Santa Anita meet ends with stakes upset

• November 2, 2026

Unrivaled Time and jockey Joel Rosario got up in a blanket finish to win the Grade II Twilight Derby at 9-1 on the final day of the Santa Anita autumn meet.

Proletariat, sent off at 2-5 after two stakes wins at Del Mar, was pressured early and faded to fifth behind Path to Power, Essos and Tribalism. Since Proletariat drew more than 80% of show betting, show layoffs were big. Unrivaled paid $20 to win, $7.80 to place and $21.60 to show.

Juan Hernandez led the jockey standings — for the first time at Santa Anita or Del Mar since this meet a year ago — riding one winner Sunday to finish with 20. Emisael Jaramillo had 17, Rosario and Kazushi Kimura 16.

Doug O’Neill added the trainer’s title to those he won at this year’s Santa Anita Classic Meet and Del Mar summer meet, finishing with 13 wins. George Papaprodromou had 11, John Sadler 9 and Peter Miller 9.

Del Mar opens a four-week meet Friday at 12:30 p.m.

• Rain prompted Los Alamitos to cancel its last six races Saturday night, but the Orange County track planned to resume its normal schedule with eight races starting at 5:10 p.m. Sunday.

​ Orange County Register 

Clippers drop 5th straight, fall to short-handed Warriors

• November 2, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO — Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg scored a career-high 37 points and dished out six assists in a game Golden State rested stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and the Warriors beat the Clippers 124-112 for their fourth straight win Sunday night.

Lendeborg notched his fourth game with 20 or more points, scoring five straight midway through the third quarter that gave the Warriors their biggest lead to that point at 83-68. He shot 13 for 19 — 6 of 11 from 3-point range — and his points were the most by a Warriors rookie since Curry went off for 42 on April 14, 2010, at Portland.

With two 30-point performances among his initial seven games, Lendeborg joined Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry as the only other Warriors to do so. Lendeborg bounced back from a tough outing in a win against the Lakers on Friday in which he fouled out.

Brandon Williams scored 17 points off the bench as the Golden State reserves contributed 40 points in all.

Rui Hachimura had 24 points and Kobe Sanders came off the bench to score 16 for the Clippers, who lost their fifth game in a row.

Curry and Green had the night off for the front end of a back-to-back, with the Clippers also playing in the first of consecutive games.

Golden State has found a rhythm since starting 0-3.

Brandin Podziemski overcame a slow start to finish with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and De’Anthony Melton added 21 points for the Warriors, who were big supporters of the Golden State Valkyries’ run to a WNBA championship that was capped by a thrilling Game 7 win Saturday.

Gabby Williams, Tiffany Hayes and Kiah Stokes walked through Chase Center a night after the Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream in the first Game 7 in Finals history to huge cheers as they made their way to seats in the first quarter. The team was honored at midcourt in the first half.

The arena crew has been busy, changing the court after the Warriors played Friday night and again after Saturday’s WNBA finale.

Up next

Clippers: Host the Raptors on Monday.

​ Orange County Register 

LAFC falls flat against Minnesota United FC in home finale

• November 2, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Wrapping up its MLS regular season home schedule Sunday, the Los Angeles Football Club may have foreclosed on its season instead.

Suffering a 3-1 defeat to Minnesota United FC, which entered the contest in 13th place in the Western Conference, LAFC fell flat on its face during Fan Appreciation night.

Only a wonder goal by Sergio Vásquez, who connected on a bicycle kick just inside the box in the 90th minute, prevented the worst shutout defeat for LAFC at BMO Stadium in league competition.

LAFC finished its home slate with a 9-4-4 record. Unable to secure three points against Minnesota, which avoided elimination by winning, LAFC will visit Seattle on Decision Day locked into the 6th seed.

For the fifth game under interim head coach Xavi Tamarit, LAFC was hardly dangerous through 45 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, for the fifth straight game, LAFC opened with Denis Bouanga in the striker position as opposed to the left wing, where the Frenchman has been the best in MLS three years running.

Bouanga took it upon himself to move outside in the 30th minute once Minnesota went ahead, but it made no difference on a disappointing evening for the announced crowd of 22,168.

Minnesota (10-12-11, 41 points) grabbed the lead when Sergi Palencia’s attempted clearance in the 29th minute landed in front of midfielder Joaquin Pereyra inside the middle of the box. The Argentine coolly volleyed in the first of two goals on the evening past Hugo Lloris.

LAFC’s best chance of the first half came moments later when Son Heung-min forced goalkeeper Drake Callender to make a low diving save to his left.

