Top News:
Kyle Goon / Orange County Register:
Lakers edge Grizzlies on Dennis Schröder's clutch play — LOS ANGELES — Lakers fans' nails have been whittled to nubs over the last two weeks. Seven of the team's past nine games have come down to one possession in the last minute. — For the Lakers, most of them have been heartbreakers.
Discussion:
Press Telegram, Los Angeles Times, SGV Tribune, USA Today, NESN.com, New York Post and FanSided
RELATED:
Kyle Goon / Orange County Register:
Lakers' late-game struggles continue in loss to Kings
Lakers' late-game struggles continue in loss to Kings
Discussion:
San Bernardino Sun, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and FanSided
John Marshall / Daily News:
Cold-shooting USC can't catch No. 11 Arizona in loss — The Trojans shoot 37% overall and 4 for 17 from 3-point range as the Wildcats shuffle their starting lineup, race to a 15-point halftime lead and defeat USC, 81-66 — TUCSON, Ariz. — USC followed one of its best performances …
Discussion:
San Bernardino Sun
Jack Magruder / Daily News:
No. 5 UCLA beats Arizona State for 14th straight win — Tyger Campbell has 22 points, David Singleton has 21 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. does his best work in the final minutes as the Bruins close with a 16-2 run for a 74-62 win — TEMPE, Ariz. — Few things please UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and Press Telegram
Kristian Winfield / New York Daily News:
Nets remain winless without Kevin Durant: ‘There has to be a DNA, a toughness here’ — Kyrie Irving wanted you to believe that without Kevin Durant, a 30-point-per-game scorer heralded as one of the most versatile players in NBA history, the Nets weren't going to struggle.
Discussion:
New York Post, Boston Herald, The Athletic and Mercury News
Jon Heyman / New York Post:
Mets, Red Sox among MLB teams eyeing January deals — Teams historically run low on spending money at this stage of the offseason. But it's interesting that a couple of the richest teams (Mets and Red Sox) and a few of the smaller-revenue teams (Marlins, Pirates and Brewers) saved money for January deals.
Discussion:
Boston.com, MLB Baseball News …, Cubs Insider, New Jersey Online and MLB Trade Rumors
Julia Poe / Chicago Tribune:
Recapping the Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine leads a dominant performance in Paris — and DeMar DeRozan makes his return known — Halfway around the world, the Chicago Bulls finally delivered a win with a quality that had been missing all season — domination. — This Bulls season has been filled …
Discussion:
Reading Eagle, CHGO, The Athletic, Bleacher Nation, Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald and Denver Post
David Furones / Sun-Sentinel:
Dolphins fire defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, make other staff changes — The Miami Dolphins parted ways with defensive coordinator Josh Boyer on Thursday, the team announced. — Boyer's third season leading the Dolphins defense was a disappointment. A group expected to be one of the better units …
Discussion:
Bleacher Nation, NBC 6 South Florida, Reading Eagle, ProFootballTalk, Boston Herald and Pats Pulpit
Antwan Staley / New York Daily News:
Improved Giants defense will be the key against Eagles in NFC Divisional Round matchup — In a league full of enormous offense numbers, defense still wins championships. — The Giants' defense doesn't appear to be anything close to championship material on paper.
Discussion:
New York Post, New Jersey Online, NESN.com, The Trentonian, Reading Eagle and FanSided
RELATED:
Pat Leonard / New York Daily News:
Hiring Wink Martindale was a home run; keeping him is just as important
Hiring Wink Martindale was a home run; keeping him is just as important
Discussion:
Reading Eagle
Nathan Ruiz / Baltimore Sun:
Orioles CEO John Angelos says ‘this job stinks with low payrolls,’ is hopeful club's will increase — In a Friday afternoon segment with 105.7 The Fan, Orioles CEO and chairman John Angelos said he was hopeful the club will eventually operate with a payroll that's in the upper half …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors and Camden Chat
Baseball America:
2023 Top 100 Prospects — The 2023 Prospect Handbook is at the printer. All 30 team Top 10s are published. Pitchers and catchers are less than a month away from reporting to spring training. — All of that can only mean one thing: It's time for the grand finale, the 2023 Top 100 Prospects.
RELATED:
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
Heat show completeness in crushing shorthanded Pelicans 124-98 — The simplicity was in the seizing, something that has not always been the case this season for the Miami Heat. — This time, against a New Orleans Pelicans team lacking Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones …
Discussion:
Denver Post
Childs Walker / Baltimore Sun:
Greg Roman out after four seasons as Ravens' offensive coordinator — Greg Roman will no longer be the Ravens' offensive coordinator after a four-year run in which he designed the most productive ground game in NFL history but frustrated fans by failing to build a commensurate passing attack.
Discussion:
ProFootballTalk, The Boston Globe, New Jersey Online, The Athletic, Boston Herald, Denver Post, FanSided and USA Today
Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: Dodgers taxed $32M, MLB payrolls record $4.5B — The Los Angeles Dodgers were hit with a $32 million luxury tax for the second straight season, among six teams paying a penalty as baseball payrolls rebounded after the lockout to a record $4.56 billion.