Angels hope to ride their young core toward contention

• March 24, 2025

Ron Washington does not hold back when considering what his young core of players can become in 2025.

Even though their accomplishments last season were not enough to prevent the team from setting a franchise record with 99 losses, the Angels’ manager has no trouble looking at many of those same players and seeing much more.

And he wants everyone else to see the same thing.

“They’ve been through it already where you allowed them to show you they can get better,” Washington said. “Now, they have to deal with expectations, and I would like you to put expectations on them.

“They are at the point now where they’ve been through it. If what they’ve done already is their ceiling, we’re in trouble.”

The projections have the Angels enduring another losing season in 2025. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2014 and haven’t had a winning season since 2015. The addition of 30-and-older pitchers like Yusei Kikuchi, Kyle Hendricks and Kenley Jansen and hitters Jorge Soler and Travis d’Arnaud have not moved the needle much. Players at that age are generally expected to get worse.

The Angels’ hope for improvement is from the other end of the roster. If the Angels are to surprise the baseball world and have a winning season or even make the playoffs, it will be because the core of 25-and-under players took the steps forward that Washington is expecting.

And they’re expecting it too.

“I feel that way, 100%,” said shortstop Zach Neto, the 24-year-old who is the heart of that core. “We know what we have in here building for the future. I think it’s going to be something special.”

Angels general manager Perry Minasian answered more cautiously when asked if it’s realistic to expect significant jumps from their young core players.

“I hope so,” Minasian said. “With the talent they have, the sky’s the limit. Does that happen this year? I don’t know. Obviously everybody has different time frames. You’re going to go through some adversity. But we believe with the group we have and the group we have coming, and what we surrounded them with this offseason, the caliber of player and person, we’re only hoping to enhance that particular group.”

The core is undoubtedly Neto, 25-year-old catcher Logan O’Hoppe and 23-year-old first baseman Nolan Schanuel.

Last season, those players had varying degrees of success. None of them were All-Stars or Silver Slugger winners. None of them received even a single MVP vote. None of them made an MLB Network list of the top 100 players in the majors right now.

But recent history suggests that their performance bodes well for the type of players they could become.

Neto was one of just 18 position players in the last 15 seasons who produced at least 5 Wins Above Replacement in his age-23 season, according to Baseball-Reference. Of the other 17, only one hasn’t made at least one All-Star team in his career.

Schanuel is one of only 34 position players in the last 15 seasons to have an OPS+ of 100 or better in his age-22 season. From that list, 28 players went on to become All-Stars, and one of the ones who didn’t was the Rookie of the Year, Michael Harris II.

O’Hoppe is one of just three catchers in the last 15 years to have an OPS+ of at least 100 in his age-24 season. The other two both became All-Stars.

Each of those three has specific goals to take the next step.

O’Hoppe hit .244 with 20 home runs and a .712 OPS last season, but those numbers cratered after his OPS peaked at .826 around midseason.

“There’s a lot I need to improve on,” O’Hoppe said. “I would say managing at-bats, and really my catching in general, especially when I’m not feeling my best. How can I get a professional, productive at-bat out of myself if I’m not feeling well? And how can I keep a clear mind behind the plate, even when I’m not feeling well at the plate?”

Neto hit .249 with 23 home runs, 30 stolen bases and a .761 OPS. Neto, who is starting the season on the injured list because of rehab from shoulder surgery, said he expects to improve as long as he stays on the field.

“Just being healthy throughout, and building off the the year I had,” Neto said. “Last year I took a huge step from what I did my first year. Just trying not to be an (inconsistent) player. I’m trying to stay on that rise.”

Schanuel hit .250 with 13 homers and a .706 OPS. His slugging percentage was just .362, which is low for a corner infielder, so he spent his winter trying to improve his bat speed and exit velocity.

“I think I put a lot of time and effort into it this offseason, and seeing some progress already in spring training,” Schanuel said. “Seeing a step forward is definitely a good sign.”

While Neto, O’Hoppe and Schanuel are clearly the key players in the young core, there are others who have shown flashes of good performances while still not being in their prime years. A player’s best years are generally when he is 27 to 29.

