Chris Kreider and Beckett Sennecke scored goals, Lukas Dostal survived a barrage of shots in the final minutes, and the Ducks beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Tuesday night to end a nine-game skid.
Jacob Trouba also scored for the Ducks, and Dostal stopped 24 shots — many of them from point-blank range after Dallas pulled the goalie twice in the final minutes. The Ducks were 0-8-1 since a 4-1 win against Columbus on Dec. 20.
Roope Hintz scored for Dallas and Casey DeSmith had 22 saves. The Stars lost for the fourth time in six games (2-2-2).
Hintz’s snap shot from the slot with a man advantage pulled the Stars to 2-1 with 2:12 left in the third, but Trouba sealed the Ducks’ win with an empty-netter the length of the ice with 20.5 seconds remaining.
The Ducks had given up five goals or more in each of their last five games, and they played one of the NHL’s best teams without their three top point scorers in Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry and Cutter Gauthier, who sat out because of injury or illness.
But they rediscovered some of their early-season mojo, out-skating, out-hitting and out-hustling the Stars for much of the game and taking advantage of a delayed penalty call on Kyle Capobianco to score their first goal in the second period.
Dostal skated to the bench, giving the Ducks a man advantage. Mikael Granlund took a blue-line pass from Radko Gudas at the bottom of the right circle and found a wide-open Kreider, who beat DeSmith stick-side with a snap shot from the high slot for a 1-0 lead 3:36 into the period.
The Ducks appeared to push the lead to 2-0 when Alex Killorn took a spectacular backhand pass from Ryan Poehling and scored a shorthanded goal with 39.8 seconds left in the second, but Poehling crashed into DeSmith and into the net, and the goal was waved off because of interference.
With 7:58 left in the third, Sennecke gathered the rebound of Granlund’s shot that caromed off the end board and toward the left post. Sennecke shielded himself from a defender and backhanded an unassisted goal past DeSmith for a 2-0 lead.
GENEVA — President Trump will return to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting of business, political and cultural elites in Davos, Switzerland, next week, leading a record-large U.S. delegation, organizers said Tuesday.
The Geneva-based think tank says Trump, whose assertive foreign policy on issues as diverse as Venezuela and Greenland in recent months has stirred concerns among U.S. friends and foes alike, will be accompanied by five Cabinet secretaries and other top officials for the event running from Monday through Jan. 23.
A total of 850 CEOs and chairs of the world’s top companies will be among the 3,000 participants from 130 countries expected in the Alpine resort this year, the forum says.
Forum President Borge Brende says six of the Group of Seven leaders — including Trump — will attend, as well as presidents Volodymyr Zelenskky of Ukraine, Ahmad al-Sharaa of Syria and others. A total of 64 heads of state or government are expected so far — also a record — though that number could increase before the start of the event, he said.
China’s delegation will be headed by Vice Premier He Lifeng, Beijing’s top trade official, Brende said.
Among the scores of other high-profile attendees expected are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as well as tech industry titans Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Brende said the U.S. delegation will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The forum, which held its first annual meeting in 1971, has long been a hub of dialogue, debate and deal-making. Trump has already attended twice while president, and was beamed in by video last year just days after being inaugurated for his second term.
Critics call it a venue for the world’s elites to hobnob and do business that sometimes comes at the expense of workers, the impoverished or people on the margins of society. The forum counters that its stated goal is “improving the state of the world” and insists many advocacy groups, academics and cultural leaders have an important role too.
This year’s edition will be the first annual meeting not headed by forum founder Klaus Schwab, who resigned last year. He’s been succeeded by interim co-chairs Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of New York-based investment management company BlackRock, and Andre Hoffmann, the vice chairman of Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche Holdings.
Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points and James Harden had 32 to move into ninth place on the NBA’s career scoring list, and the Clippers beat the Charlotte Hornets 117-109 on Monday night for their fourth win in five games.
Jordan Miller added 14 points and Ivica Zubac had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers.
