Sports
'He brings that punch': Why the Clippers' Norman Powell could win sixth-man award
Norman Powell leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin when he was asked to name the Clippers who have won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
“Lou Will, Montrezl, JCrawford,” Powell said. “Am I missing somebody else?”
He paused for about 10 seconds to gather his thoughts, wanting to make sure he hadn’t left anyone out.
“Lou Will, JCrawford, Montrezl,” Powell repeated. “Go through the years. Go through the years.”
Powell squinted his eyes and shook his head, his mind still racing.
The Clippers have five Sixth Man of the Year Award trophies they can boast about, Powell was told.
He was reminded that Jamal Crawford won two of his three awards with the Clippers, in 2013-14 and 2015-16; Lou Williams won two of his three awards with the Clippers, in 2017-18 and 2018-19; and Harrell won his award with the Clippers in 2019-20.
Powell laughed.
“Twice, I mean, they won,” he said. “That’s crazy, though, twice for Lou Will and JCraw.”
Powell is the sixth-man extraordinaire for the Clippers and has a very good chance of winning the award this season and joining some illustrious company.
Clippers guard Norman Powell dunks over Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell during a game Jan. 7 at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“I think it would be amazing. It would be a lot for me,” he said. “It would be recognition for the importance for the team and being able to step up and help the team win and just a testament to all my hard work throughout the years. I feel like I’ve always been an underdog, having to earn my stripes and my spot. Even when I do really well one season, the next season it’s not automatically given. I’ve got to work to get it and prove myself.
“So, I think that would be an accolade that speaks to the grind and the sacrifice of giving myself up for the team. Even though I see myself as a starter and an impact player that can contribute in a starting role. But I think the biggest thing is sacrificing and giving yourself up and still being able to help the team win.”
The competition for the prestigious honor is stiff because of the high level of play off the bench from Sacramento’s Malik Monk, Cleveland’s Caris LeVert, Minnesota’s Naz Reid, Dallas’ Tim Hardaway Jr., Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. and Utah’s Jordan Clarkson.
Powell is more than holding his own as one of the league’s key reserves for his team.
Here’s a look at some of his stat lines:
• Third-highest scorer off the bench (13.8) and fourth on the Clippers.
• Second-highest field-goal percentage (48.9%) among bench players with a minimum of eight field-goal attempts.
• Second-highest three-point percentage (43.5%) among bench players with a minimum of two three-point attempts per game and seventh in the NBA.
• Fourth-most minutes (25.8) among bench players.
• Seventh highest plus-minus (+2.7) among bench players.
• Third-highest offensive rating (118.1) among bench players.
• Ninth-highest net rating (5.1) among bench players.
• Ninth-highest effective field-goal percentage (59.8%) among bench players.
• Seventh-highest true shooting percentage (62.9) among bench players.
“Norman Powell is doing great, averaging about 14 points a game,” said Crawford, who works as an NBA analyst for TNT and NBA TV, in an interview with The Times. “And he’s on one of the best teams in the league. And he’s doing it when they need him to do it. We know the stars are going to be stars, but they got to have that punch. His punch, when he brings that punch, it can get everybody else on track.”
Crawford has a unique perspective on what it takes to be a successful sixth man because he’s tied with Williams for the most in league history.
Crawford won two while playing alongside Clippers stars Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
Yet Crawford knew his value to the team was high.
“It’s a balance, right, because you got to believe in something bigger than yourself on being on a good team,” Crawford said. “And then you also have to use that confidence in a different way to say, ‘You know what? They started the show, but Superman is coming in.’ You come to save the day. You got to hype yourself up to walk around the stars’ confidence. So, it’s a balance of humility and being humbled but then knowing I’m a bad boy whether I start or come off the bench.”
Powell walks that same tightrope with current Clippers stars.
He’s playing alongside four likely future Hall of Famers in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Even with that, the 6-foot-3 Powell knows his role is important to the team and that foursome.
“Yeah, definitely. I think the roles change, Powell said. “I think especially with this team and how dynamic we are, especially with the star power that we have — four Hall of Famers, four guys who have had teams built around them. It’s me trying to earn my way and battle and fight and make it tough for those guys and show that I’m here as well.
