The Sports Report: Clippers hold off Lakers for narrow victory

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Andrew Greif on the Lakers-Clippers game: For the last month, as Clippers comebacks became customary, they became experts of the chase.

Rallies from down 24, 25 and 35 points had given them a keen eye to sense exactly when opponents’ body language would shift from confident to cratering, their lead slipping away as the Clippers’ opportunity opened.

Thursday proved a role reversal, the Clippers shorting their fourth-quarter jump shots as their opponent gained speed, a stunning collapse after leading by as many as 17 points in the third quarter seemingly underway after the Lakers took the lead with 28 seconds to play and again with 12 seconds left, on an alley-oop lob to Anthony Davis.

But under very different circumstances than January, the Clippers’ resilience remained and in the process they denied the Lakers the very kind of momentum-boosting rally they collected throughout the last month.

Guard Reggie Jackson’s leaning layup with four seconds to play pushed the Clippers ahead 111-110, and Davis’ shot from five feet rolled around the rim before rolling out as time expired.

The chaotic sequence capped a fourth quarter in which the Lakers outscored the Clippers by 11, and a game in which the Lakers held sizable edges in second-chance points (by 17 points) and free-throw attempts (by 14) only to lose by the smallest margin.

Jackson finished with 25 points and Marcus Morris Sr. had 29 points, including a three-pointer with 18 seconds left despite the defense of Trevor Ariza draped all over him to push the Clippers ahead 109-108.

Serge Ibaka also added 20 points, starting in place of the injured Ivica Zubac. It was enough, barely, to hold off a Lakers team that looked utterly rudderless late in the third quarter without LeBron James while playing on the second night of a back to back. Davis scored 30 points and Monk scored 21 while Westbrook’s hard-charging second half gave him 17 points.

The Lakers (25-28) fell to 2-5 when playing on consecutive nights.

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UCLA BASKETBALL

Ben Bolch on the Bruins: A week after looking practically unbeatable, winning three games comfortably with lockdown defense and sustained intensity to move near the top of the national rankings, UCLA was back in a spot where players had said they were more comfortable.

The Bruins were once again underdogs.

It didn’t matter that they were playing the same Arizona team they had hammered just nine days earlier. The Wildcats were playing at home and were favored by seven points. Basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy gave UCLA just a 33% chance to win.

The Bruins might have felt lost in the desert every time they jogged past the Arizona students lining the tunnel that led to their locker room, a cascade of boos washing over the players dressed in blue.

Even with a few spirited second-half runs shaving what had been a massive deficit to something more manageable Thursday evening, UCLA never could quiet those fans. The celebrating belonged to the seventh-ranked Wildcats after they emerged with a 76-66 triumph over the third-ranked Bruins at the McKale Center.

It was Arizona’s first triumph over UCLA on its home court since 2016, snapping a four-game losing streak here while moving the Wildcats into sole possession of first place in the conference standings.

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The UCLA women’s basketball team was routed by No. 2 Stanford, 76-48, at Pauley Pavilion.

With the result, UCLA’s record moved to 9-8 (4-5 Pac-12) on the year. The Cardinal, which won its ninth consecutive game, improved to 17-3, 8-0.

Junior guard Charisma Osborne posted a team-high 12 points, reaching double figures for the 17th consecutive game. Guard Natalie Chou recorded 11 points, and guard Chantel Horvat added 10 points of her own to reach double figures for the third consecutive game.

USC BASKETBALL

Boogie Ellis scored 21 points, including five free throws in the final minute, to lift No. 19 USC over Arizona State 58-53 on Thursday night.

The Trojans (19-3, 9-3 Pac-12) have won two in a row and five of their last six. The Sun Devils have lost four straight. Both teams struggled shooting until the final minutes, when they traded baskets in a white-knuckle finish.

Isaiah Mobley made a three-pointer with 1:57 left to put the Trojans up 49-48 but Arizona State (6-13, 2-7) responded with Jalen Graham’s layup while getting fouled. He made the free throw to put the Sun Devils up 51-49.

Mobley’s tough basket in the post tied it 51-all with a minute left and Ellis made a pair of free throws to give USC a 53-51 lead with 46 seconds left. Ellis added three more free throws over the next few possessions and then added an exclamation point with a breakaway dunk just before the buzzer.

Mobley finished with 12 points. Drew Peterson had six points and 13 rebounds.

SPARKS

The Sparks have acquired former Santa Ana Mater Dei High and Connecticut star Katie Lou Samuelson and a 2022 first-round draft pick in a trade with Seattle.

The Storm acquired Gabby Williams, another former UConn player who helped France win the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. The Sparks acquired Williams in a trade with Chicago, who received Stephanie Watts and Leonie Fiebich in the deal, last May.

The trade Thursday also frees up money for the Sparks to pursue free agents.

