Kings

January has traditionally been the harshest time of the year for the Kings, who haven’t had a winning record in that month the last three seasons. But winter grew dark and gloomy a little earlier than usual because December has hardly been a walk in the park.

With Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Kings head into the NHL’s three-day Christmas break having lost six of their last seven. And things aren’t getting easier any time soon: when the team returns to the ice Saturday, it will play host to the Ducks, who lead the Pacific Division in wins, before closing out 2025 Monday on the road against the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the NHL in wins.

“It’s not going the way we all want to,” forward Kevin Fiala said. “But you know, that’s going to happen for everybody. So it’s us who have to do something about it. Who can pull us out of it? Nobody else.

“I’m not worried. Like, I’m sure we’re gonna get out of this. But it’s not acceptable right now.”

And if it doesn’t change right now, the rest of the season will be as cold as a winter frost for the Kings.

It’s not just that the team is losing, but how it’s losing that is most concerning. The Kings (15-12-9) are 31st in the 32-team NHL in scoring, 31st on the power play and have scored more than two goals just twice in 11 games this month. That’s negated a defense that is second in the league in goals allowed.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to make sense of things,” coach Jim Hiller said when asked to explain a slide that has dropped the Kings into the middle of the division standings. “We just feel like we haven’t had a good run of games where we felt like, win or lose, we really like how we’re playing.

“That’s something that we’ll keep driving towards. We just haven’t had it yet.”

Last season, Hiller’s Kings tied franchise records for wins and points in the regular season and had the best home mark in team history. This season, they’re 4-8-4 at Crypto.com Arena, the second-worst home record in the Western Conference. And that has general manager Ken Holland answering questions about Hiller’s future behind the bench.

“I expect him to be here the rest of the season,” said Holland last week, not exactly a full-throated vote of confidence.

Yet for all their struggles, December has just been a continuation of the things that have plagued the Kings all season.

“We all have high expectations for ourselves,” Hiller said. “We just haven’t hit our stride yet. That’s the part that we’re chasing. That’s what we have to focus on. We have to hit that stride.

“It’s a difficult time right now, for sure.”

On Tuesday, Hiller tried to shake things up by mixing up his lines, most significantly pairing Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko with center Alex Turcotte. And while Fiala and Kuzmenko responded with goals, they didn’t come until the Kraken had taken a 3-0 lead.

The first goal came from Jordan Eberle, who was left alone in front of the Kings’ net, giving him plenty of space to settle a pass from Matty Beniers before lifting the puck around goaltender Pheonix Copley and under the crossbar for his 13th goal of the season. It was the fourth power-play goal the Kings had given up in the last two nights and the sixth in four games.

The Kraken doubled their lead on a quirky goal less than eight minutes later, with Copley misjudging a deflected shot from Seattle’s Frederick Gaudreau, allowing the puck to knuckle off his glove then trickle through his legs for the goal.

Ben Meyers extended Seattle’s lead to 3-0 with less than four minutes left in the second before the Kings finally got on the board with an unassisted goal from Fiala, his 13th of the season, 11 seconds later.

Kings coach Jim Hiller watches from the bench during the second period of a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

(Luke Hales / Getty Images)

Now the Kings will have three days to think about that, although Fiala said he’d gotten over the game by the time he finished showering.

“If you win five in a row or lose five in a row or whatever, it’s forgotten. It’s in the past,” he said. “I think we take the good things with us and the bad things we hopefully analyze and get better at.”

For Hiller, the break couldn’t come at a better time. Or a worse time since the team’s current seven-game slump is its deepest since the winter of 2023-24. That one cost coach Todd McLellan his job.

“I hope the players are able to relax and refresh themselves,” Hiller said. “It’s been from September till now, with the schedule and how busy it is. And 85% of our games, we’ve been playing within one goal.

“It’s taxing physically and mentally. So I’m sure those guys need a break.”

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Austin Reaves returned from a left calf strain that sidelined him for three games, but the Lakers’ second-leading scorer did nothing to fix the team’s most glaring weakness.

The Lakers’ defense collapsed in a 132-108 loss to the Suns on Tuesday at Mortgage Matchup Center, giving up a season-high field goal percentage (59%) and tying their mark for most points allowed this season. Led by a combined 17-for-29 shooting from star guard Devin Booker (21 points) and Dillon Brooks (25 points), the Suns easily eclipsed the 56.5% they shot against the Lakers on Dec. 1.

“The theme with our team again is like these young teams that move, we just can’t move,” said coach JJ Redick, whose team is 1-2 against the Suns (16-13). “So it’s like we’re stuck in mud.”

The Lakers (19-9) remain in the top half of the competitive Western Conference, but with blowout losses to Atlanta, Oklahoma City and San Antonio, L.A. is clinging to a plus-1.1 in point differential. They lost consecutive games for the first time Tuesday and limped into a marquee Christmas Day matchup against the Houston Rockets with a multitude of injuries.

Playing without Luka Doncic, who is day to day with a left leg contusion he sustained Saturday against the Clippers, LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points on seven-for-14 shooting. Deandre Ayton had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double while Reaves came off the bench for the first time in two seasons and scored 17 points with two assists and three turnovers.

Redick said Reaves was not on an official minutes restriction after his weeklong absence, but that the team would monitor his workload “in real time.”

“It’s hard for me to start, at the rotation that Bron has, for me to stay around that 20-25 minute mark,” said Reaves, who played 21 minutes and 46 seconds. “So [coming off the bench] got brought up in my shooting time. I said I was open to whatever. Definitely felt weird coming off the bench, but it’s basketball at the end of the day.”

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Lakers-Suns box score

NBA scores

NBA standings

Mick Cronin tinkers with UCLA’s lineup ahead of rout

UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau makes a move to the basket against UC Riverside forward Osiris Grady on Tuesday.

(Jan Kim Lim / UCLA Athletics)

From Ben Bolch: Facing an overmatched opponent that allowed him to freely tinker with his lineups, UCLA coach Mick Cronin tried plenty of mixing and matching Tuesday afternoon.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that a three-guard lineup might be the way to go after the continued struggles of centers Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson II.

“We’ve got to find a way to play our best players and win, whoever they are, because it’s not Little League,” Cronin said after his team’s 97-65 victory over UC Riverside at Pauley Pavilion. “You’ve either got to give us some rebounding and defense or somebody else has got to play.”

The leading candidates for a larger role based on what happened against the Highlanders appear to be reserves Trent Perry, Jamar Brown and Brandon Williams.

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UCLA-UC Riverside box score

NCAA men’s basketball scores

Kings’ woes continue in loss to Kraken

Kings coach Jim Hiller watches from the bench during a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.

(Luke Hales / Getty Images)

From Kevin Baxter: January has traditionally been the harshest time of the year for the Kings, who haven’t had a winning record in that month the last three seasons. But winter grew dark and gloomy a little earlier than usual because December has hardly been a walk in the park.

With Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Kings head into the NHL’s three-day Christmas break having lost six of their last seven. And things aren’t getting easier any time soon: when the team returns to the ice Saturday, it will play host to the Ducks, who lead the Pacific Division in wins, before closing out 2025 Monday on the road against the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the NHL in wins.

“It’s not going the way we all want to,” forward Kevin Fiala said. “But you know, that’s going to happen for everybody. So it’s us who have to do something about it. Who can pull us out of it? Nobody else.

“I’m not worried. Like, I’m sure we’re gonna get out of this. But it’s not acceptable right now.”

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Kings-Kraken summary

NHL scores

NHL standings

Kawhi Leonard scores season-high 41 points in Clippers’ win

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard celebrates during a win over the Houston Rockets at Intuit Dome on Tuesday night.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 41 points and James Harden added 29 as the Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 128-108 on Tuesday night.

Leonard shot 16 for 23 from the field and four for five from long distance as the Clippers won consecutive games for just the second time this season. The Clippers were coming off a 103-88 win over the Lakers on Saturday that broke a five-game skid. The Clippers also won consecutive games Oct. 24-26, against Phoenix and Portland.

Harden, who shot seven for 14 from the field and three for eight from long distance, was helped by 12-for-13 shooting from the line.

John Collins and Kobe Sanders added 13 points apiece and Kris Dunn scored 11 for the Clippers (8-21), who shot 54% (20 for 37) from three-point range.

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Clippers-Rockets box score

Matthew Stafford leads Rams’ Pro Bowl honorees

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford warms up before a win over the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 14.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

From Gary Klein: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Puka Nacua and edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young were voted to the Pro Bowl, the NFL announced.

Stafford, 37, has passed for a league leading 4,179 yards and 40 touchdowns, with five interceptions, for a Rams team that is 11-4 and currently seeded sixth for the NFC playoffs. The Rams play at the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Stafford also made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2023.

Quarterbacks Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys also made the NFC roster.

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Justin Herbert among Chargers’ Pro Bowl selections

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passes during a win over the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 30.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

From Sam Farmer: Five Chargers were named to the AFC’s Pro Bowl squad Tuesday, including the team’s “quarterbacks” on both sides of the ball.

Both quarterback Justin Herbert and safety Derwin James Jr. received the honor. They are joined by outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu, tackle Joe Alt and kicker Cameron Dicker.

Herbert, receiving Pro Bowl recognition for the second time, is the third player in NFL history to begin a career with six consecutive seasons with at least 3,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns.

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Lindsey Vonn qualifies for the Winter Olympics at 41

U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn competes in a World Cup super-G race in Val d’Isere, France, on Sunday.

(Pier Marco Tacca / Associated Press)

From Steve Henson: It’s been one surprise after another lately from Lindsey Vonn. And the announcement that the 41-year-old slopes queen has qualified for the Milano Cortina Olympics in February isn’t the last of it.

It might have been her post on Instagram that stated unequivocally that this will be the end.

“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” Vonn said.

Vonn’s remarkable and inspiring comeback from injuries and a seven-year hiatus from top-level competitive skiing has injected the U.S. team narrative with an irresistible story line. That her quest will culminate in the mountains of northern Italy just two months from now will make it must-watch television and social media video.

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Venus Williams ties the knot

Venus Williams competes in a quarterfinal doubles match at the U.S. Open in September.

(Heather Khalifa / Associated Press)

From Andrew J. Campa: Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.

An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.

“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”

The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.

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A look back at the very first World Cup

An aerial view of the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, shown during 1930 World Cup tournament.

(Associated Press)

From Kevin Baxter: Next summer’s World Cup will be the largest, most complex and most lucrative sporting event in history, with 48 teams playing 104 games in three countries. The tournament is expected to draw a global TV audience of nearly 5 billion and FIFA, the event’s organizer, is hoping for revenues of between $10 billion-$14 billion — which is why lower-bowl tickets for Iran-New Zealand at SoFi Stadium cost nearly $700.

All that seemed unlikely after the first tournament in 1930, when the idea of a soccer World Cup was nearly killed in the cradle, the victim from lack of planning, lack of money and lack of interest. That the competition survived, much less thrived, is nothing short of a miracle, says English writer and podcaster Jonathan Wilson, author of the deeply researched “The Power and Glory: The History of the World Cup.”

“1930, it’s incredibly amateurish in many ways,” Wilson said. “It’s got that sort of almost like a school sports day feel to it.”

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This day in sports history

1950 — Cleveland’s Otto Graham throws four touchdown passes, despite icy footing in Municipal Stadium, and Lou Groza kicks a 16-yard field goal with 28 seconds left to give the Browns a 30-28 victory over the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL title in their first year in the league.

1961 — George Blanda’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Billy Cannon gives the Houston Oilers a 10-3 victory over the San Diego Chargers for their second AFL title.

1967 — New York’s Joe Namath becomes the first player to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. Namath passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 42-31 win at San Diego. Namath finishes the year with 4,007 yards.

1997 — In one of the biggest upsets in college basketball, Division II American-Puerto defeats the No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks 64-59 in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.

2000 — Marshall Faulk breaks Emmitt Smith’s NFL record for touchdowns, scoring three times to give him 26 for the St. Louis Rams. Faulk’s three touchdowns and 220 yards fuels a 26-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

2003 — Steven Jackson ties a bowl game record with five touchdowns, and Oregon State’s defense overwhelms mistake-plagued New Mexico in a 55-14 win at the Las Vegas Bowl.

2006 — Colt Brennan sets the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes at 58, throwing five in the second half to lead Hawaii to a 41-24 victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl. Brennan, 33-of-42 for 559 yards, breaks the previous mark of 54 set by Houston’s David Klingler in 1990.

2011 — David Akers kicks his way into the NFL record book and the San Francisco 49ers hold off Seattle for a 19-17 win. Akers makes four field goals to give him 42 this season, breaking the NFL mark of 40 set by Neil Rackers in 2005 with Arizona.

2014 — Western Kentucky holds on to defeat Central Michigan 49-48 in a wild inaugural Bahamas Bowl. Central Michigan trails 49-14 entering the fourth quarter before Cooper Rush engineers a comeback. He throws four touchdown passes in the final minutes, and the Chippewas get the ball back at their own 25 with one second remaining. Rush completes a pass to Jesse Kroll, and the ball is lateraled three times before Titus Davis dove into the pylon for a touchdown with no time remaining. CMU elects to go for two, only to have the pass drop incomplete.

