The Sports Report: The Lakers’ misery continues against the Heat
Howdy, I’m your host, Iliana Limón Romero, filling in for Houston Mitchell, who probably would have requested a trade to the Toronto Star if Shohei Ohtani had signed with the Blue Jays. Let’s get right to the news.
From Dan Woike: The hope, of course, would be that the time back in Los Angeles would do the Lakers some good. Their coach implored his team that the excuses of the past month — so many of which were valid — needed to end. That the team had to play “consciously competitive consistently” — an alliterative mouthful that Darvin Ham later edited down.
“Flat-out playing hard,” he said pregame Wednesday.
With the Lakers starting their January at home, where they’ll be basically for the entire month, effort wasn’t an issue.
But execution?
They got so little of that right.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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The Lakers turned the ball over 22 times and made only four-of-30 three-point shots, losing 110-96 to Miami to drop their ninth game in their last 12.
It’s the first time this team has been below .500 since Nov. 10.
They’re the first team this season to shoot worse than 15 percent from three and turn it over 20 or more times.
That Anthony Davis continued his tear — Wednesday scoring 29 points to go with 17 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and three steals — mattered little.
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CLIPPERS
From Andrew Greif: The Clippers spent November taking arrows.
Amid their dramatic turnaround ever since, they’ve taken notice of what is no longer being said about them.
Their transformation from being one of the Western Conference’s most disjointed teams to one of its most formidable continued with Wednesday’s 131-122 win in Phoenix that was their 13th victory in their past 15 games.
On Nov. 16, a six-game losing streak that coincided with their roster-shaking trade for James Harden left the Clippers only two losses out of last place in the West.
Now, at 21-12, the Clippers are only three games out of first.
“Fit is great, I knew that from the beginning and it’s one of the reasons why I wanted to be a part of this,” said Harden, who scored 22 points with 11 assists, five rebounds and four turnovers against the Suns. “Obviously it didn’t start off well. So many people was — it gave people so much to talk about in a negative way — and now those people that were talking are nowhere to be found. Like, literally nowhere to be found. Which, we knew that was going to happen.
“But for us, I think it’s just focusing on this team and getting better every single day and focusing on the main goal.”
MORE CLIPPERS COVERAGE:
Clippers’ Norman Powell learns to accept role, no matter how big or small
UCLA
From Ben Bolch: Mick Cronin acknowledged the obvious earlier this week.
Given UCLA’s severe offensive limitations, the Bruins would have to win with defense and toughness.
But even that formula wasn’t enough Wednesday night given the lows to which their offense sunk. After scoring the game’s first 10 points, the Bruins fell into an epic funk during a 59-53 loss to Stanford at Pauley Pavilion during which they set a season low for scoring.
“Let’s be honest,” Cronin said. “You can’t score, you can’t win.”
Airballs abounded as UCLA made only one of 13 shots during one stretch of a second half in which it shot 21.4%. The Bruins (6-8 overall, 1-2 Pac-12) shot just 32.8% overall on the way to their sixth loss in seven games.
Once again stout inside, with post players Berke Buyuktuncel (13 points) and Adem Bona (12 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three steals) combining to make eight of 13 shots, UCLA made just three of 13 three-pointers. The Bruins compounded their shooting woes by committing 10 of their 16 turnovers in the second half, a total that Cronin called “ridiculous” given the defense his team faced.
“There is no press, there is no trap,” Cronin said. “So why are you turning the ball over? What would the reason be?”
MORE UCLA COVERAGE:
UCLA names Ikaika Malloe its new defensive coordinator, replacing D’Anton Lynn
USC
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: An 8-inch height difference didn’t deter Boogie Ellis. When it looked as though 6-foot-11 California forward Fardaws Aimaq had a simple rebound, the 6-foot-3 Ellis swooped in and ripped the ball away as if instead of being the first play of the second half with an eight-point lead, the Trojans were locked in a tight game in the final minutes.
After the struggles of the last month, every possession mattered.
USC played like a team with purpose Wednesday for the first time in at least a month, avoiding its worst Pac-12 start since 2014 with an 82-74 win over California at Galen Center.
The Trojans (7-7, 1-2 Pac-12) limped back to their home court after a four-game road swing with five losses in their last six games. Their only win during that stretch was against Alabama State. They busted out of their funk by shooting 53.2% from the field, their best percentage since beating Eastern Washington on Nov. 29, and dishing 29 assists on 33 field goals.
After 18 turnovers to just 14 assists in a loss to Oregon State on Dec. 30, rediscovering the offensive flow was a point of emphasis in practice.
“Just tired of watching turnovers and no ball movement, no player movement,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “If you stand there, you’re going to come out of the game. It’s pretty simple.”
NFL
From Gary Klein: Playoff seeding apparently is not as important to the Rams as making sure starters are rested, physically sound and ready for whatever opponent they draw in a wild-card game.
That is how coach Sean McVay’s decision to sit quarterback Matthew Stafford and other starters Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers can be interpreted after McVay announced Wednesday that Carson Wentz would start in place of Stafford.
The Rams (9-7) have clinched a playoff spot and are currently the No. 6 seed. A loss to the top-seeded 49ers (12-4), and a victory by the Green Bay Packers over the Chicago Bears, would cause the Rams to slip to No. 7.
