LATIMES.COM/SPORTS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2020D5
Since Staples Center’s
doors first opened in 1999,
the building has been recon-
figured to host multiple
events in the same day more
than 220 times, conversions
that often involve switching
from a hockey venue in the
early afternoon to an NBA
arena mere hours later, and
vice versa.
Monday’s schedule of
events, however, presents “a
doubleheader unlike any
other doubleheader that
we’ve done,” said Lee Zeid-
man, the president of Sta-
ples Center, Microsoft Thea-
tre and L.A. Live.
At 10 a.m., the arena will
hold a celebration of life for
Kobe Bryant, the iconic Lak-
ers star, and his daughter
Gianna, who were among
nine killed in a Jan. 26 heli-
copter crash in Calabasas.
In the evening, at 7:30 p.m.,
the Clippers host the Mem-
phis Grizzlies.
During the memorial, a
24-by-24-foot stage — 24 was
one of the numbers Bryant
wore during his 20 seasons
with the Lakers — will sit in
the middle of the arena floor
with seating surrounding it
on all sides. Staples Center
executives say they are
“hopeful” the event will fin-
ish by 1 p.m. and that every-
one will leave promptly. The
memorial will not be broad-
cast on outdoor monitors at
nearby L.A. Live, and those
without tickets will not be
permitted inside a closed pe-
rimeter encircling the arena.
In general, the arena has
a policy against showing
events on monitors outside
because it can be difficult for
ticket holders to exit the
parking structures after-
ward if the streets are filled
with fans. In this case, there
is the complication of the
evening NBA game, adding
another reason for public
announcements asking peo-
ple without tickets to stay
away.
Spokesman Michael
Roth said the arena expects
a smooth turnaround.
“It’s what we do, convert-
ing the building from oneevent to another,” he said.
“We’ll get it done.”
Upon the memorial’s fin-
ish, workers will break down
floor seats, move sections of
seating into place for a Clip-
pers home game and install
the court and baskets.
“Our goal is to have the
building ready to go no later
than 3:30,” Zeidman said.
NBA rules stipulate
teams must be able to access
the court at least 90 minutes
before tipoff, a league
spokesman said, but Zeid-
man believes the Clippers’
and Grizzlies’ pregameworkouts should not be af-
fected should the building
be ready for basketball as in-
tended.
If Staples Center is used
to quick conversions, Mon-
day’s changeover presents a
challenge that is as much
emotional and logistical,
Zeidman said. Many people
who work at the arena inter-
acted with and knew Bryant
over the years, including
Zeidman, who was working
at the Forum in Inglewood in
1996 when the Lakers rookie
arrived.
“He did anything I ever
asked him to do, including
when I asked him to unveil
the Taylor Swift banner” in-
side Staples Center, Zeid-
man said. “He said, ‘The only
thing I ask is a meet-and-
greet [with Swift] for my
daughters.’ I said, ‘Kobe, not
a problem.’
“The last four years plus
you were seeing an author, a
poet, a filmmaker, a father, a
husband, a champion of the
WNBA, a champion of young
girls playing that game,
someone who was putting
everything back into the
Mamba Academy. It’s sad to
think we’re going to miss
that.”Handling things with care
during a difficult transition
Staples Center will
transform from Bryant
memorial to Clippers
game in just hours.
By Andrew Greif
When Clippers forward
Paul George invited new
teammate Reggie Jackson
to his house Thursday, Jack-
son didn’t think twice about
accepting.
The two have known each
other since Jackson’s rookie
season, in 2011, and the point
guard calls George one of his
best friends. George’s
friends are now Jackson’s
friends. Game night at the
George estate doubled as a
reunion.
As the night wore on,
Jackson, who only hours ear-
lier had signed with the Clip-
pers, brought out a tablet.
Not to play games, but to
study them.
“I was like, ‘All right, so, as
fun as this is, I need to know
some of these plays,’ ” Jack-
son said Saturday after his
debut in the Clippers’ 112 -103
loss to Sacramento.
In a copycat league
where, Jackson said, “every-
body kind of steals each oth-
er’s plays,” acclimating to a
new team is in the nuances
— memorizing a Clippers-
specific name for a play he
might have run in Detroit,
and learning the tendencies
of new teammates. Like for-
ward Marcus Morris, anoth-
er recent Clippers addition,
Jackson is leaning on experi-
ence to aid his transition.
“I’ve been on teams with
guys who can score, and that
can do a lot,” Morris said.
“For me, it’s about figuring
out how I can play off of guys
and where I can fit in best.”
