Usc Dismisses Leading Scorer From Men's Team

USC dismisses Chad Baker-Mazara

From Ryan Kartje: On nan doorstep of a pivotal, last week and pinch its play successful superior threat of unraveling, USC basketball’s starring scorer has been dismissed from nan program.

The schoolhouse announced Sunday that sixth-year elder defender Chad Baker-Mazara was nary longer a personnel of nan team. USC didn’t instantly connection a logic for his departure, but a personification acquainted pinch nan business not authorized to speak publically told The Times that it was not 1 incident but an accumulation of issues that led to his exit.

Baker-Mazara near Saturday’s nonaccomplishment to Nebraska a fewer minutes into nan 2nd half aft he chased down a lay-in and fell difficult connected nan court. USC coach Eric Musselman said aft nan crippled that Baker-Mazara told coaches he was incapable to return. He spent nan remainder of nan crippled successful a folding chair connected nan baseline.

Less than a time later, Baker-Mazara was connected his measurement out, leaving nan Trojans without 1 of their astir move scorers arsenic they participate a do-or-die agelong of their schedule.

Losers of their past 5 games, USC has conscionable much games near successful nan regular play to amended its tourney resume. And nan Trojans still request plentifulness of thief to find a spot successful nan NCAA tournament.

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UCLA women rout USC

From Steve Galluzzo: Sunday was “Senior Night” for nan USC women’s hoops squad astatine Galen Center, but it was nan other team’s seniors who stole nan show.

Gabriela Jaquez scored 14 points, Kiki Rice had 11 points and 4 assists and Lauren Betts had 15 rebounds and 5 assists arsenic UCLA wrapped up nan regular play pinch a 73-50 triumph complete its rival and vanished undefeated successful convention play for nan first clip since going 18-0 successful nan Pac-10 successful 1998-99 nether Kathy Olivier.

Having already clinched nan regular-season title, UCLA became nan first squad to navigate nan Big Ten schedule without a nonaccomplishment since Maryland successful 2014-15.

“These are 2 elite programs, we knew it would beryllium different tonight, we knew they’d travel pinch fire,” said UCLA coach Cori Close, who improved to 9-4 against nan Trojans since counterpart Lindsay Gottlieb started astatine USC successful 2021. “We knew we’d person to do it pinch our defense, our rebounding and by taking attraction of nan ball.”

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Keep fighting on: USC shows Lindsay Gottlieb thing ‘special’ successful nonaccomplishment to UCLA

UCLA-USC container score

Big Ten standings

Lakers conclusion Sacramento

From Broderick Turner: The hunt for sustained consistency remained a attraction for nan Lakers connected Sunday against a Sacramento Kings squad pinch nan NBA’s worst record.

And it helped that nan Lakers were wholly patient against nan Kings, thing that has eluded them astir each season.

Behind beardown efforts from Luka Doncic and LeBron James, nan Lakers defeated nan struggling Kings 128-104 astatine Crypto.com Arena successful their 2nd consecutive blowout win.

Doncic, 1 of 5 Lakers to people successful double figures, scored 28 points connected 10-for-16 shooting. He made 4 three-pointers and had 9 assists and 5 rebounds.

James, who played aft initially being listed arsenic questionable because of arthritis successful his near foot, scored 24 points successful 27 minutes connected eight-for-15 shooting. He made a trio of threes and had 5 assists.

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Lakers container score

NBA standings

Clippers conclusion Pelicans

Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points and the Clippers hit nan New Orleans Pelicans 137-117 connected Sunday nighttime to extremity a three-game losing streak.

Ninth successful nan Western Conference, nan Clippers improved to 28-31. The Pelicans are 13th successful nan West astatine 19-43.

New Orleans prima Zion Williamson sat retired aft injuring his correct ankle astatine Utah connected Saturday night. He had played a career-high 35 consecutive games.

The Clippers ne'er trailed. They led 43-32 aft nan first 4th and had a 76-70 advantage astatine nan half. It was 107-94 aft three, and nan Clippers stretched nan separator to 26 successful nan fourth.

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Clippers container score

NBA standings

Kings occurrence their coach

From Kevin Baxter: The Kings fired coach Jim Hiller connected Sunday amid ongoing struggles that person put nan team’s playoff hopes successful a perilous spot.

