Month: April 2021

Hard-hitting Giants strike early and take care of the Rockies, 12-0

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants love to get their most violent, damaging swings in when they see a pitch they can drive. In MLB circles, that’s common knowledge about the club in 2021.

So Rockies starter Austin Gomber knew it, but couldn’t stop it in the Giants’ 12-0 win on Monday.

Before he was lifted in the second inning, Gomber gave up seven, solidly struck hits, walked four, and was charged with nine runs despite recording just five outs. The shortest starting assignment of his career included his most hits (7) and runs allowed (9) as well.

What’s worse for Gomber? He probably didn’t even sense that trouble was brewing. The key piece moving from St. Louis to Denver in the Nolan Arenado trade has been pitching well and cruised into the seventh inning on April 9, allowing three hits and a run, in his only other start at Oracle Park.

“A lot of the hits were just middle of the plate,” Gomber said afterwards. “I think it was more about execution and putting myself in bad counts. They had a good game plan.”

Manager Bud Black intimated that there may have been more to Gomber’s uncharacteristic performance in that the pitcher may have tipped his pitches. But both pitcher and manager agreed they couldn’t say more in that regard without consulting the videotape.

“I think that there were some pitches in the middle of the plate that they squared up,” Black said. “But we’re going to look at some video to see if there was something more to it.”

With the socially-distanced crowd of 4,129 thinned even more by uncomfortable wind and cold, the voices, pitches and bats were audible throughout the park. The Giants’ loud contact off Gomber made an impression. Their breakout performance included three doubles and a two-run homer from Buster Posey off Jhoulys Chacin in the sixth.

Posey knocked in a run in the four-run first inning, and Evan Longoria, in his return to the lineup following a weekend of inactivity due to a hamstring injury, knocked in runs in the first and second innings.

Gomber was lifted trailing 6-0, but two pitches later Mauricio Dubon’s bases-loaded double off Chacin made it 9-0.

“There’s not much to complain about tonight. What’s there to pick apart?” manager Gabe Kapler said. “The guys did a great job.”

Anthony DeSclafani pitched a complete game shutout for the Giants, allowing three hits, one walk while striking out nine. DeSclafani has allowed five earned runs over five starts and 30 innings pitched. His 1.50 ERA is dramatically lower than the 3.28 he posted in 2016 for the Reds, in his previous best season at the major league level.

“I kinda peaked at my pitch count and saw that it was low and I knew I had a chance to finish the game as long as I beared down and didn’t get too lax and tried to continue making pitches,” DeSclafani said.

The Giants have won 13 of 18 after a 2-3 start to match the record of the first-place Dodgers at 15-8. The two clubs don’t meet for the first time until May 21, with the Giants having 21 scheduled games against lesser competition prior to that date.

Sharks Hang On, Beat Coyotes 6-4 for Korenar’s First NHL Win

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

The San Jose Sharks Noah Gregor (73) scores a goal and gets congratulated from John Leonard (43) in the first period against the Arizona Coyotes at SAP Center on Mon Apr 26, 2021 (photo from Bay Area News Group)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks snapped their eight game losing streak, winning a pivotal contest 6-4 against the Arizona Coyotes in front of an audience of fans for the first time all season. Evander Kane picked up four points, Josef Korenar made 21 saves to secure his first NHL win and Alexander Barabanov netted his first career goal. By winning in regulation, the Sharks (19-24-5) kept the gap between fourth-place St. Louis, who won earlier in the night, at five points and kept Arizona (21-23-5) from jumping out eight points ahead of the Sharks. The Sharks had a 4-0 lead in the second but Arizona clawed their way back in.

“It was a lot closer than it should have been, let’s put it that way,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner. “That’s no disrepesct to the other team. There’s just a couple of goals we would like to have back but it didn’t rattle us tonight.”

The Sharks took control early, with Noah Gregor scoring just 17 seconds into play after Dylan Gambrell pressured Coyotes netminder Darcy Kuemper on a play behind the net. Kuemper hopped back in the net but the shot went in Kuemper’s feet for Gregor’s fifth goal of the year.

