The Sports Report: Clippers rout Jazz, and a Kawhi Leonard sighting

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Broderick Turner: Kawhi Leonard walked past the media in the Clippers’ locker room with a plate of food in his hands, his mood seemingly good. He even spoke to the media — as short as it was.

“What’s up?” Leonard said. “What’s up? What’s up?”

Indeed, what is up with Leonard and when will he make his season debut after missing the first 27 games of the season because of a right knee injury?

Before the Clippers’ 144-107 win over the Utah Jazz at the Intuit Dome on Monday night, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was asked about the team’s practice plans for Leonard and whether he would join them on their upcoming trip to Dallas and Memphis.

“Um, not sure about traveling right now,” Lue said. “It hasn’t been determined yet. So, we’ll see going forward after tonight, tomorrow, kind of get a chance to reassess everything and kind of go after tomorrow. See what happens.”

The Clippers, who saw James Harden blast off for 41 points on 11-for-17 shooting, including seven for 11 on three-pointers against the Jazz, are off the next two days before playing the Mavericks on Thursday and Saturday. The Clippers finish their trip against Memphis on Dec. 23.

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Clippers box score

NBA scores

NBA standings

LAKERS

From Dan Woike: Max Christie reclined in his locker while a recent Grizzlies game played on the Lakers’ locker-room television. He looked relaxed and ready to go.

However, he was, in fact, sick.

“I sound kinda crazy,” he said with his sinuses turning him into an extended relative of Kermit the Frog.

Hours later, he’d walk back into that same locker room with a big smile, convinced he usually plays better when he’s under the weather. More importantly, he returned to his locker armed with another piece of evidence that he is where he belongs, the Lakers’ long-term project starting to pay off.

Sunday in the Lakers’ 116-110 win against Memphis, Christie became the latest player to move into the team’s starting lineup — a search that began last season under Darvin Ham and that’s continued this year with JJ Redick. Against the Grizzlies, Christie scored only seven points and attempted just three shots, but he largely stayed in front of Memphis All-Star Ja Morant, frustrating him into a six-for-21 shooting night and seven turnovers.

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In first public comments since stroke, Gregg Popovich says he plans to return to Spurs

UCLA BASKETBALL

UCLA guard Kiki Rice drives to the basket between Cal Poly Mustangs forward Avery Carter and guard Sydney Bourland in the second half.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From Andrés Soto: The UCLA women’s basketball team was in complete control with a 26-point lead against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo when the third quarter ended, but that didn’t stop Londynn Jones from showcasing her scoring skills.

On the first possession of the fourth quarter, Jones slashed her way to the hoop to score on a layup, then drained a fastbreak three-pointer on the Bruins’ next possession to give UCLA a 31-point lead. By then, any hope of a Mustangs comeback was wiped out.

The top-ranked Bruins wrapped up their home non-conference schedule in familiar fashion Monday, dominating in a 69-37 victory.

UCLA (11-0) was without its best player — junior center Lauren Betts was held out because of a minor lower body injury — and her absence was felt early. The Bruins shot an abysmal 12.5% from the field in the second quarter as Cal Poly (4-6) cut the Bruins’ lead to nine points.

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UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

AP women’s top 25 rankings

RAMS

From Gary Klein: The Rams are in first place in the NFC West and readying for a playoff push.

Will coach Sean McVay seek reinforcements?

The window closed after Week 12 for future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald to come out of retirement this season for a shot at another Super Bowl.

But star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who also was a member of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI championship team, is a free agent after clearing waivers Monday.

Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson are the Rams starting receivers. Tutu Atwell and rookie Jordan Whittington also have contributed to a team that has won three games in a row to improve to 8-6.

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CHARGERS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The game got away. Needing to pick up the pieces after a 40-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Chargers will try to ensure the season doesn’t slip away next.

With just their second losing streak of the season, the Chargers (8-6) face a critical AFC West game against the Denver Broncos (9-5) that could decide each team’s playoff seeding.

The winner of Thursday night’s game at SoFi Stadium has the upper hand for the No. 6 seed that likely would face the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) or Baltimore Ravens (9-5) in the first round of the playoffs. The Chargers and Broncos already lost to both AFC North contenders this season, but the alternative is even more treacherous.

The No. 7 seed likely would be relegated to a road playoff game in Buffalo, where the Bills (11-3) have won four straight wild-card games.

