From Broderick Turner: It had been just about 5 1/2 weeks since Austin Reaves last played for the Lakers, a total of 19 games he was out because of a left calf strain, an injury he and the Lakers were being cautious about until he was ready to play against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Reaves was on a minutes restriction, but at least he was playing for the first time since getting injured against the Houston Rockets on Christmas night.
He came off the bench and entered the game with 1 minute and 30 seconds left in the first quarter with the Lakers holding a 17-point lead that grew to 39 points in L.A.’s 125-109 win over the Nets.
Reaves scored his first points on two free throws with 1.7 seconds left in the first quarter, threw his first assist to LeBron James for a lob dunk in the second quarter and scored his first field goal with 9:38 left in the second quarter.
Reaves, who started the second half, finished his night with 15 points, one assist and four rebounds in 21 minutes.
“I wanted to make sure I was 100% good,” Reaves said. “Really wanted to play the other night against the Knicks. Love playing there. Wish I could have been able to get out there and help the team, but just didn’t feel right and woke up this morning and felt really good and gave it the go right before the game and had fun.”
Clippers trade James Harden
James Harden is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Clippers agreeing to send the 11-time All-Star back to the Eastern Conference during his highest-scoring season in six years, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers are giving up point guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick, said the person, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not yet been approved by the NBA.
That approval could come by Wednesday, when the Cavaliers and Clippers face off at Intuit Dome.
Harden is averaging 25.4 points this season, his most since averaging 34.3 points in 2019-20. He’s been a huge part of the Clippers’ resurgence back into playoff — or, at least, play-in — contention after a dismal 6-21 start.
NBA All-Star rosters set: Kawhi Leonard added to the game
UCLA men rout Rutgers
From Steve Galluzzo: After its gut-wrenching double overtime loss to Indiana three days before, a home game against struggling Rutgers was just what the doctor ordered for the UCLA men’s basketball team.
The Bruins took their frustrations out on an overmatched opponent Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion, winning 98-66 in the fifth of a six-game West Coast swing that is crucial to their NCAA tournament aspirations.
All five starters scored in double figures for the Bruins (16-7, 8-4 Big Ten), who had their second-highest scoring output this season. Center Xavier Booker made 10 of 11 shots, including all four of his three-point tries, to finish with a career-high 24 points, Tyler Bilodeau scored 19, Eric Dailey Jr. scored 17, Donovan Dent had 13 points and 11 assists and Trent Perry added 10 points.
“Everything felt good today from the first shot, my teammates kept feeding me,” said Booker, who also had five rebounds, three assists and a block in 29 minutes. “I’m trying to improve on my defense staying low, in my stance and staying in front of my man.”
Alijas Arenas has big night in win
From Sean Campbell: After USC leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara went down early in the second half with what appeared to be a knee injury, freshman Alijah Arenas knew what he needed to do. When Trojan starters Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie fouled out late in the second half, nothing changed.
USC’s game against Indiana (15-8, 6-6 Big Ten) Tuesday night at the Galen Center was close early. Arenas, who had struggled with efficiency since debuting for the Trojans in mid-January, started four of 14 from the field and one of six on three-point attempts.
During the ensuing 19 minutes, Arenas showed why he was a five-star recruit, delivering a team-high 29 points and helping the Trojans (17-6, 6-6) hang on for a 81-75 win over the Hoosiers. It was Arenas’ first double-digit scoring game of his college career.
Ducks beat the Kraken
Cutter Gauthier scored his 25th goal and the Ducks defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Tuesday night to win their final game before the Olympic break.
Jacob Trouba, Alex Killorn and Ross Johnston also scored as the resurgent Ducks built a 4-0 cushion before fending off a late Seattle push. They have won nine of 11 after a nine-game losing streak (0-8-1).
The Ducks climbed within one point of the Pacific Division lead and moved two ahead of the Kraken for third place. Seattle holds a game in hand over the Ducks.
2028 Oly soccer sites set
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: LA28 announced Tuesday the six U.S. stadiums that will host Olympic soccer group stage games while revealing a plan to have preliminary games move East to West to minimize travel demands. Instead of criss-crossing the country for the group-stage games, teams will advance in the tournament and move progressively closer to the knockout rounds held at the Rose Bowl.
The country-wide tournament footprint begins in New York at New York City FC’s new Etihad Park, which is scheduled to open in 2027. The venue in Queens is the first soccer-specific stadium in New York City.
Purpose-built stadiums were the focus of the venue plan, with five of the six stadiums being primarily affiliated with Major League Soccer clubs. The Columbus Crew’s ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Nashville SC’s Geodis Park, St. Louis CITY SC’s Energizer Park and the San José Earthquakes’ PayPal Park were also selected for group games.
Lindsey Vonn says knee injury won’t stop her
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: A partial knee replacement in her right leg wasn’t enough to stop Lindsey Vonn from pursuing her Olympic comeback. Neither will a recent left torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Vonn revealed Tuesday she suffered a completely ruptured ACL in a crash last week but remains focused on racing in the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
“If my knee is not stable, I can’t compete and at the moment, it is stable and it is strong,” Vonn said during a virtual news conference from Cortina d’Ampezzo. “… So far so good but we have to take it day by day. But if it remains the way it is now, I think I’m pretty solid.”
