The Sports Report: Lakers don’t answer when opportunity knocks in Game 2

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

From Dan Woike: It was about as good of a chance the Lakers could’ve possibly hoped for.

On their sixth night in Memphis, the seventh seed in the West faced the Grizzlies without their best player and leading scorer, Ja Morant, another blow to a team that was already playing without two of its top three big men.

Instead of grabbing firm control of the series Wednesday night, the Lakers let control start to wiggle free from the arms.

They lost 103-93 to Memphis, the Grizzlies’ swagger refilled even with Morant watching Game 2 from the sidelines.

After the win, the Memphis locker room produced trash talk; the Lakers, meanwhile, were forced to conjure up optimistic perspective after squandering a chance to go up 2-0.

“At the end of the day, we understand what a series is all about. It’s not the first to one win or two. It’s the first to four,” LeBron James said.

Darvin Ham, who won his first playoff game on Sunday, shared the same message, saying that the Lakers anticipated a “grueling” series.

“If this were the NCAA tournament,” he said Wednesday, “I’m sure my mood would be a lot different.”

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Column: Inconsistency still a major problem for the Lakers in Game 2 loss to Grizzlies

How does Crypto.com Arena change its floor while hosting three playoff teams?

NBA PLAYOFFS
Results, schedule
All times Pacific

Western Conference

No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 7 Lakers
Game 1: Lakers 128, at Memphis 112
Game 2: at Memphis 103, Lakers 93
Saturday at Lakers, 7 p.m., ESPN
Monday at Lakers, 7 p.m., TNT
Wednesday at Memphis, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Lakers, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Memphis, TBD

No. 4 Phoenix vs. No. 5 Clippers
Game 1: Clippers 115, at Phoenix 110
Game 2: at Phoenix 123, Clippers 109
Tonight at Clippers, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
Saturday at Clippers, 12:30 p.m., TNT
Tuesday at Phoenix, TBD
*Thursday, April 27 at Clippers, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Phoenix, TBD

No. 1 Denver vs. No. 8 Minnesota
Game 1: at Denver 109, Minnesota 80
Game 2: at Denver 122, Minnesota 113
Friday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Sunday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TNT
*Tuesday at Denver, TBD
*Thursday, April 27 at Minnesota, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Denver, TBD

No. 3 Sacramento vs. No. 6 Golden State
Game 1: at Sacramento 126, Golden State 123
Game 2: at Sacramento 114, Golden State 106
Tonight at Golden State, 7 p.m., TNT
Sunday at Golden State, 12:30 p.m., ABC
*Wednesday at Sacramento, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Golden State, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Sacramento, TBD

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 8 Miami
Game 1: Miami 130, at Milwaukee 117
Game 2: at Milwaukee 138, Miami 122
Saturday at Miami, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Monday at Miami, 4 or 4:30 p.m., NBA TV or TNT
Wednesday at Milwaukee, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Miami, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Milwaukee, TBD

No. 2 Boston vs. No. 7 Atlanta
Game 1: at Boston 112, Atlanta 99
Game 2: at Boston 119, Atlanta 106
Friday at Atlanta, 4 p.m., ESPN
Sunday at Atlanta, 4 p.m., TNT
*Tuesday at Boston, TBD
*Thursday, April 27 at Atlanta, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Boston, TBD

No. 3 Philadelphia vs. No. 6 Brooklyn
Game 1: at Philadelphia 121, Brooklyn 101
Game 2: at Philadelphia 96, Brooklyn 84
Today at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m., TNT
Saturday at Brooklyn, 10 a.m., TNT
*Monday at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m., TNT
*Thursday, April 27 at Brooklyn, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Philadelphia, TBD

No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 New York
Game 1: New York 101, at Cleveland 97
Game 2: at Cleveland 107, New York 90
Friday at New York, 5:30 p.m., ABC
Sunday at New York, 10 a.m., ABC
Game 5 at Cleveland, TBD
*Game 6 at New York, TBD
*Game 7 at Cleveland, TBD

*-if necessary

KINGS

From Helene Elliott: The Kings can’t match the Edmonton Oilers’ incredible skills. They don’t have the Oilers’ impressive scoring depth, imposing size, or brawn.

