team

Third-year guard Bronny James and rookie guard Cameron Carr have been assigned to G League Coachella Valley, the Lakers announced Thursday.

James, who is the third year of a four-year contract worth $7.9 million ($4.4 million guaranteed), played only 12 minutes this season across five games, scoring four points on two-of-three shooting while missing his only three-pointer.

Carr, who was the 24th overall draft pick this summer, has played only four minutes in three games, missing the only shot he took.

James has played in 74 games during his young career, including 42 last season when he averaged 2.9 points and 1.2 assists in 8.9 minutes.

The Lakers moved their G League affiliate to Coachella Valley, where they will open the season Friday at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert against Salt Lake City.

Since coming out of retirement before this season, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald adopted a humble approach, always allowing younger, less-accomplished players to go ahead of him during drills.

But on Thursday, the future Hall of Famer enthusiastically moved to the front of the line.

The Rams practiced scooping fumbled footballs off the turf.

“I needed that,” Donald said Thursday, chuckling. “Learn bending and getting down.”

Last Sunday against the Chargers, Donald missed the opportunity to score his first NFL touchdown when, with a clear shot to the end zone, he failed to come up with a fumble, albeit in hilarious fashion.

“I saw what he was thinking because it’s going right in front of you and he’s thinking, ‘I’m going to scoop and score,’” coach Sean McVay said after the game. “Then he knocks that … out of bounds. I mean, what the hell?

“His face, he couldn’t even look at me and make eye contact after that. But at least we can laugh about it right now.”

Donald was still laughing about it Thursday.

“I should have slowed down, but I felt people behind me and I’m like, ‘I’m going to get hit in my back. That’s going to hurt,’” he said. “So I tried to go full speed and scoop it. I thought the ball was going to bounce this way but it bounced that way, and it just looked all damn silly.

“Then I hit the ball out. I just laid down. ‘I can’t believe I just did that.’”

Donald was grinning throughout his session with reporters while replaying the missed opportunity — and the new opportunity on the horizon with edge rusher Myles Garrett back at practice.

McVay has not said whether Garrett will be activated from injured reserve and play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery after the season opener.

But Donald sounded as if that could happen Sunday when the Rams play the Washington Commanders in Landover, Md.

Donald did not play in the opener, so whenever Garrett returns would mark the first time the future Hall of Famers will play together.

“If Myles is 100% ready to go, and plays this week, that’s going to be amazing for us,” Donald said. “It’s always good when you have all the pieces of the puzzle.”

Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, and Garrett, a two-time winner, have a combined 236½ sacks. Last season with the Cleveland Browns, Garrett set an NFL season record with 23 sacks.

Donald has played in six games for a team that opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite but is 4-4 after its win over the Chargers.

Donald does not have a sack, but he has 12 tackles, three for losses.

Will Garrett’s return free Donald from double teams and other schemes?

“I’m pretty sure,” Donald said. “The guy did have 20-something sacks last year.”

Donald said the season has not gone as expected, but he is enjoying it.

“I’m enjoying the process, I’m enjoying myself week in and week out getting better, enjoying being out there with the guys,” he said. “And just playing this game.”

Etc.

The Rams activated kicker Joshua Karty to the roster from the practice squad and signed cornerback David Long to the practice squad. The Rams selected Long in the third round of the 2019 draft and he played three-plus seasons before stints with four other teams. … For the second day in a row, cornerback Trent McDuffie (back), tight end Colby Parkinson (ribs) and safety Kam Curl (foot) did not practice.

To win in girls’ flag football, you need your school’s best athletes to come out. And unbeaten JSerra certainly pulled off the feat by getting three-sport standout Kai Beary to devote time to flag football.

She’s a goalie for the girls’ soccer team and headed to Georgetown in Janaury to prepare for the college season. She won’t be around for the track and field season but won the Southern Section Division 3 title in the shotput last season.

In flag football, she catches passes and helps JSerra’s formidable defense. JSerra is 27-0 and plays Newport Harbor at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Huntington Beach in the Open Division championship game.

Beary was in Long Beach on Wednesday for the Southern Section girls’ flag football championship luncheon. Her athleticism has been helpful to three JSerra sports teams and won’t be forgotten.

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

Lakers get past the Kings

From Broderick Turner: On a night when Lakers coach JJ Redick said his team was “a little flat,” Luka Doncic flattened yet another opponent.

Even Doncic started slow compared to his usual first-quarter exploits, but he picked up his pace as the game progressed, dropping 40 points on the woeful Sacramento Kings to lead the Lakers to a 116-103 win Wednesday night at Golden1 Center.

Doncic has scored 40-plus points in three straight games and in five of his last six.

So, after he went 11-for-23 from the field and six-for-13 from three-point range and after he also notched nine rebounds and seven assists, Doncic was asked if he’s ever had a better offensive stretch over his eight-year NBA career.

“Maybe. I don’t know,” he said. “I had some good stretches in my career. But obviously this could be one of the highest ones. But there’s still some work to do.”

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Lakers box score

NBA standings

Clippers lose at last second

Klay Thompson made the winning three-pointer with a second left in overtime and the Miami Heat rallied past the reeling Clippers 117-116 on Wednesday night.

Bam Adebayo set season highs with 35 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who have won three of four after losing their first four games. Thompson scored 30, going eight of 17 from three-point range, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points, 14 boards and six assists.

Miami trailed by 20 in the second quarter and was still down 10 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the fourth before a 9-0 spurt set up the tight finish.

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Clippers box score

NBA standings

Myles Garrett returns to Rams practice

From Gary Klein: Rams star edge rusher Myles Garrett, who has been sidelined for seven games following knee surgery, returned to practice Wednesday.

Garrett, the reigning NFL defensive player of the year, has been on injured reserve since undergoing left knee surgery after the Rams’ season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.

Coach Sean McVay said the Rams have attempted to be “as diligent, as thorough” as possible before allowing Garrett to practice and opening the 21-day window for him to return to the roster.

McVay said Garrett would take half the amount of full reps on Wednesday and would be evaluated each day before determining when he would be activated to the roster for a game. Garrett went through individual drills with edge rushers during the portion of practice open to reporters.

The Rams play the Washington Commanders on Sunday in Landover, Md.

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Rams’ Jaylen Watson to miss rest of season

From Gary Klein: Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson will have shoulder surgery and is out for the season, coach Sean McVay said Wednesday.

Watson, who signed with the Rams as a free agent after winning two Super Bowl titles in four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, reinjured his shoulder during last Sunday’s victory over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

“That’s a big blow,” McVay said. “Bummer for him. He’s been such a stud for us. He wanted to be able to play through it but just kind of understanding the totality of it all, just some of the different things, recommended to get that surgery.

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Kempe’s hat trick leads Kings

Adrian Kempe had a hat trick and an assist, Quinton Byfield scored two goals, and the Kings routed the San José Sharks 7-2 on Wednesday night.

Erik Haula and Joel Armia also scored for the Kings and Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves. Artemi Panarin had four assists.

It was the 37th multigoal game Kempe has had with the Kings, moving him past Dustin Brown for sole possession of ninth place in the history of the franchise. Kempe returned to the lineup after missing a 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday because of an undisclosed injury.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

This day in sports history

1927 — Walter Hagen beats Joe Turnesa 1-up to capture the PGA Championship for the fourth consecutive year and fifth overall.

1955 — Montreal’s Jean Beliveau scores the second fastest hat trick in NHL history in a 4-2 win over Boston. Beliveau, who scores all four Canadien goals, gets three in 44 seconds against Bruins goaltender Terry Sawchuk on the same power play.

1961 — Bill Stacy of the St. Louis Cardinals returns two interceptions for touchdowns in a 31-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

1966 — Virgil Carter of Brigham Young passes for 513 yards and rushes for 86 to set an NCAA record for total yards with 599 in a 53-33 victory over Texas Western.

1977 — BYU sophomore Marc Wilson sets an NCAA record with 571 passing yards in a 38-8 rout of Utah.

1978 — Oakland coach John Madden becomes the 13th head coach to win 100 games in the NFL as the Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-10.

1988 — Alysheba becomes the richest racehorse when he beats Seeking the Gold by a half-length in the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

1994 — George Foreman regains part of the heavyweight title he lost to Muhammad Ali in 1974, stopping Michael Moorer with a two-punch combination at 2:03 of the 10th round. Foreman, 45, captures the IBF and WBA championships to become the oldest champion in any weight class.

1999 — Carolina’s Ron Francis becomes the sixth NHL player to reach 1,500 points when he assisted on Sami Kapanen’s first-period goal for the Hurricanes in 3-2 loss at Detroit.

2008 — Tony Parker scores a career-high 55 points, including a 20-footer at the buzzer to force a second overtime in San Antonio’s 129-125 victory over Minnesota.

2010 — Calvin Borel and Javier Castellano tussle at Churchill Downs just moments after tangling during the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon in an ugly, chaotic scene. Castellano’s horse Prince Will I Am runs into the path of Romp and Martin Garcia. Garcia is able to stay on top of his horse but also impedes Borel and A.U. Miner. After the race, an enraged Borel is restrained by security personnel and his older brother Cecil.

2010 — Mexico beats the United States in one of the biggest upsets in the history of women’s soccer. The Mexicans, on goals by Maribel Dominguez and Veronica Perez, post 2-1 victory and qualify for the 2011 World Cup.

2011 — Drew Alleman kicks a 25-yard field goal in overtime to give top-ranked LSU a 9-6 win over No. 2 Alabama.

2016 — Arrogate catches 4-5 favorite California Chrome in the final 100 yards to win the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

2017 — Shalane Flanagan dethrones three-time winner Mary Keitany to become the first American woman to win the New York City Marathon since 1977.