“We gotta get this dub by any means,” outside linebacker Khalil Mack said after Sunday’s loss.

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Chargers appear playoff-bound, but loss to Tampa could mean they’re bound for disaster

HORSE RACING

From John Cherwa: The grand experiment to revive horse racing in Northern California is coming to an end. On Monday, the board of the California Assn. of Racing Fairs voted unanimously, 6-0, to withdraw its application for a racing meeting from Dec. 25 to June 10 at Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack.

The deadline for a decision was Thursday, when the California Horse Racing Board had two items on the agenda about racing at Pleasanton. Now those items will be withdrawn.

The decision was first reported by The Times.

The formation of Golden State Racing, under the umbrella of CARF, was an effort to keep near-full-time racing in Northern California after the Stronach Group announced and subsequently closed Golden Gate Fields. It left a void in the state for a place where horses not of the quality of Santa Anita and Del Mar could run.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1933 — The Chicago Bears win the first NFL championship with a 23-21 victory over the New York Giants. The Bears score the winning touchdown on a 36-yard play that starts with a short pass from Bronko Nagurski to Bill Hewitt, who then laterals to Bill Kerr for the score.

1944 — National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, NYC: Green Bay Packers beat New York Giants, 14-7 for 6th and final league title under long-time coach Curly Lambeau.

1983 — In his 352nd NHL game, Wayne Gretzky scores a goal and has five assists in 8-1 rout of Quebec Nordiques to record his 800th point and 500th assist; averages 2.27 points, 1.42 assists, 0.85 goals per game to start career.

1987 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan scores 52 points to lead the Bulls to a 111-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

1991 — The Cleveland Cavaliers turn a 20-point halftime lead over Miami into the most lopsided victory in NBA history, 148-80 over the Heat. The 68-point margin eclipses the mark of 63 set March 19, 1972, when the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 162-99.

1993 — Julio Cesar Chavez secures his place in boxing history, retaining his WBC super lightweight title with a fifth-round victory over Britain’s Andy Holligan. It’s the 27th time Chavez fought for a title without a loss since 1984, breaking Joe Louis’ mark of 26.

1993 — Virgil Hill becomes the most successful light heavyweight in boxing history, winning a record 15th title defense with a unanimous decision over Guy Waters of Australia. Hill, the WBA champion for five of the last six years, had been tied with Bob Foster, who held light heavyweight titles from 1968 to 1974.

2000 — Terrell Owens catches an NFL-record 20 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 17-0 victory over Chicago. Jeff Garcia completes 36 of 44 passes for 402 yards and two touchdowns for the 49ers.

2005 — John Ruiz loses the WBA heavyweight title, dropping a disputed majority decision to 7-foot Nikolay Valuev of Russia in Berlin. Valuev, the first Russian heavyweight champion, also becomes the tallest and heaviest (323 pounds) champion of all-time.

2006 — LaDainian Tomlinson breaks Paul Hornung’s 46-year-old NFL single-season scoring record on a 15-yard run in the first quarter of San Diego’s game against Kansas City. The touchdown run gives him 180 points, breaking Hornung’s record of 176 set with the Green Bay Packers in 1960.

2006 — Gilbert Arenas sets a franchise record with 60 points, 16 of them in overtime, to lead Washington to a 147-141 victory over the Lakers.

2013 — Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scores 21 points on a career-high seven three-pointers and No. 1 Connecticut beat second-ranked Duke 83-61. Breanna Stewart has 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies as coach Geno Auriemma earns his 850th career win.

2016 — Donnel Pumphrey breaks the NCAA career rushing record in his college finale, running for 115 yards and a touchdown in San Diego State’s 34-10 victory over Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl. Pumphrey passes former Wisconsin star Ron Dayne’s mark of 6,397 yards on a 15-yard run early in the fourth quarter and wraps up his sensational career in his Nevada hometown with 6,405 yards. Pumphrey’s senior total of 2,133 yards rushing ranks in the top 10 for a FBS player.

2016 — Malik Monk scores a Kentucky freshman record 47 points and hits the go-ahead three-pointer with 16.7 seconds left to lead the sixth-ranked Wildcats past No. 7 North Carolina 103-100 in a thrilling showdown of traditional powers.

2022 — Minnesota Vikings recover from 33-0 down at halftime to beat Indianapolis Colts, 39-36 in overtime at US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN; biggest comeback in NFL history.

Compiled by the Associated Press