Author: jhawkes51

Curry, Lee carry Warriors past Pelicans

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By Joe Hawkes

NEW ORLEANS — Stephen Curry had 28 points and eight assists, while David Lee added 22 points and eight rebounds helping the Golden State Warriors rebound from their loss in Oklahoma City Friday night, with a 97-87 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night at New Orleans Arena.

Curry shot 10-for-22 from the field, but 2-for-9 from 3-point range. Andrew Bogut scored 10 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in 34 minutes, and Jordan Crawford added 10 points off the bench for Golden State (26-16), who picked up their seventh straight victory over New Orleans.

Klay Thompson had a tough night from the field, scoring eight points on 3-for-14 shooting, 2-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Anthony Davis led all scorers with 31 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, his seventh straight game with at least 20-plus points.

Tyreke Evans finished with 14 points, after missing the previous three games with a left ankle sprain for the Pelicans (15-24), who have lost seven straight games. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 12 points, but New Orleans finished shooting 38.6 percent (32 of 83), including 2-for-11 from 3-point range. The Warriors shot 44 percent (37 of 84), hitting 6 of 22 from deep.

Golden State needed this victory in the worse way, as they host the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers Monday at Oracle Arena and didn’t want to face a tough Pacers team on a three-game losing streak.

 

Robinson, Nuggets slow down Warriors

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By Joe Hawkes

OAKLAND — Nate Robinson scored 24 points off the bench, with 14 coming in the crucial final quarter, and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Golden State Warriors,  123-116 Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

Wilson Chandler and Ty Lawson scored 22 points each, and Randy Foye added 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 4-for-7 from behind the arc. J.J. Hickson scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds. Lawson dished out 11 assists.

Denver out-rebounded Golden State 46-24.

Denver (20-18) has won six of their last seven games.

David Lee finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds and Stephen Curry finished with 24 points and seven assists in Golden State’s first game after a four day layoff. Golden State (25-15) hasn’t played since defeating the Boston Celtics last Friday night at home.

Klay Thompson had 21 points on 9-for-19 shooting from the field. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Harrison Barnes scored 15 points off the bench for Golden State, who was 11-1 in their last 12 games.

Speaking of the bench, Golden State acquired swingman shooting guard Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks from the Boston Celtics  as part of a three-team trade Wednesday, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports.

Golden State sent backup point guard Toney Douglas to the Miami Heat, and the Heat sent veteran center Joel Anthony to Boston.

Crawford is averaging 13.7 points per game in 39 games with the Boston Celtics this season and should give Golden State a guy who can create his own shot, not named Curry.

Brooks, a 6’5″ point guard, is a former lottery pick of the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets in 2011 out of Providence.

Golden State is in Oklahoma City Friday to take on the Thunder.

Warriors 10-game winning streak snapped in Brooklyn

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by Joe Hawkes-Beamon

BROOKLYN — Stephen Curry led all scorers with 34 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Golden State Warriors (24-14) saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end in Brooklyn, 102-98 Wednesday night. The Warriors finished tied for an NBA-record 6-1 on their season-long seven-game road trip.

David Lee finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 14 points, and Andre Iguodala added 10 for Golden State, who committed 18 turnovers in the game. Curry was responsible for seven turnovers, but did have seven assists while playing a game-high 45 minutes.

Andrew Bogut finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Brooklyn (14-21), playing without start point guard Deron Williams, got a huge boost from Joe Johnson, and Kevin Garnett.

Johnson led Brooklyn with 27 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field, including 9-for-11 from the free throw line.

Garnett scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, and stole Curry’s pass with the Warriors trailing by three with 30 seconds left to play.

Brooklyn added a pair of free throws while Thompson’s desperation three-pointer as time expired fell short, helped the Nets pick up their season-high fourth straight victory.

Golden State returns home to Oracle Arena Friday when they host the Boston Celtics.

Warriors win 9th game in a row, drop Wizards

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

WASHINGTON —  Fueled by a 30-5 run to start the third quarter, the Golden State Warriors throttled the Washington Wizards, 112-96 Sunday to improve to 5-0 on their current seven-game road trip.

Klay Thompson scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, and finished 9-for-16 from the field including, 6-for-9 from behind the arc.

