Month: February 2023

Portland Finishes Strong Beating Warriors 125-122

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, right, shoots a 3-pointer over Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant during the first half in Portland on Wed Feb 8, 2023 (AP News photo)

Portland Finishes Strong Beating Warriors 125-122

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors (28-27) traveled up to Portland to take on Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers (27-28) in a tough matchup. Lillard led with 33 points paving the way for a Blazers 125-122 win in Portland on Wednesday night.

The Trail Blazers had a strong start winning the opening quarter 34-27. Portland was not connecting from downtown and the Warriors started hitting them in the second quarter. Golden State finished off the second winning it 40-29 and had shot 12 from beyond the arc. They led at the half 67-63.

Klay Thompson finished the first half with 20 points followed by Jordan Poole with 15. Donte Divincenzo had 12 points off the bench and was three of five from downtown, The Warriors got down early but fought back . Both teams shot at 51% The Warriors were doing a great job protecting the ball with five turnovers in the first half.

Coming down the stretch in the third quarter this was a tight game. Portland won the quarter 32-28 and after three quarters the score was tied at 95. Lillard had 29 and Thompson had 28 through the first three quarters. The Warriors were fighting hard to win this road game on Thompson’s birthday.

The Warriors would try to make a push in the fourth quarter with Lillard on the bench to start the final 12 minutes. The Trail Blazers began inching ahead and led 103-97 in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. Lillard came back in the game and the fireworks began.

The Warriors took a brief lead 114-110 and at 4:56 this game was tied again at 114. Both Thompson and Draymond Green were on the bench just waiting for the final push. The Warriors made some poor decisions in the final two minutes and along with turnovers and missed shots Portland took a 123-114 lead.

Poole finished with the high score of 38 points with Thompson shooting for 31. The Warriors did a great job shooting the ball but gave up too many second chance points. Golden State took care of the ball with 11 turnovers but as the Warriors have seen before too many fouls. Despite having the worst bench in the league Portland outscored the Warriors bench 40-26.

The Warriors will be back at Chase Center to take on the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 PM.

Kings Edge Rockets 130-128

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Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) has his dunk attempt broken up by Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (1) while center Alperen Sengun, left, watches during the first half in Houston on Wed Feb 8, 2023 (AP News photo)

Kings Edge Rockets 130-128

By Barbara Mason

After beating the Houston Rockets 140-120 (13-42) at Toyota Center in Houston on Monday, the Sacramento Kings (31-23) were back to inflict another beatdown Wednesday night taking on the Rockets in a back-to-back. The Kings again had their complete starting roster. As it turned out there would not be a beat down in this game by either team. It would be a fight to the buzzer as the Kings edged the Rockets on Wednesday night 130-128.

The Rockets came out in the first quarter strong winning it 37-30. After losing Monday’s game in convincing fashion Houston wanted to get a quick start. The Kings won the opening quarter of Monday’s game and so the Rockets saw a much better start in this game.

The Kings made up the difference in the second quarter winning it 28-25 but still trailed 62-58 at the half. De’Aaron Fox had a great start with 12 points in the first two quarters and Domantas Sabonis came in with 11 points. The Rockets really challenged the Kings in the first half. They out rebounded them and shot 50% from beyond the arc. Sacramento was 23.5% from downtown.

The Kings took the third quarter 41-35 and led after three quarters 99-97. The Kings had a real fight on their hands in the fourth quarter. At 6:52 the Kings had managed to tie the game at 112. This game could not have been closer and with two minutes left in the game the Kings trailed 123-124. This game went down to the wire and despite trailing for much of the night, the Kings pulled this game out.

Fox finished the game with 31 points. “They had a hell of a game,” said Fox after the game. “We had an ugly game but it was good to get a road win,” he said. With 0.1 left in the game Fox shot three free throws for the win. Sabonis, Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray all shot in double digits.

The Rockets Jalen Green had an amazing game. The 20 year-old had 41 points and very nearly put this game away for Houston.

