Bill Plaschke

What is shocking about the Thunder's win Saturday night is they steamrolled to victory over the prone body of an NBA legend.

The Lakers played hard, played tough, played the Thunder from baseline to baseline, played strong enough to fly home with pride. But it's not enough.

The 41-year-old superstar played like he had everything to lose during a clinching Game 6 win Friday night in Houston, which is what the Laker needed.

Not only have the Lakers proven they can beat the Houston Rockets, but they've also shown they're capable of defeating Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

Bill Plaschke writes LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard will lead the Lakers to a surprising first-round playoff series win over the Rockets.

The Lakers were connected, apparently having had time to adjust to the loss of their two leading scorers, while the Rockets looked confused.

Roki Sasaki has become the Dodgers' most embattled starter and one who has made the season's first big move seem inevitable. They've got to put him back in the bullpen, no?

The Sparks are going old. They don't have a choice. Five years of lottery missteps have produced exactly one current Sparks player, Cameron Brink, who's been an injured bust.

Their season turned into a nightmare with injuries to stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who should not be rushed back to play in hopes of saving the season.

After UCLA coach Mick Cronin failed to figure out how to feature center Aday Mara, he transferred to Michigan and won a national championship.

UCLA coach Clori Close built on lessons learned from John Wooden and steered the Bruins to a lopsided win over South Carolina to clinch a national title.

UCLA was not viewed as the toughest team at the Final Four, but the Bruins proved they can win a prize fight with a bruising victory over Texas.

There were fireworks, music, celebrities and banners, but the real stars of Dodger opening day never made a sound.

What could possibly stand in the way of the Dodgers becoming just the third franchise to win three World Series in a row? Plenty, it turns out.

When measuring the furiously growing buzz around the Lakers, one need only heed the hopeful cries of one of their most rabid fans, 6-year-old Jackson Tuyay.

Bill Plaschke used to ignore the World Baseball Classic, but he has been wowed by the dramatic tournament that feels bigger than the World Series.

The UCLA women's basketball team rolled to a 51-point win over Iowa in the Big Ten tournament title game, showing it deserves the No. 1 overall seed.