Momentum

A case can be made that the Clippers are at a key juncture in their bid to make the NBA playoffs this season. With the season not yet half over, the team is now only two games under .500 after a slow start and has won four of its last five games. The Clippers also have won three consecutive games -- including their win against the Lakers on Wednesday night, their first against the reigning NBA champions in more than 2 1/2 years. At issue now is whether the Clippers can maintain that momentum and avoid stumbling back into mediocrity.

OK, so I recognize that guy. Of course, absolutely, that's him. Still clutch, still fearless, still talented enough to throw his aging body in front of a defeat and almost single-handedly stop it, spin it on its axis, and turn it into a victory. Yeah, Kobe Bryant is still the one. Two days after giving away a second-round playoff game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Bryant grabbed one back for the Lakers on Friday night, controlling the momentum and creating the magic that gave the Lakers a 99-96 home victory in Game 3. With memories of Bryant's fourth-quarter collapse Wednesday still fresh, Bryant scored 14 points in this fourth quarter to give the Lakers new life, if only for 24 hours.

Rick Santorum, stumping in some of the state's most conservative, high-voting regions, insisted his campaign had the momentum and predicted he would move on to Florida. "We feel like we're the one maybe picking up this last-minute surge in the last day or so," he told reporters as he arrived in a drizzle at Hudson's Smokehouse, a barbecue joint that promotes itself with a logo of a pig lounging on a hot dog-bun hammock strung between palmetto trees. "We're going to be a viable candidate going through this whole process.

History can be made Saturday, but it has nothing to do with Kobe Bryant catching Michael Jordan. Quite the opposite. The Denver Nuggets could become only the ninth team to complete a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. The Lakers are trying to avoid their second Game 7 home loss in their 64-year history. The pressure is clearly on the Lakers, who won championships in 2009 and 2010 before flaming out in four games last season against Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals.

Among the highlights of my breakdown on the Lakers' 103-97 victory Friday over the Denver Nuggets: Lakers Coach Mike Brown left the game for what the team called "personal reasons. " Assistant coach John Kuester filled in and kept the same rotations. Kobe Bryant appeared valuable on the sideline, talking with assistants and teammates at length on what he saw on the floor. Bryant is walking pain free. But before he can play he has to run pain free and jump pain free. That's he may also sit out Sunday against the Mavericks.

Momentum is growing in the U.S. and abroad to deal with the problem of gigantic financial institutions deemed too big to fail by breaking them up before they can threaten the economy. Angered by bailouts that have kept corporate titans such as American International Group Inc. afloat, members of a key House committee last week voted to give the government vast new power to downsize private companies, something that happens now only in the most egregious antitrust cases. Instead of helping cushion the fall of Wall Street powerhouses through government aid or variations on traditional bankruptcy, there is growing momentum in Congress to cut those firms down to size before they start teetering to limit the damage if they do collapse.

Those who have never been excluded by "classification" from mainstream America can't fully appreciate the significance of the whole "Ellen" coming-out phenomenon ("Ellen: A Big Deal or Not?," Liz Smith, Calendar, April 10). It's not about a television character, it's about a new level of recognition for each of us who is a proud, gay American. I've had the good fortune to earn a law degree, enjoy a successful bank management career, raise a remarkable daughter and have a loving, committed 10-year relationship with another woman.

Reporting from Milwaukee -- Two pitches. Two swings. That's how quickly Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder can change momentum for the Milwaukee Brewers. Braun and Fielder have formed one of the top game-changing duos in the major leagues for some time now, but this was lightning-fast, even for them. "You might stop one of them, but you're not going to stop both of them," teammate Corey Hart said. "They can turn around a game in a hurry. " Braun and Fielder needed just one pitch apiece to turn a 5-2 deficit into a 6-5 lead in the fifth inning Sunday, and the Brewers went on to a 9-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Miller Park.

PASSING LEADERS Saints Brees...9-10, 80 yards Colts Manning...7-8, 65 yards RECEIVING LEADERS Saints P. Thomas...2, 28 yards, TD Colts Clark...3, 45 yards RUSHING LEADERS Saints P. Thomas...3, 25 yards Colts Addai...3, 19 yards, TD Momentum: Saints grab momentum with a successful onside kick and a 59-yard touchdown drive for their first lead. The Colts took the momentum right back, however, using their no-huddle offense and responding with a 10-play, 76-yard TD drive.

Kings tonight VS.SAN JOSE When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 26-22-1, Sharks 25-19-5. Record vs. Sharks: 1-2-0. Update: After a stretch in which they lost 10 of 12 games, the Kings have a chance to go into the All-Star break with some momentum if they can beat San Jose to make it three wins in a row. Goalie Jonathan Quick has a 1.75 goals-against average in his last four games.

