Good morning. Luka Dončić scored 52 on Sunday, and the Lakers are 3-0. The Rams ran for nearly 200 yards in Las Vegas and beat the Raiders 35-21, and Matthew Stafford broke the franchise record for touchdown passes. LAFC came back from 2-0 down to draw the Galaxy and clinch a playoff spot, and the Wave drew Boston and need help to win the Shield. The Clippers lost in Oklahoma City. Tonight it’s just the Kings, at the Rangers at 4. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏀 52. Dončić made eight 3-pointers and the Lakers came back from 18 down to beat Utah 132-123 — Carlos Yakimowich.
🏈 Backs to the wall. The Rams led 28-6 at halftime and beat the Raiders 35-21 — Eric Lambkins II at Allegiant Stadium.
🏈 Four straight. “You can’t win in this league having to throw it as much as we’re throwing it,” Klint Kubiak said — Derek Hegna at Allegiant Stadium.
⚽ Clinched. LAFC came back from 2-0 down to draw the Galaxy 2-2 and make the playoffs — David Martinez at BMO Stadium.
⚽ “Mature up real fast.” The Galaxy let a two-goal lead get away — Rob Jalon at BMO Stadium.
⚽ Still alive. The Wave drew Boston 2-2 and need help on Decision Day to win the Shield — Sebastian Sanchez at Snapdragon Stadium.
🏀 1-2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 as Oklahoma City beat the Clippers 108-101 — Colin Costigan.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — SUNDAY
🏈 NFL: Rams 35, Raiders 21
🏀 NBA: Lakers 132, Jazz 123 · Thunder 108, Clippers 101
⚽ MLS: LAFC 2, Galaxy 2 · NWSL: Wave 2, Boston Legacy 2
🏀 FIFTY-TWO
The Lakers were down 18 in Salt Lake City and getting beaten on the boards; Utah won the rebounding battle 66-39. Then Luka Dončić took over. He stripped Ace Bailey and hit a step-back, then made a 3 with 4.7 seconds left in the half, and the Lakers went to halftime up 74-71 after scoring 45 in the second quarter.
He scored 14 in the third. With 1:42 left, he made his second 3 in 40 seconds to reach 50 points and put the Lakers up 127-121. He finished with 52 points on 17-of-30 shooting, eight 3-pointers, 10 assists and eight rebounds, the 10th 50-point regular-season game of his career. Carlos Yakimowich writes that he and Austin Reaves, who had 29, scored 24 of the Lakers’ 29 fourth-quarter points. The Lakers won 132-123 for their first road win.
Walker Kessler, back in Utah, had two points and seven rebounds. Yakimowich notes the defense still has problems: “Three games will not determine an MVP race.”
The Lakers are 3-0. Portland comes to Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, and the Lakers play the Clippers at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, their first back-to-back.
GO DEEPER
› Carlos Yakimowich: Luka Dončić flashes early-season MVP magic in road win over Jazz (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏈 THE RAMS RUN IT
A week after losing to Arizona, and without Davante Adams, the Rams ran the ball. Eric Lambkins II writes that Kyren Williams ran for 99 yards and Blake Corum for 93, and each scored a touchdown. Davis Allen caught two touchdowns. The Rams led 28-6 at halftime, their first 28-point half of the season.
Puka Nacua was questionable all week with a calf injury and caught eight passes for 68 yards. His 11-yard touchdown was Matthew Stafford’s 155th as a Ram, one more than Roman Gabriel’s franchise record. Nacua has caught at least five passes in 15 straight games, tied for the eighth-longest streak in NFL history.
“This league is so humbling,” Sean McVay said. “Humility is only a day away.” “Catching touchdowns and throwing touchdowns isn’t a one-man job,” Stafford said. The Rams are 3-4 and next play the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
The Raiders have lost four straight after a 3-0 start. Derek Hegna writes that Ashton Jeanty ran for 15 yards on eight carries, and Kirk Cousins threw 44 times for 295 yards and two touchdowns. The Raiders converted 5 of 19 third and fourth downs and scored on one of five red-zone trips. “You can’t win in this league having to throw it as much as we’re throwing it,” Klint Kubiak said. Steve Carp calls it “unacceptable” and says benching Cousins for Fernando Mendoza wouldn’t fix the slow starts, the run game or the missed tackles. The Raiders (3-4) play at the Jets next.