LaMelo Ball had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead the Hornets in their third loss in four games. Kon Knueppel scored 18 points, Moussa Diabaté had 13 points and 15 rebounds, Brandon Miller also scored 13 and Miles Bridges 11.
Harden, who began the night 14 points behind Shaquille O’Neal’s 28,596 points for ninth, had 13 in the first half and then moved ahead on a three-pointer early in the third quarter.
After Tre Mann’s three-pointer gave Charlotte a 100-99 lead with 7:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, Harden scored eight points during a 15-1 run that gave the Clippers a 13-point lead 4:02 later.
The Hornets followed with six consecutive point to pull to 114-107 with 1:22 to go, but that was as close as they got.
Leonard scored 20 points with five three-pointers in the third quarter for the Clippers. Harden made two free throws and a layup, and Leonard hit a three for a 73-64 advantage. Ball scored seven consecutive points as Charlotte pulled one point behind with 2:21 left in the quarter and took the lead twice before Miller’s layup just before the buzzer gave the Clippers an 86-84 lead heading to the fourth.
Harden scored 11 points while playing the entire first quarter. He shot three for seven from the field and five for six from the free-throw line. Harden then had two points in the second quarter on one-for-seven shooting as the Clippers took a 45-43 lead at the break. Leonard had 10 points in the half.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Josh Allen took a pounding, doled out punishment and delivered Buffalo its first road playoff victory in more than three decades.
With linebacker Devin Lloyd bearing down on him, Allen found Brandin Cooks for 36 yards just before the two-minute warning and then capped the go-ahead drive with a 1-yard touchdown run in which Jacksonville let him score.
On the play before his score, Allen gained 10 yards on a sneak, refusing to go down while being pushed and pulled to the goal line.
Focused on getting rid of the ball quickly and negating Jacksonville’s pass rush most of the game, Allen completed 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown. He ran for two scores, was sacked just once and played turnover-free football.
It was necessary considering NFL rushing leader James Cook was mostly bottled up, finishing with 46 yards on 15 carries.
Buffalo (13-5) intercepted a deflected pass on Jacksonville’s final drive to seal the victory. The Jaguars (13-5) took the lead with 4:03 to play but couldn’t hold it against Allen.
The Bills had been 0-5 on the road in the playoffs under coach Sean McDermott, starting with a 10-3 loss at Jacksonville in the 2017 wild-card round. The Bills had dropped eight consecutive postseason games on the road since winning at Miami in the 1992 AFC championship game. It had been the NFL’s second-longest, active road playoff skid.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Lauren Betts scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds to help No. 4 UCLA to an 83-61 win over No. 25 Nebraska on Sunday.
Betts also added four blocks and five steals for the Bruins (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten).
UCLA used an 11-2 first quarter run to take control of the game and stretched its lead to 35-20 on Gianna Kneepkens’ three-pointer with 2:21 remaining in the first half.
Nebraska (14-3, 3-3) cut the deficit to 10 on Jessie Petrie’s layup that opened the second half scoring. But the Huskers could get no closer the rest of the way.
Sienna Betts’ layup with 4:03 left in the third period pushed the lead to 52-32. UCLA’s largest lead was 27 late in the game.
Five other Bruins joined Lauren Betts in double figures: Kneepkens finished with 16 points, Charlisse Leger-Walker had 14 points, Sienna Betts and Kiki Rice had 12 points each, and Gabriela Jaquez had 11.
The taller, more physical Bruins dominated Nebraska defensively and on the boards. The Bruins stifled Nebraska’s shooters, who hit just 38% of their shots and 33% from three, and held the Huskers 24 points below their 85 points per game season average.
UCLA outrebounded 43-28 and turned 16 offensive rebounds into 17 second chance points.
Amilia Hargrove scored 12 points to lead Nebraska. Logan Nissey had 11 for the Huskers, and Jessica Petrie, Callin Hake and Eliza Maupin had 10 points each.
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.”
Junior guard Zaire Rasshan of Damien knows football. His father, Osaar, was a backup quarterback at UCLA from 2005-09. Rasshan played quarterback his freshman season at Damien until deciding basketball was his No. 1 sport.
