Kings bolster their playoff hopes but lose a legend
Howdy, I’m your host, Iliana Limón Romero, in for Houston Mitchell, who is probably refining his preferred
Dodgers opening day lineup. Let’s get right to the news.
From Helene Elliott: Every now and then, goaltender Jonathan Quick would flash his glove or kick out his leg or repel an intruder from his crease with a feisty shove and it would feel like the Kings’ best years all over again.
But those moments recently had become all too rare for Quick, who was the most valuable player in the Kings’ surprisingly dominant 2012 Stanley Cup championship run and carried them through a 26-game playoff minefield to help them prevail again in 2014.
No athlete has ever defeated time and the indignities the passing years bring — slower reflexes, longer recovery periods, challengers who had a poster of you on the wall of their childhood bedroom. Even Quick, a Connecticut native who stands among the best Americans to wear the mask and pads of his stressful profession, couldn’t make time stand still. Nor could he pause it so he could be part of another championship push in the last season of his 10-year, $58-million contract.
Still, there was a sad finality to the announcement Wednesday the Kings had traded Quick, a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick and a third-round pick in 2024 to the Columbus Blue Jackets for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. The newcomers — each in the final season of his contract — were scheduled to meet the media Thursday morning, hours before the Kings face Montreal at Crypto.com Arena.
Continue reading here
LAKERS
Lakers guard Dennis Schroder (17) drives to the basket past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
(Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
From Dan Woike: OKLAHOMA CITY — Dennis Schroder called it a must win.
And, you’d have thought with the Lakers still outside the NBA’s postseason picture, that a healthy Anthony Davis had to play.
But in a moment that explains some of the dissatisfaction with the current state of the NBA, a pain-free Davis sat out, the team choosing to cautiously monitor his previous right foot injury on the second night of a back-to-back set of games.
“It’s something that was discussed weeks ago and we’re just sticking to a plan,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said before the Lakers 123-117 win against the Thunder.
Continue reading here
Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times
Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
USC guard Okako Adika grabs a rebound against Oregon State in the first round of the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament Wednesday.
(David Becker / Associated Press)
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: LAS VEGAS — Oregon State upset No. 6 seed USC 56-48 in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday in Las Vegas behind 18 points and nine rebounds from Raegan Beers.
The No. 11 seed Beavers (12-18) will play No. 3 seed Colorado in the second round on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. while the Trojans (21-9) wait for their NCAA tournament fate.
USC, which entered the game ranked 30th in the NCAA’s NET ranking, is still expected to make its first postseason appearance since 2014.
“We have to look back at this game and do some soul searching and figure out who we want to be in the tournament,” point guard Destiny Littleton said with tears falling down her cheeks. “I whole-heartedly believe that we do have more basketball to go. I think in particular this game, we were playing too much like individuals too much of the game and it came back to bite us.”
Continue reading here
ALSO
— How regular-season clutch-time struggles helped UCLA survive against ASU
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. shoots over USC forward Vincent Iwuchukwu on Jan. 26.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
From Ben Bolch, Ryan Kartje and J. Brady McCollough: Welcome to March, college basketball fans.
Los Angeles Times college hoops experts Ben Bolch, Ryan Kartje and J. Brady McCollough are ready to answer key questions about UCLA, USC and more as the Madness begins.
What is the biggest obstacle UCLA must overcome to reach the Final Four?
Bolch: Like every year, it’s going to be about matchups. Even with their lockdown defense, the Bruins are most susceptible to being beaten by teams with length and athleticism. UCLA also can’t go into one of its six-minute lulls on offense or allow the other team to dictate the energy with a lifeless first half. Those are real issues the Bruins can’t seem to overcome.
Continue reading here
— Still in UCLA’s corner, Ben Howland stressed importance of getting No. 1 seed in West
CHARGERS
The Chargers’ Keenan Allen runs during a game against the Colts on Dec. 26 in Indianapolis.
(AJ Mast / Associated Press)
From Jeff Miller: INDIANAPOLIS — In January, Tom Telesco said he had no interest in parting ways with wide receiver Keenan Allen as the Chargers work to become salary cap compliant.
The general manager reiterated that opinion Wednesday at the NFL combine as the team remains more than $20 million over the cap.
