Month: January 2024

Kings Top Dallas 120-115; Fox scores 34, Kings defense shuts down Doncic

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The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) drives on the Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic (77) in the first half at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Sat Jan 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (26-18) sure made this game interesting and not in a good way. They had a 20 plus lead in the fourth quarter but let it slip away and squeaked by in this game 120-115 defeating the Dallas Mavericks (25-21). 

Game recap: They have made this a habit lately. They take nice leads only to let their opponents back into the game. The bottom line is that a win is a win but Sacramento does keep their fans on the edge of their seats at times.

The Kings came out strong in the first half winning the opening quarter 29-25 and extending their lead at halftime leading 63-49. Sacramento won the second quarter by ten points 34-24.

Sacramento continued to extend their lead and after the third quarter led 94-75. The Kings appeared to have this game under control until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, the Kings had a 23-point lead that the Mavericks erased. 

With two minutes left in the game Sacramento had a 114-108 lead. The final was 120-115 in favor of the Kings but Sacramento did let the Mavericks back in this game. They had just enough to pull this one out. 

The Kings had won their third game in a row after having lost four game in a row. Sacramento has now won the first two games of a season-long seven-game road trip. Winning on the road especially against teams like the Mavericks and the Warriors are impressive wins. The Kings were able to contain Luca Doncic in this matchup one night after he scored a franchise record 73 points.

Post game notes: Saturday the Kings traveled to Dallas to take on the Mavericks. The Kings are coming off a huge one-point win over the Warriors Thursday night 134-133 in a real nail-biter. Harrison Barnes had a monster game finishing with 39 points in that game. The Mavericks won a close game Friday night beating the Hawks 148-143.

Every starter for Sacramento scored double digits with Fox finishing with 34 points. Barnes had another strong showing with 20 points.

The Kings continue their road trip visiting Memphis Monday night in a match-up with the Grizzlies. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 PM. 

Barracuda battle but eventually fall to Wranglers 3-2

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda. Thomas Bordeleau celebrates his goal against the Wranglers (photo taken on 1/27/24).

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- After beating the Wranglers yesterday the Barracuda looked to repeat their success in front of their home crowd.

For San Jose this time it would be Georgi Romanov in goal while Dustin Wolf played his second game in a row as the starter.

Things got off to a quick start in this one as just 2:28 in Ilya Solovyov scored his third of the season giving Calgary an early lead.

San Jose responded even faster as less than a minute later Jacob Peterson tied it getting his fifth of the campaign.

Before the period came to a close San Jose would pull away as Thomas Bordeleau got his ninth putting the home crowd on their feet.

Special teams would play a big role in the middle frame as Calgary would take the lead on two power-play goals. One was scored by Brady Lyle while Jonathon Aspirot got the other.

Not only was Calgary’s power play doing well they also had a lot of chances in the period as they registered 21 shots.

Interestingly enough though the third ended up being sort of the inverse of that as Calgary only registered three shots in the period.

San Jose also wasn’t really able to muster much on offense leading them to drop the second of back-to-backs against the Wranglers 3-2.

With the loss, the Barracuda fall to 13-21-7 while Calgary improves to 23-13-3.

If there is any positive San Jose’s new acquisition Jordy Bellerive seems to be fitting in well as he scored last game and had an assist in this one.

Cole Cassels also registered his 22nd assist of the season on the Bordeleau goal showing once again why he is one of the better playmakers on the team.

The shots in this one favored Calgary 39-33 while San Jose went 0/3 on the power play and Calgary went 2/4.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Ilya Solovyov 2nd: Jonathon Aspirot 3rd: Georgi Romanov

The Barracuda will have some time off before they play again on Friday against the Canucks on the road at 7 p.m.

Warriors Lose a Second One-Point Game in a Row to Los Angeles 145-144; LeBron triple doubles in double OT

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) is in disagreement with the official in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center San Francisco on Sat Jan 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Golden State Warriors (19-24) lost a second one-point game in a row to the Los Angeles Lakers (24-23)145-144. The Lakers had to go two overtimes to get the win but it was Los Angeles who finished this game.

Game recap:The Lakers won the first quarter 33-30 as well as the second quarter leading at the half 68-63. Los Angeles won the second quarter 35-33. This game had been a close one through both quarters. The Warriors had hit eight three’s in the first half.

