Month: March 2018

NCAA March Madness Podcast with Michelle Richardson: NC and Duke fail to win ACC Tournament; Virginia gets a sweep in the ACC; Villanova and Kansas win conference tournaments

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Photo credit: @NovaMBB

On the NCAA March Madness Podcast with Michelle:

1 Michelle, the choices for the NCAA committee for a top seeded school selection was easy when North Carolina or Duke didn’t win in the ACC tournament?

2 Virginia (31-2) has clinched for a No.1 overall seed. They won the ACC in a sweep of the tournament that puts them up by four games. The Cavs had a most impressive record against quadrant one opponents going 12-1.

3 Villanova (30-4) and Kansas (27-7) won their conference tournaments. Kansas who won their title are 18-3 going up against the top two quadrants and swept Xavier and got wins from Tennessee and Gonzaga no easy tasks.

4. Michelle’s final thoughts.

Michelle Richardson invites you to listen to the March Madness Podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

 

 

Timberwolves outlast Warriors en route to 109-103 win

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors were missing Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, David West, Jordan Bell, and Patrick McCaw, lost their second game in a row to the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday afternoon at the Target Center.

The Timberwolves were missing their leader, Jimmy Butler, but had enough firepower to take down the Warriors. The Warriors gave it all they had, but they just didn’t have it in the third and fourth quarters.

The T-wolves won the first quarter 34-24. The Warriors were ahead 11-9 when the T-wolves went on an 11-0 run to lead by nine (20-11). Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 11 and no other player had more than four points in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Warriors turned on the jets and outscored Minnesota 38-21 to take the lead 62-55 at the end of the first half. Durant tallied 19 and he got help from Zaza Pachulia with 10. Klay Thompson had 12 and Draymond Green pitched in with eight. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins each had 15 for Minnesota.

The Warriors increased the lead to 11 early in the period but Minnesota went on a very impressive 19-6 run to take the lead by four. Buckets by Durant, Pachulia and Shaun Livingston enabled the Warriors to finish the third quarter tied at 84, despite being outscored 29-22 in the period.

The T-wolves, behind the superb play of Towns and Wiggins, were able to take a 101-96 lead. The Warriors kept coming back and closed the gap to trailing 104-103 after Durant made a 3-pointer. The T-wolves scored the last five points of the game and beat the Warriors 109-103.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors fall to 51-15. They are now a full game behind the Houston Rockets for the best record in the NBA and the deficit may drop to one and a half games should Houston beat the Mavericks later in the day.

Kevin Durant had a double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Klay Thompson added 21. Zaza Pachulia played very well as he also had a double-double. Pachulia scored 16 points and had 11 boards and two blocked shots. Draymond Green finished with eight.

The Minnesota defense held Golden State to just 40.7% from the floor and the Warriors were 10-for-36 from the 3-point range.

The Warriors committed 13 turnovers in the game, but five of them came in the third period and those turnovers cost them dearly.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the T-Wolves with 31 points and 16 rebounds. Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague also had double-doubles. Gibson had 11 points and 13 rebounds while Teague scored 10 and had 10 assists. Andrew Wiggins finished with 23.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the Lakers Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

NHL Podcast with Daniel Dullum: Caps absolutely shutdown Sharks’ offense; Knights roll to their 20th straight road win; NHL might consider winter Olympics next time around

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Photo credit: @GoldenKnights

On the NHL Podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Sharks lose a tough 2-0 game against the Capitals

2 Vegas Golden Knights win their 20th road game

3 Daly: NHL return to Olympics “a possibility,” but a long ways off

4 Gionta, Nash help streaking Bruins power past fading Blackhawks

Catch Daniel each Sunday for the NHL Podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

49ers’ signing of Sherman is a stellar move

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Photo credit: @NFL

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Contributor

Not like the San Francisco 49ers needed any validation from this guy typing here, but the signing of cornerback Richard Sherman was a huge win for the organization and for Sherman.

According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Sherman and the 49ers came to terms on a three-year deal worth $39.15 million on Saturday after five hours of negotiating. Sources also mentioned that Sherman represented himself during those negotiations.

