sport

One player who will carry Brazil’s World Cup hopes on his shoulders is Vinicius Jr.

The forward has eight goals in 47 appearances for Brazil and has been influential for Real Madrid again this campaign with 11 goals in La Liga and five more in the Champions League.

“Vinicius is a football star because of his talent,” Ancelotti said.

“He’s one of the most talented players in the world, so he carries this weight because everyone expects him to win the game alone and the expectations on him are higher than any other player – maybe only Kylian Mbappe right now.”

The 25-year-old has also had to deal with discrimination since moving to Spain, where he has faced 20 incidents of alleged abuse in eight years.

The latest incident came in Real Madrid’s Champions League knockout phase play-off tie at Benfica in February, following which the Brazilian winger said “racists are cowards”.

“Having a manager like my father is really good – in being close to the stars,” the Brazil assistant said.

“We just focused on what he [Vinicius] could improve and he has room for improvement. Even if he’s one of the best, maybe personal opinion, the best player in the world, but everyone has room for improvement.

“So we focus on that because we have a manager who is a specialist in making stars not feel alone and he always did that with stars like Didier Drogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski.”

Ancelotti, 36, held discussions to take charge of Scottish side Rangers last season before taking up his first managerial role at Brazilian side Botafago – only to be sacked five months later in December 2025.

The Italian, however, has continued to work with his father, who was named Brazil boss in May 2025 after four years at Real Madrid, where he won three Champions League titles and two La Liga titles over two spells.

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil have not lifted the trophy since their last triumph in 2002 but Ancelotti believes the Selecao “will be ready for the World Cup”.

“It will be difficult because it will be after a really long season,” said Ancelotti.

“There are players that will reach the World Cup with more than 60 games and this is not good. It will be not good for the show or the people that are watching.

“So we will take care of the players physically. It will be important because the weather will be so hot. It will be a competition that will be decided by small details.

“But I can say that we have a really competitive team that can play football that could be efficient in a competition like that. So we are positive.”

Brazil will face Morocco in their World Cup opener on 13 June in New Jersey before taking on Scotland and Haiti in Group C.

The Dept. of Justice is investigating the NFL’s media deals with streaming companies as more of its games go behind subscription pay walls.

The investigation first reported by the Wall Street Journal centers on the financial impact of live sports streaming on consumers and whether the league’s traditional broadcast partners are getting fair treatment.

The Justice Dept. did not respond to a request for comment. A government official told NBC News the DOJ’s investigation into the NFL is “about affordability for consumers and creating an even playing field for providers.”

Early last month, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah requested the investigation in a letter to the DOJ, and issued a statement Thursday on X saying he was glad to see it move forward.

The Sports Broadcasting Act passed by Congress in 1961 allowed professional football teams to collectively license the TV rights of their games to national broadcast networks without running afoul of anti-trust laws. Lee noted that courts have recognized the act refers to broadcasts “financed through advertising and made available free to the public.”

Lee said sports packages that go behind subscription paywalls “no longer align” with the intention of the act which was passed when the public only had access to three TV networks.

The NFL has not received a letter from the DOJ saying it is under investigation, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment. But the league issued a statement asserting that fans can see every NFL game played by the teams in their markets for free on broadcast TV unlike every other major sport.

“The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry,” the league said. “The NFL has for decades put our fans front and center in how we distribute our content.”

The NFL said 87% its games can be watched on free TV. The other 13% on streaming and cable platforms are made available on the local TV stations of the teams involved in those contests.

The sports rights landscape has shifted dramatically in the last 10 years as deep pocketed tech companies such as Amazon, Google and Netflix have provided the NFL with significant leverage in its negotiations with its longtime TV partners NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN.

While streaming companies initially eschewed live sports because of the high cost of rights fees, they have found them to be an effective way to bring a massive number of viewers to their platforms.

Amazon Prime Video is paying $1.5 billion a year for the rights to “Thursday Night Football,” a package that was a money loser when carried by the broadcast networks. Netflix has picked up the rights to games on Christmas Day, while Google’s YouTube became the home of the Sunday Ticket package that gives subscribers access to out-of-market games.

The pressure from the newer competitors comes at a time when companies with traditional TV networks depend on the NFL more than ever as it provides the highest rated programming by a wide margin. The NFL packages also give TV station groups with leverage in negotiating carriage deal fees with cable and satellite companies.

Tensions over the rising rights fees are growing as the NFL has the right to open up the deal with Paramount, because the company underwent an ownership change last year when acquired by Skydance Media. The league is reportedly looking for another $1 billion annually from Paramount which is already paying $2.1 billion a year for its package of games on CBS.

The league has also made it clear it plans to exercise its option in 2029 to open the current 10-year media rights contract that runs through the 2032-33 season.

Fox Corporation — home of the Trump-friendly Fox News Channel — heavily depends on the NFL for programming on its TV stations — has already raised concerns about the renegotiation.

Executive Chairman Lachlan Murdoch has said he believes the $2.5 billion a year Fox pays the NFL is “fair market value.” But he has also told Wall Street analysts the company may have to re-examine its other sports deals in preparation to pay more to the NFL going forward.

Last week, Fox and station group owner Sinclair Broadcasting filed a statement with the FCC asserting that the NFL’s antitrust exemption does not apply to streaming platforms that require paid subscriptions.

“Congress provided a valuable exemption from the antitrust laws for leagues that bargain collectively for sports broadcasting,” wrote Joseph Di Scipio, Fox Corp.’s senior VP, legal and FCC compliance. “But on its face, the statute does not exempt negotiations that the leagues may have with streaming services.”

