L.A. Times CNPA Entry Sports Section Oct. 30

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MONDAY, O CT O BE R 3 0, 2017

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GAME 5

HOUSTON LEADS 3-2

L AT IME S. COM/D ODGERS

10 INNINGS W: MUSGROVE L: JANSEN

GAME 6 TUESDAY: HILL VS VERLANDER 5:15 P.M. AT DODGER STADIUM TV: CH. 11

GUT PUNCH

Dodgers battle but fall in the 10th inning on Bregman’s walk-off hit

By Andy McCullough

HOUSTON — The baseballs are too slick, or maybe they are juiced, or maybe it’s both. The strikeouts happen too often and the home runs never stop falling and the umpire is always wrong. The sport of baseball is broken in 2017, or it’s rejuvenated, or it’s somewhere on the spectrum in between: still perfect for all its imperfections, still timeless for all its radical modernity, still agonizing for what it can do to the lungs and the brain and the spleen.

Because nowhere else can you find theater like this, like the10th inning of Game 5 of the World Series, with life’s rich pageant displayed in one tableau in the final moments of a depth-defying 13-12 Dodgers defeat in Game 5 of the World Series.

Near third base, a mob of Astros moshed around third baseman Alex Bregman, who had delivered the gamewinning hit to topple the game’s best closer for the second time in five games.

Fireworks rocketed toward the retractable roof of Minute Maid Park. The noise felt loud enough to open the building.

His head down, his body exhausted, Kenley Jansen walked off the mound, unable to tame the remorseless beast that is the Astros offense. No one on his team could, not Sunday, in a game that lasted 5 hours 18 minutes and pushed the Dodgers one defeat away from the offseason, down 3-2 in the series. The outcome felt cruel, for the Dodgers did not wilt. They just could not hold back their opponents.

“This is it,” Jansen said.

“We can’t hang our heads.”

Their best was not good enough. The Dodgers handed Clayton Kershaw seven runs of support — and lost.

They grabbed a lead on a fortuitous run-scoring triple by Cody Bellinger in the seventh inning — and lost. They overcame a three-run deficit in the ninth inning — and lost. They trusted Jansen to keep them afloat — and lost.

The Astros were too much, too deep, too resourceful.

Masterful for so much of October, manager Dave Roberts saw his bullpen decisions backfire before the relentless pressure of Houston’s offense. On Sunday, the Astros launched five home runs as they broke Kershaw, broke Roberts’ in-game strategizing and broke Jansen. The fusillade may have broken the Dodgers.

They will try to save their season Tuesday in Game 6 at Dodger Stadium.

“This is not going to be finished Tuesday,” Yasiel Puig said. “There is going to be a Game 7.”

Puig spoke well past 1 a.m. in Texas, a fine time for bravado. His teammates could only mumble platitudes to match his confi[See Dodgers, D16]

Kershaw falls short once again Dodgers ace can’t hold four-run lead, Dylan Hernandez writes. D2

Dodgers suffering from tired arms Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

BRIAN MCCANN celebrates with pinch-runner Derek Fisher after he scored past Austin Barnes in the 10th inning to win Game 5.

In his analysis, Tim Leary says the bullpen needs a day off. D4

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M O NDAY , O C TO B E R 30 , 2 017

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L AT I M ES . C O M / SP O RTS

WORLD SERIES GAME 5

More frustration for Kershaw DYLAN HERNANDEZ HOUSTON — This was his moment, his chance to reclaim championship glory for his franchise, his opportunity to rewrite his postseason legacy.

What Clayton Kershaw found instead Sunday night was more of the same. More heartache. More frustration. More shock.

In the most important start of his career, Kershaw failed to deliver. In the franchise’s most crucial game in nearly three decades, he unraveled.

Again.

The Dodgers provided Kershaw with a four-run advantage. He couldn’t protect it. They broke the stalemate by scoring another three runs for him. He couldn’t preserve that lead, either.

“It’s a tough one, no doubt about it,” said Kershaw, who was visibly and audibly downcast.

Kershaw was charged with six runs in 42⁄3 innings and the Dodgers went on to lose to the Houston Astros in 10 innings 13-12. Fair or not, if the Dodgers fail to reverse their three-gamesto-two deficit this World Series, his disastrous start in Game 5 could be what forever defines him.

Kershaw has occupied a curious middle ground in the city’s sporting landscape, admiration for his regular-season achievements, professionalism and philanthropy tempered by disappointment over his failures to deliver a championship.

There really were no excuses this time. The depth of the rotation made it unnecessary for him to pitch on short rest this

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

DODGERS STARTER Clayton Kershaw is downcast after giving up a game-tying three-run home run to the

Astros’ Yuli Gurriel in the fourth inning of Game 5 of the World Series. In the next inning, he was pulled. postseason. The bullpen was performing well. The potency of the offense provided him with run support.

And the Dodgers won each of his first four starts in these playoffs, with Kershaw posting a 3-0 record and 2.96 earned-run average in those games. His best game, his October magnum opus, came on the sport’s greatest stage. Kershaw was magnificent in Game 1 of this World Series, limiting the Astros to a run and three hits in a 3-1 triumph.

And now here he was, back for Game 5, with the

series tied, two games to two.

He was pitching for control of this World Series.

A victory here and the Dodgers would return home ahead, three games to two, only one win removed from the franchise’s first championship in 29 seasons.

Every afternoon weightlifting session, every wind sprint in the outfield, every back-strengthening exercised was performed with this game, with this moment, in mind.

Kershaw looked ready for the moment. He was

calm as he engaged reporters at a news conference Saturday. He started well Sunday at Minute Maid Park.

The Dodgers spotted him a 3-0 lead in the first inning and Kershaw responded by retiring the first six Astros he faced. Evan Gattis singled to start the bottom of the third, but Kershaw promptly forced Marwin Gonzalez to ground into a double play. Kershaw faced the minimum number of batters through three innings.

“He was rolling,” man-

ager Dave Roberts said.

Logan Forsythe doubled and scored on a single by Austin Barnes to increase the Dodgers’ edge to 4-0 in the fourth inning.

Suddenly and inexplicably, everything changed in the bottom half of that inning.

“I just lost my command a little bit there in that fourth inning,” Kershaw said. “That’s all it took.”

He started the inning by walking George Springer, who advanced to second base on a single by Jose Altuve and plated the

Astros’ first run on a double

by Carlos Correa. The next batter, Yuli Gurriel, blasted a slider over the seats perched above the 19-foot wall in left field. The score was tied 4-4.

The Dodgers struck back in the fifth inning, reclaiming the lead on a three-run home run by Cody Bellinger.

“Our offense was amazing tonight, battled all the way through,” Kershaw said. “I can’t say enough about our team, really, what they were able to accomplish with what I gave them.”

Kershaw retired the first two batters of the fifth inning, only to issue consecutive walks to Springer and Alex Bregman.

Pitchers on both teams have blamed their command problems on the baseballs used in this series, which feel slicker than usual. Kershaw didn’t use that an excuse. “I don’t really pay attention to it,” he said. “I just assume both sides are dealing with it, so I’m not going to worry about it.”

Whatever was happening, Roberts wouldn’t let Kershaw go any further.

With two on and two outs in the fifth inning, Kershaw’s night was over.

The baseball removed from his hand by Roberts, Kershaw scaled down the mound, stroked his chin and looked up toward the ceiling of the indoor stadium. He watched in disbelief from the bench as his replacement, the previously unscored-upon Kenta Maeda, served up a three-run blast to Altuve.

The score was tied again.

Kershaw was living another nightmare — only this one was later than the previous moments of October horror, just two days before Halloween.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com Twitter: @dylanohernandez

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L AT I ME S . CO M / S P O RT S

M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 30 , 2 017

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DODGERS REPORT

Gonzalez is asked to keep distance

By Andy McCullough HOUSTON — The awkward October between the Dodgers and Adrian Gonzalez, their five-time All-Star first baseman, took another turn over the weekend when manager Dave Roberts asked Gonzalez to spend the rest of the postseason as a spectator rather than a participant in pregame workouts and meetings.

Inactive for most of the regular season because of injuries, Gonzalez was not with the team for the first two rounds of the playoffs and spent part of the postseason in Italy, where he was helping his family settle into accommodations as his wife began a five-month shoe-design course. Gonzalez received permission from the Dodgers to make that trip.

He returned to Los Angeles in time for the World Series. After spending Game 1 in studio for SportsNet LA, Gonzalez was on the field in uniform before the second and third games.

Gonzalez was not in the dugout once the games began, but his presence still rankled some Dodgers, according to people familiar with the situation. Roberts downplayed that notion but indicated he spoke with Gonzalez on Saturday in order to avoid a distraction during the final days of the season.

The Dodgers lost both games when Gonzalez visited beforehand.

The Dodgers dress only their active players and a select number of players who could join the roster in the event of an injury. Roberts refers to this second group as the “taxi squad,” and said Gonzalez is not part of it.

Roberts said he spoke with Gonzalez to enforce the team’s rules.

Gonzalez, who will turn 36 in May, is owed $22.4 million in the final year of his contract, but Cody Bellinger has emerged as an AllStar at first base. After slumping to start the season, Gonzalez agreed to go on the disabled list in May for the first time in his career in order to keep Bellinger on the big league roster.

Gonzalez rehabbed his back for most of the summer. He finished the season with only three home runs and a career-worst .642 onbase plus slugging percentage.

Gonzalez had hoped to make the postseason roster as a pinch-hitter. When the Dodgers informed him he would not be active in the playoffs, Gonzalez requested permission to spend time in October with his family.

Championship Series. The Ventura County Star posted a picture of Roberts’ letter on Twitter.

“The entire Dodgers family is deeply saddened to lose such a dedicated Dodger fan; her loss leaves a void that cannot be filled,” Roberts wrote.

Roberts said he was honored to write the letter.

“For me to write a letter and sign it, and have it hope-

fully bring some comfort and some happiness, just knowing that we as the Dodgers are thinking about that family, that means a lot to me.”

Darvish lined up for Game 7 Yu Darvish threw a bullpen session on Sunday in preparation for starting Game 7 on Wednesday,

should the World Series go the distance.

Roberts indicated Darvish would be the choice to start that game, though the team should have Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood available in relief.

Darvish lasted only five outs in Game 3 on Friday.

andy.mccullough@latimes.com Times wire services contributed to this report.

Ross D. Franklin Associated Press

ADRIAN GONZALEZ’S presence at the World

Series reportedly has rankled some Dodgers.

NIKE DRI-FIT TEES Nike excluded from coupon offers.

GEARUP FORLESS

Reports: Kapler to manage Phillies The Dodgers would not confirm multiple reports Sunday that Gabe Kapler, the club’s director of player development, would be the next manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Kapler, 42, has worked in the Dodgers’ front office since November 2014. He was a finalist to become the Dodgers’ manager when the post went to Roberts.

Kapler grew up in the San Fernando Valley and played at Woodland Hills Taft High, Cal State Fullerton and Moorpark College. Out of Moorpark, he was drafted in the 57th round of the 1995 draft and signed with the Detroit Tigers.

He played parts of 12 seasons in the major leagues, with six teams, and spent half of a season with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan.

His only experience as a manager came in 2007, when, at 31, he spent a season guiding the Greensville (S.C.) Drive, the Boston Red Sox’s Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League.

He then returned to the big leagues for three more seasons as a player with the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers.

Roberts sends letter of condolence Laura Shipp, an avid Dodgers fan who had moved from Thousand Oaks to Nevada five years ago, was among the 58 people killed at a country music festival in Las Vegas earlier this month.

When her life was celebrated Sunday, the items displayed included a letter of condolence from Roberts.

Roberts said he wrote the letter three days before the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs opened the National League

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M O NDAY , O C T OB E R 30 , 2 017

L ATI M E S . C OM / S P O RT S

WORLD SERIES GAME 5 TUESDAY’S GAME 6 AT DODGER STADIUM, 5:15 P.M. TV: CHANNEL 11.

RADIO: ESPN, 570, 1020.

STARTING PITCHERS

Dodgers’ Rich Hill Hill was pulled four innings into his first World Series start and has pitched only 13 innings since Sept.

27. Among Dodgers starters, only Alex Wood has thrown fewer innings during that span. Hill has struck out 19 batters and given up nine hits in those 13 innings. Hill relies primarily on a low-90s fastball and an above-average curveball. He won half of his 14 starts, had a 2.77 ERA and held opponents to a .179 batting average at Dodger Stadium during the regular season.

Hill on pitching in a World Series Game 6: “It’s something that all of us have been preparing our entire careers for. And for such a big stage and such a great opportunity to go out there and leave it all out on the field, and go out there with an intensity and a passion that everybody has for playing baseball, that is it as an ultimate competitor.”

Manager Dave Roberts on his decision to limit Hill to four innings in Game 2: “I wouldn’t change it. I would do it again. And once Game 6 starts, we’ll see.

We’ll evaluate. We’ll watch how it goes, how he’s throwing the baseball, how the pen is, how the usage is at that point in time and what’s at our disposal.”

Photographs by

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

CLOSER Kenley Jansen, center, meets at the mound with Dodgers infielders and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt in the fateful 10th inning

of Game 5 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Jansen would eventually surrender the game-winning hit to the Astros’ Alex Bregman.

ANALYSIS | FORMER DODGERS PITCHER TIM LEARY

‘These guys are gassed’

Hill

Verlander

DODGERS’ RICH HILL

Regular season >>>> W-L IP BB SO ERA 12-8 1352⁄3 49 166 3.32

The starting pitchers aren’t fooling many hitters, and relievers are running on fumes.

Postseason >>>> W-L IP BB 0-0 13 7

By Mike Hiserman

Regular season >>>> W-L IP BB SO ERA 15-8 206 72 219 3.36

HOUSTON’S JUSTIN VERLANDER

Former Santa Monica High and UCLA standout Tim Leary pitched 13 years in the big leagues and had his best season for the 1988 World Series-champion Dodgers, going 17-11 with a 2.91 earned-run average in 35 games.

The right-hander threw three scoreless innings in Game 1 of the 1988 Series against Oakland and 32⁄3 one-run innings in Game 3.

Now 58, Leary is serving as a guest analyst for the World Series, today with an assist from Times deputy sports editor Mike Hiserman.

Hiserman: We’ve had a record 22 home runs hit in five World Series games.

Pitchers and coaches have been saying the baseballs seem smaller, harder and slicker. Major League Baseball officials say no.

Justin Verlander said before Sunday’s game that people can believe the league office or guys who have been holding and throwing those baseballs for years. What do you think?

Leary: I think the pitchers probably know best, but I don’t know what to think other than I know there are not only a lot of home runs, but some of them are really far. It makes it tougher on the pitchers for sure.

Both bullpens seem to be running on fumes. Do you see any other options other than the way they are being used?

I thought we might see Verlander to start the eighth inning for the Astros.

They had a three-run lead and a chance to nail the game down, which would have been huge. They could have started [Lance] McCullers on Tuesday and then still had Verlander ready to start Game 7. Back in the day, it was done all the time. But Hinch knows his guy. [Chris] Devenski is tough as nails. But the other

SO ERA 19 2.77

Postseason >>>> W-L IP BB 4-0 302⁄3 8

SO ERA 29 2.05

Houston’s Justin Verlander

BRANDON MORROW of the Dodgers experienced a nightmare of a seventh inning, surrendering hits to all

four batters he faced, including home runs to Astros sluggers George Springer and Carlos Correa.

option has been around for more than 100 years.

Two Dodgers relievers who had been really good during the playoffs got roughed up tonight. How did Kenta Maeda and Brandon Morrow look to you? Morrow has now pitched in 12 of the Dodgers’ 13 playoff games.

These guys are gassed.

Maeda left a slider in the middle of the plate to [Jose] Altuve. Morrow seems like he’s always facing the best hitters in the lineup. Clearly he doesn’t have the movement and late sharpness he did before. It’s a tough series. Everyone needs a day off.

Each team started a former Cy Young winner on Sunday. Dallas Keuchel didn’t get out of the fourth inning for Houston. Clayton Kershaw, given a 4-0 lead, couldn’t get out of the

fifth for the Dodgers. Both pitched so well in the opener of this series. What happened tonight?

Keuchel threw more than 30 pitches in the first inning (86 in his 32⁄3 innings) and was pitching from the stretch from the second batter of the game. Sometimes pitchers don’t have command of their secondary pitches from the stretch in the first inning and that makes things very difficult against the top team in the National League. With Kershaw, the Astros showed much better plate discipline tonight. Clearly they all had a two-strike adjustment approach off Kershaw, which hasn’t been the norm for any team this season.

Cody Bellinger, after such a tough start in the Series, had another couple of big hits tonight — a home run and hit that was misplayed into a triple. What’s been

the difference for him?

On the home run, he got a bad pitch. He got a hanging curveball with two strikes after he’d just taken a fastball away for strike two. That’s poor pitch selection along with poor location. Bellinger swings the same at every count. If he gets it middle of the plate, gone. They threw a pitch to his bat speed. Plus, you know, he hits fourth [usually] for a reason. On the triple, he got a pitch up and away and did exactly what he did last night — just stayed behind it and hit it up the middle.

Through five innings, the Dodgers had walked five and the Astros two. All had scored. Aren’t walks often the downfall of pitchers?

Leadoff walks haunt pitchers, especially when a team’s best hitters are coming up. Two walks by Kershaw and a clear first-pitch

mistake to [Yuli] Gurriel for a three-run homer. Walks will get you every time, or at least it seems like it.

What do you make of Justin Turner being the designated hitter in Game 5 rather than playing third base? He came out for a pinch-runner late in Game 4.

At the time he was pinchran for, I just figured it was to get a faster runner in, and [Charlie] Culberson, who ran for him, is a great defensive player, so there was no dropoff. I have no idea if Turner is sore. The regulars are not fresh — not any of them. Turner being DH with a day off Monday keeps him less exposed to an injury.

Also, playing defense is mentally exhausting. And they kept his bat in the lineup.

mike.hiserman@latimes.com Twitter: @MikeHiserman

Verlander is not only unbeaten during the postseason, he’s 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA since joining Houston from Detroit in a late-season trade. He is 2-0 in three career starts against the Dodgers. Verlander has won an American League Cy Young Award and mostvaluable-player award winner, but is 0-3 in four World Series starts with the Astros and Tigers. He pitched six innings in Game 2 against the Dodgers but did not get a decision in a game the Astros won in extra innings. Verlander gave up two hits in that game, a home run by Joc Pederson and a two-run homer by Corey Seager.

Verlander on pitching in a World Series Game 6: “These are the moments that you want to be a part of as a baseball player. It’s everything you could ask for.

It’s either win it to stay alive or win it to win it all. Either way, it’s going to be pretty intense.”

Manager A.J. Hinch on Verlander’s reputation as a big-game pitcher: “There’s no low-leverage game or no low-leverage inning in the playoffs. Every game is a big game, and especially as it gets to the World Series. So in these instances … we’re talking about maintaining your composure, maintaining your ability to be yourself, to execute pitches the way you normally do, to sort of get out all the distractions that may come up at these big moments and deliver your best. … When you can do that on this kind of stage you’re called a bigtime pitcher.”

— Kevin Baxter

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SPORTS M O N D A Y , O C T O B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 7 :: L A T I M E S . C O M / S P O R T S

Under Blake, Kings are free to skate

NF L WE EK 8 :: N E W EN GL AN D 21, C H A RG ER S 13

A BAD STEP BACK Win streak snapped in mistake-filled loss to Super Bowl champs

New GM backs new coach’s strategy of granting players offensive freedom.

By Dan Woike

HELENE ELLIOTT A 9-1-1 start, the best winning percentage in the NHL … just the way first-year Kings general manager Rob Blake planned it.

Not quite. But Blake, who succeeded Dean Lombardi in April, said he’s not surprised by the team’s best beginning since the 1980-81 Triple Crown-led Kings had nine wins, a loss and a tie.

When most observers wrote off winger Dustin Brown as his production plummeted, when center Anze Kopitar’s competitiveness was questioned because his worst season coincided with the start of his big new contract, and when Drew Doughty finished a distant seventh in Norris Trophy voting last season, Blake ignored the chatter and looked beneath the surface. He saw a curable malaise, not the beginning of a steep decline.

There’s a long way to go, but by adding speed to the lineup and backing new coach John Stevens’ strategy of granting players offensive freedom, Blake set the stage for the rejuvenation of their core and gave youngsters their best chance to succeed.

Asked whether everything he hoped for had come to pass, Blake made an interesting distinction between hoping key players would revive — which implies wishing and emotion — and expecting they’d rebound based on their history and age and his knowledge of their character. Blake knows them well.

He played alongside Kopitar, Brown, Michael Cammalleri and Jonathan Quick in 2007-08 as he was nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career, and he rekindled those relationships when he became the club’s assistant GM. He saw they still wanted to win but hadn’t been given the optimum tools or setting the last few [See Elliott, D6]

John Cetrino European Pressphoto Agency

TRAVIS BENJAMIN , tackled by the Patriots for a safety, made the Chargers’ biggest goof of the game as

he dropped a punt at the 11, recovered it at the eight, reversed field and retreated into the end zone.

Brady, a pocket master, gives Chargers’ pass rush the slip

By Mike DiGiovanna FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

— Joey Bosa literally ran a circle around Tom Brady on one second-quarter play Sunday, the Chargers’ ferocious defensive end applying heavy pressure from the left edge only to have the New England Patriots’ quarterback step up in the pocket to avoid a hit.

Bosa’s momentum took him behind the back of the 6foot-4, 225-pound Brady, who is 40 years old and not

known for his mobility. Never one to be deterred, the 6-5, 280-pound Bosa made another run at Brady, this time lunging at the quarterback from the right side.

It’s a matchup Bosa usually wins.

Brady then took a step or two to his left, saw James White open on the right sideline and fired a 25-yard pass to the running back that moved the defending Super Bowl champions from the Chargers’ 45-yard line to the 20.

Three plays later,

Stephen Gostkowski kicked the second of his four field goals to help the Patriots to a 21-13 victory in Gillette Stadium on a gloomy, overcast afternoon that left Chargers defenders gasping for — and grasping at — air.

The Patriots ran 82 offensive plays compared with 52 for the Chargers and had a decided advantage in time of possession, holding the ball for 36:59 compared with 23:01 for the Chargers.

The reason was Brady, the five-time Super Bowl [See Brady, D11]

Jim Rogash Getty Images

TOM BRADY, here being wrapped up by the

Chargers’ Desmond King, threw for 333 yards.

Playoff picture getting fuzzier

Trojans unwind following meeting

Upsets make decisions more complicated for CFP voters, who will release first rankings.

By Zach Helfand Something had been gnawing at Chris Hawkins for weeks, and Thursday he finally walked into USC coach Clay Helton’s office to address it.

USC was wrapping up a particularly tense week, coming off a blowout loss to Notre Dame. Coaches were frustrated. Players were on edge. Even Hawkins, a safety and team captain and a reliably mature and sober voice, was a little sensitive and short in interviews.

Hawkins felt the tension had been mounting for some time. USC doesn’t have a bye week — “it’s been a long season,” linebacker Cameron Smith said — and the grind and the constant churn of injuries were exhausting.

[See USC, D7]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

— The engines on the Chargers’ buses revved on the interstate, as the team traveled north past a beautiful autumn landscape in New England to meet the Patriots.

For weeks, their speed had been building. Wins against the New York Giants, the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos pressed the accelerator closer to the floor.

But once the team made its way to Gillette Stadium for a rainy Sunday afternoon of football, the Chargers didn’t just get stopped in their tracks. They dropped the whole transmission, changing gears from drive to reverse.

Costly mistakes, like Travis Benjamin’s doomed punt return that ended with him being tackled for a safety, were too much to overcome against the defending Super Bowl champs, the Chargers losing 21-13.

Benjamin’s gaffe — he dropped a punt at the 11, recovered the muff at the eight, reversed field and retreated into the end zone before being tackled — was the biggest mistake of the day. It wasn’t the only one.

The Chargers had two [See Chargers, D10]

DAVID WHARTON ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Ralph Freso Associated Press

USC TIGHT END Daniel Imatorbhebhe says that hearing coach Clay Helton tell

the Trojans to let loose ahead of game against Arizona State was “super freeing.”

Bruins are in a rush to fix porous defense They are smarting after giving up 333 yards on the ground in a 44-23 loss to the Washington Huskies on Saturday. D7

If the last two months are any indication, the College Football Playoff system has a mess on its hands.

And the cleanup work starts Tuesday when 13 members of CFP selection committee untangle a large and tightly packed field to determine their first rankings of the season.

Another weekend of upsets did not make the job any easier.

Or, as Ohio State coach Urban Meyer remarked after his team surprised Penn State in the final minutes: “Wow. What the heck just happened?”

Alabama looks like the only sure bet at this point,

the Crimson Tide ensconced at No. 1. After that, more than half a dozen teams — some undefeated, some with one loss — are scrambling for the remaining slots in the CFP’s coveted final four.

The pack includes sixthranked Clemson, trying to rebound from a midseason shocker at Syracuse.

“If we want something, we’re going to have to go and get it,” coach Dabo Swinney said. “And we’re one of the teams that has a chance.”

CFP voters will issue five weekly rankings leading up to a Dec. 3 announcement of the four teams that get to play for the national championship.

Anyone who disagrees with the first list might not have to wait long to see a change.

