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From Broderick Turner: It was going to be a tall order for the Clippers to beat the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, but it grew even more challenging with Kawhi Leonard missing a second straight game because of right knee soreness.
The uncertainty of Leonard’s status didn’t prevent the Clippers from pressing forward in a meaningful game against the Nuggets, leaning on a sterling defensive effort after the first quarter to pull off 102-100 win that wasn’t decided until the final shot.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who had 14 points and 15 rebounds, came up with two key defensive stops late in the fourth quarter. P.J. Tucker, who started in place of Leonard, made the final defensive stance when he forced Nikola Jokic into missing a game-winning three-point shot as time expired.
Jokic had a triple-double with 36 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists for the second-place Nuggets (53-24).
Paul George had 28 points for the Clippers (48-28) and James Harden had 20, but the Clippers broke their five-game home losing streak because of their defense. Still, things likely would have been a bit easier if Leonard had played — he leads the team in points (23.7 per game), steals (1.60) and averages 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
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LAKERS
From Dan Woike: Michael Cooper, the defensive backbone of one of the most dominant teams in NBA history, has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, according to a pair of social media posts from his “Showtime” Lakers teammates.
Cooper was announced as a finalist for the 2024 class during NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. He was previously a finalist for the class of 2021.
“I don’t even know where to start! I tried to wait until Saturday…but I just can’t hold the news,” Magic Johnson posted on X Thursday night. “I’m so so thrilled that my Showtime running mate and one of my best friends Michael Cooper has been elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame!!
“Coop is the greatest defensive player I’ve ever seen in the NBA — and I would know because I went up against him every single day in practice! His play on the offensive end was strong too. He was an excellent point guard and 3-point shooting threat.”
Lakers surge comes with Rui Hachimura comfortable in starting lineup
USC BASKETBALL
From Ryan Kartje: At a critical crossroads for its men’s basketball program, USC announced it has tapped Arkansas coach Eric Musselman to guide the Trojans into a new conference and a new era, after the last one ended with a thud.
Musselman interviewed with USC on Wednesday, just two days after Andy Enfield left USC for the same role at Southern Methodist after 11 seasons, five NCAA tournament appearances and 220 wins in L.A., the third-most in school history. It didn’t take long for USC and its new coach to make a decision. By Thursday morning, a plane was bound for Fayetteville from L.A. to pick up USC’s new coach and bring him west.
“We were determined to find the best coach to champion the development of our student athletes and elevate our men’s basketball program,” USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen said. “His track record of building winning programs and his unwavering commitment to a culture of excellence make him a perfect fit for USC.”
Before Enfield steadied the program, USC hoops had toiled for years in relative obscurity, unable to find its footing. Enfield eventually caught his stride, even leading the Trojans on an Elite Eight run in 2021. But last season, the wheels came off in what was supposed to be a breakthrough campaign, leaving the program in a particularly vulnerable place, in desperate need of a fresh direction.
Few coaches have proven as capable of building programs as Musselman. He led Nevada to three consecutive NCAA tournament trips before turning Arkansas, a program that languished for two decades in the cellar of the Southeastern Conference, into a regular contender. The Razorbacks went to the Elite Eight in just his second season (2021), then followed with another Elite Eight trip in 2022 and a Sweet 16 berth in 2023 before skidding to a 16-17 mark and tying for 11th in the SEC standings in 2024.
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From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: He hit the dagger three-pointer that solidified USC’s first win at Pauley Pavilion since 2021. Now Kobe Johnson will call that old enemy territory his new home.
The former USC forward announced his commitment to UCLA on Thursday in a rivalry role reversal.
Johnson averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a junior with the Trojans. The 6-foot-6 former team captain ranked second in the Pac-12 in steals with 2.2 per game, which earned him a second consecutive Pac-12 all-defensive team honor, but took a step back offensively as he struggled with his jumper for stretches of the season that resulted in him getting sent to the bench for three games in February. He shot 31.3% from three-point range last season, a drop from his 37.7% clip as a sophomore.
