Devin Booker, Suns eliminate Clippers with Game 5 win

• April 26, 2023

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX — Devin Booker unleashed a torrent of offense in the third quarter rarely seen in NBA playoff history, hitting shots from every corner of the gym.

The Phoenix Suns needed just about every one of them.

Booker scored 47 points, including 25 in a spectacular third quarter, to lead the Suns past the Clippers, 136-130, on Tuesday night and win the Western Conference first-round playoff series in five games.

“It was spiritual,” Suns forward Kevin Durant said of watching Booker’s third quarter. “I don’t scream too much in games as I get older, but when he hit that (3-pointer) at the top of the key, I felt that energy and I know everyone in the crowd felt it. We feed off his aggression.”

The Clippers didn’t go quietly, nearly coming back from a 20-point deficit early in the fourth, hitting four straight 3-pointers at one point to quickly close the gap.

The Clippers had multiple chances to tie in the final three minutes, but could never convert. Durant made a layup to push Phoenix’s lead to 134-130 and then made two free throws to put the Suns up six with 31.3 seconds left.

“I think it’s a good lesson for us moving forward,” Booker said. “Don’t play with your food. Finish out as strong as you can. Keep playing all the way until the whistle blows.”

Durant finished with 31 points while Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Booker shot 19 for 27 from the field, including 4 for 7 from 3-point range.

Durant’s final free throws capped a wild back-and-forth second half that saw the Clippers take a 71-61 lead early in the third.

But the Suns – led by Booker’s stellar shot-making – unleashed a powerful wave of offense, pouring in 50 points in the third quarter to take a 111-94 lead into the fourth. Booker made 10 of 11 shots in the rally, including three 3-pointers and a tomahawk fast-break dunk.

“When he’s going like that, we’re not calling any plays,” Suns coach Monty Williams said.

Said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue: “We couldn’t stop him. We had no answer for him. We tried to blitz him, we couldn’t blitz him.”

The flustered Clippers had no answer until it was too late. Norman Powell led the Clippers with 27 points while Mason Plumlee scored 20 off the bench.

It was a tough night for Russell Westbrook, who scored 14 points on 3-of-18 shooting and had a costly turnover in the final minute, dishing a pass to Terance Mann, who wasn’t expecting the ball. Westbrook also missed a contested layup with 2:19 left that could have tied the score.

Westbrook said he was proud of the team’s effort. He added eight rebounds and eight assists.

“We stayed with our principles and kept fighting,” the nine-time All-Star said. “Kept competing. Didn’t give up on the next play and gave ourselves a chance.”

The Suns will play the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in the second round. Game 1 is Saturday in Denver.

LEONARD’S ABSENCE

The series took a turn last week when the Clippers announced Leonard had a sprained right knee. The two-time NBA Finals MVP suffered the injury in Game 1 and played through it in Game 2, but his condition worsened.

He missed Games 3 and 4 and the Clippers lost both contests. They were already playing without eight-time All-Star Paul George, who also had a sprained right knee and last played on March 21.

Related Articles

But the Clippers stayed competitive despite those absences and Tuesday night continued that trend.

“We just ran up against a really good opponent,” Lue said.

HISTORIC BOOK

Booker became just the third player in the past 25 seasons to score at least 25 points in a quarter during a playoff game. The others were Damian Lillard (25 in 2019) and Allen Iverson (26 in 2001).

TIP-INS

Clippers: Had a 26-16 rebounding advantage in the first half. … Backup guard Bones Hyland scored nine points in the first half.

Suns: Backup guard Cam Payne played for the first time in the playoffs. He missed the first four games with a sore back. He played three minutes but didn’t score. … Phoenix hosted its 77th consecutive sellout, combining regular season and postseason games.

​ Orange County Register 

Ocean View baseball tops Katella in battle for Golden West League crown

• April 26, 2023

ANAHEIM — Ocean View pitcher Spencer Johnson struck out 10 and scattered five hits over seven innings as the Seahawks defeated Katella 9-2 in a key Golden West League game Tuesday at Katella High School.

The Seahawks (17-10, 9-1) clinched a share of first place with the victory and will win the league title outright if they defeat the Knights (13-11, 7-2) again when the teams play in the league finale Thursday at Ocean View.