2016 — With a 41-3 rout of the New York Jets, Bill Belichick earns his 200th regular-season victory in New England, making him the fifth coach in NFL history to reach the milestone with one team.

2016 — Cleveland survives a last-second field-goal attempt and gets its first victory after 14 losses by beating the San Diego Chargers 20-17. When San Diego’s Josh Lambo misses a 45-yard field-goal attempt as time expires, the Browns (1-14) win for the first time in 377 days.

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Emmerdale’s Claire King has suffered from a debilitating health condition for several decades

Emmerdale legend Claire King has candidly opened up in the past about her health battles.

Claire has been a firm favourite on the long-running soap since 1989 – and as the man-eater queen of the village Kim Tate, she has played a part in several big storylines.

From her many feuds in the Dales to faking her own death, her time on the show has not been short of drama over the years.

Kim’s also been involved in several famous romances – including her affair and marriage to Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) and her recent romance with Will Taylor (Dean Andrews), who sadly died at Christmas last year.

And on the soap recently, Kim was left fighting for her life after her horse Ice was spooked by shooters on the Home Farm estate and she was thrown off. Although managing to make a recovery, her beloved horse had to be put to sleep after sustaining a horrific injury.

However, away from the soap Claire has faced her own health battles. Over the years, she has been open about her struggle with rheumatoid arthritis over the years.

Claire told OK!: “When I was first diagnosed I was worried, as I was ignorant of the ins and outs of it. I was only in my twenties.

“Over the years they’ve improved various treatments, so my doctors are very good. I manage it. I have various pills and injections every week and I just get on with it. There are certain things I can’t do at work, like wearing killer heels for more than five minutes.

“And the costume department has to do up all of my buttons, as it takes me ages. Doing my hair and make-up takes me a bit longer too, as I’ve got metal in some of my fingers.”

She also said: “I struggled to go to work and do the things I love, like horse-riding, because of the terrible pressure it put on my knees.

“I can certainly relate to the ‘invisible disease’ – although my symptoms don’t always show, it doesn’t mean I’m not in pain or feeling exhausted.”

Meanwhile talking to Health Awareness, Claire revealed: “My joints swelled up, and my knees felt like someone had hit them with a mallet.” Making a heartbreaking confession, Claire added: “You just think, ‘this is an old person’s disease, am I going to end up in a wheelchair?’.

“There was very little treatment available at the time. You just tend to think the worst.”

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new ** Everything Gossip ** website**

From Ryan Kartje: One of college football’s longest-lasting and most storied rivalries will be taking an indefinite break starting in 2026.

After months of negotiations and public posturing, USC and Notre Dame failed to reach an agreement to continue their rivalry series.

“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” the schools said in a joint statement Monday. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”

Discussions between the rivals broke down in recent weeks, shortly after the College Football Playoff field was announced, a person familiar with negotiations not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.

In the wake of Notre Dame being left out of the 12-team field, Yahoo reported that College Football Playoff officials came to an agreement with the school in March 2024 that assured the Irish of a playoff berth if they were ranked among the top 12 at season’s end starting in 2026. That agreement, if applied this year, would have meant slotting Notre Dame in the field over Miami, which defeated the Irish to open the season.

The two schools nearly announced a continuation of the series around the time of their October matchup in South Bend, Ind. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Times that USC was ready then to compromise and stick with the rivalry’s usual cadence over the next two seasons, with Notre Dame coming to the Coliseum in 2026.

But at the time USC officials were not aware Notre Dame reached an agreement with CFP officials that guaranteed the Irish a playoff spot if they finish in the top 12 of the final rankings starting in 2026, the person said. To USC officials the agreement felt like “a material advantage” to the Irish, whose place as an independent and scheduling flexibility already afforded them a considerable edge in positioning for the playoff over other programs, like USC, that are tethered to a conference.

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Blame Notre Dame for backing out of rivalry

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua

(Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

From columnist Bill Plaschke: The world of college football may be awash in uncertainty, but the last several weeks have proven one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Nobody runs like Notre Dame.

When the Irish got jobbed by the College Football Playoff committee and insanely were left out of the CFP, they refused to play another game this season.

Notre Dame ran from the Pop Tarts Bowl.

Then came Monday’s announcement that Notre Dame no longer will regularly play USC, essentially ending a 100-year-old rivalry because the Irish didn’t want to change the dates of the game.

Notre Dame ran from the Trojans.

Call them the Fightin’ Chickens, a once-proud Irish program that demands acquiescence or it will take its ball and go home.

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Nico Iamaleava agrees to return to UCLA

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava looks to pass against Nebraska on Nov. 8.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

From Ben Bolch: Bob Chesney didn’t have to go far to secure his most important player.

He was already on campus.

Nico Iamaleava has agreed to return to UCLA for next season, giving the Bruins a top-level quarterback as part of their new coach’s bid for a quick turnaround from a 3-9 season under his predecessor and an interim coach.

Iamaleava announced his intentions on Instagram, posting a highlight video alongside a caption reading, “NO PLACE LIKE HOME. Back with my brothers. Same vision. Same goals. Same grind. Locked in. Time to work!”

The possible benefits go beyond improving Iamaleava’s NFL draft stock with a strong season. Another important plus could be the reputational boost associated with staying put after Iamaleava left Tennessee during spring practice in 2025 as part of an emotionally charged falling out with the Volunteers that sparked widespread criticism.

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ALSO: Bob Chesney is bringing his top two James Madison coordinators with him to UCLA

Chargers clinch playoff berth

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert warms up before a win over the Eagles on Dec. 8.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

From Sam Farmer: The Chargers got an early Christmas present Monday night courtesy of San Francisco, and they’re still hoping for more under the tree.

With the 49ers beating the Indianapolis Colts, 48-27, the Chargers secured a postseason wild-card berth. The AFC West title is still in play too, and even the top seed in the AFC.

The 11-4 Chargers are riding a four-game winning streak and have won seven of eight, including a 34-17 victory at Dallas on Sunday.

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Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman suspended

Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman walks off the field after a win over the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 2.

(Stew Milne / Associated Press)

From Sam Farmer: The Chargers will be without starting linebacker Denzel Perryman for the remainder of the regular season.

The NFL on Monday suspended Perryman without pay for two games for repeated violations of rules designed to protect player health and safety, including an incident during Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys.

In the second quarter Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness after delivering a blow to the helmet of Ryan Flournoy while the Cowboys receiver was on the ground following a catch. The play violated a rule prohibiting the use of any part of the helmet or face mask to initiate forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck area.

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Why the Rams fired their special teams coordinator

Rams special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn interacts with coach Sean McVay during a game against the Seattle Seahawks in November 2024. Blackburn was fired by the Rams following the team’s loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night.

(Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

From Gary Klein: Rams coach Sean McVay worked with Ben Kotwica for three NFL seasons in Washington when McVay was the team’s offensive coordinator and Kotwica was the special teams coordinator.

In the aftermath of McVay’s firing of special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, Kotwica will oversee the unit, McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters.

“I know his capacity, I know the accountability, I know the core belief that he has,” McVay said of Kotwica, who has been a Rams assistant this season after working as the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator the previous two. “This late in the year, you’re not naive to, you’re going to keep a lot of the foundational things.

“But I think there’s some things that we want to have reflected in our style of play, and the way we go about our overall approach that I think will be improved.”

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NFL scores

NFL standings

Deandre Ayton set to return for Lakers

From Broderick Turner: As Lakers coach JJ Redick talked after practice Monday about the long list of players who would be listed as day-to-day for Tuesday night’s game at Phoenix, he at least knew that center Deandre Ayton will be back after missing two games because of left elbow soreness.

Redick said Luka Doncic (left leg contusion), Austin Reaves (mild left calf strain) and Rui Hachimura (right groin soreness) were day-to-day. Gabe Vincent (lower back tightness), however, is expected to be out longer.

A few hours later, Reaves was upgraded to questionable, while Doncic, Hachimura and Vincent were officially ruled out for the Suns game.

Redick said Doncic was injured when he was kneed by Clippers guard Bagdan Bogdanovic during Saturday night’s loss at Intuit Dome.

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NBA scores

NBA standings

LA28 track to meet revenue goals for 2028 Olympics

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: John Slusher shouldn’t admit this. When the former Nike executive signed on to oversee LA28’s commercial operations last year, he looked at the private organizing committee’s lofty financial goals with some concern. Sales were “incredibly slow.” There was momentum around the first Olympics in L.A. in more than 40 years, but not many results.

Yet.

Weeks after celebrating his one-year anniversary with the group responsible for organizing and delivering the 2028 Games, Slusher and his team delivered a $2-billion present.

After announcing 15 partnerships in 2025, LA28 met its goal of reaching $2 billion in corporate sponsorship by this year, which Slusher said puts the group well on track to meet or exceed its $2.52-billion goal for domestic partnerships that serves as the largest line item funding the 2028 Games.

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Kings struggle to stop Blue Jackets on power play in loss

From the Associated Press: Mason Marchment scored two power-play goals, Kirill Marchenko had one, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Kings 3-1 on Monday night.

Jet Greaves made 23 saves and Damon Severson had two assists as Columbus snapped a four-game road losing streak.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored and Anton Forsberg made 27 saves as the Kings were held to fewer than three goals for the sixth straight game.

Columbus was without defenseman Zach Werenski, who is day to day with a lower body injury sustained blocking a shot against the Ducks on Saturday. Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in goals, assists and points, and his 14 goals are tied with Washington’s Jakob Chychrun for most in the NHL by a defenseman.

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Kings-Blue Jackets box score

With Leo Carlsson out, Ducks fall to Kraken

From the Associated Press: Jordan Eberle scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period and added an empty-netter in the final minute, and the Seattle Kraken beat the Ducks 3-1 on Monday night.

Frederick Gaudreau also scored and Kaapo Kakko had two assists for the Kraken. Philipp Grubauer stopped 39 shots.

Mikael Granlund scored for the Pacific Division-leading Ducks and Lukas Dostal had 18 saves.

Matty Beniers set up the go-ahead goal when he slid the puck past defender Radko Gudas and onto the stick of a wide-open Eberle, who snapped a shot from the left circle into the upper-right corner of the net for a 2-1 Kraken lead with 9:56 left.

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Ducks-Kraken box score

NHL scores

NHL standings

This day in sports history

Montreal’s Howie Morenz scores his 251st goal to become the NHL’s career goal-scoring leader. Morenz’s goal caps the Canadiens’ 3-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

1951 — Norm Van Brocklin’s 73-yard touchdown pass to Tom Fears in the fourth quarter gives the Los Angeles Rams a 24-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns for the NFL title.

1962 — Tommy Brooker kicks a 25-yard field goal 17:54 into overtime, giving the Dallas Texans a 20-17 victory over Houston for the AFL title.

1972 — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13-7 on Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception,” in an AFC Divisional playoff game. On 4th-and-10 on their own 40-yard line with 22 seconds remaining and no time outs. Terry Bradshaw, under pressure, throws a pass over the middle to Oakland’s 35-yard line which is deflected by Oakland’s Jack Tatum. Running back Franco Harris catches the deflection at the Raiders’ 43-yard line and runs down the left sideline for a touchdown.

1978 — Bryan Trottier has five goals and three assists to lead the New York Islanders to a 9-4 victory over the Rangers. Trottier sets an NHL record with three goals and three assists in the second period.

1982 — Chaminade, an NAIA school, beats top-ranked Virginia and 7-foot-4 center Ralph Sampson, 77-72, for one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. The game is played at Honolulu’s International Center in front of 3,383 fans.

1996 — Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions rushes for 175 yards in a 24-14 loss to San Francisco to finish with 1,553 yards for the season. It’s Sanders’ third straight season with at least 1,500 yards rushing, a first in the NFL.

2007 — The New England Patriots set an NFL record with their 15th win, the best start in league history, with a 28-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins 28-7.

2007 — Chris Johnson sets an NCAA bowl record with 408 all-purpose yards, and Ben Hartman kicks a 34-yard field goal as time expires to give East Carolina a 41-38 victory over No. 24 Boise State in the Hawaii Bowl.

2008 — The Boston Celtics set a franchise record with their 19th consecutive victory, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 110-91. The Celtics improve to 27-2 — the best start for a two-loss team in NBA history. The 19-game winning streak breaks the Celtics record set in 1981-82.

2012 — New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees passes for 446 yards and three touchdowns in the Saints’ 34-31 overtime win at Dallas. Brees, with 4,781 passing yards, becomes the first player in NFL history to record at least 4,500 yards in three consecutive seasons.

2013 — Andrew Luck throws for 205 yards to break a single-season rookie record, and his touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne late in the fourth quarter puts Indianapolis in the playoffs with a 20-13 win over Kansas City. Luck, with 4,183 yards, surpasses Cam Newton’s year-old record of 4,051 yards passing by a rookie in the second quarter.

