National Basketball Association

Pop star Rihanna 'clubs' J.R. Smith

Published May. 16, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Sam Gardner

New York Knicks sixth man J.R. Smith has been struggling in the playoffs, to the point where he's blaming himself for his team’s second-round woes against the Indiana Pacers.

But if an Instagram comment posted Thursday by R&B singer Rihanna is to be believed, there could be a simple explanation for why Smith is stuck in such a rut on the court: He may be spending too much time in the club.

We’ll let you fill in the blanks, but it’s assumed that the hoops star in question is Smith — a player for whom partying has been an issue, both recently and in the past. After New York’s Game 1 loss to Indiana at home, Smith, himself, took to Twitter to address rumors that he had been out at a club the night before his 4-for-15 shooting performance:

However, after New York’s Game 2 win — Smith was 3-for-15 in that one — the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year was spotted at another NYC nightclub with Rihanna, who was in town for a concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn:

Smith responded after Thursday's Game 5 win, saying "I'm not worried about Instagram, I'm worried about the playoffs." But whatever Smith’s routine has been lately, he ought to shake it up: He’s 30-for-102 in his past seven games, and despite Thursday's 85-75 win (in which Smith scored 13 points on 4-for-11 shooting), the Knicks still are one game from elimination.

share

Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Basketball Association