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From Dan Woike: Old engines take longer to warm up.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ veterans who carry the most responsibility and the heaviest burdens, weren’t good enough for the first 48 minutes.
Well, the first 47 minutes and 59.2 seconds.
With 0.8 left in regulation, James hit a high-arching bank shot to force overtime, and with extra minutes to make the previous four quarters right, James and Davis took over, scoring the Lakers’ first nine points in a 117-111 overtime victory over the Grizzlies.
James punctuated things with a driving score to seal it in overtime, howling and flexing at the crowd with the win about to be in his grasp.
The Lakers now travel to Memphis for Game 5 on Wednesday night, where they’ll have a chance to end the series with a victory.
James finished with 22 points and 20 rebounds, a career high. It’s first postseason 20/20 game by a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal did it in the 2004 NBA Finals.
Monday, a moment when the Lakers first-round series could swing in one direction or the other, had to mostly be played in staccato. There were too many fouls, too many whistles, too many missed shots and too many mistakes to provide the game with meaningful flow.
That meant the Lakers and the Grizzlies had to win moments, basketball at its most granular, each box out, each dribble, each decision vital to grabbing the minimal amounts of momentum that were available down the stretch.
D’Angelo Russell provided one of those stretches, hitting three three-point shots in short order in the fourth to energize the nervous crowd. Austin Reaves had it at moments, as did Jarred Vanderbilt, Dennis Schroder and Troy Brown Jr.
Reaves even led the Lakers with 23 points as Davis could only scratch together 12.
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CLIPPERS
From Andrew Greif: Clippers star Kawhi Leonard did not participate in practice Monday because he was receiving treatment on the sprained right knee that has sidelined him the last two games of the team’s first-round series against the Phoenix Suns, coach Tyronn Lue said.
Asked whether receiving treatment left open the door for a return in Tuesday’s Game 5 in Phoenix, Lue said that “there’s always a possibility.”
The Clippers later listed Leonard as out for Game 5 on the evening injury report.
Phoenix leads the seven-game series 3-1.
It was not until before Game 3 that the Clippers acknowledged Leonard had injured the knee in the series opener and aggravated it in Game 2. He has watched Clippers losses in the third and fourth games of the series from the sideline.
NBA PLAYOFFS
Results, schedule
All times Pacific
Western Conference
No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 7 Lakers
Game 1: Lakers 128, at Memphis 112
Game 2: at Memphis 103, Lakers 93
Game 3: at Lakers 111, Memphis 101
Game 4: at Lakers 117, Memphis 111 (OT)
Wednesday at Memphis, 4:30 p.m., TNT
*Friday at Lakers, TBD
*Sunday at Memphis, TBD
No. 4 Phoenix vs. No. 5 Clippers
Game 1: Clippers 115, at Phoenix 110
Game 2: at Phoenix 123, Clippers 109
Game 3: Phoenix 129, at Clippers 124
Game 4: Phoenix 112, at Clippers 100
Tonight at Phoenix, 7 p.m., TNT
*Thursday at Clippers, TBD
*Saturday at Phoenix, TBD
No. 1 Denver vs. No. 8 Minnesota
Game 1: at Denver 109, Minnesota 80
Game 2: at Denver 122, Minnesota 113
Game 3: Denver 120, at Minnesota 111
Game 4: at Minnesota 114, Denver 108
Tonight at Denver, 6 p.m., NBA TV
*Thursday at Minnesota, TBD
*Saturday at Denver, TBD
No. 3 Sacramento vs. No. 6 Golden State
Game 1: at Sacramento 126, Golden State 123
Game 2: at Sacramento 114, Golden State 106
Game 3: at Golden State 114, Sacramento 97
Game 4: at Golden State 126, Sacramento 125
Wednesday at Sacramento, 7 p.m., TNT
Friday at Golden State, TBD
*Sunday at Sacramento, TBD
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 8 Miami
Game 1: Miami 130, at Milwaukee 117
Game 2: at Milwaukee 138, Miami 122
Game 3: at Miami 121, Milwaukee 99
Game 4: at Miami 119, Milwaukee 114
