion and now have to figure out a way to win a game on the road.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the second half of Game 5 in the second-round NBA playoffs in Detroit on May 13, 2026. (Duane Burleson/AP)
It isn’t just the Cavs’ fate that rests in this game. It is also the legacy of James Harden and, to a lesser extent, Donovan Mitchell.
We know that Mitchell is a very good player, but he isn’t regarded as one of the best players ever. Harden is. Unfortunately, Harden has struggled in Game 7s. He’s averaged 19.1 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds. That’s not terrible, but looking at his shooting percentages, he is at 35.3% and 22.2% in those games. He actually is 4-4 overall in the games, but in his past three, he has scored a combined 34 points over 113 minutes.
The Detroit Pistons seem to like playing with their backs against the wall. They are a gritty team, so I suppose it makes sense.
Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren reacts after allowing a pass to go out of bounds in the second half of Game 4 of the second-round NBA playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on May 11, 2026. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
Cade Cunningham continues to deliver for the team, and he finally got some help in Game 6 from Jalen Duren. This was never going to be an easy series for Duren, but it feels like he is taking more time to mature than others. He definitely improved this year, but the consistency they need from him just isn’t there yet.
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Now as the team goes home they will need Duren to be a beast on the glass. If he can keep the Pistons in the rebounding battle, they should win this game with ease. They won Game 6 by just three rebounds, but that takes away a big dimension of what Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley do for the Cavs. It isn’t everything, though, as the Pistons won the rebounding battle in both losses in Cleveland.
I don’t see this being a runaway game for the Pistons. Mitchell and Cunningham likely will cancel each other out with scoring. Harden needs to establish himself as the third-best player on the floor. I haven’t seen him do that in the postseason, yet.
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden talk during Game 2 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs vs. the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio. (David Dermer/Imagn Images)
This is the second Game 7 of the playoffs for both of the clubs, so it isn’t like either will be caught off guard about what this entails.
If I look at it objectively, I think the Cavs have the better players. However, the Pistons have looked significantly better this season, and definitely in the playoffs overall. Both are prone to issues and slipping. The Cavs shouldn’t be as they are a veteran team.
This game has to be won by Cleveland, though. There is too much riding on the franchise and legacies of guys for them to not prepare properly for it. Maybe that’s weak analysis, but I’m taking the Cavs with the points and I do think they win outright. I expect a monster game from Mitchell, and Harden should get 10+ assists.
Either way, whoever wins will lose to the New York Knicks.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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