So when Rasshan looked up at the scoreboard Thursday night at Etiwanda in the first quarter and saw the Spartans had scored the first 24 points, he had to think football.
“That was crazy,” he said. “That’s three touchdowns and a field goal.”
Damien (17-4, 2-0) was able to hold off Etiwanda 56-43 to pick up a key Baseline League road victory. Winning at Etiwanda has been a rarity for many teams through the years. But Damien’s fast start couldn’t have been any better. The Spartans didn’t miss any shots while playing good defense for their 24-0 surge. Etiwanda’s first basket didn’t come until the 1:38 mark of the first quarter.
“When we play together, we can beat anyone,” Rasshan said.
Rasshan was a big part of the victory, contributing 23 points. Eli Garner had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Etiwanda came in 18-1 and 1-0 in league. The Eagles missed 13 free throws, which prevented any comeback. The closest they got in the second half was within 11 points.
Damien’s victory puts it squarely in contention for a Southern Section Open Division playoff spot. The Spartans lost in the final seconds to Redondo Union in the Classic at Damien, showing they can compete with the big boys in coach Mike LeDuc’s 52nd season of coaching.
Rasshan is averaging nearly 20 points a game. He made three threes. And he hasn’t forgotten how to make a long pass, whether it’s with a football or basketball.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Jalen Chatfield’s first goal of the season was a tiebreaker and goalie Frederik Andersen snapped a personal nine-game losing streak as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ducks 5-2 on Thursday night.
Chatfield, a defenseman playing in his 300th career game, scored during the Hurricanes’ three-goal second period. He also had an assist.
Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall each had a goal and an assist, and Mark Jankowski and Jackson Blake also scored for the Hurricanes (27-14-3), who won their third straight. Andersen made 11 saves for his first victory since Nov. 6. He had gone 0-7-2 during his winless stretch.
The Ducks had leads in each of the first two periods.
Poehling scored with 6:42 left in the first period. Jankowski tied the score on Carolina’s 17th shot of the game at 8:56 of the second period, with the puck swept into the goal by Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson’s skate.
Granlund shot wide through the crease on an open net, but pretty much stayed in the same position and then tapped in a pass from Mason McTavish for the Ducks’ 2-1 lead with 6:42 left in the second. Stankoven scored for the third game in a row, taking a pass from Taylor Hall on a two-man rush to pull the Hurricanes even.
Chatfield’s goal came with 3:52 remaining in the second period. Carolina outshot the Ducks 18-3 in the period.
Blake and Hall scored in the third period, with Hall’s goal into an empty net.
Winger Troy Terry, who co-leads the Ducks with 42 points, missed a game for the first time this season because of an upper-body injury.
Up next for the Ducks: Close out a four-game trip at Buffalo on Saturday.
William Eklund scored 3:08 into overtime, Macklin Celebrini had the tying goal and two assists to extend his point streak to 12 games, and the San Jose Sharks defeated the Kings 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Celebrini evened the score at 3 with 1:07 remaining in regulation. He deked his way past Warren Foegele and sent a wrist shot through traffic that beat goalie Darcy Kuemper through the legs for his 24th goal this season. The 19-year-old center has nine goals and 15 assists during his point streak.
Celebrini is tied for the third-longest point streak by a teenager in NHL history — joining Joe Sakic in 1988-89, Jimmy Carson in 1987-88 and Wayne Gretzky in 1979-80 — and the third-longest point streak in Sharks history.
Tyler Toffoli and Adam Gaudette each had a goal, Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves and the Sharks won for the fifth time in six games.
Alex Turcotte and Kevin Fiala each had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who still haven’t won three straight games since winning four in a row in mid-November. Alex Laferriere also scored and Kuemper made 24 saves.
Laferriere put the Kings ahead with 2:10 left in the third period, but they couldn’t prevent another sensational play by the electric Celebrini.