2017 — Eli Manning of the Giants became the seventh NFL quarterback to reach the 50,000-mark with his completion to Sterling Shepard in the fourth quarter against the Rams.

2022 — Alex Ovechkin scores 787th goal for the Washington Capitals surpassing Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings, for all-time NHL record for most goals scored for a single team, in 3-2 loss to Arizona Coyotes.

2022 — World Series: Houston Astros win second title in franchise history; beat Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1 iat Minute Maid Park, Houston for 4-2 series victory; MVP: Astros SS Jeremy Peña, Dusty Baker (73) becomes oldest manager to win championship, Phillies set ignominious record striking out 71 times.

2025 — Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin becomes first NHL player to score 900 goals in a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues

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.

Lakers have room for improvement

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Austin Reaves described it as “fun.” Luka Doncic called the Lakers’ effortless-looking offense as “flowing.” And this is still the early stages of development for a team that brought in nine new players.

Through eight games, the Lakers have the most dynamic offense in the NBA. Led by Doncic, the Lakers are second in scoring with 122.5 points per game and first in offensive rating with 121.9 points per 100 possessions. The starting lineup of Doncic, Reaves, Walker Kessler, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle has a league-best 135.5 offensive rating among five-man groups that have played at least 40 minutes together entering Wednesday’s game at Sacramento.

“Everything’s as expected,” guard Quentin Grimes said Monday after the Lakers hung 138 points in a21-point win over the Miami Heat. “Winning, everybody’s getting involved, everybody’s making the right play, getting a lot of assists.”

The Lakers (6-2) had 39 assists against the Heat, the most during JJ Redick’s head-coaching tenure. Doncic is on a historic scoring binge; he is the first Laker since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to have five consecutive games of 35 or more points. While putting up a seemingly ho-hum 42 points against Miami, he also had a season-high 13 assists.

“It’s a really good offense that we’re playing right now,” Redick said. “And a lot of that, of course, is Doncic and what he’s able to do and bend the defense.”

Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer at 38.3 points per game, does his damage early. He typically plays all 12 minutes of the opening quarter and leads the league with 15 points a game in the first quarter. Once he gets his shot going, teams send double teams to force the ball out of his hands. That’s when Doncic can be particularly dangerous.

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How Angel City helped ‘Ted Lasso’

From Kevin Baxter: Angel City and “Ted Lasso” both came to life in the summer of 2020 when the rest of the world was preoccupied with something far more serious, the global COVID-19 pandemic.

In those dark times, the series about kindness, grace, optimism — and soccer — became the show we didn’t know we needed, but suddenly couldn’t do without.

Angel City, meanwhile, would play its first NWSL game two years later, by which time “Lasso” and Jason Sudeikis, the title character of the Apple TV series about a fictional Premier League team and its manager, had already won multiple Emmys.

Hollywood is a small town, so it wasn’t long before Sudeikis reached out to Kara Nortman, a venture capitalist who co-founded Angel City in 2020, and asked to talk about women’s soccer.

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UCLA is No. 8 in first CFP rankings; USC is No. 20

UCLA coach Bob Chesney and the Bruins are ranked No. 8 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, a remarkable turnaround for a program that recorded three wins last season.

Chesney has led a revival in his first season that has the Bruins on track to host a playoff game if they can navigate formidable games at Minnesota on Saturday, at home against Illinois on Nov. 13, at Michigan on Nov. 21 and at home against crosstown-rival USC on Nov. 28.

The Trojans (7-2) were ranked No. 20 in the poll after their defiant 30-18 win over No. 12 Ohio State Saturday at the Coliseum.

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Split election results for local teams

From Sam Farmer: Hollywood Park was winning one fight and losing another, both by slim margins, as vote counting continued Tuesday night on two ballot measures in Inglewood.

According to results posted by the Los Angeles County registrar shortly after 10:30 p.m., Measure AT was losing, 51.9% to 48.1%, a margin of 583 votes; and Measure BB was losing 51% to 49%, a margin of 307.

Measure AT would mean more ticket taxes for big events in Inglewood, home to SoFi Stadium, Intuit Dome and the Forum. The City of Inglewood wants that.

Measure BB would bar the city from allowing billboard advertising on sidewalks, medians and the like. Owners of those sports and entertainment venues, who have their own sponsorship deals, are backing that measure.

Meanwhile, City Council member Gloria D. Gray led incumbent Mayor James T. Butts Jr., 34.6% to 29.8%, putting them on an early track for a runoff election in March.

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Ducks beat the Canucks

Cutter Gauthier scored a hat trick for the second game in a row and the Ducks held on for a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.

Mikael Granlund added a goal and two assists for the Ducks, while Leo Carlsson put away a shorthanded tally and Beckett Sennecke had four assists.

Laurent Brossoit stopped 19 shots for the Ducks.

The Ducks (7-7-1) came into the game with the league’s second-best power play (34%) behind only the Utah Mammoth and went three for three with the man advantage. Two of Gauthier’s goals came on the power play and the Ducks have 10 power-play goals on 12 chances over their past three games.

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

This day in sports history

1934 — The Detroit Lions rush for an NFL-record 426 yards in a 40-7 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The only bright spot for the Pirates is scoring the first touchdown against Detroit this season, ending the Lions’ shutout streak at seven games.

1951 — The U.S. wins six of eight singles matches and ties another to win the Ryder Cup 9½-2½ over Britain at Pinehurst in North Carolina.

1959 — Ernie Banks, Cubs shortstop, wins his 2nd consecutive NL MVP.

1960 — Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia scores 44 points and sets an NBA record by missing all 10 of his free throws in the Warriors 136-121 victory the Detroit Pistons.

1976 — Baseball holds its first free agent draft with 24 players from 13 major league clubs participating. Reggie Jackson eventually signs the most lucrative contract of the group, $2.9 million over five years with the New York Yankees. Others free agents are Joe Rudi, Don Gullett, Gene Tenace, Rollie Fingers, Don Baylor, Bobby Grich and Willie McCovey.

1984 — Seattle’s Dave Brown returns two interceptions for touchdowns in a 31-17 triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs.

1987 — NBA announces four new franchises; Charlotte & Miami for 1988 & Minneapolis & Orlando for 1989.

1989 — Sunday Silence holds off the late charge by favorite Easy Goer to win the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Classic by a neck at Gulfstream Park.

2000 — R.J. Bowers rushes for 128 yards to become the first player in NCAA history to gain 7,000 yards in his career, leading Grove City past Carnegie Mellon 14-10.

2000 — In the highest scoring Division I-AA game in NCAA history, Ricky Ray passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns and scores three more to lead Sacramento State over Cal State Northridge 64-61.

2001 — Luis Gonzalez’s RBI single caps a two-run rally off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth, and the Arizona Diamondbacks win their first championship by beating the New York Yankees 3-2 in Game 7.

2006 — Rod Brind’Amour of Carolina scores his 1,000th point, assisting on a goal in the Hurricanes’ 3-2 win over Ottawa.

2007 — Adrian Peterson runs for an NFL-record 296 yards and three touchdowns in Minnesota’s 35-17 win over San Diego.

2009 — The New York Yankees win the World Series, beating the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 behind Hideki Matsui’s record-tying six RBIs.

2012 — Andrew Luck breaks the NFL’s single-game rookie record by throwing for 433 yards in leading Indianapolis to a 23-20 win over Miami

2016 — Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell and Josh Anderson score two goals apiece and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat Montreal 10-0, matching the biggest loss in the Canadiens’ storied history.

2017 — Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw rushes for a career-high 265 yards and Army ends Air Force’s 306-game scoring streak with a 21-0 victory.

2017 — With a 31-24 overtime victory over Nebraska, Northwestern becomes the first Football Bowl Subdivision program to win three consecutive overtime games.

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.

A year ago, during the Southern Section football playoffs, Trent Mosley became so exceptional that Santa Margarita High ran the table and looked unbeatable by season‘s end en route to winning Southern Section and state championships.

Which player is capable of pulling a Trent Mosley to be a difference-maker during the postseason of 2026?

The candidates:

Palos Verdes High standout Jalen Flowers, a receiver and defensive back, celebrates after making a play during a game earlier this season.

(Nick Koza)

• Jalen Flowers, Palos Verdes. He has become so fast, strong and instinctive that at any moment he can make a big play at receiver, returning a kickoff or punt or making a play on defense at safety. Any opponent in the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs cannot let him have the ball in the open field or it’s a touchdown. He’s as close to a Mosley-like player as there is this season.
• Chris Fields III, Carson. No team’s fortunes are more tied to a single player than Carson’s. Yes, the offensive line has to block, the receivers have to get open and the defense has to stop the run, but the Colts’ ambitious focus on winning City Section and state titles depends on Fields, a senior quarterback who can beat teams with his arm and legs.

  As the playoffs begin in high school football, this is really the first time in years that there’s no certain No. 1 quarterback in the Southland based on performance and team achievement. Past ones have been Luke Fahey, Bryce Young, Brady Smigiel, Elijah Brown. Let’s see who…

  — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) November 2, 2026

• Jaxsen Stokes, Sierra Canyon. There’s always been a Trinity League roadblock to prevent the Trailblazers from reaching the championship game of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Stokes, a running back, is the player who must be protected at all costs. His rushing skills open the passing game. Combined with a great defense, he’ll need to deliver for the Trailblazers to finally break through the Trinity gauntlet.

  

  Jaden Walk-Green of Corona Centennial outduels Kayden Dixon-Wyatt of Mater Dei last season for interception.

