Lethargic Lakers lose to Rockets
From Broderick Turner: The Lakers still have control of this first-round series, even after the blow they took from the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
As ugly as their 115-96 loss was, the Lakers still hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.
All the Lakers have to do is win Game 5 on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena and they will advance to the second round.
But they will have to play better than they did in Game 4.
LeBron James, who played a stellar 45 minutes during the Lakers’ overtime win Friday night, wasn’t as spry. He had just 10 points, reaching double figures on a floater with 8:37 left and the Lakers down 26.
He was just two for nine from the field and he had eight turnovers. James also had nine assists and became the first player in NBA history to record 3,000 field goals in the playoffs.
Luke Kennard was quiet with seven points, and Marcus Smart had nine, both on three-for-eight shooting. Rui Hachimura had 13 points on six-for-10 shooting.
As James iced his knees in the locker room after the game, he said the Lakers can’t afford to underestimate the Rockets.
“Hell naw, there is no such thing as being comfortable until a series is done,” James said. “Naw, none of us are.”
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Lakers box score
NBA playoffs schedule
Lakers playoff schedule
First round
All times Pacific
at Lakers 107, Houston 98 (box score)
at Lakers 101, Houston 94 (box score)
Lakers 112, at Houston 108 (box score)
at Houston 115, Lakers 96 (box score)
Wednesday: Houston at Lakers, 7 p.m., ESPN
*Friday: Lakers at Houston, TBD
*Sunday, May 3: Houston at Lakers, TBD
*-if necessary
Kings are eliminated
From Kevin Baxter: Seven times in the last 11 seasons the Kings have advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs, only to leave after the first round.
They’ve changed coaches five times, general managers twice, even the team captains have changed over that span. But the results have not.
The latest flameout came Sunday when the Colorado Avalanche rode two goals from Nathan MacKinnon and goals from Cale Makar, Nicolas Roy and Devon Toews to a 5-1 win and a sweep of the first-round playoff series.
Joel Edmundson had the lone goal for the Kings.
And with the end of the season comes the end of an era because it marked the final game Anze Kopitar’s spectacular 20-year career.
“I’ve never experienced that emotion,” Kopitar said of leaving the ice for the last time. ”There’s always a next year. Now it’s done. So it’s hard to comprehend.
“It’s been one hell of a ride for 20 years. The good, the bad and the ugly. Not the way we wanted to go out, but it happened, and we got to live with it.”
Kopitar, who played his entire career with the Kings, announced in September that this would be his last season and he heads into retirement as the franchise record-holder in games (1,521), points (1,316) and assists (864). He’s third all time in goals (452) and was also the leader — and leading scorer — on the Kings’ two Stanley Cup championship teams in 2012 and 2014.
But the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
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Kings summary
NHL playoffs schedule
Kings playoffs schedule
All times Pacific
at Colorado 2, Kings 1 (summary)
at Colorado 2, Kings 1 (OT) (summary)
Colorado 4, at Kings 2 (summary)
Colorado 5, at Kings 1 (summary)
Ducks take 3-1 series lead
Ryan Poehling scored 2:29 into overtime, and the Ducks pushed Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers to the brink of first-round elimination with a 4-3 victory in Game 4 on Sunday night.
Jeffrey Viel tied it with 6:29 left in regulation for the Ducks, who rallied from an early two-goal deficit and another third-period hole before taking a 3-1 series lead with their third consecutive victory over the back-to-back Western Conference champion Oilers.
The Ducks won when Poehling’s sharp-angled shot trickled under Edmonton goalie Tristan Jarry, who had played well in his first playoff start for his new team. An extensive video review revealed no reason to overturn the judgment on the ice that the puck had barely crossed the goal line underneath Jarry’s skate.
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Ducks summary
NHL playoffs schedule
Ducks playoffs schedule
All times Pacific
at Edmonton 4, Ducks 3 (summary)
Ducks 6, at Edmonton 4 (summary)
at Ducks 7, Edmonton 4 (summary)
at Ducks 4, Edmonton 3 (OT) (summary)
Tuesday: Ducks at Edmonton, 7 p.m., TNT. truTV, HBO Max, KCOP-13
*Thursday: Edmonton at Ducks, TBD
*Saturday: Ducks at Edmonton, TBD
*-if necessary
Dodgers shut down the Cubs
From Maddie Lee: The Dodgers’ 6-0 win over the Cubs on Sunday included another strong offensive performance and Shohei Ohtani’s first home run in two weeks. But veteran second baseman Miguel Rojas didn’t see those as the main factors.
“It’s all about starting pitching right now, to be honest with you,” he said. “I think we’re feeding off of that.”
On Sunday, it was Justin Wrobleski’s six shutout innings that set the tone for the win.
“I’m going to try to give quality each time out, whether I’m throwing well or not throwing well,” said Wrobleski, who has a 1.50 earned-run average through five starts. “I think that’s been the big thing, is just every time out, let’s see how I can raise the floor of, when I’m not my best, like, where I can go. And I think that’s what I’ve been most proud of.”
Wrobleski navigated early command issues, issuing three walks in the first two innings before finding his rhythm to get through six frames without giving up a run. He limited the Cubs to four hits.