The Kings were without four forwards, including stalwart center and team captain Anze Kopitar, who is day-to-day after sustaining a lower-body injury in a win over Minnesota on Monday. Those absences led the Kings to play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Sharks center Ty Dellandrea is week-to-week after sustaining a lower-body injury against Columbus on Tuesday.
NEW YORK — Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high seven assists, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and the New York Knicks snapped their four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.
Towns bounced back from a quiet game Monday in Detroit, when he took just four shots and had only six points and six turnovers in the Knicks’ 121-90 loss that gave them their longest losing streak of the season. This time, the center had 10 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks break open the game.
OG Anunoby added 20 points and Deuce McBride had 16 for the Knicks, who had a 24-7 run starting late in the third quarter and extending into the fourth to turn a four-point deficit into a 105-92 advantage.
Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points for the Clippers (13-23), who lost for just the second time in nine games. James Harden had 23 points and nine assists after sitting out Monday against Golden State because of right shoulder soreness.
The Clippers raced to a 14-5 lead, but the Knicks answered with eight straight points and the game was close for the first three quarters. The Clippers were up 85-81 late in the third before the Knicks finished strong to take a 90-87 edge to the fourth.
Towns then started the period with a three-point play and follow shot, and later had four points in an 8-0 run that pushed a five-point lead to 105-92.
Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, and John Collins added 18 points and four boards.
The shots had stopped falling. The tension had started rising. Fresh off its worst loss of the Lindsay Gottlieb era, USC had, for the better part of three quarters, looked well on its way to a get-right win Tuesday, the sort that might help ease the embarrassment from a 34-point loss to bitter rival UCLA.
But over the course of the fourth quarter, as Oregon clawed its way back, the Trojans tightened up. The offense looked out of sorts. The defense looked out of breath. No. 21 USC (10-5, 2-2 in the Big Ten) missed its first eight shots of the quarter, just as Oregon (14-3, 2-2) exploded on that end, its worst fears coming to life out of the loss.
Over four minutes and 46 painful seconds, the Trojans went scoreless, unable to do much of anything but watch as Oregon stole a 71-66 victory Tuesday.
The loss was USC’s second in a row, marking the first time since January 2024 that the Trojans suffered consecutive defeats.
Even as Oregon mounted a late run, USC had its chances to shoot its way back into the game. Londynn Jones hit a three-pointer, and freshman Jazzy Davidson made a jumper, her only bucket of the second half, to give the Trojans a nine-point lead with just under five minutes remaining.
But those were the last two buckets USC would score. Oregon’s Ari Long hit a three-pointer, then drained another on the next possession. The Galen Center crowd groaned, seemingly knowing what was coming next.
With 32 seconds remaining, Oregon called a timeout. The Ducks found Long again coming out of the break, and she sank a third three-pointer, this one costly.
Kara Dunn did what she could to keep USC afloat, scoring 21 points and adding nine rebounds. Davidson struggled to find her shooting stroke, but still filled the stat sheet with 13 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals to go with 14 points.
Jones even gave USC critical contributions throughout, as the Trojans were forced to play without sophomore Kennedy Smith, their best defender who has a leg injury, according to the team.
She was missed Tuesday, especially down the stretch, as Long torched the Trojans for nine of her 11 points in the final minutes.
Where USC goes from here remains to be seen, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier, with four more matchups against ranked teams before January is up.
It took nearly four minutes for USC to find the basket to start the game, its offense picking up right where it left off Saturday in its sluggish loss to UCLA. The Trojans missed nine of their first 10 shots, unable to find any semblance of a rhythm.
Then finally, Malia Samuels hit a corner three. Jones sank a three-pointer of her own. Then Dunn got in the party.
USC exhaled — and proceeded to finish the first quarter on a 16-0 run.
The defense did most of the heavy lifting from there, holding Oregon at arm’s length until the fourth quarter, when the Ducks flew out in front, dealing the Trojans another loss.
Andrei Kuzmenko had a goal and an assist, and the Kings held on to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Monday night.