Another test

This week brings another round of important matchups, starting with Alabama facing a resurgent [See Wharton, D7]

D6

M O NDAY , O C T O B E R 30, 2 017

L ATI M E S . C O M /S P O RT S

PRO CALENDAR MON. 30

TUE. 31

WED. 1

THU. 2

FRI. 3

HOUSTON* HOUSTON* 5:15 5:15** Channel 11 Channel 11

DODGERS

NEXT: NOV. 5 AT N.Y. GIANTS, 10 A.M. PST, CH. 11 RAMS

NEXT: NOV. 12 AT JACKSONVILLE, 10 A.M. PST, CH. 2 CHARGERS DETROIT 7:30 SpecSN

LAKERS GOLDEN STATE 7:30 Prime

CLIPPERS

KINGS

at Portland BROOKLYN 7:30 7:30 TNT SpecSN DALLAS 7:30 Prime, ESPN

at St. Louis 5 FSW

TORONTO 7:30 FSW Gerry Broome Associated Press

TORONTO 7 FSW

DUCKS

NASH. 7 Prime

Shade denotes home game *World Series **if necessary

TODAY ON THE AIR TIME EVENT COLLEGE BASKETBALL 7 p.m.

Northwest Christian at Oregon HOCKEY 5 p.m.

Kings at St. Louis PRO BASKETBALL 4:30 p.m.

San Antonio at Boston 7:30 p.m.

Golden State at Clippers PRO FOOTBALL 5:30 p.m.

Denver at Kansas City SOCCER 12:30 p.m.

12:45 p.m.

12:45 p.m.

4 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

TENNIS 3 a.m.

3 a.m. (Tues.)

ONDREJ KASE is congratulated by Korbinian Holzer, left, and Nick Ritchie after scoring in the first period.

The Ducks added a second goal in the period, by Derek Grant, before the Hurricanes came storming back.

Ducks’ backup plan pays off

TV: FS West R: 790

Veteran goalie Miller makes his first start for Anaheim and gets the win with 34 saves.

TV: NBA TV: Prime R: 570

DUCKS 4 CAROLINA 3 (SO)

ON THE AIR TV: Pac-12

TV: ESPN, ESPND R: 1150

Italy, Verona vs. Inter Milano England, Burnley vs. Newcastle United Spain, Espanyol vs. Betis MLS, Toronto at New York Red Bulls MLS, Portland at Houston

TV: beIN1 TV: NBCSN TV: beIN2 TV: FS1 TV: FS1

Center Court, ATP Rolex Paris Masters Center Court, ATP Rolex Paris Masters

TV: Tennis TV: Tennis

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associated press

RALEIGH, N.C. — Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said goalie Ryan Miller was brought in to be a veteran presence and not just a backup to starter John Gibson. But Miller didn’t get the opportunity to show what he could do over the first 10 games of the season.

On Sunday he got that chance and rose to the occasion, stopping 34 shots as the Ducks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in a shootout.

“He saved our butt on numerous occasions,” Carlyle

said. “We told him not to accept being here as a backup.

We want him to compete.

That’s where the competition between the two goaltenders is unique. But it’s a benefit to us if we can have a 1-A and 1-B.” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf left the game in the second period with what Carlyle described as an upper-body injury and will be evaluated Monday.

“I thought [Carolina] had great jump in the second period and that was a hard one to grind out,” said Miller, who had three pointblank saves in the overtime.

“We were able to hold on to it and that was nice.”

Corey Perry scored the only goal in the shootout.

Jakob Silfverberg tied it with just under five minutes remaining in the third period for the Ducks. Ondrej Kase and Derek Grant scored in the first period.

“We’re playing a team

with a lot of speed up front,” Silfverberg said. “We got off to a good start, but we had a rough second period. We kept pushing and came back in the third. To see [Miller] come back and push as hard as he did was a big bonus.”

Jeff Skinner, Jordan Staal and Justin Faulk scored to rally the Hurricanes from a 2-0 deficit in the opening period. Scott Darling stopped 22 shots.

“The execution just wasn’t there,” Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. “We were just sloppy with the puck. Our ‘D’ got the puck off the stick a lot better in the second and allowed us to play fast.”

Skinner pulled Carolina to 2-1 with a power-play goal with seven seconds remaining in the first for his seventh of the season.

Staal tied it with 6:27 to go in the second as he got Sebastian Aho’s pass from behind the net and beat

Miller stick side.

The Hurricanes went ahead exactly five minutes later when Faulk beat Miller with a shot from the high slot.

Kase gave the Ducks an early lead when he lifted the puck over Darling’s right shoulder from the right circle with 9:12 remaining in the first. Grant made it 2-0 with 2:46 left as he beat Darling five-hole from the slot.

DUCKS 4, HURRICANES 3 (SO) DUCKS .............................2 Carolina ...........................1

0 2

1 0

0 — 4 0 — 3

FIRST PERIOD: 1. DUCKS, Kase 3 (Ritchie), 10:48. 2.

DUCKS, Grant 2 (Cogliano), 17:14. 3. Car., Skinner 6 (Williams, Ryan), 19:53 (pp). Penalties—Manson, ANA, (interference), 5:54. Manson, ANA, (interference), 18:10.

SECOND PERIOD: 4. Car., Staal 2 (E.Lindholm, Aho), 13:33. 5. Car., Faulk (Williams, Teravainen), 18:33.

Penalties—Ritchie, ANA, (holding), 14:22.

THIRD PERIOD: 6. DUCKS, Silfverberg (Cogliano, H.Lindholm), 15:12. Penalties—None.

OVERTIME: Scoring—None. Penalties—None.

Shootout—DUCKS 1 (Rakell NG, Perry G), Car. 0 (Williams NG, Slavin NG, Aho NG).

SHOTS ON GOAL: DUCKS 7-5-12-1—25. Car. 9-11-89—37. Power-play Conversions—DUCKS 0 of 0. Car. 1 of 3.

GOALIES: DUCKS, Miller 0-0-0 (37 shots-34 saves).

Car., Darling 3-3-1 (25-22). Att—10,108 (18,680).

T—2:35.

There’s new speed in the lineup [Elliott, from D5] seasons. Blake provided new tools and a new framework and anticipated they’d succeed.

So far, so good. Very good.

“I’m not sure we hoped our veterans would bounce back. I think we expected them to, in the aspect that they’re tremendous players and they don’t just fall off,” Blake said in an interview before Kopitar set up Tyler Toffoli for the winner with 0.4 of a second left in overtime at Boston on Saturday.

“In our discussions through the summer we fully expected Kopitar and Toffoli and a healthy Jon Quick, and we expect Drew to be the best defenseman in the league continuously and we expect Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez and Brown to be producers on our team. I wouldn’t use the word ‘hope.’ I expected that.”

By extension, Blake hasn’t been shocked by the early success. “I think if you look at the core or the base of this team, they got two championships at a pretty young age, with Kopitar, Quick, Doughty, Martinez, Muzzin,” Blake said, adding Toffoli and Tanner Pearson to the list. “They’ve been champions and they understand it, and usually those guys carry teams.

Kopitar has had a stunning revival. He’s among the NHL leaders with seven goals and 13 points; he didn’t score his seventh goal last season until his 58th game. “He’s been a tremendous player in this league.

He had a tough season last year. He understood it,” Blake said. “But by no means were there signs that that’s the direction he’s headed. I’m not surprised at all that he’s playing the way he is.”

Brown (five goals, 11 points), didn’t score his fifth goal last season until Jan. 9 and finished with 14. He has been a presence around the net and has clicked with Kopitar and rookie winger Alex Iafallo. “Brownie has been a good player on this team for a long time. I think people forget that and they don’t understand that,” Blake said. “He’s a little

more prominent now alongside Kopitar and on power play and net-front and different things, and I think that contributes to his production. I don’t think his game has changed a lot in the physical aspect or the durability or what he brings to the room. That’s been pretty constant over the years.”

Rookie Adrian Kempe, drafted 29th by the Kings in 2014 and nurtured in the American Hockey League, has been impressive while stepping in for injured center Jeff Carter. Kempe has six goals and nine points and hasn’t compromised his defensive strengths. “The No. 1 thing with him is probably the speed with the puck and what he can do in open ice,” Blake said. “There’s no taking away the fact that he is a very gifted skater and he’s able to skate himself out of trouble, and he’s also able to skate himself into making plays.”

Blake has been traveling with the team, intent on getting a feel for individual and collective moods. He likes that the kids’ enthusiasm for new cities and first goals has filtered through the locker room and has energized everyone. “It’s a long season and there will be ups and downs,” he said, “but I think we build off the compete and the structure that the team has played with so far.”

He isn’t hoping that will happen. He’s now expecting it.

TONIGHT AT ST. LOUIS When: 5 PDT, Monday.

On the air: TV: FSW; Radio: 790.

Update: The Kings did not practice Sunday as they prepare to wrap up a sixgame trip, their secondlongest of the season. The Blues carry a six-game point streak (5-0-1) in the first full season under coach Mike Yeo. Jaden Schwartz has 15 points in 12 games playing on a line with Vladimir Tarasenko and former Kings prospect Brayden Schenn. helene.elliott@latimes.com Twitter: @helenenothelen

Maddie Meyer Getty Images

TYLER TOFFOLI hugs Drew Doughty after scoring

the game-winning goal against Boston on Saturday.

NHL STANDINGS WESTERN CONFERENCE

Pacific KINGS Vegas Vancouver DUCKS Calgary San Jose Edmonton Arizona Central St. Louis Winnipeg Colorado Dallas Nashville Chicago Minnesota

W 9 8 6 6 6 5 3 0 W 9 5 6 6 5 5 4

L 1 1 3 4 6 5 6 10 L 2 3 5 5 4 5 3

OL 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 OL 1 2 0 0 2 2 2

Pts 19 16 13 13 12 10 7 1 Pts 19 12 12 12 12 12 10

GF 38 34 30 35 28 27 22 26 GF 40 31 34 32 27 38 30

Note: Overtime or shootout losses are worth one point.

GA 20 19 25 33 33 26 33 48 GA 28 31 34 32 31 34 28

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Metropolitan New Jersey Pittsburgh Columbus N.Y. Islanders Philadelphia Washington Carolina N.Y. Rangers Atlantic Tampa Bay Ottawa Toronto Detroit Boston Florida Buffalo Montreal

W 8 7 7 6 6 5 4 3 W 9 5 7 5 4 4 3 3

L 2 5 4 4 5 6 4 7 L 2 1 4 6 3 5 7 7

OL 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 2 OL 1 5 0 1 2 1 2 1

Pts 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 8 Pts 19 15 14 11 10 9 8 7

GF 40 36 33 39 38 36 28 34 GF 45 41 45 32 27 35 29 23

GA 31 50 27 35 31 41 30 43 GA 31 33 40 35 29 36 44 42

RESULTS DUCKS 4 AT CAROLINA 3 (SO) AT WINNIPEG 7 PITTSBURGH 1 AT CALGARY 2 WASHINGTON 1

Jakob Silfverberg tied the score late in regulation and Corey Perry scored the only goal in the shootout.

The Jets scored five first-period goals, three by Blake Wheeler, and routed the Stanley Cup champions.

Sean Monahan scored the tiebreaking goal 9:09 into the third period for the Flames.

For complete NHL summaries, go to latimes.com/sports/scores

TODAY’S GAMES KINGS at St. Louis, 5 p.m.

Vegas at New York Islanders, 4 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Florida, 4:30 p.m.

Dallas at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Arizona at Philadelphia, 4 p.m.

Boston at Columbus, 4 p.m.

Montreal at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m.

Toronto at San Jose, 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY’S GAMES Vegas at New York Rangers, 4 p.m.

Winnipeg at Minnesota, 5 p.m.

Arizona at Detroit, 4:30 p.m.

L AT I ME S . CO M / S P O RT S

S

M O NDAY , O C T OB E R 30 , 2 017

D7

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AROUND THE NATION

McElwain is out as coach of Florida wire reports

Elaine Thompson Associated Press

JACOB TUIOTI-MARINER (91) of UCLA tries to tackle Myles Gaskin of Washington, which had 333 yards

in 58 carries in a 44-23 victory. Gaskin scored one of the Huskies’ five rushing touchdowns.

UCLA REPORT

Defense rests versus rush

By Ben Bolch UCLA countered Oregon’s run-heavy offense with a swarming, gang-tackling approach that left the Ducks flattened.

Against an even more one-dimensional Washington, the Bruins looked more like a man standing on the shore and shaking his fists at an oncoming tidal wave.

They knew exactly what was coming and were powerless to stop it.

The Huskies threw the ball only 12 times Saturday at Husky Stadium during a 44-23 romp over UCLA, their fewest pass attempts since producing only 10 during a rain-swept victory over USC in 1981.

That meant they ran it.

And ran it. And ran it. And ran it some more.

Washington ran the ball a staggering 58 times, rolling up 333 yards rushing. The Huskies averaged 5.7 yards per rush and scored five rushing touchdowns, giving them little reason to try anything else.

“I was pretty shocked they didn’t try to throw the ball more,” safety Adarius Pickett said, “but, I mean, why would you? You’re having success on the ground.”

The inability of the Bruins to do much about it was leading them toward defeat long before quarterback

NEXT UP

UCLA (4-4) at Utah (4-4) at Salt Lake City Friday, 6:30 p.m.

TV: FS1 Josh Rosen departed midway through the third quarter because of what coach Jim Mora described as “multiple” injuries that included an apparent cut on his hand.

While UCLA (4-4 overall, 2-3 Pac-12 Conference) waits to learn whether its star quarterback can play in a short-turnaround game against Utah (4-4, 1-4) on Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, it must contemplate what to do about the dreck that is its defense, especially after the promise it had exhibited the previous week.

“It was tough coming off a game like Oregon and taking a loss like this, for sure,” said defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa, whose fumble recovery for a 51-yard touchdown in the final minutes was one of the few highlights for UCLA. A defense that was already worst in the nation

against the run further solidified its standing; the Bruins are now giving up 307.1 yards per game on the ground.

Injuries certainly have contributed to the issue. The Bruins were missing a slew of regular contributors, including defensive tackle Matt Dickerson, defensive end Rick Wade and linebacker Josh Woods, forcing some newcomers into significant roles and others to switch positions in midseason.

“There’s a lot of young guys in there and a lot of freshman guys playing all over the place and things happen,” defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said.

“Weird things, but they do happen. … As you grow, you process through yourself these things. Some of the mistakes that they make now they won’t make, you know, the same period later in their career.”

The one constant this season regardless of personnel has been missed tackles, a problem that shows no sign of abating.

“That’s what led to some big runs,” Pickett said. “But we gotta get that fixed. More emphasis on tackling this week, just get ready for Utah.”

Whose line is it?

Rosen was hurt for a second consecutive season as a

result of being sacked after having missed the final six games in 2016 because of a shoulder injury that came from being brought down behind the line of scrimmage.

But offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch pointed out that sacks can result from a breakdown among anyone on offense, not just the linemen.

“Some plays, maybe it’s on a back,” Fisch said.

“Some plays, it’s on the line.

Some plays, it’s on the quarterback. … Whether the problems come from a missed assignment or whether it comes from an extra blitzer [not accounted for] in our protections, you know, you have hot throws.

And you have to be able to find those hot throws and you have to know where to go with the ball. And other times we have to do a better job of maybe picking up the [offensive] line game.”

The 6-foot-2, 275-pound Odighizuwa, on what it felt like running for the first touchdown of his college career: “I just picked it up and I just ran as fast as I could. I don’t even really remember it. I just ran. People said I’ve got to work on ball security.” ben.bolch@latimes.com Twitter: @latbbolch

NEXT UP

17USC (7-2) vs.

23Arizona (6-2) at the Coliseum Saturday, 7:45 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Norm Hall Getty Images

CHRIS HAWKINS (4) and Uchenna Nwosu of USC celebrate a second-half sack against Arizona State.

“I think we can lose track of why we actually play the game,” Darnold said Helton reminded them. “Coming from him, the guy who should be stressed out the most, it’s something special.”

When players showed up at the walkthrough practice Friday, music was blasting out of speakers.

“It was [hip-hop trio] Migos,” Imatorbhebhe said. “It was bumping.”

It was a small but meaningful gesture “to give a little juice,” Helton said.

USC used to always practice with music, but when Helton became coach he wanted the players to focus only on football, on the crunching of pads and nothing else. Now he believed a change could be refreshing.

On Saturday, he continued the theme. At a meeting before the game, instead of cramming, Helton cued up videos of Reggie Bush and Clay Matthews playing at USC. Look how much fun they were having, he said.

Players said they noticed an immediate difference.

USC tried to embrace the villain role on the road. Before the game and at halftime, about two dozen players preened, waved and danced in front of Arizona State’s student section. USC players talked smack to opposing players near the sideline. They were enjoying themselves.

What followed was perhaps USC’s best performance of the season.

“We had something to lose, but we played like we had nothing to lose,” Hawkins said. “You don’t want to call it desperate play, but you just play like nothing’s on the line here.

You don’t tense up. You don’t tighten up.”

Carr could return

Helton said that USC is “going to be really close” to getting back Stephen Carr for Saturday’s game against Arizona.

Carr, a freshman running back who has averaged 5.9

Receiver is out for the season Wake Forest announced that redshirt freshman receiver Greg Dortch will sit out the rest of the season because of an abdominal injury that required surgery Saturday night, after he set a school record with four touchdown catches against Louisville.

He has 53 catches for 722 yards and nine touchdowns.

Georgia moves up

Georgia moved up to No. 2 and took two first-place votes from top-ranked Alabama in a major reshuffling of the top 10 in the Associated Press poll, giving the Southeastern Conference the top two spots in the poll for the first time since 2013.

Every team in the top 10 except idle Alabama changed positions in the poll. The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 1 for the 99th time, passing Notre Dame for third on the all-time list.

Ohio State has the record with 105 times at No. 1 and Oklahoma is second with 101.

Ohio State moved up three places to No. 3, Wisconsin climbed one spot to No. 4 and Notre Dame rounded out the top five by moving up four places.

Penn State dropped to No. 7 behind Clemson, followed by Oklahoma, Miami and Texas Christian, which dropped six spots after its 14-7 loss to the Iowa State, which made the biggest jump in the poll, climbing 11 spots to No. 14.

The Cyclones have their highest ranking since being No. 9 on Oct. 13, 2002.

Ready to rumble

Initiative by Hawkins pays off [USC, from D5] Hawkins felt that bonds were fraying. Helton has an open-door policy. Hawkins availed himself of it.

“I just told him I don’t feel like we’re a close team right now,” Hawkins said. “Basically, I told him it’s a lot of individuals.”

Several players interviewed after USC’s 48-17 victory over Arizona State on Saturday described the meeting as a release. They called it a possible turning point and catalyst as the Trojans try to close out the Pac-12 Conference South division.

The meeting lasted 15 to 30 minutes, Hawkins said.

Helton listened and appeared to take Hawkins seriously. Hawkins believed part of the reason USC wasn’t playing to the level it had last season, when it won the Rose Bowl, was because there were too many clashing agendas.

Helton said that he values the chance “to listen to our players and be able to see where they're at.” Especially, he said, “a gentleman who’s been here for five years.”

Later that day, at a team meeting, Helton tried a reset. Helton urged the team to ignore everything else and focus on enjoying the game.

He told them to let loose.

“It was freeing,” tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe said.

“Super freeing. You could see it from him, all that he’s gone through this season, he was just like, ‘Look, guys, we’re just gonna have fun.’ ” Quarterback Sam Darnold said that the season could be a “grind.”

Florida and coach Jim McElwain have agreed to part ways a day after a third consecutive loss and nearly a week after he said his players and their families had received death threats.

Athletic director Scott Stricklin made the announcement Sunday and appointed defensive coordinator Randy Shannon as the interim coach for the final four games.

The parties are negotiating McElwain’s $12.5-million buyout.

The Gators (3-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) are 113th in total offense, in triple digits nationally for the third time in McElwain’s three seasons, in which he had a 22-12 record.

Florida’s 42-7 loss to Georgia on Saturday, the most lopsided defeat for the Gators in the series since 1982, dropped McElwain’s record against ranked teams to 4-9.

“We are confident coach Shannon will provide the proper guidance to the players and rest of staff during this time, and we will begin a national search for the next head coach,” Stricklin said.

McElwain’s strained rapport with administrators reached a low Oct. 23 when he said Florida players and families had received death threats. The statement took Stricklin by surprise.

Stricklin met with McElwain, who rebuffed a request to provide more information.

McElwain made the situation worse two days later by saying he would provide more details about the

death threats “when it becomes unmanageable.”

yards per carry, has sat out four games because of a foot injury.

He was a limited participant in practice last week, and Helton said “he was right on the brink” of returning against Arizona State, but USC decided to hold him.

USC can use the depth.

Two running backs behind him in the rotation, Vavae Malepeai and James Toland IV, were carted off the field Saturday.

Malepeai emerged from the locker room walking with a limp and with the left knee wrapped with ice. Helton said Malepeai’s knee was “stable” and Malepeai was scheduled for an MRI exam Sunday evening.

Toland will be out for several weeks because of a shoulder injury, Helton said.

Quick hits

The game Saturday against Arizona has been scheduled for 7:45 p.m. at the Coliseum and will air on ESPN. … USC climbed four spots in the Associated Press poll to No. 17. zach.helfand@latimes.com Twitter: @zhelfand

More twists may be in store for CFP voters [Wharton, from D5] team in No. 19 LSU. The Tigers lost twice in September but have rebounded with recent victories over Florida and Auburn.

Coach Ed Orgeron said his team will face a unique sort of animal in the Crimson Tide.

“Physicality — they’re different,” he told reporters.

“They’re bigger and stronger and faster.”

Also on Saturday, ninthranked Miami — undefeated but so far unconvincing — gets another chance to prove itself against No. 13 Virginia Tech, and No. 8 Oklahoma faces No. 11 Oklahoma State.

Both teams in the Sooner State’s “Bedlam” rivalry are within hollerin’ distance of playoff consideration.

“It’s ready to be championship November and that’s our favorite time of year around here,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said.

Florida fiasco

While the rest of college football focuses on winning, Florida is picking up the pieces of a shattered program.

The Gators parted ways with coach Jim McElwain on Sunday after a week of confusion over claims he made about his family and players receiving death threats.

This season has been a disappointment in Gainesville, where a 42-7 loss to No. 2 Georgia on Saturday marked the team’s third consecutive defeat.

The university reportedly investigated the alleged threats from disgruntled fans but found no substantiating evidence.

According to ESPN, administrators have subsequently explored the

possibility of using McElwain’s comments to fire him “for cause,” thereby saving the school a $13 million-plus buyout.

Florida said only that terms of the separation were being negotiated.

The statue

Last weekend was supposed to be a crowning moment for Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, widely considered the leader in the 2017 Heisman Trophy race.

Barkley scored on a kickoff return and a long run against Ohio State but was held to 44 yards on 21 carries, opening the door to a new favorite in Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett.

After passing for 328 yards and four touchdowns against the Nittany Lions, Barrett played it humble.

“I tell you all the time I’m just a little cat from Wichita Falls, Texas,” he said. “People don’t even know where it is on the map.”

Another contender rising to the fore is Notre Dame running back Josh Adams, who has led the Irish on a winning streak with 1,169 yards rushing.

Big performances against USC and North Carolina State have pushed Adams into the conversation the last couple of weeks.

His coach asked Heisman voters to be patient and watchful.

“I just think if you wait till the end of the year, a lot of questions will get answered,” Brian Kelly said.

“If you hold your vote until the end of the year, that would be great.”

It has been that sort of season in college football — a lot can change between now and December.

david.wharton@latimes.com Twitter: @LAtimesWharton

D8

M O NDAY , O C TO B E R 30 , 2 017

S

L AT I M ES . C O M / SP O RTS

NFL WEEK 8

STANDINGS West

NATIONAL CONFERENCE W L T Pct. PF PA NFC AFC Div.

Seattle

5 2 0 .714 175 132 3-1-0 2-1-0 2-0-0

RAMS

5 2 0 .714 212 138 3-2-0 2-0-0 2-1-0

Arizona

3 4 0 .429 119 191 2-4-0 1-0-0 1-1-0

San Francisco

0 8 0 .000 133 219 0-7-0 0-1-0 0-3-0

North

W L T Pct. PF PA NFC AFC Div.

Minnesota

6 2 0 .750 179 135 4-1-0 2-1-0 2-1-0

Green Bay

4 3 0 .571 164 161 3-3-0 1-0-0 1-1-0

Detroit

3 4 0 .429 176 169 3-3-0 0-1-0 1-0-0

Chicago

3 5 0 .375 134 171 1-5-0 2-0-0 0-2-0

South

W L T Pct. PF PA NFC AFC Div.

New Orleans

5 2 0 .714 191 145 4-1-0 1-1-0 1-0-0

Carolina

5 3 0 .625 148 142 3-3-0 2-0-0 1-1-0

Atlanta

4 3 0 .571 153 152 3-0-0 1-3-0 0-0-0

Tampa Bay

2 5 0 .286 148 168 2-3-0 0-2-0 0-1-0

East

W L T Pct. PF PA NFC AFC Div.

Philadelphia

7 1 0 .875 232 156 6-0-0 1-1-0 3-0-0

Dallas

4 3 0 .571 198 161 4-2-0 0-1-0 2-0-0

Washington

3 4 0 .429 160 180 2-3-0 1-1-0 0-3-0

N.Y. Giants

1 6 0 .143 112 156 0-5-0 1-1-0 0-2-0

West

AMERICAN CONFERENCE W L T Pct. PF PA AFC NFC Div.

Kansas City

5 2 0 .714 207 161 3-2-0 2-0-0 1-1-0

Denver

3 3 0 .500 108 118 2-2-0 1-1-0 2-1-0

CHARGERS

3 5 0 .375 150 152 2-4-0 1-1-0 2-2-0

Oakland

3 5 0 .375 169 190 3-4-0 0-1-0 1-2-0

North

W L T Pct. PF PA AFC NFC Div.

Pittsburgh

6 2 0 .750 167 131 4-1-0 2-1-0 3-0-0

Baltimore

4 4 0 .500 170 148 4-2-0 0-2-0 2-1-0

Cincinnati

3 4 0 .429 122 135 3-3-0 0-1-0 1-2-0

Cleveland

0 8 0 .000 119 202 0-7-0 0-1-0 0-3-0

South

W L T Pct. PF PA AFC NFC Div.

