Go beyond the scoreboard
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From Broderick Turner: This was a mess from the start for the Lakers and only got messier as they lacked energy against the Sacramento Kings in their second game in two nights.
The Lakers were down by 26 points early in the fourth quarter, and this was with starters LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish on the floor with sixth man Austin Reaves.
So, that feel-good, three-game winning streak the Lakers had is no more after a 125-110 defeat Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers (6-6) made a late push with the group on the court, pulling to within nine with 3:03 left on a Reddish three-pointer.
But the Lakers turned the ball over on two consecutive trips down the court, part of their 23 miscues, and that was that.
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CLIPPERS
From Andrew Greif: Mired in a six-game losing streak, the Clippers made one move Wednesday to add to their backcourt, with another soon expected to address their lack of size in the frontcourt.
The Clippers converted guard Josh Primo from a two-way contract to a standard NBA contract, said two people with knowledge of the decision but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. According to one of the sources, Primo is signing a two-year contract, and the second year can be fully guaranteed in June.
With the Clippers’ rotation already stocked with guards and ballhandlers, the highest impact move could be one that has yet to become official. Daniel Theis, a 6-foot-8 forward, agreed to a contract buyout with Indiana on Wednesday, according to ESPN, with the intention of signing with the Clippers once his exit from the Pacers is completed. His addition would fill the team’s 15-man roster.
UCLA BASKETBALL
From Ben Bolch: Those wondering what the giant fuss was about saw it for themselves Wednesday night.
Aday Mara, UCLA’s 7-foot-3 freshman, showed why his addition to the team was such a big deal.
In the span of just a few minutes midway through the second half, Mara buried a feathery jumper, tipped in a loose ball and slipped a bounce pass between two defenders to teammate Jan Vide for a layup, wowing the crowd inside Pauley Pavilion.
Rounding into form nicely in just his third college game after a lengthy layoff from his Spanish club team, Mara recorded career highs across the board to help the Bruins make short work of Long Island during a 78-58 victory.
Mara’s 14 points on six-for-nine shooting to go with four blocks, four rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes were a welcome complement to fellow center Adem Bona’s 20 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: Coach Brandon Staley said Wednesday that he will continue to call the defensive plays for a unit that has lacked any sort of consistency.
“I think that every situation is different,” Staley said. “I think if you feel like it gives you the best chance to win — or you think that it could spark your team or something — people do that. But we don’t feel like that’s the direction that we’re going to take.”
Staley’s defense yielded 41 points and 533 total yards to Detroit on Sunday, the Lions averaging 8.3 yards per play. Though a season-worst in points, the Chargers gave up more yardage (536) in a 36-34 Week 1 loss to Miami.
This is a defense that has been last in the NFL in yards passing since that season opener and repeatedly has been gashed for explosive moments. Detroit had eight plays that gained at least 20 yards.
The refrain has been a familiar one during Staley’s tenure, the Chargers unable to correct issues that have lingered.
“We always preach that if we make a mistake, try not to make it again,” cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor said. “We sit in the film room week after week fixing the same mistakes.”
ANGELS
From Sarah Valenzuela: Ron Washington was beaming in his black suit, complete with a red tie, as he sat at a table perched on a platform in the Home Plate Club of Angel Stadium on Wednesday.
The 71-year old manager from New Orleans, the newest in Angels history, scanned the room, taking in his moment as his new general manager, Perry Minasian, boasted about him. Minasian gave him his official Angels gear and Washington affixed his newest cap to his head and meticulously buttoned each button on his newest jersey.
“Now I’m legit,” Washington said and smiled.
It had been nine years since Washington had been in this position, the manager of a major league baseball team. Now that he was back, he stated his message clearly: The Angels will be a force to be reckoned with while he’s in charge.
“Our whole focus is going to be to run the [American League] West down,” Washington said in front of a crowd of Angels players, alumni, media members and team employees. “And you can take that to the bank and deposit it.”
