team

PHILADELPHIA — Trevor Zegras scored twice for the Philadelphia Flyers in his first game against his former team to lead them to a 5-2 win over the Ducks on Tuesday night.

Cutter Gauthier scored his 20th goal of the season for the Ducks in his second game in Philadelphia against the franchise he forced to trade him — and turned him into one of Philly’s biggest sports villains — as the Ducks lost their seventh straight game.

On a night the Flyers honored late founder Ed Snider, the arena was packed with fans just happy to root again for a team in playoff contention.

Flyers fans mostly showed up to boo — and profanely chant — at Gauthier. They roared in the second period when Garnet Hathaway cleanly crushed Gauthier into the boards.

The Flyers were forced to trade Gauthier, the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft, a year ago because he wouldn’t sign, train or even communicate with the Flyers. Gauthier has never made his exact excuse for wanting out publicly clear — just one more reason for Flyers fans to jeer him like a pro wrestling bad guy.

There was a scary moment early in the second when Ross Johnston leveled Jamie Drysdale — who the Flyers acquired for Gauthier — and the defenseman was face down on the ice for several minutes. The stretcher came out but Drysdale was eventually helped up and walked with assistance to the locker room.

Johnston was hit with five minutes for interference and given a game misconduct.

The two teams made another big trade with each over the summer when the Flyers landed Zegras once Anaheim concluded he no longer fit the Ducks’ roster as they attempt to end their seven-year playoff drought.

Zegras — who followed Gauthier with two straight goals in the first period for a 2-1 lead —will be a restricted free agent this summer. The Flyers expect him to be a key part in their ascent in the East standings.

Cam York and Travis Sanheim also scored for the Flyers and Nikita Gregbenkin added an empty-netter. Alex Killorn had a goal for the Ducks.

The WNBA and its players union will not agree to another extension of the collective bargaining agreement after the deadline passes Friday night, WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart said.

That does not mean players will strike or the league will lock them out. Stewart told reporters Thursday at a practice for the Unrivaled three-on-three league that players would continue to negotiate in good faith.

With the deadline just before midnight Friday, the league wouldn’t confirm that the sides won’t reach an extension. A spokesman did say the league would “continue to negotiate in good faith with the goal of reaching a deal as quickly as possible.”

“Our focus remains on reaching an agreement that significantly increases player compensation while ensuring the long-term growth of the business,” a spokesperson said.

The league and the players had two previous extensions and met several times this week. Any stalled negotiations could delay the start of the season. The last CBA was announced in the middle of January 2020, a month after it had been agreed to.

It easily could take two months from when a new CBA is reached to get to the start of free agency, which was supposed to begin this month.

While a strike or lockout isn’t imminent, both sides could change their viewpoints.

Stewart said calling a strike is “not something that we’re going to do right this second, but we have that in our back pocket.” The league hasn’t been considering a lockout, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.

As of Thursday, the sides remained far apart on many key issues, including salary and revenue sharing, and it seems unlikely a deal could be reached before Friday’s deadline.

Revenue sharing a sticking point in talks

The league’s most recent offer last month would guarantee a maximum base salary of $1 million that could reach $1.3 million through revenue sharing. That’s up from the current $249,000 and could grow to nearly $2 million over the life of the agreement, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.

Under the proposal, players would receive in excess of 70% of net revenue — though that would be their take of the profits after expenses are paid. Those expenses would include upgraded facilities, charter flights, five-star hotels, medical services, security and arenas.

The average salary this year would be more than $530,000, up from its current $120,000, and grow to more than $770,000 over the life of the agreement. The minimum salary would grow from its current $67,000 to approximately $250,000 in the first year, the person told the AP.

The proposal also would pay young stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, who are all still on their rookie contracts, nearly double the league minimum.

The union’s counter proposal to the league would give players around 30% of the gross revenue. The players’ percentage would be from money generated before expenses for the first year and teams would have a $10.5-million salary cap to sign players. Under the union’s proposal, the revenue sharing percent would go up slightly each year.

Union wants expansion fees included; league saying no

The union feels that the $750 million in expansion fees that the league just received with the addition of franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia by 2030 should be considered revenue and included in projections. The league says that the money actually goes to all the current teams to make up for the future money they’ll be losing by dividing the total revenue by more franchises.

Other major sports leagues like the NBA, NHL and NFL don’t include expansion fees in their revenue-sharing structures. Major League Baseball’s salary structure is not tied to its revenue, so expansion fees don’t matter.

League wants players to pay for own housing

With the potential new minimum salary at approximately $250,000, the WNBA has said that like most every other pro league, players should pay for their own housing.
The union’s stance is that teams should continue to pay for players’ housing.

Why stalled negotiations could delay the season

An extended delay in getting a deal done could cause a number of problems, specifically getting the season started on time or even played for several reasons. There are several factors that indicate that time is near:

• Free agency: With nearly all the veterans free agents this offseason, this will be the biggest year in the league’s history as far as potential movement. Free agency was supposed to start this month. However, once a new CBA is reached, it could take both parties two months to get free agency started.
• Revenue-generating events could be delayed: The release of the schedule has been delayed. In the past the league tried to get it out before the holidays so teams could sell tickets. With so many players potentially changing teams as free agents, new merchandise wouldn’t be able to be sold.
• Expansion draft: With Portland and Toronto entering the league this year, an expansion draft has to be held. Last year when Golden State came into the WNBA, a draft was held in December. Teams need to figure out who they will be protecting from being selected in the draft, and that is made more complicated because of all the free agents.

Maybe UCLA has discovered the answer to boosting home attendance at men’s basketball games.

Just have Jordan Chiles perform at every halftime.

When the Olympic gymnast put on her “Dancing with the Stars” routine in November during an otherwise humdrum matchup against Pepperdine at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins drew 9,103 fans. It remains, by far, their largest crowd of the season.

Unfortunately, Chiles isn’t available for every game. That leaves her school in need of more realistic solutions for another season of lagging attendance for what’s supposed to be its marquee sport.

UCLA’s home average of 5,211 fans entering its game against Maryland on Saturday evening at Pauley Pavilion is ranked third to last among the 18 Big Ten teams, topping only Northwestern (4,886) and USC (4,280).

Among a litany of explanations, there are the usual (tickets are too expensive, students have been on winter break) and relatively new (the team is disappointing, the best nonconference games are being held as neutral-site fundraisers for name, image and likeness endeavors).

While it’s almost certain that attendance will rise as the Bruins (10-5 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) enter the heart of conference play — more than 10,000 fans are expected for a showdown against No. 5 Purdue later this month, and the crosstown rivalry game against USC isn’t until February — the team could use some additional solutions for a problem that has plagued it in recent years.

What can be done to get more people in the building?

“That’s a Martin Jarmond question,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said Friday, referring to the school’s athletic director. “You know, there’s only so many things I can worry about. I’ve been getting that [question] since my days at Murray State. Donors, fans, friends of mine come with ideas — marketing, tickets. They have whole divisions of the athletic department to worry about that.

“Imagine having to raise $10 million to pay your team and you have to do it because the athletic department fundraisers raise money for the athletic department. So I think I’ll leave the marketing up to the marketing department.”

UCLA coach Mick Cronin cheers on his team against Oregon at Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 6.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

As part of its new ticketing partnership with Elevate, UCLA continues to tweak its pricing strategy. The entities have begun implementing dynamic pricing that can be adjusted based on demand, though they remain constrained by a new process that will be improved into a more nimble operation in the future.

Some fans might simply be unwilling to pay the asking price to see a team that has fallen short of expectations.

Tickets on UCLA’s website for the Maryland game range from $24 for a corner seat in the upper deck to $310 for a seat at midcourt in the lower level. (Each seat also comes with an additional ticketing fee ranging from $7 to $35.50, depending on location.)

One could buy a midrange smartphone for what it costs to see the Bruins play Purdue in a prime seat. Those tickets range from $44.50 for a corner seat in the upper deck to $449.50 at midcourt in the lower level. A comparable lower-level midcourt seat to see the Lakers face Milwaukee on Friday at Crypto.com Arena could be found on StubHub for $505.

UCLA has mitigated the pricing issue with promotions such as “Fours Up Fridays,” which offered fans $4 tickets for three Friday nonconference games; $10 tickets for the Arizona State, Northwestern and Rutgers games; and mini-plans offering bundled tickets at a discounted rate. Students were offered free entry for nonconference games in addition to free food during games while school is in session and a student attendance challenge providing prizes based on attendance.

Part of the attendance problem in recent seasons has been a lack of exciting nonconference opponents. The Bruins’ most attractive nonconference games this season — against Arizona, Gonzaga and California — were held at neutral sites to raise NIL money for each team.

“Everybody in the country is doing what we’re doing, would you agree with that?” Cronin asked a reporter inquiring about bringing more enticing nonconference opponents to Pauley Pavilion.

Well, yes and no.

While neutral-site NIL games have indeed become a major trend, some schools have continued to play big-name nonconference opponents on their home court. Arizona played Auburn. Duke played Florida. Michigan played Villanova. Kansas played Connecticut.

UCLA’s most attractive nonconference home game was against Arizona State, which isn’t exactly a national brand. The game drew only 5,553.

“They’re a high-major team in the Big 12 and everybody said we’ve got to keep Pac 12 rivalries,” Cronin said of the Sun Devils. “But everybody else, everybody in the country has got to raise money and is playing neutral-site games — everybody. Unless you know some donors that want to give me $5 million to pay players, we’ve got no choice.”

Some additional promotions could entice fans in the weeks to come. UCLA is offering 7,500 fans a free John Wooden bobblehead for the Purdue game. There will be a white-out theme, including a free rally towel for all fans, against Indiana.

Ultimately, the easiest answer won’t cost a thing. As always, winning is the best promotion.

Etc.

Cronin said guard Skyy Clark, who has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in the second half against Iowa last week, was considered doubtful to play against Maryland. … Cronin said everything was on the table to improve the team’s lackluster defense, including lineup changes, schematic changes and the possibility “we don’t practice offense the rest of the year.” … UCLA will honor Dodgers manager and former Bruins outfielder Dave Roberts as the honorary captain Saturday. A limited edition “Westwood Brothers” T-shirt featuring Roberts and Cronin together in a playful twist on the movie “Step Brothers” can be purchased with a $25 donation to Men of Westwood. Fans must email their receipt to menofwestwoodtickets@gmail.com before picking up the shirts on the north concourse during the game. Asked if he had seen his likeness on the shirt, Cronin said, with a chuckle: “Somebody told me it was awful.”

From Ryan Kartje: When Husan Longstreet arrived at USC a year ago, the expectation was the five-star freshman would be the Trojans’ future at quarterback.

But after just one season at USC, Longstreet is leaving.

The true freshman passer and former top prospect officially entered the NCAA transfer portal Thursday, throwing the Trojans’ future plans at football’s most important position into question. USC has just two quarterbacks currently on the roster, one being a true freshman in Jonas Williams.

There’s no doubt, however, who will remain USC’s quarterback next season. Returning starter Jayden Maiava, who led the Big Ten in passing yards last season (3,711) announced his intent last month to play another season at USC, as opposed to declaring for the NFL draft.

That left Longstreet with a choice: Spend another season on the sideline or search for opportunity elsewhere.

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Here’s what UCLA needs to fix

From Ben Bolch: When his team lost three consecutive games during what was shaping up as a rocky debut season, Mick Cronin made players and coaches go through practices without the UCLA logo on their tank tops and shorts.