Jacksonville

4 3 0 .571 183 110 4-2-0 0-1-0 2-1-0

Tennessee

4 3 0 .571 158 173 3-3-0 1-0-0 2-1-0

Houston

3 4 0 .429 215 188 3-3-0 0-1-0 1-1-0

Indianapolis

2 6 0 .250 142 246 1-3-0 1-3-0 0-2-0

East

W L T Pct. PF PA AFC NFC Div.

New England

6 2 0 .750 216 179 3-1-0 3-1-0 1-0-0

Buffalo

5 2 0 .714 153 115 3-1-0 2-1-0 1-0-0

Miami

4 3 0 .571 92 152 3-2-0 1-1-0 1-1-0

N.Y. Jets

3 5 0 .375 157 186 3-4-0 0-1-0 1-3-0

Thursday’s result at Baltimore 40, Miami 0 Sunday’s results Minnesota 33, at Cleveland 16 Carolina 17, at Tampa Bay 3 at New England 21, CHARGERS 13 at Buffalo 34, Oakland 14 Atlanta 25, at N.Y. Jets 20

Smith-Schuster finds end zone; Lions can’t PITTSBURGH 20, DETROIT 15 associated press

DETROIT — JuJu Smith-Schuster scored on a 97-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger late in the third quarter and the Steelers forced the Lions to settle for field goals and turn the ball over on downs twice in the Steelers’ 20-15 win Sunday night.

“We weren’t perfect, obviously, but boy we showed fight,” coach Mike Tomlin said.

The AFC North-leading Steelers (6-2) go into their bye week with a three-game winning streak. Detroit (3-4), coming off its bye, lost for the fourth time in five games.

Pittsburgh’s defense put up a curtain in front of it end zone. When the Lions went for touchdowns, the Steelers stopped them.

Detroit coach Jim Caldwell chose to go for it on fourth down from the Steelers’ one trailing by a point in the third quarter. Matthew Stafford was sacked as he stepped up out of a collapsing pocket and tried to run.

On the ensuing drive, Roethlisberger dropped back into his end zone and perfectly lofted a pass to Smith-Schuster. The rookie from USC ran for about 70 yards after the catch, past cornerback Quandre Diggs and

Passing ....................317 411 Steelers 20, Lions 15 Punt Returns..............0-0 2-21 Pittsburgh ............3 7 10 0—20 Kickoff Returns ...........0-0 1-20 Detroit.................3 9 0 3—15 Interceptions Ret. .......0-0 1-0 Comp-Att-Int .......17-31-1 27-45-0 First Quarter Sacked-Yards Lost.......0-0 2-12 Pit—FG Boswell 34, 12:12.

Punts ...................4-47.0 3-39.7 Det—FG Prater 48, 7:50.

Fumbles-Lost .............1-1 1-1 Second Quarter Penalties-Yards .........5-37 6-57 Time of Possession..28:23 31:37 Det—FG Prater 37, 9:11.

Pit—Bell 5 run (Boswell kick), 4:10.

Individual Leaders Det—FG Prater 51, 2:14.

RUSHING: Pittsburgh, Bell 25-76, ConDet—FG Prater 34, :13. ner 1-1, Roethlisberger 3-(minus 2). DeThird Quarter troit, Abdullah 11-27, Riddick 4-21, D.Washington 6-12, Stafford 1-11.

Pit—FG Boswell 38, 9:21.

PASSING: Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger Pit—Smith-Schuster 97 pass from 17-31-1-317. Detroit, Stafford 27-45-0Roethlisberger (Boswell kick), 3:01.

423.

Fourth Quarter RECEIVING: Pittsburgh, Smith-SchusDet—FG Prater 19, 12:54. ter 7-193, Brown 5-70, James 2-42, Bell Attendance—64,983.

2-5, Hunter 1-7. Detroit, Tate 7-86, TEAM STATISTICS Pit Det M.Jones 6-128, T.Jones 4-88, Abdullah 3First downs .................17 21 11, Ebron 2-58, Riddick 2-24, Fells 1-12, Total Net Yards...........392 482 Agnew 1-12, D.Washington 1-4.

Rushes-yards..........29-75 22-71

away from safety Glover Quin.

“I told him I didn’t know he had that much speed,” Roethlisberger recalled. “He said he didn’t, either.”

Matt Prater kicked his fifth field goal on the next possession after Caldwell didn’t want to go for it on another fourth down from the Pittsburgh one.

Detroit had two more chances, but Golden Tate fumbled at the Steelers’ 24 and Stafford threw an incomplete pass from the eight in the final two minutes.

Seahawks................41 Texans .....................38 Russell Wilson hit Jimmy Graham for an 18-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left, his second TD catch of the fourth quarter, as Seattle rallied in the final two minutes.

Down 38-34 with 1:39 left and out of timeouts, Wilson took Seattle 80 yards in barely a minute. He hit Paul Richardson for 48 yards, found Tyler Lockett for 19 yards, and drilled a strike to Graham for the winner. Wilson completed 26 of 41 passes for a career-high 452 yards and four TDs. Richardson also had two TDs. Deshaun Watson was almost as good, throwing for 402 yards — 224 to DeAndre Hopkins — and four touchdowns. But Watson was intercepted by Richard Sherman a second time with seven seconds left.

Houston.............14 7 3 14—38 Seattle ..............14 7 6 14—41 First Quarter Hou—W.Fuller 59 pass from Watson (Fairbairn kick), 12:38.

Sea—Thomas 78 interception return (Walsh kick), 10:08.

Hou—L.Miller 3 run (Fairbairn kick), 6:08.

Sea—P.Richardson 20 pass from Wilson (Walsh kick), 2:11.

Second Quarter Hou—W.Fuller 20 pass from Watson (Fairbairn kick), 9:34.

Sea—P.Richardson 7 pass from Wilson (Walsh kick), 6:02.

Third Quarter Hou—FG Fairbairn 31, 7:05.

Sea—FG Walsh 21, 4:36.

Sea—FG Walsh 21, 2:24.

Fourth Quarter Hou—L.Miller 2 pass from Watson (Fairbairn kick), 9:09.

Sea—Graham 1 pass from Wilson (Walsh kick), 5:37.

Hou—Hopkins 72 pass from Watson (Fairbairn kick), 4:49.

Sea—Graham 18 pass from Wilson

(Walsh kick), :21.

Attendance—69,025.

TEAM STATISTICS Hou First downs .................25 Total Net Yards...........509 Rushes-yards........34-142 Passing ....................367 Punt Returns ............3-27 Kickoff Returns .........4-76 Interceptions Ret. .......1-2 Comp-Att-Int .......19-30-3 Sacked-Yards Lost.....5-35 Punts ...................5-53.0 Fumbles-Lost .............1-0 Penalties-Yards .........8-93 Time of Possession..30:22

Sea 21 479 21-33 446 3-10 2-32 3-98 26-41-1 2-6 5-47.4 1-0 10-120 29:38

Individual Leaders RUSHING: Houston, Watson 8-67, L.Miller 21-54, Blue 5-21. Seattle, Wilson 430, McKissic 4-6, Lacy 6-0, Rawls 6-(minus 1), Lockett 1-(minus 2).

PASSING: Houston, Watson 19-30-3402. Seattle, Wilson 26-41-1-452.

RECEIVING: Houston, Hopkins 8-224, W.Fuller 5-125, L.Miller 3-19, Ellington 1-13, Anderson 1-11, R.Griffin 1-10. Seattle, Lockett 6-121, P.Richardson 6-105, Baldwin 654, Graham 4-39, Madden 1-66, McEvoy 153, Vannett 1-8, McKissic 1-6.

at Philadelphia 33, San Francisco 10 at New Orleans 20, Chicago 12 at Cincinnati 24, Indianapolis 23 at Seattle 41, Houston 38 Dallas 33, at Washington 19 Pittsburgh 20, at Detroit 15 Open: RAMS, Arizona, N.Y. Giants, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Green Bay

SCHEDULE

Times Pacific

TONIGHT

Denver at Kansas City .............................................5:30 THURSDAY

Buffalo at New York Jets ..................................5:15 p.m.

SUNDAY

RAMS at New York Giants ...................................10 a.m.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans..........................................10 Baltimore at Tennessee...............................................10 Cincinnati at Jacksonville ............................................10 Indianapolis at Houston ..............................................10 Atlanta at Carolina .......................................................10 Denver at Philadelphia.................................................10 Arizona at San Francisco.......................................1 p.m.

Washington at Seattle ...................................................1 Kansas City at Dallas ...............................................1:15 Oakland at Miami ....................................................5:30 NOV. 6

Detroit at Green Bay ........................................5:30 p.m.

Off: CHARGERS, Chicago, Cleveland, Minnesota, New England, Pittsburgh

Otto Greule Jr. Getty Images

HOUSTON TEXANS kneel during the national anthem after owner Bob McNair said, “We can't have the inmates running

the prison.” The Texans hadn’t protested before, but on Sunday only 10 members of the active roster stood for the anthem.

Bills ..........................34 Raiders ....................14

Falcons....................25 Jets............................20

Eagles ......................33 49ers .........................10

Cowboys .................33 Redskins .................19

Rookie linebacker Matt Milano scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 40-yard fumble return, and Buffalo’s injury- and star-depleted defense forced four turnovers while playing minus two starters in the defensive backfield.

The Bills scored 27 consecutive points and improved to 5-2 to match their best start during their 17-year postseason drought. LeSean McCoy had a season-best 151 yards rushing.

Oakland’s Derek Carr completed 31 of 48 passes for 313 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Matt Ryan threw two touchdown passes and Atlanta slipped and slid to a victory that ended a losing streak at three games.

Heavy rain at East Rutherford, N.J., had both teams trying to find their footing.

Ryan finished 18 of 29 for 254 yards but fumbled four snap exchanges from center Alex Mack and lost two of them.

New York’s Josh McCown had a bad snap exchange and fumbled on another play, but recovered. He was 26 of 33 for 257 yards with touchdown passes to Robby Anderson and Eric Tomlinson.

Carson Wentz tossed two touchdown passes and Jalen Mills returned an interception for a score as Philadelphia won its sixth straight game.

The Eagles punted on six of their first eight possessions but still led 17-0 at halftime. The 49ers closed the gap to 20-7 in the third quarter but could get no closer.

“Offensively, we have to do better, but good teams find a way to win even when you play sluggish like we did,” said Wentz, who finished 18 of 32 for 211 yards The 49ers are 0-8 for the first time in franchise history.

Ezekiel Elliott ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns, and the Cowboys took advantage of three turnovers.

Playing in a rainstorm at Landover, Md., Dak Prescott completed 14 of 22 passes for 143 yards.

Elliott, who had 33 carries, scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter two plays after Tyrone Crawford blocked Nick Rose’s field-goal try and Orlando Scandrick returned it 86 yards to set up the touchdown that put the Cowboys ahead 14-13.

Washington’s Kirk Cousins was 26 of 39 for 263 yards and one touchdown.

Oakland...............7 0 0 7—14 Buffalo ................0 14 6 14—34 First Quarter Oak—Olawale 1 run (Tavecchio kick), 9:28.

Second Quarter Buf—Holmes 6 pass from Taylor (Hauschka kick), 8:46.

Buf—Milano 40 fumble return (Hauschka kick), :32.

Third Quarter Buf—FG Hauschka 35, 11:44.

Buf—FG Hauschka 44, 8:18.

Fourth Quarter Buf—Taylor 1 run (Hauschka kick), 14:57.

Oak—D.Washington 4 pass from Carr (Tavecchio kick), 10:50.

Buf—McCoy 48 run (Hauschka kick), 3:12.

Attendance—69,599.

TEAM STATISTICS Oak Buf First downs .................23 17 Total Net Yards...........367 331

Rushes-yards..........14-54 37-166 Passing ....................313 165 Punt Returns ............2-11 2-17 Kickoff Returns .........5-68 0-0 Interceptions Ret. .......0-0 2-24 Comp-Att-Int .......31-49-2 20-27-0 Sacked-Yards Lost.......0-0 0-0 Punts ...................4-38.3 5-45.2 Fumbles-Lost .............4-2 0-0 Penalties-Yards .........6-50 11-95 Time of Possession..24:23 35:37 Individual Leaders RUSHING: Oakland, D.Washington 626, Richard 5-21, Cooper 1-4, Olawale 2-3. Buffalo, McCoy 27-151, Tolbert 4-14, Taylor 6-1.

PASSING: Oakland, Carr 31-49-2-313.

Buffalo, Taylor 20-27-0-165.

RECEIVING: Oakland, D.Washington 862, Crabtree 5-83, Cooper 5-48, Richard 5-35, J.Cook 4-57, Patterson 3-7, L.Smith 1-21. Buffalo, McCoy 6-22, Holmes 3-51, Z.Jones 3-32, Matthews 3-21, Tate 1-24, L.Thomas 1-7, Thompson 1-5, O’Leary 1-5, Tolbert 1-(minus 2).

FIELD GOALS MISSED: None.

Atlanta ................7 6 3 9—25 New York..............7 10 0 3—20 First Quarter NYJ—Tomlinson 20 pass from McCown (Catanzaro kick), 10:33.

Atl—Hooper 1 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 5:03.

Second Quarter NYJ—FG Catanzaro 43, 14:03.

Atl—FG Bryant 23, 8:06.

NYJ—Anderson 24 pass from McCown (Catanzaro kick), 2:26.

Atl—FG Bryant 45, :00.

Third Quarter Atl—FG Bryant 37, 5:12.

Fourth Quarter Atl—Sanu 8 pass from Ryan (run failed), 12:22.

NYJ—FG Catanzaro 46, 8:42.

Atl—FG Bryant 29, 5:19.

Attendance—77,562.

TEAM STATISTICS Atl NYJ First downs .................18 15 Total Net Yards...........386 279

Rushes-yards........32-140 22-43 Passing ....................246 236 Punt Returns ............3-13 2-6 Kickoff Returns .........2-42 3-67 Interceptions Ret. .......0-0 0-0 Comp-Att-Int .......18-29-0 26-33-0 Sacked-Yards Lost.......1-8 3-21 Punts ...................5-42.8 5-52.4 Fumbles-Lost .............4-2 3-1 Penalties-Yards .........6-68 6-50 Time of Possession..28:19 31:41 Individual Leaders RUSHING: Atlanta, T.Coleman 14-82, Freeman 12-41, Ryan 6-17. New York, Powell 14-33, Forte 4-7, McGuire 1-2, Anderson 1-1, Thomas 1-0, McCown 1-0.

PASSING: Atlanta, Ryan 18-29-0-254.

New York, McCown 26-33-0-257.

RECEIVING: Atlanta, Sanu 6-74, Hooper 4-47, J.Jones 3-74, Toilolo 2-20, T.Coleman 1-22, Freeman 1-20, Gabriel 1(minus 3). New York, Anderson 6-104, Forte 6-45, Seferian-Jenkins 5-28, Powell 3-28, Kearse 2-14, Thomas 2-11, Tomlinson 1-20, Kerley 1-7.

FIELD GOALS MISSED: New York, Catanzaro 46, Catanzaro 48.

San Francisco ......0 0 7 3—10 Philadelphia ........3 14 10 6—33 First Quarter Phi—FG Elliott 40, 2:36.

Second Quarter Phi—Ertz 1 pass from Wentz (kick failed), 1:51.

Phi—Mills 37 interception return (Jeffery pass from Wentz), 1:24.

Third Quarter Phi—FG Elliott 51, 8:01.

SF—Breida 21 pass from Beathard (Gould kick), 4:29.

Phi—Jeffery 53 pass from Wentz (Elliott kick), 3:37.

Fourth Quarter Phi—Blount 12 run (kick failed), 10:22.

SF—FG Gould 50, 5:20.

Attendance—69,596.

TEAM STATISTICS SF Phi First downs ................14 19 Total Net Yards ..........238 304 Rushes-yards.........24-94 31-112

Passing....................144 192 Punt Returns .............2-9 2-14 Kickoff Returns ..........0-0 0-0 Interceptions Ret. .....1-19 2-41 Comp-Att-Int.......17-36-2 18-32-1 Sacked-Yards Lost ....4-23 3-19 Punts ..................8-45.5 6-45.8 Fumbles-Lost.............0-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards ........6-69 4-35 Time of Possession .27:03 32:57 Individual Leaders RUSHING: San Francisco, Beathard 640, Hyde 12-25, Breida 5-17, Juszczyk 112. Philadelphia, Clement 10-54, Blount 16-48, Wentz 2-7, Smallwood 1-5, Foles 2-(minus 2).

PASSING: San Francisco, Beathard 17-36-2-167. Philadelphia, Wentz 1832-1-211.

RECEIVING: San Francisco, Breida 439, Hyde 4-22, Taylor 3-33, Kittle 2-22, Garcon 2-17, G.Celek 1-24, Hikutini 1-10.

Philadelphia, Ertz 4-34, Agholor 3-26, Jeffery 2-62, Hollins 2-30, Burton 2-21, Barner 2-11, B.Celek 1-14, Smallwood 1-9, Blount 1-4.

FIELD GOALS MISSED: None.

Dallas.................7 7 9 10—33 Washington........10 3 0 6—19 First Quarter Was—FG Rose 38, 13:13.

Dal—Elliott 13 run (Nugent kick), 10:32.

Was—Kelley 1 run (Rose kick), 6:36.

Second Quarter Was—FG Rose 42, 10:04.

Dal—Elliott 1 run (Nugent kick), 2:20.

Third Quarter Dal—FG Nugent 36, 8:39.

Dal—FG Nugent 48, 6:23.

Dal—FG Nugent 27, :38.

Fourth Quarter Dal—FG Nugent 37, 8:43.

Was—Doctson 1 pass from Cousins (kick failed), 4:35.

Dal—B.Jones 21 interception return (Nugent kick), :21.

Attendance—78,428.

TEAM STATISTICS Dal Was First downs ................18 16 Total Net Yards ..........307 285

Rushes-yards .......39-169 15-49 Passing....................138 236 Punt Returns ...........2-19 1-(minu Kickoff Returns ..........1-6 3-61 Interceptions Ret. .....1-21 0-0 Comp-Att-Int.......14-22-0 26-39-1 Sacked-Yards Lost ......2-5 4-27 Punts ..................3-45.7 3-46.7 Fumbles-Lost.............1-1 4-2 Penalties-Yards ........8-89 5-32 Time of Possession .33:19 26:41 Individual Leaders RUSHING: Dallas, Elliott 33-150, Prescott 3-16, Morris 3-3. Washington, Kelley 8-19, Thompson 4-18, Crowder 212, Cousins 1-0.

PASSING: Dallas, Prescott 14-22-0143. Washington, Cousins 26-39-1-263.

RECEIVING: Dallas, Bryant 4-39, Witten 3-31, Te.Williams 2-36, Beasley 2-8, Swaim 1-18, Switzer 1-7, Elliott 1-4. Washington, Crowder 9-123, Thompson 8-76, Grant 5-38, Davis 2-20, Reed 1-5, Doctson 1-1.

FIELD GOALS MISSED: Dallas, Nugent 49.

Bengals ...................24 Colts .........................23

Vikings....................33 Browns.....................16

Panthers..................17 Buccaneers ..............3

Saints ......................20 Bears.........................12

Carlos Dunlap batted Jacoby Brissett’s pass in the air, caught it and ran 16 yards for a game-turning score, rallying Cincinnati and giving Indianapolis a third straight loss.

“It’s a timing thing,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “He has a knack for that.”

Andy Dalton completed 17 of 29 passes for 243 yards with two touchdowns. Brissett was 25 for 39 for 233 yards and two scores, including a 13-yarder to tight end Jack Doyle. “Dunlap made a heck of a play,” Doyle said. “That’s what stinks about the NFL. It’s hard right now.”

Case Keenum threw two touchdown passes, Kai Forbath made four field goals and Minnesota prevailed at Twickenham Stadium in London in the last of four NFL games held this season in Britain.

Adam Thielen had five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings, who trailed 13-12 at halftime, the first time winless Cleveland had a mid-game lead this season.

Keenum was 27 of 43 for 288 yards.

Cleveland rookie DeShone Kizer was 18 of 34 for 179 yards and ran for a touchdown.

Cam Newton threw for 154 yards and one touchdown, and Carolina’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown for the second straight week as the Panthers snapped a two-game losing streak.

Newton rebounded from a sub-par performance a week earlier against Chicago.

“The defense played exceptional,” said Newton, who was also the Panthers’ rushing leader with 44 yards.

Newton led a 17-play, 82-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter, then completed three passes to Christian McCaffrey to set up a field goal for a 10-0 halftime lead.

The Buccaneers avoided a shutout with Patrick Murray’s 41-field goal in the third.

Drew Brees led New Orleans to its fifth straight win, completing 23 of 28 passes for 299 yards against a Chicago defense that ranked sixth against the pass.

Running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara each ran for touchdowns for the Saints. Ingram finished with 99 yards from scrimmage, including 75 on the ground, but his two late fumbles kept the Bears in the game into the final minutes.

“I was terrible. I let my teammates down, put us in a bad position,” Ingram said.

New Orleans’ defense came up with a fourth-down stop and rookie Marshon Lattimore’s interception on its final two series.

Indianapolis .........0 13 7 3—23 Cincinnati ............3 7 7 7—24 First Quarter Cin—FG Bullock 29, 5:41.

Second Quarter Ind—FG Vinatieri 29, 12:02.

Ind—Doyle 13 pass from Brissett (Vinatieri kick), 8:14.

Cin—A.Green 8 pass from Dalton (Bullock kick), 4:36.

Ind—FG Vinatieri 33, :00.

Third Quarter Cin—Malone 25 pass from Dalton (Bullock kick), 9:10.

Ind—Mack 24 pass from Brissett (Vinatieri kick), 2:10.

Fourth Quarter Ind—FG Vinatieri 29, 11:21.

Cin—Dunlap 16 interception return (Bullock kick), 6:58.

Attendance—57,901.

TEAM STATISTICS Ind Cin First downs .................19 17

Total Net Yards...........331 276 Rushes-yards........28-115 21-58 Passing ....................216 218 Punt Returns ............1-20 3-29 Kickoff Returns .........3-54 2-30 Interceptions Ret. .......0-0 1-16 Comp-Att-Int .......25-39-1 17-29-0 Sacked-Yards Lost.....4-17 3-25 Punts ...................5-36.6 4-49.3 Fumbles-Lost .............0-0 4-2 Penalties-Yards .........7-45 5-54 Time of Possession..33:13 26:47 Individual Leaders RUSHING: Indianapolis, Gore 16-82, Mack 11-27, Brissett 1-6. Cincinnati, Mixon 11-18, Erickson 1-14, Hill 4-11, Dalton 3-10, Bernard 2-5.

PASSING: Indianapolis, Brissett 2539-1-233. Cincinnati, Dalton 17-29-0243.

RECEIVING: Indianapolis, Doyle 12121, Gore 4-19, Mack 3-36, Aiken 2-33, Hilton 2-15, Rogers 2-9. Cincinnati, Kroft 5-46, LaFell 4-44, Mixon 3-91, A.Green 3-27, Malone 2-35.

FIELD GOALS MISSED: None.

Minnesota............3 9 11 10—33 Cleveland.............6 7 3 0—16 First Quarter Cle—Crowell 26 run (kick failed), 11:20.

Min—FG Forbath 35, 5:27.

Second Quarter Min—Thielen 18 pass from Keenum (kick blocked), 2:48.

Cle—Kizer 1 run (Gonzalez kick), :40.

Min—FG Forbath 34, :00.

Third Quarter Min—FG Forbath 43, 13:32.

Cle—FG Gonzalez 23, 5:34.

Min—McKinnon 1 run (McKinnon run), 1:16.

Fourth Quarter Min—Rudolph 4 pass from Keenum (Forbath kick), 10:06.

Min—FG Forbath 51, 1:09.

Attendance—74,237.

TEAM STATISTICS Min Cle First downs .................26 16 Total Net Yards...........375 276

Rushes-yards..........34-88 22-115 Passing ....................287 161 Punt Returns ............2-15 2-11 Kickoff Returns .........1-24 3-105 Interceptions Ret. .......0-0 1-8 Comp-Att-Int .......27-43-1 18-34-0 Sacked-Yards Lost.......1-1 3-18 Punts ...................6-36.8 6-46.5 Fumbles-Lost .............1-0 2-2 Penalties-Yards .........5-58 5-74 Time of Possession..37:52 22:08 Individual Leaders RUSHING: Minnesota, McKinnon 1450, Murray 19-39, Diggs 1-(minus 1).

Cleveland, Crowell 11-64, D.Johnson 633, Kizer 5-18.

PASSING: Minnesota, Keenum 27-431-288. Cleveland, Kizer 18-34-0-179.

RECEIVING: Minnesota, McKinnon 672, Rudolph 6-27, Thielen 5-98, Diggs 427, Morgan 3-28, Treadwell 1-21, Murray 1-8, Floyd 1-7. Cleveland, Crowell 4-54, D.Johnson 4-10, Louis 2-42, Njoku 2-19, Coates 2-13, Dayes 1-15, Higgins 1-14, Treggs 1-12, DeValve 1-0.

FIELD GOALS MISSED: Cleveland, Gonzalez 35.

Carolina...............7 3 0 7—17 Tampa Bay ...........0 0 3 0— 3 First Quarter Car—Stewart 1 run (Gano kick), 1:34.

Second Quarter Car—FG Gano 28, :17.

Third Quarter TB—FG Murray 41, 4:49.

Fourth Quarter Car—Benjamin 25 pass from Newton (Gano kick), 8:48.

Attendance—58,545.

