Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.
Newsletter
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.’s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
From Ryan Kartje: Just two weeks ago, after a third straight loss, USC’s season seemed headed in a disconcerting direction. Eric Musselman, just eight games into his tenure as the Trojans coach, basically said as much at the time, wondering aloud whether USC would manage to win a single game in its new conference.
But that outlook had at least steadied by Wednesday night, as the Trojans ripped off three straight wins in the wake of that losing streak, the latest a 90-69 victory over Cal State Northridge.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” Musselman said.
Somewhere in that three-game stretch, USC unlocked something that has since sent its offense soaring to new heights. The Trojans won each of those three games by 20 points or more.
“I would say we’re figuring out how to play with each other,” point guard Desmond Claude said. “We’re starting to click.”
After the Trojans shot a stellar 57% from the field in wins over Washington and Montana State, USC’s newfound firepower manifested primarily beyond the three-point line Wednesday.
The Trojans shot an eye-popping 63% from three-point range — and that was after two threes were missed late, well after the game was in hand. Guard Chibuzo Agbo paced that effort with his best game of the season, as he made five of seven from long range. He finished with a season-high 23 points.
Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times
Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber.
DODGERS
From Chuck Schilken: Kiké Hernández says he was fined for dropping an F-bomb on live TV after the Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
It could have been worse.
According to Hernández, he was originally going to be suspended for a game.
Instead, the free-agent utility player said during a recent interview on “The Shop,” an intervention on his behalf allowed him to take part in all six NL Championship Series games against the New York Mets and all five World Series games against the New York Yankees as the Dodgers went on to claim their second championship in five years.
“I did get fined for that,” Hernández said of his use of profanity during the Oct. 11 broadcast on Fox. “I was going to get an even heftier fine and I was going to get a game suspension, but having a good agent and having a good player union came in handy. They got rid of the suspension and they got to lower down the fine a little bit, which was good.”
It cost $1.7 million to have the LAPD work — and wear Dodgers caps — at World Series parade
CLIPPERS
From Broderick Turner: Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard participated in the “contact” part of practice for the first time this season on Wednesday, but coach Tyronn Lue said there still isn’t a timetable for the return of the team’s best player, who has been out all season as he manages a right knee injury.
Leonard will travel with the Clippers for games at Dallas (Thursday and Saturday) and at Memphis (Monday), but he will not play in any of those games, Lue said. The Clippers then return home to play Golden State at Intuit Dome on Dec. 27.
“Well, he practiced today, five-on-five with contact,” Lue said Wednesday. “So, good seeing him out there doing that. It came out good. So, just continue the process and making sure we’re checking every box before he returns to play. … He’s going to travel, yes, but he will not play on this trip.”
From Ryan Kartje: Already poised to turn over most of its offensive line, USC has moved quickly to replace departed offensive line coach Josh Henson with a familiar face.
Zach Hanson, who spent the last three seasons as USC’s tight ends coach, will shift to leading the Trojans offensive line.
He’ll take the place of Josh Henson, who left Tuesday to become the offensive coordinator at Purdue. While Henson technically carried the same title at USC, he will step into a play calling role for new Boilermakers coach Barry Odom, who previously coached alongside Henson at Missouri.
Hanson’s move to offensive line coach also leaves USC without an assistant working with tight ends. It was unclear, as of Wednesday morning, how or if Lincoln Riley planned to fill that opening.
CARSON PALMER
From Sam Farmer: Carson Palmer is coming home, and he’s bringing a team of elite football minds with him.
Last week, Palmer was named the new Santa Margarita High varsity football coach, a job that for years he never envisioned. The former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick out of USC didn’t see himself returning to the game as a coach at his alma mater, but he was drawn in by the opportunity to guide his kids.
Just as he was as a Pro Bowl quarterback, Palmer is a stickler for preparation and details, and all this is new territory for him. So he has leaned on many of his former college and NFL coaches, as well as fellow quarterbacks, to begin assembling his course of action.
“I’ve got a PhD in football,” said Palmer, 44, who retired in early 2018 after 15 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. “You do anything for 10,000 hours and you become an expert, and I’ve got tens of thousands of hours, seven different offenses, seen every defense, played for great coordinators and learned from them. That’s what I bring, the knowledge of the game.”
LA BOWL
From Anthony De Leon: After a season of ups and downs, hit by departures that tested a program still adjusting to success, the UNLV Rebels rallied together with the goal of earning their 11th win.
