Good morning. The defending champions are done. The Aces lost 87-77 in overtime and were swept by Golden State, which leaves the Dodgers as the last of our teams still playing postseason games this October. They open the NLCS in Milwaukee on Sunday. Today is full: UCLA at Oregon at 12:30, USC at Penn State in the White Out at 4:30, the Kings in Vegas at 7, LAFC at home at 7:30, and seven more games across our markets. The Ducks won 5-1 in Winnipeg, and we look at what DAZN’s deal means for how you watch the Kings. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏀 Swept. Golden State beat the Aces 87-77 in overtime to end Las Vegas’ title defense — Arion Armeniakos at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
📺 Kings stream on DAZN. The Kings join a growing list of local teams on the London-based platform — Arash Markazi in New York.
🏒 The fourth line flies. Judd Caulfield scored his first NHL goal and Granlund his 200th as the Ducks beat Winnipeg 5-1 — Zach Cavanagh at Canada Life Centre.
🏈 0-4 and Denver next. The Chargers host the Broncos on Sunday with eight players ruled out — Fernando Ramirez in Los Angeles.
🥊 Weight made. Floyd Schofield made weight on his second try for tonight’s WBA lightweight title fight in Chicago — Michael Huezo in Chicago.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — FRIDAY
🏀 WNBA semifinals: Valkyries 87, Aces 77 (OT) — Valkyries win series 3-0
🏒 NHL: Ducks 5, Jets 1
🏀 “NOT OUR TIME”
It was tied 71-71 at the end of regulation when Chelsea Gray pulled up for the jumper she has made her whole career. It rimmed out.
“I’ve hit that shot a thousand times,” Gray said. “I should’ve hit it. It just didn’t go my way.”
Overtime belonged to Golden State. The Valkyries scored 16 points in the extra period, eight from Gabby Williams, and won 87-77 to complete a 3-0 sweep. Arion Armeniakos writes that the Aces’ best players couldn’t get going. A’ja Wilson went 6-for-19 in 42 minutes and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Gray scored 15 in the first half and went 1-for-6 after it. Golden State had a 17-2 run in the third quarter, when the Aces scored seven points.
Rebounding decided it, the same way it decided the series. Las Vegas was outrebounded 43-35 and lost the boards in every round of the playoffs. Becky Hammon pointed to injuries and a thin rotation, including the loss of NaLyssa Smith in August. “We knew [rebounding] was an issue coming into the season,” she said. Armeniakos writes that this raises real questions about how the roster is built.
Wilson didn’t sound like someone in crisis.
“It’s just not our time, and I’m OK with that,” she said. On the standard the Aces set for themselves: “Because, hell, we created it. So, why not uphold it?”
For most of this decade, the Aces have been the team everyone else was chasing. Now they’ll be the ones doing the chasing.
GO DEEPER
› Arion Armeniakos: The hunted back to being hunters; Aces swept by Valkyries in semis (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Aces defeated by Valkyries, 87-77, at Michelob ULTRA Arena (The Sporting Tribune)
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📺 STREAMING THE KINGS
Tonight’s Kings game in Las Vegas is on ABTV, and starting this season it’s also on DAZN.
The Sporting Tribune talked to DAZN executives in New York about the deal. DAZN is now the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home for local Kings games, including first-round playoff games in the team’s home territory of Southern California and Hawaii. It’s built on DAZN’s September agreement with ABTV, which still carries the Kings on cable and satellite. Fans with ABTV through a TV provider can sign in to DAZN with those credentials.
The standard package is $129.99 for the season or $19.99 a month. The ultimate package is $149.99 or $24.99 a month, with five streams, multiview, alternate feeds, a store discount and two tickets to select games.
The Kings are part of a bigger plan. DAZN has picked up local rights to 19 MLB, NBA, NHL and WNBA teams in the last six months, including the Yankees and Knicks. It also powers the Golden Knights’ own streaming app. And the Angels, who share ABTV with the Kings, aren’t on DAZN yet.
“We’d love to work with the Angels,” said Zander Berlinski, DAZN’s senior vice president of strategy and business development. “Anywhere you can get multiple teams in the same footprint, there’s a benefit to that.”
GO DEEPER
› Arash Markazi: DAZN makes LA Kings part of bigger regional sports vision (The Sporting Tribune)
🏒 THE LINE THAT STAYED TOGETHER
After Edmonton scored five goals in a period against them Wednesday, Joel Quenneville reworked the Ducks’ lineup. Only one forward line stayed intact: Judd Caulfield, Tim Washe and Jeff Malott. In Winnipeg, they each had the first multipoint game of their NHL careers.
