assist

The Lakers’ new big man went to the free throw line. The team’s former big man was on the mind of fans.

“I miss you, AD!” a Lakers fan shouted into the silence as Deandre Ayton prepared to shoot a free throw in the first quarter Friday.

Former Lakers star Anthony Davis played his first game in L.A. since being traded to the Mavericks last season, finishing with 12 points, five assists, five rebounds and three blocks in the Lakers’ 129-119 win at Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers (14-4) won their sixth consecutive game and clinched West Group B in the NBA Cup, securing homecourt advantage for the tournament quarterfinals. The Lakers will host the San Antonio Spurs, who won West Group C, on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.

The Mavericks (5-15) lost their third straight as the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to L.A. has only become more lopsided in the 10 months since it shocked the NBA.

Doncic had 35 points and 11 assists for the Lakers. Former Laker guard Max Christie, who was also involved in the trade, had 13 points and has become a regular starter for the Mavericks.

After two emotional matchups against his former team last year, Doncic said some of the feelings have subsided, but games against Dallas will always have special meaning for him.

Friday’s game was a well-timed return for Davis, who played in his first game after missing a month with a calf strain. The injury stretched for weeks as the Mavericks fell into the basement of the Western Conference.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 28, 2025: Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) scores two of his 38 points against Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) in the second half at Crypto.con Arena on November 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Meanwhile, the Lakers have the second-best record in the West. Doncic leads the league in scoring with 35.1 points per game.

Doncic’s continued ascent to superstardom and Davis’ growing injury list has only made the trade more bitter for Mavericks fans. They got their form of revenge when former general manager Nico Harrison was fired on Nov. 11, but the change only signaled a new low for the franchise that went to the NBA Finals two short seasons ago.

Now the player who was supposed to help fill the void left by Doncic has been included in trade rumors. The Mavericks went 3-11 without Davis.

To ensure Davis stayed in a positive mental state during the time of turmoil for the franchise, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd encouraged him to simply stay focused on getting healthy.

“The train keeps moving,” Kidd said. “No matter of a trade or a dismissal, you got to keep moving. And so for AD, [it] was to focus on his body, come back healthy. … Can’t get everything solved in 24 minutes tonight, but as we go forward, we feel like we have a chance to win when he’s in uniform.”

Davis was on a 24- to 27-minute limit Friday. To adhere to the restriction, he had to leave the game with 6:56 left in the fourth quarter with the Mavericks down by just three points.

Leaving the court hurt, Davis said. He had gotten two blocks, an assist and a basket during the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, then the Lakers went on a 9-1 run after Davis went to the bench.

To Kidd, Davis is still one of the best in the world when he is healthy. The coach pointed to Davis’ impressive play in the Paris Olympics when he averaged 8.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 62.5% from the field.

The Lakers didn’t need to be reminded of Davis’ talent. Coach JJ Redick said Davis would get the respect that all star players deserve because of his versatile skillset. But more than the shots he blocked or baskets he scored with the Lakers, Redick valued Davis for his support during Redick’s first year as a head coach.

“Very grateful that I had buy-in from him coming in Day 1 never had coached before,” Redick said. “So, it’s one of those things like you’re rooting for certain guys. … There are certain teammates you had, there’s always going to be guys that I coached [who] I either root for them after they are not your teammate and they are not one of your players. Just not when they play against us. Not tonight.”

The Lakers played a tribute video last year when Davis was sidelined with an abdominal injury for his first game back after the trade. Fans were showered him with cheers when he was introduced in the starting lineup Friday. LeBron James playfully bumped Davis at the center of the court before the game then they did the same intricate handshake they performed before games as teammates.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic puts up a jumper between Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington and guard Max Christie on Friday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

After the game, Lakers players lined up to hug Davis. Austin Reaves, who dominated with 38 points on 12 for 15 shooting with eight rebounds and three assists, gave him a two-armed bear hug. Davis grabbed the strap of his jersey and pointed toward Reaves.

“I always liked his game, what he was able to do,” Davis said. “Just now he’s doing it on a more consistent basis, putting up elite numbers. … He’s a player who I always knew could play to this level.”

Reaves left the Lakers locker room with Davis’ blue No. 3 jersey signed by his former teammate.

“He’s one of the best players to ever touch a basketball. I don’t know why he wanted my jersey,” Reaves said. “But for me to get his, it’s pretty fun. … From Day 1, he was telling me to be myself, don’t be anybody else. Continue to work and really be myself on the court. So I owe him a lot.”

The USC Trojans won their second straight game, beating the Pepperdine Waves 82–52 at Galen Center on Friday.

Both teams had a slow scoring momentum in the first quarter with multiple missed shots, but the No. 18 Trojans (5–2) used aggressive defense to secure an 11-point lead.

“Our defensive point of attack was really good,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “I think Kennedy [Smith] is really elite as a disrupter and I thought everyone else fed off of her, and so it helped us to kind of change the tempo of the game when it was a little tight there in the first quarter. I thought we did a pretty good job defending the three-point line as a team. … I thought we pushed the ball well and because of that we shot it well.”

Gottlieb said the team focused on executing its game plan.

“We wanted to hold them under 30% from three. We did that,” she said. “We wanted to turn them over a bunch. We did that. And I thought we shared the ball great — 27 assists on 31 baskets is exceptional and I’m happy with a good team effort. We’re still in a place where we want to keep getting better, but you want to be able to build on one step forward and make it two or three in a row.”

