Lakers take right approach with banner unveiling
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina writes the Lakers handled the In-Season Tournament banner unveil correctly before moving on.
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1. Lakers take right approach with banner unveiling
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina writes the Lakers handled the In-Season Tournament banner unveil correctly before moving on.
The Lakers played a video tribute that showcased their clutch moments. The Lakers then unveiled a banner that bestowed their excellence.
Once the Lakers completed a ceremony to celebrate their first NBA Cup championship in league history, LeBron James showed with his body language and his actions how exactly he felt about the NBA’s In-Season tournament.
With his hands in his pockets, James walked directly toward the layup line for pre-game warmups. He didn’t even bother touching the NBA Cup trophy displayed at center court. James did that plenty enough after the Lakers actually won the In-Season tournament last Saturday against the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas.
No need to do it again after touching the Larry O’Brien trophy four other times in his 21-year NBA career. As James walked toward the layup line, the rest of his teammates understood his message. They quickly followed suit.
“I think it’s awesome,” James said following the Lakers’ 114-109 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday at Crypto.com Arena. “To acknowledge wins throughout the course of a marathon, I think it’s pretty cool. It’s the first inauguration of it. We were able to win it. For our fans that didn’t get an opportunity to be in Vegas, they had an opportunity to share that celebration with us tonight and share that moment. That’s something that will live on forever.”
2. Injuries not slowing down Golden Knights so far this year
The Sporting Tribune's Steve Carp explains how Vegas continues to win despite not having their full roster intact thanks to its depth.
Remember during the summer when everyone was wringing their hands over a perceived lack of quality depth for the Vegas Golden Knights?
What if one of the key forwards got hurt? What if they lost one of their six regular defensemen? What would happen if one of the goaltenders went down with an injury?
Well, all of the above has happened in the first 2 1/2 months of the 2023-24 season. And guess what? Not only are the Knights in first place in the Pacific Division, they have the most points in the entire NHL.
Sunday’s 6-3 win over Ottawa at T-Mobile Arena gave Vegas 47 points, three more than second-place Vancouver and nine more than third-place Los Angeles though the Kings have five games in hand. The Knights and Kings meet here Dec. 28 in what figures to be a huge game. Vegas is 7-1-2 in its last 10 and they bounced back from Friday’s 5-2 loss to Buffalo.
“I think we all learned last year how to win with different lineups,” said center Chandler Stephenson, who scored a second-period shorthanded goal against the Senators and is starting to warm up with points in five of his last six games. “It definitely helps to have that experience.”
3. Harden and Leonard carry Clippers to another blowout win to start trip, 151-127
The eighth straight win for the red hot Clippers comes with a dominant performance against Indiana, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Grant Mona.
Behind the all around play of Kawhi Leonard and incredible 4th quarter scoring of James Harden, the Clippers annihilated the Pacers in the second half. The Clippers are now winners of 8 games in a row and notch a blowout win in the first game of a 3 game road trip.
The Clippers are now 16-10 and 6th in the Western Conference.
It has been a slow and steady grind for Harden in a Clipper uniform. After a rough stretch to open his tenure, Harden had 35 points, 9 assists and 3 rebounds with 8 three-pointers. He had 21 points in the fourth quarter alone and sent the Clippers bench into oblivion with four straight three’s before coming out of the game. Harden has not only been scoring, but his defense has been excellent, getting multiple steals per game, reading passing lanes and looking engaged while on the ball. If the Clippers can use Harden’s elite playmaking to get Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in their spots, and transform Zubac into the best version of himself as we are seeing now, this team will continue to play like this consistently.
4. Scarlett Camberos is embracing next step with Bay FC
Scarlett Camberos will miss Angel City but she is looking forward to playing for her new team, Bay FC, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia.
When Scarlett Camberos is asked about Angel City, her face lights up as she prepares to describe every aspect she loves. She recounts the joys of her kind former teammates, who helped her start her NWSL career.
Playing in the NWSL was a daunting task for Camberos. She joined the league at 22 years old after two seasons with Club América Femenil in Liga MX Femenil, but the NWSL was a step up. However, the league felt less intimidating once she began training with Angel City. Her teammates welcomed her, helping make the transition relatively seamless.
Camberos became a more frequent starter as the 2023 season progressed, becoming a fixture for Angel City in their run from 11th to fifth in the standings. She displayed remarkable skill as a winger, contributing spectacular goals and creating for her teammates.
Notably, Camberos scored Angel City’s second goal on Decision Day in a 5-1 thrashing of the Portland Thorns. The victory clinched Angel City a spot in the playoffs for the first time in club history.
5. Rams now control playoff destiny, proving NFL wrong one week at a time
With Rams on a hot streak, they now look to shock the NFL and get back into the big dance, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Grant Mona.
ot too long ago, the Rams were sitting at 3-6, and their leader Matthew Stafford looked like he would be out for a significant period of time with a thumb injury. Things looked bleak for a team that had already exceeded some expectations in terms of their play, with many saying that they should sit players and tank the season. 5 games later, the Rams are sitting at 7-7 and in the 7th and final wild card spot in the NFC. So what sparked the resurgence? Let’s dive into it.
With this 2023 Rams team, the story all year has been about resilience and their ability to never give up and fight against teams that are touted as some of the best in the league. Although they did lose to teams such as the 49ers, Eagles, Bengals, and Ravens, they stayed close throughout and even had the lead in some of those matchups. Sean McVay and Raheem Morris have been at the peak of their powers this year, turning lower draft picks and unknown talent into stars and solid, contributing pieces to a playoff hopeful team.
6. USC falls 91-75 against Auburn, losing streak extends to three
The Trojans lost to Auburn on Sunday as Ellis scored 22, Collier scored 13, and James finished with 5 points, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Fredo Cervantes.
The USC Trojans played hard against the Auburn Tigers, but ultimately lost, marking their third consecutive defeat. Coach Andy Enfield needs to focus on defense since the Trojans gave up too many open opportunities to Auburn. With such a talented team, it's unacceptable to be losing games so early in the season.
Auburn displayed excellent ball movement that caused most of the Trojans to rotate late on defense, providing multiple open shot opportunities. The start of the game was interesting as USC came out with high energy but gradually fell apart. Although Trojans initially gained the upper hand over the Tigers by 3 points in the opening 3 minutes, Auburn bounced back by scoring the next 11 points. Tigers forward Jaylin Williams stormed his way past USC's defense making it look easy for himself.
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 this week:
7:00 p.m. – Kraken at Kings – $46
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:
4:00 p.m. – Golden Knights at Hurricanes – ESPN+
7:30 p.m. – Kings at Sharks – 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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