2022 — Washington Capitals center Alex Ovechkin scores two goals to move past Gordie Howe on most NHL career goals list in 4-1 win over visiting Winnipeg Jets.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Mason Marchment scored two power-play goals, Kirill Marchenko had one, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Kings 3-1 on Monday night.

Jet Greaves made 23 saves and Damon Severson had two assists as Columbus snapped a four-game road losing streak.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored and Anton Forsberg made 27 saves as the Kings were held to fewer than three goals for the sixth straight game.

Columbus was without defenseman Zach Werenski, who is day to day with a lower body injury sustained blocking a shot against the Ducks on Saturday. Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in goals, assists and points, and his 14 goals are tied with Washington’s Jakob Chychrun for most in the NHL by a defenseman.

However, newcomer Marchment made up for it, scoring twice in the first period, giving him three goals in two games since being acquired from Seattle on Friday. He opened the scoring 4:07 into the game with a wrist shot off Forsberg’s blocker, before making it 2-0 with 23.5 seconds remaining in the first period when Boone Jenner’s shot took a double deflection and went in off Marchment’s shoulder.

Kuzmenko got the Kings on the scoreboard with 1:19 remaining in the second, but Marchenko added a third power-play tally for the Blue Jackets with 5:46 remaining in the third. The three goals with the man-advantage were a season high, and it was the third time the Blue Jackets had multiple power-play goals.

The Kings were playing for the first time since trading third-line center Phillip Danault to Montreal on Friday, but newly promoted bottom six centers Alex Turcotte and Samuel Helenius struggled to make a consistent impact with frequent penalties creating a choppy game flow.

Up next for the Kings: vs. Seattle at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It’s time to close out 2025 with The Times’ All-Star football package.

It’s awards time

Trent Mosley of Santa Margarita holds the CIF state championship Open Division trophy after beating De La Salle.

(Craig Weston)

The unanimous player of the year is Trent Mosley of Santa Margarita. During the postseason, he was unstoppable as a receiver and wildcat quarterback. The Eagles smartly decided he needed to get as many targets and opportunities as possible to turn short passes into long gainers, and he delivered in spectacular fashion. All the people who declined to make him one of their “five-star prospects” perhaps because of his size or a misunderstanding of how fast he is might want to reconsider now that he’s headed to USC and ready to be an impact player. Here’s the profile.

Luke Fahey of Mission Viejo.

(Craig Weston)

The back of the year is Luke Fahey of Mission Viejo. Ohio State is getting its next top quarterback. Accurate with a strong arm and great leadership skills, Fahey set an example of how you can reach the top while waiting your turn. He didn’t become the full-time starter until his senior season for the good of the team. He became a Mission Viejo legend. Here’s the profile.

Braiden McKenna of Los Alamitos, left, opens a hole against Cathedral Catholic.

(Craig Weston)

The lineman of the year is Braiden McKenna of Los Alamitos. Playing center, he helped ignite a ground game that produced two 1,000-yard rushers and a Southern Section Division 2 championship. Here’s the profile.

Los Alamitos football coach Ray Fenton stands with his players during an Alpha League opener at SoFi Stadium.

(Craig Weston)

The coach of the year is Ray Fenton of Los Alamitos. He took an underrated team and guided them to a Division 2 championship without transfers and lots of best friends uniting. Here’s the profile.

Here’s a look at the 22-person Times All-Star team.

Here’s the final top 25 rankings by The Times.

Here’s the complete package.

With finals taking place or finished, get ready for the transfer portal to open for high school football players looking for new schools for the spring semester.

There have been lots of rumors about players coming to Santa Margarita to play for coach Carson Palmer after the Eagles won the Division 1 title in his rookie season. Mater Dei has had two lackluster freshman classes the last two years, so if the Monarchs intend to keep up in the Trinity League, look for new players checking in.

Mission Viejo has an opening at quarterback, so keep watch who ends up there. Will JSerra players stick around for a new coach or switch to another Trinity League team.

St. John Bosco has lots of returning players, including two promising quarterbacks who will be juniors. It will be a surprise in today’s environment if both stay. The Braves are expected to get a top defensive back/receiver in the coming days. Sierra Canyon has plenty of back-ups expected to move into starting roles, but it’s been the same problem in recent years for the Trailblazers: Average play at quarterback against the best teams doesn’t get you to be one of the top two teams.

In the City Section, Carson won its 12th championship and gets to build the likely City player of the year, quarterback Chris Fields III. Will Crenshaw continue its rise? Will Birmingham start a new winning streak against City teams? What will happen to coach Robert Garrett, who didn’t get to coach this season at Crenshaw while on administrative leave with no end date in sight. All he does is check in from home waiting for a long and confusing Los Angeles Unified School District investigative process to play out despite reaching 300 career victories.

New coaches at JSerra, Bishop Alemany, St. Francis, Bishop Montgomery, Oaks Christian and St. Paul will offer a glimpse about what direction those private school programs want to take.

JSerra makes historic hire

Finally, a Trinity League school said yes.

Hardy Nickerson of the Chicago Bears poses for his 2007 NFL headshot at photo day in Chicago. He’s the new head coach at JSerra.

(Getty Images / Getty Images)

Hardy Nickerson, a Verbum Dei grad who was an All-Pro linebacker and coached in the NFL, college and high school ranks, was hired by JSerra as its new football coach, becoming the first Black head football coach in the Trinity League since it was formed in 2006. Here’s the report.

This is a story from 2021 about the lack of Black head coaches in the league.

There’s been excuses in the past, from lack of fit, to lack of coaching experiences to lack of school ties. Nickerson earned this chance based on years of qualifications and coaching at every level, from youth to high school to college to the NFL.

There’s no guarantee of success, however, in a league in which the other five schools have invested lots of money and hard work trying to be successful. There’s an expectation coaching in the league you get about three years and are gone without progress.

Nickerson will face the same challenges as his predecessor, former Azusa Pacific coach Victor Santa Cruz, who came in with strong qualifications but was pushed out following a 3-7 season.

If Nickerson succeeds, it can pave the way for other Black head coaches to get a chance to be a coach at a top private school. It has happened in basketball, but football has been way behind.

Basketball

It’s freedom day for high school basketball players who transferred without moving and have been sitting out the first month of the season. They’re getting the best Christmas present of all — eligibility on Friday.

Many teams will undergo changes that could lead to much-improved performances. Sierra Canyon, Chaminade, Mater Dei, Loyola, Crespi, Arcadia and Pasadena are among the schools getting stronger. Among girls, Etiwanda and Corona Centennial will be getting new players.

Crespi is getting 6-foot-9 junior Rodney Mukendi, which will add much-needed rebounding and a rim protector.

Ontario Christian’s girls’ basketball team has won 14 straight games to start the season. Etiwanda is 7-1. The inevitable meeting between the two should happen in the postseason.

The day after Christmas is always one of the busiest basketball days of the season with tournaments galore. The Classic at Damien leads the tournament action. The fact that sit-out period players become eligible on Dec. 26 will make for interesting matchups and possible surprises.

On Monday in Las Vegas, there will be some great matchups at the Tarkanian Classic, including Redondo Union vs. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, San Gabriel Academy vs. La Mirada and Santa Margarita vs. Utah Timpview.

Here’s this week’s top 25 boys basketball rankings by The Times.

Here’s this week’s top 10 City Section boys basketball rankings by The Times.

Baseball/softball

St. John Bosco closer Jack Champlin

It’s not too early to start speculating which teams will challenge defending Division 1 champion St. John Bosco for No. 1 this season. The Braves are loaded with quality returnees, from twins James and Miles Clark to star closer Jack Champlin.

There are at least seven other schools gearing up to make a title run, including JSerra, Orange Lutheran, Huntington Beach, Santa Margarita, Harvard-Westlake, Cypress, Corona and Norco.

Among the elite players, JSerra outfielder Blake Bowen is being mentioned as a possible first-round draft pick. Trey Ebel of Corona is hoping to follow brother Brady as a high pick. Norco has two of the best underclassmen in sophomore pitcher Jordan Ayala and junior shortstop Dylan Seward. Huntington Beach has the best hitter/pitcher in junior Jared Grindlinger. Santa Margarita returns Brody Schumaker, who is switching from second base to shortstop. Harvard-Westlake welcomes a group of off-the-chart freshmen, led by El Segundo Little League World Series hero Louis Lappe.

In softball, Norco looks strong but JSerra has pitching and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame made a big move last season to be a contender with lots of youth.

Notes

Point guard Ryan Gov from Cypress has committed to Azusa Pacifica …

Mark Holman has resigned as football coach at San Dimas …

Mike Moschetti has resigned as football coach at St. Paul …

Former Campbell Hall football coach Dennis Keyes is the new football coach at Bishop Alemany. He was the defensive coordinator at Chaminade this past season and was an All-City player at Birmingham and starting defensive back at UCLA …

Baseball player Malachi Wobrock of Hart has committed to MIT.

From the archives: Colby Parkinson

Oaks Christian tight end Colby Parkinson during his playing days with the Lions.

(Los Angeles Times)

Former Oaks Christian tight end Colby Parkinson, 26, continues to demonstrate as a key player for the Rams why almost everyone was projecting him to be an NFL player since his high school days when he was a three-sport athlete.

Here’s a story from 2016 looking at his blossoming skills as a tight end in high school.

Here’s a story from 2024 on Parkinson signing with the Rams to come home.

Recommendations

From the Washington Post, a story on two high school basketball siblings who are five-star players.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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Prep Rally will be on hiatus next week before returning Jan. 6.

From Sam Farmer: The Chargers are under the radar and over the moon.

They are methodically compiling victories — the latest, Sunday’s 34-17 thumping of the Dallas Cowboys — and perfectly content on the fringes of the national spotlight.

Lots of people wrote them off when those offensive linemen started falling like tall timber, yet the Chargers have found ways to win in spite of that. Seven times in eight games they have walked away victorious, keeping them in the running for the top seed in the AFC.

“We’re not worried about the outside noise,” said edge rusher Khalil Mack, part of a defense that has pitched second-half shutouts two weeks in a row. “Not getting too high, not getting too low. Staying even-keeled and trying to stack wins.”

Despite all that success, the Chargers (11-4) had yet to cement a spot in the postseason by the time they boarded the bus from AT&T Stadium to the airport. They needed a loss or tie by Houston — which beat Las Vegas later Sunday — or by Indianapolis, playing host to San Francisco on Monday night.

As for the Cowboys (6-8), they were eliminated from playoff contention the week before. They were playing for pride and had the NFL’s No. 1 offense, which showed up with Dak Prescott touchdown passes in the first two quarters.

But the quarterback of note in this game was Justin Herbert, who threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns and plunged across the goal line for another score. He also had a 34-yard scramble up the middle, the longest of the game, which ended with a violent collision that had him prone and wincing for a moment.

Continue reading here

Chargers-Cowboys summary

NFL scores

NFL standings

Lakers want consistency on technical calls

Clippers forward John Collins hangs on to the rim after dunking in front of Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36), guard Luka Doncic (77) and center Jaxson Hayes (11) on Saturday at Intuit Dome.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The only thing left for JJ Redick to do was joke about it. What else could be said after the Lakers made just six of 38 three-pointers in a 103-88 loss to the Clippers on Saturday?

“I was proud that we improved from three [after starting] four for 33,” the coach deadpanned. “So we got better as the game progressed.”

With four starters out because of injuries, the Lakers’ ice cold shooting doomed them to a season low in points. Star guard Luka Doncic left the game with 12 points at halftime after a left leg contusion sustained in the first half. Redick noticed the NBA’s leading scorer limping on the court during the second quarter. Fellow starters Austin Reaves (calf), Deandre Ayton (elbow) and Rui Hachimura (groin) already were sidelined as well as key reserve Gabe Vincent (back).

It left them with just one starter in LeBron James, who had 36 points, four rebounds and three assists as the Lakers (19-8) fell behind by 22 but cut the deficit to seven in the fourth quarter before fading again.

Continue reading here

NBA scores

NBA standings

USC men dominate against UC Santa Cruz

USC center Gabe Dynes dunks during a 102-63 win over the UC Santa Cruz at Galen Center on Sunday. Dynes finished with 16 points.

(John McGillen / USC Athletics)

From Ryan Kartje: The call came Monday morning, just six days before USC was slated to play its final nonconference contest. In light of the deadly shooting on Brown’s campus, its men’s basketball team wouldn’t make the trip west. If coach Eric Musselman hoped to test his Trojans again before the new year, he and his USC staff had less than 24 hours to find a replacement.

Which is how USC found itself facing UC Santa Cruz, a 6-6 Division III team with losses to Chapman, Redlands and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, on Sunday. USC had no trouble overwhelming the Banana Slugs in a 102-63 victory. But given the scrambling it took to schedule Santa Cruz, no one was complaining about the seamless victory heading into the Trojans’ winter break.

Musselman, who notched his 250th career win, initially hoped that USC could find a D-1 program to take Brown’s place. But rules limiting the amount of regular-season games a D-1 program can play narrowed that list considerably. It left USC’s coaches counting by hand to decide which teams would fit.