News broke out Friday that Sherman was having dinner with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and spent most of Saturday meeting with team officials in Santa Clara, where he also took a physical.

He became a free agent once the Seattle Seahawks released the veteran cornerback Friday to avoid paying the $11 million salary he was due in 2018. It will be very weird at first to see Sherman don the Red and Gold this season after spending his first six seasons in Seattle tormenting the 49ers for much of that time.

While in Seattle, Sherman was voted First-Team All-Pro three times and voted to the Pro Bowl four times and alongside safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, formed the feared “Legion of Boom” secondary. From 2012-16, Seattle led the NFL in scoring defense for four straight seasons.

Sherman, the 6-foot-3, 195 pound cornerback, will turn 30 on March 30, is coming off a torn right Achilles tendon suffered in November that limited him to just nine games. It was the first time in his career that Sherman didn’t play a full 16-game schedule. The original timetable for Sherman’s return to football-related activities was 6-to-8 months, which would make him available by mid-May to early-July.

Since entering the NFL out of Stanford in 2011, Sherman leads the league with 32 interceptions and 99 passes defended.  Opposing quarterbacks are completing just 47.4 percent of their passes with a 50.9 passer rating, which is first in the NFL among cornerbacks with a min of 300 targets in coverage according to ESPN Stats and Information.

Jacksonville’s A.J. Bouye (54.9), Los Angeles Chargers’ Casey Hayward (57.7), Los Angeles Rams’ Marcus Peters (60.7), and the retired Darrelle Revis (66.0) round out the top five.

Sherman is long and rangy with extreme football smarts that makes him one of the more feared cornerbacks in the game today, when healthy.

Sherman arguably made the biggest play in Seahawks history in the final minute of the NFC Championship game in January 2014 when he deflected a Colin Kaepernick pass intended for wide receiver Michael Crabtree in the end zone. Linebacker Malcolm Smith, now with the 49ers, intercepted the pass which sealed Seattle’s second NFC title and propelled the organization to its first and only Super Bowl title.

That season, Sherman finished with a career-high eight interceptions.

Since that game, the 49ers have lost nine straight head-to-head matchups with their bitter rivals from the Pacific Northwest.

With Sherman on board, the 49ers have a veteran cornerback that they can pair with Ahkello Witherspoon, who had a strong rookie season with two interceptions and seven pass breakups. At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Witherspoon is similar in size to Sherman.

Outside of the promising Witherspoon, the 49ers didn’t have a premier cornerback on the roster last season. By signing Sherman, the 49ers filled one of their biggest holes heading into this offseason and gives the team  a legitimate cornerback that opposing offenses will need to account for.

After watching their divisional rival the Los Angeles Rams add two top-flight cornerbacks in Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib in separate trades within the last two weeks, landing Sherman wasn’t a bad fallback plan for the 49ers and the vocal Sherman, who wanted to play for “a contender.”

With just over $70 million in salary cap space according to Overthecap.com, the 49ers can still address the offensive line and remain play for former Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who is an unrestricted free agent and the most coveted cornerback on the market.

The 49ers are expected to be one of the better story-lines heading into the 2018 season and have just gotten more interesting with the addition of Sherman, who gets to remain in the NFC West and face Seattle twice a year.

A win for Sherman, who will play with the ultimate chip on his shoulder, especially in those matchups. Motivation can be fuel for anyone. For Sherman, who many believe has lost a step due to the Achilles injuries (he had a “procedure” to clean up his left Achilles this offseason too), will be out to prove that he is still the best cornerback in football.

Barracuda take down Monsters in a 4-0 shutout victory to sweep homestand

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Call it something out of The Matrix. It was deja vu for the San Jose Barracuda (26-22-3-3) as they carried a one-goal lead into the third period and once again were able to close out the game with three goals in the period for the second straight night to sweep the weekend series against the Cleveland Monsters (20-31-4-3) in a 4-0 shutout victory on Saturday evening at SAP Center. It was also the first time in franchise history the Cuda swept a four-game homestand.

There was not much action in the opening period as neither team scored. San Jose had a good scoring chance when Manny Wiederer had an odd-man rush with Rudolfs Balcers, but Wiederer wasn’t able to connect a pass to Balcers who had an empty net to shoot at.

