Month: December 2014

Raiders commentary: Harbaugh sweepstakes heating up and he could show interest in Oakland

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by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA–The University of Michigan has made a definite offer to San Francisco 49ers head coach in the neighborhood of $48 million and the Oakland Raiders are getting ready to make a bid for Harbaugh who has three more games left to coach at the 49ers. If you had to put a percentage on it it’s tough to say which direction he’s going to go.

Here’s the thing with the Raiders and any coach at the Raiders, the Raiders stink and they’ve stunk for a long time. They haven’t been a relevant team in terms of success in the NFL for over a decade now. It’s been frequent poor drafting, it’s been an unorganized front office, it’s an ownership situation that’s muddy.

The location situation (the Coliseum) that’s muddy, there are a lot of uncertainty that involve the Raiders. Frankly we don’t even know if the Raiders are going to be in Oakland in the short future that’s how muddy the situation is. There were rumors as recently as two days ago that the Raiders were going to have their lease end this season and they were going to end up playing at the Rose Bowl in the Southland until a new stadium was figured out for the Raiders.

This is a strange situation for any new coach to walk into and Harbaugh is going to be no different. The fact also that Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie is also on the hot seat and may not survive the off season. There is no way to really know what is going to happen. The Raiders right now are hosting Buffalo who are 2-12 in week 15 this coming Sunday, with Mark Davis the Raiders current owner we know very little about him.

With the late former owner Al Davis we knew plenty about him and his ways of running the Raiders. He was kind of mysterious but we had 40 years of Al Davis to draw upon to figure out what he was going to do. Mark Davis has no clue and were not really sure if McKenzie is going to get fired. It would appear that he should be fired based on the way the team has performed and the way he assembled this current team that has lost 12 games out of their last 14.

Without no one knowing the status of the general manager it’s hard to say what’s going to happen with the coaching situation. There is no reason to think that Raiders head coach Tony Sparano will survive as head coach of the Raiders after this season. He has done an admirable job getting this team to play after McKenzie fired former coach Dennis Allen. Sparano has this team working harder than they did under Allen.

The harder effort also might be from players realizing that their jobs are all on the line and that they have to pick up the pace. From Harbaugh’s prospective he’s got to take a look at he talent on the Raiders and then consider if he would want to join them. The Raiders are a complete rebuilding project, he would keep Derrick Carr who appears to be the real deal at quarterback. It’s not known if Carr is ever going to be like a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning but he might be one of the reasons why Harbaugh may want to coach in Oakland.

Daivd Zizmor covers the NFL for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers commentary: No gray area for McDonald this time sexual assault investigation gets him tossed off team

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by David Zizmor

SANTA CLARA–Earlier this season former San Francisco 49ers Ray McDonald was arrested for domestic violence and was later exonerated but as of Monday McDonald is being investigated by San Jose Police for sexual assault according to Police Sgt Heather Randol. McDonald’s house is being searched for further clues and evidence stemming from the assault. The unidentified woman checked into a nearby hospital on Tuesday.

“The victim alleged she was possibly sexually assaulted a day prior, based on preliminary investigation. Detectives secured a search warrant and served it at the alleged suspect’s residence” said Randol. McDonald has not been arrested in the investigation as of yet. This is not the first time an investigation had been at McDonald’s residence because the first time a police officer doing the investigating was someone who did security detail for the 49ers.

Police working for the 49ers and handling the McDonald domestic violence allegations drew a bit of controversy and the police chief ordered that off duty officers stop working security detail for the 49ers. The domestic violence case blew over when McDonald’s fiancé wouldn’t testify against McDonald nor witnesses in the house at the time of the alleged assault took place.

The police also deemed the domestic case had insufficient evidence and there was no conviction to proceed with a trial or a case. McDonald was off the hook after that, that conclusion came out a month ago, now as of Tuesday it is being alleged that McDonald is involved in a sexual assault case at home in less than a month after he was cleared on the domestic charges against his finance.

