rebound

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

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

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

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

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

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied for a 112-107 win over the Clippers in the last game of NBA Cup play for both teams on Friday night.

The Grizzlies, who outscored the Clippers by eight in the fourth quarter to get their fourth win in five games, went 3-1 in West Group B but failed to secure a wild card into the knockout round because the Phoenix Suns had a better point differential.

Vincent Williams Jr. scored 16 points and Santi Aldama added 13 off the bench for the Grizzlies, who have a three-game road winning streak after dropping their previous five away from home. Zach Edey had 21 rebounds and five points.

Kawhi Leonard had 39 points in 29 minutes for the Clippers, who have lost six straight at home, with their last victory at Intuit Dome coming on Oct. 31. James Harden added 23 points.

Memphis struggled to get its offense going in the first half, relying on long-distance shooting from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to provide some pop. They found a groove in the third quarter, rallying from a 16-point deficit to get within 81-78 to close the period, and it carried through as Cedric Coward gave the Grizzlies their first lead early in the fourth.

The Clippers started off strong by making hit three three-pointers to open the game and going six of nine from long range in the first quarter, but they finished 12 of 38 (31.6%) from deep.

Clippers point guard Chris Paul received a video tribute in his first home game since announcing he would retire at the end of the season. Paul finished with five points and two rebounds in 15 minutes.

Up next

Clippers: Host Dallas on Saturday. Grizzlies: At Sacramento on Sunday.

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

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

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

Gottlieb said the team focused on executing its game plan.

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

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

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

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

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

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

USC closed the half leading 47–26.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Davey Harris of Windward finally scored his first points in high school basketball Monday night after waiting two seasons to recover from a knee injury. He scored 21 points in a 66-51 win over Knight at Chaminade.

The 6-foot-4 Harris is no ordinary junior. Coach DJ Gay said Harris picked up 10 scholarship offers just from his summer performances, with recruiters seeing a hint of his potential. He’s the younger brother of former Windward standout JJ Harris, a Loyola Marymount commit.

Harris said he felt well and is looking forward to being 100% later this season. Amare Larane scored 19 points for Knight.

Santa Paula 75, Garden Grove Santiago 35: Andrew Valdovinos made eight three-pointers and finished with 24 points. David Alvarez added 19 points.

Chatsworth 62, Burroughs 32: Aaron Krueger had 24 points for Chatsworth.

Canyon Country Canyon 74, Victor Valley 49: Isaac Yuhico scored 36 points for the Cowboys.

Granada Hills 61, Gardena Serra 52: Jacob Bautista finished with 20 points for Granada Hills.

Rolling Hills Prep 60, West Torrance 48: Kawika Suter had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Nick Welch Jr. added 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Loyola 69, Palisades 58: Mattai Carter led Loyola with 17 points. Freshman Phillip Green had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Palisades.

Girls basketball

Sage Hill 64, Harvard-Westlake 29: Sage Hill showed why it will be an Open Division team, routing the Wolverines in a Redondo Union tournament game. Texas-bound Amalia Holguin was making threes from NBA range. She had 19 points. Kamdyn Klamberg had 21 points.

Etiwanda 98, Santa Maria St. Joseph 31: The Eagles (2-0) received 22 points from Chasity Rice and 21 points from Arynn Finley at Redondo Union.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cleveland has played 10 different starting lineups while combating injuries.

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

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

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

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

Close won’t let her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Still, Close wasn’t satisfied.

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

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

(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

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

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

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

In the starting lineup, coming off the bench or even on the pickleball court, Marcus Smart knows he can deliver what the Lakers need. So LeBron James’ return and the question of how it could affect his role isn’t slowing down Smart.

“I like to [think of] myself as a Swiss Army knife,” Smart said Saturday as the Lakers prepared for a game at Utah on Sunday. “It’s not one thing I do great, but I do everything very well. … People come back, people get hurt. People have great games, have bad games. You have to adjust to whatever the game is calling for at that moment.”

With four days to regroup after James made his long-awaited season debut, the Lakers (11-4) want to continue their strong start. Smart had started nine times in a row before James’ return. Smart then played a season-low 17 minutes in Tuesday’s 140-126 win against the Jazz at home, scoring five points with three rebounds. He made just two shots, but coach JJ Redick commended Smart’s play off the bench along with the performances of Jake LaRavia, Jaxson Hayes and Gabe Vincent.

Vincent returned from a sprained ankle that cost him 11 games to score six points on two-for-three shooting from three-point range. LaRavia led the bench group with 16 points and four rebounds. He was six for 10 from the field, including two three-pointers.