On Friday night the Kings will be back home at Golden 1 Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Michael Roberson: Women shocked by loss at Washington and Men’s 5 game win streak ended last Sunday

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Colorado guard KJ Simpson, left, drives the lane as Stanford forward Harrison Ingram defends in the second half at Ball Arena in Denver on Sun Feb 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Michael:

#1  Elle Ladine of the Washington Huskies (13-9) scored 21 points on the Stanford Cardinal (22-3) at Alaskan Airlines Arena in Seattle on Sunday where the Cougars handed the Cardinal their third loss of the season after Stanford had won five games a in row.

#2 Dalayah Daniels capitalized on Stanford’s foul trouble scoring two free throws with just eight seconds left in the game as the Huskies came away with a five point win and were the third team in NCAA play to defeat the Cardinal this season.

#3 Stanford head coach Tara Vanderveer pretty much summed up the contest in her comments to the media afterwards:  “We didn’t play well offensively, we didn’t play well defensively, and we didn’t rebound. So that’s pretty hard to win games when you’re really not getting it done in any of those three things.”

#4 After carrying a five game win streak the Stanford Cardinal men’s team (10-14) headed to Colorado last Sunday to have their streak broken by the Buffaloes (15-11) 84-62. The Buffaloes Tristan de Silva led with 25 points and it was Colorado’s fourth win in their last ten games.

#5 The Cardinal men host the Arizona State University Sun Devils (16-8) this Thursday night at Maples Pavilion the Sun Devils have lost five of their last six games and hope having home floor Thursday night will give them some advantage the tip off is 7:00pm.

Join Michael Roberson for Stanford Cardinal podcasts Wednesday nights at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Superbowl LVII = Super Business

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The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (left) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (right) sit for photos and interviews on media day Wed Feb 8, 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale AZ (Yahoo Sports photo)

Superbowl = Super-business

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The Superbowl has become as American as The Fourth of July and Thanksgiving Day all rolled into one. It shows commercialism and consumerism mixed with patriotism and the whole culture of a sport named Football, which is best played in the NFL, one of the best sports leagues in the whole world. It is a staple of America is as a culture. Capitalism at its best.

Whole families gathered around the television with all kinds of snacks, goodies, drinks. This Sunday the 12th of February 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona Superbowl LVII will take place, between the NFC Champions Philadelphia Eagles and the AFC Champions Kansas City Chiefs, at State Farm, Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the home stadium of the Arizona Cardinals.

FOX Network kick-off time is 6:30 ET. The Phoenix area which suffered great business hardships during the last few Covid years is ready to welcome this great event, which it would be a springboard to 15 MLB baseball teams who are slated to open their respective Spring Training camps in less than two weeks. The Valley of the Sun is ready for a business bonanza, first the Super Bowl, then baseball Spring Training.

  • The average cost for a Superbowl commercial on FOX Network is around $7 Million.
  • The audience is estimated to be, at least 200 million people in the United States. That is nine times more than the 23 million who watched the State of the Union address this Tuesday.
  • Over 230 countries will also televise this Superbowl, in just about every conceivable language with huge audiences expected as well.
  • Advertisers: From Beer, Food, Insurance, Automobile, and other popular brands plus always the surprises. During the past 20 years, commercials on the Superbowl have become as popular as and even more memorable than the game itself. One of those surprises this Sunday is one on the “Late Night King of TV”, Greg Gutfeld, and his show Gutfeld, on the FOX network. Gutfeld is a graduate of Serra High School in San Mateo, same as Tom Brady and Barry Bonds, Gutfeld show is clocking the highest ratings beating such Late Night network shows as those of Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert.

If the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs they would tie the Philadelphia A’s for the most titles in the City of Brotherly Love. It would be the Eagles fifth title, after NFL crowns in 1948, 1949, and 1960 and a Super Bowl victory in 2018 that would match the Philadelphia Athletics for the history of that sports-crazed city.

Businesses large, medium, and small gear themselves for every Super Bowl, all across the US, Hawaii and Puerto Rico for this event. There is nothing in American sports that is close to the NFL Super Bowl every year.

Get your chicken wings ready, I’m coming to your Super Bowl party! Eagles by 3!

Amaruy Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Stun Lightning, Surge to 4-3 Comeback OT Win

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The San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier (28) and defenceman Erik Karlsson (65) celebrate after a goal at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Tue Feb 7, 2023 (@SanJoseSharks photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks opened the unofficial second half of the season with a bang, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in overtime Tuesday night. Timo Meier scored a pair of goals and had an assist, Erik Karlsson had a goal and two assists and Kaapo Kähkönen made 34 saves to pick up the road win.

Brayden Point scored a pair and Ross Colton also lit the lamp but the Lightning (32-16-2) saw their home wine streak end at 12 games. San Jose (16-25-11) was outshot 37-22 but walked away with the two points.

Now that Bo Horvat has found a new home on Long Island, Meier has become the center piece for teams looking to add at the trade deadline. Despite a 10 million dollar qualifying offer expected for next year, the Swiss forward showed why he’ll cost suitors a hefty bounty. One of the premier power forwards in the league, both his goals came about five ten feet out from Brian Elliott in the Tampa net.

The game-winner, 2:19 into overtime, came after Meier drove the net and was able to sneak behind two Lightning defenders. He took the feed from Erik Karlsson, no stranger to trade chatter himself, to bury his 30th of the year.

Jonah Gadjovich deflected the tying goal 3:08 into the third, his third of the year, but before that Meier’s talents were on display for the Sharks second goal of the night. Meier, skating on the power play where his nose for the net and propensity to rip his sharp wristers, did just that with 3:37 left in the second buried.

While the penalty kill collapsed to Elliott’s right, Meier skated to the crease on the off-wing. He took the Alexander Barabanov pass off what looked like a set faceoff play and buried it for his first of the night.

The aforementioned Karlsson negated an early Colton goal to tie the game 6:28 into the first, his 17th goal of the year. Karlsson wired a shot through traffic that found its way on net as so many of his shots have this year, beating Elliott.

Brayden Point took over the first period though scoring goals 9:21 into the frame and 16:44 into the first period. The second came on the power play, normally a strength for the Bolts but against the Sharks they went just one for six and went five power plays without a shot on goal.

The Sharks continue their split eight game road trip, facing the Florida Panthers in Sunrise on Thursday. They’re now riding a two-game win streak after beating the Penguins in the last game before the break. They’ll face the Capitals in DC Sunday before finally heading home.

Super Bowl LVII podcast with Dave Zizmor: Taking a look a the key players in Super Sunday

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FILE – Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, left, talks to his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, after they exchanged jerseys following an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 17, 2017. This upcoming Sun Feb 12, 2023 will be the first time siblings will be matching up against each other in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale AZ (AP file photo)

On the Super Bowl LVII podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 Dave, we wanted to get your thoughts on some of the participants in Super Bowl LVII, we’ll go to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes who pretty much favored to be the Super Bowl MVP before the game even gets started.

#2 Chief tight end Travis Kelce is classified as the top tight end in the NFL and he’s tough to stop. How do you see the Eagles contending with Kelce?

#3 Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones can bring the pain on quarterbacks he got two sacks against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship and that’s been pretty much the norm for Jones season so far. How much damage do you see him doing on Sunday?

#4 The Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is noted help block up front and you can rest assured he’ll key in on Chris Jones and has the ability to stop his rush.

#5 Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson is the best tackle in football. What’s remarkable Dave that he’s coming in Sunday and playing injured and he doesn’t bend to pressure and is one of the most dominant players in the NFL.

Dave Zizmor and Tony Renteria did the Super Bowl podcasts during Super Bowl week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Super Bowl LVII has been good business for Arizona; Baseball spring training is on the bubble

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Super Bowl LVII has been good for local business in Arizona but also the newly Paramount picture release 80 for Brady staring left to right Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Lilly Tomlin and Rita Moreno which features the seven time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady (Paramount Pictures still)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury there is little doubt that business in the last few days has been booming for business owners in Arizona with the biggest game coming the Super Bowl.

#2 You’ve mentioned over the years how the NFL is the richest league in professional sports on the business end of it they out market MLB, NBA, and NHL not to say those leagues don’t do bad in their own right.