Hilary Knight is a hockey role model
From Kevin Baxter: If Hilary Knight is the GOAT of women’s ice hockey, then Caroline Harvey is the kid.
That isn’t just a reference to her age, 23, which makes her the seventh-youngest player on the U.S. Olympic team. The term is also used for baby goats. And with Knight, the oldest player on the U.S. team, expected to retire from Olympic competition after the Milan Cortina Games, that makes Harvey the GOAT in waiting.
“Hilary is a great role model,” Harvey said. “She did blaze that trail. It’s been exciting to see what she did, the legacy she left.”
Like the 10 world championship gold medals, most by a hockey player of either gender; the soon-to-be five Olympic appearances, most by any American hockey player; the scoring titles and MVP awards. But the real legacy she’ll leave will have little to do with any of that.
Wednesday’s Oly TV/streaming schedule
Wednesday’s live TV and streaming broadcasts unless noted (subject to change). All events stream live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com with a streaming or cable login. All times Pacific.
The first day of full competition begins Saturday.
ALPINE SKIING
2:30 a.m. — Men’s downhill, training | Peacock
CURLING
Mixed doubles (round robin)
10:05 a.m. — Sweden vs. South Korea | Peacock
10:05 a.m. — Canada vs. Czechia | Peacock
10:05 a.m. — Estonia vs. Switzerland | Peacock
Super Bowl
Sunday
at Santa Clara
Seattle vs. New England
3:30 p.m. PT, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, KLAC AM 570
Halftime show: Bad Bunny
National anthem: Charlie Puth
Odds: Seahawks favored by 4.5 points
Over/Under: 45.5 points
This day in sports history
1861 — The Philadelphia Athletics beat Charter Oak 36-27 in a baseball game played on frozen Litchfield Pond in Brooklyn, N.Y., with the players wearing ice skates.
1924 — The first Winter Olympics close in Chamonix, France. Sixteen countries competed in 17 events from seven sports.
1932 — The Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, N.Y., the first Winter Games in the United States.
1957 — Joe McCarthy and Sam Crawford are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1969 — The 24 major league owners unanimously select Bowie Kuhn as commissioner for a one-year term at a salary of $100,000.
1971 — The Baseball Hall of Fame establishes a separate section for players from the Negro Leagues. In July, commissioner Bowie Kuhn, along with Hall president Paul Kirk, announce a change of heart and scrap plans for the separate section.
1976 — U.S. District Court Judge John W. Oliver upholds the ruling of arbitrator Peter Seitz that declared Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally free agents.
1977 — Rick Martin scores two goals in the third period, including the game-winning goal with under two minutes to play, to lead the Wales Conference to a 4-3 win over the Campbell conference in the NHL All-Star game at Vancouver.
1979 — Denver’s David Thompson scores 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting to lead the West Conference to a 134-129 victory over the East at the 1979 NBA All-Star Game in Detroit. Thompson also grabs five rebounds and is named the games MVP. Philadelphia’s Julius Erving leads all scorers with 29 points and San Antonio’s George Gervin adds 26 for the East.
1987 — The Sacramento Kings have the worst first quarter since the inception of the shot clock in 1954. The Kings set the NBA record with only four points in the opening quarter of a 128-92 loss to the Lakers.
1987 — Stars & Stripes, skippered by Dennis Conner, sweeps Kookaburra III 4-0 at Fremantle, Australia, to bring sailing’s America’s Cup back to the United States.
1991 — The doors of Cooperstown are slammed shut on Pete Rose when the Hall of Fame’s board of directors votes 12-0 to bar players on the permanently ineligible list from consideration.
1997 — Mario Lemieux scores his 600th goal, an empty netter, to help the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks. Lemieux is the first player to score 600 goals while spending his NHL career with one team.
2003 — Jaromir Jagr scores three goals, including his 500th, for his 11th career hat trick as Washington beat Tampa Bay 5-1.
2007 — Peyton Manning is 25-of-38 for 247 yards and a touchdown as he rallies Indianapolis to a 29-17 Super Bowl victory over Chicago in the South Florida rain. Tony Dungy becomes the first Black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie Smith in a game that featured the first two Black coaches in the Super Bowl.
2012 — Lindsey Vonn captures her 50th World Cup victory, winning the downhill with temperatures plunging to minus 13 on the demanding Kandahar course in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
2017 — Gregg Popovich becomes the winningest coach with a single franchise in NBA history, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 121-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Popovich earns his 1,128th victory to pass former Utah coach Jerry Sloan for the mark.
2018 — The Philadelphia Eagles win a record-setting shootout between Nick Foles and Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Foles, the backup quarterback, leads a pressure-packed 75-yard drive to the winning touchdown, 11 yards to Zach Etrz with 2:21 to go. Then the defense makes two final stands to win 41-33.
2022 — XXIV Olympic Winter Games open in Beijing, China.
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. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.