Month: March 2025

March Is Just Beginning For Cal Women After Their Regular Season-Concluding 82-63 Win Over Miami

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Michelle Onyiah and the Cal women are on a roll at the right time.

Onyiah led Cal with 26 points and 10 rebounds in their regular season-ending 82-63 win over Miami on Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. Now the Bears can turn their attention to the post-season with aspirations they haven’t held in six seasons.

“We still have a lot of work to do which is a good thing,” coach Charmin Smith said.

The Bears will be seeded seventh in the upcoming ACC Tournament and will be matched with the winner of Pittsburgh/Virginia in their opening game on Thursday afternoon. Visiting Miami needed to win Sunday to finish in the top 15, and they conclude their season at 14-15.

Cal’s seven seniors–Kayla Williams, Marta Suarez, Claudia Langarita, Ioanna Krimili, Natalia Ackerman, Jayda Noble and Onyiah–were honored in a ceremony before the game. The emotional beginning transferred to the game as Cal opened an 11-3 lead five minutes into the game.

The hosts extended their lead to 11 at the half and 21 after three quarters. Cal registered a 39-26 edge in rebounding, and scored 36 points in the paint, punctuated by Onyiah making her first 10 shots from the floor before finishing 10 of 12. Suarez added 16 points and 10 rebounds, Williams had 11 points in just 26 minutes of activity.

Haley Cavinder had 16 points for the Hurricanes.

The Bears won for the 16th time at home, establishing a new program record with their only loss to North Carolina. Krimili added three 3-pointers giving her 431 in her career, which ranks ninth all-time at the Division 1 level.

Headline Sports podcast Charlie O Sun Mar 2, 2025: Pete Rose being considered for reinstatement; Bucs Skenes expected to make a splash this season; plus more news

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Major League Baseball All Time hits leader Pete Rose is being considered by Commissioner Rob Manfred to lift the lifetime ban against Rose for gambling on baseball. Rose’s family has petitioned Manfred and MLB to reconsider the ban. (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast Charlie O Sun Mar 2, 2025:

#1 MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred reportedly is considering lifting baseball’s lifetime ban on former Cincinnati Reds and MLB all time hit leader Pete Rose. The Rose family had petitioned Manfred and he is considering the request. If the ban is lifted the late Reds player and manager could be eligible for being nominated for the Hall of Fame.

#2 Pittsburgh Pirates right hander Paul Skenes showcased his handy work during during the Grapefruit League for the first time in spring training. Skenes is know for his success last season going 11-3, ERA 1.96 with 170 strikeouts in 133 innings. There is little doubt why the Pirates selected him as the number one pick in the 2023 draft.

#3 New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will start the 2025 campaign on the injured list with elbow injuries. The elbow injury has kept Stanton from any spring training action since camp started. Stanton has received platelet rich plasma on both elbows. Stanton also has been away from camp due to a personal matter and expected back next at George M Steinbrenner Park in Tampa. Yanks infielder DJ LaMahieu is suffering from a calf muscle injury on Saturday against the Houston Astros. Manager Aaron Boone says the LaMahieu injury is “a little concerning.”

#4 An emotional former Milwaukee Brewer Willy Adames now with the San Francisco Giants faced his old teammates for the first time since the death of former legend broadcaster Bob Uecker. Adames if he would share his conversation with Uecker after finishing the NL Wild Card round. He said it was deep, emotional. Charlie didn’t realize how close Adames was to Mr. Baseball.

#5 John Shea of the San Francisco Standard wrote a piece regarding former Oakland A’s Spanish broadcasters Amaury Pi Gonzalez who is part of our broadcast crew and Manolo Hernandez Douen will not be returning to the A’s Spanish booth. The A’s although they have not announced a new Spanish radio flagship station and new broadcasters said in a statement that they will be making those changes but Pi Gonzalez and Hernandez Douen will not be returning. Shea said that the move was not fair after all the years that Pi Gonzalez put in since 1977 and he was notified on the first day of pitchers and catchers.

Join Charlie O for Headlines podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah HC Bedeviled As Swiss Snipers Snap Streak In 3-1 Loss

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Utah Hockey Club’s defenseman Mikhail Segachev scored Utah’s only goal against the New Jersey Devils at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Swiss Forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier solve Karel Vejmelka in 3-1 New Jersey Devils win over Utah HC, snapping Utah’s four-game home win streak.