That experience brings
the notion that opportuni-
ties to play deep into the
postseason are fleeting.
With 26 games remaining in
the regular season, and the
Clippers still grasping for
continuity, the new addi-
tions are under pressure to
ensure that the search for
their rhythm doesn’t hold
back that of their new team.
“I don’t want to be the
reason things are going
bad,” Jackson said. “I just
want to go out there, find
myself, be myself within the
offense, try to help defen-
sively, communicate. But I
really pride myself on mak-
ing guys’ jobs easier, so I
want to find a way to contin-
ue to get guys easy looks.”
Jackson’s 39 passes Sat-
urday were second-most on
the team, and Kawhi Leon-
ardquickly became his de-
fault option. Three of Jack-
son’s four assists — he fin-
ished with eight points and
two turnovers in 22 minutes
— went to the most valuable
player of last week’s All-Star
game, who scored 31 points.
“It was easy,” Jackson
said. “At times when I didn’t
know what to do, I knew a
pretty solid play was just get
Kawhi the ball and space the
floor.”
That strategy alone
couldn’t save the Clippers
against the Kings, who se-
cured two road victories
against the Clippers in the
same season for the first
time since 2005-06. During
more than 4^1 ⁄ 2 minutes of
crunch time in the fourth
quarter, the lineup of Morris,
Leonard, guards Lou
Williams and Landry
Shamet, and center Mon-
trezl Harrellmade one of
their nine combined field
goals and was outscored by
nine points.
Morris was critical of his
performance — “I don’t
think I did ...” — but was op-
timistic about what’s next.
“I’ve been in the league a
long time,” he said. “I’ve
been successful a long time,so a game or two, I’ll be right
where I need to be.”
Morris was in his fourth
game with the Clippers.
Jackson was in his first and
“struggled a little bit,” coach
Doc Rivers said, “but I
thought he should have. I
told him before the game, try
to do as much as you know
and just play and we’ll figure
it out.”
Jackson started but is ex-
pected to play off the bench
upon the return of guard
Patrick Beverley from a
groin injury. Last season,
Beverley’s presence was a
bellwether for the intensity
with which the team played,
and this season the Clippers
are 7-9 when Beverley sits.
Jackson’s connection
with George wasn’t evident
on the court Saturday, as
George also sat out because
of a hamstring injury, but
their history together has al-
ready proven valuable
within the locker room, Riv-
ers said.
“When you get a player
and they’re already close
with someone on the team, I
think that’s a very good
thing,” Rivers said. “Not that
he’s comfortable, but for the
guy who’s close who’s been
on the team, [he] can tell
everybody else, ‘Hey this
guy’s a good guy.’ ”Morris brothers
could be reunited
Now that Markieff Mor-
ris, Marcus’ twin brother,
cleared waivers and signed
with the Lakers, the broth-
ers will share an arena, aspi-
rations for a Western Confer-
ence championship, living
quarters and carpools.
Marcus said Friday he
envisioned the two sharing a
house should they finish this
season playing for the rivals.When the Lakers and
Clippers meet, Marcus said,
the brothers are “probably
gonna ride to the game to-
gether.”
That arrangement
wouldn’t rankle Rivers.
“They’ve been through a
lot together,” the coach said.
“I mean they’re twins, for
God’s sake. Even if they
didn’t live together, they
would probably go to dinner
every night. That wouldn’t
bother us at all. And, you
know, maybe Marcus could
get some of the game plan, so
you just never know.”
The twins grew up in Phil-
adelphia and played to-
gether at Kansas in college
and Phoenix in the NBA.
They have described them-
selves as inseparable, and
their bodies are covered in
matching tattoos depicting
Philadelphia’s skyline and
praying hands lifting a
basketball.
“That don’t bother us to
have to go out there and
compete,” Marcus said.
“We’re pros, and both of us
gonna go hard and both are
gonna do the best we can do
for our team.
“So for us to be together,
it’s just icing on the cake.”TONIGHT
VS. MEMPHIS
Where: Staples Center.
When: 7:30.
On the air: TV: Prime
Ticket, NBA TV; Radio: 570.
Update: The Clippers can-
celed their scheduled prac-
tice Sunday and replaced it
with a team film session. A
large contingent from the
team, including owner Steve
Ballmer and consultant
Jerry West, will attend Mon-
day’s celebration of life for
Kobe and Gianna Bryant in
Staples Center, hours before
tipoff against the Grizzlies.NEW CLIPPERReggie Jackson says he just wants to “be myself within the offense, try to help defensively.”