Cleveland had a late power play opportunity when Radim Simek went to the sin bin for holding. However, Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (18-11-2) held down the fort making key saves, including a point-blank save on Jordan Schroeder right in front of the net. Cleveland outshot San Jose 10-5.

The Cuda would break the deadlock early in the second period once again on the power play. Alexander True would score his eighth goal of the season at the 1:28 mark. Balcers would slide a pass over to True who snapped a shot under Monsters goalie Jeff Zatkoff’s (2-4-1) glove in the far left post. Nick DeSimone received the secondary assist.

The Cuda received a five-minute power play late in the second period when Kale Kessy slammed Wiederer against the boards for a major boarding penalty with 1:37 left. However, they weren’t able to generate many chances in the beginning of the third period as the Monsters were able to kill it off.

Wiederer would get an important insurance goal just seconds after the Monster penalty kill. Captain John McCarthy set up Wiederer with a nice pass and he was able to bury it past Zatkoff for his fifth goal of the season at the 3:24 mark. It was Wiederer’s first goal in his last 22 games. Rourke Chartier received the secondary assist.

Chartier thought he gave the Cuda a 3-0 lead when after a great toe drag move by Sam Warning was able to skate past Terry Broadhurst and send in a shot on Zatkoff that resulted in a rebound causing a mad scramble in front of the net that Chartier argued he had put the puck in the back of net. After video review, no goal was called.

Blacers did make it 3-0 when he blasted his team leading 16th goal of the season past Zatkoff from outside the hashes that hit just under the crossbar in the far left post at the 5:40 mark. McCarthy had a two-point night with his second assist of the night. Julius Bergman received the secondary assist.

Emerson Clark put the game on ice for the Cuda when he skated in on a power move on Zatkoff, then fired a shot that was initially saved but Zatkoff was unable to collect the rebound as Clark was able to jam it home for his seventh goal of the season at the 12:19 mark. Caleb Herbert and Alex Schoenborn received assists on the goal.

Bibeau had a great game, stopping all 23 shots he faced for his fourth shutout of the season. Zatkoff took the loss, making 25 saves on 29 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 1/6 on the power play. Cleveland was 0/2.

There was a big post whistle scrum that led to roughing penalties to San Jose’s Emerson Clark and Zach Frye and Cleveland’s Kale Kessy and Calvin Thurkauf, who received a double minor for his actions.

The Cuda set an attendance record with an announced crowd of 8,046.

The game was the second part of Hockey Day in San Jose. The San Jose Sharks hosted the Washington Capitals earlier in the afternoon. FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Clark and Zac Delpe exchanged fisticuffs with under four minutes left in the third period. San Jose won the season series over Cleveland 3-1.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take their four-game winning streak on the road where they begin a four-game road trip when they travel out to Bakersfield to take on the Condors on Friday 3/16 at 7 pm PT.

49ers Sign Cornerback Richard Sherman: Match Made in Heaven?

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Photo credit: @BaySportsOne

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The most exciting off-season in a decade is officially underway for the San Francisco 49ers, as they inked all-pro cornerback, Richard Sherman, to a three-year deal on Saturday afternoon. According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, the deal is reportedly worth up to $39 million.

The deal comes the day after Sherman was released by the Seattle Seahawks as the team continues to tear apart the Legion of Doom. Sherman spent all of his seven seasons with Seattle and made it his priority to sign with a contending team. He will now have the opportunity for revenge playing against the Seahawks twice a year.

Sherman is the ideal cornerback the 49ers were looking for. The big-bodied 6-foot-3-inch 195 pound defensive back can bring loads of experience with him to a rather young 49ers organization. Once the most-feared corner in the league, Sherman has 32 interceptions, 99 pass deflections, and 279 tackles in his career.

However, despite all of the experience and accolades, Sherman is not a lock, as he is coming off a torn Achilles after getting surgery on his other Achilles. Sherman is also turning 30-years old later this month, which leaves some to question how much more he may have in the tank. Last season was the first time he didn’t play all 16 regular season games when he finished with nine.

