LeBron James, Austin Reaves carry Luka-less Lakers past Blazers

• February 21, 2025

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Lakers have talked a lot about adjusting and adapting to their new normal with All-Star Luka Doncic now in the fold.

But with Doncic in street clothes on Thursday night, sitting out on the second night of a back-to-back, the Lakers found themselves in a familiar position.

LeBron James and Austin Reaves, for at least one night, were back carrying the load for the Lakers.

And they were successful. They combined for 72 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots in the Lakers’ 110-102 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, one night after a disappointing home loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

James led the way with 40 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot, while Reaves had 32 points, seven assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.

The pair combined for 23 points of the team’s 32 points in the fourth quarter, a period the Lakers won after holding a 78-77 edge at the end of the third.

The Lakers’ struggles with taking care of the ball allowed the Blazers to stay in the game after leading by as many as 18 in the second and 55-47 at halftime.

The Lakers had nine turnovers for 14 Portland points in the third quarter after having nine giveaways for 11 Blazers points in the entire first half. The sloppy start to the second half helped Portland outscore the Lakers 30-23 in the third.

The Lakers finished with a season-worst 24 giveaways for 31 Portland points, but James and Reaves made sure the Lakers avoided a third straight loss.

After Portland tied the score at 81, Reaves made a layup and James made a pair of 3-pointers and a 17-footer over Jerami Grant for a 91-84 advantage midway through the fourth.

A Reaves 3-pointer at the 3:23 mark gave the Lakers a 102-94 lead.

They still struggled to take care of the ball, with James and Reaves having late-quarter turnovers that helped the Blazers get within 106-102.

But with the Blazers intentionally fouling, Gabe Vincent made a pair of free throws to put the Lakers up by six with 16.7 seconds left. Reaves also made a trio of clutch defensive plays to prevent Portland from cutting deeper into the lead.

Dorian Finney-Smith, starting in place of Doncic, was the lone other Laker to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds in 33 minutes. He reached double figures with a putback layup to give the Lakers a 106-98 lead with just under a minute remaining.

James reached 40 points with a pair of free throws with five seconds left, his second game scoring at least 40 since turning 40 years old in late December.

Doncic, who had his minutes restriction lifted coming out of the All-Star break, sat out as the team manages his load after the left calf injury that sidelined him for 6½ weeks.

The Blazers were led by Deni Avdija’s 28 points, five assists and four rebounds.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

No. 3 UCLA women hold off No. 25 Illinois in Lauren Betts’ return

• February 21, 2025

LOS ANGELES — A full-strength UCLA women’s basketball team snapped Illinois’ winning streak, pulling away in the fourth quarter to beat the Fighting Illini, 70-55, on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Lauren Betts, who sat out Sunday’s 75-69 victory over No. 22 Michigan State because of a right foot injury, scored 22 points and blocked six shots, giving her a single-season program record 67. Betts shot 9 for 18 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds in 34 minutes.

The new record surpasses current Golden State Valkyries player Monique Billings’ previous record of 66 blocks.

“She’s left such a great legacy in this program,” Betts told reporters. “I’m just super honored to have a record like that. Just really honored and really grateful.”

Kiki Rice added 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks for third-ranked UCLA (25-1 overall, 13-1 Big Ten Conference), while Angela Dugalić chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.

With three regular-season games remaining, the Bruins are close to wrapping up a double bye into the quarterfinals of next month’s conference tournament.

Adani McKenzie led Illinois (21-6, 11-5) with 18 points. Berry Wallace scored 13, and Kendall Bostic had eight points and 11 rebounds.

It was the Bruins’ second straight win since a loss to USC dropped them from the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Illinois had won eight straight games despite dealing with injuries throughout this season. Just eight players suited up for the Illini on Thursday night and each of them had played at least 18 minutes in the first half alone.

The short-handed visitors remained scrappy throughout the game. UCLA barely outrebounded Illinois 38-37 and the Illini scored 21 points in the third quarter to stay in the game.