Right-hander José Soriano, 26, posted a 3.42 ERA in his first year as a major-league starting pitcher. Right-hander Ben Joyce, 24, had a 2.08 ERA and established himself as a high-leverage reliever.

Others like outfielders Jo Adell (25) and Mickey Moniak (26) and pitchers Reid Detmers (25) and Jack Kochanowicz (24) have less of a track record of success, but they are still young enough for the Angels to see the possibility of breakouts.

Of course, none of that is certain. And Angels fans have earned the right to be skeptical.

Some players start their careers on a star trajectory and stall or even get worse. Some get hurt. Some take years to break through.

Two of the Angels’ everyday players are perfect examples. Taylor Ward didn’t have a 100 OPS+ season until his age-26 season, and his breakout season – a 136 OPS+ in 2022 – came as a 28-year-old. Luis Rengifo didn’t look like much until his age-25 season, and his subsequent improvement has been small. He’s now 28.

Caveats like that suggest that the Angels’ true window to win might not open this year. It might be in 2026 or 2027, when O’Hoppe, Neto and Schanuel are closer to their primes, and joined by players like Christian Moore (22), Caden Dana (21), George Klassen (23) and whoever they take with the No. 2 overall pick in this summer’s draft.

But Washington is counting on significant steps this season.

“It could be a surprise team, but I won’t be surprised,” Washington said. “I expect it. Put expectations on them. If you can’t deal with expectations, how can you be successful?”

​ Orange County Register 

The best bleach for laundry and home cleaning

• March 24, 2025

Which bleaches are best?

Whether chlorine-based or peroxide-based, bleach is one of the most versatile household chemicals you can keep on hand for everything from stain removal to sanitation. Many other cleaning products include bleach in their formulas because manufacturers know how powerful it is.

As helpful as bleach can be, it must be handled with care to avoid any potential damage to dyed clothing or delicate materials. Undiluted bleach, especially chlorine-based brands, can be very caustic and should be treated like any other household chemical.

We’ve taken a fresh look at our shortlist of favorite bleaches, and our updated list contains a familiar alternative bleach in the top spot, as well as a new form of an old favorite. Rounding out our picks is a liquid alternative bleach favored by many professional cleaners.

What to know before you buy bleach

How bleach works

In chemistry terms, all bleaches are considered oxidizers, meaning they introduce oxygen to the cleaning process. This oxygenation is what causes stains to disappear and white clothing to appear whiter. Bleach is also alkaline, which means it does not have a corrosive effect on surfaces like an acid-based solvent can.

Types of household bleach

There are essentially two forms of household bleach: those with chlorine and those without.

• Chlorine bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, a powerful base. When many people think of laundry bleach, they envision a strong-smelling liquid poured over white clothing or added to a bucket of mop water before mopping. Chlorine bleach has become a familiar chemical in most households, but it isn’t always the safest choice for every cleaning chore.
• Nonchlorinated bleaches use hydrogen peroxide for oxygenation, and the result is often promoted as a bleach alternative. Hydrogen peroxide is not as caustic as sodium hypochlorite and generally does not contain a strong chemical odor. It’s effective as a stain remover, and the hydrogen peroxide doesn’t affect the dyes used in colored clothing. However, bleach alternatives are often criticized for not being as effective as traditional chlorine-based bleaches.

Forms of bleach

The form of bleach product can also vary widely from brand to brand. In general, bleach can be purchased in the same forms as laundry detergent.

Liquid bleach is often diluted and packaged in gallon-sized plastic containers. Powdered bleach may be in a box or packaged in single-use pouches. There are also bleach pods for use in washing machines and crystals designed to dissolve in water to reduce splashing.

How much does household bleach cost?

The price of household bleach depends largely on the formulation and the packaging. Standard liquid chlorine bleach can cost as little as $4 a bottle, while bleach alternatives are often a little more expensive. Liquids are usually less expensive than powders or gels, while pods are the most expensive form per ounce.

Bleach FAQ

Do all bleach products kill germs?

A. Disinfection is certainly one reason why people choose to add bleach to their laundry or housecleaning arsenal, but not all bleach products are promoted as disinfectants. Read the product label carefully to determine if a particular product is formulated to kill germs or disinfect surfaces.

