The road has not been kind to the Sacramento Kings early in the season, as they dropped their third consecutive loss away from home to kick off a five-game road trip with a 102-94 defeat to the Magic.
DeMarcus Cousins poured in 33 points to lead the way, but it was not enough as the Kings were once again riddled by rebounding woes and lack of flow on offense. The Kings allowed 23 second chance points to the Magic while they were held to just 11 assists by the Magic.
Cousins and Rudy Gay started off hot to give the Kings an early lead. But the Magic took over in the second quarter, winning the frame 33-21 as Orlando’s bench delivered.
Sacramento struggled offensively in the second half, held to just 16 points in the fourth with Cousins scoring half of them. Gay was hounded by Magic forward and Bay Area product Aaron Gordon, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds but played physical defense on the Kings’ winger.
“It was one of those games,” Gay told the Sacramento Bee.” We have to get better; we have to find ways to get rolling and get these wins.”
The Kings trailed 56-50 at halftime and 84-78 entering the fourth quarter. They clawed within two with under five minutes to play on a jumper by Cousins, but the Magic scored the next eight points to put the game away, while the Kings managed just one field goal.
Cousins was the only Sacramento player who had much of an offensive night. Gay recorded 16 points while Omri Cassipi had 12 points off the bench.
The Kings fall to 2-4 on the young season and 1-3 on the road. Their road trip continues on Friday when they take on the Bucks in Milwaukee.
The Sacramento Kings could’ve used DeMarcus Cousins in overtime. But in a remarkable turn of events in Tuesday night’s 108-96 loss to the Heat, Cousins committed six fouls in the fourth quarter alone to foul out and the Kings were outscored 17-5 in the extra session to fall to Miami on Tuesday.
Cousins had 30 points before fouling out with 30.6 seconds remaining on an offensive foul in which the would-be game-winning basket was waved off.
“Good, hard, competitive game,” he told the Sacramento Bee after the game, keeping his words terse in an effort to avoid a fine from the league.
The game was tied at 94-94 in overtime after a 3-point play from Rudy Gay, who also finished with 30 points in the game. But the Heat scored the next 11 points, capped off by a Hassan Whiteside dunk to put Miami up by double-digits.
Gay had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but airballed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Kings’ turnover problems continued, as Miami scored 21 points off 15 Sacramento giveaways. Sacramento trailed by seven points entering the fourth quarter, but Cousins and Gay led the Kings back; Cousins put the Kings ahead briefly with a layup with under a minute left in regulation. But Dion Waiters responded to even the score at 91-91.
Sacramento trailed 54-50 at halftime.
Goran Dragic led the Heat with 25 points, including five 3-pointers. Tyler Johnson came off the bench for 22 points.
The Kings will head next to Orlando to take on the Magic on Thursday as their five-game road trip continues.
The Sacramento Kings couldn’t hold a slim fourth quarter lead in a 106-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta on Monday night to kick off a five-game road trip.
Ahead 81-79 heading into the fourth quarter, the Kings were outscored 27-14 in the final stanza and made just six field goals to fall by double-digits.
Foul trouble cost the Kings, as both DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay sat in the third quarter with five fouls. The Hawks, meanwhile, moved the ball, took the lead and never looked back after Kent Bazemore’s 3-pointer put them ahead 85-83 at the 10:34 mark of the fourth quarter.
With under five minutes to go, Ben McLemore’s layup attempt was blocked by Dwight Howard, and Kyle Korver hit a three on the other end to give the Hawks a 10-point lead.
Gay led the Kings with 22 points and five assists. Cousins added 14 points and 12 rebounds. But the Hawks had much better balance on the scoresheet, with six players finishing in double figures.
The Kings did outscore the Hawks 37-26 in the third quarter to take a lead into the fourth as Matt Barnes came off the bench to score eight points in the third. Sacramento had entered the third down by nine.
Nonetheless, a slow start — 15 points in the first quarter — and a sluggish finish led to the Kings’ demise. Sacramento also committed 19 turnovers, which resulted in 24 points for Atlanta. The Hawks also grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and were dominant in second chance points.
Sacramento falls to 2-2 while Atlanta is 3-0. The Kings are back at it on Tuesday when they take on the Heat in Miami in the second game of a back-to-back.
The Sacramento Kings notched their first opening night win in three years on Wednesday night with a 113-94 thrashing of the Suns on the road.
DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 24 points and six rebounds, while Rudy Gay chipped in 22 points. Matt Barnes added 14 points off the bench with Gary Temple scoring 12.