TEAM STATISTICS Car TB First downs .................14 16 Total Net Yards...........254 279 Rushes-yards........31-100 22-85 Passing ....................154 194 Punt Returns ............3-22 3-23 Kickoff Returns .........2-56 1-13

Interceptions Ret. .......2-2 1-0 Comp-Att-Int .......18-32-1 21-38-2 Sacked-Yards Lost.......0-0 3-16 Punts ...................7-50.4 6-45.7 Fumbles-Lost .............1-0 1-1 Penalties-Yards .........5-51 6-55 Time of Possession..32:11 27:49 Individual Leaders RUSHING: Carolina, Newton 11-44, Stewart 11-34, Samuel 1-11, Artis-Payne 4-8, McCaffrey 4-3. Tampa Bay, Martin 18-71, Winston 3-13, Rodgers 1-1.

PASSING: Carolina, Newton 18-32-1154. Tampa Bay, Winston 21-38-2-210.

RECEIVING: Carolina, McCaffrey 5-49, Dickson 4-24, Benjamin 3-39, Samuel 215, Funchess 2-11, Shepard 1-14, ArtisPayne 1-2. Tampa Bay, M.Evans 5-60, Brate 4-64, Humphries 4-26, Jackson 337, Howard 2-16, Godwin 1-8, Martin 1-4, Rodgers 1-(minus 5).

FIELD GOALS MISSED: None.

Chicago ...............0 3 3 6—12 New Orleans.........7 7 0 6—20 First Quarter NO—Kamara 8 run (Lutz kick), 11:08.

Second Quarter Chi—FG Barth 27, 14:52.

NO—Ingram 1 run (Lutz kick), 3:41.

Third Quarter Chi—FG Barth 44, 5:42.

Fourth Quarter NO—FG Lutz 45, 12:54.

Chi—Cohen 1 run (pass failed), 3:58.

NO—FG Lutz 49, 1:35.

Attendance—73,192.

TEAM STATISTICS Chi NO First downs .................17 19 Total Net Yards...........307 387 Rushes-yards........31-157 30-101 Passing ....................150 286 Punt Returns ........1-(minu 3-22

Kickoff Returns .........1-46 2-28 Interceptions Ret. .......0-0 1-25 Comp-Att-Int .......14-32-1 23-28-0 Sacked-Yards Lost.....2-14 2-13 Punts ...................5-54.0 4-51.0 Fumbles-Lost .............0-0 2-2 Penalties-Yards .........4-31 7-51 Time of Possession..28:37 31:23 Individual Leaders RUSHING: Chicago, Howard 23-102, Trubisky 3-53, Cohen 4-2, Cunningham 1-0. New Orleans, Ingram 18-75, Kamara 8-28, Brees 4-(minus 2).

PASSING: Chicago, Trubisky 14-32-1164. New Orleans, Brees 23-28-0-299.

RECEIVING: Chicago, McBride 3-92, Howard 3-19, Sims 3-15, Wright 2-23, Brown 1-9, Cohen 1-6, Cunningham 1-0.

New Orleans, Thomas 7-77, Ingram 6-24, Kamara 3-48, J.Hill 3-29, Ginn 2-68, Coleman 1-54, Fleener 1-(minus 1).

FIELD GOALS MISSED: Chicago, Barth 48.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017

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D9

D10

M O N DAY, O C T OB E R 30 , 2 017

L ATI M E S .C O M / SP O RTS

NFL WEEK 8: PATRIOTS 21, CHARGERS 13

SUMMARY CHARGERS ...................7 0 New England .................0 15

0 6 —13 3 3 —21

First Quarter CHARGERS — Gordon 87 run (Novak kick), 6:15. Drive: 2 plays, 88 yards, 00:53.

CHARGERS 7, New England 0.

Second Quarter New England — Gronkowski 2 pass from Brady (Gostkowski kick), 14:56. Drive: 14 plays, 77 yards, 6:19. Key plays: Brady 11 pass to Lewis, Brady 27 pass to White, D.Philon 5-yard defensive 12 on-field penalty on 3rd-and-4, Brady 9 pass to Amendola on 3rd-and-3, Brady 5 pass to Hogan on 3rd-and-4. CHARGERS 7, New England 7.

New England — Safety, Travis Benjamin tackled in end zone on punt return, 9:08. New England 9, CHARGERS 7.

New England — Field goal Gostkowski 25, 4:06. Drive: 11 plays, 51 yards, 5:02. Key plays: Brady 12 pass to Burkhead, Gillislee 8 run on 4th-and-1, Brady 13 pass to Burkhead.

New England 12, CHARGERS 7.

New England — Field goal Gostkowski 36, 0:20. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 1:40. Key plays: Brady 13 pass to Hollister, Brady 16 pass to Gronkowski, J.Addae 17-yard defensive pass interference penalty, Brady 25 pass to White. New England 15, CHARGERS 7.

Third Quarter New England — Field goal Gostkowski 43, 5:25. Drive: 12 plays, 52 yards, 5:27. Key plays: Brady 11 pass to White on 3rd-and-10, Brady 19 pass to Hogan, Brady 12 pass to White on 3rd-and-2. New England 18, CHARGERS 7.

Fourth Quarter CHARGERS — Benjamin 24 pass from Rivers (pass failed), 8:30. Drive: 3 plays, 67 yards, 1:06. Key play: J.Bademosi 30-yard defensive pass interference penalty. New England 18, CHARGERS 13.

New England — Field goal Gostkowski 26, 1:08. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 3:33. Key plays: H.Pullard 15-yard face mask penalty, Lewis 10 run, J.Thuney 15-yard clipping penalty, Brady 26 pass to Gronkowski, Brady 2 run on 3rd-and-1, Gillislee 4 run on 3rd-and-8. New England 21, CHARGERS 13.

TEAM STATISTICS

LAC

NE

FIRST DOWNS ........................16 Rushing ..................................5 Passing.................................10 Penalty ...................................1 THIRD DOWN EFF ................3-10 FOURTH DOWN EFF................1-1 TOTAL NET YARDS .................349 Total Plays.............................52 Avg Gain ..............................6.7 NET YARDS RUSHING ............157 Rushes .................................21 Avg per rush .........................7.5 NET YARDS PASSING .............192 Sacked-Yds lost ..................1-20 Gross-Yds passing ................212 Completed-Att...................17-30 Had Intercepted .......................1 Yards-Pass Play .....................6.2 KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB.........4-2-1 PUNTS-Avg. .....................5-45.0 Punts blocked..........................0 FGs-PATs blocked ..................0-0 TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE ..........64 Punt Returns .....................1-(-8) Kickoff Returns....................4-72 Interceptions ........................0-0 PENALTIES-Yds ..................10-77 FUMBLES-Lost ......................2-0 TIME OF POSSESSION ........23:01

27 5 19 3 9-19 1-1 414 82 5.0 97 32 3.0 317 3-16 333 32-47 0 6.3 6-5-2 3-43.3 0 0-0 144 4-26 3-112 1-6 6-80 0-0 36:59

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS RUSHING: CHARGERS, Gordon 14-132, Benjamin 2-14, Ekeler 2-8, Oliver 3-3. NEW ENGLAND, Lewis 15-44, Gillislee 11-34, Burkhead 4-15, White 1-2, Brady 1-2.

PASSING: CHARGERS, Rivers 17-30-1-212.

NEW ENGLAND, Brady 32-47-0-333.

RECEIVING: CHARGERS, Benjamin 5-64, Allen 4-61, Gates 2-25, Henry 2-11, Williams 1-24, Ekeler 1-13, Gordon 1-7, Williams 1-7. NEW ENGLAND, Burkhead 7-68, White 5-85, Hogan 5-60, Gronkowski 5-57, Cooks 5-26, Amendola 2-14, Lewis 2-10, Hollister 1-13.

PUNT RETURNS: CHARGERS, Benjamin 1-(minus 8). NEW ENGLAND, Amendola 4-26.

KICKOFF RETURNS: CHARGERS, Ekeler 2-36, Davis 2-36. NEW ENGLAND, Lewis 2-96, Amendola 1-16.

TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS: CHARGERS, Phillips 12-0-0, Pullard 10-2-0, Addae 8-0-0, Williams 8-0-0, Square 4-1-0, Boston 4-1-0, Bosa 4-0-1, King 4-0-1, Toomer 2-3-0, Brown 2-0-0, Philon 1-1-1, Palepoi 1-1-0, Hayward 1-1-0, Ingram 1-0-0, McCain 1-0-0, Emanuel 0-1-0. NEW ENGLAND, Van Noy 6-0-0, Roberts 5-1-0, McCourty 4-1-0, Bademosi 4-1-0, Flowers 3-0-0, Marsh 2-0-0, Guy 1-4-0, Chung 1-1-0, Butler 1-1-0, Richards 1-0-0, Butler 1-0-0, Flowers 1-0-0, Wise 0-1-0.

INTERCEPTIONS: CHARGERS, None. NEW ENGLAND, Jones 1-6.

FIELD GOALS MISSED: CHARGERS, Novak 51.

NEW ENGLAND, Gostkowski 43, Gostkowski 43.

Officials — Referee Pete Morelli, Ump Bryan Neale, HL Steve Stelljes, LJ Tim Podraza, FJ Brad Rogers, SJ Boris Cheek, BJ Greg Steed, Replay Richard Reels.

Attendance — 65,878.

CHARGERS IN SPOTLIGHT OFFENSE Travis Benjamin’s play on special teams, specifically as a punt returner, has been the epitome of boom or bust. In Week 7, he put a quiet season behind him by opening the Chargers’ 21-0 win over Denver with a return for a score. Sunday in New England, he muffed a punt, recovered the ball and ran back into the end zone where he was tackled for a safety. While he scored a touchdown later and had another wiped off because of a penalty, the special teams miscue was a back breaker.

DEFENSE Jahleel Addae and the Chargers did an admirable job of slowing New England tight end Rob Gronkowski.

A safety known more for his big hits, Addae flashed some cover skills, slapping a couple of passes away while draping Gronkowski on a couple more. While he had eight tackles, “The Hit Man” also whiffed a couple times, once on a key third down on New England’s lone touchdown drive. With the Chargers having issues tackling, they need their big hitters not to miss.

— Dan Woike

John Cetrino EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

MELVIN GORDON can’t be caught by strong safety Patrick Chung or the rest of the New England Patriots defense on an 87-yard touch-

down, tied for the longest run in franchise history, during the first quarter. Gordon finished with 132 yards in 14 carries.

Gordon keeps Chargers in running Despite their struggles to score, he gives offense balance, but it takes a toll

By Dan Woike FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

— Melvin Gordon’s long dreadlocks flapped in the New England air as he ran down the sideline in the first quarter Sunday. He looked up at the scoreboard, not to admire his work but to make sure he wasn’t going to get caught from behind.

Gordon had just enough to make it into the end zone for the Chargers’ first touchdown in their 21-13 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

It was an 87-yard touchdown. If he needed to go 88, he might not have made it.

“I couldn’t change gears,” Gordon said. “I felt like I had King Kong on my back.”

The Chargers running back won’t have to carry the giant ape on his back over the season’s final eight weeks. But for the team to realize coach Anthony

Lynn’s vision for the offense, Gordon will have to continue to carry a significant workload.

During the Chargers’ three-game winning streak, which the Patriots snapped, Gordon touched the ball an average of 26 times per game.

As a result, he spent entire weeks on the team’s injury report, first dealing with a sore shoulder and last week being slowed by a sore foot. He also had some knee pain earlier this season.

Despite the injuries, he has not missed a game, and Sunday he carried 14 times for 132 yards.

“Melvin came into the game a little sore, but I thought he played extremely hard. He left a couple of yards on the field out there, but I thought he played well,” Lynn said. “It says what I already knew about him — he’s a high-character

young man who works his tail off. He’s going to be an elite back in this league.”

The Chargers, though, might need the “going to be” to become an “is” sooner rather than later. Eight games into the season, the team is still searching for a 30-point performance. Last season they did it five times in the season’s first nine games.

“The one thing that’s not the recipe to me yet, that we’ve not found the recipe for, is we’ve got to score,” quarterback Philip Rivers said. “We’ve got to score more. I think it’s the thing that hurts the most. … I hate that for our defense, and I hate that for what we, as an offense, are so used to scoring a lot of points — all the time. And, we just haven’t scored as many points.

We’ve done a lot of good things, but not score as many points.”

And when you’re trying to win football games, not scoring is a pretty sizable issue.

Luckily in Gordon, the Chargers have a player with a knack for getting into the end zone.

Before the 87-yard run, tied for the longest in franchise history, Gordon had scored seven times — a number that could’ve been one higher had the Chargers not failed on four rushing attempts from the one-yard line against Denver a week ago.

The Chargers seemingly have made an effort to rely more on Gordon and the team’s defense instead of Rivers, a switch that helped them go on that winning streak, in which Rivers had six touchdown passes and just one interception. He has five picks in seven games after throwing a league-leading 21 last season.

“When you look at his

quarterback rating, it’s really high. I think he gave us a chance to win all four games,” Lynn said. “That’s a good thing. Him getting us in the right plays, more completions, passing efficiency, less turnovers — you’re going to always give yourself a chance to win if you do those things.”

That means, in all likelihood, more on Gordon’s shoulders — more touches, and more sore feet and banged-up shoulders.

The Chargers hope that results in more points.

“We just have so much talent,” Gordon said. “We’ve got to find a way, man. It’s tough.”

If the plan is to keep giving Gordon the ball, asking him to pound away before he breaks free for a big gain, he’d better be tough too. dan.woike@latimes.com Twitter: @DanWoikeSports

Another loss decided by a single score [Chargers, from D5] touchdowns negated by penalties. They whiffed on tackles as if they were trying to launch a Justin Verlander fastball. They committed 10 penalties, including an offsides called on the opening kick of the second half. That led to a second kickoff and a 71-yard return by the Patriots’ Dion Lewis.

“When you make those kinds of mistakes against a world championship team — and that’s who they are — then it’s hard to win,” said Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who was outdueled by Tom Brady, 333 yards to 212.

“You can beat some teams making the mistakes we made today and you overcome them. … But you do that against this group, you’re not going to win.”

Benjamin’s mistake came in the first half after the Chargers were off to a strong start.

Despite a missed 51-yard field goal on the opening drive, running back Melvin Gordon got the Chargers on the board first, tying a franchise record with an 87-yard touchdown run. The Patriots tied it with a methodical 14-play drive that ended with a Brady-to-Rob Gronkowski touchdown to open the second quarter, but the Chargers were beginning to make

more plays.

On New England’s next drive, strong coverage and a Joey Bosa sack forced a punt, but Benjamin couldn’t hang on to the football. After he recovered the ball, he tried to reverse field and run from the right sideline to the left, but his internal GPS must’ve been on the fritz and he ended up running backward.

“It was a huge play in the game,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. “You have to have some awareness as to where you are on the football field. He did not.”

Benjamin was easily tackled in the end zone for a safety — the first coming on a punt return in 14 years.

Eleven plays later, New England kicker Stephen Gostkowski made the first of four field goals and the Chargers never recovered.

“I would say those five points made a big difference in the game,” Lynn said.

Those points mattered, as did the 14 that were taken off the scoreboard thanks to penalties on wide receiver Tyrell Williams.

In the third quarter after stopping the Patriots on three plays to force a punt, the Chargers picked up a first down and took a shot down the field. Rivers found the speedy Williams gliding down the far sideline, but,

John Cetrino European Pressphoto Agency

TRE BOSTON , left, and Trevor Williams break up a

pass for the Patriots’ Brandin Cooks in the first half. like Benjamin, the GPS was a little faulty.

Williams ran out of bounds on his route and then back in on his way past the defender, catching the ball in the end zone. The officials noticed and correctly flagged him, negating the catch.

On the team’s next drive, Rivers found Benjamin streaking across the field — similarly to how the Chargers scored their final touchdown against Denver a week ago — and hit him in stride for a 41-yard score.

But as Benjamin crossed the field, Williams ran into a New England defender, drawing a penalty for offensive pass interference and wiping out the score.

“I thought it was good. I was just trying to get out of the way. We hit each other; they thought it was a pick play,” Williams said. “I was avoiding him, and he went into me. It is what it is. That one hurts because it took a touchdown away from my boy.”

The Chargers eventually got Benjamin in the end

zone — the right one this time — on a 24-yard pass from Rivers in the fourth, but the Chargers’ final two chances, one to take a lead and the second to tie, couldn’t crack the end zone.

Sunday marked the Chargers’ fifth loss this season — all by eight points or fewer. Twenty-two of the team’s past 28 losses have been decided by a single score.

“Our guys compete every week. We’re always going to have a chance to win the game, I believe,” Lynn said.

“They kept themselves in the game even though we didn’t play our best football.

That last drive, I assumed like I always do that we were going to go score. But, we fell short.”

Still, there’s optimism inside the Chargers’ locker room as they head into their off week. Things could be much worse.

The hope is Sunday was just a temporary step in reverse.

“I obviously believe we can win every game, but sitting there at 0-4, I said if we can somehow get to 3-5 at the bye, we’ll be in the hunt.

And we did that,” Rivers said. “[But] it should’ve been 4-4.” dan.woike@latimes.com Twitter: @DanWoikeSports

BY THE NUMBERS

19

Plays from scrimmage run

by Chargers in the first half. The Patriots topped that figure with pass plays alone (26) and ran a total of 40 plays in the half.

87

Yards on Melvin Gordon’s TD run, which tied Chargers record for longest run. Paul Lowe recorded his run against the Dallas Texans in 1961.

3.4

Average yards per carry for Gordon if 87-yard touchdown run wasn’t included. The Chargers running back had 13 other carries for 45 yards.

72 Times Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady have connected for scores (the tight end caught a two-yard TD on Sunday). They are the top duo since 2010.

L AT I ME S . CO M / S P O RT S

M O N DAY, O C T OB E R 30 , 2 017

D11

NFL WEEK 8: PATRIOTS 21, CHARGERS 13 CHARGERS REPORT

Lynn backs early conservative play call teams gaffe.

Rookie Rayshawn Jenkins allowed himself to get pushed into the ball and Benjamin on a first-quarter punt and was lucky to fall on the ball, preventing a turnover.

Michael Davis and Austin Ekeler made ill-advised second-quarter decisions to return kickoffs out of the end zone, Davis reaching the 17-yard line and Ekeler the 12. The Chargers were flagged for offsides on the second-half kickoff and had to kick again. Dion Lewis returned that kick 71 yards.

And an illegal-blockabove-the-waist penalty on a Patriots fourth-quarter punt forced the Chargers to begin a drive at their nineyard line instead of the 18.

“The punt return [for a safety] was huge, but the penalty at the end, when we blocked the guy in the back — not smart football,” Lynn said. “That rookie has made that mistake a couple of times, and now I have to look at if I’m going to play that rookie, if I’m going to allow him to hurt this team again in that way.”

By Mike DiGiovanna and Dan Woike FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

— You don’t beat the defending Super Bowl champions on the road by playing timid, conservative football.

The Chargers seemed to grasp that concept on their first possession Sunday, showing a burst of gameopening creativity with a play-action pass for 15 yards, a wildcat formation snap to Melvin Gordon for five yards and a Travis Benjamin jet sweep for seven yards..

On third and 17 from the Patriots’ 49-yard line, quarterback Philip Rivers found tight end Antonio Gates for 16 yards, leaving the Chargers with what seemed like a manageable fourth and one at the New England 33.

It was at this point that the Chargers clammed up.

Instead of going for it with an offense that had a less-thanstout Patriots defense on its heels, they called on Nick Novak, who is accurate from short range but not much of a long-range threat, to kick a 51-yard field goal.

“I think it was a long fourth and one; it was more like a fourth and two almost,” coach Anthony Lynn said.

“So yeah, I thought we should kick at that point. I felt comfortable with the kicking game,” he added.

Novak’s kick was nicked by the finger of defender Cassius Marsh and fell short. The Patriots took over at the 41-yard line, the spot of the kick.

“As an offense, you always want to go for it; you have an opportunity to score, you want to score,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “But they believed in Novak, and I trust coach Lynn and his decisions.”

Etc.

Steven Senne Associated Press

CHARGERS KICKER Nick Novak (9) reacts after missing a 51-yard field-goal attempt during the team’s

opening drive against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

Brotherly love Left tackle Russell Okung said he will travel to Philadelphia on Monday to meet with NFL players to continue discussions about national anthem protests, racism and social injustice.

Commissioner Roger Goodell and former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who started the anthem protests last season, were invited. An NFL spokesman said Goodell won’t be able to attend.

Okung wasn’t sure if Kaepernick will attend.

Okung, who has raised his right fist during the anthem before the last three games, traveled to New York on an off day two weeks ago to attend the NFL owners meetings, where Goodell, players association director DeMaurice Smith and a handful of players initiated a dialogue on the issues.

“I think the league has amazing political and economic power to be a leader in change; it’s gonna be up to

them if they want to do that,” Okung said after Sunday’s game. “As players, we won’t stop. We’re gonna do our work regardless of whether the league wants to walk beside us.

“These issues aren’t going away. We can’t wait until next year. Right now is a pivotal time in history, and I hope everyone wants to be on the right side of that.”

Okung said he struggled with the comments of Houston owner Bob McNair, who, according to ESPN, said:

“We can’t have the inmates running the prison.” McNair apologized for the comments, which many perceived as racially insensitive.

“I’m a guy from Houston who grew up watching the Texans, and it’s very demoralizing to hear statements like that,” he said.

Rookie mistakes Travis Benjamin’s punt return for a safety in the second quarter wasn’t the Chargers’ only special-

Joey Bosa’s secondquarter sack of Tom Brady for a loss of nine yards was the 19th of his career, the most in NFL history for a player in the first 20 games of his career. Aldon Smith (18.5) held the previous mark. … Right tackle Joe Barksdale (turf toe) was inactive for the second straight game and was replaced by Michael Schofield. The line, which also included rookie left guard Dan Feeney and firstyear starter Kenny Wiggins at right guard, allowed zero sacks and two quarterback hits.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com dan.woike@latimes.com

Brady shows he can be hard to get [Brady, from D5] champion who completed 32 of 47 passes for 333 yards and one touchdown, converted nine of 19 third-down plays and was as elusive as Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker in his prime, slipping and ducking just about every punch the Chargers threw at him.

“His ability to move is probably the most underrated thing about him,” Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, 37, said. “He doesn’t move far or fast, but he’s very slick in the pocket. He knows how to slide to the right, slide to the left. He sees this is coming, knows who is free, ducks his way out … you’re barely missing him.

“You don’t expect that from a guy who’s a pocket passer, but he’s very agile in terms of being able to sit in that pocket and maneuver his way around.”

The Chargers have one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts. They sacked Brady three times for losses of 16 yards and got five other hits on the quarterback. But they didn’t really get a clean shot on Brady or pressure him to the point where he appeared under duress.

“We didn’t get to him enough,” said Chargers coach Anthony Lynn. “And he got rid of the ball quickly.

He’s a master of moving around in the pocket, sliding and moving up, and making guys miss. You have to give him credit.”

Jim Rogash Getty Images

NEW ENGLAND quarterback Tom Brady is tackled by L.A.’s Darius Philon. The five-time Super Bowl champion completed 32 of 47 pas-

ses and converted nine of 19 third-down plays, slipping and ducking just about every punch the Chargers threw at him.

Brady spread the ball to eight players, five of whom had five receptions or more.

Running back Rex Burkhead caught seven passes for 68 yards, and White had five catches for 85 yards, which is not surprising.

Whenever Brady felt some heat, he checked down to his backs, usually in the flat. He didn’t extend plays with his legs — he doesn’t have the speed for that — but extended them as he always does — with anticipa-

tion, instincts, experience and quick feet.

“He does everything so well,” Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward said. “He gets the ball out fast, especially to his backs. We didn’t give up too many explosive plays, but he still did a great job.

“He’s been doing it for so long — he’s 40 years old — he’s seen everything, and it’s hard to sack him, hard to hit him. That’s why he’s the GOAT [Greatest of All

Time]. He’s one of my favorite players.”

Brady did some of his best work on third down. He teamed with White for a 27yard pass play on thirdand-11, and with Danny Amendola for nine yards on a third-and-three on the Patriots’ 14-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Brady’s two-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski in the second quarter.

Under heavy pressure on a third-and-two from the

Chargers 34-yard line midway through the third quarter, Brady stepped up in the pocket and threaded a 12yard pass between free safety Tre Boston and linebacker Jatavis Brown to White for a 12-yard gain. Four plays later, Gostkowski kicked a 43-yard field goal for an 18-7 lead.

As good as Brady was, the Chargers did well to limit him to one touchdown pass.

The Patriots settled for field goals on their three other

-8

13:58

The time of possession advantage for New England’s offense. Chargers had possession of the ball for total of 23:01 compared to 36:59 for Patriots.

47

Third-down percentage for the Patriots offense, which converted nine of 19 tries. The Chargers converted just three of 10 attempts, or 30%.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna

NEXT UP

BY THE NUMBERS

Yardage on Chargers’ only punt return. After muffing the catch at the 11, Travis Benjamin recovered at the eight, reversed field and was tackled for a safety.

trips into the red zone.

“Tom Brady did not go for his usual four touchdowns today. Why? Because he’s human,” Boston said.

“We did a great job of doing our job, but did we get the job done? No, because we didn’t get the win. Any time you limit them to one TD and six field-goal attempts, you have to find a way to come out with the win.”

1

Career wins for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers against the Patriots. He is 1-7 overall and 0-2 in the playoffs. Tom Brady didn’t play in lone game Patriots lost.

CHARGERS (3-5) AT JACKSONVILLE (4-3) Nov. 12, 10 a.m.

TV: Channel 2. Radio: 640.