Warren Foegele, Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe also scored, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 33 shots for the Kings, who beat the Wild for the second time in three nights and got just their fourth win in 12 games (4-6-2).
Jared Spurgeon had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Hartman also scored for Minnesota, which snapped a six-game point streak (3-0-3). and Filip Gustavsson had 29 saves.
The Wild are 3-1-2 on a seven-game road trip that ends Thursday at Seattle. They also lost at Los Angeles 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday night.
Kings center Anze Kopitar left the game after playing 4:54 in the first period. The Kings later ruled him out for the rest of the game because of a lower-body injury.
The Kings had 16-8 advantage on shots on goal in the second period and scored twice to take a 2-0 lead. Minnesota had two power plays in the period, but managed just one shot during the advantages.
Foegele gave the Kings a 1-0 lead with a long shot from just inside the blue line with 4:26 left in the second period.
Fiala doubled the Kings’ lead with 2:08 to go in the middle period. Kuzmenko’s pass deflected off Fiala’s skate on the left doorstep and past Gustavsson for Fiala’s 15th of the season.
Spurgeon got the Wild on the scoreboard at 5:55 of the third period with a shot from the left point through traffic to spoiled Kuemper’s bid for his third shutout of the season.
Kuzmenko restored the Kings’ two-goal lead at 9:20 as he skated with the puck from the left side across the front of the net and put the puck past Gustavsson from the right side.
Hartman pulled the Wild to 3-2 with a power-play goal with 4:39 remaining, but Kempe sealed the Kings’ win with an empty-netter three minutes later..
Up next for the Kings: vs. San Jose on Wednesday night to finish a four-game homestand.
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.
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.
There have been good weeks and bad weeks for the Lakers this season.
Ahead of Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, they were trending downward after losing four of their last five games.
The Memphis game turned into a microcosm of that trend, with the Lakers building leads through effort and intensity only to see them crumble behind less-inspired play.
In the end, standout performances from Luka Doncic and LeBron James helped the Lakers surge late and hold on for a 128-121 win at Crypto.com Arena.
Doncic and James made sure the 15-point lead the Lakers held before it dissolved by the end of the third quarter wasn’t completely achieved in vain. Doncic made 17 of 20 free throws in scoring 34 points with eight assists and six rebounds, and James had 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
They got help from Jake LaRavia, who scored 21 points on eight-for-12 shooting in addition to nine rebounds and stellar defense. Marcus Smart had 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Jaxson Hayes scored 12 points off the bench.
The Lakers improved to an NBA-best 11-0 when within five or fewer points of their opponent heading into the final five minutes.
“I think we have a lot of people that closed the game, especially (me), when LeBron, he took over today,” Doncic said. “(Jarred Vanderbilt) hit a big shot. Jake hit a big shot. Jaxson had a big dunk. So, it’s just everybody.”
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes dunks over Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) and center Jock Landale (31) in the fourth quarter Friday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
It was a group effort that helped the Lakers seal the win in the fourth quarter. It also marked the first time since March that Doncic and James scored at least 30 points in the same game.
“It was just playing and playing in rhythm,” James said. “We’re trying to find ways that we can be productive. Obviously, Luka did a great job of getting to the free-throw line. … He made a step-back three, a big-time shot there.
“Myself, just trying to sprinkle in a little bit here, a little bit there. Just trying to be consistent and be super efficient with my play. So we worked well off each other today and we led the group.”
The Lakers (21-11) went down 110-109 in the fourth quarter before going on a 12-2 run to take the lead for good.
The teams will meet again here Sunday night.
“We made some big-time plays offensively and we were sharing the ball, and guys made some big-time shots,” James said. “Vando’s three, Jake’s three on the other side of their bench at the end of the shot clock, Jax had a big-time dunk down the middle. So, those are key moments. And then defensively, we were able to get a couple shots, get a couple rebounds. That allowed us to kind of start pushing the lead up.”
Vincent update
Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) missed his seventh straight game, but Redick said the team hopes he can practice Saturday and that if he does, it will “be modified.”
