Author: Eric He

San Jose Barracuda Saturday post game wrap: Barracuda fail to clinch playoff spot against Stockton

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By: Eric He

photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

The San Jose Barracuda were 20 minutes away from clinching a playoff spot, but they will have to wait another day after blowing a third period lead to the Stockton Heat in a 5-4 loss on Saturday night.

Up 4-3 in the third period, the Barracuda allowed two goals in 84 seconds. Kenny Agostino tied the game for the Heat, and then Hunter Shinkaruk converted on a wraparound moments later to give the Heat the lead.

The Barracuda had come back from a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 advantage with three goals in the second period. Nikolay Goldobin cut the lead to one less than two minutes into the second and Nikita Jevpalovs tied the game at 13:56. And less than a minute later, Trevor Parkes delivered a spectacular coast-to-coast goal to give San Jose the lead.

San Jose had fallen behind 3-1 after one period. The Heat converted on their first shot on goal and a late power play goal gave them a two-goal lead into first intermission.

The Barracuda need just one point to clinch a playoff spot, but just one game remains: another date against the Heat, this one at SAP Center on Sunday.

San Francisco Giants Friday post game wrap: Hernandez, errors hurt Giants in loss to Dodgers

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By: Eric He

AP photo: Los Angeles Dodger Kike Hernandez points to the crowd at Dodger Stadium after launching a solo shot in the first inning as San Francisco Giant catcher Buster Posey watches on Friday night

LOS ANGELES — Felled by a couple of home runs by Kike Hernandez and a disastrous fourth inning, the Giants disappointed in a 7-3 loss to the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

Madison Bumgarner lasted just five innings and was shelled for seven runs — four of them earned. He failed to retire Hernandez, who recorded four RBI off him on the night.

Hernandez homered on the first pitch he saw and in the third inning, both solo shots that gave the Dodgers a one-run lead at the time. His third-inning blast put the Dodgers ahead 2-1.

But Los Angeles blew the game open in the fourth inning off Bumgarner, who saw his defense collapse behind him. Kelby Tomlinson botched a would-be inning-ending double play; instead, Charlie Culberson delivered a double with the bases loaded that scored two runs. The sequence repeated itself when Joe Panik made a poor toss to second on a ground ball by Clayton Kershaw. Hernandez followed it up with a double down the left field line to score two more runs.

By the time the inning ended, the Dodgers led 6-1. The Giants committed three errors on the night.

Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw clearly got the better of the matchup of aces. The Giants took advantage two wild pitches, which scored a run each, but Kershaw went seven innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out six.

The Giants tied the game 1-1 on a rally in the third inning. After Bumgarner singled to lead off the frame for the Giants’ first hit, the Giants subsequently loaded the bases with and scored on a wild pitch. But Buster Posey lined out to left to end the inning.

After starting the season 6-2, the Giants have now lost three straight. Johnny Cueto will take the mound against Scott Kazmir on Saturday night in the second game of the series.

Warriors capture 73rd win in dominant fashion

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By: Eric He

sfgate.com: Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry beams after the game winner that put the Warriors as the winningest team in NBA history on Wednesday night

The Golden State Warriors achieved on Wednesday a record few thought would ever be broken — a 73rd win, accomplished in typical, dominant fashion with a 125-104 win over the Grizzlies at Oracle Arena.

In doing so, they finish the season with a 73-9 record, one win better than 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls team that recorded 72 wins.

Stephen Curry added another accomplishment  to cap off a spectacular regular season, dropping 46 points and 10 3-pointers, eclipsing 400 3-pointers made on the campaign.

The Warriors piled up 70 points in the first half, taking a 20-point lead into halftime. The game was essentially decided early on, when Curry made three consecutive 3-pointers to give the Warriors a double-digit first quarter advantage.

The Oracle crowd, raucous as usual, helped the Warriors blow the Grizzlies away. Golden State broke the 100-point mark late in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Curry.

By the end, the buzzer sounded and the confetti stream, capping off the greatest regular season in basketball history.

The Warriors’ march toward the championship will begin on Saturday against the Rockets at 12:30 p.m.

Barracuda fail to gain ground on playoff spot with loss to Stars

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By: Eric He

After an impressive 3-0 shutout over the Stars on Friday night, the San Jose Barracuda could not repeat the result on Saturday, as they were defeated 8-5 by Texas to remain out of the playoff picture.

