Lakers crumble in loss to Pacers

Lakers lose after a massive fourth quarter collapse; blowing a 17-point lead with 10 minutes left to Indiana.

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1. Lakers crumble in loss to Pacers

The Lakers had won five of their last six games and looked destined to win six of seven before a massive fourth quarter collapse saw them to blow a 17-point lead with 10 minutes left to the Indiana Pacers. The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde has the more on the Lakers’ most heartbreaking loss of the season.

Transition killed the Lakers; Pacers scored 23 fast break points compared to the Lakers’ 9. I mentioned that Indiana isn’t really a top three-point shooting team but, again, they shoot a lot. Indy went 6 for 13 (.461) from three in the fourth. The Pacers mostly trailed in the second half but they were a squad that kept coming. You can really only tip your hat to that team.

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2. A voice is missing amongst the LA Kings’ leadership

The LA Kings are in desperate need of a locker room leader and The Sporting Tribune’s Russell Morgan explains why they need to find one fast if they are going to realize their full potential this season.

What has happened to the LA Kings? Though their record isn’t as dire as some on social media or even I would interpret, the team isn’t playing well. Actually, they’ve been quite bad. The losses have been dreadful, and even the wins feel lucky. The up and down start to the season was even more profound in a painful 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators at home on Sunday night. A team that’s currently second to last in their conference.

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3. Dodgers rumors: Justin Verlander meeting, Xander Bogaerts an option?

The Sporting Tribune’s Blake Harris has the latest on the rumors surrounding the Dodgers, including Justin Verlander possibly coming to Los Angeles this offseason.

The Dodgers have been linked to the American League Cy Young winner numerous times this offseason. According to a report, Justin Verlander and the Dodgers are meeting today. I’ve talked about this before, but Verlander would be a good fit with LA. The Dodgers need to fill out their rotation as there’s still some uncertainty with how it’ll look in 2023. Verlander will cost a lot, but it wouldn’t be a long-term commitment by LA. If the Dodgers don’t make a splash in free agency with a position player, maybe they opt to spend big on Verlander.

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4. Marcus Arroyo fired by UNLV

Despite a win over in-state rival Nevada on Saturday, Marcus Arroyo could not save his job as he was ousted as UNLV's head football coach Monday. The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp has the latest from Las Vegas on the Rebels’ surprising decision.

The timing may have been a little odd but the decision to make a change in the head coach for UNLV’s football program wasn’t. Marcus Arroyo had to go. Athletic Director Erick Harper said Monday after Arroyo’s dismissal following a 5-7 season and an overall 7-23 record in three years with the Rebels, that he came to his decision based on Arroyo’s body of work. That’s AD-speak for “It’s about more than wins and losses.”

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5. TST’s NBA Power Rankings Week 7

The Lakers have started to turn the corner, Ivica Zubac continues to dominate on both ends of the floor for the Clippers, and the Celtics and Suns continue to be the class of the NBA this season. Where does your team rank so far? The Sporting Tribune’s Brandon Deutsch has you covered in TST’s NBA Power Rankings.

Ivica Zubac (10.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game with a TS% of 63.5) had the game of his life in the Clippers 114-100 win over the Pacers on Sunday finishing with 31 points, 29 rebounds, and 3 blocks and it seems like a different player for the Clippers steps up every night. One night it’s Terance Mann, the next night it’s Norman Powell, then the next night it’s Reggie Jackson. Maybe that is a testament to Head Coach Ty Lue and the culture he has created with hard nosed-tenacious players and elite defense.

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6. Verbeek Speaks, Ducks Quarter Season Review

Felix Sicard and Jake Rudolph have been doing a podcast about the Ducks since the 2017-2018 Anaheim Ducks season and they will continue to share their insights this season at The Sporting Tribune.

On this episode of the Crash The Pond Podcast they break down Verbeek’s comments on the Beeker and they dive into a quarter-season review of the Ducks. Click here to listen.

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7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports

Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:

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8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick  

Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:

Seattle Kraken at Los Angeles Kings: $22

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9. On the Air presented by Pirnia Law

Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region:

5:00 p.m. – Anaheim Ducks at Nashville Predators – Bally Sports SoCal

7:00 p.m. – LA Clippers at Portland Trailblazers – TNT

7:30 p.m. – Seattle Kraken at Los Angeles Kings – Bally Sports West  

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10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune 

On Monday’s show, the crew talked about the Lakers entering a critical stretch in their season and talked to The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez about the Chargers’ dramatic win over the Cardinals.  

Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Fan 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.

Thank you for reading. Please click below to subscribe to The Morning Column presented by The Sporting Tribune. It’s totally free and will be delivered to your inbox every morning.

That’s it for today. Talk to you all tomorrow!