Month: February 2023

Canadiens slip past Sharks 3-1

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The Montreal Canadiens who were down after the first period 1-0 came back and defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 at SAP Center in San Jose as a dejected Sharks center Nico Sturm (7) skates away on Tue Feb 28, 2023 (@CanadiensMTL photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Jase Ylonen scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period for the  Montreal Canadiens  Tuesday, as the Canadiens went on to defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 at SAP Center.

Christian Dvorak and Kaiden Guble also found the net for the Habs, and Jake Allen made 28 saves while earning his 14th win.

Defenseman Jacob MacDonald scored his first goal of the season – and his first for the Sharks – to account for San Jose’s lone tally. Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen was credited with 29 saves.

San Jose (18-31-12, 48 points) opened the scoring at 1:43 of the first period when Sharks forward Nico Sturm forced a turnover in front of the Canadiens net, allowing MacDonald to capitalize on the opportunity.

After a scoreless second period, Montreal (26-30-4, 56 points) tied the game at 8:07 of the third period. Guble beat Kahkonen with a slapshot from the point. Less than two minutes later, Canadiens forward Rem Pitlick created a 2-on-0 break and fed Ylonen at the mouth of the crease at 9:59. It was Ylonen’s second goal of the season.

Dvorak tacked on an empty-netter with five seconds remaining for his 10th goal of the season.

Elsewhere for the Sharks, defenseman Radim Simek played in his first game since getting injured on Dec. 31. Newly-acquired forwards Andreau Johnsson and Fabian Zetterlund made their Sharks debuts after being picked up in the deadline trade that sent Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils,

The Sharks host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

Warriors overcome 23-point deficit trample Blazers 123-105

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Portland Trail Blazers forward Drew Eubanks, middle, reaches for the ball between Golden State Warriors forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. (7) and forward Anthony Lamb during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Feb 28, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

What a game! Still, without Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors hosted the Portland Trailblazers at the Chase Center in San Francisco Tuesday night and helped with a comeback win over the Blazers 123-105. The Warriors were hoping to get a win over Portland to avenge the 125-122 loss in Portland on February 8th and they did in a big way.

The Warriors knew it would not be easy as the Blazer’s star guard, Damian Lillard, scored 71 points Sunday night. The Warriors had to find a way to contain Lillard. If they couldn’t, the Warriors would lose the game. It looked that way as the Blazers pounded the Warriors in the first quarter.

The Blazers outscored the Warriors 41-27. The Blazers made five threes to get things rolling. The Warriors found their defense in the second quarter. They held the Blazers to 24 points. The Warrior offense was out of sync in the quarter as they tallied 21 points. The stadium was quiet as Portland blew the Warriors away in the first half by a score of 65-48. The Warriors trailed by 23 at one point in the second quarter. A late rally cut the deficit to 17.

The Warriors made 11 turnovers in the first half. The Blazers took advantage and put 16 points on the board due to the turnovers. The Blazers made 13 free throws. The Warriors made seven. Lillard finished the first half with 19. Jerami Grant had 14 for the Blazers. 

The Warriors had a lot to think about during the halftime intermission. Steve Kerr had to adjust his game plan, hoping to get his team back on track. The Answer was-attack the basket. The team that came out to play the second half looked entirely different. The Warriors drove to the basket.

The Warriors found the Blazers’ defense to be quite porous. The Warriors, led by Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson, propelled the team to the lead 89-82 at the end of the third period. Thompson and Poole each tallied 12 points each. The Warriors defense held the Blazers to 17 points in the quarter while the offense scored 39. The Warriors held Lillard to four points in the period. 

The Warriors kept the pressure going in the fourth quarter. They continued to score points in the paint. All five of the Warrior starters were in double figures. The Warriors went from being down by 23 points to win the game by 18. It was an amazing turnaround. The Warriors won the second half 75-40 and the game.

Game Notes: The Warriors won their third straight to improve to 32-30. The Blazers fell to 29-32. The Warriors’ home record now stands at 25-7

Jordan Poole led the Warriors with 29 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Poole made three threes. Thompson, who had seven points in the first half, tallied 24 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Thompson also made three threes. The Blazers double-teamed Thompson all night, but Thompson, as he has done so many times in his career, kept on shooting.

He knew he would find the range, and he did in the second half. Donte DiVincenzo had another outstanding game. DiVincenzo made five threes and finished with 21 points. Kevon Looney added 14 points and seven boards. Looney, as usual, was in the right spot, and his buckets helped the Warriors win the game.

Draymond Green is back after missing two games with a knee contusion and almost had a triple-double. Green knocked down 12 points, had nine rebounds, and eight assists. Jonathan Kuminga, coming off the bench, added 16 points and three rebounds.

The Blazers dominated the first half. The Warriors dominated the second half. Damian Lillard finished with 25. Lillard was held to six points in the second half. The Warrior defense kept the ball out of Lillard’s hands in the final 24 minutes of the game. Jerami Grant had 24 for the Blazers.

Most of Grant’s points came at the free-throw line. Matisse Thybulle made five threes in six tries. He finished with 15. Shaedon Sharpe had 13, and Cam Reddish had ten.

The Blazers shot 50 % from the floor in the first half and 43% for the game. The Warriors defense stopped them cold in the second half. The Warriors were 54% from the floor. Each team made 12 threes. 

The Warriors challenged the Blazers’ defense in the second half. The Warriors scored an amazing 66 points in the paint. 

The Warriors meet the LA Clippers Thursday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal set for Pac 12 Tournament coming off tough loss to Utah

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Stanford forward Cameron Brink (22) blocks the shot of Utah guard Gianna Kneepkens (5) in the first half in Salt Lake City on Sat Feb 25, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Utah earned a share of the Pac-12 women’s basketball regular season championship on Saturday, as the No. 8 Utes upended No. 3 Stanford 84-78.

#2 The Utes Gianna Kneepkens scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Utes (25-3 overall, 15-3 Pac-12) to their first regular season conference title, only two seasons removed from winning five total games. 

#3 Hannah Jump scored 24 points for Stanford (27-4 overall, 15-3 Pac-12), followed by Cameron Brink with 14 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four blocks, and Haley Jones with nine points and eight rebounds.

#4 Utah forced three straight turnovers in the final minute to lock down the win. The Utes scored 26 points off of 21 Stanford turnovers. The Cardinal held a 37-23 rebounding edge.

#5 Stanford and Utah each have a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament this week in Las Vegas as things get underway in the Tournament on Thu Mar 2.

Join Michael for podcast coverage of the Stanford Cardinal in the MBB and WBB on Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings game wrap: No Fox? No Problem as Sacramento Beats OKC 123-117

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The Oklahoma Thunder’s forward Jalen Williams (8) sets up as the Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) gets ready to defend at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Tue Feb 28, 2023 (@SacramentoKings photo)

No Fox? No Problem as Sacramento Beats OKC 123-117

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Sacramento Kings (36-26) took on the Oklahoma City Thunder (28-33) at Paycom Center after beating them Sunday 124- 115. The Kings took the court without De’Aaron Fox out with a wrist issue. Sacramento extended the Thunder’s losing streak to four straight games 123-117 on Tuesday night.

Game recap: The Kings came out strong in the first quarter winning the first 12 minutes 44-38. Sacramento had a great offensive start shooting at 66%.

The Kings saw some beautiful ball movement in the second quarter as the Kings extended their lead to 68-59 with two minutes left in the half. They had led in the quarter by as much as 15 points. Their shooting percentage had dropped a bit but still outstanding at 60%. Sacramento took a 71- 66 lead into the locker room after the first two quarters.

The Kings got into some early foul trouble in the third quarter. Domantas Sabonis had four personals and Coach Brown had to pull him and with Fox out, the Kings would need all hands on deck for the remainder of the quarter. Sacramento had really cooled off from downtown but still held onto the lead after three 93-87.

They were shooting at 50.8 percent. The offense had fallen off and they would need to shore it up in the fourth quarter if they wanted to close this game out.