Golden State came out fast in the third quarter and really took the Lakers to task. After trailing by five points at the half, the Warriors built a 88-73 lead mid-way through the quarter. 

They had outscored the Lakers 25 to 7 in a crazy turnaround. The Lakers battled back and cut the Warriors 15 point lead to one 88-85 with 3:04 left in the third quarter. Golden State had really let their foot off the pedal and Los Angeles scratched and clawed their way back into this game. The Warriors got going in the final minute of the quarter taking a 99-91 lead.

Through three quarters, the Warriors had hit 17 threes to the Lakers four. Golden State would need those long balls to close out this game against a tough Laker starting roster. Los Angeles took a hit when Anthony Davis left the floor heading to the locker room in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury.

Golden State began to heat up in the fourth quarter. The Lakers welcomed Davis back on the floor five minutes into the final quarter. He had apparently been having hip spasms when he was forced to leave the game. 

The Warriors began to extend their lead but every time they did, the Lakers battled back. With four minutes left in the game the Warriors had a 114-108 lead. The Warriors had a six point lead but had 5 turnovers in the fourth quarter. 

The Lakers took the lead in the late minutes of the fourth quarter 115-114. A very questionable call in favor of the Lakers gave Los Angeles the lead 117-114 with 22.3 ticks left on the clock. There was a lot of time left but Golden State needed a three to tie the game. 

It all came down to the final 14 seconds of the game. The Lakers held a 118-116 lead and the Warriors had a chance to win this game. There would be no buzzer beater from beyond the arc but the Warriors did tie up this game at 118 forcing overtime.

The Lakers got the jump in overtime and with 1:24 left in the game led 128-124. There was a lot of time left on the game clock and this was still anyone’s game. With 52 seconds left Curry hit a three and Golden State trailed by a single point 128-127.

 D’Angelo Russell was fouled and hit both free throws giving the Lakers a 130-127 lead. Klay Thompson tied up this game at 130 with 5.9 left on the clock. The Lakers failed to score and this game went into a second overtime. 

With 1:14 left in overtime the Warriors took their first lead of the period 141-139. The Lakers took the lead back hitting a three, the score 143-141 with 12.2 on the clock. Stephen Curry hit a three with 4.7 left on the clock giving Golden State a 144-143 lead. The Warriors fouled Lebron James and he hit both free throws winning the game 145-144. Another one point loss for Golden State in this incredible battle.

Curry finished with 46 points in fact the starters had a great game. This contest could have gone either way, but again, this one did not go the Warriors way. Both teams put on quite a show for the fans in attendance.

Post game notes: Saturday night the Warriors hosted the Lakers at Chase Center. Thursday night the Warriors lost a heartbreaker to the Sacramento Kings 134-133. With 22 seconds left in the game Domantas Sabonis gave the Kings the lead 134-133.

 The Warriors had sufficient time to take the ball downcourt and score. The Kings Fox stole the ball from Curry and that was the game. The game had been close throughout the second half but it was the Kings who held on for the win. 

The Lakers come into this game after beating the Chicago Bulls Thursday night 141-132. This was a battle between the ninth place Lakers and the 12th place Warriors. Despite losing to the Kings the Warriors Curry shot for 33 points and Kuminga hit 31. The Warriors also had 19 three’s and was looking for more of the same Saturday night. This was the first time this season that these two teams have met.

Tuesday night the Warriors will take on the Phildelphia 76ers at Chase. Tipoff in that game is scheduled for 7:00 PM. 

  

    

UNLV Runnin Rebels Run Over San Jose State Spartans 77-65

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The San Jose Spartans battled and dropped their third game in a row to the UNLV Runnin Rebels at Provident Event Credit Union in San Jose on Sat Jan 27, 2024 (photo by SJSU Spartans)

Saturday, January 27th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

The San Jose State Spartans host UNLV in a conference game. The Spartans won both contests against the Runnin’ Rebels last season, including an overtime win at home and a nine-point victory in Las Vegas.

Tibet Görener scored 11 points in both games while Trey Anderson registered a game-high 19 points in the win on the road. The Spartans couldn’t hold the Runnin Rebels back and went down to defeat 77-65 at Provident Credit Union Event Center in San Jose.