There’s currently no need to strip anyone of anything.

This already looks nothing like what UCLA basketball is supposed to be.

The defense is lagging, the roster is lacking and nobody seems to know what to do about it.

A second consecutive loss has dropped the Bruins squarely into bubble territory for the NCAA tournament, somewhere a team that wears these four letters across its chest should never be. They are a middling 10-5 with no compelling victories and a .500 record early in Big Ten play.

Here are five fixes designed to get a team that entered the season ranked No. 12 playing closer to expectations:

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Dodgers avoid arbitration

From Benjamin Royer: The Dodgers won’t be heading to an arbitration hearing after all.

Outfielder Alex Call (one-year, $1.6 million) and relief pitchers Anthony Banda (one-year, $1.625 million) and Brock Stewart (one-year, $1.3 million) each avoided arbitration, coming to an agreement with the Dodgers before Thursday’s MLB arbitration deadline, people familiar with the situation but unauthorized to speak publicly confirmed to The Times.

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Ducks lose eighth in a row

Jalen Chatfield’s first goal of the season was a tiebreaker and goalie Frederik Andersen snapped a personal nine-game losing streak as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ducks 5-2 on Thursday night.

Chatfield, a defenseman playing in his 300th career game, scored during the Hurricanes’ three-goal second period. He also had an assist.

Ryan Poehling and Mikael Granlund scored for the Ducks (21-20-3), who have an eight-game losing streak (0-7-1). Ville Husso stopped 30 shots.

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Former employee sues Ducks and NHL for sexual harassment and discrimination

Ducks summary

NHL standings

Chloe Kim injured

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim said Thursday that she dislocated her shoulder in training and doesn’t know whether she will be able to compete at the Winter Games in Italy next month.

Kim posted footage of her fall from earlier this week on the halfpipe in Laax, Switzerland, where the world’s top snowboarders compete later this month in a key pre-Olympic tune-up. She landed a jump cleanly but lost an edge and went skittering across the pipe, face down.

Kim, who did not say which shoulder she hurt, said she is “trying to stay optimistic” about competing at the Olympics but “[doesn’t] have much clarity now.” The 25-year-old said she has an MRI scheduled for Friday that will reveal the extent of the damage.

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How Puka Nacua became the best pass catcher

From Gary Klein: The spectacular one-handed catch looked like the kind of play that could only be made with sudden adjustment. A reaction with no thought or practice required.

But that’s not how it went down for Rams star receiver Puka Nacua.

Nacua’s fourth-down touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals in the regular-season season finale had its roots in a conversation with quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“Just trusting the technique is something that actually me and Matthew talked about in the week before in a rep during practice,” Nacua said. “The angle departure that we were looking at.

“It’s crazy how some of those things come to life on Sundays.”

Stafford and Nacua were the NFL’s top connection this season.

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NFL playoffs schedule

NFL wild-card picks: Rams get revenge on Panthers; Packers beat Bears

All times Pacific
Wild-card round
NFC
Saturday
No. 5 Rams at No. 4 Carolina, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes
No. 7 Green Bay at No. 2 Chicago, 5 p.m., Prime Video

Sunday
No. 6 San Francisco at No. 3 Philadelphia, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes

AFC
Sunday
No. 6 Buffalo at No. 3 Jacksonville, 10 a.m., CBS, Paramount+
No. 7 Chargers at No. 2 New England, 5 p.m., NBC, Peacock, Universo

Monday
No. 5 Houston at No. 4 Pittsburgh, 5 p.m., ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes; ManningCast-ESPN2

Divisional round
Jan. 17 and 18, TBA

Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 25, TBA

Super Bowl
Sunday, Feb. 8, NBC, Time TBA

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1942 — Joe Louis knocks out Buddy Baer with four seconds left in the first round at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain the world heavyweight title.

1977 — Oakland wins its first NFL title nd the Minnesota Vikings drop their fourth Super Bowl as the Raiders post a 32-14 triumph.

1988 — Anthony Carter catches 10 passes for an NFL postseason-record 227 yards to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 36-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers and advanced to the NFC title game.

1991 — Dean Smith collects his 700th career coaching victory as North Carolina routs Maryland 105-73. Smith is the sixth Division I basketball coach to reach the 700-win plateau and does so in the shortest time.

1996 — The Toronto Raptors set an NBA record by not making a free throw in a 92-91 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. The expansion Raptors shoots 0-for-3 from the foul line.

2004 — Brian Boucher of Phoenix posts his fifth consecutive shutout in a 2-0 win over Minnesota. He stops 21 shots and passes Bill Durnan’s NHL mark of 309:21, early in the third period.

2006 — Kobe Bryant of the Lakers scores 45 points against Indiana, making him the first player since Wilt Chamberlain — in November of 1964 — to score at least that many in four straight games.

2007 — Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mark McGwire, whose 583 home runs ranked seventh on the career list, does not make it on his first ballot.

2008 — Golf Channel suspends anchor Kelly Tilghman for two weeks for saying a week earlier that young players who wanted to challenge Tiger Woods should “lynch him in a back alley.”

2010 — Peyton Manning becomes the first player to win The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player honors four times.

2010 — Detroit’s Ben Gordon scores 20 points, including the 10 millionth point in NBA history, in a 104-04 loss to Philadelphia.

2012 — Jeremy Shelley kicks five field goals and Trent Richardson breaks a 34-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter as No. 2 Alabama beats No. 1 LSU 21-0 — the first shutout in BCS title game history.

2013 — No one is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. For the second time in four decades, baseball writers fail to give any player the 75 percent required for induction to Cooperstown. Craig Biggio, 20th on the career list with 3,060 hits, appears on 68.2% of the 569 ballots, the highest total but 39 votes shy.

2016 — Quarterback Carson Wentz, out since mid-October with a broke wrist, returns to lead North Dakota State to an unprecedented fifth straight FCS championship with a 37-10 victory over top seed Jacksonville State.

2016 — Chris Boswell kicks a 35-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining as the Steelers somehow pull out an 18-16 victory over Cincinnati in the AFC wild-card game. Pittsburgh moves into field goal position after a pair of 15-yard penalties on the Bengals, one on linebacker Vontaze Burfict and another on Adam Jones.

2017 — College Football National Championship, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa: No. 2 Clemson beats No. 1 Alabama, 35-31.

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.

Junior guard Zaire Rasshan of Damien knows football. His father, Osaar, was a backup quarterback at UCLA from 2005-09. Rasshan played quarterback his freshman season at Damien until deciding basketball was his No. 1 sport.

So when Rasshan looked up at the scoreboard Thursday night at Etiwanda in the first quarter and saw the Spartans had scored the first 24 points, he had to think football.

“That was crazy,” he said. “That’s three touchdowns and a field goal.”

Damien (17-4, 2-0) was able to hold off Etiwanda 56-43 to pick up a key Baseline League road victory. Winning at Etiwanda has been a rarity for many teams through the years. But Damien’s fast start couldn’t have been any better. The Spartans didn’t miss any shots while playing good defense for their 24-0 surge. Etiwanda’s first basket didn’t come until the 1:38 mark of the first quarter.

“When we play together, we can beat anyone,” Rasshan said.

Rasshan was a big part of the victory, contributing 23 points. Eli Garner had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Etiwanda came in 18-1 and 1-0 in league. The Eagles missed 13 free throws, which prevented any comeback. The closest they got in the second half was within 11 points.

Damien’s victory puts it squarely in contention for a Southern Section Open Division playoff spot. The Spartans lost in the final seconds to Redondo Union in the Classic at Damien, showing they can compete with the big boys in coach Mike LeDuc’s 52nd season of coaching.

Rasshan is averaging nearly 20 points a game. He made three threes. And he hasn’t forgotten how to make a long pass, whether it’s with a football or basketball.

A fundraiser aimed at keeping Mickey Rourke housed has hit the brakes temporarily after the Oscar-nominated actor rejected more than $100,000 from fans and supporters earlier this week.

On Thursday, the GoFundMe page had a “donations paused” tag on it while Kimberly Hines, Rourke’s manager of nine years, addressed the situation in an update.

“Thank you so much for your generosity and for standing with Mickey during this time,” she wrote. “Your support truly means a great deal to us, and we are grateful for every donation. We remain committed to finding a resolution and are working with Mickey to determine the next steps.”

Rourke, 73, said in a video posted Monday that he didn’t know who set up the campaign. The effort, ostensibly aimed at keeping Rourke in his home when he faced eviction because of nearly $60,000 in unpaid rent, was set up Sunday by members of his management team and raised more than its $100,000 goal by Tuesday morning. Dozens of the more than 2,700 people who donated also posted messages about how much the actor’s films had meant to them over the years.

“I wouldn’t know what a GoFund foundation is in a million years,” said Rourke, who was a leading man in the 1980s with movies including “Barfly” and “Angel Heart” and was Oscar-nominated for his work in 2008’s “The Wrestler.” “My life is very simple and I don’t go to outside sources like that.”

He said later in the video that he “would never ask strangers or fans for a nickel. That’s not my style. You ask anyone who knows me. It’s humiliating and it’s really f— embarrassing.”

Rourke said that he wound up in “a really bad situation” with the house he had been renting for years in Beverly Grove. New owners bought the place, wouldn’t fix anything, he said, and raised the rent to $7,000 a month from $5,200. He alleged that the floors were rotted, there was no running water in a couple of places there should have been and the place was infested with rodents.

Rourke was served with notice of eviction in December, with the landlords also looking to recapture $59,100 in unpaid rent for 2025. Ricardo Villalobos, the attorney representing owner Eric Goldie in the eviction case, did not reply to The Times’ request for comment about Rourke’s allegations. The eviction paperwork, reviewed by The Times, was filed Dec. 29.

Hines did not respond to The Times’ request for comment but spoke with the Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday, telling the trade that it wasn’t true that Rourke didn’t know the origins of the fundraiser. She validated some of the things he said about the condition of the property and added a few details of her own. In her GoFundMe update Thursday, she included a link where donors who wanted a refund could submit a claim. The fundraiser lists Hines as the beneficiary.

She told the trade outlet that she and her assistant ran the fundraiser idea past Rourke’s assistant and everyone thought it might be helpful. Hines and her assistant arranged for movers and a U-Haul to help Rourke, got the “Iron Man 2” villain and his three dogs out and into a nearby hotel and secured an apartment for him to move into soon in Koreatown, she said, before his landlords were to change the locks that day on what she called an “uninhabitable” house.

“Nobody’s trying to grift Mickey. I want him working. I don’t want him doing a GoFundMe,” said Hines, who fronted the money Rourke needed in an “emergency” situation. “The good thing about this is that he got four movie offers since yesterday. People are emailing him movie offers now, which is great because nobody’s been calling him for a long time.”

The actor “doesn’t know the word moderation,” she told THR. “So he either has a lot or has nothing. He lives check to check.” Hines said it was time for a reality check with her client about living within his means off Social Security and income from any work that might come his way.

In his video, Rourke took some responsibility for his situation.

“Listen, I’ve done a really terrible job in managing my career. I wasn’t very diplomatic. I had to go to over 20 years of therapy to get over the damage that was done to me years ago, and I worked very hard to get through that,” the “9½ Weeks” star said. “I’m not that person anymore.”

After telling supporters they should get their money back, he added, “Like all storms, this’ll pass, and I’ll go to work and things will get back to whatever normal is.” Until then, don’t worry about him, he said, because he’s grateful for what he has.

