From Broderick Turner: The new starting lineup the Lakers incorporated two games ago became another new lineup Thursday night because of an injury.
And yet even in losing one of their defensive stalwarts in Cam Reddish because of a left groin strain, the goal the Lakers had in mind when they originally shuffled their lineup didn’t change.
Defense was and is the mandate for this group no matter who starts.
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So, with Rui Hachimura starting in place of Reddish, joining Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Taurean Prince and Jarred Vanderbilt in his third straight start, the Lakers sought to put those words into action against the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena.
“Defense is the foundation. It’s our theme,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “It has to be our identity.”
The anchor of the Lakers defense is Davis and he was a force in the middle during their 133-112 win. Davis had four blocks to go with 26 points and eight rebounds in just 26 minutes.
His dunk over Charlotte center Nick Richards in the first half was the highlight of the game. It also was a moment in which Davis showed his emotions, a loud scream directly at Richards, which resulted in Davis being called for a technical foul.
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UCLA BASKETBALL
UCLA forward Adem Bona looks to shoot over Oregon State center KC Ibekwe during the first half of the Bruins’ win Thursday.
(Mark Ylen / Associated Press)
From Ben Bolch: Adem Bona emerged from behind a curtain in a basement hallway, the UCLA center back to his buoyant self after nearly a month of anguish.
He smiled. He laughed. He cracked jokes.
It felt good to win again. Applause could be heard from inside the Bruins’ locker room Thursday night after they finally had something to celebrate for the first time since late November.
“We were talking about it,” Bona said. “It had been a long time since we had laughed after a game.”
Everybody wearing blue and gold was in a good mood after UCLA’s 69-62 victory over Oregon State at Gill Coliseum in their Pac-12 Conference opener ended so many bad vibes, not to mention a four-game losing streak.
It took an ensemble effort, Bona leading five players in double figures scoring while resembling his dominant form from last season. The sophomore tallied 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, more than offsetting his five turnovers while bolstering his coach’s belief that his offense should run through the big man.
RAMS
Rams rookie receiver Puka Nacua gives the thumbs up while visiting football players at Hollywood High School earlier this year.
(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)
From Gary Klein: In October, four games into his burgeoning NFL career, Rams receiver Puka Nacua and a group of other rookies made a team-sponsored appearance at Hollywood High.
Nacua was off to a record-setting start, and he was only two days removed from a physical pounding and game-winning touchdown catch in an overtime victory at Indianapolis.
But Nacua took time to greet every Hollywood player, coach and school employee who approached him for a conversation, autograph or photo.
“I have you on my fantasy team!” one player exclaimed.
“I would love to be able to throw him passes,” said another.
Nacua, 22, saw his younger self in the wide-eyed teenage players.
“That was me,” he said, reflecting on the visit. “It feels like yesterday.”
(Justin Fine / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
From Ryan Kartje: The star quarterback stood all night on the sideline, wearing his cardinal and gold No. 13 jersey like a scarf. His top receiver lingered nearby, not far from USC’s No. 1 cornerback and its all-conference safety, each of whom were only here at Petco Park to usher in the end of the college season before the NFL came calling.
And that didn’t even account for the 17 players who’d already entered the transfer portal or the several others who were injured, leaving only a skeleton crew to carry the limping Trojans to the finish line.
Nothing about the circumstances facing USC ahead of the Holiday Bowl suggested the Trojans had any hope of ending a disappointing season on a high note.
But Miller Moss was never about the narratives. Not after what he’d seen the past month from this team. Not after he’d waited the past three seasons for his turn, finally taking over at a time when no one expected much from him or USC. Moss had shrugged away every such assumption through bowl season, and on Wednesday night, in his first start, the Trojans did the same, following their new quarterback’s lead through a stunning six-touchdown night and a 42-28 win over Louisville that no one saw coming — except, apparently, USC’s locker room.
(David McNew / Getty Images)
From J. Brady McCollough: Last offseason, coming off back-to-back wins over formerly domineering rival Ohio State, the Michigan Wolverines made a bold statement about their mindset for 2023. Instead of devoting an entire session of each practice to the Buckeyes, they created a “Beat Georgia” drill. The message was clear: Michigan finally knew it could handle Ohio State and had to switch focus to the two-time defending national champion Bulldogs to accomplish its ultimate goal.
As it turned out, the Wolverines were right about one thing: They vanquished the Buckeyes once again, and this time did it without head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was serving a suspension from the Big Ten relating to the NCAA’s investigation into the sign-stealing methods of former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions.
But what Harbaugh’s players didn’t account for was that someone else would take care of Georgia for them. It was Alabama that silenced the Bulldogs, throwing the College Football Playoff selection process into upheaval. The Wolverines will now face the Crimson Tide in the national semifinal at the Rose Bowl. Perhaps a “Beat the SEC” drill would have been a safer choice for Michigan, with alternating simulations for Georgia and Nick Saban’s Alabama behemoth, which will be looking for its unprecedented seventh national championship since 2009.
USC BASKETBALL
From the Associated Press: Kwame Evans Jr. had a career-high 22 points with eight rebounds and five steals, and fellow freshman Jackson Shelstad scored a season-high 21 points to help Oregon beat USC 82-74 on Thursday night to begin Pac-12 play.
Oregon started on a 12-2 run and dominated the first half in taking a 42-25 lead into the break. The Ducks went ahead 36-18, on a three-pointer by Brennan Rigsby with 3:04 remaining, after making six consecutive shots. USC made just five of its first 20 field goals and turned it over 10 times in the opening 17 minutes. The Ducks finished the first half with six three-pointers, while USC made just seven field goals.
Boogie Ellis, who had just two points in the first half on one-of-seven shooting, made two three-pointers in the opening three minutes of the second half during a 12-3 run to get USC within 45-37.