BASEBALL

CITY SECTION

Bravo 4, LA Wilson 2

Chavez 7, Arleta 2

El Camino Real 9, Cleveland 3

Granada Hills 12, Chatsworth 1

LA Marshall 10, Lincoln 0

LA Roosevelt 11, Huntington Park 4

Maya 12, Los Angeles 2

Northridge Academy 15, Panorama 3

Palisades 3, LACES 1

Roybal 18, RFK Community 1

San Pedro 13, Wilmington Banning 5

SOCES 7, Fulton 0

South Gate 7, Bell 3

Van Nuys 15, VAAS 3

Westchester 19, Fairfax 9

SOUTHERN SECTION

Arliington 3, Moreno Valley 2

Bellflower 7, Cerritos 4

Bonita 5, Diamond Bar 2

Cajon 7, Beaumont 0

California 6, El Rancho 3

Cantwell-Sacred Heart 2, Channel Islands 1

Charter Oak 15, Rowland 13

Chino Hills 5, Upland 3

Corona 3, Arcadia 2

Cypress 14, La Habra 3

Damien 2, Rancho Cucamonga 0

Desert Mirage 16, Packinghouse Christian 2

Eastside 11, Antelope Valley 7

El Modena 7, Brea OlInda 1

Etiwanda 1, Bishop Amat 0

Estancia 12, Santa Ana 2

Esperanza 6, Troy 2

Garden Grove 3, St. Monica 2

Glenn 6, Firebaugh 5

Godinez 3, Saddleback 1

Hemet 11, Vista del Lago 1

Hesperia 9, Apple Valley 6

Hoover 12, Burbank Providence 10

Huntington Beach 4, St. John Bosco 2

Indian Springs 10, San Bernardino 3

Irvine 8, Portola 2

Laguna Beach 6, Northwood 0

La Serna 10, Santa Fe 7

La Sierra 17, Jurupa Valley 9

Long Beach Cabrillo 11, Artesia 6

Long Beach Jordan 7, San Jacinto 3

Miller 39, Entrepreneur 0

Mira Costa 9, Capistrano Valley 6

Newbury Park 12, Crespi 2

Newport Harbor 2, Corona Centennial 0

Norco 14, Los Osos 0

Northview 6, Laguna Hills 5

Orange County Pacifica Christian 15, Nipomo 5

Orange Lutheran 2, Gahr 1

Orange Vista 1, Citrus Hill 0

Oxnard 10, Fillmore 4

Palmdale 4, Knight 3

Paramount 9, Mary Star of the Sea 5

Patriot 10, Rubidoux 1

Ramona 18, Norte Vista 0

Rancho Christian 10, Lakeside 0

Rancho Verde 2, Canyon Springs 1

Ridgecrest Burroughs 10, Oak Hills 5

Righetti 10, Bishop Montgomery 1

Riverside North 2, Perris 1

Riverside Poly 9, Liberty 8

Riverside Prep 23, Big Bear 4

Royal 8, Moorpark 7

San Marcos 11, Lakewood 1

Sierra Canyon 13, Warren 0

Simi Valley 10, Oak Park 1

St. Francis 4, Santa Maria St. Joseph 2

St. Paul 5, Buena Park 2

Sultana 10, Serrano 3

Sunny Hills 7, Cerritos Valley Christian 6

Torrance 12, Gardena Serra 4

Valley View 14, Hillcrest 8

Vasquez 5, Canyon Country Canyon 1

Villa Park 8, El Dorado 4

West Covina 8, Schurr 1

West Torrance 5, North Torrance 4

Whittier 14, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 7

Woodbridge 17, Irvine University 4

Yorba Linda 5, Sonora 4

INTERSECTIONAL

Alemany 12, Bakersfield Centennial 2

Atascadero 6, Terra Nova 3

Canoga Park 11, Reseda 10

Dublin 12, Marina 4

Eastvale Roosevelt 15, Central 0

El Capitan 5, Placentia Valencia 1

Ganesha 2, San Ramon Valley 2

Heritage 12, Paloma Valley 7

La Palma Kennedy 16, Golden Sierra 6

Lompoc 13, Piedmont 11

Morro Bay 6, Village Christian 3

Paraclete 7, Central Valley 2

Patrick Henry 10, Fountain Valley 5

Pioneer Valley 6, University Prep 6

St. Bernard 16, Venice 2

Walnut 8, Bear River 4

SOFTBALL

CITY SECTION

Chavez 9, Arleta 0

Diego Rivera 14, Angelou 9

Granada Hills Kennedy 4, Verdugo Hills 1

Hawkins 34, Crenshaw 13

LA Jordan 14, Washington Prep 13

Marquez 14, Sotomayor 0

Maywood Academy 22, Torres 4

Maywood CES 32, Elizabeth 2

Narbonne 15, South East 7

San Fernando 14, Sun Valley Poly 0

Santee 24, West Adams 20

SOCES 32, Fulton 0

Sylmar 14, North Hollywood 3

Triumph Charter 28, Valley Oaks CES 0

University 17, Palisades 2

Van Nuys 21, Monroe 4

Venice 22, LACES 1

SOUTHERN SECTION

Anaheim 16, Loara 2

Anza Hamilton 11, Yucca Valley 4

Apple Valley 21, Ridgecrest Burroughs 1

Azusa 17, Nogales 15

Bolsa Grande 29, Estancia 0

Bonita 10, Corona Santiago 9

Charter Oak 12, Rowland 1

CSDR 27, Sherman Indian 5

Eastvale Roosevelt 15, Corona Centennial 4

Foothill Tech 11, Hueneme 0

Fullerton 10, Garden Grove 0

Glendora 3, Burbank Burroughs 1

Heritage 11, Citrus Valley 1

Highland 11, Palmdale 0

Jurupa Valley 12, La Sierra 1

La Canada 14, Alemany 7

Lakeside 24, Vista del Lago 1

Magnolia 16, Saddleback 12

Norco 4, Riverside King 3

Oak Hills 23, Serrano 2

Orange 10, Western 0

Pasadena Poly 5, Harvard-Westlake 3

Patriot 14, Rubidoux 4

Ramona 18, Norte Vista 0

Rancho Mirage 12, Silverado 3

Rancho Verde 11, Moreno Valley 0

Riverside North 7, Arlington 4

Riverside Poly 5, Valley View 0

Riverside Prep 19, AAE 7

San Bernardino 15, Indian Springs 5

San Marcos 14, Fillmore 1

Santa Ana Foothill 4, Beckman 3

Santa Fe 8, Sonora 5

Savanna 21, Century 6

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 7, Royal 1

Sierra Canyon 7, Moorpark 3

Sultana 15, Hesperia 10

Ventura 13, Faith Baptist 1

West Torrance 11, South Torrance 6

INTERSECTIONAL

Paloma Valley 2, Hillcrest 1

Palo Verde Valley 7, Artesia 3

Quartz Hill 19, Immanuel Christian 5

Rancho Christian 10, Perris 0

Righetti 2, Sutter 0

Barely a week ago, a charmed Lakers season screamed three words.

Deep playoff run.

Today, a jinxed Lakers season soberly whispers three very different words.

Shut it down.

With less than a month of games remaining, the Lakers season is done, finished, kaput.

Twisted and torn by the sudden same-day injuries to their two best players, the Lakers are broken beyond repair.

They can’t win without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and neither is coming back at full strength in time to save them.

They were wholly embarrassed in their first two shorthanded games and will wind up falling to a fourth or fifth seed with a first-round matchup looming against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.

They can’t beat the Rockets, they won’t beat the Rockets, and the season will officially and quickly and sadly end. It might end in something more palatable than a sweep — maybe they win a game? — but it’s going to end, and soon, and the Lakers need to reinforce their priorities before it does.

Shut it down.

