The Lakers ended this season by getting swept in the Western Conference Finals. What can they do to improve for next season?The Lakers had a really weird season. By midseason, they were the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference. They then traded Russell Westbrook and started to improve. LeBron J...

Colorado jury convicts Randy Roedema while acquitting Officer Jason Rosenblatt in the Elijah McClain case

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is taking a “careful” approach with captain Reece James, who started a match for just the second time this season in the Blues’ 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over Blackburn. James, who has been making his way back to full fitness after sustaining a hamstring issue in August, played 61 minutes of Wednesday’s tie before he was swapped for Malo Gusto. Benoit Badiashile netted the opener in his first appearance this season, while Raheem Sterling added a second after the break to book the Blues a quarter-final clash with Newcastle. Pochettino said: “The plan was to check at half-time how (James) was feeling, and after 15 minutes he starts to feel tired and we’re checking from the second half, and we need to be careful how we manage him. “We decide to make the change because I think it is important now, the progression, and being careful about not going back, sometimes (you) play 90 minutes and maybe take some risks, but we need to avoid this. “It’s true that we cannot 100 per cent avoid risk, but the plan is to go little by little.” Badiashile, who had not appeared for Chelsea since May, broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark after Leopold Wahlstedt’s save deflected favourably into his path. Both sides had penalty shouts go unanswered by referee Tim Robinson before the break, including a potential handball on Conor Gallagher that could have swung momentum in the visitors’ favour, but Sterling’s top-corner strike made it a comfortable second half for the hosts. Blackburn had their chances – Harry Leonard firing just wide moments after the interval and substitute Arnor Sigurdsson coming close in stoppage time – but never looked close to a comeback in front of the 3,000 fans who had made the trip south. Jon Dahl Tomasson was convinced his Rovers side should have been awarded a spot-kick, but was pleased by how well his youthful side responded to their top-flight opposition. The Danish boss, who believes cup football is “extremely important” said: “It was a great challenge, and I think our fans will be proud of this young Rovers team playing against a top team in Europe. “The millionaires from the Premier League against the young guns from the Championship and do a challenge and an effort like this, I think the boys will learn a lot from this game. “When you play at this level you need to make a decision quite quick, the intensity is high, the decision-making needs to be right and I thought actually we had some great attacks on the ball as well. “I’m sure this young group will take a lot from this game.” Read More Sean Dyche wants Everton squad to be happy playing three times a week Jurgen Klopp thrilled as Liverpool weather storm at Bournemouth Manchester United and Arsenal knocked out of the Carabao Cup I’m responsible – Mikel Arteta accepts blame for Arsenal loss at West Ham Darwin Nunez comes off the bench to fire Liverpool into Carabao Cup quarter-finals James Harden joins LA Clippers from Philadelphia 76ers

By Alex Lawler LONDON OPEC on Tuesday stuck to its forecasts for robust growth in global oil demand

HONOLULU (AP) — Zach Edey had 28 points and 15 rebounds to carry No. 2 Purdue to a 78-75 win over No. 4 Marquette in the championship game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday.

By Joseph Ax A coalition of booksellers, authors and publishers has sued Texas seeking to block a new

A social media influencer is among a growing number of people who have been arrested this week as looting around Philadelphia continued for a second night Wednesday in the aftermath of peaceful protests against a judge's decision to dismiss all charges against a former Philadelphia police officer in a fatal traffic stop shooting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made an unexpected appearance at a summit in neighboring Moldova the same day Russia

Michigan’s attorney general is suggesting conservative politics played a role in the acquittal of three men in the final trial related to a plan to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

China's Premier Li Qiang struck a confident tone about expansion in the world's second largest economy on Tuesday, saying growth in the second quarter will be higher than in the first three months of the year.

