Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel issued a statement on Dec. 21 regarding his late scratch on "College GameDay" as this week's guest picker.
Luka Doncic leaves Lakers loss at half with left leg contusion
Luka Doncic left the Lakers' loss to the Clippers Saturday at halftime and did not return with what the team is calling a left leg contusion.
Doncic left the building without talking to reporters, and coach J.J. Redick's postgame comments didn't shed much light on the situation (quote via Dave McMenamin of ESPN).
"I saw him hobbling towards the end of the first half. He came to me at halftime and said he couldn't go… I don't have any other information."
The injury clearly bothered him for much of the game. Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer at 35.2 points per game, scored just 12 points on the night shooting 4-of-13 (1-of-6 from 3-point range).
Doncic wasn't the only significant injury in this game. Clippers center Ivica Zubac went to the ground in the first quarter and instantly limped back to the locker room with what was described as an ankle injury. He did not return to the game and the Clippers said he would be re-evaluated on Sunday. Zubac has been one of the few consistent bright spots in the Clippers' season, averaging 15.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
The Clippers picked up their first home win since Halloween with the 103-88 victory over the Lakers. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 32 points and 12 rebounds, while James Harden pitched in with 21 points and 10 assists.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 36 points, but every other Laker combined to shoot 31.7% on the night, including 3-of-30 from beyond the arc.
Nathan MacKinnon Leads Avalanche Into St. Paul For A Huge Matchup
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild (22-9-5) has been nearly flawless for six weeks. Since Nov. 7, they’re 17-2-2 and rolling through opponents. they face the Colorado Avalanche (25-2-7) for a huge matchup.
The last time these two teams met the Wild ended the Avalanche’s 10-game winning streak in a shootout victory.
Here are tonight's news and notes for the game.
Minnesota is 62-55-13 all-time against the Avalanche and 35-26-5 on home ice. The Wild’s 35 all-time home wins over Colorado is their most against any single opponent, while their 137 points and 62 wins ranks second.
Connections:
Forward Yakov Trenin recorded two goals and three points in 16 games with the Avalanche in 2023-24. Colorado defenseman Brent Burns was selected by Minnesota in the first round (20th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft and collected 183 points (55-128=183) and 325 PIM in 453 games with the Wild across seven seasons
Avs forward Brock Nelson is from Warroad and defenseman Sam Malinski is from Lakeville.
Stats:
Vladimir Tarasenko leads Minnesota with 35 points (15-20=35) in 47 games against Colorado. Mats Zuccarello owns 33 points in 35 career games and Kirill Kaprizov has 14 goals and 22 points in 18 games against the Avalanche.
Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with goals with 24, assists with 41 and points with 65 in 52 career games against Minnesota. Gabe Landeskog has 21 goals and 43 points in 50 games and defenseman Cale Makar has 23 points in 26 games against the Wild.
Filip Gustavsson is 2-7-1 with a 3.81 GAA and a .884 SV% in nine starts against Colorado. Jesper Wallstedt is 1-0-0 with a 1.85 GAA and a .951 SV% in his lone start.
Mackenzie Blackwood has a 2-4-2 record with a 2.72 GAA and a .904 SV% in eight career starts vs. Minnesota. Wedgewood is 1-2-2 with a 2.70 GAA and a .913 SV% in six games (four starts) against the Wild.
'Structure Over Speed': How the Wild’s Structure Neutralized Colorado’s Elite Rush GameWild's disciplined structure stifled Colorado's elite rush attack. Learn how defensive execution and forward support neutralized the Avalanche's potent offense.Milestones:
Tarasenko has four goals and six points during an active three-game point streak and has five goals and nine points in his last seven games.
Kirill Kaprizov is currently tied for second in franchise history with 145 power-play points (70-75=145).
Trenin notched nine hits against the Oilers which tied his season high. He leads the NHL with 179 hits, the highest total in franchise history through a season’s first 36 games.
