Go beyond the scoreboard
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From Dan Woike: LeBron James, in the Lakers’ white uniform, stood at the scorer’s table, filled his hands with chalk and tossed it into the evening air — the same as always.
Yet Saturday, even if it was like the previous 11 meetings with the Denver Nuggets, was always going to be different.
Before Saturday, a loss didn’t mean the Lakers might make a coaching change.
Before Saturday, a loss didn’t mean the Lakers were going to have to reimagine their roster.
Before Saturday, a loss didn’t mean James might’ve thrown that chalk into the air for the last time as a Laker.
With 12 minutes left — two hours or so since James threw the powder into the air — the Lakers were at that point again.
Stand or fall. Resist or crumble. Lead or lose.
For the first time this series — really for the first time since the end of 2022 — the Lakers didn’t fall apart against the Nuggets’ second-half force. They didn’t panic as Denver pushed and as the Lakers’ shots rimmed in and out.
James drove through the Denver defense to hit the big buckets in the fourth quarer, D’Angelo Russell bounced back from a nightmare Game 3, Austin Reaves was aggressive and Anthony Davis dominated as the Lakers won 119-108 to extend their series with the Nuggets at least through Monday.
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CLIPPERS
From Broderick Turner: Kawhi Leonard eased his way onto the American Airlines Center court Saturday afternoon, his sneakers in hand and a thin white device on his swollen right knee that has left the Clippers’ best player listed as questionable for Game 4 on Sunday.
Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, made his way over and sat next to Leonard for a chat. Leonard bent over to tie his shoes, got up and walked over for a short talk with Clippers coach Tyronn Lue.
Leonard then grabbed a basketball and began to take shots, his movements deliberate and measured, but at least he was practicing.
The Clippers trail the Dallas Mavericks 2-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series and Leonard said after Game 3 on Friday that he wants to play because he wants to be there for his teammates.
FIRE DARVIN HAM? POLL
Should the Lakers fire Darvin Ham? Vote in our informal poll here and let us know.
NBA PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
FIRST ROUND
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 8 New Orleans
at Oklahoma City 94, New Orleans 92 (box score)
at Oklahoma City 124, New Orleans 92 (box score)
Oklahoma City 106, at New Orleans 85 (box score)
Monday at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m., NBA TV
*Wednesday at Oklahoma City, TBD
*Friday at New Orleans, TBD
*Sunday at Oklahoma City, TBD
No. 2 Denver vs. No. 7 Lakers
at Denver 114, Lakers 103 (box score)
at Denver 101, Lakers 99 (box score)
Denver 112, at Lakers 105 (box score)
at Lakers 119, Denver 108 (box score)
Monday at Denver, 7 p.m., TNT
*Thursday at Lakers, TBD
*Saturday at Denver, TBD
No. 3 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Phoenix
at Minnesota 120, Phoenix 95 (box score)
at Minnesota 105, Phoenix 93 (box score)
Minnesota 126, at Phoenix 109 (box score)
Sunday at Phoenix, 6:30 p.m., TNT
*Tuesday at Minnesota, TBD
*Thursday at Phoenix, TBD
*Saturday at Minnesota, TBD
No. 4 Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas
at Clippers 109, Dallas 97 (box score)
Dallas 96, at Clippers 93 (box score)
at Dallas 101, Clippers 90 (box score)
Sunday at Dallas, 12:30 p.m., ABC
Wednesday at Clippers, TBD
*Friday at Dallas, TBD
*Sunday at Clippers, TBD
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Boston vs. No. 8 Miami
at Boston 114, Miami 94 (box score)
Miami 111, at Boston 101 (box score)
Boston 104, at Miami 84 (box score)
Monday at Miami, 4:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday at Boston, TBD
*Friday at Miami, TBD
*Sunday at Boston, TBD
No. 2 New York vs. No. 7 Philadelphia
at New York 111, Philadelphia 104 (box score)
at New York 104, Philadelphia 101 (box score)
at Philadelphia 125, New York 114 (box score)
Sunday at Philadelphia, 10 a.m., ABC
Tuesday at New York, TBD
*Thursday at Philadelphia, TBD
*Saturday at New York, TBD
No. 3 Milwaukee vs. No. 6 Indiana
at Milwaukee 109, Indiana 94 (box score)
Indiana 125, Milwaukee 108 (box score)
at Indiana 121, Milwaukee 118 (OT) (box score)
Sunday at Indiana, 4 p.m., TNT
Tuesday at Milwaukee, TBD
*Thursday at Indiana, TBD
*Saturday at Milwaukee, TBD
No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 Orlando
at Cleveland 97, Orlando 83 (box score)
at Cleveland 96, Orlando 86 (box score)
at Orlando 121, Cleveland 83 (box score)
at Orlando 112, Cleveland 89 (box score)
Tuesday at Cleveland, TBD
Friday at Orlando, TBD
*Sunday at Cleveland, TBD
*-if necessary
DODGERS
From Jack Harris: For the first time in his debut Dodgers season, there seemed to be a brief injury scare for starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow on Saturday.