At No. 6, the Rams likely would play at the Detroit Lions. At No. 7, they likely would play the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.
“When you look at the projections, I think they’re excellent teams regardless,” McVay said. “There’s a couple layers to it. And when you look at it, what we just felt like was this approach is the best one for our team.”
MORE NFL COVERAGE:
Four Rams are selected to NFC Pro Bowl team with hopes of missing it for Super Bowl
Keenan Allen, Khalil Mack make Pro Bowl despite disappointing Chargers season
DUCKS
From the Associated Press: Auston Matthews scored 2:12 into overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night, squeaking by after taking 57 shots on goal.
Martin Jones made 27 saves in his second standout performance in two nights after earning the shutout over the Kings on Tuesday. John Tavares scored with just under six minutes remaining in regulation to send the game into the extra period.
Matthews delivered his 30th of the season in overtime to beat Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, who had a career-high 55 saves. The score came on a pass from the slot by Mitchell Marner, with Matthews delivering his game winner just inside the right post.
The goal came on Matthews’ 13th shot of the game, with his 30 goals coming in 35 games.
“He’s due every night with the amount of looks he gets and obviously just how elite of a player he is and how is able to find space and opportunities for himself,” Tavares said. “He knows where to be on the ice, to get pucks off the pass and get the looks he gets and how he can generate stuff out of nothing. He can score from anywhere.”
HIGH SCHOOLS
From Eric Sondheimer: Everyone knows about St. John Bosco’s big four — Brandon McCoy, Elzie Harrington, Jack Turner and Kade Bonam. Except if you want to know if the Braves are really performing at a high level, see what the unsung fifth player — junior guard Chris Komin — is doing.
He delivered three threes on Wednesday night, giving the Braves breathing room until Komin’s teammates intervened during the second half of a Trinity League showdown with JSerra. They unleashed a devastating response in the final 16 minutes to lead the Braves to a 67-51 road victory.
“I think our other guys did a good job sharing the ball,” coach Matt Dunn said.
MORE HIGH SCHOOLS:
Southern California girls’ basketball rankings
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1970 — The Minnesota Vikings become the first expansion team to win the NFL title by beating the Cleveland Browns 27-7 in 8-degree temperatures in Bloomington, Minn.
1970 — Kansas City’s defense, highlighted by four interceptions, three in the final quarter, carries the Chiefs to a 17-7 victory over Oakland Raiders in the last AFL title game.
1976 — The Dallas Cowboys become the first wild-card team to make it to the Super Bowl with a 37-7 rout of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game.
1986 — Eric Dickerson shatters the NFL playoff record with a 248-yard rushing performance and two touchdowns to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 20-0 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
1991 — Fu Mingxia, a 12-year-old from China, becomes the youngest world titlist in the history of any aquatic event by winning the women’s platform gold medal at the World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia.
1992 — Mike Gartner of the New York Rangers scores his 1,000th NHL point with a power-play goal in the third period of a 6-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils.
1997 — The Jacksonville Jaguars, in their second year, beat the Broncos in Denver to advance to the AFC Championship game.
2000 — A day after accepting the head coaching position at the New York Jets, Bill Belichick resigns and moves to the New England Patriots.
2000 — Top-ranked Florida State, the preseason No. 1, holds off Virginia Tech 46-29 in the Sugar Bowl to finish 12-0 and win the national championship. Florida State is the first team to go wire-to-wire in The Associated Press’ poll since preseason rankings began in 1950.
2001 — Washington Wizards forward Michael Jordan becomes 4th player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points; hits a free throw in 2nd quarter of an 89-83 win against his old team, the Chicago Bulls.
2003 — Bode Miller wins his second straight World Cup giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia to move into first place in the World Cup overall standings. It’s the first time an American man has held the overall lead since Phil Mahre in 1983.
2005 — Matt Leinart throws five touchdown passes and Southern California overwhelms Oklahoma 55-19 in the Orange Bowl. USC (13-0) is the first team to repeat as AP national champions since Nebraska in 1994-95 and joins Florida State in 1999 as the only teams to go wire-to-wire — from preseason to post bowls — as No. 1.
2006 — Second-ranked Texas ends Southern California’s 34-game winning streak, beating the two-time defending national champion 41-38 in the Rose Bowl. The Longhorns also snap USC’s record string of 33 consecutive weeks as the No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25. The Longhorns, a unanimous choice, wins a national championship for the first time since 1969.
2012 — Geno Smith ties a record for any bowl game with six touchdown passes, including four to Tavon Austin, and West Virginia sets a bowl scoring record by beating Clemson 70-33 in the Orange Bowl.
2013 — Mikaela Shiffrin becomes the first American woman to win two World Cup races before turning 18. The 17-year-old captures a slalom in Zagreb, Croatia by a massive 1.19-second margin. Her first victory came last month in Sweden.
2014 — Andrew Luck throws four second-half touchdown passes and scores on a fumble recovery, leading the Indianapolis Colts from a four-TD deficit to an historic 45-44 comeback victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a wild-card game.
Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally
The NCAA transfer portal closed on Wednesday. Visit our transfer portal tracker to read the final list of players who left and joined the USC and UCLA football programs.
Until next time...
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
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