Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reports from Al-Shati Refugee Camp, where families search through the rubble after overnight Israeli airstrikes despite a ceasefire. Residents described the attacks as a breach of the truce, saying they lost shelter, belongings and the only places they had left to stay.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (top 2-R) smiles to lawmakers before the arrival of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito at the parliament in Tokyo, Japan, 20 February 2026. File. Photo by FRANCK ROBICHON / EPA
May 8 (Asia Today) — A new political group supporting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to launch within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, raising questions about the return of faction-style politics less than two years after the party formally moved to dismantle its traditional factions.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Thursday that the new group, called the National Power Research Association, will hold its first meeting on May 21 with participation from senior ruling party figures including former Prime Minister Taro Aso and former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
The organization is being positioned as a policy study group, but analysts say it could effectively serve as a new political base for Takaichi inside the party.
The group’s abbreviated name, “JiB,” is derived from Takaichi’s campaign slogan, “Japan is Back,” used during the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race last year.
Founding documents distributed to lawmakers this week state that the government and ruling party “will work as one” to implement policy, with a focus on security, energy and resource issues.
George Glass, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, has reportedly been invited to speak at the inaugural meeting on U.S.-Japan relations and related topics.
Although Takaichi herself is not expected to attend the first gathering, the decision to feature the American ambassador highlights the group’s emphasis on the U.S.-Japan alliance, economic security and defense cooperation.
The organization was reportedly spearheaded by Hiroshi Yamada, a lawmaker close to Takaichi, along with senior party officials including Koichi Hagiuda.
Other participants include prominent ruling party lawmakers and potential future leadership contenders such as Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi.
The group is encouraging participation across current and former factions, both chambers of parliament and newly elected lawmakers.
Still, questions remain over whether the organization will be accepted as a legitimate policy forum or criticized as a de facto revival of faction politics under a different name.
The Liberal Democratic Party pledged reforms after political funding scandals triggered public backlash and accelerated efforts to dissolve traditional factions.
Critics argue that reorganizing lawmakers through policy groups risks recreating the same power structures the party had promised to dismantle.
The development is also being closely watched in South Korea because of its potential implications for regional security and economic policy.
If Takaichi strengthens her position inside the ruling party, analysts expect Japan to pursue more consistent policies on military expansion, the U.S.-Japan alliance, trilateral cooperation with the United States and South Korea, and energy and supply chain security.
At the same time, observers warn that a stronger conservative political base inside the ruling party could also affect disputes involving history, defense policy and constitutional revision.
Analysts say the launch of the new group signals that the Takaichi administration is beginning to build a longer-term organizational foundation for its security and economic agenda inside the ruling party.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Austin Reaves has officially entered the Lakers’ postseason chat. It might still be too little, too late.
The Lakers guard responded to his worst playoff performance with his best, recording a playoff career-high 31 points Thursday in the Lakers’ 125-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.
But against the powerful Thunder, Reaves didn’t get a chance to punctuate his comeback night with any emphatic celebration. He instead ended the game in a heated conversation with officials, surrounded by almost all of his teammates as the Lakers felt they were battling the referees and the Thunder in equal measure.
Reaves’ game-high scoring effort wasn’t enough to fend off the relentless defending champions that had six players score in double figures, including three with 20 or more points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each had 22 points for the Thunder, who take a 2-0 lead as the best-of-seven series turns to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday.
With Luka Doncic sidelined because of a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out for three more weeks, the Lakers are still outmanned in the Western Conference semifinals despite Reaves’ recent return. He rushed back from a Grade 2 left oblique strain in time to play in the Lakers’ first-round series but has struggled to find his rhythm after a month-long absence.
He shot a dreadful three for 16 from the field in Game 1 against the Thunder, finished with only eight points and missed all five of his three-point shots. Including his two first-round games, Reaves had missed 14 consecutive three-pointers entering Game 2.
Criticism of Reaves dominated social media after Game 1. The 27-year-old guard is due for a new contract this summer that would solidify his status as one of the sport’s star players. A slow start to these playoffs and last year’s postseason struggles made Reaves an online punching bag for fan frustrations.
But the low-key Reaves is “one of the least chronically online NBA players there is,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game. The extent of Reaves’ social media usage is his long-time friend Trent Swaim posting golfing videos on the duo’s “Hillbilly Bogey” accounts and Reaves asking his representatives to post sponsored content for his endorsement deals.
He doesn’t need to troll internet comments to fuel his game. Reaves can do that on his own.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, center right, talks with referee John Goble, center left, after the team’s loss in Game 2 on Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
(Nate Billings / Associated Press)
“He’s got a great sense of self-accountability to where he’s his own worst critic,” Redick said before the game, “and he’s going to hold himself to a standard of how he wants to play.”
Reaves drove aggressively into the paint early Thursday, tying the score 16-16 in the first quarter on a three-point play after the Lakers erased an early seven-point deficit. He had 13 points in the first half as the Lakers took a one-point lead into the locker room. He scored or assisted on the Lakers’ first 11 points of the third quarter as the team built a five-point lead with 8:35 to go in the third.
“That’s what we need Austin to be,” guard Luke Kennard said. “Even though he missed some shots last game, he was aggressive and he just got back into it. … I know a lot of people can think it’s easy to just come back and play a basketball game but at this level, what he’s done last series and now, it’s impressive. We need him to continue to be aggressive. He’s such a good teammate, easy to play with. It’s good to see him have a really good game and, hopefully gives him confidence going into the next one.”
The Lakers need to play near-perfect basketball to have a chance to knock off the defending champions. The Thunder took a 2-0 series lead against the Lakers despite relatively quiet performances from Gilgeous-Alexander. The reigning most valuable player had 18 points in Game 1 and was limited to less than 28 minutes Thursday because of foul trouble.
When Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth foul with 10:34 remaining in the third quarter Thursday, the Thunder trailed 66-61. They didn’t need their star to rip off a 27-19 run to finish the quarter and take a commanding 13-point lead into the fourth.
The Lakers had seven turnovers during the decisive stretch. Reaves had five of the Lakers’ 21 total giveaways and the miscues turned into 26 points for the Thunder, who led the league in points off turnovers during the regular season.
“It starts with the turnovers,” Reaves said. “I think you’re not going to be perfect; you’re going to have turnovers. Just trying to eliminate the live-ball turnovers where they get easy fast-break layups or threes or dunks.”
But the Lakers are facing the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals and it is a chore that remains too heavy for Los Angeles.
Even with Reaves recovering to score 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting and handing out six assists and James collecting 23 points and six assists, the Lakers still lost Game 2 of the best-of-seven series, 125-107, Thursday night at Paycom Center.
The Lakers trail the series 2-0, with Game 3 back in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night.
The odds have now increased against the Lakers winning this series. In NBA history, only 34 teams have recovered from a 2-0 hole to win a best-of-seven series, while 431 teams have gone on to win the series.
The Lakers even did a very good job again on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, throwing double teams at him to hold the All-Star guard to 22 points.
Lakers forward LeBron James. left, tries to drive past Thunder guard Luguentz Dort during the first half of Game 2 on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.
(Nate Billings / Associated Press)
Chet Holmgren had another strong game with 22 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks and Ajay Mitchell had 20 points for the Thunder.
The Lakers, who had a one-point lead at halftime, went down 13 points at the end of the third quarter, but a James three-pointer pulled them to within 95-89, forcing the Thunder to call a timeout with 8:57 left.
The Lakers even got to within five points in the fourth quarter, but a 10-2 run by the Thunder put L.A. in a 13-point hole with 5:53 left, this time forcing Lakers coach JJ Redick to call a timeout so his players could collect themselves.
The Lakers could not.
A big play was when Reaves took a charge against Gilgeous-Alexander with 10:34 left in the third quarter, which was his fourth foul. Gilgeous-Alexander was called for a flagrant foul on the play and Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul.