Signing as a free agent this offseason, LaRavia knew getting to play with James was part of the deal. He had to wait through training camp, the preseason and 14 games to get his wish, but it was worth it. The 24-year-old LaRavia, who was five days shy of his second birthday when James made his NBA debut, knocked down a first-quarter shot off a James assist.

“It was dope to finally get on the court with him,” LaRavia said. “He brings something to this team that I don’t think we really had. It’s another level of passing ability that he’s able to do, and just the force he is on offense in transition and just when he has the ball in his hands.”

The Lakers are tied for the second-fewest transition possessions per game but they’ve been picking up the pace. Through the first nine games the team was scoring 9.5% of its points in transition. That mark ticked up to 13.4% in the last five games.

Utah (5-10) is one of the fastest teams, averaging 102.6 possessions per game. With pace increasing over the years, the heavier workloads have made minor soft-tissue injuries unfortunate realities in the NBA. They also make extended breaks between games, like the four-day reprieve the Lakers had last week, a major luxury.

In between much-needed rest and efficient practice sessions for a team that has been fully healthy for only a week, the Lakers also used the time for team bonding in the form of a trash-talk-filled pickleball tournament.

Smart and Redick and a third teammate, head video coordinator Michael Wexler — whom Redick anonymously accused of eating during the entire tournament — went to the semifinals. They lost to Luka Doncic and player development coach Ty Abbott. LaRavia and assistant coach Beau Levesque won the championship. Redick raised questions about the fairness of the team pairings.

As with everything involving ultracompetitive athletes, even the innocent pickleball games got heated. Smart was trying to be mindful to not push his limits too much.

“The last thing I need to get out and do is roll my ankle trying to play pickleball,” said Smart, who said he would rather play tennis.

It was still a welcome break from the monotony of the season, Redick said. He graded the experience an A.

“We got through this week without wanting to kill each other,” Redick said with a smirk.

Etc.

Center Deandre Ayton missed practice Saturday because of an illness. He was expected to join the team on the trip to Utah.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Hannah Hidalgo scored 22 points and hit the go-ahead jumper with 1.9 seconds left, KK Bransford scored nine of her 11 points in the fourth quarter and No. 24 Notre Dame beat 11th-ranked USC 61-59 on Friday.

Hildalgo finished with seven rebounds and five steals and Bransford had eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Vanessa de Jesus added 13 points, five assists and three steals for Notre Dame (4-1). The Fighting Irish, who went into the game averaging 18.0 steals per game (No. 5 nationally), had 16 steals.

Hidalgo, facing defensive pressure near midcourt, darted toward the basket and pulled up for a contested mid-range jumper that capped the scoring. Cassandre Prosper stole Kennedy Smith‘s inbounds pass to seal the game.

Kara Dunn hit four three-pointers and led USC (3-2) with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Jazzy Davidson added 14 points but committed eight turnovers. Londynn Jones, who went into the game second on the team in scoring (12.8 per game), was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting.

Notre Dame scored the final six third-quarter points and opened the fourth with a 6-1 spurt that culminated when Cassandre Prosper made a layup with 4:25 to play, making it 52-all. Davidson hit a three, and Dunn followed with a jumper that put the Trojans up by two with 1:38 remaining before Bransford answered with a jumper that tied it at 59-59 a minute later.

Hidalgo scored eight points in a 13-2 first-quarter run that gave Notre Dame its biggest lead of the game at 15-10.

Smith made a layup that gave the Trojans a two-point lead with 2:27 remaining in the second quarter, and the lead was 33-31 at halftime. Hidalgo opened the third quarter with a layup, but USC scored 18 of the next 25 to gather an 11-point lead when Dunn — who scored nine points in the spurt — made a layup with 2:12 left until the fourth.

Up next for USC: The Trojans host Tennessee Tech on Tuesday.

Chad Baker-Mazara scored scored a career-high 34 points and Jordan Marsh hit a contested three-pointer at the buzzer to lift USC to a 107-106 win over Troy on Thursday night.

Troy, coming off a 108-107 double-overtime win at San Diego State on Tuesday, led throughout the third overtime but threw the ball away into the front court after rebounding Baker-Mazara’s missed drive with about 10 seconds to go. Rodney Rice got the loose ball and fired it ahead to Marsh, who took a couple of dribbles and hit from almost straightaway.

Rice had 26 points and nine assists for USC (4-0) and Ezra Ausar 22 points, which was outrebounded 63-39, including 25-7 on the offensive end.