Regardless of the outcome of Thursday’s game, Ocean View will advance to the CIF SS Division 2 playoffs as the league’s No. 1 team because the Seahawks and Knights are in different divisions.

Katella needs to defeat Ocean View to force a first-place tie and advance to the CIF SS Division 5 playoffs as the first-place team.

Segerstrom (8-13-2, 6-3) is also in the mix and can finish in a second-place tie with Katella with a victory over Westminster on Thursday and a Knights loss.

The Jaguars defeated the Lions 15-1 on Tuesday.

“He’s a third-year guy on varsity,” Ocean View coach Tanner VanMaanen said of Johnson, a senior and the returning Golden West League MVP. “He’s started multiple playoff games for us. He gives us a good quality start every, single time.”

Ocean View pitcher Spencer Johnson pitched a complete game and struck out 10 in a 9-2 victory over Katella on Tuesday, April 25. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

The Seahawks picked up 13 hits with eight of nine starters reaching base at least once.

Seth Churchwell went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and Peyton Perry was 2 for 5 with two RBIs and a run to lead Ocean View.

Ocean View was leading 3-1 with one out in the fifth when Cole Kenrich delivered a two-run double and then scored on Evyn Lewis’ fly out to give the Seahawks a 6-1 lead.

“It’s great to see when a senior steps up and does something like that,” VanMaamen said of Kenrich’s pinch hit.

After Nicholas Moreno doubled home Daniel Viramontes in the first for Katella’s first run, Johnson retired seven batters in a row, including three by strikeout.

Johnson walked the leadoff hitter in the fourth before striking out three in a row in the inning.

Related Articles

“A lot of good command and a lot of first pitch strikes,” Johnson said. “I was confident coming into this one.”

The left-hander gave up an RBI double to Viramontes with two outs in the seventh and then retired the next seven hitters to earn the complete-game victory.

Viramontes went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.

​ Orange County Register 

Swanson: Clippers can’t complete Game 5 rally against Suns, close frustrating season

• April 26, 2023

PHOENIX — Hope is a four-letter word.

Sticks, stones, and four little letters with the power to break hearts and wreck dreams and spoil the best-laid plans.

The fifth-seeded Clippers mounted a wild, willful comeback on Tuesday night but finished just short, 136-130, against the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns in Game 5 at the Footprint Center.

That wrapped up a valiant, undermanned effort in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series that was reminiscent of scrappy efforts of years past. It also ended probably the most frustrating season in Clippers’ history – leaving them 0-4 since Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined the team.

The Clippers, you remember, raised hopes precariously on July 5, 2019, the night the news that All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were teaming up in L.A. It turned a historically downtrodden franchise into something previously unimaginable: A bona fide championship contender. The odds-on favorite, in fact.

But for all the excitement surrounding that announcement – for all the hope – there remained a streak of hard-boiled trepidation running through a fan base conditioned by nearly 50 years of failure and discord: “There’s really no reason for Clippers fans to think this is going to work out the way it should,” longtime Clippers devotee Matt Johnson told me a couple of days after the deal got done, a prescient sentiment shared by other fans too.

Four years – a presidential term – in, and there’s been no joint NBA Finals appearance for Leonard (No. 2) and George (No. 13).

Four years, a whole high school career, and only one Western Conference finals appearance.

Four years, an entire Olympic cycle, that will be remembered for Leonard’s torn anterior cruciate ligament, for George’s sprained UCL in his elbow, for Leonard’s on-off routine in back-to-back sets of games, for George’s hamstring issues. …

Year 4 started with the greatest expectations yet, Leonard and George both professing to be healthy, ready to lead their deepest supporting cast so far.

It ended Tuesday night in the desert with Leonard, the five-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP, and George, an eight-time All-Star, on the bench, nursing a pair of right knee sprains, the billboards around L.A. also proving prescient: “One of a kind, but we’ve got two!”

Without them, the Suns’ 50-24 third-quarter explosion served as the buffer to boost them into the second round for a showdown with the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, despite the Clippers’ desperate 36-25 fourth-quarter surge.

It’s wrong, it is, to feel any sort of way but bummed about injuries – though not about the Clippers’ bedside manner, the organization’s unsteady drip-drip-drip of painful news. Just tell your long-suffering fans: Is the patient going to make it back soon or what? By season’s end, or not!?