Continue reading here

USC-UC Santa Cruz box score

NCAA men’s basketball scores

Jazzy Davidson powers USC past Cal

USC’s Jazzy Davidson controls the ball in front of California’s Mjracle Sheppard during the first half Sunday at Chase Center.

(Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

From the Associated Press: Freshman Jazzy Davidson scored a go-ahead layup with 4:05 remaining and finished with a season-best 24 points, leading the No. 19 USC women past California 61-57 on Sunday in the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic.

After Davidson’s basket, Londynn Jones hit a jumper the next time down as USC used a 6-0 burst to take control. The Trojans answered each Cal threat with a key defensive play or big basket.

Cal called time out with 43.8 seconds left and trailing 56-54, but as the Golden Bears tried to set up a play, USC’s Kennedy Smith made a steal of Sakima Walker’s bad pass.

Continue reading here

USC-California box score

NCAA women’s basketball scores

Santa Anita postpones opening races

From Jay Posner: After days of deliberation and faced with a forecast getting soggier by the day, Santa Anita officials have decided to postpone opening day of the 2025-26 race meeting from Friday until Sunday, Dec. 28.

It’s just the second time since 1976 that Santa Anita will not open on the day after Christmas. The other time was in 2019 for the same reason: wet weather. More than eight inches of rain are projected to fall between Tuesday night and Friday at Santa Anita.

Continue reading here

Should Angels fans cheer for Dodgers?

Angels star Mike Trout signs autographs for fans before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium on Sept. 8.

(Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

From columnist Bill Shaikin: Christmas is three days away, and you’re running out of time to get a gift for the Angels fan in your life. How about a Dodgers cap?

If ever a winter posed a loyalty test, this one could. The Dodgers spent $69 million on Edwin Díaz, the best closer available in free agency, and another $2 million in championship parade costs. The Angels spent $2 million on a closer who put up an 8.23 earned-run average last season.

Next year the Dodgers will try to become the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series. The Angels will try to end baseball’s longest postseason drought at 11 years, still without much of a plan beyond rushing first-round draft picks to the major leagues while treading the financial waters until Anthony Rendon’s contract runs out.

On Sunday they missed out on Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, who signed with the 102-loss Chicago White Sox. Of the Angels’ five acquisitions this winter, three did not play in the majors last season, and not because they are up-and-coming prospects.

Continue reading here

Author and journalist Shea Serrano’s new book, “Expensive Basketball,” is a New York Times bestseller that highlights unique, breakthrough moments in NBA history.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

From Gustavo Arellano: When Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy this weekend with another Latino finalist looking on from the crowd, the Cuban-American quarterback did more than just become the first Indiana Hoosier to win college football’s top prize, and only the third Latino to do so. He also subtly offered a radical statement: Latinos don’t just belong in this country, they’re essential.

At a time when questions swirl around this country‘s largest minority group that cast us in a demeaning, tokenized light — how could so many of us vote for Trump in 2024? Why don’t we assimilate faster? Why does Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh think it’s OK for immigration agents to racially profile us? — the fact that two of the best college football players in the country this year were Latino quarterbacks didn’t draw the headlines they would’ve a generation ago. That’s because we now live in an era where Latinos are part of the fabric of sports in the United States like never before.

That’s the untold thesis of four great books I read this year. Each is anchored in Latino pride but treat their subjects not just as sport curios and pioneers but great athletes who were and are fundamental not just to their professions and community but society at large.

Continue reading here

NHL

Scores

Standings

This day in sports history

1894 — The United States Golf Association is founded, becoming the governing body for the game in the country.

1915 — The Federal League folds. Owners of the American and National Leagues buy out half of the owners (Pittsburgh, Newark, Buffalo, and Brooklyn) of the Federal League teams. Phil Ball, owner of the St. Louis Terriers, is allowed to buy the St. Louis Browns of the AL, and Charles Weeghman, owner of the Chicago Whales, buys out the Chicago Cubs of the NL.

1924 — Babe Dye of the Toronto St. Patricks scores five goals in a 10-2 victory over the Boston Bruins.

1946 — The Cleveland Browns beat the New York Yankees 14-9 in the first AAFC championship game.

1969 — Pete Maravich sets an NCAA record by hitting 30 of 31 foul shots, and scores 46 points to lead LSU to a 98-89 victory over Georgia.

1974 — Boston’s Phil Esposito scores two goals, including his 500th goal, to lead the Bruins to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Boston Garden.

1990 — Paul Coffey becomes the second NHL defenseman to record 1000 points. Coffey reaches the milestone with an assist on Kevin Stevens’ goal in second-period of a 4-3 win against the New York Islanders.

1996 — Brett Hull becomes the 24th player in NHL history to score 500 goals, with a hat trick in the St. Louis Blues’ 7-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Brett and his father, Bobby Hull, are the first father-son tandem to each score 500 goals.

2003 — Brett Favre passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns a day after his father dies, moving into second place in NFL history for career TD passes while leading the Green Bay Packers to a 41-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders. Favre passes Fran Tarkenton on the NFL’s career list with his 343rd career TD throw.

2005 — Reggie Campbell of Navy ties the NCAA bowl record with five touchdowns and had 290 all-purpose yards, leading the Midshipmen to a 51-30 win over Colorado State in the Poinsettia Bowl.

2006 — Peter Bondra scores his 500th NHL goal early in the third period to snap a 1-all tie and lead Chicago past Toronto 3-1.

2007 — Eathyn Manumaleuna blocks a field goal as time expires to give BYU a 17-16 victory over UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl.

2009 — Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh becomes the first defensive player voted The Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, winning the award after his dominant performance against Texas in the Big 12 title game.

2013 — Peyton Manning finishes 32 for 51 for 400 yards and four touchdown passes to set the single season touchdown mark in Denver’s 37-13 win over Houston. Manning, with 51 touchdown passes, passes Tom Brady (50 in 2007) for the most in a single season in NFL history.

2013 — Tom Brady leads the Patriots to a 41-7 win at Baltimore as New England clinches the AFC East. It’s the 11th division title for Brady, the most by a starting quarterback in NFL history.

2016 — Matt Linehan throws for 381 yards and four touchdowns and runs for a another score to help Idaho beat Colorado State 61-50 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. It’s the third-highest scoring game in bowl history. Idaho (9-4) matches its highest victory total since moving to FBS in 1996.

2020 — Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi scores his 644th goal for FC Barcelona during 3-0 win over Real Valladolid to break Pele’s record for most goals for one club; Pele, 643 goals for Santos 1956-74.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

The last time Villa lifted silverware – beating Leeds 3-0 in the League Cup – Prodigy’s Firestarter had knocked Take That’s cover of How Deep Is Your Love off the No.1 spot in the charts and Wallace and Gromit’s A Close Shave had just won an Oscar.

David Beckham was yet to make his England debut while Cash, Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara and Emi Buendia were not born.

It has been a long wait, with Villa losing two FA Cup finals and one League Cup final since.

Emery, a Europa League winner with Sevilla and Villarreal in previous roles, stated on his first day in charge the main goal was to win a trophy. Last season’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to eventual winners Crystal Palace still stings.

A Europa Conference League semi-final defeat by Olympiakos 18 months ago and the thrilling Champions League quarter-final exit to Paris St-Germain in April show they are getting closer.

“The semi-final in the Conference League and Champions League quarter-final, they were big nights for us, big moments in which we haven’t delivered,” captain John McGinn told reporters.

“Every time we go into a big game now, we have that determination in the back of our heads to prove this team we have built over the past five or six years is worth more than a quarter-final, worth more than a semi-final.

“The determination, I can feel it this year. I can feel we want to prove a point. I think until we do that, there will always be questions asked. As captain, you feel that probably twice as much, but when that day finally comes, you will feel it positively, twice as much.”

Phillip Danault’s decreasing role with the Kings led to the veteran two-way center getting an opportunity for a fresh start in a familiar setting after being traded to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.

The Kings acquired a second-round draft pick while also freeing up salary-cap space and ice time for other players in the trade reached just before the NHL holiday roster freeze on Saturday. The draft pick the Kings landed is one Montreal previously acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Prompting the move for the Kings was the development of Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, and the offseason additions of Joel Armia and Corey Perry. General manager Ken Holland also expressed a desire to provide more playing time for Alex Turcotte and second-year center Samuel Helenius.

“Phil’s role changed here, got reduced on the penalty killing and on the power play. It’s been a bit of a struggle here offensively for Phil since the start of the year,” Holland said on a video call.

“So I found a trading partner, and I think it’s going to be good for Phil,” he added. “He gets to go back to a city where he had a lot of success. And we get a second-round pick and obviously we see some cap space to use going forward.”

Danault was in the fifth season of a six-year, $33 million contract he signed with the Kings in the summer of 2021.

The 32-year-old Danault, who topped 40 points in each of his first four seasons with the Kings, hasn’t scored a goal and has just five assists in 30 games, while missing the past four with an illness. Holland said he consulted with Danault and his agent in opening trade discussions before landing what he believed was the best offer.

Danault, who is from Victoriaville, Quebec, returns to Montreal where he spent six seasons and established himself as one of the league’s better defensive-minded forwards.

He had 54 goals and 194 points in 360 games with Montreal over a stretch that ended with the Canadiens reaching the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, which they lost in five games to Tampa Bay.

Danault was selected in the first round of the 2011 draft by Chicago, and spent his first two seasons with the Blackhawks before being traded to Montreal.

The Canadiens add a 12-year veteran to a young, up-and-coming team that reached the playoffs last season for the first time since 2021, and is in the thick of a tightly packed race. At 18-12-4, Montreal enters Saturday eighth in the Eastern Conference standings with eight points separating the last-place Blue Jackets and second-place Washington Capitals.

The Kings are in a similar situation in the West. At 15-10-9, they’re seventh, with eight points separating the 10th-place St. Louis Blues and fourth-place Vegas Golden Knights.

The trade comes after the Kings ended an 0-2-2 skid with a 2-1 win at Tampa Bay on Thursday night.

Holland acknowledged the Kings need more offensive production — they rank 28th in the NHL, averaging 2.56 goals per game. But he’s pleased with the team’s defensive play and goaltending, with the Kings ranking third in giving up 2.5 goals per outing.

“Certainly we need more goals,” he said, noting the Kings are a combined 5-9 in overtime and shootouts. “I’m hoping that some of the people that have scored in the past will start to score here going forward.”

Holland also backed third-year coach Jim Hiller by noting how the Kings are no different than a number of NHL teams approaching the midway point of the season.

“If we’re in a malaise, then 25 teams are in a malaise. Like, the whole league’s packed together,” Holland said. “Jim’s done a good job, and our team is playing very structured and competes every night.”

From Gary Klein: Short week, strange and bad trip.

It started with Rams star receiver Puka Nacua ripping NFL referees and making an antisemetic gesture on a livestream.

It ended with an epic fourth-quarter collapse.

And a potentially catastrophic fall from the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

The Rams were on the verge of enduring a quick turnaround, a distracting controversy, and a flight delay but they could not hold on to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

The Rams’ 38-37 overtime defeat by the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at Lumen Field continued a cascade of ill-timed news for coach Sean McVay and a team regarded as a Super Bowl contender.

The Rams’ record fell to 11-4. The Seahawks displaced them atop the NFC West. And the road to home-field advantage for the playoffs now includes some major roadblocks.

Thank the Rams defense: It forced three turnovers but blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead.

“This one’s a tough one right there,” coach Sean McVay said of the loss. “Never seen anything like some of the things that occurred.”

McVay was referencing a two-point conversion attempt by the Seahawks in the fourth quarter, which was initially ruled an incomplete pass that left the Rams with a 30-28 lead.

Continue reading here

Rams summary

NFL standings

————

From Gary Klein: As the Rams prepared for their game on Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks, star receiver Puka Nacua, the Rams and the NFL issued statements related to Nacua performing a gesture “antisemitic in nature” during a livestream.

In a post on Instagram, Nacua apologized for the gesture he made while appearing on a livestream with Adin Ross and N3on. The livestreamers, with Nacua out of earshot, discussed whether Nacua would get in trouble if he performed a move that references an offensive stereotype about Jewish people. Ross is Jewish, but he often performs the move and teaches others how to do it in his livestreams.

They suggested Nacua perform the gesture the next time he celebrated after scoring a touchdown.

“At the time, I had no idea this act was antisemetic in nature and perpetuated hateful stereotypes against Jewish people,” Nacua wrote in his post. “I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people.”

Continue reading here

NFL Week 16 picks: Rams defeat Seahawks; Broncos edge Jaguars

Lakers win high-scoring game

From Broderick Turner: When Brice Sensabaugh drilled a wide-open three pointer in the third quarter, Lakers coach JJ Redick quickly called a timeout and began to gesture with both hands toward his players, clearly showing his displeasure with their defense.

The Lakers responded.

They especially picked up their defensive intensity for an important spurt in the fourth quarter, slowing down the Utah Jazz and in the process the Lakers’ offense took off, the two converging at the right time to push them to a 143-135 win Thursday night at the Delta Center.

“Obviously we know this Utah team can score points at a very high rate, but it was very imperative that we got stops,” said LeBron James, who had another productive night with 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. “We had to get stops to start that fourth and then it allowed our offense to click.”