Cooper Campbell had a career-high 32 points, 10 in the third overtime, for Troy (4-3), including a pair of his career-high six three-pointers to start the final overtime, plus 12 rebounds and eight assists. Victor Valdes had 24 points, Theo Send scored 20 points and Thomas Dowd had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Campbell forced overtime with a three-pointer from the right wing a couple steps behind the line with 7.8 seconds to play, tying the game 68-68. Rice’s turn-around jumper from the foul line bounced off the rim as time ran out.

It was the same in overtime, but Seng made a pair of layups with less than 20 seconds to go, tying the game at 78. A long heave wasn’t close for USC.

Troy got its first lead since late in the first half when Seng opened the second overtime with a basket. Baker-Mazara scored eight points and USC was up two when Dowd put up a contested shot in the lane to tie it at 89 with 22.1 seconds to go. Baker-Mazara failed to convert a drive as time ran out.

Both teams struggled on offense in the first half, which finished tied at 29. Neither team led by more than five and there were 15 lead changes.

Up next: USC plays Boise State on Monday in the Maui Invitational.

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)

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

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

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

Up next

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

Trailing most of the game with five transfer students still not declared eligible, top-ranked Sierra Canyon turned to point guard Jordan Askew to deliver a 67-65 win over Millikan on Wednesday night.

The Trailblazers forced a turnover and got the ball near midcourt with 3.3 seconds left in a 65-65 tie. Askew took the inbounds pass and drove to make a layup before the buzzer sounded for the win.

What a debut for Millikan freshman point guard Quali Giran. He finished with 31 points. The Trailblazers couldn’t stop him except at the end, when they put together a double team to create a turnover. He had made a 15-foot shot earlier, but the basket was nullified because of a foul called before the shot.

Stephen Kankole had 20 points, Jordan Mize 19 and Maxi Adams 13 points and 10 rebounds for Sierra Canyon.

Brentwood 84, Simi Valley 54: AJ Okoh scored 28 points and had seven assists, and Ethan Hill contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds for 2-0 Brentwood.

Fairmont Prep 58, Tesoro 45: Fairmont Prep advanced to the semifinals of the Ocean View tournament.

Westlake 55, Golden Valley 48: Axel Ostergard and Zachary Kalinski each scored 16 points for the 2-0 Warriors.

Inglewood 86, Long Beach Cabrillo 38: Kevin Singleton scored 26 points and Jason Crowe Jr. had 24 points for Inglewood.

Oaks Christian 67, Milken 41: Grayson Coleman had 20 points in his debut for Milken after transferring from Calabasas to play for his father.

When sophomore guard Phoenix Smith came off the bench on Monday night in Crespi’s season opener against Cleveland, two things were clear: His big hair and his 5-foot-7 frame, the smallest on the court.

He played junior varsity last season, and let’s just say Celts coach Derek Fisher is going to have fun working with him. Smith was three for three on three-pointers and finished with 16 points in Crespi’s 81-44 win over Cleveland.

He put together a nine-point surge between the end of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter. Leaving him open this season will not be a good strategy. Another JV player from last season, Cayman Martin, led Crespi in scoring with 17 points. Carter Barnes had 14 points and Isaiah Barnes 13 points.

Crespi has a big game coming up Saturday at Pauley Pavilion against Mater Dei.

St. Bernard 81, Claremont 56: Brandon Granger led St. Bernard with a 30-point performance.

South Pasadena 77, Franklin 43: Nick Rios scored 22 points and Rob Khollesi added 21 points for South Pasadena.

Carson 59, South East 37: The Colts are 2-0 under new coach Corey Kitani. Blake McCall had 16 points and nine rebounds.

Mira Costa 85, Torrance 70: Logan Dugdale finished with 18 points and Paxx Bell had 17 points and 12 rebounds in a first-round game at the Ocean View tournament.

Wiseburn Da Vinci 73, Oak Park 56: Aidan Ebrahimi had 15 points for Wiseburn Da Vinci.

Santa Margarita 89, Temecula Valley 38: Drew Anderson had 30 points and 11 rebounds and Kaiden Bailey added 26 points for the Eagles.

Canyon Country Canyon 65, Antelope Valley 28: Alex Lazo made nine threes and finished with 27 points for the Cowboys.

Servite 100, United Christian Academy 18: Tariq Johnson had 22 points for the Friars.

West Torrance 64, Venice 55: Ben Heinemann finished with 15 points for West Torrance.

Valencia 47, Heritage Christian 44: Ali Eldein led Valencia with 18 points.

