AP California News

By W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — JuJu Watkins was billed as Southern California’s headliner in Las Vegas, but McKenzie Forbes owned the spotlight in the Pac-12 Tournament championship. Forbes scored 26 points and No. 5 USC beat No. 2 Stanford 74-61 on Sunday to win the title and earn the soon-to-be-disbanded conference’s

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Iga Swiatek avenged her Australian Open ouster at the hands of Linda Noskova, beating the Czech teenager 6-4, 6-0 in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday. Second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz and third-seeded Jannik Sinner each advanced in straight sets in the men’s draw, but fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — America Ferrera bid a fond awards season farewell to “Barbie” on the Oscars red carpet Sunday in a stunning, sparkly Atelier Versace gown in the film’s signature pink, while Rita Moreno wore a huge smile and a statement black gown from Badgley Mischka. “America Ferrera

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Riqui Puig and Dejan Joveljic scored the final two goals in a wild second half and the Los Angeles Galaxy rallied for a 2-2 draw with Nashville SC on Sunday. Neither team scored until Teal Bunbury connected on a penalty kick in the 54th minute to give Nashville (0-0-3) the lead.

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Damian Lillard scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks’ first victory on their California road trip, 124-117 over the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Lillard hit three of his seven 3-pointers in the fourth, while Giannis Antetokounmpo

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Protests over over Israel’s war in Gaza snarled traffic around the Academy Awards on Sunday, slowing stars’ arrival at the red carpet and turning the Oscar spotlight toward the ongoing conflict. Scattered demonstrations were held in the vicinity around the Oscars on Sunday. Los Angeles

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Rita Moreno wore a huge smile and a statement black gown, and Brittany Snow popped in bright yellow on the Oscars red carpet Sunday for Hollywood’s big night with a show of red, black, metallics and another drop-dead gorgeous gown for Laverne Cox. Moreno, at

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hi, “Oppenheimer.” When Hollywood gathers for the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, the blockbuster biopic is widely expected to overpower all competition — including its release-date companion, “Barbie” — at an election-year Oscars that could turn into a coronation for Christopher Nolan. Among the early

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are sitting out Sunday when the Los Angeles Clippers host Milwaukee in their second early afternoon game in two days. The NBA scheduled the Clippers to tip off at 12 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday after they beat Chicago 112-102

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined Minnesota center Rudy Gobert $100,000 on Sunday, two days after he implied that referee Scott Foster was not calling games fairly and further suggesting that gambling is having a detrimental impact on the outcome of games. The fine is the maximum that the NBA could give under terms

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — As Universal Pictures prepared for a big night at the Academy Awards with “Oppenheimer,” the studio also celebrated the No. 1 debut of “Kung Fu Panda 4,” which collected $58.3 million in domestic theaters over the weekend, according to estimates Sunday. “Kung Fu Panda 4,”

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP Political Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. Rep. Katie Porter became a social media celebrity by brandishing a white board at congressional hearings to dissect CEOs and break down complex figures into assaults on corporate greed, a signature image that propelled the Democrat’s U.S. Senate candidacy in California. This time,

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s the Oscars’ time to shine. After an abnormally packed awards season that included the Emmys, Grammys, Screen Actors Guild Awards, BAFTAs and Golden Globes, the Academy Awards will hand out filmmaking’s top honor in 23 categories. Even in its 96th year, the Oscars are finding ways to reinvent itself, with

By The Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Marcus Williams had 16 points in San Francisco’s 72-51 victory against Portland on Saturday night in the West Coast Conference Tournament. No. 3 seed San Francisco plays second-seeded and No. 19 Gonzaga, which swept the regular season series with the Dons, in the semifinals on Monday. Williams

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The night before the Oscars isn’t a time to rest in Hollywood. For quite a few nominees, including “Barbie” star Margot Robbie, it meant a stop at the historic Beverly Hills Hotel for the 15th annual Chanel and Charles Finch pre-Oscar dinner. Robbie was

By The Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Justin McKoy had 23 points in Hawaii’s 74-57 win against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday night. McKoy also added eight rebounds for the Rainbow Warriors (19-13, 11-9 Big West Conference). Noel Coleman added 18 points while shooting 5 for 10 (4 for 7 from 3-point range) and 4

By The Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Adama Bal had 24 points in Santa Clara’s 104-79 win over San Diego on Saturday night in the West Coast Conference Tournament. Bal added six rebounds for the Broncos (19-12, 1-0 West Coast Conference). Johnny O’Neil scored 20 points and added three steals. Tyeree Bryan shot 4

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Adem Bona had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Lazar Stefanovic added 16 points and six assists and UCLA beat Arizona State 59-47 Saturday night in the regular season finale for both teams to snap a five-game losing streak. Bona made 6 of 8 from the field, hit 8 of 8 from

By The Associated Press SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Kaleb Smith scored 28 points as UC Riverside beat UC Santa Barbara 81-64 on Saturday night. Smith also had six rebounds for the Highlanders (15-17, 10-10 Big West Conference). Nate Pickens scored 16 points while shooting 5 for 9 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Radek Faksa and Jason Robertson scored 18 seconds apart in the second period, Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist, and the Dallas Stars extended their winning streak to a season-high five games by beating the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Saturday night. “We