Matt Boldy and Kaprizov were Minnesota’s co-leaders in goals in November, with each player scoring 10 goals in 14 games. It marked the first time in team history that the Wild had two players each score 10 or more goals in the same calendar month.
Both Boldy and Kaprizov have over 20 goals this season. They are the only team in the NHL to have multiple players hit that mark.
Boldy extend his active goal and point streaks to four games (5 goals and 3 assists), tying his career-long goal streak set earlier this season. He has seven goals and seven assists in his last eight games.
Kaprizov is 11 points away from passing Marian Gaborik for second all-time in career points with the Wild.
Kirill Kaprizov Sets Minnesota Wild Franchise Record For Most Home GoalsKirill Kaprizov shattered a Wild home goal record, igniting a pivotal clash against the surging Avalanche with two electrifying second-period strikes.Records:
Minnesota has won seven consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NHL, tied for the team’s longest streak of the season and tied for the fourth longest in franchise history.
All seven of the Wild's wins in the current winning streak have come in regulation, tying the franchise record for most consecutive wins in regulation.
The Wild rank third in the NHL with 49 points (22-9-5) and hold an active 14-game home point streak (12-0-2) since Nov. 1, the longest run in franchise history and the second-longest streak in the NHL this season (COL, active 16 game streak).
Minnesota is 19-3-2 (.833) since Nov. 1, ranking first in the NHL in wins, points (40), team GAA (1.76) and team SV% (.939) while ranking second with a plus-37 goal differential.
Minnesota is 22-9-5 which is third in the Central Division and third in the NHL.
Minnesota is 8-2-0 in its last ten games and 19-3-2 since Nov 1. ranking first in the NHL in wins.
Colorado is 25-2-7 which is first in the Central Division and first in the NHL.
Colorado is 8-1-1 in its last ten games and 18-1-3 since Nov 1. Ranks third in the NHL in that span. They have scored 91 goals in that span which ranks second behind the Dallas Stars.
The Avalanche have allowed the second-fewest goals with 45 since then and rank only behind the Wild's 43. Colorado is leading the NHL in shots per game with 35 since Nov 1.
Colorado leads the NHL with 41 goals scored in the first period. The Wild are second in goals allowed in the first period and first since Nov 1.
The Wild are 17-3-3 when scoring first. They trail the Avalanche who are 18-1-4 when scoring first.
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Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened
Morgan Rogers was at the double as Villa continued their impressive streak of victories
2 min United win a throw-in on the right, and then a free kick, which comes to nothing.
We have a minor celebrity in the tunnel! Kelly Osbourne, daughter of the late lamented Ozzy, is there and she’s wearing a Villa shirt. Is she playing? No, her son Sid is a mascot today. He’s not holding hands with John McGinn in the traditional fashion – he’s in his arms.
Continue reading...White Sox add Munetaka Murakami with $34 million, 2-year contract
CHICAGO — The rebuilding Chicago White Sox have added Munetaka Murakami to their lineup, agreeing to a $34 million, two-year contract with the Japanese slugger.
Murakami, who turns 26 on Feb. 2, joins a promising group of young hitters that also includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox finished last in the AL Central this year with a 60-102 record, a 19-game improvement from the previous season.
Murakami gets a $1 million signing bonus payable within 30 days and salaries of $16 million next year and $17 million in 2027.
His 2027 salary can escalate based on awards earned in 2026: $1 million winning an MVP award, $500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting, $250,000 for fourth through 10th and $250,000 for Rookie of the Year.
He can’t be assigned to the minor leagues without his consent and will be a free agent at the end of the contract. He also gets a team-provided interpreter and flight reimbursement between Japan and the U.S.
The White Sox owe a posting fee of $6,575,000 to Yakult, Murakami’s Central League team. The Swallows also would receive a supplemental fee of 15% of any triggered escalators.
