point

All of the current Lakers realized that playing against the Boston Celtics on national television really was more than just one of 82 games on the schedule.

It was crystallized even more because iconic former Lakers coach Pat Riley sat courtside after a celebration for the unveiling of his statue on the Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena. He was the first Lakers coach to beat the hated Celtics for an NBA championship after eight failed attempts.

So, yes, on this Sunday afternoon, this game meant more if only because it was another game in the long rivalry, a game the Lakers lost, 111-89.

Luka Doncic had 25 points for the Lakers but he was just nine for 22 from the field. LeBron James had 20 points but was just nine for 21 from the field.

It was the second time this season the Lakers scored in the 80s, and that also was a loss.

For a team that entered the game shooting a league-best 50% from the field, it was not a good sign for the Lakers’ offense when their shooting slipped to 36.8% in the second quarter. They shot 39.1% for the game and 30% (nine for 30) from three-point range.

“We had some really good looks,” James said. “I think they had a good game plan defensively, forcing us to take some shots … I mean listen, sometimes you got to make shots. And they made timely shots and we didn’t. We didn’t give ourselves a good chance on the offensive end. I think defensively, we held serve as long as we could. But offensively, we didn’t give ourselves a good chance.”

It was obvious the Lakers felt the intensity of the rivalry when Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart received technical fouls in the second quarter and coach JJ Redick got one in the third.

They were unhappy with the officiating that didn’t go their way against an aggressive Celtics defense.

Perhaps, it was posed to Doncic, the Lakers lost some focus on offense because of the complaints that led to the T’s.

“Maybe. …You’re surprised it wasn’t me, huh?” he said. “Then you know it’s bad.”

Doncic laughed.

But what was of real concern for the Lakers was trying to deal with the Celtics and their three-point shooters.

The Celtics (37-19) entered the game tossing up 42.4 threes per game, the third-highest output in the NBA, and making 15.4 of them, also the third-highest.

On cue, the Celtics shot 14 for 36 from three-point range.

The Lakers (34-22) fell behind by 18 points with 4:46 left in the fourth quarter after Jaylen Brown was fouled while scoring. He made the free throw and then followed that with a three-pointer to put the Lakers in a 21-point hole.

Brown finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

But the real problem for the Lakers was not being able to slow down Payton Pritchard. He had 30 points off the bench, making 10 of 14 shots and six of nine three-pointers.

His three-pointer gave the Celtics a 22-point lead and forced Redick to call a timeout with 3:22 left. Redick pulled his starters, knowing it was over.

“You talk about the personnel and how good Jaylen Brown has been and how good Payton Pritchard has been,” Redick said. “Really where this team kills you is when they can get you in the blender and take catch-and-shoot threes. They can shoot 51 of them and they’re going to make 20. They’re that good. Trying to limit that is the biggest thing when you play these guys. And you have to be willing to live with contested off-the-dribble jumpers. Pritchard made a lot of them tonight. He played a great game.”

James said he watched some of the Riley ceremony that took place at halftime.

James played for the Miami Heat for four years under the watchful eye of Riley. The Heat went to four NBA Finals and won two championships.

Riley left an indelible impression on James.

“I got out there for a little bit, sat on the bench during halftime before our meeting,” James said. “Listen, he’s one of the all-time greats to ever have been a part of this league. Not only player — coach, executive, front office, everything. Obviously what he did here for the Lakers organization in the ‘80s goes without saying and rightfully so, him having a statue outside his building. Obviously I spent four years with him. I have the utmost respect for him, for his family and everything. So, it’s pretty cool.”

Desmond Bane scored 36 points and Paolo Banchero added 16 points and eight assists as the Orlando Magic held on for a 111-109 victory over the Clippers on Sunday night at Intuit Dome.

Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Tristan da Silva scored 13 for the Magic, who improved to 5-2 since Feb. 5.

Kawhi Leonard shrugged off an ankle injury to score 37 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Clippers, who are 4-5 since Feb. 2. Mathurin missed a three-point attempt to win the game at the buzzer.

Jordan Miller had 14 points for the Clippers (27-30).

Leonard exited Friday’s loss against the Lakers with an ankle sprain. Mathurin was playing in his fifth game for the Clippers after he was acquired at the trade deadline from the Indiana Pacers.

Orlando won despite going eight of 23 from three-point range, two games after setting a franchise record with 27 three-pointers in a victory at Sacramento. Jalen Suggs missed his second consecutive game for the Magic with back spasms.

In a tight game throughout, Leonard gave the Clippers a 107-105 lead with 3:03 remaining on a jumper from the top of the key. The Magic took charge from there as Bane hit a jumper to tie the score and then made a layup with 1:28 left for a 109-107 advantage.

As the Clippers missed four consecutive shots, Orlando went up 111-107 on a fast-break dunk from Banchero with 40 seconds left.

Bane tried to pad the Magic’s lead with eight seconds remaining but had his shot blocked inside by rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Mathurin then raced down the floor only to miss a 25-footer as time expired.

The No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team beat Wisconsin 80-60 on Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion. Lauren Betts recorded a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds — including three in quick succession in the fourth quarter — as the Bruins celebrated their six graduates on Senior Day by winning their 21st game in a row. Five Bruins — all seniors — scored in double digits.

Gabriela Jaquez had 14 points and six rebounds in the first half for the Bruins, while the Badgers’ leading scorer, Dorja Zaja, had 10 points in the first half and 16 on the game.

While Jaquez led the way in the first half, Betts took over in the second, with a double-double in the second half alone.

After jumping out to a 14-4 lead just over three minutes into the game, UCLA (27-1 overall, 17-0 in the Big Ten) was held scoreless from the field for nearly five minutes, until a Betts basket ended the drought. Wisconsin (13-15, 5-12) cut the lead in half to 16-11 during that stretch, but UCLA extended it to 25-15 to end the first quarter.

The Badgers committed six fouls in the first quarter and the Bruins capitalized for seven points from the free-throw line.

Wisconsin held nearly even with UCLA on the scoreboard in the second quarter (15-14), while leading the rebound game 12-9.

The Badgers scored the first five points of the third quarter to tighten the gap to seven, but the Bruins took control from there and led 65-49 by the end of the quarter.

The Bruins won the fourth quarter 15-11, and they took time for the crowd to honor their seniors as the quarter came to a close.

UCLA has one remaining game in the regular season, against USC on March 1.

With a lineup that goes nine deep, Sierra Canyon’s boys’ basketball team has won 25 of 26 games this season, and about the only way the Trailblazers are going to be a denied Southern Section Open Division and state championships is if a fellow Mission League team can beat them.

At least one thing is certain about the playoffs — the Mission League is tops. Three of the four teams that reached the Open Division semifinals are from the Mission League, setting up semifinals Tuesday that will feature Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Sierra Canyon and surprising La Mirada at Harvard-Westlake.

“It continues to show that the Mission League is one of the toughest leagues in the country,” Harvard-Westlake coach David Rebibo said. “It pays to be in a quality league.”

First up for everyone is figuring out Sierra Canyon.

“I love the options,” Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said of his team’s depth after a 70-47 blowout of Santa Margarita on Friday night in a quarterfinal between the top-seeded Trailblazers and the No. 2-seeded Eagles (27-5), according to the Southern Section’s computer power rankings.

Santa Margarita never had a chance. The Eagles missed numerous three-point attempts, while Sierra Canyon was finding different players to contribute. Nine players scored for Sierra Canyon, with Brandon McCoy getting 17 points and nine rebounds, Brannon Martinsen scoring 13 points and Maxi Adams 11. McCoy and Adams are McDonald’s All-Americans, but it’s the Trailblazers’ depth that is coming through during a long season that still has three weeks left.

Sophomore guard JJ Sati-Grier, a transfer from North Carolina, suddenly has earned playing time and had four baskets. Sophomore guard Josh Lowery had seven points.

During the second half when a Sierra Canyon player took an ill-advised shot, Chevalier shouted out, “What are you doing?” The player found himself immediately on the bench. Another player came in to contribute. If the Trailblazers keep finding so many players to deliver baskets, that’s tough to overcome.

