Michael J. Duarte is a sports writer and reporter with NBCLA. He is known for his sharp wit in sports news storytelling and his detailed sports features, Duarte is the 2019 Southern California Sports Journalist of the Year and currently covers the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, and more.
The Latest
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LAFC defeats Vancouver 1-0 in Match 3 of first round of MLS Cup Playoffs, advance to semifinals against Seattle
On a cool Friday night at BMO Stadium, LAFC showed why they’re built for moments like these. The atmosphere was charged, the stakes high, and in a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps, it was Mateusz Bogusz who delivered the knockout blow, propelling LAFC to the Western Conference semifinals and a date with the Seattle Sounders. The final match...
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Watch: Lakers honor World Series Champion Dodgers at Crypto.com Arena
The 2024 World Series trophy shimmered and shined like a diamond underneath the bright lights at Crypto.com Arena on Friday night. Yes, you read that right. The World Series trophy was inside the house that Shaq and Kobe built, and that LeBron James and Anthony Davis currently reside. As the Lakers faced off the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, the sellout...
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The top five best moments from the Dodgers 2024 World Series parade and celebration at Dodger Stadium
After 36 long years, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally hosted another parade through the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Friday afternoon to celebrate their 2024 World Series Championship. The players and their families rode along double-decker buses throughout the streets of downtown Los Angeles, starting at City Hall, and ending at the corner of 5th street and Flower, near…
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Dodgers 2024 World Series triumph over the New York Yankees is a microcosm of their season and the last decade
Any journey, whether it be in life, love, or in this case, sports, is often tumultuous. The end of that journey would not have the same significance if it was simple, or easy. The voyage must contain trials and tribulations, meant to beat you down and break you along the way. Those journeys are filled with a series of...
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Walker Buehler's dominant start in Game 3 of the World Series proves why he's still the best big game pitcher in the business
It’s Walker Buehler’s world, and we’re all just living in it. There was a moment early in Game 3 on Monday night at Yankee Stadium that a raucous crowd of 49,368 loyal fans fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. No, it wasn’t during the pregame Fat Joe performance, but it happened shortly after Yankees’ slugger Aaron...
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Denis Bouanga, Cristian Olivera score as LAFC opens MLS playoffs with 2-1 victory over Whitecaps
Denis Bouanga scored on a penalty kick in the first half and Cristian Olivera scored early in the second to lead Western Conference regular-season champion Los Angeles FC to a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday night in a best-of-three first-round series for the MLS Cup. LAFC took a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute on the PK...
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Will Shohei Ohtani play in Game 3 of the World Series for the Dodgers? Here are the latest updates on his injury
Dodger Stadium fell silent and held its collective breath during the bottom of the seventh inning on Saturday night in Game 2 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. Dodgers’ superstar, and frontrunner for the National League MVP, Shohei Ohtani, appeared to injure his left shoulder attempting to steal base. As he lay…
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto dazzles in World Series debut, stifles Yankees prolific lineup to lead Dodgers in Game 2, and 2-0 series advantage
The roar of the crowd, like a locamotive heading fullspeeed down the tracks, was deafening at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. 52,725 screaming fans rose to their feet in unison to give Yoshinobu Yamamoto the standing ovation he so dillegently deserved. As Yamamoto walked off the mound with one out in the seventh inning, he bowed his head in...
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WATCH: Rapper Ice Cube disses Yankees during performance at Dodger Stadium ahead of Game 2 of World Series
The King of diss tracks himself, rapper Ice Cube, took center stage (or field in this case) at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night ahead of Game 2 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Donned in a Dodgers hat, jersey, jacket, and shoes, Ice Cube rocked the crowd before first pitch, sending the...
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Dodgers' Freddie Freeman channels Kirk Gibson with walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of World Series
An improbable year. An impossible situation. An injured player on one leg. An immortal walk-off World Series homer. It all feels surreal–like deja vu on the grandest of scales. Did Freddie Freeman really just channel Kirk Gibson, rekindling the spirit of a moment that is forever etched into the hearts of Dodgers fans from 36 years ago? Did the...