Continue reading here

Lakers box score

NBA standings

Clippers lose again

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points before resting in the fourth quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from a rare loss to beat the Clippers 122-101 on Thursday night.

The Thunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday for just their second defeat of the season, ending their team-record, 16-game win streak. They recovered on Thursday after some much-needed rest and improved to 25-2 overall and 13-0 at home.

Gilgeous-Alexander made 13 of 24 shots and had seven rebounds and six assists. It was his 98th consecutive game with at least 20 points, adding to the second-longest streak in NBA history.

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Clippers box score

NBA standings

Londynn Jones has career game for USC

From Antony Solorzano: It was a game to remember for Londynn Jones. She played with confidence and showed her dribbling skills and displaying her all-around skills as she finished the game with a career-high 28 points in the USC women’s basketball team’s 86-39 win over Cal Poly on Thursday night at Galen Center.

In the first part of the game, Jones was perfect on offense while aggressively defending every time the Mustangs had the ball. When Cal Poly attacked, she came up with steals and completed the play with a field goal, sometimes even adding one more point on a foul.

“I’m just happy we’re figuring it out, starting to finally put the pieces together,” she said. “I know that’s something we’ve been emphasizing in practice, just watching films and putting the pieces together.”

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USC box score

Big Ten standings

————

From Ryan Kartje: With three key players out because of injury and USC in desperate need of depth, the Trojans are taking the rare step of adding reinforcements at the midseason mark.

Point guard Kam Woods, who last played at Robert Morris, was added to the Trojans’ roster and cleared to play on Thursday, despite the fact that USC is already a dozen games into the basketball season.

Woods could make an immediate impact for coach Eric Musselman, having averaged 14.9 points, 5.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game last year at Robert Morris, where he played alongside current Trojan, Amarion Dickerson. Woods is expected to step into the rotation right away with USC, after the Trojans lost starting point guard Rodney Rice for the season.

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Greg Biffle dies

A business jet crashed Thursday while trying to return to a North Carolina airport shortly after takeoff, killing all seven people aboard, including retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family, authorities said.

The Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground. It had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte, but soon crashed while trying to return and land, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.

The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately known, nor was the reason for the plane’s return to the airport in drizzle and cloudy conditions.

Biffle was on the plane with his wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, according to the highway patrol and a family statement. Others on the plane were identified as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.

Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.

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Snowboarding in Australia?

From Kevin Baxter: Growing up just outside Melbourne, Australia, Scotty James was more likely to spot the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot as he was to spot snow. For him, the Winter Olympics seemed about as accessible as Mars.

“It is very unique, being an Australian in winter sports,” he said. “We’re very few and far between.”

Unique, but not impossible. Because if he qualifies for February’s Milano-Cortina Olympics, as expected, James will become the first Australian man to represent the country in five separate Winter Olympics. If he reaches the podium in the men’s halfpipe, his specialty, he will become the most decorated winter Olympian in Australian history with three medals.

Yet it almost didn’t happen. If his father Phil, a passionate snowboarder, hadn’t talked a Vancouver ski-shop worker into selling 3-year-old Scotty a miniature display board during a family vacation to Canada decades ago, James still might be watching the Winter Olympics on TV.

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Kings end winless streak

Adrian Kempe scored twice in the second period, and the Kings beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Thursday night.

Anton Forsberg stopped 31 shots to help the Kings snap a four-game skid (0-2-2) and get just their third win in nine games (3-4-2).

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for the Lightning and Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 18 saves. Tampa Bay has lost three straight (0-2-1) and seven of its last nine (2-6-1).

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Kings summary

NHL standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1913 — Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson fights to a 10-round draw with Battling Jim Johnson in Paris.

1917 — The NHL begins play. Joe Malone of the Montreal Canadiens scores five goals in a 9-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Harry Hyland of the Montreal Wanderers scores five goals in a 10-9 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1943 — Harry Lumley, at 17 years and 38 days old, becomes the youngest goaltender in NHL history when he plays for the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

1948 — The Cleveland Browns complete an undefeated season beating the Buffalo Bills 49-7 in AAFC championship game.

1948 — The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Chicago Cardinals 7-0 in a major snowstorm for the NFL title. Philadelphia’s Bucko Kilroy recovers a fumble on the 17-yard line in the fourth period, and Steve Van Buren later scores from the 5.

1976 — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Colts 40-14 in an AFC playoff game. Ten minutes after the game, Donald Kroner, a former charter pilot, crashes a rented, low-wing, Piper Cherokee into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium. No one is seriously hurt as most of the capacity crowd of 60,020 left the one-sided contest early or were heading down the exit ramps.

1987 — Boston and St. Louis combine for the fastest two goals in NHL history. Ken Linseman puts the Bruins ahead 6-5 with 10 seconds left in the third period. Doug Gilmour of Boston wins the faceoff and shoots the puck into an empty net two seconds later to wrap up a 7-5 win over the Blues at Boston Garden.

1990 — Los Angeles Raiders running back Bo Jackson is named to the AFC team, as a reserve, becoming the first athlete chosen for All-Star games in two sports.

2001 — Marshall, led by Byron Leftwich, comes back from a 38-8 halftime deficit to beat East Carolina 64-61 in double-overtime in the GMAC Bowl for the highest scoring bowl game in history.

2007 — New York Islanders forward Chris Simon is banned for 30 games, drawing the longest suspension in NHL history again. Simon’s latest infraction was stepping on Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu with his skate during a Dec. 15 game. This is the seventh suspension of Simon’s career.

2009 — Michael Phelps helps his American team trounce a group of European all-stars in the Duel in the Pool, anchoring a relay to one of the eight world records the U.S. sets over the two-day meet in Manchester, England.

2010 — Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson returns a punt 65 yards for a touchdown as time expires in the Eagles’ 38-31 comeback win at the New York Giants. It’s the only game-winning punt-return touchdown in NFL history as the Eagles come back from a 31-10 fourth-quarter deficit. It marks the ninth time in NFL history in which a team trailed by at least 21 points in the fourth quarter and wins the game.

2010 — The Detroit Lions stop their record road skid at 26 games with a 23-20 overtime win at Tampa Bay. It’s the first road win since Oct. 28, 2007, when they beat the Bears 16-7 at Chicago.

2017 — Freshman Trae Young has 26 points and ties an NCAA Division I record with 22 assists as No. 17 Oklahoma rolls past Northwestern State 105-68.

2017 — North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell becomes the third women’s Division I coach to register her 1,000th career victory after the Tar Heels beat Grambling State 79-63.

2017 — Geno Auriemma wins his 1000th game as top-ranked UConn beat Oklahoma 88-64 in the Hall of Fame women’s Holiday Showcase. Auriemma becomes the fourth women’s coach to reach the 1,000-win mark, joining Pat Summitt, Tara VanDerveer and Sylvia Hatchell, who earned her milestone victory earlier in the day.

2018 — Houston Rockets set NBA single-game record with 26 three-pointers in 136-118 victory over Washington Wizards;

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

TAMPA, Fla. — Adrian Kempe scored twice in the second period, and the Kings beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Thursday night.

Anton Forsberg stopped 31 shots to help the Kings snap a four-game skid (0-2-2) and get just their third win in nine games (3-4-2).

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for the Lightning and Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 18 saves. Tampa Bay has lost three straight (0-2-1) and seven of its last nine (2-6-1).

The Lightning outshot the Kings 13-3 in the third period, but couldn’t get the tying goal past Forsberg.

Bjorkstrand gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead with 7:06 remaining in the first period with a power-play goal, knocking in the rebound through Forsberg’s pads after the goalie stopped his initial attempt.

Kempe then scored twice 10½ minutes apart in the second to put the Kings ahead. First, he beat Vasilevskiy from between the circles at 5:21 to tie it. Then, he put a backhander past the goalie from the right side on a breakaway with 4:02 remaining in the period with his team-leading 13th for a 2-1 lead with 4:02 left in the period.

From Ben Bolch: The crowd couldn’t believe what it had just witnessed.

Donovan Dent’s crossover move left a helpless defender watching from behind as he accelerated toward the basket, fans unleashing audible admiration even before the UCLA point guard completed the play with a driving layup.

Poor Noah Meeusen and everyone else who tried to stop Dent.

They were overmatched by the finishing ability and fearlessness of a player who had not shown much of either over the season’s first month, hardly resembling the star the Bruins thought they were getting.

On a revelation of a Wednesday night inside Pauley Pavilion, Dent finally looked like someone who could carry a team.

He did exactly that, the transfer from New Mexico helping the Bruins fend off Arizona State during a 90-77 victory that had his handprints all over it.

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UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

USC WINS AT HOME BUT LOSES RICE

From Ryan Kartje: Through a near-perfect nonconference slate, no matter what was thrown USC’s way, whether injuries or other unforeseen circumstances, the Trojans had never lacked for life on the court. It was that endless energy that had helped power them to a 10-1 start.

But for a while Wednesday, that vigor was conspicuously absent against Texas San Antonio, a team that lost four of its last five. Maybe it was the setting, in a mostly empty and eerily quiet Galen Center. Maybe it was the bad news from earlier in the day, as USC announced that point guard Rodney Rice would undergo shoulder surgery and miss the rest of the season.

Whatever it was, USC was eventually able to shake it off Wednesday night, turning a deficit late in the first half to a convincing, 97-70 victory over San Antonio in the second.

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USC box score

Big Ten standings

UCLA-USC TRANSFER TRACKER

From Ben Bolch and Ryan Kartje: A look at all the players who are transferring in and out of UCLA and USC in the NCAA transfer portal ahead of the 2026 college football season.

Wednesday’s updates:

Leaving UCLA: Salem Abdul-Wahab | Long Snapper

Leaving USC: Devan Thompkins | Defensive tackle

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LAKERS DEFENSE NEEDS STAR POWER

From Broderick Turner: They saw how “contagious” it was when playing defense at a high level against the Suns and how Jarred Vanderbilt lit the fuse to ignite things for the Lakers in their last victory over Phoenix.

And for the Lakers to maintain that defensive mindset, stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James also have to be committed to that end of the court.

That was the message from Lakers coach JJ Redick to Doncic and James.

“Yeah, it was good,” Doncic said. “We talked about a lot, not just that, but he was right. You got to get a little big more, especially from the star players. So that’s on us. That’s on me. And we just got to give more, especially at the start of the game. We got to start the game better. But I think in Phoenix, we did a pretty good job. The plan was focused on ourselves and [our] defensive mentality, so I think we did a pretty good job.”

The Lakers will be tested again on defense by the Utah Jazz Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

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NBA standings

A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM DONCIC

From Broderick Turner: Luka Doncic was back at it again, this time surprising the Lakers and staff members with more than 100 e-bikes for Christmas gifts.

Doncic, who took his teammates to a Porsche Driving Experience in October as a way to bond, gave the gifts away Tuesday after practice.

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NACUA CALLS FOUL ON REFS

From Chuck Schilken: Puka Nacua thinks NFL referees are “the worst.”

He feels they fabricate calls just so their friends can see them on TV.

But, to be honest, the Rams star receiver doesn’t seem too upset about the situation.

During a livestream Tuesday with YouTubers N3on and Adin Ross, Nacua was asked if he thought referees might bend the truth at times when making their calls.

“Oh, a hundred percent,” Nacua answered matter-of-factly. “Yes, the refs are the worst.”

The third-year player continued in the same casual manner, saying that NFL officials are generally part-time employees who probably get a thrill when they appear on screen during national broadcasts — even if it’s while making a call.

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MCVAY, RAMS FACE A CHALLENGE IN SEATTLE

From Gary Klein: Sean McVay might truly qualify as sleepless in Seattle.

After the Rams’ victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the Rams coach left SoFi Stadium for the hospital and the birth of his second son, who arrived Monday morning. Then McVay game-planned for Thursday night’s showdown with the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.

Asked this week if he had slept much in the aftermath of the newborn’s arrival, the notoriously early-rising McVay chuckled.

“Not really,” he said. “Even for me. … This is a good challenge.”

McVay and the Rams, who hold the top seed in the NFC and have clinched a playoff spot, will face their biggest and most important test of the season against the Seahawks.

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NFL standings

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT RAMS VS. SEAHAWKS

From Gary Klein: Kamren Kinchens loves to play against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Rams’ second-year safety has six career interceptions — four against the Seahawks.

On Thursday night, the Rams (11-3) will play the Seahawks (11-3) at Lumen Field with first-place in the NFC West and the top seed in the NFC on the line.

The Rams defense is aiming to repeat their Nov. 16 performance against the Seahawks, when they intercepted four passes by Sam Darnold in a 21-19 victory at SoFi Stadium.

Kinchens had two interceptions, cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Darious Williams one each.

“I did good so are they going to not go at me at this time?” Kinchens said, adding that he welcomes the opportunity to “get more picks. Hopefully, that’s the case.”

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HALFTIME WITH SNOOP DOGG

From Chuck Schilken: Snoop Dogg knows what you want for Christmas.

More Snoop Dogg.

