Author: Martin Rogers, USA TODAY

Los Angeles has missed the playoffs six consecutive seasons. This was the time things were supposed to get better for Lakers fans.

With nine games to go, the Los Angeles Lakers are 32-41 and in danger of finishing with a worse record than last season’s miserable mark of 35-47.

The jockeying for playoff seeding will be intense during the NBA’s final weeks of the regular season.

Migratory Mexican free-tailed bats invaded the AT&T Center on Jan. 31. The San Antonio Spurs haven’t lost at home since – a streak of 11 games.

MLS star Jozy Altidore believes soccer is a legitimate aspiration for young minority athletes seeking a better life.

Thursday’s comeback win against the Rockets could serve as a turning point in the Lakers’ season –or it could be nothing at all.

James Harden extended his 30-point streak to 32 games, but LeBron James and the Lakers stymied the Rockets in the fourth for a 111-106 comeback win.

Games involving the Knicks, Cavaliers, Suns and Bulls take on added weight, but not because they will provide scintillating basketball.

The league stripped Charlotte of the game in 2016 until state lawmakers replaced the controversial HB2 legislation.