  (Craig Weston)

• Jaden Walk-Green, Corona Centennial. Absent for much of the season while recovering from offseason knee surgery, Walk-Green has returned to bring back all the little things he does well — tackle, intercept passes, kick field goals, catch passes, kick PATs, return kickoffs and punts. Take him for granted at your own peril during the Division 1 playoffs.
• Koa Malau’ulu, St. John Bosco. The junior quarterback is facing lots of pressure to avoid interceptions and lead his team to the Division 1 championship. He’s been a starter for three seasons. He’s in the same position that former quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was in trying to deliver a big-time win. Uiagalelei rallied the Braves from 34 points down in his senior year to beat Mater Dei in the final.
• Caden Jones, Crean Lutheran. The senior quarterback has the ability to run or pass, making him one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the Southland. It will be his judgment that can carry his team far in Division 2.
• Michael Farinas, Chaparral. Maybe he’s underestimated because he’s a 5-foot-9 receiver, but Farinas is a big play waiting to happen. On a team that is suddenly healthy, Farinas has five touchdowns rushing, nine touchdowns receiving and one touchdown on a kickoff.

  

  Huntington Beach’s Dylin Bruce (2) uses his speed to be a big-play weapon.

  (Jeremy Westerbeck)

• Dylin Bruce, Huntington Beach. Speed matters in playoff games, and Bruce has it, with the ability to turn short gains into touchdowns. He has six touchdowns receiving, two touchdowns on interceptions, two on punt returns and one on kickoff return. In other words, he’s like Flowers for unbeaten Huntington Beach.
• Star Thomas III, Orange. With more than 3,600 yards passing for 38 touchdowns and almost 500 yards rushing for eight touchdowns, the junior quarterback had the best regular season of any quarterback in the Southland. If he keeps it going in the playoffs for 10-0 Orange, they’ll build a statue for him. He faces a tough opener at No. 1-seeded Chaparral in the Division 2 playoffs.
• Lucas Rhoa, Orange Lutheran. During games, it’s tough to notice the impact a single offensive lineman can have, so take a moment to watch Rhoa. He simply pushes people around, and with Rhoa’s ability to lead the way, the Lancers stunned top-seeded St. John Bosco last season in the Division 1 playoffs and must not be overlooked even though there are injuries at the quarterback position.

  

  Garfield running back Ceasar Reyes set a school record with 420 yards rushing and four touchdowns in win over South Gate

  (Nick Koza)

• Ceasar Reyes, Garfield. Given class relief by being put in City Section Division 1, Garfield intends to hop on Reyes’ back and see how far he takes them. He has rushed for close to 2,500 yards and 39 touchdowns while being rested at times to save him for the playoffs. He loves ice baths to recover from bumps and bruises after hard-fought games, so get ready for lots of ice to keep him going.
• Gatsbee Gumban, Nogales. Averaging 10 yards per carry with nearly 2,000 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns, the senior running back should be the player to watch in the Southern Section Division 10 playoffs for the 10-0 Nobles.

  

  Brothers Trent and Grant Mosley last season for Santa Margarita.

  (Craig Weston)

• Grant Mosley, Santa Margarita. Yes, there’s another Mosley at Santa Margarita. This junior receiver didn’t play until the Eagles’ fifth game because of an injury, but all signs point to him back in football shape and doing things only players with a Mosley gene can do.
• Elija Harmon, Inglewood. At 6-3 and nearly 300 pounds, the senior defensive lineman teams up with 6-3, 287-pound Myels Smith to form an unbreakable brick wall on defense, which makes for a huge first-round Division 2 opener between Inglewood and unbeaten Huntington Beach with standout quarterback Brady Edmunds.

Esteban Ocon has been permanently dropped by the Haas team.

The Frenchman will be replaced at this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix by Brazilian rookie Rafael Camara, who has been signed by the team for 2027.

Haas released a statement saying Ocon would “no longer compete on its behalf in the 2026 world championship”.

The move comes after Ocon was replaced following Friday’s practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, apparently after a row with team principal Ayao Komatsu.

Haas have given no details as to what led them to drop Ocon in Mexico.

Komatsu said in a statement from Haas on Tuesday: “We have now notified Esteban Ocon that he will not return to a race seat with Haas this season.

“Such decisions are never made lightly, as was the case in Mexico City – but then, as now, we feel this is firmly in the best interest of the team moving forward.

“The conversations that ultimately unfolded between the team and Esteban remain an internal matter, and we will continue to respect the private nature of closed-door situations.”

Ocon, who has driven in 198 grands prix since making his debut in 2016 and has one victory, looks set to be out of a race seat for 2027 as the only teams with potential vacancies – Racing Bulls and Cadillac – are said not to be interested in him.

He is looking for a reserve drive as a way to stay in the conversations in the paddock.

Ocon was dropped on Saturday morning in Mexico City and replaced by Haas’ Japanese reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa.

The decision to stand him down came after he had a dispute with race engineer Laura Mueller about tyre choice during second practice on Friday.

The following day, Ocon released a statement saying he “categorically rejected any reports or allegations suggesting that any form of physical violence was used to resolve any differences of any nature”.

He admitted that “a difference in viewpoints led to a discussion with the parties involved”.

His statement followed a report in France’s L’Equipe which said that a meeting between Komatsu and Ocon “ended abruptly, perhaps even physically”.

Haas have not said who will drive in Ocon’s place in the remaining races of the season after Sao Paulo this weekend.

VANCOUVER, Canada — Cutter Gauthier scored a hat trick for the second game in a row and the Ducks held on for a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.

Mikael Granlund added a goal and two assists for the Ducks, while Leo Carlsson put away a short-handed tally and Beckett Sennecke had four assists.

Laurent Brossoit stopped 19 shots for the Ducks.

The Ducks (7-7-1) came into the game with the league’s second-best power play (34%) behind only the Utah Mammoth and went three for three with the man advantage. Two of Gauthier’s goals came on the power play and the Ducks have 10 power-play goals on 12 chances over its last three games.

The Canucks got two goals from Jake DeBrusk, and one each from Liam Ohgren and Linus Karlsson. Elias Pettersson notched a pair of assists. Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankinen made 17 saves.

Granlund opened the scoring with a power-play tally just over four minutes into the first period. Vancouver replied on a man advantage two minutes later. Marco Rossi fed Ohgren just above the crease for the goal.

The Ducks took a 2-1 lead into the intermission when Gauthier fired a shot in on his team’s second power play of the night at the 17:07 mark of the first.

Gauthier also scored three in the Ducks’ 6-3 comeback victory over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, and is the first player in team history with back-to-back three-goal games.

The 22-year-old American has eight goals in his last three games after going the previous nine without finding the net.

Gauthier was in the penalty box midway through the third when DeBrusk scored his fourth of the season to put the score at 5-3.

DeBrusk breathed new life into Rogers arena with just over 10 minutes left on the game clock, blasting a point shot in to cut Vancouver’s deficit to a single goal.

The New York Liberty have fired Chris DeMarco after just one season as head coach, the team announced Tuesday.

DeMarco, who had no prior WNBA experience, led the Liberty through a rocky season that included a Commissioner’s Cup win in June before eventually finishing 26-18 and earning the No. 8 seed for the playoffs. The team swept the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 2-0 in the first round, becoming the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in league history.

But the Liberty were then swept 3-0 by the Atlanta Dream in the semifinals. The series included a massive Game 2 mistake by the Liberty coaching staff of not knowing they had a reset timeout left to use in the final seconds of the 101-98 loss.

After the Liberty were eliminated, DeMarco said he expected to return for the 2027 season. Instead, the franchise will be looking for its third head coach in three years. This will also be Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb‘s fourth coaching search since 2019.

DeMarco was named coach of the Liberty in December, after the franchise chose not to renew former coach Sandy Brondello‘s contract for the 2026 season. A former WNBA player as well as longtime coach of the Phoenix Mercury, Brondello’s four-year tenure with New York included leading the team to its first ever WNBA championship in 2024.

A former assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, DeMarco arrived to New York with 14 years of NBA experience as well as having served as the coach of the Bahamas men’s national team from 2019 to 2025. When asked during his introductory news conference in December about how he was preparing to coach women for the first time in his career, DeMarco said he had “ordered every book on the New York Liberty you can find online.”

Following their final loss to Atlanta, Liberty stars Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones did not have much to say regarding DeMarco’s future with the franchise other than it wasn’t their decision.

But Stewart, who helped carry the team for much of its injury-laden season, said then that she “1000%” believed the team has the talent to win a championship and described the season as “a missed opportunity.”

“Of course we want to win a championship every single time we step on the court, but it’s really hard in this league,” Stewart said. “And in order to do that, you need to be consistent for the full 44 games … and I don’t think that we were consistent throughout the season. … This is not like cramming for a test, you got to be ready to go since the jump.”

The Liberty’s coaching vacancy is the second in the WNBA after the season. The Sparks fired second-year coach Lynn Roberts after the conclusion of the regular season in September.

Austin Reaves described it as “fun.” Luka Doncic called the Lakers’ effortless-looking offense as “flowing.” And this is still the early stages of development for a team that brought in nine new players.

Through eight games, the Lakers have the most dynamic offense in the NBA. Led by Doncic, the Lakers are second in scoring with 122.5 points per game and first in offensive rating with 121.9 points per 100 possessions. The starting lineup of Doncic, Reaves, Walker Kessler, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle has a league-best 135.5 offensive rating among five-man groups that have played at least 40 minutes together entering Wednesday’s game at Sacramento.

“Everything’s as expected,” guard Quentin Grimes said Monday after the Lakers hung 138 points in a 21-point win over the Miami Heat. “Winning, everybody’s getting involved, everybody’s making the right play, getting a lot of assists.”

The Lakers (6-2) had 39 assists against the Heat, the most during JJ Redick’s head-coaching tenure. Doncic is on a historic scoring binge; he is the first Laker since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to have five consecutive games of 35 or more points. While putting up a seemingly ho-hum 42 points against Miami, he also had a season-high 13 assists.

