The Sports Report: Lakers have no answer for the Suns
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From Dan Woike: In one way, the wheels were set in motion for the Lakers’ 127-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday during the opening week of the season. In just their second game, the Lakers bricked shot after shot but still found a way to beat the Suns in coach Frank Vogel’s first game back in Los Angeles. Then the Lakers put together a fourth-quarter comeback in Phoenix to start the in-season tournament before later knocking the Suns out on their way to Vegas.
Beating Phoenix — a team this front-loaded with talent — a fourth time in as many tries was going to be tough.
But in another, and probably more critical way, this loss has been in the works since July 1 when the Lakers built a roster that’s slid below .500 again despite All-Star seasons from its two best players.
On Thursday, the Lakers looked as listless as ever, mostly wandering their way through a game, that was, in part, a receipt for those three previous wins.
But even with Rui Hachimura still recovering from a minor calf strain and Christian Wood out because of headaches (Gabe Vincent remains out after knee surgery), the product the Lakers have produced over the past month must have the team’s front office hunting for upgrades.
That, though, is all big picture.
Thursday, the Lakers didn’t have anyone who could compete with the Suns’ firepower, Bradley Beal scoring 37 and Devin Booker pouring in 31 in pretty easy fashion. Kevin Durant scored 18 on just 12 shots, the stars beating the Lakers so badly that LeBron James and Anthony Davis got the fourth quarter off.
The possible trade tearing these reporters apart | Times Lakers Show
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LAKERS POLL
We asked readers, should the Lakers fire Darvin Ham? After 3,244 votes, the result:
Yes, 21.8%
No, 78.2%
RAMS
From Gary Klein: Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald will not chase or hit Jared Goff until Sunday night, when the Rams play the Detroit Lions in an NFC wild-card game at Ford Field.
But Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, already sent his former Rams teammate a message.
Donald said Thursday that he texted Goff this week.
“I just told him I was proud of him,” Donald said, “You know, obviously, with what they’ve been accomplishing and what he’s been doing.
“I said I’d see him Sunday night. He said, ‘I appreciate you, brother. I’ll see you Sunday night. It’s going to be fun.’ ”
Donald, of course, would like to make life miserable for Goff during the Lions’ first home playoff game in 30 years.
For Jared Goff, Rams-Lions game about more than himself. ‘I want to be a part of this win’
‘The Spirit of Detroit’ transformed Matthew Stafford into an idol in the Motor City
Breaking down and predicting six NFL wild-card playoff games
CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: The Chargers announced Thursday they completed two more interviews — with Brandon Brown for the general manager position and with Patrick Graham for the head coaching job.
The last two seasons, Brown has been an assistant general manager for the New York Giants. He spent five years with Philadelphia before that, working in personnel and scouting.
Brown, 35, whose time in NFL front offices includes stops in Indianapolis and with the New York Jets, played collegiately at Fordham. He also has a degree from Barry University Law School in Orlando, Fla.
Graham, who turns 45 this month, has been the defensive coordinator for Las Vegas the last two seasons. Before that, he was the defensive coordinator for the Giants for two seasons and the Miami Dolphins for one.
Bill Belichick leaves Patriots after 24 years. Will six-time Super Bowl champ coach again?
NFL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
AFC
Saturday
No. 5 Cleveland at No. 4 Houston, 1:30 p.m., NBC, Peacock, Telemundo
No. 6 Miami at No. 3 Kansas City, 5 p.m., Peacock
Sunday
No. 7 Pittsburgh at No. 2 Buffalo, 10 a.m., CBS, Paramount+
NFC
Sunday
No. 7 Green Bay at No. 2 Dallas, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes
No. 6 Rams at No. 3 Detroit, 5 p.m., NBC, Peacock, Universo
Monday
No. 5 Philadelphia at No. 4 Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., ESPN/ABC/ESPN+
Note: Super Bowl is Feb. 11 at 3:30 p.m.
DODGERS
From Jack Harris: The Dodgers avoided arbitration hearings with several players Thursday, including starting pitcher Walker Buehler, catcher Will Smith and closer Evan Phillips.
They also dealt a couple of notable pieces off their MLB roster, sending reliever Yency Almonte and infielder Michael Busch to the Chicago Cubs for a pair of young minor league prospects.
On its face, moving Almonte and Busch will clear needed 40-man roster spots for the Dodgers. The team has faced a roster crunch while making blockbuster free-agent and trade acquisitions this offseason. They’d yet to announce their newest signing, outfielder Teoscar Hernández, because their 40-man was full.
Still, the departures of Almonte and Busch might be no small loss for the organization.
UCLA BASKETBALL
From Ben Bolch: Even with all of its struggles, a young team prone to crummy offense and lengthy lapses, UCLA could feel good about one thing.
The Bruins had not lost a game by double figures, making them feel as if they were right there with everyone they played and possibly on the verge of a breakthrough.
That changed in demoralizing fashion here Thursday night.
With his team on the wrong end of a massive run, UCLA coach Mick Cronin shed his usually animated demeanor, pacing the sideline calmly with his hands clasped behind his back. He soon took a seat on the bench, his team about to be doubled up on the scoreboard.
There was no counter for the onslaught Utah unleashed on the way to a 90-44 victory at the Huntsman Center after the Utes turned a relatively taut game into a runaway over the final 15 minutes.