“We all take accountability for that as players and our coaches preach to us every single day the importance of rebounding,” Rice said. “A team that only has a few players out-hustled us in a lot of ways … that’s gonna hurt us down the stretch in closer games against different teams. We really need to fix that now.”

The Illini, who had trailed by 15 points early in the second half, used an 11-4 run over the last four minutes of the third quarter to get within four going into the final 10 minutes. McKenzie had seven points during the rally.

“I’ve said all year,” Illinois coach Shauna Green said. “It’s unfortunate, our injuries, but it’s part of it, and there’s no excuses. We haven’t talked one thing about excuses when we were winning so we’re sure as hell not going to start them now.”

Illinois pulled within 48-44 with 6:55 remaining on a Bryant 3-pointer, but UCLA put it out of reach with eight straight points, including five by Rice.

Betts resumed her role in the post for the Bruins, who finished with a 46-24 advantage in points in the paint. Gabriela Jaquez and Betts teamed up for an outside-in scoring approach that got UCLA points even when it wasn’t being the most aggressive, especially on the boards.

“On the one hand, I’m really proud that they found a way. And this time of year, it’s about finding a way,” head coach Cori Close said. “On the other hand, we are not playing with the kind of fervor, passion, focus, aggression that I’ve seen from our team and we’ve got to figure that out really fast.”

Londynn Jones – whose usual role is scoring from range – was critical off the ball to make contributions on defense. She drove in for a layup as part of a 7-0 UCLA run in the second quarter and later grabbed a steal for a breakaway layup.

UCLA, which shot 51.7% in the first half, closed the opening 20 minutes with a 13-2 run for a 32-18 advantage at halftime.

Janiah Barker left the game with 7:05 remaining in the second quarter and returned to the bench in the second half but did not get back into the game. Close said in the postgame press conference that she likely suffered a lower leg injury.

“I did talk on that halftime coming out to our doc and didn’t think it was something serious,” Close said. “They were going to try to see if she could run up and down and go at half time and obviously she wasn’t able to do so, but I haven’t gotten any update further from that.”

Barker recorded her first double-double as a Bruin in Sunday’s win against Michigan State.

​ Orange County Register 

Canada beats U.S. on Connor McDavid’s OT goal in 4 Nations Face-Off final

• February 21, 2025

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer

BOSTON — When they got around to playing the Canadian national anthem for the second time, there were no American fans left in the arena to boo.

Instead, the Canadian team stood at the blue line, arm in arm, player and coach and staff wearing their championship hats, while the maple leaf flag was lowered behind the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy. The fans who remained, many of them in the in their red Team Canada jerseys, sang along.

Connor McDavid scored at 8:18 of overtime to give Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States on Thursday night as the North American rivals turned what had been a tune-up for the 2026 Olympics into a geopolitical brawl over anthems and annexation as much as international hockey supremacy.

Or, to put it another way: It was the 51st U.S. state 3, Canada’s 11th province 2.

“Just to see the reaction. Just to know what it means to us. I know it’s just a quick tournament, and it’s not an Olympic gold medal or anything like that, but it means the world to our group, as you can see,” McDavid said.

“I hope (the new fans) love it,” he said. “It’s a great game, it’s a great sport and I hope we put on a good show these last couple days and gained some fans, ultimately. You can’t ask for a better show than that.”

Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett also scored for Canada. Jordan Binnington made 25 saves in regulation and six more in the extra period on the same ice where he helped the St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup as a rookie five years ago.

Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson scored for the Americans, and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots in regulation and three more in OT.

The already ripe rivalry took on an added intensity with the cross-border animosity following President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state. Trump called the American team Thursday morning to wish it well, then turned to Truth Social to poke Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau with more annexation chatter.

The political backdrop combined with the quality of the round-robin game, which the United States won, 3-1, on Saturday, to bring the atmosphere of a Stanley Cup Final or Olympic gold medal game to the TD Garden.

Fans in their team jerseys waved flags, shouted for their countrymen and continued the ritual booing of the opposing national anthem that has become an nightly undercard for what most agree has been one of the best international hockey competitions in decades.