The Kings jumped out to a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter as a monster dunk by Willie Cauley-Stein put them up 28-18. Sacramento extended its lead in the second quarter, taking a 20-point lead early in the frame and a 57-38 lead into halftime.
Phoenix cut the lead to 10 in the fourth quarter, but a 12-1 run by the Kings put the game away for good.
Devin Booker’s 18 points led the Suns, while Eric Bledsoe had 16.
It was a positive start for new head coach Dave Joerger’s debut in Sacramento.
“They got after it on defense,” Joerger told ESPN. “The key for our defense is to set it. We executed offensively and didn’t turn it over. When we did that, we were able to set our defense.”
The Kings are back at it Thursday at home against San Antonio.
The Barracuda defeated the Reign 5-4 at Citizens Business Bank Arena on Saturday
By: Eric He
ONTARIO, Calif. — Danny O’Regan saw it coming as soon as he stepped onto the ice.
Right off the bench, the Barracuda forward took a few strides past the Reign defense, collected a stretch pass from defenseman Tim Heed, broke in on net, and delivered the game-winning goal in overtime to give San Jose a 5-4 win over Ontario in a Saturday night thriller at Citizens Business Bank Arena.
The goal capped off an action-packed 3-on-3 overtime period, which featured a breakaway attempt by Nikolay Goldobin that sprayed wide and a great save by Reign goaltender Jona Igboo off Joakim Ryan.
“That was a fun game,” Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer said. “From behind the bench, it was fun. It must have been entertaining for the fans.”
The Barracuda had the lead on three separate occasions, only for the Reign to answer with a game-tying goal. San Jose led 4-3 entering the third period, but the Reign evened the score at four goals at 2:44 on a bad giveaway by Heed right in front of his own net. His pass went right to the Reign’s Andrew Crescenzi, who deposited it past goaltender Mantas Armalis.
But O’Regan’s goal in sudden-death overtime left Ontario with no chance to respond. It was redemption for Heed after the egregious turnover that led to the game-tying goal, as the defenseman waited patiently for O’Regan to build up speed before letting go of the pass.
“I knew we were on the same page,” O’Regan said. “[Heed] was just letting me get the speed so I could get past the guy. It was a great play by him.”
San Jose took its first lead early in the second period. Kevin LaBanc deflected a shot from the point by Tim Heed past Igboo. LaBanc, who led the Ontario Hockey League in goals last season, recorded his first AHL goal.
But Ontario answered with its second goal on just its fifth shot, coming on the power play. Zach Leslie took a shot from the left point that Armalis stopped, but Bjorkstrand grabbed the rebound and stuffed it back through Armalis’ five-hole from point-blank to tie the game 2-2.
The Barracuda jumped ahead 3-2 midway through the second on the man-advantage. Goldobin slid a short pass over to Ryan from the slot, and Ryan finished on a gaping net.
But in a flurry of second period goals, the Reign responded. Veteran Brett Sutter tipped in a shot from the point by Bjorkstrand to even the score.
“The older guys on the bench were keeping everyone up after every goal against,” O’Regan said. “It seemed like we’d get the lead and give it away.”
So they went, back and forth.
Less than a minute later, Goldobin picked up a goal, slapping one in from the slot as San Jose retook the lead at 4-3 with six minutes to play in the period.
The Barracuda outshot the Reign 11-3 in the first period, but entered intermission with just a 1-1 tie as both teams converted on their lone power play opportunity.
San Jose outshot Ontario 31-15 in the game, but had to fight tooth and nail to get the win.
“That’s hockey,” Sommer said on the shot discrepancy. “The kid who was in there (Igboo), I’ve got to give him kudos. I thought he played really well.”
Ontario scored on its first shot of the game. Midway through the period on the man advantage, Patrick Bjorkstrand scored top shelf on Armalis, grabbing the loose puck after his original shot was blocked.
San Jose, though, kept the pressure on and drew a penalty with less than seven minutes remaining in the period. The Barracuda kept the puck moving and chances coming on the power play, and Marcus Sorensen netted his first AHL goal at 14:58 to tie the game at 1-1. Sorensen finished from the side of the cage after a shot by Julias Bergman was deflected and went right to his stick.
Each team scored two power play goals on the night, with the Barracuda going 2-for-5.
“I thought we moved the puck really well,” O’Regan said. “Both units were able to get a lot of sustained pressure. Even if we didn’t score, it would shift the momentum for us.”