Regardless, the signing is an exciting one for San Francisco at a position that they desperately need. The move shows that John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan think they aren’t far off from bringing San Francisco back to the playoffs and competing with Los Angeles for the NFC West title.

Sharks Get Shutout by Capitals 2-0

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks lost 2-0 to the visiting Washington Capitals at SAP Center Saturday afternoon. Nick Backstrom and Lars Eller scored for Washington, while goaltender Matt Grubauer made 24 saves.

For the Sharks, Martin Jones also stopped 24 shots. Marc-Edouard Vlasic led the Sharks in shots with five, and Brenden Dillon led in hits with five. It was just the second time this season that the Sharks were shutout at home.

After the game, Capitals head coach Barry Trotz talked about Grubauer and keys to the win:

Grubi was really solid. He didn’t have a lot of work the first two periods and then third period he had some work. But they make you nervous, the Sharks. They’ve always had great DNA around the net. They throw pucks and it feels like you’re under a lot more heat sometimes than you really are. But that’s part of their culture. And I thought we handled it pretty well, they didn’t have a lot of great looks and they didn’t have any seconds.

The first period went by without a goal. The Capitals started faster than the Sharks, but they took a penalty. The Sharks came out of the first with a 12-6 lead in shots, with shots from seven different players. Ominously, the Capitals won almost 70% of the faceoffs.  By the end of the game, the Caps had won 62% of the faceoffs.

After the game, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer was asked about that statistic. He said: “I think the faceoff circle probably mirrored our game. They were hungrier than us and they won that area of the game, and you know they won a lot of other important areas of the game that we needed to be better in.”

In the second period, the Sharks were on their heels. The Capitals came out faster again. In the first four minutes, Washington outshot the Sharks 7-1. But the halfway mark, the Capitals were up 11-2. At 11:36, Tom Wilson went to the penalty box for the second time after clipping Evander Kane. It did not appear to cause injury to Kane, nor did it injure Washington. The Sharks did not get a shot on goal during the power play.

The Sharks’ woes persisted through the second period. With 1:28 left in the second, Backstrom scored from just above the faceoff dot, sending the puck over Jones’ left shoulder. Assists went to Brett Connolly and John Carlson.

Many thought that the play leading to the goal appeared to be offside. When asked about it after the game, DeBoer said this was not the case.

In all, the Sharks only got three shots on goal during that second period, while the Capitals had 12.

The late second period goal from Washington seemed to wake the Sharks up. They started the third period with renewed urgency. By the ten minute mark, they had a 7-3 shot advantage. That advantage started to slip as the period wound down and the Sharks could not get anything by Grubauer.

With a little more than two minutes to go, the Sharks pulled their goaltender for the man advantage. Soon after, Lars Eller scored into the empty net. Assists went to Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen.

Up Next: The Sharks next play on Monday at home, against the Detroit Red Wings at 7:30 pm PT.

NHL Podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks get shutout in Sat matinee 2-0; Stars get scoring help in the third period to get by Ducks; CBJs win their third in a row; Flames on solid defense and goaltending help in 2-1 win

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Photo credit: @DallasStars

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

1 The Dallas Stars got scoring help on power play goals from Devin Shore and Jamie Benn in the third period that got them by the Anaheim Ducks 2-1. The Stars improved their lead for a first place spot in the wild card with the win.

2 The Columbus Blue Jackets edged the Detroit Red Wings 3-2. The Jackets are hot they’ve won three straight as the Jackets’ Seth Jones found the back of the net twice to help lift Columbus to a home ice win. Sergei Bobrovsky, who missed two games due to an illness, came in as the Jackets netminder and stopped 22 shots.

3 Sam Bennett and Mat Stajan scored all the goals the Calgary Flames needed in a win over the Ottawa Senators 2-1. The Flames goaltender David Rittich saved the day with 29 saves.

4 The Minnesota Wild’s Eric Staal made it to the top three stars with a go-ahead goal to help pace the Wild to a 5-2 win past the Vancouver Canucks. Staal is on a roll with 11 goals in his last nine games. He has 37 for the season.