The American fans chanted “U-S-A! U-S-A!” to spur on the home team; in the third period, a cheer of “John-ny Hock-ey! John-ny Hock-ey!” reminded the players that they were playing for the memory of former Boston College and Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed by a drunk driver while bicycling in New Jersey at his sister’s wedding last summer.

“Miracle on Ice” Olympic hero and honorary U.S. captain Mike Eruzione wore a Gaudreau jersey during a pregame ceremonial puck drop with Canadian counterpart Wayne Gretzky.

It was 2-2 after 40 minutes and it stayed that way in the third period and the first eight minutes of overtime. After a flurry of saves by Binnington, the Canadians gained a faceoff in the U.S. zone and Mitch Marner got the puck along the boards before popping it into the center for McDavid.

“I was not very good all night,” McDavid said. “All that was going through my mind was, ‘Keep going.’ I struggled all night, but these guys played great and we just found a way.”

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

USC can’t pull off 2nd-half comeback in loss to No. 20 Maryland

• February 21, 2025

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The USC men’s basketball team spent each half trying to dig out of holes and couldn’t complete a comeback in an 88-71 loss to No. 20 Maryland on Thursday night.

Rodney Rice scored 22 points, Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 20 and the host Terrapins (21-6 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) won for the eighth time in nine games while sending the Trojans (14-12, 6-9) to their fourth loss in five games.

Derik Queen had 13 points and 17 rebounds for the Terps, who never trailed, opening each half with a flourish and keeping USC at bay.

Wesley Yates III scored 21 to lead USC, which lacked Maryland’s balance on offense. Kevin Patton Jr. had 11 points off the bench, Saint Thomas contributed 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, and Clark Slajchert had nine points off the bench.

Maryland scored the game’s first 11 points and led 18-5 after a dunk by Jordan Geronimo. USC coach Eric Musselman had tried to slow Maryland’s quick start, calling a timeout after two quick 3-pointers, but the Terps still pushed the lead into double digits and the Trojans were playing catch-up the rest of the way.

It was 37-27 at halftime, and then the Terps began the second half with a 15-5 run to double their advantage to 20.

Slajchert made three 3-point shots in the second half as USC cut the deficit to six points but got no closer and Maryland improved to 16-1 at home this season with its 13th consecutive home win.

USC was outrebounded 41-26 and Maryland had a significant advantage at the free-throw line, going 18 for 21 compared to 6 for 8 for the Trojans.

The starting five scored 85 of Maryland’s 88 points.

It’s likely too late for the Terps to win a share of the Big Ten title, but a double bye to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament is in play. They would need to finish in the top four, and this victory put them in a tie for fourth.

The teams were meeting for the first time since 1990, when each was in a different conference.

UP NEXT

USC plays at Rutgers on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Macario, Sentnor help USWNT beat Colombia in SheBelieves Cup opener

• February 21, 2025

HOUSTON — Catarina Macario and Ally Sentnor scored goals and the United States beat Colombia, 2-0, in the SheBelieves Cup opener for both teams on Thursday night.

The U.S. extended its unbeaten streak to 21 matches since losing to Mexico, 2-0, on Feb. 26, 2024. The U.S. has outscored its opponents 43-10 in that span with 13 shutouts after goalkeeper Jane Campbell added another one Thursday.

Macario found the back of the net in the 32nd minute, taking a cross from Yazmeen Ryan in the middle of the box and firing a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Katherine Tapia.

“I don’t remember much,” Macario said about the goal. “I just know that someone played the ball into Yazmeen, but I just saw a big gap and was like ‘Ok, this is my job.’ … She played a tremendous ball, and I just knew I had to be there. Thankfully, it went in the goal.”

It was Macario’s first international goal in nearly three years since she scored in a 9-0 rout of Uzbekistan in April 2022. She suffered a torn ACL in May 2022 and missed the Olympics last year due to right knee irritation.