“I’ve got a roof over my head, I’ve got food to eat. … I don’t need anybody’s money, and I wouldn’t do it this way. I’ve got too much pride. This ain’t my style.”

The total amount pledged to the fundraiser had dropped from more than $100,000 earlier this week to a little less than $97,000 Thursday after it was paused. Late Wednesday, Rourke’s Instagram page reposted a World Boxing News story summing up the reason for the pause.

The Dodgers avoided arbitration with reliever Brusdar Graterol on Wednesday, reportedly agreeing to terms with the Venezuelan right-hander on a one-year, $2.8-million deal before Thursday’s deadline to avoid an arbitration hearing.

Graterol, 27, missed the 2025 season after undergoing surgery on the labrum in his right shoulder in November 2024. The $2.8-million figure is the same as his salary for last season.

After being acquired by the Dodgers in a 2020 trade that sent Kenta Maeda to the Minnesota Twins, he turned into a hard-throwing member of the team’s bullpen.

Graterol’s best season came in 2023 when he recorded a 1.20 earned-run average across 67.1 innings in 68 games, striking out 48 batters and walking 11.

Shoulder inflmmation and a hamstring strain limited Graterol to only seven appearances during the 2024 regular season — though he did pitch in three World Series games against the New York Yankees, including the clinching Game 5 — before he underwent shoulder surgery.

Graterol can become a free agent after the 2026 season.

The Dodgers have three other arbitration-eligible players who have until Thursday to agree to terms on a salary for next season: Left-hander Anthony Banda, outfielder Alex Call and right-hander Brock Stewart.

If any of the players cannot come to an agreement, the team and player must exchange salary figures and a hearing will be scheduled. Negotiations can continue until the date of the hearing.

When his team lost three consecutive games during what was shaping up as a rocky debut season, Mick Cronin made players and coaches go through practices without the UCLA logo on their tank tops and shorts.

There’s currently no need to strip anyone of anything.

This already looks nothing like what UCLA basketball is supposed to be.

The defense is lagging, the roster is lacking and nobody seems to know what to do about it.

A second consecutive loss has dropped the Bruins squarely into bubble territory for the NCAA tournament, somewhere a team that wears these four letters across its chest should never be. They are a middling 10-5 with no compelling victories and a .500 record early in Big Ten play.

Barring a major midseason course correction, UCLA is in danger of missing the only postseason tournament that matters for the second time in three seasons.

The last Bruins coach to survive that scenario was Ben Howland, who immediately entered the next season on the hot seat, his fate seemingly a fait accompli. Even a Pac-12 regular-season title couldn’t save Howland, who was dismissed after the Bruins lost in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Cronin doesn’t appear in danger of a similar destiny given his recent contract extension that runs through the 2029-30 season. Unless both sides negotiated a settlement of his buyout or Cronin took a job elsewhere, UCLA would owe him $22.5 million if it moved on before April 1 and $18 million at the same point in 2027.

Since Cronin is probably going to be around for a while unless things completely bottom out, it’s far more productive to focus on what he needs to do to salvage his current conundrum. So here are five fixes designed to get a team that entered the season ranked No. 12 playing closer to expectations:

Calabasas pulled off a huge win in high school basketball on Tuesday night, handing Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 16 victories in a Marmonte League opener.

The Coyotes (13-5) have quietly turned around their season after a 2-4 start, winning 11 of their last 12 games.

One of the major contributors has been 6-foot-3 junior guard Johnny Thyfault, who’s averaging 16 points and has become a fan favorite because of his dunking skills. He also leads the team in taking charging fouls.

He transferred to Calabasas after his freshman year at Viewpoint.

As for beating Thousand Oaks, coach Jon Palarz said, “We got to play them at home and had great effort.”

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

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Playing without LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers wilted on the second night of a two-game trip, falling 107-91 to the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center.

With three starters out, Luka Doncic tried to will the Lakers to a victory with a 38-point, 10-rebound, 10 assist triple-double. He played 38 minutes and 20 seconds one night after playing 37 minutes and scoring 30 points in Tuesday’s win over the Pelicans..

James also scored 30 points in Tuesday’s win but sat out Wednesday with right sciatica and left foot arthritis. With him, Hachimura and Reaves out, the Lakers (23-12) had an average of 61 points sidelined.

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Lakers box score

NBA standings

Leonard can’t save Clippers from Knicks

Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high seven assists, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and the New York Knicks snapped their four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.

Towns bounced back from a quiet game Monday in Detroit, when he took just four shots and had only six points and six turnovers in the Knicks’ 121-90 loss that gave them their longest losing streak of the season. This time, the center had 10 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks break open the game.

OG Anunoby added 20 points and Deuce McBride had 16 for the Knicks, who had a 24-7 run starting late in the third quarter and extending into the fourth to turn a four-point deficit into a 105-92 advantage.

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points for the Clippers (13-23), who lost for just the second time in nine games. James Harden had 23 points and nine assists after sitting out Monday against Golden State because of right shoulder soreness.

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Clippers box score

Kings get swallowed by Sharks in overtime

William Eklund scored 3:08 into overtime, Macklin Celebrini had the tying goal and two assists to extend his point streak to 12 games, and the San Jose Sharks defeated the Kings 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Celebrini evened the score at 3 with 1:07 remaining in regulation. He deked his way past Warren Foegele and sent a wrist shot through traffic that beat goalie Darcy Kuemper through the legs for his 24th goal this season. The 19-year-old center has nine goals and 15 assists during his point streak.

Celebrini is tied for the third-longest point streak by a teenager in NHL history — joining Joe Sakic in 1988-89, Jimmy Carson in 1987-88 and Wayne Gretzky in 1979-80 — and the third-longest point streak in Sharks history.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

UCLA scores top transfer in star running back

From Ben Bolch: UCLA has landed a transfer who could hasten Bob Chesney’s rebuilding efforts.

Wayne Knight verbally committed to following Chesney from James Madison to Westwood on Wednesday, giving the new Bruins coach a high-quality running back to pair with quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Showing what he could do on a national stage last month, Knight ran for 110 yards in 17 carries against Oregon in the College Football Playoff. It was the fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season for Knight on the way to being selected a first team All-Sun Belt Conference player.

Combining excellent speed with the toughness needed to break tackles, the 5-foot-6, 189-pound Knight led the conference with 1,357 rushing yards. He also made 40 catches for 397 yards and averaged 22.3 yards on kickoff returns and 9.5 yards on punt returns. His 2,039 all-purpose yards were a school record, helping him become an Associated Press second team All-American all-purpose player after ranking third nationally with 145.6 all-purpose yards per game.

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From Ben Bolch and Ryan Kartje: A look at all the players who are transferring in and out of UCLA and USC in the NCAA transfer portal ahead of the 2026 college football season.

Recent announcements include UCLA acquiring running back Wayne Knight and wide receivers Semaj Morgan, Landon Ellis, Leland Smith and Aidan Mizell are coming to UCLA.

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Williams Jr., Washington at odds over his exit

From Steve Henson: The decision by Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. to enter the transfer portal shocked and angered the Huskies because only days earlier the sophomore breakout star had signed a lucrative name, image and likeness deal to remain in Seattle.

Legal action by Washington would be no surprise two weeks after similar events prompted an exchange of lawsuits involving Damon Wilson II, an edge rusher who transferred from Georgia to Missouri in January 2025, days after signing an NIL contract.

With recruiting strategy reduced to shoveling stacks of NIL dollars at players who jump through the transfer portal seemingly at will, it’s no wonder loyalty and etiquette have given way to opportunity and greed.

And it should surprise no one that the implementation of rules might be done by judges, not NCAA officials or conference commissioners.

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Can Herbert prove MVP in the playoffs?

From Benjamin Royer: Jim Harbaugh listed descriptions of his players as he looked back on the injury-filled route to the postseason the Chargers took to facing the New England Patriots in the AFC wild-card round on Sunday.

Harbaugh, heading into his second postseason as Chargers head coach, coined his team as gladiators, warriors and competitors — grappling the attention off the reporter’s question about what he’d learned from the regular-season strife and onto his roster.

“They’re mighty men,” Harbaugh said Wednesday afternoon.

Harbaugh continued: “It just reconfirms everything that I’ve always thought and want for our team is: ‘Competitors welcome.’ Competitors and playmakers, and we’ve got them. … That bodes really well for our team.”

There’s no doubt who the mightiest of the bunch may be for the Chargers (11-6) in 2025.

Justin Herbert’s 16-game stretch — playing the final five of which with a fractured left hand before sitting out last week — has turned heads with his 3,727 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns despite playing behind a fractured offensive line because of injuries to starting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt.

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NFL standings

The NFL teams hitting a head coach refresh

From Chuck Schilken: The NFL regular season has ended.

For some teams, the search for a new head coach has begun.

The Baltimore Ravens have become the seventh team that will be seeking a new coach heading into the 2026 season. They fired longtime coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday, less than two days after a missed field goal at the end of regulation against the Pittsburgh Steelers prevented Baltimore from clinching the AFC North and advancing to the playoffs.

The Las Vegas Raiders fired Pete Carroll on Monday morning after a 3-14 season. The Atlanta Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris, as well as general manager Terry Fontenot, on Sunday night after a second straight 8-9 finish. The Cleveland Browns fired coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons, the team announced Monday morning following a 5-11 finish this season. The Arizona Cardinals announced Monday morning that they’ve moved on from coach Jonathan Gannon after a 3-14 season.

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Is Shula a shoo-in for NFL head coach spot?

From Gary Klein: His late grandfather is the all-time leader in NFL coaching victories.

His father was an NFL head coach.

So, yes, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula aims to become a third-generation NFL head coach.

Shula, the Rams’ defensive coordinator, is expected to take another step toward achieving that goal next week when assistants coaching in wild-card playoff games this weekend can be interviewed for head coach openings.

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NFL playoffs schedule

All times Pacific
Wild-card round
NFC
Saturday
No. 5 Rams at No. 4 Carolina, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes
No. 7 Green Bay at No. 2 Chicago, 5 p.m., Prime Video

Sunday
No. 6 San Francisco at No. 3 Philadelphia, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes

AFC
Sunday
No. 6 Buffalo at No. 3 Jacksonville, 10 a.m., CBS, Paramount+
No. 7 Chargers at No. 2 New England, 5 p.m., NBC, Peacock, Universo

Monday
No. 5 Houston at No. 4 Pittsburgh, 5 p.m., ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes; ManningCast-ESPN2

Divisional round
Jan. 17 and 18, TBA

Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 25, TBA

Super Bowl
Sunday, Feb. 8, NBC, Time TBA

Freshmen landing tricks for UCLA gymnastics

From Anthony Solorzano: Her jitters came and went during the first meet of her college career. Now, it’s time for UCLA freshman Nola Matthews to focus on her training and routines.

“How I practice is the standard that I want,” Matthews said, “so now, I just need to implement that into competition.”

The UCLA women’s gymnastics team sent four freshmen (Matthews, Tiana Sumanasekera, Ashlee Sullivan and Jordis Eichman) to the floor during their meet against Washington, California and Oregon State on Saturday.

After earning three wins during the competition in Washington, the Bruins swept the Big Ten Conference weekly awards, including freshman of the week award for Sumanasekera after she placed second on the balance beam and the floor exercise.

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Hall of Famer keeps on against Parkinson’s

From Chuck Schilken: Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre said Wednesday that anyone who says he has thrown in the towel on his battle with Parkinson’s disease is spreading fake news.

