Sports Report: Clippers easily beat Nuggets

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From Broderick Turner: The Clippers had a tough time defeating the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, but Kawhi Leonard missed two games due to a right knee injury. The pain was made even more difficult by consecutive absences.

Even though Leonard's status was unclear, the Clippers did not hinder their progress in a meaningful game against the Nuggets, relying on a superb defensive effort after the first quarter to win 102-100, but it was not decided until the final shot. I didn't get it.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who had 14 points and 15 rebounds, made two key defensive stops late in the fourth quarter. P.J. Tucker, who started in Leonard's place, forced Nikola Jokic to miss the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired and took a final defensive stance.

Jokic achieved a triple-double with 36 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists for the second-place Nuggets (53 wins, 24 losses).

For the Clippers, Paul George scored 28 points (48-28) and James Harden scored 20 points, but the Clippers' home losing streak ended at five due to their defense. Still, things would have been a little easier had Leonard played — he leads the team in points (23.7 per game) and steals (1.60) and averages 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

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lakers

From Dan Wojke: 'Showtime' Michael Cooper, the backbone of the defense for one of the most dominant teams in NBA history, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, according to two social media posts from Lakers teammates. It is said that it was done.

Cooper was announced as a finalist in the 2024 class during NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. He was previously a finalist in the class of 2021.

“I don't even know where to start! I tried to wait until Saturday but…I can't stand the news.” Posted by Magic Johnson X Thursday night. “I am so excited that my Showtime running mate and one of my best friends, Michael Cooper, has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame!!

“Coop is the greatest defensive player I've ever seen in the NBA. I knew that because I played against him every day in practice. His play offensively was also strong. . He was a good point guard and a 3-point shooting threat.”

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The Lakers are rapidly growing with Rui Hachimura firmly established in the starting lineup.

usc basketball

From Ryan Cartier: At a critical juncture for its men's basketball program, USC is looking to the University of Arkansas' Eric Eric to lead the Trojans into a new conference and a new era after a successful last tournament. announced the hiring of coach Musselman.

Musselman announced Wednesday that Andy Enfield will leave USC to take the same position at Southern Methodist University after 11 seasons, five NCAA Tournament appearances and 220 wins in Los Angeles, the third-most in school history. Just two days after leaving, he interviewed with USC on Wednesday. It didn't take long for USC and its new coach to make a decision. By Thursday morning, a plane was on the way from Los Angeles to Fayetteville to pick up USC's new coach and take him west.

“We are determined to find the best coach to support the development of our student-athletes and improve our men's basketball program,” said Jennifer Cohen, USC athletic director. “His track record of building winning programs and unwavering commitment to a culture of excellence make him a great fit for USC.”

USC hoops struggled for years in relative obscurity, unable to find its footing until Enfield stabilized the program. Enfield eventually found his groove back and was even able to lead the Trojans to the Elite Eight in 2021. But the wheels came off last season on what was supposed to be a breakout campaign, leaving the program in a particularly vulnerable position and in dire need of help. A fresh direction.

Few coaches have proven their ability to build programs like Musselman. He led the University of Nevada to three consecutive NCAA Tournament trips and then the University of Arkansas, which transformed a program that had languished in the basement of the Southeastern Conference for two decades into a perennial contender. The Razorbacks advanced to the Elite 8 in his second year in charge (2021), advanced to the Elite 8 again in 2022, advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2023, then dropped to a record of 16 wins, 17 losses, and advanced to the Elite 8 in 2024. They tied for 11th in the SEC standings. .

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From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: He hit a dagger 3-pointer to seal USC's first win at Pauley Pavilion since 2021. From now on, Kobe Johnson will call the land of his nemesis his new home.

The former USC forward announced his commitment to UCLA on Thursday, reversing the rivalry.

Johnson averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a junior for the Trojans. The 6-foot-6 former team captain ranked second in the Pac-12 with 2.2 steals per game and earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors for the second year in a row, but struggled with his jumper and struggled offensively. So I took a step back. A long stretch of the season resulted in him being sent to the bench for three games in February. He shot 31.3 percent from 3-point range last season, down from 37.7 percent as a sophomore.