D12

M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 30 , 2 017

WS CE

L ATI M E S . C O M/ SP O RTS

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Banning has moved on — and up After losing a coach and 8 players, school is a playoff contender.

ERIC SONDHEIMER ON HIGH SCHOOLS

In January, after John Aponte resigned as football coach at Wilmington Banning, players began to scatter. It took almost two months before defensive coordinator Raymond Grajeda was named head coach.

By then, eight players had left for rival Carson.

Most figured Banning was done, and you could stick a fork in the 2017 season.

Fast-forward to last

week in the Marine League.

The Pilots defeated San Pedro 21-14 to improve to 6-3 and stand as the potential No. 4 seed for the City Section Open Division playoffs.

“My mission was to compete at the top,” Grajeda said. “Anybody and everybody said I was crazy. ‘You should take a year to develop players.’ Everybody doubted us. The only people not shocked are our kids.”

And guess which team 12-time City champion Banning is playing on Friday in its regular-season finale? Yes, the 11-time City champion Carson Colts with all the former Banning players on their roster.

“We saw them at a passing tournament,” Grajeda said. “It was like coaching

my team. We’re so close to Carson. We see them on weekends. It’s family. We only hate Carson for one game out of the year. I rub elbows with these guys all the time. We eat at the same places.”

Grajeda is proud of the way his players have responded, competed and moved on, rallying around one another. Against San Pedro, junior quarterback Jakob Garcia passed for 186 yards and three touchdowns.

Remembering the uncertainty of last spring, Grajeda said, “That could break any program and has. All we did is pick up the pieces and went to work. We were in the shadow and it made us hungry.”

All-City receiver Fernando Corona has nine touchdowns. Senior linebacker Josh Guerra is averaging nearly seven tackles a game. The Banning players who stayed and put their trust in Grajeda are being rewarded for their hard work and loyalty.

“We moved on,” Grajeda said. “They moved on. No hard feelings.”

Playoff picture

In the final week of the regular season, big games will decide league titles. The City Section playoff brackets will be announced Saturday, followed by the Southern Section brackets on Sunday.

Venice will play at Fairfax on Friday night to de-

cide the Western League championship. Venice Coach Angelo Gasca lost his standout sophomore quarterback, Luca Diamont, before the season to a golf cart accident. His replacement, Dion Moore, a converted receiver, is one win away from pulling off an improbable league championship. Fairfax has come out of nowhere behind a stellar defense and the play of junior quarterback Scott Harris.

In the Southern Section, La Puente Bishop Amat will play at West Hills Chaminade to decide the Mission League title. In an attractive nonleague finale, Long Beach Poly will play at Gardena Serra.

In the Gold Coast

League, Chatsworth Sierra Canyon will face Lancaster Paraclete at Antelope Valley College to decide the league title. Both teams could win Southern Section championships.

In the Sunbelt League, 8-1 Romoland Heritage is at 8-1 Paloma Valley. In the Angelus League, unbeaten La Cañada St. Francis faces a tough test against visiting L.A. Cathedral. In a battle of unbeaten teams, San Clemente is at Mission Viejo to decide the South Coast League title.

You’ll need to rent a helicopter and bring your smartphone and computer if you want to see all the top matchups on Friday night.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

THE TIMES’ PREP FOOTBALL RANKINGS

By Eric Sondheimer

Rk. School (W-L)

Result

1 MATER DEI (9-0)

def. Orange Lutheran 51-21

vs. Servite (at Santa Ana Stadium), Friday (1)

2 CORONA CENTENNIAL (7-1)

def. Norco 63-28

at King, Thursday (2)

3 ST. JOHN BOSCO (7-2)

def. Servite 42-17

at JSerra, Friday (3)

4 MISSION VIEJO (9-0)

idle

vs. San Clemente, Friday (4)

5 CHAMINADE (8-1)

def. S.O. Notre Dame 40-35

vs. Bishop Amat, Friday (5)

6 UPLAND (9-0)

def. Etiwanda 77-21

at Los Osos, Friday (7)

7 SANTA MARGARITA (6-3)

def. JSerra 36-35

vs. Orange Lutheran (at Trabuco Hills), Friday (11)

8 JSERRA (7-2)

lost to Santa Margarita 36-35

vs. St. John Bosco, Friday (6)

9 RANCHO CUCAMONGA (8-1)

Anold Vargas

BANNING receiver Fernando Corona, left, is greeted by quarterback Jakob Gar-

cia after the two hooked up for a touchdown. The Pilots play Carson on Friday.

LET’S GO DODGERS!

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Next game (last week’s ranking)

def. Damien 56-9

vs.Chino Hills, Friday (8)

10 LONG BEACH POLY (8-1)

def. Lakewood 64-0

at Gardena Serra, Friday (9)

11 SAN CLEMENTE (9-0)

def. Trabuco Hills 56-21

at Mission Viejo, Friday (10)

12 SERVITE (6-3)

lost to St. John Bosco 42-17

vs. Mater Dei (at Santa Ana Stadium), Friday (12)

13 ORANGE LUTHERAN (5-4)

lost to Mater Dei 51-21

vs. Santa Margarita (at Trabuco Hills), Friday (13)

14 VALENCIA (8-1)

def. West Ranch 64-13

vs. Canyon Country Canyon, Friday (14)

15 NARBONNE (6-3)

def. Washington 72-0

at Gardena, Friday (15)

16 PARACLETE (8-1)

def. McAuliffe 49-8

vs. Sierra Canyon (at Antelope Valley College), Friday (16)

17 HERITAGE (8-1)

def. Temescal Canyon 60-7

vs. Paloma Valley, Friday (18)

18 CHARTER OAK (9-0)

def. Chino 48-10

at West Covina, Friday (19)

19 SIERRA CANYON (8-1)

def. Brentwood 49-0

vs. Paraclete (at Antelope Valley College), Friday (20)

20 BISHOP AMAT (5-4)

def. Alemany 42-22

at Chaminade, Friday (21)

21 CALABASAS (8-1)

def. Thousand Oaks 40-14

at Moorpark, Friday (22)

22 OAKS CHRISTIAN (7-2)

def. St. Bonaventure 38-0

vs. Westlake, Friday (23)

23 LA HABRA (7-2)

def. Buena Park 50-14

vs. Fullerton, Friday (24)

24 CORONA SANTIAGO (6-3)

def. Eastvale Roosevelt 31-28

at Corona, Thursday (NR)

25 MURRIETA VALLEY (7-2)

def. Great Oak 49-21

vs. Murrieta Mesa, Friday (25)

L AT I ME S . CO M / S P O RT S

S

M O N DAY, O C T OB E R 30 , 2 017

D13

NBA LAKERS REPORT

STANDINGS Standings have been arranged to reflect how the teams will be determined for the playoffs. Teams are ranked 1-15 by record. Division standing no longer has any bearing on the rankings. The top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs, and the top-seeded team would play the eighth-seeded team, the seventh team would play the second, etc. Head-to-head competition is the first of several tiebreakers, followed by conference record. (Western Conference divisions: S-Southwest; P-Pacific; N-Northwest; Eastern Conference divisions: A-Atlantic; C-Central; S-Southeast).

WESTERN CONFERENCE Team 1. Memphis 2. CLIPPERS 3. Houston 4. Portland 4. San Antonio 6. Golden State 7. Denver 7. Minnesota 7. New Orleans

W 5 4 5 4 4 4 3 3 3

L 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3

PCT .833 .800 .714 .667 .667 .571 .500 .500 .500

GB L10 5-1 1 ⁄2 4-1 1 ⁄2 5-2 1 4-2 1 4-2 11⁄2 4-3 2 3-3 2 3-3 2 3-3

Rk. S1 P1 S2 N1 S3 P2 N4 N2 S4

7. Oklahoma City 7. Utah 12. LAKERS 12. Phoenix 14. Sacramento 15. Dallas

3 3 2 2 1 1

3 3 4 4 5 6

.500 .500 .333 .333 .167 .143

2 2 3 3 4 41⁄2

3-3 3-3 2-4 2-4 1-5 1-6

N5 N3 P3 P4 P5 S5

EASTERN CONFERENCE Team 1. Detroit 2. Boston 2. Milwaukee 2. Orlando 2. Washington 6. Toronto 7. Charlotte 7. Indiana

W 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3

L 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3

PCT .714 .667 .667 .667 .667 .600 .500 .500

GB L10 5-2 1 ⁄2 4-2 1 ⁄2 4-2 1 ⁄2 4-2 1 ⁄2 4-2 1 3-2 11⁄2 3-3 11⁄2 3-3

Rk. C1 A1 C2 S1 S2 A2 S3 C3

9. Brooklyn 9. Cleveland 11. Miami 11. New York 13. Philadelphia 14. Chicago 15. Atlanta

3 3 2 2 2 1 1

4 4 3 3 4 4 6

.429 .429 .400 .400 .333 .200 .143

2 2 2 2 21⁄2 3 4

A3 C4 S4 A4 A5 C5 S5

3-4 3-4 2-3 2-3 2-4 1-4 1-6

TODAY’S GAMES Favorite at CLIPPERS at Boston Denver Minnesota at Memphis at New Orleans at Houston at Utah at Portland

Line OFF 3 31⁄2 2 7 71⁄2 OFF 71⁄2 2

Underdog Golden State San Antonio at New York at Miami Charlotte Orlando Philadelphia Dallas Toronto

Time 7:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

5 p.m.

5 p.m.

5 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

RESULTS

Warriors lose for second time at home DETROIT 115 GOLDEN STATE 107 Stephen Curry and the defending champion Golden State Warriors are certainly showing their flaws and got handed a second home defeat at this early stage of the season, falling 115-107 to Detroit on Sunday as Avery Bradley scored 23 points for the Pistons.

Tobias Harris hit a three-pointer with 1:27 remaining that all but sealed it after Kevin Durant fueled a late Warriors rally.

Trailing 108-105, Curry had a steal and drive with 1:51 left but couldn’t convert, then missed a three-pointer as Golden State kept possession. Durant missed from deep the next time down.

The Warriors lost only twice total at Oracle Arena in both their 2015 championship year and again in the 73-win season that followed, then just five times at home on the way to another title this year.

Klay Thompson scored 29 and became the 11th player in Warriors history to eclipse 9,000 career points.

New York 114, at Cleveland 95: Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 34 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 32 as the Knicks handed the Cavaliers their fourth loss in five games. Cleveland fell below .500 despite cutting a 19point deficit to six in the fourth quarter. Kevin Love led the Cavaliers with 22 points. at Indiana 97, San Antonio 94: Victor Oladipo’s three-pointer with 10.3 seconds left completed a late comeback that gave the Pacers a rare victory over the Spurs.

Oladipo finished with 23 points and five assists, and Domantas Sabonis added career highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds. It’s only the third time in 20 games that the Pacers have beaten the Spurs.

Washington110, at Sacramento 83: John Wall scored 11 of his 19 points in the first quarter and Otto Porter Jr. added 16 points as the Wizards snapped a two-game skid. at Charlotte 120, Orlando 113: Kemba Walker had 34 points and 10 assists as the Hornets snapped the Magic’s three-game win streak.

Dwight Howard had a season-high 22 points against his former team.

Milwaukee 117, at Atlanta 106: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and Khris Middleton had 27 for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo, who made 14 of 21 shots, also had 11 rebounds and five assists.

Denver 124, at Brooklyn 111: Jamal Murray scored 26 points and Nikola Jokic had 21points and14 rebounds for the Nuggets.

— associated press

Randle gets a handle on his backup duties

By Tania Ganguli For the first two games of the Lakers’ season, Julius Randle looked disengaged.

He wasn’t starting, like he had most of last season, and his minutes were limited. After all the work he put in this offseason, frustration crept in and seemed to get the best of him.

Then Randle took control of the narrative and found a way to make the best of it.

“It’s just the frustration of just trying to figure out what you gotta do to be out there helping,” Randle told The Times. “Obviously every player, they feel like they give their team the best chance to win. That’s all it was. Just wanting to be out there and help us win games.”

After sub-par performances in the Lakers’ first two games, Randle produced three straight games of double-digit scoring while playing between 18 and 25 minutes in each of those games. He shot 76% during that span, taking on backup center responsibilities at times. Randle came back down to earth on Saturday, facing a team with a very talented big man in Rudy Gobert, but overall Randle has given the Lakers more than he did at first.

“When Julius’ head’s on, he’s hard to stop,” Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball said.

“At his size, the way he moves, he’s very difficult to guard. He plays defense as well. … It starts before the game. You can tell when he’s focused. When he’s focused he can come out there and give us positive minutes.”

Randle tackled his offseason with a passion that showed in its results.

His body changed, he became explosive, he came into training camp believing he’d done just what he needed to do to show the Lakers he was a big part of their present and future.

The reality Randle faced next didn’t seem to match.

The Lakers did not offer him a contract extension as they continued to preserve salary cap space for what they hope will be a big free agent haul next summer.

And through training camp, Randle quickly realized that he would no longer be a starter for the Lakers.

Slowly, he came to accept that. “I don’t have a choice,” Randle said. “That’s what coach feels is best for the team so I had to be ready when my number was called.”

By Broderick Turner What once was a pain in their collective psyche has now become a full-blown nightmare for the Clippers.

What once was a promising rivalry between two Pacific Division foes has now become a one-sided affair that has not been in favor of the Clippers.

And so now here the Clippers stand again, looking to get free of the stranglehold the NBA champion Golden State Warriors have had over L.A. in recent times.

The Clippers have to think back to Christmas night in 2014 to understand what it feels like to defeat the Warriors.

The two teams meet Monday night at Staples Center, offering the Clippers a chance to end a 10-game losing streak against this juggernaut known as the Warriors.

“They’ve owned us over the last ...,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said late Saturday night. “They’ve owned the league too for that matter. So we have to be ready.

It’s going to be a tough game.”

Bucks 117, Hawks 106

Pacers 97, Spurs 94

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Anttknmpo ..38 14-21 4-6 1-11 5 4 33 Middleton ...37 9-19 6-7 0-7 9 2 27 Maker ........20 1-1 0-0 2-5 2 4 3 Brogdon .....30 5-11 4-4 0-1 4 4 16 Snell..........31 1-7 0-0 0-1 3 2 3 Henson ......27 5-8 2-4 0-9 3 6 12 Vaughn.......20 4-6 0-0 0-3 2 3 12 Dellavedova 19 3-6 0-0 1-3 1 2 6 Teletovic .....12 2-2 0-0 1-2 1 0 5 Brown ..........0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Wilson .........0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 Totals 44-81 16-21 5-43 30 27 117 Shooting: Field goals, 54.3%; free throws, 76.2% Three-point goals: 13-26 (Vaughn 4-6, Middleton 3-5, Brogdon 2-5, Maker 1-1, Teletovic 1-1, Antetokounmpo 1-3, Snell 1-5). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 14 (23 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Henson 3). Turnovers: 14 (Henson 3, Brogdon 2, Dellavedova 2, Middleton 2, Teletovic 2, Antetokounmpo, Snell, Vaughn). Steals: 9 (Brogdon 2, Henson 2, Maker 2, Middleton 2, Teletovic). Technical Fouls: None.

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Aldridge......36 10-21 5-7 3-8 0 3 26 Anderson....23 4-7 0-0 5-8 3 0 8 Gasol.........30 7-10 2-3 0-7 5 2 17 Green.........28 4-10 0-0 1-4 1 1 10 Murray .......20 2-8 0-0 1-6 1 0 4 Mills ..........27 4-14 0-0 0-0 2 0 10 Gay............23 3-8 3-4 1-6 2 1 10 Ginobili ......21 0-6 3-4 0-2 5 1 3 Paul...........21 2-4 0-0 0-2 0 3 6 Forbes .........3 0-1 0-0 1-1 0 0 0 Bertans ........3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 36-90 13-18 12-44 19 11 94 Shooting: Field goals, 40.0%; free throws, 72.2% Three-point goals: 9-28 (Green 2-4, Paul 2-4, Mills 2-9, Aldridge 1-2, Gasol 1-2, Gay 1-2, Anderson 0-1, Bertans 0-1, Forbes 0-1, Ginobili 0-2). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 15 (12 PTS). Blocked Shots: 8 (Gasol 5, Aldridge, Anderson, Green). Turnovers: 15 (Green 3, Paul 3, Anderson 2, Gay 2, Ginobili 2, Aldridge, Mills, Murray). Steals: 12 (Green 4, Paul 3, Gay 2, Anderson, Bertans, Mills). Technical Fouls: None.

MILWAUKEE

ATLANTA

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Muscala .....28 3-5 2-2 0-2 1 5 10 Prince ........37 7-20 0-1 0-5 3 4 17 Dedmon .....17 4-5 0-0 0-5 0 1 8 Bazemore ...32 2-9 10-10 0-2 6 3 15 Schroder.....35 8-16 3-4 0-2 8 2 21 Belinelli......25 3-5 0-0 1-3 4 1 9 Collins........24 5-7 4-7 1-7 0 2 14 Taylor .........16 2-3 2-2 0-0 2 2 7 Babbitt.......14 2-5 0-0 0-4 1 1 5 Delaney........7 0-2 0-0 1-1 2 0 0 Magette........0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 36-77 21-26 3-31 27 21 106 Shooting: Field goals, 46.8%; free throws, 80.8% Three-point goals: 13-29 (Belinelli 3-5, Prince 3-9, Muscala 2-2, Schroder 2-3, Taylor 1-1, Babbitt 1-4, Bazemore 1-4, Delaney 0-1). Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: 16 (26 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Collins, Muscala). Turnovers: 16 (Bazemore 4, Prince 3, Schroder 3, Belinelli 2, Dedmon 2, Delaney, Muscala). Steals: 9 (Schroder 3, Bazemore 2, Belinelli 2, Prince 2). Technical Fouls: None.

Milwaukee 28 33 31 25— 117 Atlanta 16 32 25 33— 106 T—2:08. O—Phenizee Ransom, Sean Wright, Eric Lewis

Nuggets 124, Nets 111 Sean M. Haffey Getty Images

AFTER A SLOW start, the Lakers’ Julius Randle

had three straight games of double-digit scoring.

Having made that decision he changed his play, and Lakers coach Luke Walton noticed. He liked Randle’s energy level and his awareness. He liked that Randle started attacking the rim to keep defenses from clogging the paint.

“We need people to dive, roll to the rim to penetrate the defense, to collapse the defense, so there are other things available, and he’s been really dang good at doing it,” Walton said. “When he turns himself into that dynamic roller with all that work he put in this offseason as far as changing his body and how explosive he is now, just really hard to deal with.”

Ball’s defense

For two games in a row, Ball has pointed a finger at himself to explain what has gone wrong for the Lakers.

On Saturday night, he took responsibility for the two electrifying plays by Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell that changed momentum in the game. On Friday, he apologized for not getting back to defend the point guard in transition.

But his coach has had a more forgiving interpretation of how Ball has done on defense.

“You are trying to guard for the most part grown men, and he’s hitting centers that are rolling down that are 6-11 and 280 pounds and he is in there mixing it up on the glass,” Walton said. “The speed and physicality normally takes longer for young

guys to adjust, and he seems to be really into that part of the game and battling. A lot of times with high draft picks they aren’t as concerned with defense, and he’s bought into it and been a big part of why we have made good steps on that court.”

Low splash zone

Their style of play might be derivative of how the Golden State Warriors play, but the Lakers don’t have the kind of shooters necessary to join the NBA’s threepoint party.

“I know the modern NBA is everyone shoots 40 threes a game, but that’s not what we’re trying to do,” Walton said. “If we’re open and it’s a rhythm pass and we’ve got some ball movement side to side, inside out. Love it. You catch it in rhythm, let it fly.

But we don’t want to just come down and jack up threes all game. That’s not our strength.”

It certainly hasn’t been lately. In only one of the Lakers’ six games this season have they made more than one third of their threepointers.

The Lakers are amid a particularly dry spell from three. Against the Wizards last Wednesday, they made only seven of 30 three-point attempts. Against Toronto they made three of 23. Most recently, against Utah, they made five of 22 attempts. tania.ganguli@latimes.com Twitter: @taniaganguli

Clippers’ next challenge: Breaking Warriors hex Golden State has won 10 straight vs. L.A., including a 46-point blowout last season.

BOX SCORES

After a disappointing loss to Detroit on Saturday, DeAndre Jordan was asked what it was going to take for the Clippers to finally break through against the Warriors.

His first word was a swear word, perhaps because Jordan was recalling how the Warriors annihilated the Clippers last season, beating L.A. by an average of 21.5 points.

The Clippers lost every game by double-digits, including a 46-point obliteration in Oakland.

“I don’t know,” Jordan said. “We just got to play.

They’re a great team.

They’re a championship team. They know how to play. They have been together for a very long time.

We’ve just got to come out and compete. We’ve got to make minimal mistakes against a team that.

“They are going to make runs. They’re going to hit big shots, crazy shots, tough shots. We’ve just got to stick with it, and just keep playing.”

It’s too early, Blake Griffin said, to call this game a measuring stick for the Clippers with this being October and there being so much season left to play.

But he also noted how the 4-1 Clippers will have their hands full against the Warriors, who have won two of the last three NBA champi-

onships.

“They have weapons at almost every position,” Griffin said. “We’ve got to put together a solid game. It’s got to be for 48 minutes. You see them go down early a lot and then fight their way back in it. It’s a full 48-minute thing.”

Patrick Beverley admitted that it’s different playing against the Warriors and that every team raises its intensity level.

“I wouldn’t sit here and tell you your juices don’t get flowing against the Golden State Warriors,” Beverley said. “Of course, they’re the champs. You have to get your best shot ready to beat a team like that.

“Like I said, it doesn’t get easier. But we’re excited. We feel like we’re up there with one of the top teams. At the end of the day, we’re going to compete.”

TONIGHT VS. GOLDEN STATE When: 7:30.

On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 570, 1330.

Update: Blake Griffin has made at least two threepointers in each of the first five games this season, the longest stretch of his career.

Griffin has made 12 of 29 three-pointers, 41.4% from the field. He’s averaging 24.8 points.

broderick.turner@latimes.com Twitter: @BA_Turner

DENVER

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Chandler.....30 7-11 2-2 1-5 1 1 18 Millsap.......37 5-14 3-4 0-11 5 0 13 Jokic ..........28 9-16 2-2 1-14 4 3 21 G.Harris......25 6-13 0-0 0-1 3 2 14 Murray .......31 8-14 8-8 1-1 5 4 26 Plumlee......22 4-6 2-2 0-7 0 5 10 Barton........21 2-6 1-2 1-2 0 1 7 Mudiay .......19 6-12 1-2 0-3 5 4 15 Beasley ........7 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Lyles............2 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 Jefferson.......1 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 Totals 47-94 19-22 4-46 23 22 124 Shooting: Field goals, 50.0%; free throws, 86.4% Three-point goals: 11-20 (Barton 2-3, Chandler 2-3, Mudiay 2-3, Murray 2-3, G.Harris 2-4, Jokic 1-3, Millsap 0-1). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 6 (9 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Millsap 3, Chandler, Jokic, Lyles, Murray). Turnovers: 6 (Mudiay 2, Barton, Chandler, Jokic, Murray). Steals: 7 (G.Harris 3, Chandler 2, Jokic, Murray). Technical Fouls: None.

BROOKLYN

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Hollis-Jffrsn .29 8-12 2-3 3-6 1 1 18 LeVert ........24 3-12 0-0 1-6 3 1 8 Mozgov.......20 3-6 0-0 4-11 1 1 7 Crabbe.......25 3-8 0-0 0-2 1 2 8 Russell .......24 3-12 6-10 1-3 8 4 12 Dinwiddie ...31 5-10 9-10 0-4 4 0 22 J.Harris.......22 6-11 0-0 1-1 1 2 16 Booker .......19 4-11 0-2 4-8 1 3 8 Allen..........16 1-3 0-0 1-2 1 3 2 Kilpatrick ....10 1-4 4-4 0-8 2 0 6 Wiley ...........4 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 1 0 Zeller ...........4 2-4 0-2 2-3 0 0 4 Whitehead ....4 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Totals 39-96 21-31 17-56 24 18 111 Shooting: Field goals, 40.6%; free throws, 67.7% Three-point goals: 12-31 (J.Harris 4-8, Dinwiddie 3-6, Crabbe 2-4, LeVert 2-5, Mozgov 1-3, Kilpatrick 0-1, Wiley 0-1, Russell 0-3). Team Rebounds: 12.

Team Turnovers: 15 (15 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Booker, Hollis-Jefferson, LeVert, Mozgov). Turnovers: 15 (Russell 6, Booker 3, Mozgov 3, HollisJefferson 2, Crabbe). Steals: 5 (Dinwiddie 3, Booker, Crabbe). Technical Fouls: coach Nets (Defensive three second), 4:23 third.

Denver 29 31 40 24— 124 Brooklyn 36 27 21 27— 111 A—14,854. T—2:09. O—J.T. Orr, Karl Lane, Ron Garretson

Knicks 114, Cavaliers 95 NEW YORK

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Hardaway Jr.41 11-19 7-8 2-4 8 4 34 Porzingis.....35 13-27 4-5 1-12 0 4 32 Kanter........32 6-12 6-8 5-12 0 3 18 Jack...........33 1-8 0-0 0-3 9 2 2 Lee............38 6-11 0-0 0-10 3 4 15 Ntilikina......16 2-5 0-0 1-3 3 4 5 L.Thomas....16 2-4 0-0 2-3 1 0 5 McDermott..13 1-1 0-0 0-1 2 1 3 O’Quinn......12 0-2 0-0 0-3 1 4 0 Totals 42-89 17-21 11-51 27 26 114 Shooting: Field goals, 47.2%; free throws, 81.0% Three-point goals: 13-28 (Hardaway Jr. 5-10, Lee 3-6, Porzingis 2-5, McDermott 1-1, L.Thomas 1-1, Ntilikina 1-3, Jack 0-2). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 14 (9 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (O’Quinn 2, Porzingis 2, Jack, Kanter). Turnovers: 14 (Kanter 3, Porzingis 3, Jack 2, O’Quinn 2, Hardaway Jr., Lee, McDermott, Ntilikina). Steals: 9 (Hardaway Jr. 2, Lee 2, Ntilikina 2, Jack, Kanter, Porzingis). Technical Fouls: None.

