Reaves

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.”

From Broderick Turner: It had been just about 5 1/2 weeks since Austin Reaves last played for the Lakers, a total of 19 games he was out because of a left calf strain, an injury he and the Lakers were being cautious about until he was ready to play against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

Reaves was on a minutes restriction, but at least he was playing for the first time since getting injured against the Houston Rockets on Christmas night.

He came off the bench and entered the game with 1 minute and 30 seconds left in the first quarter with the Lakers holding a 17-point lead that grew to 39 points in L.A.’s 125-109 win over the Nets.

Reaves scored his first points on two free throws with 1.7 seconds left in the first quarter, threw his first assist to LeBron James for a lob dunk in the second quarter and scored his first field goal with 9:38 left in the second quarter.

Reaves, who started the second half, finished his night with 15 points, one assist and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

“I wanted to make sure I was 100% good,” Reaves said. “Really wanted to play the other night against the Knicks. Love playing there. Wish I could have been able to get out there and help the team, but just didn’t feel right and woke up this morning and felt really good and gave it the go right before the game and had fun.”

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Lakers box score

NBA standings

Clippers trade James Harden

James Harden is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Clippers agreeing to send the 11-time All-Star back to the Eastern Conference during his highest-scoring season in six years, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers are giving up point guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick, said the person, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not yet been approved by the NBA.

That approval could come by Wednesday, when the Cavaliers and Clippers face off at Intuit Dome.

Harden is averaging 25.4 points this season, his most since averaging 34.3 points in 2019-20. He’s been a huge part of the Clippers’ resurgence back into playoff — or, at least, play-in — contention after a dismal 6-21 start.

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NBA All-Star rosters set: Kawhi Leonard added to the game

UCLA men rout Rutgers

From Steve Galluzzo: After its gut-wrenching double overtime loss to Indiana three days before, a home game against struggling Rutgers was just what the doctor ordered for the UCLA men’s basketball team.

The Bruins took their frustrations out on an overmatched opponent Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion, winning 98-66 in the fifth of a six-game West Coast swing that is crucial to their NCAA tournament aspirations.

All five starters scored in double figures for the Bruins (16-7, 8-4 Big Ten), who had their second-highest scoring output this season. Center Xavier Booker made 10 of 11 shots, including all four of his three-point tries, to finish with a career-high 24 points, Tyler Bilodeau scored 19, Eric Dailey Jr. scored 17, Donovan Dent had 13 points and 11 assists and Trent Perry added 10 points.

“Everything felt good today from the first shot, my teammates kept feeding me,” said Booker, who also had five rebounds, three assists and a block in 29 minutes. “I’m trying to improve on my defense staying low, in my stance and staying in front of my man.”

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UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

Alijas Arenas has big night in win

From Sean Campbell: After USC leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara went down early in the second half with what appeared to be a knee injury, freshman Alijah Arenas knew what he needed to do. When Trojan starters Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie fouled out late in the second half, nothing changed.

USC’s game against Indiana (15-8, 6-6 Big Ten) Tuesday night at the Galen Center was close early. Arenas, who had struggled with efficiency since debuting for the Trojans in mid-January, started four of 14 from the field and one of six on three-point attempts.

During the ensuing 19 minutes, Arenas showed why he was a five-star recruit, delivering a team-high 29 points and helping the Trojans (17-6, 6-6) hang on for a 81-75 win over the Hoosiers. It was Arenas’ first double-digit scoring game of his college career.

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USC box score

Big Ten standings

Ducks beat the Kraken

Cutter Gauthier scored his 25th goal and the Ducks defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Tuesday night to win their final game before the Olympic break.

Jacob Trouba, Alex Killorn and Ross Johnston also scored as the resurgent Ducks built a 4-0 cushion before fending off a late Seattle push. They have won nine of 11 after a nine-game losing streak (0-8-1).

The Ducks climbed within one point of the Pacific Division lead and moved two ahead of the Kraken for third place. Seattle holds a game in hand over the Ducks.

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

2028 Oly soccer sites set

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: LA28 announced Tuesday the six U.S. stadiums that will host Olympic soccer group stage games while revealing a plan to have preliminary games move East to West to minimize travel demands. Instead of criss-crossing the country for the group-stage games, teams will advance in the tournament and move progressively closer to the knockout rounds held at the Rose Bowl.