Brent Burns doubled the lead a few minutes later, beating Kuemper on a bomb through a Tomas Hertl screen from the point at the 3:07 mark. Hertl and Evander Kane assisted on Burns’ seventh goal of the season and second in his last five games.

Sharks captain Logan Couture stayed hot, scoring in a second consecutive game after going goalless for 16. Couture picked a rebound from a Greg Pateryn shot out of his skates and beat an out-of-position Kuemper for a 3-0 lead 1:54 into the second. Erik Karlsson then added another on a another long distance shot, chasing Kuemper 3:19 into the second.

“We’re getting some bodies in front of the net,” said Boughner. “Which is allowing us to get some second, third opportunities. Our D are doing a better job of getting pucks through. I thought we were good off the rush today. I thought we created some chances off the rush.”

With Adin Hill in net, the Coyotes started to dig out of a hole with Michael Bunting, Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun all scoring for the Arizona on Korenar.

“He battles hard in there,” said Boughner. “He’s a young guy. He’s still finding his game. There’s a couple I’m sure he’d want back.”

They would then go on the power play 6:41 into the third period after Timo Meier took down Chychrun with a trip, but the Sharks penalty kill stood up the Arizona’s man advantage.

“They got a power play, he came up with 2 or 3 big saves,” said Boughner on his netminder. “That just shows that he has the ability to brush that off, the ability to battle back and be aggressive still and not sit back and be conservative in net. That’s what I like, I like a guy that’s going to get in there and fight.”

With Ryan Donato and Kevin Labanc both out, recent trade acquisition Alexander Barbanov drew in on the second line with Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane. He made the most of his opportunity after appearing in just 13 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs coming into the game with just the lone assist, scoring in his Team Teal debut to give the Sharks breathing room. Barbanov parked himself in the crease for a Kane rebound 11:17 into the final period for his first career NHL goal and a 5-3 lead.

“I’ve seen him play in Toronto a little bit before,” said Erik Karlsson about the new forward inserted into the line up. “I’ve heard good things about him. he came in and stayed true to himself. He played a hard game, he has some skill too. He wasn’t afraid to play with the big guys on the second line. He came in and it was a good first game for him and obviously nice for him to get a goal right away to get things going for him. It’s always nice to see.”

The goal would be needed after Chychrun added to his defenseman-leading 16th goal with 4:44 left in regulation. Chychrun, the Coyotes top defenseman, played through some pain after taking a couple of painful shot blocks in the second period. Evander Kane release the pressure after scoring an empty netter with 8.1 seconds left for a 6-4 Sharks win.

The Sharks will face Arizona at home yet again looking to keep that final playoff spot in striking distance. They’ll once again have the added boost of a handful of fans back in attendance.

“It was nice to see a little bit of normalcy,” said Karlsson on what the fans in the building meant. “Even though there weren’t that many you could hear how excited they were to be back. They supported us the entire time.”

Notes: The Sharks had 500 fans in attendance, considered a sellout in the current ticketing model…Barabanov came to the Sharks at the deadline for Antti Suomela as a bit of an unknown, he was the odd man out in Toronto, needing to play a skill role on a team with a loaded top-six…Kevin Labanc’s small ironman streak of 263 games was snapped after being scratched with an injury….Evander Kane scored his 19th goal of the season. If he scores a 20th this season it will be his 6th straight season of 20 or more goals…Both teams combined to go 0-7 on the power play.A

Sacramento Holds On To Beat Dallas 113-106

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Sacramento Kings Bubby Hield has been racking up field goals since February that has helped the club on offense. Hield finished up with 25 points against the Dallas Mavericks on Mon Apr 26, 2021 (@SacramentoKings photo)

Sacramento Holds On To Beat Dallas

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings will end the season on a sour note much as they started. This time the Kings are dealing with the loss of De’Aaron Fox who will miss 10-14 games due to covid protocol. The team very nearly beat the Golden State Warriors last night losing 117-113 without Fox. Had Fox been in the lineup chances are very good that the Kings would have come away with the win. Harrison Barnes,Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield played a great game; Barnes finished with 23 points. Haliburton had 24 and Hield with 25.