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Dodgers box score
MLB standings
Angels blow lead, lose to Royals
With runners on second and third, Lane Thomas delivered a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the Kansas City Royals over the Angels 11-9 and sweep the series.
It was Thomas’ first home run of the season and the first walk-off RBI of his career.
Joey Lucchesi (0-1) took the loss, facing four batters in the final inning. Lucas Erceg (2-1) earned the win.
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Angels box score
MLB standings
Galaxy win
Marco Reus scored two goals, the second one on a penalty kick in the 85th minute, to rally the Galaxy to a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Sunday.
Reus scored from 21 yards out off a free kick to give the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. The kick was awarded after Gabriel Pec was fouled by Real Salt Lake midfielder Stijn Spierings.
Galaxy goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski was charged with an own goal in the final minute of stoppage time, tying it 1-1 at halftime. The ball deflected off the post and into the net when he dove to make a save on Zavier Gozo’s shot.
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Galaxy summary
MLS standings
Angel City loses to Portland
Sophia Wilson scored in stoppage time for her first goal of the season and the Portland Thorns defeated Angel City 2-1 on Sunday.
After a scoreless first half at BMO Stadium, Pietra Tordin’s header opened up the scoring for the Thorns (4-1-1) in the 76th minute. In her professional soccer debut, rookie defender Carolyn Calzada provided the assist.
Wilson doubled the lead in stoppage time with a left-footed blast into the side netting. It was her first goal of the season after taking all of last year off for the birth of her daughter. Her last goal for the Thorns came on Nov. 1, 2024.
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Angel City summary
NWSL standings
USC wins women’s water polo title
Sinia Plotz scored to begin each half and Anna Reed finished with 10 saves to lead USC to a 10-9 victory over California on Sunday night at the Canyonview Aquatic Center, earning the Trojans a seventh national championship in women’s water polo.
It’s the first championship for Casey Moon in his second season as the Trojans’ head coach. USC last claimed the title in 2021.
Holly Dunn scored on a power play with 23 seconds left in the first quarter to pull Cal even, but Ava Stryker answered with seven seconds remaining and USC took a 3-2 lead.
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Remembering “Billy the Shoe”
From Bill Dwyre: When the late and great Times sports columnist Mike Downey decided years ago to write about jockey Billy Shoemaker, he did so perfectly. His lead sentence:
“Billy Shoemaker was born 2 pounds 6 ounces and it was the only edge he ever needed in life.”
That remains noteworthy now, because when they run this year’s thoroughbred classic at Churchill Downs on May 2, it will mark 40 years since “Billy The Shoe,” still the third-winningest rider in the sport’s North American history and perhaps its most memorable, won his fourth and last Derby aboard a 17-1 longshot named Ferdinand.
In 1986, Snow Chief was the 3-1 Derby favorite. He was trained by colorful and often grumpy Mel Stute, who was, like Shoemaker, a fixture at Santa Anita. His jockey was a young Alex Solis, who came from Panama, was still struggling with the English language then and had quickly dazzled the Southern California racing world with his talent.
It was an era in sports somewhat less contentious, more inclined to celebrate its history and its moments and less inclined to look for more. A few weeks earlier, Jack Nicklaus had won the Masters, at age 46. It was a hugely popular outcome, just as Shoemaker’s would be. It was quite the time for legend building, those few months in 1986.
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Marathon record is shattered
The fabled two-hour barrier for a marathon has been broken, officially, in an once-inconceivable achievement in sports.
Not by one runner, but two.
In a race for the ages, Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday, shattering the previous men’s world record by an astonishing 65 seconds.
“What comes today is not for me alone,” the 29-year-old Sawe said, “but for all of us today in London.”
Just 11 seconds farther back was Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who — running in his first marathon — also covered the 26.2-mile course in under 2 hours.
Completing the podium was Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who broke the previous world-record time — set by Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 — by seven seconds, finishing in 2:00:28.
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This day in sports history
1929 — Ryder Cup Golf, Moortown GC: Great Britain beats U.S., 7-5.
1956 — Rocky Marciano retires as the undefeated heavyweight boxing champion. He finished with a 49-0 record, including six title defenses and 43 knockouts.
1960 — The Minneapolis Lakers announce they will relocate to Los Angeles.
1961 — NFL officially recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
1968 — Jimmy Ellis wins the heavyweight boxing title with a 15-round decision over Jerry Quarry in Oakland. This is the final bout of an eight-man elimination tournament to fill Muhammad Ali’s vacated title.
1982 — NFL Draft: University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims first pick by New England Patriots.
1994 — Dave Hannan scores 5:43 into the fourth overtime to keep the Buffalo Sabres going in the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils, the sixth-longest game in NHL history.
2008 — Ashley Force becomes the first woman to win a national Funny Car race. The 25-year-old beats her father, drag racing icon John Force, in the final round of the 28th annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals to deny him his 1,000th winning round in his 500th NHRA tour event.
2009 — The Denver Nuggets match the biggest victory in playoff history with their 121-63 rout of New Orleans in Game 4 of their first-round series. The Minneapolis Lakers had the other 58-point postseason victory, beating the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in 1956.