Reaves shot three free throws, making them all for a 66-61 Lakers lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander then took a seat on the bench.
Yet the Lakers were unable to maintain their quality of play against a Thunder team that just kept charging ahead even with Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench.
The Thunder finished the third on an 18-8 run to open a 93-80 lead.
One of the many keys for the Lakers was getting a productive Reaves. It was just his fourth game back after being out a month because of a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, and it showed. Reaves missed 13 of his 16 shots in Game 1 and all five of his three-pointers, and scored just eight points.
Reaves didn’t make any excuses for his poor play.
“He’s got a great sense of self-accountability to where, you know, he’s his own worst critic and he’s going to hold himself to a standard of how he wants to play,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Had a great conversation with him yesterday and today. He’ll be good to go.”
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, center, pulls up for a shot over Thunder center Chet Holmgren, left, during the first half of Game 2 on Thurday night.
(Nate Billings / Associated Press)
Reaves scored 13 points in the first half while distributing the ball.
He missed his first two shots, but finished the first half five-for-nine shooting.
Along with James scoring 10 points and handing out five assists, Rui Hachimura scoring 11 and Marcus Smart adding eight while doing his part to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander, the Lakers opened a 58-57 lead at the half.
The Lakers sent defenders at Gilgeous-Alexander often, double-teaming the league most valuable player and forcing the other Thunder players to shoot the basketball in the first half.
Gilgeous-Alexander only took nine shots in the first half and made four.
The Thunder shot just 25% from three-point range in the first 24 minutes.
Note: Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt was downgraded out for Game 2 because of a dislocated right pinky finger.
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: With the Lakers down 1-0 in the Western Conference semifinals, Luka Doncic has not yet ramped up to on-court contact drills while recovering from an injured left hamstring that had an initial eight-week timeline for his return.
Doncic, speaking to reporters for the first time since he hobbled off the court at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center on April 2, said Wednesday he has improved enough to begin running but he has not progressed to on-court contact drills. After suffering a left hamstring injury earlier this season, Doncic said the latest Grade 2 strain to the same area is unlike any he’s experienced because of its severity.
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But it has not stopped him from trying to come back as soon as possible.
“I’m just doing everything I can,” Doncic said. “Every day I’m doing stuff I’m supposed to do. Obviously recovery, now I’m working … just going day by day, and I feel better every day.”
Soon after his injury, Doncic went to Spain and received platelet-rich plasma injections with hopes of helping his recovery. He stayed for roughly two weeks because he needed to wait four days between each injection. He received four in total.
Without their leading scorer, the Lakers fought through a six-game, first-round series against the Houston Rockets, playing four of those games without Austin Reaves, who was also injured in the same game as Doncic. The fourth-seeded Lakers lost 108-90 to the defending champion Thunder in Game 1 of the conference semifinals on Tuesday.
Lakers star Austin Reaves shoots in front of Oklahoma City’s Alex Caruso, right, during the Lakers’ Game 1 playoff loss Tuesday.
(Kyle Phillips / Associated Press)
From Bill Plaschke: It was the best opportunity for the potential free agent to begin earning the $241-million contract the Lakers were expected to offer this summer, the best chance for the April-cursed guard to escape his playoff demons and paint the Lakers’ future with a max masterpiece.
The badly outmanned and heavily underdog Lakers generally played well enough and smart enough to hang with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series at Paycom Center.
All except for you-know-who.
In their 108-90 loss, Austin Reaves was arguably the difference.
Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers in the first inning against the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
From Maddie Lee: Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow felt his back spasm on a warmup pitch ahead of the bottom of the second inning Wednesday. He threw another to test it. No luck. Bending at the waist was too hard to pitch through the discomfort. He motioned to the dugout.
Glasnow threw just one inning in the Dodgers’ 12-2 rout of the Astros before exiting with what the Dodgers called lower back pain.
“It kind of just gives out,” Glasnow said of the recurring injury. “I’ve gotten it since high school. Being tall, I guess. I get it a couple times a year. … Once it feels better, it feels better. It shouldn’t be too long.”
Last September, Glasnow was scratched from a start against the Orioles with back tightness, but he went on to pitch three days later. In 2024, he spent two weeks on the IL over the All-Star break with a back injury.
Ducks forward Leo Carlsson celebrates after scoring in the third period of a 3-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
From Kevin Baxter: Before the Ducks had even checked out of their hotel Wednesday for the short bus ride to T-Mobile Arena for Game 2 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, the Las Vegas sports books had made the hometown Golden Knights heavy favorites.
That proved to be a poor bet a couple of hours later when the Ducks rolled to a 3-1 victory, evening the best-of-seven playoff series at 1-1. The second-round series resumes Friday at Honda Center.
The Ducks’ goals came from Beckett Sennecke in the second period and Leo Carlsson and Jansen Harkins in the third. Harkins’ goal, into an empty net, was the exclamation point on the win. Jack Eichel scored Vegas’ only goal on a power play in the final seconds, denying goaltender Lukas Dostal and the Ducks their first shutout of the season.
From Bill Shaikin: I walked around a street fair in Irvine over the weekend, checking out the crowd while waiting for my daughter’s dance team to perform. We were a few short miles from Angel Stadium, but you wouldn’t have known it: lots of people wearing Dodgers caps, someone wearing a Shohei Ohtani cap, someone else wearing an Ohtani jersey, someone else wearing a Clayton Kershaw jersey, a dog wearing a Dodgers bandana, and people repping the Padres, Giants, Athletics and Yankees.
After 25 minutes, someone walked by in an Angels cap.
If the passion wanes, apathy can set in. I wondered if that is where the Angels might find themselves now, with a slice of their fan base finding a more enjoyable way to spend its summers than watching one losing season after another, and with the shadow of baseball’s best team extending ever more securely into Orange County.
The Angels won a series for the first time since April 10-12 at Cincinnati. The Angels (15-23) are 2-7-2 in series this season.
D’Arnaud’s 396-foot shot off Noah Schultz (2-2), the backup catcher’s first homer of the season, kicked off a five-run second inning for the Halos. After Bryce Teodosio doubled on a ball that got past right fielder Jarred Kelenic, Zach Neto hit a stand-up RBI triple.
Valdez had given up 10 runs, including back-to-back solo home runs in the previous two at-bats, when Story batted in the top of the fourth inning on Tuesday at Comerica Park.
What happened next wasn’t intentional — at least that’s what Valdez said after the Tigers’ 10-3 loss.
Not everybody believes him. Valdez has received a six-game suspension and a fine for an undisclosed amount after hitting Story in the back with a 94-mph fastball with the first pitch of the at-bat, MLB announced Wednesday. The suspension will begin that night in the Red Sox-Tigers series finale, unless Valdez appeals.
Tina Charles, the WNBA’s leader in career rebounds and double-doubles, has retired after 14 seasons.
(Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
From Tracy Brown: Former WNBA MVP Tina Charles has retired after 14 seasons in the league.
“Today, I officially announce my retirement from basketball,” the eight-time All Star wrote in a post shared across her social media accounts Tuesday. “This game gave me everything and I’ll miss it deeply.”
The veteran center — the No. 1 overall draft pick selected by the Connecticut Sun in 2010 — played for six WNBA franchises over the course of her career, including a lengthy stint with the New York Liberty. Named the league MVP during her 2012 campaign, Charles is the WNBA’s leader in career rebounds (4,262), double-doubles (201) and made field goals (3,364), as well as second on the list for career points (8,396) behind Diana Taurasi.
Just hours after Golden Tempo returned to the racetrack at Keeneland for the first time since his victory Saturday at Churchill Downs, DeVaux posted a statement on X.