Trojans guard Jazzy Davidson opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, followed by a layup from Kara Dunn and another from Vivian Iwuchukwu, plus a foul and free throw, helping USC open a 29-10 lead.

“Having that on the floor — people that can shoot, people that can post up … opens up the floor for all of us,” Dunn said. “So people are out on me and Deezy on the three-point line. That’s how Viv was able to attack and take advantage of that because they can’t really help off, and so I think us having versatile team members and having multiple ways of attack is really good for us.”

Trusting in teammates and knowing they will make the right plays helped Iwuchukwu in her execution on the court.

“Kennedy had seven assists and other people had five and were really good on getting the ball to all of us,” Iwuchukwu said. “Trusting that my teammates were gonna give me the ball, knowing that there’s not going to be someone that’s going to take it from behind me.”

Pepperdine (4–2) tried to cut into USC’s early lead but struggled to overcome 11 first-half turnovers. The Waves gained most of their first-half points from USC fouls.

USC closed the half leading 47–26.

Early in the third quarter, both teams traded baskets, with Iwuchukwu scoring first on a layup for USC, and Pepperdine’s Eli Guiney responding with one of her own. USC led 62–39 heading into the fourth.

Down the stretch, USC continued to extend the lead with a series of three-pointers, and Laura Williams scored the final points of the game.

Davidson finished with 18 points, five assists, four rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Dunn added 19 points and three rebounds. Smith contributed nine points, seven assists, three steals and three rebounds, while Iwuchukwu scored nine points.

Guiney finished with 12 points, six assists and three rebounds. Meghan Fiso scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds.

Heading into their next matchup Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Saint Mary’s (5-3) at Galen Center, the Trojans will continue to focus on communicating as a team and stopping runs early.

“We want to keep people off the offensive glass and it’s just something we know we have to do to win at a high level,” Gottlieb said. “And I just think we wanna continue to grow together as a team, communicate more and go on runs when we’re winning and be able to stop runs when [opponents] have something going.

”… I think everyone wants to do it — like, we’ve got a great group — it’s just really finding how do we take the next step to the next level.”

LAS VEGAS — Gabriela Jaquez scored 23 points and UCLA defeated Duke in the third-place game of the women’s Players Era Championship.

Handed their first loss this season the night before, 76-65 by second-ranked South Carolina, the Bruins came out red-hot even without star center Lauren Betts, who injured her left arm Wednesday.

UCLA (7-1) led 30-7 after shooting 60% (12 of 20) from the field in the first quarter, including 5 for 7 on 3-pointers. The Bruins also did a good job at the defensive end, forcing the Blue Devils (3-5) to commit six turnovers.

The Bruins shot 46.9% in the first half and took a 43-25 lead into halftime. Duke was 9 of 32 (28.1%) from the floor in the first 20 minutes.

Five players scored in double figures for UCLA. Charlisse Leger-Walker finished with 20 points, six assists and five rebounds. Kiki Rice had 17 points and six rebounds. Gianna Kneepkens added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Angela Dugalic had 12 points and eight boards.

UCLA shot a season-high 59.1% from 3-point range, hitting 13 of 22 from beyond the arc.

The Blue Devils were led by Ashlon Jackson, who had 18 points. Toby Fournier posted her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Delaney Thomas scored 10.

Duke went 22 of 65 from the floor (33.8%) in its second-worst shooting performance this season.

No. 4 Texas edged No. 2 South Carolina 66-64 in the championship game earlier Thursday.

The Lakers made two announcements Tuesday, saying that center Deandre Ayton was out for the game against the Clippers at Cyrpto.com Arena because of a bruised right knee and that they had signed forward Drew Timme to a two-way contract.

The team also announced that it had waived two-way center Christian Koloko.

Timme had played for the Lakers’ G League team, the South Bay Lakers, and posted averages of 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 25.5 minutes during six games.

The 6-10 Timme played his college basketball at Gonzaga.

“I talked to [Lakers president of basketball operations] Rob [Pelinka] and everyone yesterday, last night and they told me,” Timme said after the Lakers’ shootaround Tuesday. “I was just super excited. It’s super cool.”

Jaxson Hayes will start at center in place of Ayton in the NBA Cup game.

CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points and took over when the game got close, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-105 victory over the Clippers on Sunday night.

Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points in his return to the Clippers’ lineup after missing 10 games because of a sprained right ankle. L.A. went 2-8 while Leonard was out.

Mitchell helped the Cavaliers pull away with a flurry of plays late in the third quarter. He finished with five three-pointers, eight rebounds and six assists.

Evan Mobley had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and De’Andre Hunter scored 17 points as Cleveland went 4-2 on a six-game homestand.

Ivica Zubac paced the Clippers with 33 points — two off his career high — and 18 rebounds.

James Harden, who had a franchise-record 55 points for the Clippers in a win at Charlotte on Saturday, missed all eight three-point shots and finished with 19 points.

The Clippers trimmed a 13-point deficit to one in the third when Mitchell went to work.

The six-time All-Star had consecutive three-point plays, dropped a three-pointer and had two assists in the final 3:06 as the Cavaliers closed the quarter with a 15-3 run to open a 92-79 lead.

Mitchell then made another three-pointer and had two more assists in the opening minutes of the fourth as the Cavaliers pushed their lead to 18.

The Cavaliers were without key players as starting center Jarrett Allen (finger) and guards Lonzo Ball (knee), Sam Merrill (hand) and Craig Porter Jr. (hamstring) sat because of injuries.

Cleveland has played 10 different starting lineups while combating injuries.