“It’s a really good offense that we’re playing right now,” Redick said. “And a lot of that, of course, is Doncic and what he’s able to do and bend the defense.”

Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer at 38.3 points per game, does his damage early. He typically plays all 12 minutes of the opening quarter and leads the league with 15 points a game in the first quarter. Once he gets his shot going, teams send double teams to force the ball out of his hands. That’s when Doncic can be particularly dangerous.

Doncic has always been lauded for his superior court vision. But the Lakers are still learning to see the same picture. The Lakers had 14 turnovers, including 11 from Doncic and Reaves, during a preseason game against the Denver Nuggets, who were aggressively trapping the Lakers’ ballhandlers. The Lakers threw away a 25-point second-quarter lead on Oct. 30 when the Golden State Warriors ratcheted up the ball pressure.

Doncic’s five turnovers a game are the second most in the league, and Reaves is third with 4.6 turnovers per game.

Some players are new to being on a team with guards who get blitzed nearly every play, Reaves said. It requires players to not only be comfortable making decisions to pass, drive or shoot, but they have to choose quickly. A moment’s hesitation gives away the four-on-three advantage created by the double-team.

Redick praised Grimes’ ability to keep advantages by driving decisively. Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili is also great at it, Redick said, as is guard Collin Sexton, who knows no speed other than full. The Lakers have also finished their advantages with Thybulle and Williams making27 of 58 (46.6%) three-point attempts combined.

“That’s the beauty of our team,” Williams said. “You could put different guys at different spots and everyone’s able to make a play. All our guys are just dynamic and versatile. And everyone just wants to make the right play. No one wants to only shoot, there’s no egos. And that’s the fun part about it, you know? We all love to see each other succeed.”

Williams missed three games because of a sore left foot but returned Monday with nine points, two rebounds and two assists off the bench. When Jake LaRavia jumped into the starting lineup, the Lakers were just as effective offensively as their first-choice lineup. When Doncic, Reaves, Kessler, Thybulle and LaRavia are together, the Lakers’ 144.3 points per 100 possessions ranks first among lineups that have played at least 30 minutes.

Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo reaches through the hoop to block a reverse dunk by Lakers center Walker Kessler on Monday night.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

But numbers don’t normalize until about 250 minutes, Redick believes.

“I think there’s always room for improvement,” he said Monday.

The Lakers have the most room for improvement on the defensive side. Their defensive rating of 114 points allowed per 100 possessions is tied with the Clippers for 20th in the NBA. They still rank 28th in rebounding, despite three consecutive double-doubles from Kessler, who responded after Redick challenged the center to be a larger rebounding presence.

“This team can become a great team,” Redick said before Monday’s win over the Heat. “That requires patience, that requires a lot of coaching and teaching and buy-in, and so that whole process takes time.”

Lakers beat the Heat

From Broderick Turner: The clash between Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo received top billing Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic leads the league in scoring with 37.7 points per game for the Lakers, and Antetokounmpo is fifth at 28.2 for the Miami Heat.

But this matchup didn’t quite live up to the hype after Doncic continued his early season dominance in the Lakers’ 138-117 win.

Doncic was masterful, producing 42 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds. He was 14 for 24 from the field and six for 15 from three-point range.

“Feels good. Like I said, obviously when we win, it feels way better,” Doncic said. “And that’s the only important stuff. But obviously it feels good. You know, when you win by [21] against a team like Miami, it’s really awesome, especially on a back-to-back.”

Antetokounmpo finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, but he also had seven turnovers as he battled tight defensive coverage.

Continue reading here

Lakers box score

NBA standings

Clippers lose sixth in a row

Scottie Barnes scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, Immanuel Quickley had 27 and the Toronto Raptors rallied for a 125-118 win over the skidding Clippers on Monday night.

Toronto trailed by 13 going into the final period, but Barnes hit a turnaround jumper with 2:08 remaining to give the Raptors their first lead as part of a 12-1 run.

RJ Barrett scored 26 for Toronto. Barnes also finished with 15 rebounds and eight assists.

Kobe Sanders had a career-high 26 points for the Clippers, who have dropped six straight games since winning their season opener Oct. 21 against Sacramento.

Continue reading here

Clippers box score

NBA standings

UCLA men upset Arizona

Trent Perry scored 21 points for No. 22 UCLA, which opened the season Monday night by overcoming a career-best 38 points from Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov to defeat the No. 5 Wildcats 84-75 in a matchup of former Pac-12 Conference rivals.

Kharchenkov, who also had 10 rebounds, topped his previous best of 20 against Denver last Nov. 24. Derek Dixon added 18 points for the Wildcats.

Jaylen Petty and Eric Dailey Jr. each scored 13 points for the Bruins.

Continue reading here

UCLA box score

UCLA women open season with a victory

Sienna Betts scored 15 points, Donovyn Hunter added 14 and defending national champion UCLA, ranked No. 11, used a big third quarter to turn back Lehigh 73-53 on Monday.

In the first meeting between the two schools, the Bruins made 10 of 15 shots in the third quarter and held the Mountain Hawks to three of 13, stretching a 32-27 halftime lead to 55-36.

KK Bransford added 10 points for UCLA, which returns five players but had six taken in the WNBA draft — five in the first round. The Bruins will raise their championship banner on Nov. 15 at the end of their five-game homestand.

Continue reading here

UCLA box score

USC men beat Milwaukee

Adonis Ratliff scored 25 points in his collegiate debut, Alijah Arenas had 21 points and a career-high eight rebounds, and No. 21 USC beat visiting Milwaukee 95-63 to open the season Monday night.

Darius Ratliff, Adonis’ twin brother, added 14 points and five blocks in his debut for the Trojans. Rodney Rice had 15 points and nine assists in his first game since a season-ending shoulder injury last year, and KJ Lewis added 10 points.

USC (1-0) shot 56.9% from the field, including 12 of 22 from three-point range, and never trailed en route to its third straight season-opening win under coach Eric Musselman.

Continue reading here

USC box score

JuJu Watkins leads USC women to victory

JuJu Watkins scored 21 points in her return after missing last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, freshman Saniyah Hall added 22 in her collegiate debut and No. 3 USC defeated Nevada Las Vegas 100-68 on Monday.

Jazzy Davidson led all scorers with 23 points on 10-for-11 shooting for the Trojans. Hall added seven rebounds and seven assists.

Kennedy Smith contributed 12 points and Sitaya Fagan had 11 for USC, giving the Trojans five scorers in double figures. Watkins added five rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes.

Continue reading here

USC box score

Myles Garrett is returning to Rams practice

From Gary Klein: Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett, who has been on injured reserve since undergoing knee surgery after the season opener, will practice this week, coach Sean McVay said Monday.

The Rams will open the 21-day window for Garrett to return to the roster, but McVay said the Rams would proceed cautiously before determining when Garrett will play in a game.

The Rams (4-4) play the Washington Commanders (2-4-1) on Sunday in Landover, Md.

“I want to be careful to even set any sort of expectations,” McVay said during a videoconference with reporters. “I think just taking it a day at a time is going to be the best way that we can approach it.

Continue reading here

Sean McVay’s unusual kicker experiment leaves Rams with little margin for error

Is Mark Walter selling the Dodgers?

From Bill Shaikin: Mark Walter isn’t selling the Dodgers, right?

He is selling the Lakers. He is selling his share of Chelsea, the Premier League team. He is looking into selling the Sparks.

And now he is looking into selling his share of the Cadillac Formula Oneracing team, as Sportico first reported Monday.

But keeping the Dodgers, right? “No matter what,” Walter told the California Post last week.

Wait a second, though. In August, Walter’s TWG Global holding company issued a statement that was definitive in two specific aspects: the Dodgers were “not being sold” and his company was “not considering exiting its stake in the Cadillac Formula 1 team.”

So I reached out to Walter’s company and to his personal spokesman, asking how to reconcile the definitive statement denying interest in a Formula One sale with the news of a possible sale and, in light of that development, whether the denials of interest in a Dodgers sale should remain credible.

No one at the company emailed me back, and the spokesman declined to comment.

Continue reading here

Dodgers adding former Padres executive to their front office

Buck vs. Aikman: Much ado about nothing

From Bill Dwyre: Come to find out, as we approach the season of plump turkey legs and similar Santa Clauses, all is not well at ESPN. Turns out Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are having a hissy fit.

Will sports broadcasting ever be the same? As the late Chick Hearn would say, “Oh me, oh my.”

Buck and Aikman have broadcast various pro football games together for 25 years. They are Abbott and Costello, but not anywhere near as funny. You tune in just to wait for Joe to say, “I’m Joe Buck and this is Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.”

Kind of gives you goose bumps.

According to various reports, Joe went out and negotiated a new contract without telling Troy. Divorce lawyers are now circling the wagons.

The reports have Joe getting $108 million for six years so that Joe can tell us that one of the teams on the field needs to establish a run game. Golly.

Continune reading here

Swanson: Chargers’ lost season really could become the NFL’s first 0-17 humiliation

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, no, we did not get a Luka Doncic bobblehead.

Fans and even some Lakers players walked away with the coveted statuettes after the Lakers’ win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Sandro Mamukelashvili said he would display his in his office next to bobbleheads of former teammates Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli.

With Doncic eavesdropping on his postgame interview Sunday, Jarred Vanderbilt said he didn’t need a bobblehead.

“I don’t want to see no more Luka,” Vanderbilt said minutes after Doncic walked out of the locker room.

If the beginning of the season is any indication, we’ll all be seeing more Luka.

Luka’s scoring magic

When half-court isn’t hard enough, Luka Doncic goes for the full-court heave. When a traditional three-pointer is a bore, he’ll try a one-handed, underhand three instead. Doncic keeps pushing the ball higher and higher on trick shots that are approaching the rafters before they ultimately drop softly through the net. And with Doncic, they almost always do.