The country-wide tournament footprint begins in New York at New York City FC’s new Etihad Park, which is scheduled to open in 2027. The venue in Queens is the first soccer-specific stadium in New York City.

Purpose-built stadiums were the focus of the venue plan, with five of the six stadiums being primarily affiliated with Major League Soccer clubs. The Columbus Crew’s ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Nashville SC’s Geodis Park, St. Louis CITY SC’s Energizer Park and the San José Earthquakes’ PayPal Park were also selected for group games.

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Lindsey Vonn says knee injury won’t stop her

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: A partial knee replacement in her right leg wasn’t enough to stop Lindsey Vonn from pursuing her Olympic comeback. Neither will a recent left torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Vonn revealed Tuesday she suffered a completely ruptured ACL in a crash last week but remains focused on racing in the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

“If my knee is not stable, I can’t compete and at the moment, it is stable and it is strong,” Vonn said during a virtual news conference from Cortina d’Ampezzo. “… So far so good but we have to take it day by day. But if it remains the way it is now, I think I’m pretty solid.”

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Hilary Knight is a hockey role model

From Kevin Baxter: If Hilary Knight is the GOAT of women’s ice hockey, then Caroline Harvey is the kid.

That isn’t just a reference to her age, 23, which makes her the seventh-youngest player on the U.S. Olympic team. The term is also used for baby goats. And with Knight, the oldest player on the U.S. team, expected to retire from Olympic competition after the Milan Cortina Games, that makes Harvey the GOAT in waiting.

“Hilary is a great role model,” Harvey said. “She did blaze that trail. It’s been exciting to see what she did, the legacy she left.”

Like the 10 world championship gold medals, most by a hockey player of either gender; the soon-to-be five Olympic appearances, most by any American hockey player; the scoring titles and MVP awards. But the real legacy she’ll leave will have little to do with any of that.

Continue reading here

Wednesday’s Oly TV/streaming schedule

Wednesday’s live TV and streaming broadcasts unless noted (subject to change). All events stream live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com with a streaming or cable login. All times Pacific.

The first day of full competition begins Saturday.

ALPINE SKIING
2:30 a.m. — Men’s downhill, training | Peacock

CURLING
Mixed doubles (round robin)
10:05 a.m. — Sweden vs. South Korea | Peacock
10:05 a.m. — Canada vs. Czechia | Peacock
10:05 a.m. — Estonia vs. Switzerland | Peacock

Super Bowl

Sunday
at Santa Clara
Seattle vs. New England
3:30 p.m. PT, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, KLAC AM 570
Halftime show: Bad Bunny
National anthem: Charlie Puth
Odds: Seahawks favored by 4.5 points
Over/Under: 45.5 points

This day in sports history

1861 — The Philadelphia Athletics beat Charter Oak 36-27 in a baseball game played on frozen Litchfield Pond in Brooklyn, N.Y., with the players wearing ice skates.

1924 — The first Winter Olympics close in Chamonix, France. Sixteen countries competed in 17 events from seven sports.

1932 — The Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, N.Y., the first Winter Games in the United States.

1957 — Joe McCarthy and Sam Crawford are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1969 — The 24 major league owners unanimously select Bowie Kuhn as commissioner for a one-year term at a salary of $100,000.

1971 — The Baseball Hall of Fame establishes a separate section for players from the Negro Leagues. In July, commissioner Bowie Kuhn, along with Hall president Paul Kirk, announce a change of heart and scrap plans for the separate section.

1976 — U.S. District Court Judge John W. Oliver upholds the ruling of arbitrator Peter Seitz that declared Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally free agents.

1977 — Rick Martin scores two goals in the third period, including the game-winning goal with under two minutes to play, to lead the Wales Conference to a 4-3 win over the Campbell conference in the NHL All-Star game at Vancouver.

1979 — Denver’s David Thompson scores 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting to lead the West Conference to a 134-129 victory over the East at the 1979 NBA All-Star Game in Detroit. Thompson also grabs five rebounds and is named the games MVP. Philadelphia’s Julius Erving leads all scorers with 29 points and San Antonio’s George Gervin adds 26 for the East.