But during the teams’ first-round playoff series the Kings have shown they’re well stocked in an area no analytic study can quantify: resilience. On Wednesday, that almost made up for all their disadvantages in a 4-2 loss to the Oilers that tied their series at 1-1 in advance of Game 3 Friday at Crypto.com Arena.

The Kings nearly followed up their Game 1 comeback victory with another triumphant rally against the Oilers, reviving from a flat first period in which they had no shots on goal until two minutes and two seconds remained in the period. They pulled even at 2-2 in the last minute of the second period on a slick goal by Gabe Vilardi, newly returned to the lineup after an injury kept him out of the last nine regular-season games and the playoff opener, and nearly took the lead on a shot by Rasmus Kupari that eluded Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner but hit the post with 10 seconds left.

That allowed Edmonton to regroup, and the Oilers didn’t waste that gift. Fourth-liner Klim Kostin scored the decisive goal on a long shot that eluded a screened Joonas Korpisalo at 2:20 of the third period, and Evander Kane sealed it with an empty-net goal with 27 seconds left.

The Kings pulled off one miracle by twice erasing two-goal leads in the opener before winning in overtime. They couldn’t do it again.

“Obviously, we haven’t played that full 60 minutes yet and that’s something we’ve got to learn,” winger Adrian Kempe said. “Going home with one win out of two–and we could have won two games–not playing good for 60 minutes, I’d say we’ll take that.”

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NHL PLAYOFFS
Results, schedule
All times Pacific

Western Conference

Edmonton [P2] vs. Kings [P3]
Game 1: Kings 4, at Edmonton 3 (OT)
Game 2: at Edmonton 4, Kings 2
Friday at Kings, 7 p.m., TNT
Sunday at Kings, 6 p.m., TBS
Tuesday at Edmonton, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Kings, TBD
*Monday, May 1 at Edmonton TBD

Colorado [C1] vs. Seattle [WC1]
Game 1: Seattle 3, at Colorado 1
Tonight at Colorado, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday at Seattle, 7 p.m., TBS
Monday at Seattle, 7 p.m., TBS
*Wednesday at Colorado, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Seattle, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Colorado, TBD

Dallas [C2] vs. Minnesota [C3]
Game 1: Minnesota 3, at Dallas 2 (2OT)
Game 2: at Dallas 7, Minnesota 3
Friday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TBS
Sunday at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m., TBS
Tuesday at Dallas, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Minnesota, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Dallas, TBD

Vegas [P1] vs. Winnipeg [WC2]
Game 1: Winnipeg 5, at Vegas 1
Tonight at Vegas, 7 p.m., TBS
Saturday at Winnipeg, 1 p.m., TBS
Monday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday, April 27 Vegas, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Winnipeg, TBD
*Monday, May 1 at Vegas, TBD

Eastern Conference

Boston [A1] vs. Florida [WC2]
Game 1: at Boston 3, Florida 1
Game 2: Florida 6, at Boston 3
Friday at Florida, 4:30 p.m., TNT
Sunday at Florida, 12:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday at Boston, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Florida, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Boston, TBD

Toronto [A2] vs. Tampa Bay [A3]
Game 1: Tampa Bay 7, at Toronto 3
Today at Toronto, 4 p.m., ESPN
Saturday at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m., TBS
Monday at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m., TBS
*Thursday, April 27 at Toronto, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Tampa Bay, TBD
*Monday, May 1 at Toronto, TBD

Carolina [M1] vs. NY Islanders [WC1]
Game 1: at Carolina 2, NY Islanders 1
Game 2: at Carolina 4, NY Islanders 3 (OT)
Friday at NY Islanders, 4 p.m., TBS
Sunday at NY Islanders, 10 a.m., TNT
*Tuesday at Carolina, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at NY Islanders, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Carolina, TBD

New Jersey [M2] vs. NY Rangers [M3]
Game 1: NY Rangers 5, at New Jersey 1
Today at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m., TBS
Saturday at NY Rangers, 5 p.m., ABC, ESPN+
Monday at NY Rangers, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday, April 27 at New Jersey, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at NY Rangers, TBD
*Monday, May 1 at New Jersey, TBD

*-if necessary

DODGERS

From Mike DiGiovanna: Noah Syndergaard didn’t feel any extra adrenaline or emotion as he took the Dodger Stadium mound on Wednesday for his first-ever start against the New York Mets, the team he came up to the big leagues with in 2015, won a World Series game for that October and walked away from after the 2021 season.