“Our depth is going to get us over the top,” Chevalier said.

Notre Dame and Sierra Canyon finally will get to play their Mission League title game that was supposed to tip off two weeks ago but canceled because of a student’s death.

The biggest upset was La Mirada taking down No. 3-seeded Redondo Union on the road, 73-70. Gene Roebuck fouled out early in the fourth quarter but still scored 19 points. Cisco Munoz had 17 points, Tristan Partida 15 and King-Riley Owens 10. The Matadores made the Open Division playoffs last season but didn’t qualify for the state playoffs. Now they are one win away from playing for a section title.

Harvard-Westlake built a 10-point halftime lead but had to hold on against Mission League rival Crespi at home, 49-46. Joe Sterling finished with 15 points and Pierce Thompson 13.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame defeated Corona Centennial 59-56. NaVorro Bowman Jr. scored 23 points, and Zach White had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

“It’s testament to the quality of the coaching, the quality of the players,” Notre Dame coach Matt Sargeant said of the league’s success.

JSerra 105, Inglewood 91: The Lions made it to the Southern Section Division 1 final. Jaden Bailes scored 33 points, and Ryan Doane had 32 points and 18 rebounds. Jason Crowe Jr. finished with 37 points for Inglewood. JSerra will face top-seeded Crean Lutheran, a 67-55 winner over Rancho Christian.

Hesperia 54, Mater Dei 49: Hesperia moved on to the Division 2 final.

Sylmar 93, Marquez 75: Aiden Garcia scored 26 point as the Spartans advanced to the City Section Division II championship game, where they will play King/Drew, which defeated Bravo 72-44. Wayne Chamberlain had 20 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.

Chatsworth 53, Venice 51 (OT): The Chancellors made it to the City Section Division I final with an overtime win in the semifinals. They will face top-seeded and fellow West Valley League rival Granada Hills, a 48-30 winner over L.A. Jordan.

Scott Manson documented his epic six-leg journey from Glasgow to mainland Europe’s southernmost point for his YouTube channel Planes, Trains, Everything – but faced endless setbacks

A YouTuber who embarked on an epic three-night, four-day odyssey from Glasgow to mainland Europe’s southernmost point was left gobsmacked upon arrival – only to discover the gates were locked.

Scott Manson, who presents the travel channel Planes, Trains, Everything, chronicled the mammoth six-leg expedition for his audience, billing it from the start as an extraordinary undertaking.

“I’m traveling from Glasgow to the southern tip of mainland Europe. Now, this is going to be a long, long journey. It’s going to take three nights and four days. There are six transportation legs. The first leg is Avanti West Coast down to London.”

His itinerary saw him travel from Glasgow to London Euston, then traverse the capital to St Pancras International for the Eurostar to Paris. From the French capital he pressed southward to Lyon, onwards to Barcelona, and subsequently to Madrid before boarding a long-distance coach to Algeciras.

A concluding local bus journey and stroll delivered him to Tarifa, widely acknowledged as mainland Europe’s southernmost extremity, reports Glasgow Live.

However, the expedition was anything but smooth sailing.

Scott disclosed the trip “nearly went totally belly up” following a catastrophic high-speed rail collision in Spain earlier this year. Referencing the tragedy, he explained: “One high-speed train jumped the tracks, landed on the opposite side, and was hit by a train heading in the opposite direction. Forty-five people were killed. Absolutely horrendous.”

Worried his connection might be axed, he consulted the Renfe website.

While tickets remained available initially, the evening before departing the UK he received an email stating: “Unfortunately, your train’s canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

This left him frantically seeking an alternative for the vital Madrid to Algeciras stretch. Flying via Gibraltar was contemplated but ruled out as impractical and potentially costly, necessitating multiple connections and a border crossing.

Instead, he managed to book a nine-hour daytime coach – twice the duration of the train journey.

“It’s going to be horrendous, but it needs to be done,” he remarked, noting the alteration also delayed his arrival until 8pm, compelling him to postpone filming at his final destination.

The complications continued mounting. The Avanti service from Glasgow ran late, necessitating what he characterised as a hurried sprint across London.

His Eurostar seat was relocated to a “windowless window seat.” The Barcelona to Madrid train ran behind schedule.

Madrid’s weather turned “atrocious.” And the replacement train southbound was cancelled entirely.

Following all that, the ultimate disappointment awaited at Tarifa. Upon reaching the Spanish municipality, Scott headed towards Isla de Las Palomas, an island at the southern tip of Punta de Tarifa – the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula.

However, to Scott’s dismay, the area was cordoned off and accessible solely through guided tours. “Well, you spend three nights and four days travelling to the southernmost tip of the European mainland, and it’s shut,” he said.

“At least I’m not the only one who arrived thinking the place would be open. There are two Chinese tourists there. I can’t complain—they’ve travelled further than I have to get here—but I think it caught quite a few people off guard.”

He suggested strong winds might have rendered the exposed headland too dangerous. “But yeah, that’s as far as we can get.”

Despite the setback, Scott stayed positive. “For as long as I can recall making these YouTube videos, I’ve always felt there was a force pushing back, trying to stop me from completing videos. This was a prime example.”

Nevertheless, he maintained the experience was worthwhile. “But I am so glad I did this journey. I’m so glad you guys came along with me as well. I’ll see you next time.”

For just the 11th time in 55 games this season, the Lakers had Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves sharing the court together.

They are the core of the Lakers, the engines that make this team go, but health issues have prevented them from playing together for far too much of the 2025-26 campaign.

During their first game since the NBA All-Star break, Doncic, Reaves and James carried the the Lakers to a 125-122 win over the Clippers Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic had 38 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves celebrates after Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin (9) was called for an offensive foul Friday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Reaves had 29 points, six assists and made a big defensive play late in the game.

And James had 13 points and 11 assists, his fifth straight game with 10 or more assists.

Up 118-115 with 1:49 left, Reaves took drew a charge on Bennedict Mathurin, the Clipper’s sixth foul that sent him to the bench with 26 points.

Still, the Lakers didn’t escape until Doncic made two free throws with 21.2 seconds left to give the Lakers a five-point lead that barely stood.

With a 125-122 lead and the ball, James threw a dangerous cross-court pass intended for Doncic that Nicolas Batum instead stole.

But Batum missed a potential game-tying three-pointer and James got the rebound to secure the win.

The Lakers put two defenders on Kawhi Leonard, double teaming the Clippers’ best offensive weapon, keeping a crowd of defenders around him, especially when they employed their zone defense.

Leonard was giving it to the Lakers, but he left late in the fourth quarter with left ankle soreness, departing with 31 points on 11-for-19 shooting.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said pre-game that Leonard is back to being a force on both sides of the basketball.

That’s why so much of the Lakers’ gameplan centered around trying to slow down Leonard, who is eighth in the NBA in scoring (27.8) and tied for first in steals (2.0).

“He’s more consistently taking the tougher assignments right now, and he’s back to being just an elite two-way player on both ends of the floor,” Redick said. “And you know, he’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now for the last two months, whatever the starting point would be, but it really is on both sides of the ball.”

Leonard is a primary reason why the Clippers are still rolling despite having traded away two key pieces in guard James Harden and center Ivicia Zubac.

The Clippers started the season 6-21, looking nothing like a playoff team.

But then they beat the Lakers on Dec. 20 and that got the Clippers rolling to a 21-7 stretch entering Friday night’s game, a two-month period that saw them get to one game under .500.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said none of the Clippers ever gave up on the season, adding they were always “playing to win” no matter whether they had “young, old, toddlers” on the court.

“I just feel confident,” Lue said. “I just feel confident in our players, confident in our coaching staff and I just feel confident in the environment and the culture that we’ve set. Why wouldn’t we want to play to win? That’s our mindset. That’s my mindset every single night. As tough as it may be or you start 6-21 whatever it may be, you’re playing to win. So, we make it to the playoffs and anything can happen. So our goal is to make it to the playoffs. I don’t know why somebody would scoff at that.”

