San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Packers on roll is there anything to fear on 49ers behalf?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) has had a lot of success of late in defeating the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington on Sun Jan 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SF 49ers podcast with David:

#1 David the Green Bay Packers are on a roll they have defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs and now face the San Francisco 49ers at Levi Stadium this Saturday night at Levi Stadium.

#2 Lots of credit for the job that Packers quarterback Jordan Love did last weekend against the Cowboys going 16-21 for 227 yards and three touchdowns. The Packers beat the Cowboys who have the fifth best defense in football.

#3 The 49ers are the top seeded team in the NFL and the Packers were considered long odds coming into the playoffs. Do the Packers have a chance to keep this going. They have been the surprise team.

Join David Zizmor for NFL playoffs podcasts Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Sutter Health Park Sacramento could be A’s landing spot in 2025

Sutter Health Park in Sacramento could be the home of the Oakland A’s for the 2025 season. Nothing official yet from the A’s on playing their games there in 2025. (Mrmingbean file photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 The Oakland A’s will be hosting a public event similar to a Fan Fest in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada at $125 a pop. This public event could be scene as a barometer and how many fans will attend and how many will season tickets they’ll sell of 2028.

#2 The renderings still have not been unveiled as of yet and the A’s have not revealed their financing plans for the park. Also they have not announced where they will play after the 2025 season although insiders say they are leaning towards the San Francisco Giants triple A park in Sacramento Sutter Health Park.

#3 The A’s have a deal with NBC Sports Bay Area through the 2033 season and NBC would pay on that contract so long as the A’s play their games in the Bay Area. A’s team president David Kaval said knowing Sacramento is outside the Bay Area NBC would not be obligated to pay on the deal.

#4 There has been talked that both the A’s and NBC Bay Area would reach a middle ground on the contract and the A’s would get a reduced amount on the contract that would pay less than the $67 million that they got in 2023 season.

#5 A deal between the City of Oakland beyond 2025 looks impossible. The A’s and the City are not on good terms and the fact that the City and A’s never got to the point to where they could make Howard Terminal a reality plays into playing at the Coliseum in 2025 unlikely as negotiations had broke down before their decision to move to Las Vegas. Also the A’s fans and A’s owner John Fisher look like they will not be patching things up anytime soon. The A’s could play 30-40 of their home games at Oracle Park home of the Giants and the rest in Sacramento.

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

Green returns but it’s not enough; Short-handed Grizzlies send Warriors down to defeat 116-107

Golden State Warrior Draymond Green drives on the Memphis Grizzlies upon his return from his indefinite suspension at FedEx Arena in Memphis on Mon Jan 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was a very cold evening in Memphis on Martin Luther King Day. For the Golden State Warriors, it was a very strange game. The Warriors held the Memphis Grizzlies to 37% from the floor as they took 12 shots less than the Warriors, yet won the game 116-107.

The Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, had to be shaking his head after his team’s performance Monday night in Memphis. The numbers show the Warriors committed too many fouls and too many turnovers. Memphis made 20 threes in 54 attempts.

The Warriors made ten in 31 tries. The referees called 25 fouls on the Warriors to give the Grizzlies 40 free throws. Memphis made 32. The Warriors went to Charity Stripe ten times and made nine. The Warriors could not overcome the 30-point advantage nor the 23-point difference from the free-throw line.

The Grizzlies scored 30 points off turnovers. Memphis’ defense kept the Warriors from attempting more three-point shots. The Warriors’ only statistical advantage was scoring in the point. 

Even with the Warrior miscues, the game was a nip-and-tuck affair. Neither team had a double-digit lead for the first three quarters. The Warriors led by two points at the end of the first halftime, 56-53.

The Grizzlies cut the lead to one, 86-85, at the end of the third period. The Warriors had their largest lead of the night, 86-79 in the third quarter. The Grizzlies scored the last six points to trail 86-85. 