The Utah Hockey Club looked to extend their 4-game home winning streak on Saturday against the visiting Devils who in October gave Utah their first road loss of the season in a 3-0 shutout in New Jersey.

Nico Hischier was first to strike in the game, putting New Jersey up 1-0 in the first with his 25th goal of the season, assisted by Luke Hughes and Tomas Tatar. The Devils edged Utah 9-7 in shots on goal for the period, a deceptive statistic considering how much time New Jersey spent in their offensive zone. Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka, who entered the matchup on a personal four-game winning streak, turned away two Grade A breakaways in the frame to limit the Devils to a single goal.

At 10:03 of the second period, Mikhail Sergachev tied things up with his 11th goal of the season, a new career season high for the Russian defenseman, assisted by Liam O’Brien and Kevin Stenlund. When the PA announcer called out the players who scored, the loudest shouts came for fan-favorite O’Brien who recorded just his 2nd point of the season in his 22nd game. Earlier in the first he fired up the crowd fighting New Jersey’s Brenden Dillon.

Just 14 seconds into the third period, Devils forward Timo Meier found the back of the net for his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Dawson Mercer and Johnathan Kovacevic. New Jersey’s offense continued to be relentless throughout the period, further padding their lead at 12:44 of the third on the second goal of the season by Curtis Lazar, assisted by Jack Hughes and Nathan Bastian. Devils goalie Nico Daws was brilliant in net, saving 24 of 25 shots for the win which ended streaks for Utah at home and Vejmelka overall.

After the game, Liam O’Brien spoke with the media about his assist on Sergachev’s goal. “Yeah, I mean, just Sergy getting into a good spot, and he’s got such a dangerous shot, so when you get him the puck, it’s gonna go in the net.” Talking about any adjustments the squad might make heading into the road trip, O’Brien said, “I think the biggest thing is just rest. I think it’s been kind of a grind since break. I think just doing the right things away from the rink, and taking care of our bodies and getting ready to roll on the road.” With regard to his fight, O’Brien added, “Just wanting to get the momentum, that’s it.”

Mikhail Sergachev commented on O’Brien’s assist. “Well, hell of a pass by Tuna. I was in the slot, so I had to shoot it. It was a knuckleball. Nothing special.” With regard to his new career high in goals, Sergachev added, “Obviously I want to score as many as possible, but it’s all about winning for me. If I can contribute scoring goals, great. If not, I’ll play defense. I’m not chasing goals.” Speaking of Vejmelka’s performance in goal, Sergachev said, “He’s been unreal all season long. He’s been a rock back there for us and an unbelievable goalie. Obviously it gives you confidence to play when you have a great goalie back there. He makes timeless saves for us.”

Head coach André Tourigny offered his takeaways from the game. “The first takeaway is that’s a really good team on the other side, and they played a really good game. They played with a really high pace and credit to them. Having that said, I think when you are in those kinds of games, you need to rise to the occasion. I think our level of focus and detail on what we knew they would do was not high enough. I think we went into that game wanting to play our game, which is fine, but you need to also know exactly the details of how you need to play against each opponent. I didn’t like our level of focus on those.” Tourigny also had praise for his netminder. “At key moments, he was great. In the first period, I think we were in deep water and he made key saves. He kept us there and allowed us to come back and tie the game. It’s a really good team. It’s a tight game. I’m not forgetting the fact we’re five games in eight days, and we’re at the end of it. It’ll be a welcome break for us to regroup, recover. But at the same time, in life you win or you learn, and it’s important. We had a few learning lessons in that game, and we cannot pass by.”

Utah now hits the road for a pair of games in Detroit and Chicago before returning March 10 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Schools over Stadiums says public money going to Hollywood studios; Schools over Studios protested funding at Nevada Assembly Committee Thursday

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Alexander Marks and Schools over Stadiums/Schools over Studios appeared at the Assembly Committee on Revenue on Thu Feb 27, 2025 to argue that $400 million of public money from SB238 to fund Hollywood Studios to do production in Nevada should be going to pubic schools. Marks had previously argued that SB1 funding for an Athletics Las Vegas stadium should go to public schools and not a ballpark. (file photo from google)

On the Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 In December Athletics team president Sandy Dean said that the A’s are in the early stages of getting construction organized with Clark County (Las Vegas) back on Dec 5th. As of yet there is no report that the A’s have come up with the $1.75 billion for their share of the construction costs for the Vegas ballpark.

