The Sports Report: Clippers lose first play-in game

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

From Andrew Greif: Patrick Beverley flung the ball skyward as time expired, stripped off his white Minnesota jersey and leapt atop the scorer’s table inside Target Center, basking as a crescendo of cheers overtook him.

Teammate Anthony Edwards, the player who had never played beyond the regular season in his young career but looked like a playoff-tested veteran Tuesday, sprinted toward a corner of the court and slapped hands, then found the team’s soon-to-be owner, Alex Rodriguez.

Dogged by foul trouble, their grasp loosening as the Clippers grew their lead to 10 points, the Timberwolves exploited every fourth-quarter chance to advance to only their second postseason series since 2004.

After Tuesday’s 109-104 loss at Target Center in the play-in tournament, Clippers now have just one chance to extend their season.

Edwards scored 30 points and the Clippers offense bogged down to close each half in scoring just 20 fourth-quarter points, speeding their stunning collapse even after Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out.

Paul George scored 34 points but to advance to a first-round series against top-seeded Phoenix, the Clippers must now beat the winner of New Orleans and San Antonio on Friday in Los Angeles.

LAKERS

Lakers report card: Carmelo Anthony

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Lakers report card: Avery Bradley

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NBA PLAYOFFS
All times Pacific
Play-in tournament
Western conference
Tuesday’s result
No. 7 Minnesota 109, No. 8 Clippers 104
Today
No. 10 San Antonio at No. 9 New Orleans, 6:30 pm., ESPN

Eastern conference
Tuesday’s result
No. 7 Brooklyn 115, No. 8 Cleveland 108
Today
No. 10 Charlotte at No. 9 Atlanta, 4 pm., ESPN

Brooklyn and Minnesota become the No. 7 seeds in their respective conferences. The Clippers and Cleveland will play the winners of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 games on Friday, with the winner of that game becoming the No. 8 seed.

UCLA BASKETBALL

From Ben Bolch: After one season in which he showed occasional flashes of his tantalizing upside, Peyton Watson has bid farewell to college basketball.

The UCLA freshman guard announced on social media Tuesday that he was hiring an agent and forgoing his remaining collegiate eligibility, driven by his massive potential to immediately pursue a pro career.

“I’m excited for the next chapter and I’m ready to fulfill my lifelong goal of being an NBA player,” Watson wrote on Twitter and Instagram while saying he would enter the NBA draft.

Most mock draft boards have projected the 6-foot-8 Watson as a second-round pick, but the former Long Beach Poly High star is considered an enticing prospect largely because of his length and athleticism. He could improve his stock by impressing teams at the combine or in individual workouts.

The first McDonald’s All-American recruited by UCLA coach Mick Cronin to play for the Bruins, Watson averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game while exclusively coming off the bench. He struggled with shooting, making 32.2% of his shots and 22.6% of his three-pointers, but carved out a niche as a defensive stopper alongside Jaylen Clark.

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: The work began immediately after Andrew Heaney signed with the Dodgers this offseason.

Upon agreeing to terms with the team on a one-year, $8.5 million deal in mid-November, Heaney flew to Los Angeles to get a physical, but also to meet with the team’s pitching staff. He was well aware of their track record of developing pitchers, of unlocking potential in even veteran arms that hadn’t been there before.

And eight years into his own underwhelming MLB career, the left-hander was eager to hear their ideas for him in the upcoming season.

He believed that, with the Dodgers’ help, he could quickly get better.

Five months later, Heaney showed the first signs of progress Tuesday, giving up just one unearned run over 4 ⅓ innings in his Dodgers debut.

Tuesday’s game was decided hours later, after the Dodgers exploded for six runs in the eighth inning, then sat through an 88-minute rain delay, en route to a 7-2 win against the Minnesota Twins.

But by the time showers poured from the sky and lightning flashed around Target Field, Heaney’s performance — which included five strikeouts, no walks and a whole bunch of swings and misses on his new sweeping slider — had already become the Dodgers’ most important development of the night.

ANGELS

From Mike DiGiovanna: The Angels won a game they had little business winning Tuesday afternoon.

They struck out 15 times and issued seven walks, they misplayed a routine single for a run-scoring error, they had the potential go-ahead run picked off first base in the eighth inning, and they still beat the Miami Marlins 4-3 before a crowd of 16,132 in Angel Stadium.

They eked out a walk-off win because Anthony Rendon hit a 358-foot fly ball that only a fan could catch, Jack Mayfield took a 3-and-0 strike for ball four in the ninth, a controversial ninth-inning replay review went their way, and Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas couldn’t field Max Stassi’s decisive ground ball cleanly.