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From Ben Borch: You don't have to scour the field to keep an eye on Eric Bieniemy during practice. Just listen.

“If you don't know the snap count!” UCLA's offensive coordinator yelled to a group of reserve players Thursday morning, adding a few choice words, “Get the…off the field!”

Then, when the offensive line couldn't be as physical as he wanted, Bieniemy exploded again.

“…let's put on our hats and play ball!” he exclaimed.

Success or failure, the Bruins' offense will continue to grow as the Bruins' offense returns to its old school after serving as the team's running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for three years under Karl Dorrell before the arrival of the incoming UCLA freshman. Things will not end quietly under the supervision of the coach.

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MLB

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kings

Akil Thomas scored his first NHL goal and David Rittich stopped 15 shots as the Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Thursday night to move up a playoff spot.

Adrian Kempe also scored for the Kings, who are 7-0-1 in their last eight games against San Jose. The Kings are seven points behind St. Louis for the Western Conference's second wild card spot with six games left.

The Kings also maintain a one-point lead over wild-card leader Nashville and move within one point of third-place Las Vegas in the Pacific Division.

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Men's NCAA Tournament

mens bracket

men's schedule
always pacific

final 4
Saturday
No. 11 North Carolina State vs. No. 1 Purdue, 3:09 p.m., TBS
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 UW, 5:49 p.m., TBS

Monday
Championship (Glendale, Arizona), TBS

Women's NCAA Tournament

brackets for women

women's schedule
always pacific

final 4
Friday
No. 3 North Carolina State vs. No. 1 South Carolina, 4 p.m., ESPN
No. 3 Connecticut vs. No. 1 Iowa, 6 p.m., ESPN

Championship: Sunday, Noon (Cleveland), ABC

This date in sports

1915 — Jess Willard defeats Jack Johnson in 26 rounds in Havana to win the world heavyweight boxing title.

1927 — Johnny Weissmuller beats his own record in the 200-meter freestyle by 7 seconds with a time of 2:08. He also lowered his own record in the 100-yard freestyle to 51 seconds, a record that stood for 17 years.

1959 — Art Wall birdies five of his final six holes, caps the final round with a 66, defeats Fred Hawkins by one stroke, and wins the Masters.

1967 — Wilt Chamberlain of the 76ers sets an NBA record with 41 rebounds in a game.

1973 — NFL adopts jersey number system.

1984 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar becomes the NBA's career leading scorer with a skyhook with 8:53 left in the Lakers' 129-115 victory over the Utah Jazz. Wilt Chamberlain scored 31,419 points and held the record since his retirement in 1973.

1989 — Orel Hershiser's winless streak ends after 59 innings.

1992 — 11th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Stanford defeats Western Kentucky 78-62.

1993 — Donald Williams scores 25 points to lead the University of North Carolina to a 77-71 victory over the University of Michigan in the NCAA Championship.

2004 — Led by Emeka Okafor's 24 points and Ben Gordon's 21 points, the Connecticut Huskies defeat Georgia Tech 82-73 to win the men's national championship.

2005 — 24th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Baylor defeats Michigan State 84-62.

2009 — Brittany Linthicome sinks a 6-foot eagle putt on the 18th to win her first major title at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

2010 — Duke holds off Butler 61-59, surviving Gordon Hayward's desperate last-second shot that hit the rim to win its fourth NCAA basketball championship.

2011 — 30th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Texas A&M defeats Notre Dame 76-70.

2016 — UW wins an unprecedented fourth straight women's national championship, defeating Syracuse 82-51 to cap a perfect season. Geno Auriemma passes UCLA's John Wooden for his 11th national title and six undefeated seasons.

2019 — Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook becomes the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double in three consecutive seasons.

2021 — 82nd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: The Baylor Bears defeated the previously unbeaten Gonzaga Bulldogs 86-70 to become NCAA champions for the first time in a row.

2023 — 84th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas: UW defeats the San Diego State Aztecs 76-59 to win the Huskies' fifth national title. MOP: Adama Sanogo (UConn).

Edited by Associated Press