Second round All times Pacific at Oklahoma City 108, Lakers 90 (box score) Thursday at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., Amazon Prime Saturday at Lakers, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday at Lakers, 7:30 p.m., Prime Video *Wednesday at Oklahoma City, TBD *Saturday, May 16 at Lakers, TBD *Monday, May 18 at Oklahoma City, TBD *- if necessary
Ducks playoffs schedule
Second round All times Pacific at Vegas 3, Ducks 1 (summary) Ducks 3, at Vegas 1 (summary) Friday at Ducks, 6:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO MAX Sunday at Ducks, 6:30 p.m., ESPN *Tuesday at Vegas, TBD, ESPN *Thursday, May 14 at Ducks, TBD, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX *Saturday, May 16 at Vegas, TBA, ABC or ESPN *-if necessary
This day in sports history
1938 — Lawrin, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, wins the Kentucky Derby by one length over Dauber.
1945 — Branch Rickey announces formation of the US Negro Baseball League.
1951 — International Olympic committee allows Russia to participate in 1952 Olympics.
1955 — Swaps, ridden by Willie Shoemaker, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Nashua.
1969 — 2nd ABA championship: Oakland Oaks beat Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 1.
1972 — The Los Angeles Lakers win their first NBA championship with a 114-100 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 5.
1977 — Heavily favored Seattle Slew, ridden by Jean Cruguet, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 3/4 lengths over Run Dusty Run.
1982 — A federal jury rules the NFL violated antitrust laws when it unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the Oakland Raiders from moving to Los Angeles.
1986 — 30th European Cup: Steaua Bucuresti beats Barcelona (0-0, 2-0 on penalties) at Seville.
1988 — Winning Colors, ridden by Gary Stevens, leads from start to finish to win the Kentucky Derby by a neck, becoming the first roan and the third filly to win the race.
1989 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan hits an 18-foot shot over the outstretched fingertips of Craig Ehlo to give the Bulls a 101-100 victory in the deciding Game 5 of their 1989 Eastern Conference first round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
1993 — Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings scores his 100th and 101st playoff goals in a 7-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
1994 — The Denver Nuggets, with a 98-94 overtime win against the No. 1-seeded Seattle SuperSonics, become the first eighth-seeded playoff team to win a series. The Nuggets come back from an 0-2 deficit in the best-of-5 series.
1995 — Reggie Miller scores eight points in the last 16 seconds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 107-105 win over the New York Knicks in the second-round opener of the NBA playoffs.
2005 — Giacomo, a 50-1 shot, wins the Kentucky Derby, running down a game Afleet Alex in the final strides and generating a huge payoff. Closing Argument, a 70-1 shot, finishes second with Afleet Alex third.
2005 — Dallas’ 116-76 victory over Houston is the most lopsided Game 7 score in NBA history. The Mavericks are the third team in playoff history to win a seven-game series after losing the first two games at home.
2010 — Before a record hockey crowd of 77,803, the U.S. loses to Germany 2-1 in the opening game of the world hockey championships. Felix Schutz scores the winning goal 21 seconds into overtime at Veltins Arena, ordinarily the home of the Schalke soccer team.
2014 — Russell Westbrook has a triple-double, Kevin Durant falls one assist short and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Clippers 112-101 to tie their Western Conference semifinal series at one win apiece. Westbrook has 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Durant has 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists before leaving the game with 1:21 remaining.
2016 — Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/4 lengths, improving to 8-0 in his career as the fourth consecutive favorite to win the race. Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Nyquist finished in 2:01.31. The 3-year-old colt became the eighth unbeaten winner in the race’s 142-year history.
2017 — Bradley Beal scores 29 points and Washington Wizards used a 26-0 third-quarter run to beat the Boston Celtics 121-102 to tie the second-round series at two games apiece. John Wall, who adds 27 points and 12 assists, has seven points, three assists and two steals during the third-quarter spree.
2021 — Cincinnati Reds pitcher Wade Miley no-hits Cleveland Indians, 3-0 at Progressive Field, Cleveland.
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.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Lakers coach JJ Redick was succinct about what it was like for his group to face the defending NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder during the regular season.
“We sucked against this team,” he said pregame.
The Lakers lost all four regular-season games against the Thunder by double figures, making L.A.’s 108-90 defeat to Oklahoma City in Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs just another big loss to the talented Thunder.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 27 points and six assists while Rui Hachimura had 18 points, but Austin Reaves had only eight points, shooting three for 16 from the field.
The Lakers doubled teamed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander frequently, limiting him to 18 points and forcing him into seven turnovers.
But the Thunder just turned to Chet Holmgren, who had a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, driving to the basket against Lakers guard Austin Reaves, finished with 18 points on eight-of-12 shooting from the field and six assists in Game 1.
(Kyle Phillips / Associated Press)
Game 2 is here Thursday night.
The Lakers didn’t help themselves at the beginning of the fourth quarter, turning the ball over on two of their first three possessions. When Marcus Smart turned the ball over and Alex Caruso waltzed in for a layup, the Lakers went down by 15 points and had to call a timeout with 10 minutes and 41 seconds left to regroup.
The Lakers never did.
They fell into a 19-point hole in the final 12 minutes of play and never fully recovered.
The Lakers lost by almost 30 points per game in their four-game series against the Thunder during the regular season, and one of the games was a 43-point shallacking.
But the Lakers found their groove in the first round against the Houston Rockets and that has fueled their belief in this series against the Thunder.
“We’ve been able to execute, even just going back to the last three games of the regular season,” Redick said. “Again, we kind of had to reset with not a lot of time and build something a little bit new on the fly. I think our guys were able to find their way and find their way from an execution standpoint, and for the most part, did a good job of that on both ends in the Houston series.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves makes one of his three baskets on a layup against Thunder center Chet Holmgren, but Reaves finished with only eight points on three-of-16 shooting from the field in Game 1.
(Kyle Phillips / Associated Press)
“This is a different team and the best team, and it’s going to require more. I think every round that you advance in the playoffs, you need to elevate all of the stuff even more. …That’s our attention to detail, that’s our belief, that’s our poise. We got to be great in all those areas.”
The Lakers talked every practice about the runs the Thunder go on and how they had to limit them.
Well, it happened at the end of the first quarter, when Oklahoma City scored the last five points of the frame, and it happened at the outset of the second quarter, when the Thunder scored the first five points of the frame to open a 10-point lead.
Redick leaped off the bench to call a timeout with 10:36 left in the second to get things back in order for the Lakers.
The Lakers recovered, but they then went down 56-43 in the second quarter and had to recover again.
They did, pulling to within 61-53 at the half.
Note: Lakers reserve forward Jarred Vanderbilt injured his right finger in the second quarter and didn’t return. Vanderbilt tried to block a dunk by Chet Helmgren, but instead hit hand on the backboard and went down in pain.
The sands of Oceano Dunes — the only state park where visitors are usually allowed to drive on the beach — are unusually quiet right now.
Too quiet, many locals say, because off-road vehicles and beach camping have been temporarily banished from San Luis Obispo County’s Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area since April 14.
Many others, however, are happy about the pause, saying it will be good for the western snowy plover, a threatened sea bird species.
This discord is part of a long-running battle between environmentalists and recreation advocates along this stretch of coastline a few miles south of Pismo Beach. The environmentalists won the most recent round when a federal judge ordered the dunes closed until state parks officials obtain a permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that allows occasional bird casualties.
State parks officials, who have canceled all camping reservations in the area through May 22, said they hope to reopen it by May 23. But that timetable depends on permit approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Camping reservations for May 23 and beyond are still active, according to Jon O’Brien, superintendent of the state parks system’s Oceano district.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Meanwhile, along Pier Street in Oceano, business is slow.
At Sun Buggy Fun Rentals, which has been catering to visiting families for more than 20 years, “we’ve had to lay a majority of our folks off,” said owner Randy Jordan. He said he’s counting on state parks officials “doing everything they can” to reopen the area on May 23.