The Warriors needed to stop fouling as well as turning the ball over. Memphis needed to stop the Warrior’s offense. We learned the answer: Memphis wanted the game more than the Warriors. The last lead the Warriors had came when Stephen Curry made a three to put the Warriors ahead 91-90.

The Grizzlies defense shackled Curry and Thompson. Memphis went ahead by 12 points,112-104. Memphis went on to win 116-107.

Game Notes: The Warriors were without Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, and Chris Paul. Draymond Green, in his first game back after serving a 12-game suspension, played 24 minutes, and his numbers were seven points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Grizzlies had four players unavailable. The biggest name on their list was Ja Morant, who was out with a shoulder injury for the year.

The Warriors are now 18-22. The Grizzlies improved to 15-25.

The Warriors had four players in double figures. Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, four rebounds, and eight assists. Jonathan Kuninga had a double-double with 20 points and eleven rebounds. For Kuminga, it was his 20th double-digit game in a row.

Dario Saric (13) and Andrew Wiggins(16) were the other Warriors with more than ten points. The Grizzlies had six players in double-figures. Vince Williams led Memphis with 24 points. Greg Jackson had 23. Davios Roddy 12, Jacob Gilyard (11), Santi Aldama (11), and Luke Kennard(11) were the players that led Memphis to the win.

The Warrior’s next game will be against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday evening at 5 pm.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda play game 2 of 6 game road trip in Charlotte on Tuesday night

San Jose Barracuda forward Danil Gushchin (75) is skating off to success. He leads the Barracuda with 30 points and is leading with 13 goals. Guschin scored a goal against the Bakersfield Condors on Sat Jan 13, 2024 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 Marko, rough game for the Barracuda on Saturday night in Bakersfield down 3-0 tried to make an effort to come back in the third period and getting goals but ended up losing it 3-2 to the Bakersfield Condors.

#2 Danil Gushchin has been the bright spot for the Barracuda getting to a team leading 30 points. Gushchin also has a team leading 13 goals. The Condors may have won the game but that didn’t stop Gushchin.

#3 Marko, the way Gushchin has been playing it shouldn’t be that long before Gushchin might just get that call up to the Sharks.

#4 Magnus Chrona talk about the job he’s been doing in goal for San Jose. He did allow three goals by the Condors but stopped 28 shots and it was a one goal loss for San Jose.

#5 Next game for the Barracuda in Charlotte against the Checkers who are 8-13-4-0 the Checkers who are sixth in the Atlantic have won five of their last ten games. How do you see the Barracuda and Checkers matching up at 4:00pm PT on Tuesday.

Join Marko for the Barracuda podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Green back in tonight’s game in Memphis

The Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) knocks the ball out of the hands of the Golden State Warriors Jonathan Kuminga (left) at Fiserve Arena in Milwaukee on Sat Jan 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Talk about the break down that the Warriors had in that fourth quarter in Milwaukee was it too much Giannis Antetokounmpo or the Warriors defense just couldn’t figure out how to stop the Milwaukee Bucks attack.

#2 The Warriors rested guard Stephen Curry for Saturday’s game in Milwaukee with Curry and Draymond Green out of the line up and the Bucks being one of the best teams in the NBA how much of a load was this on players like Jonathan Kumina, Klay Thompson and Brandin Podziemski?

#3 Green who was with the team and was serving an indefinite suspension returned on Monday night in Memphis. He’s missed 14 games and the Warriors have lost four of their last seven games. Green said it was he who is at fault for this current struggle. How much does Draymond Green play the role of the player who stirs the Warriors drink?

#4 Top scorers for the Bucks on Saturday Damion Lillard with 27 points and Khris Middleton 24 were big contributors scoring in second and third behind first place scorer Antetokounmpo who had 33.

#5 Warriors go back to the drawing board after their Saturday night loss in Milwaukee this time on Monday night the Warriors tip off against the Memphis Grizzlies who are 13th in the Western Conference and have lost six of their last ten games. The Grizzlies took a loss against the New York Knicks on Saturday night they have the home floor Monday can they beat back the Warriors on a Martin Luther King Birthday Holiday special tip off at 3:00pm PT.