Wednesday at Milwaukee, 6:30 p.m., NBA TV
*Friday at Miami, TBD
*Sunday at Milwaukee, TBD
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 7 Atlanta
Game 1: at Boston 112, Atlanta 99
Game 2: at Boston 119, Atlanta 106
Game 3: at Atlanta 130, Boston 122
Game 4: Boston 129, at Atlanta 121
Today at Boston, 4:30 p.m., TNT
*Thursday at Atlanta, TBD
*Saturday at Boston, TBD
No. 3 Philadelphia vs. No. 6 Brooklyn
Game 1: at Philadelphia 121, Brooklyn 101
Game 2: at Philadelphia 96, Brooklyn 84
Game 3: Philadelphia 102, at Brooklyn 97
Game 4: Philadelphia 96, at Brooklyn, 88
No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 New York
Game 1: New York 101, at Cleveland 97
Game 2: at Cleveland 107, New York 90
Game 3: at New York 99, Cleveland 79
Game 4: at New York 102, Cleveland 93
Wednesday at Cleveland, 4 p.m., NBA TV
*Game 6 at New York, TBD
*Game 7 at Cleveland, TBD
*-if necessary
KINGS
From Kevin Baxter: For Kings coach Todd McLellan, there are lessons to be learned from his team’s loss Sunday in Game 4 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers.
The most obvious one, of course, is don’t let a three-goal first-period lead get away. But that’s not the only one.
“There’s some things that we have to fix. And there’s some things that we have fixed,” McLellan said Monday before the Kings left for Edmonton, where the best-of-seven series resumes Tuesday with the teams even at two wins apiece. “You have to keep reinforcing the positives. ‘Look what happens when we do certain things. It’s working for us’.
NHL PLAYOFFS
Results, schedule
All times Pacific
Western Conference
Edmonton [P2] vs. Kings [P3]
Game 1: Kings 4, at Edmonton 3 (OT)
Game 2: at Edmonton 4, Kings 2
Game 3: at Kings 3, Edmonton 2 (OT)
Game 4: Edmonton 5, at Kings 4 (OT)
Tonight at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday at Kings, TBD
*Monday at Edmonton TBD
Colorado [C1] vs. Seattle [WC1]
Game 1: Seattle 3, at Colorado 1
Game 2: at Colorado 3, Seattle 2
Game 3: Colorado 6, at Seattle 4
Game 4: at Seattle
Wednesday at Colorado, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Friday at Seattle, TBD
*Sunday at Colorado, TBD
Dallas [C2] vs. Minnesota [C3]
Game 1: Minnesota 3, at Dallas 2 (2OT)
Game 2: at Dallas 7, Minnesota 3
Game 3: at Minnesota 5, Dallas 1
Game 4: Dallas 3, at Minnesota 2
Today at Dallas, 5 p.m., TBS
Friday at Minnesota, TBD
*Sunday at Dallas, TBD
Vegas [P1] vs. Winnipeg [WC2]
Game 1: Winnipeg 5, at Vegas 1
Game 2: at Vegas 5, Winnipeg 2
Game 3: Vegas 5, at Winnipeg 4 (2 OT)
Game 4: Vegas 4, at Winnipeg 2
Thursday at Vegas, 7 p.m., ESPN2
*Saturday at Winnipeg, TBD
*Monday at Vegas, TBD
Eastern Conference
Boston [A1] vs. Florida [WC2]
Game 1: at Boston 3, Florida 1
Game 2: Florida 6, at Boston 3
Game 3: Boston 4, at Florida 2
Game 4: Boston 6, at Florida 2
Wednesday at Boston, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Friday at Florida, TBD
*Sunday at Boston, TBD
Toronto [A2] vs. Tampa Bay [A3]
Game 1: Tampa Bay 7, at Toronto 3
Game 2: at Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 2
Game 3: Toronto 4, at Tampa Bay 3 (OT)
Game 4: Toronto 5, at Tampa Bay 4 (OT)
Thursday at Toronto, 4 p.m., TBS
*Saturday at Tampa Bay, TBD
*Monday at Toronto, TBD
Carolina [M1] vs. NY Islanders [WC1]
Game 1: at Carolina 2, NY Islanders 1
Game 2: at Carolina 4, NY Islanders 3 (OT)
Game 3: at NY Islanders 5, Carolina 1
Game 4: Carolina 5, at NY Islanders 2
Today at Carolina, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Friday at NY Islanders, TBD
*Sunday at Carolina, TBD
New Jersey [M2] vs. NY Rangers [M3]
Game 1: NY Rangers 5, at New Jersey 1
Game 2: NY Rangers 5, at New Jersey 1
Game 3: New Jersey 2, at NY Rangers 1 (OT)
Game 4: New Jersey 3, at NY Rangers 1
Thursday at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday at NY Rangers, TBD
*Monday at New Jersey, TBD
*-if necessary
DODGERS
From Jack Harris: Mark Prior is in his fourth season as the Dodgers pitching coach, leading a staff that has achieved an almost unparalleled stretch of success on the mound.