Almost fifty years after the revolution in 1979 that changed the political landscape of Iran, Iran is at the crossroads of its history, which is defined by economic pressures, social pressure, and the changing geopolitical environment. The Islamic Republic was constructed as a combination of revolutionary ideology, anti-Western response, and promise of social justice. In the present day, although the ideological framework is still maintained, the sustainability of that framework is being strained increasingly by the structural economic pressures of the day, generational shifts, and changing regional hegemony.

On the economic front, Iran is continually constrained by global sanctions and inefficiency in its structure. Withdrawal by the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the reimposition of massive sanctions in 2018 have cut off much of the oil exports of Iranian oil, banking, and foreign investment flows. The country works well under its economic potential despite the fact that Tehran has been able to sustain limited oil sales, especially through discounted sales to China and through surrogate routes. The inflation rate has been above 40 percent during the recent years, the Iranian rial is falling drastically, and unemployment among the youth is also a burning issue. It is the middle and lower classes that are directly impacted by these economic pressures and that pose a legitimacy challenge that cannot be solved only through rhetorical means of revolution.

The internal landscape is a manifestation of long-term frustration. Frequent demonstrations regarding fuel prices, the state of the economy, and social liberation indicate the growing disparity between state discourses of resistance and the realities that the citizens encounter. The newer generation born after the revolution has lost any connection with the revolutionary memory of 1979 and perceives governance less as ideologically symbolic and more based on economic performance and individual opportunity. The policy employed by the state has been based on the repressed handling of dissent, which consists of the limitation of the mobilization of protests and the prevention of the collapse of the system. Although this is a way of maintaining short-term stability, it does not deal with structural issues like brain drain, capital flight, falling purchasing power, and diminished faith in long-term economic potential.

The main political quandary is consequently a legitimacy transformation quandary. In the past, the Islamic Republic gained legitimacy through revolutionary mobilization, religious control, and confrontation with the external hostilities, especially the United States and Israel. Nevertheless, the contemporary politics demands more and more performance-based legitimacy—providing economic growth, stability, and material changes in the quality of life. The conflict between ideological stability and realistic adjustment is the characteristic of the contemporary crossroads of Iran.

Iran is geopolitically a country that exists in the complex web of pressures. The United States is still the main external agent, which affects the Tehran strategic calculations. The policy of Washington is alternating between the engagement of diplomacy and coercion, yet the ultimate goal is the same as it is: avoiding the possibility of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons competence and reducing its impact in the region. In Tehran, it will need negotiations that will help soften sanctions and stabilize the economy, but any deal will not collapse under the perception of submission over matters of sovereignty, ballistic missile potential, and relations with the region.

Meanwhile, the nuclear and missile programs in Iran are considered to be existential threats to Israel. The shadow struggle that has been there for a long time, including cyber attacks, precision attacks, espionage, and proxy wars, has heightened strategic mistrust. The intensity of this rivalry is shown by the fact that Israel has been carrying out its operations within Iran and against Iran-related targets in Syria. Any intensification would attract Gulf states and disrupt world energy supply, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a choke point in the oil markets of the world. Even minor confrontations will have a global economic impact, as Iran is strategically placed in the important maritime paths.

The regional policy of Iran has focused on the establishment of strategic depth by alliance and coalition with non-state actors and supportive governments within Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. This system becomes a deterrence and leverage factor, making it difficult to engage in a direct military strike on the territory of Iran. Geostrategically, this doctrine of forward defense has enhanced the bargaining power of Iran. But it is likewise causing tension with the other Arab countries and creating the impression of destabilization in the region. The recent diplomatic thaw between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which was facilitated by China, shows that both sides noticed that continued confrontation is expensive in terms of both economics and strategy.

Iran is geographically at one of the most strategic points of Eurasia. It connects the Persian Gulf with Central Asia, the Caucasus, and South Asia. The International North-South Transport Corridor is one of the major trade routes that can make Iran a major transit route between India and Russia and Europe. This geo-economic location, in theory, has colossal prospects of being rolled into new multipolar trade systems. Sanctions and political isolation in reality prevent full access to the global markets. The latter can be said to be strategic convergence, as Iran was brought closer to Russia, especially after the war in Ukraine, as a result of Western pressure. But such convergence also subjects Tehran to secondary sanctions and makes it less flexible in its East-West balancing.

Iran—Concerns about the nuclear problem continue to be the major pivot of the external affairs. Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is nonviolent and has indicated that it is free for verification. But the Western governments require more guarantees and wider negotiations, which can feature missile capabilities and regional operations. It is possible that a strictly limited nuclear deal will minimize the risks of immediate proliferation and alleviate the economic pressure, which might make the Iranian internal situation more stable. Nonetheless, such a deal may not help solve any underlying rivalries between the region but could simply freeze the situation unless there are larger regional de-escalation mechanisms. On the other hand, the inability to find any solution will lead to the further worsening of the economy and the possible military clash.

In a more geo-strategically global understanding, the balance of power between the Middle East and the rest of the world will be influenced by the course of Iran. In case Tehran manages to negotiate the lifting of sanctions and turns in the direction of economic integration with the Gulf states, it will be able to shift from the resistance-focused model to the development-oriented state step by step. This would strengthen the stability of the region, safeguard the energy security, and minimize the motivation to intervene. It would also make the regional rivalry be based more on economic rivalry rather than military rivalry, especially in terms of infrastructure rivalry, trade corridor rivalry, and energy market rivalry.

Nevertheless, should the negotiations fail and the confrontation escalate, Iran might apply the asymmetric deterrence further, increasing the range of its missiles and extending proxy bases. That way would strengthen the preemptive stance of Israel and increase the presence of the US military in the Gulf. The escalation would disorient shipping routes, exert more volatility on oil prices, and disintegrate the security infrastructure in the region. To the surrounding Arab nations, which require diversifying and changing their economies, new warfare would destroy investment conditions and long-term strategies.

On the domestic front, economic resilience is what will sustain the strategic position of Iran. The political principle of endurance can only be stretched so far as inflation undermines the wages and the depreciation of currency undermines savings. This needs structural changes: enhancing transparency, welcoming foreign investment, and a non-hydrocarbon economy, and empowering the business sector. Foreign policy victories cannot entirely offset its dissatisfaction at home without economic change.

After all, the crossroads of Iran is not only ideological but also structural. The state has to strike a compromise between sovereignty and economic need, deterrence and diplomacy, and ideological identity and practical governance. Its strategic location means that its decisions will have a far-reaching impact, not only across its frontiers, but also on the energy markets of the world, the great-power politics, and the new security order of the Middle East. The future of Iran becoming a development-oriented regional power with full membership in multipolar networks or being a sanction-bound resistance state under continuous pressure will not only dictate the internal stability of the country but also the geopolitical orientation of a long-time conflict-ridden and strategically divided region.

One of the toughest decisions for Jared Honig came three years ago. He’s a Granada Hills High graduate and was a teacher and girls’ basketball coach at his alma mater “forever.”

But he and his wife lived in Santa Clarita and just had a third child.

So when the Valencia High girls’ basketball coaching job opened, the decision was made to leave Granada Hills to be closer to home. Three years later, Honig has Valencia in the Southern Section Division 1 semifinals with a playoff game on Saturday night at home against Windward.

The team is rising. The Vikings knocked off Troy and the winningest coach in California history, Kevin Kiernan, in the quarterfinals.

“That’s my first time coaching against him,” Honig said. “That was pretty cool.”

Leading the Vikings has been sophomore Kamilla Basyrova, who made a school-record 94 three-pointers last season and has already broken that record this season while averaging 19.8 points.

“Kamilla is an amazing three-point shooter,” Honig said.

Senior Cara McKell is averaging 17.8 points. The Vikings face an improving Windward team that struggled early but has caught fire, led by Charis Rainey.

Honig is starting to prepare his two girls and one boy for future basketball competitions. They’re 8, 6 and 3. He’s found a new home at Valencia High.

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

The Lakers had just completed practice Thursday with a full and healthy squad when Luka Doncic strolled over to speak with the media.

Doncic had played only five minutes Sunday for Team World in the All-Star Game because of a lingering left hamstring strain. He had missed the previous four Lakers games.