Tell Doncic to stay in Spain for as long as it takes for that magic medicine to cure his strained hamstring. Tell Doncic his MVP-worthy season is DOA. Tell Doncic to begin getting ready for September.

The Lakers don’t need him showing up in three weeks trying to save this season on a limp and a prayer. They don’t need him risking a reinjuring of the hamstring that could affect his summer workouts and bleed into next season.

Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts to a play during a blowout loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City last week.

(Cooper Neill / Getty Images)

Most experts agree it would be a miracle if Doncic would return at 100% in time to carry them through the first round of the playoffs, which start April 18. The Lakers don’t need him to be a miracle. They need him to be the cornerstone of a franchise that is being rebuilt in his image.

They don’t need him now, when he’s not going to save them anyway. They need him six months from now, to be healthy and in shape to lead them into their next era.

Shut it down.

The Lakers need to say the same thing to Reaves, who they’re going to give a boatload of money this summer to be their No. 2 star for the indefinite future.

They don’t need him to try to play with an injured oblique and make things worse. They don’t need him to gut it out. They need him to sit it out.

The fans aren’t going to like reading this. And the players aren’t going to like hearing it.

Just listen to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star who has been shut down since March 15 because the Bucks didn’t want his nagging injuries to worsen and affect either his trade value or his 2026-27 season.

“Like a slap in my face,” he told reporters recently. “I’m available to play today. Right now. I’m available. Do I look like I’m not available? … I don’t know what game is being played right here, I just don’t wanna be a part of it.”

There is no game with the Lakers. Their new Dodger ownership group doesn’t play games. Their goal is to build a franchise that has sustainable success. Pushing all their chips into the middle for a team that doesn’t have a chance in hell is not building sustainable success.

You’ve seen how the Dodgers rest their players for six months to prepare themselves for the postseason, right. Shutting down the Lakers now is sort of this, in reverse. They’re punting in the playoffs to prepare themselves for next season.

Certainly, Doncic would take the news of a shutdown about as well as Antetokounmpo.

“I think he’s, in my conversations with him, he’s motivated to do everything possible,” said coach JJ Redick to reporters. “And I know for him, it’s hard for him not to be on a basketball court. That’s his happy place. And he’s one of the handful of guys that really plays year round. And it’s not just international competition. But he likes to be in the gym. He likes to be working on his craft. And I think it’s hard for him. He wants to get back on the court.”

Lakers forward LeBron James reacts to a play during a win over the Kings last month at Crypto.com Arena.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

And no, LeBron James is not going to be happy either, trying to carry a team that seemingly isn’t trying. So what? Do you really believe he is going to take remarkably less money to stay on the Lakers next season? Do you really believe the Lakers want him back when they will have the cap space to trade for a player like, um, Antetokounmpo?

To leave James alone on a first-round island might be unfair, but the Lakers have kowtowed to him plenty in his eight years here. He’s just going to have to take one for the team, however briefly that team may be playing.

“It was a shot to the heart and the chest and the mainframe with Luka,” James told reporters. “I woke up from my nap and saw that [Reaves] news and was like, ‘S—.’”

You know who else wouldn’t easily accept the news of a shutdown? That would be Redick, who, barely one week after being lauded as the first Laker coach since Phil Jackson to manage consecutive 50-win seasons, now finds himself again fighting for credibility.

Remember last year when Redick took heat for playing his starters the entire second half of a playoff loss to Minnesota?

He’s taking heat again this spring for playing both Doncic and Reaves in the second half of a blowout loss to Oklahoma City that sent both players to the injured list.

Lakers coach JJ Redick directs players during a blowout loss to the Thunder on Tuesday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

When Doncic was hurt the Lakers trailed by 32 and he had already looked injured after grabbing his leg in the second quarter. Reaves, meanwhile, spent much of the first quarter grabbing at his back.

Redick said both players were medically cleared and that they both insisted on challenging the league-leading Thunder in the second half.

“The group wanted to go for it in the second half,” Redick told reporters. “There was nothing leading into that game that would suggest either those guys were ‘running hot.’’’

This was just the beginning of Redick’s bad week.

Jarred Vanderbilt was certainly running hot Tuesday night in a rematch against Oklahoma City after he was benched in the first moments of the second quarter. Vanderbilt accosted Redick on the court and had to be restrained. Redick ultimately responded by benching Vanderbilt the rest of the game and then not-so-subtly ripping him afterward.

“I think for all of us, you know, being undermanned, we’ve got to scrap and claw, we’ve got to all be on the same page, we got to be great teammates, we got to all play hard,” Redick told reporters. “Called a timeout to get him out of the game. And he reacted.”

One has to wonder about Redick’s connectivity with his players if one of them is unafraid to confront him on the court during the middle of a game.

One has to also wonder, again, about Redick’s big-game management style if he would allow his two best players to risk their health during a blowout.

Redick, who signed an extension in September that will keep him under contract until 2030, is not on the hot seat, not yet. But another spring meltdown will not endear himself to new owners who expect their coaches to be the calm face of the organization.

Then again, for everyone involved, there must be some grace granted in the wake of the incredible tension surrounding a team whose dream season just became a nightmare.

End the nightmare now. For the sake of the future of the franchise, shut it down.

TORONTO — Freddie Freeman ignored the first call from the unknown number.

Then four text messages in a row came from someone claiming to be Ryan Reynolds, the Canadian-American actor.

“I don’t know if I believe this,” Freeman recounted Wednesday on the Rogers Centre field before the Dodgers’ series finale against the Blue Jays. “So I did a little digging.”

Through backchannels, he confirmed it was indeed Reynolds reaching out. So they set up a call, and Reynolds pitched Freeman on participating in the annual holiday video for SickKids Foundation, the fundraising arm of the Toronto children’s hospital.

Spoiler alert: Freeman agreed, and it went viral.

“It was special,” Freeman said. “Got to meet [a few of the kids], know their stories, and then obviously, hopefully raise a lot of funds.”

Freeman was the perfect candidate. The son of two Canadians, the Dodgers first baseman has represented the country playing for the national team. And he’s long supported children’s healthcare.

Though Freeman was a healthy child, he spent a lot of time in the hospital with his mom, Rosemary, who died from melanoma when he was 10 years old.

While playing for the Braves, Freeman got involved with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, hosting an annual “Freddie and Friends” fundraising lunch. And in recent years, his connection to children’s healthcare has become even more personal. In 2024, Freeman’s son, Maximus, then 3, was hospitalized with a severe case of a rare neurological condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome.

“Watching my mom go through her things, and living in hospitals, and having Max get sick, and knowing how important hospitals are for kids, and for people that work there — it’s not just the doctors, but there’s so many different other teams inside of a hospital that are working,” Freeman said. “So when you can help raise funds in a kind of a fun way, I jumped at it.”

The Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman looks on with his wife, Chelsea, and sons before a game against the Braves on April 18, 2022.

(Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It came together around Thanksgiving, just weeks removed from the Dodgers’ World Series win over the Blue Jays in a back-and-forth Game 7 in Toronto. So, of course, the video would play off of that.

“Ryan is so hilarious and fun,” Freeman said. “We had a great time. And it came out really good.”

The video opens with an introduction from Reynolds, who says that so many Canadians had offered to co-star in the annual video that there was a wait list. And it just so happened that this year, it was Freeman’s turn.

Cut to a hospital set, with a healthcare provider and three kids, one wearing a Blue Jays hat and another a team sweatshirt. In walks Freeman, to a chilling reception.

The kids pummel Freeman with insults and boos. And he even dodges what appears to be a teddy bear, before giving them a dejected nod and walking out.

Reynolds reappears.

“I asked him in March,” he says. “What are the odds?”

Of course, that’s not exactly how it happened.

The whole thing was shot in Southern California, Freeman said. The kids got a break from the Toronto winter, and were flown out with their families for filming. Freeman got to meet their parents.

“Those kids were actually the real kids in the hospital, and were doing better, and that’s what made it so fun,” Freeman said.

They were real Blue Jays fans. One of the kids had his prosthetic eye customized with the team logo. But they were also Canadian.

“They were always saying sorry after they said something mean to me,” Freeman said with a laugh.

The digs that made the final cut included: “You suck,” “You ruined everything,” and “Go back to your sunshine and traffic, you hoser.”

They were far more biting than the reception Freeman got at the Rogers Centre this week. Sure, the Dodgers got booed. But Freeman said on deck, he heard fans telling him to come home.

“Canada, everyone knows it’s very special to me,” Freeman said. “Every time I come here, I feel a little closer to my mom.”

She used to work in downtown Toronto, not far from the Rogers Centre. His dad would come meet her as she got off work. For Freeman, it’s a city of stories and memories.

Even in Game 1 of the World Series, Canadian fans cheered for him.

“I love it,” Freeman said of returning to Toronto. “Canadians are too nice. I don’t think they can be actually mean.”

That only happens in children’s hospital fundraising videos.

TORONTO — Shohei Ohtani acknowledged he wasn’t feeling his best Wednesday.

In the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, it took him 22 pitches to navigate a scoreless first inning. But he escaped unscathed.

“Made some adjustments and finished strong at the end,” Ohtani said through Japanese interpreter Will Ireton, after pitching six innings and not giving up an earned run.

Regardless of the unearned run Toronto scored in the third inning, Ohtani holds the longest active streak of innings pitched (26⅔) without allowing an earned run in the majors, according to MLB.com and Elias Sports Bureau.

And by drawing a walk in his first at-bat Wednesday, Ohtani extended his on-base streak to an active-best 43 games, matching Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki for the most ever by a Japanese-born player.

“It was a grind,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You could see it. He just didn’t feel synced up with his delivery. You could see by the misses he was fighting himself the entire outing.

“But obviously the compete comes into play. The stuff comes into play. … Pretty impressive, to be honest with you, given how he felt.”

Ohtani got more efficient as he went, retiring seven straight before he gave up a lead-off double in the sixth inning to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He got out of the inning with a pair of ground balls and a pop-up.

Asked whether it was fatigue or his delivery that was off, Ohtani said it was hard to tell.

“But I think it’s a little bit of both,” he said. “For players, we usually feel fatigue at the end of the road trip. I’m not sure if that was the main cause, but I want to make sure that I’m addressing, if any, some mechanical changes.”

The Dodgers reordered their rotation to give Ohtani seven days between his first two starts of the season. They made Justin Wrobleski the sixth starter, after he began the season in long relief. And they flipped Yamamoto and Ohtani, so Yamamoto was pitching on five days’ rest Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

Ohtani had, however, been in the lineup every day, a physical demand no other pitcher has to worry about.

He reached base twice Wednesday, also gaining a free pass in the fifth inning when a pitch grazed the toe of his right cleat.

“I think [my swing is] going in the right direction,” Ohtani said after hitting three home runs in the last six games and bringing his OPS to .896 through Wednesday. “I think May is a good goal to see where I’m at. I feel like it’s headed in the right direction.”

Though he had a slow first week at the plate, Ohtani’s walk rate (16.9%) has been up, hence the on-base streak.

“I try to really stay with a simple approach and if they’re not throwing me strikes, I’m happy to take a walk,” he said. “If they are throwing strikes, my job is to swing at them.”

If you’re able to get junior pitcher Tanner Brown of Huntington Beach High to crack a smile, you have to be the greatest comedian in the world

“He plays angry,” coach Benji Medure said.

He’s the “other” left-hander on the team. While Jared Grindlinger, a likely first-round draft pick, gets most of the attention, don’t forget about Brown, who had the save in a win over St. John Bosco at the Boras Classic on Wednesday.

He’s 2-0 with a 1.94 ERA.

“I like to play with fire,” he said.

Left-hander Tanner Brown of Huntington Beach.

(Nick Koza)

He wears his emotions on his sleeve. So if something bad happens, watch out. If something good happens, you can exhale.

Asked when he smiles, Brown said, “When the job is done.”

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

Former Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, a three-time World Cup standout for Mexico, will return to the tournament this summer but in a new role as a studio analyst for Fox Sports. And he’s approaching his broadcast debut the same way he approached his playing career, with excitement not fear.

“It’s the same as our sport: if you do a mistake, you cannot change it,” he said. “I’ve always been a guy who sees opportunities, who sees the positives. I’m going to try to deliver my best point of view on each game, player, the tournament.

“I’m going to enjoy this opportunity.”

Hernández said he had other broadcast offers to do the World Cup in Spanish but chose to work in English instead.

“I’m not going to be speaking in my first language. And that’s something I think my Mexican fellows can be inspired by, right? That I don’t go to my comfort zone,” he said. “I want to make all of this an experience for myself. But as well I can show people that whatever you have in your mind, you can achieve it.”

Hernández, 37, is Mexico’s all-time leading scorer with 52 goals, including four in World Cup play. He started and ended his club career with his hometown team, Chivas de Guadalajara, but in between he played for five clubs in Europe and spent four injury-plagued seasons with the Galaxy, scoring 38 times and making two All-Star teams.

He made his final appearance for the Mexican national team in 2019, but he played with and against many of the players still on the team and he was chosen for his first World Cup roster by Javier Aguirre, who will be coaching El Tri again this summer. Hernández said those friendships won’t affect his commentary.

