Trojans Blow Through Skyhawks

The USC men's basketball team defeated Tennessee-Martin 70-43 to improve their record to 4-2. In their first game back from Puerto Rico, Taj Gibson had 15 points and DeMar DeRosa had 12. USC used a 23-2 run to put away the Skyhawks, who were led by Lester Hudson with 20 points.

UCLA: U-C-No Bowl Game

The UCLA football team lost to Arizona State 34-9. The Sun Devils used four turnovers - all from QB Kevin Craft - to score touchdowns (3 picks, 1 fumble). The ASU defense kept the Bruins out of the end zone, holding them to just 3 field goals. Craft threw for 204 yards, and has amassed 19 interceptions in the season, a school record. ASU's offense wasn't exciting either, as QB Rudy Carpenter threw for only 101 yards, and rusher Keegan Herring ran for only 32. The loss knocked UCLA out of a bowl game, as their record is now 4-7.

Lakers A-Rize Over Dallas

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 114-107 to improve to 13-1, their best start since the 01-02 season. After having trailed by 11 points at one time to the Mavs, LA used a 23-4 run to put the game away in the fourth quarter. The Lakers played a messy 2-and-1/2 quarters before jump-starting near the end of the third, shooting in the low .400's at one point. Kobe had his best game of the season with 35 points, as well as 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Derek Fisher gave 19 points, Andrew Bynum had 18 with 10 boards, and Pau Gasol contributed 14 points. Trevor Ariza had his best game in a Lakers uniform with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, one steal and one blocked shot. Jason Terry led Dallas with 29 points, and Dirk Nowitzki had 19.

Kings Get Slick Win

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on the road. Jason LaBarbera had a rare start, and made it pay off with 22 saves. Anze Kopitar and Patrick O'Sullivan each had goals for LA.

Clippers Can't Pull Out Win

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the Denver Nuggets 106-105 to fall to 2-13. The Clips at one point trailed by 13 points, but came from behind and had a chance to win, but Marcus Camby's buzzer-beater 3-pointer came up short. Eric Gordon led the Clippers with 24 points in his second career start, and Camby had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Newly acquired Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins combined for only 7 points and 5 rebounds in their first games for LA. Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 30 points and 11 rebounds.

Kings Flame Out

The Los Angeles Kings were defeated by the Calgary Flames 6-2. Miikka Kiprusoff made 24 saves for Calgary, while Erik Ersberg only had 14. Rene Bourqe scored two of the Flames' six goals.

New Jersey and Lakers Go Perfect Together

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Jersey Nets 120-97, with 34 points coming in the third for LA, and 17 in the fourth for Jersey. The Lakers went into halftime with only a slim 2-point lead, but outscored the Nets 64-39 in the second half. Pau Gasol led LA with 26 points, and Jordan Farmar had 18 points. Vince Carter gave New Jersey 14 points, and Devin Harris led the Nets with 24 points.

Clippers Shorthanded in Loss

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the New Orleans Hornets 99-87. The Clips were without Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins after the Knicks learned about Cuttino Mobley's heart condition, putting the trade's effects on hold. New York could have voided the deal if they felt Mobley's condition would be too uncomfortable. However, the trade went through as planned, and Randolph and Collins will be available for LA's next game. However, the trade's problems caused problems in the Clipper's game against the Hornets, who outscored LA 50-41 in the second half. David West lead New Orleans with 27 points, and Chris Paul had a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 17 assists. Rookie Eric Gordon had his first NBA start with the Clips, scoring 25 points. Baron Davis also helped LA with 19 points and 8 assists.

Trojans Get Bitten By Tigers in Puerto Rico

The USC men's basketball team was defeated by Missouri 83-72 to fall to 3-2. The Trojans had a 10 point lead with 15:31 left, but the Tigers used two 12-2 runs to put away the men of Troy. J.T. Tiller had 14 points for Mizzou, and Dwight Lewis gave USC 15 points.

Lakers Deliver Royal Pounding

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated their rival Sacramento Kings 118-108 for LA's 11th win. All five of the Lakers starters had double digits: Kobe Bryant led with 24 points and 6 assists, followed by Pau Gasol with 16 points and 7 rebounds, Andrew Bynum with 15 points and 10 boards, Vladimir Radmanovic with 12 points (all from 3-pointers), and Derek Fisher gave 10 points. Lamar Odom had 14 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. John Salmons led the Kings with 24 points.

USC Says Bye to 6th Place

The USC Trojans moved up in the BSC standings, from #6 to #5, after Texas Tech's blowout loss to Oklahoma, which dropped the Red Raiders to #7. USC, who had a bye-week before they play Notre Dame, still needs an Oregon State loss to go to the Rose Bowl to face Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions.

Kings Get Avalanched in SO Loss

The Los Angeles Kings were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in a shootout. Dustin Brown's goal in the third period put the Kings up 3-2, but Paul Stastny scored the tying goal for Colorado. With no one scoring in overtime, the game went to a shootout in which the Avalanche won 2-0.

Clippers Face Net Loss

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the New Jersey Nets 112-95 to drop to 2-11. The Clips, who were without newly acquired Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins, gave up 31 points in the first quarter, and could not hang on. Yi Jianlian had his best game as a Net with 27 points and Vince Carter added 26. Baron Davis and Marcus Camby had their best games with LA, Davis with 30 points and 10 assists, and Camby with 18 points and 13 boards. Al Thornton added 20 points for the Clips.