With the Lakers scheduled to start the post-All-Star break against the Clippers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, Doncic was asked if he was playing in that game.

“Probably,” he said. “We’ll see. I got to talk to people.”

Since Doncic did practice, he was asked how he was doing and how his hamstring felt.

“I’m good,” he said. “Feeling good.”

But, Doncic was told, he did play in the All-Star Game, even if it was limited time.

“Five minutes. I was on minutes restriction,” Doncic joked.

Lakers coach JJ Redick was the first to speak to the media after practice, his time away from the game leaving him fresh and ready to go.

He was asked if Austin Reaves, who had been on a restriction of about 25 minutes after returning from a 19-game because of a left calf strain, would still be on a minutes restriction and if Doncic would be available for the game against the Clippers.

“Austin won’t have a minutes restriction,” Redick said, “and as of 35 to 45 seconds ago, we’ll have everybody available tomorrow.”

Injuries have been a common thread for the Lakers this season.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves sits on the scorer’s table before entering a game against the Mavericks earlier this month. His minutes restriction since returning from a calf injury has been lifted.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

It started at the beginning of the season, when LeBron James missed 14 games because of sciatica. He has recently dealt with left foot arthritis that kept him out of a game.

Center Deandre Ayton missed the last two games with right knee soreness.

“Well, there’s only so much you can control. I mean, you know, as a coach, you have zero control in that. As a player, you know what you do to prepare, and what you do to recover can give you some level of control, but ultimately, the basketball Gods in the game are going to dictate health,” Redick said. “It’s funny, we were talking before the season about building continuity with those three guys, and we’ve had them available together for 10 games. So it’s just the situation we’re in.

“Not the only team that has had a bunch of health issues throughout the season and had to manage that. But I think … my messaging this morning to the players was this is going to be a sprint, these last 28 games. It’s another segment of the season where, starting tomorrow, we won’t have more than a day between games until the end of March. So, we’ve got an opportunity to, I think, play our best basketball after the All-Star break. We’ve got a number of indicators on both sides of the ball that we’re doing some things that are trending in the right direction. And I think it’s coming at a good time, as we’re getting fully healthy.”

Doncic, James and Reaves have played just 10 games together because of health issues.

As a trio, they have combined to average 80.2 points per game, led by Doncic’s NBA-best 32.8 points per game. Reaves is averaging 25.4 points and James 22.0.

Reaves said it is “very important” that the three of them get reps together.

“You have those games from last year, but obviously you still have a learning curve of how to play alongside one another and that’s with everybody else on the team as well,” Reaves said. “Continuing to build that continuity and confidence in every single position. We’re locked in with the five guys on the court. So, very excited.

“I think you can tell throughout the season, even with the unfortunate injuries and stuff, we’ve done a good job of maintaining it. We’re fifth in the West, on pace for a good record and just getting healthy is going to continue to help that. So it’ll be fun to see what that looks like and get to work.”

The Lakers

play four games next week, all against opponents with winning records that are jockeying for position in the playoff race.

So, Thursday’s practice was a good start for the Lakers to get back in gear.

“We only got one practice in so we’re not going to get a lot out of one practice,” Doncic said. “But we definitely like to get up and down a little bit after one week off. So, it was good.”

Jaden Bailes, JSerra’s leading scorer, was being patient. He had just eight points going into the fourth quarter Tuesday night in a Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal playoff game against Rolling Hills Prep at North Torrance. The Lions were clinging to a seven-point lead.

That’s when Bailes decided to go into Stephen Curry mode. He made three consecutive threes to ignite a 15-0 surge that left Rolling Hills Prep helpless. The Lions pulled away for a 66-49 victory that only took 71 minutes to complete. The Lions (22-12) are a 12-loss team that’s looking pretty good with no fellow Trinity League teams left in Division 1. They do have to figure out a way to contain high-scoring Jason Crowe Jr. of Inglewood in Friday’s semifinals at JSerra.

Bailes certainly can make shots with Crowe if given the opportunity.

“They were doubling him on everything and I told him to be a playmaker,” JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson said.

Said Bailes: “I was confident the ball was going to come back to me. It’s a collective team effort. Lanes started opening up and I took advantage.”

Bailes finished with 19 points, Earl Bryson had 18 points and Godschoice Eboigbodin had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Kawika Suter scored 16 points for Rolling Hills Prep, which trailed by five points at halftime and 41-34 after three quarters.

Harvard-Westlake 83, Santa Margarita 62: After losing three of their last four games, the Wolverines have come back big time in the Open Division playoffs, winning their pool with an impressive road win. Joe Sterling and Pierce Thompson each scored 22 points and Amir Jones 21.

Redondo Union 69, Corona Centennial 57: Chris Sanders scored 22 points to help Redondo Union win its pool and move on to a quarterfinal home game Friday against La Mirada.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 69, St. John Bosco 60: The Knights won their Open Division pool and will host Corona Centennial on Friday. NaVorro Bowman Jr. scored 20 points and Zach White had 14 points.

Sierra Canyon 95, Corona del Mar 65: Maxi Adams had 25 points and Brandon McCoy 23 for the 24-1 Trailblazers, who won their pool and will play host to Santa Margarita on Friday.

Inglewood 82, Fairmont Prep 69: Jason Crowe Jr. finished with 45 points to help Inglewood reach the Division 1 semifinals and assure Crowe will be in the state playoffs.

Mater Dei 82, El Dorado 72: Luke Barnett led the way with five threes and 26 points and Zain Majeed added 25 points to advance the Monarchs into the Division 2 semifinals.

Crean Lutheran 83, Village Christian 58: The top-seeded Saints routed Village Christian to move into the Division 1 semifinals, where it will face Rancho Christian, a 71-62 winner over Long Beach Millikan.

MILAN — She’s the only U.S. skater still in medal contention. Alysa Liu is the last person to care.

The unbothered 20-year-old is the only American who finished in the top six of the women’s short program Tuesday and is holding the weight of an Olympic medal drought that’s as old as she is. But after placing third in the short program, she said she hadn’t even looked at the standings. She is angling more for an invitation to the post-competition gala than a medal.

“A medal?” Liu asked with a sarcastic scoff and giggle. “I don’t need a medal. I just need to be here, and I just need to be present. And I need people to see what I do next.”

Next will be the women’s free skate Thursday, where Liu will try to be the first U.S. woman to stand on an Olympic podium for singles figure skating since Sasha Cohen in 2006.

The United States entered the Milan-Cortina Games with three strong contenders to end the drought, but will need comeback performances from the other two “Blade Angels.”

Alysa Liu is the top hope for the U.S. in women’s singles figure skating after finishing third in the short program.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Isabeau Levito skated cleanly in her Olympic debut but finished the short program in eighth with 70.84 points, almost eight points back from leader Ami Nakai’s 78.71.

Amber Glenn appeared poised to join Liu in medal contention after she started her “Like a Prayer” program with a steady triple axel. Looking inspired from a good luck message from Madonna this week, Glenn executed a strong triple-triple combination with her second jumping pass. The crowd at Milano Ice Skating arena roared.

Then Glenn popped her last planned triple jump. She earned zero points on the element. Her face fell immediately.

Glenn went through the motions of her step sequence but she looked lifeless, and after her program, she clutched the necklaces on her burgundy lace dress and knelt at center ice. She broke down in tears when she hugged her coach.

“I had it,” Glenn said through sobs.

With 67.39 points in 13th place, the three-time national champion is well outside the medal race led by Nakai and three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, who is in second with 77.23 points. Levito, skating in her mother’s hometown and paying homage to iconic Italian actress Sophia Loren with her short program, is less than six points out of podium position behind Liu’s 76.59 points.

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, wearing bedazzled headphones in a booth at the top of the arena, were shown on the video screen after Glenn’s skate clapping for her performance. U.S. teammate Ilia Malinin cheered behind them.

Malinin could empathize as Glenn held back tears on the ice. The United States won the team figure skating competition with a dramatic one-point victory but hasn’t secured any of the individual gold medals that appeared likely. Malinin, whose free skate collapse was one of the most stunning moments of the Milan-Cortina Games, cited the intense Olympic pressure.

