Sports

Lakers vow to fight to the finish as losing streak reaches four games

Published

2 years ago

January 6, 2024

Lakers vow to fight to the finish as losing streak reaches four games

He will “fight” to the end because that’s all Darvin Ham knows, and as the coach of the Lakers he wants his players to fight to the end.

Right now, the Lakers are taking blows from opponent after opponent after opponent.

The latest hit came from the Memphis Grizzlies, a hit that sent the Lakers to their fourth straight loss, their 10th in their last 13 games, and left them two games below .500.

They are a wobbly group that hasn’t been the same since winning the NBA’s in-season tournament a little more than three weeks ago.

“I’m in this thing for the fight and I’m not about to hang my head or anything,” Ham said after the Lakers gave up 69 second-half points. “I’m disappointed we lost, disappointed that we have lost multiple games now in a row. But it’s just only going to make the fire bigger in my chest to try to figure this thing out, and that was my message to the team after the game. We got to fight. I’ve been through much, much worse and we are going to figure this thing out, for sure.”

Do the Lakers have the same fight as their coach?

Ham assured the media that they do.

He knows there is pressure on him as the coach. There is pressure on LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the two captains, to lead this group out of these doldrums.

“Naw, they are just ready to be done with this, done with this slide,” he said. “Obviously no one wants to lose. It’s disappointing to lose. But we can’t make the mistake of getting discouraged. Like, everybody is going to nitpick at me, the staff, players, the organization, whatever, whatever. We got to block out all the noise. Like, block out all the noise, don’t pay attention to it. Focus on how we can be better.

“Whatever the mistakes are, whatever went wrong, look at it, analyze it and try to correct it, and that’s it. You have to be solution based. You definitely have to be numb to whatever is going on outside. If they are not the Lakers, then don’t pay attention to it. Just lock in on us and try to see how we can be the best version of ourselves, through our work, our daily work.”

James, 39, has been in the NBA for 21 seasons now and he knows the light will be on him to help the Lakers get out of this rut.

He was asked what he can do to help the team turn it around.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis, driving to the basket against Grizzlies center Bismarck Biyombo, had 31 points while playing nearly 41 minutes on Friday night.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

“What do I do?” James repeated. “I show up to work, punch my clock every day, stay positive and go out and try to lead out on the floor, try to inspire on the floor, that’s what I do.”

What he did Friday night was play 38 minutes and 50 seconds and score 32 points.

Davis played 40:58 and had 31 points.

That’s a combined 63 points and it still wasn’t enough for the Lakers to win.

“So, we gotta stay together, for sure, and figure it out,” Davis said. “We can’t be in our feelings. We can’t be complaining or whatever. We can’t take anything personal. We have to look individually, myself, everyone in the locker room, the coaching staff, look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out what we can do individually better to help the team be better. And I think then we can come out and flip things around. And it doesn’t have to be anything substantial. It can be, the ball swings to me, I gotta shoot the ball. I can’t hesitate. It can be something as simple as that. But it has to come from within.”

Through all of this, Davis said the Lakers have to stay the course.

There can’t be any finger pointing. There can’t be any let up during the bad times. And it won’t get any easier for the Lakers because next up are the hot Clippers on Sunday.

“You got to stay together in this locker room. The guys in this locker room, the guys on the coaching staff, we all stay together and find our way out of it,” Davis said. “There’s no help coming. There’s no cavalry. We got to do it with the guys we’ve got and remain together.

“I think that’s the biggest thing. But my job as one of the leaders is to help the guys and instill confidence in them still and have their back. We can’t separate and my job, Bron, our job as leaders is to make sure these guys stay connected but also figuring out what we need to do individually and as a team.”

Sports

Ole Miss staffer references Aaron Hernandez while discussing ‘chaotic’ coaching complications with LSU

Published

10 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Ole Miss staffer references Aaron Hernandez while discussing ‘chaotic’ coaching complications with LSU

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The chaos between LSU coaches who left Ole Miss alongside Lane Kiffin but are still coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff is certainly a whirlwind.

Joe Judge, Ole Miss’ quarterbacks coach, has found himself in the thick of the drama — while he is not headed for Baton Rouge, he’s had to wonder who he will be working with on a weekly basis.

When asked this week about what it’s like to go through all the trials and tribulations, Judge turned heads with his answer that evoked his New England Patriots days.

Aaron Hernandez sits in the courtroom of the Attleboro District Court during his hearing. Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Aug. 22, 2013. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

“My next-door neighbor was Aaron Hernandez,” Judge said, according to CBS Sports. “I know this is still more chaotic.”

Hernandez was found guilty of the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, which occurred just three years into his NFL career.

“If you watch those documentaries, my house is on the TV next door,” Judge added. “The detectives knocked on my door to find out where he was. I didn’t know. We just kind of talked to the organization. But it was obviously chaotic.”

Aaron Hernandez was convicted of the 2013 murder of semipro football player Odin Lloyd. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

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Judge, though, was able to compare the two situations to see how players can combat wild distractions.

“Those players that year handled that extremely well. Came out of that chaos, and we had some really good direction inside with some veterans and some different guys. You have something like that happen — how do you handle something like that? How do you deal with something like that? So you keep the focus on what you can handle, what you can control, which at that time was football for us, and we went through the stretch, and we were able to have success that year,” Judge said.

Judge also compared this scenario to the 2020 NFL season when he was head coach of the New York Giants, saying he would have “no idea” who would be available due to surprise positive COVID-19 tests.

Head coach Joe Judge of the New York Giants looks on during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. The game took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 19, 2021. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The Rebels face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, the College Football Playoff Semifinal, on Thursday night.

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Sports

Prep talk: Calabasas basketball team is surging with 11 wins in last 12 games

Published

11 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Prep talk: Calabasas basketball team is surging with 11 wins in last 12 games

Calabasas pulled off a huge win in high school basketball on Tuesday night, handing Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 16 victories in a Marmonte League opener.

The Coyotes (13-5) have quietly turned around their season after a 2-4 start, winning 11 of their last 12 games.

One of the major contributors has been 6-foot-3 junior guard Johnny Thyfault, who’s averaging 16 points and has become a fan favorite because of his dunking skills. He also leads the team in taking charging fouls.

He transferred to Calabasas after his freshman year at Viewpoint.

As for beating Thousand Oaks, coach Jon Palarz said, “We got to play them at home and had great effort.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Sports

Hawks trade 4-time All-Star Trae Young to Wizards in blockbuster deal: reports

Published

22 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Hawks trade 4-time All-Star Trae Young to Wizards in blockbuster deal: reports

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The Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with four-time NBA All-Star point guard Trae Young, trading him to the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster move, according to ESPN.

The Hawks will reportedly be receiving veteran shooting guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert in the deal.

Washington was Young’s preferred destination, and the two sides were working on a deal to get the 27-year-old point guard to the nation’s capital.

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Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round 1 Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2023 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. ( Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Young’s agents were having conversations with the Hawks, who sit at 17-21 so far this season, about trading their client out of Atlanta.

There is a mutual connection in Washington, too, as executive Travis Schlenk drafted Young fifth overall in 2018 out of Oklahoma.

It marks the end of an era for the Hawks. Young has been the focal point of their offense since he was taken in that draft. He is the team’s career leader in three-pointers and assists, having led the team to the postseason in three of his eight seasons. The Hawks went the furthest in 2021, where they made the Eastern Conference Finals.

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However, the new era was brewing already in Atlanta, with forward Jalen Johnson taking the next step in his career, averaging 23.7 points per game this season. The pickup of Nickeil Alexander-Walker also helps, as he’s averaged 20.5 points per game in 36 appearances.

Meanwhile, Young has played just 10 games this season, as he’s been dealing with leg injuries, most notably a right MCL sprain.

Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Hawks also get some flexibility on their books, as they could make some more moves. Anthony Davis is reportedly available from the Dallas Mavericks, making him a good target for Atlanta.

Young has $95 million remaining on his deal that runs through the 2026-27 season, which includes a player option this offseason.

Atlanta will be taking on McCollum’s contract, though the veteran guard has a $30.6 million expiring deal.

Through his 10 games this season, Young is averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.5% from the field.

Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks drives down the court during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena on April 7, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Over his career, Young has dropped 25.2 points and 9.8 assists per game, while leading the league in the latter category last season with 11.6 per contest.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.