The Sports Report: Previewing tonight’s Rams-Vikings playoff game

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

From Gary Klein: An NFC wild-card playoff game against the powerful Minnesota Vikings would be a challenge for the Rams even in the best of circumstances.

With a change of venue from SoFi Stadium to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and potential anxiety regarding the wildfires in Southern California that necessitated the switch, the Rams face an even greater test.

“All the things that we’ve been through this year, this group is built for this,” coach Sean McVay said.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and running back Kyren Williams were held out of the season finale against the Seattle Seahawks so they would be rested and ready for the playoffs.

The Rams defeated the Vikings 30-20 on Oct. 24 at SoFi Stadium in a Thursday night game that proved pivotal in the Rams’ turnaround from a 1-4 start.

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CHARGERS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: After a devastating 27-point playoff collapse two seasons ago nearly sent Khalil Mack into sudden retirement, the Chargers’ star edge rusher plans to revisit the decision about his football future with more care this offseason as he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

Still wearing the wounds of the Chargers’ AFC wild-card round exit to the Houston Texans, Mack said Sunday he will prioritize his family while evaluating his next career move. The father of two will make sure to discuss it with his wife. He knows how impressionable his 2 and 3-year-old sons are at that age. They love watching highlights of their father’s football career, and spending time with them is of utmost importance.

But the 11-year professional who could be in the running for the Hall of Fame one day is still chasing not only his first championship, but his first playoff victory.

“I also don’t want to go out with a L, just based on who I am as a man and a person,” Mack said. “I’m a competitor, man. I’m the ultimate competitor.”

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Houston is not the ‘Big Easy’ as Texans intercept Chargers’ playoff dreams

NFL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

Wild-card round
Saturday, Jan. 11
All times Pacific

AFC
No. 4 Houston Texas 32, No. 5 Chargers 12
No. 3 Baltimore Ravens 28, No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers 14

Sunday, Jan. 12
AFC
No. 2 Buffalo Bills 31, No. 7 Denver Broncos 7

NFC
No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles 22, No. 7 Green Bay Packers 10
No. 6 Washington Commanders 23, at No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20

Monday
NFC
No. 5 Minnesota Vikings vs. No. 4 Rams, 5 p.m. at Glendale, Ariz. (ESPN/ABC/ESPN+/ ESPN Deportes; ManningCast-ESPN2/ESPN+)

Divisional round
Saturday
AFC
No. 4 Houston Texans at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m., ABC/ESPN

NFC
No. 6 Washington Commanders at No. 1 Detroit Lions, 5 p.m., Fox

Sunday
NFC
TBD at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles, noon, NBC/Peacock

AFC
No. 3 Batlimore Ravens at No. 2 Buffalo Bills, 3:30 p.m., CBS/Paramount +

Conference championships: Jan. 26
Super Bowl 59: Feb. 9 at New Orleans (Fox)

USC BASKETBALL

From Anthony De Leon: JuJu Watkins delivered a near-flawless performance Sunday against Penn State.

Led by Watkins’ 35-point effort, No. 4 USC overwhelmed Penn State in a dominant 95-73 victory at Galen Center.

Watkins eclipsed the 30-point mark for the 19th time in her Trojans’ career, shooting 13 for 15 from the field. She showed no hesitation driving to the rim, absorbing contact and finishing with 16 points in the paint and going seven for nine from the free-throw line. She also finished with 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Early on, Penn State kept the score close, holding USC’s lead to single digits for much of the first half. However, the Trojans’ explosive performance in the final four minutes, led by Watkins, helped USC (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) pull away.

Leading 38-31, USC unleashed an 18-0 run, with Watkins contributing 10 points. She capped the surge with a three-point play, stealing the ball before drawing a foul on a fast-break layup. She closed the half shooting eight for eight from the field.

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USC box score

Big Ten standings

UCLA BASKETBALL

From Ben Bolch: Aday Mara never thought it would be this hard.

Mara arrived at UCLA widely considered a ready-made star. He was 7 feet 3, the rarest of commodities. He had played on the Spanish national team at age 18. He could shoot with both hands, touch the ground flatfooted while hanging on the rim.

During his first practice with the Bruins, Mara wowed with his playmaking. Catching a pass in the high post, he zipped the ball through a defender’s legs to a teammate for a backdoor layup.

“Right then and there,” point guard Dylan Andrews said, “I knew what type of passer Aday was, having the IQ to be like, ‘OK, I can’t make the pass but there’s an open path, I’m going to find a way to get it there.’”

Any thoughts that the baby-faced freshman was ready to dominate ended quickly. After he barely played early in the season against nationally ranked Marquette and Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational, Mara realized that the college game was far more physical than he expected.