Now McDonald could be facing charges of sexual assault by someone who is getting checked in a hospital for sexual assault and apparently this time it’s not his fiancé but another woman completely different. It was 49ers general manager Trent Baalke who said this is pattern of bad behavior by a particular player and that the 49ers as of Wednesday decided to part ways with McDonald. McDonald has been released by the 49ers as of Wednesday this is also in large part due to the NFL itself who is handling off field behavior.

We saw what happened with former Baltimore Raven Ray Rice. Rice was suspended and that case was very messy in terms of the legal ramifications but Rice was ultimately released by the Ravens. He was recently reinstated in terms of his legal status because the court system determined that Rice had been punished twice which the collective bargaining agreement doesn’t allow that you punish a player one time and a second time for the same infraction. Rice is able to join a team if someone is willing to pick him up but no NFL team has made any offer to him as of yet. Rice is kind of radioactive at this point given the circumstances.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for http://www.sportrsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball commentary: Bears having great success on this seven game homestand

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by Michael Duca and Morris Phillips

BERKELEY–The Cal Bears in the middle of seven straight home games with non conference teams. The Bears are 9-1 and it’s still hard to get a handle on this team their playing without their guard Jabari Bird and that really does change the team. Bird gives them another outside shooter, another perimeter option and it gives a more inside game for David Kravish.

With Bird out there on the perimeter that gives them basically one good outside shooter on the team and that makes it a little easier for defenses to collapse. On Kravish in particular the Bears forward Christian Behrens has picked up a little bit of the load and he’s playing better than anyone thought he would. You were kind of laughing about it after the game Cal maybe the worst 9-1 team in America we just don’t know. Their certainly putting up extraordinary numbers but it’s hard to know how that’s going to translate.

The Bears are not the walking wounded their without Bird whose the only player out but that’s 20 percent of your line up that’s out and in this case it changed a lot. It allows defenses to concentrate on guard Tyrone Wallace, guard Jordan Matthews who has not been having great outside shooting performances. It makes it a little harder all the way around for head coach Cuonzo Martin to game plan and work things out.

Both teams Princeton and Cal played that game Saturday like it was a tournament game both teams only used eight players. It’s kind of interesting that they were out there really getting down to their final season roots this early in the winter time. Also we have talked to coach Martin about Kravish more than once and his position on David is he’s a fine low post player and a fine mid range shooter.

He does not demand the ball from his teammates enough, so the offense doesn’t go through him as much. When you take Bird out of the mix you lose the ability to spread across the floor that much, you loose the outside threat and it allows them to double on Wallace and collapse in defensively on the low post, that makes it difficult for Kravish to maneuver for room down there.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see Kravish move a little away from the basket he’s got a good mid range shot at 13 feet and they may try and do a little more of that coming up and at the same time Martin is scratching his head about Bird. It was a possible one game injury and maybe he would play in the next game and he’s still in the boot and there is no word whatsoever about the condition of his foot.

They had a classic former coach Mike Montgomery style interchange with Martin and we asked if Bird had an MRI or an x-ray and what did it show? Martin answered “it showed a foot” so there you go the Bears are being very closed mouth about Bird’s foot injury. The Bears at the beginning of January are going to open up against Washington and Washington State at home. The season is about the conference and winning as many games as you can and getting the best seeding in the conference tournaments.

Michael Duca and Morris Phillips do Cal Bears commentary each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Another nail-biting win for the Cardinal

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By Jeremy Harness

STANFORD – After having to rally from behind to down a lesser opponent four days prior, Stanford had to do it again Wednesday night.

The Cardinal (6-2 overall) had a slightly better first half this time around than the 17-point half they experienced against Denver on Sunday, but they came back to win in the same fashion, coming back with a flourish in a 67-58 win over Loyola Marymount at Maples Pavilion.