It’s not wrong to lament what coulda been. This season, the Clippers were 24-14 when Leonard and George both played. They were 3-9 when neither did – including 0-3 in three hard-fought postseason games, following Leonard’s surprise scratch hours before Game 3.

Said coach Tyronn Lue postgame: “The encouraging thing, with PG and Kawhi healthy, we haven’t lost a series yet.”

That left Russell Westbrook – in a plot twist no one could have seen coming to start the season, when he was still a Laker and the Clippers’ roster seemed impeccably set – sparking a short-handed Clippers contingent against a star-studded Suns squad that proved too much.

On Tuesday, the Clippers built a nine-point halftime lead, lost it and then clawed with all their might to save their season in the final few minutes, cutting a 20-point lead to 132-130 with 1:02 to play and missing several chances to tie the score.

So what now? How are the Clippers ever going to get over the hump?

Norman Powell, a champion with Leonard in Toronto, expects it will happen eventually — if the Clippers can stay healthy.

“In those teams when we (could finally) break through, we had a full healthy team,” he said. “We could figure out what happened this series, who do we need to bring in, what improvements we need to make… This group, even before I got here, haven’t had that togetherness and health to make a deep run and see what happens.”

As it stands, Leonard and George, the Clippers’ reliably unreliable top-tier talents, are signed for at least another season, with player options for 2024-25 – when Intuit Dome opens in Inglewood. They’re owed $94 million apiece in that span.

And the Clippers will continue paying Oklahoma City for trading them George, a bill that still includes three first-round draft picks and another possible first-round pick swap – and the ignominy of however many points former Clippers phenom Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops on them going forward.

It’s hard to imagine that trading either of their injury-prone stars now would return players of commensurate skill sets or abilities – save for the crucial one: availability.

But rebuilding? In a new building? Seems unlikely.

Related Articles

On Tuesday morning, before the Clippers’ final shootaround of the season, George said he thinks the 213 Era still has legs. He talked about the team’s future more like a marathon than a dash, the smooth-operating wing professing patience shared by few of the fans who let themselves hope four years ago, whether a lot or a little.

“I think I got a lot of good years in me,” George said. “I know Kawhi thinks he’s got a lot of good years in him. I mean, I’m not going to put any pressure on that anytime soon. The only thing I can do is continue to just work on my game, work on myself, and just try to be available as much as possible.”

Forgive Clippers fans if they don’t hold their breath, hoping.

As Johnson, who once penned a song about his Clipper fandom under the moniker Mattafact, rapped: “You think you got it bad / your team is making you sad / I’m a Clipper fan / sadness is all that I’ve ever had.”

​ Orange County Register 

Yorba Linda baseball wins North Hills League title for the first time

• April 26, 2023

YORBA LINDA — Yorba Linda’s baseball team put together a six-run rally Tuesday in the fifth inning to defeat Brea Olinda 7-3 and clinch the North Hills League title at Yorba Linda High.

It is the first time the Mustangs (13-11-1 overall, 6-2 in league) have won the North Hills League crown.

“Brea is a heck of a team,” Yorba Linda coach Matt Case said. “They’re resilient and they fight back. They’re always our nemesis. They battle and battle, but these guys showed some character today and just fought back and fought hard. We got down 3-1 and it didn’t stop them. We had that big inning and I’m just so proud of them.”

For the first time in school history…WE ARE THE NORTH HILLS LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!!! #stangsarerollin
@YLHSathletics @ocvarsity @MAlvarez02 pic.twitter.com/XoDo1yLXSB

— Yorba Linda Baseball (@YL_Baseball) April 26, 2023

As for Brea Olinda (12-13-2, 4-4), it still has a chance to finish second and earn a guaranteed spot in the CIF-SS playoffs. They need to defeat Yorba Linda on Thursday or need Esperanza to lose to Canyon that day.

If Brea Olinda loses Thursday and Esperanza wins, the Aztecs will take second place in league.

Yorba Linda took the first lead of the game in the second inning with an RBI single from Jacob Talbott.

The Wildcats tied the game in the third inning when a balk was called on an attempted pick-off throw by Yorba Linda pitcher JJ Conrad. That allowed Christian Altamirano to score from third base.