Murakami was Central League MVP in 2021 and ’22. The corner infielder was limited to 56 games this season because of an oblique injury. He struck out 64 times, but he batted .273 with 22 homers and 47 RBIs.
Murakami hit 56 homers in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball while becoming the youngest player to earn Japan’s Triple Crown. He topped 30 homers in four straight years before an injury-interrupted season in 2023.
He has a .270 career average with 246 homers, 647 RBIs and 977 strikeouts in 892 games over eight Central League seasons, all with the Swallows.
After playing primarily at first base in 2019 and 2020, he has spent most of his time since at third.
At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Murakami hit a game-ending double off Giovanny Gallegos that drove in Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a 6-5 semifinal win over Mexico. The following day in the championship game, Murakami hit a tying home run off Merrill Kelly in the second inning and Japan went on to beat the United States 3-2.
Under the agreement between MLB and NPB, the posting fee is 20% of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5% of the next $25 million and 15% of any amount over $50 million. There is a supplemental fee of 15% of any earned bonuses, salary escalators and exercised options.
John Gibson Ties Career-High Streak To Put Him in Rare Red Wings Company
While Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson didn't get off to the kind of start that he wanted in his first several starts since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks during the offseason, he's been making up for it in a big way.
He made 24 saves in Detroit's win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon, helping the Red Wings pick up their seventh win in their last 10 games.
For Gibson, it was his seventh straight victory, tying his previous career-best as a member of the Ducks.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
And that's not all.
It’s now the longest winning streak by a Red Wings goaltender since 2012. The last goalie to win seven consecutive games for Detroit isn’t a name that immediately comes to mind for most Red Wings fans: Joey MacDonald.
MacDonald was in his second tenure with the Red Wings, with whom he originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He also spent time with the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens.
MacDonald then finished his professional career with the Schwenninger Wild Wings of the German DEL.
After posting two shutouts in three games, Gibson was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week — a performance that led head coach Todd McLellan to say he looks much more like his old self, the one McLellan routinely coached against while with the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings.
“Just looks like Gibby,” McLellan said. "He’s confident. The guys feel really good about playing around him. There’s less pucks coming off him, more whistles, very efficient.”
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Chip Lindsey leaving Michigan football to become Missouri OC
Chip Lindsey, hired by Sherrone Moore, spent just one year at Michigan football as offensive coordinator. He will join Missouri as its OC in 2026.
Former Sabres Goalie Signs With Overseas Club
A former Buffalo Sabres goaltender is taking his talents overseas.
Lowen Frankfurt of the DEL in Germany has announced that they have signed former Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
Tokarski had been on a professional tryout (PTO) with the Detroit Red Wings' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, before signing with Lowen Frankfurt. In two games with the Griffins during his PTO, he recorded a 1-0-0 record, a .929 save percentage, and a 1.92 goals-against average. Now, he will be looking to make an impact with Lowen Frankfurt after signing with the German club.
Tokarski appeared in 42 games over two seasons with the Sabres from 2020-21 to 2021-22, where he recorded a 12-20-7 record, a .901 save percentage, a 3.35 goals-against average, and one shutout. He also had an 11-9-3 record, a .890 save percentage, and a 3.32 goals-against average in 24 games during the 2023-24 season with the Sabres' AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
In 86 career NHL games over 10 seasons split between the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Carolina Hurricanes, Tokarski posted a 27-36-12 record, a .902 save percentage, and a 3.37 goals-against average.
Power of basketball to connect people around the globe celebrated with World Basketball Day
Can basketball be a force that helps bring a divided nation, a divided world together?
That's the dream of World Basketball Day. A day — designated by the United Nations to be commemorated every Dec. 21 — where we celebrate the power of basketball to unite communities and connect people around the world.
