Morning Wrap: Clippers blow another chance, will face Game 7; Chargers, Rams both win

The Morning Wrap shares the day’s top five stories from our reporters at the Southern California Newspaper Group. … Sign up to have our top sports stories delivered to your inbox with our daily newsletters

ONE: Seven times the Clippers have had a chance to clinch a berth in the Western Conference finals, and seven times they’ve come up empty, including Sunday’s Game 6, blowing a 19-point lead to the Denver Nuggets to force Game 7 on Tuesday.

The Clippers, who had a 3-1 lead in the series, lost 111-98 to even the series at three apiece. And they will face a Nuggets team that just won’t go away. The Nuggets already came back from a 3-1 deficit in the first round, rallying to win three straight to beat the Utah Jazz.

TWO: The Rams opened empty SoFi stadium on a winning note, holding off the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 with a solid blend of offense and defense.

Rams shut down Cowboys in SoFi Stadium opener

Rams give Cam Akers the start but give Malcolm Brown the ball

THREE: It wasn’t easy, but the Chargers were able to leave Cincinnati with a victory after the Bengals missed a game-tying chip shot field goal in the final seconds that would have sent the game to overtime, allowing the Chargers  to escape with a 16-13 victory, and a great start for quarterback Tyrod Taylor

Chargers QB Tyrod Taylor leads successful comeback against Bengals QB Joe Burrow

Nervous rookie Joshua Kelley ignites Chargers’ rally vs. Bengals

FOUR: It hasn’t been the best season for the Angels, but it was a great day on Sunday to celebrate Albert Pujols, who equalled Willie Mays on the all-time home run list with his 660th homer in a 5-3 Angels victory over Colorado.

FIVE: The Dodgers bounced back after a brutal late-inning loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday with a 8-1 win on Sunday, roughing up Astros pitcher Zack Greinke. The win sets up a big series with the San Diego Padres, that begins tonight.