After six stellar, suffocating, scoreless innings in a 4-2 Dodgers win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, Glasnow returned to the mound in the seventh inning hoping to put the finishing touches on a second consecutive shutout performance.
Instead, he gave up a run, started flexing his throwing hand, and then left the game alongside a trainer. For a moment, it looked like a troubling sign for a veteran pitcher with a long list of past arm injuries.
ANGELS
Carlos Santana hit a home run in his third consecutive game and drove in four runs as the Minnesota Twins scored 10 times over the first four innings to extend their winning streak to six with a 16-5 victory over the Angels on Saturday night.
Max Kepler and Ryan Jeffers also hit home runs and Edouard Julien had three hits and three RBIs as the Twins improved to 7-1 following a five-game losing streak that included a three-game sweep by the Baltimore Orioles.
Joe Adell hit a home run and drove in three runs for the Angels, who lost for the eighth time in their last nine games. Angels starter Jose Soriano (0-4) gave up four runs with three walks over a season-low 1 2/3 innings. He has walked 11 batters over his last three starts.
Outfielder Aaron Hicks pitched the ninth inning for the Angels, giving up Jeffers’s two-run homer.
NFL DRAFT
From Sam Farmer: The shakeup in college football is having an impact on the NFL draft.
Now that college players can make money on their name, image and likeness, without losing their eligibility, there isn’t the same urgency to leave for the pros.
Many NFL evaluators say that has impacted the draft, which wrapped up Saturday, in some cases diluting the caliber of players available in the later rounds.
“It’s a real issue,” said a longtime NFL team personnel executive, noting the talent drop was more precipitous this year than in previous later rounds.
“People are being talked into staying in college, because you’re making reasonable money, and money that’s newly found, and you’ve got a chance to continue to get better,” CBS college football analyst Rick Neuheisel said. “Coaches can say, ‘You could stay around and go up two rounds next year.’ That’s a lot, if you’re just talking dollars and cents, not to mention the fun of having another year of college.
“There’s not that pressure to be a breadwinner from families that are in that socioeconomic climate, because you are earning money.”
RAMS
From Gary Klein: The Rams went into the NFL draft with two pressing needs.
Star lineman Aaron Donald’s retirement left a humongous hole in the defense. And, after last season’s kicking debacle, they also had to address that position.
General manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay had said no single player could fill the void left by future-Hall-of-Famer Donald, so the Rams attempted to do it with volume.
Four of 10 players the Rams selected in a draft that ended Saturday were defensive linemen, including first-round pick Jared Verse, an edge rusher from Florida State. The Rams also selected Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske in the second round and Saturday added Washington State edge rusher Brennan Jackson in the fifth and Clemson nose tackle Tyler Davis in the sixth.
“To be able to get two guys on the edge, two guys inside that we feel like can affect the game in a positive way, that was something that we had identified,” McVay said. “And obviously Aaron creates a big void. You’re never going to ask somebody to replace that void he created but you can do that by the unit.”
Rams 2024 NFL draft: Breaking down 10 picks, five on offense, four defenders, kicker
CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: The Chargers drafted nine players at five positions with the parallel goals of immediate help in 2024 and further depth for seasons to come.
One of the spots they didn’t address — because they didn’t need to — was quarterback, where Justin Herbert is entering the fifth season of a career off to a record-setting start.
However, the Chargers did, in fact, draft someone who has played the position.
“I was a bigger quarterback,” Joe Alt explained, causing laughter throughout his introductory news conference Friday. “Let’s be real, I ran the ball most of the time.”