The Charlotte Checkers, who lost earlier on Saturday, currently occupy the eighth and final playoff spot, but the Barracuda are just percentage points behind them with two games left to play.

It was a disappointing loss for the Barracuda, considering they held a 5-2 lead in the second period, only to have the Stars put six unanswered on the board to win the game.

The Stars trimmed the three goals Barracuda advantage down to one before the end of the second, scoring twice in the period’s final two minutes. They tallied four more times in the third. Justin Dowling evened the score at 5-5 less than two minutes into the final period, and Madej Stransky gave the Stars the lead at the midway point.

Dowling scored again and Jason Dickinson provided extra insurance for Texas, which ended up running away with an 8-5 victory.

It was all fun and games for the Barracuda early on. John McCarthy and Ryan Carpenter helped San Jose jump out to a 2-1 lead after the first period of play, and Carpenter scored again early in the second period. Jeremy Langlois and Barclay Goodrow also tallied to give the Barracuda five goals.

But it wasn’t enough, as Aaron Dell faced 51 shots from Dallas and stopped just 43 of them.

The Barracuda have a week off before taking on the Stockton Heat next Saturday on the road.

San Jose Barracuda Friday post game wrap: Barracuda shut out Stars for crucial road win

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By: Eric He

photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

Fighting for a playoff spot with the regular season winding down, the San Jose Barracuda notched a crucial win on Friday night on the road over the Texas Stars as they recorded a 3-0 shutout.

Aaron Dell recorded 33 saves to help the Barracuda claw closer to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With a 30-24-8-3 record, the Barracuda now trail the 36-38-2-5 Charlotte Checkers by mere percentage points.

The Barracuda scored a goal in each period to methodically pull away from the Stars. Bryan Lerg struck first at the 7:30 mark of the first period, finishing on a nifty backhand off a loose puck in front.

They doubled up on the lead less than a minute into the second period. Julius Bergman connected on a one-timer off a pass from Ryan Carpenter to give the Barracuda a 2-0 lead. Though San Jose was outshot 16-3 in the second, Dell stopped all 16 shots to preserve the two-goal advantage.

An empty-net goal by Nikolay Goldobin in the third period sealed the pivotal win for the Barracuda.

The Barracuda are back at it against the Stars again on Saturday in Dallas.

San Jose Barracuda Wednesday game wrap:Barracuda fall in overtime on the road in San Antonio

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By: Eric He

photo credit San Jose Barracuda

The San Jose Barracuda were defeated by the San Antonio Rampage 4-3 on the road Wednesday night, unable to pull off the overtime win. But they did earn a crucial point that pulled them percentage-points closer to the Checkers for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Down 3-2 in the third period, the Barracuda evened the score midway through the third on a power play goal by Bryan Lerg, his second of the night. But the game headed to overtime, where Gary Nunn beat Barracuda goaltender Aaron Dell a little over two minutes in to win the game for San Antonio.

It was deflating considering the Barracuda had jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Just 15 seconds into the game, Lerg found the back of the net to give San Jose a 1-0 advantage. Then, midway through the first, Petter Emanuelsson notched his third goal in four games and it was a two-goal lead for the Barracuda heading into the second.

But the Rampage responded with three unanswered goals. Borna Rendulic connected on a power play in the second period and Ben Street tied the game at 2-2 less than a minute into the third. A wraparound goal by Brandon Gormley four minutes later gave the Rampage their first lead.

The Barracuda battled back, but it was not enough as they fell to 4-8 in overtime games this season. There are four games left in the regular season as the push for the playoffs continues, with San Jose endeavoring to claim the final berth in the Western Conference.

Barracuda can’t overcome Gulls in road loss

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By: Eric He

With time running out on the 2015-2016 regular season, the San Jose Barracuda failed to bolster their playoff bid on Saturday night after a 5-3 loss to the San Diego Gulls on the road.

After failing to gain ground on the Charlotte Checkers for the eighth and final playoff spot last night, the Barracuda remained behind the Checkers as their road trip continued on Saturday.