At the Pier Street Deli y Mas, “It’s been really slow,” manager Chelsea Nava said. “Our employees are losing hours.”
In normal times, Nava said, 80% or more of her customers are from out of town, including “a lot of people from Bakersfield and Fresno, [who] come in for the dunes.”
“We aren’t quite sure” what to expect next, Nava said, noting that her family took over the deli in late 2024. “We were doing really great right before the closing,” she said.
The closure was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Anne Hwang, who ruled April 9 that the state needs to do more to protect the western snowy plover, which is classified as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Under Hwang’s order, the closed area can reopen when the state files a long-awaited habitat conservation plan and gets an “incidental take” permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that allows some snowy plover deaths and injuries. Jon O’Brien, superintendent of the state parks system’s Oceano district, said he was confident that the state would obtain the approval and reopen the area almost immediately after May 22.
Camping reservations for May 23 and beyond “are still active,” O’Brien said. “So if you’ve got a camping reservation for May 24, you’re still got a reservation.”
Jim Suty, president of the Friends of Oceano Dunes, which favors recreational use of the area, said he’s hopeful that parks officials can open the area as promised. But even if they do, Suty said, plenty of damage has been done.
“People really need to appreciate that closing the park at this time did nothing to help the endangered species, and did everything to hurt the people,” Suty said, referring to visitors and local businesses that depend on them. “It’s very important to the vitality of the local community.”
“It’s maddening,” said David Hamilton, who lives in nearby Arroyo Grande and said he has been driving the dunes and watching sunsets with his wife for years. “There’s so much coastline and they can’t leave this small stretch open.”
The recreation area’s status has long been crucial to Oceano, an unincorporated community of about 7,000, located just to its north.
Though there are several neighboring small cities along the nearby coast, Oceano merchants say they don’t get much business from Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande or Pismo Beach, which includes more upscale hotels and restaurants with clifftop ocean views.
Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area remains the only California State Park where vehicles may be driven on the beach.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
The judge’s order covers roughly 800 acres of off-highway vehicle area south of Arroyo Grande Creek. Until April 14, O’Brien said, up to 350 campers per night (at $10 per vehicle) were allowed in the area, along with up to 1,720 off-highway and 1,800 street-legal vehicles per day, at $5 per vehicle.
The most recent court case was initiated in 2020 by the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity. Zeynep Graves, a senior attorney at the center, said in a statement that state officials “have let off-road vehicles tear through protected habitat at Oceano Dunes, injuring and killing snowy plovers, harassing roosting flocks, and degrading their habitat.”
However, state parks statistics show that the western snowy plover breeding population has grown from at least 32 breeding adults in 2002 to at least 281 in 2024, exceeding state targets since 2013.
In her ruling, Hwang found that California state parks had violated the federal Endangered Species Act by permitting too much activity near the birds without having obtained an “incidental take” permit.
State parks officials responded by saying the closure “will result in thousands of families losing their camping reservations and coastal recreational access, while cutting operational revenue that funds environmental conservation.”
During the closure, Pismo State Beach — which is just north of the off-highway recreation area and Arroyo Grande Creek — will allow a maximum of 1,000 street-legal vehicles per day (and no off-highway vehicles). Pismo State Beach’s two campgrounds (near the beach but not on it) remain open.
Oceano Dunes is the state’s only oceanfront off-highway vehicle recreation area. Drivers have been driving on the beach and dunes there since the early 20th century. The state acquired the land in 1974 and created the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area in 1982.
Through the years, state parks officials have gradually reduced acreage open to off-highway vehicles as recreation advocates and environmentalists have debated how much protection the birds need. Often, the battle has pitted the California Coastal Commission (seeking to curtail vehicle access) against leaders of California State Parks (seeking to continue vehicle access).
Apart from closures, Oceano Dunes recently faced another challenge. Because of CoVID-19 safety measures, the area locked its gates in 2020-21. During that time, rare shorebirds started nesting in areas usually reserved for off-roaders and their beach-riding vehicles. In 2021, the California Coastal Commission sought to permanently end off-road driving in the dunes but was later overruled by court rulings that the agency had overstepped its authority.
Throughout the debate, the area has remained popular. In 2022-23, the most recent fiscal year for which statistics are available, the area drew more than 908,000 visitors, including about 126,000 campers.
A smash-hit crime drama returning to Netflix and BBC later this month has just dropped an electrifying new trailer
Netflix fans ‘screaming’ at trailer for ‘excellent’ crime drama’s return(Image: BBC)
Netflix and BBC viewers are ecstatic after getting their first look at one of the most highly anticipated returning shows of 2026.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, based on the series of books by Holly Jackson, first premiered on iPlayer and BBC Three in July 2024 and was later released to Netflix.
Now, fans of the series, which was once again filmed in Bristol and Somerset, will be able to stream the thrilling second season on either service from Wednesday, 27th May.
Ahead of the long-awaited premiere, a new trailer has been released teasing another gripping mystery for amateur sleuth Pip Fitz-Amobi (played by Emma Myers) to unravel.
Season two picks up with Pip and Ravi (Zain Iqbal) after cracking the case of missing student Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies) as Max Hastings (Henry Ashton) prepares for his trial.
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However, while Pip is desperate to go back to her quiet life in Little Kilton, Connor’s (Jude Morgan-Collie) older brother, Jamie (Eden H Davies), a key witness in Max’s case, suddenly goes missing.
A synopsis for the six-part follow-up teases: “With the clock ticking and the stakes higher than ever, Pip and the group are thrust into a desperate, heart-pounding race to find him before it’s too late.
“As the search intensifies, Pip is pushed to her absolute limit, forced to face a terrifying reality, will she be able to save Jamie in time?”
Author Jackson is helming the adaptation this time along with showrunner Poppy Cogan, taking inspiration from the second novel in the bestselling series, Good Girl, Bad Blood.
This time around, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will include newcomers such as Davies as Jamie, along with Misia Butler (KAOS) and Jack Rowan (Noughts + Crosses).
Fans were thrilled to get a more extensive look at the second series, which previews another high-stakes missing person investigation along with more drama between Pip and her friends and a reckoning for her vile nemesis, Max.
Audiences have described the series as “excellent”, a “fantastic adaptation”, and so “incredible” they “binged it in a day” in rave reviews on IMDb.
The new trailer for season two is also getting an enthusiastic response from fans on social media. One YouTube user exclaimed, “IM SOOO EXCITED!!!” and another commented, “WE’RE SO BACK”.
Watch Unchosen on Sky for free
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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows.
This includes the brand new UK drama Unchosen, starring Asa Butterfield and Christopher Eccleston.
Reactions continued on X, where one fan said: “When I tell you I screamed I screamed oh my god pip is back.”
“May 27 is already circled on my calendar. Pip is back and I am so ready,” someone else said.
And a final viewer declared: “PIP IS BACK ON SCREEN I JUST SAT UP AND CHEERED OMG.” Make sure you clear your calendar for the return of this addictive mystery drama coming in just a few weeks’ time.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder season 2 premieres Wednesday, 27th May on BBC iPlayer, BBC Three and Netflix.
Italian Andrea Pavan said he is “optimistic” about a return to playing after he fell down an open lift shaft in February.
The incident occurred before the South African Open at Pavan’s private accommodation near Stellenbosch Golf Club when the lift doors opened but there was no lift car in the shaft, causing him to drop three storeys down.
The 36-year-old was taken to a local hospital with severe shoulder damage and fractures to several vertebrae in his back, and had major surgery.
“It’s hard to say a precise goal, there’s more like steps,” said Pavan.
“Around three months we’ll see how well the bone has healed. Around six months it’s about where complete bone healing happens and we’ll see how the joint is moving by then.
“It depends on if there are other tissues that were damaged if I need a second surgery. And there’s the possibility of necrosis when the blood flow is not sufficient for the bones. There is that risk, but so far it seems like things are positive enough.