“I’m just happy to be out there playing again to be honest,” Macario said. “It’s such a joy to be able to score as well, but most importantly, I’m just happy to be playing. I’m thrilled to have gotten the goal. It does feel like it’s been awhile. Hopefully, it won’t be as long until the next one.”

Coach Emma Hayes, who coached Macario at English club Chelsea, said she was happy for Macario.

“I felt pride because of how long she had been out and how hard it had been for her,” Hayes said. “And also because I thought she played well. It would be the first time in the half that we attacked the box quickly, and she was in the right place at the right time. She has an instinct in and around the goal, which was demonstrated with the goal.”

Sentnor scored the first career international goal in the 60th minute, launching a right-footed shot from above the half-circle and into the upper right net. Sentnor nearly had a second goal in the 74th minute, but her right-footed shot was saved.

Sentnor said she was “over the moon.”

“It means the world,” Sentnor said. “I am playing beside people I’ve grown up idolizing and watching on the field, so being out here playing is a full circle moment.”

Sam Coffey was down on the turf for several minutes after taking a clear attempt from Colombia off the face in the sixth minute. After receiving attention from the trainer, Coffey sprinted to the sidelines before returning in the ninth minute.

Jenna Nighswonger took a corner kick from Lindsey Heaps in the 19th minute and hit the her shot off the crossbar.

The U.S. plays Australia on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, before facing Japan on Feb. 26 in San Diego.

Colombia plays Japan on Sunday in Glendale before facing Australia on Feb. 26 in San Diego.

In the first game …

Japan 4, Australia 0: Mina Tanaka scored a pair of first-half goals and assisted on a second-half goal as Japan opened the tournament with a shutout win, also in Houston.

Tanaka scored on a right-footed shot from the right box in the sixth minute before corralling a loose ball in the middle of the box and tapping a right-footed shot through goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold’s legs and into the net in the 33rd minute.

Maika Hamano scored from just outside the goalkeeper’s box in the 53rd minute off a centering pass from Tanaka to make it 3-0. Moeka Minami scored in the 75th minute on a header from just outside the right box off a pass from Hiraku Kitagawa.

Japan, ranked eighth in the latest FIFA rankings, was playing its first match under new manager Nils Nielsen.

​ Orange County Register 

Clippers can’t hold off Bucks down the stretch in loss

• February 21, 2025

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE — Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench in crunch time, the Clippers couldn’t hold off the Milwaukee Bucks.

Antetokounmpo scored 23 points in his return after missing six games with a strained calf and the Bucks rallied for a 116-110 victory over the Clippers on Thursday night, completing the comeback with their All-Star big man watching from the bench.

Antetokounmpo was on a minutes restriction and played just under 24 minutes, leaving for good with 6:27 remaining as the Bucks trailed 101-96. Milwaukee then completed its comeback from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit.

Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, James Harden added 24 and Ivica Zubac had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers, who played without Norman Powell due to knee soreness.

The Clippers led 93-80 with less than 11 minutes remaining.

The game was tied at 104-all when Brook Lopez blocked a shot from Clippers guard Kris Dunn with less than 3½ minutes left. Lopez (22 points) then converted a three-point play on Milwaukee’s ensuing possession to put the Bucks ahead for good with 3:02 left.

All-Star guard Damian Lillard scored 12 of his 15 points in the last 6:48 of the game to help fuel the Bucks’ rally.

Milwaukee was missing Bobby Portis, who began serving a 25-game suspension after testing positive for the painkiller Tramadol, a violation of the league’s anti-drug program. Portis said he took the Tramadol by mistake.

TAKEAWAYS

Clippers: Harden increased his career points total to 27,005. He became the 13th player in NBA history to reach the 27,000-point mark. … Dunn had a career-high six steals.

Bucks: This was the first time Antetokounmpo played in a game with Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Sr. and Jericho Sims, who were all acquired at the trade deadline. With Portis beginning his suspension, Sims made his Bucks debut and went scoreless in 17 minutes.