Clippers guard Chris Paul picked up five assists in 17 minutes. Paul reportedly will retire after the season, and the 12-time All-Star received a warm ovation from Cleveland’s crowd when he checked in.

During practice Friday, UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close made it clear she wanted to see more from forward Angela Dugalic.

“You’re not using what you’ve earned,” Close recalled telling her while speaking with reporters Friday.

Dugalic is going to face some of the best players in the country this week. Close thinks she can match up with them, but she needs Dugalic to play like it. With all the work Dugalic has done on her low-post game over the offseason, she can’t settle for floating around the perimeter.

Close won’t let her.

“I just want her to be all she can be,” Close said. “She’s been an animal down there in the low post, and I want her to hunt for that. I don’t want her to settle for playing on the perimeter when she’s got a whole lot more tools in her toolbox that she’s not accessing.”

Close got that version of Dugalic in Sunday’s 88-37 rout of Southern at Pauley Pavilion. The third-ranked Bruins were in full control from whistle to whistle, even pitching a second-quarter shutout, and Dugalic led the way with 20 points, five rebounds and an assist. She shot eight for 15 from the floor with a trio of three-pointers.

It was pure dominance by UCLA. The Bruins shot 51% from the field while holding the Jaguars to 29%. They outrebounded Southern by 30. They forced 13 turnovers, nine in the first half, and scored 28 points off them. And on the offensive end, UCLA was flowing with 24 assists to Southern’s nine.

Gabriela Jaquez added eight rebounds and five assists to go with six points. Her first basket, a layup after cutting through the paint in the second quarter, gave the senior guard her 1,000th career point. Kiki Rice had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Lauren Betts finished with 15 points and six rebounds.

Dugalic opened the scoring for UCLA with a midrange jumper followed by a fast-break layup. She finished the first half with nine points, tied for the team lead with freshman forward Lena Bilic, who finished the game with 14 points.

Despite Dugalic’s strong start, Close issued her another challenge at halftime.

“I just want you to focus on making the right basketball play,” Close said. “What’s the defense doing? I didn’t think she was reading the defense. I thought she shot it well, and I thought she got some great rebounds, but I didn’t think she was in the flow that we’ve been seeing from her the last few days and our last few games.”

Close added that she thinks Dugalić is playing some of the best basketball of her career, and she’s continuously fighting to raise her standard. It’s not about how many points she scores, it’s about her decision making her defense, her consistency.

The Bruins entered that second quarter with a 22-9 lead thanks to a 14-2 run over the final six minutes of the first quarter after holding Southern (1-4) scoreless during the final three minutes. UCLA then exploded for a 27-0 run in the second quarter while holding the Jaguars scoreless for the entire period. It was the first time the Bruins had held an opponent scoreless for an entire quarter since they achieved the same feat on Dec. 5, 2021 against San José State.

Still, Close wasn’t satisfied.

During halftime, Close said she reminded the Bruins of what they want to accomplish. Close wrote down a list of “passion plays,” or goals for every single player to get in the second half.

UCLA guard Kiki Rice controls the ball in front of Southern forward DeMya Porter during the first half of the Bruins’ win Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.

(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

It’s part of a mentality Close is trying to instill in her players. They know a 51-point win against an unranked Southern team isn’t going to give them the feedback they need.

“Outcomes are actually a distraction,” Close said, referencing legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban. “What are the processes that we’re going to be committed to that are going to actually lead us to where we want to go?”

UCLA (6-0) will face No. 4 Texas on Wednesday in the Players Era Women’s Championship in Las Vegas, followed by either No. 2 South Carolina or Duke on Thanksgiving. The Bruins then will host No. 15 Tennessee on Nov. 30.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — James Harden made 10 three-pointers and scored a season-high 55 points, and the Clippers beat the Charlotte Hornets 131-116 on Saturday hours after 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul released a video on social media hinting at retirement after the season ends.

Ivica Zubac contributed 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Clippers, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Rookie Kon Knueppel had 26 points to lead the Hornets, who have lost five in a row. Brandon Miller returned from a 13-game absence because of a shoulder injury and finished with 21 points.

Harden erupted for 27 points in the opening quarter, making five three-pointers while helping the Clippers build a 14-point first-half lead and erase a fast start by the Hornets, who made seven of eight shots to open the game.

Charlotte pulled to within 74-72 in the third quarter, but the momentum changed when LaMelo Ball exited the game after committing his fourth foul.

With Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner leaving the game early with an ankle injury, the Clippers leaned on Zubac’s size advantage over Moussa Diabate in the third quarter, resulting in back-to-back dunks.

Then came Harden’s signature moment, as he drilled his eighth three-pointer on a step-back jumper over two defenders, drawing a foul on Diabate for a four-point play.

Harden’s 55-point outing was the 11th-highest scoring game of his career. His career high is 61 points.

Paul, who grew in Winston-Salem, N.C., and played at Wake Forest, finished what is expected to be his final game in his home state with eight assists. Paul showed his mastery of finding the open man in the second half by connecting with Brook Lopez for three open three-pointers.

The Hornets, who have been besieged by early season injuries, lost two more players against the Clippers. Kalkbrenner (left ankle soreness) and veteran guard Pat Connaughton (right calf soreness) exited the game in the first half and did not return.

Up next

Both teams are on the road Sunday night, with the Clippers visiting Cleveland and the Hornets at Atlanta.

Phillip Kusharev scored in regulation and the only goal of a shootout, and the San Jose Sharks held on for a 4-3 win over the Kings on Thursday night.