“The shoulder is a very demanding joint. Hopefully it’s a little less than a year that I can play with a full swing but it’s just so new and such a big injury there are just a lot of unknowns. But I’m hopeful and the only thing I can do is to try and improve and take it day by day.”
On the day of the incident, Pavan had been preparing to drive to the Stellenbosch course for breakfast and an afternoon pro-am tee, when he returned to his apartment to retrieve a locker key that had been left there.
Speaking to the Naga Munchetty programme on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “I walked back towards the elevator, I opened the door – one of those doors that get into the apartment straight away – and by the time I realised the lift wasn’t there I’d already taken a step.
“The next thing I know I’m just at the bottom of the elevator, luckily not unconscious but in a lot of pain and screaming for help.
“Somebody heard and I was somehow able to get my phone out and call my caddie, who was in the car. From then on it was just trying to survive the pain and waiting for the ambulance and all the firefighters who got me out.”
The two-time DP World Tour winner spent seven days in hospital in South Africa, having surgery on a complete fracture of his shoulder, and has now returned to his home in Texas.
Pavan paid tribute to the “amazing” support from the golfing world during his time in hospital.
“The amount of people who came to the hospital to visit me when the tournament was happening was truly overwhelming,” he said.
“There were a lot of players – friends of mine – who actually stayed up to 2am and waited for me to get out of surgery and they were playing in the tournament the next day, Matteo Manassero, Manuel Oliveira and others.
“I was just truly surprised and it was comforting and overwhelming to feel you were not alone going through this.”
Strictly Come Dancing is facing a huge reshape after five dancers joined Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman in heading for the exit door, but one professional seems to have confirmed they are staying
Strictly Come Dancing will have a different line up for the next series
Strictly Come Dancing will have a hugely different lineup when it returns to the small screen later this year, but one favourite appears to have confirmed his position.
While five professional dancers foxtrot away from the BBC show for various reasons, South African star Johannes Radebe appears ready to commit to another series.
The dancer, 39, had seen speculation rise about his future on the show following the huge cull of show regulars last month. Gorka Marquez also became the latest to walk away last week after 10 years on the show. But Johannes looks set to feature in the 24th series of the popular dance contest. The star is currently starring as Lola in the 2026 production of Kinky Boots at the London Coliseum.
And in a chat with The i Paper, he seemingly confirmed his return to the ballroom floor for another year. He told the publication: “‘I live at the Coliseum while I’m in Kinky Boots.
“And when that finishes, Strictly will come around again, so I think I’m just too busy [for a love life].”
Fans of the show will be pleased to hear him cement his place following the exit of a number of big names. Announced departures from the show so far, include; Michelle Tsiakkas, Luba Mushtuk, Nadiya Bychkova and Karen Hauer.
Gorka’s announcement was the latest to stun viewers. He took to Instagram last week to share the big decision. He wrote: “After last year’s decision to step down as a full-time professional due to scheduling conflicts between Strictly and Dancing with the Stars Spain, I’ve decided that now is the time to hang up my dance shoes and say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing.
“I will always be incredibly grateful to Strictly and the BBC for everything. Being part of the show has been so much more than just a professional opportunity—over the past 10 years, it allowed me to build a career from my passion, find love, start a family, and make lifelong friends. For that, I will forever be thankful.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me and shared their love throughout this incredible journey.”
And it’s not just the dancers who won’t be returning. Part way through the last series, hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly confirmed they were stepping down.
The pair released a joint statement to reveal their time is up. And while thee hasn’t been an official confirmation on who will take their place, the rumour mill has been rife.
Among the favourites to take the job on is Rylan Clark. Bradley Walsh has also been speculated, but the star of The Chase previously moved to distance himself from the show.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will never return to the status quo that existed before the US and Israel launched their war. A draft Iranian law would permanently ban Israeli vessels and deny transit to nations deemed ‘hostile’ by their alliance with the US.
History eluded. Embarrassment avoided. Belief restored.
The most secure legacy played with the most desperation. The most creaky veteran played with the most aggression. The winningest superstar played like he had everything to lose.
Wow. Gasp. LeBron!
So it went at Houston’s Toyota Center on Friday night when the Lakers, just two losses from becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a three-games-to-none lead, blew away the Rockets 98-78 to win their first-round series four games to two.
It was a night that prevented possibly the greatest meltdown in NBA history. It was a night that celebrated possibly the greatest player in NBA history.
“Started with LeBron,” Marcus Smart said. “The OG came out.”
When the shorthanded Lakers needed him most, their ageless 41-year wonder indeed showed up huge, James fighting down the lane, throwing in from deep, finding teammates like the sizzling Rui Hachimura and the surging Austin Reaves, leading with his entire massive being.
James wasn’t going to be on the wrong side of history. He wasn’t going to further stain his sterling 42-13 close-out record. He wasn’t going to let his final season end so early.
Wait a minute, this is not his final season? Not a chance. Bury any lingering doubt. After watching him dominate the youngest starting five in these playoffs Friday, it is impossible to imagine he’s going to call it quits.
He scored a game-high 28 points while enduring a team-high 37 minutes. He had eight assists, seven rebounds and only three turnovers. He even played defense, as the Lakers were a game-best plus-26 when he was on the court.
His night ended with him appropriately surrounded in the locker room by teammates who were bleating like goats. Because he’s the, well, you know.
Lakers forward LeBron James shoots over Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. during the first half of Game 6.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
“It speaks to his greatness,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said, and, yeah, somebody must be great if they can induce grown men to imitate farm animals. “To me he’s had the greatest career of any NBA player … for him to do it again and answer the bell again, it’s … baffling in some ways.”
From the frying pan to the fire, the Lakers now travel to Oklahoma City to face the defending champion Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals beginning Tuesday.
This could get real ugly, real quick.
The Lakers won’t have injured leading scorer Luka Doncic for the foreseeable future. They will be playing a Thunder team that drubbed them in the regular season, including a 43-point stomping just last month.
The Lakers don’t stand a chance. They’ll be lucky to avoid a sweep. They should quit while they’re ahead.
Which is exactly what everyone said about them before this Rockets series, before they took advantage of a Kevin Durant injury and Reaves’ return from injury, before they revealed a sense of focus and connection completely unexpected from this disjointed group.
Before James decided he wouldn’t let them lose.
“We had some obstacles obviously and I know they were without guys as well, but I thought we answered the call,” James said. “I thought we answered the challenge, and for them to allow me to lead them, that means a lot to me.”
Truly, lost in all the criticism over the last two Lakers losses was the truth that they never should have been in this position in the first place.
Consider this near miss one of James’ greatest postseason achievements. Consider his first playoff series win a huge endorsement for Redick as coach. Consider any positivity that comes from the Oklahoma City series as pure gravy.
Lakers forward LeBron James scores on an uncontested layup after blowing past the Rockets defense during the first half of Game 6.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
“For us to be written off a few weeks ago and to win a playoff series is a big deal,” Redick said. “And it speaks to the character of our team and the leaders of our team that they didn’t let go of the rope.”
James led the Lakers to a five-point lead in the first quarter, then absolutely dominated with a 14-point second quarter in which he outscored the entire Rockets team and gave the Lakers an 18-point halftime lead that never was challenged.
See if you can follow along …
James hits a fallaway. Jake LaRavia races down for a layup. Smart draws a charge. James hits a three. James hits a spinning layup. LaRavia connects on a fastbreak jam. James sinks another layup.
For those breathlessly keeping score, the Lakers began that second quarter with a 9-0 run that, dating to the first quarter, was an incredible 21-2 smackdown. At one point the Rockets missed a dozen straight shots. At another point they were 0 for 15 in the quarter.
The Rockets momentarily stopped the bleeding with six consecutive points late in the half, but on James’ last-minute trey, the Lakers finished the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 49-31 halftime lead.