Redick said Vincent will not play Sunday against the Grizzlies, but the hope is that he can play either at New Orleans on Tuesday or at San Antonio on Wednesday.
“We’ve got to get him exposure to live play, and with the travel day on Monday, that’s gonna be tough,” Redick said.
Danila Yurov scored twice, Quinn Hughes had four assists and the Minnesota Wild beat the Ducks 5-2 on Friday night.
Kirill Kaprizov, Yakov Trenin and Nico Sturm also scored for the Wild, who earned a point for the fifth straight game (3-0-2). Filip Gustavsson stopped 26 shots.
Minnesota is 22-4-4 in its last 30 games, and 8-1-2 since acquiring Hughes, the 2024 Norris Trophy winner, in a blockbuster with Vancouver on Dec. 12.
Yurov put the game out of reach when he redirected Hughes’ shot past Dostal for a 4-1 lead 3:21 into the third. Sturm’s shot from the left circle made it 5-1 with 4:58 left.
Dostal made eight saves during a pair of penalty kills in the first seven minutes of the second, but he caught an unlucky break when the Wild scored on a double-deflection to take a 2-0 lead at the 8:10 mark.
Hughes, one of eight Minnesota players named to Winter Olympic teams Friday, sent a shot from the blue line that hit Trenin’s stick and Yurov’s right skate before trickling into the net.
The Ducks grabbed some momentum when Mason McTavish’s faceoff swipe from the left circle landed on the stick of Sennecke, whose snap shot beat Gustavsson stick-side to cut the lead to 2-1. Sennecke leads NHL rookies with 13 goals.
But Minnesota pushed it to 3-1 with 5:15 left in the second when Trenin took a pass from Hughes in the right circle and rifled a shot past Dostal.
Minnesota took advantage of Alex Killorn’s tripping penalty, needing only nine seconds to score on the power play for a 1-0 lead 5:39 into the first. Dostal blocked Hughes’ slap shot from the point, but Kaprizov banged a shot past Dostal after a scramble in front of the net for his 24th goal.
Up next for the Ducks: at Washington on Monday night.
Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points, James Harden added 20 and the Clippers recovered from blowing a 21-point lead to beat the Utah Jazz on 118-101 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to a season-best six games.
Leonard was the only Clippers starter on the floor for much of the fourth quarter. He singlehandedly matched Utah’s points in the period (20), with blood on his nose from what appeared to be a scratch.
The Clippers hit seven straight three-pointers, with Leonard making four, to pull away. Nicolas Batum finished with 14 points and went four for six from three-point range.
The Jazz rallied despite being without three starters. They were led by reserve Kyle Anderson with 22 points — his first 20-point game in nearly three years — and Brice Sensabaugh with 20. Anderson’s eight rebounds were a season high. Cody Williams also had 18 points, while Isaiah Collier had 16 points and 10 assists.
The game was tied six times in the third, when Utah took its first lead of the game.
The Clippers outscored Utah 28-7 to start the game. The Jazz missed their first six shots and had one rebound in the first six minutes.
Utah outscored the Clippers 33-22 in the second — when Leonard scored the Clippers’ first nine points — to trail 53-50 at halftime.
Utah played without Keyonte George (illness), Lauri Markkanen (knee) and Jusuf Nurkic (toe). The Jazz have dropped six of eight.
The Jazz had 58 points in the paint and their bench outscored the Clippers’ reserves 51-40.
Up next for the Clippers: vs. the Boston Celtics at Intuit Dome on Saturday.
Scrutinized and criticized after a season-opening loss to Florida State, the Alabama Crimson Tide have spent the remainder of the season focused on growth, resilience and a shift in leadership mentality as they prepare for their College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against No. 1 Indiana on Thursday at the Rose Bowl.
Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson said the early criticism served as motivation for the team.
“I think the first game everybody kind of wrote us off — especially me as being a problem — and that really made me feel some type of way,” Simpson said. “Adversity brings opportunity and this was an opportunity to make things right. I know that not only was I getting scrutinized, but our head coach was as well. As much respect as I have for him, I had to scratch and claw and find some way to get better. With more time, more reps, more games in general, I got better.”