Now that, with only 12 games left in the season for the Kings, all they can hope for is to play spoiler. Tonight they took on the Dallas Mavericks who currently sit in sixth place in the Western Conference. They will again lean heavily on Hield, Haliburton and Barnes in the absence of Fox.

The Kings handled the Mavericks in their last meeting 121-107 and were looking for another win over Dallas. Which the Kings were able to manage in a victory over the Mavericks 113-106 on Monday night at the Golden One Center in Sacramento. Sacramento came out strong in the first quarter and finished the quarter the same way leading 31-17.

In the second quarter the Mavericks began to chip away at their deficit and with under three minutes left in the half were trailing by three points. At halftime the Kings led 59-52. Harrison Barnes led in scoring with 13 points and Richaun Holmes had 12. The Kings got some nice work from their bench as well. Sacramento will look for more production from Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton in the second half although Haliburton had seven assists in the first two quarters. This guy has been such an impressive rookie and I would think that rookie of the year is totally up for grabs right now. Haliburton has been so consistent all year and his future in the NBA looks bright to say the least.

The difference in the first half was Luka Doncic. He had a very slow start but once he got going the Kings really began to struggle. The 18 point lead that the Kings had during the first half was erased and the score was 65-63 in the early part of the third quarter with Dallas leading.

With 6:30 left in the third quarter Harrison Barnes left the game with a possible hip pointer. This was a real blow for the Kings. They had just begun to build their lead back up when Barnes was hurt. This guy has been so consistent this year only missing three games and the Kings really needed him on the court. He did go to the locker room and was there for the remainder of the game.

The Kings managed to hang onto the lead after three quarters. The score was 87-85 and Sacramento would have to lean on the three amigos Haliburton, Hield and Holmes to garner a win in this game.

So the Kings won their 25th game of the season 113-106. Holmes, Haliburton and Hield all stepped up in the second half. Holmes finished with 24 points and the bench had 34 points collectively. It was a great all-around game for the Kings.

They will be back on the court Wednesday taking on the Utah Jazz. Tipoff is at 7:00PM

San Jose Sharks special report: Downtown project could be devastating for team’s future; Sharks could move out of San Jose

Published on by Sports Radio Service1 Comment

SAP Center in San Jose will have plenty of company when Google begins construction for a downtown village and other projects around the arena (photo from Sports Net)

By Daniel Dullum and Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–Back in November 2020 a San Jose Sharks press release to fans and media said the team was considering the possibility of moving out of SAP Center and San Jose if a proposal between Google and the City of San Jose is not met regarding selling SAP Center parking lots A, B, and C to Google which are located right in front of the arena which would be used for Google parking. Google is planning to build a downtown west village and other construction projects around SAP Center.

Sharks Sports and Entertainment strongly made it clear to the city and Google that they wanted to work with them and that purchasing the parking lots for Google’s use was at one time on the table. But since November have not moved an inch on their plans. Google and the city are sticking to what they have on the drawing board and what the Sharks are afraid of a huge downtown village and project with massive construction that would impede the Sharks conducting business, huge traffic snarls, and multiple construction projects for Google’s downtown village.

SAP and Shark Sports Entertainment reiterated again on Sunday through a press release that the city and Google have not revised their documents and looks like they will go forward with their plans that still would require huge traffic environment impacts in the Santa Clara Street downtown west area where SAP is located that would interfere with arena business whether for hockey games or concerts.

In the November letter the Sharks have said for more than a year they have shared their concerns with Google and the city about the massive proposed development projects around the arena that would cause gridlock and cause backed up traffic for fans trying to get to Sharks and Barracuda hockey games. The letter went onto say “Unfortunately, those discussions have yielded limited results and the planners of these projects appear intent on moving forward in a manner that could force the Sharks out of San Jose.”

The new SAP and Sharks letter from Sunday says that the Sharks have tried to work the parking lot issues out with the city and Google but as the documents show they will not modify their construction plans around the arena and the purchasing of parking lots A, B, C, are off the table.