The Kings named subordinate coach D.J. Smith nan interim caput coach for nan remainder of nan season. Smith was nan Ottawa Senators’ caput coach for 4 and a half seasons from 2019 to 2023. He went 131-154-32 successful Ottawa earlier being fired successful December 2023.

Kings subordinate improvement coach Matt Greene will service arsenic an adjunct coach nether Smith, nan squad said.

“I want to convey Jim Hiller for his dedication, professionalism, and nan committedness he showed to our players and our squad each day. He is simply a respected coach and person, and we admit nan activity he’s done down our bench,” Kings wide head Ken Holland said successful a statement. “At this constituent successful nan season, we judge a alteration successful activity is basal to springiness our group nan champion opportunity to scope its imaginable and compete astatine nan level we expect. These decisions are ne'er made lightly, but our work is to position this squad for occurrence now and moving forward.”

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Ducks triumph successful shootout

Cutter Gauthier scored doubly successful regulation, Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish some converted successful nan shootout, and nan Ducks hit nan Calgary Flames 3-2 connected Sunday.

Lukas Dostal made 32 saves and denied Matvei Gridin connected nan last changeable of nan tiebreaker to seal Anaheim’s eighth consecutive triumph astatine home. The Ducks improved to 14-3 successful games that person gone beyond regulation.

McTavish slid nan puck done Devin Cooley’s legs for nan shootout winner. Joel Farabee and Yegor Sharangovich scored for nan Flames successful regulation, and Cooley stopped 34 shots.

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

Jackson Ferris is very happy to beryllium a Dodger

From Jack Vita: The measurement nan Dodgers person spent money successful caller years, 1 area that often gets overlooked is their expertise to draft, waste and acquisition for and create prospects.

The Dodgers boast 5 prospects successful MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 rankings, tied for third-most among teams. The group includes 4 outfielders — Josue De Paula (No. 15), Zyhir Hope (No. 27), Eduardo Quintero (No. 30) and Mike Sirota (No. 60) — successful nan apical 60. Two of those prospects, De Paula and Quintero, were world signings, and nan different two, Hope and Sirota, were acquired via trade.

Sirota came complete successful past year’s waste and acquisition that sent Gavin Lux to nan Cincinnati Reds. A twelvemonth earlier, nan nine acquired Hope and promising young pitcher Jackson Ferris from nan Chicago Cubs successful speech for infielder Michael Busch and right-hander Yency Almonte, who precocious returned to nan Dodgers connected a insignificant convention contract.

Ferris, who sounded 1-2/3 scoreless innings successful his 2nd Cactus League commencement Saturday successful nan Dodgers’ 7-6 split-squad nonaccomplishment to nan Texas Rangers astatine Surprise Stadium, noticed nan opposition going from nan Cubs to nan Dodgers.

“It was different,” Ferris said past period astatine his locker astatine Camelback Ranch. “It was honestly a activity of caller air. Getting to cognize these coaches, they conscionable understand precisely what they wanted for maine and really they were going to spell astir it.

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Shaikin: In L.A. and successful Cooperstown, Freddie Freeman will everlastingly beryllium a Dodger, not a Brave

Rams person a batch of headdress space

From Gary Klein: NFL occurrence is not predictably linear.

Just because nan Rams’ past 3 seasons ended — successful bid — successful nan NFC wild-card round, nan divisional information and convention title crippled does not mean coach Sean McVay and his 2026 squad are guaranteed to beforehand to Super Bowl LXI, which will beryllium played astatine SoFi Stadium.

But pinch seasoned backmost Matthew Stafford backmost and respective caller draught classes producing emerging stars, nan Rams will beryllium among nan favorites to make their 3rd Super Bowl quality nether McVay.

Especially if they people large again successful nan free agency and nan draft.

The NFL group nan net cap Friday astatine $301.2 million, an summation of $22 cardinal from 2025. The Rams person $41.6 cardinal successful headdress space, according to Overthecap.com, eighth-most among 32 teams.

Teams cannot motion unrestricted free agents until 1 p.m. PDT connected March 11, but agents and players tin discuss pinch teams opening March 9 astatine 9 a.m. PDT.

Here are 5 questions facing nan Rams arsenic they hole for free agency and nan draft:

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Iran mightiness not play successful World Cup

The president of Iran’s shot federation says he does not cognize if nan nationalist squad tin play World Cup matches successful nan United States pursuing nan astonishment U.S. and Israeli bombardment of his country.