Over the last three seasons, the Dodgers led the majors in team ERA, WHIP and Wins Above Replacement. And despite a slow start from Prior’s group this year — the team entered Monday ranked 18th with a 4.37 ERA over its first 23 games — the 42-year-old maintains a sterling reputation, combining advanced pitching acumen with a commanding, clear-minded presence.
“I think Mark is just tough, and I really respect that,” Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw said of Prior late last year. “Sometimes, it’s not easy to deliver a message to somebody that they don’t want to hear. But [he’ll tell us], ‘Quit being soft. Or go get this guy. Or you’re not throwing strikes. Or you’re not executing.’ Like, ‘I get you’re mad, but fix it.’ And I respect that so much.”
Max Muncy and Brusdar Graterol to join wave of Dodgers on paternity leave
ANGELS
From Sarah Valenzuela: These are the games the Angels need to capitalize on in order to continue to contend in this division and this league in 2023.
José Suarez did not make the Angels’ first efforts against the Oakland Athletics in this homestand easy, putting the Angels in a 7-1 deficit they had to claw themselves out of. In the first three innings, he gave up five home runs.
Jaime Barría allowed the A’s to tie and take the lead in the 9th and 10th innings, and the Angels went on to lose to the A’s 11-10 in the extra inning.
RAMS
From Gary Klein: The Rams spent the last three months acquiring or retaining exactly zero marquee players.
A team that finished 5-12 last season essentially has done nothing to improve a roster that was ravaged by injuries and characterized by underachievement and poor decisions.
But the Rams’ austerity plan does not extend to the NFL draft, at least in terms of numbers.
With 11 picks in a draft that begins Thursday in Kansas City, Mo., they could be relying on their selections perhaps more than at any time during coach Sean McVay’s tenure.
For the seventh year in a row, the Rams do not have a first-round pick. That streak will end in 2024 if McVay and general manager Les Snead break from Rams tradition and refrain from trading it away.
CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: He doesn’t mock mock drafts. Tom Telesco, instead, participates in them.
The Chargers general manager estimated that he recently has run “25 to 30” versions through various online simulators in advance of the real thing Thursday night.
The Chargers have the 21st pick in what will be Telesco’s 11th draft as general manager. They have one selection in each of the next six rounds, as well.
During his decade-plus in charge, Telesco had drafted seven players who’ve made 17 combined Pro Bowls. Three years ago, he made his most prized pick: quarterback Justin Herbert.
A look at Telesco’s year-by-year history:
New York Jets agree to acquire Aaron Rodgers in trade with Green Bay Packers
UCLA GOLF
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Next month’s NCAA women’s golf championships will be Carrie Forsyth’s last. UCLA’s two-time national championship-winning coach announced her retirement from coaching Monday.
During her 24-year head coaching tenure, Forsyth led her alma mater to NCAA titles in 2004 and 2011 and second-place finishes in 2005, 2008 and 2009. Among 106 All-American awards for her players, she led six players to conference golfer of the year awards and guided two — Alison Lee and Bronte Law — to the ANNIKA Award, the top individual honor for Division I women’s golf. UCLA’s five Pac-12 championships under Forsyth ranks second in conference history and leads all active coaches while her six Pac-10/12 coach of the year awards are the most all-time.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1950 — Charles Cooper, an All-American from Duquesne playing with the Harlem Globetrotters, becomes the first Black person to be picked in the NBA draft when he’s taken by the Boston Celtics.