Starting off hot, the Spartans shot 90% from the field and 100% from three in the first nine minutes and gained a controlling lead early. UNLV closed the gap by shooting proficiently from the field, 24 points in the paint, but were scoreless in the final three minutes of the half which kept SJSU on top. SJSU held the lead at half 39-32.

Tibet Gorener and Alvaro Cardenas both led the Spartans with 10 points and SJSU’s largest lead was 12 points. The Spartans have held leads in the past, but they haven’t had a great track record of holding leads. 

The second half was a complete breakdown for the Spartans as they lost the lead to the Rebels halfway through the second half. UNLV went on a 14 of 14 run to end the game and put a dagger in the heart of the Spartans and pop the balloon of energy in the Event Center. UNLV wins 77-65 decisively. Keylan Boone led the Rebels with 18 points and was a huge deciding factor in this game. 

The Spartans couldn’t hold this lead and it’s another loss on the season, most importantly another loss in the Mountain West Conference. The next game for SJSU is against Utah State in Utah on January 30th and the Spartans look to regain some momentum going into February.

Sharks winning streak ends at three against Buffalo 5-2

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Sharks. Shakir Mukhamadullin takes his solo lap during warmups (taken on 1/27/24).

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The Sharks took on the Sabres Saturday evening looking to extend their winning streak to four.

For the Sharks Kaapo Kahkonen would get the start who came in with a 3.56 GAA and a .902 SV%. While for Buffalo it was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in between the pipes who had a 2.63 GAA and .908%.

It was a special night also for 22-year-old Shakir Mukhamadullin who made his NHL debut tonight after coming over in the Timo Meier trade from New Jersey.

The first period saw the Sharks get offense from a place where they usually don’t get many goals which is the blueline. The first goal in this one would be scored by Marc-Edouard Vlasic as he scored his third of the season.

Following that up was Jan Rutta who scored just a couple minutes later picking up his second of the season. On both goals, William Eklund picked up the primary assists.

Around the 14-minute mark of the period though momentum shifted when Buffalo scored as JJ Peterka shoveled home his 17th of the campaign.

Less than five minutes later Buffalo would tie it on a goal they really had to grind out as Jordan Greenway tapped home a pass from Alex Tuch back door.

In the middle frame that momentum shift did not stop as just 1:36 into the period, Tuch scored his 14th of the season breaking the tie.

After the goal, both team’s offenses slowed down quite a bit, especially in comparison to the high-flying first period.

There would be two penalties in the period one against Buffalo and the other against San Jose but both were killed off.

San Jose would be looking for a comeback in the final frame but did not get off to a great start giving up a goal this time just 4:33 into the period. The fourth unanswered came off the stick of Peterka who got his second of the night on a 3-on-2 rush.

Some clear frustration would boil over for the Sharks as they got into it with Buffalo leading to Kyle Burroughs and Kyle Okposo dropping the gloves.

Looking to spark the comeback David Quinn would pull Kahkonen with more than four minutes left in the period.

That aggression would unfortunately not pay off as after making a slick move to deke out Logan Couture Dylan Cozens scored on the empty cage essentially ending the game.

The win would end the Shark’s winning streak at three but also continues a tradition of the Sharks losing to Buffalo as all-time San Jose is 14-25-9 against the Sabres.

Mukhamadullin had a solid night manning the blueline as he registered one hit and three shots on goal.

The shots in this one favored Buffalo 36-25 and both teams went 0/2 on the power play.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: JJ Peterka 2nd: Casey Middlestadt 3rd: Jordan Greenway

San Jose will look to start a new winning streak when they take on Seattle at home on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

That’s Amaury Newsand Commentary: Jesús Luzardo only Major Leaguer born in Perú – Could be traded again

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The author Amaury Pi Gonzalez (right) poses with former Oakland A’s pitcher Jesus Luzardo (left) at the A’s Fanfest 2019. Luzardo who now pitches with the Miami Marlins (photo from Amaury Pi Gonzalez)

Jesús Luzardo only Major Leaguer born in Perú – Could be traded again-

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The South American country of Perú’s population is over 34 million people. Fútbol (Soccer in the US) is their number one sport. However, pitcher Jesús Luzardo, currently with the Miami Marlins starting rotation and previously with the Oakland A’s,(his first team in the major leagues), was born in Lima, Perú. His parents are Venezuelans, a country where baseball is undoubtedly the #1 sport.

