Author: Eric He

Sacramento Kings Wednesday game wrap: Kings blown out by Warriors, win streak snapped 109-86

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Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) argues with a referee after a technical foul against the Sacramento Kings in the first half of an NBA game at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017. Green would be ejected for a second technical foul. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

By: Eric He

The Sacramento Kings entered halftime ahead 50-47 on the Warriors. By the time the third quarter ended, they were trailing 89-65,“It was a terrible first half for us all the way around and it obviously didn’t help that we were coming out without Draymond,” said Stephen Curry who scored 13 points and was doubled teamed at times to help control is point total.

The Kings were blitzed by the NBA’s best team on the road on Wednesday night in a 109-86 defeat. The Warriors outscored the Kings 42-15 in the third, where Klay Thompson scored ten of his game-high 35 points.“But we didn’t want to go into the break with anything but a win and we needed to find energy and respond.” said Curry

Sacramento was led by Matt Barnes’ 15 points, but the Kings only got 13 points from DeMarcus Cousins. Five players did finish in double figures, though, as the Kings actually started strong in the first half.

They hung tight after the Warriors jumped out to a 21-12 lead, coming back to take an advantage into halftime.

But bolstered by an ejection to Draymond Green — who became upset after a foul call — the Warriors stormed back for an easy win. The Warriors Patrick McCaw filled the bill although scoring only four points he was crucial on defense said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, “McCaw was amazing,” said coach Steve Kerr. “He had a ton of deflections, he was all over the place and just seemed to be in the middle of every play defensively. Even if his offensive numbers don’t show it, he had a huge impact on that game.”

“We knew it would happen,” Cousins told reporters. “It was all downhill from there. We just don’t respond well to that, that last hit.”

The Kings entered the game winners of four straight, but ran into a Warriors squad that was just too much to handle.

They hit the All-Star break with a 24-33 record, on the outskirts of the Western Conference playoff picture behind the Nuggets. They will face Denver in their first game back from the break at home on the 23rd.

Kings hold off Lakers for road victory; Now headed to Golden State looking for five in a row Wednesday night

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Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins, right, drives past Los Angeles Lakers’ Larry Nance Jr. during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in Los Angeles. The Kings won 97-96. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By: Eric He

LOS ANGELES–Lou Williams missed a game-winning shot at the buzzer as the Kings held off the Lakers for a slim one-point win on the road on Tuesday, 97-96.

DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 40 points and he scored the Kings’ last 10 points to seal the win for Sacramento. The Kings blew a 13-point fourth quarter llead, but were resilient and bounced back despite the Lakers tying the game several times.

Williams had hit two three-pointers late to even the score, the latter with 30 seconds left to tie the game at 96-96. A free throw by Cousins gave the Kings a one-point lead, and Williams’ missed shot at the buzzer ended the contest.

The Kings led 43-41 at halftime, and gained separation in the second half, though the Lakers made a comeback.

Besides Cousins’ 40, Darren Collison and Ben McLemore both contributed 13 points.

“This was actually a big win for us, believe it or not” Collison said. “We didn’t lose focus. Normally in the past we will lose focus and we won’t come out with that same urgency that we did after we win a few games.”

The Lakers gave into the fact it was a hard effort but time ran out and the Lakers Julius Randle who scored 11 and said they had their chances and cut it real close but just couldn’t seal the deal, “We gave ourselves a chance,” said Randle, who also collected seven rebounds. “The second unit did a good job of coming back, making a run in the end. We had a chance, but it just didn’t go our way.”

The Kings have now won four in a row going into Wednesday night’s tilt against the Warriors at Oracle Arena.

Barracuda beat Reign in overtime for seventh straight win 4-3

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sjbarracuda file photo: Expect to see more of these congratulations from San Jose Barracuda teammates on ice as the team now has improved to seven straight wins with a victory over the Bakersfield in a nail biter on Saturday night 4-3 in overtime

By: Eric He

Joakim Ryan scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the San Jose Barracuda (26-11-1-3) beat the Bakersfield Condors (19-18-5-1) 4-3 on Sunday. The win was the Barracuda’s seventh consecutive win and their sixth straight victory on the road.

Trailing 3-2 entering the third, San Jose evened the score early in the period on a backhand goal by John McCarthy. Though the Barracuda outshot the Condors 12-4 in the third, they couldn’t find the go-ahead goal.

It went to overtime, where Ryan finished off a 2-on-1 to win the game, moments after Mantas Armalis denied Jesse Puljurarvi on a breakaway.