Clippers guard Norman Powell, center, blocks a shot by Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt during a game Jan. 23.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“They have the lifelong career of accolades and All-Star games and I still see myself at that level that I can be given the opportunity. So it’s balancing yourself out, knowing that you’re as good as these guys. You might not have the notoriety, but the skillset, the determination, the work ethic is right at the top with them. But balancing it out and knowing that they are the guys that we are going to play through. They are the guys we are built around and it’s my job to help them, making it easier on them and give them the best opportunity for me to be successful as well.”
The idea that the Clippers have garnered more sixth-man awards than any other NBA team made Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers smile with pride.
Rivers was the coach of the Clippers when Crawford, Williams and Harrell were the winners, and he sees Powell in the same vein.
“He is just a flamethrower,” Rivers said. “He has great confidence. All three of those guys — Jamal, Lou, Norman — could have easily started on most teams and they accepted like, ‘I’ll be the guy coming off the bench.’ That’s a place they mentally have to go to. So, yeah, the Clippers have another great sixth man in Norman.”
In a high-stakes game at Minnesota earlier this month, Powell showed his worth.
Clippers stars Paul George and James Harden struggled during the game. George was five-for-15 shooting from the field with 15 points while Harden missed all 10 of his shots and scored just four points.
Powell stepped into that void, playing efficient basketball in scoring 24 points on nine-for-13 shooting that included six of eight from three-point range.
Clippers guard Norman Powell, left, steals the ball from Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado during a game Feb. 7.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
He missed Sunday night’s game against Atlanta because of a left lower leg contusion. The Clippers missed Powell’s scoring and energy.
“The biggest thing about being a good sixth man is sacrifice and then, two, being able to watch the game and put your input on there and what the team is needing and what the game flow is calling, asking for, what the team is lacking,” Powell said. “Every game is going to be different. It might not be scoring. It might be defensive rebounding. It might be getting defensive stops. It might be communicating.
“It might not be your night, in terms of putting up stats, but you’re helping the guys on the floor with what you see in that sixth-man role coming off the bench. It could be how the refs are calling [the game], what we’re lacking offensively, defensively and building that confidence. I think that’s what the sixth-man role is, that next player up that helps the team no matter what’s being asked of him.”
Sports
‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio were once brothers in arms in the Judgment Day. The two helped the faction run “Monday Night Raw” for several years.
As championships and opportunities came and went, the rift between Balor and Mysterio grew. It came to a head when Balor caused Mysterio to lose the Intercontinental Championship to Penta. Balor leaving the Judgment Day left Mysterio and Liv Morgan as the leaders with JD McDonagh, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez sticking around.
Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The latter four chose to ride with Mysterio and attacked Balor on one episode of Raw.
The bitter war led to a match Sunday night at WrestleMania 42. To make matters more interesting, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce made the match a street fight hours before the show was set to begin.
Balor had vowed to bring the “Demon” out and he certainly did.
JACOB FATU PUTS DREW MCINTYRE IN THE ‘REAR VIEW’ IN UNSANCTIONED MATCH AT WRESTLEMANIA 42
Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Balor made his way to the ring in his “Demon” gear, dripping with red and black paint. Mysterio was in a mask with other Mysterio supporters.
The two then proceeded to beat the crud out of each other.
Mysterio wrapped Balor’s head in between a chair and hit a 619 on him. He tried to pin Balor, but to no avail. At another point, Mysterio tossed Balor through a table set up in the corner.
As many have learned, it’s hard to keep your demons down. Mysterio learned the hard way.
Balor would not give up. Balor clotheslined Mysterio, hit him with a chair multiple times before wrapping his head in between the chair and drop-kicking him into the corner. Balor put Mysterio onto a table and hit the Coup de Grâce for the win.
Dominik Mysterio is introduced before his match against Finn Balor during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Balor excised his own demons, while Mysterio is still haunted.
Sports
Ryan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies
DENVER — What do you know? The once-stampeding Dodgers have been caged by the Colorado Rockies.