Brandon Montour scored the eventual game-winner for the Gulls with under six minutes gone by in the third period. That came after the Barracuda rallied from a two-goal deficit to even the score with a goal by Petter Emanuelsson early in the frame.

But it would not be enough. On an odd-man rush later in the period, Nic Kerdiles finished it off to give the Gulls an insurance marker. They would hang on for the win.

Three second period goals by the Gulls served as the turning point. The Barracuda jumped ahead with a first period marker by Barclay Goodrow, but they were quickly tripled up by the Gulls in the next frame. Antoine Laganiere, Corey Tropp and Ondrej Kase all beat San Jose net minder Troy Groesnick to give the Gulls a 3-1 advantage.

But the Barracuda answered with a clutch shorthanded goal by John McCarthy on a terrific individual effort.

San Jose outshot San Diego 25-24, but could not pull off the road win. The Barracuda’s six-game road trip continues on Wednesday against the Rampage in San Antonio.

San Jose Barracuda Friday game wrap: Barracuda struggle on special teams in loss to Bakersfield

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By: Eric He

photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

The San Jose Barracuda fell to the Bakersfield Condors 4-2 on Friday night on the road, with all four Bakersfield goals coming on special teams.

The Condors converted on two power plays in addition to scoring a shorthanded goal and an empty-netter to put away the victory. With six games remaining, the Barracuda fall out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West behind the Checkers.

San Jose trailed 1-0 after the first period as Bakersfield converted less than two minutes into the game with a shorthanded marker, as Rob Klinkhammer scored on an odd-man rush. The Condors in rapid succession in the second period, finding the back of the net twice in a 38-second span on consecutive power play goals as the Barracuda were shorthanded 5-on-3.

Down 3-0, the Barracuda got one back late in the second period Ryan Carpenter scored from the left circle to put San Jose on the board. They clawed within a goal with less than five minutes to play in the second period on a power play goal by Jeremy Morin, but an empty-netter from the Condors ended the Barracuda’s hope at a comeback.

As their fight for a playoff spot ramps up, the Barracuda head to San Diego to face the Gulls on Saturday.

Warriors survive Jazz in overtime

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By: Eric He

The Jazz gave the Warriors as good a battle as any team could, but the Warriors pulled out a 103-96 overtime victory in Utah to advance to 68-7 and take another step toward a record-breaking 73-win season.

With the game tied 91-91 in overtime, the Warriors went on a 10-2 run to put the game away. Stephen Curry, who finished with 31 points, made a difficult shot at the basket — part of a self-orchestrated 6-0 run — to give the Warriors a 99-93 lead and the Jazz never threatened in the overtime session.

The Warriors trailed by three in the final seconds of regulation, but Klay Thompson tied the game with a 3-pointer on a second opportunity after Shaun Livingston grabbed the offensive rebound on Thompson’s original miss. The Warriors entered the fourth trailing 69-63, but the Jazz kept them in the game with missed free throws — they went 13-of-29 — and the Warriors took advantage.

Golden State took a 42-40 lead into halftime, as the Jazz hung with the defending champions every step of the way until the very end. Gordon Hayward led Utah with 21 points and Rodney Hood added 20.

But the Warriors’ grit and desire won out, and they now sit five wins away from a record no one ever though would be broken.

The Warriors next play the Celtics at home on Friday.

Warriors hold off Mavericks

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By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors inched closer to history on Friday night, beating the Mavericks 128-120 to advance to 65-7 on the season and take another step toward breaking the Chicago Bulls’ record for most wins in a season.

Klay Thompson led the way with 40 points and Stephen Curry added 33 points — the duo combined for 14 3-pointers to help the Warriors break another record by hitting 938 3-pointers on the season.

The Warriors put up 40 points in the first quarter and 72 in the first half as Curry knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the second quarter and give the Warriors a 72-58 advantage at halftime.

But Steve Kerr complained about the team’s defense after the game, as the Mavericks quietly worked their way back into the game in the second half. A run in the fourth quarter by Dallas cut the lead to as little as three when Charlie Villanueva hit a 3-pointer.

The Warriors were to put the game away, though, on back-to-back 3s by Thompson and Harrison Barnes to put the Warriors up 10 with under a minute to play.

Golden State shot 48.9 percent from the field as four starters finished in double-figures. They play the 76ers next at home on Sunday.