ANGELS

Nathan Fenno on the Angels: Federal prosecutors could call seven former Angels players as witnesses during the trial of the ex-communications director Eric Kay in the fatal overdose of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

In a witness list filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth, Texas, prosecutors listed ex-Angels Cam Bedrosian, C.J. Cron, Matt Harvey, Andrew Heaney, Mike Morin, Blake Parker and Garrett Richards among 77 potential witnesses.

The document provides a brief overview about the testimony of each witness, though such lists usually include many witnesses who never take the stand. The entry for Harvey, who pitched 12 games for the Angels in 2019 before being released, is typical: “Interactions with [Skaggs] and interactions with Eric Kay. Will testify that Eric Kay provided drugs believed to be oxycodone to [Skaggs] and others; knowledge of [Skaggs] oxycodone use; lingo used when referring to oxycodone pills; and communications with Eric Kay about oxycodone.”

Several current and former Angels front-office employees are on the list, too. They include former vice president of communications Tim Mead, traveling secretary Tom Taylor and communications director Adam Chodzko.

DUCKS

Pat Verbeek spent two decades in the NHL as a gritty right wing and 16 more years as a front-office executive preparing for the chance to run his own team.

That’s why the new general manager of the Ducks believes he’s ready to make a championship contender out of a club that’s already on the way up.

“I look forward to building this team into a Stanley Cup winner,” Verbeek said.

Ducks owner Henry Samueli introduced the 57-year-old Verbeek on Thursday as the sixth GM in franchise history and the replacement for Bob Murray, who resigned Nov. 10. Murray, who had run Anaheim’s front office since 2008, entered a treatment program for alcohol abuse amid allegations of misconduct.

SOCCER

Kevin Baxter on soccer: Coach Vlatko Andonovski, who fielded the oldest women’s soccer team in last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, has called in a much a younger 23-player roster for this month’s SheBelieves Cup, which kicks off with a doubleheader at Dignity Health Sports Park on Feb. 17.

The U.S. will open the three-team tournament against the Czech Republic, playing its first competitive match since the bronze-medal game in Japan last August. Iceland will play New Zealand in the first game of a doubleheader that day.

The U.S. faces New Zealand and Iceland will play the Czechs on Feb. 20 in Carson before the competition shifts to suburban Dallas for the final day of play on Feb. 23.

The roster:

Goalkeepers: Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Defenders: Alana Cook (OL Reign), Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC)

Midfielders: Morgan Gautrat (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Forwards: Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Lynn Williams (Kansas City Current)

WINTER OLYMPICS

Helene Elliott on hockey: Brianna Decker’s raw screams, the cries of an athlete who knows her body well enough to instantly realize something had gone terribly wrong at a terrible time, suddenly filled the mostly empty, echoing spaces of Wukesong Sports Centre on Thursday.

Decker, a two-time Olympic medalist and alternate captain of the U.S. women’s hockey team, had become tangled with Finland defender Ronja Savolainen near the Americans’ net in the first period of their Olympic opener. Both women fell to the ice in a heap, with Decker’s left leg badly twisted. Decker’s loud cries conveyed her profound pain and sudden fear, sending a shiver down the spines of all who heard them. Medical personnel quickly came to her and she was carried off on a stretcher.

“It was awful, there’s no other way to put it,” U.S. captain Kendall Coyne Schofield said. “She’s one of the toughest, strongest players in the world, so to hear her react like that obviously was devastating for our group.”

Until that point, neither team had managed to score. That changed quickly.

After gathering for a few moments to settle their minds and figure out new line combinations, the Americans seized control, opening their defense of their 2018 Olympic title by scoring twice in two minutes, 23 seconds on the way to a 5-2 victory. Playing the first of four preliminary-round games, they shook off the rust they’d accumulated since Dec. 17 —the last time they had played before coronavirus precautions cut short their pre-Olympic exhibition schedule — and relied on the depth and sharp skills that have long made them and Canada the sport’s still-unassailable superpowers.

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NBC and Peacock will broadcast the opening ceremony live, starting at 3:30 a.m. PST on Friday. NBC will also broadcast expanded coverage of the ceremony in prime time.

The event is scheduled to last about three hours. Here’s a breakdown of the broadcast times (all PDT):

Live opening ceremony coverage: 3:30 a.m.–7 a.m. Friday, — NBC, Peacock

Enhanced prime-time opening ceremony coverage: 8 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday — NBC

Friday’s TV Schedule

NBC

3:30 a.m. – 7 a.m.

Opening Ceremony (Live)

8 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Opening Ceremony

USA NETWORK

11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Figure skating – Men’s short program team

Figure skating – Rhythm dance team

Figure skating – Pairs’ short program team

Mixed Doubles Curling – U.S. vs. Sweden

5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Mixed doubles curling – Switzerland vs. Sweden (Live)

7 p.m. – 8:50 p.m.

Women’s snowboard – Slopestyle qualifying (Live)

8:50 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Women’s ice hockey – Canada vs. Finland (Live)

10:30 p.m. – 11:25 p.m.

Men’s ski jumping – Individual normal hill qualifying (Live)

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

USA NETWORK

11:45 p.m. Friday-4:55 a.m.