David Lee finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, Andrew Bogut had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Stephen Curry finished with 14 points (5-for-17 FG, 1-for-5 3-PT) for the Warriors, who have won nine straight games, the longest since 1975.  Harrison Barnes chipped in 13 points off the bench.

With the win, Golden State (23-13) moved into a first-place tie with the Los Angeles Clippers (23-13) in the Pacific Division.

John Wall finished with 14 points and 10 assists, but shot 4-for-11 from the field, and went ice cold in the third quarter, shooting 1-for-5. His backcourt mate, Bradley Beal, scored nine points on 4-of-15 shooting. As a team, Washington  shot 6-for-21 in the third quarter and finished 37-for-68 from the field for the game.

Nene scored 14 points and Martell Webster finished with 11 points for the Wizards (14-17), who dropped their third straight game, and four of their last six.

Golden State plays in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

 

 

Curry, Lee lead Warriors past Heat for 7th straight win

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

MIAMI, FL — Stephen Curry had a game-high 36 points, while David Lee added 32 points and 14 rebounds as the Golden State Warriors picked up their seventh straight win, outdueling the Miami Heat 123-114 Thursday night.

Curry was read hot all night, shooting 13 for 22 from the field, including 8 for 15 from 3-point range helping Golden State (21-13) improve to 3-0 on their current seven-game road trip. Curry also dished out 12 assists.

Klay Thompson scored 16 points and Harrison Barnes added 15 points for the Dubs, who currently have the longest win streak in the league. Golden State shot 56 percent from the field, including 15 of 29 from beyond the arc.

LeBron James finished with 26 points,  while Dwyane Wade chipped in 22 points for Miami (24-8), which had all five starters finishing with double figures. Miami has lost just two games at home to Western Conference teams since the start of last season, both to the Warriors.

Chris Bosh scored 19 points, Mario Chalmers finished with 17 and Shane Battier had 11 for the Heat.

Golden State held a 40-31 rebounding edge over Miami.

The Warriors look to remain run their win streak to eight games Friday in Atlanta.

Pryor, not McGloin to start home finale against Broncos

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photos via San Jose Mercury

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Terrelle Pryor will start over Matt McGloin in the Raiders’ final home game of the season against the Denver Broncos Sunday, head coach Dennis Allen announced Monday during his weekly press conference per CSNBayArea.com’s Raiders Insider, Scott Bair.

Both Pryor and McGloin were notified of Allen’s decision earlier Monday morning.

“We got a chance to see Matt McGloin for six games,” Allen said. “I liked a lot of things that I saw in Matt. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten an opportunity to see Terrelle in a game and I want to get him in the game and get another opportunity to evaluate him.”

McGloin’s three-touchdown performance in a 28-23 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 11 gave Oakland a glimpse of a possible answer at the quarterback position, but McGloin played up-and-down to a 1-5 record while Oakland (4-11) lost five straight games including a 56-31 home drubbing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 in which he threw four interceptions.

McGloin finished 20-for-36 for 206 yards and an interception in Oakland’s 26-13 loss in San Diego Sunday and it was clear that Oakland had seen enough.

Pryor goes back under center and should get a long look against the Broncos. Pryor played well against Denver back in Week 3, completing 19-for-28 passes for 281 yards, a touchdown with a career-high, 112.4 passer rating.

Denver (12-3) is coming into Oakland looking to wrap up the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC Playoffs. Denver wrapped up the AFC West with their 37-13 victory in Houston, coupled with Kansas City’s 23-7 loss to Indianapolis at Arrowhead.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns, while breaking Tom Brady’s NFL-record 50 touchdown passes set in 2007, sending the down-trodden Texans to their 13th straight loss in the process. Manning threw the record-breaking touchdown to tight end Julius Thomas on a 25-yard pass in the fourth quarter, his third touchdown pass of the quarter.

In a season where he most likely collect his fifth league MVP award, Manning has a chance to set another record Sunday.

With a league-leading 5,211 yards passing this year, Manning needs 265 yards to surpass New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ NFL-record 5,476 set in 2011.

Manning loves to spread the ball around and with four targets with at least 10 touchdowns  like wide receivers Demaryius Thomas (86 catches, 1,377 yards, 12 TDs), Eric Decker (83 catches, 1,261 yards, 10 TDs), Wes Welker (73 catches, 778 yards, 10 TDs), and the previously mentioned tight end Thomas (60 catches, 752 yards, 12 TDs), its almost a safe bet that Manning breaks the record against the Raiders.