Isabeau Levito competes during the women’s short program Tuesday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

After a shaky performance in the team competition, Glenn tried to escape the spotlight by training with U.S. teammates at a facility in Bergamo, 50 minutes outside of Milan. She tried to commit to rest and recovery and shy away from social media. She said after training Monday that she felt physically strong and had refocused enough to make the competition feel like any other world championship.

Knowing how hard it was for Glenn to get one jump away from putting herself into medal contention made the sight of her mistake all the more painful for Liu.

“She works so freaking hard,” Liu said after seeing Glenn’s skate on TV screens in the interview area. “Genuinely, such a hard worker, and she’s overcome a lot, and I just want her to be happy.”

Liu received some of the loudest applause of the night. Before beginning her program, she skated by the boards and high-fived both of her coaches, who hugged and hopped for joy when Liu executed her tricky triple lutz-triple loop combination jump. After hitting her ending pose, Liu covered her face to hide the tears that often well up in her eyes after her program set to “Promise.”

The reigning world champion returned to her second Olympics seemingly oblivious to any sort of pressure after a two-year retirement changed her perspective on skating. In Beijing, she was a 16-year-old who skated as she was told. She executed the jumps, performed to the music and wore the costumes that she was given.

But she laid the road to Milan all by herself and on her own terms.

One strong free skate away from her first individual Olympic medal — and second overall after helping the United States to team gold last week — Liu can’t be bothered to fret about how she’ll prepare for her last Olympic competition. Instead, she said she wants fans to see her new gala program.

A new dress just arrived and the choreography is almost done. All she needs is an invitation.

Slowly, LeBron James put on a pair of ice bath toe booties and dipped his left foot and then his right foot into a bucket that had been prepared for him following a Lakers game at Crypto.com Arena. His longtime personal trainer and athletic performance coach, Mike Mancias, next wrapped both of James’ knees and his back in ice.

James closed his eyes for a few seconds and leaned back in his chair as the media gathered around him for his postgame interview.

This was just another step James has taken to care for his body, a step that shows the lengths he takes in the maintenance of his 6-foot-9 frame that has helped him have an illustrious 23-year career, longer than any player before him.

“Obviously I didn’t know it would be 23 years. I didn’t know that, but I know I didn’t want to have no six- or seven-year career. I can’t become legendary in six or seven years,” James told The Times. “I always had a mission. When I knew I could play this game at a high level, like, going to Chicago and playing with MJ [Michael Jordan] and all those guys when I was a sophomore [in high school]. And then when I went up to Cleveland and played against the Cavs when I was a junior and I was like, ‘Oh … I belong. I belong.’ I knew I still had to learn and I still had to continue to get my body right, continue to learn the game and nuances.

“But I was playing against NBA guys for a long time and I was like, ‘If I get the opportunity to crack the league, if I get the opportunity to showcase what I’m able to do, the only thing that can stop me is if I don’t take care of my body. The only thing that can stop me from being the greatest or one of the greatest to ever play this game is if I do not take care of myself.’ I did take care of my body. That’s it.”

James’ dedication to self care has become legendary in the sporting world. He is known to invest moire than $1.5 million annually for a comprehensive approach to keeping his body fine-tuned.

James considers himself a biohacker: someone who uses science and technology to make their body function better and more efficiently.

He talked about using Normatec leg compression boots, hyperbaric chambers to restore oxygen, cryotherapy, red-light therapy and other cutting-edge technologies to maintain elite performances and longevity at the age of 41.

He talked about prioritizing sleep and nutrition, avoiding artificial sugars and fried foods.

When he missed the first 14 games this season because of sciatica, James cut back on drinking wine, one of his passions, in order to get his body back to full health.

“Obviously it’s gotten even more detailed as me and Mike have built a program,” James said. “It’s been 22 years of our program.”

LeBron James jokes with trainer Mike Mancias while sitting out a game with the Cavaliers in 2010 to rest for playoffs.

(Mark Duncan / Associated Press)

It has worked for James to the highest order, as he has become the leading scorer in NBA history with 42,975 points.

Though his streak of being voted as a starter to the All-Star team was snapped at 21 years in a row, James still extended his NBA record to 22 selections when the coaches voted him in as a reserve for the tournament that will be played Sunday at Intuit Dome.

Over his career, James said, he’s received plenty of offers to try new ways to do his physical therapy. For the most part, he has said no.

“It’s all type of … that is presented to you,” James said, smiling. “[People] are always trying to get you to do s—. But once we got the connection, it wasn’t really many people that we allowed to come and be in what we do. We had a couple of guys obviously throughout the process that helped along the way. But, nah, we knew what we wanted to do.”

When James was growing up in Akron, Ohio, and it became obvious he was athletic, he said his uncle, Curt, encouraged him to start taking care of his body immediately. His mother, Gloria, advised him to listen.

“I used to stretch before I went to bed and when I woke up, when I was like 10 or 11 years old,” James said. “My uncle Curt, my mom’s younger brother, used to make me do 100 calf raises a day and he used to make me do 50 pushups and 50 situps a day.”

James shook his head and laughed recalling those moments.

LeBron James glides past Kings forward DeMar DeRozan for a reverse dunk during a game in December.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

“He told me I had to get my calves stronger if I wanted to be great,” James said, smiling. “I never knew what that meant, whatever. But yeah, my uncle used to tell me to do that, and then a good friend of mine used to always tell me to stretch before I got in the bed and after I got out of the bed when I woke up the next morning. I don’t know, man. I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

At no time during all this did James know what that advice would mean for his future.

“No, but I had people that I trusted,” James said. “I was icing after every game my rookie year. I was 18 years old. I was icing after games when I was a high school senior, a high school junior. Like, I was lifting [weights] my senior year.”

James told a story about playing in an AAU tournament with Kendrick Perkins when he was 14 and how some players were sitting in the stands eating fast food.

“They were eating McDonald’s,” James said, smiling, “and I was eating fruits.”

Jason Kidd, the Hall of Fame point guard who’s now coach of the Dallas Mavericks, was an assistant with the Lakers when James led them to the 2020 championship, and the two were teammates on the 2008 USA Olympic team that won the gold medal in Beijing.

Kidd has watched how James is averaging 22 points on 50.2% shooting, 7.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds this season and can’t help but marvel at how he continues to be a highly effective player with so many miles on his body.

“He’s had some injuries, but he’s taken care of his body, he’s always prepared himself for the marathon,” Kidd said. “But I think it’s the mental side. I think that’s the hardest part is to wake up and say, ‘Do I need to go play against a 20-year-old or a 19-year-old?’ He’s won championships, he’s been MVP, he’s been the face of the league. He’s a billion-dollar company.

“So, it’s the mental side. Understanding that he loves competition and he loves the game of basketball. So I think for him to do it at 41 is incredible.”

When the Lakers faced Kidd’s Mavericks on Thursday night, James was back in the lab early getting his body ready about six hours before tipoff.

LeBron James talks with assistant coach Jason Kidd during a 2020 playoff game.

(Associated Press)

It didn’t matter that it was the last game before the weeklong All-Star break. In James’ eyes, if you take care of your body, it will take care of you.

“I woke up this morning, went straight downstairs, got a stretch, did a little activation, like a little small lil’ lift” of weights, James said after the game. “Then I iced after that. Then I used the Normatec to pump my legs for an hour. Then I took a nap in the hyperbaric chamber for an hour and a half. Then I got in the cold tub, again, before I came here. So, I started my process here when I got here at 1:15 and prepared for a 7 o’clock game. It’s just around the clock.”

And as it turned out, all his work led to yet another record for James.

His triple-double of 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds made him the oldest player to accomplish the feat, pushing him past Karl Malone, who was 40 when he did it in November 2003.

And now comes another record with the All-Star Game.

The No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team beat Indiana 92-48 at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. Lauren Betts picked up a first-half double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She finished with 16 points and was one of seven players to reach double figures.

“It speaks to how talented this team is,” Betts said. “We have threats at every single position, and it makes it so much easier for me to do my job, because I know that if they’re going to double, triple, I’m going to find somebody who’s able to score.”

