Good morning. College basketball opened Monday, and Las Vegas had the best of it. At T-Mobile Arena, JuJu Watkins played her first game since tearing her ACL in March 2025 and scored 21 as No. 3 USC beat UNLV 100-68. Hours later, No. 22 UCLA beat No. 5 Arizona 84-75 in the same building. In Los Angeles, Luka Dončić scored 42 in a Lakers rout of Miami, the Clippers blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead and lost their sixth straight, and USC’s men won by 32. Hawaii beat Seattle on a jumper with 1.2 seconds left. Tonight: the Golden Knights are in Pittsburgh at 4, the Ducks open a Western Canada trip in Vancouver at 6, and UNLV and San Diego State open at home at 7. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏀 588 days. JuJu Watkins scored 21 in her return as No. 3 USC beat UNLV 100-68 — Timothy Parker at T-Mobile Arena.
🏀 Upset in Vegas. Trent Perry scored 21 and No. 22 UCLA beat No. 5 Arizona 84-75 — Timothy Parker at T-Mobile Arena.
🏀 42 and 13. Dončić’s fifth straight 35-point game carried the Lakers past Miami 138-117 — Eric Lambkins II at Crypto.com Arena.
🏀 47-27. Toronto outscored the Clippers by 20 in the fourth quarter to win 125-118 — Grant Mona at Intuit Dome.
🏀 1.2 seconds. Jaden Matingou’s fadeaway beat Seattle 74-73 in Hawaii’s opener — The Sporting Tribune.
🏈 “Myles is a yes.” Myles Garrett will return to practice this week, Arash Markazi reports — The Sporting Tribune.
🏒 One point. The Golden Knights rallied from 2-0 down but lost 3-2 in a shootout at Boston — Steve Carp in Boston.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — MONDAY
🏀 NBA: Lakers 138, Heat 117 · Raptors 125, Clippers 118
🏀 MBB: UCLA 84, Arizona 75 · USC 95, Milwaukee 63 · Hawaii 74, Seattle 73
🏀 WBB: USC 100, UNLV 68 · UCLA 73, Lehigh 53 · San Diego State 77, Cal State Fullerton 51 · Oregon 87, Hawaii 54
🏒 NHL: Bruins 3, Golden Knights 2 (SO)
🏀 FULL DAY IN LAS VEGAS
With 5:50 left in the first quarter, JuJu Watkins made her first basket since March 2025. She had been out about 19 months with a torn ACL. Timothy Parker writes that she looked rusty in the first half and found her rhythm by the end of the third quarter. She finished with 21 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes, and No. 3 USC beat UNLV 100-68 at T-Mobile Arena. Jazzy Davidson scored 23, and freshman Saniyah Hall had 22 and seven rebounds in her debut.
“I think she physically looks great,” Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It’s just finding that rhythm.” Gottlieb limited Watkins’ minutes late, and Watkins did not speak to reporters. Fans came from around the country, including one who traveled from El Paso.
Arion Armeniakos writes that UNLV won two of the four quarters and outrebounded USC 40-35, but a 31-10 USC run in the third decided it. “Going undefeated in non-conference play wins you nothing,” Lindy La Rocque said. UNLV hosts UTSA on Friday and will retire Las Vegas native Desi-Rae Young’s No. 23 before tipoff.
Then UCLA’s men took the floor. The No. 22 Bruins led 27-13 in the first 10 minutes and by 14 at halftime. Ivan Kharchenkov scored 38 for No. 5 Arizona and cut it to 71-70 with about three minutes left. Trent Perry, who led UCLA with 21, helped close it out. “Trent’s one of the best closers in the country,” Mick Cronin said. “To get a win over a team like that, it’s massive.”
GO DEEPER
› Timothy Parker: USC wins season opener led by the return of JuJu Watkins (The Sporting Tribune)
› Arion Armeniakos: Lady Rebels focused on bigger picture after season-opening defeat to No. 3 USC (The Sporting Tribune)
› Timothy Parker: UCLA upsets No. 5 Arizona to begin season (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: USC vs. UNLV (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Arizona vs. UCLA (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 LUKA KEEPS GOING
Luka Dončić had 42 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds on the second night of a back-to-back, and the Lakers beat a rested Miami team 138-117. Austin Reaves scored 27 on 10-of-15 shooting, and Walker Kessler had 15 and 15. The Lakers set a season high with 39 assists. Eric Lambkins II writes that Dončić has averaged 43.4 points over his last five games, and his 66 career 40-point games tie Jerry West for 14th all-time. Fredo Cervantes adds that it was his fifth straight game with 35 or more, matching the longest such streak by a Laker since Kobe Bryant. “We’re sharing the ball really well,” Dončić said. The Lakers are 6-2.
The Clippers can’t close. They led Toronto 91-78 after three quarters and 109-103 late, then lost 125-118. Scottie Barnes scored 15 of his 22 in the fourth. Grant Mona writes that the Clippers were called for 34 fouls, and Toronto made 31 free throws. Max Strus scored 11 in his return from a foot injury, and Kobe Sanders had a career-high 26. “I don’t think there’s a reason to hit the panic button,” Strus said. The Clippers are 1-6 and host Miami on Wednesday.
