Sports Desk

They met two days prior to Sunday night’s encounter at Crypto.com Arena, a two-game set between the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies reminiscent of a playoff series.

The Lakers won the first game Friday night and knew the Grizzlies were going to bring more intensity and a stronger effort even with star guard Ja Morant (right calf contusion) not playing.

And that was the case, the Lakers falling behind by 16 points in the second quarter, the Grizzlies ramping it up in a big way. But with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Jake LaRavia leading the way, the Lakers pulled out a 120-114 win.

Doncic almost had a triple-double with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. James had 26 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. LaRavia, starting in the absence of Rui Hachimura, had 26 points, five rebounds and four assists. It was the second straight time LaRavia, who came in averaging 9.1 points, scored 20-plus.

A back-and-forth game featured several lead changes in the fourth quarter, with the Lakers and Grizzlies taking turns delivering in tense moments. The Lakers finally took the lead for good at 100-99 on a basket by Doncic.

Then James scored on a three-point play and made one of two free throws for a 104-99 lead with 3 minutes 49 seconds left.

The Lakers (22-11) had an answer for every Grizzlies counter, the final stamp on the game being Doncic’s back-to-back three-pointers for a nine-point lead with 2:01 left.

The NBA scheduling the Lakers to host the Grizzlies on Friday and again Sunday was not an issue for coach JJ Redick.

“I like it,” Redick said. “I do think it does replicate [the playoffs] in some ways. A playoff series, particularly when it’s not a home-and-away situation, but more of you’re playing a two-game series on somebody’s home court for the day in between. Had a few of these last year. So, I like this for our team and it’s a good growth opportunity. Coming off a win, knowing that there’s a lot of stuff that we can be better at and where can we make improvements. That’s the big challenge to me.”

For Redick, that meant what it always does for the Lakers — improving on defense.

Redick wanted his team to get back on defense faster and not let the Grizzlies (15-20) get so many early offense opportunities.

LeBron James shoots against Christian Koloko of the Grizzlies in the first quarter Sunday.

(Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)

The Lakers also wanted to jump-start center Deandre Ayton from a five-game slumber.

Ayton had just four points on two-for-four shooting against the Grizzlies on Friday night and hadn’t scored more than 12 points in that span.

So, the Lakers went to Ayton at the outset, trying to ignite his game. It worked to a degree, Ayton scoring 15 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking three shots.

DENVER — Third time’s the charm?

Twice in club history, the Chargers lost playoff games at New England. It was the AFC championship game in the 2007 season and a divisional game in 2018.

That’s little more than a trivia answer, though, as the two teams are entirely different now. This matchup features two outstanding coaches in Jim Harbaugh and New England’s Mike Vrabel, and two elite quarterbacks in Justin Herbert and Drake Maye.

The Patriots haven’t seen many elite quarterbacks this season, instead beating a ho-hum collection of passers that includes Cam Ward, Spencer Rattler, Dillon Gabriel and 40-year-old Joe Flacco. New England did beat Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, and Buffalo star and reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen, knocking off the Bills in Week 5 before blowing a 21-0 lead to them in Week 15.

Of course, you play who’s on your schedule in the NFL, so you don’t pick the quarterbacks you face. And the Patriots have routinely gotten the job done. It’s just that Herbert could present a significant challenge.

That said, Herbert has yet to win a playoff game in six seasons, and he has been hit more than any quarterback in the league (witness his broken left hand).

The Patriots figure to lean heavily on their solid running attack to play ball-control in the frigid cold and make it three-for-three against their AFC foes from the opposite corner of the country.

Matthew Stafford remains among the frontrunners for the NFL most valuable player award, though his status took a hit after a three-interception performance in a defeat by the Atlanta Falcons.

On Sunday, the Rams’ veteran quarterback gets a final shot at making his case when he plays against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.

“Listen, I’m not too worried about it,” Stafford said when asked whether MVP talk enters his mind.

The balloting is in the hands of others.

“People are going to vote how they want to vote,” he said. “They’re going to say what they want to say.”

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The Rams look to end their two-game losing skid and head into the wild-card playoffs with a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

So Stafford is focused on helping the Rams return to their winning ways.

“I’m just trying to put as good of a season together as I possibly can,” he said.

Stafford, 37, has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his 17-year career.

He has passed for a career-best and league-leading 42 touchdowns, with eight interceptions, while leading the Rams to an 11-5 record and third-place finish in the NFC West, the NFL’s toughest division this season.

His main competition seemingly is New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The second-year pro has passed for 30 touchdowns, with eight interceptions, while leading the Patriots to a 13-3 record and the AFC East title.

The NFL MVP award is voted on by a panel of 50 journalists who regularly cover the NFL, and the panel is assembled by the Associated Press. Los Angeles Times reporters do not participate in voting for awards.

Maye will start Sunday when the Patriots play the Miami Dolphins. If the Patriots win and the Denver Broncos lose to the Chargers, the Patriots will earn the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round playoff bye.

The Rams entered the weekend as the No. 6 seed in the NFC. With the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, the Rams will move up to No. 5 with a win over the Cardinals.

The Rams and Stafford were on a roll, and held the No. 1 seed in the NFC, until they lost 38-37 in overtime to the eventual NFC West champion Seahawks on Dec. 18 in Seattle. Stafford played well in that defeat, passing for 457 yards and three touchdowns.