”He just has this ability to set the tone for the entire group,” Redick said. “He did that again tonight and the guys responded.”
James scored on a jump shot just seconds into the third quarter and the rout continued. Houston, which made only six baskets in the quarter, mounted a bit of a surge late in it, but Smart ended any momentum by drawing his third charge of the night.
“I love charges,” Smart said. “They’re demoralizing.”
Redick angrily called a timeout with 6:28 remaining in the game after a defensive lapse with the Lakers leading by 19. James fittingly scored on a layup immediately after the timeout, and the game was formally finished.
The Lakers’ defense was astounding, holding the Rockets to 13 points below their season low. The Lakers’ rebounding was astonishing, nearly doubling the offensive rebounds of the NBA’s best offensive rebounding team.
The Lakers offensive collective also was cool, Hachimura hitting five of seven treys, Reaves scoring 15 points with three blocked shots, and Deandre Ayton finishing a fine series with 16 rebounds.
But this was about the OG, who noted that he is finally comfortable celebrating small victories and said, “I think we should be proud of the way we handled this.”
The individual performances in the Lakers’ ugly, but decisive, 98-78 series-clinching win over the Houston Rockets on Friday were almost too numerous for coach JJ Redick to focus on each one.
That collective spirit is also what makes him so confident heading into the Lakers’ first Western Conference semifinal appearance since 2023.
“For us to be written off a few weeks ago and to win a playoff series is a big deal,” Redick said after the Lakers polished off their first-round playoff series in six games. “And it just speaks to the character of our team and the leaders of our team. They didn’t let go of the rope.”
After winning a series in which they were underdogs for every game they won, the Lakers return to the scene of their lowest moment to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals beginning Tuesday.
The last time they were in Oklahoma City, the Lakers lost by 43 points. Their two best players sustained regular-season ending injuries, with news of Luka Doncic’s hamstring injury and Austin Reaves’ oblique strain coming on consecutive days after the loss. Still dazed from the emotional hangover, the Lakers lost their next two games.
“There was a lot of question marks,” Reaves said. “And just the way that we responded as a group, I think it just tells you a lot about the people that we have in our room. There’s no quit.”
The Lakers finished the regular season with three consecutive wins. They leapt out to a 3-0 series lead against Houston before letting doubt creep in again. After the Lakers squandered two chances to end the series, including a disappointing home loss Wednesday when Reaves returned from injury, critics wondered if the Lakers would really be the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 playoff lead.
James wouldn’t allow it.
The superstar forward dominated with 28 points on 10-of-25 shooting, seven rebounds and eight assists. He outscored the Rockets by himself in the second quarter 14-13 as the Lakers went on a 27-3 run to open a 19-point lead.
“We understand that he’s the guy that brings energy, but also we have to help him,” forward Rui Hachimura said, “especially you know, he’s old now.”
Hachimura didn’t try to suppress a smile.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura blocks a shot by Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. during the first half of Game 6.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
The Japanese forward did his part with 21 points, including five three-pointers. Smart leapt for a jaw-dropping block against 6-foot-8 Tari Eason and drew three charges. Ayton had 16 rebounds, helping the Lakers outrebound the best rebounding team of a generation 54-45.
Ayton, often maligned for his inconsistent effort, has been a force in the postseason, averaging 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds while often guarding Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun one-on-one.
“He’s been saying it all year: ‘Wait till I get to the playoffs,’” Smart said of Ayton. “It’s a different side of him that fans haven’t seen, that we expect, that we know he can give. He knows it and he’s ready.”
In his second game back from injury, Reaves had 15 points on seven-of-14 shooting with three blocks. He missed all four of his three-point attempts, still searching for his shooting rhythm after a long layoff. But the way Reaves attacked his treatment and returned before the typical four- to six-week timeline was his own form of leadership, Redick said.
Reaves sometimes left his house at 7:30 a.m. and didn’t return until more than 12 hours later. He drove all over L.A. looking for different treatment options. He did everything short of following Doncic to Europe, Reaves joked.
Doncic’s status is still unknown for the beginning of the conference semifinals. He has yet to progress to live play on the court, although he recently started incorporating movement into his on-court drills instead of just stationary shooting. He is still out indefinitely.
Without the star point guard, the Lakers could confidently turn to James to steer them through choppy waters. He averaged 22.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists in the first-round series. At one point during Friday’s game, Reaves approached him to just tell him his performance was “insane.”
“I don’t think you can say in words how special he was,” Reaves said, “not just tonight but this series, this year.”
In the locker room after the game when the Lakers prepared to break their last huddle, the lights suddenly clicked off. Players started bleating, serenading James with sounds deserving of the G.O.A.T. — greatest of all time.
The Himalayan nation restores centuries-old statue, stolen in the 1980s, to its original temple in capital Kathmandu.
Published On 2 May 20262 May 2026
A centuries-old Buddha statue stolen from a Nepali temple has been reinstalled in its original location, one of several artefacts returned from foreign museums and collectors in recent years.
The statue, dating to the 13th century, was carried in a palanquin back to its pagoda-style temple in the capital, Kathmandu, to the sound of traditional music on Friday.
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“I feel so happy, we all do. Our god is coming back,” temple-goer Sunkesari Shakya, 67, told the AFP news agency, recalling the day the statue was stolen, wreaking “havoc” in the community.
In a ceremony attended by a visiting United States envoy, the statue, which returned from New York in 2022, was placed back on its original stone plinth. The event coincided with the festival of Buddha Jayanti, marking the birth of the founder of Buddhism.
Devotees carry a sculpture of the Buddha to be reinstalled at a temple in Kathmandu [Prakash Mathema/AFP]
A replica that locals had been worshipping instead was moved to another area of the temple.
The statue was taken from the temple in the 1980s and later emerged at Tibet House US, a cultural centre in New York, where it was gifted by an unknown monk, according to Nepal’s Department of Archaeology.
Sergio Gor, Washington’s special envoy to South and Central Asia, told AFP, “One of the things we are focusing on is to be able to bring back some of these incredible artefacts that decades past got into the wrong hands.”
“We are trying to right a wrong from the past,” said Gor, who was on a three-day visit to Nepal.
Devotees carry a sculpture of the Buddha to be reinstalled at a temple in Kathmandu [Prakash Mathema/AFP]
Many in the Himalayan nation of 30 million people are deeply religious, and the country’s Hindu and Buddhist temples, as well as heritage sites, are an integral part of everyday life.
But many sites are bereft of centuries-old sculptures, paintings, ornamental windows and even doors, which were often stolen after the country opened up to the outside world in the 1950s.
Many pieces were taken with the help of corrupt officials to feed art markets in the US, Europe and elsewhere, although their export remains illegal.
About 200 artefacts have been returned to Nepal, according to the Archaeology Department, including wood and stone carvings, paintings, scriptures and idols of gods and goddesses. At least 41 artefacts have been placed back in their original locations.
“This is very important. Our statues are not just objects of art but part of a living heritage,” conservation expert Rabindra Puri told AFP.
Puri said there was growing momentum to return stolen artefacts. More than 400 are officially listed as missing, but experts estimate the actual number to be in the thousands.
Authorities are specifically seeking to return more artefacts from the US, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The Lakers needed it, of course. The Lakers wanted it.
The Lakers are paying for it.
Because LeBron James hasn’t looked superhuman since playing those 45 minutes, including all five gutsy minutes of ovetime.
He hasn’t looked great.
Not even particularly good, not by his lofty standards.
And the Lakers need their not-quite-ageless wonder to be at least great to beat these Houston Rockets one more time. They need James’ best can-you-believe-he’s-41? act if they hope to close out this challenging best-of-seven first-round series without Luka Doncic.
The Lakers went up 3-0 largely thanks to James’ contributions.