Can I use diluted bleach to sanitize my stainless-steel countertops and metal cookware?

A. Chlorine bleach is corrosive by nature, and it will cause almost all metals to oxidize (form rust). It reacts with the chromium and steel in a stainless-steel countertop, refrigerator door, or stainless-steel cookware. Only use cleaning products specifically approved for use on metal surfaces.

What is the best bleach to buy?

Top bleach

OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover Powder

What you need to know: This versatile bleach can be used for a lot more than just laundry.

What you’ll love: It works on multiple household surfaces, and the powder mixes easily with water for general stain removal. It’s also very effective as a pre-laundry stain lifter.

What you should consider: It’s not entirely color-safe and can fade fabrics. It also has a very strong fragrance.

Top bleach for the money

Clorox Zero Splash Bleach Crystals

What you need to know: These bleach crystal packs are premeasured, so you can make sure you get the right amount of bleach every time.

What you’ll love: The crystal formula doesn’t splash until mixed with liquid. It works well as a water treatment. It kills bacteria, mold and viruses on contact. It’s also lighter than liquid bleach.

What you should consider: The crystals may not dissolve completely; some people reported lingering residue.

Worth checking out

Clorox Performance Bleach

What you need to know: This classic bleach is designed especially for high-efficiency washing machines but also works well as a household cleaner.

What you’ll love: It’s thick and concentrated, so it does a good job of getting stains out. It also has an easy-grip handle to minimize spills. It’s also unscented.

What you should consider: Some people had issues with the bottle leaking.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

​ Orange County Register 

Swanson: UCLA’s Lauren Betts is a great player – and more than that too

• March 24, 2025

LOS ANGELES — This doesn’t seem like something Lauren Betts would say, she’s much too nice.

But I will: Cry, haters. You dummies.

Lately, Betts – the UCLA women’s basketball team’s 6-foot-7 All-American junior center – has been sharing her story with the world. She told reporters from ESPN and Sports Illustrated what it was like to grow up as an exceptionally tall girl, 6 feet tall in middle school and 6-5 by the time she reached high school.

How she was teased and made fun of and bullied. How even today people comment on her height as if she can’t hear them, or take selfies of themselves standing in front of her without even asking her – as if she’s an architectural marvel and not a human being with working ears.

And how that took a toll over the years, ate away at her confidence.

Lately, though, the 21-year-old from Centennial, Colorado, has been the self-assured center of attention capable of giving confidence. Because the Bruins can walk onto the court every game knowing they have Lauren Betts and nobody else does.

And Betts is the ultimate break-in-case-of-emergency weapon.

A human cheat code the Bruins can spam whenever they’re in a jam.

An all-time great at a school known for giving us all-time greats – that’s according to former Lakers great-turned broadcaster Mychal Thompson, who watched Sunday night’s game and then shared his UCLA center rankings on social media: “1) Kareem… 2) Walton… 3) Lauren Betts…”

Betts’ reaction: “That’s just crazy. Thank you.”

I wouldn’t dare diminish her magnificent 30-point, 14-rebound, four-assist, two-block performance in UCLA’s rousing 84-67 second-round NCAA Tournament victory over Richmond on Sunday by calling it a revenge game of any sort.

But, dang, was it cold. And it sure was sweet.

UCLA is on its way back to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season because it found another gear after going into halftime tied 36-36 on Sunday. Because the Bruins executed Coach Cori Close’s adjustments. Because of a dream third period when the Bruins both caught fire and doused the hot-shooting Spiders, outscoring them 29-7. Because Kiki Rice hit a career-high four 3-pointers.

And because all of those factors complemented – or were made possible – by Betts.

“We really didn’t have an answer for her,” Richmond’s Addie Budnik said. “Obviously.

“It’s tough to guard her down there,” she continued. “If you front it, she’s going to throw it over. If you’re behind, she’s going to bury you. So she really took advantage of that.”

Said Rice: “As a point guard, knowing that I can throw the ball up to Lauren, I think one of the best things about her is her hands and how she catches every pass. Lauren makes the game easy for everyone.”

Proficient box-score readers can tell you: Sometimes, especially in well-contested games, it all comes down to which team went to the free-throw line most, or hit its 3s, or scored more points off turnovers.