After defending the ensuing corner kick, Callender rolled the ball to his left to begin a sequence that shredded the Black & Gold. Seven Minnesota players touched the ball as it progressed from one end of the field to the other, leading Dutch defender Cherrion Valerius to hit a first-time volley off a headed assist from Kelvin Yeboah.

Down 2-0 at the half, LAFC shuffled some pieces around but it made little difference.

Pereyra’s fifth goal of the season came in the 81st minute with a left-footed shot inside the far post.

Minnesota scored on each of the three shots it put on target.

LAFC finished 1-for-7.

The loss means LAFC (12-10-11, 47 points) has nothing to play for next weekend in Seattle. They will begin the MLS Cup playoffs best-of-three opening round later this month in San Jose, St. Louis or Houston.

​ Orange County Register 

Luka Doncic does it all as Lakers bounce back against Raptors

• November 2, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic’s bobblehead agreed.

The nods up and down on the Slovenian star’s first bobblehead night giveaway with the Lakers were in agreement with his performance on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena. Doncic recorded 45 points (12-for-23 shooting, eight 3-pointers), 15 rebounds, six assists, five steals and a trio of drawn charges in the Lakers’ 131-125 victory over the defensively stout Toronto Raptors.

Entering the game, the Raptors allowed the fewest made field goals per game (34.4 opposing made shots) and fourth-fewest points per game (106.2 ppg). The Lakers made 53.8% of their shots on 43 field goals Sunday night, and clicked for 18 buckets from 3-point range on 48.6% shooting.

Doncic, who is leading the league in scoring through seven games, entered the record books as well Sunday night.

His first-quarter effort was historically one of one, when Doncic became the first player in NBA history to record four steals and four 3-pointers in the opening quarter of a game. The six-time All-NBA first-teamer one-upped himself at halftime, becoming the first point guard in NBA history to connect for five steals and drain five 3-pointers in a half.

Luka was leading the show once again, helping the Lakers (5-2) bounce back from Friday night’s disappointing defeat in the Bay Area.

Whereas the Lakers crumbled from a 25-point lead against the Golden State Warriors on Friday into a 17-point loss, the Lakers turned a 12-point halftime lead into a 104-82 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Instead of combining for just seven points off the bench, the Lakers’ reserves unit put up 37 points on Sunday.

Collin Sexton tallied 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili added 11 points against his former squad.

“He’s even better than I thought he was,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said pregame when a Toronto-based reporter asked about Mamukelashvili’s adjustment to Los Angeles.

Raptors star Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 29 points on 11-for-20 shooting, and helped cut the Lakers’ lead to nine points in the fourth quarter while Doncic sat on the bench after picking up his fifth foul with 38 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

But Doncic returned to the floor with 7:15 left in the game, drove to the basket through uncalled contact for a reverse layup to reestablish a double-digit lead, and later sealed the game while eclipsing the 40-point milestone for the 71st time in his NBA career (counting the postseason).

Lakers center Walker Kessler recorded his second consecutive double-double, securing a dunk in garbage-time minutes — after Redick had to reinsert the team’s starting lineup, sans forward Jake LaRavia when the Raptors cut the lead to six points with under a minute to go — to end the contest with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Austin Reaves added 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting.

At the buzzer

Lakers forward Ziaire Williams missed his third consecutive game as the team continues to manage a left-foot injury, but Redick said that all imaging came back clear for the 25-year-old who began the season in the Lakers’ lineup.

“I would describe it it’s a soreness that just pops up in the morning and he’s feeling a lot better,” Redick said of Williams, who is averaging 11.3 ppg on 57.1% shooting through four games. “I think just being again, cautious with the back-to-back.”

The Lakers play the Miami Heat on Monday night in the second night of a back-to-back set before flying to Sacramento for a game against the Kings on Wednesday.

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers rookie Cameron Carr eager for potential NBA debut

• November 2, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Cameron Carr felt the nerves almost two weeks ago when he relaxed in the Lakers locker room before the Lakers’ first game of the 2026-27 season.

He wasn’t suiting up for NBA action – a right oblique strain he suffered during the preseason, keeping the rookie guard in street clothes on the bench while he rooted on his teammates in the Lakers’ season-opening victory over the Golden State Warriors – but the first-day jitters still commenced.

Carr is feeling those nerves again Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, officially cleared to make his NBA debut after participating in a trio of practices with the G League’s Coachella Valley Lakers last week and exiting the league-mandated injury report on Saturday afternoon. The Lakers’ first-round selection, drafted No. 24 overall in the 2026 NBA draft, was officially “available,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said pregame before the Lakers played the Toronto Raptors.

“I feel physically pretty good,” Carr told the Southern California News Group on Friday afternoon. “I’m excited. Just ready to get the nerves out, make one big play, do something good, get a deflection, get a steal, do something that’ll get my body moving, get the nerves out.”

The 21-year-old guard called the opportunity to make his NBA debut on Sunday a “blessing,” adding that he’s soaking in the moment before stepping onto the hardwood tonight. At Baylor last season, the lanky wing with a 7-foot-1 wingspan averaged 18.9 points per game on 49.4% shooting from the field and hit on 37.4% of his looks from beyond the arc.

Playing seven games over the summer during the NBA Summer League and the California Classic, Carr averaged 17.4 points per game on 42.3% shooting. During the preseason opener against the Sacramento Kings last month, Carr recorded 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting while sinking three of seven shots from beyond the arc.

When Carr first spoke to the media after joining the Lakers as their first-round draftee, the son of former NBA guard Chris Carr, he said that he wanted to hit the weight room to get physically stronger and repeatedly referenced developing defensively to impact the game with pest-like traits.

Carr said he feels like he’s improving on both ends in his first five months with the Lakers.

“I definitely feel stronger,” Carr told SCNG. “I feel like I’m just, every day, just taking and learning more and more and and and picking up as much as I can, becoming a better defender day by day. A lot of great vets in front of me, so (I’m) just listening and learning from them.”

During his pregame press conference on Sunday afternoon, Redick shared what he hopes to see from his rookie – should he see the court against the Raptors.

“If he gets an opportunity, hopefully he shoots the ball well and all that,” Redick said when asked about what he expects from Carr in his potential debut. “But I think again, with all our young guys, continuing to learn our stuff, … be good in our shell, be good with being a low man, be good with off-ball physicality, be good at the point of attack, crash, make shots, that’s what we need from him.”

Lovering loving L.A.

Two-way center Lawson Lovering had just a few hours to pack when he heard Wednesday morning that the Lakers wanted to sign him to a two-way contract. It’s been a whirlwind over the last few days as he’s gotten acclimated to Los Angeles, the 7-footer told SCNG on Sunday.

Lovering, who averaged 7.7 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Memphis Hustle in the G League last season before signing his two-year contract with the Lakers, said he’s practiced with Coachella Valley since joining the team Wednesday.

The 23-year-old big man added that being able to set picks for a player such as Luka Doncic is a “cool thought,” and that he’s also looking forward to watching how center Walker Kessler works on a daily basis, adjusting his routines accordingly to become a better player.

“I just think I can bring elite size, my feel for the game,” Lovering told SCNG of what he can add to the Lakers’ roster. “I think defensively and rebounding, I can show up and set hard screens, get guys open. …”

Lovering continued: “Being a dirty work guy, I’m a two-way guy – so not expected to have a huge role, which I never really thought I was going to – but just do dirty work and do the things that I’m asked to do every day. So just do what the coaches say and live with the rest, man. Just compete as hard as I can.”

​ Orange County Register 

Rams experiment with 2-kicker approach in win over Chargers

• November 2, 2026

INGLEWOOD — It probably wasn’t a situation that Sean McVay ever imagined he’d find himself in. But for Sunday’s 24-9 win over the Chargers, the Rams head coach submitted a 48-man game-day roster that included two kickers.

Brandon McManus was there to kick field goals and extra points, and he did so ably with four clean attempts. But the real wrinkle was calling up Joshua Karty from the practice squad to perform kickoff duties.

Karty brings a unique talent, with the ability to land kickoffs in the front end of the landing zone with an unorthodox bounce, making it difficult for returners to field the ball and giving Rams coverage men a head start in their pursuit of the ball.

And that was on display with Karty’s opening kickoff as Chargers returner Derius Davis bobbled the ball before returning it for just nine yards.

“That was a unit that we felt like we had successful outcomes (in 2025) with Josh kicking some of those squib or those dirty balls,” McVay said. “He’ll keep getting better at it. Sometimes your roster might not allow you to be able to do that, but that was the thinking.”

Karty didn’t have a perfect game. His dirty kickoffs carry some inherent risk given the ball placement, and he twice landed the ball in front of the landing zone, resulting in penalties that placed the ball at the Chargers’ 40.

