Hello, I'm your host, Houston Mitchell. Let's go straight to the news.
By Andrew Greiff: The Clippers entered this season believing their depth and talent would put them in a class of their own in the Western Conference.
That's what they did. Over the past 67 games, they've had a remarkable transformation, leading many in the organization to believe they could be one of the best, and perhaps most confusing, teams in the NBA. And in the final 12 minutes on Sunday, a franchise that seemed destined for free fall ended its run with its most powerful and needy win yet, 135-129 over Memphis.
"I felt like the stakes were high," coach Tyronn Lue said.
With his 14 Stars wins over shorthanded opponents, Lue presented a problem for his team that he's discussed publicly for days, as the losing streak reaches five and the Clippers are the only team to lead the West. conference. Still undefeated since the All-Star break.
“I'm just saying mental toughness, showing some resilience,” Lu said. “Keep fighting, keep fighting.
Behind Paul George's 42 points and Kawhi Leonard's 34, including 15 in the fourth quarter, the Clippers snapped a five-game losing streak and held on for victory on a night when their championship aspirations looked doomed.
After giving up 51 points in the third quarter to Memphis, the Clippers allowed just 17 points in the fourth quarter.
"I think Kawhi did a good job driving the last 8 minutes," Lue said. “PG was great all night. "Marcus hit two big shots when we stopped in the fourth quarter."
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Lakers
By Dan Wyke: Anthony Davis, the laid-back Lakers superstar who's more ready to make a sarcastic counterattack than the first shot, flexes his muscles and screams in the fresh air.
The last-minute advantage took the Lakers to six points and put them on the verge of a 113-105 victory.
Still underdogs, the Lakers blew a 20-point first-quarter lead on Sunday against the defending NBA champions at Crypto.com Arena. They then spent the rest of the game trying to hang on to their small chips.
Although the Warriors tied once in the third quarter and once in the fourth quarter, they never took the lead and went ahead.
Davis scored 39 points and Stephen Curry had 27 on the return of the Warriors, who also fired Andre Iguodala. The Lakers were still without LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell, with Russell remaining positive and "leaning" for a return.
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Hernandez: Anthony Davis gives Lakers hope on the court
NBA playoff status
Western Conference
The top six qualify for the playoffs. Numbers 7-10 compete in a qualifying tournament to determine the final two spots.
1. Denver Nuggets, 45-19, –
2. Memphis Grizzlies, 38-25, 6.5GB
3. Sacramento Kings, 37-26, 7.5GB
4. Phoenix Suns, 36-29, 9.5GB
5. Golden State Warriors, 34-31, 11.5GB
6. Minnesota Timberwolves, 34-32, 12GB
7. Dallas Mavericks, 33-32, 12.5GB
8. Flashing, 34-33, 12.5 GB
9. New Orleans Pelicans, 31-33, 14GB
10. Utah Jazz, 31-34, 14.5 GB
11. Lakers, 31-34, 14.5GB
12. Oklahoma City Thunder, 30-34, 15GB
13. Portland Trail Blazers, 30-34, 15GB
14. San Antonio Spurs, 16-49, 29.5GB
15. Houston Rockets, 15-49, 30GB
Notes: Utah currently holds the tiebreaker advantage with a 2-0 advantage over the Lakers this season (with two games remaining between the teams).
UCLA Basketball
Bill Plus wrote: They play such a tight defense the crowd roars with every deflection.
They are so smart on offense that the crowd is buzzing with every screen.
They're so ready for the road that the Pauley Pavilion was packed Saturday night, a sound rarely heard in this part of Westwood.
It's been UCLA's strongest basketball team in years.
It's even better.
With the Bruins coming off their biggest win of the season — an 82-73 victory over eighth-seeded Arizona — only one spot remains for UCLA.
The Bruins deserve a no. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament, which happens to be this week's ugly and largely irrelevant Pac-12 tournament.
Learn more here
————
By Thuc Nhi Nguyen: As UCLA players invaded the field at the Michelob Ultra Arena, a cannon sent confetti flying. The Bruins weren't partying.
5. The Bruins beat Washington State 65-61 in Sunday's Pac-12 Tournament Finals, one win away from their first conference title since 2006.
Senior Karisma Osborne scored 19 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, to help the Bruins (25-9) overcome an eight-point deficit, but her three-point tie attempt was blocked with nine seconds left. . left .. left
Behind tournament MVP Charlies Leger-Walker (23 points, seven rebounds, three assists) and center Bela Murekate (21 points), the No. 7 seeded Cougars (23-10) have become the lowest-ranked team to win the Pac-12 tournament.