“Thank you everyone for your prayers and concerns, but contrary to reports, I have not given up hope in my battle with Parkinson’s!” the 56-year-old Super Bowl champion wrote on X. “Not sure where this came from — but just like I never gave up on the gridiron — not going to start now. I pray there will be a cure one day and I appreciate you all.”

Favre also told TMZ on Wednesday: “I have absolutely not given up and I am fighting till the end. Yes I have progressed a little faster than I would have hoped at this point but I’m extremely thankful and blessed!!!”

The former Packers/Jets/Vikings quarterback revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis last year but hadn’t gone into much detail about it until last week’s episode of his “4th and Favre” podcast.

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Dodgers, Graterol avoid arbitration with deal

From Benjamin Royer: The Dodgers avoided arbitration with reliever Brusdar Graterol on Wednesday, reportedly agreeing to terms with the Venezuelan right-hander on a one-year, $2.8-million deal before Thursday’s deadline to avoid an arbitration hearing.

Graterol, 27, missed the 2025 season after undergoing surgery on the labrum in his right shoulder in November 2024. The $2.8-million figure is the same as his salary for last season.

After being acquired by the Dodgers in a 2020 trade that sent Kenta Maeda to the Minnesota Twins, he turned into a hard-throwing member of the team’s bullpen.

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THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1972 — The NCAA announces freshmen will be eligible to play on varsity football and basketball teams starting in the fall.

1973 — David Vaughn of Oral Roberts grabs 34 rebounds in a 123-95 win over Brandeis.

1984 — The Executive Committee of the NCAA votes to expand the championship basketball field to 64 teams starting in 1985.

1984 — Bengt Gustafsson of the Washington Capitals scores five goals in a 7-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

1993 — Michael Jordan becomes the 18th NBA player to reach the 20,000-point plateau when he scores 35 points in the Chicago Bulls’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Jordan reaches 20,000-points in 620 games, faster than anyone except Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in 499 games.

1994 — Dino Ciccarelli becomes the 19th NHL player to score 500 career goals in the Detroit Red Wings’ 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

2000 — Eddie House scores 61 points to tie Lew Alcindor’s Pac-10 record and lead the Sun Devils to 111-108 double-overtime victory over California.

2003 — Utah guard Mark Jackson becomes the third NBA player to reach 10,000 career assists in the Jazz’s 99-93 win over the Phoenix Suns. Jackson joins career assists leader and teammate John Stockton (15,425) and Magic Johnson (10,141).

2007 — Second-ranked Florida dominates Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and No. 1 Ohio State for a 41-14 in the BCS National Championship Bowl. The Gators become the first Division I school to hold football and basketball titles at the same time.

2008 — Goose Gossage becomes the fifth relief pitcher elected to the Hall of Fame.

2009 — Tim Tebow wins the matchup of Heisman winners as No. 1 Florida beats No. 2 Oklahoma and this year’s Heisman winner Sam Bradford, 24-14, in the BCS National Championship Bowl.

2011 — The Seattle Seahawks stun the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints 41-36 to open the NFL playoffs. Seattle, the first division winner with a losing record at 7-9, advances behind four touchdown passes by Matt Hasselbeck and a brilliant 67-yard run by Marshawn Lynch.

2012 — Denver’s Tim Tebow connects with Demaryius Thomas on an electrifying 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime and the Broncos stun the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in a AFC wild-card game. The play, the longest to end a playoff game in overtime, takes 11 seconds and is the quickest ending to an overtime in NFL history.

2014 — Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas are elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame, while Craig Biggio fell two votes short.

2016 — Oakland’s Khalil Mack makes history earning a selection at two positions on the 2015 Associated Press All-Pro Team, an NFL first. The second-year Raiders defensive end and outside linebacker draws enough support from a panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league to make the squad both spots.

2018 — College Football National Championship, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta: #4 Alabama beats #3 Georgia, 26-23.

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.

Jim Harbaugh listed descriptions of his players as he looked back on the injury-filled route to the postseason the Chargers took to facing the New England Patriots in the AFC wild-card round on Sunday.

Harbaugh, heading into his second postseason as Chargers head coach, coined his team as gladiators, warriors and competitors — grappling the attention off the reporter’s question about what he’d learned from the regular-season strife and onto his roster.

“They’re mighty men,” Harbaugh said Wednesday afternoon.

Harbaugh continued: “It just reconfirms everything that I’ve always thought and want for our team is: ‘Competitors welcome.’ Competitors and playmakers, and we’ve got them. … That bodes really well for our team.”

There’s no doubt who the mightiest of the bunch may be for the Chargers (11-6) in 2025.

Justin Herbert’s 16-game stretch — playing the final five of which with a fractured left hand before sitting out last week — has turned heads with his 3,727 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns despite playing behind a fractured offensive line because of injuries to starting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt.

“He’s had a tremendous season — very MVP caliber in every way,” Harbaugh said. “He’s either leading us to victory — willing us to victory. He’s doing anything and everything he can for this team, and does it at the level only reserved for the very best in the game to do.”

Herbert has lined up behind the most offensive line combinations in the NFL this season (25), while the Chargers are tied for the second-most sacks allowed per game (3.5) across the regular season.

Hit after hit — for which he’s taken the most in the NFL — Herbert rose to his feet. The 27-year-old will try to avoid another hit, in the form of defeat, on Sunday while still in search for his first-career playoff victory.

It’s been nearly a full year since last year’s wild-card defeat to the Houston Texans when Herbert turned in arguably the worst performance of his career, including a career-high four interceptions as the Chargers fell 32-12.

“A lot of teams aren’t playing this week,” said Herbert who took snaps behind center during the midweek for the first time since fracturing his hand during Week 13. “So for us to be able to have a chance, it’s all we can ask for.”

The Patriots (14-3) have their own signal-caller who has created traction across the league for his sophomore-season improvement. Drake Maye has tossed 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, a marked advancement from a season ago where the North Carolina alumnus struggled as the Patriots finished with a 4-13 record overall.

In came Mike Vrabel for former New England coach Jerod Mayo, and the odds shifted in the Patriots’ and Maye’s favor. Herbert said the Patriots are “hardly ever out of position,” adding that Maye’s week-by-week statistics are something that has led the Chargers quarterback to build respect for his foe.

“It’s a sign of players that play by the rules and listen to great coaches,” Herbert said. “[The Patriots] play together and they communicate really well and they’re a really good defense.”

On the availability front, running back Omarion Hampton (ankle) did not practice Wednesday and worked off to the side with a trainer during the media-watching period.

Harbaugh said that his rookie running back — who missed part of the season because of a left ankle fracture suffered in Week 5 — was “doing everything he can to get back in there” ahead of Sunday’s postseason clash.

To win a championship in soccer a reliable goalkeeper is a must, and Palos Verdes has one of the Southland’s best in Greyson Porth.

The 6-foot-1 junior is one of many reasons the Sea Kings began the week ranked No. 1 in California and No. 14 in the country, and his skill was on display Tuesday night in the Sea Kings’ tense Bay League opener at Mira Costa — a match that featured Tucker Malinofsky’s equalizing goal in stoppage time before fellow co-captain LT Armijo netted the winner in double overtime.

“He’s very strong and when the ball’s in the air he calls for it and gets there first,” Armijo said of Porth. “We trust him.”

Porth has nine shutouts with 73 saves in 15 starts this winter and did not allow a goal for 340 minutes of action — a scoreless streak lasting four and a half games — before Noah Szeder snapped it on a rebound off a corner kick in the 70th minute Tuesday to give Mira Costa a short-lived 1-0 lead Tuesday. It was only the seventh shot to get behind Porth all season.

“It’s a great feeling because they’re our rivals and I hadn’t beaten them before — none of us had,” Porth said while savoring the Sea Kings’ first win at Mira Costa since 2017. “Shutouts are up there but as long as we win, I’m happy. Our defense is awesome — LT, Nathan Dorfman, Aiden Cruz and Dayton Chontos — our whole back line.”

Porth went nearly five full games without being scored on during the South Tournament, finally giving up a goal in the second half of the championship match versus another league rival Redondo Union. Palos Verdes prevailed 2-1 in overtime.

One save that comes to mind for head coach Derek Larkins was on a penalty kick with 15 minutes left in a nonleague contest Dec. 30 at Sultana that kept it scoreless. The Sea Kings scored shortly thereafter to avenge a 3-0 defeat in the Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals last year.

“It’s one of the hardest places for a visiting team to win but Greyson came up huge that day,” said Larkins, who is trying to lead PV to its first CIF title since back-to-back crowns in 2006 (Division 4) and 2007 (Division 2). “We haven’t forgotten that loss because it ended our season and he helped us exorcise that demon.”

Porth was the backup last season to then senior Ben Forte, whom he called a “good mentor.”

“I didn’t get to play much last year, maybe five or six games, but I learned a lot from Ben,” said Porth, who started his soccer career in fourth grade as a midfielder but switched to goalie when he was 11. “I sort of got forced into the position because I was the tallest player on my AYSO Extra team so they needed me there. It’s nerve-racking at times but I take pride in knowing that I’m the last line of defense. So I can make or break the game.”

Larkins attributes the 17-year-old’s growth to hard work in the offseason and credits goalie coach Matthew McNab with helping Porth reach his potential.

“He’s receptive to learning and he’s taken responsibility for his game and the way he practices,” said McNab, a 2009 PV soccer alum who went on to play at Westmont College. “He’s taken up the leadership role. Being a goalkeeper requires a great deal of mental toughness but he’s taken to that, too.”

The two have formed a tight bond.

“Matt listens to me,” said Porth, who even made a slide tackle from midfield to thwart a potential breakaway earlier this season. “I tell him what I need to work on and he drills me. I’ve improved everything from last year…. angles, positioning, my shot blocking and my kicking. I can be aggressive or rely on my reflexes. I use my instincts to know what to do in certain situations.”

Mira Costa has won five consecutive league championships and is trying to equal PV’s string of six in a row from 2011-16. The teams square off again January 23.

“Something we emphasized heading into the season is how are we going to defend the box and set pieces,” Larkins said. “We gave up five goals off of throw-ins and two on free kicks in our three losses to them last year. We’ve stressed the importance of that.”

Larkins, who is also an English teacher, believes sports is a metaphor for life and likes quoting athletes, philosophers and musicians to motivate his players. This season’s mantra is “be yourself, be legendary” — a lyric from the hip-hop group Coast Contra’s “Breathe and Stop Freestyle.”

“This is the best team we’ve had since 2014,” said Larkins, who is in his 15th season. “We have seven guys who are three-year varsity players. A lot of them went to middle school together so it’s an older, more experienced team. We’ve got a lot of grit, we can play different styles depending on the opponent and we have the talent.”

Palos Verdes (14-2) has won 10 straight since back-to-back one-goal road losses to Santa Monica and Servite. Senior co-captain Willie Knotek has a team-best eight goals, forward Ian Alonzo has a team-high 20 points (six goals, eight assists and Malinofsky has six goals and five assists.

Who: Arsenal vs Liverpool
What: English Premier League
Where: Emirates Stadium in London, United Kingdom
When: Thursday, January 8, at 8pm (20:00 GMT).
How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.

Table-topping Arsenal entertain defending champions Liverpool in a mouth-watering offering in the English Premier League on Thursday, with glory on offer for the former but pride heavily at stake for the latter.