San Jose’s first player in the shootout, Kusharev skated toward his left then shifted direction toward the net before flipping the puck over the left shoulder of Kings goalie Anton Forsberg. Kusharev also had a goal in the second period.

Ty Dellandrea had a goal and an assist for San Jose. Adam Gaudette scored a goal, while Collin Graf had two assists. Yaroslav Askarov made 31 saves, two during the shootout.

Joel Armia, Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe had goals for the Kings.

Gaudette got the Sharks going with a goal on San Jose’s first shot of the game 2:33 into the first period. Gaudette raced in from the blue line and took a pass from Dellandrea then fired a wrist shot into the lower left corner of the net.

After the Kings tied it on Armia’s shorthanded and unassisted goal late in the period, San Jose regained the lead when Collin Graf skated around behind the net then flipped to Dellandrea in front of the net for a 2-1 lead with 9.9 seconds remaining.

The Kings responded quickly with a tying goal less than two minutes into the second period when Kopitar slid the puck through the legs of Askarov. Trevor Moore and Cody Ceci had assists.

After the Kings had a goal nullified by an offside penalty midway through the second period, Kusharev’s sixth goal of the season gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead.

Kempe forced overtime with his seventh goal of the season with 59 seconds remaining in regulation.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Jalen Suggs scored a season-high 23 points and had seven assists, and the Orlando Magic rolled to a 129-101 win over the Clippers on Thursday night.

James Harden had 31 points and eight assists for the Clippers. Ivica Zubac, the only other Clipper in double figures, had 14 points and 19 rebounds.

The injury-riddled Clippers, playing the fourth game of a seven-game trip, lost for the ninth time in 10 games.

The Clippers played a second consecutive game without Derrick Jones Jr. (knee) and Jordan Miller (hamstring) and a ninth in a row without Kawhi Leonard (ankle and foot). The Magic played a fourth consecutive game without Paolo Banchero (groin).

Franz Wagner scored 20 points and Tristan da Silva contributed 17 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who have won five of six. Anthony Black came off the Orlando bench to finish with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac goes up for a shoot between Magic guard Tyus Jones (2) and center Wendell Carter Jr., right, during the first half Thursday.

(Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)

Suggs scored 20 points in the first half and finished with five three-pointers. He did not play in the final quarter.

Orlando made 18 of 34 three-point shots (52.9%). Suggs made one to put the Magic up 61-49 at halftime.

The lead reached 26 when Desmond Bane, Wendell Carter Jr. and Black combined for four three-pointers in the first 2:21 of the fourth quarter.

Up next

Clippers: Visit Charlotte on Saturday. Magic: Host New York on Saturday.

The Mater Dei High girls’ volleyball team had a lot to play for after coming within one victory of a third consecutive Southern Section title.

The Monarchs quickly turned the page and set their sights on the state championship. Now they find themselves one win away from attaining that after upsetting No. 1 Sierra Canyon, 20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-16, in the Southern California Regional Open Division final Tuesday night in Chatsworth.

Outside hitter Westley Matavao led the way with 18 kills and afterward gave a shout-out to her cousin on the opposite side of the net, Missouri-bound setter and fellow junior Lucky Fasavalu.

“We’re family, I love her as a person, she comes to play every match and she knows how to run an offense,” said Matavao, an early commit to UCLA. “We wanted this so much after losing to them last time and we came out swinging tonight.”

A thunderous kill by Addison Coady ended the third set and Mater Dei opened a seven-point lead early in the fourth to ensure there would be no comeback by the home side.

“We played with so much confidence and our energy showed up,” Matavao added. “We have specific serving targets so we focused on that and were in great position on our blocking.”

Mater Dei will try to capture its third state Open Division title at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, where the Monarchs (34-5) face Northern California champion Rocklin (37-4), which upset top-seeded Archbishop Mitty in five sets Tuesday.

Layli Ostovar had 14 and 21 digs, Emma Kingston had 10 kills and six blocks, Lizzy Robinson had 19 digs, Kalea Lee had 24 assists, Sam Capinpin had 17 assists and Jael Smith had six blocks.

The Monarchs not only avenged their loss in the section final, they snapped Sierra Canyon’s 19-match winning streak and handed the Trailblazers (41-4) their only defeat in California all season.

Mater Dei won its first nine head-to-head meetings with Sierra Canyon before losing in four sets in the Southern Section Division 1 final Nov. 8 at Cerritos College. It was the Trailblazers’ fourth section title and halted Mater Dei’s bid for a three-peat under head coach Dan O’Dell.

Mater Dei won its first state Open Division title in 2018 and its second in 2023.

Forward Adrian Kempe agreed to an eight-year, $85-million contract to stay with the Kings, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the Kings hadn’t announced their deal with the 29-year-old Kempe, who would have been an unrestricted free agent next summer. The deal extends through the 2033-34 season and has an average annual value of $10.625 million.

Kempe has been the Kings’ most dependable offensive player over the last four seasons, earning an All-Star selection in 2022 and leading the Kings to four straight playoff appearances. The Swedish right wing has 200 goals and 220 assists in a 10-year career spent entirely with the Kings, which drafted him with the 29th overall pick in 2014.

Kempe scored a career-high 41 goals during the 2022-23 season and has four consecutive 25-goal seasons. He leads the Kings with six goals and 13 assists in 19 games this season while playing extensively on special teams.

Kempe is also on Sweden’s initial roster for the 2026 Olympics.