#2 The A’s are looking for loan help from Goldman Sachs and US Bank and Dean was pretty definite that those loans will be coming to the rescue. Some in the media have now questioned it’s been past the deadline Dec 2024 set by the Nevada Assembly for SB1 funding at $380 million that would be triggered when the A’s come up with their share of the construction costs. Could there be doubts that maybe this money may not happen at all?

#3 Schools over Stadiums spokesman Alexander Marks who previously protested and litigated against the A’s Vegas ballpark. Schools over Stadiums are now trying to stop the Nevada Legislature from spending more public money with a new senate bill that would fund Hollywood Studios with AB238. The bill would provide $80 million in tax credits from 2028 to 2043 and require at least $400 million to be invested into Nevada. The cost to fund the Hollywood studios where all filming would be in Nevada would be $20 million more than what the state will be paying for the Las Vegas A’s ballpark.

#4 Schools over Stadiums also named Schools over Studio for fighting the Hollywood funding has two fronts to fight. Schools over Stadiums had a meeting Thursday at the Assembly Committee on Revenue to argue their case that public money that should go to schools and not go to pay for Hollywood Studios productions to the tune of $400 million plus getting 15 years of tax credits.

#5 Schools over Stadiums knows they’re efforts to stop the A’s Vegas ballpark looks almost nil if the A’s come up with their share of the construction costs for the park. Schools over Stadiums still needs 102,586 signatures from four districts in Southern Nevada to sign a petition that would put an initiative on the ballot to stop public funding for SB1 the A’s ballpark. That signature drive has not launched as of yet.

Daniel Dullum does the Athletics Relocation podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden Bears upend Boston College 82-71 in final home game

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Cal Bears center Mady Sissoko (12) who led with 21 points and 15 rebounds against the Boston College Eagles at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, March 1, 2025

California pulled away in the second half at Haas Pavilion Saturday, as the Golden Bears earned an 82-71 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over visiting Boston College.

Mady Sissoko registered career highs with 21 points and 15 rebounds to lead Cal (13-16 overall, 6-12 ACC). Sissoko was 9-of-10 from the field and sank 3-of-4 free throws. Jovan Blacksher Jr. was next with 18 points, Andrej Stojakovic had 15 points and Jeremiah Wilkinson added 14 points.

Boston College (12-17 overall, 4-14 ACC) had three players score in double figures, led by Donald Hand Jr. with 18 points, followed by Luka Toews with 14 and Dion Brown with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Cal outrebounded the Eagles 40-36. The Golden Bears shot 49.2 percent (30 of 61) from the field, including 7 of 18 on 3-pointers. BC hit 39 percent on 25 of 63 shooting – 4 of 14 behind the arc. Cal dominated in the paint 38-28 and points off turnovers were even at 14-14.

California opened the game with a 13-2 run. The Eagles took their first lead at 46-45 with 14:31 to play, as Hand had seven points during a 13-1 run.

Stojakovic and Wilkinson each sank a 3-pointer to spark an 11-0 Cal run, allowing the Golden Bears build a 72-60 lead with 3:59 remaining. Sissoko scored the last five points of that run.

BC committed 11 turnovers, and Cal had more turnovers (13) than assists (11).

The Golden Bears visit Louisville on Wednesday. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.

NBA G League: Warriors in a three-game losing streak and were swept in series with Hustle, 125-117

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The Santa Cruz Warriors get swept in a two game series by the Memphis Hustle at Adventist Health Arena in Santa Cruz on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (Santa Cruz Warriors X photo)

By Michael Roberson

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Santa Cruz Warriors (12-10) continued their losing streak (3) by not outworking the Memphis Hustle (12-10) 125-117, inside KPA.

The Warriors were looking great the first 24 minutes of gameplay. They were seemingly out hustling the Memphis squad of that namesake. They led by nine after the first quarter. in a period that had three lead changes and four ties.nts

In the second quarter, Santa Cruz increased the lead to as high as 14 points. That would be their largest lead of the game too. The Hustle actually whittled that deficit down dramatically by halftime. When the whistle indicated intermission was in play, the Warriors 14-point lead was cut to two, 61-59.

Blake Hinson led the Warriors with 14 points, and Javan Johnson joined him in double figures with 12.Davis Johnson led the Hustle with 15, while Armando Bacot contributed 14.

In the third stanza, Memphis exemplified their moniker, and flipped a two-point deficit to a 19-point lead, by scoring a whopping 43 points in the third quarter. After three, the Warriors trailed 102-83.