San Jose trailed 2-1 after one period. Buddy Robinson and Josh Currie traded goals early in the contest, coming a minute and six seconds apart. Patrick Russell’s deflection on the power play at 15:20 put the Condors in front heading into the first intermission.

While Bakersfield opened up a two-goal advantage less than a minute in the second period on a breakaway goal by Puljurarvi, Robinson connected on his second goal of the game quickly thereafter.

The Barracuda held the Condors to just 20 shots on goal, with Armalis winning in his first start since Jan. 21.

Next up, San Jose will play the Reign at home on Sunday.

Earthquakes finish preseason with 1-0 win over Sounders FC

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October 16, 2016 file photo: San Jose Earthquakes Midfielder Cordell Cato (7) who scored San Jose’s lone goal on Tue Feb 7, 2017’s game against the Seattle Sounders Tucson is seen in this file photo as he drives a ball into the box during the Major League Soccer game between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya stadium in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

By: Eric He

The San Jose Earthquakes wrapped their preseason winning three of four games to head into the regular season on a strong note. On Tuesday, they defeated Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 in Tucson.

Cordell Cato scored the lone goal of the match, beating the goaltender with his left foot in the 57th minute. The assists went to Marcos Ureña and Jackson Yueill.

Both teams had strong chances throughout the match, but the Quakes held off the Sounders’ attempts to equalize.

Forward Danny Hoesen and defender Florian Jungwirth debuted for San Jose in the match.

The Earthquakes will now head back to San Jose, where they begin regular season play on Mar. 4 against Montreal.

Barracuda claim fifth straight win to wrap up road trip 5-4

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By: Eric He

The San Jose Barracuda’s winning streak reached a franchise-record five games after a 5-4 win over the Manitoba Moose on Saturday at the MTS Centre.

Ahead 4-1 entering the third period, the Moose scored twice to cut the lead to a goal on two scores by Kyle Connor. They pulled the goaltender down by one, but Marcus Sorensen scored an empty netter to give the Barracuda a 5-3 lead. Still, Quinton Howden didn’t let the Barracuda breathe as he found the back of the net 11 seconds later, though San Jose held on for the one-goal win.

The Barracuda led 2-1 after one period. After Manitoba’s Peter Stoykewych netted a power play goal three minutes into the game, Adam Helewka responded with a banked-in goal from below the goal line to even the score. San Jose took the lead late in the period when John McCarthy tipped in a shot by Barclay Goodrow.

San Jose scored twice in the second to extend its lead to three goals. Danny O’Regan finished off a tic-tac-toe play with Sorensen and Nikolay Goldobin, and then Buddy Robinson scored his first goal in a Barracuda uniform with less than eight minutes gone by in the period.

Barracuda goaltender Troy Grosenick earned first star honors with 36 saves on the night. The Barracuda were outshot 40-39, but limited the Moose to just one power play goal in seven opportunities.

With their season-long seven-game road trip wrapped up, the Barracuda return home to play the San Diego Gulls on Wednesday.

Barracuda win fourth straight road game with victory in Manitoba

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sjbarrcuda.com photo: San Jose Barracuda players go for the victory lap in front of their bench after scoring one of their three power play goals

By: Eric He

After losing the first two games of their season-long seven game trip by a combined nine goals, the San Jose Barracuda have suddenly become road warriors, winning their fourth straight away game on Friday.

The Barracuda beat the Manitoba Moose 4-1 at the MTS Centre, setting a franchise record with their fourth consecutive road win.

The power play keyed the win. San Jose tied a season-high with three goals on the man advantage, scoring on each of its opportunities.

John McCarthy scored twice on the power play in the third period, providing insurance for the Barracuda who led 2-1 after two. McCarthy was set up on both goals, the first from Patrick McNally and the second from Barclay Goodrow. The second goal came with less than five minutes remaining to give the Barracuda a 4-1 lead and essentially ice the game.

The game was tight for the first two periods. Nikolay Goldobin drew first blood for the Barracuda midway through the first with a backhander from in close, though Manitoba answered less than a minute later to even the score at 1-1.

The Barracuda took the lead for good late in the second period, as Goodrow tipped in a shot from the point by McCarthy on the power play.

San Jose outshot Manitoba 40-26, while goaltender Troy Grosenick made 25 saves in the win.

The Barracuda’s road trip ends with another matchup against the Moose on Saturday.

Kings blown out by Rockets in Houston

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By: Eric He

A poor first half felled the Sacramento Kings in Houston, as they were defeated 105-83 by the Rockets on Tuesday night.

Despite James Harden finishing with just 10 points, the Kings could not stop Ryan Anderson, who led all scorers with 25 points and 11 rebounds, including six 3-pointers. Eric Gordon added 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting.