The Gunners are searching for their first league title since 2003, while the Reds are licking their wounds from a season that has almost inexplicably imploded following their runaway success last term.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the match in which a home win is fully expected, but nothing can ever be taken for granted in the Premier League.

How have Arsenal fared in the Premier League this season?

The Gunners have stormed to top spot as manager Mikel Arteta looks to go one better than three consecutive second-placed finishes in the English top flight.

Only one defeat in 21 matches to begin the season – the loss coming at Liverpool – has marked Arsenal as the team to stop on all fronts. Free-scoring in front of the goal and miserly at the back, Arteta appears to have finally cracked the code.

How do things stand in the Premier League title race?

The gap with second-placed Manchester City is six points, ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side welcoming Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Aston Villa are level on points with City, and travel to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on December 30 was regarded as a serious dent to their title ambitions.

What has gone wrong for Liverpool in the Premier League this season?

The Reds enjoyed a stunning start to the new campaign, which made their demise this season all the more alarming. Slot’s side won their opening five league matches as part of a seven-game winning run in all competitions.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot insists his reigning champions can still do “special things” this season.

“It is nine games unbeaten but we have definitely had two draws too many,” Slot told a pre-match news conference on Wednesday.

A great deal of the focus for the Reds’ slide, which saw them lose the following four Premier League games on the bounce after their fine start, has focused on the fallout with their iconic forward Mohamed Salah.

Slot has insisted the club have moved on since Salah’s departure for international duty with Egypt at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, but questions remain across the park.

“We haven’t had the consistency but we’ve already beaten some very good teams, so that tells you the talent is definitely there but the consistency isn’t,” he said.

Only 41 goals were conceded by Liverpool last season, but 28 have already been let in during their 20 games so far this season.

The massive summer spending spree, which was headlined by Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz as marquee signings, has seemingly unsettled the balance of a side that stormed to the title last season.

The talent of both, and the rest brought in, is quite clear, but whether Slot can gel them into a side capable of salvaging this season and beyond remains to be seen.

The manager believes his side are still in the reckoning in the league.

“There’s a lot of importance on this match because we still have a lot to play for in the Premier League,” said Slot.

What happened the last time Arsenal played Liverpool?

Liverpool secured a 1-0 win against Arsenal in an early-season encounter between the sides in the Premier League on August 31 at Anfield.

Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the game with an explosive free-kick in the 83rd minute of an otherwise tight match.

What happened in the corresponding game between Arsenal and Liverpool last season?

The sides could not be separated in last season’s Premier League match at Emirates Stadium, although Liverpool had to twice come from behind – including a late Mohamed Salah leveller – to snare a 2-2 draw.

Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino had given the Gunners the lead twice in the first half with Virgil van Dijk netting in between.

The Reds, however, had to nervously wait until the 81st minute for Salah to secure a point.

When did Arsenal last beat Liverpool?

Arsenal’s last win against Liverpool came three seasons ago, courtesy of a 3-1 victory at Emirates Stadium in February 2024.

A fiery match saw nine yellow cards shown and Reds defender Ibrahima Konate sent off in the 88th minute when his side were still searching for an equaliser.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored in either half to twice give the Gunners the lead, either side of Gabriel Magalhaes’s own goal.

Leandro Trossard rounded off the scoring in the 90th minute.

Stat attack – Arsenal

The Gunners are on a seven-game winning streak, during which they have netted 13 goals and conceded only six – two of which came in the win against Brighton in their last game.

The north Londoners are the only team to retain an unbeaten home record in the Premier League at this stage, winning nine of their 10 matches at Emirates Stadium. The Gunners have fired in 26 goals in front of their own fans in the league this season, and conceded only five.

Bukayo Saka, such a huge part of the Gunners’ form of recent seasons, is aiming to become the first Arsenal player to score in four straight league home games against Liverpool.

Stat attack – Liverpool

Liverpool are unbeaten in nine matches, winning five, but have drawn their last two – both in the league.

The Reds have kept only one clean sheet in their last seven league matches – a 2-0 home victory against Brighton and the 0-0 draw at Leeds two games ago.

Eight goals have been shipped in that time, with 12 scored.

Four of their six defeats this season have come on the road – where they have also won four and drawn two – with 18 goals conceded on their travels and only 17 scored.

Even bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers have not shipped so many goals away from home.

Arsenal vs Liverpool – stat attack

Liverpool are unbeaten in three matches against Arsenal, winning the last match and drawing twice.

That victory for the Reds, however, ended a six-match winless run in the league, during which the Gunners won twice.

The last victory for the Reds prior to that stretch was the last time the Merseysiders won at Emirates Stadium, back in March 2022, with goals from Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota.

The Gunners have won two of the three league meetings in London since then.

Head-to-head

This is the 246th meeting between the sides, with Liverpool winning 95 of the matches and Arsenal emerging victorious on 81 occasions.

Arsenal team news

Max Dowman and Cristhian Mosquera miss out, with both struggling with ankle problems, while Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt due to an unspecified injury.

Kai Havertz was rested from the squad that was named for the win at Bournemouth and may have to make do with a place on the bench at best as his recovery from a previous injury is managed.

Predicted Arsenal starting lineup

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard

Liverpool team news

Salah remains at AFCON with Egypt, while Isak is a long-term absentee with a leg injury.

Fellow forward Hugo Ekitike missed the draw with Fulham due to a muscle problem and remains a doubt.

Florian Wirtz is nursing a hamstring problem but is expected to continue to play through the issue.

Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo remain longer-term absentees.

Predicted Liverpool starting lineup

Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Jones; Gakpo

Arsenal and Liverpool form guides

• Arsenal: W-W-W-W-W
• Liverpool: W-W-W-D-D

MADISON, Wis. — Can a team be in crisis just a handful of games into conference play?

UCLA is testing that possibility given what happened here Tuesday night as part of a larger downward trend.

Lacking one of their top players with guard Skyy Clark sidelined by a hamstring injury, the Bruins also were deficient in many other areas.

Defense. Heart. Toughness. Cohesion. Intelligence.

In a game that the Bruins needed to win to get their season back on track and have any realistic chance at an elite finish in the Big Ten, they fell flat once more.

Another terrible first half led to another failed comeback for UCLA during an 80-72 loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center, leaving the Bruins in search of answers that seem elusive.

There was a dustup with 10 seconds left when UCLA’s Eric Dailey Jr. pushed Wisconsin’s Nolan Winter after absorbing a hard foul, forcing a scrum of players to congregate along the baseline. Winter was assessed a flagrant-1 foul and Dailey a technical foul that was offset by a technical foul on Badgers guard Nick Boyd.

About the only thing to celebrate for the Bruins was not giving up.

Thanks to a flurry of baskets from Dailey and a three-pointer from Trent Perry that broke his team’s 0-for-14 start from long range, UCLA pulled to within 63-56 midway through the second half. Making the Bruins’ rally all the more improbable was that much of it came with leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau on the bench with four fouls.

But Wisconsin countered with five consecutive points and the Bruins (10-5 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) never mounted another threat on the way to a second consecutive loss.

Dailey scored 18 points but missed all five of his three-pointers, fitting for a team that made just one of 17 shots (5.9%) from long range. Bilodeau added 16 points and Perry had 15.

Boyd scored 20 points to lead the Badgers (10-5, 2-2), who won in large part by their volume of three-pointers, making 10 of 30 attempts (33.3%) from beyond the arc.

Unveiling a turnover-choked, defensively challenged performance, UCLA played as if it were trying to top its awful first-half showing against Iowa from three days earlier.

It didn’t help that the Bruins were shorthanded from tipoff.

With Clark unavailable, UCLA coach Mick Cronin turned to Perry and pivoted to a smaller lineup featuring forward Brandon Williams alongside Bilodeau as the big men.

For the opening 10 minutes, it felt like a repeat of Wisconsin’s blowout victory over UCLA during the Big Ten tournament last March. The Badgers made seven of 11 three-pointers on the way to building a 20-point lead midway through the first half as Cronin continually tinkered with his lineup, trying to find a winning combination.

It never came.

He tried backup center Steven Jamerson II for a little more than a minute before yanking him after Jamerson committed a foul. He put in backup guard Jamar Brown and took him out after Brown gave up a basket and fumbled a pass out of bounds for a turnover. Backup guard Eric Freeny got his chance as well and airballed a three-pointer.

Wisconsin surged ahead with an early 13-0 run and nearly matched it with a separate 11-0 push. The Bruins then lost Perry for the rest of the first half after he hit his chin while diving for a loose ball, pounding the court in frustration with a balled fist before holding a towel firmly against his injured chin during a timeout. (He returned in the second half with a heavy bandage.)

Just when it seemed as if things couldn’t get worse, they did. Williams limped off the court with cramps late in the first half and the Bruins failed to box out Wisconsin’s Andrew Rohde on two possessions, leading to a putback and two free throws after he was fouled on another putback attempt.

UCLA almost seemed fortunate to be down only 45-31 by the game’s midpoint, though being on pace to give up 90 points couldn’t have pleased a coach known for defense.

Another comeback that came up short didn’t make things any better.

John Bobich, in his 26th season coaching San Pedro High basketball, knows a few tricks in the coaching trade. All you had to do is listen and watch in the third quarter when he put 6-foot-5 junior Aidan Applegate into the game. Applegate was crouching at the scorer’s table waiting to be buzzed in.

“This is your chance,” Bobich told him.

Applegate had a shot blocked, which didn’t deter him. By the fourth quarter, he was comfortable and confident, scoring eight points in the quarter and finishing with eight rebounds to help San Pedro pull away from Granada Hills 64-51 in a Marquez tournament game between two potential City Section Open Division playoff teams.

Applegate said when he heard Bobich’s words of motivation, he thought, “It’s my opportunity to show what I could do.”

Bobich has known Applegate since he was 8 years old. In fact, Bobich knows most of his San Pedro players from coaching or seeing them play in local recreation leagues. His son is on the team. San Pedro is 12-4 and favored to win the Marine League. Ricky Alonso led the scoring with 19 points and Elias Redlow, AJ Bobich and Chris Morgan added 10 points apiece.

Granada Hills received 20 points from Kristapor Kedikian. Applegate celebrated his 17th birthday with the team serenading him.

Girls basketball

Birmingham 54, Kennedy 46: The Patriots (14-3) received 21 points from Kayla Tanijiri.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo showed some tough love for one of his former players on Monday night during the Spartans’ blowout victory against USC in East Lansing.

Paul Davis, a standout player for Izzo and the Spartans during the early 2000s, was in the stands at Breslin Center to show support for his alma mater.

Apparently he went too far.

With Michigan State up by 21 midway through the fourth quarter, referee Jeffrey Anderson stopped the game and pointed toward Davis, who was sitting three rows up from the court on the opposite side of the teams’ benches. Anderson then went over to speak with Izzo.

The coaching legend in his 31st year leading the Spartans then looked across the court at Davis with his arms spread open and appeared to shout more than once, “What are you doing?” and adding at least one curse word.

As Henderson walked back across the court, he pointed at Davis again and gestured for him to leave the area. A staffer (identified by ESPN as Michigan State associate athletic director Seth Kesler) approached Davis to escort him out. Davis stood up and looked toward the court while placing his hands on his chest. Izzo could be seen from the sideline apparently motioning for Davis to leave and saying, “Get out of here.”

Davis eventually did as he was told and watched the rest of the game from a suite in the concourse level, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Izzo was asked about the incident by reporters after the 80-51 victory.