#3 Tell us how you see the TV ratings for this Super Bowl’s involving these two teams the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

#4 The well talked about football comedy movie featuring Sally Field, Lilly Tomlin, Rita Moreno, and Jane Fonda is hitting the screens at the multiplexes called 80 for Brady. A movie which which is a fan club made up of women over 80 years old rooting for the former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The timing for the release comes at a good time with the Super Bowl coming this Sunday.

#5 Amaury, baseball is just about here with pitchers and catchers meeting up in Arizona and Florida for the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues. Spring training certainly isn’t like it used to be where you can fly in get a room and a ticket to the ball park now it’s way ahead of time planning the prices of going to yard are have become a commodity.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez has covered the Super Bowl for Telemundo TV Deportes and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors rout OKC Thunder 141-114; Thompson with 42 pts and 12 threes to lead the way

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Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) dunks between Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) and Houston Rockets forward K.J. Martin, right, during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Feb 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (28-26) had a tough task on their hands Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder (25-28). The two teams met in OKC just eight days ago. The Thunder gave the Warriors all they could handle before succumbing to the Warriors 129-120 on Mon Jan 30th.

The Warriors knew it would be difficult as their leader, Stephen Curry, is sidelined for at least two weeks with a partial ligament tear in his left knee. Warrior head coach Steve Kerr had to shuffle his lineup, hoping to keep the young Thunder team from beating his team.

Kerr inserted Jonathan Kuminga into the lineup as a forward. Kerr moved Draymond Green to the center position. Jordan Poole replaced Curry in the point guard position. Everyone in the Chase Center thought it would be a very close contest. Everyone was wrong as the Warriors, behind Klay Thompson’s magnificent performance, blew out the Thunder 141-114.

The Thunder, coached by Mark Daignault, got off to an early lead. The Thunder’s young players made several buckets driving to the bucket. The Warriors had no defense against them early in the game. Thompson kept the Warriors close as he knocked down 18 points in the first period. OKC led 37-31 after the first 12 minutes of play.

Things changed for the better for Golden State in the second period. The Warriors found a way to stop the OKC attack. The Warriors defense held the Thunder to 16 points in the quarter. The Warriors offense got going and took the lead 48-46 midway through the period.

The Warriors outscored the Thunder 29-16 to finish the first half with a modest seven-point advantage, 60-53. Thompson finished the first half with 27 points. Thompson made seven threes in nine tries. Andrew Wiggins was second on the team with seven.

The Warriors made 11 threes in 25 attempts. The Warriors held the Thunder’s leading scorer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averages 31 points a game, to 12 points in the half. Tre Mann and Aaron Wiggins, no relation to the Warriors Wiggins, each had ten.

The Warriors put the game away in the third quarter. The Warriors did everything right as they outscored the Thunder 44-26. Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Donte DiVincenzo, and Thompson rained down threes on the Thunder. The Warriors finished the third quarter with a 25-point lead, 104-79.

The Warriors kept their foot on the gas pedal in the fourth quarter. The Warriors had blown eight double-digit leads this year. They almost blew the lead Saturday night to the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors were determined to keep the Thunder from getting any momentum to get back into the game.

Thompson made three more threes to finish the night with 12. Thompson’s record for most threes in a game was 14. Poole played well the entire night. Poole finished the night with 21 points and a career-high 12 assists. The Warriors won the game.

Game Notes and Stats- with the win, the Warriors are now 28-26. The Thunder’s record dropped to 25-28.

Thompson led the Warriors with 42 points. He made 12 threes in 16 tries. It was the eighth time in Thompson’s career with ten or more threes in a game. Curry holds the record as he accomplished the feat 22 times. Andrew Wiggins finished with 18. Wiggins played defense superbly as he held Gilgeous-Alexander to 20 points, 11 points below his season’s average. Donte DiVincenzo finished with 14, and JaMychal Green had 12.

The Warrior made 26 threes in 50 tries. The NBA record for most threes in a game is 29. The Warriors moved the ball well, as they found the open man all night. The Warriors recorded 43 assists on 56 baskets.

The Thunder’s leading scorers were Gilgeous-Alexander with 20, Aaron Wiggins with 19, Josh Giddey with 15, and Tre Mann with 18.