"There's increasingly few spaces left where we humanize each other, where we actually spend time face-to-face, eye contact, wordlessly negotiating and sharing and creating space with and between each other — doing the kinds of intimate, continuous, fluid communication that the space of a basketball court fosters," said David Hollander, an NYU professor who helped create World Basketball Day. "The game itself is an empathy lab. And so, yes, I believe it is one of the greatest exercises that people can engage in to begin to knit back together the social fabric."
It's a dream shared by the NBA and people who love basketball around the globe — and it's a chance to give back to the community through the game.
"World Basketball Day is a chance to celebrate the game and impact it has on people everywhere," the Celtics' Jayson Tatum said. "Basketball has had such a positive influence on my life, and I hope I can pass along the joy and skills I've learned, both on- and-off the court, to the next generation."
“Be nice to yourself. You're not going to shoot the ball great every night, but what you can control is your attitude and effort. And that’s what really matters.”
— Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA (@jrnba) December 21, 2025
- Klay Thompson with advice for the next generation of hoopers #WorldBasketballDaypic.twitter.com/Dw7J4dRMJJ
The NBA is doing this in part by announcing the extension of its longstanding relationship with the YMCA, collaborating on year-long youth basketball and community-focused programming that will reach 6 million youth in the next year. World Basketball Day also means events to connect with youth around the nation and around the globe.
"World Basketball Day takes on a special meaning this year as we commemorate the 175th anniversary of the YMCA, where the sport was first invented 134 years ago," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "We are thrilled to join our many friends in the basketball community to celebrate the game's impact and influence around the world."
What is World Basketball Day?
World Basketball Day is the brainchild of Hollander, an NYU professor with the Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport. Holland teaches a course at NYU called "How Basketball Can Save the World."
"It's a very popular elective that treats basketball like a philosophy," Hollander said. "I created principles that I believe basketball stands for — the way you play basketball can be understood as a really good guide for how we can behave with each other. The way the game was intended to be structured can tell us a lot about how we ought to structure a society, and it's a game intrinsically of hope."
He eventually turned that course into a book, in which he drafted a UN resolution for World Basketball Day. That idea took off in a way he did not fully expect.
"Basketball was always intended to be stateless, borderless, global right from the very start," Hollander said. "And as the world tries to solve the problems that only a whole world can solve, I suggested that we ought to start somewhere where the whole world is happy and the whole world comes together, and the whole world agrees. And, I said, that place is basketball, and it should have a day.
"That's how it began."
World Basketball Day was established in 2023 by the United Nations. Not coincidentally, World Basketball Day is observed each year on Dec. 21, the date in 1891 that Dr. James Naismith hung up the peach baskets and first introduced the game of basketball at the YMCA in Springfield, Mass.
Part of what World Basketball Day has become is a focus on the future and connecting people. For example, last week marked the third annual United Nations diplomats basketball game, in which more than 60 diplomats from 30 countries played pickup at the local YMCA.
"In other words, these peacemakers are actually doing the thing that I hope basketball on a grand scale achieves," Hollander said.
It's not just the NBA and the United States celebrating this, it is FIBA — the international governing body of basketball — and its coaching clinics and camps in Africa on this day. It's local hoopers and content creators from Australia, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines featuring World Basketball Day content across the NBA's localized channels in those countries.
“It's so cool to be from a different place and come to America and play in the best league in the world.”
— Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA (@jrnba) December 21, 2025
- Mo Wagner on what it means to represent Germany in the NBA. #WorldBasketballDaypic.twitter.com/pZafVPXYcL
"Basketball has always been global," Hollander said. "Dr James Naismith sent emissaries to teach basketball in 1895, as soon as he could right after he invented the game, to Europe to Australia, to China to South America. So it is no surprise to me that coming from all corners of the world are some of the most eloquent speakers of the language of basketball."
That language of basketball and how it can be a unifying force deserves to be celebrated. And, much like Christmas, we could use more of that force and spirit all year-round.