After weeks of willingly playing third-wheel behind Doncic and Austin Reaves, James made it look like playing the alpha was like riding a bike in Game 1’s 107-98 victory: He got right on it and gave the Lakers 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
Then James had 28 points in the 101-94 victory in Game 2. And there was his monster effort in Game 3, when he had 29 points and 13 assists and, in overtime, a key steal and block in the Lakers’ 112-108 victory.
But James has been much more mortal in the two games since, and the Lakers have lost both.
With a chance to finish off the Rockets in Game 4 on Sunday at the Toyota Center, James had almost as many turnovers as points: eight and 10, respectively.
With a second chance to finish off the Rockets in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, despite a second day of rest, James had a jagged performance that looked like a lot of work in the Lakers’ 99-93 loss.
He had a game-high 25 points on nine-of-20 shooting, but he missed all six of his three-point attempts. He smoked layups. And missed three of his 10 free-throws, short on those attempts like he was on many of his misses Wednesday.
And while he had only two turnovers, they were the type to turn a tide, the type we’re not accustomed to witnessing from James. That type the Lakers can’t afford for him to make.
If he were a quarterback, he could have been called for intentional grounding, he overthrew Rui Hachimura by so much in the second quarter, when the Lakers were trying — and failing — to hang onto their early lead.
And then James got rhe ball ripped away from him by Reed Sheppard, the Rockets’ 21-year-old, allegedly 6-foot-2 guard, who raced up the court for a fast break dunk with 2:22 to play. That made it 92-85 and effectively doused the Lakers’ comeback.
“Just bang-bang plays,” James said at his locker, with a shrug. “Try to flush this one … we got to be better on Friday.”
The Lakers will have just two more shots at winning a series they weren’t supposed to before it started.
Their third attempt at closing out the Rockets comes quickly, when they play Game 6 on Friday at Houston. The Lakers will need something resembling the best version of James if they’re going to win and avoid the spectacle of a Game 7 showdown Sunday.
That would bring the Lakers to the brink of becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 series lead. It would be an unavoidable blotch at the bottom of James’ 23-season resume that otherwise is highlighted by a 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
But James and the Lakers aren’t thinking about that now — or about whatever chatter is coming out of the Rockets’ now-confident camp (on Tuesday, Jabari Smith Jr. told reporters “We’re obviously the better team.”)
“Ask one of them young guys that question,” James said, unmoved. “I’m too old for that.”
But not too old — the Lakers hope — to carry them to one more victory and save them from infamy.
Marcus Smart knows what it feels like to be on the other side. The last time the Lakers guard was in the playoffs, he was helping the Boston Celtics storm back from a three-game deficit in the Eastern Conference finals to force a near-historic Game 7.
Now he’s watched the Lakers’ seemingly insurmountable three-games-to-none series lead dwindle to 3-2 after a 99-93 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena. Smart isn’t flinching.
Whether defending a three-game lead or coming back from one, Smart knows the mindset is the same.
“We really got to literally go out there and be ready to die,” Smart said Wednesday after the Lakers failed to close out the Rockets for the second consecutive game. “… When I was on the other end, that was our motto: be willing to run through a wall and sacrifice your body for the betterment of the team. And that’s what we’re going to do now.”
Lakers guard Marcus Smart knocks the ball away from Rockets guard Amen Thompson during Game 5 at Crypto.Com Arena on Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
NBA teams are 159-0 with a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff series. Only four have even pushed it to the decisive Game 7. Smart’s 2023 Boston Celtics, when they clawed back against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, lost Game 7 at home after star Jayson Tatum turned his ankle on the first play of the game.
Hoping to avoid joining the historic list, the Lakers get a third try at vanquishing the Rockets for good in Game 6 on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PDT at Houston’s Toyota Center.
“Once we get on that plane and head down to Houston, we got to forget about it and understand what we are going for,” said LeBron James, who had 25 points and seven assists Friday. “It’s going to be even harder. Every game is hard. It’s so hard to close out a team in the postseason, to win a series, and this is our first time doing it as a unit.”
The Lakers built a three-game lead in the series despite playing without leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves in the first four games. Reaves returned from a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain Friday, scoring 22 points on four-of-16 shooting with six assists, but his presence couldn’t stop the gradual decline of the Lakers offense.
The Lakers have failed to reach 100 points in each of the last two games. From shooting 53.9% from the field and 51.7% from three in the first 10 quarters of the series, they have shot just 44.6% from the field and 29.2% from three in the last 10, excluding overtime of Game 3.
Luke Kennard, a flamethrower who scored 50 points in the first two games, has scored just eight in the last two. He was scoreless from the field Wednesday, including two missed three-pointers. A 91.2% free-throw shooter, Kennard even missed a free throw.
On the other hand, Houston has found its rhythm. The Rockets made 38.7% of their shots in the first 10 quarters — Games 1 and 2 and the first half of Game 3 — and have shot 46.3% in the 10 quarters since, excluding the Game 3 overtime period. Their three-point shooting has jumped from 30.9% to 34.1%.
“We just got to make shots,” Smart said of the offense’s struggles. “… And we’re not giving ourselves a chance by turning the ball over, which we can’t get a shot up on the rim because of that.”
The Lakers had 15 turnovers that resulted in 18 Rockets points Wednesday. The game started slipping away in the second quarter when they had five turnovers with the Rockets scoring nine points off the miscues. The Lakers let their 11-point first-quarter lead turn into a four-point halftime deficit.
Smart, who was asked to handle more ball-handling responsibilities while Doncic and Reaves were injured, had six turnovers and just two assists Friday. He called them “unacceptable.”
Rockets center Alperen Sengun yells out for the ball while Lakers guard Marcus Smart pressures the ball hander during Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“The turnovers come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s about limiting them,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And you certainly have to give your guys freedom to make basketball plays. I would say in general though, turnovers of aggression are OK; turnovers of passivity are not.”
The Rockets only averaged 8.5 steals per game during the regular season, but had two players in the NBA’s top 10 in total steals with guards Reed Sheppard (sixth, 122 total steals) and Amen Thompson (eighth, 119). They had three and four steals, respectively, in Game 5.
A defensive play from Sheppard stifled the Lakers’ late comeback. The Lakers trimmed a 13-point lead to three in less than three minutes. The cheer from the sold-out crowd at Crypto.com Arena was deafening when James kissed a left handed layup off the glass to pull the Lakers to within one possession with 2:59 left.
Sheppard immediately responded with a midrange jumper then picked James’ pocket on the next Lakers possession, going coast-to-coast for a two-handed dunk that pushed the lead back to seven with 2:20 remaining.
The crowd went silent.
The Lakers had that same stunning effect on a road crowd already this series when they stormed back from a six-point deficit in less than 30 seconds in Game 3. The prospect of doing it again with even larger stakes brought an excited smirk to Smart’s face.
“We knew this was going to be a tough series,” Smart said. “I think everybody knew that, and it’s turning out to be exactly what we expected. And now the fun begins.”
While they were con artists themselves, the group, led by Adrian’s character Mickey ‘Bricks’ Stone, targeted greedy, amoral and undeserving individuals, with each episode featuring one complex scam that would reveal itself at the end.
The BBC originally teased: “Hustle will take you into a world with a whole new set of rules, where the good guys can be very bad and you can’t always trust what’s right before your eyes . . .
“An action-packed blend of humour and intrigue, Hustle follows the fortunes of a gang of five expert con artists let loose on the streets of London.
“They are specialists in the ways of the grifter and all are keen to liberate cash from the amoral and undeserving.”
Fans were left devastated when the series came to an end, but Adrian has now left the door open for its return.
During an appearance on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday 29 April, the star spoke about his new West End production, before referring to his widely-praised role.
He told hosts Sarah Campbell and Ben Thompson, when asked if there was any chance Hustle would come back: “There’s always conversations about it possibly coming back.