“He’s done it so many times now,” Lakers forward Matisse Thybulle said of Doncic’s array of trick shots, “that [you] just kind of chalk it up to that’s just Luka.”

Doncic is not only just up to his old scoring tricks, he’s made them even better. After leading the league in scoring last year, Doncic is averaging 38.3 points per game through the first two weeks. And that’s despite what he deemed a “terrible” start while he was still trying to find his offensive rhythm.

“We live on a spaceship and we’re going at the speed of light at all times when he’s on the court,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said Sunday after Doncic scored 45 points with six assists in a “supernova” performance that still felt “normal” enough to get overshadowed by his 15 defensive rebounds and five steals.

In his last five games, Doncic is averaging 43.4 points and 8.6 assists on 53.2% shooting from the field and 44.7% from three. His five consecutive games with 35 or more points matches the longest such streak for a Lakers player since Kobe Bryant averaged 53.6 points across a five-game heater in March 2007.

The Lakers (6-2) celebrated the Slovenian superstar’s scoring prowess Sunday with a bobblehead giveaway. The miniature statue showed Doncic shooting a one-legged fadeaway jumper, one of his classic shots.

Doncic’s jump shot has become his calling card while turning into one of the league’s most dangerous scorers. Beginning in the 2023-24 season when Doncic won his first scoring title, at least 35.3% of his field-goal attempts each year have been from three. He never attempted more than 33.2% of his shots from beyond the arc during an NBA season prior to that year. The uptick in attempts has closed the gap between how many points he’s scoring from two compared to points off three-pointers, and this season, the hot-shooting Doncic is scoring more on threes than twos. Through his first six games, Doncic scored 66 points on twos and 105 on threes. His 5.8 made threes and 13.5 three-point attempts per game both lead the league. In the small sample size, he’s shooting a career-best 43.2% from three.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

For those who have known Doncic through different phases of his career, watching this dominant scorer emerge feels like watching a Pokémon evolve.

“He just polished a lot of his offensive weapons, let’s say,” Doncic’s longtime Spanish agent Quique Villalobos said. “If you ask me what is different from Luka in Europe than Luka in the NBA, Luka in the NBA is scoring much more.”

The 18-year-old Doncic won EuroLeague MVP averaging 16 points, 4.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds. Even considering that EuroLeague games are 40 minutes compared to the NBA’s 48, Doncic’s 22.2 points per 36 minutes during his final EuroLeague season is still less than his NBA rookie rate of 23.7 points per 36 minutes.

Different rules also help NBA players stuff box scores. The NBA court is bigger (94 feet by 50 feet compared to 91.86 feet by 49.21 feet in Europe) allowing more space to move. Doncic knows he can take advantage of the NBA’s defensive three-seconds violation by timing his attacks when the center leaves the paint. Doncic’s pacing remains one of his sharpest scoring weapons.

“I would say his patience,” Lakers guard Collin Sexton said of what makes Doncic such a prolific scorer. “And really not be able to be sped up at times. When you’re not able to be sped up, you’re able to control the game at your speed and do what you want to, no matter what the defense is doing.”

Doncic moves at a slow pace, but is creating loud moments. He is becoming ubiquitous around Crypto.com Arena. The full-page ad he bought in The Times for the season opener was blown up to more than six feet tall and displayed on the concourse at a recent game. Lakers girls wore his No. 77 jersey during a performance on his bobblehead night. And the sight of him hitting a contested step-back jumper will live in the nightmares of defenders all season.

New rules are a flop

As gracefully as a 40-year-old can manage, Al Horford attempted to spin across the lane. The Golden State Warriors’ center stepped on Vanderbilt’s foot and the Lakers’ forward fell backward. Vanderbilt looked at referees in disbelief when he was called for a flop.

The NBA’s new flopping emphasis has been a headache for players and coaches as they struggle to understand how referees will interpret the rules. While offensive players are often chastised for flopping in an attempt to get free throws, every clip in the NBA’s four-minute video about flopping focused on defensive players. During the video shown to players and coaches, the NBA’s head of referee development and training Monty McCutchen emphasizes moments where the defenders’ reactions are “theatrical and excessive” and are “in a manner inconsistent with the contact.”

When asked about the new emphasis from referees, Redick echoed sentiments shared by Minnesota coach Chris Finch last week, saying the NBA’s focus on defensive flopping doesn’t align with what the goal should be.

“We all recognized the fans want the offensive players to stop flopping, and all of our flopping fouls have been defensive,” Redick told reporters in San Francisco. “The reality for the officials [is] each crew is so different and what they interpret is so different.”

Flopping is one of the NBA’s four points of emphasis this season. It may conflict with another area of focus, which involves cracking down on offensive players forcefully using their off-arm to create separation. Offensive players get a win with the emphasis on defensive flopping while the defense is supposed to get the advantage if referees are legislating off-arm push-offs out of the game.

The two sides are then left asking for different things on the same play such as the Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski pleading for the foul while Austin Reaves motioned for a flop with his arms extended and palms up after the two collided on an in-bounds play last Friday.

Neither player got what they asked for.

On tap

Wednesday at Kings (1-6), 7 p.m. PST

The Kings finally won a game, taking down Dallas for their first win of the year Monday. Rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. isn’t shy in his first NBA games: he is second in the NBA in field goal attempts per game with 23.6. He is averaging 26.1 points per game.

Friday vs. Trail Blazers (5-1), 7 p.m. PST

The Lakers lost to the Trail Blazers last week but Portland is already a different team. Ja Morant will be out for at least most of November after he suffered a grade 2 hamstring injury on Oct. 29. The dynamic guard will be out for four to six weeks.

Sunday at Pistons (6-1), 3 p.m. PST

The Pistons have impressive early season wins over Boston and Philadelphia despite an injury to center Jalen Duren. The center who was at the center of an offseason contract feud was sidelined for at least two weeks with a hamstring injury, the team announced Oct. 25.

Monday at Atlanta (4-4), 4 p.m. PST

Forward Jalen Johnson is backing up his first career All-Star selection and a third-team All-NBA honor by leading the Hawks with 18.1 points, nine rebounds and 7.9 assists this season.

Favorite thing I ate this week

Lime and cilantro marinated bean salad.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

I somehow got into the bean evangelist corner of the internet and now I’m a believer. I’ve been on the fibermaxxing routine with meal-prepped bean salads, including this cilantro lime find from Pinterest. The dressing is sweet, savory (from a tablespoon of miso paste), tangy and herby and it all came together in 20 minutes. It would have been even faster if I didn’t accidentally spill an entire bowl of marinated red onions on the floor during assembly.

In case you missed it

‘Like a supernova.’ Luka Doncic’s 45 points only eclipsed by his defense in Lakers’ win

Lakers blow 25-point lead in double-digit loss to Warriors

Mark Walter, Josh Kushner agree on outstanding terms linked to $12.5-billion Lakers sale

‘A true professional’: Jarred Vanderbilt leads Lakers’ bench unit against Clippers

Plaschke: LeBron who? Lakers happily shed the burden of departed star

Former Laker Malik Beasley agrees to plead guilty in federal court over gambling ring involvement

High-scoring Lakers stress they need to play championship defense

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!

Bill Bedgood, who coached Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees when he was an All-CIF basketball player at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in 2007, supposedly retired from coaching after the 2023-24 season at Valencia.

So what in the name of short retirements is Bedgood back as head coach at Valencia for this season?

“I think I’m in for life,” he said.

Valencia coach Bill Bedgood wipes away a tear while discussing his decision to step down from coaching duties to be only a dad to his son, Bryce, left, in 2023.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Valencia players couldn’t be happier. Bedgood guided the Vikings to section, regional and state titles in 2023. He’s also on everybody’s list for favorite geometry teacher.

Three Valencia basketball players at Saturday’s Foothill League basketball media day raised their hand when asked if they had taken “Mr. Bedgood” for geometry. All got A’s too.

“Probably my favorite class in high school,” point guard Ali Eldein said.

Eldein insisted he wasn’t saying that to gain more playing time.

Valencia has so much depth this season that the practices are more than competitive. The best player in the Foothill League could be 6-foot-7 senior Steven Irons.

In 2023, after winning the state title with his son, Bryce, on the team, Bedgood wiped away tears after announcing he was going to step down after years of coaching at Bishop Alemany, Notre Dame, Saugus and Valencia.

Now it’s clear he has so much loyalty to Valencia and its students that Bedgood might not be retiring again any time soon.

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

Archie Gray (Tottenham): I’m going with a fully north London back four. Gray scored and defended really well. He was under a lot of pressure when Tottenham were in bad form and got a lot of stick, but now Spurs are starting to pick up I’m going to give him a bit of credit.

Ezri Konsa (Arsenal): He was a beast. Head it, kick it, throw your body in front of the ball. He defended and fought for the team, getting the job done.

Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham): Van Hecke got a goal and he’s really growing into his role at Spurs. I still think he was a little bit overpriced, but all in all he’s had a solid start, coming up with a few goals. Micky van de Ven next to him gives him confidence that he can go and be really aggressive, because Van der Ven will cover him with his pace.

Jurrien Timber (Arsenal): Timber got away with a shirt pull on Alexander Isak and I’m really surprised the ref and video assistant referee (VAR) didn’t look at it. But again I thought he recovered and defended really well at full-back.

Mark Walter isn’t selling the Dodgers, right?

He is selling the Lakers. He is selling his share of Chelsea, the Premier League team. He is looking into selling the Sparks.

And now he is looking into selling his share of the Cadillac Formula One racing team, as Sportico first reported Monday.

But keeping the Dodgers, right? “No matter what,” Walter told the California Post last week.

Wait a second, though. In August, Walter’s TWG Global holding company issued a statement that was definitive in two specific aspects: the Dodgers were “not being sold” and his company was “not considering exiting its stake in the Cadillac Formula 1 team.”

So I reached out to Walter’s company and to his personal spokesman, asking how to reconcile the definitive statement denying interest in a Formula One sale with the news of a possible sale and, in light of that development, whether the denials of interest in a Dodgers sale should remain credible.

No one at the company emailed me back, and the spokesman declined to comment. Someone in contact with Walter, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment, advised me to wait and see if a Formula One deal actually materializes and, if so, for what value.

Amid federal investigations into whether the insurance companies Walter controls might have violated laws designed to protect investors, and as he is a defendant in multiple civil lawsuits filed by investors that allege fraud and breach of contract, Walter is selling off assets from his sports empire.

He could generate a significant share of the more than $20 billion he might need to recapitalize the insurance companies and satisfy state regulators. It is uncertain how that might influence the federal investigations and civil lawsuits.

The Lakers sold for $12.5 billion — the valuation for the entire team, not for Walter’s controlling share.

Walter is seeking $3 billion for his interest in the Formula One team, according to Sportico, and $700 million for the Sparks, according to Bloomberg. The sale of the Chelsea stake, owned jointly by Walter and Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly, generated about $1.27 billion, according to the Financial Times.

The sale of the Dodgers could generate $10 billion to $13 billion, The Times has reported.

None of this is to say Walter is not genuine in his proclamation that he is not selling the Dodgers. He said the Dodgers would win, and they have: three championships within six years, after three in the previous 56. The shine has been restored to an L.A. crown jewel.

But things can change. Potential Dodgers bidders, including Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, are considering offers should Walter decide to sell. Some have inquired discreetly and been told what everyone has been told: the team is not for sale. Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is keeping an eye on developments surrounding Walter’s insurance empire.

“As always when we have an investigation — external, law enforcement, whatever — we monitor that,” Manfred said at the World Series. “That’s where we are right now. We’re just watching what’s going on right now.”

And that is indeed where we are right now: We don’t know what’s going to happen with the feds, and in the courts. For today, and for the immediate future, the Dodgers are not for sale. But plans can change, as Walter’s Formula One team just learned.

Come to find out, as we approach the season of plump turkey legs and similar Santa Clauses, all is not well at ESPN. Turns out Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are having a hissy fit.

Will sports broadcasting ever be the same? As the late Chick Hearn would say, “Oh me, oh my.”

Buck and Aikman have broadcast various pro football games together for 25 years. They are Abbott and Costello, but not anywhere near as funny. You tune in just to wait for Joe to say, “I’m Joe Buck and this is Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.”

Kind of gives you goose bumps.

Fox Sports play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, left, and analyst Troy Aikman, right, work in the broadcast booth.

(Associated Press)

According to various reports, Joe went out and negotiated a new contract without telling Troy. Divorce lawyers are now circling the wagons.

The reports have Joe getting $108 million for six years. That’s around $17.5 million a year, so that Joe can tell us that one of the teams on the field needs to establish a run game. Golly.

Troy didn’t know about his buddy’s new deal, wasn’t happy not to know and reportedly doesn’t quite get that much, so there is little joy in Mudville’s press box. (OK, that’s baseball, but you get the point.)

If that kind of money ruffles your feathers a bit, at a time when you need to carry a blood pressure machine with you to the gas pump and grocery store, being paid around $17 million a year and having a hissy fit about it would seem to be a little tone deaf. Remember, these guys aren’t getting hit, they describing how others are.

Troy cut his broadcasting teeth by starring at quarterback at UCLA and the Dallas Cowboys. He knew what was going on when Peyton Manning yelled “Omaha.” Joe probably knew, too, when Troy told him. Joe cut his teeth by working his way up the ranks; also maybe by hanging around a lot when dad Jack Buck broadcast for years from most of the sacred citadels of sports.

Again, these guys don’t play, they talk.

Anyway, who ever said there were attempts to introduce perspective to sports via a broadcast team? No need. Take the stats the network intern kids are handing you and create drama with the tone of your voice, even though the picture from the field covers that better.

Of course there is homework to be done.

“We talked to wide receiver Jim Lightning-Fast yesterday and he said this team is ready for a big game.”

“Coach Harold Headset told us that this is the best week of practice this team has had all year.”

Then they can throw it down to a sideline reporter:

— “Coach, how do you feel about that flat first half by your team?” (The real answer: lousy).

— “Coach, what does it mean to you winning tonight’s game?” (Real answer: It means I won’t get fired this week).

Those stick-a-microphone-in-your-face interviews always bring to mind the way the great Gregg Popovich of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs handled them. He was once asked how his team’s winning play happened. “We practiced it,” he said.

The Joe-Troy hissy fit takes on additional import because they are set to call the Feb. 14 Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium. ESPN has three and a half months to fix this, but there is speculation that even if the hissy fit isn’t settled, the game will go on.

How about this: Hire Peyton Manning to do the color commentary. He certainly knows football and he has that elusive thing that most of those in sports speaking into microphones lack. A sense of humor.

Pair him with the legendary Al Michaels, who is 81, also has a sense of humor and still brings it on Prime Ticket’s Thursday night game. Michaels knows more about baseball and football and yes, even hockey, than most of his younger peers.

But obviously, for that Manning-Michaels matchup to happen, we’d have to believe in miracles.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. The football playoff pairings have been announced. It’s prediction time.

Prediction time

Quarterback Thaddeus Breaux of No. 2-seeded Hamilton in City Section Division I.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

It’s that time of year to make football playoff predictions. Let’s start with the City Section because there’s one certainty: Carson will win the Open Division.

Carson worked hard in the off season getting better on the offensive and defensive lines to support quarterback Chris Fields III. If any team wants to get close, they need to control the clock. Cleveland can be that team to at least make the Colts sweat if the Cavaliers reach the final.

In Division I, No. 2-seeded Hamilton has been making progress and its passing attack looks ready to deliver a championship. The others: Division II, watch out for 1-9 Marquez, which had a great strength of schedule. Division III, South East.

In the Southern Section, all signs are pointing toward a Santa Margarita vs. Sierra Canyon final despite lots of obstacles ahead for both teams. If it happens, Santa Margarita’s defense always finds a way to come through.

In Division 2, Chaparral is seeded No. 1 and has the chance to take advantage of being healthy and having played a tough 10-game schedule to take home the title.

Division 3 is wide open. There’s former Division 1 champions Long Beach Poly, Edison and Crespi to deal with. Poly outscored its weak Moore League opponents 199-0, so it’s hard to say if the Jackrabbits have turned things around since quarterback Trevor Scott became eligible. If it’s not an illusion, then the Jackrabbits can win it all.

Division 4: This is about who gets hot. Dana Hills, Cathedral, La Habra and Cajon all have the opportunity to be that team. La Habra went 0-5 in the tough Bravo League, but quarterback DJ Mitchell is capable of a four-game win streak.

Division 5: Mary Star let the cat out of the bag by taking Carson to the very end before losing 45-42. Oaks Christian has started playing like the Oaks Christian of old, so watch out.

Division 6: Quarterback Jack Hurst is back for Laguna Beach.

Division 7: Paramount loaded up on transfers and now gets to win a title.

Division 8: Never choose against Rio Hondo Prep.

Division 9: Lawndale has former Crenshaw coach Robert Garrett as an assistant and is 9-1. Don’t underestimate 1-9 Western. They’ve played much tougher opponents.

Division 10: Top-seeded Nogales is unbeaten for a reason. It can run and pass.

Division 11: Viewpoint is better than people think.

Division 12: Rancho Alamitos will find a way.

Division 13: Rialto is finally healthy and got an ideal division placement.

Division 14: If San Gabriel wins, it will be front page news in the San Gabriel Valley.

Mater Dei’s sideline, led by coach Raul Lara, erupts in celebration after the Monarchs pulled out a 36-35 win over St. John Bosco.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

The final regular-season game between Mater Dei and St. John Bosco had a classic ending to another memorable rivalry game, with Mater Dei winning 36-36 on a successful two-point conversion with 7.5 seconds left. Here’s the report.

Mission Viejo won the Alpha League title over San Juan Hills. Here’s the report.

Valencia rallied to defeat Hart for the Foothill League title. Here’s the report.

Long Beach Poly didn’t allow a single point in Moore League play, outscoring its opponents 199-0.

Hoover earned its first playoff berth since 1987.

Freshman Deon’Dre Smith is having a terrific season for Bellflower at receiver. Here’s the report.

The Coliseum League ended in a three-way tie for first place among King/Drew, Dorsey and Crenshaw after Dorsey upset King/Drew, requiring all three to go to the City Section Open Division playoffs.

Here’s top performances from last week.

Here’s Southern Section playoff pairings.

Here’s City Section playoff pairings.

Here’s the top 25 rankings by The Times.

Coach perseveres

Marshall coach Jose Razo with his 11-year-old son, Adrian. He spent 18 years as a football assistant at Marshall.

(Aida Alrafe)

Rejected twice after interviews for head football coach at Marshall, Jose Razo decided to stay as an assistant coach. When the job opened again in 2025, he was promoted to head coach. Now the team is 10-0 and Northern League champions.

Here’s a look at why he refused to abandon his alma mater.

JSerra quarterback Kate Meier throws while being blitzed by Huntington Beach defender Olivia Quick during the CIF Southern Section Open Division flag football semifinals on Oct. 31, 2026.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Unbeaten JSerra will play Newport Harbor for the Southern Section Open Division flag football title Saturday at Huntington Beach.

JSerra will enter with a 55-game winning steak. Here’s a report from the Lions’ semifinal win over Huntington Beach.

Carson is seeded No. 1 and Eagle Rock No. 2 for the City Section Open Division playoffs that begin on Thursday. Here are the pairings.

