Sports
Jaylen Brown returns to LA, as Celtics face Lakers
Dec 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) shoots before their game against the Los Angeles Lakers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Jaylen Brown will revisit his complicated relationship with the Los Angeles area when the Boston Celtics match up with the Los Angeles Lakers in a nationally-televised game Sunday.
In early January, the Celtics were across town facing the Los Angeles Clippers when Brown matched his career high with 50 points in an easy victory. He came back last week to play in the All-Star Game but that visit was marred when the Beverly Hills Police Department put an end to his panel event for his performance brand 741.
The Beverly Hills city manager has since apologized for the police department’s overzealous approach, following conflicting statements about its actions, but the damage was done.
Seeing Brown get out his aggressions in another game in L.A. would be far from a surprise.
“You guys tell me how I should feel about that because it didn’t seem like anybody else had a problem in Beverly Hills but me,” Brown said, noting that his event took place at 7 p.m. on All-Star Saturday.
He made his return to California in grand fashion Thursday.
Boston opened a four-game Western Conference swing with a 121-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Brown had 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists for his third triple-double of the season.
“I wasn’t even thinking about the game,” Brown said after the victory. “I was pissed. I was still pissed.”
Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 26 points off the bench at Golden State, while Sam Hauser scored 16 points. Boston shot 51.6% from the floor and held the Warriors to 44.8%. Golden State was playing without Stephen Curry.
The Lakers are coming off a 125-122 home victory over the Clippers on Friday when Luka Doncic scored 38 points over 38 minutes in his official return from a hamstring injury. Austin Reaves scored 29 points and LeBron James had 13 points with 11 assists.
It was just the 11th game the Los Angeles star trio has played together this season. Doncic missed the four games leading into the All-Star break with his injury then played a brief five minutes in the All-Star Game.
“The offense in that first half was good, we made some shots,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said after his team shot 84.2% in the first quarter and 66.7% in the first half. “I thought that the extra passes, the execution and the way we got to spacing (in) early offense and just sharing the basketball, it was clutter free, ego free. We just played.”
James’s availability had been in doubt because of left knee soreness that developed in practice Thursday.
“If I’m gonna play, I gotta make something happen,” James said. “Gotta be productive for the team and do what I can do.”
Sunday’s matchup will be the completion of the two-game season series. The Celtics earned a 126-105 home victory over the Lakers on Dec. 5. Brown led the Celtics with 30 points, while Reaves scored 36 for the Lakers.
James missed the game at Boston for rest on the second night of a back-to-back, while Doncic was out for the birth of his child.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: MLS reviewing Lionel Messi's post-match actions
Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) moves the ball against Los Angeles FC midfielder Mathieu Choinière (66) during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images Lionel Messi could face a suspension from MLS after the Inter Miami superstar was seen following referees through a door after Saturday night’s 3-0 loss at Los Angeles FC, per The Athletic.
FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazaga was investigated and suspended three matches for “misconduct” after entering the referees’ locker room in 2023 following a playoff match.
In the video, which was posted by Sintesis Deportes, Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez appears to attempt to prevent Messi from entering the room. Messi escapes Suarez’s grasp before reappearing eight seconds later, joining his teammates walking to their locker room. It’s unknown if the room Messi walked into was the referees’ locker room.
MLS has yet to issue a statement, and its disciplinary committee usually issues decisions — which include suspensions and fines — by the middle of the week following the previous weekend’s games.
Messi has never been suspended for any incident involving a referee, but he was suspended last summer for one match after being a no-show at the MLS All-Star Game. Also last season, he was fined “for violating the hands to the face/head/neck of an opponent policy” after a game.
Messi and Inter Miami are off until next Sunday, when the club takes on visiting Orlando City.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Conor McGregor teases 'no name' foe for UFC comeback
March 8, 2024; Austin TX; Conor McGregor speaks to press on the red carpet before the premiere of Roadhouse at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas on the first day of South by Southwest, Friday, March 8, 2024. McGregor plays the character “Knox” in the movie.. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins-USA TODAY NETWORK Former two-division champion Conor McGregor claims he’s ready to return to the UFC, and this time against a “no name” foe.
Sidelined since July 2021, McGregor has been rather vocal about returning to the Octagon.
McGregor (22-6) went so far as to take to social media on Saturday and note that he’s just waiting for a contract to sign.
“It’s a no name up next for me possibly, folks. … I ACCEPT. Send the contract, lads,” the 37-year-old Irishman wrote in a now-deleted post.
UFC CEO Dana White poured cold water on McGregor’s claim, however.
“If it was done and he accepted it, I would announce it,” White said.
McGregor has not competed in the Octagon since sustaining a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Las Vegas in 2021. His planned bout with Michael Chandler for UFC 303 in 2024 was canceled after McGregor withdrew with an injury.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Arizona’s No. 1 Seed Hopes Face Major Test After Koa Peat Injury
No. 4 Arizona is positioned to enter the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, based on a resume that includes victories over Florida, UConn and Alabama prior to taking down Houston on Saturday.
Now comes the hard part. Maintaining.
How the Wildcats respond in their most difficult stretch of the season will determine the landing spot, and their situation is made more perilous because of an injury to forward Koa Peat.
The Wildcats got off to a good start Wednesday, improving to 24-2 with a 75-68 home victory over BYU, completing a season sweep of the ranked Cougars and rebounding from close losses at Kansas and home to Texas Tech.
It will not get easier. The BYU game was simply the next in the series of pivotal tests that the UA will face before selection Sunday on March 15.
No. 2 Houston, No. 8 Kansas (again) and No. 6 Iowa State remain on the unforgiving Big 12 regular-season schedule, and a rematch or two seems inevitable in the Big 12 tournament.
Along the way, the Wildcats will have a chance for revenge against the Jayhawks, whose 82-78 victory in Lawrence on Feb. 9 snapped Arizona’s school record, 23-game winning streak
The Wildcats must find a way around the injury to freshman Peat, who is among the best players to come out of metro Phoenix since Mike Bibby and Jalen Williams.
Peat, who has started since Day 1 and is averaging 13.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists, did not play against BYU after suffering what Arizona called a muscle strain in a “lower leg area” early in the Texas Tech game.
The Wildcats are averaging 88.2 points per game with an offense built around creating guards Brayden Burries (15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds) and Jaden Bradley (13.3 points, 4.7 assists), and perimeter reserve Anthony Dell’Orso stepped up with an Arizona career-high 22 points and four 3-pointers against BYU.
But they are not the same without 6-foot-8 Peat solidifying a relentless front line that includes 7-2 center Motiejus Krivas (10.8 points, 8.7 rebounds) and 6-8 Tobe Awaka (9.7, 9.6).
Arizona is third in Division I with a plus-12.5 rebounding margin, and Peat is part of that. Both Arizona and Houston average more than 13 offensive rebounds per game.
Houston was giving up 61.6 points per game, before Arizona’s 73-point showing Saturday night.
Report: MLS reviewing Lionel Messi's post-match actions
Conor McGregor teases 'no name' foe for UFC comeback