As the final quarter began, the Hustle increased their advantage to 22 points. However, the Warriors were not waving the white flag, as they made another valiant comeback attempt. The Warriors shrunk the lead all the way to two points (1:11) 119-117, but the Hustle were able to stave off the Surf City Crew, while adding six more points to their total.

At the final horn, the Warriors lost the game by eight, 125-117, and were swept by the Hustle in the consecutive games in Santa Cruz.

The Warriors were led in scoring by Yuri Collins with 24 points and 13 assists. Blake Hinson and Javan Johnson tallied 22 points, while Marcus Burk offered 13 points and Cheikh Mbacke Diong chipped in a double-double (10 points & 12 rebounds).

David Johnson led Memphis and all scorers with 28 points, While Armando Bacot (15 rebounds) and Malachi Smith both manufactured 21 points apiece.. Nate Hinson (12) and Miles Norris (14) also joined the double-figures plateau.

The Warriors are next in action Wednesday, March 5, hosting the Wisconsin Herd, in game 1 of a 2-game series, at 7:00 PM PT. The Hustle head back to Tennessee to host the South Bay Lakers, Tuesday, March 4 at 7:00 PM CT.

NBA G League: Kings hold off SkyForce 117-98; Stockton wins fifth of last ten games

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Stockton Kings guard Chasson Randle (4) takes the ball against the Sioux Falls Skyforce at Adventist Health Center in Stockton on Sat Mar 1, 2025

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings were back at it on Saturday night as they hosted the Sioux Falls SkyForce at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton. Kings had to really hold off the SkyForce in the end to get the win 117-98.

The two teams were evenly matched in the first quarter. Although the Kings led for most of the first 12 minutes, the SkyForce only allowed them to get out to a six point lead at most throughout the quarter. By the end of the period, the Kings maintained their lead but it was just a two-point lead as the SkyForce had crawled back into it. Stockton led 26-24 heading into the second quarter.

The second frame was much different than the first. It didn’t take long for Stockton to start extending their lead. With three minutes remaining in the first half, the Kings got their first double-digit lead of the night and they weren’t done yet. When the second quarter came to an end, Stockton had a 14 point lead, as it was 56-42 heading into the break. If the SkyForce were going to get back into the games, they’d need to make some changes very quickly.

Those changes didn’t come though, as although the SkyForce looked a bit more competitive, they weren’t able to reduce the Kings’ lead at all. Stockton continued to pull away, and heading into the final frame of the night they led 86-64. The game felt like it was already over, but the Kings needed to make sure they didn’t get overconfident as they had a few times this season.

Sioux Falls would outscore the Kings in the fourth quarter, the only time they accomplished that over the course of the night, but Stockton held on to win 117-98. Isaiah Crawford led the Kings in scoring with 25 points, while Devin Carter was right behind him with 24 of his own.

Meanwhile for Sioux Falls, the two Williams, Malik and Alondes led with 18 and 17 points respectively.

The Kings currently sit second in the Western Conference behind just the Austin Spurs and will be back in action on Tuesday when they host the Valley Suns, once again at home.

Barracuda light up Silver Knights in 4-1 win

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San Jose Barracuda captain Jimmy Schuldt (#59) celebrates Rem Pitlick’s (#90) first goal in a Barracuda uniform along with Danil Gushchin (#75) and Tristen Robins (#52) during the second period of San Jose’s 4-1 win over Henderson at Tech CU Arena on Saturday MAR 1, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda used four different goal scorers in a balanced scoring attack to dominate the Henderson Silver Knights in 4-1 victory on Saturday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose had its fifth victory over Henderson this season and is 1-1 on its current four-game homestand. Henderson has lost just for the third time in its past eight games.

The first period was filled with chippy-ness between the two Pacific Division rivals. Two fights happened in the first ten minutes of the game to help set the tone for a physical battle on Renaissance Night.

The Barracuda (27-20-2-3-59 points) drew first blood late in the opening frame. Thomas Bordeleau intercepted a clearing attempt by Matyas Sapovaliv inside the Silver Knights zone. Bordeleau threaded a backhand pass over to Andrew Poturalski who buried a wrist shot past the five-hole of Silver Knights goalie Carl Lindbom for his team leading 22nd goal of the season at the 15:01 mark.

Henderson (22-30-2-0-46 points) was dominated by San Jose in the opening 20 minutes as they were outshot 18-5 and did not generate many scoring chances as Cuda goalie Gabriel Carriere was able to easily stop all five shots he faced.

