Connect with us

Sports

Clippers’ Leonard exits with ankle injury in loss to Lakers, Doncic

Published

on

LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic had 38 points and 11 assists, Austin Reaves added 29 points and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Los Angeles Clippers down the stretch for a 125-122 victory Friday night.

LeBron James had 13 points and 11 assists for the Lakers in their return from the All-Star break. They blew a 15-point lead in the second half, but Doncic scored 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers split the four-game season series with their crosstown rivals.

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points before missing the final 5:10 with an apparent ankle injury for the Clippers (27-29), who fell just short of getting back to .500 in incredible fashion after their 6-21 start to the season.

Bennedict Mathurin had 26 points and seven rebounds in his second straight outstanding game for his new team before fouling out with 1:49 to play. The athletic guard acquired from Indiana for center Ivica Zubac dropped a career-high-tying 38 against Denver on Thursday.

Advertisement

Derrick Jones Jr. scored on consecutive possessions to trim the Lakers’ lead to 123-120 with 46 seconds left. Nicolas Batum then stole James’ pass in the final seconds, but the Frenchman missed a tying three-point attempt with four seconds left.

Doncic, James and Reaves were able to play together for only the 11th time in the Lakers’ 55 games this season, thanks to a rare moment of full health for the Lakers coming out of the break. They responded with a prolific offensive performance, even while James managed just two points in the second half.

In Doncic’s return from a four-game absence followed by a five-minute All-Star Game appearance due to a mildly strained hamstring, the Slovenian superstar scored 17 points with four 3-pointers in a dynamic first quarter for the Lakers, who made 16 of 17 shots in one stretch.

Leonard, who had just one bucket in the first, answered with a 19-point second.

Advertisement

The Clippers’ John Collins was helped off the court with 18 seconds left in the first half after he bloodied his face on a hard landing while trying to catch a long pass at the rim.

Clippers: Host Orlando on Sunday.

Lakers: Host Boston on Sunday.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Rhea Ripley breaks down in tears, Female star dismisses dating speculations, Major update on Bron Breakker

Published

on

Welcome to Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WWE News and Rumor Roundup for 21st February, 2026. In today’s brand-new edition, we’ll cover why Rhea Ripley broke down in tears, a female star clears the air on online dating speculations, and a major update on Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins.

Let’s get started:


#5. Major update on Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins’ WWE status – Reports

Last year, Seth Rollins was kicked out of The Vision two days after he got injured at WWE Crown Jewel 2025. In the coming months, the villainous faction grew stronger, but a new masked man targeted them on the red brand. Earlier this month, Bron Breakker got injured during a spot and went on hiatus.

Advertisement

However, the injury’s severity was much worse than expected. According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), both stars are doing their best and rehabbing to their fullest to make it to WrestleMania. The rumored plan involves a one-on-one match between the two at The Grandest Stage of Them All.


#4. Two more WWE superstars are headed to Elimination Chamber

WWE Elimination Chamber is a week away in Chicago, and superstars have almost acquired all the spots available in the gimmick match across both divisions. On the recent edition of Friday Night SmackDown, two more stars punched their ticket to the event.

Trick Williams and Kiana James qualified their respective Triple Threat matches on SmackDown and earned their spots inside the steel structure. A final set of qualifier matches will take place on Monday Night RAW, which will determine the field for both Elimination Chamber matches in Illinois.


#3. Female WWE star dismisses online speculations of dating JD McDonagh

The Judgment Day is popular for pairing superstars on the weekly product. It started with Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley in its initial days, which eventually led to LivDom (Dirty Dom and Liv Morgan) when Mysterio turned on Rhea Ripley for Morgan at SummerSlam 2024.

Advertisement

In an appearance on TMZ’s Inside The Ring, Raquel Rodriguez cleared the air on online speculations of being a couple on the weekly product with JD McDonagh. Big Mami Cool subtly addressed the rumors and denied any romantic relationship with the former Cruiserweight Champion.


#2. Liv Morgan will finalize her WrestleMania opponent on WWE RAW

Earlier this month, Liv Morgan punched her ticket for WrestleMania 42 in Nevada, and she’s set to face a champion of her choosing at The Grandest Stage of Them All. While there’s friction between Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, the 31-year-old star has made her decision.

On the upcoming edition of Monday Night RAW, The Judgment Day’s Liv Morgan will choose her WrestleMania 42 opponent. It’s going to be either Stephanie Vaquer or Jade Cargill. However, La Primera will likely be her opponent for the event.


#1. Rhea Ripley breaks down in tears at WWE Royal Rumble 2026

Royal Rumble 2026 marked the end of AJ Styles’ in-ring career as The Phenomenal One had his final match against Gunther. The Men’s Grand Slam Champion received a heartwarming welcome as he walked backstage following his retirement match.

Advertisement

Recently, WWE posted a video from the event where superstars interacted with AJ Styles after his final match. In the video, Rhea Ripley broke down in tears as The Phenomenal One returned backstage. Later, Mami claimed that AJ Styles made her cry as she got emotional bidding the veteran goodbye.

On the upcoming edition of Monday Night RAW, the management planned a tribute show for AJ Styles, as it takes place in Atlanta, Georgia. While Styles has no plans of stepping out of retirement, it’ll be interesting to see what’s next for Gunther heading into WrestleMania.