Or, in UCLA’s case, which team had Lauren Betts; she was 14 for 17 from the field in a game when the rest of her teammates finished 18 for 53.

Richmond is fortunate the Bruins didn’t go to Betts even more often.

“An absolute generational player,” Close said of Betts, the unanimous Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, who capably patrolled the paint and the perimeter against the normally adept-scoring Spiders, helping disrupt their offense while avoiding foul trouble (she was charged with just one in 32 minutes).

“She is not just a low-post player,” Close added. “I mean, watch her move out there. The way that she guarded and switched … the way that she chased people at 6-7 – and she’s really 6-8 by the way. Just an elite player. She has basketball IQ. She’s incredibly competitive. She affects the game in so many ways on offense and defense. The list goes on and on.”

And it’s topped, Close said, by Betts being brave enough to open up about the times in her life that left her feeling small.

“That the biggest difference you’re seeing in her performance out there is that she doesn’t only see herself as a basketball player anymore,” Close said. “And because of that, because her identity is not only as a basketball player anymore, she’s actually freed up to master her craft at a different level.”

She’s operating on the level that won’t soon be forgotten, especially not by the teams whose paths cross hers.

“She had a hell of a night,” Richmond’s Budnik said. “And she’s going to continue to do that throughout the tournament.”

​ Orange County Register 

UC Irvine fends off Jacksonville State to reach NIT quarterfinals

• March 24, 2025

IRVINE — The UC Irvine men’s basketball team found itself in a back-and-forth battle against a feisty Jacksonville State squad on Sunday night, but the Anteaters took control with a late surge to win the NIT second-round game, 66-61, at the Bren Events Center.

Neither team was able to maintain momentum for very long, but top-seeded UCI outscored the Gamecocks 13-6 in the final 5:20 to pull away. The Anteaters went 7 for 7 at the free-throw line down the stretch, while Jacksonville shot 3 for 7 at the foul line, to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the 32-team tournament.

UCI (30-6) will play host to UAB on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Blazers defeated Santa Clara, 88-84, on Sunday at Santa Clara, which was the No. 2 seed in this quarter of the bracket.

“I’m super proud of my squad,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “With tonight’s performance, to gut it out against a really fine Jacksonville State team, who put up a great fight.”

Justin Hohn scored a season-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers, and made several key shots and free throws to help UCI close out the win.

“Honestly, I kind of just get lost in it in a good way,” said Hohn, who shot 7 for 15 from the field and 4 for 5 from the free-throw line. “I’m just out there competing with my brothers who have been in a handful of them for multiple years.”

With the victory, UCI reached a significant milestone, securing the second 30-win season in program history, both of which have come under Turner. The Anteaters are just the eighth team in the nation to reach 30 wins this season.

“I know how rare that is,” said Turner, whose 2018-19 squad went 31-6 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. “I know that milestone doesn’t get reached often and we’re still playing. We’re going to have another home game and I’m excited for that for this community.”

UCI’s Ben Egbo scored on back-to-back layups, with the second coming on an outstanding pass from Devin Tillis to give the Anteaters a 53-47 lead with nine minutes left.

But the Anteaters couldn’t build on the momentum and gave up a 6-0 run that allowed the Gamecocks (23-13) to tie the score again.

UCI center Bent Leuchten scored on a baby hook, was fouled and hit the free throw for a 56-55 lead with 5:20 left. After Jacksonville came up empty on a key possession, Tillis scored on a second-chance attempt for a 58-55 lead, then Leuchten hit a pair of free throws for a five-point lead with just over four minutes left.

UCI led 62-58 with 90 seconds remaining when Jacksonville’s Mason Nicholson missed a pair of free throws. The Anteaters ran the clock down on the ensuing possession and grabbed an offensive rebound that allowed them to take even more time off the clock.

From there, it was a matter of making free throws to put the game away, with Myles Che and Hohn each making a pair in the final 37 seconds.

“Credit to them for the energy and effort that they laid out there on a really tough travel game for them,” Turner said of the Gamecocks. “That was a big factor in tonight’s game. We wore them down and made the plays that we needed to make at the end of the game.”

Leuchten finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Che had 11 points and Tillis grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for UCI, which lost to UC San Diego in the Big West Tournament title game.

