The Sports Report: Star of Tuesday’s Dodgers-Diamondbacks game? A beekeeper

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

From Jack Harris: About 10 minutes before first pitch at Chase Field on Tuesday night, the ballpark’s vice president of operations, Mike Rock, received a call from a colleague.

The wrong kind of buzz had overtaken the stadium.

“We have bees landing on the net right behind home plate.”

“How many?” he asked.

“Hundreds. No wait, thousands!”

Rock immediately jumped into action.

“I knew we had a problem,” he said.

Indeed, with a swarm of bees wrapped around the top of the protective screen behind home plate, the start of Tuesday’s game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and visiting Dodgers — a 4-3 extra-innings Diamondbacks win decided on Christian Walker’s walk-off two-run homer in the 10th — was delayed by almost two hours, as Rock and his staff scrambled to call in a bee removal expert to the stadium.

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Walker Buehler looks sharper in probably last minor league rehab start

Dodgers box score

MLB scores

MLB standings

LAKERS

From Dylan Hernández: LeBron James raised the microphone to his face.

“Ummm,” he started.

James smiled and looked at me.

“I’m not going to answer that,” he said.

James nodded.

“Appreciate it,” he said, still smiling.

With that, he walked off the dais.

The question I asked that James declined to answer: Did he have any thoughts on Monday night that he might have played his last game for the Lakers?

The Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs, a 108-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round series, sending them into an offseason of uncertainty.

The most critical of these questions pertains to the 39-year-old James, who can decline his $51.4-million option for next season.

When James gave his non-answer after the game, he sounded as if he were negotiating with the Lakers, but this wasn’t about money. The financial parameters for his anticipated return are already set: The most the Lakers can offer him is $162 million over three years.

This is about influence.

He wants better players around him. He has asked for that in the past, and he indirectly asked for that again when replying to a question about whether he gained confidence in the team based on its improved form late in the regular season, as well as in the series against the Nuggets.

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How LeBron James, Darvin Ham and the Lakers reached a critical offseason crossroads

Why the Lakers lost their last timeout despite successful challenge against Nuggets

KEEP LeBRON JAMES POLL

Should LeBron James remain with the Lakers next season, or should they part ways? Vote here.

FIRE DARVIN HAM? POLL

Should the Lakers fire Darvin Ham? Vote in our informal poll here and let us know.

Poll results will be in Friday’s newsletter.

CLIPPERS

From Broderick Turner: The score was tied 98-98 late in the fourth quarter Sunday, the Clippers’ once seemingly insurmountable 31-point lead over the Dallas Mavericks gone, when James Harden passed the ball to Terance Mann for a three-pointer that he missed.

As the Clippers retreated on defense, coach Tyronn Lue yelled at Harden above the deafening roar inside American Airlines Center.

“Shoot the floater. Shoot the floater,” Lue hollered to Harden.

The message was clear to Harden that he’s one of the Clippers’ main stars, and that with Kawhi Leonard out for Game 4 of the first-round Western Conference playoff series Sunday because of right knee inflammation that Harden must carry more of the burden if they were going to win.

Point made.

“After that, he made five straight floaters,” Lue said Tuesday before the Clippers’ practice ahead of Game 5 on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. “I mean, it was open the first time. He said, ‘Facts! Fact!’ or whatever that means. Then he came and made five in a row. But it was there. It’s there.”

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NBA PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

All times Pacific

FIRST ROUND
Western Conference

No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 8 New Orleans
at Oklahoma City 94, New Orleans 92 (box score)
at Oklahoma City 124, New Orleans 92 (box score)
Oklahoma City 106, at New Orleans 85 (box score)
Oklahoma City 97, at New Orleans 89 (box score)

No. 2 Denver vs. No. 7 Lakers
at Denver 114, Lakers 103 (box score)
at Denver 101, Lakers 99 (box score)
Denver 112, at Lakers 105 (box score)
at Lakers 119, Denver 108 (box score)
at Denver 108, Lakers 106 (box score)

No. 3 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Phoenix
at Minnesota 120, Phoenix 95 (box score)
at Minnesota 105, Phoenix 93 (box score)
Minnesota 126, at Phoenix 109 (box score)
Minnesota 122, at Phoenix 116 (box score)

No. 4 Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas
at Clippers 109, Dallas 97 (box score)
Dallas 96, at Clippers 93 (box score)
at Dallas 101, Clippers 90 (box score)
Clippers 116, at Dallas 111 (box score)
Wednesday at Clippers, 7 p.m., TNT
Friday at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Sunday at Clippers, TBD

