Howdy, I’m your host, Iliana Limón Romero, filling in for Houston Mitchell, who is probably spending his vacation sorting through email from anxious Dodger fans. Let’s get right to the news.
From Dan Woike: The Lakers had equity, earning it in a dominant win Sunday afternoon against the best team in the West.
They had reasons to punt on Tuesday’s rematch with the Oklahoma City Thunder, namely a game on Wednesday in Dallas and a schedule that demanded they win just two more times to secure the third seed in their conference, putting them in strong position for a deep playoff run.
And Monday, when they issued an injury report with the bulk of their rotation listed as “questionable,” it sure seemed like the Lakers were going to let big-picture thinking get in the way of the game in front of them.
But the message from JJ Redick was clear.
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“We can control whether or not we get the [No. 3] seed and we’ve got four chances to get two wins,” the Lakers coach said before Tuesday’s game. “I’d like to win them all. So yeah, that’s the thought.”
The Lakers played hard, they played with passion. They made mistakes and turned the ball over but they fought. They and the Thunder delivered on the kind of big-game intensity you’d want when two of the NBA’s top teams meet in April.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic reacts to getting his second technical foul and begin ejected from the team’s game against the Thunder Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
(Joshua Gateley / Getty Images)
And then Luka Doncic got ejected.
“It was a great game. It was a great game that unfortunately didn’t get to finish out the way that I think every basketball fan would want because of some decision making on some individuals’ parts,” Redick said.
Official J.T. Orr ejected Doncic, who already had been called for a technical foul in the second half, after Doncic scored to put the Lakers up in the fourth and yelled in Orr’s direction. The Lakers and Doncic argued he was yelling at a courtside fan but it didn’t matter. Orr thought he was the target, according to a postgame statement from crew chief Tony Brothers, and Doncic’s night was done.
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CLIPPERS
Clippers center Ivica Zubac dunks the ball during the team’s win over the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday at the Intuit Dome.
(Augusta National / Getty Images)
From Broderick Turner: The Clippers’ playoff fortunes rest in their hands and all they have to do is keep winning, increasing their chances of being a top-six team in the crowded Western Conference.
If the team can clinch a top-six seed, the Clippers would avoid the NBA’s play-in tournament.
They took another step toward achieving their goal by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 122-117 on Tuesday night at the Intuit Dome behind the dominance of center Ivica Zubac.
Zubac had 24 points and 20 rebounds, his fourth game of the season with at least 20 points and rebounds, tied for the second most in the NBA. He also had five assists, making Zubac the first Clipper since Elton Brand in 2005 to have at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and five assists in a game. It also was Zubac’s 12th straight double-double, the longest streak by a Clipper since Chris Paul had 14 in 2013.
“I just want to play my best, want to get better and help the team win,” Zubac said. “If that means I’m one of the best bigs, so be it. But I just want to win and help my teammates make their life easier on the court.”
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DODGERS
Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski throws from the mound during a loss to the Nationals on Tuesday in Washington.
(Nick Wass / Associated Press)
From Jack Harris: As the Dodgers constructed their roster this winter, they made pitching depth one of their top priorities.
In its first test Tuesday night, it failed in disastrous fashion.
During the weekend, the Dodgers’ rotation suffered its first injury, placing veteran starter Blake Snell, their $182-million offseason signing, on the injured list because of shoulder inflammation.
On Tuesday they struggled to replace him for his scheduled start, losing 8-2 to the Washington Nationals after triple-A call-up Justin Wrobleski was knocked around for eight runs in five innings.
“Obviously, losing Blake for whatever period of time, certain guys are going to get opportunities,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “You want them to try to not to put too much pressure on a particular outing and go out there and compete.”
The good news for the Dodgers: They shouldn’t be without Snell for long.
Though the left-hander said he had been pitching through discomfort for three weeks (including his first two starts, in which he logged just nine total innings while walking eight batters and giving up seven runs, albeit only two earned), an MRI scan showed no structural damage in Snell’s shoulder. A meeting with head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday confirmed that Snell will not need an injection or any other medical intervention.
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MORE DODGERS:
After ‘honor’ of White House visit, Shohei Ohtani picking up where he left off in 2024
Billie Jean King looked at Hollywood Walk of Fame stars as a kid. Tennis icon now has her own
ANGELS
(Chris O’Meara / Associated Press)
From the Associated Press: Luis Rengifo hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning and the Angels rallied to beat Tampa Bay 4-3 Tuesday night, extending the Rays’ losing streak to five in the opener of a 13-game homestand.
Kenley Jansen yielded singles to Jake Mangum and Taylor Walls starting the ninth but escaped a second-and-third, no-outs jam for his third save. Yandy Díaz grounded to Rengifo, who threw out Mangum at the plate from third, and Jansen struck out Brandon Lowe and José Caballero to seal the Angels’ third straight win.
