The Desert Sun from Palm Springs, California • C1

LAKERS SPORTS LOS ANGELES From Lonzo first day in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey this summer, Magic Johnson proclaimed the teenage point guard to be the key to the 16-time NBA champion return to title-winning glory. Magic then doubled down, saying that he ex- pects retired number to hang next to his own at Staples Center someday. If Ball is feeling any pressure from his new extraordinary public expectations, he showing it as he prepares to begin his first regular season with the Lakers next week. been in this situation my whole life, so I see it as anything Ball said. look at it all the same.

just basketball. Playing a game I love. You get used to it. The media picks up and the attention gets bigger, but the too soon to know whether Ball can be as good as Magic thinks he is. Lakers fans will start to find out this month when their team begins the next step in its attempted return to championship form after the worst four-year stretch in fran- chise history.

have a very young team, but everybody has been together and working all Ball said. gave us a jump-start on the season. We know we have a lot of work to do to win a champi- onship, so we needed to get playmaking skill is undeniably impres- sive, as is his maturity: He speaks with a presence belying his youth, and his teammates already look to him as a leader. While Ball has been slowed by a sprained ankle during the preseason, his impor- tance to coach Luke team is undeniable before he has even made his regular-season de- THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 CHICAGO Javier Baez snapped an 0- for-20 skid with two home runs, Wade Davis hung on for a six-out save and the Chicago Cubs avoided a sweep, holding off the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 Wednes- day night in Game 4 of the NL Champi- onship Series. Jake Arrieta pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning to held the de- fending World Series champion Cubs close their deficit to 3-1.

Manager Joe Maddon got ejected for the second time in this series in the eighth, and a packed Wrigley Field crowd watched Davis get Cody Bellinger to ground into a game- ending double play. Maddon was heavily criticized for not using Davis during a 4-1 loss in Game 2. This time, the Cubs closer threw 48 pitches to finish the job. Willson Contreras also homered for the Cubs. Bellinger and Justin Turner connected for the Dodgers, who had won a team-record six straight playoff games.

NLCS GAME 4: CUBS 3, DODGERS 2 Dodgers finish sweep Baez, Davis do just enough to force Game 5 ANDREW SELIGMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS Cubs second baseman Javier Baez hits a solo home run against the Dodgers in the fifth inning. JIM TODAY SPORTSPlease see DODGERS, 6C this cov- eted piece of cloth in the desert. a large rectangle. The left third of it is dark blue with a big maroon on it. The right third of it is red with a big yellow on it.

The middle third is a white downward-pointing tri- angle with La Quinta Blackhawks and Palm Desert helmets on them facing each other. Both the red and blue fields have ovals on them with years list- ed. The years correspond to victories. called the Victory Flag and for two schools and two teams, what the foot- ball season is all about. La Quinta, the current possessors of the flag, hosts Palm Desert this Friday WEEK 9 STORYLINES Victory Flag on line in crucial tilt Please see POWERS, 2C La Quinta players Chris Ruiz, Andrew Jones, Trent Laddusaw and Ty James hold the Victory flag.

La Quinta plays Palm Desert Friday. DESERT SUN FILE PHOTO Shad Powers POWERS OF OBSERVATION FRIDAY NIGHT HERO This winner is: Raythen Alvarez of Indio. You voted on Instagram and you chose the back who played a major role in the Rajahs win with two field goals and an interception. Learn more about Alvarez at desertsun.com as we do a video with him. Alvarez Ball prepared to shine in bright Los Angeles spotlight with rebuilding franchise Please see LAKERS, 4C -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 2016-2017 REGULAR SEASON MARGIN OF VICTORY Clockwise: Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Julius Randle and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope GETTY TODAY SPORTS GREG BEACHAM ASSOCIATED PRESS.