KINGS
From the Associated Press: Logan Thompson made 32 saves, bouncing back from a shaky performance, and the Vegas Golden Knights stopped a four-game slide by holding off the Kings for a 3-2 victory Thursday night.
Jack Eichel, Michael Amadio and William Karlsson scored for Vegas — all in the first two periods. The Golden Knights had dropped five of six overall.
The Kings had won four of five. Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist for the Kings, and Trevor Moore also scored. Cam Talbot made 29 saves.
Bowl schedule
Oregon State quarterback Ben Gulbranson and the Beavers will square off against Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl on Friday.
(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)
FRIDAY
Gator Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN
No. 22 Clemson vs. Kentucky
Sun Bowl
11 a.m., CBS
No. 19 Oregon State vs. No. 16 Notre Dame
Liberty Bowl
12:30 p.m., ESPN
Iowa State vs. Memphis
Cotton Bowl
5 p.m., ESPN
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Missouri
SATURDAY
Peach Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN
No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss
Music City Bowl
11 a.m., ABC
Auburn vs. Maryland
Orange Bowl
1 p.m., ESPN
No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 6 Georgia
Arizona Bowl
1:30 p.m., The CW
Toledo vs. Wyoming
MONDAY
ReliaQuest Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN2
No. 13 LSU vs. Wisconsin
Citrus Bowl
9 a.m., ABC
No. 17 Iowa vs. No. 21 Tennessee
Fiesta Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 23 Liberty
Rose Bowl
2 p.m., ESPN
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama
Sugar Bowl
5:45 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas
MONDAY, JAN. 8
1:30 p.m., ESPN
College Football Playoff National Championship Game
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1926 — Merlyn Phillips of the Montreal Maroons scores five seconds into the game at Chicago for an NHL record for the fastest goal from the start of a game. The Black Hawks win the game in overtime, 5-4. It would be matched three times.
1934 — The first college basketball doubleheader is played at New York’s Madison Square Garden. NYU beats Notre Dame 25-18 and Westminster defeats St. John’s 37-33.
1957 — Tobin Rote passes for four touchdowns and scores another to give the Detroit Lions a 59-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the NFL championship game.
1961 — Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scores 60 points against the Los Angeles Lakers at Hershey, Pa., the future site of his 100-point game.
1963 — Chuck McKinley and Dennis Ralston give the United States a 3-2 victory over Australia for the Davis Cup title.
1968 — The Baltimore Colts shut out the Browns 34-0 to win the NFL championship at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
1968 — The New York Jets beat the Oakland Raiders 27-23 in the AFL championship game.
1979 — Safety Vernon Perry sets an NFL playoff record with four interceptions to lead the Houston Oilers to a 17-14 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
1982 — Alabama’s Jeremiah Castille intercepts three passes to help beat Illinois 21-15 in the Liberty Bowl and send coach Paul “Bear” Bryant out as a winner. Bryant finishes his coaching career with 323-85-17 record.
1984 — Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scores his 100th point in the 35th game of the season, a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
2006 — Texas Tech spots Minnesota a 31-point, third-quarter lead, then rallies for a stunning 44-41 overtime victory in the Insight Bowl, the largest comeback in Division I-A bowl history. The previous record for a bowl comeback was 30 points, set by Marshall against East Carolina in the 2001 GMAC Bowl.
2007 — The New England Patriots complete a perfect regular season, finishing with a remarkable 16-0 record following a thrilling 38-35 comeback victory over the New York Giants. New England is the first NFL team since the 1972 Dolphins to win every game on the schedule, and that one was only 14-0.
2011 — Baylor pulls out an incredible Alamo Bowl victory in the highest-scoring regulation bowl game in history, beating Washington 67-56 in the wildest shootout of this bowl season. Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III isn’t dazzling, but Terrance Ganaway rushes for 200 yards and five touchdowns. The previous bowl record for a regulation game was 102 total points set in the 2001 GMAC Bowl between Marshall and East Carolina. That game went to double overtime and ended with a combined 125 points — which still stands as the overall bowl record.
2012 — Second-ranked Connecticut plays spoiler and streak-buster this time, snapping No. 1 Stanford’s nation-leading 82-game home unbeaten run with a surprisingly easy 61-35 rout. It’s the Huskies who saw the end of their NCAA record 90-game winning streak at Maples Pavilion with a 71-59 loss two years ago, almost to the day on Dec. 30. Stanford loses at Maples Pavilion for the first time since March 2007.
2013 — Peyton Manning is 25 for 28 for 266 yards and four touchdowns before sitting out the second half of Denver’s 34-14 win over Oakland. He finishes the season with NFL records of 5,477 yards and 55 touchdown passes.
2014 — Teenager Mikaela Shiffrin becomes the most successful U.S. skier in the slalom at Kuehtai, Austria. The 19-year-old racks up her 10th career slalom win, beating the records set in the 1980s by Tamara McKinney and on the men’s side by Phil Mahre, who both had nine wins in ski racing’s most technically demanding event.
2016 — Olympic slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin uses a spectacular final run to win a night race for her third World Cup triumph in three days. Shiffrin is 0.33 seconds off the lead at the final split time before accelerating to win the race by 0.64 ahead of Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovakia. After winning two giant slaloms the previous days, Shiffrin continues her dominance in slalom by landing her 23th career win in the discipline.
2020 — Milwaukee Bucks break NBA record for most 3-pointers made by a team in a single game with 29 in a dominant 144-97 victory over the Heat in Miami.
Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally
The Pop-Tarts Bowl feature a fitting demise for its mascot. Let’s hope the LA Bowl doesn’t do the same with Rob Gronkowski next year. Check out how Kansas State got the last bite here.
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.