McGloin, Raiders head to San Diego in Week 16 Action

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — On the heels of a 56-31 loss (the most points given up in franchise history) to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15, the Oakland Raiders hit the road for the final time in 2013 when they face another bitter AFC West rival, the San Diego Chargers in Week 16 at Qualcomm Stadium. Oakland took down San Diego 27-17 back in Week 5, in a game that started at 8:35 p.m. PDT due to the Oakland A’s playoff game the previous night.

Oakland (4-10), found themselves behind the 8-ball early against Kansas City, thanks in large part to Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles.

Charles ripped the Raiders apart, gaining 215 yards from scrimmage (8 catches for 195 yards, 4 TDs, 2 carries for 30 yards 1 TD). Quarterback Alex Smith played nearly flawless football, completing 17 of 20 passes for 287 yards and five touchdowns. The Silver and Black had no answer for a Chiefs (11-3) team that clinched a wildcard spot with the win, after finishing 2-14 last season.

The Raiders have lost their last four games and Sunday’s performance was a clear indication that the season is rapidly coming to an end for a team that will be watching the playoffs  on television for the 11 straight season.

Oakland quarterback Matt McGloin had a nightmare of a game, with five turnovers (4 INTs, 1 fumble). McGloin looked shell-shocked for the better part of the game and was yanked late in favor of Terrelle Pryor. Even with all of the turnovers against Kansas City, McGloin will be under center Sunday, but don’t be surprised if you see Pryor get some playing time against San Diego Sunday.

San Diego (7-7) is one game back for the final playoff spot in the AFC playoffs, but are coming off a huge 27-20 victory in Denver last Thursday night. Overall, San Diego have won three of their last five games and are heading in the opposite direction than the Raiders.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers dismantled the Broncos, passing for two touchdowns to wide receiver Keenan Allen while finishing with 166 yards on 12 of 20 passing, while keeping Rivers is having one of his finest seasons, placing first in the league among quarterbacks in completion percentage (69.9), tied for fourth in touchdown passes (28), and yards (4,048).

Running back Ryan Mathews racked up 127 yards on 29 carries and a touchdown. Mathews went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the second time in his career against Denver (11-3), but the guy that will be the difference maker Sunday against Oakland will be running back, Danny Woodhead.

Oakland’s entire defense (from defensive coordinator Jason Tarver to Sio Moore, will need to account for Woodhead because Rivers loves to drop the ball off to the diminutive running back if all-world tight end Antonio Gates is double-teamed.

Woodhead is second on the team in catches (Gates leads with 70, Woodhead has 66), touchdowns (Allen and WR Eddie Royal tied for 7, Woodhead has 6 TDs), and third in yards (Allen leads with 931, Woodhead has 547).

When Woodhead is involved early and often in the game, San Diego is nearly unbeatable and it could be a long afternoon for Oakland if Woodhead is able to get loose, like Charles got loose last Sunday at O.co Coliseum.

Two teams definitely heading in opposite directions.

Should make for an interesting game.

 

 

 

Raiders return home for Week 15 tilt with Chiefs

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By. Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Home is where the heart is and the Oakland Raiders are in dire need of some good fortune.

After a two game road trip, Oakland return to the familiar surroundings of O.co Coliseum when they’ll host their bitter rival the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 Sunday. Kansas City nipped Oakland, 24-7 at Arrowhead in Week 6 behind a ferocious defense that forced three second-half interceptions and sacked then starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor 10 times.

Oakland (4-9) was dropped by the New York Jets, 37-27, in New York last week.

With running backs Rashad Jennings (concussion) and Darren McFadden (ankle),  fullback Marcel Reece supplied the ground game for Oakland rushing for a career-high 123 yards on 19 carries, including a career-long 63-yard touchdown run on the second play of the third quarter.

Quarterback Matt McGloin finished the game 18 of 31 for 245 yards passing, two touchdowns and an interception, while wide receiver Rod Streater had a career-high 130 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Kansas City (10-3) throttled hapless Washington, 45-10, last week in the Nation’s Capital.