Chargers 2024 NFL draft: Breaking down all nine picks, five on offense
From Ben Bolch: A few hours before UCLA players dragged each other to the ground as part of a one-on-one competition and linemen thudded viciously into one another, there were fist bumps and hugs in the revival of a grand Bruins tradition.
Wearing white sweatpants and hoodies adorned with a Bruins logo on the chest, players disembarked from a bus at the Rose Bowl and walked between roped-off lines of family and friends, some cheering and others holding up cellphones to document the moment.
Coach DeShaun Foster, easy to spot in a blue sweatsuit amid the sea of white, paused to interact with a handful of fans on his way into the stadium.
With UCLA holding its first Bruin Walk since the end of the Jim Mora era and staging its first spring showcase at the Rose Bowl since 2015, it was fun to be a Bruin again.
“Coach Foster has L.A. behind us again,” defensive lineman Jay Toia said, “so it feels great.”
UCLA BASKETBALL
From Ben Bolch: Rather than develop young players in his bid for a rapid turnaround, Mick Cronin has rebuilt his UCLA men’s basketball roster with proven talent, one transfer after another arriving as part of what could be dubbed the Quick Fix Six.
The large cast of newcomers appears to address all of the team’s needs and could vault the Bruins from a losing record in their final Pac-12 season to a place among the favorites during their first season in the Big Ten.
William Kyle III brings elite rim protection. Kobe Johnson brings sturdy defense. Tyler Bilodeau brings offensive punch. Skyy Clark brings a variety of skills on the perimeter. Eric Dailey Jr. brings a versatile inside-out approach.
Dominick Harris, the newest member of the transfer class who announced his commitment on social media Saturday, should address one of the Bruins’ biggest weaknesses: shooting.
In his only season at Loyola Marymount after transferring from Gonzaga, Harris ranked third in the nation by making 44.8% of his three-pointers while averaging a team-leading 14.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. Though he will be a graduate transfer, Harris has two years of remaining eligibility, including the extra one provided by the pandemic.
GALAXY
Diego Rubio and Jáder Obrian scored first-half goals and Brad Stuver notched his second straight shutout as Austin FC blanked the Galaxy 2-0 on Saturday.
Austin (4-3-3) jumped in front in the seventh minute when Rubio took a through ball from Obrian and drilled a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner of the net. It was Rubio’s third goal of the season and the second assist for Obrian.
Obrian made it 2-0 in the 19th minute with his second netter of the campaign. Obrian used an assist from Alexander Ring on a fast break to send a right-footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner.
LAFC
Denis Bouanga scored in the second minute of stoppage time, Timothy Tillman added a goal and LAFC beat the Portland Timbers 3-2 Saturday night at BMO Stadium.
Kei Kamara’s header off a corner kick was swatted away by goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau but skipped out to the left side of the area where a charging Bouanga scored on a one-touch shot that ricocheted off the back post and into the net.
Diego Chara made his 377th regular season appearance for the Timbers, an MLS record with a single club but was shown yellow cards in the 72nd and 76th minutes, with Portland playing a man down after the latter. The 38-year-old defensive midfielder surpassed Chris Wondolowski, who played in 376 regular-season matches for the San Jose Earthquakes.
NHL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
First round
All times Pacific
Western Conference
C1 Dallas vs. WC2 Vegas
Vegas 4, at Dallas 3 (box score)
Vegas 3, at Dallas 1 (box score)
Dallas 3, at Vegas 2 (OT) (box score)
Monday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday at Dallas, TBD
*Friday at Vegas, TBD
*Sunday at Dallas, TBD
C2 Winnipeg vs. C3 Colorado
at Winnipeg 7, Colorado 6 (box score)
Colorado 5, at Winnipeg 2 (box score)
at Colorado 6, Winnipeg 2 (box score)
Sunday at Colorado, 11:30 a.m., TNT, truTV
Tuesday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at Colorado, TBD
*Saturday at Winnipeg, TBD
P1 Vancouver vs. WC1 Nashville
at Vancouver 4, Nashville 2 (box score)
Nashville 4, at Vancouver 1 (box score)
Vancouver 2, at Nashville 1 (box score)
Sunday at Nashville, 2 p.m., TBS, truTV
Tuesday at Vancouver, 7 p.m., TBA
*Friday at Nashville, TBD
*Sunday at Vancouver, TBD
P2 Edmonton vs. P3 Kings
at Edmonton 7, Kings 4 (box score)
Kings 5, at Edmonton 4 (OT) (box score)
Edmonton 6, at Kings 1 (box score)
Sunday at Kings, 7:30 p.m., TBS
Wednesday at Edmonton, TBD
*Friday at Kings, TBD
*Sunday at Edmonton, TBD
Eastern Conference
A1 Florida vs. WC1 Tampa Bay
at Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2 (box score)
at Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2 (OT) (box score)
Florida 5, at Tampa Bay 3 (box score)
at Tampa Bay 6, Florida 3 (box score)
Monday at Florida, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Wednesday at Tampa Bay, TBD
*Saturday at Florida, TBD
A2 Boston vs. A3 Toronto
at Boston 5, Toronto 1 (box score)
Toronto 3, at Boston 2 (box score)
Boston 4, at Toronto 2 (box score)
Boston 3, at Toronto 1 (box score)
Tuesday at Boston, 4 p.m., ESPN
Thursday at Toronto, TBD
*Saturday at Boston, TBD
M1 New York Rangers vs. WC2 Washington
at New York 4, Washington 1 (box score)
at New York 4, Washington 3 (box score)
New York 3, at Washington 1 (box score)
Sunday at Washington, 5 p.m., TBS, truTV
*Wednesday at New York, TBD
*Friday at Washington, TBD
*Sunday at New York, TBD
M2 Carolina vs. M3 New York Islanders
at Carolina 3, New York 1 (box score)
at Carolina 5, New York 3 (box score)
Carolina 3, at New York 2 (box score)
at New York 3, Carolina 2 (2 OT) (box score)
Tuesday at Carolina, 4:30 p.m., TBS
*Thursday at New York, TBD
*Saturday at Carolina, TBD
*-if necessary
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1931 — Program for woman athletes approved for 1932 Olympics track & field.
1956 — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Frank Robinson hits his 1st of 586 HRs.
1961 — Milwaukee Braves’ future HOF pitcher Warren Spahn throws his second career no hitter at 41.
1966 — Boston edges the Lakers 95-93 in Game 7, giving the Celtics and coach Red Auerbach eight straight NBA titles. Auerbach, who announced his retirement earlier, is replaced by center Bill Russell, the first Black head coach of a major U.S. sports team.
1967 — Muhammad Ali refuses induction into the U.S. Armed Forces. He is arrested and the New York State Athletic Commission suspends his boxing license and strips him of his heavyweight title.
1972 — Courts award 1968 Kentucky Derby prize money to 2nd place winner due to the winner being given drugs before the race.
1987 — The NBA awards expansion franchises to Charlotte, N.C. and Miami for 1988, and Minneapolis and Orlando, Fla., in 1989.
1987 — NFL Draft: University of Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
1992 — Video replay is used to decide a playoff game for the first time. In game six of the Detroit-Minnesota division semifinal, Sergei Fedorov of the Red Wings appears to hit the crossbar behind Minnesota goalie Jon Casey during overtime. The Stars ice the puck immediately, but referee Rob Shick calls for a video review. The replay shows the puck enters the goal just below the crossbar and caroms off the frame at the back of the net. Fedorov is awarded the goal to give the Red Wings a series-tying 1-0 victory.
1995 — Michael Jordan, in his first playoff game since his return from retirement, scored 48 points as the Chicago Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 108-100.
1995 — The Orlando Magic give the Boston Celtics their worst defeat in team history, 124-77, in a playoff opener.
2001 — Colorado’s Patrick Roy sets an NHL record with his 16th career playoff shutout, making 20 saves in a 2-0 win over the Kings.
2003 — Andre Agassi recaptures the world no. 1 ranking to become the oldest top-ranked male in the history of the ATP rankings (33 years, 13 days).
2007 — NFL Draft: LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell first pick by Oakland Raiders.
2011 — NFL Draft: Auburn quarterback Cam Newton first pick by Carolina Panthers.
2016 — The Rams select California quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and the No. 2 selection for the Philadelphia Eagles is North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz. It’s the second straight year that two QBs went 1-2 and the seventh time in the modern era of the draft since 1967.
2018 — Shaquem Griffin is the first one-handed person to be drafted into the NFL, for the Seattle Seahawks.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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