From Ben Bolch: Keeping tabs on Eric Bieniemy during practice doesn’t require scanning the field. All one has to do is listen.
“If you don’t know the … snap count!” UCLA’s offensive coordinator bellowed to a group of reserve players Thursday morning, adding a few choice words, “get the … off the field!”
Later, when the offensive line wasn’t being as physical as he wanted, Bieniemy erupted anew.
“Put a hat on a … hat, let’s play ball!” he shouted.
Succeed or fail, the Bruins’ offense will not go quietly under its new boss who is back at his old home after having been the team’s running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for three seasons under Karl Dorrell before some of the incoming UCLA freshmen were born.
MLB
KINGS
Akil Thomas scored his first NHL goal and David Rittich stopped 15 shots as the Kings beat the San José Sharks 2-1 on Thursday night to improve their playoff position.
Adrian Kempe also scored for the Kings, who are 7-0-1 in their last eight games against San José. The Kings moved seven points ahead of St. Louis for the second Western Conference wild card with six games remaining.
The Kings also stayed one point behind Nashville for the top wild card and climbed within one point of Vegas for third place in the Pacific Division.
MEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT
Men’s schedule
All times Pacific
FINAL FOUR
Saturday
No. 11 North Carolina State vs. No. 1 Purdue, 3:09 p.m., TBS
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 UConn, 5:49 p.m., TBS
Monday
Championship (Glendale, Ariz.), TBS
WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT
Women’s schedule
All times Pacific
FINAL FOUR
Friday
No. 3 North Carolina State vs. No. 1 South Carolina, 4 p.m., ESPN
No. 3 Connecticut vs. No. 1 Iowa, 6 p.m., ESPN
Championship: Sunday, noon (Cleveland), ABC
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1915 — Jess Willard beats Jack Johnson in the 26th round to win the world heavyweight boxing title in Havana.
1927 — Johnny Weissmuller breaks his own 200-meter freestyle record by seven seconds in 2:08. He also lowers his own record in the 100-yard freestyle to 51 seconds, a record that stood for 17 years.
1959 — Art Wall birdies five of the last six holes to cap a final-round 66 and edge Fred Hawkins by one stroke to win the Masters.
1967 — 76er Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA record with 41 rebounds in single game.
1973 — NFL adopts jersey numbering system.
1984 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hits a sky hook with 8:53 left in the Lakers’ 129-115 victory over the Utah Jazz to become the NBA’s top career scorer. Wilt Chamberlain, with 31,419 points, held the record since his retirement in 1973.
1989 — Orel Hershiser’s consecutive scoreless streak of 59 innings ends.
1992 — 11th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Stanford beats Western Kentucky, 78-62.
1993 — Donald Williams scores 25 points to lead North Carolina to a 77-71 win over Michigan in the NCAA championship.
2004 — Led by 24 points from Emeka Okafor and 21 from Ben Gordon, the Connecticut Huskies outclass Georgia Tech 82-73 to win the men’s national championship.
2005 — 24th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Baylor beats Michigan State, 84-62.
2009 — Brittany Lincicome sinks a 6-foot eagle putt on No. 18 to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship for her first major title.
2010 — Duke wins its fourth NCAA basketball championship, holding off Butler 61-59 and surviving Gordon Hayward’s last-second desperation shot that hits the rim.
2011 — 30th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Texas A&M beats Notre Dame, 76-70.
2016 — UConn wins an unprecedented fourth straight women’s national championship, capping another perfect season by routing Syracuse 82-51. Geno Auriemma passes UCLA’s John Wooden with his 11th national title and a sixth undefeated season.
2019 — Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook becomes first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for the third consecutive season.
2021 — 82nd NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Baylor Bears become second consecutive first-time NCAA champions with 86–70 over previously undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs.
2023 — 84th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas: UConn defeat the San Diego State Aztecs, 76–59 for Huskies’ 5th national title; MOP: Adama Sanogo (UConn).
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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