Girls volleyball

The top two seeds, Mater Dei and Sierra Canyon, have advanced to play for the Southern Section Division 1 championship Saturday at Cerritos College.

They’ve been considered the top two teams all season.

Mater Dei is 38-1 with its only loss coming to Santa Margarita. It has a tournament win over Sierra Canyon, which is 32-1. Also No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the state. The time will be announced early this week.

Here are the semifinal results.

The City Section will hold its finals at Venice and Birmingham this weekend. In Tuesday’s semifinals, Venice will host Taft and Cleveland is at Palisades.

Palisades wins in tennis

Palisades High freshman Aila Monahan won her three sets at No. 1 singles in the City Section girls’ tennis finals.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Palisades continued its domination in girls tennis with another City Section girls title.

Here’s the report of the Dolphins’ win over Granada Hills.

Notes . . .

Nick Welch Jr, is a senior at Rolling Hills Prep.

(Craig Weston)

Nick Welch Jr., a 6-foot-9 center at Rolling Hills Prep, has committed to TCU, which is coached by former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame star Jamie Dixon. ….

Junior outfielder Dru Wilson of Sierra Canyon has committed to UCLA. He played the last two seasons at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame….

Senior outfielder Griffin Fien from Chaparral has committed UC Riverside….

Pitcher Easton Sarmiento of Ayala has committed to Texas….

Pitcher Ethan Costarella of Arcadia has committed to Azusa Pacific….

Jonah Boyd from Ayala has committed to Cal Poly for baseball….

Pitcher Striker Pence from Corona Santiago has committed to Texas A&M….

Standout junior pitcher Tyler George from Santa Margarita has committed to USC….

Outfielder Messiah White of Mater Dei has committed to UC Riverside….

Richelle Whiting has resigned as girls volleyball coach at Aliso Niguel….

Jaylee Moore of Etiwanda has committed to Hawaii women’s basketball….

Basketball teams from St. Francis, Crespi, Crossroads and Campbell Hall will be competing at the Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield, Mass., in Janaury….

The Southern Section water polo playoffs continue. Here’s an update on results and schedules....

The Southern Section girls’ tennis playoffs begin…

From the archives: Matt Leinart

Matt Leinart (center) in 2019.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Former Mater Dei and USC quarterback Matt Leinart remains heavily involved in sports as a TV analyst and Mater Dei supporter. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2004 and his son, Cole, is a quarterback at SMU.

Here’s a story from 1999 when Leinart led Mater Dei to a comeback win over Servite.

Here’s a story from 2000 and another comeback win over Servite directed by Leinart.

Recommendations

From DaveCampbells.com, a story on Texas making high school football championships on a free TV platform.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story and photos on how Patriot High has become a hotbed for flag football.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.

Rams defeat the Chargers

From Gary Klein: For much of Sunday’s game between the Rams and the Chargers, it was impossible to distinguish:

Which team had arrived at SoFi Stadium winless?

The Chargers, who had not won a game since last season, looked the part.

But so did the supposedly we’re-ready-to-make-a-run Rams.

The Rams showed life at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, and that ultimately proved enough for a 24-9 victory in front of 73,621.

Matthew Stafford passed for a touchdown and Blake Corum and Kyren Williams rushed for touchdowns as the Rams improved their record to 4-4.

Safety Quentin Lake and cornerback Trent McDuffie intercepted passes to foil a Justin Herbert-led offense that went into the game as the NFL’s lowest-scoring outfit and did little to foster reason for optimism.

For a mostly underperforming Rams team that began the season as an overwhelming favorite to win Super Bowl LXI, it has turned into a season of firsts.

Consider: For the first time this season, the Rams have won two games in a row.

Continue reading here

Rams-Chargers summary

NFL standings

Lakers slide past the Raptors

From Broderick Turner: Lakers coach JJ Redick and defensive ace Walker Kessler applauded Luka Doncic for his standout defensive performance in the Lakers’ 131-125 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.

And Doncic’s response to the accolades?

“Finally,” Doncic said, laughing.

Doncic had five steals. He took three charges. And he collected 15 defensive rebounds. Oh, and he also had 45 points and six assists. He was 12 for 23 from the field, eight for 12 from three-point range and made all 13 of his free-throws.

But it was his defensive performance that drew the most attention on Doncic bobblehead giveaway night. As he sat in front of the media wearing a black baseball cap, Doncic was asked why he has this reputation of not being a very good defender.

“Why? I don’t know,” he responded. “Obviously, I’m not the best defender in the NBA, but I think this year I really took a step forward. Obviously, people are going to talk what they want to talk [about] me. … But I know, and my team knows, that I think I’m better this year. And that helps the whole team, I think.”

Continue reading here

Lakers box score

NBA standings

UCLA moves up to No. 5 in AP poll

Ohio State dropped out of the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday for the first time in five years, UCLA entered the top five for the first time in 25 years and New Mexico earned the first ranking in program history.

The Buckeyes plummeted from No. 2 to No. 11 following their 30-18 loss at USC, making it four weeks in a row the No. 1 or 2 team has lost to an unranked opponent.

Miami was No. 1 for the third straight week after escaping North Carolina with a 38-35 victory. Georgia moved up a spot to No. 2 and was followed by Utah, Notre Dame and UCLA.

USC re-entered the rankings at No. 18.

Continue reading here

UCLA’s Cori Close has the right approach to college sports

From Mirjam Swanson: You’re either a hater, a Trojan, or you were happy to see Cori Close win the national championship last season.

Even Dawn Staley was glad to see it, and it was her South Carolina team that Close’s UCLA Bruins throttled 79-51 in last April’s NCAA Tournament championship clinic in Phoenix.

“I’m always happy for people that worked hard in this game, who are really quality people,” Staley said shortly after UCLA won its first NCAA women’s basketball title. “I want good things to happen for them. Cori is one of those people who really works at making our game better. Not just UCLA, but our entire game.”

As the whole enterprise of college sports teeters chaotically, Close winning was as healthy a thing as could happen.

Continue reading here

Clippers lose fifth in a row

Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg scored a career-high 37 points and dished out six assists in a game in which Golden State rested stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and the Warriors beat the Clippers 124-112 for their fourth straight win Sunday night.

Lendeborg notched his fourth game with 20 or more points, scoring five straight midway through the third quarter that gave the Warriors their biggest lead to that point at 83-68. He shot 13 for 19 — six of 11 from three-point range — and his points were the most by a Warriors rookie since Curry went off for 42 on April 14, 2010, at Portland.

With two 30-point performances among his initial seven games, Lendeborg joined Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry as the only other Warriors to do so. Lendeborg bounced back from a tough outing in a win against the Lakers on Friday in which he fouled out.

Continue reading here

Clippers box score

NBA standings

Angel City enters playoffs with a win

From Kevin Baxter: It has been a week since Angel City qualified for the NWSL playoffs. On Sunday, the team found out who and where it would be playing.

With a 4-1 victory over Boston Legacy, Angel City finished the regular season fifth in the standings and will travel to Kansas City on Saturday to meet the Current in its second-ever trip to the postseason. And it will enter the playoffs as the hottest team in the NWSL, riding a league-best 10-game unbeaten streak.

The goals Sunday came from Nealy Martin in the first half and Evelyn Shores, Sveindis Jonsdottir and Claire Emslie in the second. Boston’s only score came from Brazilian striker Amanda Gutierres just before intermission.

Continue reading here

Angel City summary

NWSL standings

NWSL playoffs schedule

LAFC falls to Minnesota

Joaquín Pereyra scored two goals, defender Cherrion Valerius scored the first of his career and Minnesota United kept its postseason hopes alive with a 3-1 victory over LAFC on Sunday night.

Minnesota (10-12-11) pulled within two points of a Western Conference postseason berth with one match remaining.

LAFC (12-10-11) had already clinched a playoff spot but missed a chance to finish in the top four and earn home-field advantage in the best-of-three first round.

Continue reading here

LAFC summary

MLS standings

Ducks rally past Senators

Cutter Gauthier had his second career hat trick, scoring the go-ahead goal early in the third period, and the Ducks overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Ottawa Senators 6-3 on Sunday night.

Judd Caulfield scored twice, rookie Roger McQueen added another and Leo Carlsson had three assists to help the Ducks win for the second time in nine games. The Ducks went four for five on the power play.

Laurent Brossoit made 20 saves in his Ducks debut. Brossoit played his second NHL game in three seasons after being recalled from San Diego of the AHL on Saturday.

Continue reading here

Ducks summary

NHL standings

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.

In some ways, wheelchair rugby league is the same as the running game. Teams of five players have six tackles to score. Tackles on the ball carrier are made by pulling off a tag attached to each player’s shirt. A try scores four points, with two points for penalties and conversions, which are taken by punching the ball off a tee over the posts.

The game is played with an oval ball and lasts for 80 minutes, with a maximum of two non-disabled and three disabled players allowed on the field at any one time.

But unlike the running game, the balance of power lies not in Australia and the Pacific Islands, but firmly in Europe.

England’s main title rivals are France. The old enemies have met in the past three finals, the French winning in 2013 and 2017 before being beaten 28-24 in Manchester four years ago.

Ireland, ranked third in the world, are also genuine contenders and began their World Cup campaign by thrashing the USA 110-10.

But Australia, who are hosting every match in Wollongong, have their strongest ever squad and thumped New Zealand 112-14 in their Group B opener. An Australian sweep of the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments, all taking place concurrently, for the first time by any nation is not out of the question.

Bayley McKenna is their first non-disabled captain, having picked up the sport in 2006 to support his father, who was paralysed in an accident.

McKenna is far from the only non-disabled person in this tournament – England’s Brown is too, he likewise entered the sport alongside a disabled family member, his brother.