Tampa Bay drew 10,046 in its seventh sellout at Steinbrenner Field but dropped to 4-3 at its temporary home, the Yankees’ spring training ballpark.
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OLYMPICS
LA28 Olympic organizers were initially seeking to build a temporary venue near Santa Monica Pier for beach volleyball at the 2028 Olympics.
(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: One of the cornerstones in LA28’s Olympic venue plan has fallen through.
Santa Monica officials announced Tuesday that formal talks with the organizing committee for the 2028 Games about hosting Olympic beach volleyball have ended.
Santa Monica State Beach was tabbed to be the L.A. home for Olympic beach volleyball since the organizing committee’s first bid in 2016. But when city officials and LA28 could not reach an agreement about community benefits, operational details and financial guarantees, LA28 informed Santa Monica last week that it will pursue a new venue to host the event, which has become one of the premier sports of the Summer Games.
After getting several new sites approved through a Los Angeles City Council vote last month, the committee is expected to reveal an updated venue proposal to the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday.
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GALAXY
The Galaxy’s Joseph Paintsil scores a goal against Mexico’s Tigres during a CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal match in Monterrey, Mexico, on Tuesday.
(Jorge Mendoza / Associated Press)
From the Associated Press: Nicolas Ibañez and Uriel Antuna scored two goals in two minutes early in the first half, and Tigres UANL defeated the Galaxy 3-2 on Tuesday to become the first team to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.
Ibañez scored the first goal of the second-leg match in the ninth minute and Antuna followed with another in the 10th minute for the Mexican side. Romulo Zwarg added a goal in the 57th minute to secure the win.
The first leg of the series ended in a scoreless draw a week ago.
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NHL
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1912 — 1st exhibition baseball game at Fenway Park.
1946 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 6-3 to win the Stanley Cup in five games.
1947 — Leo Durocher, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is suspended for one year by Commissioner A.B. “Happy” Chandler for “conduct detrimental to baseball.” Durocher is linked to gambling interests.
1950 — Jimmy Demaret wins his third Masters, by two strokes over Jim Ferrier.
1959 — 13th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics sweep Minnesota Lakers in 4 games.
1960 — The Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 122-103 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for their third NBA title in the last four years. Frank Ramsey leads the Celtics with 24 points and Bill Russell scores 22 points and grabs 35 rebounds.
1962 — Arnold Palmer wins a three-way playoff, beating Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald in the Masters.
1966 — Anaheim Stadium for California Angels opens.
1972 — 36th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Nicklaus leads wire-to-wire to win the 4th of his 6 Masters titles.
1978 — Gary Player shoots a final-round 64 to win his third Masters, edging Hubert Green, Rod Funseth and defending champion Tom Watson by a shot.
1978 — Denver’s David Thompson, battling San Antonio’s George Gervin for the NBA season scoring title, scores 73 points against the Detroit Pistons. It’s the third-highest output ever in an NBA game. Gervin, not to be outdone, later scores 63 against the New Orleans Jazz. It’s just enough to give Gervin the scoring crown, 27.22 points per game to Thompson’s 27.15, the tightest one-two finish ever.
1981 — LA Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela’s 1st start.
1987 — For 3rd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in a Stanley Cup game and passes Jean Béliveau as all time playoff scoring champ.
1989 — Britain’s Nick Faldo makes a 25-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Masters. Runner-up Scott Hoch missed a 2-foot putt for par on the first hole of the playoff that would have given him the title.
1995 — 59th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Ben Crenshaw wins his 2nd Masters title.
1997 — Major League Soccer announces Miami & Chicago as expansion teams.
2000 — Fiji native Vijay Singh meets every challenge to win the Masters, closing with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Ernie Els.2001 — Australia sets a record for the most one-sided international win in FIFA history, beating Tonga 22-0 in an Oceania Group One qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup.
2005 — The United States beats Canada 3-1 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless regulation and 20-minute overtime to win the Women’s World Hockey Championship. The win ends the defending champions’ run of eight straight titles.
2006 — 70th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson wins his 2nd green jacket.
2013 — 32nd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Louisville, 93-60.
2016 — Manny Pacquiao returns from the biggest loss of his career with a bang, knocking down Timothy Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous 12-round decision in their welterweight showdown in Las Vegas.
2017 — Sergio Garcia overcomes a two-shot deficit with six holes to play and beats Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at the Masters for his first major after nearly two decades of heartache. No one ever played more majors as a pro — 70 — before winning a major for the first time.
2017 — Russell Westbrook breaks Oscar Robertson’s 56-year-old record with his 42nd triple-double of the season, then he breaks the Denver Nuggets’ hearts with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for a 106-105 victory. Westbrook has 50 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in breaking Robertson’s record of 41 triple-doubles that stood since the 1961-62 season. With his triple-double in the books, Westbrook scores his team’s final 15 points, including a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounds after a timeout with 2.9 seconds left.
2021 — San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove no-hits the Texas Rangers.
Compiled by the Associated Press
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Until next time…
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