There will be a final phase meeting at the San Jose Planning Commission on April 28th to allow the public to speak and most likely fans and administration staff of the San Jose Sharks not limited to Team President Jonathan Becher who said in November that the Sharks moving out of San Jose would be a last resort. Another meeting on May 25th will be scheduled in front of the city council.

In the event that Google and the City go forward with their plans on the drawing board and the worst case scenario the Sharks decide to move out of San Jose two locations the Chase Center in San Francisco and Golden One Center in Sacramento were raised but neither have NHL regulation ice or dimensions for ice hockey. The Oakland Coliseum Arena which had NHL hockey in the 1970s with the defunct California Golden Seals is the only other possible place left in the Bay Area.

The only other place that has a ready made NHL facility is in Quebec City Canada where Quebec has been waiting for a hockey team since the Nordiques left to become the Colorado Avalanche in 1995. The fans in San Jose have voiced their objections regarding the Google construction because the Sharks have been such a huge part of the San Jose community since they moved into SAP Center in 1993.

Marko Ukalovic is a San Jose Barracuda beat writer and Daniel Dullum hosts Headline Sports podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Murphy’s blast powers A’s to a win over Rays 2-1

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

The Oakland A’s picked up their 14th win in 15 games over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay on Mon Apr 26, 2021 (@Athletics photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s opened the four-game series with the Tampa Bays Monday night at Tropicana Field. The game featured a matchup of two left-handed pitchers. The A’s had Sean Manaea on the Hill looking for his third win of the year. The Rays sent 41-year-old lefty Rich Hill to the mound. Hill, who pitched for Oakland in 2016, is a master of the curveball.

He throws from different arm angles, and the A’s knew he would be one tough customer. The Orioles snapped the A’s thirteen-game winning streak Sunday in Baltimore. Oakland was hoping to get back on the winning track with a win. 

The Rays put a run on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Rays’ right fielder Randy Arozarena led off the frame with a single. The next hitter, Yandy Diaz, lined a rocket off Sean Manaea’s right leg. Manaea was able to pick up the ball and fire to first to get the out. Arazarena made it to second. He stole third and scored on Austin Meadows’ sacrifice fly to center field. The Rays lead 1-0.

The A’s defense saved a run in the bottom of the third. With two out and a man on second, Stephen Piscotty made a diving catch on Manuel Margot’s fly ball to right. 

Rich Hill had his way with the A’s hitters. He had his curveball working its magic. The A’s had one hit in the first three innings, and Hill had struck out five A’s. In the fourth, he retired the first two hitters. The next hitter, Matt Chapman, worked Hill for a walk. Sean Murphy, who struck out in the second inning, blasted a flyball to left that barely made it over the fence to put the A’s ahead 2-1.

Neither team would score. Manaea lasted five innings. He threw 100 pitches in five innings of work. The A’s used Yusmeiro Petit in the sixth and seventh. Jake Diekman pitched the eighth, and Lou Trivino closed out the game for Oakland.

Game Notes and Stats: In the top of the seventh, the A’s manager Bob Melvin was tossed from the game. With two outs and a man on first, Tony Kemp hit a popup that landed in between three Rays’ fielders. Tropicana Field’s covering for the dome contributed to the ball dropping in safely.

Elvis Andrus, running on the play, appeared to have slid in safely at home. The home plate umpire called him out. The A’s asked for a review. The replay showed that Andrus’s hand slid across the plate before Ray’s catcher, Mike Zunino, applied the tag. The review crew in New York did not overturn the call. Melvin was incensed and let the umpires know they were wrong. They sent Melvin to the clubhouse. 

Manaea’s line was five innings of work, four hits, and one run allowed. His record improved to 3-1. Lou Trivino earned his third save in three opportunities. Rich Hill was the hard-luck loser. He went six innings and allowed two runs and two hits. His only mistake was the gopher ball that he served up to Murphy.

Rich Hill hit Mark Canha with a pitch in the third inning. It was the 59th time that a pitch has hit Canha in his time with the A’s. He and Sal Banda are tied for first in Oakland A’s history in that department.

With the win, the A’s are 15-8 for the season. The Rays, defending American League champions, are 11-12.