But last Monday against the Falcons, Stafford had one interception returned for a touchdown and two more that also cost the Rams in a 27-24 defeat.

Stafford ranks among the top 10 in several NFL career passing categories. But he ranks this season’s statistical performance among his best.

“It’s up there with some of the better ones I’ve played,” he said. “The cool thing about that is I have such a great group around me. … I have great teammates. I try to do my best to get the best out of those guys and help them succeed and help those guys have great seasons and great games as best as I can.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford takes the field before a win over the Detroit Lions on Dec. 14.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Coach Sean McVay said Stafford was a coach on the field.

“Do you elevate the people you’re around and the situations you’re a part of? He certainly does that,” McVay said. “And I think that’s been reflected from guys having their best years around him. He deserves a ton of credit for that.”

During seven of his 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, Stafford combined with Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson. In 2021, after being traded to the Rams, he helped Cooper Kupp capture the so-called triple crown of receiving: Kupp led the NFL in catches, yards receiving and touchdown catches.

Two years ago, Rams receiver Puka Nacua burst onto the scene with a record-setting rookie season, and this season he is tied for the league lead with 119 catches. Veteran Davante Adams, who is in his first season with the Rams, leads the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.

“Every single time I go play, I feel like I try to help our guys and our coaches and everybody, put everybody in the best position to succeed,” Stafford said.

Stafford, who sat out all of training camp because of a back issue, was never a scrambler in the mold of Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. But he continues to make plays out of the pocket and utilizes multiple arm angles to deliver passes.

“I still play with all the same feel and pocket movement and all that stuff that I used to,” he said. “It probably just doesn’t look the same.”

A few weeks ago, Stafford appeared on his way to his first NFL MVP award.

Now he is aiming to bounce back from his performance against the Falcons and help the Rams enter the playoffs with momentum.

“I would love to play perfect in every game, but I’m not a robot and it happens,” he said. “I’m proud of our team and I’m looking forward to another opportunity.”

Jamie Smith gifts his wicket to Australia as he’s caught for 46 off the bowling of part-time bowler Marnus Labuschagne, as England fall to 323-6 just before lunch on day two of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.

FOLLOW LIVE: The Ashes fifth Test – day two

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The Rams are headed to Carolina for the playoffs.

Their 37-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, combined with the Atlanta Falcons’ victory over the New Orleans Saints, helped the Rams move up to the No. 5 seed for the NFC playoffs.

The Rams earned a rematch against the No. 4 seed Panthers, who defeated the Rams at Bank of America Stadium in Week 13 but are the only playoff team with a losing record (8-9). They’re seeded higher than the Rams by virtue of winning the NFC South.

Matthew Stafford passed for four touchdowns, Puka Nacua caught a touchdown pass and increased his league-leading receptions total, and the defense was just good enough as the Rams bounced back from losses at Seattle and Atlanta to finish 12-5.

The Seahawks (14-3) are seeded No. 1 and will have a first-round bye. The No. 2 Chicago Bears (11-6) play host to the No. 7 Green Bay Packers (9-7-1), and the No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (11-6), the defending Super Bowl champions, will play host to the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers (12-5).

Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett was sacked six times in a loss to the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Stafford started slowly, narrowly avoiding several interceptions, but came on in the second half and finished with a flourish in his last chance to make his case for his first NFL most valuable player award. He led three consecutive touchdown drives after the Rams fell behind 20-16 in the third quarter.

Stafford completed 25 of 40 passes for 259 yards and connected with tight end Colby Parkinson for two touchdowns and Nacua and tight end Tyler Higbee for one each.

Stafford finished with a league-leading 46 touchdown passes and 4,707 yards passing.

Stafford’s second-quarter touchdown pass to Nacua was his 43rd of the season and the 420th of his 17-year career, tying Dan Marino for seventh all time. Stafford took over sole possession of seventh place with a touchdown pass to Parkinson late in the third quarter.

Rams quarterback Matt Stafford passed for four touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium Sunday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Nacua went into the game tied with Cardinals tight end Trey McBride and Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the NFL lead with 119 catches. Nacua caught 10 passes for 76 yards. McBride caught seven passes for 65 yards.

Ahkello Witherspoon intercepted a pass and Byron Young, Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Josaiah Stewart and Desjuan Johnson had sacks for the Rams.

The last time the Rams traveled to Charlotte to play the Panthers, on Nov. 30, the Rams’ six-game winning streak ended with a 31-28 defeat that knocked them out of the No. 1 seed.

Stafford had two passes intercepted — ending an eight-game stretch without one — and also was responsible for a crucial delay-of-game penalty and a lost fumble.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young passed for three touchdowns, and the Panthers amassed 164 yards rushing.

But the Panthers will not enter the playoffs with momentum: They lost 16-14 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their regular-season finale, committing three turnovers and rushing for just 19 yards.

After the Rams lost to the Falcons last Monday following a first-half malaise, coach Sean McVay declared his starters would play against the Cardinals.

The Rams did not come out much stronger Sunday, but by the end of the first half they built a 16-6 lead on three field goals by Harrison Mevis and Nacua’s spectacular, one-handed catch on a fourth-and-one play in the end zone.