CLEVELAND

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T James ........39 7-15 1-1 1-10 7 2 16 Love...........34 5-15 9-10 4-11 1 4 22 Thompson...19 0-1 1-2 0-0 0 4 1 Rose ..........31 6-14 3-3 1-3 3 1 15 Smith.........28 3-9 3-4 0-3 1 2 11 Wade .........23 3-7 0-0 0-3 5 2 6 Korver ........23 4-7 2-2 0-4 1 4 13 Crowder......20 1-5 2-2 0-5 1 1 5 Green.........14 2-6 2-3 1-2 0 3 6 Osman .........1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Frye .............1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Calderon ......1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Shumpert .....0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 31-81 23-27 7-41 20 23 95 Shooting: Field goals, 38.3%; free throws, 85.2% Three-point goals: 10-32 (Korver 3-5, Love 3-8, Smith 2-7, Crowder 1-4, James 1-4, Frye 0-1, Green 0-1, Rose 0-1, Wade 0-1). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 15 (13 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Wade 2, Korver, Smith, Thompson). Turnovers: 15 (James 4, Rose 4, Love 2, Wade 2, Crowder, Korver, Thompson). Steals: 5 (James 2, Love, Smith, Wade). Technical Fouls: None.

New York 29 33 30 22— 114 Cleveland 19 35 21 20— 95 A—20,562. O—Brett Nansel, Tony Brown, Scott Foster

Pistons 115, Warriors 107 DETROIT

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Harris.........30 6-18 2-2 2-4 2 2 16 Johnson......40 6-13 0-0 0-2 3 1 15 Drummond .40 4-17 0-0 8-18 5 2 8 Bradley.......35 8-13 2-2 1-1 2 1 23 Jackson......29 8-12 4-4 2-3 5 1 22 Smith.........18 6-7 4-4 0-0 2 2 16 Tolliver........17 1-3 5-5 3-5 1 0 7 Bullock.......14 2-4 0-0 0-0 2 0 4 Leuer ...........7 2-4 0-0 1-4 0 0 4 Galloway.......4 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 43-93 17-17 17-37 22 9 115 Shooting: Field goals, 46.2%; free throws, 0.0% Three-point goals: 12-27 (Bradley 5-7, Johnson 3-5, Jackson 2-3, Harris 2-6, Bullock 0-2, Galloway 0-2, Tolliver 0-2). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 13 (17 PTS). Blocked Shots: 0. Turnovers: 13 (Drummond 4, Bradley 3, Harris 2, Jackson 2, Bullock, Johnson). Steals: 16 (Drummond 5, Bradley 3, Bullock 3, Johnson 3, Leuer, Tolliver). Technical Fouls: coach Pistons (Defensive three second), 4:46 second

GOLDEN STATE

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Durant........36 10-14 5-6 1-6 4 0 28 Green.........32 1-4 0-0 2-13 4 3 2 Pachulia .....19 1-1 0-0 0-2 4 1 2 Curry .........35 11-17 2-3 1-6 8 3 27 Thompson...33 12-19 1-2 0-2 0 2 29 Iguodala.....25 2-4 0-0 0-0 6 1 4 Livingston ...14 1-3 0-0 0-1 2 1 2 Young.........12 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 West ..........12 2-6 0-0 3-4 1 1 4 McGee .........9 3-6 0-0 3-4 0 1 6 Casspi .........8 1-1 1-1 0-2 0 0 3 McCaw.........0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 44-77 9-12 10-40 29 14 107 Shooting: Field goals, 57.1%; free throws, 75.0% Three-point goals: 10-27 (Thompson 4-7, Curry 3-7, Durant 3-7, Iguodala 0-1, Young 0-2, Green 0-3).

Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 25 (33 PTS).

Blocked Shots: 11 (McGee 3, Durant 2, West 2, Green, Iguodala, Livingston, Pachulia). Turnovers: 25 (Green 6, Curry 5, Pachulia 4, Thompson 4, Durant 3, Livingston, McGee, West). Steals: 3 (Thompson 2, Curry).

Technical Fouls: None.

Detroit 27 25 30 33— 115 Golden State 35 22 24 26— 107 A—19,596. T—2:09. O—Ben Taylor, Scott Twardoski, Derrick Stafford

SAN ANTONIO

INDIANA

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Bogdanovic .33 5-10 2-4 1-8 2 2 15 T.Young.......36 5-12 0-0 1-5 2 4 12 Sabonis......32 9-9 3-4 2-12 2 3 22 Collison......34 4-10 0-0 0-3 6 2 8 Oladipo ......29 7-14 7-8 0-4 5 3 23 Joseph .......21 1-5 2-2 0-2 2 1 4 Stephenson 16 1-5 0-0 0-1 1 0 3 Jefferson.....15 3-8 0-0 2-7 1 3 6 Leaf...........11 0-1 1-2 0-2 0 2 1 J.Young.........8 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 3 Totals 36-77 15-20 6-44 21 20 97 Shooting: Field goals, 46.8%; free throws, 75.0% Three-point goals: 10-22 (Bogdanovic 3-5, Oladipo 2-3, T.Young 2-5, Sabonis 1-1, Stephenson 1-2, J.Young 1-2, Collison 0-2, Joseph 0-2). Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: 19 (26 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Jefferson 2, Sabonis). Turnovers: 19 (Oladipo 7, Bogdanovic 3, Collison 2, Jefferson 2, Joseph 2, Leaf, Sabonis, Stephenson). Steals: 9 (Collison 2, Bogdanovic, Jefferson, Joseph, Leaf, Sabonis, Stephenson, T.Young). Technical Fouls: None.

San Antonio 24 24 16 30— 94 Indiana 26 27 15 29— 97 A—15,013. T—2:13. O—Zach Zarba, Brent Barnaky, Justin Van Duyne

Hornets 120, Magic 113 ORLANDO

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Fournier......37 8-15 5-5 1-3 5 3 23 Gordon.......36 7-16 1-2 2-9 4 4 17 Vucevic.......32 6-17 1-2 2-11 3 4 15 Augustin .....23 0-7 0-0 0-0 5 1 0 Ross ..........33 6-15 4-5 1-5 2 2 17 Simmons ....32 9-15 6-9 0-4 3 1 27 Mack .........16 3-5 3-3 1-1 4 1 10 Biyombo .....15 1-3 0-0 1-4 0 3 2 Hezonja......11 1-4 0-0 1-3 2 1 2 Totals 41-97 20-26 9-40 28 20 113 Shooting: Field goals, 42.3%; free throws, 76.9% Three-point goals: 11-33 (Simmons 3-4, Fournier 2-4, Gordon 2-6, Vucevic 2-8, Mack 1-1, Ross 1-5, Hezonja 0-2, Augustin 0-3). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 11 (12 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Gordon 2, Biyombo, Ross, Simmons). Turnovers: 11 (Gordon 3, Ross 3, Fournier 2, Biyombo, Simmons, Vucevic).

Steals: 10 (Simmons 3, Gordon 2, Biyombo, Fournier, Mack, Ross, Vucevic). Technical Fouls: None.

CHARLOTTE

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Kdd-Glchrst.22 4-4 2-4 0-4 0 1 10 Williams .....30 6-8 0-0 1-11 3 1 13 Howard ......31 9-13 4-9 4-10 3 4 22 Lamb .........30 9-15 0-2 0-6 7 4 20 Walker........35 15-25 2-2 1-6 10 4 34 Bacon ........27 2-7 0-0 0-8 1 3 4 Graham......21 2-8 0-0 4-7 3 2 4 Zeller .........18 3-7 0-0 2-6 1 4 6 Monk .........17 1-8 0-0 0-1 3 0 2 O’Bryant III ...4 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 1 5 Totals 53-98 8-17 12-59 31 24 120 Shooting: Field goals, 54.1%; free throws, 47.1% Three-point goals: 6-18 (Lamb 2-2, Walker 2-7, O’Bryant III 1-1, Williams 1-3, Bacon 0-2, Monk 0-3).

Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 16 (19 PTS).

Blocked Shots: 7 (Williams 2, Howard, Kidd-Gilchrist, Monk, Walker, Zeller). Turnovers: 16 (Howard 5, Lamb 3, Monk 3, Walker 3, Zeller 2). Steals: 6 (Lamb 2, Walker 2, Bacon, Graham). Technical Fouls: None.

Orlando 24 25 37 27— 113 Charlotte 27 34 32 27— 120 A—15,531. T—2:11. O—Pat Fraher, Lauren Holtkamp, James Williams

Wizards 110, Kings 83 WASHINGTON

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Oubre Jr......27 3-7 1-2 0-7 1 1 9 Porter Jr......27 5-9 3-4 0-5 1 1 16 Gortat ........18 3-7 0-0 2-9 2 2 6 Beal...........29 6-11 2-2 1-3 4 1 15 Wall ...........26 7-12 0-0 1-2 9 0 19 Frazier........21 1-2 0-0 1-3 6 3 3 Meeks........20 3-11 3-4 1-4 0 0 11 Satoransky..17 1-3 0-2 0-2 4 1 3 Smith.........16 1-7 2-2 2-4 0 2 5 Scott..........15 6-9 0-0 3-4 0 1 13 Mahinmi.....13 2-3 1-2 1-3 1 5 5 McCullough...6 2-4 1-2 1-3 0 1 5 Totals 40-85 13-20 13-49 28 18 110 Shooting: Field goals, 47.1%; free throws, 65.0% Three-point goals: 17-34 (Wall 5-6, Porter Jr. 3-5, Oubre Jr. 2-4, Meeks 2-7, Scott 1-1, Frazier 1-2, Satoransky 1-2, Beal 1-3, Smith 1-4). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 15 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Porter Jr., Smith, Wall). Turnovers: 15 (Wall 6, Frazier 2, Meeks 2, Beal, Mahinmi, Porter Jr., Scott, Smith). Steals: 9 (Mahinmi 2, Porter Jr. 2, Frazier, Gortat, Meeks, Satoransky, Wall). Technical Fouls: None.

SACRAMENTO

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Bogdanovic .23 7-9 0-0 0-3 1 3 15 Labissiere ...22 4-10 2-2 2-4 0 1 10 Cauly-Stein .24 2-6 2-2 2-9 2 1 6 Fox ............26 1-8 0-0 0-4 5 0 2 Hield..........26 3-11 0-0 2-3 1 2 7 Mason........21 5-10 0-0 0-0 1 1 11 Richardson .19 3-7 3-4 0-1 1 1 10 Temple .......17 2-5 0-0 0-2 0 1 5 Koufos .......16 2-4 3-4 4-10 0 4 7 Carter ........14 0-6 0-0 0-2 0 2 0 Jackson......12 2-4 1-2 0-0 1 1 6 Sampson......6 1-2 2-2 1-4 1 2 4 Papagiannis ..6 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 Totals 32-82 13-16 11-43 13 20 83 Shooting: Field goals, 39.0%; free throws, 81.3% Three-point goals: 6-22 (Bogdanovic 1-1, Jackson 1-1, Temple 1-2, Mason 1-3, Hield 1-4, Richardson 1-5, Fox 0-1, Sampson 0-1, Carter 0-4). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 17 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Jackson, Labissiere). Turnovers: 17 (Fox 4, Bogdanovic 2, Carter 2, Mason 2, Cauley-Stein, Hield, Koufos, Labissiere, Papagiannis, Richardson, Temple). Steals: 8 (Bogdanovic 4, Carter, Labissiere, Mason, Richardson). Technical Fouls: None.

Washington 35 28 25 22— 110 Sacramento 16 16 28 23— 83 A—17,583. T—1:58. O—John Goble, Leon Wood, Aaron Smith

Saturday’s late box score

Pistons 95, CLIPPERS 87 DETROIT

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Harris.........19 4-7 2-2 1-1 1 4 12 S.Johnson ...31 3-7 1-2 0-4 1 1 9 Drummond .33 7-10 1-2 4-17 1 2 15 Bradley.......30 4-15 4-6 1-5 2 1 12 Jackson......32 6-15 2-2 2-4 7 2 15 Tolliver........25 3-8 1-3 2-4 2 3 8 Galloway.....17 5-9 0-0 0-2 0 1 13 Smith.........15 4-6 0-0 0-2 1 0 8 Leuer .........13 0-4 2-2 1-5 1 3 2 Ellenson .....12 0-5 0-0 1-5 0 3 0 Bullock.........6 0-2 1-2 0-1 0 0 1 Moreland......1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 36-88 14-21 12-50 16 20 95 Shooting: Field goals, 40.9%; free throws, 66.7% Three-point goals: 9-28 (Galloway 3-7, Harris 2-3, S.Johnson 2-4, Jackson 1-3, Tolliver 1-5, Bullock 0-1, Smith 0-1, Bradley 0-2, Ellenson 0-2). Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 12 (10 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Drummond 3, Tolliver 2, Leuer). Turnovers: 12 (Jackson 4, Drummond 3, Bradley 2, Ellenson 2, Leuer). Steals: 11 (Bradley 4, Drummond 2, S.Johnson 2, Ellenson, Jackson, Tolliver). Technical Fouls: coach Pistons (Defensive three second), 8:36 second.

CLIPPERS

Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Gallinari .....38 4-16 2-2 0-6 2 2 13 Griffin.........38 5-18 7-10 2-11 4 3 19 Jordan........35 3-6 1-3 8-14 0 2 7 Beverley .....36 3-9 0-0 0-2 8 3 9 Rivers.........33 6-12 2-2 2-4 1 1 20 L.Williams...21 3-9 3-3 0-2 3 1 10 W.Johnson ..12 1-7 0-0 1-7 1 2 2 Reed..........11 2-3 0-0 0-2 0 3 4 Thornwell......9 1-3 1-2 2-3 0 1 3 Dekker .........2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 28-84 16-22 15-51 19 18 87 Shooting: Field goals, 33.3%; free throws, 72.7% Three-point goals: 15-38 (Rivers 6-8, Beverley 3-5, Gallinari 3-10, Griffin 2-6, L.Williams 1-4, Dekker 0-1, Thornwell 0-1, W.Johnson 0-3). Team Rebounds: 9.

Team Turnovers: 18 (22 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Jordan 3, Beverley, Reed, Thornwell). Turnovers: 18 (Beverley 4, Gallinari 3, Reed 3, Griffin 2, Jordan 2, L.Williams 2, Rivers 2). Steals: 6 (Rivers 4, Beverley 2). Technical Fouls: None.

Detroit 27 18 22 28— 95 Clippers 24 31 17 15— 87 A—17,247. T—2:13. O—Curtis Blair, Tom Washington, Eric Dalen

D14

M O N DAY, O C T OB E R 30, 2 017

L ATI M E S .C O M / SP O RTS

MOTOR RACING ROUNDUP

Hamilton clinches Formula One title

associated press

Lewis Hamilton grabbed the British Union Jack for a “victory” lap, then draped it over his shoulders. There was no way he was going to let it go.

Hamilton won his fourth career Formula One championship Sunday with a ninth-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix, a rare finish away from the podium but one good enough to win a title that makes him the most decorated British driver in history.

“It’s been a long journey,” said Hamilton, who won his first championship in 2008.

“This week I’ve been reminiscent of where I came from, dreaming of being in Formula One.” None of it came easy Sunday in a race where he had to overcome a first-lap tire puncture and scramble to finish off title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. It was a bump from Vettel shortly after the start that made an expected title more stressful than anyone at Mercedes expected.

The ninth-place finish was Hamilton’s worst of the season, but it also closed out

Vettel with two races left.

“Not the race you wanted, but who cares?” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff radioed Hamilton after the race.

Not Hamilton.

He passed Jackie Stewart for the most championships won by a British driver. Formula One’s first and only black driver also joined Vettel and Alain Prost as four-time winners. Only Argentina’s Juan Miguel Fangio (five) and Germany’s Michael Schumacher (seven) have won more.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen got the win in Mexico for his third career victory and second this season.

mate pitted under green to fix the tire, Keselowski probably would have coasted to the win and earned the spot in the finale.

Instead, Logano spun and brought out a caution.

Keselowski was moved out of the way by Elliott after a restart, and Hamlin then spun Elliott out of the lead with two laps remaining in regulation.

Elliott wrecked, chased Hamlin down on the cooldown lap to show his displeasure, and the drivers had a heated exchange after they climbed from their cars.

It was a disastrous result for Elliott — from potential race winner to 27th, lowest of the eight remaining playoff drivers.

Kyle Busch wins in overtime, advances There should be no confusion about the intensity of NASCAR’s playoffs after the race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.

Chase Elliott could have won. Same for Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin.

It was Kyle Busch, though, who punched his ticket into NASCAR’s championship race with a victory in overtime of a race that turned wild very, very quickly and ended with a

McMillen gets his first NHRA win Mark Thompson Getty Images

LEWIS HAMILTON is the center of attention after winning his fourth Formula

One championship. Hamilton finished ninth in the race in Mexico. multicar accident after Busch took the checkered flag. Busch moved Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Hamlin out of his to earn a spot in next month’s championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the third con-

THE DAY IN SPORTS

Johnson collapse ties PGA record

wire reports

ETC.

Justin Rose, who began the final round trailing Dustin Johnson by eight shots, won a shocker at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai when the No. 1 player in the world went into the PGA Tour record books for all the wrong reasons.

Instead of becoming the first player to win three World Golf Championships in one year, Johnson tied a record for losing the largest lead in the final round. Six shots clear of the field, Johnson didn’t make a single birdie on a wind-blown Sunday for a collapse that even Rose didn’t see coming.

“The beginning of the day, I was playing for second,” Rose said.

As Rose completed a five-under 67, he looked up and saw Johnson’s last hope for eagle on the 18th tumble off the side of the green and into the water.

Johnson shot 77, his highest final round with the lead since an 82 at Pebble Beach in the 2010 U.S. Open.

“I just could never get anything going and didn’t hole any putts,” Johnson said. “It was pretty simple.”

Johnson matched the record for losing a six-shot lead, most recently by Sergio Garcia in 2005, most famously

by Greg Norman in the 1996 Masters.

Only two other players in PGA Tour history have come from more than eight shots behind on the final day to win — Paul Lawrie (10 shots) in the 1999 British Open and Stewart Cink (nine shots) at Hilton Head in 2004.

Bernhard Langer made a 30-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to beat Miguel Angel Jimenez in the PowerShares QQQ Championship at Sherwood County Club for his second victory in two events of the Champions Tour’s playoffs. ... Cristie Kerr holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the final hole for an even-par 71 and a one-shot victory in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. ...

Ryan Armour shot a four-under 68 to earn a first PGA Tour win at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jacksonville, Miss.

Reports: Nationals tab Martinez as manager Dave Martinez agreed to a threeyear contract, plus an option, to be the manager of the Washington Nationals, according to multiple reports.

It’s the first manager job for Martinez, 53, a former player who has been the bench coach for manager Joe Maddon for the last decade in Chicago and Tampa Bay. Martinez replaces Dusty Baker, who was let go despite winning two National League East titles with 95 wins in 2016 and 97 wins this year.

The Nationals have won four division titles since 2012 but no playoff series. Martinez is Washington’s sixth manager in a 10-season span.

Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell was arrested in Arizona on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct after a food delivery person alleged he pointed a gun at her.

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 pick in the draft, is out indefinitely with a right shoulder injury. ... The NBA suspended the Washington Wizards’ Carrick Felix and Markieff Morris one game for leaving the bench during a fight Friday.

secutive year. He won the series title in 2015.

“We weren’t the best all day, but we put ourselves in the right spots there at the end,” Busch said. “There was kind of chaos ensuing and none of it was our fault,

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AP TOP 25

Team Record Pts. Prv. 1. Alabama (59)...........8-0 1523 1 2. Georgia (2) ..............8-0 1465 3 3. Ohio St....................7-1 1332 6 4. Wisconsin ................8-0 1256 5 5. Notre Dame .............7-1 1254 9 6. Clemson ..................7-1 1196 7 7. Penn St. ..................7-1 1189 2 8. Oklahoma ................7-1 1147 10 9. Miami .....................7-0 1075 8 10. TCU ........................7-1 942 4 11. Oklahoma St. ...........7-1 936 11 12. Washington ..............7-1 874 12 13. Virginia Tech.............7-1 837 13 14. Iowa St....................6-2 670 25 15. UCF ........................7-0 654 18 16. Auburn ....................6-2 576 19 17. USC........................7-2 562 21 18. Stanford ..................6-2 434 20 19. LSU ........................6-2 338 23 20. NC State..................6-2 333 14 21. Mississippi St. ..........6-2 279 NR 22. Memphis .................7-1 270 24 23. Arizona....................6-2 204 NR 24. Michigan St..............6-2 136 16 25. Washington St. .........7-2 122 15 Others receiving votes: South Florida 98, Michigan 73, Toledo 19, West Virginia 13, South Carolina 11, San Diego St. 3, Army 2, Boise St. 2.

LATE SUMMARY

USC 48, Arizona St. 17

USC ...........................14 17 7 10—48 Arizona St. ....................3 7 7 0—17 First Quarter USC—Burnett 32 pass from Darnold (McGrath kick), 11:27 ASU—FG Ruiz 39, 6:50 USC—Vaughns 42 pass from Darnold (McGrath kick), 2:25 Second Quarter USC—R.Jones 67 run (McGrath kick), 14:24 USC—Vaughns 19 pass from Darnold (McGrath kick), 6:02 USC—FG McGrath 51, :52 ASU—Ky.Williams 47 pass from Wilkins (Ruiz kick), :00 Third Quarter ASU—Wilkins 1 run (Ruiz kick), 11:30 USC—R.Jones 64 run (McGrath kick), 10:10 Fourth Quarter USC—FG McGrath 33, 10:36 USC—Ross 37 interception return (McGrath kick), 1:03 Attendance—53,446.

STATISTICS ASU USC First downs ..........................29 15 Rushes-yards.................46-341 30-79 Passing .............................266 278 Comp-Att-Int ................19-35-0 18-31-1 Return Yards ........................39 59 Punts-Avg. .....................2-48.0 8-39.37 Fumbles-Lost ......................1-1 0-0 Penalties-Yards ..................8-60 10-99 Time of Possession...........34:03 25:57 Individual Leaders RUSHING: USC, R.Jones 18-216, Malepeai 11-68, Ware 6-22, Darnold 4-19, Fink 2-13, Jountti 2-5, Toland 1-4, Peters 1-0, (Team) 1-(minus 6). Arizona St., Richard 15-70, Benjamin 117, Cosgrove 2-6, Ralston 1-4, (Team) 1-(minus 9), Wilkins 10-(minus 9).

PASSING: USC, Darnold 19-35-0-266. Arizona St., Barnett 1-2-1-19, Wilkins 17-29-0-259.

RECEIVING: USC, Vaughns 6-126, Burnett 449, Petite 2-42, Pittman 2-23, Ware 1-8, Malepeai 1-6, Lewis 1-6, Sidney 1-5, R.Jones 1-1. Arizona St., Ky.Williams 7-121, Harry 3-86, Humphrey 2-18, Newsome 2-10, Harvey 1-32, Richard 1-5, Hodges 1-4, Ballage 1-2.

MISSED FIELD GOALS—USC, McGrath 38.

Roger Federer finally beat Juan Martin del Potro in a Swiss Indoors final, winning 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 for his 95th ATP tournament win, second on the Open era title list behind Jimmy Connors’ 109. Federer later pulled out of the Paris Masters, which starts Monday. That decision all but assures the end-of-season No. 1 status for Rafael Nadal. ... Caroline Wozniacki beat Venus Williams for the first time in eight tries, 6-4, 6-4 to win the WTA Fi- THIS DAY IN nals in Singapore. ... Lucas Pouille SPORTS won his third title of the season, de1974—Muhammad Ali knocks out George feating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 6-4 at Foreman in the eighth round in Kinshasa, Zaire, to regain the world heavyweight title. the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

we just came out on the right end of the stick.”

Keselowski was in position to win when Joey Logano developed a tire problem with about 10 laps remaining in regulation.

Had his Team Penske team-

SOCCER

GOLF

MLS PLAYOFFS Conference Semifinals Home-and-home Western Conference Sunday’s result: Seattle 0, at Vancouver 0 Thursday: Vancouver at Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

Today: Houston at Portland, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday: Portland at Houston, TBA Eastern Conference Today: New York at Toronto, 4 p.m.

Sunday: Toronto at New York, noon Tuesday: Columbus at N.Y. City FC, 5 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 5: N.Y. City FC at Columbus, TBA Conference championships Home-and-home Eastern Conference Nov. 21: TBD, 5 p.m.

Nov. 28 or Nov. 29: TBD Western Conference Nov. 21: TBD Nov. 30: TBD MLS Cup Dec. 9: at highest seed, 1 p.m.