UCLA extended its win streak to 19 games. With another lopsided victory under their belt, the Bruins said they have focused on consistency, no matter the opponent.

“I actually did bring that up in the locker room, and I should have, because that’s really been the challenge is to enjoy, relish, lean into, that we’re playing for our standard,” said coach Cori Close. “I’ve been really honest that we haven’t been doing that consistently against opponents that maybe don’t give the scoreboard, won’t give us that exact read.”

UCLA guard Kiki Rice drives to the basket under pressure from Indiana guard Nevaeh Caffey as Hoosiers forward Maya Makalusky watches at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday.

(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)

UCLA’s Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 10 points in the second quarter alone and Kiki Rice, who recorded a 15-point second half after only scoring two in the first, led all Bruins in points.

“I wasn’t happy with the way I competed in the first half,” Rice said. “Regardless of the outcome offensively, I can control how hard I play. I’m proud of my defense, and in the second half I focused in on that and started to find a better rhythm.”

UCLA (25-1, 15-0 Big Ten) separated itself from Indiana (14-13, 3-12) in the second quarter with 30 points, taking a 47-20 halftime lead. In the third quarter, the Bruins outscored the Hoosiers 29-14.

Maya Makalusky scored 13 points for Indiana and Lenée Beaumont added 11. They were the only Hoosiers in double figures.

Close said Angela Dugalic led the way for the Bruins in the first half, playing at the level of aggression that the coaching staff was looking for. Close added that Dugalic’s intense effort was in response to a couple of games during which Dugalic wasn’t playing to her usual standard.

“[Yesterday] we’re talking about what was leading to that,” Close said of a conversation with Dugalic. “She was like, ‘I just start second guessing when I get that first foul.’ And I was actually thankful that she had that scenario. And I just said, ‘Hey, this is what we talked about yesterday, you got to play the same way.’”

Indiana guard Lenée Beaumont drives to the basket under pressure from UCLA guards Charlisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.

(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)

Dugalic picked up a foul in the first quarter, providing a chance to respond to adversity in a different way.

The Bruins’ four turnovers were their lowest total in a game this season after giving up the second most during a close win last week against No. 13 Michigan State. Close put the players through a special workout in between the games to reduce the giveaways.

“Not only did they have to do a bike sprint for every single turnover and every one under our passion play goal that they didn’t get, but they had to watch their lack of productivity while they did it,” Close said.

The Bruins held Indiana to 31.3% shooting from the field, below the Hoosiers’ 47.9% average on the season, fifth best in the Big Ten.

UCLA has three more games before the Big Ten tournament, with Washington up next at 7 p.m. PST on Thursday. A Bruins win or a Michigan loss would clinch the No. 1 tournament seed for UCLA.

Derrick Taylor won four City Section titles coaching basketball at Taft High. He won a Southern Section 3A title coaching at St. John Bosco and a Division II state championship with the Braves. So when he decided to come out of retirement and coach at Blair this season, you knew something good might happen.

On Friday night, Blair continued its run in the Southern Section Division 4 playoffs by upsetting No. 1-seeded Bonita 79-71. Jaleel Hunter had 14 points and 20 rebounds.

Blair lost its top player, Tim Anderson, who transferred to Pasadena. The team started 0-4. Now the Vikings are 21-9 and playing in the Division 4 quarterfinals on the road against Trabuco Hills on Tuesday.

Taylor lost his job at Taft in 2023 after guiding the Toreadors to an Open Division title. He briefly was going to coach at Gardena Serra, then stepped down for health reasons.

Things quickly have turned around for Blair, but it comes as no surprise to those who’ve seen what Taylor can do.

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

On a holiday celebrating love and affection, thousands of enthusiastic basketball fans showed up at Intuit Dome to cheer for their favorite NBA players in a trifecta of skills competitions on the eve of the league’s 75th annual All-Star Game.

Getting Saturday off to a scintillating start was the three-point contest — one of All-Star Weekend’s most coveted prizes since Larry Bird won the initial contest in 1986 as well as the next two.

Portland’s Damian Lillard joined Bird and Craig Hodges (1990-92) as the only three-time winners with a stunning exhibition in the final round, ending up with a score of 29 — two better than runner-up and 2018 champion Devin Booker of Phoenix. Lillard equaled the best final-round score, set by Karl-Anthony Towns in 2022.

“I came out here excited to do it,” said Lillard, a nine-time All-Star who is sitting out this season after surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon last May. “I can’t say I knew I’d win but I came in confident. This is my sixth time doing it … this felt like a game to me.”

Lillard went second in the finals and watched anxiously from the bench as it looked like Booker would overtake him before missing his last three shots from the corner.

“At the end I was at his mercy but it worked out,” said Lillard, who won with 24 points in 2023 and 26 in 2024. “I was once a fan too — as a kid I went to the All-Star Game in Oakland— and fans want to see their guys. That’s what made me want to be a part of it.”

In the first round, eight players had 70 seconds to shoot 27 balls from five designated spots on the court. Booker posted the highest score (30, one shy of the record) and also making the finals with 27 points each were Lillard and Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel. Donovan Mitchell (24), Norman Powell (23), Jamal Murray (18), Tyrese Maxey (17) and Bobby Portis Jr. (15) were eliminated.

Next up was the shooting stars competition, which returned to All-Star Weekend after a 10-year hiatus and featured four teams, each consisting of two current NBA players and one retired “legend.”

Jalen Brunson, Towns and Allan Houston led Team Knicks to a 47-38 triumph over Team Cameron, made up of Duke alums Jalen Johnson, Knueppel and Corey Maggette, a former Clipper.

“This was cool and the game’s become more and more international,” said Brunson, who got passes from his dad, Rick, a New York assistant coach. “Basketball is a universal language. Winning’s always fun, not just beating a team from Duke.”

In the semifinals, Team Knicks beat Team Harper (Dylan Harper of San Antonio, Ron Harper Jr. of Boston and their father, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper) while Team Cameron beat Team All-Star (Scottie Barnes of Toronto, Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City and three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton).

From left, Rick Brunson, Allan Houston, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns hold the winners’ trophies after the shooting stars competition.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

Was it a case of the old guy carrying the young guys?

“He did his job,” Towns joked about Houston, who played for the Knicks from 1996 to 2005 and serves as general manager of their G League team.

Shooting stars was a regular feature from 2004 to 2015 and originally featured an NBA player, a WNBA player and a retired player on each team shooting from four locations. This year, each team had 70 seconds to score points by shooting from seven areas worth anywhere from two to four points.

Rounding out the Valentine’s Day festivities was the crowd-pleasing slam-dunk contest, showcasing the individuality and athleticism of its four first-time participants: Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, San Antonio forward Carter Bryant, Miami forward Keshad Johnson and Orlando rookie guard Jase Richardson.

The 6-foot-6 Johnson, who measured a 42-inch vertical leap at the 2024 draft combine, ultimately raised the gold trophy following a final round total of 97.4. He made a side-to-side move at the rim on his penultimate attempt, then sprinted the length of the court and soared for a windmill jam on his last effort.

“Everyone make some noise,” the jubilant Johnson told the roomful of reporters afterward. “It’s a dream. I beat the odds. Every year I watched the dunk contest and I learned from all the people before me.”

Slam dunk winner Keshad Johnson goes between the legs while dunking.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Bryant settled for second with 93 despite a perfect score of 50 after he bounced the ball off the floor, under his leg for a one-handed stuff that drew thunderous applause on his first try before making a less-difficult 360-degree dunk with time running out on his second attempt.

“I really wanted him to finish that last one,” Johnson said. “Both of us are from U of A [Arizona], so we wanted to put on a show and we did.”

In the opening round all four players attempted two dunks, receiving a score between 40 and 50 per try. Bryant (94.8) and Johnson (92.8) qualified for the final dunk-off, in which both got two more attempts.

“Dunking is an art and it’s kind of hard to come up with new stuff,” said Johnson, an Oakland native who leaped over Bay Area rapper E-40 on his first dunk. “My goal is to just be myself and put my own flavor in it.”

Spurred on by the hometown crowd, Hayes was third at 91.8 while Richardson, the son of two-time winner Jason Richardson, was last at 88.8.