Katelyn MulcahyGetty ImagesCLIPPERS REPORT
New players try to step up
By Andrew Greif
latimes.com
/sportsStay away from
Staples Center
Arena asking fans without
tickets to not congregate
there Monday during the
Kobe Bryant memorial.Where to watch
Kobe memorial
It will be streamed live by
outlets including The Times
so you can watch at home,
work or other locations.Ryan Newmansaid he
suffered a head injury in his
fiery crash on the last lap of
the Daytona 500 but did not
disclose details in a state-
ment from the driver read
before Sunday’s NASCAR
Cup Series race at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway.
“I was fortunate to avoid
any internal organ damage
or broken bones,” Newman
wrote. “I did sustain a head
injury for which I’m cur-
rently being treated.”
There is no timetable for
Newman’s return to racing,
but Roush Fenway Racing
said the Indiana native, 42, is
determined to get back on
the track this season.
Newman was involved in
a crash while leading the
rain-delayed Daytona 500
last Monday. He was hospi-
talized in Daytona Beach,
Fla., in what Roush officials
called serious but not life-
threatening condition, then
walked out of the hospital
about 42 hours later.Joey Logano won the
Cup Series race at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway in a two-
lap sprint to the finish.
Logano, winner of the race a
year ago, held off Matt Di-
Benedetto. ... Chase Briscoe
won the rain-delayed Xfinity
Series race at Las Vegas Mo-
tor Speedway. ... Tommy
Johnson Jr.raced to his 18th
career funny car win at the
NHRA Arizona Nationals in
Chandler. Steve Torrence
(top fuel) and Erica Enders
(pro stock) also won races.GOLFReed is hot late
for Mexico win
Two strokes behind with
four holes to play, Patrick
Reed ran off three straight
birdies to overtake Bryson
DeChambeau, closing with
a four-under-par 67 to pre-
vail by one over DeCham-
beau at the Mexico Champi-
onship in Mexico City. Reed
finished at 18-under 266 for
his eighth PGA Tour victory.
It’s his second World Golf
Championships title.
DeChambeau shot a 65.
Jon Rahm (67) and Erik van
Rooyen (70) tied for third,
three behind Reed.Viktor Hovlandwon thePuerto Rico Open in Rio
Grande to become the first
Norwegian winner in PGA
Tour history, prevailing by
one stroke over Josh Teater.ETC.Colorado hires
Dorrell as coach
Colorado lured ex-UCLA
coachKarl Dorrell back to
Boulder from the Miami
Dolphins to be the Buffaloes’
next football coach.
Dorrell was hired two
weeks after Mel Tuckerleft
Colorado for Michigan State
and 72 hours after the Dol-
phins promoted Dorrell to
assistant head coach.
Dorrell, 56, went 35-27 as
coach at UCLA, his alma
mater, from 2003 to 2007. He
spent two previous stints in
Boulder serving under
coaches Bill McCartneyand
Rick Neuheiselin the 1990s.Arizona Diamondbacks
left-hander Madison Bum-
garner has been competing
in rodeo events under the
alias Mason Saundersand
won $26,560 in a team-roping
competition in December,
the Athletic reported. ...
Mike Fiers, the Oakland
Athletics pitcher and ex-
Houston player who helped
expose the Astros’ sign
stealing, received a largely
warm reception during his
first spring training appear-
ance in Mesa, Ariz.In the NHL, Washington
acquired winger Ilya Ko-
valchuk from Montreal for a
2020 third-round draft pick.
... Detroit traded defense-
man Mike Green to Edmon-
ton for forward Kyle
Brodziakand a conditional
draft pick. ... Tampa Bay
signed defenseman Zach
Bogosian after Buffalo
waived him. ... Reilly Opelka
beat Yoshihito Nishioka7- 5,
6-7 (4), 6-2 for the Delray
Beach (Fla.) Open title. ...
The Overwatch League
postponed three weeks’
worth of esports matches in
Seoul amid reports Asia’s
virus outbreak is spreading.
... Memphis Grizzlies for-
ward Jaren Jackson Jr.
(sprained knee) will miss at
least two weeks. ... Federica
Brignoneleads the World
Cup overall standings after
winning an Alpine combined
event in Crans-Montana,
Switzerland.THE DAY IN SPORTSNewman has
head injury but
plans to return
wire reports$2.9-MILLION QATAR TOTAL OPEN
At Doha, Qatar
Surface: Hard court outdoor
SINGLES (round of 64)—Elise Mertens (16), Belgium,
def. Wang Qiang, China, 6-1, 6-2. Karolina Muchova,
Czech Republic, def. Magda Linette, Poland, 6-3, 6-1.
