LAKERS FIRE HEAD COACH DARVIN HAM AFTER 2 SEASONS

 The Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham on Friday after two seasons and a 90-74 regular-season record.

"We greatly appreciate Darvin's efforts on behalf of the Lakers and recognize the many accomplishments achieved over the past two seasons including last year's remarkable run to the Western Conference finals," general manager Rob Pelinka said in a team-released statement.

"We all want to thank Darvin for his dedication and positivity. While this was a difficult decision to make, it is the best course of action following a full review of the season. This organization will remain unwavering in its commitment to deliver championship-caliber basketball to Lakers fans around the world."

The Lakers finished the regular season with a 47-35 mark, good enough for only an eighth-place finish in the Western Conference. They defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in round to earn the No. 7 seed in the playoffs but were bounced by the Denver Nuggets in the opening round, 4-1.

The Nuggets also defeated the Lakers last season in the conference finals on the way to their first NBA title.

All had seemed optimistic in Lakers land when the team roared to the title in the NBA in-season tournament with a 123-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Las Vegas on Dec. 9.

But a 3-9 stretch followed, and reports emerged of growing unrest between the players and Ham, 50.

The Lakers hired Ham on June 3, 2022, to replace Frank Vogel following a 33-49 record in 2021-22, two years removed from winning the NBA championship. It was Ham's first NBA head coaching job.

Lakers fans chanted "Fire Darvin Ham" in Game 3 of the series with the Nuggets. After the game, All-Star Anthony Davis said the Lakers "don't know what we're doing on both ends of the floor" for stretches of games.

"It's been a hell of a two years sitting in this seat, I'll tell you that. It's been a hell of a two years," Ham said Monday after the Game 5 loss.

- Reuters 

BROKEN CLOCK, REVIEWS MAR FINAL MINUTES OF LAKERS-WARRIORS

AP

 LOS ANGELES -- The last two minutes of the game clock in the Golden State Warriors' 128-121 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night took more than 20 minutes of real time to play out thanks to a series of replay reviews and shot-clock malfunctions.

The delays began with 1:50 remaining in the fourth, with the Lakers trailing 124-120, when L.A. coach Darvin Ham challenged an out-of-bounds call that granted the Warriors possession while Lakers center Jaxson Hayes and Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins both went for the rebound.

While the officials were reviewing the out-of-bounds call, they determined that the corner 3-pointer LeBron James made on the previous trip down the court with 2:07 remaining did not count.

The Lakers ended up winning the challenge -- Hayes and Wiggins faced off for a jump ball -- but lost points in the process.

"I've never seen that be called before like that -- in that particular time," said James, who finished with 40 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds. "That was kind of weird. ... It took some momentum away from us."

The ruling was eerily similar to one from a December game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, in which a late 3 by James that would have tied the score was downgraded to a 2-pointer after review. Just like he did that night, James disagreed with the call Saturday.

"I didn't believe I stepped on the line, obviously," James said Saturday. "I knew how much space I had over there. And when I shoot, I shoot on my tippy toes, so it's kind of hard for me to have a heel down."

Crew chief David Guthrie explained the ruling in a postgame statement to a pool reporter.

"James' left foot is out of bounds as he begins to shoot," Guthrie said. "Yes, it is reviewable at that time. The rule is Rule 13, Section II(f)(3): Whether the shooter committed a boundary line violation, the replay center official will only look at the position of the player's feet at the moment they touch the floor immediately prior to the release of the shot. This can be applied during other replay triggers as well."

While the overturned 3 helped his team, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he would just as soon lived without the ruling.

"I also don't like the rule that you can go back and look at an out of bounds, or LeBron's 3," Kerr said. "That seems to happen once or twice a year. I'd love to see that rule go away. I think we're trying so hard to get everything just right, at the expense of the flow. I mean, who cares if a guy's foot is half an inch on the line? Is that worth going back 45 seconds and changing everything, with the unintended consequences? It's not my favorite rule, for sure."

James, however, defended the spirit of the replay rules.

ANTHONY DAVIS LEADS LAKERS TO NBA IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT TITLE, 123-109 OVER PACERS

AP Photo

LAS VEGAS (AP) — As Commissioner Adam Silver prepared to hand LeBron James the MVP trophy of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, he cautioned that “it doesn't come with a franchise.”

James bent over in laughter, but he has been serious about wanting to own an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas.

For now, he'll more than settle for the individual honor and tournament championship after scoring 24 points and adding 11 rebounds Saturday night to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the final.

“My enthusiasm about being here post-career, bringing a team here has not changed,” James said. “The fans are amazing here. They have everything already: WNBA team, they have a baseball team (Athletics) coming in soon, NFL team, hockey team, F1 (Formula One) was just here. This is a place that loves great attractions, and I think the NBA will be another great addition to this city.”

As well as James played Saturday, the star was teammate Anthony Davis, who had 41 points and 20 rebounds — numbers that would have been season highs if they counted. This is the only game in the tournament that doesn't figure in the standings or statistics.

Davis also shot 16 of 24, had five assists and blocked four shots.