Postgame interview with Yorba Linda coach Mike Case as the Mustangs win their first ever league title!@ocvarsity @YLHSathletics @Ylhs_Baseball @ylhigh pic.twitter.com/tLTSolGjI9

— Manny Alvarez (@MAlvarez02) April 26, 2023

Brea Olinda added a run in each of the next two innings, thanks to RBI doubles from Tanner Lo and Dustin Robinson, to make it 3-1.

The Mustangs took control in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a six-run inning where they sent 11 batters to the plate.

Yorba Linda scored a run on an RBI single from Jackson Magni that sent Josh Garza home to make it 3-2.

The Mustangs loaded the bases with one-out for Garrett Allen. He hit a fly ball that was dropped in the outfield and a run scored to make it 3-3.

Talbott cleared the bases with a double to give Yorba Linda a 6-3 lead.

Yorba Linda’s Jacob Talbott went went 2 for 3 with four RBIs in a 7-3 victory over Brea Olinda that clinched the North Hills League title Tuesday. (Photo by Manny Alvarez)

“I had to do something for the team,” Talbott said. “Bases loaded, had to come up and take a deep breath and just do my job.”

Talbott eventually scored on an RBI single from Raymond Kim.

The big inning was all Conrad needed.

He threw six innings, struck out nine, walked one and gave up three runs to get the win.

“It’s great having guys like that and having my back,” Conrad said. “They gave me great run support. It wasn’t my best start, I gave up a couple runs, but they picked me up today and got it done. I just go out there and do what’s best for my team.”

Yorba Linda’s JJ Conrad pitched six innings, struck out nine and gave up three runs in a victory over Brea Olinda 7-3 that clinched the North Hills League title. (Photo by Manny Alvarez)

Talbott went 2 for 3 with four RBIs and a double, while Garza, Magni and Jayden Flaig each went 2 for 4.

Related Articles

For the Wildcats, Lo went 2 for 3 with an RBI double and Sam Dunbar went 2 for 3.

Nicco Rodriguez threw 4 1/3 innings for Brea Olinda.

“We’re just going to try to play hard,” Brea Olinda coach Rich Pohle said of Thursday’s game. “That’s all we can do. We had the hammer and we let it slip. We just have to play our best game, and hopefully Esperanza loses on Thursday.”

​ Orange County Register 

Former OC Sheriff’s deputy accused of showing teens obscene video gets diversion program instead of jail

• April 26, 2023

A former Orange County sheriff’s deputy accused of showing teens an obscene video at Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo was granted a request Tuesday to have his case diverted to a court-ordered program that allows him to avoid any jail time and petition to have the charge dismissed.

Former Deputy Justin Ramirez was charged with distributing or exhibiting pornography to a minor, according to court records. Ramirez, who was a school resource officer at the time, resigned from his position.

The court-initiated misdemeanor diversion program allows for defendants to perform community service or take a course and then after completing it petition to have the case dismissed.

Ramirez is accused of showing pornography to a teenage girl on Sept. 2.

The alleged victim’s attorney, Michael Guisti, filed a claim, which is a necessary precursor to a lawsuit, with the county last month.

Ramirez was not assigned to Trabuco Hills High School, but was in his patrol vehicle in the school’s parking lot near the lunch tables when he was showing teens “pornography that depicted sexual and violent acts including one of the sexual participants being stabbed to death,” according to the claim.

Two other students asked the alleged victim and two other girls if they wanted to see some “bad videos a cop was showing in his car,” according to the claim.

The teen was “shocked and horrified at what she saw,” according to the claim.

When the girl, who was 14 at the time, got home she told her mother, who “was struck with fear, anger and extreme emotional distress,” according to the claim.

The mother called authorities and asked that the deputy not respond to the call, according to the claim. But Ramirez was sent on Sept. 5 with another deputy to respond to the complaint, according to the claim.

The woman “reported the incident to Ramirez and relayed to Ramirez all the details of her personal life, including the fact that she and (her daughter) lived alone in their home,” according to the claim.

“On Sept. 13, 2022, an Orange County sheriff’s captain and an assistant sheriff came to (the woman’s) home and told her that Ramirez was not only the deputy who came to her home, but he was also the same deputy who had shown the explicit pornography to (the teen) and the other minors,” according to the claim.

“Later that same day, Sheriff (Don) Barnes personally called (the mother) and apologized to her for what happened. Sheriff Barnes assured her that Ramirez was not on active duty.”