The Golden Knights got a point. Down 2-0 in Boston, they got a power-play goal from Mark Stone and a tying goal from Trevor Connelly, then lost when David Pastrnak scored the only goal of the shootout. Steve Carp writes that Vegas has lost five of six. “Now we move on to Pittsburgh and try and build on it,” Ryan Craig said.
GO DEEPER
› Eric Lambkins II: Dončić states his MVP case in win over Miami (The Sporting Tribune)
› Fredo Cervantes: Luka Dončić drops 42 points in win over Miami (The Sporting Tribune)
› Grant Mona: Max Strus is back, but the Clippers’ fourth-quarter problem isn’t going anywhere (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Knights battle back to gain a point in 3-2 shootout loss to Bruins (The Sporting Tribune)
🏀 OPENING NIGHT, EVERYWHERE
USC’s men won by 32. Freshman Adonis Ratliff scored 25 and made five 3-pointers, the most points by a USC freshman in a debut since O.J. Mayo in 2007. Alijah Arenas added 21, and No. 21 USC beat Milwaukee 95-63. Holdenn Graff writes that Jacob Cofie left in the first half with back spasms. USC plays Wichita State on Sunday at Lake Tahoe.
UCLA’s women started their title defense. The No. 11 Bruins trailed Lehigh early in the second quarter, then outscored them 23-9 in the third and won 73-53. Sienna Betts and Donovyn Hunter scored 15 each, and KK Bransford had 14 in her debut. UCLA hosts UC Irvine on Thursday.
San Diego State’s women raised a banner and rolled. The Aztecs unveiled their 2026 Mountain West championship banner, then beat Cal State Fullerton 77-51, outscoring the Titans 52-10 in the paint. Eric Evelhoch writes that every Aztec who played 10 minutes scored. North Texas visits Thursday at 11 a.m.
Hawaii won at the buzzer. Seattle led 73-72 before Jaden Matingou hit a fadeaway with 1.2 seconds left. He scored 20, and Chance Trujillo had 19. Hawaii opens the 60th Rainbow Classic against Bethesda on Friday. Hawaii’s women lost 87-54 at Oregon in Khalilah Mitchell’s coaching debut.
GO DEEPER
› Holdenn Graff: No. 21 USC cruises past Milwaukee in season-opening blowout (The Sporting Tribune)
› Defending national champion UCLA opens season with 73-53 win over Lehigh (The Sporting Tribune)
› Eric Evelhoch: Everyone gets involved for Aztecs in dominant season-opening win over Titans (The Sporting Tribune)
› Jaden Matingou’s last-second jumper lifts Hawaii past Seattle 74-73 (The Sporting Tribune)
› Hawaii women’s basketball falls to Oregon 87-54 in Khalilah Mitchell’s coaching debut (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
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🌮 Jack in the Box — two free tacos with any drink after the Lakers’ win over Miami. Code LETSGOLAKERS in the Jack app or online.
Coming up: Kings vs. Sharks on Wednesday, with a McFlurry deal if the Kings score in the final minute of the second period.
🏟️ FOUR GAMES, ONE TUESDAY
Golden Knights at Penguins at 4 on ESPN+, the second stop on a four-game trip. Vegas has lost five of six.
Ducks at Canucks at 6 on Prime Video. The Ducks (6-7-1) are coming off Cutter Gauthier’s hat trick against Ottawa and open a Western Canada trip.
Northern Arizona at UNLV and Cal State Fullerton at San Diego State at 7, as both men’s teams open at home.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
Garrett’s clock starts. Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Myles Garrett, who had arthroscopic knee surgery in September, will practice this week, opening his 21-day window to come off injured reserve. “Myles will practice. We’ll start his clock,” McVay said, though he wouldn’t set expectations for this week. Tight end Terrance Ferguson could also return to practice; defensive tackle Poona Ford is out for the season with a triceps injury.
Allegiant gets basketball. Steve Carp reports that Allegiant Stadium will host its first basketball games on Nov. 12, 2027: Arizona vs. Duke and Kansas vs. Indiana. It’s a test run for the 2028 Men’s Final Four, which Allegiant will host.
GO DEEPER
› Myles Garrett set to return to practice as Rams get defensive boost (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Allegiant Stadium to host mega hoops event ahead of ‘28 Final Four (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3
🏒 NHL: Golden Knights at Penguins — PPG Paints Arena — 4:00 p.m. — ESPN+
🏒 NHL: Ducks at Canucks — Rogers Arena — 6:00 p.m. — Prime Video
🏀 MBB: Northern Arizona at UNLV — 7:00 p.m. — MW+
🏀 MBB: Cal State Fullerton at San Diego State — Viejas Arena — 7:00 p.m. — Pac-12 YouTube
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
🏀 Northern Arizona at UNLV — $7
🏀 Cal State Fullerton at San Diego State — Viejas Arena — $4
🏀 Heat at Clippers (Wed.) — Intuit Dome — $16
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Luka Dončić’s 66th career 40-point game tied him with Jerry West. What number did West wear for the Lakers?
Answer at the bottom.
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Trivia answer: 44.
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