The Sports Report: Lakers lose as Anthony Davis nears his return

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

Dan Woike on the Lakers: The bass line thumped during the second quarter Monday night, LeBron James rocking perfectly on beat to the music that echoed inside Staples Center during a timeout. While his teammates huddled, James floated closer to the floor, talking with members of the Lakers’ coaching and training staff.

Seconds later, he quickly shuffled his feet like Muhammad Ali getting ready to fire a fast jab.

During that same timeout while that same bass line pounded, Anthony Davis slowly backed onto the floor underneath the basket. He pretended to dribble an imaginary basketball through his long legs, shaking his shoulders.

It was a glimpse at the Lakers’ future, soundtracked perfectly by the in-house DJ, who was playing Next’s “Too Close.”

Neither of the Lakers’ stars was on the floor when their team lost to Utah 111-97, but if the end to one rough chapter of this season isn’t here yet, it’s certainly close.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel proclaimed Davis “healthy” before tipoff, Davis’ insufficient conditioning levels forcing him to miss his 29th consecutive game. But with two days before the Lakers play a pair in Dallas, there’s a strong chance Davis rejoins the team against the Mavericks.

And then there’s James, whom the Lakers have been quiet about since he suffered a high-ankle sprain against Atlanta a month ago. Before the Lakers’ loss to Utah, Vogel said James had been doing some on-court work.

“It’s still light work on the court, but he is doing court work and progressing each day — just trying to do a little bit more with his activity each day,” Vogel said.

————

Kobe Bryant’s contract with Nike has expired, the sneaker giant confirmed Monday.

“Kobe Bryant was an important part of Nike’s deep connection to consumers,” Nike said in a statement. He pushed us and made everyone around him better. Though our contractual relationship has ended, he remains a deeply loved member of the Nike family.”

Vanessa Bryant posted on social media in December that she was hoping to work with Nike to make it easier “for fans to have a better opportunity to get some Kobe’s.”

DODGERS

Jorge Castillo on the Dodgers: The Dodgers lost to the Seattle Mariners, 4-3, Monday at T-Mobile Park to drop consecutive games for the first time this season, but they might have suffered a more significant loss before the game was over.

Mookie Betts crumpled to the ground, biting his gold chain in pain, in the ninth inning when Mariners right-hander Rafael Montero hit him on the right forearm with a 95-mph sinker. Betts drew an immediate visit from manager Dave Roberts and trainer Yosuke Nakajima. He eventually stayed in the game. Corey Seager then grounded out to seal the defeat.

After the game, Roberts said Betts will undergo tests. He said he didn’t know if Betts will play in Tuesday’s matinee. Betts went 2 for 4 before he was plunked.

“A lot of soft tissue,” Roberts said. “I’m sure there’s going to be some bruising, maybe some swelling. So I just won’t know more until he shows up tomorrow.”

The Dodgers have already dealt with their fair share of injuries so far this season. Cody Bellinger (fibula) and second baseman Gavin Lux (wrist) are on the injured list while Betts dealt with a lower back injury that kept him out of four games earlier in the season.

The Dodgers have still posted the best record in the majors at 13-4, but losing Betts, the reigning National League MVP runner-up, for a long stretch of time will be difficult to absorb.

ANGELS

Mike DiGiovanna on the Angels: Shohei Ohtani crushed a Kohei Arihara changeup to deep center field in the fourth inning Monday night, the Angels slugger so sure he had homered off his former Nippon Ham Fighters teammate that he tossed his bat aside and broke into a trot.

Seconds later, some 400 feet away, Texas center fielder Adolis Garcia made a leaping catch of Ohtani’s drive at the top of the wall, the play emblematic of an Angels effort that fell just a bit short in a 6-4 loss to the Rangers before a crowd of 11,396 in Angel Stadium.

“Honestly, I felt like it was gonna be gone off the bat,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “It was actually one of the better swings I’ve put on the ball this season. I feel like the wind brought it back a little bit. I was happy with the approach; I just didn’t get the right results.”

The Rangers broke open a 1-0 game with a five-run sixth, doing most of their damage against Angels ace Dylan Bundy, and Arihara kept the Angels off-balance with his six-pitch mix, the 28-year-old right-hander giving up two hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and two walks.

NFL

Sam Farmer’s mock draft 2.0: Good things come in threes.

In the case of The Times’ mock draft 2.0, that means quarterbacks going 1-2-3 for the first time since 1999 when the first three selections were Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith.

It also means three Alabama players chosen among the top 10, and a total of six in the first round.

And it projects three running backs going in the opening round, something that has happened just twice in the last 10 years, as teams increasingly have stopped using first-round picks on that position.

A look at one way this year’s first round could unfold:

1. Jacksonville: QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson — Urban Meyer launches his NFL coaching career with a quarterback who passed for 90 touchdowns with 17 interceptions in three college seasons.

2. New York Jets: QB Zach Wilson, Brigham Young — Jets don’t seem concerned about injury to Wilson’s throwing shoulder that required surgery.

3. San Francisco: QB Mac Jones, Alabama — Jones had only one full season as a starter but passed for 41 touchdowns and 4,500 yards, with just four interceptions.

4. Atlanta: TE Kyle Pitts, Florida — Never has a tight end been selected this early, but Pitts is a remarkable talent athletic enough to line up at receiver.