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Boston vs. No. 8 Miami
at Boston 114, Miami 94 (box score)
Miami 111, at Boston 101 (box score)
Boston 104, at Miami 84 (box score)
Boston 102, at Miami 88 (box score)
Wednesday at Boston, 4:30 p.m., TNT
*Friday at Miami, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Sunday at Boston, TBD

No. 2 New York vs. No. 7 Philadelphia
at New York 111, Philadelphia 104 (box score)
at New York 104, Philadelphia 101 (box score)
at Philadelphia 125, New York 114 (box score)
New York 97, at Philadelphia 92 (box score)
Philadelphia 112, at New York 106 (OT) (box score)
Thursday at Philadelphia, 6 p.m., TNT
*Saturday at New York, TBD

No. 3 Milwaukee vs. No. 6 Indiana
at Milwaukee 109, Indiana 94 (box score)
Indiana 125, Milwaukee 108 (box score)
at Indiana 121, Milwaukee 118 (OT) (box score)
at Indiana 126, Milwaukee 113 (box score)
at Milwaukee 115, Indiana 92 (box score)
*Thursday at Indiana, 3:30 p.m., TNT
*Saturday at Milwaukee, TBD

No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 Orlando
at Cleveland 97, Orlando 83 (box score)
at Cleveland 96, Orlando 86 (box score)
at Orlando 121, Cleveland 83 (box score)
at Orlando 112, Cleveland 89 (box score)
at Cleveland 104, Orlando 103 (box score)
Friday at Orlando, TBD
*Sunday at Cleveland, TBD

*-if necessary

ANGELS

From Bill Shaikin: Mike Trout’s name came up in a recent conversation with a major league executive. If Trout ever did consent to a trade from the Angels — and if owner Arte Moreno ever agreed — what could the Angels reasonably expect in terms of prime prospects?

The executive sighed. The best-case scenario for the Angels might be no prime prospects, he said, because that could mean that another team had agreed to absorb the entirety of Trout’s contract.

And, the executive said, the likelihood of that scenario would range from highly unlikely to impossible. A realistic best-case scenario would be the Angels buying top prospects: fortifying a paper-thin minor league system by eating all or part of Trout’s remaining contract.

Think about that: The best outcome for the Angels could be paying another team to let the best player in franchise history finish his career somewhere else.

And think about this: That conversation took place before Tuesday, when the Angels announced Trout would undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

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Angels box score

MLB scores

MLB standings

UCLA FOOTBALL

From Ben Bolch: Bruno Fina was on the move even before he entered the transfer portal Tuesday.

In a switch that might have foreshadowed a diminished role, UCLA’s starting left tackle from last season was playing right guard last week at a time when the Bruins were on the verge of bringing in another veteran tackle and guard.

The team has received commitments from Reuben Unije, who started 11 games last season at right tackle for Houston, and Alani Makihele, a former starting guard at Nevada Las Vegas, as part of its efforts to reinforce an offensive line that was a weakness last season. It’s possible that both newcomers could start next season, leaving Fina’s status in doubt.

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UCLA VOLLEYBALL

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: One team boasts 20 national titles. The other is just three years old. The result was as expected.

Top-seeded UCLA cruised in a three-set win over No. 8 seed Fort Valley State, sweeping the Wildcats 25-14, 25-15, 25-15 in the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. The defending national champion Bruins will face fourth-seeded UC Irvine in the semifinals at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Anteaters swept No. 5 Penn State 26-24, 25-16, 25-19 in the first round.

Senior Ethan Champlin led the Bruins with eight kills and four digs. Mountain Pacific Sports Federation player of the year Merrick McHenry and opposite Ido David combined for 14 kills on 20 swings as the Bruins (24-5) hit a sizzling .521 while holding the undersized Wildcats (17-9) to 17 kills, which matched their number of hitting errors in their first NCAA tournament appearance.

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LONG BEACH STATE VOLLEYBALL

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: After a tidy 90-minute, first-round sweep, Aidan Knipe still had enough energy to sprint from the locker room at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid to the news conference upstairs. The Beach setter wants to keep this week moving toward bigger goals.

Knipe piloted No. 2 Long Beach State to a dominant three-set sweep of No. 7 Belmont Abbey in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Tuesday with a clinical 37 assists and seven digs. With the 25-18, 25-14, 25-11 victory, the Beach will face No. 3 seed Grand Canyon, which swept No. 6 Ohio State, in a national semifinal at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“At this point, you want to move on,” head coach Alan Knipe said, “and our guys did a good job with that.”