No. 19 Texas Tech overcomes foul trouble in stunning comeback from 17 down against 3rd-ranked Duke
The victory was Texas Tech’s first over a top-five foe since defeating No. 1 Baylor 65-62 in January 2022.
Wilsby's Second Career NHL Goal Gives Nashville Predators Momentum In Victory Over Maple Leafs
Coming into Saturday night, it had been about a year and 36 games since Nashville Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby felt the thrill of putting a puck into the net.
The native of Stockholm, Sweden finally lit the lamp for only the second time in his NHL career in the Predators' 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Bridgestone Arena Saturday.
With the Leafs in front 2-1 late in the second period, Filip Forsberg picked off a pass and fed the puck to Ryan O’Reilly. Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll got out of position, and ‘The Factor’ found a wide-open Wilsby in the slot.
The 6-foot-1, 192-pound left-shot defenseman didn’t miss, tying the game with 33 seconds left in the frame. The goal came on a 4-on-4 following unsportsmanlike conduct minors to the Preds’ Nicolas Hague and the Leafs’ Simon Benoit.
"I just saw the lane opening up and I just tried to shoot as hard as I can and it went in," Wilsby said after the game. "There was a lot of, 'oh my God, wow' on the bench. It was a really cool goal."
Wilsby’s goal ended up being a critical turning point in the game. The Preds were outplaying Toronto, outshooting them 15-6 in the period and 24-14 through the first 40 minutes. A goal the other way might have given the Leafs new life and changed the complexion of the game.
At the 9:28 mark of the third period, Luke Evangelista put Nashville ahead on a highlight-reel between-the-legs backhander after getting behind a Toronto defender.
The goal sent a buzz through Bridgestone Arena and the hockey world.
OH. MY. GOODNESS. 😱
— NHL (@NHL) December 21, 2025
LUKE EVANGELISTA, TAKE A BOW
📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctFpic.twitter.com/cepyeREd0r
The Leafs pulled Woll for the extra attacker late in the third, and Steven Stamkos tallied a big insurance empty-netter for a 4-2 Preds lead with 1:34 remaining in regulation.
Jake McCabe narrowed the gap to 4-3 with 49 seconds left, but Cole Smith sealed the 5-3 triumph with an empty-netter of his own.
"It was a great crowd and we had a lot of good energy throughout the game and we're happy with our effort," Wilsby said.
Wilsby’s first NHL goal also came in the month of December. In a 2-0 shutout victory over the New York Rangers at Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 17, 2024, he jumped on a loose puck at the point, deked a Rangers defender and sniped in a shot from the slot for a 2-0 lead, which held up for the final score.
That goal was a form of redemption for Wilsby, who had one waved off the previous week in Dallas against the Stars after an offside review. He finally got one that counted the next week against the Rangers, and his second career goal on Saturday gave the Preds a big lift.
Ironically, the Rangers come to Bridgestone Arena Sunday on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams. Puck drop is set for 6 Pm CT.
Warriors see their warts, but still believe in their lofty NBA potential
Warriors see their warts, but still believe in their lofty NBA potential originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Two months into a season that has delivered more losses than wins, the Warriors still believe that between Monday night and April 12 they will secure an automatic berth in the Western Conference playoffs.
When the Orlando Magic come to Chase Center on Monday, the Warriors will be sitting in eighth place, 4.5 games away from the guaranteed playoff berth that comes with finishing sixth and six games away from the home-court advantage that comes with finishing among the top four.
Are the Warriors dreaming? Maybe.
They realize 53 games remain for them to make the steep climb toward their goal, they scan the standings and, still, they believe.
“I look (at the standings) every day; I looked this morning,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We all know where we are.”
“Our goal coming into the season was to be a top-four seed, and I still think it’s well within our reach. It can be daunting if you look and you go, ‘Man, we’re five, six games back.’ But we know how fast things can flip if we can take care of our business and find some momentum. Because everybody else is going to go through tough stretches too.”