5 Injuries on the NHL front: The Stars’ Martin Hanzal is scheduled for back surgery and is not going to return for the rest of the season his recovery is expected to be six months. Also, the Sabres’ Kyle Okposo suffered a concussion when he collided with the Sens’ Bobby Ryan and is listed out indefinitely the injury happened during Thursday’s game.

Matt Harrington does the NHL Podcast each week and is a San Jose Sharks beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Diego State beats New Mexico 82-75 to win Mountain West title

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Photo credit: @Aztec_MBB

By: Ana Kieu

LAS VEGAS — There won’t be any San Jose State Spartans men’s basketball games until next season, but college basketball fans rejoiced as the San Diego State Aztecs took on the New Mexico Lobos in the Mountain West championship game Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The beginning featured plenty of back-and-forth action as the Lobos opened the scoring as Vladimir Pinchuk made a layup and Troy Simons hit a 3-pointer in the first two minutes of the opening half. Then, the Aztecs’ Malik Pope sank a pair of free throws to get his team on the board.

The Lobos pushed ahead for a 10-2 lead over the Aztecs as Sam Logwood hit a three and Antino Jackson followed up with a layup. Before the first media timeout, New Mexico led San Diego State 12-4 at the 15:34 mark of the half. At that time, UNM went 5-6 (83.3%) in FG% and 2-2 (100%) in 3FG%.

The Aztecs made it a one-point game as they trailed the Lobos 14-13 at the 11:37 mark of the half. At that time, SDSU went 5-11 (45.5%) in FG% and 1-3 (33%) in 3FG%, while UNM went 6-11 (54.5%) on FG% and 2-3 (66.7%) in 3FG%.

Thanks to a Kell jumper, the Aztecs took a 22-20 lead over the Lobos with 7:56 left to go in the half. At the time, SDSU went 8-17 (47.1%) in FG% and 2-5 (40.0%) in 3FG%, while UNM went 8-18 (44.4%) in FG% and 2-5 (40.0%) in 3FG%.

These two teams exchanged leads late in the half.

The Aztecs added to their lead for a little over a minute; the Lobos tied the game on Jackson and Mathis’ 3-pointers, respectively; and then the Aztecs’ Kameron Rooks sank a pair of free throws to put SDSU back on top 31-29 with 4:03 left to go in the half. At that time, SDSU went 11-25 (44.0%) in FG%, 2-6 (33.3%) in 3FG% and 7-7 (100.0%) in FT%, while UNM went 11-24 (45.8%) in FG%, 5-10 (50.0%) in 3FG% and 2-2 (100.0%) in FT%.

In a wilder string of exchanges, Simons hit a three to tie the game at 37 apiece, Aztecs’ Jalen McDaniels made a jumper and then the spotlight went back on Simons as he made a free throw with just one second left to go in the half. The Aztecs carried a 39-38 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Here are the halftime stats: SDSU went 14-30 (46.7%) in FG%, 2-8 (25.0%) in 3FG% and 9-11 (81.8%) in FT%, while UNM went 14-31 (45.2%) in FG%, 6-11 (54.5%) in 3FG% and 4-5 (80.0%) in FT%.

The Aztecs went on a brief 4-0 run on Kell and Pope’s jumpers, respectively, and then McDaniel’s dunk. SDSU led UNM 49-47 at the 15:29 mark of the second half. At that time, SDSU outscored UNM 9-2 on second chance points. SDSU went 5-6 (83.3%) in FG%, while UNM went 4-7 (57.1%) in FG% and 1-3 (33.3%) in 3FG%.

The Lobos had a one-point lead over the Aztecs at the 11:41 mark of the half. At that time, UNM went 6-11 (54.5%) in FG%, 2-6 (33.3%) in 3FG% and 0-1 (0.0%) in FT%, while SDSU went 6-11 (54.5%), 0-1 (0.0%) in 3FG% and 0-2 (0.0%) in FT%.

The Lobos continued to build up its lead to six points for a 63-57 advantage over the Aztecs with 7:35 left to go in the half. At that time, UNM went 10-20 (50.0%) in FG%, 2-8 (25.0%) in 3FG% and 3-4 (75.0%) in FT%, while SDSU went 8-15 (53.3%) in FG%, 0-2 (0.0%) in 3FG% and 2-5 (40.0%) in FT%.