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NHL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

First round
All times Pacific

Western Conference

C1 Dallas vs. WC2 Vegas
Vegas 4, at Dallas 3 (box score)
Vegas 3, at Dallas 1 (box score)
Dallas 3, at Vegas 2 (OT) (box score)
Dallas 4, at Vegas 2 (box score)
Wednesday at Dallas, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday at Vegas, TBD
*Sunday at Dallas, TBD

C2 Winnipeg vs. C3 Colorado
at Winnipeg 7, Colorado 6 (box score)
Colorado 5, at Winnipeg 2 (box score)
at Colorado 6, Winnipeg 2 (box score)
at Colorado 5, Winnipeg 1 (box score)
Colorado 6, at Winnipeg 3 (box score)

P1 Vancouver vs. WC1 Nashville
at Vancouver 4, Nashville 2 (box score)
Nashville 4, at Vancouver 1 (box score)
Vancouver 2, at Nashville 1 (box score)
Vancouver 4, at Nashville 3 (OT) (box score)
Nashville 2, at Vancouver 1 (box score)
Friday at Nashville, TBD
*Sunday at Vancouver, TBD

P2 Edmonton vs. P3 Kings
at Edmonton 7, Kings 4 (box score)
Kings 5, at Edmonton 4 (OT) (box score)
Edmonton 6, at Kings 1 (box score)
Edmonton 1, at Kings 0 (box score)
Wednesday at Edmonton, 7 p.m., ESPN
*Friday at Kings, TBD
*Sunday at Edmonton, TBD

Eastern Conference

A1 Florida vs. WC1 Tampa Bay
at Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2 (box score)
at Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2 (OT) (box score)
Florida 5, at Tampa Bay 3 (box score)
at Tampa Bay 6, Florida 3 (box score)
at Florida 6, Tampa Bay 1 (box score)

A2 Boston vs. A3 Toronto
at Boston 5, Toronto 1 (box score)
Toronto 3, at Boston 2 (box score)
Boston 4, at Toronto 2 (box score)
Boston 3, at Toronto 1 (box score)
Toronto 2, at Boston 1 (OT) (box score)
Thursday at Toronto, 5 p.m., TBS
*Saturday at Boston, TBD

M1 New York Rangers vs. WC2 Washington
at New York 4, Washington 1 (box score)
at New York 4, Washington 3 (box score)
New York 3, at Washington 1 (box score)
New York 4, at Washington 2 (box score)

M2 Carolina vs. M3 New York Islanders
at Carolina 3, New York 1 (box score)
at Carolina 5, New York 3 (box score)
Carolina 3, at New York 2 (box score)
at New York 3, Carolina 2 (2 OT) (box score)
at Carolina 6, NY Islanders 3 (box score)

*-if necessary

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1920 — Legendary slugger Babe Ruth hits his first HR for the New York Yankees.

1920 — Joe Oeschger of the Boston Braves and Leon Cadore of the Brooklyn Dodgers both pitch 26 innings in a 1-1 tie, the longest game in major league history.

1926 — Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige (19) debuts in the Negro Southern League.

1951 — Future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Mickey Mantle hits first career home run.

1955 — American golfer Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins the Peach Blossom LPGA Tournament in Spartanburg, South Carolina, her final victory before her death the following year.

1959 — Floyd Patterson scores 11th round KO of Englishman Brian London in Indianapolis; his 4th World Heavyweight Boxing title defense.

1984 — NFL Draft: Nebraska wide receiver Irving Fryar first pick by New England Patriots.

1991 — Nolan Ryan pitches his seventh no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Ryan faces 29 batters, striking out 16 and walking two.

1991 — Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics sets a major league record by stealing his 939th base, eclipsing Lou Brock’s career mark.

1992 — Rickey Henderson, baseball’s career stolen base leader, steals his 1,000th base in the first inning of Oakland’s 7-6 win over Detroit.

1993 — Bruce Baumgartner wins his 11th straight national wrestling title by beating Joel Greenlee 6-0 in the 286-pound freestyle division at the U.S. championships in Las Vegas.

2003 — The three-time defending champion Lakers beat Minnesota 101-85 to win the series 4-2. It’s the 13th straight playoff series won under Phil Jackson, and Jackson-coached teams have an NBA-record 25 consecutive series wins.

2004 — Smarty Jones splashes his way past Lion Heart in the stretch to win the Kentucky Derby. Smarty Jones runs his record to 7 for 7 and becomes the first unbeaten Derby winner since Seattle Slew in 1977.

2005 — 17-year old Lionel Messi scores his 1st senior league goal for FC Barcelona in 2-0 win against Albacete Balompié, at the Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona.

2019 — 31-year-old Lionel Messi scores twice for his 600th goal for FC Barcelona in a 3-0 home win over Liverpool in a Champions League semifinal.

Compiled by the Associated Press