During his handful of minutes on the court, Mara got pushed around in the post.

“It doesn’t matter how tall you are if you can’t hold your ground and make your size a factor,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said, “and he found that out.”

Maybe Mara wasn’t as ready as everybody — himself included — thought.

“I wasn’t thinking about the NBA or one and done,” Mara said, alluding to playing professionally after a single season. “I was with the mindset of, it would be not a bad year. But when I started playing and after the tournament in Hawaii, I just said, like, OK, this is totally different than what I was thinking, so I have to change, I have to work.”

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CLIPPERS

From Broderick Turner: At 5 a.m. Wednesday, Clippers forward Nicolas Batum got word that his family would need to evacuate their Tarzana home because the Palisades fire had shifted that direction. Batum was with the Clippers in Denver for a game that night, but had been constantly checking his phone and talking to his wife and two children.

Playing the Nuggets was the last thing on his mind at the time. He only thought about the safety of his family and those affected by the devastating fires across Los Angeles County.

“I wanted to come home,” Batum said after practice Sunday. “But I was told my family was going to be OK. For now, we’re fortunate to be safe. ... I hope it will stay like that.”

His teammate, Kawhi Leonard, on the other hand, returned to his Pacific Palisades home Tuesday to be with his family.

Since so many people lost their homes in the Pacific Palisades area, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was asked if there was any update on Leonard’s home.

“You have to talk to him about that,” Lue said.

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DUCKS

Cutter Gauthier scored two goals, including one 1:52 into overtime, as the Ducks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Sunday.

Jansen Harkins also scored, and Lukas Dostal stopped 35 shots to help the Ducks snap a three-game losing streak. Jackson LaCombe added two assists.

Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov scored a power-play goal midway through the third period, and Seth Jarvis tied it with 56 seconds remaining in regulation and the Carolina net empty. Pyotr Kochetkov made 17 saves.

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Ducks summary

NHL scores

NHL standings

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1962 — Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA regulation-game record 73 points to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to a 135-117 triumph over the Chicago Packers.

1971 — Lenny Wilkens of the Seattle Supersonics, at 33, becomes the oldest All-Star MVP as he scores 21 points to give the West a 108-107 victory over the East.

1974 — The Miami Dolphins win their second straight Super Bowl in their third straight appearance with a 24-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Larry Csonka, the game’s MVP, gains 145 yards on 33 carries and scores a touchdown.

1986 — NCAA schools vote overwhelmingly in favor of adopting the controversial Proposition 48. The rule requires that incoming freshman maintain 2.0 grade point averages and score 700 or more on the Scholastic Aptitude Test or a 15 on the American College Testing program.

1987 — Lewis Lloyd and Mitchell Wiggins of the Houston Rockets become the third and fourth NBA players to be banned from the league for using cocaine.

1991 — Phil Mickelson overcomes an 8 on the 14th hole to become the second amateur since 1954 to win a PGA Tour event as he posts a one-shot victory over Bob Tway and Tom Purtzer in the Northern Telecom Open.

1995 — America3, the first all-women’s team in the 144-year history of America’s Cup, wins the first race of the America’s Cup defender trials, beating Team Dennis Conner by 1 minute, 9 seconds.

1999 — Basketball superstar Michael Jordan announces his second retirement just prior to start of lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season; returns in 2001 with Washington.

2003 — Jennifer Capriati becomes the first women’s Australian Open defending champion to lose in the first round in the Open era. Capriati, seeded third, loses 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 to 90th-ranked Marlene Weingartner of Germany.

2006 — Larry Brown becomes the fourth coach in NBA history to win 1,000 regular-season games as New York beats Atlanta 105-94. Brown, 1,000-762 in 23 seasons in the NBA, joins Lenny Wilkens, Don Nelson and Pat Riley in the 1,000-win club.

2013 — Matt Bryant kicks a 49-yard field goal with 8 seconds left and the Atlanta Falcons bounce back after blowing a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, defeating Seattle 30-28 in an NFC divisional playoff game. The Falcons lead 27-7 at the start of the final quarter before rookie quarterback Russell Wilson leads the Seahawks to three fourth-quarter touchdowns and a 28-27 lead with 31 seconds left.

2013 — Tom Brady becomes the winningest quarterback in postseason play, throwing for three touchdowns to beat Houston 41-28 and lift the New England Patriots into the AFC championship game. Brady gets his 17th victory, surpassing Joe Montana, by throwing for 344 yards.

2017 — Kelsey Plum scores 36 points to become the 12th player in women’s basketball history to top 3,000 career points and Washington routs Arizona 90-73.

2020 — Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow are fired by team owner Jim Crane for their roles in the sign-stealing scandal after MLB suspends both for one year

Compiled by the Associated Press