Early in the third quarter the Cardinals executed a fake punt that resulted in a 28-yard completion, and then Jacoby Brissett connected with receiver Michael Wilson for a 43-yard touchdown pass that pulled the Cardinals to within three points.

The Cardinals took the lead late in the third quarter on Brissett’s touchdown pass to tight end Josiah Deguara. But Stafford’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Parkinson at the end of the quarter put the Rams ahead, 23-20.

Stafford’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Higbee early in the fourth quarter all but sealed the victory. It was his first game back after missing six weeks because of an ankle injury, and his five catches for 91 yards were season highs.

The Rams are getting healthier as they enter the playoffs. McVay said last week that safety Quentin Lake would return from an elbow injury and play against the Cardinals, but the Rams chose to give him one more week. Star receiver Davante Adams was inactive because of a hamstring injury but is expected to be ready for the playoffs. Offensive lineman Kevin Dotson also could return.

DENVER — Sometimes, the punching bag punches back.

That was the case Sunday as the Chargers, playing their backups, put up an impressive fight against the division-rival Denver Broncos, vying for the top seed in the AFC.

The Broncos won, 19-3, but both teams were smothering on defense while failing to establish anything close to an offensive rhythm.

The seventh-seeded Chargers (11-6) will play a wild-card game at second-seeded New England (14-3), which rolled over Miami, 38-10, in Sunday’s finale.

Denver (14-3) gets a week off and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. The other AFC playoff matchups feature No. 6 Buffalo (12-5) at No. 3 Jacksonville (13-4) and No. 5 Houston (12-5) at the winner of Sunday night’s game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Sunday’s game was far more competitive than the rollicking crowd at Empower Field might have suspected, with the second-string Chargers defense battling them at every turn.

On an unseasonably warm afternoon, the Broncos were disturbingly cold.

The Chargers rested 14 of their starters, including quarterback Justin Herbert, who has played his way into the Most Valuable Player conversation. But they couldn’t generate much offense with backup Trey Lance at the helm.

Lance completed 20 of 44 passes for 136 yards with an interception. He led all rushers with 69 yards, however, and in the waning moments had his team in position to score the game’s only offensive touchdown.

The outcome was never really in doubt because Denver’s defense didn’t budge. But the Broncos offense never got in sync.

Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II catches a pass against Denver Broncos safety P.J. Locke during the first half Sunday.

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

Denver failed to score a touchdown on offense — their lone such score came on a pick-six — and got four field goals from Wil Lutz.

It was the lowest-scoring game for the Broncos since a 10-7 win over Las Vegas in Week 11.

The matchup was the Chargers’ Next Man Up versus a down Bo Nix, who threw for 141 yards with a lackluster 78.4 passer rating.

Each quarterback was sacked four times.

Denver came into the game with the NFL’s second-ranked defense, behind Houston, with a club-record 64 sacks already in the books. The Broncos wore throwback uniforms from 1977 — blue helmets, orange jerseys, white pants — and their defense swarmed like those “Orange Crush” days of yesteryear.

Granted, it’s now a 17-game season, but the Broncos got to 14 victories for the first time since 1998, the final season of Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.

But these Chargers are no pushovers. They were looking to go undefeated in AFC West games, and got to 5-0 with an array of understudies, particularly along the offensive line.

This game was only huge for one Chargers regular: receiver Keenan Allen, who needed six receptions and nine yards to hit contract bonuses totaling $1 million. He achieved both.

Besides Herbert, members of the Chargers offense who didn’t play included receivers Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, and the entire starting line.

On defense, the Chargers sat starters Derwin James, Khalil Mack, Daiyan Henley and Elijah Molden.

Denver running back RJ Harvey is tackled by Chargers defenders during the second half Sunday.

(C. Morgan Engel / Getty Images)

Basically, they had no business being in this game, and the score was 10-3 at halftime. The Broncos rolled up 81 yards on their opening drive… and a total of 32 yards the rest of the half.

With so much at stake for his team, Broncos coach Sean Payton was determined to keep precision football the focus. That included an extra padded practice in the week leading up to the game, and no crowd-distracting games on the videoboard. He wanted the crowd to be as loud and zeroed-in as possible.

At once, the Broncos were uncompromising — they were determined to win — and unconvincing.

SANTA CLARA — Zach Charbonnet scored on a 27-yard run in the first quarter and Seattle shut down the high-powered San Francisco offense in a 13-3 victory over the 49ers on Saturday night that secured the No. 1 seed for the Seahawks in the NFC playoffs.

Seattle (14-3) won its first division title since 2020 and is two home wins away from returning to Levi’s Stadium for the Super Bowl next month after besting San Francisco (12-5) in just the fourth season-ending game ever where the winner was guaranteed the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

The loss sends the 49ers on the road for the wild-card round next weekend against an opponent that will be determined after Sunday’s games.

Coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive unit flummoxed a 49ers offense that had been the NFL’s most potent since Brock Purdy returned from an injury in Week 11.

The Seahawks didn’t allow a first down in the opening quarter, generated three sacks and made the biggest defensive play early in the fourth quarter when Drake Thomas got an interception at the Seattle three on a pass that went off the hands of Christian McCaffrey.