The A’s and Rays play game two of the series Tuesday night. Righty Frankie Montas (2-1) will go for Oakland. The Rays will counter with righty Michael Wacha (1-1). The game will start at 4:05 pm.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants getting consistent pitching from starters and bullpen

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco Giants backup catcher Curt Casali has called five straight shutouts behind the plate here he congratulates closer Jake McGee following the Giants victory against the Miami Marlins on Thu Apr 22 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris it’s been a very good week for the San Francisco Giants playing a competitive series in Miami against the Marlins and most importantly getting some good pitching against the Marlins.

#2 To start the series the Giant starter Aaron Sanchez last Thursday went five innings giving up just two hits and the bullpen of Gregory Santos, Matt Wisler, Tyler Rogers, and Jake McGee held the Marlins in check for the 3-0 shutout.

#3 On Friday night the Giants picked up a 5-3 victory in the second game of the series as starter Alex Wood looked good enough to complete the game going seven innings for one run and one hit before being relieved in the eighth.

#4 Giants backup catcher Curt Casali has been getting some ink with his calling five straight games for shutouts on Apr 12 vs. Cincinnati, Apr 14 vs. Cincinnati, Sun 18th in Miami, Mon 19th in Philadelphia, and Thu 22 against the Marlins.

#5 Morris, the Giants host the Colorado Rockies for three games starting tonight at Oracle Park. The last time the two teams meet Apr 9-11 the Giants swept them. The Rockies have struggled losing six out of their last ten games. The Rockies and Giants have not announced tonight’s starters as of this morning.

Join Morris Monday mornings for the Giants podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips Mon Apr 26 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s open four game series in Tampa Bay tonight

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Manaea talks with a teammate before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Sat Apr 24. 2021 at Camden Yards in Baltimore (photo from @Athletics)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara during the streak the Oakland A’s (14-8) had been getting not only the starting pitching but the bullpen in threes and fours per game were sometimes were able to keep a shutout going.

#2 In the Minnesota Twins (7-13) series in Oakland last week the A’s pitched two shutouts both ends of a doubleheader 7-0 and 1-0.

#3 Barbara in that doubleheader against the Twins in the front game A’s starter Sean Manaea went the distance going seven innings and surrendering just six hits and in the night cap A’s starter Jesus Luzardo threw for 5.1 and gave up two hits and had Lou Trivino and Jake Diekman close the game.

#4 In the just completed Baltimore (9-12) series the A’s got some great starting pitching from Cole Irvin on Friday throwing for 5.1 innings, eight hits and one run. On Saturday Chris Bassitt threw for six innings, eight hits and two earned runs both for wins.

#5 The A’s will are in Tampa Bay to open a four game series starting tonight. The A’s and Rays (11-11) have not announced starting pitchers for tonight’s contest. The Rays have won six of their last ten games and are second in the AL East just 1.5 behind the Boston Red Sox. The Rays have always been a competitor against the A’s in season and post season.

Join Barbara for complete coverage of A’s baseball each Monday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason Mon Apr 26, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Kings can’t hold on lose to Warriors 117-113

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

It seemed like the Sacramento Kings were chasing Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) all night as Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton was on Sun Apr 25, 2021 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Sunday night. After last playing on Wednesday, the Kings took the floor again the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The Kings fell to the Warriors 117-113 on Sunday night. 

Flashback Wednesday: The Kings took on the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last game on Wednesday night. The Kings played well and managed to keep a better than on paper team at bay. The standings would suggest the Timberwolves to be one of the worst teams in the NBA. However, the Kings saw first hand what they can accomplish with all their players healthy. The Kings managed to come out with a narrow win 128-125 on Wednesday night.

Sunday recap: The Kings were set to take on the Golden State Warriors on Sunday at 7 PM PST in San Francisco. 

In the first half, the Kings and Warriors went back and forth. The Kings out scored the Warriors 39-32 in the first quarter as neither team decided to play any defense early on. In the second quarter, the script was flipped. The Warriors outscored the Kings 31-26 but held the lead going into halftime 65-63. The Kings would look to keep the team a live them in the standings at bay in the second half. 

