The Sports Report: Is Anthony Davis ready to lead the Lakers?

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

From Dylan Hernández: His shoulders were wider, his muscles more defined.

But Anthony Davis didn’t just look different.

He also sounded different.

Fewer laughs and smiles. No jokes about his beloved Green Bay Packers or their former quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

By virtue of the three-year extension he signed, the 30-year-old Davis showed up to the Lakers’ media day on Monday as the team’s most important player.

In his first act as LeBron James’ official successor, he didn’t make any inspirational speeches about his vision for the organization or the remainder of his career. He wasn’t Winston Churchill or Martin Luther King Jr. — or even LeBron James, for that matter.

Absent was the playfulness he often displayed over his previous four seasons with the Lakers. Lacking was any overt display of emotion.

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Jalen Hood-Schifino catches Lakers’ attention on first day of camp

CLIPPERS

From Andrew Greif: New Clippers guard Josh Primo, signed by the team Friday despite serving an NBA suspension following an investigation that determined he had exposed himself to women, said he will continue to take part in therapy as part of what the former first-round draft pick said he hopes is an NBA comeback.

Primo met with a small group of reporters at the Clippers’ media day Monday. It was his first time on an NBA roster in a year since San Antonio, which drafted him 12th overall in 2021, waived Primo after a former team psychologist who worked for the Spurs alleged in a civil complaint against the Spurs that Primo had exposed his genitals to her nine times during sessions together. The team and psychologist, Dr. Hillary Cauthen, later settled the lawsuit.

“I think at this point in time I’m not really here to speak about any details,” Primo said when asked to comment on the allegations raised in the complaint. “I think at this point in time I’m extremely happy to be a Clipper. I’m grateful for this opportunity and I think at this point it’s about the work that I’ve done from then until now and what I’ll continue to do going forward.”

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DODGERS

When the Dodgers begin play in a National League Division Series on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, it will mark the 11th consecutive time they’ve qualified for the postseason. For the 10th time in that span they will chase a World Series title as champions of the NL West.

Their opponent will be the winner of the wild-card series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. That best-of-three series, with all games set for American Family Field in Milwaukee, starts Tuesday.

In a roundtable discussion moderated by Times baseball editor Hans Tesselaar, Times reporters Jack Harris, Mike DiGiovanna and Jorge Castillo discuss the Dodgers’ chances of winning an eighth championship in franchise history.

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DODGERS’ NLDS SCHEDULE

Game 1: at Dodgers, Saturday
Game 2: at Dodgers, Monday
Game 3: at opponent, Wednesday
Game 4: at opponent, Thursday
Game 5: at Dodgers, Saturday

All games will be on TBS. Start times have not been announced, but if the TBS website is to believed, it looks like the games will start at either 5:30 p.m. or 5.

THE WILD-CARD SERIES

If you want to keep track of all the wild-card series, here’s how. They are best-of-three, with the higher seed hosting every game:

Arizona at Milwaukee (winner plays Dodgers)

Game 1: Arizona 6, Milwaukee 3 (box score)
Game 2: Wednesday, 4 p.m., ESPN2
*Game 3: Thursday, 4 p.m., ESPN2

Miami at Philadelphia (winner plays Atlanta)

Game 1: Philadelphia 4, Miami 1 (box score)
Game 2: Wednesday, 5 p.m., ESPN
*Game 3: Thursday, 5 p.m., ESPN

Texas at Tampa Bay (winner plays Baltimore)

Game 1: Texas 4, Tampa Bay 0 (box score)
Game 2: Wednesday, Noon, ABC
*Game 3: Thursday, Noon, ABC

Toronto at Minnesota (winner plays Houston)

Game 1: Minnesota 3, Toronto 1 (box score)
Game 2: Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., ESPN
*Game 3: Thursday, 1 :30 p.m., ESPN

*-if necessary
All times Pacific

MLB wild-card: Zack Wheeler and Nick Castellanos help the Phillies beat the Marlins in opener

MLB wild-card Game 1 marquee: Evan Longoria, Trea Turner, Royce Lewis and Corey Seager

ANGELS

From Sarah Valenzuela: The Angels entered their offseason in a state of flux after a second straight 73-89 finish.

Their manager was informed he would not be brought back next season. Their fan base was left frustrated and exhausted by the blunders of the last several years. And their two-way star, Shohei Ohtani, is on an expiring deal, a member of the Angels until the day after the World Series.