Taking care of business has been difficult and momentum has been elusive. And the Warriors would like to believe their “toughest stretches” are behind them after burying a three-game losing streak Saturday with a win over the Phoenix Suns.
Even in victory, however, they saw there are many miles to go to achieve their quest.
“We watched the last three minutes of the game,” Trayce Jackson-Davis said, referring to a late 14-8 run by Phoenix that nearly erased Golden State’s seven-point lead.
“I wanted the guys to see it,” Kerr said. “There were a couple of just mindless plays where we score and we’re all standing there, instead of having urgency to get back. And the (Suns) race the ball up the floor, we’re trailing the play. There’s no way that can happen. We just have to be sharper and more on edge.”
Golden State is 6-6 against the seven teams above them, beating the Lakers, the Nuggets, the Spurs twice the Suns twice. Yet the Warriors are 0-3 against the 10th-place Trail Blazers and 0-1 against the last-place Kings.
Who are the Warriors?
They are a team still seeking rhythm for an offense that too often collapses under the weight of its turnovers and searching for consistency on defense – with both issues on display over the last four games. They stumbled and fell against Minnesota, at Portland and at Phoenix but stayed upright against the Suns at home.
“We already know what the problem is (or) was,” Jimmy Butler III said, taking scant contentment from beating the Suns. “It’s just on us to go out there and do what we say that we’re going to do to win these games. We’re capable of it. We all know that.”
Butler’s expression of belief suggests the best is yet to come. That they have the capability to move beyond the nights of blowing double-digit leads in the fourth quarter to teams that, on paper, are inferior. Seven of Golden State’s 15 losses have come against sub.-500 teams.
The road to recovery begins with an offense that takes care of the ball and makes open shots, particularly from deep. The Warriors are shooting 32.6 percent on “open” shots (closest defender between four and six feet away), ranking 19th in the league.
This is a team, folks, that has the greatest deep shooter of all time on the roster. Stephen Curry’s gravitational effect opposing defenses often create open looks for teammates. In a league where the 3-point shooting average is 35.8 percent, the Warriors have seven players that qualify as below average, including stretch-5 Quinten Post, at 33.8 percent and 3-point specialist Buddy Hield at 32 percent.
Unless Golden State’s offense drains open triples at a higher rate and its defense learns lessons administered during video study on Sunday, an automatic berth will be out of reach.
Curry believes but tempers his faith with the evidence already gathered. At 14-15, the Warriors are not close to being among the top six in the West, much less the top four.
“We don’t want to look too far ahead,” he said. “Just focus on Orlando and what we need to do to beat that team. I like that idea of just taking it one game at a time, because we don’t have any other choice with the way we’ve been playing.”
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Lakers ask officials for consistency as technical fouls pile up in Clippers loss
The only thing left for JJ Redick to do was joke about it. What else could be said after the Lakers made just six of 38 three-pointers in a 103-88 loss to the Clippers on Saturday?
“I was proud that we improved from three 4-for-33,” the coach deadpanned. “So we got better as the game progressed.”
With four regular starters limited by injuries, the Lakers’ ice cold shooting night doomed them to a season-low in points. Star guard Luka Doncic left the game with 12 points at halftime after a left leg contusion sustained in the first half. Redick noticed the NBA’s leading scorer limping on the court during the second quarter. Starters Austin Reaves (calf), Deandre Ayton (elbow) and Rui Hachimura (groin) were all sidelined for the game, as well as key reserve Gabe Vincent (back).
It left just LeBron James, who had 36 points, four rebounds and three assists as the Lakers (19-8) fell behind by 22 but cut the deficit to seven in the fourth quarter before fading again.
“We just didn’t make shots,” said James, who was three for seven from three-point range and made half of the team’s threes. “It happens over the course of a season. We had some great looks. We just didn’t make shots. But we still gave ourselves a chance to be in the game with how well we defended, our competitive spirit, our competitive nature.”
