The sports report: With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the Rams defeated the Vikings

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

By Gary Klein: During the off-season, Cooper Kupp co-founded a coffee company.

And when the veteran Rams receiver returned to the lineup Thursday night after a four-game absence, the recently faltering offense was in for a welcome boost.

There was an unexpected double shot.

Receiver Puka Nacua also returned to the lineup and the two stars helped the Rams defeat the Minnesota Vikings 30-20 in front of 72,127 at SoFi Stadium.

Kupp caught a touchdown pass and Nacua racked up 106 yards receiving as the Rams won their second straight game and improved their record to 3-4.

Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes to receiver Demarcus Robinson, one to Kupp and one to running back Kyren Williams, and rookie edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young got the defense going as the Rams bounced back from the win over Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday handed the Vikings (5-2) their second loss in a row.

Read more here

Rams box score

NFL Rankings

DODGERS

By Jack Harris: The Dodgers may be getting reinforcements on their World Series roster.

Left-hander Alex Vesia, who missed the National League Championship Series after suffering an intercostal injury in Game 5 of the NL Division Series, said he is “90% sure” he will be active for the Fall Classic as he have already completed bullpen sessions last week and a 15-pitch live batting practice on Wednesday.

“I'm very confident that the way I felt on Wednesday night, I'll feel even better going up against some Yankees with some adrenaline in my body,” Vesia said.

Shortstop Miguel Rojas is also ready to return to action for the World Series after missing the NLCS with a nagging adductor injury that sidelined him since Game 3 of the NLDS.

Read more here

“The Most Satisfying” Year: How Dave Roberts Changed the Narrative and took the Dodgers to the World Series

Plaschke: “He went through hell.” Charley Steiner's brutal but victorious battle against cancer

Jaime Jarrín on Fernando Valenzuela: “He was so smart.” … He was truly a miracle.

Five most iconic moments in Dodgers-Yankees World Series history

99 problems, but a Dodgers pitch isn't one. Aaron Judge hits LA like no one else in history

The 1981 Dodgers said they never doubted they would beat the Yankees and win the World Series

Shaikin: Yankees vs. Dodgers: Can MLB capitalize on this dream marketing moment?

Dodgers Dugout: Remembering Fernando Valenzuela

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 Chuck Schilken: Hours after becoming the first father-son duo to share an NBA court together, LeBron and Bronny James were sued for their alleged involvement in a 2022 car accident in the Antelope Valley desert town of Littlerock.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday morning in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that the Lakers teammates “negligently owned, controlled, repaired, entrusted, maintained and operated an automobile so that it was involved in an accident or collision.” who caused it.” Injury to the plaintiffs and damage to the vehicle in which they were.

According to the lawsuit, plaintiffs Kiara McGillen and April Lopez were in a car on Pearblossom Highway at or near the 87th Street intersection on November 13, 2022, when the alleged incident occurred. McGillen was the driver, but the vehicle belongs to Lopez.

Read more here

clippers

By Terry Castleman: Kawhi Leonard's tenure with the Clippers has been marred by numerous injuries and his status for this season remains in doubt.

As the organization plays out its inaugural season at the newly completed Intuit Dome, a new complication has arisen: A lawsuit filed Thursday by a former coach alleges unsafe treatment of the franchise's star player.

Randy Shelton was a strength and conditioning coach at San Diego State University and worked closely with Leonard during his time with the Aztecs. The lawsuit says the Clippers began pursuing Leonard in 2017 — using Shelton as an intermediary, two years before Leonard joined the team.

Read more here

KINGS

By Kevin Baxter: The NHL season turned three weeks old on Friday, just hours after the Kings played at home for the first time.

“It's definitely strange,” captain Anze Kopitar said Thursday before the Kings returned to Crypto.com Arena for the first time in 175 days to beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in front of a sellout crowd of 18,146. “End of October. So a little different.”

The Kings were forced out of their building for the first seven games of the regular season due to the third phase of a multimillion-dollar renovation of their home arena, which turned 25 years old this month. Adding in part of the preseason spent in Utah and Quebec, the road trip lasted more than a month, making the Kings the last team in the league to play at home this season.

Six others have already played five games on home ice.

And there's no doubt that this put the Kings at a disadvantage. Not only were the players away from their families, but the home team puts their sticks down last during faceoffs, increasing their chances of winning at the drop, and gets last substitutions after the final whistle, allowing them to take advantage of the match.

“This is huge,” said Jim Fox, a Kings TV analyst who played nine seasons in the NHL.

But that's not the only benefit of coming home.

“The fans,” said Kings President Luc Robitaille, “are taking advantage of the home advantage.”

Read more here

Summary of Kings

NHL results

NHL rankings

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1947 – In front of 35,000 spectators at Columbia Baker Field in New York, the Lions end Army's 32-game unbeaten streak with a 21-20 upset. An interception on Army's final drive secured the win, the first victory over an Army team that hadn't given up a point all season until its loss to Columbia.

1964 – Cotton Davidson of the Oakland Raiders catches passes for 427 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-7 win over the Denver Broncos.

1980 – Mike Weaver knocks out Gerrie Coetzee in the 13th round to defend the WBA heavyweight title in Sun City, Bophuthatswana.

1990 – Evander Holyfield defeats Buster Douglas in Las Vegas to become undisputed heavyweight champion.

1998 – Jerry Rice sets an NFL record for receptions in consecutive games with his 12-yard catch from Steve Young on San Francisco's first offensive play. Rice caught passes in 184 consecutive games, surpassing the mark set by Art Monk from 1980 to 1995.

1998 – Denver's Jason Elam hits a 63-yard field goal, tying Tom Dempsey's 28-year-old NFL record. Elam's kick at the end of the first half equals the record set by Dempsey for the New Orleans Saints against Detroit on November 8, 1970.

2003 – Trainer Richard Mandella wins a record four Breeders' Cup races, capping perhaps the greatest day in racing history when Pleasantly Perfect wins the $4 million Classic at Santa Anita. Mandella wins the $1 million Juvenile Fillies with Halfbridled, the $1.5 million Juvenile with his long-shot Action This Day and the $2 million Turf with Johar dead with High Chaparral.

2003 – Florida's Josh Beckett pitches a shutout, leading the Marlins to a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees to win the World Series. Beckett has three days off, allows five hits in Game 6 and takes the MVP award.

2006 – Joe Sakic becomes the 11th player in NHL history to reach 1,500 career points with an assist in the first period of Colorado's 5-3 loss to Washington.

2008 – Raven's Pass wins the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic with an upset, stunning defending champion Curlin on the new synthetic surface at Santa Anita. Raven's Pass, ridden by Frankie Dettori and sent off at odds of 13-1, recorded a 1 3/4 length victory in his first race on such a surface.

2014 – Trevone Boykin throws a school-record seven touchdown passes and No. 10 TCU scored the most points in its history in an 82-27 win over Texas Tech.

2015 – Kirk Cousins ​​throws three touchdown passes in the second half, including the go-ahead score with 24 seconds left, leading the Washington Redskins to the greatest comeback in franchise history, a 31-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay led 24-0 in the second quarter before Cousins ​​ran for an 8-yard TD to get Washington on the field.

Compiled by Associated Press