Judging were former champions Nate Robinson, Dominique Wilkins, Brent Barry, former Lakers center Dwight Howard and fans on the NBA app.

Lakers center Jaxson Hayes rises for a tomahawk dunk.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Julius Irving won the first dunk contest in 1976, the year before the ABA-NBA merger. Robinson (2006, 2009, 2010) and Mac McClung are the only three-time winners. McClung, the previous champion and only player to win three years in a row, announced in January he would not defend his title.

That opened the door for a new winner in Johnson.

“Being undrafted and in the G League and being the underdogs at San Diego State… I’ve learned how to dream dreams,” said Johnson, who keyed the Aztecs’ surprising run to the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16 in 2023 before transferring to Arizona. “I’m so grateful to be here. I’m from Oakland, the West Coast is home to me and I felt like the fans were with me.”

ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Yaxel Lendeborg had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 2 Michigan to an 86-56 victory over UCLA on Saturday that puts the program in position to be ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2013.

No. 1 Arizona lost its first game Monday night on the road against No. 9 Kansas, giving the Wolverines (24-1, 14-1 Big Ten) a path to the top spot in the poll with their 10th straight win.

The Bruins (17-8, 9-5) had won five of six games.

Michigan made nine straight shots — including Lendeborg’s two three-pointers — early in the second half to turn what was a closely contested game into a rout.

Just two years after losing a school-record 24 games in Juwan Howard’s final season, coach Dusty May took advantage of the transfer portal to build a deep and talented roster that has won 24 of 25 games for the first time in school history.

The Wolverines are aiming to be No. 1 for the first time since Jan. 28, 2013, a season that ended with AP national player of the year Trey Burke and coach John Beilein losing to Rick Pitino-led Louisville in the national championship game.

In their latest lopsided win, Morez Johnson finished with 15 points, LJ Cason scored 13, Nimari Burnett added 12 and Aday Mara had nine points, eight rebounds and three blocks against his former team.

UCLA’s Trent Perry scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half and Tyler Bilodeau had 10 of his points in the opening 20 minutes, when the visitors trailed by just two points.

Pat Haden, Vince Evans, Sean Salisbury, Rodney Peete, Matt Cassel, Todd Marinovich, Rob Johnson, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Caleb Williams. Just a few of the great USC quarterbacks who went on to have NFL careers, yet never won a Super Bowl. Congratulations to Sam Darnold, the first USC quarterback to win the Super Bowl. I will always remember Sam’s amazing performance in the 2017 Rose Bowl game against Penn State. Sam was a redshirt freshman that year. He had the heart of a champion then and still does now.

Dave Ring
Manhattan Beach

Sam Darnold’s odyssey, from first-round bust to Super Bowl champion, is straight out of a Hollywood movie. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Darnold proved success in football, like life, is not always linear. He has now won more Super Bowls than his 2017 draft class colleagues, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, combined.

Mark S. Roth
Playa Vista

La Mirada finally got its breakthrough win in the Southern Section Open Division basketball playoffs on Friday night, going on the road to defeat St. John Bosco 56-53.

The Matadores (23-7) wanted to be in the Open Division playoffs last season and went 1-3, failing to make the state playoffs. They lost to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame on Wednesday, in a pool-play opener, ending their 14-game winning streak, then came back to inflict a rare home defeat on St. John Bosco in a pool play game. St. John Bosco had a chance to tie the score at the end but a three-point attempt failed.

Jordyn Houston led La Mirada with 22 points. St. John Bosco faces Notre Dame on Tuesday. La Mirada is in good position to claim second place in the pool and advance to the quarterfinals.

Harvard-Westlake 67, Damien 62: Joe Sterling finished with 22 points to help the Wolverines get back into the win column in an Open Division pool play game.

Corona Centennial 74, Etiwanda 48: The Huskies rolled to a win in their Open Division opener.

Crespi 82, Corona del Mar 70: The Celts faced a large, enthusiastic road crowd and won their first Open Division game. Isaiah Barnes scored 24 points and Jasiah Williams 23. Maxwell Scott scored 35 points for Corona del Mar.

JSerra 75, Loyola 46: Jaden Bailes scored 22 points in the Division 1 playoff victory.

Mater Dei 85, Westlake 59: It was another dominating win for the Monarchs in Division 2.

Rolling Hills Prep 63, Orange Lutheran 52: Josahn Webster, the son of King/Drew coach Lloyd Webster, contributed 23 points for Rolling Hills Prep.

Shalhevet 42, Palm Springs 41: Sam Jacobsen had the game-winning basket for Shalhevet in a Division 4-A game.

Venice 58, Sun Valley Poly 40: The Gondoliers advanced in the City Section Division I playoffs.

Their frustrating midseason slump was finally in the rear-view mirror, their season finally feeling back on the right track.

Any reservations about USC righting the ship after losing six of seven had largely been forgotten on the heels of a four-game winning streak. Victories over No. 8 Iowa, Rutgers, Northwestern and Illinois, two of which came on the road, had cemented its place on the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble.

But as the Trojans were reminded in a 79-73 win over Indiana at Galen Center, now is no time to get comfortable — even if Thursday’s victory had marked their longest winning streak of the season.

The Hoosiers certainly never let USC settle in, even as freshman Jazzy Davidson poured in another stat-stuffing performance that would have to carry a stagnant Trojan offense for much of the way. It would take an aggressive defensive effort, too, complete with 19 forced turnovers, to put Indiana away.

That it took such a hard-fought effort to escape a team that’s 3-11 in the Big Ten and was without the Big Ten’s leading scorer, Shay Ciezki, was not exactly reassuring, as USC (16-9 overall, 8-6 in the Big Ten) enters the final four games of their regular season slate. Two of those four are against top 10 teams, Ohio State and UCLA.

But where the Trojans might have slipped up earlier in the season, they held tight Thursday.

“We were tough where we needed to be when shots weren’t falling,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “Our confidence to get it done when it’s not always prettiest is something that we’re proud of.”

Outside of a stellar second quarter, Thursday’s win certainly would not be remembered for being aesthetically pleasing. Over the rest of the game, Trojans shot under 32% from the floor. Their issues from three-point range persisted, as they made just three of 19 from behind the arc. Over their last four games, they’ve knocked down just 11 of 68 (16%).

They wouldn’t need them Thursday, not with Davidson looking as dynamic as ever. The freshman sensation followed up a career-high, 27-point performance with 24 points, along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. She did so while playing all 40 minutes.

“You talk about overdelivering,” Gottlieb said, “To be a freshman and carry the load for us and continue to grow, the numbers are really showing it … she’s just capable of doing almost anything on a basketball court.”

That much has been abundantly clear over the last seven games, with Davidson as she’s averaging 20 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks per night. She credited that outburst with being more comfortable down the final stretch of the season.

The Trojans will likely go as far as their dynamic freshman can take them as March approaches. But of late that’s been a pretty successful strategy.

“She’s unique,” Gottlieb said. “I know there are several good freshmen in the country. We know how good she is. We see it every day, and we think there’s no one better.”

USC didn’t look early on like a team that had found solid ground . The Trojans went six straight minutes in the first without a single field goal, then gave up an 8-0 run to Indiana in the final 1:22 of the quarter.

It was until Davidson turned it on in the second quarter that USC seized control. Fresh off her fifth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, Davidson tallied 10 points in the second alone, while the Hoosiers had just 13 total, USC’s defense clamping down after a sloppy start.

With Indiana’s attention on Davidson, Kara Dunn and Kennedy Smith would help the Trojans fire out front, as they combined for 20 points after half. But the Hoosiers tied the score just one possession into the fourth quarter.

An elbow to the face of guard Malia Samuels gave the Trojans free throws and a seven-point lead with just four minutes remaining in the game. Still, a foul from Dunn on a corner three-pointer by Indiana’s Maya Makalusky opened the door for the Hoosiers.

Makalusky, who led all scorers with 29, hit another three to once again cut the lead to a single possession.