The mother was informed that Ramirez’s gun and badge had been taken from him, according to the claim.

The mother became more frightened when she learned Ramirez was a defendant in a federal lawsuit that was settled that alleged he was involved in a violent struggle with a suspect who died, according to the claim.

“This pervert is targeting minors and showing them pornography that is both sexual and violent in nature,” the victim’s mother said in a statement released by Guisti.

“I want him off the street,” she added. “He was in a position of trust so that he could protect people in Orange County. But he abused his power and authority in the worst possible way. No child should ever see what this sheriff’s deputy showed my daughter.”

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the video showed a woman being stabbed to death and a video exhibiting “graphic drug use.”

Ramirez was a defendant in a federal wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the in-custody death of Chong Tok “Richard” Rha in La Mirada in 2019. A $1.5 million settlement with the man’s family was approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in October 2021.

Prosecutors cleared Ramirez and Deputy Laurie Schwartz of any criminal conduct in the arrest of Rha. The two were in a violent struggle with Rha as they tried to take him into custody on July 15, 2019.

An autopsy showed Rha had amphetamine, methamphetamine and marijuana in his system. The cause of death was considered accidental and “consistent with cardiac arrhythmia associated with a physical altercation,” according to a report from the District Attorney’s Office.

The doctor who performed the autopsy “concluded that Rha’s cause of death was acute exacerbation of chronic methamphetamine use, and noted as other conditions the struggle with law enforcement and the use of Taser, as well as eosinophilic pneumonia,” according to prosecutors.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Angels score early, bullpen holds lead to secure victory for Griffin Canning

• April 26, 2023

ANAHEIM —Griffin Canning achieved a milestone on Tuesday night, picking up his first victory since June 2021, before he spent a season and a half recovering from a back injury.

But the Angels right-hander wasn’t celebrating his personal success after the Angels’ 5-3 victory over the Oakland A’s.

“I’m just happy the team won,” Canning said. “Doesn’t matter if I get it or somebody else. I want to go out there and give the team the best chance to win.”

Canning added that this was “a really good team win. Some timely hitting, some good defense and the bullpen came in and did a great job.”

The Angels needed all of that after a discouraging 10-inning loss to the hapless A’s on Monday night. After also losing to the last-place Kansas City Royals on Saturday, the Angels were struggling to rack up victories against those two rebuilding teams at the clip they had hoped. They are now 3-2 on the homestand, and 12-12 on the season, with two more games to go against Oakland.

The list of positive developments on Tuesday began with Canning, but most notably included an effective night for the bullpen. The Angels’ two best relievers, Matt Moore and Carlos Estévez, had both been unavailable on Monday, but they split the final nine outs on Tuesday.

“Knowing the way these past few games have been, knowing the team needed me, my guys in the bullpen needed me, it feels great to go out there and show everyone that ‘Hey, I got your back,’” said Estévez, who recorded the final five outs. “I’m here. I can do it.”

They secured a victory for Canning, who was charged with three runs in five-plus innings. One of the runs scored after he was out of the game.

“A lot of things are feel for him, with the breaking stuff and the changeup,” Manager Phil Nevin said. “You take almost two years off, it’s hard to get that back. It takes some time. But he’s been really good for us.”

Canning has worked at least five innings in all three games, but he hasn’t yet finished the sixth inning. He allowed two runs in each of his first two starts.

“I feel great,” Canning said. “I feel like I’m finding my breaking pitches a little bit earlier in each game. A lot of positives.”

Canning gave up a run in the first and then cruised through three innings. In the fifth, he began to show some signs of trouble, allowing a homer to Shea Langeliers and a single to No. 9 hitter Kevin Smith, both on misplaced off-speed pitches.

Canning also threw three of his slowest five fastballs of the game, which is a sign Nevin often cites when explaining why he pulls pitchers. Nevin left Canning out to face right-hander Brent Rooker leading off the sixth, and he gave up a double.

Related Articles

With two lefties due in the next three hitters, left-hander Aaron Loup entered. He got two outs before giving up a run-scoring double to right-handed pinch-hitter Jordan Diaz.

That run cut the Angels’ lead to 4-3, which is tighter than it seemed the game would be after the Angels began the game with four runs in the first inning.

Facing flame-throwing right-hander Mason Miller in his second major league start, the Angels saw a steady stream of 100 mph fastballs.

Mike Trout doubled down the right field line. An out later, Anthony Rendon walked. Both scored when Brandon Drury’s hit dropped in front of center fielder Esteury Ruiz and rolled to the warning track. Luis Rengifo then knocked in Drury and stole second, and Gio Urshela drove in Rengifo.

Taylor Ward knocked in an insurance run with a two-out single in the sixth. Ward, who also singled in the second, had been in a 5-for-43 slump.

​ Orange County Register 

Balanced Oilers pounce on Kings’ miscues for 3-2 series lead

• April 26, 2023

EDMONTON, Alberta — What not to do when you are trying to regain lost momentum …

• Take an early penalty.

• Continue to take penalties against the league’s best power play.

That hardly covered the Kings’ error-riddled performance in Game 5 on Tuesday night – a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place – but that is a decent start at getting the general idea across.

The early messaging?

“Move on,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “That’s obviously not good enough, wasn’t close to good enough. Probably doesn’t get you a win in Game 2 of the regular season. So move on.”

Said Kings captain Anze Kopitar: “I just think we’ve got to play more assertive right from the start. It’s the start that we didn’t want tonight and didn’t need.

“More desperate and a lot more assertive.”

The Oilers now lead the best-of-seven, first-round playoff series 3-2. A year ago, the Kings were the team that held a 3-2 series lead before the Oilers went on to win in seven games in the opening round.

This time, there is a sizable gap in the schedule as Game 6 is on Saturday at Cyrpto.com Arena, which conceivably could help the Kings regroup, reset … or whatever word you want to use.

One Kings player who will need the rest and plenty of ice is Drew Doughty, who blocked a Connor McDavid shot in the second period and looked to be in discomfort. Doughty stayed in the game but didn’t quite look like his usual self.

Another looming issue: Which Kings goaltender should get the start for the elimination game?

That will be one of the many questions facing the Kings leading up to Game 6. Starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was pulled at 11:49 of the second period for Pheonix Copley after allowing four goals on 19 shots. Copley faced eight shots and allowed two goals in what was his first NHL playoff game.

“They do a good job every night,” Kings forward Adrian Kempe said. “(Korpisalo) has been playing great for us all series. We can’t ask too much from them. Obviously, it’s hard to come in, in this building, for (Copley), who hadn’t played in a little while. We’ve got to be better in front of them, for sure.”

The other Kings player making his NHL playoff debut was defenseman Sean Walker, who drew in for veteran Alexander Edler. Walker got the word on Monday that he would be in the lineup for Game 5. Walker missed almost all of the 2021-22 season with torn knee ligaments which required surgery.

“It’s great,” Walker said of making his playoff debut. “Obviously would have been nice to be with the guys last year. With the injury and all, I couldn’t. But I was happy to get in there. Hopefully, next game can contribute a little more to helping the team get a win.”

The winning recipe for Edmonton went well beyond the McDavid/Leon Draisaitl Show. Thirteen different Oilers landed on the scoresheet, including McDavid, who had two assists, and Draisaitl, who scored his sixth goal of the series. Nick Bjugstad scored twice, his first goals of the series.

The Oilers scored three times in the first period, twice in the second and once in the third. They went 2 for 3 on the power play, and the Kings, who didn’t get their first power play until the third period, went 0 for 1 with the man advantage.

The Kings got goals from Alex Iafallo and Kempe, both in the first period, and Quinton Byfield, in the third. It was Byfield’s first career playoff goal. Kempe had the primary assist on Iafallo’s goal, which pulled the Kings to 2-1 at 13:12.

Byfield started the game on the first line and dropped to the third line by the end of the first period and then the fourth line, by virtue of a dreadful defensive effort in the first period. He was minus-two after the first 20 minutes, on the ice for the Oilers’ second and third goals.

That the Kings were only trailing 3-2 after the first period had a lot to do with the collective effort leading to Iafallo’s goal and the stellar individual showing by Kempe, who cut their deficit to one goal. It also had plenty to do with a mistake-filled showing by Edmonton in the opening period.

“It was overwhelming early in the game but when we made it 3-2 – we had an opportunity to get back in,” McLellan said. “The fourth one really hurt us obviously. From there, there was no catching up.”

It didn’t take a long, winding summation to break down what went wrong.

“There was some defensive zone stuff,” McLellan said. “The first two low goals, we were beat in certain situations. Two on the power play again. And that’s the night.”

That the Oilers rallied from a similar deficit a year ago is not applicable.

“We have to write our own stories,” McLellan said. “We can’t rely on what they did to us last year. … I’m sure their coach was saying the same thing last year. We have to bring our best to Game 6 to even have an opportunity at the series.

“And I’m confident our group can do that.”

​ Orange County Register 

UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson awaits NFL draft, future

• April 26, 2023

Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson spent the past five years at UCLA proving he belongs on the biggest of stages, including the NFL.

The Bruins’ former quarterback will be in Las Vegas this week as he waits to hear his name called during the NFL draft and have one of his dreams come true.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” Thompson-Robinson said. “Now that it’s finally here, it’s super special to be able to spend time back home with my family. It’s going to be a big week and we are excited about it.”

UCLA coach Chip Kelly has been one of the biggest believers in Thompson-Robinson, a player he didn’t originally recruit, by giving him the opportunity to play as a true freshman and earn the starting role.

“He’s given everything for the last five years,” Kelly said. “He’s a special player and will go down in UCLA history as one of the tough and competitive guys that had the opportunity to put the uniform on.”

Thompson-Robinson is one of the most experienced quarterbacks eligible for the draft, having set UCLA career records for completions (860), passing yards (10,710), and touchdowns (88). He’s also the Bruins’ all-time leader in total offense with 12,536 yards and is the only player in program history to reach 12,000.

“Nothing fazed him and he stayed true to himself the whole time and never questioned himself,” said former UCLA offensive lineman Atonio Mafi. “I’ll always respect him for that. It takes a lot of guts to be a quarterback in L.A., especially the (early) years we had there.

“It was really rough but I truly think he left that position room a lot better than he found it.”

While Kelly had encouraged Thompson-Robinson to leave after the 2021 season, the quarterback took advantage of the extra year of eligibility that the NCAA granted all student-athletes because of the COVID-19 pandemic and led the Bruins to a 9-4 overall record and an appearance in the Sun Bowl.

He spent his final season building a professional mindset for himself, moving off campus and taking strides to learn some of the off-the-field aspects that come with being a future professional athlete.

Thompson-Robinson, who projects as an early Day 3 selection (fifth round) in the seven-round draft, also worked closely with former NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer and his stable of NFL prospects in Orange County, following the conclusion of his college career.

“Dorian is a guy, he’s intelligent and played a lot of football,” Palmer said on the Rich Eisen Show in February. “I think he’s one of the top 10 playmakers in this draft in terms of a dude with the ball in his hands and making something happen but he’s a pocket passer.”

Palmer’s stable of quarterbacks includes potential first-round picks Will Levis of Kentucky and Hendon Hooker of Tennessee.

“I am enough,” Thompson-Robinson said about what he’s learned about himself through the draft process. “Sometimes as athletes, we like to compare ourselves. … I got to compare myself firsthand to a lot of guys and know that I have enough skills and talent to make it and do what it takes at the next level.”

The “I am enough” mantra that the quarterback has reiterated throughout the process also applied when Thompson-Robinson was willing to go above and beyond to show teams what all he has to offer.

Thompson-Robinson has displayed his ability as a dual-threat quarterback during the 50 college games he played by running with the football and occasionally hurdling a defender to extend plays. He finished his college career rushing for 1,826 yards and 28 touchdowns on 471 carries.

He also spent time as a receiver in high school and was willing to display that ability in front of scouts but was declined the opportunity.

Related Articles

“A lot went into the decision,” Thompson-Robinson said about wanting to showcase his abilities outside of what is expected of a quarterback. “Obviously, I wanted to create the most value for myself going into the league and give myself the best chance to get on to the field.

“That was kind of the thought process but it really speaks volumes to what I’ve put on tape and the things I’ve been able to accomplish at UCLA that teams don’t want to see me at any other position besides quarterback.”

Thompson-Robinson said he has met with the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chargers among other teams in recent weeks.

“I think they are getting a guy that’s chasing consistency,” Thompson-Robinson said. “That’s the thing that will keep you around the longest. … They’re getting a hard worker and someone who will represent them well.”

​ Orange County Register