“I love Paul Davis. I really do. He’s one of my favorite guys. He’s always calling and doing things. But what he said, he should never say anywhere in the world. And that ticked me off,” Izzo said. “I’m gonna have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought of it. And you know what he’ll say? ‘I screwed up, coach. I’m sorry.’

“So he kind of got after the official and he was 150% wrong. And for a guy like me to 150 percent agree with the official, it’s almost illegal.”

Izzo declined to state exactly what Davis said to Henderson.

“Let’s not get carried away,” Izzo said. “It wasn’t something racial, it wasn’t something sexual. It was just the wrong thing to say, and I’ll leave it at that.”

Davis played for Izzo and the Spartans from 2002 through 2006, a span that included a Final Four appearance and another run that ended in the Elite Eight. He currently ranks in Michigan State’s all-time top 10 in several statistical categories, including scoring, rebounds, field goal percentage and free throws made (statistics for all four categories go back to 1966).

Selected by the Clippers in the second round of the 2006 draft, Davis played three years in Los Angeles and one more season with the Washington Wizards before continuing his career in Europe through 2016.

Michigan State did not immediately respond to questions from The Times as to whether there would be any further repercussions for Davis following the incident. But Izzo indicated he wants his former star player back supporting the team.

“I want to tell him he was wrong, like I’d tell my son, my daughter, like I would my player, like I would myself,” Izzo said. “But I don’t want to — I need Paul Davis here. Paul Davis is a very important part of this program because he went through tough times when he was here and he’s really been a good advocate of telling kids how they got to, you know, deal with the process.

“So I’ll go with Paul. He just made a mistake tonight.”

The Galaxy will begin the new season the same way they finished the old one — with Riqui Puig on the sideline after knee surgery. That’s a big problem because Puig is about the closest thing MLS has to an irreplaceable player. And with training camp starting in a couple of weeks, the team has precious little time to try to replace him.

In 2024, the last time Puig was on the field, he led the league in touches and passes and set career highs for goals (13) and assists (15). With him directing the attack, the Galaxy set a record with four players scoring 10 or more times en route a sixth MLS title. It was one of the best seasons in franchise history.

In 2025, without Puig, the only records the Galaxy set were for futility, starting the season winless in their first 16 league matches and finishing with just seven wins, a franchise low for a full season. No reigning MLS Cup champion has fared so poorly.

The contrast is so stark because Puig doesn’t just define the way the team plays; he is the way the team plays. He’s the quarterback and the point guard. His speed, dribbling and passing ability make the Galaxy go, opening up space for opportunity for his teammates. He’s the rare player who truly makes everyone around him better.

Even Lionel Messi isn’t as important to his team as Puig is to the Galaxy.

“The game changes when Riqui’s on the field,” coach Greg Vanney said.

Puig first tore the ACL in his left knee in the Western Conference final in 2024, assisting on the game’s only goal after sustaining the injury. The Galaxy originally thought they’d have him back by late summer, in time for a playoff push. So last winter they felt comfortable trading Mark Delgado and Gastón Brugman, the two most likely fill-ins for Puig, largely to fit their payroll under the MLS salary cap.

In the interim, the plan was to make Marco Reus the team’s midfield maestro. But Reus had his own injury problems and didn’t start consecutive MLS games until early May. By then the Galaxy had gone winless through their first 10 matches.

Reus went on to play well at times, but the season was effectively over by then. There would be no playoff push, so the Galaxy felt no need to rush Puig back.

This winter the team’s entire offseason preparation was based on Puig’s return — both on and off the field.

Off the field, the Galaxy filmed a multi-part documentary called “Riqui Puig’s Road To Recovery” and used his return to hype ticket sales. On the field, believing the midfield to be set, general manager Will Kuntz added two top-tier defenders in Jakob Glesnes and Justin Haak, committing more than $2 million in salary to the pair.

But then, one day into the new year, Puig and the team learned he needed another operation and would have to miss a second season, throwing all of the Galaxy’s plans into the dumpster.

The Galaxy never blamed their troubles last season on Puig’s absence, but they didn’t have to. It was obvious. And if they couldn’t replace the irreplaceable last season, what confidence should anyone have that they can do it this season?

The team’s biggest mistake last year was not planning for Puig’s absence. The team entered the winter knowing he’d miss most of the season and didn’t act accordingly. They even kept Puig’s $5.8-million salary and designated-player roster spot on the books in the hopes he’d play at some point.

Don’t expect them to make the same mistakes this time. Instead, the Galaxy are all but certain to place him on the season-ending injury list, opening up a DP slot and erasing the hit his salary takes on the budget cap.

The good news, if there is any, is that Vanney believes the Galaxy eventually figured out how to play without Puig last year. After going winless in their first 16 MLS games, the Galaxy went 7-6-5 in league play and finished third in the Leagues Cup, earning a spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

“By the end of the year, we were beating MLS playoff teams and we beat the top teams in Mexico,” Vanney said. “We found how this group could be successful without the pieces that were missing.”

Now they’ll have to do that again.

What exactly happened with Puig hasn’t been made clear. He was more than a year into his rehab when he returned home to Barcelona for the holidays. Puig had trained alongside the team last fall and he continued training in Spain. The recovery seemed to be going well.

But something — a quick move or an uncertain cut — sent Puig back to the doctor and a day later he underwent a second operation.

ACL revision surgeries (multiple procedures) are not rare, with some studies suggesting they are needed between 10% to 20% of the time, especially for athletes who play so-called pivoting sports such as soccer. Most commonly, a second surgery is needed because the first graft has re-torn.

Christen Press, a two-time World Cup champion, torn the ligament in her right knee eight games into her first season with Angel City and needed four operations to repair the damage. She started just three more matches over the next 3 ½ seasons before retiring.

But Press was 33 when she was injured. Puig is 26. And though that suggests the odds for a full recovery are high, Puig’s age also adds to the poignancy of the situation since the injury will now take two years off his career when he was at his prime.

Another season like 2024 could have had Puig, who played 42 games over four seasons for Barcelona, planning for a return to Europe or at least another big payday in MLS. Now he won’t play another game until he’s 27 and in the final year of his contract, when the pressure to prove he’s healthy and still a dynamic game-changing player will be immense.

In the meantime, the Galaxy find themselves once again trying to replace the irreplaceable.

⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.

From Chuck Schilken: The Las Vegas Raiders fired Pete Carroll on Monday morning after a 3-14 season. The Atlanta Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris, as well as general manager Terry Fontenot, on Sunday night after a second straight 8-9 finish. The Cleveland Browns fired coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons, the team announced Monday morning following a 5-11 finish this season. The Arizona Cardinals announced Monday morning that they’ve moved on from coach Jonathan Gannon after a 3-14 season.

Two other teams parted ways with their head coaches during the season. The Tennessee Titans fired Brian Callahan in October after a 1-5 start to the season. The New York Giants fired Brian Daboll in November after a 2-8 start.

With NFL’s “Black Monday” already in full swing, other teams are likely to make similar moves. Here’s a look at everything that has happened so far. This list will continue to be updated as more changes occur.

Continue reading here

Quentin Lake could be key for Rams

From Benjamin Royer: Quentin Lake, the Rams’ defensive captain, could be the catalyst that helps mend the Rams’ tattered secondary ahead of their wild-card showdown with the Carolina Panthers on Saturday.

Through the first 11 weeks of the season, the Rams held opponents to 17.2 points per game, just behind the Houston Texans as the NFL’s second-best defense. Over the seven games Lake missed since sustaining a dislocated elbow against the Seahawks in November, the Rams gave up an average of 24.8 points per game.

The 26-year-old safety, who is expected to make his return against Carolina, has proven to be a cornerstone on the Rams’ defense with his leadership skills and personal versatility.

Lake has also endeared himself to his teammates, as evidenced by Kobie Turner‘s widened smile when Lake’s name came up with reporters following the Rams’ 37-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

“Captain Q,” said Turner, who played a role in helping the Rams record six sacks against the Cardinals. “There’s not really words that can explain — you turn on the tape and you see exactly what he is.”

Continue reading here

NFL playoffs schedule

All times Pacific
Wild-card round
NFC
Saturday
No. 5 Rams at No. 4 Carolina, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes
No. 7 Green Bay at No. 2 Chicago, 5 p.m., Prime Video

Sunday
No. 6 San Francisco at No. 3 Philadelphia, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes

AFC
Sunday
No. 6 Buffalo at No. 3 Jacksonville, 10 a.m., CBS, Paramount+
No. 7 Chargers at No. 2 New England, 5 p.m., NBC, Peacock, Universo

Monday
No. 5 Houston at No. 4 Pittsburgh, 5 p.m., ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes; ManningCast-ESPN2

Divisional round
Jan. 17 and 18, TBA

Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 25, TBA

Super Bowl
Sunday, Feb. 8, NBC, Time TBA

Lakers takeaways

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Call it deja vu.

For the second time in three days, the Lakers played the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena, took a close game into the fourth quarter and pulled away late behind the scoring punch of the same three players.

Again fueled by LeBron James (26 points, 10 assists), Luka Doncic (36 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) and Jake LaRavia (26 points), the Lakers overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to win 120-114 on Sunday against the Grizzlies.

After James and Doncic each scored 30 in Friday’s win that also featured a 20-point performance from LaRavia, the Lakers (22-11) won consecutive games for just the second time in five weeks.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Continue reading here

Clippers win wild game

Kawhi Leonard had 24 points and 12 rebounds, rookie Kobe Sanders added 20 points, and the Clippers edged the Golden State Warriors 103-102 on Monday night in a wild game that included Warriors coach Steve Kerr getting ejected and Steph Curry fouling out for the first time since 2021.

Kerr was ejected with 7:57 remaining in the game after becoming irate when the Clippers’ John Collins wasn’t called for goaltending. A shouting Kerr pursued the referees along the sideline and had to be restrained by his assistants before getting tossed.

Curry scored 27 points but was just four for 15 from three-point range and nine for 23 overall before fouling out with 42 seconds remaining in the game. He fouled out for the first time since Dec. 17, 2021, at Boston.

Continue reading here

Clippers box score

NBA standings

USC routed by Michigan State

Coen Carr scored 18 points and Jaxon Kohler added 16 on perfect shooting to lead No. 12 Michigan State to an 80-51 blowout against USC on Monday night.

Jeremy Fears Jr. had 15 points and seven assists for the Spartans (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten), who took control with a 27-6 run early in the game and led by at least 20 for much of the second half.

Kohler made all six of his field-goal attempts, including a trio of three-pointers, and sank his only free throw. He also grabbed eight rebounds, two short of becoming the first Spartans player since at least 1996-97 to have six straight double-doubles in a season, according to Sportradar.

Ezra Ausar scored 16 points and Jerry Easter added 12 for the Trojans (12-3, 1-3), who lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

Continue reading here

USC box score

Big Ten standings

Kings win, but Kopitar is injured

Andrei Kuzmenko had a goal and an assist, and the Kings held on to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Monday night.

Warren Foegele, Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe also scored, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 33 shots for the Kings, who beat the Wild for the second time in three nights and got just their fourth win in 12 games (4-6-2).

Jared Spurgeon had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Hartman also scored for Minnesota, which snapped a six-game point streak (3-0-3). and Filip Gustavsson had 29 saves.

Kings center Anze Kopitar left the game after playing 4:54 in the first period. The Kings later ruled him out for the rest of the game because of a lower-body injury.