Sam Darnold did just enough for the Seahawks as he won a Week 18 showdown this season after falling flat a year ago for Minnesota against Detroit in a loss that cost the Vikings a chance at the No. 1 seed. Darnold went 20 of 26 for 198 yards and didn’t turn the ball over once as Seattle relied heavily on the running game.

Kenneth Walker III ran for 97 yards, Charbonnet had the long touchdown and the Seahawks finished with 180 yards on the ground, their second most in a game this season.

Purdy went 19 of 27 for 127 yards and the interception and McCaffrey was held to 23 yards in eight carries as the 49ers had their lowest-scoring game since losing 23-3 to Carolina in coach Kyle Shanahan’s debut in 2017.

The 173 yards gained by the 49ers were their fewest in any regular-season game under Shanahan.

The Seahawks controlled the first half, outgaining the 49ers by 127 yards and allowing only three first downs, but led only 10-3 at the break after two long drives ended with no punts.

Seattle got stopped on fourth and goal from the four on the on the opening drive but managed to force a three-and-out that set up a short field and Charbonnet’s touchdown run.

Jason Myers also missed a 47-yard field goal attempt. He went two of four on the night, missing from 26 yards late in the fourth quarter.

The mood inside the Etihad at full-time felt like one of deflation rather than the expected elation, as City failed to win successive games for only the second time this season.

Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in their past 10 games in all competitions, but the draws in their past two could be significant come the end of the season.

Arsenal are aiming for a first top-flight triumph in more than two decades, while City are looking to reclaim the crown having failed to win silverware last season – the results in the first week of 2026 feel important when considering where the title could end up.

Despite going ahead City could not hold on against a stubborn Chelsea side led by interim manager Calum McFarlane, the under-21s coach who was taking charge of his first senior game and denied Guardiola all three points.

“It’s a brilliant result for Chelsea, with no manager,” former City goalkeeper Shay Given told BBC Sport. “And it is a brilliant result and week for Arsenal, who are now six points clear.

“City dropping four points in the last two games is huge at this time of the season. We always say Christmas and new year, with such a busy schedule, is so important and it’s not been a great festive period for Manchester City.”

Erling Haaland has had a prolific campaign scoring 38 goals for club and country this season, but he has now failed to net in his past three games, which has proved pivotal.

The Norwegian was shackled for long periods by the Chelsea backline and struck the post in the first half, while in the second he had little joy as the home side looked to double their lead.

But they were unable to be clinical enough in the final third and Fernandez’s late equaliser not only snatched a draw for Chelsea but ruined a clean sheet for City and handed the initiative to Arsenal.

“Manchester City will be kicking themselves,” ex-City defender Micah Richards said on Sky Sports. “They know they should’ve had three points today with the chances they created.

“They are normally more ruthless. You are looking at it thinking, ‘what has changed?’ Haaland’s not scored in a few games, Phil Foden had near misses, Rayan Cherki looking very tricky but not the final product. They’ve only got themselves to blame today.”

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville added on Sky Sports: “Pep Guardiola could smell it. The City fans could smell it. I don’t think Chelsea could though. City needed to make it 2-0.

“It was a big goal for Chelsea – and a big goal for Arsenal.”

Novak Djokovic says he has “stepped away completely” from the Professional Tennis Players Association that he co-founded, citing concerns about “transparency and governance”.

Serbian Djokovic, 38, and Canadian tennis player Vasek Pospisil founded the breakaway player union in 2021.

In March 2025, the PTPA launched legal action against tennis’ governing bodies – including the ATP and WTA tours – over what it claimed are “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare”.

The ATP and WTA both strongly rejected the accusations and said they would defend their position.

Djokovic, who has won 24 Grand Slam titles, said at the time that he did not agree with the entirety of the PTPA’s case and has now ended his association with the organisation.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association,” Djokovic posted on X., external

“This decision comes after ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented.

“I am proud of the vision that Vasek and I shared when founding the PTPA, giving players a stronger, independent voice – but it has become clear that my values and approach are no longer aligned with the current direction of the organisation.

“I will continue to focus on my tennis, my family, and contributing to the sport in ways that reflect my principles and integrity. I wish the players and those involved the best as they move forward, but for me, this chapter is now closed.”

Adam Wharton emerges as a target for Real Madrid, Crystal Palace are assessing several options, AC Milan are keeping tabs on Nathan Ake.

Real Madrid look set to rival Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United for Crystal Palace‘s 21-year-old England midfielder Adam Wharton. (AS – in Spanish), external

Crystal Palace have several targets lined up for January with Bayern Munich’s French right-back Sacha Boey, 25, Wolves‘ Brazil midfielder Joao Gomes, 24, and Auxerre’s French midfielder Kevin Danois, 21, all on their list. (Mail+ – subscription required), external

AC Milan are monitoring the situation of Netherlands defender Nathan Ake, 30, at Manchester City as they ponder several options. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external

Chelsea are putting together a package worth £130m in an attempt to convince Real Madrid into selling 25-year-old Brazil winger Vinicius Jr. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Argentina striker Taty Castellanos, 27, is set for a medical at West Ham before completing a £27m move from Lazio. (Talksport), external