Re-signing Kempe has been a top priority for new Kings general manager Ken Holland, who said he wanted to maintain a foundation of leadership and talent when longtime captain Anze Kopitar retires next year. But negotiations with Kempe stretched from the summer into the season, leading to increasing speculation that Kempe would hit the open market next year.

Instead, Kempe joins the list of potential 2026 free agents who re-signed with their teams in the last two months. Connor McDavid, Martin Necas, Jack Eichel and Kirill Kaprizov all committed to their respective teams recently.

The Kings (10-5-4) rebounded from a slow start with four consecutive victories on their six-game road swing. They play at Washington on Monday.

Beacham writes for the Associated Press.

The Lakers finished an uneven road trip on a high note with consecutive wins at New Orleans and Milwaukee, salvaging a 3-2 record on the trip after a 119-95 win over the Bucks on Saturday. The only thing that seemed to excite the players more than the victory was what waited for them after the nine-day journey.

“Let’s go homeee,” forward Jake LaRavia posted on his Instagram story.

Here are five takeaways after the five-game road trip:

Lakers recapture their magic

Laker Deandre Ayton fouls Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on Saturday in Milwaukee.

(Morry Gash / Associated Press)

Deandre Ayton took credit for the postgame locker room’s Frank Sinatra soundtrack, but JJ Redick had Jay-Z on his mind. After wrapping up a grueling trip, one of Redick’s first thoughts was Jay-Z’s track “A Week Ago,” which begins with the lyric: “It was all good just a week ago.”

A week ago, the Lakers were 7-2. They were riding the high of a five-game winning streak heading into practice in Atlanta.

Then things turned sour.

The Lakers (10-4) were blown out against Atlanta and Oklahoma City on this trip. They played about one good half of basketball in their first three games. But during the most demanding part of the stretch, the Lakers rallied to find themselves again with critical wins against the Pelicans and Bucks.

“This is the NBA,” Redick told reporters. “And you gotta find moments to recapture what makes you a good basketball team. And I think over the last 24 hours we’ve done that.”

Redick credited Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for continuing to lead the team through choppy waters Saturday. Despite the team arriving in Milwaukee at 3 a.m. on Saturday morning and Doncic playing 40 minutes the night before in New Orleans, the superstar guard was still diving on the floor for a loose ball in the second quarter. He pushed the ball ahead to Reaves, who found Ayton for a layup.

As Doncic becomes more comfortable with his teammates, his leadership has shown through not only his play but his sarcastic personality, which has helped develop a strong bond.

“It’s great chemistry,” Doncic told reporters. “When I came, I was probably a little more quiet, trying to get to know people. But right now, I’m just being myself, just joking around a lot, trash-talking. So I think one of the biggest things for the team to win is have a great chemistry, and I think we have that.”

Doncic’s MVP campaign rolls along

The Lakers’ Luka Doncic drives past the Bucks’ Gary Harris on Saturday in Milwaukee.

(Morry Gash / Associated Press)

With 41 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Milwaukee, Doncic collected his fourth 40-point games this season, equaling his total for such games all of last year.

He leads the league with 34.4 points per game and officially became eligible for the leaderboard after playing in his 10th game Saturday. His points and 8.9 rebounds per game are close to his production in 2023-24 when he led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals and finished third in most valuable player voting with 33.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He is doing it despite shooting a 32.7% from three-point range, his worst mark since his second season.

Reinforcements are on the way

Lakers forward Lebron James is expected to return to the lineup soon.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

LeBron James is expected to return to the practice court with the Lakers on Monday after a productive test stint with the South Bay Lakers. He could make his season debut as soon as Tuesday against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena in the Lakers’ only game this week.

James is the only standard contract player still awaiting to make his debut after the Lakers got forwards Maxi Kleber and Adou Thiero back on the court during the trip. Kleber, who was sidelined with an abdominal strain, has played in three games. He made his first shot of the season in the win over Milwaukee while playing 25 minutes with three points and three assists.

The rookie Thiero also made his debut against the Bucks, scoring four points and punctuating his first NBA appearance with an emphatic two-handed dunk in the final minute. It showed the type of athleticism and activity the Lakers were looking for when they drafted him in the second round. He also grabbed one offensive rebound during the first half that led to Kleber’s three-pointer.

Guard Gabe Vincent (ankle) is still out and is approaching three weeks since he turned his ankle against the Sacramento Kings. The original timetable for his return was two to four weeks.

Shooting slumps

Lakers guard Gabe Vincent throws a lob pass to center Deandre Ayton for an alley-oop dunk against the Kings on Oct. 26.

(Sara Nevis / Associated Press)

Vincent’s eventual return could help the Lakers with one of their most glaring offensive deficiencies: three-point shooting.

The Lakers rank 25th in three-point shooting at just 33.8%. Their 32.4 three-point attempts per game rank 26th in the league. It’s a far cry from the 40.4 threes they attempted in the games after Doncic joined the team last year.

Part of the shooting slump could be Reaves’ early struggles from three-point range. Outside of his six for 10 night that led to a career-high 51 points against Sacramento, Reaves, who missed three games with a groin injury, was shooting 26.4% from three this season.

He then caught fire in the second half against the Bucks, making five threes. While finishing with 25 points and eight assists, he made three consecutive three-pointers to open the fourth quarter that Doncic called some of the most important shots of the game.

“It was good to get something to go down,” Reaves told reporters. “… Hopefully we continue to shoot the ball well.”

Pick up the pace

The Bucks’ Bobby Portis and the Lakers’ Luka Doncic battle for a loose ball on Saturday in Milwaukee.

(Morry Gash / Associated Press)

The Lakers are second-to-last in transition possessions per game and transition possession percentage. Redick was puzzled as to why the team played so slowly when asked about its pace before the Charlotte game. He said the pace was “literally the first thing we emphasize in every film session.”

But on the second night of a back-to-back, Redick acknowledged the team, considering its personnel, was simply not going to be a fast team. However, he still identified markers of success. Before Saturday’s game, Redick told the players the team was 9-1 when it scored 12 or more transition points and 8-0 with 24 or more assists.

“I think there’s a formula here for throwing the ball ahead and sharing the basketball,” Redick said. “And they were good again with that tonight.”

The Lakers had 12 fast break points and 23 assists against the Bucks.

Alex DeBrincat had two goals and an assist and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Ducks 6-3 on Thursday night to end a three-game losing streak.

DeBrincat has 18 goals and 33 points in 20 games against the Ducks.

Moritz Seider and Dylan Larkin each had a goal and an assist, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka scored his second career goal. Michael Rasmussen also scored after being a healthy scratch for Detroit’s 5-1 loss to Chicago on Sunday.

Jonatan Berggren, Patrick Kane and Lucas Raymond added two assists apiece.

Seider and DeBrincat scored on power plays, reviving a Detroit unit that had gone one for 20 during its previous five games.

John Gibson and Cam Talbot combined for 25 saves for Detroit. Gibson departed after two periods because of an undisclosed injury.

Cutter Gauthier, Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund scored for the Ducks, and Lukas Dostal made 27 saves. Leo Carlsson’ss 11-game points streak ended. The Ducks have lost two straight after a seven-game winning streak.

Detroit took a 3-2 lead in the second period after a scoreless first.

The Red Wings broke the deadlock at 5:57 of the period after the Ducks’ Mason McTavish was whistled for his third penalty of the game. Seider scored on a shot from the point but the Ducks tied it less than two minutes later on Gauthier’s team-high 12th goal.

Rasmussen and Kreider traded goals before Sandin-Pellikka scored from the point for his second career goal.

DeBrincat gave the Red Wings a 4-2 lead 50 seconds into the third period when he tipped in Seider’s shot during a power play. Larkin scored on a two-on-none breakaway to answer Granlund’s goal. DeBrincat added an empty-netter.

The teams split their two-game season series.

Gabriel Landeskog scored his first goal of the season, Nathan MacKinnon had three assists and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Ducks 4-1 on Tuesday night in a matchup of the Western Conference’s points leaders.

The loss ended the Ducks’ winning streak at seven games. Leo Carlsson scored his sixth goal in the past four games for Anaheim and recorded his 100th career point, making the 20-year-old the youngest player in Ducks history to reach that milestone. Troy Terry got his team-leading 15th assist of the season on Carlsson’s goal.

Lukas Dostal made 32 saves in a matchup of first-place teams.

The one goal matched a season-low for the Ducks, who entered the game averaging an NHL-best 4.13 goals per game.

Landeskog’s second-period goal, which gave Colorado a 2-1 lead, was his first in the regular season since March 5, 2022. The 32-year-old left wing had missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, as well as the 2024-25 regular season, after undergoing a series of knee surgeries. After the goal, the home crowd serenaded him with chants of “Landy.”

Scott Wedgewood stopped 35 of the 36 Anaheim shots he faced for his NHL-leading 10th win of the season. It was the seventh time in 14 starts this season that Wedgewood has allowed one or fewer goals.

Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas and Parker Kelly also scored for Colorado, with Lehkonen’s goal coming just 28 seconds into the first period. MacKinnon’s three assists gave him 32 points for the season, the most in the NHL.

With the win, the Avalanche are 6-0-1 in their last seven games and improved to 16-1-2 in their last 19 meetings against the Ducks.

As Trent Perry made his first collegiate start, he stepped into a familiar role.

The UCLA sophomore always plays point guard in practice, going head to head against star counterpart Donovan Dent. Whenever they play together in games, Perry has to shift his approach, becoming more aggressive in trying to grab rebounds.

But with Dent sidelined as a precaution because of a muscle strain Monday night at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins needed Perry to assume the role of lead facilitator.

Finding out that he was going to start only shortly before tipoff, Perry received encouragement from his sidelined teammate.

“He really just said, ‘Keep going,’” Perry said of Dent. “Just kept giving me confidence throughout the entire game. You know, keep going right now, you’re the engine and just keep your team moving. Just be a leader.”

Perry eagerly complied, leading the No. 15 Bruins to an 83-62 victory over West Georgia that was far closer than the score indicated. The Wolves used a bombs-away approach that yielded a flurry of three-pointers and kept the game competitive for 25 minutes before Perry helped UCLA avoid embarrassment on its home court.

Making most of the highlight passes, including one in which he barreled into the paint before flinging the ball to teammate Eric Dailey Jr. in the corner for a three-pointer, Perry logged career highs across the board with 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds along with only two turnovers in 37 minutes.

It was a performance that pleased coach Mick Cronin, who said he was primarily concerned with Perry’s defense and ability to take care of the ball while finding his teammates.

“Off certain plays that we ran, he read the defense, did a good job with that,” Cronin said. “That’s what you’ve to do as a quarterback — calling the plays, if the quarterback can’t deliver the ball, you’re a pretty limited coach.”

With UCLA holding just a five-point lead against an opponent in only its second season in Division I, Perry ignited his team’s 10-0 push early in the second half that provided breathing room with an assist and a layup in transition. Eventually the Bruins (3-0) found themselves ahead by 20 points, leaving West Georgia (1-2) with no way to catch them even on a night when the Wolves made 13 of 25 three-pointers (52%).