After the game, Steve Kerr said he had “the most fun watching the team play this year.” He thought Poole was magnificent. It was high praise for Poole as he has struggled in several games this season. “Jordan’s control, taking care of the ball, was just brilliant all night.” Kerr also remarked that the team’s performance was a “confidence booster.”

The Warriors travel to Portland to face the TrailBlazers Wednesday night. The game will start at six

Kings Beat Rockets In First of Back-To- Back Games 140-120

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Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) dunks between Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) and Houston Rockets forward K.J. Martin, right, during the first half in Houston Mon Feb 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

Kings Beat Rockets In First of Back-To- Back Games 140-120

By Barbara Mason

Monday evening the Sacramento Kings (30-23) traveled to Houston took on the Rockets (13-41). The Kings have dropped two games in a row most recently to the Pelicans 136-104 Sunday night. The starters for the Kings had an off night in New Orleans in fact it was a horrific first half for Sacramento.

Sacramento has been without De’Aaron Fox due to personal reasons and Fox missed few games and played in Monday nights’ game and gave Sacramento a much needed lift scoring 16 points as the Kings took the first of the two game series 140-120.

The Kings got a very good start in the first quarter leading 31-24. Sacramento got a much better start in this game compared to Sunday and after the first 12 minutes were shooting at 44.1% and had also hit four shots from downtown.

The Kings really got on track in the second quarter shooting at 50% from the field and led at the half 65-48 after winning the quarter 34-24. The high in the half was turned in by Fox with 13 points.

Domantas Sabonis had 11 and Kevin Huerter had ten so the team had put the ugly loss to the Pelicans in the rearview mirror. They took care of the ball in the first half with only five turnovers.

After having a 17 point lead at the half the Kings let the Rockets back in the game. Houston had cut a 17 point deficit to six points before the Kings pushed back and led after three quarters 99-88.

Sacramento turned it on in the fourth quarter squashing the Rockets. With five minutes left in the game they led by the score of 120-99.

The high for the Kings was Keegan Murray with 30 points. Malik Monk had 20 off the bench. Sacramento went crazy from downtown shooting at 51.2% hitting 19 from beyond the arc. The Kings finished shooting 58.4% from the field.

The Kings will meet the Rockets again on Wednesday trying to best Houston in back-to-backs. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Super Bowl LVII podcast with Rich Perez: Mahomes takes Chiefs to third Super Bowl; Hurts lots of drive and hard work

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, left, and teammate quarterback Patrick Mahomes check out the hardware after winning the NFL AFC Championship against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (AP News photo)

On the Super Bowl LVII podcast with Rich Perez:

#1 This Sunday the winningest quarterback in the NFL takes the field again in another appearance this time for Super Bowl LVII (57) Patrick Mahomes has led the Chiefs to the AFC Championship each season since 2018 and to the Super Bowl three times he’s built quite a resume.

#2 Lots of credit has gone to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid who had led the Chiefs to three Super Bowls and coached his way out of tragedy when his son Britt hit into two stopped cars on Feb 4, 2021 seriously injuring a 5 year old girl Ariel Miller. Britt was sentenced to three years in prison for DUI manslaughter. Coach Reid had to overcome Britt’s tragic mistake and has taken his team to multiple Super Bowls.

#3 Talking about the Chiefs general manager Brett Veach he has had the ability to assemble some great talent over the years and inspite of dealing former wide receiver standout Tyrek Hill to the Miami Dolphins Veach has had success with the wide receivers he’s got has six wide outs to choose from.

#4 The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had to work hard to get where he’s at. Hurts led the Eagles in post season victories over some tough customers in the NFC Division round Hurts and the offense pummeled the New York Giants 38-7 and rocked the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship 31-7. Rich talk about how you see the successes of the Eagles not only this season but in the post season.

#5 Hurts in 15 games in 2022-23 has thrown for 3701 yards, averaging eight yards a throw, 22 touchdowns, and has thrown six interceptions. Hurts has worked hard to get to this point.

#6 Rich you just watched the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas on Sunday the format has changed dramatically from a tackle game to a flag football game, also you have three games in one day with a skills contest wrapped up into it what was the fans response to the changes?

Rich Perez is a Las Vegas Raiders beat reporter for http://www.sportsradioservice.com