The Big Lead

One incredible stat sums up Los Angeles' run of sports success

By Joe Lago

Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run in the tenth inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run in the tenth inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Los Angeles felt like the sports capital of the world last Friday when five major sporting events in the Southland took place within hours of each other, namely the epic World Series opener won by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam.

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That same night, the Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns 123-116 behind Anthony Davis' game-high 35 points, and USC football got back on the winning track with a 42-20 thrashing of Rutgers.

Arash Markazi of The Sporting Tribune noted that L.A. teams haven't stopped winning. In fact, the streak of local success goes back to last Thursday when the Rams stunned the visiting Minnesota Vikings 30-20 at SoFi Stadium.

As Markazi listed on X/Twitter, prominent Los Angeles teams in pro and college sports have won 14 games in a row. In addition to the Dodgers' two World Series victories over the New York Yankees, the Kings have won twice in the NHL, the Lakers and Clippers recorded a pair of NBA victories and the local MLS teams — L.A. Galaxy and LAFC — both won their playoff openers.

The win streak also includes USC men's basketball's surprising 96-93 win over sixth-ranked Gonzaga on Saturday. It was only an exhibition, but the victory displayed the Trojans' potential under first-year head coach Eric Musselman.

Winning will be the norm when the women's basketball teams at USC and UCLA begin their much-anticipated seasons. Both programs are in the top five of the AP Top 25 preseason poll. The No. 3 Trojans feature two preseason first-team All-Americans in JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen, while the No. 5 Bruins are led by junior center Lauren Betts.

The L.A. win streak will be tested Monday when the Dodgers resume the World Series with Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.

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