UCLA Goes for a Record-Tying 10th Win Tonight at the Rose Bowl as the Clippers Host the Thunder and Reaves Is Day-to-Day
The unbeaten, fourth-ranked Bruins face Illinois at 6 p.m., the 2-8 Clippers need an NBA Cup win against a short-handed Oklahoma City team, Austin Reaves has only a bruised heel, and the Kings regroup before Calgary.
LOS ANGELES — It is a big Friday night on the Los Angeles sports calendar. Unbeaten UCLA puts its perfect season on the line against Illinois at the Rose Bowl, the struggling Clippers host a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder team at Intuit Dome, and the Lakers got the injury news they were hoping for on Austin Reaves.
UCLA Chases No. 10 in Pasadena
The fourth-ranked Bruins (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) kick off against Illinois (6-3, 4-2) at 6 p.m. Pacific on FOX, with Josh Lewin calling the game on KABC-AM 790, according to UCLA's game notes. A win would tie the program record for victories in a season, at 10, and give first-year coach Bob Chesney the largest one-year turnaround in school history. UCLA went 3-9 last season.
The Bruins are one of only two unbeaten teams left in the FBS, along with Utah, and have climbed from No. 23 to No. 4 in the Associated Press poll over six weeks. Their No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings is the program's best since those rankings began in 2014, the UCLA Newsroom noted.
Two streaks are worth watching. Running back Wayne Knight has scored a touchdown in nine straight games, and one more would set a UCLA record. He leads the Big Ten in rushing yards per game and total touchdowns. On defense, UCLA leads the nation with 27 takeaways and 17 interceptions, and linebacker Sammy Omosigho shares the FBS lead with five forced fumbles. Quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, a Calabasas native, was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 303 yards on just eight completions in last week's 34-20 win at Minnesota.
The Bruins have two games left after tonight: at Michigan on Nov. 21 and USC at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 28, according to the team's schedule.
Clippers Need a Win in the NBA Cup
The Clippers (2-8) host the Thunder (8-4) at 7:30 p.m. Pacific in an NBA Cup group game, with the local broadcast on KTLA and ClipperVision. Oklahoma City is favored by 7.5 points, FanDuel Research reported. The Clippers lost their Cup opener to Minnesota, so a second loss would leave them in a deep hole in West Group B, Fadeaway World noted.
Both teams are banged up. The Clippers are still without Brandon Ingram, who had right heel surgery, and Bradley Beal, who is out with a right knee injury. The Thunder are missing Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams and rookie Thomas Sorber, and Ajay Mitchell is questionable with a sprained ankle, News On 6 reported. Williams, Wallace and Holmgren were all hurt in the teams' Oct. 25 meeting, which Oklahoma City won 108-101.
The Thunder have lost two straight in Portland. The Clippers are coming off a 133-110 loss at Phoenix in which nobody scored more than 13 points. Darius Garland leads the team at 20.4 points and 6.9 assists a game, but he is also averaging 5.0 turnovers, according to Fadeaway World.
Reaves Has a Bruised Heel, Not Something Worse
The Lakers avoided a serious injury. Coach JJ Redick said Friday that Reaves has a bruise on his left heel and is day-to-day, the Los Angeles Times reported. Reaves left Wednesday's win in Milwaukee in the third quarter, but his X-rays were negative, and he felt well enough Thursday that he and the team decided against more imaging. Luka Dončić, who rolled his ankle in the same game, is expected to play Sunday at Phoenix, the Associated Press reported. The Lakers (11-2) have won seven straight.
Kings Look for Answers Before Calgary
Kevin Fiala's return wasn't enough Thursday. The Islanders beat the Kings 5-2 at Crypto.com Arena, and Fiala had an assist in 16:37 of ice time in his first game since breaking his left leg at the Olympics in February, NHL.com reported. Trevor Moore and Quinton Byfield scored, and Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves in his 500th career game.
The Kings (5-10-2) have lost three straight at home and been outscored 13-4 in that stretch. "We just have to believe in the system, believe in the players we have here," Fiala said, according to the Press-Enterprise. Next up are the Calgary Flames (8-10-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday. Calgary has won six of the last seven meetings.
Around Town
No. 18 USC (7-2) plays at No. 9 Indiana at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Saturday on CBS in a game with big College Football Playoff stakes for both teams, Sports Illustrated reported.
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