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

Sabres Shutout Sharks 3-0, Mittelstadt Earns 3 Points

The Buffalo Sabres Zemgus Girgensons is in a battle for the puck with the San Jose Sharks Henry Thun (3) and William Eklund (72) in Buffalo on Mon Jan 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost to the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 Monday. It was the Sharks’ 14th loss in 15 games. Casey Mittelstadt, Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway scored for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 28 saves for the shutout win. Kaapo Kahkonen made 32 saves for the Sharks.

Sharks Head Coach David Quinn has talked about the team needing to be more aggressive on the puck. In Monday’s game, he thought he saw some improvement in that department. After the game, he put more emphasis on the team’s willingness to shoot the puck:

“An area I think we really can improve on is shoot more pucks and create more opportunities for other people. Right now I think we’re in the mindset of we’re not gonna shoot unless we’re going to score. With that comes going to the net a little bit more.”

Casey Mittelstadt scored first at 11:34 of the second period. His wrist shot into traffic bounced and trickled under Kahkonen’s right arm. Assists went to Kyle Okposo and Ryan Johnson.

The second goal of the game came on the power play from Alex Tuch at 14:37. He caught Jack Quinn’s pass between the faceoff circle and snapped the puck past Kahkonen’s stick side. Assists went to Quinn and Mittelstadt.

The final goal of the game came at 16:34 of the third period. Jordan Greenway knocked William Eklund off the puck in the neutral zone and then caught a pass from Mittelstadt to score into the empty net. Assists went to Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin.

The Sharks stayed within one shot of the Sabres until the third period, when the Sabres had 16 to the Sharks’ 8. The Sharks’ power play had one shot in two opportunities. Their penalty kill gave up one goal and three shots in two Buffalo power plays. Alexander Barabanov led the Sharks in shots with four.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 5:30 PM PT in Chicago against the Blackhawks.

Damian Lillard and the Bucks Crush Kings Bid In Overtime 143-142

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown (center) is held back Molik Monk (right) after being thrown out of the game for arguing non foul calls by the officials when De’Aaron Fox got roughed up by the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Sun Jan 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (23-15) came so very close to finally beating the Milwaukee Bucks (27-12) in overtime. With five ticks left on the clock, Damian Lillard launched a 32 foot buzzer beater for a 143-142 win over the Kings. It was a heartbreaker for Sacramento who had taken a 141-137 lead with 17 seconds left in the game.

Game recap: The Kings had a 37-32 lead after the first 12 minutes of play but the Bucks made their presence known winning the second quarter 36-29 taking a 68-66 lead into the locker room at the half. 

Keegan Murray had a very quiet first half with only four points and Harrison Barnes with seven. The Kings would need a whole lot more from their starters as well as their bench in the second half. The Kings were taking care of the ball with only two turnovers but just needed more success from the field. They also wanted to defend without fouling in the second half of this game.

After three quarters, the Bucks held onto the lead 95-91. It all came down to the fourth quarter. This game became even more physical as the fourth quarter wore on. Kings head coach Mike Brown was ejected from the game when excessive physicality on De’Aaron Fox went unnoticed by the referees. 

Brown came onto the court in a rage which sent him to the locker room. This game went down to the wire as the Kings fought from behind throughout the entire quarter. As time expired the game was tied at 128 and went into overtime.

With 2:57 left in overtime the Kings had taken a 134-128 lead. With under two minutes this game was tied again at 134. With 1:18 left in the game the Kings led 141-137. The Bucks Brook Lopez hit a three and with 9.3 left on the clock Sacramento led by a single point 141-140 with possession. 

Fox drew the foul missing his first and making the second giving Sacramento the lead 142-140 with five ticks left on the clock. Milwaukee was not finished by a long shot and with the ball in Lillard’s hands the Kings could do nothing but watch a 32-point buzzer beater swish losing the game in a heartbreaker 143-142.