$9.75-MILLION WGC-HSBC CHAMPIONS At Shanghai — Par 72 Sheshan International GC — 7,261 yards Final 72-Hole Scores 274 (-14)—$1,660,000 Justin Rose (550).....................67-68-72-67 276 (-12)—$679,667 Brooks Koepka (218)................64-68-73-71 Henrik Stenson (218) ...............68-69-69-70 Dustin Johnson (218) ...............68-63-68-77 280 (-8)—$288,000 Rafa Cabrera Bello (105)...........68-70-70-72 Kyle Stanley (105) ...................71-68-69-72 Peter Uihlein (105)...................72-67-69-72 281 (-7)—$210,000 Brian Harman (89) ...................68-69-70-74 282 (-6)—$176,000 Matthew Fitzpatrick...................68-69-72-73 Bernd Wiesberger .....................71-70-70-71 283 (-5)—$140,000 Paul Casey (67) .......................71-72-69-71 Jason Day (67) ........................69-74-72-68 Tony Finau (67)........................67-72-74-70 Tyrrell Hatton (67) ....................68-70-71-74 284 (-4)—$107,900 Patrick Cantlay (55) ..................68-74-69-73 Branden Grace (55)..................74-69-72-69 Charles Howell III (55)...............72-67-71-74 Daisuke Kataoka ......................71-72-69-72 Phil Mickelson (55) ..................71-72-74-67 285 (-3)—$90,250 Ashun Wu ...............................67-72-73-73 Tommy Fleetwood (48) ..............71-70-70-74 Hideto Tanihara........................72-70-74-69 Jhonattan Vegas (48) ................70-73-72-70 286 (-2)—$79,500 Kiradech Aphibarnrat ................65-70-75-76 Daniel Berger (37)....................68-71-75-72 Poom Saksansin ......................73-70-68-75 Pat Perez (37)..........................72-69-76-69 Chez Reavie (37)......................69-74-71-72 Hyun-woo Ryu..........................69-73-69-75 Matthew Southgate...................68-71-74-73 287 (-1)—$72,000 SSP Chawrasia.........................72-70-73-72 Matt Kuchar (27) .....................67-70-72-78 Alexander Levy .........................71-71-71-74 Alex Noren (27) .......................72-72-72-71 Thorbjorn Olesen ......................72-73-69-73 288 (E)—$68,500 Russell Henley (22) ..................75-68-76-69 Jon Rahm (22).........................72-74-69-73 289 (+1)—$64,500 Paul Dunne .............................67-73-70-79 Gavin Kyle Green......................65-74-73-77 Marc Leishman (18) .................71-79-68-71 WC Liang ................................72-70-73-74 Haydn Porteous........................66-74-74-75 Richard Sterne.........................73-72-76-68

INTERNATIONAL (home team listed first) ENGLAND Premier League Brighton 1, Southampton 1 Leicester 2, Everton 0 SPAIN La Liga Getafe 2, Sociedad 1 Girona 2, Madrid 1 Eibar 2, Levante 2 Malaga 2, Celta Vigo 1 ITALY Serie A Benevento 1, Lazio 5 Napoli 3, Sassuolo 1 Crotone 2, Fiorentina 1 Spal 1, Genoa 0 Sampdoria 4, Chievo 1 Udinese 2, Atalanta 1 Turin 2, Cagliari 1 GERMANY Bundesliga Bremen 0, Augsburg 3 Stuttgart 3, Freiburg 0 FRANCE Ligue 1 Lyon 2, Metz 0 Toulouse 0, Saint-Etienne 0 Lille 0, Marseille 1 MEXICO Liga MX Monterrey 2, America 0 Leon 6, Veracruz 2 Necaxa 5, Lobos B.U.A.P. 0 Chivas 3, Tijuana 1 Toluca 0, Monarcas 1

TENNIS $7-MILLION WTA FINALS At Singapore Surface: Hard-Indoor Singles championship Caroline Wozniacki (6), Denmark, def. Venus Williams (5), United States, 6-4, 6-4.

Doubles championship Timea Babos, Hungary, and Andrea Hlavackova (3), Czech Republic, def. Kiki Bertens, Netherlands, and Johanna Larsson, Sweden, 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 retired. $2.16-MILLION ATP SWISS INDOORS At Basel Surface: Hard-Indoor Singles championship Roger Federer (1), Switzerland, def. Juan Martin del Potro (4), Argentina, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles championship Ivan Dodig, Croatia, and Marcel Granollers (2), Spain, def. Fabrice Martin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, France, 7-5, 7-6 (6). $2.4-MILLION ATP ERSTE BANK OPEN At Vienna Surface: Hard-Indoor Singles championship Lucas Pouille, France, def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (8), France, 6-1, 6-4.

Doubles championship Rohan Bopanna, India, and Pablo Cuevas, Uruguay, def. Marcelo Demoliner, Brazil, and Sam Querrey, United States, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (4), 11-9.

SANTA ANITA RESULTS Copyright 2017 by Equibase Company. 19th Day of a 19-Day Thoroughbred Meet.

8161-FIRST RACE. about 61⁄2-furlongs turf. Allowance. 3 year olds and up. Purse $51,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 1 Caribou Club Van Dyke 7.80 4.20 2.80 5 Kristi’s Copilot Talamo 4.40 3.20 8 Tristan’s Trilogy Blanc 3.20 8 Also Ran: Allaboutmike, Burning Brightly (IRE), Hitters Park, Plate Side, Dreams of Valor, Arch Prince.

8 Time: 21.90, 43.63,1.05.82,1.11.70. Clear & Firm. Trainer: Thomas F. Proctor. Owner: Glen Hill Farm.

8 Scratched: none.

8 Exotics: $1 Exacta (1-5) paid $18.00, $1 Superfecta (1-58-2) paid $233.80, 50-Cent Trifecta (1-5-8) paid $43.40.

8162-SECOND RACE. 11⁄16-mile. Maiden Special Weight.

2 year olds. Purse $50,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 2 Instilled Regard Smith 3.60 2.60 2.40 6 Midnight Soot Gnzalez 9.20 5.80 3 Canadian Game Gutierrez 4.60 8 Also Ran: Draft Pick, Xten, Shane Zain, Fleetwood.

8 Time: 24.00, 48.97, 1.14.01, 1.39.32, 1.45.76. Clear & Fast. Trainer: Jerry Hollendorfer. Owner: OXO Equine LLC. 8 Scratched: none.

8 Exotics: $2 Daily Double (1-2) paid $16.40, $1 Exacta (2-6) paid $23.10, $1 Superfecta (2-6-3-1) paid $376.60, 50-Cent Trifecta (2-6-3) paid $52.60.

8163-THIRD RACE. about 61⁄2-furlongs turf. Starter Allowance. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up.

Claiming Price $50,000. Purse $30,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 3 Red Livy (IRE) Baze 6.80 3.40 2.80 9 Midnight Swinger Van Dyke 2.80 2.40 6 Proud ’n’ Ready Prat 4.40 8 Also Ran: Velvet Jones, Royal Astronomer, Coalinga Hills, Pirate Flag, Reckless Charm, Carrie.

8 Time: 22.07, 44.81, 1.06.95, 1.12.95. Clear & Firm.

Trainer: Philip D’Amato. Owner: Britt, Sam and House, Michael.

8 Scratched: Li’l Grazen.

8 Exotics: $1 Pick Three (1-2-3) paid $26.90, $2 Daily Double (2-3) paid $13.20, $1 Exacta (3-9) paid $8.10, $1 Consolation Pick Three (1-2-1) paid $7.80, $1 Superfecta (3-9-610) paid $147.60, 50-Cent Trifecta (3-9-6) paid $17.85.

8164-FOURTH RACE. 51⁄2-furlongs. Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $20,000-$18,000. Purse $24,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 7 Pica Roman 7.20 3.00 2.40 4 Plane Lucky Bejarano 2.40 2.20 3 Dissension Lopez 3.40 8 Also Ran: Tuscany Beauty, Ryderroo, Dragon Flower, Run Sophia Run. 8 Time: 22.06, 45.58, 58.16, 1.04.93. Clear & Fast. Trainer: Eddie Truman. Owner: Roper, James L. and Ilene A..

8 Scratched: none.

8 Exotics: $1 Pick Three (2-3-7) paid $26.20, $2 Daily Double (3-7) paid $25.00, $1 Exacta (7-4) paid $7.80, $1 Superfecta (7-4-3-6) paid $56.20, 50-Cent Trifecta (7-4-3) paid $11.15.

8165-FIFTH RACE. 51⁄2-furlongs. Starter Optional Claiming. 2 year olds. Claiming Price $40,000. Purse $30,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 1 Texas Wedge Lopez 3.00 2.60 2.20 6 Wrrr’s Lllaby Mldnado 7.80 4.20 3 Nghbrhd Bully Van Dyke 2.60 8 Also Ran: Oh Man, Utah Ute, Get Em Up Scout, Handsome Swede.

8 Time: 22.03, 45.61, 57.60, 1.04.00. Clear & Fast. Trainer: Peter Miller. Owner: Altamira Racing Stable, Rafter JR Ranch LLC, STD Racing Stable and Miller, A..

8 Scratched: none.

8 Exotics: $1 Pick Three (3-7-1) paid $31.60, 50-Cent Pick Four (2-3-7-1) 4929 tickets with 4 correct paid $29.10, 50Cent Pick Five (1-2-3-7-1) 3169 tickets with 5 correct paid $165.95, $2 Daily Double (7-1) paid $11.40, $1 Exacta (1-6) paid $11.30, $1 Superfecta (1-6-3-5) paid $180.40, 50-Cent Trifecta (1-6-3) paid $20.40.

8166-SIXTH RACE. about 61⁄2-furlongs turf. Maiden Special Weight. 3 year olds and up. Purse $50,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 11 Tule Fog Arias 32.60 8.20 5.00 3 Oiseau de Guerre Stevens 3.80 2.60 10 Little Juanito Roman 2.80 8 Also Ran: New Dancer, Catfish Hunter, Williston Dude, Starting Bloc, Schooley, Artistic Ab, Pashito, Towards the Light, Chrisiscookin.

8 Time: 21.39, 43.34, 1.06.36, 1.12.43. Clear & Firm.

Trainer: Javier Jose Sierra. Owner: Sherry, Carolyn and Sierra Stables, Inc..

8 Scratched: none.

8 Exotics: $1 Pick Three (7-1-11) paid $187.70, $2 Daily Double (1-11) paid $63.60, $1 Exacta (11-3) paid $49.50, $1 Superfecta (11-3-10-2) paid $2,387.40, 50-Cent Trifecta (113-10) paid $112.20.

8167-SEVENTH RACE. 1-mile. Maiden Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $30,000.

Purse $21,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 2 Took the High Talamo 8.20 5.00 4.20 Road 8 Hotsy Dotsy Roman 5.40 3.80 5 Dressed in Prada Pereira 5.40 8 Also Ran: Lovely Linda, Tiffany Diamond, Grace Hopper, Eye of the River, Princess Nicole, Hope She Will.

8 Time: 23.72, 48.02, 1.13.53, 1.26.88, 1.40.24. Clear & Fast. Trainer: Ronald W. Ellis. Owner: Jay Em Ess Stable.

8 Scratched: Let Me Flatter You, Curlina Curlina, Sonnet’s Joy. 8 Exotics: $1 Pick Three (1-11-2) paid $140.20, $2 Daily Double (11-2) paid $137.60, $1 Exacta (2-8) paid $17.50, $1 Superfecta (2-8-5-9) paid $610.20, 50-Cent Trifecta (2-8-5) paid $85.55.

8168-EIGHTH RACE. 51⁄2-furlongs. Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $12,500-$10,500. Purse $15,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 9 One I’m Running Roman 3.80 2.40 2.10 To 6 Black Tie ’n Tails Elliott 3.20 2.80 10 True Ranger Pereira 3.60 8 Also Ran: Mt. Leinster, Cammy’s Music, Yo La Tengo, Liberation, Spirit World, Julia’s Summer, Proudtobesicilian, Smarty Moon.

8 Time: 22.22, 45.62, 57.83, 1.04.29. Clear & Fast. Trainer: Mark Glatt. Owner: Moran, Michael A. and Joe. 8 Scratched: Cal Cal Li Gowchis.

8 Exotics: $1 Pick Three (11-2-9) paid $133.30, $2 Daily Double (2-9) paid $15.20, $1 Exacta (9-6) paid $4.80, $1 Superfecta (9-6-10-8) paid $114.70, 50-Cent Trifecta (9-610) paid $9.15.

8169-NINTH RACE. 1-mile turf. ’Autumn Miss Stakes’.

Fillies. 3 year olds. Purse $100,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 11 Lull Prat 6.40 4.40 3.20 5 Chocolate Coated Stevens 9.00 6.80 6 Storm the Hill Nakatani 5.00 8 Also Ran: Tapped, Kathy’s Song, Spin Me a Kiss, Meadowsweet, Almost Carla, Beautiful Becca, Sandy’s Surprise, Reverse, Domestic Vintage, Miss Southern Miss.

8 Time: 22.35, 45.00, 1.08.58, 1.20.54, 1.32.66. Clear & Firm. Trainer: Christophe Clement. Owner: Claiborne Farm and Dilschneider, Adele B..

8 Scratched: Bernina Star.

Top Fuel veteran Terry McMillen earned his first career victory at the NHRA Toyota Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won their respective categories at the fifth of six playoff events.

8 Exotics: $1 Pick Three (2-9-11) paid $26.30, $2 Daily Double (9-11) paid $11.60, $1 Exacta (11-5) paid $29.40, $1 Superfecta (11-5-6-4) paid $892.30, 50-Cent Trifecta (115-6) paid $101.70.

8170-TENTH RACE. 6-furlongs. Allowance Optional Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up.

Claiming Price $40,000. Purse $51,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 5 Stealth Drone Talamo 8.60 3.80 3.40 10 Marley’s Freedom Dsrmeaux 3.00 2.60 9 Ruby Trust Elliott 5.40 8 Also Ran: Dr Liz, Discatsonthesquare, Meanie Irenie, Shezroxiie, Adios Cali, Bowie, Empress Rules.

8 Time: 21.73, 44.61, 56.85, 1.09.86. Clear & Fast. Trainer: Kristin Mulhall. Owner: Church, Kenneth H., Klosterman, Ken and MacNeil, William.

8 Scratched: none.

8 Exotics: $1 Pick Three (9-11-5) paid $32.10, $2 Daily Double (11-5) paid $47.80, $1 Exacta (5-10) paid $12.50, $1 Superfecta (5-10-9-1) paid $1,610.90, 50-Cent Trifecta (510-9) paid $51.35.

8171-ELEVENTH RACE. about 61⁄2 furlongs turf. Maiden Special Weight. Fillies. 2 year olds. Purse $50,000.

P# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 3 Bella Style Bejarano 8.60 5.20 3.40 1 An Eddie Surprise Gutierrez 7.00 4.80 10 Carrie’s Success Talamo 2.80 8 Also Ran: Super Patriot, Tribal Dance, Funny Bean, Dixie Lassie, Lucky Lula, Lucky At the Bay, Fantastic Chloe, She’s a Gambler.

8 Time: 22.24, 44.95, 1.07.87, 1.13.73. Clear & Firm.

Trainer: Hector O. Palma. Owner: Robert Joe Riggio.

8 Scratched: Carpathia, Lucky Outcome, X S Gold.

8 Exotics: $1 Pick Three (11-5-3) paid $109.60, 50-Cent Pick Four (1/9-11/12-5-3) 6943 tickets with 4 correct paid $108.45, $2 Pick Six (11-2-1/9-11/12-5-3) 408 tickets with 5 out of 6 paid $128.80, $2 Pick Six (11-2-1/9-11/12-5-3) 15 tickets with 6 correct paid $22,254.00, $2 Daily Double (5-3) paid $57.80, $1 Exacta (3-1) paid $28.80, $1 Superfecta (3-1-10-8) paid $574.80, $1 Super High Five (3-1-10-8-11) 19 tickets paid $1,971.00, 50-Cent Trifecta (3-1-10) paid $39.90.

ATTENDANCE / MUTUEL HANDLE On-Track Attendance-7,389. Mutuel handle-$1,317,125 Inter-Track Attendance-N/A. Mutuel handle-$2,045,941 Out of State Attendance-N/A. Mutuel handle-$7,985,846 Total Attendance-7,389. Mutuel handle- $11,348,912

CHAMPIONS TOUR $2-MILLION POWERSHARES QQQ CHAMPIONSHIP At Thousand Oaks—Par 72 Sherwood CC—7,006 yards Final 54-Hole Scores x-won on second playoff hole 205 (-11)—$305,000 x-Bernhard Langer .........................69-69-67 205 (-11)—$180,000 Miguel Angel Jim?nez.....................68-70-67 207 (-9)—$144,800 David Toms ..................................66-72-69 208 (-8)—$119,000 Scott McCarron.............................70-69-69 210 (-6)—$84,333 Fred Funk ....................................74-68-68 Billy Andrade................................69-70-71 Doug Garwood..............................71-69-70 211 (-5)—$55,500 Paul Broadhurst ............................71-71-69 Jerry Kelly ....................................72-70-69 Jeff Maggert .................................66-73-72 Gene Sauers ................................74-68-69 212 (-4).......................................$45,000 Glen Day......................................73-71-68 Scott Dunlap ................................68-72-72 Scott Parel ...................................74-69-69 Kenny Perry..................................72-68-72 213 (-3)—$38,000 David Frost...................................71-71-71 Billy Mayfair .................................75-70-68 Jesper Parnevik .............................67-74-72 214 (-2)—$28,000 Stephen Ames ..............................73-71-70 Tom Lehman.................................74-68-72 Joey Sindelar ................................69-73-72 215 (-1)—$21,000 Marco Dawson..............................71-74-70 Wes Short Jr. ................................70-70-75

LPGA TOUR $1.8-MILLION LPGA SIME DARBY At Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—Par 71 TPC Kuala Lumpur—6,246 yards Final 72-Hole Scores 269 (-15)—$270,000 Cristie Kerr ..............................70-63-65-71 270 (-14)—$127,016 Danielle Kang ..........................68-67-69-66 Jacqui Concolino ......................68-68-67-67 Shanshan Feng ........................66-65-68-71 271 (-13)—$58,391 Brooke M. Henderson................70-69-68-64 Nelly Korda .............................68-68-70-65 Sung Hyun Park .......................68-69-67-67 Stacy Lewis .............................71-66-66-68 272 (-12)—$38,776 In Gee Chun ............................72-66-68-66 Sei Young Kim..........................69-65-68-70 273 (-11)—$33,072 Lydia Ko .................................64-72-70-67 Madelene Sagstrom..................66-66-73-68 274 (-10)—$28,161 Lizette Salas............................72-68-66-68 So Yeon Ryu ............................72-67-66-69 Sarah Jane Smith .....................74-65-65-70 275 (-9)—$24,998 Charley Hull.............................72-67-71-65 276 (-8)—$23,174 Suzann Pettersen......................67-69-71-69 Carlota Ciganda .......................70-66-69-71 277 (-7)—$20,984 Megan Khang ..........................72-69-68-68 Gaby Lopez .............................68-68-71-70 Eun-Hee Ji...............................66-72-68-71 278 (-6)—$19,524 Marina Alex .............................71-70-69-68 279 (-5)—$17,769 Azahara Munoz ........................72-65-73-69 Su Oh.....................................65-71-72-71 Brittany Lincicome ....................69-67-70-73 Candie Kung............................67-69-70-73 280 (-4)—$16,148 Caroline Masson ......................70-72-66-72 281 (-3)—$14,342 Nicole Broch Larsen..................72-72-72-65 Minjee Lee ..............................68-73-72-68 Aditi Ashok..............................70-73-69-69 Angel Yin ................................73-73-65-70 Lee-Anne Pace.........................73-70-67-71 282 (-2)—$11,465 Cheyenne Woods......................72-71-71-68 Haru Nomura...........................70-68-75-69 Ariya Jutanugarn.......................72-72-68-70 Brittany Altomare......................70-70-71-71 Gerina Piller ............................73-67-70-72 Karine Icher.............................69-69-70-74 $4.3-MILLION PGA TOUR SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP At Jackson, Miss. — Par 72 The Country Club of Jackson — 7,421 yards Final 72-Hole Scores 269 (-19)—$774,000 Ryan Armour (300)...................66-68-67-68 274 (-14)—$464,400 Chesson Hadley (165) ..............68-70-68-68 276 (-12)—$292,400 Jonathan Randolph (105)..........69-69-71-67 278 (-10)—$177,733 Smylie Kaufman (68)................67-72-71-68 Scott Strohmeyer......................72-67-68-71 Brian Stuard (68) .....................67-70-71-70 279 (-9)—$134,017 Jason Kokrak (50) ....................69-70-73-67 Nicholas Lindheim (50) .............70-67-72-70 Ben Silverman (50) ..................68-70-69-72 280 (-8)—$92,143 Ricky Barnes (34) ....................69-70-75-66 Derek Fathauer (34) .................67-71-73-69 Patton Kizzire (34) ....................71-72-69-68 Shawn Stefani (34) ..................72-71-67-70 Kevin Streelman (34) ................71-69-71-69 Beau Hossler (34) ....................69-69-69-73 Vaughn Taylor (34)....................70-66-71-73 281 (-7)—$68,800 Wyndham Clark........................66-71-75-69 282 (-6)—$52,337 Brandon Hagy (26)...................71-71-72-68 Rob Oppenheim (26) ................70-71-70-71 Zac Blair (26) ..........................68-70-71-73 Brian Gay (26).........................72-69-68-73 Tom Lovelady (26) ....................71-69-70-72 Hunter Mahan (26)...................70-71-69-72 Seamus Power (26) ..................68-68-71-75 283 (-5)—$33,540 Austin Cook (20)......................72-67-70-74 Billy Hurley III (20) ...................72-68-69-74 William McGirt (20) ..................70-71-70-72 Tyrone Van Aswegen (20) ...........70-65-74-74 Aaron Wise (20).......................68-74-70-71

AUTO RACING FORMULA ONE Mexico Grand Prix At Hermanos Rodriguez Autodrome Lap length: 2.67 miles (Pole position in parentheses) 1. (2) Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer, 71 laps, 1:36:26.552, 25 points; 2. (4) Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 71, +19.678, 18; 3. (5) Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, 71, +54.007, 15; 4. (1) Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 71, +1:10.078, 12; 5. (6) Esteban Ocon, France, Force India Mercedes, 70, +1 lap, 10; 6. (12) Lance Stroll, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 70, +1 lap, 8; 7. (10) Sergio Perez, Mexico, Force India Mercedes, 70, +1 lap, 6; 8.

(18) Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 70, +1 lap, 4; 9. (3) Lewis Hamilton, Britain, Mercedes, 70, +1 lap, 2; 10. (14) Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren Honda, 70, +1 lap, 1 11. (11) Felipe Massa, Brazil, Williams Mercedes, 70, +1 lap; 12. (15) Stoffel Vandoorne, Belgium, McLaren Honda, 70, +1 lap; 13. (20) Pierre Gasly, France, Toro Rosso, 70, +1 lap; 14. (17) Pascal Wehrlein, Germany, Sauber Ferrari, 69, +2 laps; 15. (19) Romain Grosjean, France, Haas Ferrari, 69, +2 laps; 16. (9) Carlos Sainz, Spain, Renault, 59; 17. (16) Marcus Ericsson, Sweden, Sauber Ferrari, 55; 18. (13) Brendon Hartley, New Zealand, Toro Rosso, 30; 19. (8) Nico Hulkenberg, Germany, Renault, 24; 20. (7) Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer, 5.

SERIES LEADERS: 1. x- Hamilton, 333 points; 2. Vettel, 277; 3. Bottas, 262; 4. Ricciardo, 192; 5. Raikkonen, 178; 6. Verstappen, 148; 7. Perez, 92; 8. Ocon, 83; 9..Sainz,54; 10. Stroll, 40. x-won title.

NASCAR Monster Energy Cup First Data 500 At Martinsville (va.) Speedway Lap length: 0.526 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (14) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 505 laps, 0 rating, 58 points; 2. (2) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 505, 0, 48; 3. (5) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 505, 0, 36; 4. (7) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 505, 0, 53; 5. (13) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 505, 0, 36; 6. (34) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 505, 0, 31; 7. (6) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 505, 0, 31; 8. (4) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 505, 0, 38; 9. (17) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 505, 0, 31; 10.

(22) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, 505, 0, 27; 11.

(21) Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 505, 0, 26; 12.

(24) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 505, 0, 33; 13.

(25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 505, 0, 26; 14.

(18) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 505, 0, 23; 15.

(15) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 505, 0, 22; 16. (12) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 505, 0, 24; 17. (23)

Danica Patrick, Ford, 505, 0, 20; 18. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 505, 0, 19; 19. (20) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 505, 0, 18; 20. (19) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 505, 0, 17; 21. (29) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 505, 0, 16; 22. (11) Kurt Busch, Ford, 505, 0, 15; 23. (33) Landon Cassill, Ford, 505, 0, 14; 24. (1) Joey Logano, Ford, 504, 0, 29.

RACE STATISTICS: Average speed of winner: 74.901 mph; Time of race: 3:32:47; Margin of victory: 0.141 seconds; Caution flags: 11 for 74 laps; Lead changes: 16 among 6 drivers.

SERIES LEADERS: 1. Truex, 4117; 2. Ky.Busch, 4100; 3. Keselowski, 4079; 4. Harvick, 4053; 5.

Johnson, 4050; 6. Blaney, 4047; 7. Hamlin, 4045; 8. Elliott, 4027; 9. Larson, 2237; 10.

Kenseth, 2215; 11. Kahne, 2150; 12. Dillon, 2148; 13. McMurray, 2146; 14. Stenhouse, 2146; 15. Ku.Busch, 2139; 16. R.Newman, 2130.

NHRA At The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Toytoa Nationals Finals TOP FUEL—Terry McMillen, 3.870 seconds, 253.99 mph def. Brittany Force, Foul - Red Light.

FUNNY CAR—Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.942, 329.42 def. Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.020, 320.05. PRO STOCK—Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.698, 204.70 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 15.506, 36.72. PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE—Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.924, 193.16 def. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.949, 192.91.

SERIES LEADERS—Top Fuel: 1. Steve Torrence, 2,527. 2. Brittany Force, 2,507. 3. Doug Kalitta, 2,443. 4. Antron Brown, 2,392. 5. Leah Pritchett, 2,361. 6. Tony Schumacher, 2,340. 7. Clay Millican, 2,326. 8. Shawn Langdon, 2,267. 9.

