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LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach JJ Redick acknowledged every NBA team – even the good to great ones – will cycle through multiple identities during the regular season.And his team is in the midst of another identity change – one that features fourth-year guard Austin Reaves even more as a ball-handler and on-ball playmaker than he was earlier in the season.Throughout the offseason and preseason, Redick and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka spoke about Reaves getting more on-ball responsibilities.That came in doses in the first month of the season as the Lakers cycled through starting lineups and the offensive hierarchy.…

Texas wide receiver Silas Bolden (11) runs against Arizona State during the first half in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham speaks with an oficial during the second half in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff against Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian watches play against Arizona State during the first half in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Arizona State running back Cam…

After grinding hard in close quarters, the Ducks hit the open skies for a lightning round of a road trip that’ll take them to Winnipeg on Thursday and Edmonton on Friday.The Jets are the NHL’s most successful team this season by points total, while the Oilers lost in Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final. Yet the fledgling Ducks toughened up around their net and beat both teams in the course of 11 days last month.Their victory over Edmonton rolled into another win against a first-half A-lister, the New Jersey Devils. They were leading their conference Tuesday morning, as…

NEW ORLEANS — The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame has been postponed after a truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd about a mile away early Wednesday, killing at least 10 people.The game, originally scheduled for Wednesday night at the 70,000-seat Superdome, has been pushed back 24 hours to Thursday night.“For now, that’s the plan,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said.The Superdome was on lockdown for security sweeps on Wednesday morning, when people with offices in the Superdome — including officials with the Sugar Bowl and Sun Belt Conference — were told…

We’re professional critics on this page. A large part of our job is to find fault, to point out what’s wrong, to reveal follies and foibles. Consequently, we may appear cynical. If so, our apologies. We intend to be skeptical. There’s a world of difference.But at this time of year permit us not to dwell on the negative. There’s plenty of time for that in the next 12 months. Instead, please indulge us today to express a little optimism for the coming year, which offers grand opportunities for improvement, along with the customary snares for disaster.California has many faults, but…

For the first time since Proposition 36 passed overwhelmingly — 68% to 32% — in November, Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly addressed the matter.At a press conference in crime-racked Oakland, the governor reiterated some of the same concerns about the anti-crime measure that we made in our editorial opposing it.“Prop. 36 never included organized retail theft, it never addressed that issue,” Newsom said, per the Sacramento Bee. “It never addressed the issue of vehicle crimes. … (I)t “locks out money because at the same time it cuts drug treatment money for local governments. That’s a conundrum for local municipalities, and one…

By CORA LEWIS and ADRIANA MORGANEW YORK (AP) — With the end of 2024 around the corner, you might be reflecting on financial goals for 2025.Whether you’re saving to move out of your parents’ house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated, said Courtney Alev, consumer advocate for Credit Karma.“Entering a new year doesn’t erase all our financial challenges from the prior year,” Alev said. “But it can really help to bring a fresh-start mentality to how you’re managing your finances.”If you’re planning to make financial resolutions for the new year, experts recommend that…

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP National WriterATLANTA — The Texas Longhorns were in Atlanta less than a month ago, playing for a championship.That one didn’t go as planned.Now, the Longhorns get an A-T-L do-over when they face Arizona State at the Peach Bowl in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game on New Year’s Day.Fifth-seeded Texas (12-2) insists it has gotten over the disappointment of losing an overtime thriller to Georgia on Dec. 7, a result that denied the Longhorns a title in their debut season as a member of the SEC.“Of course we’re going to kind of feel that a little bit, but…

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports WriterNEW ORLEANS — If Georgia playing Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl has a classic ring to it, it should.Fighting Irish linebacker Jack Kiser and Bulldogs tight end Oscar Delp know all about the first time their storied programs met in the Superdome at the end of the 1980 season – some two decades before they were born.A national championship hung in the balance, and a freshman running back named Herschel Walker (150 yards, two touchdowns rushing) helped the Bulldogs capture it, 17-10.The stakes won’t be quite as high on Wednesday night when No. 2…

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports WriterGLENDALE, Ariz. — Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes and sixth-seeded Penn State bottled up Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty for a 31-14 victory over No. 3 seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday night, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.The Nittany Lions (13-2) opened their first CFP berth with a blowout victory over SMU and appeared headed toward the latest lopsided victory in the new 12-team format by jumping out to a 14-0 lead against Boise State.But the Broncos (12-2) have relished the role of underdog, going back to…