General manager Perry Minasian, speaking to members of the media over Zoom on Tuesday, answered a number of questions. Here are some of the main topics that were discussed:

Minasian confirmed that for now, only Phil Nevin would not be returning. Minasian spoke to the other coaches, letting them know about the decision and that he would speak to them again this week, after a full examination of the organization to determine what next changes to make.

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Elliott: Phil Nevin’s dismissal as Angels manager sure looks like more meddling by Arte Moreno

USC FOOTBALL

From Ryan Kartje: Bryson Shaw had been here before. He’d answered the same questions, addressed the same concerns about USC’s defense to the same group of gathered reporters, who would no doubt relay the same story about how the Trojans nearly came apart in the very same fashion. But last Saturday, when that familiar refrain had played out in Colorado, Shaw found himself feeling especially fed up. The USC safety leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed, and let the frustration flow.

“We’re not making plays. We’re missing tackles. We’re not doing our job,” Shaw said.

The blame for such a performance, he knew, would surely fall on Alex Grinch, the Trojans defensive coordinator. But Shaw insisted that USC’s defense was “letting [Grinch] down.”

“I don’t know what else to tell you besides we gotta fix it,” Shaw said.

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SOCCER

From Kevin Baxter: The team’s leading scorer spends her weekdays in prison. The teenage midfielder washes dishes in a restaurant between practice sessions. And home games are played not in a stadium, but in a 19th century rock quarry just outside the town the team represents.

Women’s soccer in Wales is far from glamorous. Crowds are measured in the dozens or, on a really good day, hundreds. The fields are wet and bumpy, the officiating is often just as uneven and there are no million-dollar contracts. In fact, for most of the players, there are no contracts at all. Instead, the players pay the teams to play.

This is part of the scenario Hollywood heavyweights Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney inherited when they bought a down-on-its-luck Welsh men’s soccer club three years ago and turned it into the streaming docu-series “Welcome to Wrexham.” Because as part of that deal, they became owners of a women’s amateur team as well.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1895 — Horace Rawlins wins the first U.S. Open. Rawlins beats Willie Dunn with 36-hole total of 173 at the Newport Golf Club in Newport, R.I.

1940 — Fritzie Zivic scores a 15-round decision over Henry Armstrong to win the world welterweight title in New York. Armstrong had 20 successful title defenses.

1964 — Mary Wills captures the LPGA championship with a two-stroke victory over Mickey Wright.

1964 — Kansas City’s Bobby Hunt ties an AFL record with four interceptions as the Chiefs post a 28-7 victory over the Houston Oilers.

1969 — Mississippi’s Archie Manning becomes the first player in college football history to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game as the Rebels fall short in a 33-32 loss at Alabama. Manning passes for 436 yards and two touchdowns while adding 104 yards rushing yards and three touchdowns.

1980 — Alabama’s 45-0 win over Kentucky at Legion Field gives coach Paul “Bear” Bryant his 300th coaching victory.

1987 — The NFL continues the regular-season schedule with replacement players while the players’ association strikes. Average attendance is 16,947, down from 57,205 the first week and 59,824 the second week.

1991 — Edmonton Oilers trade captain Mark Messier (on the team for all 5 Stanley Cups) to the NY Rangers in exchange for Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice & Louie DeBrusk; Messier leads Rangers to Cup 2 seasons later.

2001 — Giants slugger Barry Bonds hits his 70th home run in 10-2 win v Houston; ties Mark McGwire for the most MLB home runs in a season.

2010 — The Europeans reclaim the Ryder Cup winning 14½-13½. The Americans rally from a three-point deficit to tie the score, but Graeme McDowell beats Hunter Mahan in the final singles match.

2012 — The NHL cancels the first two weeks of the regular season, the second time games had been lost because of a lockout in seven years. Unable to work out how to split $3 billion in hockey-related revenues with the players’ association, the NHL wipes out 82 games from Oct. 11-24.

2017 — Sylvia Fowles scores 17 points and breaks her own WNBA Finals record by grabbing 20 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Lynx to their fourth championship in seven years with an 85-76 victory over the Sparks in Game 5.

2018 — Tom Brady becomes the 3rd NFL quarterback to record 500 career touchdown passes.

2022 — Yankees slugger Aaron Judge breaks Roger Maris’s A.L. single season HR record when he slams his 62nd homer in a 3-2 loss against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.

—Compiled by the Associated Press