The Gamecocks’ Jason Pierre, a redshirt senior who came in averaging 21.8 points per game and scored 30 in an 81-64 first-round upset of Georgia Tech, had 15 points and 11 rebounds to pace Jacksonville on Sunday.

UCI – in the NIT for the third consecutive year – is making its ninth appearance in the event overall, but this is the Anteaters’ first appearance as one of the four No. 1 seeds.

The Anteaters’ 82-72 first-round victory over Northern Colorado last week was their first NIT win since an 80-74 victory over UCLA on March 13, 1986.

Jacksonville State lost to Liberty, 79-67, in the Conference USA Tournament title game.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump adopts the Democrats’ terrible Yemen policy

• March 24, 2025

President Trump ordered dozens of air raids on many targets spread around the country of Yemen. The US military claimed the strikes killed “multiple” leaders of the group Ansar Allah, better known as the Houthis. As many as fifty-three people were killed by the bombs, including some women and children.

The Houthis had ceased their attempted blockade of Israeli shipping off Yemen’s coast in the Red Sea after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire back in January. But after Israel blocked the entry of aid and all other goods into Gaza two weeks ago, the Houthis announced last week that they would resume their “ban” on Israeli ships entering the waters around Yemen. It appears Trump bombed Yemen in response to this announcement.

Former President Biden had taken the exact same approach in response to the Houthi’s blockade. Trump’s actions over the weekend make it clear he intends to continue Biden’s Yemen policy. And it isn’t the first time Trump followed a Democrat’s lead on Yemen.

Just like the current government of Ukraine, the Houthis rode a wave of mass protests back in 2014 and seized control of the capital city and the vast majority of the country’s populated territory, causing the previous president to flee. The leaders of Saudi Arabia were upset about that because the previous president—Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi—was a close ally of theirs. So, they launched a war in 2015 to try and put him back in power.

At the time, the Obama administration had just negotiated the JCPOA, or Iran Nuclear Deal, and knew the Saudis were upset about it. The monarchs in Riyadh didn’t want the US cozying up with Iran, their chief rival in the region. So, to make the Saudis a little less mad, Obama decided to support their war in Yemen.

At the time, that was somewhat of a stab in the back as the US had been working with the Houthis—who were, by then, the de facto government of Yemen—to fight al Qaeda. But by that point, the Obama administration effectively fighting on al Qaeda’s side was nothing new, so the US switched sides without much of the American public even noticing.

The Saudi war on Yemen was brutal. It involved a heavy air campaign—aimed mainly at civilian infrastructure—a ground offensive, and a savage blockade that kept food and medicine from the Yemeni people. Effectively, the Saudis put Yemen under siege, thinking that if the population began starving and dying of easily curable diseases, they’d turn against their new government and overthrow it on behalf of the Saudis. But as the “war” entered its second year, the plight of the Yemeni people got worse, and Obama left the White House; the siege strategy did not appear to be working.

That is the situation Trump inherited when he took office in 2017. And what did he do? He continued Obama’s policy and supported the Saudi war for every single day of his first term. The US-Saudi siege of Yemen lasted for seven years in total. It killed at least 377,000 people. Many died from cholera—a disease that didn’t even require medicine to cure, only clean water. 70 percent of those killed were children under five years old.

Trump bridging the gap between Democratic presidents by continuing their horrific Yemen policy was the most shameful thing he did in his first term. And when it ended in 2022, the Houthis remained in power. The political outcome was the same as it would have been had Trump ended it on day one—only now with a lot more hatred being directed towards the United States.

Today, we again find ourselves at the beginning of a Trump term where he has decided to govern exactly like the Democrats before him when it comes to Yemen.

Of course, a lot of Republicans don’t feel that way because they’re being tricked into returning to a George W. Bush-era mindset where Democrats are weak and timid on the world stage while Republicans are tough and firm and willing to bomb the hell out of anyone who stands in their way.

But the defining characteristic of Biden’s foreign policy was not weakness; it was recklessness.