“Keenan Allen isn’t going anywhere,” Telesco said, squelching speculation that cutting the veteran wide receiver is an option being considered.
Continue reading here
HIGH SCHOOLS
A snowy Sierra Madre mountains in the distance on a chilly Wednesday afternoon in Sherman Oaks as Notre Dame played Bishop Alemany in a baseball game.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
From Eric Sondheimer: With the temperature in the 40s and snow covering nearby mountains, there was every reason to believe the pitchers at Wednesday’s Mission League baseball opener in Sherman Oaks between Notre Dame and Bishop Alemany might have some issues with walks considering how difficult it might be gripping the baseball in the cold.
Sure enough, Notre Dame ace Oliver Boone didn’t make it out of the first inning. He gave up six runs on four walks and two hit batters and never got a batter out before being pulled.
“I couldn’t get a grip of it,” Boone said.
Continue reading here
ALSO
— High school basketball: Southern California and Northern California Regional results and updated pairings
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1918 — Joe Malone is held scoreless in the Montreal Canadiens’ 5-3 season-ending loss to the Toronto Arenas, but finishes the first NHL season with a League-high 44 goals in 22 games. The 44 goals remains an NHL record that stands until 1944-45, when Maurice Richard scores 50 goals in 50 games.
1921 — Kentucky beats Georgia 20-19 in the Southern Intercollegiate men’s basketball championship game in Atlanta. The 14-team conference does not keep formal regular season standings. It’s college basketball’s first tournament.
1929 — The Chicago Black Hawks score a goal to snap their NHL record eight-game scoreless streak. Chicago scores twice to beat the Montreal Maroons 2-1.
1940 — Seabiscuit, ridden by Red Pollard, wins the Santa Anita Handicap in his final race. Beaten by a nose in both the 1937 and 1938 Santa Anita Handicaps, Seabiscuit beats Kayak II by 1 1-2 lengths to retire as the leading money-winning horse in the world.
1951 — In the first NBA All-Star Game, Ed Macauley of the Celtics scores 20 points to lead the East to a 111-94 victory at Boston Garden.
1951 — St. John’s Bob Zawoluk scores 65 points to lead the Redmen to a 105-61 rout of St. Peters. It’s the first time in its 43-year history that St. John’s scores over 100 points in a game.
1962 — Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA-record 100 points to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to a 169-147 triumph over the New York Knicks. Chamberlain scores 59 second-half points and 28 points from the free-throw line for records.
1966 — Chicago’s Bobby Hull becomes the first NHL player to have two 50-goal seasons when he scores a third-period goal in the Black Hawks’ 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
1969 — Boston’s Phil Esposito becomes the first NHL player to score 100 points in a season, scoring a goal in the Bruins’ 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
1991 — Chris Corchiani of North carolina State becomes first player in NCAA history to hand out 1,000 assists in a career. Corchiani, who has 12 assists in the game, gets the milestone with 1:16 left in the first half on a pass to Rodney Monroe. Wake Forest spoils the day with an 89-84 win.
1991 — Del Ballard Jr. throws the most famous gutter ball in PBA Tour history in the finals of the Fair Lanes Open. Ballard, needing seven pins on his last roll to beat Pete Weber, gets none as his ball falls into the gutter. Weber wins 213-207, claiming the $30,000 first prize, while Ballard takes $15,500.
2011 — Pittsburgh overcomes a slow start to clinch at least a share of the Big East regular-season championship with a 66-50 win over South Florida. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon sets an NCAA Division I record for most victories in the first eight seasons of a career with 214 — one more than Everett Case had at North Carolina State and Roy Williams had at Kansas in their first eight years.
2012 — Major League Baseball expands its playoff format to 10 teams, adding a second wild-card in each league. The decision establishes a one-game, wild-card round in each league between the teams with the best records who are not division winners.
2018 — Kristina Vogel of Germany wins a record-tying 11th women’s world cycling title when she takes the individual sprint at the track world championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Vogel ties Anna Meares’ record for most women’s world titles.
2019 – 37-year-old Swiss 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion Roger Federer beats Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to win his 100th ATP Tour title at the Dubai Championships
Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally
Check out the Kings’ tribute to Jonathan Quick after he was traded to help bolster the team’s playoff hopes.