The Chiefs jumped on Washington from the start, building a 31-0 lead in the second quarter behind two special teams touchdowns and their running game. Running back Jamaal Charles racked up 151 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Charles leads the AFC in rushing with 1,161 yards and 10 touchdowns, and is third overall in the NFL in rushing yards behind Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson (1,221), and Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy (1,3o5).

Oakland heads East for date with Jets

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — For the second time this season, the Raiders will visit MetLife Stadium this time, will take on the New York Jets Sunday. Oakland lost to the New York Giants, 24-20 in Week 10. The Raiders are playing their fourth road game in five games and have won two of the last three against the Jets, the last being a 34-24 victory in September 2011.

Oakland (4-8) is coming off a close 31-24 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, delivering the kill shot to their playoff dreams.

Quarterback Matt McGloin played decent in his third-career start, finishing 18 of 30 for 255 yards passing, but throw a crucial interception in the end zone to Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr in the fourth quarter that iced the game of Dallas.

Second-year wide receiver Andre Holmes had a marvelous day filling in for the injured Denarius Moore. Holmes posted career-highs in catches (seven) and receiving yardage (136). Even though Holmes did have a breakout game, Holmes still runs questionable routes and misplayed a back-shoulder pass from McGloin.

Running back Rashad Jennings rushed for 35 yards on 17 carries, scoring two touchdowns. Darren McFadden (hamstring) played for the first time in four games, carrying the ball five times for 13 yards, before leaving the game with an ankle injury. McFadden never returned to the game.

New York (5-7) has lost four of their last five games, including last week’s 23-3 lost to their AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins.

Quarterback Geno Smith has come under fire in New York for his up-and-down play this season. Smith completed just 4 of 10 passes for 29 yards and interception before being replaced by Matt Simms. Smith is expected to start for the Jets.

Former New Orleans Saints running back Chris Ivory paced the Jets with 61 rushing yards on 21 carries.

McGloin, Raiders head to Big D for Thanksgiving Day Showdown

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
OAKLAND — Following a heart-breaking 23-19 loss to the Tennessee Titans Sunday at O.co Coliseum, the 4-7 Raiders travels to Dallas on a short week for a Thanksgiving Day game against the 6-5 Cowboys Thursday. Oakland watched the Titans come from behind twice and score the go-ahead touchdown with 10 seconds left to go in the game.
After starting the game a little shaky (one interception and four batted balls), quarterback Matt McGloin finished the game 19 of 32 for 260 yards passing and one touchdown.
McGloin was on fire in the second half, completing 11 of 15 passes for 155 yards, and went 4 of 4 for 74 yards culminating into a 27-yard touchdown pass to Pro Bowl fullback Marcel Reece that gave Oakland the lead 19-16 late in the fourth quarter.
Running back Rashad Jennings has been a big boost to the Raiders ground attack since taking over for the oft-injured Darren McFadden.
Jennings surpassed his career high for total yards in a season in the second quarter, finishing with 16 carries for 73 yards and four catches for 49 yards for the game to give him 790 total yards for the season.
Another bright spot from the crushing loss to the Titans was the play of linebacker Nick Roach.
Roach finished the game with 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Roach, a free agent signee from the Chicago Bears in the off season, surpassed the 100 tackle mark for the first time in his career, and set a career high with 102 tackles this season.
Oakland may have their hands with a Cowboys team that are coming off a big 24-21 NFC East divisional win in New York against the Giants Sunday.
Dallas (6-5), are lead by quarterback Tony Romo.
Romo engineered a 14-play game-winning drive by converting two critical third down passes in the fourth quarter.  The Cowboys’ quarterback leads the NFL’s fifth ranked offense, placing fourth in touchdown passes (23) and eighth in passing yards (2,915) and will pose a challenge for the Raiders’ 25th ranked passing defense.
For the season, Oakland’s defense has only surrendered four touchdowns in the first quarter.
Wide receiver Dez Bryant is unquestionably Dallas’ biggest deep threat and trusted big-playmaker. Bryant has 61 catches for 835 yards (13.7 yards per catch), and eight touchdowns. Expect Raiders’ cornerback Tracy Porter to follow Bryant for most of the afternoon.
Dallas sports the NFL’s worst defense, ranked 32nd overall, giving up 432 total yards per game this season.