“There are a lot of new faces over there,” said Syndergaard, who signed a one-year, $13-million deal with the Dodgers in December. “Guys like [Brandon] Nimmo, Pete [Alonzo], Drew Smith … I’ve had the luxury of playing with them and wearing that Mets jersey with them. But other than that, it was just another day at the yard.”

Well, not quite, unless your idea of a typical day at the ballpark includes the ejection of a future Hall of Famer for having a foreign substance on his pitching hand, a transgression that will likely net Mets right-hander Max Scherzer a 10-game suspension.

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Plaschke: Max Scherzer, who cheated the Dodgers in 2021, is at it again

Q&A: ‘It was far more sticky than anything that we felt’: Umpires discuss Max Scherzer’s ejection

Max Scherzer ejected from Dodgers-Mets game over alleged foreign substance on glove

ANGELS

From Sarah Valenzuela: The Angels’ offense inched its way forward trying to overcome Aaron Judge and the Yankees. With the score tied in the ninth inning, manager Phil Nevin was ejected by the first base umpire for arguing that Mike Trout struck out to end the inning after not checking his swing.

The game went to the 10th, neither team able to capitalize on traffic on the basepaths. But it was the Angels who lost to the Yankees 3-2 on a chilly April evening after Matt Moore loaded the bases, then Gleyber Torres hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run.

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Q&A: Shohei Ohtani shares his thoughts on Yankee Stadium: ‘It’s really fun playing here’

UCLA BASKETBALL

From Ben Bolch: The Pac-12 freshman of the year may or may not become a sophomore at UCLA.

Adem Bona’s status remained in flux Wednesday after the rapidly improving center announced on Instagram that he would declare for the NBA draft. Coach Mick Cronin disclosed shortly thereafter that his top post player would preserve his college eligibility for next season while seeking feedback about his professional potential.

Evaluations of Bona could be complicated by the shoulder injury that prematurely ended his season and prevented him from playing in the Bruins’ final game, a 79-76 loss to Gonzaga in an NCAA tournament regional semifinal. Bona is not expected to work out for NBA teams as he continues his rehabilitation, according to one person close to the situation.

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UCLA FOOTBALL

As offensive lineman Atonio Mafi transitions from UCLA to the NFL, he is sharing his journey with Times staff writer Ben Bolch through a weekly diary leading up to the draft April 27-29. This week, Mafi discusses the most important lessons he’s learned and the advice he would give anyone going through the same process.

You’re not in college anymore. It’s time to act like a pro.

That was one of the most important lessons I’ve learned these last few months while prepping for the NFL draft. Unlike my time at UCLA, when my scholarship was basically guaranteed, nothing is assured about professional football. You’re trying to take another grown man’s job and his livelihood, so you can’t go into this timid or shy, you’ve got to be all in and go all out.

There’s only 53 players on an active NFL roster. Even if you get drafted and make the team, you can get replaced at any time. You’ve got to be able to stick. So that’s been my mission, to build and maintain the habits that will give me the best chance to have a long career. Your job’s never safe, so you just have to keep working.

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SOCCER

Jesús Ferreira scored in the 81st minute on a counterattack that began when a Carlos Rodríguez’s shot hit off the crossbar, giving the United States a 1-1 tie against Mexico on Wednesday night in an exhibition missing most top players on both teams.

Uriel Antuna scored off an American giveaway in the 55th minute.

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.

1939 — Ted Williams’ first MLB hit.

1944 — NFL legalizes coaching from bench.

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.

1967 — New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver wins his first 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.

1990 — Pete Rose pleads guilty to hiding $300,000 in income.

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.

1996 — NFL Draft: Keyshawn Johnson from USC first pick by New York Jets.

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.

1997 — PGA Seniors’ Championship Men’s Golf, PGA National GC: Defending champion Hale Irwin wins his second of 3 straight Senior PGA Championships.

2002 — NFL Draft: Fresno State quarterback David Carr #1 pick by Houston Texans.

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.

2021 — All six EPL clubs withdraw from the controversial European Super League just 3 days after it was announced - Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham.

—Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally...

Michael Jordan scores 63 points against Boston in the playoffs. Watch and listen here.