“It’s something that’s been really well-loved by the public, and it was a great success for the BBC, and we are ever hopeful that it might come back on our screens.”
This comes after the cast of Hustle previously hinted at its comeback in 2023, sending fans wild with a snap of their reunion.
Matt Di Angelo shared a snap alongside the cast including Adrian and Kelly Adams, writing: “We’rrrrreeeee Baaaccckkkk.”
Fans were left delighted, with one writing: “Shut up!!!!!!!!! Oh my god I’m sooooo excited!!” as another said: “Remember you can’t con an honest man so this has best be true.”
His post came despite the cast insisting in 2012 that Hustle “couldn’t be brought back” in the future.
Kelly told the BBC: “We were contracted to be in it for three years, which was supposed to end last year, but the ratings were the highest they’ve ever been.
“So they [the producers] said ‘Shall we just do one more and finish it properly with a fantastic leading storyline so it can’t come back?’ and we said, ‘Yes.'”
Describing the ending, Matt added: “It’s really bizarre. None of us saw it coming.”
Viewers have branded Hustle “TV gold”, with one fan calling it a “masterpiece”, adding: “The Brits have a classic on their hands with this one.”
Another said: “From the marvellous, absolutely thrilling opening title sequence to the vintage splitscreen shots and cliché montage tricks, this is an incredible breath of fresh air from the BBC.”
Yet another echoed: “This is quite simply the best British television programme that I have seen grace our screens,” while someone else added: “It’s probably the best crime drama I’ve ever seen.”
Less than four weeks after suffering a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain, Austin Reaves is closing in on a return with the Lakers in position to clinch a spot in the Western Conference semifinals.
Reaves will officially be a game-time decision before Wednesday’s potentially series-clinching Game 5 against the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena. He was questionable for Games 3 and 4, warming up on the court before each game, but was ultimately ruled out.
The Lakers have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series despite playing without Reaves and leading scorer Luka Doncic, who is out because of a Grad 2 left hamstring strain.
“JJ [Redick] specifically was like you have to be comfortable with your body and what you can do to go out there and help us be successful,” Reaves said of his coach in his first comments to reporters since suffering the injury on April 2. “And I want to get back out there as fast as I can. But like I said, I feel good and trending in the right direction and can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and attack another day.”
Reaves said he typically has a very high pain tolerance. Even though he finished the game against Oklahoma City on April 2, he wasn’t surprised the injury that left him grabbing at his left side repeatedly during the game turned out to be significant enough to sideline him for several weeks.
The game was especially painful for the Lakers, who also lost Doncic on the same night. Reaves’ regular-season ending injury news came a day after Doncic’s. The Lakers, then in third place in the Western Conference, came crashing down from a 15-2 record in March. They suddenly looked like sitting ducks in the playoff hunt.
At least only to those outside the locker room.
“Our confidence doesn’t waver as a team,” Reaves said. “Basically the message from that day forward was … that they were going to do everything as a team to give us an opportunity to come back and play. And they’ve done exactly what they said.”
The Lakers finished the regular season with three consecutive wins to hold onto home-court advantage as the fourth seed. They raced out to a 3-0 series lead against the Rockets, who staved off elimination with a blowout win in Game 4.
Doncic is progressing in his return, but still has not started playing one-on-one yet. Last weekend, he improved enough to incorporate movement into his on-court work instead of just standstill shooting.
Alijah Arenas will withdraw his name from the NBA draft and return to USC for his sophomore season, according to a person familiar with the decision not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The former five-star prospect, whose father is NBA star Gilbert Arenas, was expected to spend just a single season at USC before declaring for the draft. But nothing went as planned during Arenas’ freshman season.
Arenas was involved in a single-car accident in April 2025 and hospitalized for six days after a Tesla Cybertruck he was driving hit a tree and burst into flames. The week that he returned to practice after the accident, Arenas learned he needed knee surgery. He didn’t debut for the Trojans until late January. And when he finally made it into the lineup, Arenas was thrown into a starring role in the middle of a brutal Big Ten slate and struggled to adjust.
Still, there were glimpses of the player that Compton Magic AAU founder Etop Udo-Ema told The Times had the potential to one day “be the face of the NBA.” Over one stretch in early February, Arenas had 29 points in a win over Indiana, scored 24 and hit a winning shot at Penn State and put up 25 points at Ohio State.
“Just the things he can do, the IQ he has, what he can see, the way that he moves, the length, the size,” Udo-Ema said, “he’s the most talented guy I’ve ever seen.”
But Arenas told The Times in late February that he was unhappy with the results of his freshman campaign to that point.
“I know what I’m capable of. And I’m not there yet,” Arenas said. “Simple as that.”
Arenas had submitted his name as an early entrant in the NBA draft, the deadline for which was Monday. But ultimately, he opted to return to USC as a sophomore, in hopes of starting anew.
Arenas returns to a roster that should be even more talented in the 2026-27 season. Guard Rodney Rice and forward Jacob Cofie also announced earlier this month that they would return, while three top-25 prospects are set to join the roster this summer.
USC also already added a trio of players in the portal, including a 7-footer in Connecticut’s Eric Reibe and an experienced starter in Georgetown’s KJ Lewis.
Former President Moon Jae-in speaks during a ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, signed by the leaders of the two Koreas. Pool Photo by Yonhap
Former President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to resume inter-Korean talks, calling it the “fastest and safest” way to overcome the current deadlock.
Moon made the call during a ceremony held at the National Assembly to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, a landmark agreement signed by Moon and Kim during their summit at the truce village of Panmunjom in April 2018.
“I ask you to return to the spirit of the April 27 Panmunjom summit and open the door to dialogue, and to work together with the Lee Jae Myung government to once again build a vision of ‘peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula’ and to live as a proud member of the international community,” Moon said. “Inter-Korean dialogue is the fastest and safest breakthrough to overcome the current deadlock.”
Moon also stressed that Pyongyang cannot be ensured “genuine security” by continuing to bolster its military capabilities and opting for isolation.
“Engaging in communication and expanding exchanges with the outside world, instead, is the most effective way to safeguard security,” he added.
On U.S.-North Korea relations, Moon expressed hope that Kim will take the “bold step of sitting down” with U.S. President Donald Trump as Trump earlier voiced his willingness to engage in talks with the North.
“I hope you use the improved inter-Korean ties as a bridge toward dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. as you did eight years ago,” he said.
Moon then urged Trump to demonstrate his decisiveness to help bring back the North to the negotiating table, saying the Korean Peninsula issue is a “key national interest” of the United States that must never be pushed down its list of priorities.
“There is no other way but to seek a diplomatic solution to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula,” he added.
Lee has offered to resume stalled talks with the North since taking office in June last year, but Pyongyang has rebuffed his peace overtures.
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Chief executive Mark Darbon says the R&A are having “ongoing dialogue” with Muirfield with a view to returning The Open Championship to the Gullane course for the first time since 2013.
Darbon also says there are “challenges” with bringing the event back to Turnberry.
Royal Lytham & St Annes will host The Open in 2028, with this year’s 154th tournament taking place at Royal Birkdale and next year’s staging at The Old Course at St Andrews.
Muirfield, a 16-times Open venue, will host this year’s Women’s Amateur Championship from 22-27 June.
“We’ve got a great ongoing dialogue with Muirfield,” Darbon said.
“There are some things we need to overcome to facilitate a modern Open Championship – the practice ground is one of those, along with a few on-course infrastructural points.”
On US President Donald Trump’s Turnberry, which hosted the last of its four Opens in 2009, Darbon commented: “We really like the golf course.
“But there are challenges around staging a modern Open – primarily road, rail and accommodation infrastructure.”
The Scottish Open has signed a deal to stay at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian until 2030, with the tournament played in the week before The Open to allow players time to adapt to seaside links courses.