5. Cincinnati: OT Penei Sewell, Oregon — The Bengals need to beef up their protection of Joe Burrow, so they take the best tackle off the board.

6. Miami: WR Ja’Marr Chase, Louisiana State — If Cincinnati doesn’t reunite Chase and Burrow, and if Pitts is gone, the Dolphins take a guy who runs a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and can play physical.

7. Detroit: WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama — Detroit has been hit or miss with first-round receivers, but the Lions need to stock the shelves for Jared Goff … or whoever’s at quarterback.

8. Carolina: OT Rashawn Slater, Northwestern — Now that they have acquired Sam Darnold, the Panthers have to work on keeping him upright.

9. Denver: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State — The Broncos could go quarterback here — keep an eye on Trey Lance — but they also could use an eventual quarterback of their defense.

10. Dallas: CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama — Surtain could step in as the first-day starter opposite former Alabama teammate Trevon Diggs.

Read the rest of the projected first-round picks here.

————

Rams appear set with pass catchers, but doesn’t mean they won’t draft another

Anticipating free-agent exodus, Rams’ draft plan to secure secondary is at forefront

Chargers believe they’re set at safety, but eye starting corner in draft

Highly paid Mike Williams has room to improve in Chargers’ receiving corps

USC FOOTBALL

Ryan Kartje on the Trojans: USC quarterback Mo Hasan, who had taken the majority of second-team snaps this spring, will miss the upcoming season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during USC’s spring game Saturday.

Hasan revealed the season-ending injury in a post on Twitter and announced he would soon undergo surgery.

“I’m going to crush this process and be back stronger!” he wrote on Monday.

Hasan opened spring practice as the most experienced of the three vying to be Kedon Slovis’ backup. But shortly after he threw the first touchdown of USC’s spring game, Hasan limped off the field, leaving freshmen Jaxson Dart and Miller Moss to take the lion’s share of snaps.

SPARKS

Thuc Nhi Nguyen on the Sparks: No spot in the WNBA is guaranteed, even for an eight-year pro.

Sparks guard Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, who started 43 of her 51 games in two years with the team, was waived Sunday as the Sparks announced their 15-player training camp roster Monday.

Ruffin-Pratt, who averaged a career-low 2.9 points with 2.1 rebounds last season, will make way for three of the Sparks’ five draft picks.

The Sparks open training camp on April 25 in a new practice facility in Glendale and must cut their roster to 12 by the season opener on May 14.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1912 — Fenway Park opens in Boston with the Red Sox beating the New York Yankees 7-6 in 11 innings. Tiger Stadium in Detroit also opens its doors as the Tigers defeat the Cleveland Indians 6-5.

1958 — The Montreal Canadiens win the NHL Stanley Cup for the third straight year with a 5-3 victory over the Boston Bruins in the sixth game.

1986 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan sets an NBA single-game playoff scoring record with 63 points in a 135-131 double overtime loss to the Boston Celtics, in Game 2 of the first round in the Eastern Conference.

1991 — Mark Lenzi becomes the first person to score 100 points on a single dive. On his last dive, Lenzi scores 101.85 points on a reverse 3½ somersault from the tuck position to win the 3-meter springboard title at the U.S. Indoor Diving Championships.

1997 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan wins an unprecedented ninth scoring title with an average of 29.6 points, the first time in those nine seasons that he fails to average at least 30 points.

2007 — Roger Federer wins his 500th career match, defeating David Ferrer 6-4, 6-0 in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters.

2008 — Danica Patrick becomes the first female winner in IndyCar history, capturing the Indy Japan 300 in her 50th career start. Patrick takes the lead from pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 198th lap in the 200-lap race and finishes 5.8594 seconds ahead of Castroneves.

2008 — Lorena Ochoa becomes the first LPGA Tour player in 45 years to win four tournaments in consecutive weeks. Ochoa shoots a 3-under 69 in the final round of the Ginn Open and beats rookie Yani Tseng by three strokes for her fifth victory in six starts. Mickey Wright did it in 1963.

2014 — Bernard Hopkins, 49, becomes the oldest to win a unification light heavyweight bout as he captures a split 12-round decision over 30-year-old Beibut Shumenov of Kazakhstan. Hopkins, who improves to 55-6-2, retains his IBF title and wins the WBA and IBA belts.

2015 — Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia wins the 119th Boston Marathon, his second victory here. Desisa, who finishes in 2:09:17, also won the 2013 race just hours before a pair of bombs exploded at the finish line. Caroline Rotich of Kenya wins the women’s race.

2017 — LeBron James finishes with 41 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers set an NBA postseason record by erasing a 25-point halftime deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 119-114 and take a 3-0 lead. Cleveland trailed by 26 in the first half and was still down 74-49 at halftime. The largest halftime deficit overcome to win a playoff game had been 21 points by Baltimore against Philadelphia in 1948.

2017 — Roman Josi scores twice, Pekka Rinne has 30 saves and the Nashville Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 to complete a surprising sweep of the Western Conference’s top seed. It’s the first time a No. 1 seed is swept in the first round since the NHL adopted its current playoff format in 1994.

And finally

Michael Jordan scores 63 points against the Celtics in a playoff game. Watch it here.