When the Los Angeles Lakers return from the All-Star break on Friday, they expect to have their full complement of players for a change.

Head coach JJ Redick said Thursday all players would be available for the Lakers’ contest against the rival Clippers, including Luka Doncic.

The NBA scoring leader (32.8 points per game) sat out four games before the break due to a mild hamstring strain. And starting center Deandre Ayton missed the last two games with a sore right knee.

Redick said Austin Reaves’ minutes restriction would be lifted. Reaves (calf) returned from a five-week absence Feb. 3 and played between 20 and 29 minutes in his first five games back.

An official injury report for the game was not available as of 4 p.m. PT.

The trio of LeBron James, Doncic and Reaves has played together just 10 times so far for the Lakers (33-21), who are fifth in the Western Conference ahead of the stretch run. Each has dealt with injury concerns throughout the season.

Doncic has played 42 games and averaged 8.6 assists and 7.8 rebounds to go with his NBA-best scoring. Reaves has only played 28 games and is second on the team with 25.4 points per game as well as 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds.

James, who missed the start of the season while dealing with sciatica in his right side, has played 36 games and averaged 22.0 points, 7.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds.

In his first season in Los Angeles, Ayton has put up 13.2 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game in 46 appearances.

–Field Level Media

MILAN — Alysa Liu produced a dazzling performance to win the gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games as she capped a remarkable comeback journey to snap a 20-year Olympic medal drought for Americans in the women’s figure skating event.

Kaori Sakamoto secured silver ahead of teenaged Japanese teammate Ami Nakai, who claimed bronze.

In a commanding and joyful performance, Liu nailed jump after jump as the sold-out crowd at the Milano Ice Skating Arena erupted.

Liu stunned the skating world when she retired from the sport at age 16 after the Beijing Games in 2022 citing burnout and the desire to pursue other interests.

She returned two years later with a newfound perspective on the sport, taking control of her programs and training, and won the world championship in Boston last year.

“That was unreal,” she said after the gold medal was placed around her neck.

“Never would have thought,” she added, shaking her head.

Aptly dressed in a shimmering gold outfit, she celebrated her flawless performance by playfully flicking back her striped ponytail at the end of her routine.

Her performance left her teammate Ilia Malinin punching the air in delight as he watched on from the stands and earned Liu a season-best score of 150.20 for her free skate and a total of 226.79.

It was Liu’s second gold medal in Milan following the United States’ triumph in the team competition earlier in the Games.

She came into Thursday’s competition as the U.S.’s last realistic hope for gold after teammates and fellow “Blade Angels” Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito put themselves out of contention in Tuesday’s short program. Liu delivered seven soaring triple jumps on Thursday to become the first American woman to win an individual medal since Sasha Cohen captured silver in 2006 and the first U.S. gold medalist since Sarah Hughes triumphed in Salt Lake City in 2002.

Sakamoto, a favorite coming into the competition, was looking to win her first gold medal in her final Olympics but it was not to be as the three-time world champion and Beijing bronze medalist paid the price for failing to deliver one of her jump combinations. She finished second with a total of 224.90.

Nakai came into Thursday’s free skate leading both Sakamoto and Liu. While she nailed her opening triple Axel, her next element did not go to plan as she mistimed the expected triple loop-triple toe loop combination and had to settle for a triple-double effort — which effectively cost her the gold.

The 17-year-old surprisingly finished a lowly ninth in the free skate but secured bronze with a total of 219.16.

The highly anticipated women’s event marked the end of the figure skating competition at the Milan Cortina Games. Musician Megan Thee Stallion and tennis great Maria Sharapova were among those in attendance.

–Reuters, special to Field Level Media

Florida approaches the stretch run of SEC play in dominance mode.

The No. 12 Gators (20-6, 11-2 SEC) remain in sole possession of first place in the conference heading into their game against Ole Miss on Saturday in Oxford, Miss.

They have won 11 of their last 12 and their wins during their current six-game streak have come by an average of 22 points. But Florida head coach Todd Golden recognizes that some wins are going to be easier than others.

“Anytime you can win, that’s a huge step in the right direction,” Golden said. “And I tell these guys all the time when we’re preparing for games: I don’t care if it’s Alabama, I don’t care if it’s Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina — we’re treating that game like the national championship.”

The Gators, the defending national champion, began the winning streak with their most lopsided victory of the season, a 95-48 dismantling of host South Carolina on Jan. 28. But when they played host to the Gamecocks on Tuesday night, the margin was much smaller in a 76-62 outcome.

“I feel like there’s an expectation right now with our program that if we’re not up by 15 at halftime, if we don’t win by 25, (then) something isn’t going right,” Golden said. “But even when we’re not at our best, I think we’re really good.”

Golden acknowledged the Gators didn’t play their best the last time out, but they still enjoyed a comfortable lead virtually the entire game. Only a 92-83 victory against Kentucky last Saturday came by single digits during the winning streak.

“We’ve just got to attack it,” Gators forward Alex Condon said. “That’s what championship teams do every night — come out with the same mentality and keep rolling.”

Condon had 20 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday. Center Rueben Chinyelu had his 16th double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and 17 rebounds to bring his average over the last five games to 16.2 rebounds.

The Gators’ size is of particular concern for Ole Miss, which got outrebounded 37-23 in an 80-77 road loss to Texas A&M on Wednesday night. The Rebels (11-15, 3-10) were beaten 16-4 on the offensive glass and gave up 18 second-chance points.

“The difference in the game is offensive rebounding for them,” Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said. “The reason we’re not in a little bit better mood is we’re one or two blockouts away.”

Rebounding has been a consistent problem for Ole Miss, which has lost eight games in a row. The Rebels rank 15th in rebound margin (minus-2.3 per game).

Florida leads the conference in rebounds (46.0) and the nation in rebound margin (plus-14.6).

Despite the rebounding issues against the Aggies, the Rebels played better than they did four days earlier in a 90-78 home loss to Mississippi State. They led Texas A&M for most of the game but got outscored 12-2 down the stretch while going scoreless for the final 3:32.

“I thought in a lot of ways we outplayed the opponent,” Beard said. “(We were) probably deserving of winning the game.”

–Field Level Media