The Thunder would not go away and with nine minutes left in the game it was all tied up at 98. The Kings continued to struggle from beyond the arc. Harrison Barnes broke the drought hitting a three at 7:36 to give Sacramento a slim lead 101-98.

Sacramento had a frenzied sequence and with 5:46 left on the clock had extended their lead to ten 110-100. Again it was Harrison Barnes with yet another three that pushed the lead in favor of Sacramento. Every starter was shooting in double digits although the team was really missing the ball handling and speed of Fox. The final was 123-117 in favor of the Kings.

In the absence of Fox the man of the hour with the high score was Barnes shooting for 29 points. Sabonis had 22 and Kevin Huerter with 20 points. The Thunder got close at times but the Kings held on for the win.

Again the Kings struggled with protecting the ball. They had 17 turnovers.

Friday night the Kings will be facing a very tough Los Angeles Clipper team at Golden 1 Center. Los Angeles will be looking to avenge the double overtime they lost to Sacramento back on February 24th. The score in that game was 176-175. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Machado and Padres come to an 11 yr $350 million extension agreement; plus more news

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The San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado became the game’s first player to get called for the auto strike during Cactus League action (photo from yahoo.com sports)

On That’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, how important is it for the San Diego Padres and team owner Peter Siedler to have stepped up and have signed superstar Manny Machado to an 11 year $350 million contract extension this coming after Machado saying he would have opted out after this season?

#2 Machado this week became the Majors first player to take a strike on a at bat violation he went 0-1 on the count against the Seattle Mariners last Saturday in the first exhibition game of the Cactus League as called by plate umpire Ryan Blakney. It goes as a first in the book, Machado said humbly that might the first of many.

#3 The Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves also saw the auto strike end a ball game, on Sunday Braves minor league hitter Cal Conley was at the plate in the ninth with the bases loaded with two outs and a 3-2 count. Conley didn’t get set to hit in time and was called for strike three which ended the game and a chance for the Braves to tie or win it.

#4 Regional Sports Network and AT&T SportsNet has informed some ten MLB teams that they are preparing to discontinue regional sports coverage streaming. The Networks also have informed the teams to take back their distribution rights before the end of March. What ever happened to simple local coverage and live play by play radio coverage now the business just to cover a game has turned bureaucratic.

#5 Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki will be out for the World Baseball Classic. Suzuki has an oblique injury and will not play in the World Baseball Classic as the Cubs announced on Monday. Suzuki got injured earlier in camp and had not be participating in practices since.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for all Oakland A’s home games live Spanish radio play by play on the A’s Spanish radio Network with Manolo Hernandez Douen and Amaury does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Back-and-forth affair ends with Barracuda losing in overtime 4-3

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda. Nikolai Knyzhov battles out front with a Firebirds player.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

San Jose and Coachella Valley played a tightly contested game that went all the way to overtime but ended with the Firebirds on top 4-3.

In net for San Jose was Aaron Dell while Chris Driedger started for the Firebirds.

The Barracuda got off to a quick start in this one as Alexander True took a high-sticking penalty putting San Jose on the power play.

On the man-advantage Kyle Criscuolo got a feed from Andrew Agozzino that he buried in the slot to make it 1-0.

The rest of the period was quiet offensively as neither team got on the board.

Despite no goals there were three other penalties handed out in the period one against San Jose and two against Coachella Valley.

At the end of the first the shots favored San Jose at 11-9.

The second period was a little quieter with neither team getting on the board till later in the period.

That goal came from Carsen Twarynski who buried his 10th goal of the season to tie the game up at one.

The second period finished with the shots now favoring the Firebirds at 28-18.

In the third Coachella Valley struck fast as just 1:35 in Luke Henman scored fifth marker on the year to make it 2-1.

San Jose had a quick response though as just a couple minutes later Thomas Bordeleau sniped one past Driedger to tie the game back up.

The offensive frenzy continued this time Ozzy Wiesblatt fead a beautiful pass on up to Jeffrey Viel who finished on the breakaway putting his point streak up to four games.

However, Coachllea Valley was not out of it quiet yet as 8:59 into the period Cameron Hughes responded tying the game right back up.

Neither team could find any more offense pushing the game to overtime.

In overtime it didn’t take long to find out who would win as Kole Lind put the game away in front of the home crowd handing San Jose their first overtime defeat of the season.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Kole Lind 2nd: Luke Henman 3rd: Austin Poganski

San Jose’s next game will be on Friday against the Ontario Reign at home at 7 p.m.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda hope to get off from bad loss face Coachella Valley tonight

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The San Jose Barracuda were clobbered by the Ontario Reign at the Toyota Center on Fri Feb 24, 2023 in Ontario. The Barracuda hope to put that loss behind them as they face the Coachella Valley Firebirds (tonight) Mon Feb 27, 2023 (photo by the San Jose Barracuda)

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 San Jose Barracuda (21-26-0) went to battle against the Ontario Reign (30-18-3) on the road and had a rough game defensively losing by a final of 6-1 on Friday night.

#2 Marko the Reign made things difficult for the Barracuda shutting out the Barracuda in the first period and getting two goals from Jordan Spence and Alan Quine.

#3 The Reign attacked again scoring four goals in the third period from Samuel Fagemo, Jacob Moverare, Tyler Madden, and Kim Nousianinen.

#4 The Barracuda avoided being shutout when forward Jeffery Viel scored at 2:42 in the third period. The Barracuda just couldn’t get any offense going and Reign goaltender Matthew Villalta stopped 34 out of 35 shots to hold San Jose to only one goal.

#5 The Barracuda face off against a tough customer the Coachella Valley Firebirds (33-9-4) this one on the road tonight at 7:00pm. Talk about how you see this match up.

Join Marko Ukalovic for the San Jose Barracuda podcasts each Monday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Thompson and DiVincenzo lead Warriors to win over Timberwolves 109-104

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The Golden State Warriors Jonathan Kuminga (00) tries to reach in and get the ball while teammate Klay Thomson (11) watches at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Feb 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (31-30) found a way to down the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-32) Sunday night at the Chase Center Sunday night. The Warriors, still without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins. Could Steve Kerr’s revamped lineup do it again?

The answer was yes. It wasn’t easy, but it was a win. The fans had to hold their collective breaths as the Warriors almost gave away the game in the last 30 seconds of the game. Their longtime star, Klay Thompson, had another terrific outing and, along with Donte DiVincenzo, led the Warriors to a 109-104 win on Sunday night.

The Timberwolves, without big men Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, jumped off to an early 14-4 lead. Naz Reid led the Timberwolves attack. Reid poured in 24 points in the overtime win, 119-113, on February 1st. The Timberwolves point guard, D’Angelo Russell, also helped down the Warriors that night.

Russell was not in the lineup Sunday night as he was traded to the LA Lakers. Michael Conley was the new point guard. The Warriors started putting points on the board but finished the quarter trailing the Timberwolves 34-25.

Things changed in the second quarter. Jordan Poole and DiVincenzo led the Warriors rally. The Warriors defense slowed down the Minnesota offense. The Warriors won the quarter 34-23 to finish the first half with a slim two-point lead 59-57.

The Warriors had four players in double figures. Thompson paced the Warriors with 12. DiVincenzo had 11, and Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney had ten. Reid led the Wolves with 22. 

The fans hoped the Warriors could continue to play as they did in the second period. That did not happen. The Timberwolves came out firing from behind the three-point arc. Minnesota made five threes early in the quarter. The Warriors did not wilt until late in the period.

The Warriors scored just two points in the last five minutes of the third quarter. They made one two-point bucket and missed 11 times in those five minutes. The Timberwolves outscored the Warriors 30-19 to finish the third quarter with a nine-point advantage, 87-78.

If the Warriors were to win, they had to play defense, stop committing turnovers, drive to the basket and get some free throws. They did all three. The Timberwolves increased the lead to ten, 94-84. The Warriors went on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 96. The Warriors continued to play well.

The Timberwolves went ahead 99-96. Anthony Lamb and DiVincenzo each connected on a three to give the Warriors the lead 103-99. Time was running out. Thompson made a three to put the Warriors in the driver’s seat 105-99. Looney made it 107-99.