Tottenham sent scouts to watch French winger Maghnes Akliouche, 23, feature for Monaco against Lyon on Saturday. (Teamtalk), external

Eintracht Frankfurt are in negotiations with Newcastle about signing 22-year-old Danish striker William Osula. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Egypt winger Omar Marmoush, 26, is attracting interest from Aston Villa and Tottenham but wants to stay and fight for his place at Manchester City. (Football Insider), external

Bournemouth are battling with Fiorentina, Cagliari and Genoa for Atalanta’s 25-year-old Italy midfielder Marco Brescianini. (Calciomercato), external

Tottenham have turned their attention to Udinese’s French defender Oumar Solet, 25, but face competition from Chelsea and Crystal Palace. (Caught Offside), external

Sunderland are prepared to let Luke O’Nien, 31, depart this month with Birmingham, Coventry and West Bromwich Albion interested in the English defender. (Chronicle), external

Bournemouth‘s Argentine left-back Julio Soler, 20, has emerged as a loan target for Watford. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Barcelona are considering a £70m offer from Sunderland for 22-year-old Spain winger Fermin Lopez. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

England winger Raheem Sterling, 31, looks set to secure a way out of Chelsea in January with Newcastle the latest Premier League club to express an interest. (Football Insider), external

A look at The Times’ top 25 boys’ basketball rankings for the Southland after Week 7.

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. SIERRA CANYON (13-1): Brannon Martinsen starting to contribute after injury; 1

2. REDONDO UNION (16-3): Mira Costa will be the challenge in league play; 2

3. SANTA MARGARITA (19-2): Showdown with St. John Bosco on Friday at home; 3

4. ST. JOHN BOSCO (11-4): Braves need to give Christian Collins some help; 4

5. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (17-2): Mission League showdown with Crespi on Friday; 6

6. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (13-4): Knights face Sierra Canyon on Friday; 7

7. LA MIRADA (11-6): Big win over Crespi; 17

8. CRESPI (13-6): Celts start Mission League vs. Bishop Alemany on Wednesday; 10

9. CREAN LUTHERAN (14-5): Begin league play on Tuesday vs. Anaheim Canyon; 5

10. ETIWANDA (17-1): Open league play vs. Los Osos; 12

11. CORONA DEL MAR (15-1): Big league game vs. Los Alamitos on Monday; 9

12. DAMIEN (15-4): Faces Etiwanda on Thursday; 14

13. CORONA CENTENNIAL (15-5): Lost in OT to Coronado; 11

14. SAN GABRIEL ACADEMY (7-6): Close loss to Etiwanda; 13

15. VILLAGE CHRISTIAN (13-5): League showdown with Heritage Christian on Tuesday; 15

16. THOUSAND OAKS (16-0): Lancers face Oaks Christian in league game on Friday; 18

17. BRENTWOOD (18-1): Sophomore Ethan Hill keeps leading Eagles to victory; 19

18. JSERRA (13-8): Lions need to get healthy for Trinity League play; 16

19. MIRA COSTA (16-2): Mustangs quietly looking good for Bay League play; 21

20. ELSINORE (18-0): Kamrynn Nathan is averaging 24.6 points; 22

21. MATER DEI (12-7): Transfer students have given Monarchs a lift; NR

22. LOS ALAMITOS (8-6): Faces Corona del Mar on Monday; NR

23. INGLEWOOD (14-5): Jason Crowe Jr. had games of 50 and 51 points; 24

24. ST. FRANCIS (16-2): 7-foot-4 center Cherif Millogo is living up to expectations; NR

25. WINDWARD (12-6): Open Gold Coast League vs. Campbell Hall on Tuesday; NR

The West Valley League boys’ soccer competition has been dominated by El Camino Real and Birmingham. Both schools usually end up competing for a City title.

Now Cleveland, under second-year coach Julio Chacon, is trying to disrupt the ECR-Birmingham soccer dynasty.

The Cavaliers enter Wednesday’s league opener against El Camino Real with an 11-2 record. Anderson Carranza has 10 goals.

Chacon, a Cleveland graduate, has been trying to get his team to have the confidence to compete against defending City champion El Camino Real and longtime power Birmingham.

“I’m trying to build a new culture,” he said.

This is the first season in years that the City title hunt appears to be wide open. Sylmar owns a win over Birmingham and South East is 14-1-2, including a tie against Birmingham.

El Camino Real is facing a big week, with games against Cleveland, then Birmingham on Friday. On Saturday, ECR passed its first test with a 5-0 win over Sylmar.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

A devastating fire at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort killed at least 40 people and injured 119 others.

Bodies continue to be identified and a criminal investigation is under way.

“We can’t imagine how it is, but it’s for sure terribly hard,” Rast told BBC’s Ski Sunday.

“I hope they will find the support with their family and everybody around. And I hope that the sport will bring a little smile on their face.”

Rast finished a close second to Shiffrin in the previous World Cup slalom event in Austria but was not to be denied a second time, making sure the World Cup’s greatest skier could not add to her record tally of 106 wins in all disciplines.

Shiffrin was just 0.1 seconds behind leader Rast after the first run, but set an imposing time in the second that opened a 1.69secs lead over the rest of the field.

But Rast went even faster to beat Shiffrin into second place.

