LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic was the last starter introduced by the Los Angeles Lakers, an honor normally reserved for LeBron James. When Doncic jogged into the spotlight on a darkened court through a cordon of his new teammates, his new fans stood and roared while wearing thousands of gold T-shirts with his name and number. Even a young superstar could feel the magnificence of the moment. “I was a little nervous before,” Doncic said. “I (don’t remember) the last time I was nervous before the game. But once I stepped on the court again, it was fun. Just being out there, it felt amazing.” Doncic’s debut with the Lakers was brief and successful Monday night, but it piqued the anticipation of everybody involved for his days and years ahead in Los Angeles. Doncic scored 14 points while playing just 23 minutes, immediately getting into the flow with James and his teammates during Los Angeles’ 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz. Doncic added five rebounds and four assists — none prettier than a three-quarter-court strike to James for a layup late in the first half.
Fox Sports is projecting a Super Bowl record average audience of 126 million U.S. viewers across television and streaming platforms for Philadelphia’s 40-22 victory over Kansas City on Sunday night. The game was televised by Fox, Fox Deportes and Telemundo and streamed on Tubi as well as the NFL’s digital platforms. Fox’s projections on Monday included Nielsen’s early numbers and streaming data from Tubi and the NFL. Updated and more complete numbers were expected on Tuesday. It would be the second straight year the Super Bowl has reached a record audience. The Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over San Francisco last year averaged 123.7 million on CBS, Nickelodeon, Univision and streaming platforms. According to Fox, the audience peaked at 135.7 million in the second quarter. The early data projects 14.5 million watched on streaming platforms, including 13.6 million on Tubi, where the game was available for free.
HOUSTON (AP) — L.J. Cryer scored 14 points, Milos Uzan added 12 points and six assists, and No. 6 Houston beat Baylor 76-65 on Monday night for its third straight victory. Terrance Arceneaux had 11 points and J’Wan Roberts scored 10 for Houston (20-4, 12-1 Big 12). Emanuel Sharp also finished with 10 after missing two games with an ankle injury. The Cougars shot 51% and went 10 of 24 on 3-pointers. They reached 20 wins for the 10th consecutive season. Norchad Omier scored 19 points and Langston Love added 15 for Baylor (15-9, 7-6), which shot 58% — including 9 of 15 on 3s. VJ Edgecombe had 14 points and Robert Wright III finished with 10. Baylor lost its third straight road game and fell to 0-4 against ranked opponents in true road games this season.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Pete Rose may be on baseball’s permanently ineligible list, but the late hit king’s No. 14 will be on Cincinnati Reds’ uniforms this year. Cincinnati posted a photo of the patch on X on Monday with the message “14 on our side all season” and a heart emoji. Rose, who died in September at the age of 83, played 19 of his 24 major league seasons with his hometown Reds. He finished his playing career in 1986 with a record 4,256 hits. The player known as Charlie Hustle was a 17-time All-Star and member of three World Series championship teams. He was NL Most Valuable Player in 1973, and he won three batting titles and two Gold Gloves.
MONDAY SCORES
NCAA MEN TOP 25
No. 6 Houston 76, Baylor 65
No. 23 Clemson 85, North Carolina 65
NCAA WOMEN TOP 25
Ole Miss 66, No. 8 Kentucky 57
No. 16 Oklahoma 73, Auburn 71