This time, it was senior guard Chasson Randle, who had been stuck in a shooting slump that was highlighted by a nine-point game against Denver that saw him go 2-for-14 from the field, who led the Stanford resurgence.

He got it back together on Wednesday, scoring 20 of his 31 points in the second half by primarily attacking the basket. In the process, he was 9-for-19 from the field and made three of his eight 3-point shots.

It didn’t look good early on, though. Stanford fell behind by as many as 12 points in the first half, thanks in large part to a Loyola Marymount (3-6 overall) team that shot 50 percent from the field in the half, including making four of their nine shots from behind the 3-point arc.

Meanwhile, coach Johnny Dawkins was so in need to find a combination that would work for his team that 11 guys saw the court for the Cardinal.

It certainly didn’t help matters when center Stefan Nastic found himself in foul trouble, picking up two infractions in the first five minutes of the game that forced him to the bench early.

Despite all of that, the Cardinal were able to rally and found themselves with a very-reasonable four-point halftime deficit.

Stanford had been waiting for Randle to break out of his slump, and after scoring 11 first-half points, he really came alive in the opening minutes of the second half, scoring eight points in the first seven-plus minutes to put Stanford ahead by a pair.

Nastic also sprung back to life in the second half, after being held down by his foul trouble in the early going. After scoring only four first-half points, he scored 11 in the closing stanza to go along with five rebounds and a pair of assists.

However, the Lions did not go away quietly, as they continued to shoot the ball well and twice took the lead back.

After Simon Krajcovic converted a three-point play with 7:51 remaining, LMU led by a single point. After Randle knocked down a pair of free throws, the Lions never saw the lead again.

The Cardinal turned up the intensity on defense and, after committing six first-half turnovers, only turned it over twice in the second to maintain the lead.

It won’t get any easier for Stanford, as they hit the road to face BYU (8-3 overall), a team that has won four of its last five games, on Saturday before moving on to Austin to face No. 9 Texas, which will be by far its toughest challenge before heading into Pac-12 play in two weeks.

NOTES: A 38 percent free-throw shooter entering Wednesday night, it’s pretty safe to say that foul shooting isn’t quite freshman Reid Travis’ forte right now. That was on display in the second half, as one of his free throws ended up as an airball. To his credit, he made sure to catch some rim on the next one, as he hit the front rim.

Chattanooga Upsets Another Top Ten, Defeats No. 7 Cardinal 54-46

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By: Joe Lami

Wednesday marked the first time Stanford has lost a non-conference game to an unranked opponent in 14 years, as Chattanooga defeated the Cardinal 54-46. However, the Lady Mocs are no slouches, as it is their second top-ten win victory of the season. On November 26, they beat cross-state rival Tennessee 67-63.

The Cardinal shot an abysmal 27% from the field, the worst percentage of the season. “I thought we had a lot of shots that we have to make if you want to win at this level,” commented head coach, Tara VanDerveer.

Chattanooga didn’t shoot all that better, finishing the night 32% from the field. However, the difference maker was the Mocs were able to get the three-ball going. Much thanks due to leading scorer, Chelsey Shumpert, who finished the game with 18 points and five of nine from beyond the arc.

No Cardinal got into double digits in scoring. Lili Thompson led Stanford with nine points, while shooting 23% from the field.

It marks the third loss of the season for the Cardinal, which is extremely disappointing. Especially due to the fact Stanford only lost four games all year last season. Stanford has another tough test in front of them as they travel to rocky top on Saturday to take on the Lady Vols of Tennessee.

Raiders to host Bills in home finale

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Raider Nation will get to see their team at home for the last time this season when the Silver & Black host the very tough Buffalo Bills Sunday at O.co Coliseum at 1:25pm PDT. Oakland looks to rebound from a 31-13 defeat to the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 15.

Oakland battled Kansas City tough, trailing the Chiefs 10-6 early in the third quarter but the roof caved in on Oakland as Kansas scored three unanswered touchdowns.

