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Clippers hold off late surge by Toronto to pick up fourth consecutive win

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Clippers hold off late surge by Toronto to pick up fourth consecutive win

The Clippers have played four games in seven days. In 10 games this season, they’ve played three sets of back-to-backs.

Before Saturday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told his players they can’t afford to buy into their circumstances.

Despite blowing a 14-point lead, the Clippers put Lue’s words into action and overcame James Harden and Norman Powell missing key free throws down the stretch in a 105-103 victory at the Intuit Dome that extended their winning streak to four games.

Harden had 24 points but missed a free throw with 28.7 seconds left, forcing the Clippers to cling to a two-point lead.

Powell had 24 points but missed a free throw with 35.5 seconds left. He then missed another one with 8.1 seconds left that kept it a one-possession game.

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But the Clippers hung on after Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl missed a nine-foot tip shot with 4.1 seconds left.

Before the game, Lue encouraged his players to continue playing stellar defense and to do a better job of taking care of the basketball.

“Just being mentally tough,” Lue said. “Can’t give into fatigue. You can’t give into the schedule. Just take it one game at a time.”

Clippers guard Kris Dunn celebrates after dunking against the Raptors in the first half Saturday.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

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Though the Clippers are one of the top defensive teams in the NBA, Lue said they would be better if they did not allow transition points off turnovers.

Entering Saturday, the Clippers have allowed an average of 106.7 points per game, the second-best mark in the NBA. The Clippers rank fourth in defensive rating (107.9).

But the Clippers also are giving up 16.3 turnovers per game, tied with Toronto for the second-worst mark in the league entering Saturday.

“If we just take care of the basketball, I think a lot of nights we’ll be able to win games because we’re getting shots on goals,” Lue said. “But if you are having 19, 20 turnovers every night, it’s hard to win those games because your defense has to be elite, which it has been so far. But we can’t continue to lay our hat on our defense every single night and turn the ball over, letting teams get out, get easy points in transition. … If we get to that 10, 12 range, I mean, we are a different team.”

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The Clippers turned the ball over 12 times against the Raptors.

And they built a double-digit lead for the 10th straight game — and once again, the Clippers let that lead slip.

Etc: Lue was asked if Kawhi Leonard, who hasn’t played this season because of inflammation in his right knee, would travel with the Clippers on their three-game trip that opens Monday against Oklahoma City. He was short with his answer.

“Uh, no,” Lue said.

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NFL reporter responds to fake death rumor in hilarious fashion: ‘Glitch in the matrix’

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NFL reporter responds to fake death rumor in hilarious fashion: ‘Glitch in the matrix’

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An internet rumor swirled last week that a longtime NFL reporter had died at the age of 40.

News of Jane Slater’s supposed death on social media, but she was quick to shut it down.

An X user posted a screenshot of a post on Facebook that showed Slater in black and white with the graphic “1980-2025” saying she had died at 40. Slater, 45, was born in 1980, but the years written in the post would mean she died at either age 44 or 45.

 

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NFL Network sideline reporter Jane Slater stands on the sidelines prior to an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears, at Soldier Field on Dec. 26, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.  (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

“A veteran reporter who covered the Dallas Cowboys—having followed the team for over a decade—has passed away at the age of 40 after a tragic domestic violence incident, leaving behind a 5-year-old child. Her years of dedicated work, along with the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding her death, have left loyal fans stunned, devastated, and praying for her and her family,” the post read.

The user asked Slater, “did you pass away??”

Jane Slater speaks with T.Y. Hilton of the Dallas Cowboys after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 24, 2022 in Arlington, Texas.  (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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“I don’t think so? But does this mean there is (a) glitch in the matrix? I’m gonna wrap myself in bubble wrap until NYE,” Slater joked.

If there is one thing the Facebook post got correct, it’s that Slater does mainly cover the Cowboys for the NFL Network.

NFL Network reporter Jane Slater on the sideline prior to an NFC Wild Card Playoff game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 16, 2023 in Tampa, Florida.  (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

Prior to joining in 2016, Slater worked for ESPN and the Longhorn Network, having attended the University of Texas. She also hosted a radio show in Dallas.

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It’s love, set and match: Tennis icon Venus Williams weds actor, model partner in Florida

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It’s love, set and match: Tennis icon Venus Williams weds actor, model partner in Florida

Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.

An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.

“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”

The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.

An email for comment to representatives for Williams and Preti, 37, was not immediately returned.

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The couple met at 2024 Milan Fashion Week and began texting shortly after, according to Vogue.

The couple eventually became engaged on Jan. 31 in Tuscany, according to Vogue. That detail was confirmed in July during what was a historic month for Williams.

The Compton native defeated 23-year-old Peyton Sterns 6-3, 6-4 in the first round action of the D.C. Open after a 16-month hiatus from singles matches.

In victory, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, trailing only fellow legend Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she won in 2004.

“Yes, my fiance is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing,” Williams told the Tennis Channel’s Rennae Stubbs in a post-match interview. “There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. … He encouraged me to get through this, and it’s wonderful [for him] to be here. He’s never seen me play.”

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Preti has written, acted and directed in a handful of films, primarily in Italy.

The wedding was the second for the couple, who also held a ceremony in Italy in September.

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Lindsey Vonn qualifies for fifth Winter Olympics

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Lindsey Vonn qualifies for fifth Winter Olympics

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As Philip Rivers has shown he could still tear up the NFL at age 44, American Olympic legend Lindsey Vonn has also proven that age is just a number.

Vonn, 41, qualified for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, Team USA announced on Tuesday. It will be the fifth Winter Olympics that she competes in.

United States’ Lindsey Vonn reacts at the finish area of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

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Vonn had an impressive run at the World Cup in France over the weekend. She was third in super-G, hitting a high speed of 71 mph. It was her second consecutive podium finish after she was third in downhill. It was the 142nd podium finish in her World Cup career.

“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “When I made the decision to return to ski racing, I always had one eye on Cortina because it’s a place that is very, very special to me. Although I can’t guarantee any outcomes, I can guarantee that I will give my absolute best every time l kick out of the starting gate. No matter how these games end up, I feel like I’ve already won.

US OLYMPIANS MADISON CHOCK, EVAN BATES SEND MESSAGE TO OPPONENT WHO TOOK THEIR GOLD BEFORE DISQUALIFICATION

United States’ Lindsey Vonn celebrates on the podium after taking third place in an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

“I am grateful for how the season has gone so far, but I am just getting started. See you in Cortina!”

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Vonn has already put together an enviable career in skiing.

She won a gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Games and two bronze medals in Pyeongchang in 2018. She’s also taken home two gold, three silver and two bronze medals in the World Championships.

The Minnesota native also has 83 World Cup wins and several International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Crystal Globes.

Notably, she’s back competing for gold after being away from the sport for five years.

Austria’s Cornelia Huetter, left, winner of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, celebrates on the podium with second-placed Germany’s Kira Weidle Winkelmann, left, and third-placed United States’ Lindsey Vonn, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

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The Winter Olympics will begin on Feb. 6 and run through Feb. 22.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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