GO DEEPER
› Eric Lambkins II: With their backs against the wall, the Rams prevail against the Raiders (The Sporting Tribune)
› Derek Hegna: Raiders cannot complete mad dash as Rams push losing streak to four (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Raiders show they are their own worst enemy in loss to Rams (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Rams defeat the Raiders, 35-21, at Allegiant Stadium (The Sporting Tribune)
⚽ EL TRÁFICO, 2-2
The Galaxy led 2-0. Joseph Paintsil scored twice, the second in the 51st minute. About two minutes later, JT Marcinkowski spilled an Armindo Sieb shot and Denis Bouanga scored on the rebound. In the 62nd, Son Heung-min’s cross caused confusion in the box and Leo Walta tied it. David Martinez writes LAFC outshot the Galaxy 8-0 over the final 28 minutes, and Bouanga had a late winner called back for offside.
The draw clinched LAFC’s fifth straight playoff spot, and its eighth in nine seasons. LAFC is sixth in the West with two games left. “They never give up,” Xavi Tamarit said. Holdenn Graff asks whether a roller-coaster season can level out before the playoffs.
For the Galaxy, it was a missed chance. Rob Jalon writes that several teams behind them gained ground this weekend. “We have to mature up real fast,” Greg Vanney said, and every game from here is effectively a playoff game. Austin comes to Dignity Health Sports Park on Halloween, then Decision Day at Real Salt Lake on Nov. 7.
The Wave drew Boston 2-2 and ended a five-game winning streak. Gia Corley scored and Boston put one in its own net, but Alba Caño tied it with a long shot in the 73rd. Sebastian Sanchez writes San Diego (55 points) is second, three behind Gotham. The Wave have to beat Bay FC on Sunday and need Gotham to lose to Utah, and then goal differential would decide it.
GO DEEPER
› David Martinez: LAFC battles back from two-goal deficit to clinch playoff berth in El Tráfico (The Sporting Tribune)
› Holdenn Graff: LAFC clinches playoff berth, but can the roller coaster season level out? (The Sporting Tribune)
› Rob Jalon: Galaxy wastes two-goal lead in 2-2 LAFC away draw (The Sporting Tribune)
› Sebastian Sanchez: San Diego Wave keep NWSL Shield hopes alive with draw against Boston (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: LAFC draws with Galaxy, 2-2, in Los Angeles (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
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🌮 Jack in the Box — two free tacos with any drink after the Lakers’ win in Utah. Code LETSGOLAKERS in the app or online.
🛵 DoorDash — 50% off one order, up to $10, because Dončić scored 50. Code NBA50 for DashPass members, delivery only, 9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. today.
Dark today: the Rams didn’t get an interception, so no Carl’s Jr., and LAFC drew, so no DoorDash LAFC code. Next: a Ducks home win against Vancouver on Tuesday gets $2 McGriddles.
🏟️ ONE GAME, ONE MONDAY
Kings at Rangers at 4 on ABTV. The Kings (2-5-2) lost 3-1 in New Jersey on Saturday after winning in Washington and on Long Island. This is the fourth game of a five-game trip, which ends Tuesday in Chicago.
Tuesday: Canucks at Ducks, Senators at Golden Knights, Kings at Blackhawks, Trail Blazers at Lakers. Wednesday: Lakers at Clippers.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
The Clippers lost again. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 of his 34 after halftime, and Oklahoma City beat the Clippers 108-101. The Clippers led 46-43 at halftime, and seven of them scored in double figures, led by Darius Garland’s 16. Thunder forward Jalen Williams was carried off on a stretcher with a serious lower-leg injury late in the game. The Clippers (1-2) host the Lakers on Wednesday at 7:30.
Tic-tac-toe and a 7-0 start. Brady Charette writes about the culture behind UCLA’s best start since 2005. “Doesn’t matter if we are hanging out and playing basic games like tic-tac-toe, I feel like that carries onto the field,” linebacker Jalen Woods said. Nevada visits the Rose Bowl on Halloween.
GO DEEPER
› Colin Costigan: Clippers drop consecutive road games following loss to Thunder (The Sporting Tribune)
› Brady Charette: From Tic-Tac-Toe to Top Ten: Inside the Culture Fueling UCLA’s 7-0 Start (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — MONDAY, OCTOBER 26
🏒 NHL: Kings at Rangers — Madison Square Garden — 4:00 p.m. — ABTV
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California and Las Vegas — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
🏀 Lakers at Clippers — Intuit Dome (Wednesday) — $69
🏒 Canucks at Ducks — Honda Center (Tuesday) — $29
🏈 Ohio State at USC — Coliseum (Saturday) — $115
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Luka Dončić’s 52 points Sunday were the 10th 50-point game of his career. What is his career high?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
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Trivia answer: 73 points, for Dallas against Atlanta in January 2024.
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