His administration botched the withdrawal from Afghanistan. First, he unnecessarily changed the timeline of Trump’s deal with the Taliban, setting the stage for a Taliban advance while Americans were still there. Then, Biden and his team refused to admit that the nation-building mission had been a complete failure and ran with the lie that the regime in Kabul would hold until they were forced to scramble to pull the last Americans out.

Later, Biden refused to engage with Russian concerns about America’s anti-Kremlin policies in Ukraine and Belarus, which helped hand Putin enough public support in Russia to invade Ukraine in 2022. He then helped scuttle an early peace plan and encouraged the Ukrainians to instead wage the exact kind of conventional artillery war in which Russia was always going to have the advantage.

And finally, after Hamas killed hundreds of Israeli civilians and took hundreds of hostages in October of 2023, Biden unquestioningly backed the Likudnik hard-liners who used the attack as an excuse to level Gaza—including the buildings and tunnels where the hostages were being held.

That approach handed people like the Houthis an easy PR win in the region for using what little leverage they had over a part of a shipping lane to try and stop it. In response, of course, Biden tried to stop the Houthis by dropping bombs. But doing so only emboldened the Houthis and gave them more credibility with the Yemeni people.

When it came to foreign policy, Biden was not some spineless wimp or starry-eyed peacenik. His administration intervened heavily and violently in multiple conflicts at the same time. And every one of the reckless interventions led to more chaos, more violence, and a more dangerous world for the American people. Trump abandoning the mandate for change that carried him back into the White House to instead follow Biden’s lead on Yemen is a bad sign of what’s to come. Because continuing down this path would be a tremendous mistake.

Connor O’Keeffe (@ConnorMOKeeffe) produces media and content at the Mises Institute. This commentary is reprinted with permission from the Mises Institute.

​ Orange County Register 

Kings dominate again in win over Boston

• March 24, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Two teams headed in opposite directions in the standings met in a lopsided matchup as the Kings bested the Boston Bruins 7-2 Sunday evening at Crypto.com Arena.

With both teams on the second halves of back-to-backs, early play was marked by turnovers and odd-man rushes before the Kings, coming off a 7-2 win over Carolina, put another touchdown on Boston’s net in just 23 shots.

The Bruins opened the scoring just seconds off the opening faceoff, with a turnover at the blueline making its way to Elias Lindholm, who went forehand to backhand to tuck it past goalie Darcy Kuemper.

Kings Captain Anže Kopitar answered just 2:14 later, sprung by a tape-to-tape pass from Adrian Kempe, freezing Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman for his 18th tally of the season.

Warren Foegele sent the Kings to the first intermission up 2-1 on his 100th career goal, a backdoor tap-in at 19:31 off the hard work behind the net of Phillip Danault. Trevor Lewis had the secondary assist in his first game since the March 5 shootout loss to the Blues. Lewis entered the lineup for Trevor Moore, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Play tightened up and grew more physical in the second period, with even the netminders getting into it. Officials stepped in to stop a tilt between Kuemper and Swayman at center ice.

Morgan Geekie tied the game in the second on his 25th goal of the season after Pavel Zacha picked off the puck and held it in the zone. It would be the last to get past Kuemper.

The Kings reclaimed the lead at 3-2 with Drew Doughty driving home a rebound kicked by Swayman to the top of the circle. It is his third goal since returning from injury.

The second period ended with the Kings up 4-2 on the second goal in as many nights from Adrei Kuzmenko, who is heating up since being acquired from the Flyers at the trade deadline.

Kevin Fiala found Quinton Byfield in stride as he snuck past the Bruins defense and snapped a wrister past Swayman for his 19th of the season, just one short of a career-high.

Tanner Jeannot and Samuel Helenius took the Kings’ scoring to 7 for the second night in a row.

The win moved the Kings into second in the Pacific Division, tied at 87 points with the Edmonton Oilers. With the league’s best record at home, pulling ahead of the Oilers could be a key factor in winning a possible fourth consecutive first-round matchup between the teams.

The Kings can claim the number two spot (outright) with a win over another Eastern Conference team fighting for a wildcard spot when they host the New York Rangers Tuesday night.

Boston’s loss puts them 6 points out of the last wildcard in the East with just ten games remaining.

