Kings Recap

Thursday: The Los Angeles Kings fell to the San Jose Sharks, their 23rd loss of the season. Erik Ersberg filled in for Jonathan Quick, and made 36 saves on 40 shots. Evgeni Nabokov saved 30 of 32 shots for the Sharks. Each of San Jose's goals was scored by a different player, with Rob Blake and Joe Thornton both grabbing 2 assists. Michal Handzus and Alexander Frolov both scored goals for LA, and Dustin Brown had an assist.

Saturday: The Kings lost to the Phoenix Coyotes 6-3, and are 4 points behind the 8th playoff slot-holding Anaheim Ducks. Phoenix scored 5 straight goals after LA took a 2-1 lead in the second period. Olli Jenkin led the way with 3 goals, achieving his sixth career hat trick. Alexander Frolov, Dustin Brown, and Derek Armstrong each scored goals for the Kings. Jonathan Quick could only save 23 out of 28 shots, and Ilya Bryzgalov had 30 saves.

Bruins Left in Ruins

The UCLA men's basketball team was upset by Washington State 82-81, their 5th conference loss of the season. This was the Cougars first road victory against the Bruins since 2005. The two teams entered the second half tied at 42, and both shot above 50%, with UCLA committing only 6 turnovers. The Bruins were just 3-for-10 from three-point range, while the Cougars were 8-for-15, including 5 for Taylor Rochestie, who finished with 33 points. Nikola Dragovic led UCLA with 23 points, and Darren Collison scored 20 and had 8 assists. Josh Shipp finished with 14, and Alfred Aboya had a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Kobe, Fisher Help Lakers Escape Hornets' Clutches

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets 115-111 in overtime, their 45th win of the season. The Lakers built a 13 point lead in the fourth quarter, but blew it after giving up a plethora of 3-pointers and trailed 98-95 with just seconds left in the game. However, Derek Fisher hit his own 3-pointer to tie the game with 14.3 seconds left, and a defensive stop sent the game into overtime. Kobe Bryant scored 11 points in the extra five minutes, and Hornets-star Chris Paul fouled out with 1:32 left in OT. LA won overtime 17-13. Kobe finished the game with 39 points, and Pau Gasol had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Fisher and Luke Walton each scored 14 points, and Lamar Odom had 12 with a game-high 17 rebounds. Rasual Butler led the Hornets with 31 points, and Paul added 21 points and 16 assists.

Dodgers Sign O-Dog

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed free-agent Orlando Hudson to a one-year, $3.4 million contract plus incentives. Hudson played with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, hitting .305 before ending the season on the disabled list. He has a career .282 batting average, has won 3 Gold-Glove awards, and will play at second base instead of Blake DeWitt. The sigining comes at a cost for the Dodgers, who will surrender their first-round draft pick to Arizona. The Dodgers are now capable of moving DeWitt to third base and 3B Casey Blake to left-field, replacing Juan Pierre. DeWitt could also go into a utility role or return to the minors, pending the Manny Ramirez situation.

College Basketball Roundup - Washington Pt. 3

UCLA - The Bruins gained a game on the conference-leading Washington Huskies by defeating those same Huskies 85-76, their 9th Pac-10 win of the season. Washington shot a season-low 10 free-throws, a direct opposite of when the two teams met earlier in the season where they took 43 trips to the charity stripe. Alfred Aboya fought flu during the week, and still suffered the effects from it, but still finished with a double-double, 13 points and 11 rebounds. Josh Shipp led the Bruins with 20 points, Darren Collison scored 17, and Nikola Dragovic added 15. Justin Dentmon led the Huskies with 22 points and Jon Brockman finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

USC - The Trojans defeated Washington State 61-51, their 7th conference win and 16th of the season. USC nearly lost its 14 point second-half lead to just a one-point lead with 6 minutes left, but held on and increased the lead. Dwight Lewis scored 17 points for the Trojans, and Taj Gibson added 16 points and 8 rebounds. Taylor Rochestie led the Cougars with 16 points, and Caleb Forrest added 12.

