Howdy, I’m your host, Austin Knoblauch, filling in for Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.
From Ben Bolch: This was the desire last spring, when Mick Cronin reassembled his roster to gird it for any possibility in the games that matter most.
A player is sidelined by injury. Another is limited by foul trouble. A third is having an off night.
No matter what happened, or who was doing what, UCLA would have a stockpile of players who could get the job done.
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And if everyone happened to play well on the same night? Well, that’s just a bonus.
The Bruins enjoyed that sort of bonanza in their NCAA tournament opener Thursday night, withstanding an injury scare to Aday Mara to win so comfortably that walk-on Jack Seidler was able to dribble out the final seconds to cheers inside Rupp Arena.
There was more fun in the locker room after seventh-seeded UCLA walloped 10th-seeded Utah State, 72-47, in a first-round game in the Midwest Region, its seven players making their tournament debuts showing steady resolve.
Mara, who threw what might have been the game’s best pass to teammate Skyy Clark for a dunk and finished with 10 points, six rebounds, five blocks and two assists in just 20 minutes, joked about the assists he lost because teammates couldn’t complete the play.
“That one was my favorite,” Mara said of his assist to Clark, “because I threw the lob to E-Day [Eric Dailey Jr.] and he missed it and then this guy right here, he missed a layup too.”
Mara was referring to roommate Lazar Stefanovic, who happened to be walking by inside the locker room. Stefanovic cracked up, buoyed by his teammate’s humor and his team’s ball movement. UCLA had 22 assists on its 26 baskets to go with lock-down defense on the way to forging a showdown against second-seeded Tennessee on Saturday at 6:40 p.m. PDT.
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LAKERS
Lakers star LeBron James, left, interacts with his son and teammate, Bronny James, before Thursday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
From Dan Woike: The sixth game in eight nights for the Lakers meant they were going to have to pay for all the energy they used fighting shorthanded over the last week.
It meant Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic needed to sit out because of sore ankles, Jarred Vanderbilt had to rest an injured groin and Dorian Finney-Smith was out because of nagging ankle issues. LeBron James also missed his seventh consecutive game because of a groin strain.
So who was in?
“The healthy players are gonna play tonight,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
That Bronny James is one of the healthy ones, again, is a reminder of how much of his journey is already house money, the Lakers rookie surviving a cardiac arrest less than two years ago.
With the Lakers down to 10 available players against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in a 118-89 loss, James got his longest runway yet to show the steps he’s taken largely in the shadows of the G League.
James scored a career-high 17 points, sparking the Lakers’ only positive quarter, the second, when the team outscored the Bucks 27-23.
UCLA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
UCLA coach Cori Close meets with her players before a game against Nebraska at Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 29.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Before examining the film to show what went wrong, UCLA starts every practice with everything that went right. Players hone in on their phone screens, each watching a personal three-minute highlight clip. The routine is as important to UCLA’s daily schedule as stretching and on-court practice.
“It’s not mind-hope or mind-maybe. It’s mindset,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “You have to set your mind on the right things.”
UCLA has used a relentless commitment to mental conditioning to turn one of the most talented rosters in the country into one of the program’s most successful teams.
The Bruins (30-2) open their NCAA tournament run Friday against No. 16 seed Southern at 7 p.m. (ESPN) at Pauley Pavilion.
Women’s NCAA tournament bracket
DODGERS
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani waves to fans after a win over the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
From Jack Harris: After taking his final question in the Tokyo Dome press room Wednesday night, his Dodgers having accomplished all they hoped to during their season-opening series in Japan, manager Dave Roberts grabbed the mic for one last unsolicited quote.
“Last thing I want to say is, to the city of Tokyo and the country of Japan, on behalf of the Dodgers and Major League Baseball, we just want to say thank you,” Roberts said. “You guys were all such great hosts, and hopefully we put on a good show.”
The Dodgers certainly did, both on the field with a two-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs and off of it with their well-documented efforts to grow their fan base in the country.
In both games the overwhelming majority of fans wore Dodgers gear. On the streets of Tokyo, advertisements including their biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, dominated the landscape.
OLYMPICS
Casey Wasserman, chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, speaks during the 144th International Olympic Committee session in Greece on Thursday.
(Thanassis Stavrakis / Associated Press)
From Steve Henson: In an address to the International Olympic Committee in Pylos, Greece, Casey Wasserman addressed concerns over visas and entry requirements to the U.S. for athletes and delegations taking part in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Wasserman shared the spotlight at the 144th IOC session Thursday with Kirsty Coventry, who became the first woman and first African to be elected president of the body. Coventry, the sports minister of Zimbabwe and a two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, was elected from a slate of seven candidates to an eight-year term of office.
Wasserman, chairman of the Games organizing committee, assured the 105 active IOC members that “irrespective of politics today, America will be open and accepting to all 209 countries for the Olympics. L.A. is the most diverse city in the history of humanity and we will welcome the people from around the world and give them all a great time.”
Concerns stem from recent reports that President Trump’s administration is considering sweeping travel restrictions for the citizens of 43 countries. Trump issued an executive order the day he took office Jan. 20 requiring the State Department to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”
SOCCER
U.S. men’s soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino reacts during a 1-0 loss to Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals at SoFi Stadium on Thursday.
(Etienne Laurent / Associated Press)
From Kevin Baxter: Mauricio Pochettino isn’t lacking confidence. But he is lacking results, and perhaps a dose of reality.
Speaking to journalists in London this month, the new national team coach said the U.S. “can be No. 1 in the world” in the next five to 10 years.
“For sure,” he emphasized.
For the time being, however, Pochettino’s team is no better than Panama — and Panama is ranked 36th in the world, which is a long way from No. 1.
In his most important test since taking the job last fall, Pochettino was unable to solve a bunkered-in Panamanian defense Thursday, falling 1-0 in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League before a sparse crowd at SoFi Stadium. In the second semifinal, Mexico beat Canada 2-0 before a much fuller house on two goals from Raúl Jiménez.
CLIPPERS
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue walks on the team’s practice court at the Intuit Dome on Feb. 11.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
From Broderick Turner: With or without coach Tyronn Lue patrolling the sideline, the Clippers will play yet another meaningful game against another tough Western Conference foe in the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at the Intuit Dome.
They are now the seventh seed in the West, which would put them in the play-in tournament. But they are only 3½ games behind the fifth-seeded Grizzlies and entered Thursday one game behind the sixth-seeded Golden State Warriors. The Clippers (39-30) own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Grizzlies (2-0) and Warriors (3-0).
The Clippers also play Oklahoma City at home on Sunday. The Thunder (57-12) have the best record in the NBA. The Clippers are looking to take a stand in these games, knowing how important each win is to their chances of inching up in the uber-tough West and securing a playoff spot.
BASEBALL
Chicago White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks delivers during Game 4 of the 2005 World Series.
(Brad Mangin / MLB via Getty Images)
From Chuck Schilken: Former Angels draft pick Bobby Jenks helped the Chicago White Sox win the 2005 World Series.
Twenty years later, the 44-year-old and his family need some help.
Jenks has been diagnosed with Stage 4 adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. In addition, the family lost its home in the Palisades fire.
Jenks is taking part in a private memorabilia-signing event arranged by PastPros. The money raised will go toward helping the former closer who forced the Houston Astros’ Orlando Palmeiro into hitting a game-ending groundout Oct. 26, 2005, to end the White Sox’s 88-year championship drought.
KINGS
From the Associated Press: Trevor Moore and Alex Turcotte scored in the first period, and the Kings held on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on Thursday night for their sixth win in seven games.
Joel Edmundson fired from deep in the Kings’ zone and scored into an empty net with 19 seconds left to seal the win.
Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves in his fifth straight start to help Los Angeles tighten its grip on a playoff spot. Kuemper has allowed just four goals and has two shutouts in his five-game run.
DUCKS
From the Associated Press: Trevor Zegras had a goal and an assist on his 24th birthday, John Gibson made 33 saves and the Ducks defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Thursday night.
Jackson LaCombe, Troy Terry and Alex Killorn also scored for the Ducks. Mason McTavish added two assists.
Steven Stamkos gave Nashville a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first period. It was the 578th goal of Stamkos’ career, passing Mark Recchi for 22nd place in NHL history.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1893 — The first women’s collegiate basketball game is played at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. In this game, each basket is worth 1 point and the freshman class defeats the sophomore class 5-4. The game takes place behind locked doors and men are prohibited from watching.
1941 — Joe Louis knocks out Abe Simon in the 13th round at Olympia Stadium in Detroit to retain the world heavyweight title.
1945 — George Mikan of DePaul scores 53 points in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament. Mikan matches Rhode Island in offensive output and his teammates add another 44 for a final score of 97-53.
1953 — Rookie Bob Cousy sets an NBA record with 50 points and leads the Boston Celtics to a 111-105 victory over the Syracuse Nationals in a quadruple overtime playoff game. Cousy scores 30 of his points from the foul line.
1959 — California edges West Virginia 71-70 for the NCAA basketball championship. Jerry West scores 28 points for West Virginia.
1959 — Oscar Robertson scores the first triple-double in the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four history, tallying 39 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in Cincinnati’s 98-85 win over Louisville in the third-place game.
1964 — UCLA caps a 30-0 season with a 98-83 victory over Duke in the NCAA basketball championship. UCLA is the third team to go undefeated and win the title. The victory gives coach John Wooden the first of his 10 NCAA Tournament championships.
1970 — Curtis Rowe scores 19 points and Sidney Wicks adds 17 points and grabs 18 rebounds to lead UCLA to an 80-69 victory over Jacksonville for its fourth consecutive NCAA basketball championship. Jacksonville ends the season with a scoring average of 100.4 points per game, the first team to average more than 100 points in a college basketball season.
1973 — Frank Mahovlich scores his 500th goal as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2.
1984 — Glenn Anderson of Edmonton scores his 50th goal of the season and helps the Oilers beat the Hartford Whalers 5-3. The Oilers become the first NHL team to have three 50-goal scorers in one season.
1985 — Arthur Ashe is nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
1985 — Washington’s Bobby Carpenter becomes the first U.S.-born player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season. He reaches the milestone in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at The Forum.
1990 — Brett Hull of St. Louis becomes the sixth player in NHL history to score 70 goals in a season with a goal in the Blues’ 8-6 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
1994 — Wayne Gretzky ties Gordie Howe’s NHL record of 801 goals.
1996 — Todd Eldredge becomes the first American in eight years to win the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships.
2011 — Courtney Vandersloot has 29 points and 17 assists to help Gonzaga beat UCLA 89-75 in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Vandersloot becomes the first player in Division I history — men or women — to record 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in a career.
2014 — Mercer pulls off the biggest upset in the men’s NCAA tournament by knocking off Duke 78-71 in the second round. The 14th-seeded and senior-laden Bears score 11 straight points during the late 20-5 run to clinch the biggest victory in school history.
2015 — Top-ranked Kentucky outworked eighth-seeded Cincinnati for a 64-51 victory to reach the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. The Wildcats improve to 36-0 — the best start to a season for any team.
2019 — Japanese baseball right fielder Ichiro Suzuki finishes his career with a record 4,367 base hits (NPB & MLB) as Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland A’s, 5-4 in Tokyo, Japan.
Compiled by the Associated Press.
Until next time…
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