Powered largely by offensive rebounds, Utah went on a 23-2 run and eventually led by as many as 50 points. The Bruins’ normally stout defense wilted while giving up 57 points in the second half and their season-long offensive struggles showed no signs of letting up while generating only 21 points over the final 20 minutes.
USC BASKETBALL
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Starting point guard Isaiah Collier will miss four to six weeks with a right hand injury, USC announced Thursday, stripping the struggling Trojans of one of their best offensive playmakers during a critical stretch of the conference schedule.
Collier, the top-ranked freshman in the country, sustained the injury in a loss to Washington State on Wednesday, subbing out with 12 minutes 12 seconds remaining in the second half. Collier, USC’s second-leading scorer, is averaging 15.4 points while shooting 50.6% from the field. He leads the team with 66 assists.
The injury could open a larger role for fellow freshman Bronny James, who has been playing on a minutes restriction as he returns from a cardiac arrest suffered during the summer. James returned to the court Dec. 10 against Long Beach State. In eight appearances, the son of Lakers star LeBron James is averaging 5.9 points per game with 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals. Despite a recent shooting slump — 0 for 7 in the last two games — James is a valuable asset to USC’s defense as one of the team’s top perimeter defenders and already has been trusted to close games in Collier’s place.
KINGS
Sam Reinhart scored on a backhander with less than a second to play in overtime, Matthew Tkachuk scored late in regulation to tie the game and the Florida Panthers rallied past the Kings 3-2 on Thursday night to push their winning streak to nine games.
Sam Bennett also scored for Florida, which trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before pulling out the win. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 shots for the Panthers, plus got one of the two assists on Reinhart’s winner.
Trevor Moore and Drew Doughty scored for the Kings. Cam Talbot made 36 saves for Los Angeles, which is 0-3-4 in its last seven games.
DUCKS
Ducks center Trevor Zegras is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks after breaking his left ankle Tuesday night at Nashville, the Ducks announced before their 6-3 loss to Carolina.
The Ducks revealed the injury Thursday, saying Zegras will have surgery. He hit the boards feet-first after Nashville forward Juuso Parssinen’s stick caught in his skates.
The team also said rookie defenseman Pavel Mintyukov has a separated shoulder and will be out about six weeks. He also was injured in the Ducks’ 5-3 victory in Nashville, taking a hit from Michael McCarron.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1951 — Ezzard Charles knocks out Lee Oma in the 10th round at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain the heavyweight title.
1958 — Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals sets an NBA record for career points in a 135-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Schayes scores 23 points to bring his career mark to 11,770, breaking the record of 11,764 held by George Mikan.
1958 — The NCAA rules committee makes the first change in football scoring rules since 1912 by adding the two-point conversion.
1960 — Syracuse’s Dolph Schayes becomes the first player in NBA history to score 15,000 career points.
1969 — New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath “guarantees” a victory before the game against the 17-point favorite Baltimore Colts, then leads the AFL to its first Super Bowl victory, a 16-7 triumph over a Baltimore team that had lost only once in 16 games all season.
1975 — The Pittsburgh Steelers totally shut down Minnesota’s offense, handing the Vikings their third Super Bowl defeat, 16-6. Franco Harris, the game’s MVP, sets a Super Bowl rushing record with 158 yards.
1986 — Chicago’s Denis Savard ties an NHL record for the fastest goal to start a period by scoring four seconds into the third period of the Blackhawks’ 4-2 victory over the Hartford Whalers.
1991 — Princeton beats Cornell 164-71 in an unusual swimming meet. The schools agree to compete by telephone due to a blizzard making transportation a problem to Ithaca, N.Y. Both teams swim in their owns pools and the results are exchanged by FAX.
2001 — Minnesota defenseman J.J. Daigneault ties an NHL record by playing for his 10th team when he appears in a 5-0 loss to the Avalanche.
2007 — Tadd Fujikawa, just shy of his 16th birthday, steals the show at the Sony Open. Fujikawa shoots a 4-under 66, making him the youngest player in 50 years to make the cut on the PGA Tour.
2008 — Tom Brady completes all but two of his 28 passes to lead New England to its second straight AFC championship game with a 31-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Patriots improve to 17-0, matching the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only team to go unbeaten from the first game of the season through the Super Bowl.
2008 — The Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 42-20 to reach the NFC championship game. Ryan Grant recovers from two fumbles that put the Packers down 14-0 after only four minutes. Grant sets a team postseason record by running for 201 yards, and scores three times.
2012 — Dwight Howard breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s nearly 50-year-old NBA record for most free throw attempts in a game, making 21 of 39 in the Orlando Magic’s 117-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Chamberlain shot 34 for the Philadelphia Warriors against St. Louis on Feb. 22, 1962.
2013 — Colin Kaepernick rushes for a quarterback playoff-record 181 yards and two touchdowns and throws two scoring passes to Michael Crabtree in San Francisco’s 45-31 win over Green Bay.
2014 — Jeremy Abbott wins his fourth U.S. figure skating title. Teenager Jason Brown finishes second and defending champion Max Aaron places third.
2015 — Ezekiel Elliott rushes for 246 yards and four touchdowns and Ohio State wins the first national title in college football’s playoff era, running over Oregon 42-20.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time...
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Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
