The Wild, Wild West
By: Peyton Schultze
LeBron James and the Lakers responded to a harsh loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday with an easy win over the Miami Heat on Sunday.
A weekend full of Los Angeles sporting events took center stage and provided some hard fought wins and devastating losses. Setting the stage for Monday night’s enormous Rams game, LA’s teams provided a captivating weekend full of excitement and intrigue. From Chip Kelly’s huge win for the Bruins on Saturday to a shocking loss to the rival Denver Broncos on Sunday by the Chargers, here’s our recap of a major weekend in LA sports.
A Win Over the Trojans Provides Momentum for the Future of UCLA Football
A Chip Kelly-led UCLA team upset a favored and thirsty USC team seeking to clinch a berth in a bowl.
Few people saw a Joshua Kelly takeover when predicting the USC-UCLA game this past weekend. However, that is exactly what happened as Kelly led UCLA (3-8) to a 34-27 victory over USC (5-6) in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl. On a picturesque afternoon in one of the marquee venues in the country, the latest installment in the historic rivalry was a treat. In a game that could have secured a bowl berth for the Trojans, the Bruins were able to provide a flaw in their plan by pounding the ball up and down the field on USC. Kelly, who rushed for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns on 40 carries, was the star of the game and dominated from start to finish. According to The Los Angeles Times, Kelly had the third highest single game rushing yard performance in school history, only behind Maurice Jones-Drew (322 yards) and Deshaun Foster (301 yards). The game meant very little in the overall outlook of UCLA’s season, but provided a huge boost to the momentum of the program going forward led by Coach Kelly. UCLA is a young team that has also been beaten up by injuries throughout the year, and a win like this is exactly what the doctor ordered going into Kelly’s second year, where they are expected to be more competitive. Meanwhile, for USC, the seat for head coach Clay Helton just became even that much warmer with an unexpected loss to the bottom-of-the-conference Bruins. Coming into the year, USC was projected to be a much stronger team, even ranking #15 in the preseason AP poll. While the Trojans are also very young like the Bruins, the team was still supposed to contend for a Pac-12 title and has fell short of expectations. Led by the 2017 Gatorade Athlete of the Year in quarterback JT Daniels, USC has not had quite the year they expected and will face major choices in the athletic department in the offseason regarding the state of the program. However, USC still not only has a shot to still remain bowl eligible next week, but also unseed a team from the College Football Playoff. Next week, Notre Dame visits the Coliseum (5 PM PT, ABC) and with a win, will likely advance into the College Football Playoff. The Trojans will look to pull off the upset of the year and give a boost to their season, while also likely securing Helton’s job for next year. Meanwhile, UCLA hosts Stanford (12 PM PT, Pac-12 Network) where they finally hope to beat David Shaw and the Cardinal for the first time since 2008.
Kings’ Disappointing Season Continues in Loss to Preds
The Los Angeles Kings downfall continued in a 5-3 loss to Nashville.
Long gone are the seasons of 2012 and 2014. Long gone are the days where the Kings held one of the elite defensive attacks in the NHL. And right now, it seems the days of the competitive Kings in the Pacific Division in the Western Conference are also long gone. A snake bitten team filled with loads of drama, including a fired coach (John Stevens) and an injured franchise cornerstone (Jonathan Quick) was once again exposed in a chance to get their season back on track. After a big win on the road against the rival Chicago Blackhawks in a shootout, the Kings once again dropped a game to a solid Western Conference opponent. While Nate Thompson, Anze Kopitar, and Alex Iafollo all scored against the Predators on Saturday, the Kings defense failed them once again in a 5-3 loss to the Preds. While the Predators are a formidable threat in a deep Western Conference, the Kings have continued to let down their fanbase that expected them to at least contend to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. Even thinking about making the playoffs right now seems like too far of a stretch, and their slide further and further down the rankings of the NHL will likely continue without Quick unless the Kings start clicking, quickly. It is too early in the season to say they have no shot, but the team needs some type of momentum to get hot and challenge their opponents. While it is hard to blame the players that have been on the ice every night when they expected to have a healthy roster and retained head coach, the leaders of the Kings must take action if they want to start winning again. Players like Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter, and Dustin Brown must control this team from falling off a cliff so early in the season, as they know their roster is too talented to disappoint this much. Next up for the Kings is a road matchup with St. Louis, followed by a three game homestand against Colorado, Vancouver, and Edmonton. Look for a make-or-break week for the Kings where they look to pile up some huge wins over Western Conference opponents.
