Lakers’ five most interesting games to watch
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina looks at the Lakers' 2023-24 schedule and pinpoints the five most interesting games to watch.
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1. Lakers’ five most interesting games to watch
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina looks at the Lakers' 2023-24 schedule and pinpoints the five most interesting games to watch.
Through both NBA championship runs and rebuilding seasons, the Lakers remain an attractive team to feature in marquee games.
Not surprising then the Lakers will appear in 40 nationally televised games in the 2023-24 season after making the Western Conference Finals with LeBron James and Anthony Davis (12 with NBA TV, 11 both with TNT and ESPN, six with ABC). Which games are most riveting, though?
Frankly, there are too many to select. But here are the five most interesting Lakers’ games to watch.
2. Clippers’ five most interesting games to watch
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina looks at the Clippers' 2023-24 schedule and pinpoints the five most interesting games to watch.
Will the Clippers finally win an NBA championship?
Not only does that hinge on if Kawhi Leonard or Paul George can ever stay healthy. It also depends on another factor the Clippers pushed aside amid their quest to keep their star players durable for an expected title run.
“We have to get back to honoring and respecting the regular season,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said following the team’s first-round playoff exit to the Phoenix Suns. “We have to compete harder more consistently, and we have to earn it.”
Will that result in the Clippers fundamentally changing their load management priorities from the past four seasons? Will Leonard and George stay out of the trainer’s room? We’ll see. For the sake of this exercise, however, let’s take them at their word. Assuming the Clippers have a full roster at least for the marquee games, below are the five most interesting matchups to monitor.
3. Chargers WR Keenan Allen dominates joint practice day one
Keenan Allen put on a show during Thursday's joint practice between the Chargers and Saints, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez.
During one-on-one, Keenan Allen made a diving one-handed catch and threw the ball into the stands. It was a great throw by quarterback Justin Herbert but an even better catch by Allen.
“Hell of a ball,” Allen said. “Herbert put in on a spot, a one-hand catch. It got the juices flowing a little bit. Seemed only right that you give it to a fan.”
Later during the same drill, Allen caught a pass while a defender was trailing, then put a move on the safety as he walked into the end zone. He then yelled out, “It is not fair.”
Allen was in his element on Thursday.
“I’m feeling really good,” Allen said. “The offseason went well, training camp has been going well. We’re able to go against somebody different today who obviously didn’t game plan, might see a double-team tomorrow.”
4. Quick look at the Sparks’ remaining schedule
The Sparks are 12-18 and right outside the playoff picture with 10 games left in the season and The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde looks at the rest of the schedule.
We are entering the last quarter of the season for the Los Angeles Sparks. Sitting at 12-18 and at the 9th spot (the Chicago Sky have the same record but own the tiebreaker for the 8th and final playoff spot over the Sparks), there’s still plenty of time to make the postseason and snap that two-year playoff drought.
That 8-game losing streak certainly hurt them (that’s an understatement). We also know that the Sparks have been ravaged by injuries; as of this writing, the Sparks players have missed 90 games due to injury/illness, which is tops in the league. But as Coach Curt Miller brought up recently, they’ve been able to put together wins because they’ve been able to keep the same line-ups in the last few games.
Let’s take a look at the Sparks’ remaining schedule.
5. Max Muncy’s two-year-old daughter helped spark Dodgers hot streak
How an off day party in Dallas, sparked a new dance celebration and a hot streak for the Dodgers, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Brady Leveton.
Throughout the 2023 MLB season, there has been plenty of entertainment when it comes to in-game celebrations.
Baseball teams have been no strangers to celebrations in the past, but whether it’s a home run or an extra-base hit, this season its been taken to another level.
Among the more notable celebrations is the Baltimore Orioles sprinkler celebration.
6. L.A. sports teams unite to donate to those impacted by Hawaii wildfires
Los Angeles sports teams united to donate $450,000 to American Red Cross to support Hawaii fire relief efforts.
Los Angeles professional sports organizations are teaming up to donate $450,000 to help people affected by the Hawaii wildfires. The Angels, Angel City Football Club, Chargers, Clippers, Dodgers, Anaheim Ducks, LA Galaxy, LAFC, Kings, Lakers, Rams and Sparks have all come together to support the American Red Cross relief efforts for those in need.
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.
6:38 p.m. – Diamondbacks at Padres – $16
6:38 p.m. – Rays at Angels – $17
7:10 p.m. – Marlins at Dodgers – $20
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.
6:38 p.m. – Diamondbacks at Padres – Bally Sports San Diego
6:38 p.m. – Rays at Angels – Bally Sports West
7:10 p.m. – Marlins at Dodgers – SportsNet LA
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Armani Buckets, Brandon Deutsch and Ji Hae Wiley to discuss the Chargers going into a critical season with one of the best teams on paper and one of the NFL's biggest stars in Justin Herbert. Can they not only win on the field but can they win over the hearts of sports fans in Los Angeles? The crew also welcomes in the newest member of The Sporting Tribune, Fredo Cervantes, to talk Chargers, Sparks, and more.
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.
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That’s it for today. Talk to you on Monday!