It appeared to some Victor Ortiz might have quit in the sixth round of his junior welterweight interim title fight against Marcos Maidana in June at Staples Center. He had just gotten off the canvas after being decked in the sixth for the second time in the fight, his right eye was severely cut and there was a huge mouse under his left eye.

Yonnhy Perez, of Santa Fe Springs via Colombia, has made a name for himself over the past eight months.

Kings miss a chance to move into sixth place in West.

When the San Jose Sharks play as well as they did Tuesday in manhandling the Kings, 5-1, at Staples Center, it’s tempting to believe they’ll finally win something other than good tee times in mid-April.

Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar and Lamar Odom did more than put up the numbers; they played with attitude.

The Lakers were reeling in the third quarter, playing with little energy, their effort lacking against an Orlando Magic team that was going to work Monday night at Staples Center.

The defending Eastern Conference champions arrived at Staples Center in disarray but showed they still have some firepower.

No kidding, that was a rematch of former NBA finalists? From what season?

A big screen TV in the New Jersey Nets locker room Monday at Staples Center is showing a recent game between the Lakers and Clippers.

The Lakers reached the midway point of their 82-game regular-season schedule Monday night, welcoming the Orlando Magic, the team they defeated to win their most recent NBA championship, to Staples Center.

The team has played well against elite teams such as the Lakers, Cavaliers and Celtics, but sometimes struggles against lesser opponents. On Monday the worst of them all, the New Jersey Nets, visit St

Wins over Boston and Denver, and close calls against Cleveland at Staples Center the last two seasons, plus one big breakthrough victory against the Lakers on Jan. 6.

LOS ANGELES – That aura around Staples Center on Saturday could be generated only by the visit of LeBron James.

Pau Gasol returned to the Lakers’ starting lineup Friday night and got 20 points, six rebounds and one nasty elbow to the chest during a 126-86 rout of the Clippers in front of a sellout crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center. Crisis averted. Order restored. All it took was the return of a versatile 7-foot Spaniard to help make the Lakers look like themselves again.