The Sports Report: Another game, another triple-double for LeBron James

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From Dan Woike: LeBron James eased his way into the season, ceding shots to Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, committing to JJ Redick’s style and letting his teammates establish himself in the first handful of games in his 21st season.

Maybe it was him being respectful of a new process. Maybe it was a sign that time, the opponent he’d never lost to, was going to claim its eventual victory.

Or, just maybe, it was all a mirage, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and one of its greatest players still lurking, waiting for the moment to strike.

Wednesday, James did everything in leading the Lakers to a 128-123 win over Memphis.

When the offense went cold, he scored. When the ball bounced off the rim, he corralled it. And when a teammate shook open, he found him.

James scored 35 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had 14 assists — his third straight triple-double — all leading to Lakers wins inside their home arena.

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Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke, is expected to make full recovery

Lakers box score

NBA scores

NBA standings

CLIPPERS

Jalen Green had 21 points and Amen Thompson and Tari Eason added 18 each to lead the Houston Rockets to a 111-103 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night in the opener of a two-game set.

The Rockets trailed by 11 early but had taken a five-point lead by halftime. They used a huge run at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth to push the lead to 19.

The Clippers used a 9-2 run to cut the lead to four with about 90 seconds remaining, but Alperen Sengun had a dunk followed by a monster block on the other end to secure Houston’s third straight victory.

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Clippers box score

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CHARGERS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: They call him the best receiver in the NFL. They say he’s always open. Whatever praise has been heaped upon Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase, Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton already has heard — and seen — it firsthand.

The childhood friends, high school teammates and national champions at Louisiana State will line up against each other Sunday at SoFi Stadium as the Chargers host the Cincinnati Bengals in a prime-time game.

Fulton plans to play after a hamstring injury kept him out for two games and said he feels 100%. The return comes just in time as the Chargers (6-3) test their top-ranked defense in a five-game stretch against explosive offenses.

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USC BASKETBALL

Desmond Claude scored 26 points and made consecutive shots down the stretch to help USC beat Texas Arlington 98-95 on Wednesday night.

Claude made a layup and jumper to give USC a 94-90 lead with 19 seconds left. Jaxon Ellingsworth hit a three-pointer to pull UT Arlington to 94-93 with 12 seconds to go before Terrance Williams II and Saint Thomas each made a pair of free throws.

Texas Arlington made four three-pointers during a 23-11 run to take its first lead of the second half, 69-68, with 11:54 remaining. Kade Douglas scored eight points and Ellingsworth added six during the stretch.

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USC box score

KINGS

Mikko Rantanen scored twice in the third period to complete his ninth career hat trick, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Kings 4-2 on Wednesday night.

Rantanen’s goal at 10:01, his second of the night, gave Colorado the lead in the third and he added an empty-net goal with 1:59 remaining for his second hat trick of the season. Artturi Lehkonen also scored and Alexandar Georgiev made 13 saves for the Avalanche.

Nathan MacKinnon, who had three assists, has at least one point in 16 of 17 games this season and all 10 home games.

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Kings summary

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NHL standings

DUCKS

Nicolas Roy, Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev all scored, and the Vegas Golden Knights held on late to beat the Ducks 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Shea Theodore had two assists and Adin Hill made 22 saves for Vegas. Jack Eichel got his 20th assist of the season, second-most in the NHL.

Brock McGinn and Frank Vatrano scored for the Ducks, while Lukas Dostal made 37 saves and Brett Leason had two assists.

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Ducks summary

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1943 — Sid Luckman of the Chicago Bears becomes the first pro to pass for more than 400 yards (433) and seven touchdowns in a 56-7 victory over the New York Giants.

1964 — Gus Johnson and Walt Bellamy become the first NBA teammates to score 40 points apiece as the Baltimore Bullets beat the Lakers 127-115. Johnson has 41 points, Bellamy 40.

1964 — Detroit’s Gordie Howe becomes the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader, including playoffs, with his 627th career goal. Howe beats Montreal’s Charlie Hodge in a 4-2 loss.

1965 — Gary Cuozzo, subbing for injured Johnny Unitas, throws five touchdown passes to lead the Baltimore Colts to a 41-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

1966 — Muhammad Ali knocks out Cleveland Williams in the third round to retain the world heavyweight title in Houston.

1970 — Forty-three members of the Marshall football team die when their chartered plane crashes in Kenova, W.Va.

1993 — Don Shula breaks George Halas’ career record for victories with No. 325 as the Miami Dolphins defeat Philadelphia 19-14. Shula’s record: 325-153-6 in 31 seasons with Baltimore and Miami; Halas, 324-151-31 in 40 seasons with Chicago.

2004 — Chicago’s 19-17 win over Tennessee marks the second time an NFL game ended in overtime on a safety.

2004 — John and Ashley Force become the first father-daughter combo in NHRA history to win at the same event in the season finale. John Force races to his 114th Funny Car victory, and his 21-year-old daughter takes the Top Alcohol class at Pomona Raceway.

2009 — Toby Gerhart rushes for 178 yards and three touchdowns as Stanford annihilates USC 55-21. It’s the most points ever conceded by the Trojans, who played their first game in 1888.

2009 — Daniel Passafiume sets the NCAA record for most receptions in a game, catching 25 passes for Division III Hanover College. Passafiume finishes with 153 yards receiving and two touchdowns in a 42-28 loss to Franklin.

2010 — John Force wins his NHRA-record 15th Funny Car season championship, completing an improbable and emotional comeback from a horrific accident in Dallas three years ago that left the 61-year-old star’s racing future in serious jeopardy. Force becomes the oldest champion in NHRA history on the same day that the series crowns its youngest champion, 20-year-old Pro Stock Motorcycle rider LE Tonglet.

2010 — The New York Jets defeat the Browns 26-20 in overtime at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Jets, who won 23-20 in OT at Detroit’s Ford Field last week, are the first team in NFL history to win road games in overtime in consecutive weeks.

2015 — Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds breaks the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns, upping his total to 81 with four scores in the No. 22 Midshipmen’s 55-14 over SMU.

2015 — Kellen Dunham scores 24 points and No. 24 Butler breaks four school records in a 144-71 trouncing of The Citadel. The 144 points are the most points scored by a team in a men’s college basketball game featuring two D-I schools since TCU beat Texas-Pan American 153-87 in 1997.

2017 — Grayson Allen — Duke’s lone senior — scores a career-high 37 points, freshman Trevon Duval has 17 points and 10 assists, and the top-ranked Blue Devils beat No. 2 Michigan State 88-81 in the Champions Classic in Chicago. Wendell Carter Jr. adds 12 points and 12 rebounds, helping Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski improve to 12-1 in his career against Michigan State.

Compiled by the Associated Press