Sports

Lakers know Pelicans present problems in rematch, but so does complacency

Published

2 years ago

April 15, 2024

Lakers know Pelicans present problems in rematch, but so does complacency

NEW ORLEANS —

The Lakers are going to have to defend against CJ MCollum, the Pelicans guard who races into three-point shots from all angles on the court.

The Lakers are going to have to defend against forward Brandon Ingram, their former first-round draft pick, who has become one of the toughest shot-makers in the NBA.

The Lakers are going to have defend against Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III on the perimeter, two capable three-point shooters. They’re also going to have to defend against Zion Williamson, the explosively athletic big man with an uncommon combination of size, speed and strength.

You’d think that would be enough to deal with before their play-in tournament game with the Pelicans on Tuesday at the Smoothie King Center. Instead, the Lakers might have to defend against something else.

Complacency.

After dominating the Pelicans on Sunday during a 124-108 victory in a game both teams desperately wanted to win, some NBA followers, such as ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, have suggested the Lakers lose on purpose Tuesday to avoid a first-round matchup with the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

Greenberg, on ESPN’s “Get Up” show, said the risk of falling into a single-elimination game against either the Golden State Warriors or Sacramento Kings was less than the risk of playing Denver in the first round — acting as if the Lakers can simply beat the Pelicans on Tuesday should they want to.

The winner between the Lakers and the Pelicans will open the playoffs Saturday at Denver. The loser of that game will play the winner of Sacramento-Golden State at home on Friday with a chance to face top-seeded Oklahoma City.

While there’s some natural looking ahead that occurs when the playoff bracket is set, players such as LeBron James knew the Lakers were basically in a playoff series they needed to win the first two games on the road.

And after winning road Game 1s last year in the first and second rounds, the Lakers lost Game 2 twice — neither being particularly close.

“You don’t get too high on one win because you have to come back and play again,” James cautioned Sunday after the victory in New Orleans. “…Tuesday’s game is going to be extremely hard, extremely difficult, extremely physical. I’ve always known that, when you play a playoff series — and I look at this like a two-game playoff series — if you win that first game, a team has multiple days to kind of sit on that feeling, or sit with that taste in their mouth of defeat. So they’re going to be extremely ready for us and we have to come in with the same sense of urgency that we had the previous game.”

The Lakers, though, have good reasons to feel positive about where they are. They’d won nine of 10 games before illness and injury kept them from being whole in losses against Minnesota and Golden State. They stumbled in an ugly win Friday before cruising Sunday.

“You could just feel the vibe when we did our walk-through yesterday at the hotel,” coach Darvin Ham said Sunday. “We watched film. A lot of guys were disappointed in the way we kind of didn’t completely drop the rope by some mistakes we made in that Memphis game. Just trying to make sure we’re as tight as possible on both sides of the ball in terms of our execution. So we wanted to come out early and set a tone defensively. And also set a tone offensively by not settling. Defensively, giving multiple efforts.”

At the foreground was James, who took the responsibility of guarding Williamson.

“I just want to win so whatever the game presents itself for me to be, if it needs me to be more attacking and scoring range, or if it needs me to be more of a set-up guy, if it needs me to be more of a defender, I got to do it all,” James said. “I am a Swiss Army knife so I got to do it all on the floor and none of it’s predetermined.”

The only thing they can, the Lakers have said, control is the game in front of them. And when it comes to tempting fate beyond that, the Lakers can’t risk anything.

“Up-and-down season,” Anthony Davis said. “We had our highs. We had our lows. We had our share of injuries. Like I said, 12 games over .500. Obviously we don’t want to be in this position, but we are. We’re gonna make the best of it one at a time starting Tuesday.”

Sports

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

Published

6 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

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.

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)

STEELERS’ AARON RODGERS HILARIOUSLY TRASH TALKS STAR DEFENDER IN MIC’D UP MOMENT

“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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Sports

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

Published

7 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

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.

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.”

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.

Sports

Lindsey Vonn qualifies for fifth Winter Olympics

Published

18 hours ago

December 23, 2025

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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)

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!”

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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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.