Abbreviated Break for Sagging Bruins

The Bruins are off until an afternoon practice Christmas Day. Jason Kapono and T.J. Cummings did not accompany the team back from Kansas after the 87-70 loss to the Jayhawks on Saturday, taking flights elsewhere to spend the holiday with family and friends.

“When we start practicing again, we have to practice with a purpose,” Cummings said. “We’ve been working hard in practice, everybody has, but we need to concentrate on the things that are lacking.”

That would be defense and offense.

Or, if the Bruins (2-4) prefer, offense and defense.

“We need work on both ends of the floor,” Cummings said.

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Coach Steve Lavin, an eternal optimist, compared UCLA’s woes to the early season problems of local professional teams.

“We’re not in as deep a hole as the Lakers are in, or as big a hole as the Angels got in” before rallying to win the World Series title, he said. “We’ll come back Christmas night and practice.

“We should be discouraged and disappointed, but there’s a lot of basketball to be played.... There’s enough time to turn it around.”

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UCLA shot 38.7% against Kansas, a season low. Dijon Thompson and Andre Patterson were a combined 14 for 21, and the rest of the team was 15 for 54.