Men’s freestyle skiing – Moguls final (Live)

Men’s freestyle skiing – Moguls qualifying (Live)

Women’s speed skating – 3,000 meters (Live)

Women’s cross-country skiing – Skiathlon (Live)

Men’s ski jumping – Individual normal hill qualifying

5:10 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.

Women’s Ice Hockey – U.S. vs. Russian Olympic Committee (Live)

7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Short Track speedskating – Mixed relay final

Short track speedskating – Women’s 500-meter qualifying

Short track speedskating – Men’s 1,000-meter qualifying

Men’s luge – First and second runs

Biathlon – Mixed relay

Women’s ski jumping – Normal hill final

2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Women’s ice hockey – U.S. vs. Russian Olympic Committee

4:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Women’s snowboarding – Slopestyle final (Live)

Men’s snowboarding – Slopestyle qualifying (Live)

Men’s luge – First and second runs

Biathlon – Mixed relay

NBC

11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Women’s speedskating – 3000 meters

Men’s Luge – First and second runs

Women’s cross-country skiing – Skiathlon

Men’s freestyle skiing – Moguls qualifying

Women’s ski jumping – Normal hill final

5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Figure Skating – Team Event (Live)

Women’s Short Program

Men’s Free Skate

Men’s Alpine Skiing – Downhill (Live)

Short Track – Mixed relay final

9 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Women’s snowboarding – Slopestyle final

Men’s freestyle skiing – Moguls final

CNBC

1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Mixed doubles curling – U.S. vs. China

Mixed doubles curling – U.S. vs. Canada

5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Mixed doubles curling – U.S. vs. Czech Republic (Live)

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1861 — The Philadelphia Athletics beat Charter Oak 36-27 in a baseball game played on frozen Litchfield Pond in Brooklyn, N.Y., with the players wearing ice skates.

1924 — The first Winter Olympics close in Chamonix, France. Sixteen countries competed in 17 events from seven sports.

1932 — The Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, N.Y., the first Winter Games in the United States.

1957 — Joe McCarthy and Sam Crawford are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1969 — The 24 major league owners unanimously select Bowie Kuhn as commissioner for a one-year term at a salary of $100,000.

1971 — The Baseball Hall of Fame establishes a separate section for players from the old Negro Leagues. In July, commissioner Bowie Kuhn, along with Hall president Paul Kirk, announce a change of heart and scrap plans for the separate section.

1976 — U.S. District Court Judge John W. Oliver upholds the ruling of arbitrator Peter Seitz that declared Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally free agents.

1977 — Rick Martin scores two goals in the third period, including the game-winning goal with under two minutes to play, to lead the Wales Conference to a 4-3 win over the Campbell conference in the NHL All-Star game at Vancouver.

1979 — Denver’s David Thompson scores 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting to lead the West Conference to a 134-129 victory over the East at the 1979 NBA All-Star Game in Detroit. Thompson also grabs five rebounds and is named the games MVP. Philadelphia’s Julius Erving leads all scorers with 29 points and san Antonio’s George Gervin adds 26 for the East.

1987 — The Sacramento Kings have the worst first quarter since the inception of the shot clock in 1954. The Kings set the NBA record with only four points in the opening quarter of a 128-92 loss to the Lakers.

1987 — Stars & Stripes, skippered by Dennis Conner, sweeps Kookaburra III 4-0 at Fremantle, Australia, to bring sailing’s America’s Cup back to the United States.

1991 — The doors of Cooperstown are slammed shut on Pete Rose when the Hall of Fame’s board of directors votes 12-0 to bar players on the permanently ineligible list from consideration.

1997 — Mario Lemieux scores his 600th goal, an empty netter, to help the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks. Lemieux is the first player to score 600 goals while spending his NHL career with one team.

2003 — Jaromir Jagr scores three goals, including his 500th, for his 11th career hat trick as Washington beat Tampa Bay 5-1.

2007 — Peyton Manning is 25-of-38 for 247 yards and a touchdown as he rallies Indianapolis to a 29-17 Super Bowl victory over Chicago in the South Florida rain. Tony Dungy becomes the first black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie Smith in a game that featured the first two black coaches in the Super Bowl.

2012 — Lindsey Vonn captures her 50th World Cup victory, winning the downhill with temperatures plunging to minus 13 on the demanding Kandahar course in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

2017 — Gregg Popovich becomes the winningest coach with a single franchise in NBA history, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 121-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Popovich earns his 1,128th victory to pass former Utah coach Jerry Sloan for the mark.

2018 — The Philadelphia Eagles win a record-setting shootout between Nick Foles and Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Foles, the backup quarterback, leads a pressure-packed 75-yard drive to the winning touchdown, 11 yards to Zach Etrz with 2:21 to go. Then the defense makes two final stands to win 41-33.

Supplied by the Associated Press

And finally

The Eagles upset the Patriots in the 2018 Super Bowl. Watch and listen here.