The rapper and pop culture icon will perform during the halftime show at the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings game in Minneapolis on Dec. 25 as part of Netflix’s NFL Christmas Gameday streaming event.

Dubbed “Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party,” the show will feature hit songs, special guests and holiday cheer, Netflix said in a news release.

“NFL, Netflix and your uncle Snoop on Christmas Day? We’re servin’ up music, love and good vibes for the whole world to enjoy,” Snoop Dogg said in the news release. “That’s the kind of holiday magic Santa can’t fit in a bag.”

On Tuesday, Netflix dropped an announcement video for the halftime show. In what may or may not be a hint at the identity of one of the special guests, funk legend George Clinton narrates the clip. At one point, the Parliament-Funkadelic leader utters, “bow wow wow, yippie yo yippie yay” — a line from his 1982 solo hit “Atomic Dog” that Snoop has used in multiple songs.

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CRAWFORD IS LEAVING THE RING

From Jad El Reda: Terence Crawford shook the boxing world on Tuesday by announcing his retirement, an unexpected decision that brings an end to one of the most dominant careers of the modern era.

At 38, the Omaha native decided to hang up his gloves at the top, undefeated and with a legacy that places him among the all-time greats.

Crawford bids farewell with a perfect record of 42 wins, 31 of them by knockout, after more than 17 years as a professional. With his unexpected retirement, Crawford leaves behind four titles in the 168-pound weight class.

“I’m retiring from competition, not because I’ve stopped fighting, but because I’ve won another kind of battle,” Crawford said in a YouTube video. “The battle where you retire on your own terms.”

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KINGS GO WINLESS FOR FOUR

Sam Bennett scored 10 seconds into the third period, Brad Marchand had two assists and the Florida Panthers beat the Kings 3-2 on Wednesday night to sweep the two-game season series.

Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe also scored for Florida, which has won six of its last seven games. Daniil Tarasov made 27 saves for the Panthers, including a breakaway stop against the Kings’ Trevor Moore with just under five minutes left to preserve a one-goal lead.

Joel Armia and Kevin Fiala had the goals for the Kings, who fell to 0-2-2 in their last four contests. The four-game winless streak matches a season-long slide for the Kings, who were 0-2-2 from Oct. 11 through Oct. 18 as well.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1930 — Adolph Rupp coaches his first game at Kentucky, a 67-19 win over Georgetown College in Kentucky. Rupp retires in 1972 after winning 879 games and four national titles.

1949 — The Philadelphia Eagles win the NFL championship with a 14-0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

1954 — Montreal’s Maurice Richard becomes the first player in NHL history to score 400 goals during the Canadiens’ 4-2 road victory against the Chicago Black Hawks.

1961 — Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph wins The Associated Press’ female athlete of year award for the second consecutive year.

1962 — Wilt Chamberlain of the San Francisco Warriors scores 61 points in a 130-110 over the St. Louis Hawks.

1964 — Oscar Robertson of the Cincinnati Royals scores 56 points, including 18 in the final quarter, in a 111-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

1976 — Oakland quarterback Kenny Stabler scores with 14 seconds left to give the Raiders a 24-21 comeback victory over the New England Patriots in the in the AFC divisional playoffs.

1983 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores his 100th point of the season the Edmonton Oilers’ 34th game, a 7-5 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Gretzky scores two goals and has two assists to get to 100 points faster than any player in NHL history. He finishes the season with 205 points.

1995 — Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers records the fifth-highest yardage total by a receiver in NFL history with 289 yards, and catches three touchdown passes in a 37-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

1997 — Germany’s Katja Seizinger wins her sixth straight race to tie former French star Jean-Claude Killy’s World Cup record for consecutive victories.

2005 — Indianapolis, which won its first 13 games, the fourth team in NFL history to do so, loses 26-17 at home to San Diego.

2006 — Tenth-ranked Arizona State beats Texas Tech 61-45 when the second outdoor game in women’s college basketball history is called on account of rain with 4:18 to play at Chase Field, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.

2007 — Edmonton sets an NHL record by competing in its fourth straight shootout, but loses to Dallas 2-1. The Oilers, who had won the first three, lose for the second time in their 12 shootout appearances.

2008 — Steve Asmussen is the first North American trainer to win 600 Thoroughbred races in a single year as Storm Trust captures the fifth race at Delta Downs.

2011 — The Green Bay Packers’ 19-game winning streak, second-longest in NFL history, is snapped with a 19-14 loss at Kansas City.

2011 — Brittney Griner scores 12 of her 25 points in the closing run that pushes the top-ranked Baylor Lady Bears past No. 2 UConn 66-61.

2016 — New England defeats Denver 16-3 to clinch the AFC East and earn a first-round bye. It marks the eighth consecutive division title for the Patriots, the longest streak in NFL history, breaking a tie with the 1973-79 Los Angeles Rams (seven). New England is the only team in NFL history to win 13 division titles in a 14-year span.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Sam Bennett scored 10 seconds into the third period, Brad Marchand had two assists and the Florida Panthers beat the Kings 3-2 on Wednesday night to sweep the two-game season series.

Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe also scored for Florida, which has won six of its last seven games. Daniil Tarasov made 27 saves for the Panthers, including a breakaway stop against the Kings’ Trevor Moore with just under five minutes left to preserve a one-goal lead.

Joel Armia and Kevin Fiala had the goals for the Kings, who fell to 0-2-2 in their last four contests. The four-game winless streak matches a season-long slide for the Kings, who were 0-2-2 from Oct. 11 through Oct. 18 as well.

Anton Forsberg stopped 25 shots for the Kings. Armia had the only goal in the first period, and Fiala made it 3-2 when a clearing attempt by Florida deflected off his shin and went past Tarasov with 15:12 left.

The Kings had a chance in the final minutes to tie the game, after Florida’s Anton Lundell was called for high-sticking with 3:05 left. The Kings managed only one shot on the ensuing power play — about half of which was with a two-man advantage after Forsberg was pulled for an extra attacker — and the Panthers held on from there.

Bennett’s goal that gave Florida a 3-1 lead tied for the third-fastest to start any period this season.

Kirill Marchenko scored for Columbus seven seconds into a second period against Minnesota on Oct. 11; Jackson LaCombe scored for the Ducks nine seconds into a second period against Vancouver on Nov. 26; and Connor McDavid scored for Edmonton 10 seconds into a third period against Buffalo on Dec. 9.

Up next

Kings: Visit Tampa Bay on Thursday night. Panthers: Host Carolina on Friday night.

From Anthony Solorzano: FIFA announced an affordable admission pricing tier for every nation that’s qualified for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The supporter entry tier will make tickets available at a fixed price of $60 for every match, including the final, for each nation’s participating members associations.

The new tier comes after supporters’ groups from Europe called out FIFA on the dynamic pricing of tickets, which changes the value based on the popularity of the teams playing in each match.

“In total, 50% of each PMA allocation will fall within the most affordable range, namely supporter value tier (40%) and the supporter entry tier (10%),” FIFA said in a statement on Tuesday. “The remaining allocation is split evenly between the supporter standard tier and the supporter premier tier.”

FIFA will also waive the administrative fees for fans who secure participating member association tickets. But if their teams do not advance, they can seek refunds.

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FIRST, A SPECIAL DODGERS DEBATE

The Times’ very own Jack Harris, Bill Plaschke and Dylan Hernández come together — matching Christmas sweaters and all — to discuss all things Los Angeles Dodgers.

Watch it here

LAKERS’ JJ REDICK REMAINS HOPEFUL

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: In a game with 68 free throws, five technical fouls and one potential dagger three-pointer marred by an ejection, there was definitely a lot of struggle.

The thought still made JJ Redick smile.

“It’s about growth,” Redick said after the Lakers survived a slugfest against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. “It’s not about perfection.”

The Lakers (18-7) are far from perfect. They got blitzed by the San Antonio Spurs last week and gave up a 20-point lead in seven minutes in an ugly game against Phoenix. But there is still promise.

“Consistently, when they have been challenged on a very specific thing, they have responded to those challenges,” Redick said of his players.

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USC AND BROWN CANCEL MATCHUP

From Ryan Kartje: USC and Brown have mutually agreed to cancel their upcoming men’s basketball game at Galen Center on Sunday, in light of the recent mass shooting on Brown’s campus.

USC announced the cancellation on Tuesday morning while sending its support to Brown and those affected. The school said in a statement that it plans to announce a new nonconference opponent to fill the same slot on Sunday.

The matchup with Brown was slated to be USC’s nonconference finale. The Trojans have yet to lose outside of Big Ten play this season, currently standing at 9-0.

USC was set to be Brown’s first opponent since this past Sunday, when two people were killed and nine were wounded in a deadly shooting on campus.

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USC’S MAIAVA TO RETURN IN 2026

From Ryan Kartje: USC’s starting quarterback is returning for another season in 2026.

Jayden Maiava made it official Tuesday as the school announced that he had re-signed with the program for the upcoming season, his third with the Trojans.

Maiava led USC to a 9-3 record in his first full season as starter after taking over the job during the final month of the 2023 season. He threw for 3,431 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also added six scores on the ground.

Maiava struggled in each of the Trojans’ three losses on the road in 2025. But when asked about his progress last month, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley credited Maiava for leading “one of the best offenses in the country.”

“He’s been a big part of that,” Riley said. “He’s playing good. He’s still learning. He can play better. But he’s continuing to give us chances to win every week.”

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UCLA TOPPLES CAL POLY

From Anthony Solorzano: With a dominant performance on both sides of the court, including 46 rebounds and 19 steals, the UCLA women’s basketball team beat Cal Poly 115-28 on Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion.

The UCLA (10-1) defense held the Mustangs (2-8) to three points in the second quarter and forced 31 turnovers and single digit scoring in the last three quarters. The Bruins scored 59 points off turnovers. Senior Lauren Betts earned her third double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman Sienna Betts, the No. 2 recruit from the 2025 class, played her first minutes with the Bruins, sharing the court with her sister for the first time for UCLA. She scored her first field goal in the fourth to give the Bruins their first 100-point game since December 2024 against Long Beach State, which they will face on Sunday.

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UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

DUCKS FALL TO BLUE JACKETS

Adam Fantilli scored with 1:28 left in overtime to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4–3 win over the Ducks on Tuesday night, breaking a five-game losing streak.

Zach Werenski scored twice and added an assist in his 600th NHL game, Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist, and Kent Johnson added two assists. Jet Greaves stopped 24 shots for his first win since Nov. 20.

Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist, Ryan Strome and Jackson LaCombe also scored goals, and Ryan Poehling recorded two assists for the Ducks. Ville Husso made 24 saves as the Ducks dropped three games on their five-city trip.

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

STATUS OF RAMS’ RECEIVER UNCERTAIN

From Gary Klein: It’s going to be cold, and it could be raining on Thursday night in Seattle.

Not exactly ideal conditions for any receiver, let alone a near-33-year-old with a hamstring injury.

So while it seems doubtful that the Rams would let Davante Adams risk suffering more damage against the Seattle Seahawks, that did not stop coach Sean McVay on Tuesday from engaging in some gamesmanship.

McVay told reporters that a determination about Adams’ status would not be made until game time.

“He’s as tough as it gets,” McVay said during a videoconference with reporters, “and so want to be able to kind of see what it looks like with the time that we have.”

The Rams, of course, could use Adams, a future hall of famer who leads the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.

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FOLEY LEAVES WWE FOR ITS TRUMP TIES

From Chuck Schilken: Professional wrestling legend Mick Foley announced Tuesday that he is “parting ways with WWE” because of the organization’s ties with fellow WWE Hall of Fame inductee President Trump.

“While I have been concerned about WWE‘s close relationship with Donald Trump for several months — especially in light of his administration’s ongoing cruel and inhumane treatment of immigrants (and pretty much anyone who “looks like an immigrant”) — reading the President’s incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death is the final straw for me,” Foley, 60, wrote Tuesday on Instagram.

“I no longer wish to represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy. Last night, I informed @WWE talent relations that I would not be making any appearances for the company as long as this man remains in office.

“Additionally, I will not be signing a new Legends deal when my current one expires in June.”

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THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1933 — The Chicago Bears win the first NFL championship with a 23-21 victory over the New York Giants. The Bears score the winning touchdown on a 36-yard play that starts with a short pass from Bronko Nagurski to Bill Hewitt, who then laterals to Bill Kerr for the score.

1944 — National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, NYC: Green Bay Packers beat New York Giants, 14-7 for 6th and final league title under long-time coach Curly Lambeau.

1983 — In his 352nd NHL game, Wayne Gretzky scores a goal & 5 assists in 8-1 rout of Quebec Nordiques to record his 800th point and 500th assist; averages 2.27 points, 1.42 assists, 0.85 goals per game to start career.

1987 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan scores 52 points to lead the Bulls to a 111-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

1991 — The Cleveland Cavaliers turn a 20-point halftime lead over Miami into the most lopsided victory in NBA history, 148-80 over the Heat. The 68-point margin eclipses the mark of 63 set March 19, 1972, when the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 162-99.

