The Sports Report: Once again, Lakers’ fate rests with LeBron and AD

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Bill Plaschke: This Lakers preview column wanted to be trendy.

It wanted to predict the 2023-2024 season through the lens of their young and shiny objects. It wanted to cite Rob Pelinka’s smart summer maneuvers as the key to this team’s championship hopes. It wanted to praise the depth, marvel at the versatility, and go bonkers over the bench.

Who doesn’t want to trumpet the fun of Austin Reaves, the maturity of D’Angelo Russell, the shooting of Rui Hachimura, the smarts of Gabe Vincent, the toughness of Taurean Prince, the promise of Max Christie, the potential of Christian Wood and … ?

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

This Lakers preview column wanted to be trendy, it really did, but that approach could only survive all of three paragraphs.

Who are we kidding? As has happened with each of the previous four seasons, the entirety of the ambitions of a Lakers dozen rest on the shoulders of only two.

It’s obvious and repetitive and frankly a little boring, but it’s also the absolute truth. The Lakers fortunes begin — and end? — with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

If LeBron and A.D. stay healthy, they can win a championship. If they don’t, they won’t.

If LeBron and A.D. play well, they can beat anybody. If they don’t, they won’t.

If LeBron and A.D. act like the superstars they are, all those role players will shine. If they don’t, they won’t.

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NBA scores, schedule, box scores

CLIPPERS

From Andrew Greif: Halfway through a recent Clippers practice the point guard who will one day have a plaque in basketball’s Hall of Fame took aside a rookie who has yet to have a place in a rotation. He wanted to make a point about foot placement when fighting past a screen.

Spotting some new basketball nuance to teach a few minutes later, 34-year-old Russell Westbrook sought out 23-year-old Kobe Brown once again.

Since joining the Clippers last February after being traded away by the Lakers and having his contract bought out in Utah, Westbrook has been called by teammates generous with sharing his time, knowledge and interest in teammates’ lives on and off the court, and quick to speak up in an otherwise reserved locker room. It has surprised “everybody,” Westbrook said, to see that he is not the cantankerous locker-room presence that, as he believes, past news reports have unfairly portrayed him to be.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly agrees to three-year, $186-million extension with Bucks

RAMS

From Sam Farmer: Don’t tell me how many revolutions per second that football made, or that running back reached speeds of 17.635 mph, or how that touchdown pass had a 9.2% chance of being completed … if you can’t tell me where the football should be properly spotted in relation to the first-down line.

The Rams ran into that saga Sunday in the waning moments of their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With 2 minutes, 24 seconds remaining and the Steelers leading by a touchdown, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett tried a sneak on fourth-and-one but clearly came up short. Every camera angle showed him stuffed well short of the first-down line.

But when the bodies were peeled off the pile, the ball was generously and inexplicably placed several inches forward, giving the Steelers a first down — and the victory.

After the two-minute warning, they only had to kneel out the clock because the Rams didn’t have any remaining timeouts.

Ah, spent timeouts. That was the reason the Rams couldn’t throw a challenge flag and have officials reexamine that faulty spot. Those are the rules. Had the discrepancy happened within the final two minutes, officials could have made the decision to go to check the replay.

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CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: Seven weeks into the NFL season, only two AFC teams — New England and Denver — have worse records than the Chargers, who sit at 2-4.

“Nobody would have predicted that,” safety Derwin James Jr. said of the rough start for a group expected to be a playoff contender.

“These last six games, we just gotta flush them,” James continued. “We got 11 more to go. We got a long season. Right now, it looks bad. But we gotta keep playing hard.”

The Chargers were smoked by Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce despite the presence of James, who played after entering Sunday as questionable because of an ankle injury.

Mahomes (424 yards) joined Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa (466) as quarterbacks who have reached 400 yards passing against the Chargers this season.

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Ban the ‘Tush Push’ in NFL? Nick Sirianni explains why Eagles’ run play should stay

UCLA FOOTBALL

From Ben Bolch: The template was unveiled in the late-night quiet of Stanford Stadium.

Pair steady, efficient play at quarterback with a punishing rushing attack and a steely defense. Maybe that’s all No. 23 UCLA (5-2 overall, 2-2 Pac-12) needs to win the rest of its games on a schedule that includes only one more ranked team, the rapidly crumbling No. 24 USC Trojans.

Ethan Garbers filled all those requirements at quarterback Saturday during the Bruins’ methodical 42-7 victory over Stanford. Making his first start since the season opener, the redshirt junior was poised and didn’t rush throws while patiently scanning the field for open receivers. When he couldn’t find any, or the pocket collapsed under pressure, he took off and ran.

