The Sports Report: Anthony Davis leads Lakers past 76ers

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

Anthony Davis sat down with a little more than a minute left in the Lakers’ contest against the Philadelphia 76ers, but he didn’t stay on the bench for long. He got up, circled his arms around teammates and watched as his team finished a game he had put away.

Davis scored 37 points in the Lakers’ 120-107 win over the 76ers, who were missing three starters including stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, knocking down further a team once thought to be an NBA Finals contender.

Davis added 13 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. LeBron James had 22 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds. Glenn Robinson III accounted for 25 of the 76ers’ 55 points off the bench.

Philadelphia (37-25) entered Tuesday night tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference and fell to sixth, a half-game behind Indiana. The Lakers, meanwhile, strengthened their position atop the West, improving to 47-13.

CLIPPERS

From the very first possession Tuesday inside Chesapeake Energy Arena, when Paul George’s crossover left his Thunder defender standing still, then whipped a pass to an open Patrick Beverley for a corner three-pointer, the Clippers displayed lethal precision en route to a 109-94 rout of Oklahoma City.

The victory followed a 29-point stomping of Denver on Friday and a six-point win against short-handed Philadelphia on Sunday.

Kawhi Leonard’s 25 points led the Clippers (42-19), who won their fifth consecutive game by flexing their considerable might at both ends en route to dismantling Oklahoma City (37-24) in what could be a preview of a first-round postseason matchup.

UCLA BASKETBALL

There were host of former Bruin greats at Pauley Pavilion for Saturday’s game against Arizona. Ben Bolch asked some of them their opinion of this year’s team.

“I don’t think, of all the UCLA teams that have ever put on that uniform, that the fans, the alumni, those who follow UCLA could be more proud of than this team here,” said Gail Goodrich. “This team has demonstrated over the last seven games that they’re playing the best they’re capable of playing. Yes, we’ve had championship teams, but this team, who knows how far they’re going to go, but they are performing to the best of their ability; they don’t quit, they play hard and because of their defense, they’re pretty much in every game.”

For a freshman ... his game’s pretty advanced,” Lorenzo Mata-Real said of Jaime Jaquez Jr. “Obviously, he’s going to keep improving and working, but I like his game. He’s hard-nosed, he doesn’t back down from any team or anybody. I’m super happy for him and just watching him live doing well, it really gave me goosebumps.”

“You have the feeling as a fan that we’re capable of winning any game and I think they feel that too, the way they play,” Jamaal Wilkes said. “They never got down on themselves, they kept pushing and fortunately they won the game. It’s just a whole different feel about this team and there’s just no quit in them. It’s been more than fun; it’s been inspiring to see the transformation. This could be one of the most special teams in Bruin history.”

Read more college basketball

UCLA’s Michaela Onyenwere and Japreece Dean selected All-Pac-12

USC’s Alissa Pili chosen Pac-12 freshman of the year

CHARGERS

The Chargers are not expected to retain Travis Benjamin, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The veteran wide receiver will be a free agent after an injury filled season, his fourth with the team.

Benjamin, projected to be the Chargers’ No. 3 receiver, appeared in only five games in 2019, catching six passes for 30 yards.

His most productive season came with Cleveland in 2015, when he had 68 receptions for 966 yards and five touchdowns.

Read more NFL

Sam Farmer’s first 2020 NFL mock draft: Going first ...

OLYMPICS

Even as Olympic leaders reiterated their confidence that the coronavirus outbreak will not force the cancellation of the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Games, a Japanese official suggested the host city has a contractual right to postpone the competition until the end of the year.

The dueling pronouncements came Tuesday as the International Olympic Committee’s executive board convened for a regularly scheduled meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. Board members devoted much of the day to discussions on the matter.

“We remain very confident with regard to the success of these Olympic Games,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.

DUCKS

Dylan Strome, Alex Nylander and Patrick Kane scored on consecutive shots late in the second period, leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a 6-2 victory over the Ducks.

Strome scored twice and added an assist in the rout. Chicago won its third straight game while chasing a wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Drake Caggiula and David Kampf also scored for the Blackhawks.

Danton Heinen and Carter Rowney scored for Anaheim, which lost for the sixth time in eight games (2-5-1).

TODAY’S LOCAL MAJOR SPORTS SCHEDULE

Ducks at Colorado, 6:30 p.m., NBCSN, AM 830
Copy goes here.

BORN ON THIS DATE

1888: College football coach Knute Rockne (d. 1931)

1891: Former Dodger Dazzy Vance (d. 1961)

1897: Baseball player Lefty O’Doul (d. 1969)

1918: Tennis player Margaret Osborne DuPont (d. 2012)

1936: Race car driver Jim Clark (d. 1968)

1961: Boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini

1966: Basketball player Kevin Johnson

1968: Softball player Dionna Harris

1982: Soccer player Landon Donovan

1990: Basketball player Draymond Green

DIED ON THIS DATE

1990: College basketball player Hank Gathers

2019: Hockey player Ted Lindsay, 93

AND FINALLY

Landon Donovan scores the winning goal against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup. Watch it here.