“Truth always needs to be there,” he said. “When someone needs to say hard truths, you have to say it. I’m going to see how I feel. Maybe I end up being the most critical person or the other way around. Maybe Mexico does amazingly and I don’t have to criticize.”

He’ll join four other former Galaxy players — Cobi Jones, Landon Donovan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexi Lalas — on the Fox broadcast team for the World Cup. Hernández, however, is the only one who hasn’t formally announced his retirement as a player.

“I will speak about that later on,” Hernández, who played his final club game last November, said Wednesday. “I just want to focus on this amazing opportunity.”

Lambiase’s impending departure from Red Bull, even if it is the best part of two seasons away, underlines how much has changed at the former world champions in a short time.

Since the start of 2024, Red Bull have lost, for different reasons, Marshall, Newey, Wheatley, Courtenay, and of course Horner, all cornerstones of the team’s success, not just with Verstappen but with their previous four-time champion Sebastian Vettel as well.

And now Lambiase has decided to leave, too.

It is symbolic of the work that needs to be done by new team principal Laurent Mekies, which has been underlined by the team’s difficult start to the season under F1’s new rules.

Those regulations have led to Verstappen questioning his future in F1, as he made clear in his candid interview with BBC Sport after the Japanese Grand Prix.

Red Bull have found both their new chassis and first in-house engine lagging behind the best in the first three races of 2026, and Verstappen is in the unfamiliar position of ninth in the championship, with a best result of sixth place.

Verstappen and Lambiase are close, but it is Red Bull’s lack of competitiveness rather than his race engineer’s departure that will be the focus of Verstappen’s decision on his future.

Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in form from the team, Verstappen will be contractually free to leave Red Bull at the end of this season, based on performance clauses in his contract.

The question for him then will be does he want to stay and commit to helping them rebuild, move to another F1 team, or go and race elsewhere in motorsport?

Some of that answer will depend on what changes F1’s bosses make to the rules – not just in terms of tweaks for the remainder of 2026, but potentially bigger changes from 2027.

Such as, for example, potentially increasing the fuel-flow rate of the new engines so the 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power leans more towards the former, and energy management becomes less of a thing.

If Verstappen does decide to leave Red Bull, McLaren would be an attractive proposition as an alternative, even if they are committed to their current drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

And Lambiase’s move there not only reflects McLaren’s progress in recent years but also their determination not to rest on their laurels.

Stella and chief executive officer Zak Brown have led a remarkable turnaround at McLaren that made them into championship winners in a short timeframe.

But they are aware of their vulnerabilities and are working to address them.

One of those is the weight placed on Stella’s shoulders. The Italian is a remarkable leader blessed with rare emotional intelligence, but the team have been aware for some time of how much he has on his plate.

This has led to a number of changes, some of them implemented quietly behind the scenes, and others – like this one – more public.

McLaren have created an enviable team culture where openness, transparency and mutual support are valued and encouraged.

It’s partly why it’s hard to see why Stella would move back to Ferrari, even if there are constant unfounded rumours that he might for obvious reasons – he’s Italian, he spent the first part of his career there and it’s clear why Ferrari might want him back.

Indeed, senior McLaren insiders insist Stella is going nowhere and that Lambiase is being introduced to free him from aspects of race operational management to focus more on leadership, where his skills are more valuable.

It’s also why it’s easy to see how a character such as Lambiase – straightforward, dynamic, down to earth – would fit in so well at McLaren.

From Maddie Lee: Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas learned about 40 minutes before the Dodgers’ game against Blue Jays on Tuesday that his father, Miguel “Micky” Rojas, was being rushed to the hospital.

Just that afternoon, the elder Rojas had sent his son a photo of himself lying down in bed, ready to watch the game. He was excited to see him play, Micky wrote.

Then, as Rojas prepared to play, he started getting calls and texts from family members.

“There’s nothing I could do being this far,” Rojas said before Wednesday’s 4-3 series-finale loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. “Just support my family, and trying to understand a little bit of what’s going on. I found out that my dad, on the way to the hospital, passed away. He couldn’t live through the heart attack that he had. So it was suddenly that he passed away; he was feeling good. Really hard to understand. I’m still trying to process the whole thing.”

Micky Rojas’ funeral was scheduled for Wednesday. But being in Toronto complicated travel options back to Venezuela. Rojas would have had to fly back through the United States, on an extremely tight timeline.

“That’s how they do things in Venezuela,” Rojas said of the timing of the funeral. “It happens quick because they have to. They don’t have many places to hold these funerals.”

Rojas planned on returning to Los Angeles with the team, and then he might travel to Venezuela to be with his family.

“That hasn’t been decided yet,” Rojas said. “But the most important part for me today was showing up and playing, and then after that, I’ll be a family man on the off day and see what’s the best way to do things after that.”

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Dodgers-Blue Jays box score

MLB scores

MLB standings

UCLA women celebrate national title

UCLA women’s basketball players (from left) Lauren Betts, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gabriela Jaquez dance during the Bruins’ national championship victory celebration Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

From the Associated Press: Lauren Betts and her UCLA teammates celebrated the Bruins’ first NCAA women’s basketball championship with their fans at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night.

Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker capped the party by hitting the court to perform their TikTok dance with the championship trophy in the background. Angela Dugalic made a snow angel in the blue-and-gold confetti littering the court.

“This group is so special,” Jaquez told the crowd that filled half the arena. “We’re all best friends.”

Jaquez led a spirited eight-clap, the band blared the school fight song, and mascots Joe Bruin and Josie Bruin danced.

It’s been a whirlwind for the Bruins since their 79-51 rout of South Carolina in the title game in Phoenix on Sunday. The game averaged 9.9 million viewers, the third most-viewed women’s championship game since 1996.

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Dodgers great Davey Lopes dies at age 80

Davey Lopes acknowledges the cheers of the crowd after hitting his second home run of the game against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 1978 World Series at Dodger Stadium.

(Associated Press)

From Steve Henson: Davey Lopes, the no-nonsense, base-swiping second baseman of a Dodgers infield that played together for an MLB-record 8½ seasons, died Wednesday at age 80, the team announced.

The first 10 years of Lopes’ 16-year major league career were spent with the Dodgers, and he returned to the organization in 2010 to serve as first-base coach for five years. Lopes was a four-time All-Star who won two stolen base titles and one Gold Glove and helped the Dodgers to four World Series, including the championship in 1981.

Taken in the second round of a 1968 Dodgers draft haul considered by many the most talented in baseball history, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Lopes rose from a rough-and-tumble Rhode Island upbringing to become the team’s everyday second baseman and leadoff batter.

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Olympic ticket sticker shot hits L.A.

The LA28 logo at Venice Beach.

(Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for LA28)

From Suhauna Hussain and Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Andie Pangan did not even conceive of the possibility she would fail to snag tickets for tennis or climbing events at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

She has been watching tennis since she was young and desperately wanted tickets for a chance to see Filipina breakout star Alex Eala, who she hopes will qualify and be a trailblazer for the Philippines in the Olympics.

But when she logged on the website at 10 a.m. Monday, the start of her ticket-buying time slot, all the events she had even remotely wanted had sold out, were unavailable or were well out of her price range, more than $1,000.

“I was shocked. Even climbing was all gone,” said Pangan, who lives 10 minutes from the Carson Stadium, which will serve as an Olympic venue. “I never really thought I would come out of this presale without getting anything.”

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Lakers great Michael Cooper coaching at Cal State L.A.

Lakers great Michael Cooper speaks during a news conference at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday after being introduced as the university’s men’s basketball coach.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

From Kara Carrell: Michael Cooper’s return to Cal State Los Angeles is more than just another coaching stop — it’s a homecoming.

The Lakers legend was introduced Wednesday as the program’s 14th men’s basketball head coach, bringing with him decades of experience and a clear vision: return the Golden Eagles to championship form.

The goal for Cooper is to reestablish what the men’s basketball program achieved two years ago, winning a championship.

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How a dependence on painkillers took down Tiger Woods

In this image from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office, golfer Tiger Woods is taken into custody following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., on March 27.

(Associated Press)

From Steve Henson: Reaction to Tiger Woods’ car crash and driving under the influence arrest last month ranged from sadness to dismay to exasperation. Few observers, however, expressed surprise.

Although widely recognized as perhaps the greatest golfer of all time, Woods, 50, has been in a downward spiral personally and professionally for years.

His struggles with prescription drugs became public in 2017 when police found him asleep at the wheel of his car with the engine running near his Jupiter, Fla., home. Multiple painkillers, sleep aids and THC were detected in his system. Woods checked into rehab shortly after that incident, saying his efforts to manage insomnia and pain from his staggering number of surgeries on his own was a mistake.

Now, though, he’s again in rehab, likely in Switzerland after his private jet landed in Zurich on Friday, according to reports. The latest crash is the fourth major incident involving Woods behind the wheel since 2009.

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Clippers can’t keep up with NBA-best Thunder

Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores over Clippers guard Jordan Miller in the first half Wednesday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From the Associated Press: Chet Holmgren had 30 points and 14 rebounds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points and 11 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the NBA’s best record with a 128-110 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.

Jalen Williams scored 18 points for the NBA champion Thunder (64-16), who will have home-court advantage throughout the postseason in their title defense after holding off San Antonio (61-19), which is on an 18-2 run since February. Oklahoma City has won seven straight and 19 of 20 to earn the West’s No. 1 seed for the third straight season.

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Clippers-Thunder box score

NBA scores

NBA standings

Reid Detmers runs into trouble early in Angels’ loss

Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers delivers against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

(William Liang / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Matt Olson homered, Grant Holmes pitched into the seventh inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Angels 8-2 on Wednesday.

Atlanta broke a 2-2 tie in the third inning on Olson’s third homer of the season — a two-out, two-run shot to center field against Reid Detmers (0-1). Austin Riley followed with a double and scored on shortstop Zach Neto’s throwing error to make it 5-2.

Holmes (1-1) left with two on and two outs in the seventh and Mike Trout due up. Joel Payamps struck out Trout on a full-count fastball. Trout was 0 for 4 and just one for nine in the series, his hit a pop fly misplayed for a single, and is hitting .190.

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Angels-Braves box score

This day in sports history

1912 — First exhibition baseball game at Fenway Park.

1946 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 6-3 to win the Stanley Cup in five games.

1947 — Leo Durocher, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is suspended for one year by Commissioner A.B. “Happy” Chandler for “conduct detrimental to baseball.” Durocher is linked to gambling interests.

1950 — Jimmy Demaret wins his third Masters, by two strokes over Jim Ferrier.

1959 — Thirteenth NBA Championship: Boston Celtics sweep Minnesota Lakers in 4 games.

1960 — The Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 122-103 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for their third NBA title in the last four years. Frank Ramsey leads the Celtics with 24 points and Bill Russell scores 22 points and grabs 35 rebounds.

1962 — Arnold Palmer wins a three-way playoff, beating Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald in the Masters.

1966 — Anaheim Stadium for California Angels opens.

1972 — 36th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Nicklaus leads wire-to-wire to win the 4th of his 6 Masters titles.

1978 — Gary Player shoots a final-round 64 to win his third Masters, edging Hubert Green, Rod Funseth and defending champion Tom Watson by a shot.

1978 — Denver’s David Thompson, battling San Antonio’s George Gervin for the NBA season scoring title, scores 73 points against the Detroit Pistons. It’s the third-highest output ever in an NBA game. Gervin, not to be outdone, later scores 63 against the New Orleans Jazz. It’s just enough to give Gervin the scoring crown, 27.22 points per game to Thompson’s 27.15, the tightest one-two finish ever.

1981 — Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela’s first start.

1987 — For 3rd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in a Stanley Cup game and passes Jean Béliveau as all time playoff scoring champ.

1989 — Britain’s Nick Faldo makes a 25-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Masters. Runner-up Scott Hoch missed a 2-foot putt for par on the first hole of the playoff that would have given him the title.

1995 — 59th Masters tournament, Augusta National GC: Ben Crenshaw wins his second Masters title.

1997 — Major League Soccer announces Miami & Chicago as expansion teams.

2000 — Fiji native Vijay Singh meets every challenge to win the Masters, closing with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Ernie Els.

2001 — Australia sets a record for the most one-sided international win in FIFA history, beating Tonga 22-0 in an Oceania Group One qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup.

2005 — The United States beats Canada 3-1 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless regulation and 20-minute overtime to win the Women’s World Hockey Championship. The win ends the defending champions’ run of eight straight titles.

2006 — 70th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson wins his 2nd green jacket.

2013 — 32nd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Louisville, 93-60.

2016 — Manny Pacquiao returns from the biggest loss of his career with a bang, knocking down Timothy Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous 12-round decision in their welterweight showdown in Las Vegas.

2017 — Sergio Garcia overcomes a two-shot deficit with six holes to play and beats Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at the Masters for his first major after nearly two decades of heartache. No one ever played more majors as a pro — 70 — before winning a major for the first time.

2017 — Russell Westbrook breaks Oscar Robertson’s 56-year-old record with his 42nd triple-double of the season, then he breaks the Denver Nuggets’ hearts with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for a 106-105 victory. Westbrook has 50 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in breaking Robertson’s record of 41 triple-doubles that stood since the 1961-62 season. With his triple-double in the books, Westbrook scores his team’s final 15 points, including a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounds after a timeout with 2.9 seconds left.