Continue reading here

Kings summary

NHL standings

Bob Pulford dies

Bob Pulford, a Hockey Hall of Fame player who went on to a lengthy career in the NHL as a coach and general manager, has died. He was 89.

A spokesperson for the NHL Alumni Assn. said Monday the organization learned of Pulford’s death from his family. No other details were provided.

A tough, dependable forward, Pulford helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup four times during his 14-year stretch with them from 1956 to 1970. The Newton Robinson, Canada, native was part of the 1967 team that remains the organization’s last to win a championship.

Pulford spent his final two playing seasons with the Kings in the early 1970s before coaching them for the following five years. He then ran the Chicago Blackhawks’ front office as general manager or senior vice president of hockey operations for three decades from 1977 to 2007, going behind the bench to coach four times during that span.

Continue reading here

Ducks lose to Washington

Justin Sourdif scored his first NHL hat trick and added two assists and the Washington Capitals beat the Ducks 7-4 on Monday night.

Alex Ovechkin scored twice, Ryan Leonard had a goal and an assist, John Carlson also scored and Connor McMichael had four assists for the Capitals, who ended a two-game slide. Charlie Lindgren made 41 saves in the win.

Chris Kreider, Alex Killorn, Jacob Trouba and Beckett Sennecke scored for the Ducks, who have lost six straight. Petr Mrazek stopped 19 of 24 shots through two periods. He was replaced by Lukas Dostal to start the third. Dostal stopped the three shots he faced.

Continue reading here

Ducks summary

NHL standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1951 — The Indianapolis Olympians beat the Rochester Royals 75-73 in six overtimes, the longest game in NBA history.

1976 — Ted Turner, a millionaire communications executive and internationally known yachtsman, buys the Atlanta Braves for a reported $10-to-12 million.

1980 — The Rams, behind three field goals by Frank Corral, beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 to win the NFC Championship. This is the first conference championship game in NFL history without a touchdown being scored.

1980 — The Pittsburgh Steelers advance to their fourth Super Bowl appearance since 1974 by eliminating the Houston Oilers for the second consecutive year with a 27-13 triumph in the AFC title game.

1981 — John Tonelli ties a New York Islanders record with five goals in a 6-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Nassau Coliseum. Mike Bossy gets an assist on all six goals to set an Islanders record. Tonelli scores once in the first period, once in the second and three times in the third.

1985 — Dan Marino passes for a record 421 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Miami Dolphins to a 45-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game.

1985 — The San Francisco 49ers holds the Chicago Bears to 186 yards and sacks quarterback Steve Fuller nine times to win the NFC Championship 23-0.

1994 — Nancy Kerrigan is attacked after practice at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. Shane Stant clubs Kerrigan on the knee and flees the scene. Later that evening, Scott Davis wins the men’s U.S. Figure Skating title.

1995 — Lenny Wilkens becomes the winningest coach in NBA history as the Atlanta Hawks post a 112-90 victory over the Washington Bullets. Wilkens, with his 939th win, surpasses Red Auerbach’s record. Wilkens reaches the record in his 22nd year as an NBA coach, including four as a player-coach.

2005 — For the first time in NBA history, a player leads his team in scoring without making a field goal. Detroit’s Richard Hamilton scores 14 points despite missing all 10 of his field goal attempts in a 101-79 loss to Memphis.

2011 — Miami of Ohio caps a historic season with a 35-21 win over Middle Tennessee in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. The RedHawks (10-4) are the first team in Football Bowl Subdivision history to win 10 games one season after losing 10. Miami finished a dismal 1-11 in 2009.

2014 — Patrick Maher of Division III Grinnell College breaks the NCAA record with 37 assists in a 164-144 victory over College of Faith.

2014 — Jameis Winston throws a 13-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left and No. 1 Florida State beat No. 2 Auburn 34-31 to win the last BCS national championship game.

2015 — Patrik Elias has a goal and two assists to reach 1,000, NHL points, and the New Jersey Devils beat the struggling Buffalo Sabres 4-1. The goal is the 399th for Elias.

2016 — Ken Griffey Jr. is elected to the baseball Hall of Fame with the highest voting percentage ever, and Mike Piazza makes it in his fourth year on the ballot. Griffey is on 437 of 440 votes in his first appearance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. His 99.3 percentage tops Tom Seaver’s 98.84 in 1992.

2018 — Jon Gruden returns to the NFL as Oakland Raiders head coach after nearly a decade of broadcasting (ESPN Monday Night Football 2009-17).

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

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

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where we’re trying to star in our role.

With one of their major stars still sidelined, the Lakers have gotten headlining performances from the usual suspects. LeBron James and Luka Doncic each scored 30 or more points in the same game for just the third time as Lakers teammates against Memphis last Friday. Doncic followed up on Sunday with a near triple-double and James had 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers hold off the Grizzlies for a second consecutive game.

But the most significant performances last week came from the supporting cast.

Don’t forget No. 12

The way Rob Pelinka commemorated Jake LaRavia’s 27-point outburst against Minnesota in October warmed this print journalist’s heart.

After LaRavia made 10 of 11 shots to introduce himself to fans and Minnesota star Anthony Edwards, the Lakers’ general manager splashed a photo of LaRavia gazing out of a window on the front page of a faux newspaper and printed it on a black T-shirt.

The bold headline over the image read: “Who is Number 12?”

Two months after his breakout Lakers moment, LaRavia authored a long-awaited follow-up story. Starting in place of the injured Rui Hachimura, he scored 20 and 26 points in back-to-back games against Memphis.

LaRavia’s scoring punch against his first NBA team was the obvious headline grabber, but it shouldn’t overshadow the 24-year-old’s consistent contribution all season.

“It’s just the way he plays,” James said. “He plays hard, he defends, he rebounds. The scoring can go up, it can go down. But his consistency of how he plays keeps him on the floor.”

LaRavia has been the Lakers’ most consistent defender this season, coach JJ Redick said after Sunday’s game in which LaRavia was a game-high plus-15 in his 34 minutes and 30 seconds on the court. His defensive influence, averaging career-highs in rebounds (4.3), steals (1.3) and blocks (0.5), has exceeded expectations for the Lakers.

Redick knew he wanted to target the rangy 6-foot-7 forward because the Lakers were bottom-third in blocks (22nd, 4.5 per game), steals (22nd, 7.7 per game) and deflections (24th, 15.2) last year. Top wing defender Dorian Finney-Smith signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Houston Rockets.

Now LaRavia and fellow offseason addition Marcus Smart are tied for the team lead in deflections with 3.1 each per game.

LaRavia started his college career at Indiana State before transferring to Wake Forest, where he averaged 14.6 points per game as a junior. He was drafted 19th overall in 2022 and averaged 10.8 points in his second year. Looking back, LaRavia realizes that, at the time, he only wanted to be on the court for his offense. He admitted he wasn’t a very strong defender.

It wasn’t until last year that things “clicked,” LaRavia said. If he wanted to stay in the NBA, he would have to do more than score.

“There’s a lot of offensive talent in this league,” said LaRavia, who was shipped to Sacramento in a midseason trade last year. “I would say there’s not as much people that are willing to go out there every night and just play as hard as they can and provide energy and effort on the defensive side.”

The energy has transferred to offensive production, where LaRavia is thriving on what the Lakers call “effort offense.” He crashes for rebounds. He cuts to the basket. He runs the floor in transition. Those little things easily make up for LaRavia’s 32.7% shooting from three, the lowest percentage of his career.

The three-point shot is starting to click as well; LaRavia made seven of 16 threes in two games against the Grizzlies. He credited his work with assistant coach Beau Levesque for helping him get back to basics with his shot while maintaining confidence and focus.

“He has the words for me every time we come in here and shoot, but it’s more so just the consistent work that we put in,” LaRavia said. “He always says control the input … and the output is going to show for itself. And he also says stuff like, ‘Don’t be reactionary.’ I had a good game, but we don’t react off that. We continue to put in the same kind of work and just continue to play.”

LaRavia knows his front-page moment can be fleeting. Just when it looked as if he had arrived in early November with 20-point performances in two out of three games, LaRavia didn’t reach the mark again until last Friday.

More than two months after he first announced who No. 12 was, LaRavia is still introducing the league to parts of his game. A soaring one-handed dunk against Memphis last Friday got teammates jumping to their feet on the bench. After the game, James described LaRavia as “sneaky athletic.”

When asked about the description, LaRavia smiled.

“I’m a fan of ‘sneaky athletic,’” he said.

Next men up

Lakers guard Nick Smith Jr.

(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)

The Lakers have had all 14 of their standard contract players available for only two games this season. The revolving door of injuries has forced the Lakers to live out the “next man up” mantra.

Next up are Dalton Knecht and Nick Smith Jr., who are seeing more consistent playing time while Austin Reaves (calf) and Gabe Vincent (back) are sidelined.

Smith, who is playing on a two-way contract, delivered with 21 points in the Lakers’ win over the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 28, their first game without Reaves. The third-year guard’s instant offense was why the Lakers picked him up on the eve of training camp.

Conversely, Knecht is not being judged solely on whether he makes shots, Redick said. The Lakers simply need the sharp-shooting second-year forward to “play hard.”

“If you make a mistake, just get it on the next position,” Knecht said of what coaches are asking of him, “and just don’t repeat that mistake.”

Knecht flashed his potential in a hot start to his rookie season when he shot 46% from three in November 2024. But Knecht found himself on the trading block months later. He was briefly sent to Charlotte, only to U-turn when the trade was rescinded because of a failed physical.

This season, coaches told Knecht his opportunities on the floor would come down to his defense. He was playing regularly when the Lakers were still without James earlier this season, but he was largely relegated to garbage time after the superstar forward returned.

Jarred Vanderbilt’s standing on the team also changed drastically when James returned. The forward was out of the rotation completely for 10 games after James made his season debut on Nov. 18.

But the Lakers, in need of a defensive reset, turned to Vanderbilt again on Dec. 14. He has played in nine consecutive games, averaging 6.6 points and 5.8 rebounds with seven total steals. After his three-point shooting was a major liability on offense, Vanderbilt is shooting 11 for 25 (44%) from three since rejoining the rotation.

Vanderbilt’s resurgence has given Knecht an example to follow as he tries to solidify his standing in the league.

“Me and him had long talks about that,” Knecht said. “Making sure that both of us are ready for the rotation when the guys go down or just throw one of us in.”

On tap

Jan. 6 at Pelicans (8-29), 5 p.m. PST

The Pelicans have lost seven in a row. Zion Williamson (18.3 points, 5.9 rebounds) is back after missing both games against the Lakers earlier this season.

Jan. 7 at Spurs (25-10), 6:30 p.m. PST

After dominating the Lakers to end L.A.’s NBA Cup hopes in December, San Antonio announced itself as a title contender by beating Oklahoma City three consecutive times. Center Victor Wembanyama hyperextended his knee on Dec. 31 and missed two games, but could return in time to play the Lakers on Wednesday.

Jan. 9 vs. Bucks (16-20), 7:30 p.m. PST

Milwaukee has won five of its last seven. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status with the team has been the biggest story line for the underwhelming Bucks, who are 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Status report

Gabe Vincent: lumbar back strain

Vincent is questionable for Tuesday’s game after missing eight games. He participated in a stay-ready game after practice last Saturday in his first on-court action since suffering the back injury.