“What is definite is that aft this attack, we cannot beryllium expected to look guardant to nan World Cup pinch hope,” Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 arsenic Iran traded strikes pinch Israel arsenic portion of a widening warfare prompted by nan bombardment.

The U.S.-Israeli strikes connected Iran continued for a 2nd time connected Sunday aft nan sidesplitting of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw nan early of nan Islamic Republic into uncertainty and raised nan consequence of location instability.

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This time successful sports history

1918 — Joe Malone is held scoreless successful nan Montreal Canadiens’ 5-3 season-ending nonaccomplishment to nan Toronto Arenas, but finishes nan first NHL play pinch a League-high 44 goals successful 22 games. The 44 goals remains an NHL grounds that stands until 1944-45, erstwhile Maurice Richard scores 50 goals successful 50 games.

1921 — Kentucky thumps Georgia 20-19 successful nan Southern Intercollegiate men’s hoops title crippled successful Atlanta. The 14-team convention does not support general regular play standings. It’s assemblage basketball’s first tournament.

1929 — The Chicago Blackhawks people a extremity to threat their NHL grounds eight-game scoreless streak. Chicago scores doubly to hit nan Montreal Maroons 2-1.

1940 — Seabiscuit, ridden by Red Pollard, wins nan Santa Anita Handicap successful his last race. Beaten by a chemoreceptor successful some nan 1937 and 1938 Santa Anita Handicaps, Seabiscuit thumps Kayak II by 1 1-2 lengths to discontinue arsenic nan starring money-winning equine successful nan world.

1951 — In nan first NBA All-Star Game, Ed Macauley of nan Celtics scores 20 points to lead nan East to a 111-94 triumph astatine Boston Garden.

1951 — St. John’s Bob Zawoluk scores 65 points to lead nan Redmen to a 105-61 rout of St. Peters. It’s nan first clip successful its 43-year history that St. John’s scores complete 100 points successful a game.

1962 — Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA-record 100 points to lead nan Philadelphia Warriors to a 169-147 triumph complete nan New York Knicks. Chamberlain scores 59 second-half points and 28 points from nan free-throw statement for records.

1966 — Chicago’s Bobby Hull becomes nan first NHL subordinate to person 2 50-goal seasons erstwhile he scores a third-period extremity successful nan Blackhawks’ 5-4 triumph complete nan Detroit Red Wings.

1969 — Boston’s Phil Esposito becomes nan first NHL subordinate to people 100 points successful a season, scoring a extremity successful nan Bruins’ 4-0 triumph complete nan Pittsburgh Penguins.

1991 — Chris Corchiani of North Carolina State becomes first subordinate successful NCAA history to manus retired 1,000 assists successful a career. Corchiani, who has 12 assists successful nan game, gets nan milestone pinch 1:16 near successful nan first half connected a walk to Rodney Monroe. Wake Forest spoils nan time pinch an 89-84 win.

1991 — Del Ballard Jr. throws nan astir celebrated gutter shot successful PBA Tour history successful nan finals of nan Fair Lanes Open. Ballard, needing 7 pins connected his past rotation to hit Pete Weber, gets nary arsenic his shot falls into nan gutter. Weber wins 213-207, claiming nan $30,000 first prize, while Ballard takes $15,500.

2011 — Pittsburgh overcomes a slow commencement to clinch astatine slightest a stock of nan Big East regular-season title pinch a 66-50 triumph complete South Florida. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon sets an NCAA Division I grounds for astir victories successful nan first 8 seasons of a profession pinch 214 — 1 much than Everett Case had astatine North Carolina State and Roy Williams had astatine Kansas successful their first 8 years.

2012 — Major League Baseball expands its playoff format to 10 teams, adding a 2nd wild-card successful each league. The determination establishes a one-game, wild-card information successful each convention betwixt nan teams pinch nan champion records who are not section winners.

2018 — Kristina Vogel of Germany wins a record-tying 11th women’s world cycling title erstwhile she takes nan individual sprint astatine nan way world championships successful Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Vogel ties Anna Meares’ grounds for astir women’s world titles.

2019 — 37-year-old Swiss 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion Roger Federer thumps Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to triumph his 100th ATP Tour title astatine nan Dubai Championships.

2024 — LeBron James becomes nan first subordinate successful NBA history to people 40,000 regular-season points arsenic his Lakers gaffe to a 124-114 conclusion to nan Denver Nuggets successful Los Angeles.

Compiled by nan Associated Press

Until adjacent time...

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