2011 — Nathan Horton scores 5:43 into overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series. Boston had never won a playoff series after trailing 0-2 in 26 tries.
2011 — Dwayne Roloson makes 36 saves and Tampa Bay completes a big series comeback and eliminates Pittsburgh with a 1-0 win in Game 7. Roloson becomes the second goalie to go 6-0 in elimination games. He allowed only four goals in winning the final three games as the Lightning erased a 3-1 series deficit.
2013 — The Detroit Red Wings make the playoffs for the 22nd straight season after Henrik Zetterberg had two goals and an assist in a 3-0 victory over Dallas. The Red Wings own the longest active playoff streak in major professional sports, six years longer than the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs’ stretch of postseason play.
2014 — Three-time Olympic champion Kerri Walsh wins her record 47th FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour title, teaming with April Ross to beat Brazil’s Juliana Felisberta Silva and Maria Antonelli in the Fuzhou Open final.
2014 — Lydia Ko, three days after her 17th birthday, birdies the final hole for her third LPGA Tour victory and first as a professional, holding off Stacy Lewis and Jenny Shin in the inaugural Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.
2017 — Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett is picked first overall by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL draft.
Compiled by the Associated Press
This day in baseball history
1909 — The Chicago White Sox win their third straight 1-0 game over St. Louis in three days.
1918 — The Brooklyn Dodgers finally win after a major league record 0-9 start, with a 5-3 victory over the New York Giants in the opening game of a doubleheader.
1929 — Brooklyn relief pitcher Clise Dudley homered on the first major league pitch he saw at Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl.
1930 — Chicago White Sox first baseman Bud Clancy had no chances in a nine-inning game against St. Louis.
1944 — Jim Tobin of the Braves pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers in Boston, winning 2-0. He also hit a homer.
1947 — Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium drew a crowd of more than 58,000 to honor the ailing great. In the game, Sid Hudson of the Washington Senators beat Spud Chandler 1-0.
1963 — Two two-sport players pitched in the fourth inning in a game at Fenway park. NBA players, Gene Conley of the Celtics and Red Sox and Dave DeBusschere of the Knicks and White Sox. The Red Sox won 9-5.
1968 — Tom Phoebus of the Orioles no-hit the Boston Red Sox 6-0 at Baltimore.
1973 — Kansas City’s Steve Busby pitched his first of two career no-hitters with a 3-0 victory over the Tigers at Detroit.
1983 — Walter Johnson’s record of 3,508 career strikeouts was eclipsed by Houston’s Nolan Ryan — a record that stood for 56 years. Ryan fanned Montreal pinch-hitter Brad Mills in the eighth inning as the Astros beat the Expos 4-2.
1994 — Scott Erickson, who allowed the most hits in the majors the previous season, pitched Minnesota’s first no-hitter in 27 years as the Twins beat Milwaukee 6-0. Last season Erickson led the majors in losses (19), hits (266) and runs (138).
1996 — Barry Bonds became the fourth major leaguer with 300 homers and 300 steals when he homered in the third inning of the San Francisco Giants’ 6-3 victory over the Florida Marlins. His father, Bobby Bonds, godfather Willie Mays, and Andre Dawson are the only other players to reach 300-300.
2000 — Chicago White Sox shortstop Jose Valentin hit for the cycle and drove in five runs in a 13-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Valentin hit the cycle in order: single, double, triple, home run.
2002 — Derek Lowe, who struggled to keep his job as a closer last season, pitched a no-hitter against Tampa Bay. Brent Abernathy was the only baserunner Lowe allowed in Boston’s 10-0 victory.
2003 — Kevin Millwood pitched a no-hitter to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Francisco Giants 1-0. Millwood struck out 10 and walked three.
2004 — Chad Moeller of the Milwaukee Brewers hit for the cycle in a 9-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
2005 — Mark Grudzielanek hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats in St. Louis’ 6-3 victory over Milwaukee.
2009 — West Virginia State’s Bo Darby hit home runs in five consecutive at-bats over two games, including four in one contest. The sophomore outfielder homered in his first four trips to the plate against Salem International. He also connected in his final at-bat two days earlier against the University of Charleston. Darby homered twice more in the second game of the doubleheader, giving him six for the day with 14 RBIs.
2011 — Chipper Jones drives in three runs in Atlanta’s 7-0 win over San Diego, moving past Mickey Mantle on the all-time RBI list with 1,512.
2012 — Scott Hairston of the New York Mets hit for the cycle in an 18-9 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
2014 — José Abreu sets a record for most RBIs by a rookie in April when he drives in 4 runs in a 9-2 win over the Rays, giving him 31 ribbies for the month.
2015 — Today’s scheduled game between the Orioles and the White Sox is postponed because of violent protests in downtown Baltimore following the death of a Black man in police custody a week earlier.
2016 — Trevor Story of the Rockies sets a new National League rookie mark with his ninth homer of April, breaking the record of eight set by Albert Pujols in 2001.
2021 — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has the first three-homer game of his career and drives in seven in the Blue Jays’ 9-5 win over the Nationals.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