The Kings could not get anything going offensively, held to just 83 points on 34.9 percent shooting. DeMarcus Cousins had just 16 points and five made field goals.

The second quarter was a particular struggle, when Sacramento scored just 11 points and gave up 25 to Houston. The Rockets led 54-35 at halftime and kept on the gas pedal throughout the second half.

The Kings have now lost three of four games, and consecutive losses to wrap up their eight-game road trip in Philadelphia and Houston.

“We ran out of gas there in the last game against (Philadelphia), but I thought we really ran out of legs tonight,” head coach Dave Joerger said. “We didn’t shoot it well; they are obviously very offensively potent.”

The Kings won five of eight games on the road trip, and will return home to face the Suns on Friday that will kick off a five-game home stand.

San Jose Barracuda Saturday game wrap: Barracuda top Admirals 4-2 on the road

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sjbarracuda photo: San Jose Barracuda forward Kevin Labanc (62) takes aim on Milwaukee Admiral goaltender Merek Mazanec (31)

By: Eric He

The San Jose Barracuda’s (22-11-1-3) seven-game road trip has taken them across the country to Wisconsin, where they defeated the Milwaukee Admirals (24-15-2-2) 4-2 on Saturday night.

Troy Grosenick made 20 saves in a winning effort and a return to his hometown, while Kevin Labanc scored just 36 into the game in his return to the AHL lineup.

The game, though, was tied 1-1 after one period. Nikolay Goldobin gave the Barracuda a 2-1 lead early in the second period, beating the goaltender through the five-hole skating down the left wing. Minutes later, Tim Heed ripped a shot from the right point to extend the lead to two goals.

The Admirals cut the lead back to one to begin the third period, but the Barracuda wrapped things up with an insurance marker from Barclay Goodrow, who finished off a pass from Labanc to put San Jose ahead 4-2.

San Jose is now 3-2 on this seven-game road trip, which continues Friday in Manitoba.

Sacramento Kings Wednesday game wrap: Kings upset Cavaliers in overtime 116-112

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Sacramento Kings’ Anthony Tolliver (43) and Matt Barnes (22) defend Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017, in Cleveland. The Kings won 116-112. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

By: Eric He

After five consecutive losses, the Kings have notched two straight impressive road wins, beating the Cavaliers, 116-112, in overtime on Wednesday after a win over the Pistons on Monday.

Arron Afflalo knocked down the go-ahead jumper with 17 seconds remaining in overtime to put the Kings ahead, and then LeBron James missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer to seal the game for the Kings.

DeMarcus Cousins, who led all scorers with 28 points and 11 rebounds, tied the game at 104-104 with three seconds left in regulation. The Cavaliers led by five in overtime, but the Kings answered back to pull off an improbable upset of the defending champions. The Kings also trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter, rallying late for the win.

Darren Collison added 23 points for the Kings, who are in the midst of an eight-game road trip and looking to right the ship after a string of losses.

Sacramento was also behind by six at halftime.

“This is our first complete full game of the season,” Cousins said. “Anybody who stepped on the floor played some type of part in this win. We battled. We took some hits, but we came back on our own. ”

In a brutal stretch of eight straight away games which has the Kings playing three back-to-backs, Cousins has stepped up with double-doubles in 10 straight games.

The Kings will play the Pacers on Friday to continue their road trip.

Kings hold on against Pistons to snap five-game losing streak 109-104

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Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins drives during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

By: Eric He

The Sacramento Kings finally got back in the win column with a 109-104 victory over the Pistons on Monday in Detroit.

Six players finished in double figures, with DeMarcus Cousins’ 22 points and 14 rebounds leading the way. Ty Lawson chipped in 19 points, including a 3-pointer that put the Kings ahead 101-90 midway through the fourth quarter. The Pistons cut the deficit to as low as four with a minute to play, but the Kings were able to hang on and close the game out.

The win is just the Kings’ second win in 10 games as they have fallen out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference. They are also in the midst of an eight-game road trip without Rudy Gay, who is out for the season with a ruptured left Achilles tendon.

The Kings led by three points at halftime and maintained the advantage throughout the second half, fending off comeback attempts by the Pistons. They managed to squeak away with the win despite shooting 48.8 percent compared to 50 percent for the Pistons.

The Pistons also had six players finish in double figures, with Reggie Jackson’s 18 points leading the way.

“Everybody has to step their game up,” Ty Lawson said to the AP on the loss of Gay. “Everybody has been working hard, and now that Rudy went down, we can show what they’ve been working on.”

The Kings’ road trip doesn’t get easier. They face the defending champion Cavaliers on Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena.