Sports
Utah shocks UCLA on last-second basket, ending Bruins' six-game winning streak
They lost their composure. They lost their leading scorer. They lost their late lead.
Ultimately, they lost something that mattered far more.
With Sebastian Mack ejected and Adem Bona largely nonexistent Sunday evening, the UCLA Bruins faltered in the final moments in an emotionally charged game against the team that had humiliated them a little more than a month ago.
This defeat was worse. Way worse.
The Bruins appeared on the verge of payback against Utah when guard Dylan Andrews rose for a jumper just inside the three-point line, giving his team a one-point lead with 6.6 seconds left.
But in a decision that will be questioned for a long time, UCLA coach Mick Cronin called a timeout to set up his defense — and allow the Utes, who had no timeouts left — to set up a final play.
Utah got the ball to a driving Deivon Smith, who split two defenders before his layup was contested by Bona and glanced off the top of the backboard. The ball fell toward Utes big man Branden Carlson, whose putback with 0.2 seconds left pushed Utah into the lead and silenced the crowd inside Pauley Pavilion.
After UCLA forward Berke Buyuktuncel’s full-court inbounds pass was tipped away by Utah, the Bruins were left with a 70-69 loss that ended their six-game winning streak.
UCLA guard Lazar Stefanovic passes the ball in front of Utah center Keba Keita (13) after diving for a loose ball during the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“It feels horrible,” UCLA guard Lazar Stefanovic said. “I don’t know exactly how to explain it — it feels horrible. Had a game in our hand … I mean, it came down to that last play but you can count 20 plays down the stretch that we didn’t make that we could have made, which would have made a difference.”
UCLA’s first defeat since a road loss to Arizona late last month will prompt plenty of second-guessing. Cronin said he called timeout because he was worried that Smith was going to immediately sprint down court after Andrews’ shot and get fouled.
“I’m sure I’m going to go home and be mad that I called timeout,” Cronin said. “But I wanted to set my defense so we could slow him down, but we failed.”
The Bruins (14-12 overall, 9-6 Pac-12) had a chance to put the game away after Will McClendon made a three-pointer to give them a 67-64 lead and they got the ball back after a Utah miss. But two empty possessions sandwiched around a layup by Smith gave the ball back to the Utes trailing 67-66 with 41.1 seconds left.
UCLA forward Adem Bona (3) tries to block a shot by Utah center Branden Carlson during the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Andrews then looked like the hero, until Carlson’s final play.
“Bona did a great job of forcing a tough shot,” McClendon said, “and usually when your five man stops the ball and goes to stop the shot, it leaves a mismatch for the guards and the bigs and we didn’t do our part in blocking out and getting the rebound.”
Stefanovic scored 19 points against his former team and Andrews had 15. But Bona finished with just seven points and two rebounds and Mack had four points in eight minutes before his ejection.
The only silver lining for UCLA: Barring a matchup in the Pac-12 tournament, the Bruins will not face the Utes (16-10, 7-8) again this season.
Smith and Carlson scored 17 points apiece for Utah, which logged its first conference road victory after starting 0-6.
UCLA had won eight of its previous nine games since its 46-point beatdown against Utah in Salt Lake City, prompting questions about whether the Bruins could thank the Utes for their turnaround. Did the pain of once trailing by as many as 50 points in that game snap UCLA back to attention?
In a word, according to their coach, no.
Cronin said his team’s resurgence was a result of incremental improvement, not motivation from a beatdown. But freshman forward Brandon Williams indicated recently that the Bruins had not forgotten about that cold, brutal night in Salt Lake City.
UCLA forward Berke Buyuktuncel, left, and guard Lazar Stefanovic, right, battle Utah guard Deivon Smith for a loose ball during the second half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“Me personally, I can’t wait to play against them,” Williams said last Tuesday. “We got some revenge to get.”
They didn’t get it, leaving them with zero margin for error the rest of the regular season if they want to have any chance of making the NCAA tournament besides winning the Pac-12 tournament.
The Bruins found themselves shorthanded midway through the first half when Mack elbowed Carlson in the throat, earning a flagrant-2 foul and an ejection. Carlson stayed down on the court for more than a minute before going to the locker room and eventually returning.
Emotions boiled over several minutes later when Cronin was assessed a technical foul after a controversial call. The Bruins thought a Utah player had dribbled off his foot out of bounds, but television replays appeared to show the ball going off Stefanovic.
It was not the last thing that would go against UCLA.
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Winning two knockout stage games? That means you’re really in the running to win the World Cup.
Let’s check out the updated odds for which countries will make it to the quarterfinals at FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 1.
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To Reach Quarterfinals
France: -1250 (bet $10 to win $10.80 total)
Argentina: -425 (bet $10 to win $12.35 total)
Morocco: -260 (bet $10 to win $13.85 total)
Brazil: -240 (bet $10 to win $14.17 total)
England: -175 (bet $10 to win $15.71 total)
Spain: -140 (bet $10 to win $17.14 total)
Colombia: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)
USA: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Mexico: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total)
Norway: +160 (bet $10 to win $26 total)
Portugal: +175 (bet $10 to win $27.50 total)
Canada: +180 (bet $10 to win $28 total)
Belgium: +185 (bet $10 to win $28.50 total)
Switzerland: +195 (bet $10 to win $29.50 total)
Senegal: +370 (bet $10 to win $47 total)
Algeria: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Egypt: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Ghana: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
The USA is currently one of the favorites to reach the World Cup quarterfinals (Getty Images).
Here’s what to know about this oddsboard.
Recent History: The quarterfinals are kinda a given for France, at least in recent years. The French have made it to at least the quarterfinals in five of the last seven World Cups, and they have made the final in four of the last seven years, winning the tournament twice. Les Bleus are now heavy favorites at -1250 to beat Paraguay and get back to the quarterfinals.
The Host Nations: Before this summer, Canada had never won a World Cup match in two tournament appearances. But that has all changed. Canada is through to the Round of 16 after beating South Africa in the Round of 32. As for Mexico, it has recorded four straight scoreless wins to start the tournament for the first time in its nation’s history. El Tri will look to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years after dominating Ecuador in the Round of 32. After its win over Ecuador, Mexico jumped from +290 to +140 to make the quarters. The U.S. looks to replicate the other two host nations’ knockout stage performances against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda celebrates after the Dodgers beat the Montreal Expos to win the NL pennant in 1981.
(Associated Press)
Years as manager: 1976-1996
Record: 1,599-1,439, .526 win pct
After serving as the team’s third base coach for four seasons, Lasorda took over as manager late in the 1976 season when Alston announced his retirement. He led the Dodgers to the National League pennant in his first two full seasons, losing both times to the Yankees in the World Series. He won his first World Series in 1981, knocking off the Yankees, and rallied his team to a surprise title in 1988 in which the Dodgers beat the heavily favored Athletics. Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, his first year of eligibility.
A fiery and vibrant presence who spent 71 years with the Dodgers, Lasorda managed nine players who won the NL rookie of the year award. The Dodgers also opened the Japanese player pipeline on his watch. Hideo Nomo, the first Japanese big leaguer to permanently relocate to the U.S., joined the Dodgers in 1995. Three decades later, the team features Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on its star-studded roster.
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Back in January, the odds that King James would retire before the beginning of the 2026-27 season were slightly longer than the odds that he would give it another go.
But as of now, it looks like LeBron will, in fact, give it another go but with a team other than the Lakers.
Here are the latest odds for where James could land next season at DraftKings Sportsbook as of June 30.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
LeBron James Next Team Odds
Golden State Warriors: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total)
Los Angeles Lakers: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Cleveland Cavaliers: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Miami Heat: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
New York Knicks: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Detroit Pistons: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Dallas Mavericks: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
San Antonio Spurs: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Milwaukee Bucks: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Brooklyn Nets: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Washington Wizards: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
NBA free agency begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. However, hours before its official start, LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, made a jaw-dropping announcement.
According to ESPN reporting, Paul notified the Lakers that the franchise could move on without LeBron because he plans to play elsewhere for the 2026-27 season.
James played for the organization for eight years — the longest he’s played for any other team. While in L.A., King James broke the all-time scoring record, won an NBA title and earned his fourth NBA Finals MVP.
The imprint he’s left on the league in his more than 20 years has been immeasurable.
Where will LeBron land next season now that his time in Los Angeles is over?
In addition to his tenure in Los Angeles, he’s played for the Cavaliers and the Heat, winning titles with all three franchises. He won Rookie of the Year, has four regular-season MVPs and is a 22-time All-Star.
James has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 boards and 7.4 assists over the course of his career.
During the 2025-26 season, he helped lead the Lakers to a 53-29 record in the regular season. The team secured the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and defeated Houston 4-2 in the first round.
Eventually, Los Angeles got bounced by Oklahoma City in the conference semifinals, 4-0, which marked LeBron’s last dance in Hollywood.
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