Chiefs’ running back Knile Davis ran in a score from 3-yards out, then after a fumble by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, quarterback Alex Smith found tight end Travis Kelce for a 20-yard touchdown. Then Smith hooked up with Davis on a quick go-route for a 70-yard touchdown that ended Oakland’s day.

“You just can’t blame one area,” Carr said after Oakland’s (2-12) 10th straight road loss. Oakland fell to 0-2 in Missouri this season, who were dusted 52-0 in St. Louis in Week 13 by the Rams.

Carr finished the day 27-of-56 for 222 yards passing, and one touchdown late in the fourth quarter when the game was out of hand. Oakland’s signal caller was sacked four times.

Buffalo (8-6) kept their AFC playoff hopes alive with a gut-wrenching 21-13 home victory over the Green Bay Packers, thanks in large part to the Bills’ fifth-ranked defense.

Bacarri Rambo came off the bench to replace backup safety Duke Williams and made life miserable for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, intercepting Rodgers twice on back to back drives, while defensive end Mario Williams forced a Rodgers’ fumble into the end zone for a safety with 1:51 left in the game.

Buffalo’s defense held Rodgers in check, limiting the Packers quarterback to 17-of-42 passing for 185 yards and the two interceptions.

“It was a testament to what we do,” said defensive tackle Kyle Williams after Buffalo’s win. “We’ve played against great quarterbacks, so the only expectation that we had was to play well and win a football game.”

Players to Watch

Buffalo, WRs, Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods

The Bills’ top pick in 2014 (No. 4 overall), has had a tremendous season for Buffalo leading the team in catches (59), yards (850), and touchdowns (5). His 14.4 yards-per-catch ranks in the Top-10 among rookie wide receivers.

Woods has taken some of the pressure off Watkins with his 54 catches, 608 yards receiving, and three touchdowns. If Oakland decides to double team Watkins, Woods could hurt the Silver & Black’s secondary.

Oakland, RB, Latavius Murray

Murray finished with just 12 carries for 52 yards on Sunday in Kansas City, but did have a nice 25-yard run after getting the start over running back Darren McFadden. Oakland must establish the run to support Carr and it starts with Murray, who has recorded 49 carries for 301 yards and two touchdowns this season. His 6.1 yards-per-carry are tops on the team.

 

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Normalization of Cuba with baseball

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by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

The United States of America has announced the re-establishing of relations with the country of Cuba, and the US will have an embassy in Havana, the capital of Cuba, and Cuba will have and embassy in Washington, D.C.
Many of you know I was born in Cuba. My family sent me to the United States in 1961, when I was 17 years old to live with my aunt in Miami. The Cuban system of government has been a communist dictatorship for over half a century under the Castro brothers.

True, the US embargo has not worked, but it is also true that during this past half century Cuba continues to be a big Human Rights abuser in the island, as documented by the neutral and non-profit organization Amnesty International. Cuba also trades with many other countries during the US blockade and still is a country “stuck in the 50’s”. That is a failure of their system of government, not of the United States, since (Cuba the closest island in the Caribbean to our coast) has never been a State of the U.S.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989 under communism, Cuba lost its main avenue of financial support. The Soviets were supporting Cuba to the tune of billions of dollars. The repression in Cuba has continued for decades. My family had to leave the country soon after they sent me to the U.S. (in 1961) and my late my brother Jay (in 1964) to the U.S. My father used to own a mid-size plumbing company in Havana. The Castro government illegally confiscated the property, as the government there nationalized many companies owned by foreign nationals as well as Cubans.

My way of life was totally and radically changed by the communist system on the island. My dream was never to leave Cuba, but to study to become a architect. But that dream was taken away from me from a totalitarian system of government.
I was glad my parents sent me to the U.S. I could have never lived in Cuba for the past 50 years. The people there have been brainwashed to the communist lifestyle. The government tells the people what to do, or what not to do, the word Liberty=Freedom, has not existed in the Cuban dictionary for a bunch of generations now.