Those runs resulted in 51 yards to go with the 240 passing yards he totaled while completing 20 of 28 passes. Garbers threw for two touchdowns and did not have a pass intercepted in his first action at quarterback since appearing in UCLA’s rout of North Carolina Central more than a month earlier.

“Him just taking ownership of the offense and what-not, he took it like he was there ever since Day 1,” tight end Hudson Habermehl said. “Him being able to take on that role and lead the offense and do what he did, it’s impressive.”

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MARY LOU RETTON

From Chuck Schilken: U.S. gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton has been released from the hospital and is continuing her recovery from a rare form of pneumonia at home, according to her family.

McKenna Kelley, the second oldest of Retton’s four daughters, shared the good news Monday on Instagram.

“Mom is HOME & in recovery mode,” Kelley wrote. “We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us, but baby steps.”

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NLCS SCHEDULE

All times Pacific
All games on TBS

Arizona vs. Philadelphia
at Philadelphia 5, Arizona 3 (recap, box score)
at Philadelphia 10, Arizona 0 (recap, box score)
at Arizona 2, Philadelphia 1 (recap, box score)
at Arizona 6, Philadelphia 5 (recap, box score)
Philadelphia 6, at Arizona 1 (recap, box score)
Arizona 5, at Philadelphia 1 (recap, box score)
Today at Philadelphia, 5 p.m.

ALCS SCHEDULE

All times Pacific

Texas vs. Houston
Texas 2, at Houston 0 (recap, box score)
Texas 5, at Houston 4 (recap, box score)
Houston 8, at Texas 5 (recap, box score)
Houston 10, at Texas 3 (recap, box score)
Houston 5, at Texas 4 (recap, box score)
Texas 9, at Houston 2 (recap, box score)
Texas 11, at Houston 4 (recap, box score)

WORLD SERIES

All times Pacific
All games on Fox

Philadelphia or Arizona vs. Texas

Friday at Texas, TBA
Saturday at Texas, TBA
Monday at Phil./Ari., TBA
Tuesday, Oct. 31 at Phil./Ari., TBA
*Wednesday, Nov. 1 at Phil./Ari., TBA
*Friday, Nov. 3 at Texas, TBA
*Saturday, Nov. 4 at Texas, TBA

*-if necessary

NHL

NHL box scores

NHL standings

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1943 — The Green Bay Packers grab nine interceptions, seven off Frank Sinkwich, in a 27-6 victory over the Detroit Lions.

1959 — Wilt Chamberlain plays in his first NBA game, with the Philadelphia Warriors.

1976 — The New York Marathon is run through the streets of the five boroughs for the first time. Bill Rodgers wins the race in 2:10:10, beating Olympic gold and silver medalist Frank Shorter. Miki Gorman wins the women’s division in 2:39:11

1992 — The Toronto Blue Jays take baseball’s championship outside the United States for the first time, beating the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in 11 innings in Game 6 of the World Series.

1998 — Ricky Williams of Texas becomes the leading scorer in NCAA Division I history with 428 points, scoring two touchdowns in a 30-20 victory over Baylor.

2003 — Se Ri Pak becomes the first woman to make the two-round cut in a men’s golf tournament since Babe Zaharias in 1945. Pak shoots a 2-over 74 on the Korean tour for a 2-over 146 halfway through the $250,000 SBS Super Tournament. Pak finishes tied for 29th place.

2008 — Make it 9-for-9 for the unstoppable Zenyatta. The 4-year-old filly, ridden by Mike Smith, stays perfect in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at Santa Anita, roaring from last to first around the turn to win the race.

2010 — Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall ties an NFL single-game record with four interceptions, including a 92-yard interception-return touchdown, in the Redskins’ 17-14 win at Chicago.

2012 — Pablo Sandoval becomes the fourth player to hit three home runs in a World Series game to lead the San Francisco Giants over the Detroit Tigers 8-3 in the series opener.

2013 — A majority-female officiating crew works a college football game in an apparent first. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference bills it as the first time it’s happened in an NCAA game. Head linesman Yvonda Lewis, line judge Tangela Mitchell, field judge Sebrina Brunson and back judge Krystle Apellaniz are part of the seven-person crew for the Division II game between Miles and Lane. Miles wins 38-26.

2015 — Montreal beats the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 to extend their season-opening winning streak to nine games. The Canadiens break the NHL record for most consecutive regulation wins to begin a season, set by Buffalo in 1975-76.

2015 — Lance Austin returns a blocked field goal 78 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game, giving Georgia Tech a stunning 22-16 upset of No. 9 Florida State.

2021 — Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady becomes the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 600 touchdowns in a 38-3 win over the Chicago Bears.

—Compiled by the Associated Press