Luzardo debuted with the Oakland A’s in 2019, as the A’s No. 6 prospect. Just a year before, On February 13, 2018, in his Alma Mater in Parkland, Florida, a former student killed 17 people when he opened fire inside the high school.

Luzardo intended to work out at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on that same afternoon of the shooting, he was warned not to come by his former coach, and that might have saved his life. During the shooting, Luzardo stayed in contact with people inside the school via text messages.

In 2019, before the team reported to Spring Training, Luzardo was at the A’s Fanfest in Jack London Square; he sat with yours truly and Mauricio Segura at the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame and signed autographs for dozens of A’s fans who stood in line. He was gracious and pleased and, as he told me, “lucky to be in the major leagues”.

But a couple of years later, he wasn’t happy to be traded to the Miami Marlins, he felt good pitching here at Oakland and enjoyed the Bay Area. But the life of a major leaguer always included the possibility of being traded. He started with the A’s, went to the Marlins and he might changed uniforms soon again.

Luzardo could be traded again before this 2024 season gets underway. In his first years with the A’s, he did not pitch much and struggled, but it was a learning process like it is many times with young pitchers.

Last season, the lefty with the Miami Marlins ended with a record of 10-10 and a 3.58 ERA in 32 games he started. He owns an outstanding fastball, especially among left-handed starters who, in 2023, threw at least 200 fastballs; he ranked second out of 57. The southpaw was one of 12 pitchers to reach 205 strikeouts in 2023, when he fanned 208. Was that good?

Well, only Blake Snell,two-time Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole, won Cy Young in 2023, Kevin Gausman, finalist this past seasons to win the Cy Young, Zac Gallen, who finished second in the NY for the Cy Young in 2023 and and Luis Castillo, still one of the best pitchers who will soon win a Cy Young.

Jesús Luzardo is maturing as a pitcher, and if the Orioles, Pirates, or anyother teams currently pursuing him could land a pitcher ready to be a winner at the young age of 26.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks face Sabres at SAP today for 1pm matinee

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San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl exults after scoring the game winning goal in overtime at 1:29 against the New York Rangers Thu Jan 25, 2024 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Taking a look at last Wednesday night’s game at SAP Center in San Jose in overtime the San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl scored the game winner to defeat the Metropolitan first place New York Rangers 3-2.

#2 The Rangers came out of the gate in the first and second periods scoring a goal in each period for a 2-0 lead.

#3 The Sharks who have been inspired since Logan Couture’s return from his injury scored twice in the third period to even the score 2-2.

#4 Hertl in the overtime scored at 1:29 that gave the Sharks their third straight win, “(Jan Ruuta and Alex Barabanov) made a great play and I got an empty-netter,” Hertl said. “Kind of an easy goal for me, but a great job by them for sure. Huge win for us, and it’s nice to have three in a row.”

#5 The Sharks have a day game today at SAP against the visiting Buffalo Sabres a 1pm PT face off. The Sabres have been going well of late inning six of their last ten games. How do you see today’s match up?

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: 49ers odds on favorites; Does SF actually got this?

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) looks for a receiver against the Green Bay Packers on Sun Jan 21, 2024 in the NFC Divisional game. Purdy and the 49ers prepare for the Detroit Lions for the NFC Championship game Sun Jan 28, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SF 49ers podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 Joe, the 49ers are certainly no strangers to the NFC Championship. This is their third straight season and fourth time in five years in the Championship game.

#2 How remarkable is it for quarterback Brock Purdy to have come back from a season ending injury and again here he is back in the NFC Championship game.

#3 The 49ers who are seeded in the number one spot have home field advantage as last season they had to deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC road game last season how huge is it that they have the home field advantage this season.

#4 They’re close and the oddmakers have the 49ers favored to win Sunday and go to the Super Bowl there is doubt the 49ers put in the work to get this far.

#5 Last season the 49ers were on the road for the Championship and lost Purdy to an injury this year they’re home and face the Detroit Lions it would seem everything is going they’re way.

Join Joe Hawkes does the 49ers podcasts weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Makiniemi makes 37 saves to secure a shutout victory for the Barracuda over Calgary 3-0

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The Barracuda looked to extend their winning streak against the Wranglers on Friday night.

In between the pipes for San Jose was Eetu Makiniemi while for the Wranglers Dustin Wolf was in goal.