But McVay seemed willing to continue the two-kicker experiment, even if it is dependent on the weekly needs of the roster. The Rams struggled so much to cover on kickoffs in last week’s win over the Raiders that McVay opted for touchbacks and automatic placements at the opponent’s 35-yard line, something that he felt was unsustainable in the long term.

“The thought process behind it was really we had not been having any success covering kicks,” McVay said. “When we’re able to cover it because (Karty) hits a really good ball that’s hard to field, just based on the semantics of how the play is officiated, if you’re telling me they’re not going to be able to field it cleanly and we’re getting a start before they’re getting their return set up and the momentum to be able to field it, that was the thinking behind it.”

​ Orange County Register 

Alexander: Rams’ offense figures it out in time against Chargers

• November 2, 2026

INGLEWOOD — For the better part of a half Sunday afternoon, this was a trap game for the Rams. Also, an invitation to disaster.

Let’s face it: A team already working from behind in its attempt to get to the postseason could ill afford a loss to the Chargers. But until the very end of a flaccid offensive first half, the Rams were facing that very possibility, trailing 9-3 and going without a first down until there was a little over a minute remaining in the half.

Maybe reality kicked in at that point. A successful two-minute drive gave them the lead, and they went on to dominate the second half in a 24-9 triumph that kept the Chargers winless at 0-7.

The Rams, now 4-4 and third in the NFC West behind San Francisco and Seattle, are in a scramble with at least six other teams for one of the NFC’s three wild card playoff spots, and going into Sunday there were four over-.500 contenders in front of them. A loss here could have complicated their postseason prospects, and would have at least provoked some deep thought over the direction in which they might be headed.

(As an aside: Who was that idiot who wrote about the possibility of a Rams-Chargers Super Bowl this February in SoFi Sta– … oh, right. Never mind.)

The reality Sunday? The Rams weren’t about to let the Chargers put a dagger in their postseason hopes. Kyren Williams jumped into the end zone right before halftime, three plays after Matthew Stafford’s second-and-1 pass to Tutu Atwell for 40 yards and the Rams’ initial first down of the afternoon. Williams’ score gave the Rams a 10-9 lead with 19 seconds left in the half, and Jalen Watson and Kamren Kinchens combined to stop Ladd McConkey at the 1-yard line on a 54-yard Hail Mary pass from Justin Herbert on the final play of the half.

A Blake Corum touchdown run and a Matthew Stafford-to-Puka Nacua reception later in the third quarter restored order and gave the Rams just their second victory in four tries on their home turf this season.

Combined, the Rams and Chargers have as many victories in Inglewood this season, two, as do the Arizona Cardinals, who came into SoFi and beat both the Chargers and Rams. Chew on that.

And consider that after Rams’ home games earlier this season against the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills  – whose fans made themselves heard loudly, both tourists and transplants – this may have been the least vocal “visiting” crowd of the season, surprisingly so.

A quick check of the stands revealed a comparatively small percentage of the announced crowd of 73,621 wore powder blue. Maybe Chargers fans have decided to take a break from what has become a very discouraging season.

Was there pressure on the Rams to avoid being the first team to lose to the Chargers this season? NFL players, I suspect, generally don’t think that negatively, but more along the lines of the need to win each of those precious 17 games on the schedule.

Or if they do feel that potential for shame deep down, they’ll never say so.

“We knew going in, their record doesn’t show (the ability of) that team,” Corum said. “That’s a good team. They just haven’t been able to figure out how to finish. And so I mean, you saw the first half and really the whole game, that’s a good team, that defense is a solid defense. And so we didn’t go into the game like, we have to win because they haven’t won a game yet or we’re looking bad. No, it’s more so just focusing on ourselves.”

Still, when you go 28 minutes and 29 seconds before getting a first down … that’s reason for concern. The Rams had five straight three-and-outs to begin the game before Stafford’s pass to Atwell.

“It was just better execution,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “We didn’t even have a chance to get any plays off. I mean, you’re first down, decent gain, second down, average, and then your third down and you’re off the grass, you know. So to even establish any sort of momentum or rhythm was non-existent for us. Credit (to) them. I thought there were some plays that we could have executed at a higher level, but there were so minimal opportunities.”

But, he added, “The defense deserves a ton of credit. They just kept getting stop after stop. They didn’t say anything except for just going out there and making their plays.”

So what is the mindset when you’re struggling just to get a first down?

“We’re trying to fix anything if there’s an issue that’s coming up,” Stafford said. “But each individual play is kind of its own, and for whatever reason, one play or another wasn’t being successful for us. We just want to try to find a way to get that first first down, stay on the field. That was the biggest thing.”