Sacramento lost this game at the line. Two turnovers and two missed free throws in overtime were the turning point for the Kings. It was a heartbreaker for the team after having played a heck of a game against one of the best in the NBA.

Fox finished with 32 points. What a disappointment for Fox who turned the ball over twice in the overtime. Malik Monk had 28 points off the bench. This was an exceptional showing for the team, they just came up a few points short.

The three’s were flying in this game. The Bucks shot 20 including the dagger and the Kings had 17 in a beautiful offensive display from both teams. Both teams shot at 52% from the field. Sacramento only had nine turnovers in the game. Lillard had the high for the Bucks with 29.

Post game notes: Sunday evening the Kings took on the Bucks at Fiserv Forum. This game challenged the Kings who came into this game after a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Friday night 112-93 after a real lackluster offensive effort. 

The Bucks are playing lights out basketball after blowing out the first place Boston Celtics last Thursday night. Saturday night the Bucks beat the Golden State Warriors in a game that was very close through three quarters. Milwaukee took over in the fourth quarter finishing off the Warriors. 

Sunday night the Kings couldn’t crack the Bucks defensive code and they needed a strong offensive effort in overtime and they did their best to contain Giannis Antetokounmpo a huge challenge in itself.

The Kings continue their road trip traveling to Phoenix to take on the Suns. After losing to the Bucks, the Kings will be looking to get back on track after dropping two games in a row. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:00 PM.

Cardinal Outpaced Runnin’ Utes, 79-73, in an Afternoon Conference Battle inside Maples

Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) goes for a rebound against the Utah Utes at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sun Jan 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (9-7, 4-2 Pac-12) impeded the progress of the Utah Runnin’ Utes (12-5, 3-3 Pac-12) 79-73 on a sunny day in the Bay.

Stanford junior forward Maxime Raynaud was the French Resistance and the NCAA version of the Stifle Tower, as he posted a game high 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks, to propel his squad to a thrilling 3-point victory.  Three other Cardinal hoopers assisted in the huge effort with double-digit tallies: Brandon Angel (16), Michael Jones (15) and Kanaan Carlyle (12).

The game started off with the Runnin’ Utes going up 6-0 on two 3-pointers.  That turned out to be their biggest lead, although they made another 6-0 run in the first half, and actually led  more than 15 of the 20-minute period.  There were five lead changes and five ties, but the home team took the lead for only 33 seconds total, and by two (34-32) on a basket by Raynaud :06  before recess, which was the margin at halftime.

Raynaud paced the Cardinal with 12 points and five rebounds at the midway stanza of the game.  Also the only player on either team in double-figures.  Senior guard Ben Carlson led Utah with 9 points.

The second half started off with a bang for the Cardinal.  Brandon Angel opened up with a three-pointer, instantly increasing the lead to five.  They were able to increase that margin to as high as 12 points in the second 20 minutes.

However, Utah was not going to go down without a fight.  They scratched and clawed at the lead for a great portion of the half, but were not able to get over the hump on the road.

Their best opportunity was with just under four minutes left in the game, and they were at the free throw line with a chance to tie the game with a 1 & 1 scenario.  Utah missed the shot and Stanford converted a crucial 3 by the aforementioned Raynaud.  That was a 5-point turnaround that the Utes could not recover from.

Utah still tried to overcome the odds, despite missing another critical free throw, but Stanford stood tall and sturdy, as their mascot represents, and held on to the lead at the final whistle, 79-73 Cardinal.

Utah had three players in double-figures: Branden Carlson (14), Gabe Madsen (16) and senior guard Deivon Smith messed around and got a Triple-Double (16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds).

The Cardinal will next be in action Thursday, January 18, hosting the Washington State Cougars at 8 PM PDT on the P-12 Network.  Utah returns to Salt Lake City on the same date to host the Oregon State Beavers at 7 PM MDT on ESPNU.