1987 — The Sacramento Kings have the worst first quarter since the inception of the shot clock in 1954. The Kings set the NBA record with only four points in the opening quarter of a 128-92 loss to the Lakers.

1987 — Stars & Stripes, skippered by Dennis Conner, sweeps Kookaburra III 4-0 at Fremantle, Australia, to bring sailing’s America’s Cup back to the United States.

1991 — The doors of Cooperstown are slammed shut on Pete Rose when the Hall of Fame’s board of directors votes 12-0 to bar players on the permanently ineligible list from consideration.

1997 — Mario Lemieux scores his 600th goal, an empty netter, to help the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks. Lemieux is the first player to score 600 goals while spending his NHL career with one team.

2003 — Jaromir Jagr scores three goals, including his 500th, for his 11th career hat trick as Washington beat Tampa Bay 5-1.

2007 — Peyton Manning is 25-of-38 for 247 yards and a touchdown as he rallies Indianapolis to a 29-17 Super Bowl victory over Chicago in the South Florida rain. Tony Dungy becomes the first Black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie Smith in a game that featured the first two Black coaches in the Super Bowl.

2012 — Lindsey Vonn captures her 50th World Cup victory, winning the downhill with temperatures plunging to minus 13 on the demanding Kandahar course in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

2017 — Gregg Popovich becomes the winningest coach with a single franchise in NBA history, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 121-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Popovich earns his 1,128th victory to pass former Utah coach Jerry Sloan for the mark.

2018 — The Philadelphia Eagles win a record-setting shootout between Nick Foles and Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Foles, the backup quarterback, leads a pressure-packed 75-yard drive to the winning touchdown, 11 yards to Zach Etrz with 2:21 to go. Then the defense makes two final stands to win 41-33.

2022 — XXIV Olympic Winter Games open in Beijing, China.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where we are freezing out butts off on this East Coast trip.

As the team continues to work its way through the Grammy trip, your usual scribe who writes this newsletter, Thuc Nhi Nguyen, is off to Milan to cover the Winter Olympics. That means you are stuck with me, Broderck Turner, for the next month to discuss the Lakers here.

Austin Reaves’ return?

At some point on this eight-game trip, the prevailing thought was that Austin Reaves would return to play after being out with a left calf strain. But we are still waiting for that to happen.

The Lakers’ last game on this trip is Tuesday at Brooklyn, meaning Reaves will have been out a little over 5 ½-weeks since the injury first occurred during the Christmas Day game against the Houston Rockets.

Reaves had been upgraded from out to questionable for the games at Washington on Friday night and the New York Knicks on Sunday, but didn’t play.

And for the Nets game Tuesday, the Lakers have listed Reaves as questionable.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Reaves worked out on Saturday but it was not “like a stay-ready game.”

Before the Lakers played the Knicks, Redick said Reaves would be a game-time decision.

Reaves did not play, missing his 19th straight game.

“Yeah, I just would say he’s day to day, game to game, however you want to phrase it,” Redick said after the Lakers lost to the Knicks. “ We’re hopeful to have him for Tuesday, but he’s gotta feel 100% confident.”

In many ways, Reaves and the Lakers face a conundrum regarding his health.

Reaves always wants to play and the Lakers need him to play, but calf injuries can be tricky and can lead to more serious injuries if they aren’t completely healed.

Reaves had missed three games in December with a mild left calf strain, returned to play against the Suns and then went down one game later against the Rockets on Christmas.

Reaves was then diagnosed with a Grade 2 left gastrocnemius (calf) strain and was given a timeline of four to six weeks before a return to play.

Luka Doncic had been out with a calf strain for more than a month when the Lakers traded for him from the Dallas Mavericks last February.

“It’s definitely hard with a calf. I’ve been through that. It’s not an easy injury,” Doncic said Sunday night. “So, we just want him to be healthy. If he’s not ready to come back, don’t come back. But obviously, we’d love to have him out there. We can’t wait for his return.”

Reaves is averaging career-high in points (26.6), assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2) per game. He is shooting 50.7% from the field.

His outstanding play means Reaves is in line for a big payday. The Lakers can pay him a maximum deal of five years worth about $241 million.

