Behind the scenes of Rose Bowl week
The Sporting Tribune's Emily Van Buskirk and Kim Montuoro take you behind the scenes of Rose Bowl week in Southern California.
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1. Behind the scenes of Rose Bowl week
The Sporting Tribune's Emily Van Buskirk and Kim Montuoro take you behind the scenes of Rose Bowl week in Southern California.
It’s peak college football bowl season with the Semifinal mere days away. You’ve seen the preview shows, you’ve heard the podcasts. But we’re here to bring you behind the scenes of the Grandaddy of Them All. Come along with us for a week of daily Rose Bowl vibe checks.
The week officially kicked off Wednesday for both teams inside the Happiest Place on Earth where fans and Disneyland Resort guests alike lined the small-town sidewalks of Main Steet, U.S.A. to cheer on both head coaches in horse-drawn carriages, catch sight of the Rose Queen and clap in time with the Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band.
2. Lakers close out homestand with win over Hornets
The Sporting Tribune's Lauren Jones writes the Lakers were able to close out the last home game of the year with a win over Charlotte.
The Los Angeles Lakers close out the Hornets and the year. In the final home game of the season, the Lakers third quarter surge powered them to a win over Charlotte, 133-112, at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers’ starting lineup experiment continued on Thursday night. With Cam Reddish sidelined by a groin injury, head coach Darvin Ham elected to start Rui Hachimura in his place alongside LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt, Taurean Prince, and Anthony Davis.
3. Ducks muzzled by Coyotes in shutout loss
The Ducks were shut out for the fourth time this season in a 2-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee.
It was a frustrating night at Honda Center for the Ducks as they fell 2-0 to the Arizona Coyotes, bringing their season record against the Desert Dogs to 1-2-0. Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse were the goalscorers for Arizona while Connor Ingram stopped all 28 shots he faced to earn his fourth shutout of the season.
“They just outworked us,” said head coach Greg Cronin. “Every zone, they outworked us. They won puck battles. You can package this game any way you want. At the end of the day, they outworked us.”
“Collectively, it wasn’t a sharp game from us,” said defenseman Cam Fowler. “I don’t think we put enough pressure on them defensively and made things hard enough for them. I think it was just five guys on the ice at one time not being totally synced up. Those guys worked hard and it just felt like we were a little bit behind all game.”
4. Clippers hand Grizzlies second straight loss, 117-106
The Clippers closed out a successful December with one last win over Memphis, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Marisa Flores.
The Clippers set the tone early on Friday as the Clippers collectively shot 55% from the field in the first to get away with a 33-25 lead. Memphis managed to stay in it in the second period when they went on an 11-0 run to erase an LA 15-point lead. The Clippers seemingly were a little too close for comfort heading into the third as they quickly went on a 8-0 run for a 69-56 lead. The scoring only carried on from there for LA before they found themselves entering the final period with a 20-point lead.
Five turnovers from LA and a 22-9 Memphis run almost cost the Clippers the lead once again in the fourth. Fortunately for Los Angeles, the Clippers found a way to further their lead all the way to a win.
5. Chargers preparing for both Broncos QB’s Wilson and Stidham in Denver
Will it be Russell Wilson or Jarrett Stidham? The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez writes the Chargers are preparing for both.
The Chargers are down to their final two games of the season. As it looked like they would face Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes to end the season…Denver had other plans.
On Wednesday morning, Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced that they would bench Wilson for the final two games.
“Ultimately, our job is to get the ball in the end zone, and we have to be more efficient doing that. All of us,” Payton said. “I can’t replace the entire offensive line. I can’t bring in five new receivers. If it continues over a period of time, there will be another (coach) here talking to you, as well. These are difficult decisions.”
6. Angel City’s 2023 in review
The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia looks back at Angel City’s most pivotal moments from the 2023 season.
Angel City’s 2023 season was like a rollercoaster. They went through a tough start, a coaching change, and a climb from near the bottom of the table to the playoffs. Through each step, their players made brilliant plays (whether they were happening frequently or not.
Each step proved to be vital as Angel City made it into the playoffs on the number. They would have missed the playoffs if they finished with just one fewer point. But thanks to some heroics throughout the year, they made it in on Decision Day.
7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports
Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:
8. Ticket Time presented by Golden Gate
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
7:00 p.m. – Oilers at Kings – $85
9. On the Air presented by The D Las Vegas
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
5:00 p.m. – Lakers at Timberwolves – Spectrum SportsNet
7:00 p.m. – Oilers at Kings – Bally Sports West
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. You can also watch every Friday on BLEAV on FuboTV.
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That’s it for today. Talk to you on Monday!