All of the communications/media in the island is totally controlled and centralized by the Cuban government.Whatever the U.S. does, would not work unless Cuba also changes its policy against the U.S. Is Cuba going to change to a democracy? Are they going to have open and free elections? Are they going to become a Democracy? Those are questions that the President of the United States cannot address, for it is Cuba that would have to make those moves.

For business it offers a great opportunity. American capital could invest in Cuba, and Havana would have hundreds of McDonald’s and KFC’s. And a lot of other business interest from the U.S. could return to Cuba, where to the day, no corporation from the U.S. can go there and build a Walmart,for example.As far as baseball is concerned, this is the best news for Cuban players. For decades they have been defecting from the island. When they travel outside of Cuba, asking for political exile, or many escaping the island in man-made crafts and sailing north through the treacherous Florida Straits.

Kendy Morales, now with the Kansas City Royals, tried to escape Cuba 9 different times, and wasdss apprehended, until finally he succeeded. Many of these Cuban players when they escaped, they left their families behind, and as it is well documented, these families where harassed by the Cuban government. I was a kid in Cuba when my dad used to take me to the Cuban Winter Professional League. That league was abolished in 1961 when Fidel Castro eradicated all pro-sports and declared the country a Marxist-Leninist government, I remember guys like Orestes (Minnie) Miñoso who played for the Marianao Tigers in Cuba, and then here he played with the Chicago White Sox.

Before Castro, Cuban baseball players had the freedom of coming to the U.S. to play professional baseball and then returned to Cuba in the off season, obviously that has not been the case under the Castro brothers.One of my heroes, is Minnie Miñoso, he is 90 years young and lives and still works in the community for the Chicago White Sox in the Windy City.

Do not mention Castro to Miñoso, he never supported Castro, and like over 1 million Cubans living here in the US, we all share basically the same experience. Or Rafael Felo Ramirez (about the same age as Miñoso) the Spanish Voice of the Miami Marlins and my mentor, he can tell you stories about the repression he suffered in Cuba, this is nothing new.

Will this “experiment ” work? I have no idea. I honestly believe Cuba would really change when Fidel Castro dies as well as his brother Raúl. They both share the same communist philosophy, although Raúl seems to be more pragmatic. Fidel is still living in the world of Lenin-Marx-Stalin and Mao, he might even be senile, and that would explain why nobody still believes in a bankrupt philosophy like communism.

Whatever happens, relations or no relations, baseball will continue as the #1 sport in Cuba. It is the constant of the largest islands of the Caribbean. The first Latin American country to ever send a player to the United States, when Esteban Bellán played in 1868 after attending Fordham University in New York City.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s baseball and does News and Commentary for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers Look Towards 2015 in Penultimate Game Versus Chargers

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By: Ben Leonard

Follow Ben on Twitter @Ben___Leonard

After a crushing 17-7 loss to the Seahawks on the road last week, the Forty-Niners were officially eliminated from playoff contention. The offense stalled once again after taking an early 7-3 lead, largely due to the failures of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers are suddenly faced with many important decisions for next year, including whether or not to keep head coach Jim Harbaugh, who along with most of his staff, is under contract for next season. This question, along with several others, will be answered in the next two games.

Saturday’s game against the Chargers will give Harbaugh and his coaching staff a chance for redemption. The Chargers are still in the thick of the AFC Playoff race, and the Niners would revel in an opportunity to play spoiler against San Diego (8-6). They will face an uphill battle in San Diego’s high-powered passing offense, which ranks eleventh in the NFL in total passing yards with star quarterback Phillip Rivers at the helm. However, Rivers will be without his favorite target, Keenan Allen, for the rest of the season with collar bone and ankle injuries. He led the team in receptions and receiving yards, and hauled in four touchdowns on the year. Malcom Floyd will assume Allen’s role as the number one receiver, who has scored five times and accumulated 777 yards receiving on the season. Rivers himself is also somewhat banged up, not throwing in the early stages of practice Tuesday nursing a back injury. To make matters worse, leading rusher Ryan Mathews did not practice Tuesday with an ankle injury, and is questionable to play Saturday. The potential losses of Allen and Mathews will likely put a damper on San Diego’s offense, and make San Francisco’s job somewhat easier on defense and the Niners’ coaching staff, who direly need a vote of confidence at this point.  The Niners’ defense has been solid, but not great, all season long, ninth-best in the NFL in allowing 20.4 points per game.