Laura Siegemund, Germany, def. Yaroslava Shvedova,
Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-2. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, def.
Cagla Buyukakcay, Turkey, 6-2, 6-2. Veronika Kuderme-
tova, Russia, def. Kristina Mladenovic, France, 7-6 (6),
0-6, 6-3. Ajla Tomljanovic, Australia, def. Priscilla Hon,
Australia, 6-2, 6-4. Bernarda Pera, United States, def.
Caroline Garcia, France, 6-3, 6-1. Alison van Uytvanck,
Belgium, def. Polona Hercog, Slovenia, 6-2, 6-2. Garbine
Muguruza (11), Spain, def. Daria Kasatkina, Russia, 7-5,
5-7, 6-3. Amanda Anisimova, U.S., def. Ekaterina Al-
exandrova, Russia, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Ons Jabeur, Tunisia, def.
Katerina Siniakova, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-2. Jelena
Ostapenko, Latvia, def. Jil Teichmann, Switzerland, 7-5,
2-6, 7-5.
DOUBLES (round of 32)—Bethanie Mattek-Sands,
U.S., and Kirsten Flipkens, Belgium, def. Elina Svitolina
and Dayana Yastremska, Ukraine, 6-3, 6-3. Latisha Chan
and Hao-Ching Chan (7), Taiwan, def. Shuko Aoyama
and Ena Shibahara, Japan, 6-3, 6-3. Lyudmyla Kichenok
and Nadiia Kichenok, Ukraine, def. Julia Goerges, Ger-
many, and Kiki Bertens, Netherlands, 7-5, 1-6, 10-3.
Zhaoxuan Yang, China, and Makoto Ninomiya, Japan,
def. Hayley Carter, U.S., and Luisa Stefani, Brazil, 6-2,
3-6, 10-7. Xu Yifan, China, and Nicole Melichar (5), U.S.,def. Alicja Rosolska, Poland, and Alexa Guarachi Mathi-
son, Chile, 6-3, 7-6 (2).
$1.7-MILLION RIO OPEN
At Rio de Janeiro
Surface: Clay-Outdoor
SINGLES (final)—Cristian Garin, Chile, d. Gianluca
Mager, Italy, 7-6 (3), 7-5
DOUBLES (final)—Marcel Granollers, Spain, and Ho-
racio Zeballos (3), Argentina, def. Federico Gaio and Sal-
vatore Caruso, Italy, 6-4, 5-7, 10-7.
$691,880 OPEN 13 MARSEILLE
At Marseille, France
Surface: Hard-Indoor
SINGLES (final)—Stefanos Tsitsipas (2), Greece, def.
Felix Auger-Aliassime (7), Canada, 6-3, 6-4.
DOUBLES (final)—Nicolas Mahut, France, and Vasek
Pospisil, Canada, def. Nikola Mektic, Croatia, and Wesley
Koolhof (2), Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4.
$602,935 DELRAY BEACH OPEN
At Delray Beach, Fla.
Surface: Hard-Outdoor
SINGLES (semifinals)—Reilly Opelka (4), U.S., def. Mi-
los Raonic (2), Canada, 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3.
(final)—Reilly Opelka (4), U.S., def. Yoshihito Nish-
ioka, Japan, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-2.