Terry McMillen, 2,261. 10. Scott Palmer, 2,169; Funny Car: 1. Robert Hight, 2,548. 2. Ron Capps, 2,533. 3. Courtney Force, 2,423. 4. Jack Beckman, 2,396. 5. Matt Hagan, 2,387. 6. John Force, 2,306. 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 2,276. 8.

Tim Wilkerson, 2,237. 9. J.R. Todd, 2,233. 10.

Cruz Pedregon, 2,163. Pro Stock: 1. Greg Anderson, 2,597. 2. Bo Butner, 2,557. 3. Jason Line, 2,521. 4. Tanner Gray, 2,413. 5. Drew Skillman, 2,384. 6. Erica Enders, 2,286. 7. Allen Johnson, 2,235. 8. Jeg Coughlin, 2,234. 9. Chris McGaha, 2,207. 10. Vincent Nobile, 2,052. Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,628. 2. LE Tonglet, 2,478. 3. Andrew Hines, 2,427. 4. Scotty Pollacheck, 2,406. 5. Hector Arana Jr, 2,400. 6.

Jerry Savoie, 2,393. 7. Matt Smith, 2,345. 8.

Karen Stoffer, 2,252. 9. Angie Smith, 2,209. 10.

Joey Gladstone, 2,200.

L AT I ME S . CO M / S P O RT S

SS

M O NDAY , O C T OB E R 30, 2 017

D15

WORLD SERIES GAME 5 ASTROS REPORT

Juiced?

Pitchers think so

By Pedro Moura HOUSTON — Houston ace Justin Verlander, who is scheduled to start Game 6 on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, said he believes the baseballs being used in the World Series are slicker than those used during the regular season. He said it was one reason the Dodgers and Astros combined for a record 15 home runs in the first four games.

“All you can ask for is consistency,” Verlander said.

“Over the years the numbers speak for themselves.”

Astros teammate Dallas Keuchel, who started Game 5 Sunday, also complained about the baseballs after the Astros’ Game 2 victory.

“Obviously the balls are juiced,” he said.

Verlander pushed the issue at a news conference before Sunday’s game when he said he doubted commissioner Rob Manfred’s statement that the baseballs remain within long-standing specifications.

“I think there’s enough information out there to say that’s not true,” Verlander said. “On one hand,” the former Cy Young Award winner continued, “you can have somebody that manufactures the ball [say] they’re not different. And on the other hand you can [have] the people that have held a ball in their hand their entire life saying it’s different. You value one over the other.

Take your pick.”

MLB spokesman Pat Courtney responded by saying: “World Series baseballs are tested at the time of manufacturing and are made from the same materials and to the same specifications as regular season baseballs. The only difference is the gold stamping on the baseballs.”

Verlander acknowledged that since the same balls are being used for both teams, there was a fair playing field.

“I don’t think it’s the case of one pitcher saying, ‘Hey, something is different here,’ ” Verlander said. “I think as a whole everybody is saying, ‘Whoa, something is a little off here.’ ” Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill has often noted the effect slick baseballs can have in creating blisters but said he noticed nothing wrong with the World Series balls. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts agreed, saying the balls felt normal to him. He suggested warm weather in the first two games in Los Angeles may have contributed to the inflated home run numbers.

“It’s hard to argue the numbers,” he said. “You know there’s more velocity.

Guys are swinging harder.”

Giles’ failings

Ken Giles was scored on just once in his final 19 regular-season appearances. In the postseason, Giles has been scored on it six of seven outings. In the World Series, he’s allowed five runs and recorded five outs. No reliever has ever been scored upon more frequently in one postseason, and Houston manager A.J. Hinch said Giles’ role, which used to be closer, is uncertain.

“I’ll try to lift the burden off of him carrying this endof-the-game pressure with him,” Hinch said. “Obviously, he’s had a rough go of it. ... If I’ve got to give him the ball at some point, he’s got the weapons to get outs.”

Expecting boos

The slant-eyed gesture made by Yuli Gurriel — aimed at Dodgers starter Yu Darvish, who is from Japan — earned a five-game suspension, which the Astros first baseman will serve at the start of next season. Despite the penalty and Gurriel’s apology, the Astros are expecting an aggressive reception when they return to Dodger Stadium.

“I think everyone is aware it’s going to be a rough setting for him,” Hinch said. “I don’t think you can convince 55,000 fans to turn the page as fast as maybe the two teams have.” pedro.moura@latimes.com Twitter: @pedromoura

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

CARLOS CORREA of the Astros jumps for joy after his two-run home run gives Houston an 11-8 lead over the Dodgers in seventh inning.

Astros’ Fab Four gets it done Springer, Bregman, Altuve and Correa reach base 11 times in 12 at-bat stretch.

By Pedro Moura HOUSTON — One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four.

The entire Houston Astros’ lineup is capable.

Their 2017 offense was one of the most productive this sport has seen. Their No. 8 hitter Sunday batted in more runs than any of his teammates this season.

But their four best hitters are their top four hitters: George Springer, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. And, from innings four through seven in Sunday’s frenzied fifth game of the World Series, those men made one out, building higher and higher off of one

another’s efforts.

“They’re pretty awesome,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “We like to talk about tandem at-bats. And when those guys get going, we’re relentless.”

In that superlative stretch, the foursome batted 12 times and reached base 11 times. They produced three walks, three singles, two double and three homers.

Their efforts allowed the Astros to mount a four-run comeback, one they ultimately squandered. Of course, it was one of those four, Bregman, who delivered the winning hit in Houston's 13-12 victory over the Dodgers, pouncing on a first-pitch cutter from Kenley Jansen.

“I want to say I’d rather have nobody else up there,” Hinch said. “But then I’d be disrespecting Altuve, Correa, Springer, [Yuli] Gurriel, guys that are really good hitters. He’s one of many that

seem to feed off of each other.”

Indeed, it Springer who set it up by patiently drawing a walk. Both plate appearances bore out themes that lasted throughout the game: patience and aggressiveness, juxtaposed. The top four waited out some Dodgers pitchers, and waited no time at all on others. There was little in between.

It took time to get to this point, but three of the four were supposed to do this.

This was the exact purpose of the unsightly stretch the city of Houston endured for so long, the tank the Astros executed. Be bad, collect high picks, be good eventually. Being bad is good.

Springer was the 11th overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft, Correa, the first choice in 2012, Bregman the second selection in 2015. Altuve is the great outlier, the $15,000 signee, the future most valu-

able player.

They began when Springer walked to begin the fourth, patiently waiting out Clayton Kershaw. Next was Bregman’s flyout, the only blip among the Astros temporary transendence. And then it went, the parade of success: an Altuve single, a Correa double, another Springer walk, a Bregman walk, an Altuve game-tying homer, and a Correa single before a sixth-inning break.

After Springer’s mental mistake allowed the Dodgers a run in the top of the seventh, he started the bottom with a first-pitch homer, seizing on a clearly fatigued Brandon Morrow.

So did Bregman, barreling a first-pitch single into center. So did Altuve, roping a second-pitch double into left. And so did Correa, sort of. He hacked at a high fastball and sent it soaring over Minute Maid Park’s outrageous left-field wall. It was

high, it was short, but it was gone.

Mid-game, they provide endless encouragement.

Afterward, they shower each other in compliments. Correa called Altuve the best player alive and Bregman the most confident player on the team. Altuve said he was absolutely certain Bregman would provide the winning hit. Bregman praised the unknown piece of Springer’s psyche that enabled him to bounce back from failure with such ease.

The 22 homers hit in this series surpassed the all-time record in any World Series, besting the Angels’ 2002 win over San Francisco. Those teams had 17 through five games.

The Astros, themselves, have 13. Their top four men have hit nine, just as many as all of the Dodgers. pedro.moura@latimes.com Twitter: @pedromoura

VIEW FROM HOUSTON | BRIAN T. SMITH, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Wild win — crazier to be one away HOUSTON — Alex Bregman screamed and pointed toward everyone still standing — and now screaming, too — as 1 a.m. approached Monday morning.

It was over.

And you thought that night in Hollywood with all the huge, late-inning home runs was the one with all the magic.

Game 2, meet Game 5.

We have a new winner.

This World Series just got completely crazy. These Astros are also just one victory away from their first championship, after erasing three deficits to overcome the Dodgers 13-12 in the 10th inning in a night of screams, joyous disbelief and barely hanging on at Minute Maid Park.

It took 5 hours 17 minutes to finish. It felt like 10.

It was beautiful when it was finally done.

A.J. Hinch’s club down 4-0 in the fourth inning with Dallas Keuchel already chased and a silent stadium starting to freak out?

Whatever.

Yuli Gurriel will hit a three-run blast to suddenly tie it all up and make it feel like Game 7 of the American League Championship Series all over again.

These Astros down again, 7-4 in the fifth, after Collin McHugh gives up three more?

Whatever, Part 2.

Clayton Kershaw is about to fall apart. Then Jose Altuve will even everything all over again, drilling a three-run home run to deep center field and tying it

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

ALEX BREGMAN of the Astros singles home the

game-winning run against the Dodgers in the 10th inning. The hit came off Kenley Jansen. all up at 7, as the ballpark in downtown Houston becomes a scream factory once more.

And … Astros down for a third time, 8-7 in the seventh, after George Springer allows a low-flying liner to roll all the way to the centerfield wall?

Whatever, Part 3.

Time to really get crazy.

Springer will blast a solo shot to tie it, Altuve will follow with a lined RBI double and then Carlos Correa will fire a two-run

moonshot that eventually ends up in the Crawford Boxes.

Astros 11-8.

But then the Dodgers followed with three more runs in the ninth. And it wasn’t until the 10th, when Bregman lined a 91-mph cutter from Kenley Jansen into left field to score pinchrunner Derek Fisher, that this one was finally complete.

If you weren’t one of the lucky ones with a ticket to the Astros’ final home game

of 2017, maybe this gives you an idea of how crazy Game 5 was: 25 combined runs, 28 hits, seven home runs and two Cy Young winners knocked out before a full five.

Even more cuckoo: The team that went 55 years without winning a single World Series game is now just one victory away from winning the whole darn thing.

These Astros will hand the ball to new super-ace Justin Verlander on Tuesday in L.A., and now have two games to end the Dodgers.

After the late-night, home-run heroics in Hollywood in Game 2, Hinch used the word “believing.” After the insanity of Game 5, we need a dictionary to capture a team and season that continue to defy normal belief.

We thought we had it all figured out in the fourth, after Keuchel was chased.

And midway through the fifth, Game 4 starters Charlie Morton and Alex Wood already were better than the hyped Kershaw and Keuchel.

We didn’t know anything, yet. And every time a story line appeared, the truth disappeared and common sense was torched.

The Astros put up three in the bottom of the fifth and four in the seventh, answering three strong Dodgers leads with the same thrilling spirit and fight they’ve shown since April. A “Beat L.A.” chant was soon ringing in downtown Houston and the Springer-Altuve-

Correa show was back on.

A 104-win team again couldn’t hold leads or depend on its once-untouchable bullpen. A 101-win club on the verge of giving up two straight World Series games at home returned to life once again, just like when Marwin Gonzalez delivered his series-changing shot in Game 2 and Altuve, Correa and Springer followed with blasts of their own.

It felt like “one of those games” the moment that Gurriel went deep, deep, deep in the fourth. It obviously was once Altuve straightened out a nearhome run fired down the left-field line, then locked in for his seventh of the postseason an inning later.

Keuchel didn’t have it.

Kershaw couldn’t hold on.

Kenta Maeda, Brandon Morrow and McHugh: also off.

And you know what? By the fifth inning of Game 5 — when everything had gone crazy again and you could barely hear yourself think — it all, somehow, made perfect sense.

This was just the start.

All the home runs, comebacks, blown leads and final-out rallies were still to come.

The Astros needed it more. So they just took it and Bregman came through.

And now the team that has never won a World Series is just one more win away from the trophy, thanks to the beautiful insanity of Game 5. sports@latimes.com

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L AT I M ES . C O M / SP O RTS

WORLD SERIES GAME 5

Photographs by

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

JUSTIN TURNER of the Dodgers is tagged out by Houston third baseman Alex Bregman on a failed sacrifice bunt by Enrique Hernandez in the seventh inning.

Dodgers are up against the wall [Dodgers, from D1] dence. They had already unloaded their best shots on their opponents.

Facing a deficit in the ninth, Puig rocked a two-run homer, setting a World Series record with the 22nd in the five games. At the stroke of midnight in Houston, a single by Chris Taylor sprayed through the center of the diamond and tied the score 12-12. It gave the Dodgers life when it felt as if they had been turned into dust.

Attempting to protect a onerun lead in the seventh, Roberts broke his pregame pledge to avoid using reliever Brandon Morrow for the third day in a row and the fifth time in six days. Morrow convinced Roberts he could pitch, in a decision Morrow would later describe as “selfish.” The Astros pilloried Morrow for his confidence.

Outfielder George Springer atoned for a defensive gaffe that led to Bellinger’s triple by launching a redemptive, scoree-tying homer on the first pitch he saw to spark a four-run pounding. Let down by Kershaw, unsure who to trust in his bullpen, Roberts permitted Morrow to face three more batters. He threw six pitches in all. After a single and a run-scoring double, Morrow watched a towering parabola rise off the bat of shortstop Carlos Correa. The ball landed in the leftfield Crawford Boxes, a shot that felt like an exclamation point for the 43,300 at Minute Maid Park, one of whom rushed the field wearing a stars-and-stripes shorts but no shirt.

“This whole series has been an emotional rollercoaster,” Roberts said.

The lows can sink so deep, and the highs can feel so fleeting. Earlier in the game, the offense flattened Dallas Keuchel by the fourth inning and scored four runs. Kershaw coughed them up in a fourthinning flurry that ended in a threerun homer by first baseman Yuli Gurriel. After Bellinger unleashed a three-homer in the fifth, Kershaw walked two batters and watched from the dugout as second baseman Jose Altuve tied the score once more with a three-run blast against Kenta Maeda.

After a sterling performance in Game 1, in which he swallowed any lingering anxiety and struck out 11 Astros, Kershaw wilted Sunday.

Houston mauled him for six runs.

His command did not accompany him when he returned to the mound for the fourth. After a walk

by Springer and a single by Altuve, Correa whacked a double.

The next pitch from Kershaw detonated the crowd. It was an 89mph slider, spinning helplessly before Gurriel unloaded on it. The baseball crashed into an advertisement above the left-field wall. Ker-

WORLD SERIES

DODGERS vs. HOUSTON Houston leads 3-2 GM

1 GM

2 GM

3 GM

4 GM

5 GM

6 GM

7

at Dodgers DODGERS .....................................3 HOUSTON ......................................1 at Dodgers HOUSTON......................................7 DODGERS ..............(11 innings) 6 at Houston HOUSTON .....................................5 DODGERS .....................................3 at Houston DODGERS .....................................6 HOUSTON .....................................2 at Houston HOUSTON....................................13 DODGERS............(10 innings) 12 Tuesday at Dodgers, 5:15 p.m.

LA: Hill (12-8, 3.32) HOU: Verlander (15-8, 3.36) Wed. at Dodgers, 5:15 p.m.

LA: TBD HOU: TBD

TV: All games on Channel 11 Game 7 if necessary | Times PDT Dodgers Taylor 2b Seager ss Turner dh Hrndz 2b b-Ethier lf Bllngr 1b Frythe 3b Puig rf Barnes c Clbrsn 2b a-Pdsn cf Totals Dodgers Houston

YASIEL PUIG hits a two-run home run to left field against Chris Devenski in the ninth inning to drive in Cody Bellinger and cut the Dodgers’ deficit against the Houston Astros to 12-11.

shaw crumpled on the mound.

“I just lost my command a little bit there,” Kershaw said. “That’s all it took.”

The offense did not lay down.

Bellinger greeted reliever Collin McHugh with a three-run shot, and raised his right arm in triumph as he rounded first base. Running back to his dugout, he held his left index finger over his lips, encouraging a shell-shocked crowd to stay that way.

The gesture did not work. Roberts attempted to squeeze another inning out of Kershaw. The gambit appeared safe, until Springer took a two-out walk. Bregman outlasted Kershaw with a 10-pitch walk.

In seven previous outings this October, Maeda yielded only two hits. His third stung, as he fed Altuve a 94-mph fastball over the heart of the plate. Altuve left no doubt. His three-run homer landed on a porch overhanging the 404foot sign in center field.

The tie lasted into the seventh.

With a runner at first, Bellinger sizzled a 100.3-mph liner into center field. Springer dove for it. The ball bounced past him for a triple. The Dodgers were ecstatic. The drama had only begun.

Into the fray came Morrow. The Astros bludgeoned him. Yet, the game was only in the seventh, leaving a lifetime in this era of baseball.

Seager supplied a run-scoring dou-

ble in the eighth. Tony Cingrani gave up a solo homer to catcher Brian McCann in the bottom of the inning.

The three-run rally by the Dodgers in the ninth kept the game going.

Jansen worked around a scorched double by Gurriel in the ninth. The ball zoomed into an elevated fence in center field, one of the few difficult spots to homer here. Jansen was less fortunate in the 10th. He hit McCann with a pitch. He walked Springer. Bregman ended the evening by punching a cutter into left. andy.mccullough@latimes.com Twitter: @McCulloughTimes

AB 5 5 4 3 2 5 6 5 5 2 2 44

R 1 1 2 2 0 2 1 1 1 0 1 12

H 2 1 1 0 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 14

BI 1 1 0 0 0 4 2 2 1 0 0 11

Avg. .222 .250 .150 .231 .333 .200 .308 .143 .188 .500 .364

Houston Sprngr rf Brgn 3b Altve 2b Crrea ss Grrl 1b 1Mbn cf Rddck lf Gttis dh Gnzlz 1b McCn c 2-Fisher Totals

AB 3 5 5 5 5 0 5 4 5 4 0 41

R 3 2 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 13

H 2 2 3 3 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 14

300 130 113 0 —12 000 430 410 1 —13

BI 1 1 4 3 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 13

Avg. .333 .273 .250 .333 .250 1.000 .211 .333 .118 .211 ---

14 14

1 1

Two outs when winning run scored. a-walked for Culberson in the 6th. b-grounded out for Hernandez in the 8th. 1-ran for Gurriel in the 9th. 2-ran for McCann in the 10th.

Walks—Dodgers6: Seager 1, Turner 2, Hernandez 1, Bellinger 1, Pederson 1. Houston 5: Springer 3, Bregman 1, Gattis 1.

Strikeouts—Dodgers12: Taylor 1, Seager 2, Hernandez 1, Bellinger 2, Forsythe 2, Puig 2, Barnes 2. Houston 6: Altuve 1, Gurriel 1, Reddick 2, Gonzalez 1, McCann 1. E—Forsythe (1), Gurriel (1).

LOB—Dodgers9, Houston 5. 2B—Seager (1), Turner (2), Forsythe (1), Barnes (1), Pederson (2), Altuve (2), Correa (1), Gurriel (3).

3B—Bellinger (1). HR—Bellinger (1), off McHugh; Puig (2), off Devenski; Gurriel (2), off Kershaw; Altuve (2), off Maeda; Springer (3), off Morrow; Correa (2), off Morrow; McCann (1), off Cingrani.

RBIs—Taylor (2), Seager (3), Bellinger 4 (5), Forsythe 2 (3), Puig 2 (4), Barnes (2), Springer (4), Bregman (5), Altuve 4 (5), Correa 3 (5), Gurriel 3 (4), McCann (2). SB—Forsythe (2). RISP—Dodgers5 for 16; Houston 5 for 7. Runners moved up—Pederson.

GIDP—Bregman, Gonzalez. DP—Dodgers2 (Forsythe, Culberson, Bellinger), (Forsythe, Taylor, Bellinger).

Dodgers IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Kershaw....................42⁄3 4 6 6 3 2 94 5.40 Maeda........................2⁄3 2 1 1 1 1 25 1.93 Watson .......................2⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.00 Morrow .......................0 4 4 4 0 0 6 11.25 Cingrani ....................11⁄3 1 1 1 0 2 20 3.00 Stripling ...................... 2⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 8 0.00 Jansen, L, 0-1............12⁄3 2 1 1 1 1 33 4.76 Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Keuchel ....................32⁄3 5 4 3 2 4 86 5.23 Gregerson ...................1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 6 0.00 McHugh ......................2 1 3 3 3 4 49 13.50 Peacock ....................11⁄3 3 2 2 0 2 39 3.38 Harris, H, 1 ................. 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 4 0.00 Devenski ...................11⁄3 3 3 3 1 1 29 7.71 Musgrove, W, 1-0..........1 1 0 0 0 0 9 6.00 Morrow pitched to 4 batters in the 7th.

Inherited runners-scored—Maeda 2-2, Watson 1-0, Gregerson 2-0, Harris 2-1, Devenski 2-0. HBP—Peacock (Taylor), Jansen (McCann). WP—Gregerson, Morrow. U—Bill Miller, Dan Iassogna, Mark Wegner, Paul Nauert, Gerry Davis, Laz Diaz. T—5:17. Tickets sold—43,300 (42,060).

L AT I ME S . CO M / S P O RT S

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WORLD SERIES GAME 5

Maeda’s fateful moment Dodgers pitcher, who had been effective in playoffs, gives up crucial homer in fifth.

By Bill Shaikin HOUSTON — Dallas Keuchel won the American League Cy Young Award in 2015. Clayton Kershaw did not win the National League award that year, but he did in three of the previous four years.

No matter what numbers you might have run and what predictions you might have made, slim was the chance that neither pitcher would survive the fifth inning.

But neither pitcher did on Sunday, in Game 5 of the World Series, and not because of some trendy data point. Both pitchers got hit, and hit hard.

That left it to … well, to the other starting pitchers.

The Astros used two, Collin McHugh and Brad Peacock, who combined to give up five runs in 31⁄3 innings. The Astros won 13-12, so that’s a big “whatever” for them.

They are one win from a World Series championship, with Justin Verlander on deck.

The Dodgers turned to Kenta Maeda, and that did not work out so well, either.

His failure turned out to be critical.

“It’s really the end of the season so, regardless of how I feel, I’ve got to compete and put up results,” Maeda said via an interpreter.

At a time when just one out might have halted the Astros’ rampage, at least for the moment, Maeda gave up a three-run home run to Jose Altuve, a bomb that made a lead evaporate for the visiting team and made a ballpark come alive for the home team.

Maeda had faced 30 batters in the postseason, without giving up either a run or an extra-base hit. He gave up both to the first batter he faced on Sunday, the final swing that accounted for the final ugly numbers on Kershaw’s ledger.

Kershaw, staked to a 4-0 lead, gave up four runs in the fourth inning. The Dodgers put up three in the top of the fifth, and Kershaw went back out for the bottom of the fifth. He did not finish the inning, and the box score shows he gave up six runs in 42⁄3 innings.

As a starter, Maeda is used to an unhurried warmup. And, as the fifth inning proceeded, there was no sense that Maeda would be needed, at least not in that

Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times

A DISTRAUGHT Kenta Maeda heads back to the mound after giving up a three-run homer to the Astros’ Jose Altuve in the fifth inning.

Clayton Kershaw started the inning with the Dodgers leading 7-4 but was replaced with two outs and two runners on base. inning.

Kershaw got the first two outs. He was one pitch from getting out of the inning, but George Springer worked the count full and walked, on eight pitches.

Alex Bregman walked, on 10 pitches, and that was the end for Kershaw. Maeda, who had not started to warm up until late in the inning because Kershaw got those first two outs so quickly, hurried into the game.

“I had to rush a little bit,” Maeda said, “but I felt like I was 100% prepared going in.”

Altuve came out swinging. He swung and missed on the first pitch. He took two balls, hit a loud foul, took a third ball, hit another loud foul. He was swinging hard, he had Maeda timed, and every pitch was in the 85-87 mph range.

Maeda threw the next pitch as hard as he could, but terribly and unfortunately straight. The pitch was clocked at 94 mph. Altuve crushed it, 415 feet worth of Mighty Mite power.

The Astros had tied the score 7-7, and completed

their second comeback in two innings against the mighty Kershaw.

In Japan, Maeda had made 218 appearances, with 217 coming as a starter. His first 45 appearances with the Dodgers — three of them in last year’s playoffs — also came as a starter.

In June, however, with the Dodgers juggling an overload of starters, they tried Maeda twice in relief. It worked well enough that the Dodgers decided to try it again in October.

He had been a revelation.

The Dodgers used him five times in the first two rounds of the playoffs, for an inning each time. He was perfect: 15 up, 15 down, seven strikeouts. The Dodgers dared to expand his workload in the World Series, and it worked just fine until Sunday.

In Game 2, he worked 11⁄3 innings, not perfect but still scoreless. In Game 3, he worked 22⁄3 innings, not perfect but still scoreless.

His postseason earnedrun average remained at 0.00, but he threw 42 pitches in Game 3. That was more

pitches than he had thrown in the first two rounds of the playoffs, combined.

“As a reliever, it’s hard to be 100% fresh,” Maeda said, “because you do have to prepare every day.”

He might have been worn down. He said he would be ready for Game 6. But all we know for sure is that his postseason ERA is no longer zero, and the Dodgers’ tragic number for elimination is one. bill.shaikin@latimes.com Twitter: @BillShaikin

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M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 30 , 2 017

L ATI M E S . C O M/ SP O RTS

DODGERS MOMENTS: WORLD SERIES GAME 5

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

SPARK AT THE PARK CODY BELLINGER rounds the bases in front of second baseman Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros after hitting a three-run home run to right-center field against reliever Collin McHugh in the top of the fifth inning at Minute Maid Park. Bellinger’s blast drives in Corey Seager and Justin Turner and breaks a 4-4 deadlock.