In the second half, both teams played well. However, the Warriors managed to outplay the Kings. In the third quarter, the Warriors outscored the Kings 31-27 to take a 94-92 lead into the final quarter. The Kings weren’t able to respond in the last quarter. The fourth quarter saw the Kings be out scored 22-21 as the Warriors beat the Kings 117-113 at home. Leading the way for the Kings in defeat was Buddy Hield with 25 points as Steph Curry led the way for the Warriors with 37 points. 

The Kings will look to get back on track in their next game. 

Up Next: The Kings will face the Dallas Mavericks at home on Monday at 7 PM PST. 

Warriors win nail-biter nip Kings 117-113;Curry dazzles with 37 pts

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors was all smiles as he finished on top in scoring with 37 points against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Apr 25, 2021 (@warriors photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (31-39) hosted the Sacramento Kings (24-36) at the Chase Center Sunday night. The Warriors were hoping to exact revenge for their loss to Sacramento on March 25th. Stephen Curry was not in the lineup due to an injury that night. The Kings’ De’ Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Tyrese Haliburton had their way the Warriors that night as they ran the Warriors off the court with a resounding 141-119 win.

Fox paced the Kings with 44 points. On Sunday night, Fox was not in the Kings’ lineup. The Warriors were missing two stalwarts, Daminon Lee and Kent Bazemore. The two Warrior players were out due to the NBA’s Covid-19 protocols. Mychal Mulder was in the lineup in place of Bazemore. The Warriors got their revenge as they beat the Kings 117-113 on Sunday night.

The game was a barnburner for all 48 minutes. The largest lead any team had was seven points. The first half was full of action as both teams raced up and down the court as the lead changed hands several times. Former Warrior, Harrison Barnes, tormented his old mates as he knocked down four threes in the first quarter to pace the Kings to a 39-32 lead after the first 12 minutes of play/ Curry had 11 for Golden State. Gary Payton II played his only five minutes of the game in the first quarter, and he helped by hitting two threes and finishing with seven points.

The Warriors outscored the Kings 31-26 in the second quarter. Kelly Oubre, Jr., coming off the bench, continued to excel. The Warriors were able to take the lead 57-56 when Andrew Wiggins connected on a three. The Kings didn’t wilt.

They fought back and were able to regain the lead to have the advantage, 65-63 at the end of the first half. Curry paced the Warrior offense with 23. Curry knocked down five threes in the first half. Oubre had 12, Wiggins seven. The Kings’ sharpshooter from 3-point range, Buddy Hield, led Sacramento with 19. Harrison Barnes had 16, and Richaun Holmes eight. The Warrior bench outscored the Kings’ bench 25-14.

The Warriors played well on both ends of the court in the third period. The Warriors’ Curry and Mychal Mulder each connected on two threes. The Warriors owned their biggest lead of the night, 89-83. Sacramento continued to fight back. The quarter ended with the Warriors holding a slim two-point advantage 94-92. Both teams knew the final 12 minutes of play would determine the outcome. The only question to be answered was which team wanted it more.

The Kings scored the first four points of the fourth quarter from the foul line. They led 96-94. Sacramento kept the lead until Draymond Green tied the game at 107-107. Sacramento went ahead 109-107. Kelly Oubre was fouled making a bucket. Oubre completed the three-point play to put the Warriors ahead 110-109.

Sacramento answered with a bucket to lead 111-110. Oubre scored again to make it 112-111 with 1:37 left. The Warriors increased the lead to three 114-111 when Green knocked down a deuce. The Kings came back with a bucket of their own to close within one 114-113.

The Warriors dodged a bullet when they turned the ball over to Buddy Hield in the Sacramento end of the court. Hield lost the ball out of bounds with 13 seconds left. The Kings had a foul to give. The Kings fouled Curry with 11.7 seconds left to play.

They fouled Curry again with 9.2 seconds left. Curry missed the first free throw. He made the second to give the Warriors a two-point advantage 115-113. If Sacramento made a three, they would win. A two-point basket would tie the game. The Kings inbounded the ball to Harrison Barnes. Barnes was open for a three, but his shot was off the mark. Curry grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He made both free throws to win it for the Warriors 117-113.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 31-30 for the year. Golden State has won eight of the last 11 games. The Kings are 24-36.