But USC held on, with Smith applying the punctuation mark, snagging a driving Indiana lay-in out of mid-air with just a minute remaining. It was the sort of play that reminded what USC might be capable of, with everything working in concert.

It’ll need that to be the case, if it hopes to make noise come March.

“We’re in position to do all the things we set out to do,” Gottlieb said. “We’re as good and set up as any team outside of maybe the top group to get a great seed.”

The Lakers have reached the part of the NBA season in which they get a week off because of the All-Star break that starts Friday. It’ll give the Lakers time to rest and, perhaps most importantly, to get healthy.

Luka Doncic is at the center of what they do, but he missed his fourth straight game with left leg soreness, leaving the Lakers shorthanded yet again, a position they have found themselves in for most of the season.

So before LeBron James led the Lakers with a triple-double of 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in a 124-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, Lakers coach JJ Redick was asked about Doncic’s status for the All-Star game Sunday at Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

“It’s above my pay grade,” Redick said.

Doncic was the leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game.

So, Redick was asked again if Doncic would play in the game if he gets cleared.

“It’s above my pay grade,” Redick responded again.

Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring (32.8) and is third in assists (8.6), went through his pregame routine before the Lakers played the Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena.

Austin Reaves drives to the basket between Dallas’ Max Christie and Daniel Gafford in the first half.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Redick said Doncic is doing “really good.”

“He’s progressed really good,” Redick said. “I think part of him wanted to push to get back prior to the break. But we’ve gotta be cautious with soft-tissue injuries. Obviously, we were very cautious with Austin [Reaves]. I mean, you just saw what happened with [Oklahoma City’s] Jalen Williams [reoccuring right hamstring injury] coming back. We all feel very comfortable with the decision to hold him out and should be good to go post All-Star.”

After missing Tuesday night’s game against the Spurs, the Lakers got James (left foot arthritis), Reaves (left calf injury management) and Marcus Smart (right ankle soreness) back.

But center Deandre Ayton missed his second straight game with right knee soreness. Redick said Ayton got an MRI that revealed his injury.

“He’ll get proper care over break and then he’ll be back as well,” Redick said.

The Lakers didn’t miss Ayton, building a 22-point lead and having five players score in double figures.

Rui Hachimura had 21 points on nine-for-13 shooting and Reaves had 18 points and six assists.

The Lakers are 33-21 and in fifth place in the super-tough Western Conference.

They have 28 games left in the regular season after an injury-marred first part of the season that tested the Lakers on many levels.

“I think the nature of this is there’s always going to be opportunities to respond to poor games, to failure,” Redick said. “There’s opportunities to respond to good stretches and not get complacent. I think the group has responded to all of the challenges the season has presented in a really good way.”

Tyran who?

Remember when people were wondering what might happen to the Sherman Oaks Notre Dame basketball team after All-American Tyran Stokes left for a new high school in Washington?

What’s happened is that the Knights (20-6) went into the weight room, got stronger to make up for losing Stokes’ rebounding prowess and are very much alive in the Southern Section Open Division playoffs after defeating La Mirada 76-60 on Wednesday night in their opening game of Pool D. Next up is St. John Bosco at home Tuesday night.

Players such as Zach White, Josiah Nance, Ilan Niklov and Zion Lanier are showing off their muscles. Even guard NaVorro Bowman, who scored 25 points, is using his strength to draw fouls and head to the free-throw line.

Andrew Castro scored 17 points for La Mirada, which had won 14 consecutive games.

Santa Margarita 81, Damien 71: The Eagles won their pool play opener at home. Kaiden Bailey finished with 21 points.

Sierra Canyon 71, Crespi 64: Jordan Mize scored 16 points, Brandon McCoy and Brannon Martinsen 15 and Maxi Adams 14 to power top-seeded Sierra Canyon to an Open Division win.

Redondo Union 74, Etiwanda 31: SJ Madison led the way with 20 points for Redondo Union.

Windward 77, Bishop Montgomery 61: Davey Harris finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists for Windward.

JSerra 72, Pasadena 66: The Lions won in overtime. Jaden Bailes had 21 points.

Orange Lutheran 79, Arcadia 74: Josh King scored 22 points for Orange Lutheran.

Inglewood 102, Tesoro 70: Jason Crowe Jr. finished with 34 points for Inglewood.

St. Bernard 63, La Habra 51: Chris Rupert led St. Bernard with 14 points.

Saugus 65, Culver City 64: Braydon Harmon came through with 44 points and 14 rebounds for Saugus. The Centurions came back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Brentwood 61, Long Beach Poly 55: AJ Okoh delivered a 31-point performance for the Eagles, who will face Fairmont Prep on the road Friday. Fairmont Prep eiminated Crossroads.

Loyola 72, Los Alamitos 64: Deuce Newt had 24 points for the Cubs.

Eastside 65, Redlands East Valley 61: Christian Duran led Eastside with 18 points.

Rolling Hills Prep 50, St. Monica 47: Kawika Suter had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Rolling Hills Prep.

Oakwood 72, San Bernardino 69: Dylan Williams had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Bryce Fletcher added 18 points for Oakwood.

Rancho Christian 78, St. Francis 59: With 7-4 center Cherif Millogo not playing, St. Francis was beaten in its playoff opener. Luke Paulus had 17 points.

Long Beach Millikan 79, Thousand Oaks 34: Freshman guard Quali Giran had 21 points.

Murrieta Mesa 71, Viewpoint 58: Murrieta Mesa advances in the Division 3 playoffs.

MIra Costa 57, Oaks Christian 56: Paxx Bell scored 15 points for Mira Costa.

Fairfax 66, Birmingham 58: Chris Stokes scored 22 points to help the Lions upset No. 3-seeded Birmingham in the City Section Open Division playoffs. Fairfax will face Cleveland, a 57-52 winner over Narbonne, in the semifinals on Feb. 21. Charlie Adams scored 23 points for Cleveland.

Palisades 72, El Camino Real 45: Top-seeded Palisades received 23 points from EJ Popoola and will face San Pedro in an Open Division semifinals on Feb. 21 at L.A. Southwest College.

San Pedro 51, Washington Prep 47: The Pirates won on the road to reach the Open Division semifinals. AJ Bobich made four free throws in the final 30 seconds and finished with 10 points. Chris Morgan led the way with 15 points and Ricky Alonso had 12.

Sun Valley Poly 44, Westchester 36: The Parrots eliminated defending City Open Division champion Westchester in a Division I opener. Kevin Lara scored 15 points for Poly.

Carson 68, LACES 53: Mekhi Williams had 28 points and Blake McCall 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Colts in a City Division II game.

Crenshaw 69, Grant 58: Lauran Coleman had 20 points for the Cougars in a Division I opener.

Eagle Rock 53, University 51: Skylar Melton scored 27 points for University in the Division II loss.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Lauren Betts had 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists and No. 2 UCLA pushed its winning streak to 18 games by thumping No. 13 Michigan State 86-63 on Wednesday night.

Kiki Rice finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for the Bruins (24-1, 14-0 Big Ten). Gabriela Jaquez added 13 points, all in the first half, and Gianna Kneepkens chipped in 12.

UCLA now has nine wins over ranked opponents, six in conference play.

Rashunda Jones scored 15 points and Emma Shumate had 12 for the Spartans (20-5, 9-5), who have dropped three of their last four games. Grace VanSlooten and Kennedy Blair, the team’s top scorers entering the game, were held to a combined 18 points on six-for-25 shooting.

UCLA, which led by 31 points, outscored Michigan State 56-22 in the paint and had a 48-28 rebounding advantage.

Their matchup last season in Los Angeles wasn’t decided until late in the game, when the Bruins pulled out a 75-69 victory. Betts missed that game with a foot injury but the Spartans couldn’t avoid her imposing 6-foot-7 presence this time.

Coming off a hotly contested 69-66 victory over No. 8 Michigan on Sunday, the Bruins were in total control from the start.

UCLA scored on its six first possessions while powering to a 44-20 halftime lead, capped off by Jaquez’s three-pointer. Betts had 13 points by the break, while the Spartans were unable to get anything going in halfcourt sets or transition.

Michigan State hasn’t defeated a top-two team at home since 2005.