finish

The Lakers have two of the best clutch players in the NBA in LeBron James and Luka Doncic. They have been the best clutch team in the NBA this season because of them and because they have led the way for the Lakers. They have won an NBA-best 13 games in the clutch this season.

But when the game hung in the balance Friday night, when the Lakers needed James and Doncic to be clutch, neither was able to deliver, their inability to do so a direct result in L.A. dropping a 105-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena.

For as much as James did in keeping the Lakers in the game by scoring 13 of his 26 points in the final quarter and by nearly collecting a triple-double with 10 assists and nine rebounds, it was his last-second turnover that doomed them.

For as much as Doncic did in producing a near triple-double with 24 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, his poor shooting and foul trouble was not helpful in the end.

“I’d love to go undefeated in clutch games for a season, but you know, you can’t get too high, can’t get too low on stats like that,” James said. “You just play the game. And they made some plays. Big three by [Myles] Turner by our bench; obviously the free throws down the stretch by KP [Kevin Porter Jr.]. So, we had our chances.”

The score was tied at 101-101 after Jake LaRavia (13 points) drilled a three-pointer off a pass from Doncic.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic, center, makes a backwards pass over Bucks guard AJ Green (20) during the first half Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers never scored again. James missed a driving layup for the lead that was blocked by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then Doncic fouled Porter on a three-pointer with 16.2 seconds left. It was Doncic’s sixth foul.

“I think we missed a couple of good shots down the stretch. Then I fouled (out). I had six fouls. First time in a long time,” Doncic said. “So, that’s on me. I can’t foul at that point.”

Porter made two of the three free throws for a 103-101 Bucks lead.

Doncic was asked about the foul.

“Yeah, I don’t think he shoots like that,” Doncic said of Porter’s three-pointer. “The referee said it was a foul. So, I guess it’s a foul.”

Still, the Lakers were down only two points and they still had James on the court.

But on his drive to the basket, James lost control of the ball for a turnover with 1.5 seconds left.

“For me? … I turned the ball over. You definitely can’t do that at that point and time,” James said. “So, Giannis, he made a great play by getting his arm and tipping it from behind, but can’t turn the ball over — obviously.”

Doncic lamented his shooting during the game.

He made his first two three-pointers to start the game, but it was all downhill from there. He was eight-for-25 shooting the field and had a rating of minus-14.

“Obviously my shot didn’t go well today,” Doncic said. “You know, could get better shots. So, wish I could have executed better than that.”

The Lakers played their fourth game this week, at times looking sluggish because of the workload.

It was the kind of night that saw Doncic pick up his fifth foul with 2.1 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Lakers trailed by as much as 12 in the second quarter, looking a bit slow.

So much — if not all — of the Lakers’ game plan was on trying to deal with the nearly unstoppable force that is Antetokounmpo.

And much of that job went to Lakers center Deandre Ayton, whom the LA felt was best equipped to handle the assignment because of his size (7-foot), length and strength.

But it also was going to take the Lakers as a group to slow down Antetokounmpo, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Jarred Vanderbilt gave the Lakers a big effort with nine points and nine rebounds off the bench, and his usual tough defense.

Hachimura update

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura missed his sixth consecutive game because of right calf soreness. Hachimura has been working out and there is some hope that he can play Monday night in Sacramento.

“He’s made a lot of progress just in terms of regaining strength and mobility in his calf and had a good workout today,” coach JJ Redick said. “There’s a lot of optimism that he’ll be available Monday, but we’ll see how the next few days go.”

It’s been a steady progression by Onley since the London-born cyclist joined the Netherlands-based team, Team Picnic–PostNL, in 2023.

His first individual professional win came the following January in an uphill finish on stage five of the 2024 Tour Down Under, ultimately finishing fourth overall.

Onley, though, came into that year’s Tour de France “just trying to go for stage results, which meant there is certain days when I would sit up and take it a bit easier”.

That was with the knowledge that he was not in a position “to be fighting for a top-five finish overall”.

That all changed last year.

“It really feels like it came quite quickly in the last few months before the Tour,” he said.

“Everything started to click into place and so I was starting to gain a lot more confidence in myself as well.”

While he was initially targeting stage wins in his second Tour de France, with the general classification being a secondary aim, it soon became clear that a podium finish was a possibility.

Onley would finish just over a minute behind third-placed Florian Lipowitz of Germany. Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard was eight minutes in front in second, while winner, Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, was 12 minutes better off.

“I still feel very far away,” the Scot said as he looked forward to the coming season. “To the front two, there is a big gap from the rest of us, but I definitely feel that, in the next couple of years, a podium finish is definitely possible if things go the right way for me.

“And there’s also two other Grand Tours in Italy and Spain where sometimes the competition’s slightly less deep. If it goes the right way, then why can’t I try to win one of those?”

It is difficult to gauge how good Morocco are from a meeting with a side from the smallest country of 24 competing at Afcon 2025 – and in front of their own vociferous fans.

Comoros were unbeaten as they topped their qualifying group ahead of Tunisia and shocked Ghana at the last Afcon two years ago.

However, Morocco beat Comoros 3-1 to top their group at the recent Arab Cup in Qatar before edging Jordan 3-2 after extra-time in Thursday’s final.

That was with a completely different squad than the one that is at their home tournament.

Comoros too only had one player from the Arab Cup starting at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium against the hosts.

Even so, it is another indication that Morocco have strength in depth.

This was three points gained without having to call on influential captain Achraf Hakimi, who was only fit for the bench after suffering an ankle injury playing for Paris St-Germain in a Champions League game in early November.

El Kaabi was himself a substitute before the 32-year-old Olympiacos striker made a sensational goalscoring entrance with 25 minutes remaining.

OK, he did not quite rise as high off the ground as McTominay, but it was greeted with similar gasps inside his home stadium.

Morocco’s depth will be tested more in tougher challenges ahead, starting with Mali on Boxing Day and then Zambia on 29 December.

They will, though, be favourites to qualify from Group A as the look to win Afcon for the first time since 1976 or at least reach the final for the first time in 21 years.

Plenty more time for Clarke to judge the strengths and weaknesses of the side Scotland will face at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, USA on 19 June.

American Lindsey Vonn claimed a podium spot for the third time in four World Cup races by finishing third in the downhill in Val d’Isere on Saturday.

The 41-year-old, who last week became the oldest downhill World Cup winner, clinched her 141st World Cup podium finish.

Vonn, who hadn’t raced at the French Alps resort in eight years, crossed the line in one minute 41.89 seconds – 0.35secs behind winner Cornelia Huetter of Austria, with Kira Weidle-Winkelmann of Germany in second.

Vonn retired from the sport in February 2019 because of injury and made her competitive return in December 2024 following a partial knee replacement.

With 48 days to go until the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which run from 6-22 February, Vonn will be hoping to add to the four World Cup titles she has gathered over a career that has spanned 20 years.

She already has one gold and two bronze Olympic medals to her name and is on track to represent the United States at the 2026 Games.

Saturday’s event was part of this season’s World Cup campaign, with a total of nine races taking place before the Finals at Kvitfjell in Norway on 21 March 2026. The Val d’Isere leg concludes on Sunday with a super-G.