San Jose had a golden opportunity to pad its lead when they had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:43 early in the second period when Sapovaliv went into the sinbin for a high sticking double minor penalty at the 6:59 mark. However, the Cuda weren’t able to capitalize during their extended power play.

The Barracuda scored two goals in a 29 second span late in the middle frame to separate themselves from the Silver Knights. Rem Pitlick scored his first goal in a Cuda uniform at the 18:03 mark. Danil Gushchin found Pitlick in the neutral zone. Pitlick split two Silver Knight defenders on a breakaway and beat Lindbom with a backhand to forehand move to double San Jose’s lead.

Then Pavol Regenda beat Lindbom with a wrist shot under the left arm for his seventh goal of the season at the 18:32 mark. Donavan Houle set up Regenda’s goal from below the goal line. Colin White received the secondary assist.

San Jose opened the third period with its fourth unanswered goal. Bordeleau made a pass between his legs down to the goal line over to Houle who quickly passed it back up to Bordeleau in the slot. Bordeleau beat Lindbom with a wrist shot to finish off the give-and-go with Houle for his 13th goal of the season at the 2:20 mark.

Kai Uchacz spoiled Carriere’s shutout bid with his 11th goal of the season at the 8:14 mark. Uchacz won a battle along the boards with Jake Furlong. Uchacz skated in from the short side and chipped the puck up and over Carriere. Mitch McLain and Calen Addison picked up helpers on the goal.

Carriere (5-4-0) finished the game stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced to pick up his fifth win of the season. Lindbom (13-10-1-2) had a busy night as he made 40 saves on 44 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: Both teams finished 0-for-5 on the power play.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Bordeleau (1G,1A) 2) Poturalski (1G,1A) 3) Houle (0G, 2A)

UP NEXT: San Jose and Henderson conclude their two-game weekend series on Sunday 3/2 at 3:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Sharks Fall Short Again, Lose 5-3 to Senators for eighth loss in a row; Sens end 5 game skid

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San Jose Sharks William Eklund (72) takes a shot on Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 5-3 to the Ottawa Senators Saturday. Shane Pinto, Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, David Perron and Michael Amadio scored for the Senators. Linus Ullmark made 34 saves for the win. Tyler Toffoli, Timothy Liljegren and Will Smith scored for the Sharks. Vitek Vanecek made 27 saves in the loss.

Once again, the Sharks gave up a lead to lose the game. “It sucks. It feels like we’ve been playing pretty good hockey. So, it’s just an unfortunate loss,” said Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro. The Sharks power play did well, scoring in three of four chances. It also did badly, giving up a short-handed goal on that fourth try, which was actually their first of the game. That was emblematic of the team’s frustrations lately. It is difficult to see the good in their game when they keep losing.

“I liked our start, we did some good things. Obviously a couple bounces. I didn’t like that line change that we had. We gave up an easy goal,” Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said, of the fourth Ottawa goal.

Shane Pinto started the scoring at 11:05 of the first period, short-handed. After pushing the puck out of the zone, Pinto started skating while Ridly Greig gathered up the puck and passed it ahead of Pinto. Pinto skated into the Sharks zone with no one between him and Vanecek.

Tyler Toffoli tied the game with a power play goal at 5:17 of the second period. Toffoli’s shot from the goal line went off of a Senator and into the net. Assists went to Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini.

Timothey Liljegren gave the Sharks the lead with a second power play goal at 9:47. Liljegren scored with a shot from the blue line through traffic. Assists went to Alexander Wennberg and Klim Kostin.

Brady Tkachuk tied the game again at 1:26 of the third period with a power play goal. Tim Stützle carried the puck in, then passed it across and back to Tkachuk for the shot. Assists went to Stützle and Jake Sanderson.

Tim Stützle gave the Senators a 3-2 lead at the three minute mark. Greig sent the puck in and off the end boards, where it bounced to the front of the net to meet Stützle.

David Perron made it 4-2 at 8:31. Thomas Chabot carried the puck in and took a shot that created a rebound for Perron to gather up and put in the net. Assists went to Chabot and Drake Batherson.

The Sharks pulled their goaltender for an extra skater with more than two minutes left. Soon enough, they drew a tripping penalty and got a power play. Will Smith made it 4-3 with a third power play goal. Assists went to William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini.

The Sharks kept their net empty and with one minute left, Michael Amadio scored into that empty net. An assist went to Artem Zub.