Simpson’s leadership has evolved steadily over the course of the season, becoming a focal point of Alabama’s offensive identity.
Following the season-opening loss, Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer emphasized areas of growth for his quarterback, particularly in decision-making and confidence.
“He’s gotta just trust his reads and just cut it loose sometimes and let it fly,” DeBoer said. “And then just some decision-making there in certain critical moments, that’s the things he’s going to learn from.”
DeBoer said Simpson’s ability to cope with adversity throughout the season helped Alabama as it prepares for for the Rose Bowl.
“There’s the ups and downs and every game is not going to be perfect, but his response and just what he’s played through, it can be the mental part the physical part,” DeBoer said. “Wins, losses he’s just continued to stay the course.”
”Everybody sees him as the guy and of course he won the Heisman Trophy. That’s motivation for me, I know I am going head-to-head with him, but the opportunity to go against the No. 1 team in the nation, sign me up,” Simpson said. “I am a competitor and I am excited for it and being able to play in this game against a good team is what I want.”
As the Crimson Tide prepare for Indiana’s physical rushing attack, Simpson and the offense continue working to put all the pieces together under pressure.
Receiver Ryan Williams has emerged as a key offensive weapon, using his speed to make defenders miss and create opportunities.
“We’re going to make sure we have plays to give him the ball and I have to make sure I understand my read and give him the ball,” Simpson said of Williams.” It’s my job to make sure the offense reads the ball, whether Ryan is the first read or the last read. I’m going to throw it to the open guy and make sure we’re in a good position.”
While Alabama may be fueled by external criticism and its underdog role, the team is spending its last stretch before the Rose Bowl focused on blocking out outside noise and embracing its internal standard.
“We write it on our whiteboard every game, ‘All about Bama,’ That’s all it’s ever about — Bama,” Simpson said. “All about these guys in here and the coaches. Alabama against the world, that’s kind of been our mindset of just making sure its all for one and one for all.”
Through tears, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza thanked every member of his family after becoming the first Hoosier to ever win the Heisman Trophy. The Cuban American quarterback recognized his family for believing in him throughout his career.
He was a two-star high school recruit who drew little attention before finally landing an opportunity to play at California. After three years with the Golden Bears, including a redshirt year, he transferred to Indiana. On Thursday, the No. 1 Hoosiers will take the field at the Rose Bowl, where they will face college football traditional power Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Pressure is familiar for Mendoza. He’s faced challenges throughout his career — from proving himself as an overlooked high school athlete to earning his starting role at Cal.
Anytime Mendoza has met a hurdle, he considers how to help those around him shine.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza holds back tears while accepting the Heisman Trophy on Dec. 13 in New York.
(Todd Van Emst / Associated Press)
“I know that’s my responsibility to my coaches, to my teammates and to the entire team, to be able to be sharp mentally and not have outside influences, pressures and noise able to impact my game,” Mendoza said. “I think one thing is just keeping the process on how I got here, how the entire team got to this place, which is keeping the process that I’ve kept for every single game.”
The Hoosiers finished the season undefeated. They will play for their first Rose Bowl victory in 57 years and it’ll be the second year in a row Indiana has reached the College Football Playoff.
“His leadership has increased in those crucial moments and I think that’s what makes him such a special player — because when the stakes are the highest, he steps up and gets the team going,” Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones said. “He’s a guy that people want to get behind and run a play for.”
Mendoza became the third player with Latino heritage to win the Heisman Trophy. His grandparents on both sides of the family were born in Cuba and during his acceptance speech, he made sure to thank them in Spanish.
In the NFL, Latino players have become a growing demographic. From 2021-25, representation jumped from 12 to 47 players who identify as Latino, with 32 on 53-man rosters at the start of the season. Mendoza is not in the league, but his elevated presence in the college football world has come with extra pressure of representing a culture and proving Latinos can succeed in football.