Editor's Note: Boras Takes a Serious Hit

Alex Rodriguez's (below) admission that he took performance enhancing drugs shocked the baseball world. What's even more shocking is why he took it. According to A-Rod, he was under enormous pressure to play well in Texas after signing a monstrous 10-year, $252 million contract on a team known for its exuberant home run totals. Scott Boras (above) put Rodriguez in that hole, squeezing every penny he could out of owner Tom Hicks. The contract forced the prices of everything from food to merchandise to rise, which put even more pressure on A-Rod. Fans who attended wanted to see the reason why they were paying higher prices for a sub-par team. Boras has put many of his players in similar situations, most notably Kevin Brown and Andruw Jones, both of whom came at the expense of the Dodgers. Brown signed the first $100 million deal, but only showed for it with injury-plagued seasons with LA and the Yankees. The infamous Mitchell Report later named Brown as a suspect of steroid use, including his last season with the Dodgers. Next came Jones. Andruw Jones signed with LA last year for a 2-year, $36.2 million contract, the most lucrative contract in franchise history. All Jones could muster though was a .158 batting average, 3 home runs, and 14 RBI's. He was later released, and cited the poor support from fans as to why he did not wish to return to the club. It can't be easy to get the fan's support when Jones strikes out 5 times in one game for the princely sum of $36 million. All three players signed enormous contracts and each cracked under the pressure, two turning to PED's and one falling into a career-ending slump. Boras's fingerprints are all over these train-wrecks, making him vulnerable to attacks. Whose to say his next big player won't crack under pressure as well? Any team associated with Boras's failures has taken harsh criticism. That's something the Dodgers need to think about the next time they're negotiating the contract for Manny Ramirez.

Kings Pull Through For Win

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-3, putting them only 3 points out of a playoff spot. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar both scored power-play goals in the third period to give LA a 4-2 lead, and held on despite giving up a goal to Chris Kunitz with 3:40 left. Jarret Stoll and Patrick O'Sullivan each scored a goal for the Kings, and Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists. Jonathan Quick made 28 saves for LA.

Dodgers Are Favorites for Hudson

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorites to land free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson, according to Foxsports.com. Hudson is a three-time Gold Glove winner and would be a defensive upgrade from the Dodgers' current second-baseman, Blake DeWitt. The Dodgers could sign Hudson and still be capable of signing Manny Ramirez. Hudson batted .305 last season before a wrist injury ended the year prematurely. Hudson is a Type-A free-agent and would require LA to surrender their first-round draft pick to the Arizona Diamondbacks if he is signed. However, the Players' Union and Major League Baseball are working to allow a sign-and-trade rule. This would allow Type-A free-agents who have not joined a new team to sign back with their old ones, only to be traded to another club. This eliminates the draft-pick compensation that deters teams from signing these free-agents in the first place.

Clippers Suffer Deja Vu

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Phoenix Suns 142-119, the second straight day the Suns scored 140 points on LA. The Clips were without Zach Randolph, who is serving his two-game suspension after throwing a punch in Tuesday's game. The Suns shot .589 from the field, including 10-for-21 from 3-point range. LA shot .477 and turned the ball over just 8 times. Ricky Davis was ejected in the fourth quarter after taking his 2nd technical foul. Al Thornton scored 33 points, and Eric Gordon had 23. Fred Jones scored 20 points, and Baron Davis had 14 points and 7 assists. Amare Stoudemire had a game-high 42 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix. Steve Nash had 21 points and 12 assists, and Shaquille O'Neal scored 16 points to go with 6 rebounds.

Lakers Slip Past Warriors

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 129-121, their 44th victory of the season. LA was short-handed after trading Chris Mihm, and played with just 9 Lakers in the game. The Lakers shot 50% from the field, while the Warriors shot .516. LA was 9-for-21 from beyond the arc, and Golden State was 8-for-19. The Lakers scored 28 points off turnovers and stole the ball 10 times. Kobe Byant scored 30 points and had 9 assists, and Pau Gasol had 24 points and 13 rebounds. Lamar Odom added 22 points, and Trevor Ariza scored 17, including 2 consecutive big three-pointers that gave the Lakers a 111-109 lead in the fourth quarter. Josh Powell had a season-high 16 points and 7 rebounds. Ex-Clipper Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson both led the Warriors with 24 points, and Jamal Crawford had 23 points and 9 rebounds. Ex-Laker Ronny Turiaf had 123 points and 7 rebounds.

Lakers Trade Mihm

The Los Angeles Lakers have traded center Chris Mihm to the Memphis Grizzlies. In return, LA will receive a conditional second round pick for the 2013 draft. Mihm joined the team in 2004, but fell in the depth chart after injuries plagued him for most of his career. He lost his starting position to Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, and most recently Pau Gasol. Mihm's playing time has increased after Bynum's injury, but he still has not played particularly well, averaging 2 points and 2 rebounds per game.