So, yes, Reaves is understandably being cautious.

Trade winds

Dalton Knecht is apparently being used as trade bait by the Lakers.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Two of the players people around the NBA said the Lakers had shown some interest in were traded for each other last week, leaving L.A. still searching for the right move to make … or not to make.

Cleveland traded De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Keon Ellis, two wing players that had been attached to the Lakers as possible candidates to be acquired.

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at noon PST.

So, the Lakers still have time to do a deal, but people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter say teams have little interest in guards Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht, the two most prominent players the Lakers seem to be pushing.

The Lakers do have a first-round draft pick they can attach to one of them, but so far appear hesitant to make it part of a deal.

MSG nostalgia

Was this LeBron James’ final game in Madison Square Garden?

(John Munson / Associated Press)

So, after LeBron James had 22 points, six assists and five rebounds against the Knicks, he was asked if it was weird to think that game the Lakers played the Knicks could be his last time playing in Madison Square Garden.

James, in his 23rd season, has given no indication on when he will retire.

“At the end of the day, everything has to come to an end at some point,” James said. “So, no matter what it is, it’s going to be like, ‘I’ll never play again in Madison Square Garden. I’ll never play again in certain arenas. I’ll never play again, period.’ So, at that point it doesn’t matter. You’re going to always miss it. You’re going to miss the game in general. So this one will always have a special place in the journey because it is Madison Square Garden. But yeah, when that time comes, yeah, for sure.”

On tap

Tuesday at Brooklyn (13-35), 4:30 p.m. PST

The Lakers end their eight-game trip against a Nets team that has the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. The Nets have lost eight of their last 10 games. Michael Porter Jr. leads the Nets in scoring, averaging 25.6 points per game.

Thursday vs. Philadelphia (27-21), 7 p.m.

Just as the 76ers started to play better and get healthy, Paul George was suspended 25 games without play for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. But the 76ers still have All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, who is averaging 29.2 points per game, and center Joel Embiid.

Saturday vs. Golden State (27-23), 5:30 p.m.

It has become one of the more enjoyable moments to see LeBron James and Warriors All-Star guard Stephen Curry, two of the NBA’s elder statesmen still flourishing, perform against each other. But Curry is dealing with a right knee injury, leaving his status unclear.

Status report

Bronny James (left lower leg soreness) is questionable and rookie forward Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) is out.

Cold, cold, cold

It was pretty cold in New York.

(Adam Gray / Associated Press)

Man, this trip has been a cold one.

Snow in Washington, D.C.

Snow in New York.

Snow when I was in Dallas, which meant it took 12 hours to get home to L.A. because of flight cancellations and delays.

How about this weather report in New York over the weekend — 20 degrees, but feels like 3. So, hearing from friends back home saying they were on the beach in shorts while I was freezing was just mean.

Survey time

It’s a hot topic in our letters basket….. Do you want LeBron James to return to the Lakers next season?

Click here to vote in our survey.

Favorite thing I ate this week

A maritozzo and a latte from illy in Italy.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

Hey, it’s Thuc Nhi here! Ciao from Milan! I made it here after one aborted landing attempt at the Charles de Gaulle airport, which forced me to sprint through the terminal after customs to catch a 70-minute connection that was more like 30 minutes. My bags didn’t catch up, but a maritozzo and a latte from illy made the wait a little sweeter. The Italian cafe chain has a location in the CityLife shopping mall across a park from the Main Press Center and after the traditional first-day Olympic activities of getting my credential validated and getting lost learning the press center layout, I definitely deserved a treat. For more Olympic adventures, you can follow me on Instagram.

In case you missed it

Despite All-Stars’ efforts, Lakers fade vs. Knicks on anniversary of Luka Doncic deal

Lakers star LeBron James named an NBA All-Star for a record 22nd time

‘We want Bronny’: Guard Bronny James shines during Lakers’ ugly loss to Cleveland

Cavaliers court raises safety concerns again as Luka Doncic injures leg

‘Like it was yesterday.’ Lakers lose in emotional return to Cleveland for LeBron James

Caitlin Clark as NBA analyst? Will she talk about praise from Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves’ return?

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at broderick.turner@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!