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored 33 points and had 13 rebounds, Payton Pritchard added 30 points and the Boston Celtics held off the Clippers for a 121-118 victory on Sunday.

Derrick White scored 22 points with nine assists and seven rebounds, and Neemias Queta chipped in with 14 points and nine boards for Boston.

Playing for the first time since beating Memphis by 37 points at home Wednesday, the Celtics nearly blew a 24-point, third-quarter lead but never trailed en route to their second straight victory.

Coming off his 82nd career triple-double with 41 points in a double-overtime victory at Dallas on Friday, James Harden scored 32 of his 37 points in the second half to lead the Clippers. Ivica Zubac added 16 points and 12 boards.

Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. was injured in a collision with Brown in the second quarter and didn’t return.

Brown’s arm struck Jones’ leg. Jones grabbed his knee as he fell to the floor and was rolling in pain before slowly getting up and being helped to the locker room, barely putting any weight on the leg. Brown was whistled for a foul on the play.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue comforts forward Derrick Jones Jr., who holds his knee after he was injured in the game against the host Celtics on Sunday.

(Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press)

The 28-year-old Jones has started all 13 games this season and entered averaging 10.9 points.

With Jones out, the Clippers rallied. They made it 119-118 on Harden’s three with two seconds left, but Pritchard was fouled and hit two free throws.

Harden had an open look at a potential tying three-pointer, but it hit off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

After the Clippers sliced it to 90-85 at the end of the third, Brown scored 11 of Boston’s initial 16 points in the final quarter to keep the Celtics in control, mixing a three-pointer with a conventional three-point play and a couple of mid-range jumpers.

Boston had opened it to 76-52 midway into the third behind two three-pointers from Pritchard, who was eight of 13 overall on three-point attempts.

The Clippers closed it to 90-85 with a 12-4 run that was capped by Harden’s left-wing three with 2.4 seconds left.

The Clippers play a Philadelphia on Monday, the third of a seven-game road trip.

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

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

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

Lakers recapture their magic

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

(Morry Gash / Associated Press)

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

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

Then things turned sour.

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

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

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

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

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

Doncic’s MVP campaign rolls along

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

(Morry Gash / Associated Press)

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

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

Reinforcements are on the way

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

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

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

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

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

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

Shooting slumps

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

(Sara Nevis / Associated Press)

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

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

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

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

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

Pick up the pace

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

(Morry Gash / Associated Press)

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

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

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

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

South Carolina guard Ta’niya Latson drove into the paint in the third quarter. As she went up for the layup, she was met by USC guard Kennedy Smith, who rose up and swatted the ball so hard into the stands that it knocked the hat off a fan sitting a couple rows deep in the Crypto.com Arena crowd.

That ended up being the highlight of the Trojans’ second half.

They had been in this situation before. In their most recent game at No. 9 North Carolina State, USC trailed by eight with 9:48 left to play before pulling off a comeback victory. And on Saturday night, the Trojans found themselves here again: down 10 to South Carolina, the No. 2 team in the country, heading into the final frame.

No. 8 USC didn’t make it easy on South Carolina. They forced turnovers. They made their free throws. But it wasn’t enough as South Carolina did just enough of the little things to escape with a 69-52 win at Crypto.com Arena.

Smith led USC in scoring with 12 points to go along with three assists. Kara Dunn was the only other Trojan in double figures with 10 points and three rebounds. South Carolina had four starters score in double figures, led by Joyce Edwards (15 points).

The Gamecocks came out sloppy with six first half turnovers and shooting just 33% from the floor, but the Trojans couldn’t capitalize. Their shooting percentage (36%) was almost as bad through the first two quarters and they were out-rebounded 27-20 as South Carolina scored nine second chance points on nine first-half offensive boards.

USC guard Jazzy Davidson loses the ball while driving to the basket against South Carolina on Saturday night.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The cracks started to show in the second half, when South Carolina opened with a 10-2 run to give USC a double-digit deficit. The Gamecocks outscored the Trojans 23-15 in the third.

South Carolina built on every advantage they had from the first half. Their plus-seven in rebounds ballooned to plus-24. They went from nine offensive rebounds to 21, and while they still finished the game with 16 turnovers, they forced with 16 points off USC’s 13 turnovers.

DALLAS — James Harden scored four of his 10 overtime points in the second extra period and finished with season highs of 41 points and 14 rebounds, along with 11 assists, as the Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks 133-127 in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.