With a 9-6 loss Sunday at Coors Field, the two-time defending World Series champions lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Dodgers again couldn’t hold a lead, letting the Rockies tee off for 15 hits.
Nor could the Dodgers keep up offensively at the hitter-friendly park — though they put some pressure on in the ninth inning, when Shohei Ohtani led off with a ground-rule double and the Dodgers scored twice to cut the lead to three runs. Then the new guy, Ryan Ward, made the final out in his big league debut, robbed of a hit and a chance to keep chipping away by a diving Troy Johnston in right field.
Before that, the Rockies — who beat the Dodgers twice in 13 meetings all of last season — chased starter Roki Sasaki from the game in the fifth inning and then ruffled the Dodgers’ relievers. That included closer Edwin Díaz, who came on in the eighth and promptly gave up three singles, a walk and two runs before being pulled with the Dodgers trailing 8-4.
Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki gave up three runs on seven hits in 4-2/3 innings Sunday against the Rockies in Denver.
(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
He and Blake Treinen combined to face eight batters without getting an out.
“They both weren’t sharp,” said manager Dave Roberts, who had theories but not many answers — though he did have real concern, especially about Díaz, who recently had his right knee checked out by the medical staff.
Roberts said the closer wanted to pitch after nine days off, even though it wasn’t a save situation. But his velocity was slightly down (95.4 mph vs. 95.8) and so, “today was a tough evaluation,” the manager said.
“It really was,” Roberts said. “Because, you know, I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little concerning, really.”
And losing for the second time to the Rockies, who are now 9-13? Being in danger of losing their four-game series, after arriving in Denver without having lost to a National League opponent, against a club that hasn’t made the postseason since 2018?
It’s well below the bar the Dodgers have set, and it added a bitter note to Ward’s otherwise sweet debut.
Ward punched a big league clock for the first time wearing No. 67 and cranked his first hit off Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen in the fourth inning, lining a changeup to right field for a single that scored Andy Pages, made it 3-0 and got the 20-some members of Ward’s party up, jumping in place, hugging and high-fiving.
“When I was on first base, I got to see them all jumping around up there,” Ward said. “That was a pretty special moment.”
He also singled in the sixth and swung on the first pitch in his first at-bat, a fly out in the third inning.
The Dodgers gave Sasaki a 2-0 lead in the third. Alex Freeland drove in Hyeseong Kim, and Shohei Ohtani doubled in Freeland — and extended his career-best on-base streak to 51 games, moving past Willie Keeler into third place in Dodgers history.
Sasaki went 4-2/3 innings, threw 78 pitches and gave up three runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two. His ERA after his fourth start: 6.11, worst in the six-man rotation.
The Dodgers fell behind 6-5 in the seventh when Treinen — who was cleared Friday after he was struck in the head by a batted ball during batting practice — gave up four consecutive hits, including a two-run home run by Mickey Moniak.
The result likely will be a minor detail when Ward tells the story years from now about getting the call after first baseman Freddie Freeman was placed on the paternity list.
The Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect and reigning Pacific Coast League MVP spent the last seven years in the minors. Last season, he hit 36 home runs and drove in 122 runs with a .937 on-base-plus-slugging percentage for triple-A Oklahoma City, and he has a 1.020 OPS and four homers this year.
Ward made it a point to improve his chase rate, draw more walks and get on base more frequently, everything the Dodgers asked of him. He also passed the broadest patience test.
“The plate discipline, being a better hitter … he’s done all that,” Roberts said. “He’s improved his defense. But honestly, for me, just not to let his lack of opportunity in the big leagues deter him. That’s easy when you get frustrated and let it affect performance, and he hasn’t done that.”
If anything, Ward said, the waiting made him better.
“I used it to keep going. ‘OK, if I’m not there yet, what do I have to do to get there?’” he said. “‘What part of my game do I need to work on to keep getting better?’
“I used it as fire to keep working.”
That will be the Dodgers’ assignment too.
In the finale of the four-game series Monday, the Dodgers are expected to start left-hander Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) against Colorado left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63).
Sports
ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd
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LAS VEGAS – Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.
While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.
The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”
Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.
WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”
Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.
“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”
Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.
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