1952 — The Minneapolis Lakers, led by George Mikan’s 22 points, beat the New York Knicks 82-65 to win the NBA title in seven games.
1964 — The Toronto Maple Leafs win their third straight Stanley Cup with a 4-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the seventh game.
1965 — The Boston Celtics score 42 points on a record 21 field goals in the final quarter of Game 5 to post a 129-96 rout of the Lakers and win their seventh consecutive NBA championship.
1974 — The NFL adopts the 15-minute, sudden-death overtime to avoid ties. The league also moves the goal posts to the back of the end zones.
1985 — For the second time, Wayne Gretzky, scores seven points in a Cup game (3 goals, 4 assists).
1989 — Mario Lemieux ties NHL playoff records with four first-period goals, five overall and eight points as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat Philadelphia 10-7 to take a 3-2 lead in the Patrick Division finals.
1993 — Micheal Williams sets an NBA record for consecutive free throws with 84. He makes 10 straight as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat Utah 113-111. Calvin Murphy held the previous mark of 78 for Houston in 1981.
1993 — Pittsburgh’s NHL-record 14-game playoff winning streak and its overall 21-game unbeaten string are snapped as the New Jersey Devils beat the Penguins 4-1.
1993 — NFL Draft: Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe first pick by New England Patriots.
1995 — Major League Baseball returns after a 257-day players’ strike as the Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 8-7.
1997 — Phoenix’s Rex Chapman makes a playoff-record nine three-pointers en route to career-high 42 points in a 106-101 win at Seattle. Chapman broke the old playoff mark of eight treys set by Dan Majerle of Phoenix against Seattle on June 1, 1993.
1997 — Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 250th HR.
2000 — The San Jose Sharks, the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed, eliminate the NHL’s regular-season champions, the St. Louis Blues, with a 3-1 victory in Game 7. The Blues are the second NHL regular-season champion to get knocked out in the first round, joining the 1991 Chicago Blackhawks.
2006 — Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams is suspended for the 2006 season by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for the fourth time.
2009 — San Antonio’s Tony Parker matches George Gervin’s franchise playoff record for points in a half, scoring 31 by halftime of the Spurs’ 99-90 loss to Dallas in Game 4 of their series. Parker makes 12 of 17 shots, including two 3-pointers, to help the Spurs take a 55-51 halftime lead. Parker finishes with 43 points.
2009 — NFL Draft: Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford first pick by Detroit Lions.
2010 — Dwyane Wade sets franchise playoff records with 46 points, 30 in the second half, and Miami staves off elimination by beating Boston 101-92 in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.
2013 — Miami’s Ray Allen scores 23 points and breaks the NBA career playoff record for 3-pointers, and the Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-91 for a 3-0 lead in their first-round series. Allen’s five 3-pointers against the Bucks gives him 322 for his career, two more than Reggie Miller.
2013 — NFL Draft: Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher first pick by Kansas City Chiefs.
2014 — In a historic vote, Northwestern University football players casts secret ballots on whether to form the nation’s first union for college athletes — a decision that could change the landscape of American amateur sports.
2015 — Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko easily outpoints a game-but-outclassed Bryant Jennings in the champion’s first fight in the United States in seven years, defending his heavyweight titles with a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in New York.
2017 — In a swift response to increasing debates over television reviews, golf’s ruling bodies issue a new decision on the Rules of Golf that limits the use of video evidence and could spare players from being penalized even if they violated a rule. The decision issued — and effective immediately on all tours around the world — has two standards. Players can avoid a penalty if the violation could not be noticed with the naked eye. Rules officials also can eliminate penalties if they feel players made a “reasonable judgment” in taking a drop or replacing their golf balls on the putting green.
2017 — Trea Turner hits for the cycle and drives in a career-high seven runs, helping Washington to a 15-12 win over Colorado.
2019 — NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray #1 pick by Arizona Cardinals.
—Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally…
Trea Turner hits for the cycle. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
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