Curry’s line for the night was 37 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. It was the 30th game this season that Curry had posted thirty or more points. Kelly Oubre finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Andrew Wiggins had 13, Mychal Mulder, 11, and Juan Toscano-Anderson, 10. Kevon Looney had eight points and eight rebounds.

Green had another double-double. Green scored eight points, pulled down 14 boards, and recorded 13 assists. As a team, the Warriors shot 485 from the floor. They made fourteen threes in 36 tries. They outrebounded the Kings 58-45. They continued to move the ball well as they recorded 30 assists on 46 made field goals.

Buddy Hield led the Kings with 25 points. Hield made six threes in a losing cause. Rookie Tyrese Haliburton finished with 24. Harrison Barnes had 23, Richaun Holmes 11. 

The Warriors host the Dallas Mavericks at the Chase Center Tuesday night. The game will start at 7 pm.

Barracuda take down Reign 4-2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The San Jose Barracuda were able to skate ahead of the Ontario Reign at the Toyota Performance Center in El Segundo on Sun Apr 25, 2021 (@ sjbarracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

EL SEGUNDO, Calif-The San Jose Barracuda created a new line and it paid dividends right away as they upended the Ontario Reign on 4-2 on Sunday afternoon at the Toyota Performance Center.

San Jose snapped its two game losing streak and earned its third straight road victory. They swept the season series 4-0 against their SoCal division rival. Ontario has lost six straight on home ice (0-4-2).

Ontario (10-18-4-0) drew first blood on the power play in the first period. Akil Thomas’ shot from the left slot was saved by ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk but the rebound leaked out to Martin Frk who buried a wrist shot under the crossbar into the back of the net for his second goal of the season at the 12:16 mark.

San Jose (13-11-4-2) answered back immediately just seven seconds later. Scott Reedy won the ensuing faceoff at center ice over to Jake McGrew who raced down the right wing and whistled a wrist shot off the far post past Reign goalie Jean-Francois Berube for his third goal of the season.

With Joachim Blichfeld called up to the San Jose Sharks, ‘Cuda head coach Roy Sommer put together the line of Reedy, McGrew and Jayden Halbgewachs. Each member of the newly formed line each had a goal in the game as they had a hand in 75% of San Jose’s goals. The lined combined for eight total points.

The Barracuda gained its first lead of the game just over two minutes later. A turnover by the Reign at its own blueline led to a shot by McGrew that Berube couldn’t corral. Reedy crashed the net and jammed home the rebound past Berube for his fourth goal of the season at the 15:47 mark.

Ontario out shot San Jose 13-7 in the opening 20 minutes.

San Jose went up 3-1 early in the second period. The ‘Cuda kept sustained pressure inside the Reign’s zone. Jaycob Megna collected the puck at the left point and fired home the puck past a screened Berube for his second goal of the season at the 7:15 mark. Megna snapped a 19-game goal less draught.

Ontario cut the lead to a one-goal game late in the second period with its second power play goal of the game. Alex Turcotte lasered a wrist shot from top of the circle on the left side past Melnichuk into the right corner for his third goal of the season at the 16:10 mark.

The Reign had a 22-15 edge in shots at the end of 40 minutes.

The Barracuda scored an insurance goal early in the third goal and took control of the third period. Once again the line of McGrew, Reedy and Halbgewachs created the much needed offense.

McGrew threw a shot in on net from the right slot. Reedy’s rebound attempt was saved by Berube, but Halbgewachs cashed in on the second chance right at the doorstep of the crease as he lifted the puck over the sprawled out Berube for his fifth goal of the season at the 4:22 mark.

Melnichuk (5-6-3) finished the game stopping 33 of the 35 shots he faced to earn the victory. Berube (4-9-2) made 18 saves on 22 shots in the losing effort. He was 0-2 versus the ‘Cuda this season.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-3 on the power play. Ontario went 2-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Reedy 2) McGrew 3) Halbgewachs.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host the Bakersfield Condors on Tuesday 4/27 at 6:00pm at Solar4America Ice.