“I know Shiffrin is really fast and I had to be really, really fast to beat her. I saw her start and I was like ‘mmm, OK, that’s good, that’s really good’, but I just tried to give my best, and it worked,” she said.

There are two more World Cup slalom events – in Flachau, Austria, on 13 January, and Spindleruv Mlyn in the Czech Republic on 25 January – before the Winter Olympics begin in Milan-Cortina on 6 February.

Connacht champions St Brigid’s advanced into the final of the All-Ireland Club Senior Football Championship with a 1-16 to 1-12 victory over Scotstown at Breffni Park.

The Roscommon side enjoyed a good run to the half to open a four-point lead and they managed that gap throughout the second period as Scotstown spurned a number of opportunities.

It was the Monaghan side’s first appearance at this stage since winning their previous Ulster title in 1989 and they will have some regrets as they didn’t make their chances count, but it’s St Brigid’s who will meet Dingle in the final on Sunday, 18 January.

In freezing conditions, the sides produced an enthralling battle that swung this way and that in the opening period, but Scotstown just couldn’t reel the Connacht side in who return to the final for the first time since losing to Glen from Derry in the 2024 decider.

More to follow.

The former Dundee player added: “It’s not nice. I’ll tell you that as a player’s perspective. It doesn’t leave you. It haunts you every minute of every day when you’re not winning.

“Getting home, not speaking to anybody, sitting on the couch, not moving, just doing that black screen instead of having the darts or having the football highlights on.

“But, as I said, that is what it comes with playing with Celtic. You need to take that pressure on. You need to get there. You need to show personality and at times within games, we’ve not done that good enough.

“Within the structure, we’ve not done it good enough. But that’s just the kind of rubbish message just now. We need to stick together and keep going.”

It was the second time in a matter of weeks that Celtic had led by one at the break but ended up losing after a similar defeat away to Dundee United.

“Rangers changed their shape and we didn’t react well enough to it,” said McCowan.

“We just aren’t reacting to it as well as we should be. It’s just not good enough.

“I’m probably going to say that at least 20 times in these interviews, but it needs to be better.

“Rangers can’t be coming here and winning 3-1. It’s just not good enough.”

It might be time to write a folk song about the demise of City Section basketball using the music of Peter, Paul and Mary and the new title, “Where Have All the Players Gone?”

The talent level clearly has hit rock bottom only a year after Alijah Arenas was a McDonald’s All-American at Chatsworth High and Tajh Ariza led Westchester to the City Section Open Division title. Because their parents went to City Section schools, Arenas and Ariza stuck it out. Then Arenas graduated early to join USC and Ariza left for St. John Bosco, then prep school.

Westchester is where Ed Azzam won 15 City titles in 42 seasons until his retirement in 2021. Crenshaw is where Willie West won 16 City titles and eight state titles. Taft is where Derrick Taylor won four City titles and coached future NBA players Jordan Farmar, Larry Drew II and AJ Johnson. Fairfax is where Harvey Kitani coached for 35 years, won four City titles and two state titles and earned most of his nearly 1,000 victories. He was followed by Steve Baik and Reggie Morris Jr., each of whom won City championships before leaving.

None of the City schools once considered among the best in Southern California are even close to resembling their glory days, and they aren’t alone. The City Section has lost most of its talent, and it was truly Hall of Fame talent: Marques Johnson and John Williams at Crenshaw; Gail Goodrich at Sun Valley Poly; Willie Naulls at San Pedro; Dwayne Polee at Manual Arts; Gilbert Arenas at Grant; Trevor Ariza at Westchester; Chris Mills at Fairfax. There were decades of success.

There’s no one person to blame. You can’t even place the downfall solely on the Los Angeles Unified School District, whose high schools compete in the City Section.

But LAUSD has done nothing to reverse the trend and didn’t help matters by opening so many new schools in such rapid fashion that longtime legacy schools lost their luster amid declining student enrollment. Things became even more disruptive by the rise of charter schools and private schools taking away top athletes. Adding to that, the loss of veteran coaches frustrated by bureaucracy issues and rules that force programs to secure permits and pay to use their own gyms in the offseason helped further the exodus.

Westchester is 2-8 this season and an example of where City Section basketball stands. Two top players from last season — Gary Ferguson and Jordan Ballard — are now at St. Bernard. Westchester doesn’t even have a roster posted on MaxPreps. King/Drew won its first City Open Division title in 2024 under coach Lloyd Webster. This season Webster sent his senior son, Josahn, to Rolling Hills Prep to play for Kitani. King/Drew is 4-10.

Charter schools Birmingham, Palisades and Granada Hills have separated themselves in virtually all City Section sports including basketball. They have no enrollment boundaries as long as there’s a seat for a student. Palisades lost so many students after the wildfire last year that transfers have been big additions for its teams this school year. Online courses are being offered to help students enroll and compete in sports at charter schools.

The old powers from the inner city — Crenshaw, Dorsey, Jefferson, Locke and Fremont — experienced big changes in demographics. Many coaches are walk-ons and not teachers. The legacy schools have to compete with charter schools View Park Prep, Triumph, Animo Watts, Animo Robinson, WISH Academy and USC-MAE. When young players are discovered and developed, rarely will they stay when one of the private schools or AAU coaches searching for talent spots them in the offseason.

