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UCLA basketball: Reeves Nelson will sit out first half as punishment

Los Angeles Times staff writer Ben Bolch
By Ben Bolch
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UCLA junior forward Reeves Nelson will be benched for the first half of the Bruins’ opening game in the Maui Invitational as punishment for missing the team bus to Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday, a school spokesman said.

Nelson also missed UCLA’s flight to Maui as well as the Bruins’ first practice and a players’ party Saturday night. Junior guard De’End Parker also will not be available after spraining his right knee in practice Saturday, and sophomore forward David Wear will remain sidelined after suffering a concussion in practice last week.

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UCLA will use a three-guard starting lineup featuring Lazeric Jones, Jerime Anderson and Tyler Lamb in addition to big men Anthony Stover and Travis Wear. Stover will be making his season debut after being sidelined since late October by a shoulder injury.

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Ben Howland’s suspension of Reeves Nelson has educational value

--Ben Bolch in Lahaina, Hawaii

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Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

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