​ Orange County Register 

Clippers fall short against Thunder as 5-game winning streak ends

• March 24, 2025

INGLEWOOD — The Clippers beat the top team in the Eastern Conference five days ago, so how difficult could it be to knock off the top team in the Western Conference?

It was harder than it looked.

The Clippers battled until the final seconds on Sunday night but fell short of securing the double feat, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-101, at the Intuit Dome.

Late shots by Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard fell short, leaving the Clippers (40-31) in the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings as they try to get into the top six positions to avoid the Play-In Tournament.

The Clippers started the day in seventh place, percentage points ahead of idle Minnesota Timberwolves.

After squandering a 10-point halftime lead, the Clippers managed to get back into the game and pushed the Thunder down the stretch with neither team backing down.

Trailing 81-77 to start the fourth quarter, the Clippers pulled to within 88-87 on a floater by Ben Simmons.

The lead went back and forth until Leonard gave the Clippers a four-point cushion on back-to-back baskets with 4:47 left to play.

Thunder center Isiah Hartenstein made two free throws to close the gap before James Harden made two foul shots for a 97-94 lead.

After a jump shot by Leonard gave the Clippers a 99-97 lead, Alex Caruso buried a 3-pointer for a 100-99 Thunder lead with 1:54 remaining. A free throw by Caruso made it 101-99.

Derrick Jones Jr. missed the first of two free throws that would have given the Clippers the lead. The Clippers had the ball in the waning seconds down by a point, but James Harden held the ball too late into the shot clock. He passed it off late to Leonard, who threw up a wild turnaround jumper that hit the back of the rim, ending the Clippers’ hopes.

The teams last met Jan. 25, with the Thunder (59-12) winning for the third time this season, just three weeks after Leonard played his first game and long before the trade deadline that reshaped the Clippers’ roster.

“They’re a different team from the last time we saw them. (Now) they are healthy, clicking and playing on all cylinders right now,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “And they’re deep.

“This will be a great test for us.”

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, who returned to the bench, said the challenge in playing the team with the NBA’s best record would be more physical than mental.

“I think we got to understand that this is a really good team,” Lue said before the game. “They’re very well-coached and we can’t beat ourselves.”

Lue had missed seven games while dealing with shoulder and back pain, watching from his bed at home the Clippers knocked off the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies (fifth in the West). Assistant Brian Shaw guided the team to a 6-1 record in Lue’s absence.

While the shoulder and back pain have subsided, Lue said the pain has traveled down to his leg, which caused him to sit at times in during Sunday’s game. He is day-to-day, he said.

“Going crazy. Going crazy. Just laying in bed and not being able to do anything is tough, especially when your team’s fighting and competing,” Lue said. “Pride myself on not missing games and being available every night and just sometimes it doesn’t happen like that.”

Feeling better, Lue was back on the bench only to see the Clippers revert to some bad habits and cling to some positive moves.

There still were 14 turnovers and only seven second-chance points, but Leonard continued his string of solid outings with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Harden gave the Clippers, and a sellout crowd, a scare when he took a fall in the third quarter after Lunguentz Dort appeared to knee him in the thigh. The Clippers’ veteran point guard stayed down for nearly a minute but resumed playing.

Harden finished with 17 points, surpassing Moses Malone for 11th place on the NBA’s career scoring list with 27,415 points, but he shot 4 for 14 from the field with six turnovers.

The Thunder did an effective job on center Ivica Zubac, pestering him inside and limiting his shots and rebounds. He had 15 points and 11 rebounds to extend his stretch of double-doubles.

Lue had cautioned his team about the Thunder’s ability to score in transition, a warning that worked. Sort of.

“They’re a tough team to beat and so we understand that, and we got to be better with the basketball,” Lue said. “We can’t allow ’em to get out and get easy baskets … we can’t beat ourselves.”

The Clippers averaged 22 turnovers in their first three games against Oklahoma City and while they cut down on their mistakes Sunday, the Thunder still were able to score 13 points off their turnovers.

The Clippers were ready for the challenge of facing the third top team they have seen in the span of a week. They jumped out to an early lead while keeping NBA MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in check – he didn’t score for the first 8:38 – and led by 10 (34-24) at the end of the first quarter.