Zach Cavanagh writes that Caulfield, in his fourth NHL game, scored his first goal by crashing the crease, with family and friends who drove up from Grand Forks, N.D., watching. “Unbelievable,” he said. Washe made it 2-0 off a Malott feed. Sam Colangelo scored, and Mikael Granlund, in his first month as captain, scored the 200th goal of his career. Lukáš Dostál stopped 15 of 16. Ducks 5, Jets 1, the Jets’ first regulation loss of the season.
Anaheim is 3-1-0 and plays at Calgary tonight.
GO DEEPER
› Zach Cavanagh: Ducks fourth line flies in bounce-back in Winnipeg (The Sporting Tribune)
🏟️ TEN GAMES, ONE SATURDAY
College football, five times. UCLA at Oregon at 12:30 on CBS. San Diego State at Oregon State at 3 on USA. North Dakota State at UNLV at 4 on the CW. USC at Penn State at 4:30 on NBC, the White Out at Beaver Stadium. Ta’Mere Robinson, a Pittsburgh native who spent two years at Penn State, calls it “more of a homecoming,” and USC (5-1) will see its former defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn on the other sideline. Hawaii at Arizona State closes the night at 7:30 on FS1.
Hockey, twice. Kings at Golden Knights at 7 on ABTV (and DAZN). Vegas comes off a shootout win over Toronto after trailing 3-0. Ducks at Flames at 7 on Prime Video.
Soccer, twice. San Diego FC at the Red Bulls at 4:30 and Vancouver at LAFC at 7:30, both on Apple TV.
Also: The Clippers play Toronto in a preseason game in Vancouver at 3:30. At Santa Anita, Lonesome Stew is 6-5 on the morning line in the $100,000 California Flag on the downhill turf.
Sunday: NLCS Game 1, Dodgers at Brewers, at 5. Broncos at Chargers at 1:05 on CBS. The Raiders are at New England. Monday: Bills at Rams on Monday Night Football at SoFi Stadium.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
0-4. Fernando Ramirez previews Broncos-Chargers. The Chargers have ruled out eight players, including Derwin James Jr., Joe Alt and Quentin Johnston, and Ladd McConkey is questionable. Denver is favored by 3½. Ramirez picks Broncos 20, Chargers 19.
A title fight in Chicago. Michael Huezo reports Floyd Schofield (19-0) made weight on his second attempt before tonight’s vacant WBA lightweight title fight against Lucas Bahdi (20-0) on DAZN.
GO DEEPER
› Fernando Ramirez: Chargers vs. Broncos: Preview, prediction and how to watch (The Sporting Tribune)
› Michael Huezo: Schofield makes weight on second attempt before WBA lightweight title fight in Chicago (The Sporting Tribune)
› Louie Rabaut: Santa Anita Saturday: Down The Hill in the Flag (The Sporting Tribune)
› Holdenn Graff: Ta’Mere Robinson leads USC into a White Out he knows well (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Knights find way to rally for 4-3 shootout win over Leafs (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
🏈 College: UCLA at Oregon — Autzen Stadium — 12:30 p.m. — CBS
🏈 College: San Diego State at Oregon State — Reser Stadium — 3:00 p.m. — USA
🏀 NBA (preseason): Clippers vs. Raptors — Rogers Arena — 3:30 p.m. — NBA
🏈 College: North Dakota State at UNLV — Allegiant Stadium — 4:00 p.m. — CW
🏈 College: USC at Penn State — Beaver Stadium — 4:30 p.m. — NBC
⚽ MLS: San Diego FC at New York Red Bulls — SI Stadium - 4:30 p.m. — Apple TV
🏒 NHL: Kings at Golden Knights — T-Mobile Arena — 7:00 p.m. — ABTV
🏒 NHL: Ducks at Flames — Scotiabank Saddledome — 7:00 p.m. — Prime Video
⚽ MLS: Vancouver Whitecaps at LAFC — BMO Stadium — 7:30 p.m. — Apple TV
🏈 College: Hawaii at Arizona State — Mountain America Stadium - 7:30 p.m. — FS1
🎟️ 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.
🏒 Kings at Golden Knights — T-Mobile Arena — $78
⚽ Whitecaps at LAFC — BMO Stadium — $33
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Ducks captain Mikael Granlund hit a career milestone with his goal in Winnipeg. Which career goal was it?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
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Trivia answer: His 200th.
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