However, the Lobos’ lead was short-lived, partially because they went cold for more than five minutes. The Aztecs led by six, 71-65, with 3:57 left to go in the half. At that time, SDSU went 12-22 (54.5%) in FG%, 3-6 (50.0%) in 3FG% and 5-8 (62.5%) in FT%, while UNM went 10-25 (40.0%) in FG%, 2-9 (22.2%) in 3FG% and 5-6 (83.3%) in FT%.

The seconds on the clock slowly ticked away, and the Lobos unfortunately let a substantial amount of time slip away before fouling. The Aztecs led the Lobos by six, 81-75, with 7.1 seconds left on the clock. Pope made the final free throw of the game to help the Aztecs to a 82-75 win over the Lobos for the Mountain West title.

Here are the final stats: SDSU went 28-56 (50.0%) in FG%, 5-15 (33.3%) in 3FG% and 21-29 (72.4%) in FT%, while UNM went 26-63 (41.3%) in FG%, 8-24 (33.3%) in 3FG% and 15-17 (88.2%) in FT%.

Notes
No. 5 Aztecs’ starting lineup: Devin Watson (#0; G), Trey Kell (#3, G), Jalen McDaniels (#5; F), Matt Mitchell (#11; F) and Malik Pope (#21; F).

No. 3 Lobos’ starting lineup: Chris McNeal (#1; G), Sam Logwood (#2, G/F), Antino Jackson (#3, G), Vladimir Pinchuk (#15, F/C) and Troy Simons (#31, G).

Combined effort from all players help Kings to a 94-88 win over Magic

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — The Kings came into the game Friday night’s game against the Orlando Magic coming off a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The same was true for the Magic who suffered a loss in their last game falling to the Lakers. The Kings and the Magic come into the game with a identical record of 20-45.

The first quarter would start with the Kings jumping out ahead in force. The Kings would lead the Magic 9-3. The Kings would continue to score on the Magic extending the lead to 18-10 with 2:51 to play in the first. The Magic would only be able to add a two before the end of the quarter. That two was made by Shelvin Mack to make it 14-22 Kings going into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings would continue to build their lead. With 9:24 to play in the second, the Kings would lead 26-16. However, both teams would be sloppy with the ball. Having played about two-thirds of the second quarter the number of turnovers for both teams would sit at 18. The Kings committed 11 turnovers, which led to seven points.

The Magic committed seven turnovers, but they only led to two points. The game would continue to go back-and-forth, and with 1:20 to go in the second quarter, the Kings led 36-33. Frank Mason would attempt a layup with 38.9 seconds to go. He drained it, and was fouled on the way up making it a three-point play and a 41-33 Kings lead. Vince Carter would attempt a long three at the buzzer, but it was no good. The half ended 41-36 with the Kings on top.

Coming into the third quarter, the Kings had the lead 41-36. Garrett Temple drained seven points in the three minutes to put the Kings up 50-39. The Kings and Magic both appeared to need a go-to scorer in the third.

For the Kings, that would be Garrett Temple and Kosta Koufos. Temple would finish the third with 23 points and Koufos with 16. The Kings would put up 33 points in the third compared to the Magic’s 26. Both teams upped the ante, but Sacramento came out on top. After three quarters, the Kings led the Magic 74-62.

The Kings came out onto the court in the fourth and final quarter with what seemed to be a higher enthusiasm. The crowd was into it, and so were the Kings. Jack Cooley would come out strong in the fourth quarter, proving to be a valuable scorer. After only four minutes, he had accumulated six points.

The game would stay at a 11 point spread as play stopped with 8:05 to go. At the 4:37 mark in the fourth the Kings led 88-76. The Magic would need to get some major work done in the final four minutes to have a shot. In the end, the Magic would be unable to muster enough and the Kings would be victorious 94-88.

Notable Performances: Kosta Koufos (18 points), Garrett Temple (23 points), Vince Carter (15 points), Jonathon Simmons (25 points) and Nikola Vucevic (13 Points).

Up Next: The Kings go on the road to face the Nuggets on Sunday. The Magic continue the road trip and head to Los Angeles, Calif., for a matchup against the Lakers on Saturday.