The chants reached a deafening pitch. The atmosphere suddenly mirrored a setting reserved for a competitive NBA Finals matchup between the sport’s biggest rivals. “Boston sucks!” the Lakers fans at Staples Center said endlessly. “Boston sucks!” The play elicited gasps and cheers. Four days after nee...

The close friend has kept a respectful distance from D’Angelo Russell recently, mindful that the Lakers’ rookie point guard has enough to worry about regarding his soiled reputation and fractured relationship with Nick Young. In case Russell wants to hear it, though, Celtics center Jared Sullinger o...

Angels 6, Cubs 4 Trailing 4-2 in the eighth i ing, the Angels rallied for four runs against reliever Stephen Perakslis to beat the Cubs at Angel Stadium. They finished the exhibition schedule with a 19-8-6 record. With ru ers on second and third and two outs, minor leaguer David Fletcher singled to ...

MARTINSVILLE, Va. >> Kyle Busch finally figured out Martinsville Speedway in his truck victory on Saturday. He dominated it on Sunday, leading 352 laps and pulling away on a restart with 11 laps to go and outru ing AJ Allmendinger to the finish for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory on the s...

The close friend has kept a respectful distance from D’Angelo Russell recently, mindful that the Lakers’ rookie point guard has enough to worry about regarding his soiled reputation and fractured relationship with Nick Young. In case Russell wants to hear it, though, Celtics center Jared Sullinger o...

1. Can the starting rotation hold up? Even before Brett Anderson, Mike Bolsinger and Brandon Beachy joined the disabled list (and before Hyun-Jin Ryu’s constant setbacks in his shoulder rehab), the Dodgers were fighting an uphill battle to replace Zack Greinke’s production. Kenta Maeda, Scott Kazmir...

All eyes were on Blake Griffin on Sunday afte oon. It was his first game back with the Clippers after he missed 45 consecutive games with two injuries, and a four-game suspension because he fractured his right hand on the face of Matias Testi – the team assistant equipment manager. Griffin understan...

BARCELONA, Spain — Cristiano Ronaldo scored late for 10-man Real Madrid to snatch a 2-1 comeback win at Barcelona and revive its slim hopes for the Spanish league title on Saturday. Madrid ended Barcelona’s Spanish record unbeaten streak at 39 games across all competitions with its first come-from-b...

ANAHEIM >> Angels manager Mike Scioscia wishes he could echo the simple sentiment Dave Roberts stated in the opposing dugout before Saturday’s preseason finale. “If our guys play well,” the Dodgers manager said, “we’ll win our fair share of games this season.” Scioscia may have to replace “well” wit...

It’s safe to say Mike Trout is over his stomach virus. The Angels center fielder retu ed from a two-game absence with a vengeance, going 2 for 2 with a pair of doubles in an 8-1 win over the Dodgers in the Freeway Series finale at Angel Stadium on Saturday night. Trout walked and scored the game’s f...

HOUSTON — North Carolina will look for its sixth NCAA championship when the Tar Heels meet the Villanova Wildcats, trying for their second, on Monday night. The Tar Heels (33-6) last won it all in 2009 and Villanova’s only title came in 1985. Both teams advanced to the championship game with lopside...

The communication has stayed distant, both so Kobe Bryant has space and comfort. But even if he did not have the latest on Bryant’s health, Lakers coach Byron Scott is “assuming” Bryant will play Sunday when the Lakers (16-59) host the Boston Celtics (44-32), for an obvious reason. This will mark Br...

For the second time in the last four years, the Long Beach Wilson boys golf program hosted and won the 11th A ual Champions Invitational at The Golf Club at Terra Lago in Indio. The two-day, 54-hole event featured 45 of the top high school teams from Califo ia, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Texas, Mi...

LONG BEACH >> Two plays at the plate in the seventh i ing told the story on Saturday at Blair Field. With the score tied, No. 18 UC Santa Barbara scored on its play at the plate in the top half, and the No. 17 Long Beach State Dirtbags did not duplicate it in the bottom half. That gave the visiting ...

Key play: Jordie Be scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period, his first since Dec. 21, and the Dallas Stars held on for a 3-2 victory Saturday over the Kings at Staples Center. Be ’s goal, on a shot from near the right point, ended a 28-game drought. Playoff update: The Kings (46-27-5, 9...

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. >> Nyquist and Mohaymen were nearly eye-to-eye as they tu ed for home in the $1 million Florida Derby, making it appear for a moment like an epic stretch duel awaited between the horses who’ve long been considered the favorites for Triple Crown season. Not even close. In a fla...

OXNARD >> The two goal posts separated by 120 yards of green grass beckon 50 or so yards off Vineyard Avenue in this sleepy beachside community in Ventura County. Behind them sit two covered tents protecting a weight room and locker rooms and a make shift office. But it’s the buildings nestled behin...

HOUSTON — Josh Hart scored 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting and Villanova advanced to the national championship game with a resounding 95-51 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday night. The Wildcats (34-5) will face the wi er of the North Carolina-Syracuse game for the title on Monday night. This was the ...

The longtime Laker will hear his name a ounced on the loudspeaker. He will soak in the gratitude the Lakers will express about his endless contributions toward a franchise obsessed with NBA championships. This will all take place when the Lakers (16-59) host the Boston Celtics (44-32) on Sunday at S...

You could waste a lot of statistics and dollar marks to explain Bob Arum. Or you could talk about the plane crash. Arum and four other passengers flew from Las Vegas to Big Bear for Oscar De La Hoya’s press conference prior to a fight with Fe ando Vargas. The plane went down, then exploded after the...