In the end, the Rams did what they needed to do. And before you ask, no, this isn’t the intra-city rivalry that we’re used to with SoCal’s other professional and (especially) college teams. For one thing, while the Rams and Chargers do meet in August exhibitions, they only play each other in the regular season every fourth year.

“Kevin Demoff cares” about the intra-city rivalry, McVay said, referring to the Rams’ president. “I don’t.

“We don’t see them much, just being in the other conference. What I do know is this – tremendous respect. I don’t care what their record is. Coach (Jim) Harbaugh does a great job, they’re really well coached in all three phases, and you wish them the best unless they’re playing us.

“… Hey, I’m just glad that we got the win.”

jalexander@scng.com

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers look, sound defeated as loss to Rams drops them to 0-7

• November 2, 2026

INGLEWOOD — The Chargers’ body language was as bad as their offense Sunday.

Quarterback Justin Herbert didn’t have any answers after another defeat.

Coach Jim Harbaugh didn’t have any answers, either.

Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel wasn’t available for comment.

It no longer appears to matter how or why the Chargers reached this lowly state, with a seventh consecutive loss and a 10th overall dating to the end of last season. The bottom line is that they have hit rock bottom and seem to have lost what it takes to win.

Maybe their will to win is gone, too, judging by their lifeless 24-9 loss Sunday to the Rams.

The Chargers looked defeated and sounded defeated at game’s end.

For starters, Herbert looked nothing like the cerebral quarterback who threw for a franchise-record 5,014 yards in his second season in the NFL, in 2021. He threw for a season-best 257 yards Sunday, but tossed two more interceptions, his ninth and 10th, tops in the NFL.

Herbert also failed to direct the Chargers to a touchdown drive for the second consecutive game, a streak of nine straight quarters dating to running back Kimani Vidal’s 42-yard scoring run late in the third quarter of a 23-17 loss Oct. 11 to the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium.

All the Chargers got from their offense on this Sunday was three field goals from Cameron Dicker. They were blanked after halftime. Overall, they have been outscored 83-54 in the second halves of games this season, including by an astounding total of 63-13 in the fourth quarters of games.

“It’s really tough,” Herbert said. “I feel for the defense, I feel for the team.”

So, what did Harbaugh see from the sideline? Why did it go haywire again?

“We weren’t able to finish drives with touchdowns,” Harbaugh said in a typically somber tone. “We also lost in the middle eight (minutes of the game), touchdowns before the half by the Rams and in the opening drive of the second half, and turned the ball over. Those were the keys once again.”

Harbaugh did say McDaniel would retain his play-calling duties.

McDaniel’s regularly scheduled session with reporters isn’t until Thursday.

“First of all, it’s a team effort,” Harbaugh said, sidestepping a question about why he would maintain the status quo. “We’re going to look at the film and we’re going to address our issues, where we can get better, and that’s just keep working. Highly motivated and dedicated to getting this right. We’re the only ones that have the opportunity to change it, to fix it.”

The Chargers’ next chance to end their dismal streak is next Sunday against the Houston Texans (2-5) at SoFi Stadium. They hit the road to play the Baltimore Ravens (4-4) and ex-defensive coordinator Jesse Minter on Nov. 16 before returning home to play host to the New York Jets (2-6) on Nov. 22.

Herbert, Harbaugh and McDaniel had an entire bye week to jump-start the Chargers’ flailing offense, giving them two weeks to rest, regroup and recover after becoming the last winless team in the NFL. That it didn’t happen, that the Chargers are now 0-7, invited plenty of questions.

But there were no firm answers.

Now, the most intriguing date on the calendar might very well be the trade deadline Nov. 10. A sell-off isn’t expected, although several players, including likely Hall of Fame outside linebacker Khalil Mack, could likely draw interest from teams looking to bulk up for the stretch run.

Mack dismissed questions about a possible deal before the deadline, though.

“You’ve got to be where your feet are, ultimately,” said Mack, a 13-year veteran who has been a Pro Bowl pick nine times. “That could be the most difficult thing, dealing with a lot of outside noise. So, I’m just trying to be where my feet are all the time. That’s kind of been my thing in the past.”

Mack also defended Herbert, who completed 24 of 32 passes against the Rams.

“That’s my brother, man,” said Mack, who helped to keep the Rams in check until quarterback Matthew Stafford directed touchdown drives on three of four possessions, starting with a scoring drive during a two-minute drill before halftime. “Love him. Ups and downs, good and bad, I’ve got his back.”

​ Orange County Register