Connect with us

Sports

Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves power LeBron-less Lakers past Kings

Published

on

Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves power LeBron-less Lakers past Kings

The hit was going to come, the Lakers and JJ Redick sure of it.

Sacramento had been thrown into complete chaos, the Lakers taking two straight from the Kings in their building last week — links in the chain of events that led to the team firing coach Mike Brown on his way to board the flight for L.A.

Beating the Kings for the fourth time this season already was going to be hard; a shakeup like a coaching change was sure to have Sacramento flying around the court like the turbo button was stuck.

The Lakers would have to respond, meet force with force and speed with speed — and do it without LeBron James, who was home sick.

But just like they found a way on Christmas with Anthony Davis out because of an ankle injury, the Lakers did it again Saturday in a 132-122 win, spoiling former Laker (and rival) Doug Christie’s first game as interim Kings coach.

Advertisement

“I think it is growth,” Austin Reaves said of the Lakers’ energy. “You can see the growth throughout our group.”

Reaves, who hit the winning shot against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas, orchestrated the offense with James out, scoring 26 and dishing out a career-high 16 assists. Davis, back on the floor after playing only seven minutes Wednesday, dominated his matchup with Domantas Sabonis, scoring 36 (on only 16 shots) to go with 15 rebounds and eight assists. And Rui Hachimura needed only 11 shots to score 21 points while giving the Lakers the kind of physicality and activity on the wing they need on both ends of the court.

Sabonis scored 14 points before fouling out in 26 minutes. De’Aaron Fox had 29 points and 12 assists and DeMar DeRozan finished with 25 points for the Kings (13-19).

Advertisement

“Playing together, having great offense, guys are flying around, cutting hard, screening hard, doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” Davis said. “The ball was poppin’. … The offense was good, cleaned up some things in the first quarter and guys were making shots and that helps with the assists. We were getting to the line. We were just playing for each other.”

The Lakers (18-13) led by as many as 20 after a dominant third quarter in which they outscored the Kings 42-24 — the Lakers’ defense, responding to a scolding from Davis, arriving and turning the game into a blowout. Sacramento closed in the fourth, but the Lakers hit enough big shots and made enough defensive plays to keep things from getting too tight.

The Lakers’ 59.7% shooting from the field and their 53.8% three-point shooting were season highs. Their 33 assists tied a season high.

“Just our guys’ willingness to pass,” Redick said. “It was a big emphasis in our meeting today. It’s been a big emphasis for the last seven to 10 days. It can be a simple game with some complex ideas, but we want to run, we want to pass and we want to screen. That’s really what we try to emphasize.”

In addition to the Lakers having no real concern about James and his illness, more help is coming. Jaxson Hayes, who has missed the last 14 games because of a sprained ankle, is set to return Tuesday against first-place Cleveland.

Advertisement

Sports

CM Punk to defend Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam

Published

on

CM Punk to defend Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

CM Punk appeared on “Friday Night SmackDown” ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.

Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell “out of the sky.”

COMPLETE PRO WRESTLING COVERAGE ON FOX NEWS DIGITAL

Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)

Advertisement

“When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them,” he said.

Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the “American Nightmare” came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.

“I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore,” Punk told Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)

Advertisement

Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just “say when.” It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, “when.” SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.

Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.

Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.

Gunther makes his entrance during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

World Cup fans flock to In-N-Out, Erewhon and Trader Joe’s for a taste of California

Published

on

World Cup fans flock to In-N-Out, Erewhon and Trader Joe’s for a taste of California

World Cup tourists are coming to L.A. for the soccer, but they’re staying for the $21 smoothies and Double-Doubles.

As the last Los Angeles FIFA World Cup event ended Friday, soccer fans were eating like locals and famous chains from the region were cashing in.

In the weeks that L.A. has hosted the World Cup, international soccer enthusiasts have flocked to big brands from the area, often in large groups wearing their countries’ jerseys.

It is a phenomenon seen at many of the host cities. In Dallas, giant gas station Buc-ee’s is the main attraction. For people visiting New Jersey, deli shops have been a hot ticket. In L.A., the place to be between matches was Erewhon.

Thirsty international sports fans gathered for pictures outside different Erewhons, wandered their aisles smiling, and, of course, picked up pricey smoothies.

Advertisement

While Erewhon would not comment on its business, mobility data company Arity, which uses phone data to track consumers, said Erewhon visits at the outlets around SoFi Stadium were quadruple what they were a week earlier on June 12, the day of the U.S. national soccer team’s opening match there.

Arity looked at what stores people visited within a 10-mile radius of SoFi that day and also found surges in visitors to nearby El Pollo Loco and Trader Joe’s.

Locals have spotted groups of people in Korea jerseys huddled together, trying to decide what to order at In-N-Out.

Some complained on social media that international tourists at Trader Joe’s were buying up all the mini canvas tote bags.

Soon after the Belgium vs. Spain quarterfinal ended Friday, the In-N-Out near SoFi had a long line of soccer fans stretching out the door in bright red and yellow and black jerseys and matching striped hats and scarves.

Advertisement

One of the workers said he had to explain “spread” and “animal style” to foreign football fans.

“I didn’t know this place existed,” a fan from Romania said while waiting in line.

Los Angeles and other cities and states that have hosted the event need the soccer fans to spend money to make the event worth all the time, effort and money it requires.

A rosy 2024 report projected the World Cup could bring more than $800 million to the L.A. region as 180,000 people converge on the area to sleep, eat and spend.

There were early concerns people weren’t turning up for the event because of the high ticket prices and the difficulty of obtaining visas for citizens of some countries.

Advertisement

However, at least for some L.A. hotels, there was a surge of last-minute visitors which pushed up occupancy and room rates.

While sports fans are not in the region to shop, they do make time for it.

World Cup customer spending is also apparent in beer sales. Andrew Heritage, the chief economist at the Beer Institute said beer purchases at entertainment and attractions in L.A. – outside of World Cup spaces – were up around 10% from normal.

“That tells me that fans in the L.A. area have decided to extend their stay and take in all the other things that the area has to offer, rather than just the match itself,” he said.

On social media, the purpose of these shoppers is clear: grab a quick souvenir or local specialty and take a selfie.

Advertisement

The data from Arity suggests that fans are very efficient when they spend at local spots, diving in, getting what they want and getting out as soon as possible, said Jeff Schlitt, a director at the company.

“Normally you’re there for an hour. They’re going to be there for 15, 18 minutes,” he said. “Why is that? Because they were purpose-driven shoppers.”

For some travelers, the more popular American chains aren’t unfamiliar. But some of the native L.A. fare still comes as a surprise.

As one Belgium-Spain matchgoer from the Netherlands stood taking a picture of the In-N-Out sign after the game, he said he’d never had a burger like the one he’d just tried.

“We only have McDonald’s and Burger King,” he said. “It’s way better.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Shohei Ohtani ruled out of MLB All-Star Game as Dodgers plan to manage nagging injury

Published

on

Shohei Ohtani ruled out of MLB All-Star Game as Dodgers plan to manage nagging injury

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The face of baseball will not be at Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his start on Friday as the Los Angeles Dodgers said he will also miss the Midsummer Classic with what the team called left knee irritation.

Ohtani, for obvious reasons, has become an All-Star Game fixture. He has earned the honor in each of the past five seasons and made his first start in 2021.

Advertisement

Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up before the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The two-way phenom is on his way to winning his fifth MVP award in his last six seasons as he is hitting .290 with a .939 OPS and pitching to a minuscule 1.79 ERA, the second-lowest in the sport among pitchers with 80-plus innings. His OPS is also the seventh-best mark in the league.

The Dodgers said Ohtani will be the team’s designated hitter up until the break, but he will “have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season.”

Ohtani dealt with knee issues earlier in the season.

It is certainly a big hit for the game as the other face of the sport, Aaron Judge, will miss the game due to a fractured rib that has kept him out since late May.

Advertisement

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the on deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) (Norm Hall/Getty Images)

DODGERS WILL AGAIN VISIT WHITE HOUSE TO CELEBRATE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP, OFFICIAL SAYS

Ohtani hit 99 home runs combined in 2024 and 2025, leading the National League with a 1.025 OPS in that span. Ohtani did not pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery but returned to the bump last year and owned a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 K/9, a figure he also put up in 2022 that led the American League.

The “Japanese Babe Ruth” is the only player in MLB history to have 300-plus plate appearances and 40-plus innings in six separate seasons (Ruth only did it twice and never stole 50 bases), and he has more than excelled at both.

Shohei Ohtani pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on May 13, 2026. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Ohtani is not hitting like he has in the past, but certainly the best pitching performance of his career will make up for it. He “only” has 20 homers and 56 RBI this season.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending