Defense the key for Lakers

Continued from page 8 ahawks (20-10) will play Friday against the winner of the AquinasCapistrano Valley Christian game in the quarterfinal round. from a man who is the NBA alltime scoring leader, but it echoes the ethos of the Lakers’ head coach.

In Division 1 softball, Pacifica (22-8) bested rival Los Alamitos (24-4) 5-2 and advance to the semifinals on Thursday.

Also, Huntington Beach (25-6) lost 12-11 to Mesa of Murrieta.

Division 5 play saw Ocean View (19-6) beat Mark Keppel 2-0. Hawks next play the winner of Irvine vs. Paramount.

Los Amigos (10-8-1) defeated Flintridge Prep 7-5 in D-7 and will play Baldwin Park on Thursday.

“The biggest thing for me is for us to come out with a mindset to just defend,” said Darvin Ham. “I’m not worried about how we’re going to score as long as we’re on point defensively.”

Davis has received much of the credit for this – he’s had 37 blocked shots in the post-season –but it’s clearly a team effort.

Since the playoffs began, Laker opponents have shot 41.3 percent, worst in the NBA.

The odds are on the Lakers to win, since they lead three games to one in the best-of seven series, and the Warriors have only rallied from that once in team history.

However, the Lake Show will likely place less confidence in history than in their own ability to play historically good defense.

Game Five is scheduled to tip off on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in San Francisco. Game Six – if necessary – would be on Friday back in Los Angeles.

Angels against the Astros

Comtinued from page 8 games back of the Texas Rangers.

Houston, defending World Series champs, were able to square the team record at 18-18 and remain in third place in the ALW. Aside from that one deep ball Ohtani (4-1) pitched well. He lasted seven innings and gave up six hits and three earned runs. He struck out seven and walked two. Houston’s starter, Framber Valdez (3-4), was a bit better, going eight innings and giving up just three hits and one run on a first inning home run to Zach Neto. Valdez struck out 12 batters and walked none.

With the series tied one-all, the final game will be in Anaheim on Wednesday with Griffin Canning (2-0) getting the start for the Halos.

Dodgers vs. Milwaukee

Continued from page 8 tional League West. The unique thing about the game is the way manager Dave Roberts preserved the order of the starting rotation by employing seven relief pitches when starter Noah Syndergaard left the game after one inning because of a cut fin- ger on his pitching hand.

The relief corps gave up just four hits and two earned runs. They struck out eight Brewers and walked two.

These teams will play again on Wednesday with Clayton Kershaw (5-2) on the mound for the Dodgers.

Sports Retorts: Slow and easy?

Continued from page 8 and missing a chance to go to the World Series.

But there’s one in some ways worse. In 1995, the Orange County team was cruising along with an 11-game lead in the American League West in August when disaster – or perhaps, voodoo – struck.

They lost nine games in a row. Won one and lost another nine. That’s a record of 1-18 in a pennant race. It’s only through some sort of miracle that the Halos ended their schedule tied with the Seattle Mariners for first.

What followed was a onegame playoff in which the M’s hammered the Angels 9-1, fans starting to head for the exits just as some were still arriving.

Is there a lesson to this litany of misery? I guess it’s just that he (or she) who plays their best at the last sometimes finishes first.