2021 — San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove no-hits the Texas Rangers.

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.

Tyson Fury says he was “sick of boxing” and “needed time away” before coming out of his fifth retirement.

The former world heavyweight champion faces a comeback fight against Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

READ MORE: Fury wants to face Joshua after comeback fight

Even for a high-profile international footballer, sometimes mum knows best.

In September 2023, when, by his own admission, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was at his lowest ebb, as he was abused and mocked during an England appearance against Scotland (“I came on, played really well, then scored an own goal”), his mum Zoe took to social media.

She called the treatment of her son “disgraceful and unacceptable”.

“I didn’t want her to, but she just said, ‘I’m doing it! I’m not listening to you!'” Maguire said, smiling, as he spoke at length about his career so far and hopes for the future to journalists at the club’s training camp in Maynooth, 20 miles outside Dublin.

“I think it probably does affect your family a little bit more in those moments. They’ve seen what we’re going through and how tough it is.

“That was probably the lowest point, but it’s part of the journey.

“I wouldn’t change where I’ve been and what I’ve been through. It’s definitely made me stronger and got me to where I am today.”

It seems unfair to focus on negatives.

Maguire, 33, feels he has “performed really well” in six out of his seven seasons at Old Trafford.

“I still believe, even at my age, I’m arguably one of the best defenders in the world in both boxes,” he said. “I don’t think that’s in question really; that I can be really effective later on in games, whether you’re holding on to a lead or trying to chase a game.”

Yet the openness and the honesty with which he assessed his more difficult moments made it an obvious area to probe, 24 hours after it had been confirmed Maguire had signed a new deal that will give him an eighth campaign at the club, and potentially a ninth.

After all, this is someone who had the captaincy taken off him by then-manager Erik ten Hag and the club were prepared to sell to West Ham a couple of months before that Scotland game.

“Obviously your first emotion is anger and disappointment, that’s natural,” he said of the captaincy call.

“But I always thought unless you are one of the superstars and a world, world class player, you have ups and downs and things that you have to deal with. That’s why you see so many players have two or three years at the top, drop off, go to a different country and you don’t hear too much about them again.

“Wayne Rooney was here, one of the best players to ever play for this club, and he got so much pelters at times when he wasn’t doing too well. I always looked to the experience with players like Wayne and David Beckham and how they overcame it.

“I just kept my head down. I have great self-belief, more importantly, that I’m a top player. That’s what helps me when things are tough.”

Clearly, strength of mind is a positive character trait.

Maguire accepts it has been bumpy at times.

He did not go as far as to say he benefited from having the captaincy taken away but did admit “the form came back” after it happened. “I believe the form would have come back whether I was captain or not,” he added.

However, he concedes not everyone would have the mental strength to navigate their way through his pathway.

“Yes probably,” he said, when asked if it would have broken most players.

“I think there’ll be a lot who want to just close the book, go elsewhere and restart their career. I think it’s probably broken them a little bit earlier. It got to a point with the mocking and the abuse – if you want to call it abuse – there was only one way it could go.”

Erin King will make her first international appearance in a year as she captains Ireland in Saturday’s Six Nations opener in England.

King missed the World Cup last year after she sustained a knee injury in the defeat by the Red Roses in the 2025 Six Nations.

The 22-year-old has been named Ireland’s captain for the 2026 edition and will start at flanker against an England side who are looking to win an eighth Six Nations in a row.

She is joined in the back row by Brittany Hogan and Aoife Wafer, who was the Six Nations player of the championship in 2025 but had an injury-hit year.

Former England prop Ellena Perry will make her Irish Six Nations debut after switching allegiances ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

More to follow.

Ireland: Stacey Flood; Beibhinn Parsons; Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins; Vicky Elmes Kinlan; Dannah O’Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Cliodhna Moloney-Macdonald, Linda Djougang; Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer.

Replacements: Neve Jones, Niamh O’Dowd, Eilis Cahill, Ruth Campbell, Grace Moore, Katie Whelan, Nancy McGillivray, Anna McGann.

The Masters is one of the most prestigious events in sport. But the story behind The Masters Tournament is also tied to the history of segregation in golf. From the PGA’s “Caucasian-only clause” to the Black caddies who knew Augusta better than anyone. And why Tiger Woods’s victory in 1997 changed the image of the game forever. Al Jazeera’s Samantha Johnson looks at the tournament’s complicated past.

At the start of a new World Cup cycle and with a new coaching team in place, there’s a sense of a new page being turned in this Scotland set-up.

Bryan Easson departed after five years following that quarter-final exit to England, with former United States head coach Sione Fukofuka taking over.

Captain Rachel Malcolm says Scotland want to get to the stage of “fighting in that top four, top five in the world”, but warns with a new coach and a host of new players, the team may have to endure a step back to take a few forward.

Thankfully the build-up to this Six Nations has been less stressful than prior to the World Cup, when the squad were angered by a perceived lack of respect over contracts that left several players facing unemployment after the tournament.

Malcolm was in the thick of it as captain and spokesman, in negotiations with the Scottish Rugby hierarchy and in outlining the players’ position to the media.

Clearly not all the scars have healed – especially for those players left without a contract – but the mood music sounds a lot better than it did a few months ago.

“There is no-one in a position right now as stressful as those girls were put in, which is exactly what I want as a captain. I really want our focus and our energy to be going into the rugby,” Malcolm told the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast.

Howe cannot afford to think that far ahead, given the games to come.

A late push for Europe would put a different complexion on a bruising domestic campaign.

But Newcastle must go on a run to do so, which they have failed to do all season.

When Anthony Elanga openly asked whether the dressing room could show they were fighting for the head coach “again, again and again”, in a previous interview with BBC Sport, the forward was alluding to his side’s inconsistency.

“We want to keep on fighting for him because he’s helped us so much,” he said.

“I’d even go as far to say he is one of the best managers I’ve worked for. I’m really grateful to have him as a manager and I try to take everything he says to me on board because I know it’s for my benefit.

“I know he will help me so much. All the players feel the same.”

Yet you never quite know what you are going to get from Howe’s team this term.

Just as Newcastle can beat Manchester United with 10 men and record a rare win at Chelsea, this leaky side can also capitulate and concede seven goals in the Nou Camp or throw away a half-time lead against Sunderland.

All in the same month.

Is there a degree of mitigation for the ups and downs of a campaign where Newcastle reached the last 16 of the Champions League and a third EFL Cup semi-final in four years, but also suffered 13 Premier League defeats?

Even as far back as the autumn, there was a belief internally there would be choppy waters to navigate following a turbulent summer.