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 [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Howdy, I’m your host, Iliana Limón Romero, in for Houston Mitchell, who is probably refining his preferred
Dodgers opening day lineup. Let’s get right to the news.
From Helene Elliott: Every now and then, goaltender Jonathan Quick would flash his glove or kick out his leg or repel an intruder from his crease with a feisty shove and it would feel like the Kings’ best years all over again.
But those moments recently had become all too rare for Quick, who was the most valuable player in the Kings’ surprisingly dominant 2012 Stanley Cup championship run and carried them through a 26-game playoff minefield to help them prevail again in 2014.
No athlete has ever defeated time and the indignities the passing years bring — slower reflexes, longer recovery periods, challengers who had a poster of you on the wall of their childhood bedroom. Even Quick, a Connecticut native who stands among the best Americans to wear the mask and pads of his stressful profession, couldn’t make time stand still. Nor could he pause it so he could be part of another championship push in the last season of his 10-year, $58-million contract.
Still, there was a sad finality to the announcement Wednesday the Kings had traded Quick, a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick and a third-round pick in 2024 to the Columbus Blue Jackets for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. The newcomers — each in the final season of his contract — were scheduled to meet the media Thursday morning, hours before the Kings face Montreal at Crypto.com Arena.
Continue reading here
LAKERS
Lakers guard Dennis Schroder (17) drives to the basket past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
(Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
From Dan Woike: OKLAHOMA CITY — Dennis Schroder called it a must win.
And, you’d have thought with the Lakers still outside the NBA’s postseason picture, that a healthy Anthony Davis had to play.
But in a moment that explains some of the dissatisfaction with the current state of the NBA, a pain-free Davis sat out, the team choosing to cautiously monitor his previous right foot injury on the second night of a back-to-back set of games.
“It’s something that was discussed weeks ago and we’re just sticking to a plan,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said before the Lakers 123-117 win against the Thunder.
Continue reading here
Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times
Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
USC guard Okako Adika grabs a rebound against Oregon State in the first round of the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament Wednesday.
(David Becker / Associated Press)
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: LAS VEGAS — Oregon State upset No. 6 seed USC 56-48 in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday in Las Vegas behind 18 points and nine rebounds from Raegan Beers.
The No. 11 seed Beavers (12-18) will play No. 3 seed Colorado in the second round on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. while the Trojans (21-9) wait for their NCAA tournament fate.
USC, which entered the game ranked 30th in the NCAA’s NET ranking, is still expected to make its first postseason appearance since 2014.
“We have to look back at this game and do some soul searching and figure out who we want to be in the tournament,” point guard Destiny Littleton said with tears falling down her cheeks. “I whole-heartedly believe that we do have more basketball to go. I think in particular this game, we were playing too much like individuals too much of the game and it came back to bite us.”
Continue reading here
ALSO
— How regular-season clutch-time struggles helped UCLA survive against ASU
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. shoots over USC forward Vincent Iwuchukwu on Jan. 26.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
From Ben Bolch, Ryan Kartje and J. Brady McCollough: Welcome to March, college basketball fans.
Los Angeles Times college hoops experts Ben Bolch, Ryan Kartje and J. Brady McCollough are ready to answer key questions about UCLA, USC and more as the Madness begins.
What is the biggest obstacle UCLA must overcome to reach the Final Four?
Bolch: Like every year, it’s going to be about matchups. Even with their lockdown defense, the Bruins are most susceptible to being beaten by teams with length and athleticism. UCLA also can’t go into one of its six-minute lulls on offense or allow the other team to dictate the energy with a lifeless first half. Those are real issues the Bruins can’t seem to overcome.
Continue reading here
— Still in UCLA’s corner, Ben Howland stressed importance of getting No. 1 seed in West
CHARGERS
The Chargers’ Keenan Allen runs during a game against the Colts on Dec. 26 in Indianapolis.
(AJ Mast / Associated Press)
From Jeff Miller: INDIANAPOLIS — In January, Tom Telesco said he had no interest in parting ways with wide receiver Keenan Allen as the Chargers work to become salary cap compliant.
The general manager reiterated that opinion Wednesday at the NFL combine as the team remains more than $20 million over the cap.