Rui Hachimura: right calf strain

Hachimura will remain sidelined for at least the upcoming trip. He will stay in L.A. and could work with the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers. Hachimura has been out since Dec. 30.

Austin Reaves: left calf strain

Reaves won’t be reevaluated until at least Jan. 23.

Adou Thiero: right MCL sprain

The rookie forward will be sidelined for four weeks and won’t be reevaluated until the end of January.

Favorite thing I ate this week

Naan pizza with sausage, peppers and caramelized onions.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

Don’t cancel me for this. But sometimes for a home cooking hack, I use Trader Joe’s frozen naan for the crust on a personal pizza. I spent a year or two trying to perfect my own pizza dough technique, and I made good progress, but during a busy season, I don’t have the patience — or foresight — to be fiddling around with any fresh dough for a pizza night.

I topped a piece of garlic naan with homemade tomato sauce, cheese, Italian sausage, red peppers and caramelized onions. Then I finished it with a drizzle of hot honey.

I can only hope I will still be allowed to enter Italy next month for the Winter Olympics despite this culinary transgression. Take this as the only thing I have to declare at customs.

In case you missed it

Why the Lakers locked back in on Deandre Ayton in their comeback win against Grizzlies

Lakers takeaways: Jake LaRavia sets the tone in starting lineup during win over Grizzlies

Lakers takeaways: Pistons dominate paint as Lakers close out a sub-.500 December

Lakers takeaways: Nick Smith Jr. shines in win over Kings with Austin Reaves sidelined

Until next time…

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

In Jafar Panahi’s acclaimed thriller “It Was Just an Accident,” it’s a distinct sound that alerts Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), a mechanic, that the man who tortured him in prison might be dangerously close.

After hearing it, he embarks on a rage-fueled mission to kidnap and kill the interrogator. But Vahid is not certain he has the right man, so he enlists a group of other victims to help identify him. What ensues is a brilliantly taut ensemble piece.

The latest from the Iranian master earned the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and is now a major contender this awards season, representing France at the Oscars in the international feature category. Iran would not submit the politically charged film.

“Because the auditory sense of prisoners is usually strongest above all the other senses, I thought that I would begin the film with a sound,” a stoic Panahi says via an interpreter in a hotel room in Santa Monica. “In prison, you keep trying to guess if this voice that you hear belongs to an older person, a younger person, what he looks like and what he does in life.”

A scene from “It Was Just an Accident.”

(Neon)

Panahi is no stranger to being deprived of his freedom. Arrested in 2022 for his outspokenness against the regime’s practices, he spent seven months in prison. It wasn’t until he went on a hunger strike that his right to legal representation was granted.

Without an attorney present, Panahi explains, interrogators blindfold detainees and stand behind them, either asking questions directly or writing them on a piece of paper and handing it to the detained, who lifts their blindfold just enough to read it. An interrogation nearly identical to that description plays out in last year’s Oscar-nominated film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” by Mohammad Rasoulof, one of Panahi’s longtime collaborators.

“I had not actually seen Rasoulof’s film because when we make films clandestinely, we don’t talk about them, even with our close friends,” he explains. “I didn’t even know what his film was about. Only when I got to France to mix [‘It Was Just an Accident’], and Rasoulof’s film was out in theaters there, that’s when I saw it.”

Making films on the outskirts of legality under an authoritarian regime entails high-stakes discretion. The script for “It Was Just an Accident” never left Panahi’s sight when casting.

“To all of the actors, I gave the script in my own apartment,” he recalls. “I told them, ‘Read it here, don’t take it with you. Go and think about it for 24 hours, and then tell me whether you want to be a part of it.’” Everyone in the stellar cast, composed of dissident artists with varying degrees of experience in front of the camera, was aware of the risks it entailed.

Jafar Panahi.

(Kate Dockeray / For The Times)

Mobasseri had appeared in Panahi’s previous effort, “No Bears,” while Majid Panahi, who plays a groom swept up in the scheme by his vengeful bride, is the director’s nephew. Mariam Afshari, as a photographer who also joins the plot, had minimal acting experience, but had been involved in other productions in below-the-line roles. Panahi says he casts actors based on how their physical traits resemble the character he has in mind.

That was the case with the tall and lean Ebrahim Azizi, who appears as Eghbal, the man the group believes was their ruthless captor. For a scene near the end where Eghbal breaks down, thinking he’s about to be killed, Panahi placed his trust in Azizi — who only acts in underground films, not state-approved projects — to convey the tempestuous humanity of a presumed villain.

“I felt a huge burden on my shoulders when I left prison that made me feel I owed something to my fellow prisoners who were left behind,” Panahi says. “I said this to Ebrahim Azizi, ‘Now the entire burden of this film is on your shoulders with your acting, and you have to put that burden down with utmost commitment.’”

The first time Panahi shot that searing scene, he sensed it wasn’t coming together. After all, his only experience with real-life interrogators was from the receiving end of their questioning. “I went to one of my friends, Mehdi Mahmoudian, who has spent one-fourth of his life in prison,” he says. “I told him, ‘Because you know these personality types very well, come and tell this actor what to do.’ He guided [Azizi] and we took two or three more takes and it was done.”

Amid the hard-hitting moral drama of “It Was Just an Accident,” moments that warrant a chuckle for their realistic absurdity might surprise some viewers. However, a touch of sardonic levity has always been part of Panahi’s storytelling.

“Humor just flows through life. You cannot stop it,” he says.

To make his point, Panahi recalls a morbid memory from when he was around 10 years old. One of his friends had lost his father. Disturbed, the boy threatened to take his own life. Panahi and his other friends followed him to try to stop him if he did in fact attempt to hurt himself.

Determined, the boy announced he would stand in the middle of the road and throw himself in front of a large vehicle. “We were lucky because we were in a very isolated part of town and there were no real big cars passing by,” he says. “Two hours later we were all sitting in a movie theater. Humor is always there. It’s not really in my hands.”

If you asked Los Alamitos basketball coach Nate Berger to be honest about early expectations for a team that returned zero starters, he would have said a 1-9 start wouldn’t have been surprising.

But the Griffins, loaded with backups from last season and members of a good junior varsity team, are 8-6 going into an early Sunset League showdown with 16-1 Corona del Mar on Monday.

Tyler Lopez has been leading the way. The senior committed to Jessup University in Northern California is averaging 17 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Isaiah Williamson, younger brother of former Eastvale Roosevelt standout Issac Williamson, has been making major contributions.

Berger has been pleased with his players’ growing experience and confidence after some early season struggles adjusting.

“I was pleasantly surprised how my team responded and some of these young players have jelled,” he said.

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

From Gary Klein: It was a modest goal. After being sidelined all of training camp, all Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford desired was for his sore back to heal in time for the season opener.

“Just make it to Week 1,” he joked.

Mission accomplished.

“We got there,” he said, “and then just held on for dear life.”

Stafford did more than that. Despite some “touch and go moments,” he did not miss a snap during perhaps the finest season of his 17-year career.

And on Sunday, Stafford made a final case for his first league most valuable player award.

He passed for four touchdowns in a 37-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals that gave the Rams the No. 5 seed for the NFC playoffs and a wild-card matchup on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PST against the No. 4 Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C.

The Seattle Seahawks are seeded No. 1 and will have a first round bye. The No. 2 Chicago Bears play host to the No. 7 Green Bay Packers, and the No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles play host to the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers.

Stafford, 37, will attempt to lead the Rams to their second Super Bowl title in his five seasons with the team.

Continue reading here

Rams summary

NFL standings

Chargers fall to Broncos

From Sam Farmer: The game was the understudies versus the underwhelmings.

The second-string Chargers against the … wait a second, the top-seeded Denver Broncos only generated 240 yards and failed to score an offensive touchdown?

Such is the AFC this season, filled with teams who flash one week and fizzle the next.

Sunday’s regular-season finale — which the Broncos won, 19-3 — was far more competitive than it should have been, especially considering the lopsided incentives.

Whereas the Chargers were playing for pride and only modestly consequential postseason seeding, Denver’s stakes were two miles high: a free pass to the second round, and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.

Continue reading here

Chargers summary

NFL standings

NFL playoffs schedule

Sam Farmer breaks down all the wild-card game for you here.

All times Pacific
Wild-card round
NFC
Saturday
No. 5 Rams at No. 4 Carolina, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes
No. 7 Green Bay at No. 2 Chicago, 5 p.m., Prime Video

Sunday
No. 6 San Francisco at No. 3 Philadelphia, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes

AFC
Sunday
No. 6 Buffalo at No. 3 Jacksonville, 10 a.m., CBS, Paramount+
No. 7 Chargers at No. 2 New England, 5 p.m., NBC, Peacock, Universo

Monday, Jan. 12
No. 5 Houston at No. 4 Pittsburgh, 5 p.m., ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes; ManningCast-ESPN2

Divisional round
Jan. 17 and 18, TBA

Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 25, TBA

Super Bowl
Sunday, Feb. 8, NBC, Time TBA

Lakers defeat Memphis again

From Broderick Turner: They met two days prior to Sunday night’s encounter at Crypto.com Arena, a two-game set between the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies reminiscent of a playoff series.

The Lakers won the first game Friday night here and knew the Grizzlies were going to bring more intensity and a stronger effort even with star guard Ja Morant (right calf contusion) not playing.

And that was the case, the Lakers falling behind by 16 points in the second quarter, the Grizzlies ramping it up in a big way. But with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Jake LaRavia leading the way, the Lakers pulled out a 120-114 win and improved to 12-0 in clutch games.

Continue reading here

Lakers box score

NBA standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1964 — Keith Lincoln of the San Diego Chargers rushes for 206 yards in 13 carries, catches seven passes for 123 yards, completes one pass for 20 and scores two touchdowns in a 51-10 rout of the Boston Patriots for the AFL title.

1983 — In his 42nd game, Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores his 100th point of the season with an assist in the Oilers’ 8-3 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets.

1991 — Kevin Bradshaw of U.S. International scores 72 points to break Pete Maravich’s NCAA Division I single-game scoring record of 69, but Loyola Marymount sets an NCAA team scoring record in defeating the Gulls 186-140.

1993 — Reggie Jackson, who hit 563 homers and played on five championship teams in 21 seasons, is the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1996 — Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula announces his retirement as winningest NFL Head Coach of all-time.

1997 — The second-year Carolina Panthers, behind John Kasay’s four field goals, beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-17 to advance to the NFC championship game.

1999 — Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount are voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the biggest class of first-time candidates since Babe Ruth and four others were chosen in the original election of 1936.

2009 — Pittsburgh makes it to the top of The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll for the first time. The Panthers are one of a record nine Big East teams in the poll. The 16-team league had a record eight schools ranked for three weeks earlier in the season.

2013 — Aaron Rodgers connects with an NFL playoff-record 10 receivers as he throws for 274 yards in his first playoff victory at home, leading Green Bay to a 24-10 victory over Minnesota.

2013 — Arian Foster rushes for 140 yards and a touchdown in Houston’s 19-13 win over Cincinnati, and becomes the first NFL player to have 100-yard games in each of his first three playoff games.

2017 — The Columbus Blue Jackets lose 5-0 to the Washington Capitals ending their winning streak at 16 games, one shy of the NHL record. Columbus lose for the first time since Nov. 26, ending a captivating run that fell short of the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins’ record of 17 consecutive wins.

2021 — 86th Heisman Trophy Award: DeVonta Smith, Alabama (WR).

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.