Column: It’s going to take a lot more than Ron Washington’s enthusiasm to fix Angels
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Caleb Williams slowly shook his head. He shrugged his shoulders one at a time. He cocked his eyebrow in thought. The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback didn’t know how he would want fans to remember him if Saturday’s game is indeed goodbye.
“I honestly haven’t thought of anything like that,” Williams said.
Wrestling with the disappointment of another championship-less season in college, the potential end of Williams’ short, but thrilling, two-year USC career snuck up on the quarterback. Projected as the No. 1 overall pick, the draft-eligible junior may play in his final game at the Coliseum — or his last game in a USC jersey at all — on Saturday against rival UCLA.
Williams already put his mark on the rivalry last year, leading the Trojans to a thrilling 48-45 win in the Rose Bowl with 470 passing yards and two touchdowns with one rushing touchdown. The win sealed USC’s trip to the Pac-12 championship game.
KINGS
From Helene Elliott: When Pierre-Luc Dubois is playing his best within the Kings’ well-defined structure, he’s tough to stop.
“He’s driving a group of players. He’s not reacting to a group of players. And whether that’s what we’re doing or the other team is doing, he’s just in charge of the situation,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said of the 6-foot-4, 225-pound center who has been blessed with quick hands and surprisingly good speed.
But when Dubois isn’t involved or isn’t in sync with his linemates, the picture is far less than perfect. “If he’s passive and trying to read and react and figure things out, he’s not as effective,” McLellan said.
The uninvolved, hesitant version of Dubois is what the Kings have seen too often this season. That can’t continue if they’re serious about improving their 1-3-3 home record, with Florida coming to Crypto.com Arena on Thursday followed by St. Louis on Saturday.
DUCKS
Joel Kiviranta and Andrew Cogliano scored 21 seconds apart in a five-goal third period, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Ducks 8-2 on Wednesday night.
Kiviranta, signed to a two-way contract earlier this week, added two assists. Valeri Nichushkin had two goals, Samuel Girard and Devon Toews had a goal and an assist each and Fredrik Olofsson and Ross Colton also scored for Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev had 15 saves.
Max Jones and Sam Carrick scored and Lukas Dostal stopped 30 shots for Anaheim, which was playing the second game of a back-to-back.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1929 — USC and Notre Dame play before 112,912 at Soldier Field in Chicago, with the Fighting Irish prevailing 13-12. It’s the third time in the 1920s that the two schools attract more than 112,000 fans.
1957 — Notre Dame ends Oklahoma’s NCAA record 47-game winning streak with a 7-0 triumph.
1957 — Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics sets an NBA record with 49 rebounds in a 111-89 victory over the Philadelphia Warriors.
1962 — Wilt Chamberlain scores 73 points, including 45 in the first half, to lead the San Francisco Warriors to a 127-111 victory over the New York Knicks.
1968 — Ron Johnson rushes for 347 yards and scores five touchdowns to lead Michigan to a 34-9 rout of Wisconsin.
1976 — Rick Barry of the San Francisco Warriors ends then the longest NBA free-throw streak of 60 in a 110-102 win over the Seattle SuperSonics. Barry scores 33 points, including 9 of 10 from the free-throw line.
1980 — Doug Williams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers passes for 486 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-30 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
1993 — Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of the Denver Nuggets has his consecutive free throw streak end at 81 in an 86-74 loss to San Antonio. Abdul-Rauf’s streak is the second longest in NBA history, trailing only the record 97 established by Minnesota’s Micheal Williams one week earlier.
1996 — Corey Dillon set an NCAA rushing record for a quarter, gaining 222 yards in 16 carries in the first period as No. 15 Washington overwhelmed San Jose State 53-10.
2003 — 16-year-old Lionel Messi makes his official debut for FC Barcelona when he comes on as a substitute in a friendly against Porto.
2013 — Cartel Brooks of Heidelberg runs for 465 yards to set an all-division NCAA record in a 42-14 win over Baldwin Wallace. Brooks, with 38 carries, scores on runs of 81, 41 and 13 yards.
2014 — Erica Enders-Stevens wins the Auto Club NHRA Finals to become the first woman to earn the Pro Stock world championship title.
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, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.