Headline Sports podcast with Daniel Dullum: Is Taylor Swift a Pentagon psy op?; Giants Lee takes tour of Oracle; plus more news

Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and superstar singer Taylor Swift leave Arrowhead Stadium on Dec 25, 2023 after playing the Las Vegas Raiders (Kansas City Star file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce’s girlfriend Taylor Swift made headlines on Fox News when it was reported that Swift is a political psy op for the Government with millions and millions of followers she could be used for political influence and be a Pentagon asset. She had endorsed President Biden in the 2020 election and Republicans have blamed her for key loses. The Washington Post said Swift is not a psy op.

#2 San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee got a tour of Oracle Park this past week. Lee was joined by his agent Scott Boras and his interpreter. Lee entered through the back of Oracle through the outfield fence and took a look at the field and headed to the clubhouse and sat and spoke with reporters. What’s the expectations for Lee going into the 2024 season.

#3 This past week former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll 72, was relieved of his duties as head coach. Carroll said he was open to another head coaching job after serving as head coach for the Seahawks after 14 seasons. Carroll said that it’s hard to convince the Seahawks brass to let him stay because “their not football people.” Carroll will stay on as an advisor.

#4 Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick who left this week as head coach at the Patriots said the parting between him and owner Robert Kraft was mutual. Belichick he was grateful for being head coach in New England for 24 years, that he was honored to coach some of the greatest players that ever played, Belichick said that he’s ready to move on.

#5 Charlie how important is it that the Oakland A’s fan clubs like the Last Dive Bar and Oakland 68s will have the A’s farm team the Stockton Ports join them at the planned FansFest on Sat Feb 24th at Jack London Square in Oakland. The Ports say they’re there to support the fans. The 68s and the Last Dive are sponsoring FansFest.

#6 What statement does that say about an A’s organization minor league affiliate to step up in the drive to raise money for the political cause in helping get a petition drive together for Schools over Stadiums to get an initiative on the Nevada ballot to stop the public funding for a new A’s ballpark at the Tropicana?

Daniel Dullum filled in for Charlie O for today’s Headline Sports podcast heard each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State wins off buzzer beater from Myron Amey Jr. against Air Force 70-67

Photo courtesy of Spartan Athletics.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

The Spartans looked to end their three-game losing skid with a win over Air Force on Saturday night.

Heading into this one the Spartan’s record had dipped to 7-9 while Air Force was sporting a record of 7-7.

The first half started off rather close as the teams exchanged buckets with neither being able to pull away.

Their lethal shooting helped San Jose pull away, though, as they shot 62% in the first half while going 5-10 from three. Leading the way in points for the Spartans was Tibet Goerner who had 11 points in the first half along with four rebounds.

Air Force shot at a decent 54% with Ethan Taylor contributing the most as he had ten while Jeffrey Mills racked up four assists in the half.

While Mill’s four assists were good Alvaro Cardenas outdid him with six assists in the first.

Heading into halftime the Spartans had the lead at 46-33.

The second half did not start out well for SJSU as Air Force went on a 9-0 run to start the half cutting their lead to 46-42.

Trey Anderson would break the run with a layup but Air Force continued to hang around.

Then at 3:41 with the score tied Air Force took the lead for the first time in the game off a pair of free throws by Rytis Petraitis.

The teams continued to exchange leads leading up to an insane finish as the game was tied with 1.5 seconds left on the clock.

San Jose State had one last chance to put the game away or it meant overtime as Cardenas would inbound the ball from Air Force’s baseline.

As Cardenas scanned the floor he saw Myron Amey Jr. who had been hot all second half stick out his hand for the pass. Without hesitation, Cardenas flung it to Amey who with a defender draped all over him drained the three-ball ending the game right then and there.

As the players rushed the floor SJSU’s record now improved to 8-9 while Air Force’s fell to 7-8.

Amey ended up being the leader in points on the night with 16 and rebounds as he had nine while Cardenas racked up nine assists. For Air Force Ethan Taylor had the most points with 19.

San Jose State will look to keep the good times rolling in their next game against Fresno State on the road on Tuesday at 7 p.m.