UP NEXT

The Clippers visit Indiana on Sunday at 2 p.m. PT.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Why Trump’s anti-Semitism crackdown should worry UC union

• February 21, 2025

Following President Trump’s executive order to combat anti-Semitism came reports that his administration has opened investigations at five U.S. universities — including at UC Berkeley. There is, unfortunately, plenty to uncover from violent student groups to passive university administrators. But investigators would be wise to also examine the role unions have played. My own lawsuit against the United Auto Workers (UAW), which represents 48,000 employees across the UC system, should be enough to raise alarm bells.

At UC Berkeley, where I am a postdoc, campus administrators were poised to break up a post-October 7, anti-Israel encampment, when the union came to its rescue. The encampment prominently displayed the inverted red triangle—the Hamas symbol used in violent propaganda videos to target Israelis—and banners reading “Glory to the martyrs” and “Student Intifada.” That didn’t deter UAW officials, who legitimized the protest by establishing a “union village” within it.

To me and other members of UC Berkeley’s Jewish and Israeli community, it was nothing short of a knife in the back. And over the next year, that knife would be twisted again and again.

When an Israeli was set to appear at a campus talk, the union allowed a member to call on others in a union meeting to “come disrupt an evil Zionist.” It also provided information and resources to Bears for Palestine, an anti-Israel student group that targeted the event, which was cancelled after vandals surrounded the venue, smashed a window, and physically assaulted Jewish students.

The union’s officials drafted a report called “Who Rules the University of California?”—echoing conspiracy theories about Jewish control of world institutions. The report ominously identified for investigation Jewish members of UC Berkeley’s Board of Regents, including Jonathan Sures whose Brentwood home was recently vandalized with red handprints by a pro-Palestine graduate student group.

The union also backed the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement by passing a formal resolution to make it a bargaining priority. UAW officials intend to cut off university relationships and funding with the slightest ties to Israel or U.S. Jewish-affiliated philanthropic organizations. This would undermine the basic tenants of academic freedom and could cause Jewish and Israeli scholars, the very people the union is supposed to represent, to lose positions and research opportunities.

I know what happened behind the scenes at the UAW because I joined the union after it made its anti-Israel views clear. Why?

Union officials said they would only engage in dialogue with dues-paying members, even though they represent all postdocs and graduate students. But instead of dialogue, I and other Israeli and Jewish union members found pervasive hostility and relentless abuse.

During a union meeting held on Zoom, a colleague whose family members were held hostage by Hamas terrorists argued against the union’s academic boycott of Israel. The attendees mocked her, and one wrote “LMFAO” (laughing my f***ing a** off) in the chat while she spoke. Union officials did nothing to stop this and other incidents of harassment targeting Jews.

My last resort was to file a federal lawsuit with the help of nonprofit law firm the Fairness Center, alleging that the UAW violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and California law by discriminating against me based on my race, religion, and nationality.

The anti-Israel sentiment at U.S. colleges and universities makes me doubt that I can continue my academic career in America. To preserve that possibility for myself and other Israeli Jews, I hope my lawsuit holds UAW officials accountable in court, and the new presidential administration recognizes the central role some unions have played in fostering a culture of anti-Semitism in the UC system and on other American campuses.

Karin Yaniv is an Israeli Jew and postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. 

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers, DB Elijah Molden agree to 3-year, $18.75M deal

• February 21, 2025

The Chargers have signed defensive back Elijah Molden to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday. The team did not disclose terms of the deal, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that it was a three-year, $18.75 million contract with $13.5 million guaranteed.

Molden, the son of former Chargers cornerback Alex Molden, was acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans prior to the 2024 season. Molden became a key piece of the Chargers’ secondary last season, starting 12 games after being acquired in August.

Molden played several spots in the secondary for a defense that led the NFL by allowing just 17.7 points per game. He registered career-highs in tackles (72), interceptions (three), pass breakups (seven) and fumble recoveries (two).

A third-round draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft (100th overall), the former University of Washington standout has started 28 of the 48 games he has played in during his four seasons with the Titans and Chargers. He has 209 tackles (132 solo), 15 passes defensed, seven tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and five interceptions, including a pair returned for touchdowns.

​ Orange County Register