“Keenan Allen isn’t going anywhere,” Telesco said, squelching speculation that cutting the veteran wide receiver is an option being considered.
Continue reading here
HIGH SCHOOLS
A snowy Sierra Madre mountains in the distance on a chilly Wednesday afternoon in Sherman Oaks as Notre Dame played Bishop Alemany in a baseball game.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
From Eric Sondheimer: With the temperature in the 40s and snow covering nearby mountains, there was every reason to believe the pitchers at Wednesday’s Mission League baseball opener in Sherman Oaks between Notre Dame and Bishop Alemany might have some issues with walks considering how difficult it might be gripping the baseball in the cold.
Sure enough, Notre Dame ace Oliver Boone didn’t make it out of the first inning. He gave up six runs on four walks and two hit batters and never got a batter out before being pulled.
“I couldn’t get a grip of it,” Boone said.
Continue reading here
ALSO
— High school basketball: Southern California and Northern California Regional results and updated pairings
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1918 — Joe Malone is held scoreless in the Montreal Canadiens’ 5-3 season-ending loss to the Toronto Arenas, but finishes the first NHL season with a League-high 44 goals in 22 games. The 44 goals remains an NHL record that stands until 1944-45, when Maurice Richard scores 50 goals in 50 games.
1921 — Kentucky beats Georgia 20-19 in the Southern Intercollegiate men’s basketball championship game in Atlanta. The 14-team conference does not keep formal regular season standings. It’s college basketball’s first tournament.
1929 — The Chicago Black Hawks score a goal to snap their NHL record eight-game scoreless streak. Chicago scores twice to beat the Montreal Maroons 2-1.
1940 — Seabiscuit, ridden by Red Pollard, wins the Santa Anita Handicap in his final race. Beaten by a nose in both the 1937 and 1938 Santa Anita Handicaps, Seabiscuit beats Kayak II by 1 1-2 lengths to retire as the leading money-winning horse in the world.
1951 — In the first NBA All-Star Game, Ed Macauley of the Celtics scores 20 points to lead the East to a 111-94 victory at Boston Garden.
1951 — St. John’s Bob Zawoluk scores 65 points to lead the Redmen to a 105-61 rout of St. Peters. It’s the first time in its 43-year history that St. John’s scores over 100 points in a game.
1962 — Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA-record 100 points to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to a 169-147 triumph over the New York Knicks. Chamberlain scores 59 second-half points and 28 points from the free-throw line for records.
1966 — Chicago’s Bobby Hull becomes the first NHL player to have two 50-goal seasons when he scores a third-period goal in the Black Hawks’ 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
1969 — Boston’s Phil Esposito becomes the first NHL player to score 100 points in a season, scoring a goal in the Bruins’ 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
1991 — Chris Corchiani of North carolina State becomes first player in NCAA history to hand out 1,000 assists in a career. Corchiani, who has 12 assists in the game, gets the milestone with 1:16 left in the first half on a pass to Rodney Monroe. Wake Forest spoils the day with an 89-84 win.
1991 — Del Ballard Jr. throws the most famous gutter ball in PBA Tour history in the finals of the Fair Lanes Open. Ballard, needing seven pins on his last roll to beat Pete Weber, gets none as his ball falls into the gutter. Weber wins 213-207, claiming the $30,000 first prize, while Ballard takes $15,500.
2011 — Pittsburgh overcomes a slow start to clinch at least a share of the Big East regular-season championship with a 66-50 win over South Florida. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon sets an NCAA Division I record for most victories in the first eight seasons of a career with 214 — one more than Everett Case had at North Carolina State and Roy Williams had at Kansas in their first eight years.
2012 — Major League Baseball expands its playoff format to 10 teams, adding a second wild-card in each league. The decision establishes a one-game, wild-card round in each league between the teams with the best records who are not division winners.
2018 — Kristina Vogel of Germany wins a record-tying 11th women’s world cycling title when she takes the individual sprint at the track world championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Vogel ties Anna Meares’ record for most women’s world titles.
2019 – 37-year-old Swiss 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion Roger Federer beats Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to win his 100th ATP Tour title at the Dubai Championships
Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally
Check out the Kings’ tribute to Jonathan Quick after he was traded to help bolster the team’s playoff hopes.
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 [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
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