The Sharks next play on Monday at 4:30 PM PT in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.

Kings Win Western Conference Battle Beating Rockets 113-103.

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Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) takes a shot over the Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (left) in first half action at the Toyota Center in Houston on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Saturday night the Sacramento Kings (31-28) beat the Houston Rockets (37-23) 113-103. The Kings suffered a devastating loss when Domantas Sabonis injured his hamstring in the opening minute of the game.

It is still not known how severe his injury is. The rest of the team had to step up in his absence and they were spotless. Bench giant Jonas Valanciunas was magnificent finishing the game with a double double, 14 rebounds and 15 points. The Kings bench was also on task scoring 42 points collectively. The high score for the Kings was DeMar DeRozan in an impressive win for Sacramento.

Game recap: Sacramento had a 25-21 lead after the first twelve minutes of play but suffered a devastating injury in the first minute of the quarter. Domantas Sabonis was forced to leave the game due to a hamstring injury .

This was a huge blow for the Kings. Sacramento had taken a 21-5 lead mid-way through the quarter despite the loss of Sabonis. Houston came roaring back and trailed by four points going into the second quarter.

The loss of Sabonis would really come into play in the second quarter. Houston took the lead in the quarter but the Kings remained within striking distance. Sacramento had a 16 point lead in the opening quarter and the largest lead for the Rockets in the second quarter was three points. The Kings took back the lead with one minute left in the half 58-56. At the half Sacramento was hanging onto a 63-59 advantage.

The Rockets Dillon Brooks had everything with the Houston comeback scoring 9 of his 12 points in the second quarter. Alperon Sengun also had a productive first half with 17 points.

The Kings bench had scored 26 points in the first half of the game with Valanciunas leading the pack with 11 points. The starters were forced to play without Sabonis but were putting up a solid fight.

Zach LaVine finished the first half with 13 points with Keegan Murray chipping in 11 points. Malik Monk and DeRozan would both be looking for a more productive second half. The Kings had proven that they could not only keep up with the Rockets but also had the ability to win their third game in the row and come away with a in in this battle.

Sacramento got on task early in the third quarter taking as much as an eight point lead with both Monk and DeRozn starting the quarter strong. Five minutes into the quarter DeRozan got into it with Dillon Brooks no surprise to anyone.

The feisty Brooks excels in stirring the pot but it did not deter the Kings who had led for most of the quarter with five minutes left. At 5:14 Sacramento had a 80-74 lead. After leading for most of the quarter the Rockets threatened to take the lead only trailing by a basket 82-79 with under three minutes left to play. The Kings were excelling defensively in the absence of Sabonis leading after three 89-82.

Sacramento got off to a red- hot start in the fourth quarter taking a 96-85 lead needing to keep the pressure on Houston. The Rockets had not able to get out and transition a whole lot. The Kings had put the stops on Brooks who had not scored at all in the second half. With 6:36 left in the game, the Rockets were fighting to get back in the game trailing 103-94.

Both Keon Ellis and Valanciunas were working with four fouls apiece. With under five minutes left in the game the Kings would need both of these guys. Houston was still very much in this game with 3:23 left on the clock but they had to get something going trailing 109-97.

Sacramento refused to let the Rockets back in the game continuing to extend their lead and with under 2 1/2 left on the clock led 111-98. With under a minute left in the game the Kings had won their third game in a row beating the Rockets 113-103.

Despite the loss of Sabonis in the opening minute of the game, the Kings handled their business with some stellar play. DeRozan had the team high with 21 points followed by LaVine who had 20 points.

Monk and Murray both finishing with double figures. Valanciunas was red hot off the bench playing for 30 minutes and finishing with a double double; 14 rebounds and 15 points. The Kings bench was solid scoring 42 points collectively. The Kings showed a lot of grit in this game and will need it as they continue on this road trip.

Game notes: Saturday the Kings took on the Rockets in a Western Conference battle. The Kings continued their current road trip when they extended their two-game winning streak after beating the Hornets in a blow-out 130-88 Monday followed by a win against the Utah Jazz 118-101 Wednesday.

The Rockets came into this game also on a two-game winning streak beating the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night 118-106 and the Milwaukee Bucks in a close game Tuesday night 100-97. Sacramento came into this game with no injured players.

Monday the Kings will travel to Dallas for a matchup with Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and the Mavericks looking for their fourth win in a row. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 5:30 PM.