They also won because Tyler Wade is fast. Really fast.

“I’ll take it,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said, when asked if this was the definition of winning ugly. “I’ll take it every night, right?”

KINGS

Blake Lizotte scored twice, Phillip Danault had a goal and an assist and the Kings ended a three-game skid with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

Trevor Moore and Jordan Spence also scored for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick finished with 18 saves.

Taylor Raddysh and Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks, who dropped their eighth straight game (0-6-2). Collin Delia made 31 saves.

The Blackhawks managed 20 shots on Quick, who yielded a goal on a one-timer from Raddysh stationed low in the right circle with 3:33 left in the second period, and a goal by Kane late in the third.

DUCKS

The Ducks are keeping coach Dallas Eakins, picking up his contract option for the 2022-23 season, new general manager Pat Verbeek announced Tuesday.

The Ducks are finishing their third consecutive losing season under Eakins, who got the job in June 2019. They were in the Western Conference playoff picture until the All-Star break, when they began a 6-17-3 skid that has all but guaranteed they’ll miss the postseason for a franchise-worst fourth consecutive year.

“Dallas has done this job under difficult circumstances and deserves the opportunity to continue coaching this team,” Verbeek said in a statement. “We are pleased he will be returning and look forward to a promising 2022-23 season.”

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Jonathan Huberdeau scored at 3:41 of overtime to lift the Florida Panthers over the Ducks 3-2 on Tuesday night for their eighth straight victory.

Anthony Duclair scored twice for the Eastern Conference leaders, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves.

Derek Grant and Troy Terry scored for the Ducks. John Gibson stopped a franchise-record 52 shots in an incredible effort that went for naught.

Huberdeau flipped the puck into the corner of the net from in front to give the Panthers their only lead.

“We ran into a hot goalie; he was playing well. Overall, it was a pretty good game,” Huberdeau said. “We put up 55 shots; at some point it’s going to go in.”

Gibson stopped Huberdeau’s initial shot from in front, but the All-Star forward was able to flip in the rebound.

“I did my best. One lucky bounce, then they make a nice play,” Gibson said. “They’re a good team. When you give them a chance they’re going to bury them, and they did there.”

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1940 — The New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.

1940 — Dutch Warmerdam becomes the first man to clear 15 feet in the pole vault in a small track meet at Cal-Berkeley. Warmerdam, the last to set records with a bamboo pole, will have 43 vaults over 15 feet at a time when no other vaulter in the world clears 15 feet.

1957 — The Boston Celtics capture their first NBA championship as rookie Tommy Heinsohn scores 37 points and grabs 23 rebounds in a 125-123 double overtime victory over the St. Louis Hawks in Game 7. Rookie Bill Russell scores 19 points and pulls down a game-high 32 rebounds. Russell wins a NCAA title, an Olympic gold medal and an NBA championship in 13 months.

1970 — Billy Casper wins the Masters with a five-stroke playoff victory over Gene Littler.

1972 — The first player strike in baseball history ends and the season is set to start April 15.

1980 — Seve Ballesteros, 23, becomes the youngest to win the Masters, with a four-stroke victory.

1984 — Pete Rose of the Montreal Expos collects the 4,000th hit of his career with a double off Philadelphia’s Jerry Koosman in the fourth inning.

1986 — Jack Nicklaus wins the Masters for a record sixth time and at 46 becomes the oldest to win the event.

1986 — The Celtics end the 1985-86 season with a 135-107 win over the New Jersey Nets at Boston Garden and finish with an NBA-record 40-1 at home.

1991 — Pete Weber wins four games to become the second player in PBA history to win the BPAA U.S. Open twice, this time with a 289-184 victory over Mark Thayer.

1997 — Tiger Woods wins the Masters by a record 12 strokes at Augusta National. Closing with a 69, Woods finished at 18-under 270, the lowest score in the Masters and matching the most under par by anyone in any of the four Grand Slam events.

2003 — Mike Weir becomes the first Canadian to win the Masters after the first sudden-death playoff in 13 years.

2008 — Trevor Immelman handles the wind and pressure of Augusta National far better than anyone chasing him to win the Masters, the first South African in a green jacket in 30 years.

2012 — Martin Brodeur stops 24 shots for his 100th postseason win, and a three-goal first period is enough to help the New Jersey Devils spoil the Florida Panthers’ long-awaited return to the Stanley Cup playoffs in a 3-2 victory. Brodeur also picks up an assist for his 10th postseason point, while becoming the second goalie in NHL history to reach triple-figures in playoff wins. Only Patrick Roy has more, with 151.

And finally

Jack Nicklaus wins the 1986 Masters. Watch and listen here.