Chelsea travel to Reading on the final day of the season knowing that victory will secure a fourth straight Women’s Super League title. The Blues hold a two-point lead over Manchester United in the table and a win would complete the double following their FA Cup final victory. United must beat Liverpool on the final day and hope Reading - who will be relegated if they lose to Chelsea - can pull off a seismic upset. If Chelsea and Reading draw, United must beat Liverpool by six goals to take the title from the champions. Read More ‘Business as usual’ as Chelsea look to wrap up Women’s Super League title Departing Magdalena Eriksson and era-crowning win show why WSL title heading back to Chelsea You’re asking the wrong person – Emma Hayes not interested in title permutations

Mauricio Pochettino lamented that Chelsea were “not nasty enough” in attack as Brentford won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to send his team to a third home Premier League defeat of the season. Victory for the visitors, earned with second-half goals from Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo, maintained their 100 per cent record on this ground since being promoted to the top flight in 2021 and ended Chelsea’s run of three league games unbeaten. The hosts failed to take advantage of a first half that they largely dominated, going close through Noni Madueke who struck the crossbar on his first start of the season. Marc Cucurella should have made more of the chance when Cole Palmer found him unmarked inside the box with a finely weighted ball, the defender lacking the power and precision needed to trouble goalkeeper Mark Flekken. From there, familiar frailties crept into Chelsea’s play and it was little surprise when they fell behind on 58 minutes, Pinnock storming past the ineffectual Axel Disasi to get on the end of Mbeumo’s cross and power his header inside Robert Sanchez’s near post. The goalkeeper was left embarrassed in added time when he was caught out going up for a corner and left the goal empty for Mbeumo to tap home Brentford’s second. Chelsea’s woeful home form has seen them win only once at Stamford Bridge in the league since March, a run that now stands at 13 matches going back to March. And after failing to score here for the 10th time in all competitions in 2023, Pochettino was left to rue the ease with which the visitors coped with his side’s attacking threat. “It’s a clear analysis,” he said. “After the first half we should score and we didn’t. When you dominate and create chances, and you don’t concede chances and the opponent didn’t cross the halfway line, we should score. If you don’t score, you need to blame ourselves. We were not nasty or clinical in front of the goal. “Sometimes you need some luck to score. It would change the game in the second half. But I think we gave them belief because we didn’t score. The second half, we can’t concede the kind of goal that we conceded and that’s why we lost the game. “(We have had) bad luck. (Christopher) Nkunku proved he can score in the big leagues and was injured in the last pre-season game. This type of thing didn’t help. We need to recover (Armando) Broja. Nicolas Jackson is affected for different reasons, he’s young and needs time to adapt. That’s obvious.” The first half ended with the manager remonstrating with a supporter near the dugout who expressed dissatisfaction with Jackson’s lack of involvement. The striker had come to the touchline to receive instruction but was criticised from the stands for his performance, prompting Pochettino to come to his defence. “It was a moment where we all felt frustrated,” he said. “After 40 minutes we’d played really well and created chances, but didn’t score. In that moment the energy was down in the stadium. “(Jackson) came to me and we were talking about positions on the pitch and I gave some direction to him. One fan said ‘wake up’. I said to stop talking in this way, support the players, we need support. It was very respectful.” Brentford boss Thomas Frank reflected on a game in which his players weathered first-half pressure and grabbed their chances when they arrived. “I think our first half wasn’t that good,” he said. “Chelsea were good first half, you see their exciting potential. If I was a Chelsea fan I’d be positive about them. It’s a bad result (for them), but I’m convinced it will come. “I said at half time we need to believe, I didn’t see that enough in the first half. We didn’t give away big chances away, but we gave too much away. “The first goal always changes the dynamic of a game. The way we defended was fantastic.” Read More Matty Ashton at the double as England seal series win over Tonga Everton financial reports just another thing to deal with – Sean Dyche Steve Borthwick’s plans for England’s Six Nations campaign well under way England ‘feeling the heat’ of World Cup implosion – Marcus Trescothick Erik ten Hag admits Man Utd ‘have a way to go’ as they prepare for derby day Son Heung-min hails Guglielmo Vicario for ‘unbelievable saves’ in win at Palace