Bolts’ Hot Streak Ends to Rival Broncos in a Sea of Orange
Broncos’ kicker, Brandon McManus, sealed a comeback win for the Broncos on a 34 yard field goal to give the Broncos a 23-22 win over the Chargers.
Mistakes hurt the Chargers all day and eventually caught up to them in the end. In a game that included a flurry of yellow flags, a missed PAT, a fake punt, and an interception by pass rusher Von Miller, the Denver Broncos (4-6) handed the Chargers (7-3) their third loss of the season at the StubHub Center on Sunday afternoon. While Philip Rivers put on a passing show with 401 total yards, two costly interceptions, one by Miller and one by corner Chris Harris Jr., put the Chargers in a tough position. However, the Chargers still seemed to control most of the game, until the 4th quarter. In a game that has to worry Charger fans based off its similarities to losses from the 2017 season, Broncos’ quarterback Case Keenum and running back Philip Lindsay carved up the Bolts’ defense in the 4th quarter and were eventually able to drive down the field with under 2 minutes left to deliver a game winning field goal by kicker Brandon McManus. For the Broncos, it was their first AFC West road win since 2015. For the Chargers, it was a loss that could ruin their hopes for an AFC West title over the dangerous Kansas City Chiefs. In the game, offensive players such as WR Keenan Allen and RB Melvin Gordon (and a throwback performance from Antonio Gates) were able to move the ball down the field and produce big plays. However, the Chargers defense was not able to produce a single sack to a beat-up Broncos’ offensive line or make timely plays that could have shifted the tide of the game. While the Chargers are happy to have the return of pass rusher, Joey Bosa, for the rest of their potentially playoff bound season to boost their defense, there has to be some kind of worry within the team that their defense was not able to stop a turnover-plagued QB and an undrafted, rookie running back. While not a season wrecking loss, the Chargers will need to spend the upcoming Thanksgiving week trying to get back on track to their winning ways. However, the Bolts will look to respond next week in a touch up game against the dreadful Arizona Cardinals, before a road, primetime, Sunday Night Football matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers the following week on NBC.
Lakers Split the Florida Series Filled with Thrills from James
LeBron James and the Lakers followed a loss to the Magic on Saturday with a win over the Heat on Sunday.
For the first time since #24 was still wearing the purple and gold, a Laker recorded 50 points in a game; this time in the form of #23. After one of their worst efforts of the season against the Magic on Saturday in a 130-117 loss, LeBron James and the Lakers responded with a 113-97 win in Miami over the Heat on Sunday. Returning to the place where he helped the Heat win two historic championships alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, James put on a show for his former faithful in a 113-97 win. Tallying 51 points (including 6/8 from 3), 8 rebounds, and 3 assists, James and the Lakers were able to perform at a high level on Sunday afternoon and put up an efficient scoring performance, in addition to a solid defensive performance compared to the night before. The story of the past week continued for the Lakers, winners of 7 of their last 10 games, as LeBron has carried and willed this team to victory on a nightly basis. However, while their defense has been much improved as of late, the Lakers must ease the burden off of James offensively if they want this season to be a major success. Over the weekend, players like Brandon Ingram and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had nice nights, whereas they have had somewhat of a struggle up to this point in the season. Look for Ingram to build off his recent performances and get his season back on the track that many predicted him to go on. One player that has been extremely concerning lately is Lonzo Ball. In his last 2 games, he has only scored a grand total of 2 points and has not shot well from the field. While he does provide great on-ball defense on a nightly basis, Ball must solidify his offensive game at a more consistent level if he wants to remain in the Lakers starting lineup, even with point guard, Rajon Rondo, injured and inactive (broken hand). When Ball plays at a high level, the Lakers seem to follow his lead and he must still be aggressive, even when playing next to the mighty James, when on the court for the Lakers to be successful. Next up for the Lakers is LeBron James’ return home to Cleveland on Wednesday night, before a return home next weekend against Utah and Orlando. Look for another exciting chapter this week in the eventful 2018-2019 season of Lakers basketball.