Unlike the Niners’ defense, the 49ers’ offense has stalled of late, averaging less than eight points per game in losing three straight games. Colin Kaepernick has been partially to blame, but so has offensive coordinator Greg Roman and the offensive line. Kaepernick has been sacked more than any quarterback in the NFL, and has not had many open receivers. This does not excuse Kaepernick’s poor decision making and accuracy, but it certainly has contributed to it. However, San Diego’s pass rush is particularly weak, as they have only accumulated twenty sacks in 2014. This game could prove to be a confidence builder for Kaepernick and the coaching staff, especially with the Chargers’ offense in tatters.

Harbaugh could regain some resemblance of credibility if he adjusts to mask Kaepernick’s weaknesses. The fourth-year signal caller has struggled mightily on deep balls as of late, as heading into last week’s contest, he had completed four of his last twenty-four passes of over ten yards, including two interceptions. If Roman and Harbaugh can recognize this flaw and play to Kaepernick’s strength, running the ball, and give Kaepernick some confidence with shorter passes, the offense will become somewhat rehabilitated.

However, San Francisco likely will be without running back Frank Gore, who is questionable after suffering a concussion Sunday in Seattle. Gore has taken major steps towards regression in 2014, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry and reaching the end zone just three times. Gore’s absence would give San Francisco a good look at second-round pick Carlos Hyde, who has outperformed Gore statistically this season, without receiving significant playing time. Gore will be a free agent after this season, and if Hyde appears serviceable in the season’s last two games, the Niners could opt to let Gore walk to save money. In addition to financial benefits, Hyde is young, and is on the upswing, whereas Gore’s total rushing yards and yards per carry have declined in every year since 2012, signs of a old back on the downswing.

Frank_Gore_2013
Gore (21) has regressed mightily in 2014. Image: By Daniel Hartwig [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Saturday’s game will have huge ramifications for the future, despite its mathematical insignificance. Conclusions will be drawn that will affect 2015’s team and beyond, on the field and among the coaching staff. The Niners 2.5 point favorites, which seems very generous for a team that lost by nine to the Oakland Raiders, of all teams, just two weeks ago. However, they will have the crowd at Levi’s Stadium behind them in full force, and could be motivated to play to keep their coaches’ jobs.

Stats and info courtesy of NFL.com, ESPN

Featured Image: By Daniel Hartwig [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Kings lose control after late Comeback

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AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

By Jeff Hall

SACRAMENTO –

It was a rolling Thunder making it’s way though Sacramento as the Thunder shook the Kings in defeat 104-92. The loss was the Kings fourth straight defeat. It was the first time the team played without Michael Malone as the team’s head coach this season. Tyrone Corbin the teams interim head coach led the way after Malone was fired by the team which was announced on Monday.

Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro said the decision to fire Malone was due to philosophical differences. It’s believed that management wanted to see team perform a more up-tempo offense, where Malone asked his players to focus primarily on Defense. The new up-tempo offense was not too effective and the Thunder began the game on a 9-0 run and finished the first with 34- 20 lead. The Kings continued to struggle with poor ball handling turning the ball over seven times resulting in nine points for the Thunder.

In the second quarter the Thunder increased their lead to 16 points. Guard Russell Westbrook led the way for the Thunder with 17 points in the first half.

