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Plaschke: Caitlin Clark brings the magic during her Hollywood debut

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Plaschke: Caitlin Clark brings the magic during her Hollywood debut

All night, bricks.

Then, boom.

All night, dreadful.

Then, dagger.

Caitlin Clark spent most of her first visit to Los Angeles stuck in terrible traffic Friday, stalling and swerving and slamming the brakes as her Indiana Fever team careened toward embarrassment.

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Then, FasTrak.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark makes a 3-pointer during the second half of a win over the Sparks in Los Angeles Friday.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

She really is unreal. She really is magic.

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With 2:27 remaining and the Fever clinging to a three-point lead against the Sparks at Crypto.com Arena, Clark nailed her first three-pointer of the night, a deep and looping trey.

She spread out her arms. She stuck out her tongue. The sold-out building shook.

Then with 40 seconds remaining and the Fever clutching a two-point lead, she did it again, draining a deep rainbow three to clinch a 78-73 victory, earn her first WNBA win and cement two priceless memories for those lucky enough to bear witness.

As Clark walked across the court after the final buzzer, the crowd continued to scream as if she was a rock star. When she later walked into the postgame news conference, she bore the swaggering smile of a baller.

In her sixth WNBA game, after five losses and countless struggles and heaps of criticism, the collegiate icon has perhaps rediscovered herself.

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”Nights like tonight remind me of why I love playing basketball, why I started playing basketball,” Clark said. “Because you get a win and you walk off the court and there’s so many young kids just screaming your name and love getting to watch you.”

If you were wondering how a 22-year-old kid from Iowa became the most celebrated athlete in America, this is why. This was how. This was it.

This was what the roars are about. This is what 19,103 people came to see. This is what has pumped new life into a WNBA that is regularly setting attendance and viewership records. This is what has transformed women’s basketball everywhere.

Those two shots, forged from nine straight misses, nailed by a woman wearing Kobe Bryant shoes and determined to honor Kobe Bryant’s memory.

“Kobe’s the best, man,” she said. “That’s the mentality you have to have … you want those moments, you embrace those moments.”

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For the longest time Friday, it seemed like those moments would again elude her. As the Sparks grabbed an 11-point halftime lead and continued to roll early in the fourth quarter, Clark was getting pushed all over the court by the likes of Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon and frequent Sparks’ double-teams.

You have to see the 6-foot Clark in person to realize the extent of her disadvantage. She’s small. She’s slight. It’s startling to watch this college giant get so easily smothered by the bigger and more aggressive WNBA veterans.

She made two of her first 12 shots. She showed off her incredible court vision with several pretty assists and she grabbed a bunch of rebounds, but the best part of her game was missing.

Then, just in time, the greatest scorer in college basketball history found herself.

Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon guards Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in Los Angeles Friday.

Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon, right, guards Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in Los Angeles Friday.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

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“I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I seriously think every shot is going to go in,” Clark said. “I want to take those shots at the end of the game. It’s like a mindset and confidence you have to have about yourself.”

What does that confidence sound like? Listen to what she said after that first trey drained.

“I went to the bench after and I was like, ‘I was due. They had to go in, I had missed so many, it was time to go in,” she said.

She finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and a cool compliment from the beneficiary of several of her passes.

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“Katlin’s vision is second to none,” said Temi Fagbenle, who scored 17. “I love, I love love playing with her. I know I’m open, but I don’t know if she knows I’m open, then she knows and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, she knew!’”

“She’s handling it unbelievable. … She’s handling it with such poise. … She shows a level of maturity for a 22-year-old that is unbelievable. … She’s special, she’s different.”

— Fever coach Christie Sides on Caitlin Clark

All of which will perhaps convince critics to take a break from the incessant sniping that began with Clark’s 10-turnover debut.

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The verdict that she was a bust — after only five games — was so pervasive that it ran her and teammate Aliyah Boston off social media. Many fans seemingly forgot that she was still a rookie, and that she played for a team so outmatched it had just earned the No. 1 draft pick during consecutive seasons.

“People don’t want to give us much grace,” Clark said. “They expect us to be world champions on Day 1. That’s not realistic. There’s a learning curve here.”

She’s been frequently crushed by that curve, yet she has continued to move gracefully beneath America’s hottest sports spotlight, taking every question, giving refreshing and honest interviews while never criticizing anyone but herself.

If you listen to her coach, those two Friday night shots will be remembered as just part of her inspiration.

“She’s handling it unbelievable. … She’s handling it with such poise. … She shows a level of maturity for a 22-year-old that is unbelievable. … She’s special, she’s different,” Fever coach Christie Sides said of Clark. “The bullets are just coming, every day … we’re scrutinized for everything.”

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Clark admitted that the attention has been draining,

“Honestly, I feel like I talk to the media more than I get to talk to my own family, which is really kind of sad in a way,” she said. “It’s a lot for somebody who is 22 years old. It can be tough at times.”

And then, as another memorable Friday night in Hollywood proved, it can be wonderful.

“I was excited to come here and play in this place,” Caitlin Clark said. “Obviously there is so much history in this building.”

And now there’s more.

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Taylor Swift shows up to support Travis Kelce for possible final home game

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Taylor Swift shows up to support Travis Kelce for possible final home game

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Taylor Swift showed up to Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night to watch fiancé Travis Kelce in what could be his final home game with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Swift, wearing a red leather jacket, was shown on the Amazon Prime Video broadcast hugging a friend. 

The pop star has mostly been out of the NFL spotlight after the Chiefs lost the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles in February and the two announced their engagement.

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift kiss after the AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills in Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

But it was a special night for Kelce as he mulls his NFL future.

Amazon Prime Video aired an interview between him and Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez before the game began.

“I think I’m still searching for those answers. I think, obviously, the way this one ended with a sour taste in my mouth, I feel motivated, but I got to make the right decision for me,” he told Gonzalez. “I’ve got to hope that, you know, if I do want to come back, the Chiefs are willing to bring me back.

2025 NFL WEEK 17 BUZZ: PACKERS’ JOSH JACOBS CLEARED; RAVENS QB JACKSON DOUBTFUL

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is introduced before a game against the Denver Broncos Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

“So it’s a two-way street on that, but, at the same time, man, I am, at this point in this year, I’m just trying to finish out and give Chiefs Kingdom everything I got and go out there and do it with some of that flair that you said I play with.”

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked what it meant that it could be Kelce’s last game at home.

“I don’t know if it is or not. I haven’t talked to him,” Reid said. “I think his numbers and personality and the person, I think, speak for themselves. Phenomenal person (and) great for the community. He’s everything you want from a player representing an organization.”

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The Chiefs were taking on the Denver Broncos in the Week 17 matchup. Kansas City has already been eliminated from playoff contention.

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Lakers’ Austin Reaves will not return vs. Rockets because of calf soreness

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Lakers’ Austin Reaves will not return vs. Rockets because of calf soreness

Lakers guard Austin Reaves will not play in the second half against the Houston Rockets because of left calf soreness, the team announced Thursday.

Reaves missed three games with a left calf strain before coming back to play at Phoenix on Tuesday night. He scored 17 points off the bench in the Lakers’ loss to the Suns.

Against the Rockets at Crypto.com Arena, Reaves started and played 15 minutes in the first half, scoring 12 points on five-for-eight shooting.

With Reaves out, the Lakers struggled in the third quarter, giving up 29 points to trail 92-74 heading into the fourth. The Lakers are trying to avoid losing three consecutive games for the first time this season.

Reaves entered Thursday averaging 27.3 points per game, ranking him 11th in league scoring.

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Lakers coach JJ Redick said earlier this week that Reaves wasn’t on a minutes restriction, but the team would monitor his workload “in real time.”

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NFL’s Christmas games lose major star power as key quarterbacks sidelined with injuries

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NFL’s Christmas games lose major star power as key quarterbacks sidelined with injuries

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On paper, Netflix had great divisional matchups on Christmas Day for Week 17 when the season began.

Of course, the NFL season never goes as planned, and the three matchups scheduled for the holiday are not what anyone had planned.

The reason? Star quarterbacks won’t be playing in each game.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott walks off the field after the team’s NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)

Christmas Day’s first kickoff will be an NFC East battle between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, with both teams already eliminated from playoff contention.

And while Dak Prescott and company are looking to finish the season strong, the Commanders shut down Jayden Daniels, their second-year quarterback who led them to the NFC Championship Game in his rookie season just a year ago, after reaggravating his elbow injury.

In fact, the Commanders won’t even see Marcus Mariota, Daniels’ backup who has had to start eight games this season, as he’s dealing with an injury as well. It will be veteran Josh Johnson making the start in Landover, Maryland, on Christmas Day for a 4-11 Commanders squad that hoped to at least make the playoffs after a fantastic finish in 2024.

CHIEFS ANNOUNCE RELOCATION TO KANSAS BY THE 2031 NFL SEASON WITH NEW DOME STADIUM

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“When you do circle those matchups, that’s exactly what you’re thinking: This is going to be cool. How it’s all laid out — division games right here at the end between two games of Philadelphia with a Dallas game in between,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said.

“Playing these division games, they still mean a lot.”

Unfortunately for both squads, it will only be for bragging rights.

Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders looks on from the sidelines after leaving the game during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 7, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)

In the 4:30 p.m. ET slate, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, a storied NFC North rivalry, the home team in Minneapolis will be without its own second-year signal caller — J.J. McCarthy.

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McCarthy suffered an injury in the win over the New York Giants last week, and it will be Max Brosmer having to start again for Kevin O’Connell’s group.

The Minnesota product’s first career start didn’t work out too well in Seattle, as the Seahawks had their way on defense against Brosmer. Perhaps a home crowd will do him and the Vikings’ offense better, but the Lions at least still have something to play for.

Detroit heads into this game following a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where a game-winning touchdown was called back after Amon-Ra St. Brown was penalized for offensive pass interference, negating Jared Goff flying into the end zone after a pitch-back from the star receiver.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes chews his mouth guard during warmups before an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)

The Lions need to win their remaining two games, while also needing the Green Bay Packers to lose their last two games to secure the final NFC wild card spot.

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Finally, and perhaps the biggest disappointment for Netflix, is the Kansas City Chiefs not having Patrick Mahomes on the field this holiday season.

Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, which he quickly had surgery to repair, following a loss that knocked them out of playoff contention two weeks ago. The Chiefs were hoping that his backup, Gardner Minshew, could finish out the season, but he tore his ACL last week in a loss to the Tennessee Titans.

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That leaves USF alum Chris Oladokun, who filled in for Minshew last week, starting against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos — a 12-3 squad who already clinched their playoff berth. Denver will still be playing hard, as they’re competing for the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC, which would ensure home games throughout the playoffs.

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These games were supposed to be potential division/playoff clinching matchups, but the NFL and its fanbase will be hoping these games are not as lopsided as some believe they could turn out to be.

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