The Timberwolves made a three to make it a five-point game, 107-102, with 44 seconds left. All the Warriors had to do was make a basket, and the win would be secured. The Timberwolves had other thoughts. Minnesota hit a three, and the possibility of tying the game and going to overtime was now possible.

24 seconds remained to be played. The Warriors had the ball. The Timberwolves’ defense forced the Warriors to turn the ball over twice. The Warriors could not inbound the ball. With eight seconds left, the Warriors finally got the ball to Thompson. The Timberwolves fouled him, and Thompson made two free throws to ice the win.

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors are now 31-30. Minnesota is 31-32. 

All five Warrior starters were in double figures. Thompson finished the night with 32 points. Thompson had five rebounds and four assists, and he made six threes. It was the first time in Thompson’s career that he had 25 or more points in two consecutive games. DiVincenzo had 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists and made four threes/ Poole had 15, Jonathan Kuminga 13, and Looney added 12 points and 17 rebounds for a double-double. 

The Timberwolves’ Reid had a career-high 30 points. Kyle Anderson had 12, Jaden McDaniels had 12, Anthony Edwards had 12, Nickiel Alexander-Walker 10, and Conley nine.

The Warriors host the Portland Trailblazers at the Chase Center Tuesday night. The game will start at 7 pm.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: No.7 Warriors know each win is crucial; Golden State hosts Portland Tuesday

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Golden State Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) gestures after making a 3-point basket during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Feb 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara just how important was this win for the Golden State Warriors (31-30), the playoff spots in the Western Conference are tight and winning is the alternative as Golden State got a big one over the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-32) on Sunday night 109-104.

#2 The Warriors have been using a big chunk of their bench while starters Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry are out of action.

#3 The Warriors Klay Thomson topped the top of the leaderboard 32 points and four assists Thompson has take over the offense in particular with Curry being out.

#4 Kevon Looney continues to play consistent ball with 17 points and has scored at least 13 or more in the last six straight games the Warriors have been some close games and Looney has been key in keeping them in the game.

#5 The Portland Trailblazers (29-31) who’ve won five of their last five games tip off against the Warriors this Tuesday night at Chase Center . Barbara talk about this game as you see it?

Join Barbara Mason for the Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Wins Third Game In A Row Defeating Thunder 124-115

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The Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) goes for the two pointer against the Oklahoma City Thunder’s guard Isiah Joe (left) in Oklahoma City on Sun Feb 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

Kings Wins Third Game In A Row Defeating Thunder 124-115

By Barbara Mason

Coming off of what has got to be the craziest game of this NBA season, the Sacramento Kings (35-25) took on the OKC Thunder (28-32) at Paycom Center Sunday night. The double overtime game the Kings played on Friday night was the second highest scoring contest in NBA history. The Kings won that game over the Clippers 176-175 in a real thriller. They got one day of rest yesterday before heading to Oklahoma to take on the Thunder and picked up their third win in row 124-115.

The Kings got a nice start in the first quarter winning it 36-26. De’Aaron Fox was on fire from the get go and did not take his foot off the pedal through the first half. After two quarters the Kings led 58-50 even though the Thunder won the second quarter 24-22.

OKC continued to push back winning the third quarter 40-36. The Kings still had the lead after three quarters but it was becoming uncomfortably close at 94-90.

Sacramento got some great play off the bench from Trey Lyles and Malik Monk and Fox continued to drain shot after shot in the fourth quarter. With under two minutes the Kings held onto an eight lead 120-112. The nine point win in favor of the Kings for their 35th win of the season.

It was another monster game for Domantas Sabonis with another double double and the man of the hour was Fox with yet another thirty plus game finishing with 33. The guy is a master on offense, defense and at the line. He leads the NBA in clutch points which we saw tonight. Off the bench Lyles had 16 points.

If there was any negative for Sacramento in this game it had to be the uncharacteristic number of turnovers with 20. That most certainly will be addressed before they take the court again.

Tuesday night the Kings will meet in a second game against the Thunder at Paycom looking to win a fourth game in a row since the break. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.