The Kings made things interesting and pulled themselves back into the game in the fourth going on an 12-0 run and erupted the crowd of 17,317 at Sleep Train Arena when the Kings pulled ahead for the first time in the game with back to back baskets by Carl Landry. The run faded quickly as the Kings got sloppy with ball handling turning the all over nine times in the fourth quarter opening the door for the Thunder to close out the Kings when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook began to take the game away.. Durant scored 26 points and Westbrook scored 32 points

DeMarcus Cousins missed his 10th straight game still suffering with (viral meningitis) Cousins is now considered day to day. Omri Casspi also remained out with (left knee bone contusion).

With the win The Thunder has now won seven straight with The team has really turned around its play with the return of Forward Kevin Durant back in the lineup and the Thunder has now won eight of their last nine.

The Kings are hoping the same turnaround occurs when Cousins is able to get back on the floor.

The main reason for the loss is a common problem the Kings have struggled with in there last four losses, too many turnovers. The 19 turnovers in this game resulted in 26 points for the Thunder. “We can’t afford to turn the ball over like we did. ” said new interim head coach Tyrone Corbin.

Game Notes Kevin Durant scored his 15,000 point of his NBA career with his second basket of the game Durant reached the milestone in his 550th career game. Only three players have reached 15,000 in fewer games. Michael Jordan (460) Lebron James (540) and Shaquille O’Neal (547).

The Kings retired the number of Peja Stojakovic. His former teammates, Vlade Divac, Doug Christie, Scot Pollard, Bobby Jackson and Brad Miller were in attendance.

Up next the Kings host the Milwaukee Bucks at Sleep Train Arena on Thursday Night.

 

 

Memphis ends the Warriors’ winning streak

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AP Photo/Brandon Dill

by Jerry Feitelberg

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All good things must come to an end and that is what happened Tuesday night in Memphis as the Golden State Warriors lost for the first time since November 11th and their franchise record sixteen game winning streak ended as they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 105-98.

The Warriors were without their two big men, Andrew Bogut and David Lee. Bogut missed his fourth game in a row due to a knee problem and Lee has missed over twenty games as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Their absence was huge as the two big men for Memphis, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, could not be contained by the smaller Warrior team. Gasol led the Grizzlies in the first half

with fourteen points and finished the game with twenty-four. Zach Randolph had seventeen points and ten rebounds and was a force underneath the basket all night.

The game started well for the Dubs. The Warriors had the lead after the first period 28-24. Harrison Barnes had nine points to put Golden State ahead. Things changed in the second period as the Warriors missed the first eleven shots while Memphis went on a 20-0 run to give them 44-30 lead with 7:12 left in the first half. From that point on till the end of the game the Warriors

could not catch up. They trailed 57-49 at the end of the half and it was more of the same in the third period and they trailed by eleven at the end of three. The Warriors went to a small lineup in the fourth period and they closed the gap twice to two points but the bigger Grizzlies kept the pressure on and

went on a 7-0 run late in the game and they beat the Dubs by a final score of 105-98.

The Warriors were led by Steph Curry who had nineteen points, seven rebounds and six assists. However, Steph had a tough night and made just one three-point shot all night. Draymond Green had just four points and he did not make a three point shot. Klay Thompson had twenty-two points and Marreese Speights contributed eighteen with eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Grizzlies were led by Marc Gasol who had twenty-four points and Zach Randolph’s seventeen points and ten rebounds. For Randolph, it was his fifteenth double-double of the year. Point guard Michael Conley scored seventeen and Vince Carter, coming off the bench had sixteen.

The Warriors are now 21-3 for the season while Memphis improved to 20-4 and are 12-1 at home.

After the game, Michael Conley said ” With Bogut and Lee out, we had the advantage down low.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr commented”I thought we were going to win but there was too much to overcome.” We “fought really hard. We got close but couldn’t get over the hump.”

The Warriors return home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night at the Oracle Arena.