Hello, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get straight to the news.

From Broderick Turner: Last week the Clippers hosted the Phoenix Suns and just nine days later played them again at the Intuit Dome.

Before the game, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said there wasn’t much upside to playing a team like the Suns again so soon, especially a team with lethal weapons Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. At least they didn’t have to face Bradley Beal, who didn’t play Thursday because of an injured elbow.

It looked like the Clippers had found an advantage as they jumped on the Suns early, building a 19-point lead in the first quarter that grew to 21 in the third.

However, the Clippers were unable to hold onto the lead and lost to the Suns 125-119, despite five players scoring in double figures.

“We have to keep improving. We need to finish games better and something to continue to learn from,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “All five of our games were close, down to the wire. We were lucky to win two. But if we win all those games, we could be 0-5. We could have been 5-0. So just stay the course, realizing that our margin for air is very small.

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RAMEN

From Gary Klein: A week after making a spectacular return to the Rams lineup, star receiver Puka Nacua left practice Thursday due to a right knee injury, a team official said.

His status for Friday’s practice and Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle is to be determined, the official said.

The setback is the latest issue related to a knee sprain Nacua suffered during a joint workout with the Chargers during training camp.

The 2023 Pro Bowl selection sat out most of the preseason workouts before the opener against the Detroit Lions, but he caught four passes for 35 yards before aggravating the injury in the overtime loss.

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Unexpectedly, Ernest Jones IV gets to showcase his linebacker trade against the Rams

From Anthony De Leon: USC freshman duo Kameryn Fountain and Sam Greene showed why they were recruited to join the Trojans’ defense: to get to the quarterback.

“It took a lot of hard work, a lot of long nights and early mornings,” Greene said. “Doing extra little things, just to contribute to the team. That’s all I wanted to do since I signed the paper to come here.”

Both players secured their first collegiate sack in a decisive win over Rutgers last Saturday.

Fountain struck early in the second half, while Greene got past the right tackle late in the fourth quarter.

“(I was) getting off the ball, working on my move, planning it in my head and just executing,” Greene said. “I just go out there and play for my team.”

Greene has embraced the chance to secure a spot in the defensive rotation, calling the opportunity “very nice.”

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DUCKS

Sidney Crosby scored his second goal of the game at the 2:35 mark of overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Ducks 2-1 on Thursday night to end a six-game losing streak.

Finding himself alone on Lukas Dostal, Crosby hit the brakes before flipping the puck over the Ducks goaltender for the 93rd game-winning goal of his career.

Alex Nedeljkovic made 22 saves for Pittsburgh (4-7-1), which defeated the Ducks (4-4-2) 46-23. Dostal stopped 44 shots to keep the Ducks in it, but it still wasn’t enough.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1913 – Notre Dame meets Army for the first time and comes away with a 35-13 victory behind Gus Dorias’ 14-of-17 passing for 243 yards.

1938 – George Woolf, riding for regular jockey Red Pollard, leads Seabiscuit to a four-length victory over the heavily favored American Triple Crown champion, War Admiral, in the Pimlico Special match race at Baltimore. A crowd of 40,000 spectators comes to the winner-take-all match race with a cash prize of $15,000.

1946 – In the first NBA game (known as the Basketball Association of America), the New York Knickerbockers beat the Toronto Huskies 68-66 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

1959 – Montreal goalie Jacques Plante revolutionizes his position – and the sport of hockey – by donning a face mask. Plante is hit in the face with a shot from New York Rangers forward Andy Bathgate at 3:06 of the first period. After receiving stitches to close a cut from the corner of his mouth to his nostril, Plante returns to the ice wearing a mask. The Canadiens win 3-1.

1964 – Cleveland’s Jim Brown rushes for 149 yards, becoming the first player to rush for more than 10,000 yards in his career, as the Browns post a 30-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brown with 10,135 yards had 47 games of 100 or more yards.

1966 – The NFL awards a franchise to New Orleans on All Saints’ Day.

1968 – Detroit pitcher Denny McLain wins the AL Cy Young award after finishing the season 31-6.

1970 – Mercury Morris of the Miami Dolphins gains 302 combined yards (89 rushing, 68 receiving and 145 on kickoffs) in a 35–0 loss to the Baltimore Colts.

1987 – Ibrahin Hussein of Kenya and Priscilla Welch of Great Britain win the men’s and women’s divisions of the New York Marathon, finishing the 26.2 miles in 2:11:01 and 2:30:17, respectively.

1996 – Shaquille O’Neil makes his Hollywood debut as the Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns 96-82 at the Forum; O’Neil scores 23 points and grabs 14 rebounds in 35 minutes.

1997 – Tom Osborne reaches 250 wins faster than any coach in college football history as Nebraska beats Oklahoma 69-7, the worst loss in Sooners history.

1998 – Steve Young and Jerry Rice meet for their 80th career touchdown in the Niners’ 36-22 loss to GB Packers at Lambeau Field; eclipses the previous NFL mark of Miami Dolphins tandem Dan Marino and Mark Clayton.

2000 — Pat Riley earns his 1,000th coaching victory as Miami earns its most lopsided win in an opener with a 105-79 loss to Orlando. Riley reached the plateau in 1,434 games – fewer than any coach or manager in any sport.

2003 – DeCori Birmingham rushes for 196 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score in the seventh overtime, in Arkansas’ 71-63 win over Kentucky. The seven overtimes match the longest game in NCAA history. The Razorbacks also won that game in 2001, beating Mississippi 58-56.

2008 – Michigan’s 48-42 loss at Purdue drops the Wolverines to 2-7, ending Michigan’s streak of 33 straight bowl appearances. Michigan, assured of its first losing season since 1967, also sets a school record for losses.

2008 – Stephen F. Austin quarterback Jeremy Moses sets NCAA single-game records with 57 completions and 85 pass attempts in a 34–31 dual overtime loss to Sam Houston State. Moses passed for 501 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, completing passes to 11 different receivers. The sophomore breaks the previous record of 83 attempts in a single game, set by Drew Brees at Purdue in 1998. The previous record for completions was 56, set by Jarrod DeGeorgia at then-Division II Wayne State in 1996.

2009 – Meb Keflezighi becomes the first American man in 27 years to win the New York City Marathon. Keflezighi, who moved to San Diego from his native Eritrea when he was in sixth grade, finishes with a time of 2:09:15 for a personal record.

2015 — Simone Biles takes gold medals numbers nine and 10 in balance beam and floor exercises as the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships come to a close. Biles breaks the career record for most World Championships gold medals by a female gymnast.

2023 — The Texas Rangers win the first title in franchise history; beat Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 at Chase Field, Phoenix for a 4-1 series victory; MVP: Rangers SS Corey Seager; manager Bruce Bochy’s fourth World Series victory.

Compiled by the Associated Press