The first period was rather uneventful, with no goals and the Wranglers getting the most of the chances with 15 shots on goal.

The one penalty in the period was killed off by San Jose as Valtteri Pulli was called for holding.

It took a while to get a goal but 13:24 into the second Ethan Frisch got his first career AHL goal.

Then on the power play San Jose extended their lead to two as Nathan Todd got his ninth goal of the season.

The second period also saw plenty of penalties mainly taken by Calgary as they took five.

The final frame saw the home team pull away even further as Jordy Bellerive scored his fourth of the campaign.

Makiniemi was then able to secure the shutout which was his second of the season as he made 37 saves.

Neither team’s powerplay was all that notable except for the penalty kill as Calgary went 0/4 while San Jose went 1/4.

The shots in this one favored Calgary 37-21.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Eetu Makiniemi 2nd: Ethan Firsch 3rd: Valterri Pulli

The Barracuda will look to extend this winning streak to three at home as they will play Calgary tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal Wounded and Heartbroken in Bears’ Territory, 73-71, on a Friday Night Battle of the Bay I

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Stanford Cardinal guard Kanaan Carlyle (3) takes a a shot against the Cal Bears forward Grant Newell (14) and forward Fardaws Aimaq (00) in second half action at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Jan 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

BERKELEY, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (10-9, 5-4 Pac-12) dropped Part ! of the Battle of the Bay against the California Golden Bears (8-12, 4-5 Pac-12), 73-71, inside Haas Pavilion.

Stanford scratched the scoreboard first , on a split free throws scenario.by senior forward Spencer Jones. Cal took their only lead in the first half (4-3( shortly thereafter.

Although the home team was not able to get over the hump again in the first 20 minutes, Cal kept the game within reach by halftime. Stanford ked by as much as 8 points, and half of that at intermission, 40-36.

No Cardinal hooper reached double=digits, although a triumvirate had 8 points to show for themselves. Spencer Jones, Michael Jones and Kanaan Carlyle all had 2/3 of a dozen points. The Golden Bears had one player with at least 10 points. Junior guard Jaylon Tyson tallied 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Stanford increased the lead to 10 points, early in the second half. However, the Bears clawed their way back, and presumably took the lead 51-50 at the 12:43 mark, Unfortunately for Cal, the three-point shot by senior Jalen Cone, was ruled a 2-pointer instead.. Cal still didn;t get over the hump. at that juncture of the game.

Stanford went on a 7-0 run after that, seemingly in control of the contest. The Golden Bears were determined to come back and eventually be in front of their cross-Bay neighbors and rivals.

After that first disappointment early in the second half, Cal did officially get into a leading position 62-60 (7:13). Despite letting go of a 10-point advantage, Stanford regained the lead on several occasions. As a matter of fact, the game was tied 8 times and there were 7 lead changes.

Those moments were obviously late in the ball game, because overall Stanford had the lead for approximately 31 and a half minutes, while California had their advantage for 26 less minutes than the Cardinal, but led when it really counted,,,at the final whistle.

With the consistent back and forth of the final minutes and seconds, it came down to game-winning free throws by redshirt junior guard, Jalen Celestine, with :58 remaining on the clock. Stanford had a costly turnover by Maxime Raynaud, the Celestine converted another FT, which presented the final score of 73-71, California Golden Bears.

Stanford had 0 players in double-digits at the half, but garnered four at game’s end. Spencer Jones (13), Brandon Angel (12), Kanaan Carlyle (12) and Maxime Raynaud (11) & 13 rebounds.

Cal had a lone player to reach those heights after 20 minutes of playing time, but had a whopping 6 after 40 minutes of regulation time. Jaylon Tyson (14), Fardaws Aimaq (13) & 12 rebounds, Jalen Celestine (12), Keonte Kennedy (11), Grant Newell (11) & 10 rebounds and Jalen Cone (10).

Stanford will next be in action Thursday, February 1 in the Grand Canyon State, as they take on the Arizona State Sun Devils at 6 PM PDT/7 Mountain.. on ESPN2. Cal plays against the Arizona Wildcats, on the same date, a half hour earlier, on P-12 Network.

Note: Both Coach Haas and Madsen both were coaching against their Alma Maters, and are excited the both will continue in the Atlantic Coast Conference.