DOUBLES (final)—Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (1), U.S.,
def. Luke Bambridge, Britain, and Ben Mclachlan (4),
Japan, 3-6, 7-5, 10-5.TENNIS RESULTS
$10.5-MILLION WGC MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP
At Mexico City—Par 71
Chapultepec Golf Course—7,345 yards
Final 72-Hole Scores
266 (-18)—$1,820,000
Patrick Reed (550)..............................69-63-67-67
267 (-17)—$1,150,000
Bryson DeChambeau (315) ..................68-63-71-65
269 (-15)—$600,000
Jon Rahm (170).................................72-69-61-67
Erik van Rooyen ..................................70-62-67-70
270 (-14)—$430,000
Rory McIlroy (115)..............................65-69-68-68
271 (-13)—$320,667
Tyrrell Hatton (96)...............................69-68-66-68
Hideki Matsuyama (96)........................69-64-71-67
Justin Thomas (96) .............................67-66-65-73
272 (-12)—$237,500
Billy Horschel (81)..............................68-71-68-65
Kevin Na (81).....................................71-68-65-68
273 (-11)—$205,000
Paul Casey (73)..................................69-68-66-70
275 (-9)—$182,000
Abraham Ancer (67)............................70-70-67-68
Gary Woodland (67) ............................70-69-65-71
276 (-8)—$160,000
Sebastian Munoz (61) .........................71-66-72-67
Xander Schauffele (61) ........................72-72-66-66
277 (-7)—$143,500
Rafa Cabrera Bello (56) .......................71-71-67-68
Carlos Ortiz (56) .................................75-68-66-68
278 (-6)—$125,500
Tommy Fleetwood (51).........................70-69-70-69
Benjamin Hebert.................................73-70-65-70
Kevin Kisner (51)................................73-69-67-69
Bubba Watson (51) .............................67-72-71-68
279 (-5)—$105,500
Matt Kuchar (43) ................................75-67-67-70
Cameron Smith (43)............................73-73-69-64
Brandt Snedeker (43)..........................76-69-70-64
Lee Westwood ....................................69-70-70-70
280 (-4)—$90,000
Zander Lombard.................................73-68-69-70
Scottie Scheffler (37)..........................73-70-67-70
Adam Scott (37).................................74-68-68-70
281 (-3)—$73,500
Byeong Hun An (28)............................75-69-72-65
Christiaan Bezuidenhout.......................72-72-70-67
Ryan Fox............................................72-68-73-68
Lanto Griffin (28) ................................72-69-70-70
Justin Harding.....................................71-71-67-72
Sungjae Im (28).................................69-72-70-70
Shane Lowry (28)...............................72-69-71-69
Chez Reavie (28) ................................71-73-67-70
282 (-2)—$56,200
Matthew Fitzpatrick (19).......................72-70-70-70
Sergio Garcia (19)..............................74-72-70-66
Shaun Norris ......................................75-68-70-69
Brendon Todd (19)..............................72-71-71-68
Bernd Wiesberger................................70-76-68-68283 (-1)—$49,500
Branden Grace (13) ............................71-71-71-70
Marc Leishman (13) ............................74-70-68-71
Robert MacIntyre.................................76-68-70-69
Collin Morikawa (13) ...........................72-70-72-69
Matthias Schwab ................................71-68-74-70
Danny Willett (13)...............................73-68-70-72
284 (E)—$45,500
Dustin Johnson (10)............................76-71-67-70
Zach Murray .......................................71-69-69-75
285 (+1)—$44,000
Corey Conners (10).............................68-70-72-75
286 (+2)—$42,500
Jason Kokrak (9).................................73-70-73-70
Louis Oosthuizen (9)............................68-71-76-71
287 (+3)—$39,100
Charles Howell III (7)...........................75-74-68-70
Jazz Janewattananond..........................73-73-73-68
Kurt Kitayama .....................................76-70-72-69
Francesco Molinari (7).........................72-74-71-70
Victor Perez_ ......................................81-70-66-70
288 (+4)—$36,500
Lucas Herbert.....................................75-70-74-69
Jordan Spieth (6)................................74-73-70-71
Matt Wallace (6).................................74-77-71-66
289 (+5)—$35,000
Lucas Glover (5).................................71-73-76-69
Shugo Imahira ....................................74-70-70-75
Webb Simpson (5) ..............................72-73-74-70
$3-MILLION PUERTO RICO OPEN
At Rio Grande, Puerto Rico—Par 72
Coco Beach Golf & Country Club—7,569 yards
268 (-20)—$540,000
Viktor Hovland (300)...........................68-66-64-70
269 (-19)—$327,000
Josh Teater (165) ................................66-68-66-69
273 (-15)—$159,000
Emiliano Grillo (83).............................66-68-69-70
Sam Ryder (83) ..................................70-65-69-69
Kyle Stanley (83)................................64-70-71-68
274 (-14)—$101,250
Martin Laird (55) ................................67-69-63-75
Matthew NeSmith (55).........................70-71-66-67
Ted Potter Jr. (55)................................68-70-67-69
275 (-13)—$75,750
Joseph Bramlett (38) ...........................71-67-69-68
Rob Oppenheim (38)...........................69-68-69-69
Wes Roach (38)..................................67-70-69-69
Jhonattan Vegas (38)...........................68-74-71-62
Vincent Whaley (38) ............................70-71-69-65
276 (-12)—$50,250
Roberto Castro (30)............................71-69-70-66
Kyoung-Hoon Lee (30) .........................70-69-70-67
Ben Martin (30)..................................70-66-69-71
Adam Schenk (30)..............................72-65-69-70
Shawn Stefani (30) .............................72-65-72-67
Xinjun Zhang (30)...............................71-69-66-70
Robby Shelton (4)...............................68-73-71-70
D.J. Trahan (4)....................................72-69-68-73GOLF SCORES