Harden had the 82nd triple-double of his career and Ivica Zubac added a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds as the Clippers (4-8) snapped a six-game losing streak and improved to 2-0 in the NBA Cup.

Naji Marshall, making his first start of the season, and D’Angelo Russell, coming off the bench, scored 28 points apiece to lead the Mavericks (3-10), who are 0-2 in group play. Dallas has lost three straight games and seven of its last eight.

Harden, who had two three-pointers in the first overtime, followed two made free throws with a driving basket to give the Clippers a 129-125 lead with 3:07 left in the second overtime.

It appeared the Clippers took a 125-123 lead with 1.4 seconds left in the first overtime when Dallas’ Daniel Gafford was called for goaltending on a Harden shot, but video review reversed the call.

The Clippers’ Bogdan Bogdanovic had five three-pointers and 21 points — both season highs — off the bench.

Dereck Lively II, who missed the previous nine games with a sprained right knee, returned to the Mavericks’ shorthanded frontcourt. Lively, coming off the bench on a minutes’ restriction, had four points — all in the fourth period — and five rebounds. Dallas played without big men Anthony Davis (eighth consecutive game missed with a strained left calf) and P.J. Washington Jr. (left shoulder strained in Dallas’ previous game).

The Clippers played their second game after Bradley Beal was lost for the season with a fractured hip on Saturday. Kawhi Leonard missed his sixth consecutive game with a sprained ankle.

Up next for the Clippers: at Boston on Sunday.

LAS VEGAS — All-American Lauren Betts had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 3 UCLA to a 78-60 victory over No. 11 North Carolina on Thursday night in the WBCA Challenge, the Bruins’ second win over a ranked team this week.

UCLA (4-0) also topped No. 6 Oklahoma 73-59 on Monday in Sacramento. Coming off the program’s first trip to the NCAA Final Four, the Bruins are making an early case as one of the favorites to get back there.

Betts also had seven assists. Teammate Kiki Rice overcame an 0-for-3 first half to finish with 15 points on six-for-12 shooting as well as 10 rebounds. Angela Dugalic added 14 points and Gabriela Jaquez had 12.

Elina Aarnisalo led North Carolina (2-1) with 13 points, and Indya Nivar and Ciera Toomey each scored 11. Nyla Harris, a transfer from Louisville, was held to six points on three-for-10 shooting. She scored a combined 25 points in the Tar Heels’ two victories.

The teams swapped scoring runs before UCLA took charge with a 10-point surge to end the third quarter for a 58-46 lead.

The Bruins dominated inside, winning the rebound battle 46-30 and outscoring the Tar Heels in the lane by a 46-22 margin. Four UCLA players had at least eight rebounds.

At least five WNBA teams were represented: the Sparks, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Toronto. Jackie Young, Dana Evans and Kiah Stokes, who helped the Aces win their third championship in four years, watched courtside.

Up next for UCLA: vs. South Florida in the WBCA Challenge on Saturday.

Vit Krejci scored a career-high 28 points off the bench, Kristaps Porzingis added 20 and the Atlanta Hawks opened a four-game trip with a 105-102 victory over the Clippers on Monday night.

Jalen Johnson had 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Hawks overcame a 17-point deficit to win consecutive games for the second time this season. Krejci made a career-best eight three-pointers in 10 attempts.

Porzingis (illness) and Johnson (quad) both returned after missing Sunday’s 20-point home victory over the Lakers, while Trae Young (knee) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (back) remained out.

James Harden had 35 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the Clippers’ fifth straight loss. Ivica Zubac added 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn each scored 11 points for the Clippers, who were without star Kawhi Leonard (ankle) for a fourth consecutive game, while Bradley Beal (hip) was ruled out.

Krejci’s biggest three-pointer came with 36 seconds remaining and gave the Hawks a 105-98 lead. Harden converted a four-point play with 25 seconds remaining to get the Clippers within a possession but missed a tying three-point attempt with 12 seconds left.

The Clippers led 36-19 early in the second quarter before the Hawks erased the deficit with a 20-3 run to take a 42-41 lead with 4:09 remaining before the half. Krejci made four three-pointers in the run, including three consecutive at one point.

The score was tied at 52 at halftime after Krejci made six of Atlanta’s seven three-pointers over the first two quarters. The Hawks pushed in front 79-76 after three quarters.

Harden tied the score 92-92 with 5:01 remaining on consecutive three-pointers before another three-pointer from Krejci put the Hawks up 95-92 with 4:25 remaining. Harden scored 19 points in the fourth quarter on six-of-10 shooting and four of seven from three-point range.