Suns Kick Randolph, Clippers Out of Phoenix

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Phoenix Suns 140-100, the first game of Phoenix's new coach, Alvin Gentry. Zach Randolph was ejected from the game in the first quarter after throwing a punch at Louis Amundson. Randolph will be suspended for 2 games with a $400,000 fine. The Suns shot .622 from the field, despite committing 22 turnovers. LA turned the ball over 21 times, which resulting in 30 Phoenix points off turnovers. Eric Gordon scored 24 points to lead the Clips, and Marcus Camby was unavailable due to an inner ear infection. Leandro Barbosa scored 24 points to lead the Suns, and Amare Stoudemire had 23 points.

Lakers Get Back on Track

The Los Angeles Lakers started the second half of the season by defeating the Atlanta Hawks 96-83, their 43rd win of the season. Atlanta shot a meek .369 from the field, and only sank 2 three-pointers. The Lakers out-rebounded the Hawks 67-39 and blocked 9 of Atlanta's shots. No player from either team scored more than 15 points. Trade-acquisitions Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown both played in the fourth quarter, and combined for 1 point, 1 assist, and 3 rebounds. Lamar Odom continues to rip up the backboard, scoring 15 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. Pau Gasol had the third triple-double of his career with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Derek Fisher scored 14 points, and Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza, and Jordan Farmar each had 10. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 14 points.

Kings Can't Handle Thrashing

The Los Angeles Kings fell to the Atlanta Thrashers 7-6 in a shootout, and are 5 points out of a playoff spot. The game was a hazard for goalies, as Jonathan Quick was quickly replaced by Erik Ersberg in the first period after saving 4 out of 7 shots. Johan Hedberg made 39 saves on 45 shots for Atlanta. Anze Kopitar had 2 goals and 2 assists for LA, including a game-tying goal with 5 seconds left in the game, and Alexander Frolov, Jarret Stoll, Jack Johnson, and Denis Gauthier each scored a goal. Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, Patrick O'Sullivan, and Frolov each had two assists. Ilya Kovalchuk scored 2 goals for the Thrashers, and Zach Bogosian had 3 assists. The Kings lost the shootout 2-1.

Dodgers & Ethier Come to Terms on Deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers and OF Andre Ethier avoided arbitration, settling on a one-year, $3.1 million contract, just before their scheduled arbitration hearing. Ethier sought a $3.75 million contract, while the Dodgers wanted $2.65. With bonuses, Ethier can receive an additional $100,000. Last season Ethier hit .305 with 20 home runs, 77 RBI's, 90 runs scored and an OPS of .885.

Floyd, Trojans Thrown Out of Desert

The USC men's basketball team fell to Arizona State 65-53, dropping their conference record to 6-6. Coach Tim Floyd was ejected from the game after arguing an offensive foul call on Daniel Hackett with 47.9 seconds left and a 57-51 Trojan deficit. One official ruled Hackett's field goal was good and called a defensive foul, but another referee overruled that call, replacing it instead with an offensive foul. Had Hackett's basket counted, he would have had an opportunity to make it a 3-point game. DeMar DeRozan led USC with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Taj Gibson, Hackett, and Dwight Lewis each scored 11 points. Derek Glasser led the Sun Devils with 18 points and 5 assists, and James Harden scored 13. Jamelle McMillan had 11 points, and Jeff Pendergraph had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Kobe & Shaq Reunion Dominates All-Star Game

For the NBA's annual All-Star Game in Phoenix, there was no one more excited than Laker fans. Kobe Bryant was named a starter, Phil Jackson was named head coach of the Western Conference, Pau Gasol was named a reserve, and former-Laker Shaquille O'Neal was named a reserve as well. The West defeated the East 146-119 in a purely offensive game, with both Kobe and Shaq being named Co-MVPs of the game. Kobe scored a game-high 27 points and had a game-high 4 steals. Shaq scored 17 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in less than 11 minutes. Gasol had 14 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. LeBron James of Cleveland led the East with 20 points, and Boston's Paul Pierce came off the bench to scored 18. Dwyane Wade of Miami scored 18 points as well, and Orlando's Dwight Howard had 13 points and 9 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix added 19 points to the West, and New Orleans's Chris Paul scored 14 points and added 14 assists.