“To be able to play in this atmosphere in the Rose Bowl, it’s a special moment for myself, for my family, and I would say just being able to play in front of a Hispanic and Latino crowd, it’s what I do,” Mendoza said. “I want to inspire young Latino kids and I want to always represent my culture to the highest.”
On Thursday, Mendoza will take the field for the first time as a Heisman winner, adding another layer of intensity to his game. The award winner is expected to do many national media interviews and Mendoza recently was a prominent voice during a “60 Minutes” segment about Indiana.
“What you see on camera is who he is,” Jones said. “Whether it’s in the locker room or out to eat with some of my teammates, he is one of the more genuine people on the team.”
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti hopes the expectations that come with the Heisman Trophy don’t change the quarterback’s style.
“It’s really critical now that he develops a sharp edge in his preparation and doesn’t play like, ‘Oh, I’m the Heisman Trophy winner and I’ve got to do this or do that,’ because we’ve all been following this game long enough to know we’ve seen some of those performances,” he said.
Cignetti understands the difficulty of the opponent standing in front of Mendoza. The Alabama defense works to throw the quarterback off balance. The Tide have great players who play hard and fast. In order to win, Mendoza and his teammates need to play the way they have all season.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about execution, left tackle doing his job, running back, receiver, and Fernando being on point,” Cignetti said.
Mendoza said he is up to the challenge. When he takes the first snap in Pasadena, he won’t be thinking of personal statistics or awards, he’ll be thinking about the national championship.
“Now we have to get the ultimate team award,” he said.
Liverpool and Wolves paid tribute to Diogo Jota on an emotional day at Anfield as his two former sides met for the first time since his death.
The Portugal forward, 28, was killed in a car crash in Spain in July, alongside his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva.
Jota joined Liverpool in 2020 after three seasons with Wolves.
Dinis and Duarte, two of his three children, joined the matchday mascots on the pitch before their Premier League game on Saturday.
Jota’s sons, along with other young family members, led the Liverpool team out of the tunnel, walking out ahead of captain Virgil van Dijk.
Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, was also in attendance.
A banner which read ‘Diogo Jota, forever in our hearts’ was held aloft in the Kop stand before kick-off.
Chants of “Diogo, Diogo, Diogo” rang out from the Wolves fans in the away end before all of Anfield stood and applauded as Liverpool supporters sang in tribute to Jota in the 20th minute.
Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch scored Liverpool‘s opener and dedicated it to Jota – recreating the shark-style celebration that the Portugal forward sometimes used.
NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, reserve Jordan Clarkson had 25 and the New York Knicks came from 17 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-124 on Thursday and win on Christmas Day for the third straight year.
Reserves Tyler Kolek and Mitchell Robinson sparked the comeback after the Cavaliers led 103-86 early in the final period. Kolek had 16 points and nine assists, and had fans chanting his name after a late block on Donovan Mitchell that originally was called a foul but was overturned on review. Robinson hustled after offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive and finished with 13 boards.
Brunson made the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:05 remaining, after he, Kolek and Clarkson all hit from behind the arc in a 13-2 run that cut Cleveland’s 12-point lead to 111-110.
Mitchell had 34 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Darius Garland added 20 points and 10 assists, but the Cavaliers blew their chance at a third straight win.
Evan Mobley finished with 14 points and nine rebounds after missing five games with a strained left calf.
The Cavs raced to an 18-3 lead behind 10 points from Mitchell and led 38-23 after one quarter. But Clarkson opened the second with consecutive 3-pointers, and after a Cavs three-pointer, the Knicks ripped off an 18-0 burst to take a 47-41 lead.
The Knicks made 12 of their first 14 shots in the second, before Mobley had Cleveland’s final four baskets as New York took a 60-58 edge into the break.
Cleveland quickly regained control in the third. Mitchell slammed down a lob pass that Garland threw from beyond halfcourt to cap a 10-3 burst to open the period, and Mitchell later hit a three-pointer to cap an 18-4 spurt that turned a 71-all tie into an 89-75 advantage for the Cavs.