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Lakers pleas toward referees falling flat
The Lakers have been assessed five technical fouls in the last two games because of conduct with officials as frustration over inconsistent calls is starting to boil over. After Doncic, Jaxson Hayes and Marcus Smart were all given technical fouls in the third quarter of Thursday’s win over Utah, Doncic and Smart were T’ed up again Saturday in the first and third quarters, respectively.
“I think if any coach, any player, what we ask for is consistency,” Redick said. “And that's not to single any official out or any crew out, it's not about that. We need to know what it is night to night.”
Smart also drew a technical foul against Utah after attempting to talk to an official at halftime. When Smart walked away frustrated, he raised his middle finger toward the official, a gesture that got him fined $35,000 Saturday, the NBA announced.
“Sometimes you got to take the hit to get your point across,” Smart said Saturday.
Read more:Lakers lose Luka Doncic to injury, then fall to Clippers despite LeBron James' 36 points
Redick expressed additional frustration with the lack of transparency in the replay system and murky communication with officials. He said he has not received any feedback when he requests it and the distinction between plays that can and can’t be challenged appears to change every night.
The lack of communication has been frustrating for players as well, Smart said, who met with referees before the Utah game as a team captain, but still had his questions dismissed.
“The captain should be able to come talk to them,” Smart said. “They still don't want to hear it. So control what you can control. They don't want to talk, you know, you try and you move on. But it definitely is frustrating when you pour your heart out to this game and the feedback is literally waving you off, telling you to get out your face, and then giving you a tech because you're asking a simple question.”
Way off the mark
The Lakers had their worst shooting night of the season by far, making just 34 of 88 shots (38.6%). The team that was second in the NBA in shooting percentage hadn’t shot worse than 40.3% from the field in a game this season. Even their shaky three-point shooting that was 23rd in the league (34.5%) found a new low: the 15.8% (six for 38) shooting from three-point range is the worst for the team since Jan. 3, 2024 when the Lakers made four of 30 threes in a 110-96 loss to Miami.
Smart, who had made 14 of 28 threes in his last three games, missed on all of his nine long-range shots Saturday and finished with five points on one-of-12 shooting. Jake LaRavia, who was acquired as a free agent in part for his three-point shooting, was 0 for four from beyond the arc. The 24-year-old is shooting a career-low 32.1% from three-point range this season despite his eight-for-15 start in the first five games of the year.
“I know I'm a good shooter, everyone on the staff knows I'm a good shooter, everyone on the team knows I'm a good shooter,” LaRavia said. “At some point, I have to make shots. Obviously, been in a slump pretty much this entire season outside of that first stretch of games where I was making some. But they'll drop."
LeBron James carries the load alone
Once Doncic left the game, the Lakers’ best chance at scoring points became “effort offense,” LaRavia said. Hustling, grabbing offensive rebounds and cherry-picking points in transition was almost enough as the Lakers pieced together a 15-0 run to cut a 22-point Clippers lead to seven with 7:56 remaining in the fourth.
Redick praised the team’s “incredible spirit,” noting that James led the charge in that aspect. In addition to making 15 of 28 shots from the field for his season-high in points, James had two steals and a block. After he drove aggressively to the basket for a layup through contact and finished a three-point play to cut the lead to nine, he was the first to dive on the floor for a loose ball on the next defensive possession when he poked the ball away from Kawhi Leonard.
With the Clippers (7-21) playing most of the game without center Ivica Zubak, who rolled his ankle in the first quarter and didn’t return, James took advantage of the smaller lineup by aggressively getting into the paint.
“He did a terrific job of driving the basketball,” Redick said. “Anytime he had [Brook] Lopez on him, he'd beat him up from the perimeter. Great game from him.”
James, who turns 41 on Dec. 30, has passed his unofficial “training camp” phase after he missed the first 14 games of the season because of right sciatica. He has averaged 30 points in the last three games while shooting 50% from the field.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.