Non-disabled players are crucial to the sport’s survival, helping teams fill their squads and boost interest. But McKenna was targeted by social media abuse during the last World Cup by those who thought he shouldn’t be playing in a wheelchair sport.

“I would have copped about a dozen messages from people all around the world saying, ‘you’re a fraud, you shouldn’t even be in the chair, this is a sport for disabled people’,” he told ABC, external.

“These guys were coming at me, like, ‘you’re lucky you’re not out there on the street by yourself’.

“There is such a stigma around able-bodied athletes playing in wheelchairs. It is ridiculous. I’d be lying to you if I said I was going into this World Cup not expecting it.”

Australia gave England a couple of good games in a two-match Test series last year, indicating the big two in wheelchair rugby league may not be so exclusive for long.

So don’t turn away, England fans. The Rugby League World Cup has plenty left to give.

With nine new players on the roster still working on maximizing their on-court chemistry, the Lakers are taking a patient approach to the start of the NBA season.

For now, it looks as if they’re fine with following Luka Doncic‘s lead.

The Lakers’ star had another sensational performance, finishing with 45 points in a 131-125 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night.

Doncic was key in helping the Lakers build a 26-point lead in the third quarter. He shot 12 for 23 on the night, going eight for 12 from three-point range. He made all of his 13 free throws and also had 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Not bad for 35 minutes of work on Doncic bobblehead giveaway night.

And his teammates did follow his lead, with Austin Reaves collecting 19 points and Walker Kessler producing a double-double with 16 points on six-for-six shooting and 15 rebounds to go along with three blocks. Collin Sexton came off the bench to score 14 points. Rookie Cameron Carr played his first game of the season, but he didn’t score.

The Lakers were sloppy with the basketball, turning it over 22 times. Scottie Barnes finished with 29 points and six rebounds for Toronto (3-3).

In the eyes of Lakers coach JJ Redick, each game the Lakers (5-2) play is a step in a process aimed at becoming a championship-contending team.

“Frankly, this entire season is about becoming a great team,” Redick said. “Like, we believe we can become a great team and I think as coaches, players, we all have to participate in patience with that. Doesn’t mean you allow things to happen and say, ‘Oh, that’s fine. That’s OK.’ No. No. No. You address those things. I think the guys are very, very open to that dialogue, both with each other and with the coaching staff.”

Lakers star Luka Doncic prevents the ball from going out of bounds in front of Toronto forward Scottie Barnes during the first half Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Scott Strazzante / Associated Press)

Doncic is certainly doing his part to bring a championship mood to L.A. He made a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left before halftime to give the Lakers a 66-54 lead. He blew a kiss to the fans and waved his hand toward them, prompting cheers from the crowd.

The Lakers play the Miami Heat at home Monday night.

Injury update

Ziaire Williams missed his third consecutive game, but Redick said a scan on the forward’s ailing left foot was “clean.”

“I would describe it [as] soreness that just pops up in the morning and he’s feeling a lot better,” Redick said. “I think just being, again, cautious with the back to back.”

It has been a week since Angel City qualified for the NWSL playoffs. On Sunday, the team found out who and where it would be playing.

With a 4-1 victory over Boston Legacy, Angel City finished the regular season fifth in the standings and will travel to Kansas City on Saturday to meet the Current in its second-ever trip to the postseason. And it will enter the playoffs as the hottest team in the NWSL, riding a league-best 10-game unbeaten streak.

The goals Sunday came from Nealy Martin in the first half and Evelyn Shores, Sveindis Jonsdottir and Claire Emslie in the second. Boston’s only score came from Brazilian striker Amanda Gutierres just before intermission.

Angel City began the final game of the regular season with a chance to finish as high as third in the table, earning the right to open the playoffs at home. But to do that it, it needed a win and it needed the two teams directly ahead of it, Kansas City and Washington, to lose.

Neither the Current nor Spirit cooperated, leaving the standings mostly frozen where they were at the start of the week. Not that it really mattered, attacker Ally Sentnor said before the game.

“You have to beat the best to win a championship. You have to beat everyone, so doesn’t really matter who you play at the beginning,” she said. “Every team in the playoffs is a great team, so I think we are just focused on us and what we’re doing on the field and what we are going to produce on the field.

“We just take every game as it comes.”

Although Sunday’s match was a home game for Angel City (15-8-7), it wasn’t played at home. LAFC is the primary tenant at BMO Stadium and when MLS moved the team’s game with Minnesota United from Saturday to Sunday to avoid competing with USC’s football game at the Coliseum, Angel City was forced to relocate 12 miles down the freeway to Dignity Health Sports Park.

An enthusiastic crowd of approximately 15,000 followed the team to Carson for the “Decision Day” match.

But the move left Angel City playing a home game on the road in an effort to avoid the road and play at home in the playoffs. Not that the home-field advantage has meant much to the team this season: Angel City was 6-5-3 at BMO Stadium this season — the worst home record for an NWSL playoff team —- and 9-3-4 everywhere else.

However four of those five home losses came under former coach Alexander Straus. Interim manager Leif Smerud said this is a different Angel City team.

“We are good both home and away,” he said. “If I can choose, I would of course play at home in front of a fantastic crowd. And all the logistics would be a bit simpler as well.

“But that’s not up to me to decide and control.”

Ariadina Alves Borges of Angel City dribbles the ball against Alba Caño of Boston in the first half Sunday.

(Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)

It’s unlikely Angel City would be playing anywhere in the postseason if not for the June coaching change that saw it replace Straus.

The team won just one of its final eight games under Straus and was 12th in the 16-team NWSL table at the time of the change. It has lost just twice in 19 games since, setting franchise records for wins (15), goals (54), points (52) and goal differential (a league-best plus-22).

Martin opened the scoring with the first goal of her six-year NWSL career in the 17th minute. Given tons of time and space just outside the penalty area, she settled a short pass from Sentnor, then patiently chipped forward a right-footed shot that Boston defender Deja Davis inadvertently headed into the net.

Boston (9-15-6) pulled that back in the 37th minute on a blistering right-footed strike from the edge of the box by Gutierres, her 11th goal of the season. That ended a 144-minute scoreless streak for Angel City keeper Angelina Anderson.

But Angel City went ahead to stay eight minutes into the second half when Shores headed in a long cross from Jonsdottir for her fourth goal of the season. Jonsdottir put the game away with her franchise-record 10th goal of the year on a breakaway in the 72nd minute and Emslie closed the scoring 12 minutes later with her first goal since September 2024. Taylor Suarez assisted on both goals.

NWSL playoff pairings
Quarterfinals

Friday
No. 2 San Diego Wave, 18-8-4 vs. No. 7 Utah Royals, 14-11-5, 5 p.m., Prime Video

Saturday
No. 4 Kansas City Current, 16-9-5 vs. No. 5 Angel City, 15-8-7, 9 a.m., CBS/Paramount+

Sunday
No. 1 Gotham FC, 18-5-7 vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, 14-11-5, 9:30 a.m., ABC
No. 3 Washington Spirit, 17-9-4 vs. No. 6 Portland Thorns, 14-8-8, noon, ABC

Christian Watson didn’t literally come back from the dead on “Thursday Night Football.”

But what the Green Bay Packers receiver pulled off during his team’s 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers was nearly as dramatic.

“He resurrected himself,” quarterback Jordan Love said during a postgame interview on Prime Video.

Injured while making a 53-yard catch at the 9:11 mark of the second quarter — he later said he might have landed with the ball or his elbow in his chest — Watson was having trouble breathing on the field and coughed up some blood on the sideline. Prime cameras showed him climbing into an ambulance under his own power and still wearing his pads.

Less than an hour later, the same cameras showed Watson climbing out of the ambulance and jogging out of the tunnel at Lambeau Field, much to the surprise and delight of his teammates and the crowd.

“It was super dramatic,” Watson told reporters in the locker room after the game. “I used to watch WWE as a kid — I felt like I was watching ‘WWE SmackDown vs. Raw’ or something out there, you know, seeing the cameras on me when I got out of the ambulance, that was a little crazy. It was a surreal experience, no doubt, just to go through that and have you know the fans cheering for me getting back out there. It was definitely exciting.”

It was a scene Watson would have liked to have avoided in the first place.

“I never wanted to go” to the hospital, Watson said during an on-field interview with Prime after the game. “I was hoping that they would let me off. I said it was feeling better once I kind of caught my breath, but they said there was a couple signs that made them have to take me over there. I was just praying that it was good enough where I could come back out here.”

Watson, who was able to keep up with the game on a doctor’s phone, said he was told he had broken a rib. He was cleared to return after a CT scan showed no signs of internal bleeding.

“I was spitting a little blood [on the sideline] at first, so they just wanted to make sure there was nothing crazy,” Watson said. “I cleared everything and was able to get back out.”

Donning extra padding to protect his ribs, Watson re-entered the game with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter and was targeted on the first play. The deep pass from Love was knocked away by Carolina’s Nick Scott, with Panthers cornerback Marco Wilson landing on Watson’s chest at the end of the play.

But the NFL’s second-leading receiver said he was happy just to be back on the field.

“I had so much adrenaline that it didn’t really hit me right away, but definitely, definitely felt that one,” said Watson, who caught two passes for 13 yards after his return and finished the night with eight catches for 113 yards.

“That’s pretty remarkable,” coach Matt LaFleur said of Watson’s performance. “He had a heck of a night. Just can’t imagine what he would have had had he not missed so much time.”

“I think it shows resiliency, I think it shows toughness, and I think it just shows the love that he has for this team,” safety Xavier McKinney told reporters after the game. “Sometimes, you might see that happen and he had his 100 yards, and he could’ve just sat it. But the fact that he wasn’t satisfied and the fact that he felt like and he knew that we still needed him out there and he still said, ‘OK, I love this team and I want to be able to go out here for this team and do that,’ that gains our respect.”