1993 — Julio Cesar Chavez secures his place in boxing history, retaining his WBC super lightweight title with a fifth-round victory over Britain’s Andy Holligan. It’s the 27th time Chavez fought for a title without a loss since 1984, breaking Joe Louis’ mark of 26.

1993 — Virgil Hill becomes the most successful light heavyweight in boxing history, winning a record 15th title defense with a unanimous decision over Guy Waters of Australia. Hill, the WBA champion for five of the last six years, had been tied with Bob Foster, who held light heavyweight titles from 1968 to 1974.

2000 — Terrell Owens catches an NFL-record 20 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 17-0 victory over Chicago. Jeff Garcia completes 36 of 44 passes for 402 yards and two touchdowns for the 49ers.

2005 — John Ruiz loses the WBA heavyweight title, dropping a disputed majority decision to 7-foot Nikolay Valuev of Russia in Berlin. Valuev, the first Russian heavyweight champion, also becomes the tallest and heaviest (323 pounds) champion of all-time.

2006 — LaDainian Tomlinson breaks Paul Hornung’s 46-year-old NFL single-season scoring record on a 15-yard run in the first quarter of San Diego’s game against Kansas City. The touchdown run gives him 180 points, breaking Hornung’s record of 176 set with the Green Bay Packers in 1960.

2006 — Gilbert Arenas sets a franchise record with 60 points, 16 of them in overtime, to lead Washington to a 147-141 victory over the Lakers.

2013 — Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scores 21 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers and No. 1 Connecticut beat second-ranked Duke 83-61. Breanna Stewart has 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies as coach Geno Auriemma earns his 850th career win.

2016 — Donnel Pumphrey breaks the NCAA career rushing record in his college finale, running for 115 yards and a touchdown in San Diego State’s 34-10 victory over Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl. Pumphrey passes former Wisconsin star Ron Dayne’s mark of 6,397 yards on a 15-yard run early in the fourth quarter and wraps up his sensational career in his Nevada hometown with 6,405 yards. Pumphrey’s senior total of 2,133 yards rushing ranks in the top 10 for a FBS player.

2016 — Malik Monk scores a Kentucky freshman record 47 points and hits the go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds left to lead the sixth-ranked Wildcats past No. 7 North Carolina 103-100 in a thrilling showdown of traditional powers.

2022 — Minnesota Vikings recover from 33-0 down at halftime to beat Indianapolis Colts, 39-36 in overtime at US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN; biggest comeback in NFL history.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: LA28 announced the next step in its ticketing plan for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games on Monday as ticket registration will open on Jan. 14.

Fans can start registering for tickets on Jan. 14 at la28.org, and the registration will remain open until March 18. All who sign up will be entered into a random draw to receive a time slot to purchase tickets. While registering, fans will enter their zip codes, and those who live in the Los Angeles and Oklahoma City areas near venues will be eligible to access the first time slots reserved for locals.

“The goal there is to make sure that we’re getting tickets into the hands, not just the fans, but of the local fans,” said Allison Katz-Mayfield, LA28’s senior vice president of Games delivery revenue. “Those that are going to be closest to the Games, really helping us host these Games in some ways.”

The 2028 Olympics will feature the largest Games schedule in history, with 36 sports and 11,198 athletes. The majority of the Games will be held in L.A., including major sports zones in downtown, Exposition Park and the Sepulveda Basin, but cities including Carson, Inglewood and Long Beach will also have multiple venues. Oklahoma City will host the softball and canoe slalom events at existing facilities.

Continue reading here

Tyler Skaggs trial update

From Steve Henson: Four years after the family of deceased Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs filed a wrongful death suit against the Angels, and two months into often contentious testimony in an Orange County Superior Court courtroom, jurors are set to begin deliberations on whether Skaggs’ widow and parents deserve hundreds of millions of dollars.

During closing statements Monday, plaintiffs lawyer Daniel Dutko argued that the Angels were negligent in failing to supervise Eric Kay, the drug-addicted team communications director who gave Skaggs the fentanyl that killed him in 2019.

However, Angels lawyer Todd Theodora insisted that Skaggs was a selfish, secretive opioid addict who for years manipulated Kay into obtaining drugs for him. Theodora told the jury that he didn’t believe the Angels owe the Skaggs family an award.

Continue reading here

Clippers lose again

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 21 of his 31 points in the first half and Cam Spencer added a career-high 27 points as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Clippers 121-103 on Monday night.

Jaylen Wells scored 16 points and rookie Cedric Coward had 12 as the Grizzlies earned a victory over the Clippers for the third time in less than three weeks. Ja Morant also scored 12 points for Memphis in his second game since returning from a calf injury.

Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points and Kris Dunn added 17 for the Clippers, who have lost 12 of their last 14 games.

James Harden was held to 13 points, while John Collins and Jordan Miller each had 10 for Los Angeles in its eighth straight home loss. The Clippers last won in their own building on Oct. 31.

Continue reading here

Clippers box score

NBA standings

Some Trojans won’t play in Alamo Bowl

From Steve Galluzzo: After Monday afternoon’s practice at Howard Jones Field, USC coach Lincoln Riley addressed the media for the first time since the Trojans’ victory over crosstown rival UCLA on Nov. 29.

USC (9-3), ranked No. 16 in the AP poll, is preparing to play Texas Christian (9-4) on Dec. 30 in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. USC finished 7-2 in its second season in the Big Ten and won four of its last five games, the only setback during that stretch being a 42-27 loss to Oregon, which is the No. 5 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Riley announced that safety Kamari Ramsey, receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, tight end Lake McRee and linebacker Eric Gentry will not play in the Alamo Bowl. Lane declared for the NFL draft on Monday.

“Anthony Lucas and Bishop Fitzgerald want to play in the game but are dealing with injuries and trying to get back … we’ll see how that goes,” Riley said. “Kilian O’Connor and Elijah Paige and Jahkeem Stewart all had surgery and will be ready to roll.”

Continue reading here

LAFC introduces new coach

From Kevin Baxter: Moments after Marc Dos Santos was formally introduced as the third head coach in LAFC history, he was led out of a news conference and onto the field at BMO Stadium to meet the most important constituency he’ll have to win over in his new job.

The fans.

Since the club entered MLS in 2018, no team has won more games, scored more goals, earned more points or won more trophies than LAFC. Yet as Dos Santos, a top assistant for five of those eight seasons, was hugging and mugging with some of the people who are soon to become his fiercest critics, another supporter approached general manager John Thorrington with a question.

“How do you separate [him] being a part of that coaching staff and telling the fans ‘look, it’s going to be different with this person?’” he asked.

Continue reading here

Kings lose, Kuemper injured

Mikko Rantanen, Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston had a goal and an assist each and Casey DeSmith tied a Dallas record with his 11th consecutive game earning points as the Stars rallied past the Kings 4-1 on Monday night.

Oskar Back scored his first NHL winning goal for the Stars, who are second in the overall standings and avoided their first three-game losing streak since mid-October.

Kings goalie Anton Forsberg stopped 17 shots, entering play with four minutes left in the first period after starter Darcy Kuemper was hit high by Rantanen and sustained an upper-body injury.

Continue reading here

Kings summary

NHL standings

Ducks beat Rangers

Cutter Gauthier scored the go-ahead goal six minutes into the third period and got his second on an empty-netter, Lukas Dostal stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced, and the Ducks beat the New York Rangers 4-1 on Monday night to end a two-game losing streak.

Gauthier’s first goal with one second left on a power play came off a perfectly placed pass from rookie Beckett Sennecke. Igor Shesterkin barely had a chance to react.

Continue reading here

Ducks summary

NHL standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1918 — Jack Dempsey knocks out Carl Morris in 14 seconds in a heavyweight bout in New Orleans.

1930 — Golfer Bobby Jones wins the first James E. Sullivan Award. The award is given to “the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.”

1940 — Joe Louis knocks out Al McCoy in the sixth round at the Boston Garden to retain the world heavyweight title.

1945 — The Cleveland Rams beat the Washington Redskins 15-14 for the NFL championship. The deciding play turns out to be a first-quarter automatic safety when the Redskins’ Sammy Baugh passes from his own end zone and the wind carries the ball into the goal post.

1967 — Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scores 68 points in a 143-123 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

1973 — O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills rushes for 200 yards in a 34-14 victory over the New York Jets and sets an NFL record with 2,003 yards rushing for the season. Simpson needed 61 yards to break Jim Brown’s NFL single season rushing record of 1,863 yards set in 1963.

1990 — Warren Moon passes for a 527 yards — the second-greatest passing day in NFL history — as the Houston Oilers beat Kansas City 27-10.

2003 — New Orleans Saints receiver Joe Horn is fined $30,000 by the NFL for making a choreographed cell-phone call in the end zone to celebrate a touchdown during the Saints’ 45-7 rout of the New York Giants on Dec. 14.

2006 — Morten Andersen becomes the greatest scorer in NFL history. The 46-year-old Andersen breaks Gary Anderson’s career scoring record of 2,434 points with the second of four extra points in the Atlanta Falcons’ 38-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

2007 — Brett Favre passes for 227 yards in Green Bay’s 33-14 win over St. Louis, eclipsing Dan Marino to become the NFL career leader in yards passing. Favre, in his 17th season, finishes the game with 61,405 yards. Marino had 61,361 in 17 seasons.

2007 — Kikkan Randall becomes the first U.S. woman and second American to win a World Cup cross-country skiing race when she defeats world sprint champion Astrid Jacobsen of Norway in the final meters of a 1.2-kilometer freestyle race. Randall is the first American to win a World Cup cross-country race since Bill Koch in 1983.

2010 — American Ryan Lochte sets the first individual swimming world record since high-tech bodysuits were banned, winning the 400-meter individual medley at the short-course world championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

2012 — Ryan Lochte wins two more races at the short-course world championships in Istanbul, finishing the event with six golds and one silver. The result matches his medal total from the last championships, in Dubai in 2010.

2013 — Justin Tucker makes six field goals, including a 61-yarder in the final minute, to give the Baltimore Ravens an 18-16 win over the Detroit Lions.

2014 — Nick Bjugstad scores the game-winning goal in the longest shootout in NHL history to lift the Florida Panthers over the Washington Capitals 2-1. Bjugstad’s goal comes in the 20th round of a shootout — on the 40th shot — and beats Braden Holtby on the right side.

2016 — James Harden gets his sixth triple-double of the season and the Houston Rockets make an NBA-record 24 3-pointers in a 122-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

2019 — Drew Brees breaks Peyton Manning’s NFL record (539) for career touchdown passes as New Orleans Saints rout Indianapolis Colts, 34-7; Brees 29 of 30 for 307 yards & 4 TDs for record 96.7% pass completion.

2020 — Major League Baseball announces it is elevating the Negro Leagues to Major League status

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

DALLAS — Mikko Rantanen, Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston had a goal and an assist each and Casey DeSmith tied a Dallas record with his 11th consecutive game earning points as the Stars rallied past the Kings 4-1 on Monday night.

Oskar Back scored his first NHL winning goal for the Stars, who are second in the overall standings and avoided their first three-game losing streak since mid-October.

DeSmith made 27 saves and is 8-0-3 after losing his first start of the season, matching Ed Belfour’s 8-0-3 run during the 1998-99 season.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored an unassisted five-on-three goal for the Kings, who have lost their last three games and five of seven.

Kings goalie Anton Forsberg stopped 17 shots, entering play with four minutes left in the first period after starter Darcy Kuemper was hit high by Rantanen and sustained an upper-body injury.

L.A. was also without Quinton Byfield and Phillip Danault because of illness.

Duchene’s redirection at the net tied the score 1-1 late in the second period and was his first point in five games since missing 24 games following a concussion in mid-October.

Duchene’s goal came about four minutes after Kuzmenko opened the scoring.

Rantanen skated with the puck from Dallas’ defensive zone and gave Dallas a 3-1 lead with 3:49 to play. Johnston added an empty-netter in the final minute.

Kuemper left after the hit from Rantanen, who skated into the crease with the puck while manned by Brian Dumoulin. Johnston scored seconds after the collision, but the play was ruled goalie interference. Kuemper was soon led off the ice, having made five saves.

Four of Kuzmenko’s five goals this season are power-play goals on a team whose power play ranks last in the NHL at 14.7%.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. The high school football season has ended. That means it’s time for quarterbacks and others to transfer and lots of coach resignations and firings. Let’s examine the yearly ritual.

Change is coming

Welcome to December, when high school football programs start undergoing changes, with players and coaches deciding to come and go. JSerra, St. Francis, Bishop Alemany, Oaks Christian and Bishop Montgomery are private schools that pretty much got rid of their head coaches and have openings. Long Beach Poly, the most well-known public school in California, is advertising for a new coach after firing its coach following a season in which games were forfeited because of multiple ineligible players.

The question these days is what do principals/school presidents want from their football program besides winning and how do they want the coaches to execute that vision without breaking CIF rules?

Everyone knows recruiting is illegal as far as offering inducements to attend a school. There are no athletic scholarships allowed (wink, wink it’s called financial aid), Boosters and schools can’t set up NIL deals for players. Schools and boosters aren’t allowed to provide housing or jobs for parents as part of a deal for the child to attend.

