The sports report: The Clippers get a terrible inaugural gift from the Suns

Hello, I'm your host, Houston Mitchell. Let's get straight to the news.

By Broderick Turner: The show began Wednesday night with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer standing with fans on the east side of his palace called the Intuit Dome in an area called “The Wall.” Ballmer danced frenetically with fans in his $2 billion venue before taking the microphone.

“Welcome home, Clippers Nation,” Ballmer bellowed.

In fact, this is the Clippers' new home after spending 25 years at the Staples Center/Crypto.com Arena, sharing it with the NHL's Lakers and Kings.

It was the Clippers' first regular-season game in Inglewood and it took place without their biggest star, Kawhi Leonard, who missed the game due to recurring inflammation in his right knee. In addition, their second best player was missing, Paul George, who moved to the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer.

So it was down to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, star James Harden and a defense they had bragged about being king all preseason.

The curtain finally fell on the Clippers after they failed to deliver in the final period and lost a 116-113 game to the Suns in overtime in front of a sellout, cheering crowd.

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DODGERS

By Anthony De Leon: Lifelong Dodger fans Manny Acosta, 59, and his brother Jose Acosta, 60, sit on Vin Scully Avenue, just feet from the shrine at the Dodger Stadium sign dedicated to the life of Fernando Valenzuela .

The siblings are parked in their “Dodger Dodge” — a truck wrapped in Dodger blue with a picture of Valenzuela throwing on the side.

Wearing their World Series gear, they parked at noon and sat for hours watching as hundreds of mourners arrived throughout the day to drop off flowers, Mexican flags and other gifts while paying their respects to a Dodger legend.

The Acostas were born in Sonora, Mexico, the same state where Valenzuela was born, and came to Boyle Heights in 1972.

“I’m an immigrant like him,” Manny Acosta said of Valenzuela. “He came here and surpassed the American dream. He was such an icon and literally changed the baseball profession and its connection to Hispanics.”

He heard false rumors that Valenzuela had died a few weeks ago, which made his death Tuesday less surprising. But it still had a big impact.

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Robert Vargas started the Fernando Valenzuela mural on the day the Dodgers great died. It has become an altar

Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball sells for a record $4.4 million. Who gets the money?

Are you going to Dodger Stadium for the World Series? Five ways to avoid parking and traffic problems

WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE

All times Pacific
All games on Fox
All games at 5:08 p.m

Dodgers vs NY Yankees
Friday at Dodgers
Saturday at Dodgers
Monday in New York
Tuesday in New York
*Wednesday in New York
*Friday, November 1st at Dodgers
*Saturday, November 2nd at Dodgers

*-if required

LAKERS

By Dan Woike: JJ Redick always fought.

He fought off the ridicule of the Atlantic Coast Conference crowds and became one of the best – and most hated – players in college basketball history.

He fought the notion that his game wouldn't translate to the pros and that his early struggles gave no indication of who he might become. He fought to become one of the NBA's best role players, then fought against time and an aging body to stay there.

In retirement, he battled complacency. He stayed busy as a podcaster, entrepreneur and broadcaster.

But early last spring, Redick decided it was time to stop fighting. It was time to give in.

“At some point you just have to listen to your soul and not be afraid of the consequences of what happens afterward,” Redick told The Times. “You just have to try, I guess.”

And so Redick made his decision. He would listen to his soul. He didn't just want to coach in the NBA. He had to do it.

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CHARGERS

By Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The Chargers haven't scored a second-half touchdown since Week 1. They rushed for 59 yards on 22 carries against an Arizona defense that allowed 153 yards per game on the ground. They failed to protect a one-point lead on their final possession and conceded the game-winning field goal as time expired.

Although concerns were raised following the team's 17-15 loss on “Monday Night Football,” coach Jim Harbaugh disagrees.

“You could sing along with the choir with the words: 'would have been, could have been and should have been'. “If this, if that,” the Chargers coach said Wednesday. “But it required watching [the tape] three, four times, from all sides of the ball, to turn the hymnal: “We were better.” We were better. We’ve gotten better.”

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1943 – The Green Bay Packers throw nine interceptions, seven off Frank Sinkwich, in a 27-6 victory over the Detroit Lions.

1959 – Wilt Chamberlain plays his first NBA game for the Philadelphia Warriors. Chamberlain plays his entire career – 1,045 consecutive games – without a disqualification.

1965 – Fran Tarkenton of the Minnesota Vikings catches passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns in a thrilling 42-41 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

1976 – The New York Marathon is run through the streets of the five boroughs for the first time. Bill Rodgers wins the race in 2:10:10, beating Olympic gold and silver medalist Frank Shorter. Miki Gorman wins the women's championship with 2:39:11, the 70th fastest time ever.

1992 – The Toronto Blue Jays win the baseball championship outside the United States for the first time, beating the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in 11 innings in Game 6 of the World Series.

1998 – Texas' Ricky Williams becomes the leading scorer in NCAA Division I history with 428 career points and scored two touchdowns in a 30-20 win over Baylor.

2003 – Se Ri Pak becomes the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to make the two-round cut in a men's golf tournament. Pak shot a 2-over 74 on the Korean Tour and went 2-over 146 midway through the $250,000 SBS Super tournament. Pak is tied for 29th place.

2008 – 9-9 for the unstoppable Zenyatta. The 4-year-old filly, ridden by Mike Smith, stays perfect in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic at Santa Anita, racing around the bend from last to first to win the race.

2010 – Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall sets an NFL single-game record with four interceptions, including a 92-yard interception return touchdown, in the Redskins' 17-14 win at Chicago.

2012 – Pablo Sandoval becomes the fourth player to hit three home runs in a World Series game, leading the San Francisco Giants to an 8-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the series opener.

2013 – A majority-female team referees a college football game for the first time. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is calling this the first time this has happened in an NCAA game. Head linesman Yvonda Lewis, linesman Tangela Mitchell, field judge Sebrina Brunson and backup judge Krystle Apellaniz are part of the seven-man crew for the Division II game between Miles and Lane. Miles wins 38-26.

2015 – Montreal beats the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3, extending its season-opening winning streak to nine games. The Candiens break the NHL record for most consecutive regulation wins to start a season, set by Buffalo in 1975–76.

2015 – Lance Austin returns a blocked 78-yard field goal for a touchdown on the final play, giving Georgia Tech a stunning 22-16 upset over No. 9 Florida State.

2021 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady becomes the first quarterback in NFL history to score 600 touchdowns in a 38-3 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Compiled by Associated Press