Lomachenko wins unanimous decision for 2nd lightweight belt
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — LeBron James had 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Kyle Kuzma added 20 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Memphis Grizzlies in a 111-88 victory on Saturday night (Sunday, PHL time).
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Josh Hart added 16 points apiece, while JaVale McGee finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Wayne Selden with 17 points. led Memphis Mike Conley added 12 points while struggling from the field, shooting 4-of-12 on the night, as Memphis shot 41 percent overall.
The Lakers extended their lead to as many as 29 before taking a 91-66 advantage into the fourth quarter. By the midway point of the fourth, Memphis had not made a significant dent in the Lakers’ lead and Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff emptied his bench.
Los Angeles built a big lead early as Memphis struggled shooting, most notably from outside. The Grizzlies made two of their 13 three-point attempts.
The Lakers were willing to let the Grizzlies continue chucking three’s. Los Angeles clogged the middle and closed off lanes to the basket, and Memphis was intimidated enough that the Grizzlies were inclined to pass outside.
The Memphis defense nowhere near as effective.
Los Angeles held a 63-40 lead at halftime as Hart scored 16 and James had 13. first was
NEW YORK — Vasiliy Lomachenko picked up his second lightweight title Saturday night (Sunday, PHL time), wearing down Jose Pedraza and winning a unanimous decision.
Lomachenko (12-1) knocked down Pedraza twice in the 11th round and though he couldn’t finish him, won easily to add the WBO title to the WBA belt he picked up in May during his first fight at 135 pounds.
The three-division champion unified titles within a division for the first time, after moving up to lightweight in May when he knocked out Jorge Linares in the 10th round.
Lomachenko won one card by a 119-107 rout, while two judges scored it 117-109, as did The Associated Press.
It ended his streak of eight straight victories by stoppage but he came close in the 11th, when Pedraza went to a knee to stop an onslaught of punches with about a halfminute left in the round and then went down again after Lomachenko caught him with a body shot.
In his first fight since right shoulder surgery, Lomachenko started cautiously before finding the range with a flurry of combinations in the latter half of the fight to pull away. He tore the labrum in the second round against Linares but said he had no problems with the shoulder Saturday, even though he threw far more lefts.
He certainly looked it for much of the fight and is halfway to owning all four major belts at 135 pounds. One of them is vacant and the other is owned by unbeaten Mikey Garcia, who won’t be defending that any time soon while he moves to challenge welterweight champion Errol Spence in March.
But Lomachenko isn’t giving up on the idea of what would be the marquee fight in the division.