So what’s left? Not much.

Palisades, Washington Prep and Cleveland look like the three top teams this season. All three added transfers to help buck the downward trend. And yet their records are 3-10, 8-8 and 7-6, respectively, against mostly Southern Section teams.

Maybe this can be a fluke one-year plunge to the bottom and the climb back up can begin, aided by coaches who recognize their job is to teach lessons in basketball, life and college preparation. Parents need a reason to send their kids to a City Section school. It’s up to LAUSD and principals to help change the trajectory by finding coaches with integrity, passion and willingness to embrace the underdog role.

There are plenty in the system doing their best. It’s time to start hearing and answering their pleas for help.

Anthony Joshua has posted on social media for the first time since he was injured in a car crash that killed two of his close friends in Nigeria.

The British boxer, 36, was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway near Lagos.

His close friends and team members Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele died in the crash. Their funerals took place at a London mosque on Sunday.

The former two-time heavyweight champion was taken to hospital and discharged on Wednesday before returning to the UK this weekend.

On Sunday morning he posted two pictures on Instagram, one which shows him sitting alongside his mother and three women, with one holding a photograph of Ghami.

The post has the caption: “My Brothers Keeper.”

Driver Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was charged at Sagamu Magistrates’ Court on Friday. Police sources told the BBC the charges included causing death by dangerous driving.

The defendant was granted bail of 5m naira (£2,578) and remanded pending his bail conditions being met. The case has been adjourned until 20 January.

Joshua, who was born in Watford, has family roots in Sagamu – a town in Ogun state, near the crash site.

The 2012 Olympic champion was on his way to visit relatives for New Year celebrations in the town at the time of the collision, a family member told the BBC.

The boxer had been spending time in Nigeria after his recent victory over American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on 19 December.

Bangladesh will not travel to India for the T20 World Cup next month “under current conditions” and have requested their matches be moved elsewhere, the country’s cricket board has said.

Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League team at the request of the Indian board amid growing tensions between the countries.

That led to an emergency meeting at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), who now say they have “formally requested” the International Cricket Council (ICC) moves all Bangladesh’s matches.

“The board believes that such a step is necessary to safeguard the safety and well-being of Bangladeshi players, team officials, board members and other stakeholders and to ensure that the team can participate in the tournament in a secure and appropriate environment,” a statement said.

The move threatens to bring chaos to a competition which begins on 7 February and has already been affected by the political tensions between India and Pakistan.

Bangladesh are due to play all four of their group-stage matches in India, including on the opening day against West Indies and against England in Kolkata on 14 February.

The tournament is being co-hosted by Sri Lanka, where all Pakistan’s matches will be played because of the tensions with India.

The killing of a Hindu man during violent protests in Bangladesh pushed strained ties between Bangladesh and India into a deeper crisis.

The man was accused of blasphemy and beaten to death by a mob in Muslim-majority Bangladesh in an episode that resulted in protests by Hindu nationalist groups in India.

Anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh has grown since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to the country in 2024.

India has not agreed to send her back despite several requests, while violent protests broke out over the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent student leader, in Bangladesh.

Mustafizur was withdrawn from an IPL contract with Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday.

No reason for the decision was given by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) but secretary Devajit Saikia referenced “recent developments”.

“The board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh in matches scheduled to be played in India,” said the BCB, who also announced their 15-strong squad on Sunday.

“Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India… the board of directors resolved that the national team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions.”

The ICC has not responded to the BBC’s request for comment.

Bangladesh squad for T20 World Cup: Litton Das (capt), Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam.

Two of Sunday’s Championship matches have been postponed because of frozen pitches, with a number of others called off elsewhere in the EFL.

The 12:00 GMT kick-off between Sheffield United and Oxford United and Portsmouth’s game against Ipswich at 15:00 are both off.

In a statement, the Blades said a referee looked at the Bramall Lane pitch before the scheduled start and found parts of the playing surface were frozen.

The game at Fratton Park was postponed following a pitch inspection at 11:00 GMT.

Nine fixtures have also been called off in League Two and two more have fallen to the freezing weather in League One.

In League One, Doncaster’s meeting with Luton and Rotherham v Mansfield were also called off on Sunday.

In addition to five of Sunday’s League Two fixtures which had already been postponed on Saturday, Barnet v Crewe, Barrow v Bristol Rovers, Colchester v Accrington and Newport v Tranmere failed pitch inspections.

Lindsay Gottlieb wanted her USC team to be tested by the best. That’s why she put together one of the most grueling schedules in all of college basketball, with four games against teams ranked in the top four.

With three of those tests completed, the results haven’t been what she or any of the Trojans hoped for.

USC lost by 17 to No. 2 South Carolina and 28 to No. 1 Connecticut. But neither of those losses was as demoralizing as Saturday night’s setback, as No. 4 UCLA took No. 17 USC to the woodshed in an 80-46 loss that would go down as the largest margin of defeat in Gottlieb’s tenure with the Trojans.

“We got it handed to us,” Gottlieb said. “We can be honest and say this is an embarrassing loss.”

UCLA center Lauren Betts smothers USC forward Yakiya Milton in the paint Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

That might be understating it. USC was outshot 53% to 27% by its rival, outrebounded 46 to 26 and outworked in pretty much every sense of the word. The offense was out of sorts. The defense was disastrous, with UCLA regularly blowing past USC in the post on its way to 46 points in the paint.

It was an eye-opening collapse from a team that came into the season still clinging to national title aspirations. To a frustrated Gottlieb it was “a hard lesson that’s painful and not fun” — but one USC (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) perhaps needed to learn to take the next step.

“I’ve seen right now in three games that we’re not as competitive as we wanted to be with the top five teams in the country,” Gottlieb said. “But I’m not sorry we have them on our schedule. We’re not trying to be a top-25 or top-15 team. We’re trying to be the national champions. We’re trying to be the best program in the country.”

Whether that’s possible this season, without injured star JuJu Watkins, was in serious doubt after Saturday night.

In the frontcourt, the Trojans are especially vulnerable. Never was that more clear than in watching UCLA center Lauren Betts dominate whomever was in her path Saturday. She finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, four on offense, simply by overpowering the Trojans.

Last season USC had veteran bigs in Kiki Iriafen and Rayah Marshall to rely on against Betts and Co. On Saturday, USC forwards Gerda Raulusaityte, Yakiya Milton, Dayana Mendes, Vivian Iwuchukwu and Laura Williams finished a combined one for 13 from the field.

USC guard Londynn Jones tries to dive past UCLA forward Gabriela Jaquez at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

While USC has managed to get by without much from its frontcourt before, UCLA exploited that weakness from the start. The Trojans were five for 24 inside the arc through one half, left to rely instead on their long-range shooting, which mostly has been hit or miss.

That was enough to keep up for one quarter, as USC hit its first four three-point attempts to offset its issues inside. Kara Dunn hit a three in the second quarter and then assisted on one by Jazzy Davidson, and with five minutes left in the half, the Trojans were down by just one.

But from that point those shots stopped falling. UCLA fired off a 14-0 run as USC went scoreless for five minutes. The Trojans never recovered.

Dunn finished with a team-high 11 points. Davidson, the Trojans’ top scorer this season, had 10.

“We want to be as good as we can be, but I think you learn harder lessons when you don’t play as well as you can or we’re undisciplined or we aren’t as focused as we need to be,” Gottlieb said. “Maybe there’s teams we can win against that way, but the ones that punish you when you do it will make you better, and that’s ultimately the lesson.”

Quinton Byfield had a goal and an assist, Samuel Helenius scored his first goal of the season, and the Kings beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday night.

Adrian Kempe and Corey Perry also scored, Darcy Kuemper made 24 saves, and the Kings were able to respond after wilting late in similar circumstances in a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Matt Boldy scored late to salvage a point for the Wild. Jake Middleton, Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber each had a goal, and Minnesota is 3-0-3 in its past six games. Jesper Wallstedt made 34 saves.

Kempe and Brandt Clarke scored in the four-round shootout, and Kuemper saved attempts by Kirill Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko.

The Kings took the lead four times, only for the Wild to tie it up each time, with Boldy making it 4-4 with 2:57 remaining by getting to the right post where Faber’s shot went in off his upper body.

The Kings went back in front 3-2 early in the third period when Byfield sent the puck caroming off the boards back into the crease, Wallstedt lost it in his skates off his line, and it was eventually knocked in by an errant Minnesota stick.

Faber tied it 3-3 at 7:33 with an easy tap in from Danila Yurov off the rush.

Helenius scored on a wrist shot from the left circle at 12:09 of the third to put the Kings back up 4-3, with the fourth-line center coming free after entering the zone late off a line chance and putting in Kevin Fiala’s pass.

Up next for the Kings: vs. the Wild again on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Crawley began the Ashes series with a pair in the first Test in Perth, facing only 11 deliveries in the match.

Since then he has made scores of 76 and 44 in the second Test in Brisbane, and a battling 85 in the second innings of the third Test in Adelaide.

The Kent man’s 37 at the beginning of England’s run-chase in the fourth Test in Melbourne was vital to the tourists recording their first victory in Australia for 15 years and cutting the series deficit to 3-1.

“Zak Crawley frustrates the life out of me,” said Vaughan, who captained England to their famous Ashes triumph of 2005.

“His concentration levels are not the strongest. If you go to the start of the series where he played the big booming drives, those drives have gone away now. He’s not chasing the ball outside off stump.

“But today I was watching him and that should not get you out as a quality opening batter.”

In Sydney, Crawley returned to the ground where he made an impressive 77 in the fourth Test of England’s previous Ashes tour in 2021-22 – an innings that kickstarted his career.

He has now opened the batting in 103 Test innings and returned an average of 30.82 – the lowest of any batter in Test history to have as many opportunities at the top of the order.

But Vaughan, who made three centuries as an opener in England’s Ashes tour of 2002-03, believes England should persevere with Crawley in the aftermath of this latest series defeat in Australia.

“I hear fans around the world saying Crawley averages 30, but there’s a bigger average in him than he’s giving at the moment,” said Vaughan. “It’s just concentration.

“I know there is a lot more in the tank and I do think England have to stay with him.

“The movement he had today was fantastic but he needs to understand the concentration levels required at this kind of level to go on and average 40 to 45 over the course of the next two or three years.

“I think he could do if he can find that concentration.”