It took nearly 40 years, but No. 24 UNLV (11-3) clinched an 11-win season — tying the program’s single-season Football Bowl Subdivision record — with a 24-13 win over California (6-7) Wednesday during the L.A. Bowl played at SoFi Stadium.
The Rebels were led by a dual-threat quarterback, Hajj-Malik Williams, in the bowl game just as they were decades ago during their previous best season when Randall Cunningham directed the UNLV offense.
Described by teammates and coaches as a winner, Williams — a Football Championship Subdivision transfer in his first and only season at UNLV — took over as the starting quarterback three games into the season and guided the Rebels to their first bowl win in 24 years.
Although his performance wasn’t as dominant as expected, Williams did enough to secure the win for the Rebels. He ignited the offense, completing five of 18 passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns while adding 27 yards in 10 carries.
DUCKS
Troy Terry scored with 24 seconds left and the Ducks rallied late for a 3-2 victory over the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night.
Frank Vatrano scored his second goal with 4:46 left for the Ducks, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 19. The Ducks won in regulation for the first time in three weeks.
Lukas Dostal stopped 21 shots for the Ducks.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1913 — Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson fights to a 10-round draw with Battling Jim Johnson in Paris.
1917 — The NHL begins play. Joe Malone of the Montreal Canadiens scores five goals in a 9-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Harry Hyland of the Montreal Wanderers scores five goals in a 10-9 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
1943 — Harry Lumley, at 17 years and 38 days old, becomes the youngest goaltender in NHL history when he plays for the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
1948 — The Cleveland Browns complete an undefeated season beating the Buffalo Bills 49-7 in AAFC championship game.
1948 — The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Chicago Cardinals 7-0 in a major snowstorm for the NFL title. Philadelphia’s Bucko Kilroy recovers a fumble on the 17-yard line in the fourth period, and Steve Van Buren later scores from the 5.
1976 — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Colts 40-14 in an AFC playoff game. Ten minutes after the game, Donald Kroner, a former charter pilot, crashes a rented, low-wing, Piper Cherokee into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium. No one is seriously hurt as most of the capacity crowd of 60,020 left the one-sided contest early or were heading down the exit ramps.
1987 — Boston and St. Louis combine for the fastest two goals in NHL history. Ken Linseman puts the Bruins ahead 6-5 with 10 seconds left in the third period. Doug Gilmour of Boston wins the faceoff and shoots the puck into an empty net two seconds later to wrap up a 7-5 win over the Blues at Boston Garden.
1990 — Raiders running back Bo Jackson is named to the AFC team, as a reserve, becoming the first athlete chosen for All-Star games in two sports.
2001 — Marshall, led by Byron Leftwich, comes back from a 38-8 halftime deficit to beat East Carolina 64-61 in double-overtime in the GMAC Bowl for the highest scoring bowl game in history.
2007 — New York Islanders forward Chris Simon is banned for 30 games, drawing the longest suspension in NHL history again. Simon’s latest infraction was stepping on Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu with his skate during a Dec. 15 game. This is the seventh suspension of Simon’s career.
2009 — Michael Phelps helps his American team trounce a group of European all-stars in the Duel in the Pool, anchoring a relay to one of the eight world records the U.S. sets over the two-day meet in Manchester, England.
2010 — Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson returns a punt 65 yards for a touchdown as time expires in the Eagles’ 38-31 comeback win at the New York Giants. It’s the only game-winning punt-return touchdown in NFL history as the Eagles come back from a 31-10 fourth-quarter deficit. It marks the ninth time in NFL history in which a team trailed by at least 21 points in the fourth quarter and wins the game.
2010 — The Detroit Lions stop their record road skid at 26 games with a 23-20 overtime win at Tampa Bay. It’s the first road win since Oct. 28, 2007, when they beat the Bears 16-7 at Chicago.
2017 — Freshman Trae Young has 26 points and ties an NCAA Division I record with 22 assists as No. 17 Oklahoma rolls past Northwestern State 105-68.
2017 — North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell becomes the third women’s Division I coach to register her 1,000th career victory after the Tar Heels beat Grambling State 79-63.
2017 — Geno Auriemma wins his 1,000th game as top-ranked UConn beat Oklahoma 88-64 in the Hall of Fame women’s Holiday Showcase. Auriemma becomes the fourth women’s coach to reach the 1,000-win mark, joining Pat Summitt, Tara VanDerveer and Sylvia Hatchell, who earned her milestone victory earlier in the day.
2018 — Houston Rockets set NBA single-game record with 26 three-pointers in 136-118 victory over Washington Wizards;
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.