A team that didn't even receive a vote in the Associated Press poll eliminated three teams this week en route to Washington State's first conference title and the school's first Pac-12 championship for a team. feminine.
the Kings
Helen Elliot says goodbye to Jonathan Quick: As the Kings rebuilt in the early 2000s, it became clear that their future goaltender would be someone named Jonathan. But which one?
Early comparisons between Jonathan Bernier, a 2006 first-round pick, and Jonathan Quick, a third-round pick and 72nd pick in 2005, favored Bernier. Originally from Quebec, land of great goaltenders, he excelled in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with high scores. He played speed hockey in high school at Avon Old Farm in Connecticut. After being drafted, he spent two seasons at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
As a professional, Bernier had solid credentials. It was a bad habit to sleep early and arrive late for the short bus ride. After missing a meeting with a coach, he was demoted from the American Hockey League to the ECHL. It was a warning sign he couldn't ignore.
“Bernier was drafted in the first round, so…,” said Kings president Luc Robitaille, in a tone that pays tribute to the excellent selection. “But Quickie came along and got the job. That's what they always say: if you want to make it to the NHL, you have to take someone's job. He ran with it."
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NFL Draft Bowl
By Sam Farmer: Quarterback mobility is a big issue in the NFL, and you can expect a lot of teams to be mobile to get a quarterback.
Unless the Chicago Bears are eliminated. 1?
This, the first of several Los Angeles Times draft picks, reflects on the prospects of various teams looking to reshuffle the most prized and often confusing position.
And remember, there are only 31 first-round picks this year, as the Miami Dolphins withdrew the pick after breaking NFL club rules by tampering with quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton while under contract to other franchises. .
Learn more here
Is Bryce Young too young to be the best QB in the NFL Draft? There are three other main options
tennis
Reigning men's tennis champion Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the BNP Paribas Open after losing his chance to enter the United States without a vaccination to compete in the event in Southern California.
The tournament was canceled Sunday afternoon. Matches in the combined ATP-WTA event begin Wednesday at Indian Wells Tennis Gardens and continue through March 19.
Sen. Florida's Rick Scott said on Twitter that Homeland Security denied Djokovic's request for a vaccine exemption, which would have allowed him to play rugby in Indian Wells and Miami from April 19-2.
This date in sports
1920 – Toronto's Mickey Roach scores five goals to lead St. Petersburg. The Patricks beat the Quebec Bulldogs 11-2
1976 – Dorothy Hamill wins the World Figure Skating Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.
1977 – Montclair State's Carol Blazejowski scores 52 points against Queens College, setting a new college record (male or female) in New York's Madison Square Garden.
1982 – The San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks combined for 337 points in the best game in NBA history at this point. The Spurs won in three overtimes, 171-166.
1983 – The 12-team American Football League begins its first five-game season.
1984 – Dale Hawarczak of the Winnipeg Jets sets the NHL record for most assists with five in the second period of a 7-3 win over the Kings.
1988 – Julie Crone becomes the winningest female cyclist in history, 1,205. with victory Crone rode a horse named Squatter to victory in the ninth race at Aqueduct Raceway.
1996 – Chris Osgood of Detroit scored the third goal in NHL history, shooting an empty net with 11 seconds left to give the Red Wings a 4-2 win over Hartford.
2000 – The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal scored an NBA season-high 61 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in a 123-103 win over the Clippers.
2001 – George Mason defeats North Carolina-Wilmington 35-33 in the second lowest scoring game of the NCAA basketball era.
2010 – Devin Harris scores 31 points and the New Jersey Nets erase a 16-point deficit to beat New York 113-93. The Knicks missed 18 attempts on the worst 3-point shooting night in league history.
2011 – Lindsay Vonn captures her third event title in three days by winning the Super-G during an unforgettable weekend of ski racing in Tarvisio, Italy. Vonn won the Super Combined and Downhill titles the previous two days.
2014 – The Clippers beat rival Lakers 142-94. It was the worst win for the Clippers franchise and the worst loss in Lakers history.
2015 – Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was suspended for nine games, punishing the school for violating the "most fundamental values of the NCAA", the men's basketball program primarily for academic infractions, related drugs and such. The school has been on probation for five years and the basketball team had to miss 108 ineligible player games.
2015 – Shane Walsh scores the game-winning goal in the fifth overtime to lead UMass to a 4-3 victory over Notre Dame in the longest game in NCAA Division I ice hockey history.
– Compiled by the Associated Press
and finally
Shaquille O'Neal scored 61 points against the Clippers. Watch and listen here.
Till next time…
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