In fact, many of these scenarios have been happening in the hope of chasing championships.

Whether it’s a public or private school, the people in charge must decide how high their ambitions are and how close to passing the gray line will they permit. People are starting to get caught. More than 40 students this season were declared ineligible by the Southern Section for providing false information on transfer paperwork. The players and their parents didn’t come out looking good and schools were equally at fault for failing to do their due diligence.

It’s OK for athletic directors to say no on transfers that look suspicious, but who’s really going to say no to a top quarterback? There’s nothing wrong with switching schools as long as rules are followed. Taking shortcuts with fake addresses and having assistants scout and make contact through parents, players or social media doesn’t pass muster.

So all the schools changing coaches and trying to rebuild or avoid rebuilding through the transfer portal, beware. The tricks of the trade are being exposed. AI is helping uncover cheaters. Maybe administrators should start offering a vision to focus on building a program from within and developing your own players.

Anyway, prepare for transferring to commence. It’s has become a rite of passage in high school sports, just like the college transfer portal.

State championships

Trent Mosley of Santa Margarita holds the CIF state championship Open Division trophy after beating De La Salle.

(Craig Weston)

Santa Margarita was unbeatable in the postseason, so much that first-year coach Carson Palmer said he wished his team could keep playing after the Eagles’ 47-13 win over De La Salle in the CIF state championship Open Division final. Here’s the report.

It was a tough weekend for Southern Section teams not named Santa Margarita. Oxnard Pacifica lost to Fresno Central East 42-28 in the 1-A final. Here’s the report.

Rio Hondo Prep’s dream of a 16-0 season ended with a 35-10 loss to Sonora in the 2-A final. Here’s the report.

Barstow was the only other Southern Section team to win a state title.

Here’s the complete results.

Boys basketball

Rancho Verde players get excited during tournament game against Etiwanda.

(Nick Koza)

Lots of teams are headed to Las Vegas this week for the Tarkanian Classic while others are taking trips to Hawaii.

Continuing to make a move is unbeaten Etiwanda, which won the North Orange County tournament championship, beating Heritage Christian in the final. The real event was Etiwanda and coach Danny Ryan facing Rancho Verde and coach Braydon Bortolamedi in the semifinals. Both trained under former Etiwanda coach Dave Kleckner, so their teams were using identical warm-up routines and focusing on Kleckner’s philosophy, defense first. Etiwanda won 63-57.

Mater Dei picked up the 1,300th win in the career of coach Gary McKnight.

Jason Crowe Jr. of Inglewood gets emotional with his grandfather, Kenneth, and mother Irene, after setting career scoring record against Beverly Hills.

(Nick Koza)

Inglewood guard Jason Crowe Jr. set a state record for most points scored in a career. Here’s a report.

St. John Bosco won its own tournament championship behind MVP Christian Collins, who scored 30 points in a win over La Mirada. The Braves are 8-0.

Freshman Will Conroy of Village Christian scored 38 points in a win over Chatsworth.

Grant Shaw, the son of Oak Park coach Aaron Shaw, made a game-winning basket to beat Agoura. Here’s the report.

Here’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

Girls basketball

Jerzy Robinson, one of the top players in the state, made her season debut for Sierra Canyon last week after being sidelined with an injury.

Sage Hill, one of the top programs in the Southern Section, has replaced coach Kerwin Walters, sending shock waves through the coaching profession. It was first reported by the Orange County Register.

Running on the street

A car driven by a suspected driver under the influence slammed into and injured seven Anaheim High runners going out on a training session near campus last week.

It raised questions once again about high school athletes and others training on the streets of Southern California.

Here’s a look at one former athlete who was struck by a car when he was at Monroe High and how he views this latest incident.

Soccer

Loyola knocked off Cathedral in a battle of downtown Los Angeles boys soccer programs. Here’s the report.

Amber Ramirez had two goals as Cleveland defeated Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 2-0 in a big girls soccer match.

Notes . . .

Vinnie Lopez is the new football coach at Anaheim Canyon. He has lots of head coaching experience, including at Garden Grove Pacifica. . . .

After eight years as football coach at Oaks Christian, Charlie Collins and the school have parted ways. It creates another private-school opening that includes JSerra, St. Francis, Bishop Alemany and Bishop Montgomery. . . .

Todd Butler has resigned after five seasons as football coach at West Torrance to become offensive coordinator at El Camino College. . . .

Michael Calahan has resigned after six seasons as football coach at Aliso Niguel. . . .

Arlin Slayton has resigned as football coach at Rosemead. . . .

Harvard-Westlake’s power-hitting Jake Kim has committed to UCLA. He’s from the class of 2027. . . .

Junior pitcher Aiden Rae of JSerra has committed to UCLA. . . .

La Salle girls basketball player Casey Higgins has committed to Cal State Los Angeles. . . .

The All-CIF girls volleyball teams were announced. Here’s the link. . . .

There will be an all-star football game on Saturday at Simi Valley High. Here’s the information.

Former Los Alamitos receiver Makai Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top receiver playing for USC.

From the archives: Jeff Kent

Former Dodger and Edison grad Jeff Kent was voted into the Hall of Fame by era committee.

(Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)

The newest member of baseball’s Hall of Fame is Jeff Kent, who graduated from Edison High in Huntington Beach in 1986, went to Cal, then played 17 years in the major leagues.

Here’s a story from 1986 in which Kent got dropped from Edison when he disagreed with a position change.

Here’s a story from 1992 when Kent addressed his Edison days.

Recommendations

From the Washington Post, a story on a 6-foot-11 high school basketball player who reclassified trying to speed up a potential NBA career.

From the Seattle Times, a story on a high school football player who led his team to a state championship but might have hurt his college chances by playing running back instead of linebacker in a selfless decision.

From the Washington Post, a story on how self promotion in high school sports has become part of the recruiting experience.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.

He spoke of the importance of athletics to the institution, of the way they bring people together and showcase excellence.

The remarks weren’t nearly as remarkable as the person doing the speaking.

UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk.

In recent years, the school’s chancellors had distanced themselves from athletics as if they were a distasteful part of the job. Gene Block would show up at the occasional football or basketball game but never granted interview requests or spoke at coaches’ introductions. He did once attach his name to a statement that misspelled the last name of newly hired football coach Rick Neuheisel.

It’s believed that the last UCLA chancellor to speak at a coach’s introduction was Albert Carnesale in 2003 upon the hiring of Karl Dorrell.

All of which makes Frenk’s appearance, not to mention his speaking for nearly five minutes Tuesday inside a Luskin Center ballroom, all the more extraordinary. Frenk was there to welcome Bob Chesney, the new football coach who has quickly galvanized a long-suffering fan base with his passion and willingness to immediately poke rival USC by proclaiming that UCLA would soon become “the school in town.”

Frenk had UCLA fans at hello.

What he said next was even more encouraging.

“Athletics are the front porch of the university, one of the most visible signals of what we stand for,” Frenk said. “Athletics connect us across generations and geographies with students and alumni, friends as well as strangers. These things are extremely important and help build community and all of that is coming true at UCLA.”

There was also a reference to one word — alignment — that athletic director Martin Jarmond and Chesney would later echo in their remarks.

“Winning in college football requires a unified approach across all of the university — university leadership and athletics are aligned and committed to doing the right things to build a winning program,” Frenk said.

Jarmond suggested that Frenk was willing to help in a way that his predecessor was not — a slightly curious idea given Block’s willingness to support the move to the Big Ten Conference and approve Jarmond’s contract extension, but it seemed that Jarmond’s larger point was about increased institutional support for the football program under the new chancellor.

“What I’m excited and really enthused about,” Jarmond said, “is we have alignment in a way that we have not had in the past. We have a great chancellor in Chancellor Frenk that understands the importance of athletics, bringing communities together, engaging alumni, wanting our student-athletes to be successful and understanding the commitment it takes at the university level for a football program to be competitive. We have investment now, and we have leadership and vision. I don’t always feel we’ve had all of those together.”

Without question, Frenk’s early visibility has already set a new, welcome tone from inside Murphy Hall.

His comments were heartening for anyone who cares about UCLA athletics because they show he’s not only paying attention but also willing to do his part — one that’s essential — to support the operation.

Suggestion box

Mick Cronin

(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)

It probably shouldn’t take a public-records request to find out that a high-profile UCLA coach — who at the time was the state of California’s second-highest paid public employee behind since-fired Cal football coach Justin Wilcox — received a new contract seven months earlier.

But that’s the reality of the situation after a Times records request led to the disclosure of Mick Cronin’s new deal that will pay the Bruins men’s basketball coach $4.5 million a year as part of a contract running through the end of the 2029-30 season.

The reasoning given for the lack of disclosure was the fiscal situation facing the school at the time, including the prospect of federal funding cuts.

Appearances are important, yes. But so are integrity and transparency.

This is the second time in the last two years that UCLA has signed one of its biggest figures inside the athletic department to a new deal while staying mum. Jarmond’s contract extension was signed in the spring of 2024 and not announced until the following November — after the football team had won three consecutive games, alleviating a significant amount of pressure that Jarmond was facing for the hiring of football coach DeShaun Foster.

The bottom line is this: UCLA is a public institution that should pride itself on accountability, and if you aren’t willing to openly divulge any significant move that you make, then maybe you shouldn’t be making it.

Chesney moves

While the transfer portal doesn’t open until Jan. 2, Chesney provided some early insight into his possible approach in rebuilding his first UCLA roster.

Upon his arrival at James Madison, Chesney said he had a center, guard and a punter come back from the previous team and added roughly 60 players in the transfer portal to help the Dukes win their first bowl game in the history of the school. The next year, the Dukes added about 50 players through the transfer portal and made the College Football Playoff.

What might that mean for his work with the Bruins?

“That will have to be determined by our team when we get that fully assembled and moving forward next year,” Chesney said. “But then whatever our expectations are is where we build our standards and then the day-to-day process. But I see zero reason why, you know, we cannot be competing, cannot be competing for a championship.”

Chesney has begun to assemble his staff, reportedly agreeing to bring James Madison offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy with him and hiring Florida State general manager Darrick Yray in an identical post with the Bruins as part of his efforts to bring in staffers with West Coast ties.

Yray had spent seven seasons in a variety of roles at Oregon State, rising to the role of director of player personnel. Before that, Yray had worked for four seasons as an offensive assistant and three as assistant director of football operations at Fresno State, his alma mater.

Basketball blues?

Cronin’s teams usually get better over the course of the season, even in down years. So it would be folly to foretell of a lost season for the Bruins in mid-December.

But the big question facing UCLA (7-3) at this pivotal point is whether this season has any upside beyond being a bubble team that loses in the first or second round of the NCAA tournament.

As currently constructed, UCLA has so many issues that it’s hard to imagine a different outcome.

A tentative Donovan Dent has not been much of an upgrade over a tentative Dylan Andrews at point guard. Eric Dailey Jr. takes too many jumpers while drifting in and out of games. Tyler Bilodeau can really score but continues to be somewhat limited defensively despite his best efforts. The thought of what the departed Aday Mara and William Kyle III aren’t doing for this team in the post haunts Bruins fans on a daily basis.

What’s far more worrisome is that the talent level isn’t elite — can you really foresee anyone on this roster forging a long NBA career? — and a coach known for defense doesn’t have enough athletic, relentless players to construct a good defense.

Local high school recruiting has all but dried up and Cronin made another reference to needing more money to bring in players after donors shelled out a massive amount last spring to land Dent.

None of it portends an encouraging trajectory for a coach in his seventh season. Cronin is a developmental coach whose finest seasons came with players who were in his program for multiple years. With free agency now the only constant in the college game, it might be time for Cronin to develop a new plan for success.

Opinion time

How does the rest of the men’s basketball season play out for the Bruins?

Everything comes together and the team makes a deep NCAA tournament run
The team plays better before another early tournament exit
The bubble is burst and the team misses the tournament

Click here to vote in our survey.

Poll results

We asked, “What is your level of happiness with the Bob Chesney hire?”

After 1,340 votes, the results:

Ecstatic, couldn’t be happier, 64.7%
Guardedly optimistic, 30.3%
In wait-and-see mode, 4.1%
This is the best they could do? 0.9%

In case you missed it

UCLA gymnasts upbeat about upcoming year after strong offseason workouts

‘I’m where I want to be.’ UCLA’s Mick Cronin got a new five-year contract this summer

UCLA’s defense wilts and a key signature win slips away during loss to Gonzaga

UCLA’s Donovan Dent could be rounding into form just in time for Gonzaga showdown

‘I want to do my part.’ How Dave Roberts helped UCLA land new coach Bob Chesney

Here’s the reason Troy Aikman didn’t get thanked by that UCLA football player

Hernández: UCLA football coach Bob Chesney and the Bruins share why they believe he will win

‘We can win here.’ Bob Chesney gives a bold vision for success as UCLA’s coach

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email me at ben.bolch@latimes.com, and follow me on X @latbbolch. To order an autographed copy of my book, “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” send me an email. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.