Newcastle missed out on a host of top-choice targets, buckled and eventually sold star striker Alexander Isak to Liverpool on deadline day and tackled a crucial window without a chief executive and sporting director in place.

Also, whereas the so-called ‘big six’ are used to fighting on multiple fronts, with deeper squads, this has been relatively uncharted territory for Newcastle, who have played more games (51) than any other side in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

Such has been the relentless nature of the schedule, there has been a feeling within the camp that they “can’t breathe” at times.

But the squad will soon be lifted by the return of talisman Guimaraes, who is understood to have been “working hard every single day” after being sidelined with a hamstring issue, as well as midfielder Lewis Miley and defender Fabian Schar.

Howe will also have clear weeks to prepare for the final seven matches of the season – and a rare extended period to intensively work with record signing Nick Woltemade following the German forward’s curious recent stint in midfield.

The head coach and his staff will need no reminding they need to make that time count in what feels like a defining few months on Tyneside.

Chet Holmgren had 30 points and 14 rebounds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points and 11 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the NBA’s best regular-season record with a 128-110 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.

Jalen Williams scored 18 points for the NBA champion Thunder (64-16), who will have home-court advantage throughout the postseason in their title defense after holding off San Antonio (61-19), which is on an 18-2 run since February. Oklahoma City has won seven straight and 19 of 20 to earn the West’s No. 1 seed for the third straight season.

Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and Brook Lopez added 16 for the eighth-place Clippers, who had won seven of nine. The Clippers are 35-18 since shortly before Christmas, but still must win one of its final two games to extend this once-moribund franchise’s streak to 15 consecutive winning seasons.

The Clippers head to Portland on Friday for a crucial game. The winner almost certainly will finish eighth in the Western Conference, while the losers will slip to ninth, where they’ll need two wins in the play-in tournament to make the playoffs.

While Gilgeous-Alexander scored at least 20 points in his record 141st consecutive game despite sitting out the fourth quarter, Leonard scored at least 20 in his 56th straight game. Leonard also remained on track to play in at least 65 games this season — his second-most in seven years with the Clippers, and enough to qualify for All-NBA consideration.

Holmgren scored 24 points in the first half and propelled the Thunder to an early 25-point lead. Oklahoma City hit 58.1% of its shots and thoroughly stifled the Clippers’ offense, allowing no fast-break field goals.

Darius Garland sat out for the Clippers to manage his toe injury. He hasn’t played in back-to-back games since Los Angeles acquired him from Cleveland in a trade for James Harden.

Up next for the Clippers: At Portland on Friday.

It has been a breakthrough season for Coghlan who was named in Wales’ autumn squad and won his first cap as a replacement in the 73-0 defeat against South Africa in November 2025.

The former Wales U19 international was left out of the Six Nations squad but wants a Test return.

“It was incredible,” said Coghlan.

“When I did get my chance to get my cap, it was a special feeling, hard to explain, a lot of emotions and just felt incredibly proud.

“Growing up it’s your dream goal and that feeling is something now I want to keep chasing.

“I want to do everything I can to get back in there and represent my country, so hopefully I can get more caps in the future.”

Coghlan is being inspired by Dragons and Wales hooker Elliot Dee, who he is currently keeping out of the starting side.

“Elliot’s a legend and so supportive of me,” said Coghlan.

“He’s given me lots of tips over the last few years.

“He’s really competitive as well, so it’s what drives me to train harder. I want to try to push myself to do what he’s done.

“The amount of caps he’s had for Wales, the games he’s had for the Dragons, to have him in the group and to learn so much off him is class.”

The Boras Classic has seen lots of upsets this week. No. 1 St. John Bosco, No. 4 Corona and No. 6 Huntington Beach were all beaten in first-round games. On Wednesday, No. 2 Orange Lutheran was taken into the eighth inning by Gahr until a walk-off single by CJ Weinstein delivered a 2-1 victory and sent the Lancers into Thursday’s 6 p.m. semifinal at JSerra.

Weinstein finished with two hits and two RBIs. Angel Gonzalez started the bottom of the eighth with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice. Then came consecutive walks to load the bases before Weinstein ended the game. Jake Ourique struck out six with no walks in seven innings for Gahr.

Norco 14, Los Osos 0: The Cougars (14-1) advanced to the Boras Classic semifinals with a five-inning mercy-rule win. Codey Brown had three hits and three RBIs and Jacob Melendez added four RBIs. Dylan Seward and Jordan Ayala each hit home runs. Ayala struck out nine and gave up three hits. Norco will play at Mater Dei at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Huntington Beach 4, St. John Bosco 2: Ely Mason had three hits and Jared Grindlinger recorded eight strikeouts in 4⅓ innings to hand St. John Bosco its third consecutive defeat.

Corona 3, Arcadia 2: Anthony Murphy finished with two hits and Trey Ebel had a triple for the Panthers. Matt Manzo had three hits for Arcadia.

Newport Harbor 2, Corona Centennial 0: Ryan Williams had a solo home run and Henry Mann added an RBI double for Newport Harbor.

El Camino Real 9, Cleveland 3: The Royals ended Cleveland’s nine-game winning streak. Jackson Sellz threw a complete game, Shane Bogacz had three hits and three RBIs and Ryan Glassman added two hits and two RBIs.

South Gate 7, Bell 3 The Rams handed a rare Eastern League defeat to Bell (16-2, 2-1). Joe Corona had two hits and three RBIs. Ernesto Brenes threw a complete game. South Gate put together a six-run sixth inning to wipe away a 2-1 deficit.

Granada Hills 12, Chatsworth 1: Caleb Reclusado finished with three hits, including a home run, to lead the Highlanders. Luke Chau struck out five in six innings.

Carson 15, Gardena 4: Kris Sinclair had two hits and three RBIs for the Colts.

Garfield 8, Legacy 1: Nathan Gaytan hit two home runs to help the Bulldogs take over sole possession of first place in the Eastern League.

Villa Park 8, El Dorado 4: Jack McGuire limited El Dorado to two hits and one run in five innings.

Cypress 14, La Habra 3: Freshman Ivan Ortiz had four hits and three RBIs for Cypress.

Sierra Canyon 13, Warren 0: Greyson Gullage and Fletcher Taylor hit home runs and Mikhail Johnson had two hits and two RBIs.

Chaminade 7, Santa Barbara 0: Jackson Schroeder struck out 11 and Isaiah Hearn homered for the Eagles.

Bishop Alemany 12, Nevada Centennial 2: MJ Serrano threw five shutout innings and Brody Thompson and Chase Stevenson each hit home runs. Noah Chan finished with two hits and three RBIs.

St. Francis 4, St. Joseph 2: Daniel Izaguirre had two hits and two RBIs and Donovan Udell threw a complete game.