MEXICO CITY - Nearly two months remain before Mexico picks a new president, but it's increasingly difficult to envision a winner not named Enrique Peña Nieto. Peña Nieto, a former governor of Mexico state, the nation's most populous, has led all major polls, some by 20 points or more. This week, he emerged mainly unscathed from a presidential debate that foes had framed as a high-stakes showdown. Opponents entered Sunday's debate hoping for a game-changing gaffe by Peña Nieto.

With a quarter of a billion dollars already in its pocket from a week of ticket sales, the Marvel superhero mash-up"The Avengers"is poised to join Hollywood's most elite club - the brotherhood of billion-dollar box office movies. Unlike its cousins, though, "The Avengers" took a different path to the clubhouse. It opened first overseas, with splashy red-carpet premieres in Rome, Beijing, London and Moscow, where audiences have embraced the special-effects-driven action and adventure film.

Brett Hundley as UCLA's starting quarterback is a decision that may be in the near future. Hundley, who was a redshirt as a freshman in 2011, took a big step toward winning the job Saturday. He ran the first team almost exclusively, getting a large chunk of reps as UCLA coaches wanted to get a look at his decision-making abilities. "We wanted to see him make all the small decisions you have to make in this offense," offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said. "We put a lot of decisions on the quarterback at the snap of the ball.

DENVER — The Clippers' starters weren't getting the job done in the first quarter Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets, as they trailed by 12 points. So Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro turned to his reserves to turn things around in the second quarter, and they responded. Nick Young had eight points in the second on three-for-five shooting. Mo Williams had five points and Kenyon Martin and Eric Bledsoe both had two. It was that group that went on a 12-2 run early in the second quarter, turning the game around as the Clippers went on to 104-98 win. "They just started getting stops for us and got us some momentum," Del Negro said.

Among the highlights of my breakdown on the Lakers' 103-97 victory Friday over the Denver Nuggets: Lakers Coach Mike Brown left the game for what the team called "personal reasons. " Assistant coach John Kuester filled in and kept the same rotations. Kobe Bryant appeared valuable on the sideline, talking with assistants and teammates at length on what he saw on the floor. Bryant is walking pain free. But before he can play he has to run pain free and jump pain free. That's he may also sit out Sunday against the Mavericks.

The fight against the death penalty is gaining momentum, opponents of the practice say, with Connecticut's decision this month to abolish capital punishment making it the fifth state in five years to so do. "For this to be happening in succession, and coupled with the decline in death penalty convictions, it creates a momentum that other states will at least consider to be a part of," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the independent Death...

Upon entering the Dodgers' clubhouse Sunday, there were visible signs pointing to the aftermath of a champagne-filled celebration the previous night. Players walked in and appeared relaxed. A champagne bottle featured their signatures. And the smell was similar to the basement of most fraternity houses. "It stinks in here," one player observed. After the Dodgers finished the regular season Sunday with a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies before 51,396 at Dodger Stadium, they hope they have erased the foul odor after going through six attempts before clinching their second consecutive National League West crown Saturday.

The push to create an in-house ratepayer advocate at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power gained new momentum Friday with a majority of the Los Angeles City Council saying that the proposal's time has come. Although the DWP and representatives of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have resisted the idea for months, a succession of rate hikes and an $82,000 consulting contract with departing DWP General Manager H. David Nahai may have turned the tide, council members said. Council President Eric Garcetti, known for smoothing over disputes between council members and the mayor, submitted a proposal Friday calling for a ratepayer advocate.

Keys for the Kings and Canucks in their playoff series: KINGS: The stellar penalty killers (fourth in the league) need to recapture some mojo after giving up four power-play goals the last two games; ability of shutdown duo Drew Doughty and Rob Scuderi to combat the Sedin twins; Mike Richards needs to become the Richards of 2010. CANUCKS: Daniel Sedin's health and ability to reignite the power play that has struggled in his absence (concussion); need the dazzling Roberto Luongo in goal, not the frazzled Luongo; trade-deadline acquisitions must quickly find chemistry with an experienced core.

A Southland home sales recovery gained steam in February as a record number of deep-pocketed investors snapped up distressed properties at bargain-basement prices. With so many purchases of low-end homes, median prices remained in a slump. The influx of cash from speculators helped push February sales to their highest level for that month in five years, real estate firm DataQuick reported Wednesday. The increase was fueled by purchases of properties costing less than $200,000. Sales of homes costing more than $800,000 sank.