Armalis stopped 11 shots on the night in his first AHL start. The former male model who gained fame for his looks did not quite impress his coach.
“Alright,” Sommer said on Armalis’ play. “Not fired up about his performance. He’s just coming over. He’s got his first win and just build on that.”
The Barracuda are off until next Friday when they take on Bakersfield in the home opener at SAP Center.
The San Jose Sharks responded to a rough loss on Monday to the Rangers with a clutch 3-2 win over the Islanders in the back-end of a back-to-back.
Joe Pavelski scored the game-winning goal with under three minutes to play, deflecting in a shot by Joe Thornton from the right point.
It was Thornton’s second assist of the night; he also set up the game-tying goal late in the second period, banking in a pass off Tomas Hertl to tie the game at 2-2.
The Sharks outshot the Islanders 27-23 in a pretty even game. San Jose jumped ahead 1-0 early in the first on a goal orchestrated by the fourth line, with Tommy Wingels setting up Melker Karlsson from behind the net to draw first blood.
But the Islanders controlled much of the second period and scored two goals to take the lead. Anthony Beauvillier netted his first career NHL goal, tapping the puck in from mid-air past Aaron Dell to tie the game midway through the period. Anders Lee scored two minutes later to give New York the lead.
Dell, who earned the victory in his debut, stopping 21 shots and standing tall late as the Islanders endeavored for a late equalizer.
The Sharks are 3-1 on the young season and their early-season East Coast road swing continues Thursday against the Penguins in Pittsburgh in a Stanley Cup Final rematch.
sjbarracuda.com photo: You gotta keep em separated–An AHL official steps in between players from the Stockton Heat (left) and San Jose Barracuda (right) during Saturday night’s game in Stockton
In a back-and-forth contest, the San Jose Barracuda dropped their season opener 3-2 to the Stockton Heat on the road to kick off the season.
With the game tied 2-2, Stockton’s Ryan Lomberg scored the game-winning goal with under five minutes left in regulation, stripping the puck from the stick of the Barracuda defenseman Tim Heed and beat Troy Gosenick with a chip shot up high.
It was the final straw of a string over giveaways that cost the Barracuda on Saturday. Nikolay Goldobin’s outlet pass in the first period was picked off by Matt Frattin, who scored to tie the game 1-1.
Stockton’s second goal came off a turnover by defenseman Mirco Mueller. Mueller was picked from behind by the Heat’s Garnet Hathaway, leading to a goal by Hunter Shinkaruk to give the Heat the lead.
The Barracuda, though, hung in the game despite the setbacks. They scored first on a strong individual effort by Danny O’Regan, who turned defense into offense, blocking a shot in his zone and taking it the other way for a goal.
Down 2-1, San Jose evened the score midway through the third courtesy of Barclay Goodrow on a goal off a face-off.
Grosenick made 30 saves on 33 shots as the Heat outshot the Barracuda by three. Both teams were 0-for-2 on the power play.
The Barracuda’s next game is a week from Saturday when they face the Ontario Reign on the road.
sjearthquakes photo: Simon Dawkins and Fatai Alashe both found the back end of the net in the San Jose Earthquakes one goal win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at Avaya Stadium
With the schedule dwindling and their playoff hopes fading, the San Jose Earthquakes received a much-needed boost on Saturday night in a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake at Avaya Stadium.
The three points came at a pivotal time as the Earthquakes snapped a seven-game winless streak.
Fatai Alashe netted the game-winner in the 72nd minute, heading a cross from Shea Salinas into the net off the hand of the diving Real Salt Lake goaltender Nick Rimando. It was Alashe’s third goal of the season and biggest one yet to give the Earthquakes a 2-1 lead, which they held on to for the win.
San Jose struck first in the 34th minute on a long-distance shot by Simon Dawkins, who took a back-heel touch from Chris Wondolowski and buried it to give the Earthquakes a 1-0 advantage.
Real Salt Lake answered just six minutes later, though, as the Earthquakes could not a clear a free kick sent into the area, and Justen Glad poked it off the cross and in off goaltender David Bingham’s back.
But Bingham did well to keep the game even and, later, seal the win. He made big save after big save, stopping point-blank opportunities in a duel with Rimando, showing why both goaltenders were recently called upon to play for the U.S. National Team.
With three games left to play, the Earthquakes sit four points behind Seattle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Their next opponent is Colorado on the road Oct. 13.