UCLA also persevered thanks to forward Tyler Bilodeau’s 21 points on seven-for-12 shooting and Dailey’s 14 points. The Bruins were far more efficient on offense in the second half, making 14 of 25 shots (56%) to finish the game shooting 49.1%.

UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau, left, tries to drive past West Georgia forward Kenneth Chime during the first half Monday.

(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

But the outcome wasn’t a foregone conclusion until there were about 10 minutes left thanks to West Georgia’s success from beyond the arc. The Wolves made nine of 13 three-pointers in the first half before cooling off considerably.

“We were losing shooters,” said Perry, who was pump-faked out of the way on one three-pointer in the game’s early going. “Our deflection [total] was really low. Coach said comfortable teams make comfortable players. And they were pretty comfortable in our home gym, especially in the first half.”

Cronin said he was grateful that his team was challenged by a third consecutive lesser-conference opponent after struggling to put away Eastern Washington and Pepperdine.

“It was great that they made us compete tonight — we do not need a false sense of security,” Cronin said. “I’ve been doing this a long time, so the worst thing you can have is [an opponent] that just lays down, doesn’t pass the ball, can’t make a shot, you’re running and dunking, the crowd’s going wild. It’s such a false sense of security for what we’ve got coming Friday.”

Cronin was alluding to an early season showdown against No. 5 Arizona at the Intuit Dome.

UCLA will need not just Dent back but also the defensive intensity that has made Cronin’s teams far more formidable than they looked for much of Monday night. Dent likely will play against the Wildcats, Cronin said.

“He’s banged up, got a couple of different areas he’s banged up,” Cronin said. “It was a great chance to get him some rest.”

And, in the process, learn that the Bruins have someone else capable of running their offense.

Rookie Beckett Sennecke had his first two-goal game, Leo Carlsson extended his scoring streak to 10 games with two power-play goals, and the Ducks beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Sunday night for their seventh straight victory.

Cutter Gauthier and Chris Kreider had two assists apiece and Lukas Dostal made 23 saves for the first-place Ducks, who have scored 33 goals during their longest winning streak in two years. Anaheim wasn’t even slowed by playing at Vegas on Saturday, instead beating both of the Western Conference’s 2024-25 division champions during its first back-to-back set of the season.

The 19-year-old Sennecke had already solidified his spot on the Ducks’ roster before he scored in the first and second period against Winnipeg. He has six goals and five assists in his first 15 NHL games, answering any questions about whether the former No. 3 overall pick was ready to make the leap from juniors to the NHL.

Carlsson got his first two man-advantage goals of the season during his second consecutive two-goal game, giving him 19 points in 10 games and keeping him near the top of the NHL scoring race.

The 20-year-old Swedish center extended the longest scoring streak of his career with a goal in the first period. Carlsson added his 10th goal of the season during another man-advantage in the third, giving him five goals and seven points in the past three games.

Kyle Connor scored and Eric Comrie stopped 17 shots for the Jets, who have lost three straight. After winning nine of its previous 11 games, Winnipeg scored just two goals while getting swept in the California half of its current six-game road trip.

Sennecke opened the scoring with a one-timer from the slot off a no-look pass from Gauthier, and Carlsson converted an assist from Troy Terry.

Connor got his ninth goal early in the second period, but Sennecke converted a rebound seven minutes later.

Up next for the Ducks: at Colorado on Tuesday night.

Chad Baker-Mazara scored 20 of his career-high 26 points in the first half to lead seven USC players in double figures and start the Trojans off and running to a 114-83 victory over Manhattan on Sunday.

Baker-Mazara made seven of 13 shots, including three of four from three-point range, and all nine of his free throws to help the Trojans (2-0) score more points than they’ve had since 1998. He added seven rebounds.

Ezra Ausar scored 17 points on seven-for-10 shooting for USC and Rodney Rice pitched in with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jacob Cofie totaled 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Terrence Williams II added 10 points and seven boards. Reserves Jaden Brownell and Jordan Marsh scored 13 and 11, respectively.

USC jumped out to a 7-2 lead before Anthony Isaac’s layup capped a 5-0 spurt for Manhattan to tie it. From there neither team had a two-possession lead until Baker-Mazara hit a three-pointer to put USC up 28-23 with 7:48 left before halftime. The Trojans sank four of their next five shots to push their advantage to double digits and upped it to 55-37 at the break.

USC led by as many as 35 in the second half and topped the century mark on a layup by Brownell with 6:16 left to play.

Junior guard Jaden Winston scored a career-high 29 to pace the Jaspers (1-1). The fifth-year senior guard made nine of 14 shots with three three-pointers while making all eight of his free throws. Terrance Jones had 18 points and fellow reserve Isaac scored 16.

DALLAS — Leo Carlsson‘s short-handed goal midway through the third period proved to be the winner as the Ducks rallied to beat the Dallas Stars 7-5 on Thursday night.

Carlsson scored on a slap shot 10:38 into the third period to give the Ducks a 6-4 lead. Troy Terry had an assist on the goal.

Chris Kreider scored twice, Cutter Gauthier, Olen Zellweger, Ian Moore added goals and Mason McTavish added an empty-netter for the Ducks, who’ve won five consecutive games and seven of their last eight. Lukas Dostal finished with 21 saves.

Wyatt Johnston had two goals, Roope Hintz, Tyler Seguin and Mikko Rantanen also scored for Dallas, which lost for the third time in four games. Miro Heiskanen had four assists and Jake Oettinger made 18 saves.

Dallas had its seven-game points streak halted.

Up next for the Ducks: at the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

At her players’ request, Cori Close showed up inside Pauley Pavilion five hours before tipoff. The UCLA women’s basketball coach was joined by her assistants and managers for pregame shooting at 6:30 a.m., so many players filling the court that the sessions had to be staggered.

Three days after a lackluster showing in their season opener, the Bruins felt they had something to prove in their first game at home. The additional work before facing UC Santa Barbara on Thursday reflected their commitment.

“I mean, I never have to coach this team’s work ethic,” Close said. “That is never in question. And so that’s a really fun place to be in.”

The day’s biggest gratification would come later, the third-ranked Bruins resembling an All-Star team at times during an 87-50 rout of the Gauchos that showed glimpses of the firepower they hope to fully unleash by season’s end.

Forward Gabriela Jaquez revealed one of the best long-range shooting displays of her career, making four of seven three-pointers on the way to 21 points. Point guard Kiki Rice was a constant playmaker in her return to the starting lineup while scoring 20 points, grabbing eight rebounds and distributing three assists. Shooting guard Gianna Kneepkens added another dimension to the offense with four more three-pointers and 20 points.

It was the first time the Bruins had three players score 20 or more points since four of them did it against Bellarmine in November 2023.

“There’s so many weapons that I feel like it’s hard for the defense to choose what to take away,” Kneepkens said, “so I think really what makes this team special is that on any night it could be someone’s night, so that’s a really hard thing to scout.”

The challenge for the Bruins (2-0) could be to maximize all that talent.

Close said Rice had sent her an Oklahoma City Thunder news conference in which the team talked about building rhythm with its offense by best utilizing the players who were hot on any given night.

“We’re not quite there yet,” Close said. “We’re not playing with great rhythm. … I think we just haven’t totally found that flow yet.”

UCLA guard Kiki Rice drives to the basket past UC Santa Barbara guard Zoe Shaw during the second half Thursday.

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

Part of that could be pinned on Rice still rounding into form from a shoulder injury and fellow point guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (eight points, seven assists, three steals) playing in only her second game since returning from a lengthy injury layoff.

The Bruins were also without Sienna Betts (lower leg) and Timea Gardiner (knee) for a second consecutive game. Close said there remained no timetable for Betts’ return even as she continued to progress.

But Close said she liked the way her players responded after describing them as “flat all the way around” in their opener, a 24-point victory over San Diego State.

“The film session after that was not fun. Practice was not fun,” Close said. “And their willingness to say, ‘This is what we need. We need to be challenged. We didn’t meet the standard’ — I’m really impressed with their willingness to do that.”

After some lackadaisical UCLA defense in the first quarter, there was a stretch in the second quarter in which the Bruins made it difficult just to get the ball past halfcourt.

Jaquez stuck out a hand, tipping an outlet pass to herself before going in for a driving layup in which she was fouled. On the Gauchos’ next possession, Leger-Walker came up with another steal, leading to a Rice layup.

It wasn’t long before Jaquez and teammate Lauren Betts (12 points, seven rebounds, six assists) used a double team along the sideline to force another turnover.

Closing the half on a 19-2 run, the Bruins surged into a 51-26 lead. UCLA also benefited from an oddity midway through the second quarter when the Gauchos (1-1) were assessed a technical foul for having a player wearing a jersey number that didn’t correspond with the scorebook.

For UCLA, the biggest challenge might have been scheduling the game.

Close said she’s struggled to get teams to agree to play the Bruins after their Final Four run, calling every school in the state from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Most of UCLA’s marquee nonconference games, starting with a showdown against Oklahoma on Monday in Sacramento, will be at neutral sites.

“They kept saying it’s the Lauren Betts factor and I was like, ‘No, it’s the you’re scared factor. Come on,’ ” Close said. “I actually really lose respect for people who aren’t willing to step up and play hard people.”

The Gauchos eagerly complied in part because they were Close’s alma mater and the spot where she coached for nine years.

“Thank you to them for stepping up and coming into Pauley,” Close said, “and wanting to get better at their craft and growing the game.”

For the Gauchos, given the way things went, they might be owed a Christmas card as well.

Early to rise, the Bruins also put an early end to any upset hopes.

Adrian Kempe scored his 200th NHL career goal and Drew Doughty broke the Kings record for goals by a defenseman as they beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves and Kevin Fiala added a late power-play goal to help the Kings get their first home win of the season in six games.

Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for the Jets, who dropped their first road game in five tries.

Kempe scored late in the first period to put the Kings in front, getting his sixth goal of the season by attacking the crease to put in Joel Armia’s centering pass from the trapezoid. Kempe is the ninth member of the 2014 draft class to reach 200 goals, getting there in 644 games.

Doughty passed franchise stalwart Rob Blake with his 162nd goal in 1,221 games with an empty-netter with 54 seconds remaining.

The Kings made changes by moving Armia to the top line and reuniting Mikey Anderson with longtime partner Doughty on the first defensive pair, and there were immediate returns as Armia and Anderson had the assists on Kempe’s goal.

Kings forward Corey Perry played in his 1,400th career game, becoming the 44th player in NHL history to do so and joining Brent Burns (1,511), Alex Ovechkin (1,503) and Anze Kopitar (1,464) among active players who have appeared in that many games.

Jets captain Adam Lowry made his season debut after undergoing hip surgery in late May, centering the third line. Lowry had a career-high 18 goals last season.