With four of the Clippers’ starters on the bench, the Thunder regained their bearings and led by Aaron Wiggins, outhustled the Clippers to open the second quarter with a 13-0 run, flipping a 10-point deficit to a 39-36 lead. Wiggins scored seven points during the run.

Lue slowly worked the starters back in and the Clippers managed to stay close until Oklahoma City, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, finished the first half with an 8-3 run and took a 57-51 lead into halftime.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the league in scoring, finished with a game-high 26 points (17 in the first half) and eight assists but shot a season-worst 24.1% (7 for 29) from the field as OKC won its sixth straight. Wiggins scored 19 points, while Caruso had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts still battling illness, sits out Freeway Series opener

• March 24, 2025

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers and Angels had all their stars on the field to open the Freeway Series on Sunday save for one of the biggest.

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts was originally expected to play in Sunday’s exhibition game, but he was a late scratch before the Dodgers rallied for a 7-1 victory.

Max Muncy hit a home run for the Dodgers in the victory and minor leaguer Chris Okey had a to-ahead two-run single in the seventh against former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen.

Betts, the Dodgers’ shortstop and No. 2 hitter, continues to have one significant issue following the stomach bug he acquired in Arizona before the team departed for a two-game regular-season series against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo.

Betts said he was at his 175-pound playing weight before his first illness symptoms occurred two days before the trip to Japan, but is now down to 157 pounds and still can’t hold down solid food.

“I’m feeling all right now,” Betts said during Sunday’s game. “I was feeling fine this morning, I got to the park and went about my day. And then I had to throw up again.”

Betts admitted that his spot on the Opening Day roster is in jeopardy since strength and stamina remains an issue and figures to still be a problem be when the season resumes Thursday with the home opener against the Detroit Tigers.

“That’s a rough question just because you go out there and you go play four innings and then put your team at a deficit at that point,” Betts said when asked if he thinks he will be ready to play Thursday. “You don’t really want to do that. And then you put yourself at a deficit. You’re already playing uphill anyway.

“… I’m not saying I don’t want to do it. It’s just, Game 1 of the season. Do I really want to give myself that much of an uphill battle? I mean, sure, if that’s what it takes. But does it logically make sense? That’s the question we need to answer.”

The Dodgers used veteran Miguel Rojas at shortstop in the opening two victories of the season against the Cubs and he again was a late replacement there on Sunday.

Over the past two weeks, Betts said the heaviest thing his stomach has been able to digest is a smoothie. He flew with the team to Japan optimistic that his illness would be short-lived.

“The plane ride was brutal,” Betts said. “That was one of the worst plane rides I’ve ever had. Got there, got one workout in and that was a really bad trip to Tokyo. I came back on another bad plane ride. It hasn’t been anything very encouraging, but it is what it is.”

Betts said that he feels fine physically outside of the inability to keep food down. He estimates that further medical tests might begin if he still isn’t able to eat for a few more days.

“Long term, not too concerned. But with the short term, he’s not to going to play (Monday) night,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s going to get through a full day of a workout here at the stadium and then we’ll see how that day goes. But it’s certainly not ideal as we look at the home opener. So we’ll just kind of take it day by day.”

It’s the same timetable Betts has been hearing since March 10.

“I just want to play, man,” Betts said. “I’m tired of sitting, tired of just throwing up, tired of doing all this stuff. I really just want to play.”

While Betts went through a broken hand that cost him two months last season, his current situation has created an even bigger frustration.

“Yeah, I mean that’s pretty straightforward,” he said. “You just kind of rest and let it do its thing. But this is so touchy man. You think you feel good and then you really don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on in my stomach. You can’t see. I feel good but every time I eat something it just comes right out.”

On the field, Taylor Ward hit a home run for the Angels in the third inning against Dodgers minor leaguer Jackson Ferris. It was the only run the left-hander allowed in 3⅔ innings. Angels right-hander Jose Soriano gave up one run on four hits over 5⅓ innings.

“I feel really good. I was attacking the zone and that was the mentality,” said Soriano, who is expected to start in the season-opening series at Chicago against the White Sox. “I feel great. I’m in great shape. I can go long if that’s what they want.”

The Dodgers scored four more times in the eighth inning with Chris Taylor hitting a two-run double.

​ Orange County Register