The Cardinal were blown out by the Huskies on Friday (Jennifer Buchanan / USA Today Sports)
By: Eric He
A week ago, No. 7 Stanford squeaked by unranked UCLA at the Rose Bowl. On Friday, the Cardinal had no such fortune, as they were blown out 44-6 by the No. 10 Washington Huskies up in Seattle.
Stanford’s offense struggled mightily, as quarterback Ryan Burns was sacked eight times and star running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for just 49 yards and no touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Huskies quarterback Jake Browning had three touchdowns on 15-of-21 passing as Washington scored the first 30 points of the game.
A 3-yard touchdown pass from Browning to Dante Pettis started the barrage for the Huskies in the first quarter; a four yard run for a score by Miles Gaskin later in the quarter put Washington ahead 16-0. In the second quarter, Browning found John Ross for a 19-yard score and Washington took a 23-0 advantage into halftime.
Meanwhile, the Cardinal had nothing going offensively. Their only points came on a 19-yard lob throw from Burns to JJ Arcega-Whiteside in the third quarter. Stanford also committed 11 penalties.
The 38-point defeat was the biggest loss by a top 10-ranked Stanford team in history, and it was Washington’s biggest win over a top-10 team since 1990.
The Cardinal host Washington State next week at Stanford Stadium.
Sonny Gray returned to action in the A’s loss to the Angels on Wednesday (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today Sports)
By: Eric He
ANAHEIM — Sonny Gray made his return to the mound and threw a scoreless inning on Wednesday night, but the A’s fell 8-6 to the Angels at Angel Stadium.
An 8-run fourth inning by the Angels making the difference.
Ross Detwiler, who replaced Gray in the second inning, was charged with all 8 runs and a 2-0 A’s lead turned into a blowout for the home team rather quickly.
It started with Andrelton Simmons knocking in Jefry Marte with a single to right to cut the lead to 2-1. After a double by Jett Bandy to center field, Los Angeles evened the score when Danny Valencia couldn’t handle a ground ball hit to third, and Simmons crossed home plate to tie the game. And the next batter, Shane Robinson, ripped a double down the left field line to plate two more and give the Angels a 4-2 lead.
A’s manager Bob Melvin thought Detwiler looked good in his first couple of innings.
“Early on, it looked like he had good stuff,” he said. “Usually you can tell when he’s on. He had good movement, good mix right away and then got some balls up, got some funky counts.”
Melvin then went out to the mound to check in on Detwiler, but the lefty promptly allowed a 2-run home run to Kole Calhoun on the very next pitch. Chris Smith relieved Detwiler, but Smith walked in a run with the bases loaded and the Angels scored once more on an error by catcher Bruce Maxwell. In all, 8 runs crossed the plate in a disaster of an inning for Oakland.
“The Calhoun [home run] was the one that really hurt,” Melvin said. “Coming in and not being the starter … He’s relieved and started for us and shouldn’t have been an issue.”
The A’s did come back with four unanswered runs, as Khris Davis drilled his 41st home run of the season in the sixth and Marcus Semien hit a 2-run blast in the eighth to cut the deficit to 8-6.
“That’s a big blow for us right there where we feel like we’re back in the ball game,” Melvin said. “[Angels closer Andrew Bailey] wasn’t available today and we thought going into the ninth, we had a chance.”
But they could not duplicate that success in the ninth, as the A’s went down 1-2-3 to end the game.
The A’s jumped on Angels’ starter Alex Meyer right off the bat, taking a 1-0 lead three batters into the game on back-to-back doubles by Stephen Vogt and Ryon Healy, who just missed a home run in center field. Later in the inning, Yonder Alonso singled to right to bring Healy home after Calhoun bobbled the ball in the outfield.
As for Gray, he was satisfied with his performance. He pitched around a leadoff single in the first inning before being taken out with 18 pitches thrown. Detwiler replaced him to start the second.
“It was an inning but honestly I felt like I could’ve went longer,” Gray said. “I hadn’t thrown an inning in more than two months. I was little nervous before the game.”
Gray has been bottled up by injury and has struggled this season, coming into the game with a 5-11 record and a 5.74 ERA in 21 starts. He went on the disabled list on Aug. 7th with inflammation in his right elbow and forearm.
“That’s our guy,” Melvin said. “Just for us to know as a team, he went out there and was healthy, looked like the old Sonny — psychologically, it was good for our ballclub.”
The A’s head to Seattle tomorrow to face the Mariners their final series of the season.
Sports Radio Service 