Author: rxslugger

Retired pharmacist who now has a career as a sports writer and broadcaster

Warriors, behind Thompson’s hot shooting and Cousins’ defense, knock off the Nuggets 122-105

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Photo credit: @warriors

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, facing questions about the play of the team after being trashed by the Boston Celtics Tuesday night, bounced back and beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 at Oracle Arena Friday night. The Warriors entered the game leading the Nuggets by one game for the best record in the Western Conference. The Warriors’ win increased their lead to two with 17 games left to play in the regular season.

The Warriors now lead the Nuggets 2-1 and play once more on April 2nd at Oracle Arena. The task for the Warriors Friday night was to stop the Nuggets’ starting lineup. They needed DeMarcus Cousins to find a way to shackle the Nuggets’ big man Nikola Jokic. Jokic came into the game averaging a triple-double for the season. Wilt Chamberlain was the only other center to be able to do that for an entire season. The Warriors had to find a way to get off to a good start. They had lost five of the last eight games and trailed by more than 10 points at halftime in at least six of the last 10 games played.

Klay Thompson returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two games with a knee injury. Klay helped the Warriors to get off to a good start. His two-game hiatus gave him some needed rest, and he helped propel the Warriors to a 30-20 first quarter. Kevin Durant, Cousins, and Steph Curry all made shots while the Warrior defense kept Denver down. The one drawback in the quarter was the number of fouls the Warriors committed. Those fouls enabled Denver to go on a 12-3 run to close the gap to 10.

The Nuggets tied the game early in the second quarter at 34. From that point, the lead changed hands several times. The Warriors were leading 53-48 when they went on a 14-2 run to finish the first half with a 17-point lead 67-50. Klay made two threes and Curry helped out with one of his own. Denver’s Malik Beasley kept the Nuggets close as he made four threes and led the Nuggets with 14. None of the Denver starters were in double figures. Jokic was held to 8 points and 3 boards. Klay Thompson had 27 in the first 24 minutes. Kevin Durant had 16, Steph Curry 9, and Andre Iguodala had 5 coming off the bench.

The closest the Nuggets came was 79-70 after the Warriors made too many turnovers. The Nuggets capitalized, but the Warriors righted the ship and increased the lead to 15 90-75 at the end of three periods. In the fourth quarter, DeMarcus Cousins, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry increased the lead to 21, 105-84. Klay continued to make threes. Cousins hit a three and raised his hands upward as he had not hit one for several games. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr removed the starters and the second unit players finished the game as the Warriors won 122-105.

Game Notes and Stats: DeMarcus Cousins had his best defensive effort since his return from the devastating Achilles tendon injury he suffered last season when he was a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. He had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. He also had 3 steals and six blocked shots. It was, without question, an All-Star performance. He also held Jokic to just 16 points and handled the Nuggets other big, Mason Plumlee.

Klay Thompson led the team with 39 points. Thompson made nine threes in 11 attempts. Durant had 26, Steph Curry 17, and Kevon Looney had 9 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.

Malik Beasley led the Nuggets with 17. Beasley mad 5 threes, but was held to just 3 points in the second half. Jokic finished with 16. Will Barton had 5, Gary Harris 6, and Jamal Murray 11.

The Warriors are now 45-20 and own a two-game lead of the 43-22 Nuggets for the NBA Western Conference lead.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the very young and, suddenly, improving Phoenix Suns. The Suns upset the Milwaukee Bucks last week and cannot be taken lightly. Game time will be at 5:30 pm Sunday night.

The Warriors then go on the road for four games. They face the Houston Rockets Wednesday night for the fourth time this season.

The Rockets lead the series 3-0. They then go to Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Minnesota.

Celtics blow out the Warriors at Oracle 128-95

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Boston Celtics, a team that has not lived up to expectations this season, came into Oracle Arena Tuesday night and handed the Warriors their worst loss at home in the Steve Kerr era. The Warriors fell behind once again in the first half. In the last 10 games, the Warriors trailed by more than 10 points after the first 24 minutes of action. It was worse Tuesday night as they trailed Boston by 25 73-48 at the intermission.

The Celtics dominated the Warriors on both ends of the court. They made 29 shots from the field while the Warriors made 15. They made 8 threes. The Warriors made 6. The Celtics had 22 rebounds, the Warriors had 17. The Celtics had 23 assists on 29 buckets. The Warriors had 11. The Celtics had six steals, the Warriors 2. The Celtics turned the ball over six times, the Warriors 12. The W’s did not make a field goal in the last 3:53 of the second quarter. Gordon Hayward, coming off the bench and looking like the Gordon Hayward that was an All-Star when he was with the Utah Jazz, knocked down 19. Kyrie Irving had 11, Jayson Tatum 12, and Jalen Brown 9.  Steph Curry led Golden State with 19. Kevin Durant had 10, Draymond Green 5, and the Warrior bench added 12.

The Warriors played a little better in the third quarter. They scored 28 points, but they lost ground as Boston scored 32. The Celtics had a commanding 105-76 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Kerr waved the white flag as he pulled all of his starters except DeMarcus Cousins. The Boston reserves outscored the W’s backup guys 23-19 to win going away 128-95

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors lost for the fifth time in the last eight games. They are 44-20 for the year and are still 1 1/2 games ahead of Denver for first place in the Western Conference. The Warriors face the Nuggets Friday night at Oracle. The Celtics improved to 39-26 and are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Warriors were missing Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney due to injury. Shaun Livingston had the night off. Curry led the W’s with 23. Durant had 18 and Cousins finished with 10. No other Warrior was in double figures. Boston had five players in double-digits. Gordin Hayward had 30. He was the third Celtic player this season to come off the bench and score more than 30 points. Kyrie Irving 19, Jalen Brown, the ex-Cal Bear, had 18, Jayson Tatum 17, And Marcus Morris 10.

The Celtics made 49 baskets compared to the Warriors’ 34. They were 14-for-34 from three-point range. The Warriors made eight threes in 35 attempts. The Celtics dominated on defense with 12 steals and five blocks and forced the Warriors to commit 21 turnovers.

The Warriors are reported to be interested in signing Andrew Bogut as a backup center. Bogut was the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the Australian League. He has stated that he is interested in returning to the NBA and has to clear up some issues with a visa before he can join the Warriors. He should be here in about 10 days if he decides to accept the Warriors’ offer.

Up Next: for the Warriors will be Friday night when they face the Denver Nuggets at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Warriors take down the 76ers 120-117

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors beat the Sixers in Philadelphia Saturday night 120-117. The Warriors needed the win to stay in first place in the Western Conference. The Nuggets lost again, and the Warriors are now 1 1/2 games ahead of the Nuggets. The Warriors’ Klay Thompson was unable to play due to soreness in his knee. He suffered the injury in the game against Orlando. Kevon Looney also sat out the game with soreness in his pelvis. The Sixers were without their star center Joel Embiid. Embiid has missed his last five games due to injury. Embiid is averaging a double-double for the season with 27.3 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.

The Warriors, who have not played well in the first half in several of the last 10 games, fell behind early in the first minutes of the first quarter. They righted the ship and finished the quarter trailing 32-31. The teams swapped leads until about halfway through the second period. The Sixers were able to stop the Warriors and outscored them 35-24 to finish the first half with a 12-point lead 67-55.

The Warriors, who were running uphill in the games against Miami and Orlando, regrouped in the third quarter. Also, they had to do it with Steph Curry sitting on the bench. Curry picked up his fourth foul with just 3 minutes and 45 seconds played. Steve Kerr sent in Curry’s brother-in-law, Damian Lee to fill Curry’s shoes. Lee was the right choice as he knocked down four threes and behind the play DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Durant, the Warriors won the third quarter 93-90.

Curry came back in the fourth quarter, and he led the Warriors to the win. He knocked down a three to give the Warriors the lead 111-109. Curry scored six points in the last 2:35 to put the Warriors ahead 120-117. The Sixers had a chance to tie the game, but they lost the ball out of bounds with 1.7 seconds left in the game.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improve to 44-19. The Sixers drop to 40-23.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Cousins had 25 points and 8 boards. Curry finished with 28. Damian Lee had 12, and the rest of the Warrior bench added 15. The Warriors connected on 14 three-pointers.

Ben Simmons had his second straight triple-double with 25 points, 15 boards, and 11 assists. Jimmy Butler had 21, Tobias Harris, the ex-LA Clipper, 20, Jonah Bolden 12. Mike Scott, coming off the bench, had a big night for the Sixers with 22 and T.J>McConnell added 10.

The Warriors split the season series with the Sixers. The Sixers won in Oakland, and the Warriors returned the favor in Philadelphia.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to play the Boston Celtics Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Warriors run out of gas in the fourth quarter, fall to the Magic 103-86 for fourth loss in last six games

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing their fifth game in the last eight days, and the second in the last two nights, blew an 11-point advantage to lose for the 19th time this year. The Warriors also fell out of first place in the Western Conference.

The Warriors gave Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala the night off. The Warriors were hoping to bounce back from the shocking loss to the Miami Heat Wednesday night. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr selected Alfonzo McKinnie to take Durant’s spot, and he inserted Demarcus Cousins back in the lineup at center. The Warriors wanted Cousins, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson to carry the offensive load Thursday night. The Warriors also wanted to get off to a good start in the first quarter. The Warriors played poorly against the Miami Heat Wednesday night, and they did not play well in the first quarter against the Magic on Thursday. In fact. The Warriors never had the lead at all in the first half.

The Magic, who had lost 11 straight games to the Warriors, went right after Cousins as they drove the lane and were making layups. The Warriors were attempting threes and had little success. The Warriors shot just 34% from the floor and ended the first period trailing 28-22.  The Magic increased the lead to 41-31 before Thompson, McKinnie, and Curry made shots and the Warriors cut the deficit to four 43-39. The Magic regrouped and finished the first half leading by eight 59-51. The Magic shot 51% from the floor, and the best the Warriors could do was 39%. The Warriors were 4-for-21 from three-point range. The Warrior bench contributed just two points. Curry had 19, Thompson had 15, and Cousins had 11.  The Magic’s Aaron Gordon had 10, Nikola Vucevic had 7, and D.J. Augustin had 10.

The Warriors woke up and played Warrior basketball in the third quarter. They started the quarter on a 25-7 run and won the period 30-11 to lead 81-71 after three periods of action. The 11 points scored by the Magic was the lowest point total of any opponent in any quarter this season.

The fourth quarter, however, was a reversal of fortune. With the score 85-72. The Magic went on an 8-0 run to trail by five. The Magic tied the score at 89, and it looked as if the Warriors had run out of gas. Shots were clanging off the front of the rim. The W’s continued to miss three-pointers. The Magic took the lead for good 95-94 when they hit a three. They increased the lead to five 101-96 late in the game. The Warriors did not score again. The Magic added two points and won 103-96.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors, with the loss, dropped to 43-19 and are now in second place in the Western Conference. The Magic improved to 29-34, and they are tied for the eighth seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Curry led the Warriors with 33 points. Thompson had 21, Cousins had 21 and 11 rebounds. Draymond Green had five, and McKinnie four. The Warrior bench added just 12 points. Four of the Magic starters were in double figures. Aaron Gordon led the team with 22. Jonathan Isaac and Nikola Vecevic had 12 each. Augustin finished with 14. The Magic bench put 41 points on the board.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers Saturday night at 5:30 pm. The Sixers with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, and Jimmy Butler easily handled the Warriors when they played in Oakland. Hopefully, the Warrior defense, with Cousins in the middle, will be able to stop the Sixer offense. The Warriors then return to Oracle to face the Boston Celtics on March 5th and the Denver Nuggets on March 8th.

The Warriors will have work to do if they want to repeat as NBA champions. They have to play better in the first half. They have to contain the opposing offenses and not play as if they are running uphill. They have to get better play from the bench. They do not have anyone right now that is giving them instant offense. They do not have a Goran Dragic or a Lou Williams. Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell have to be able to play defense and put some points on the board so that the Warriors can rest Cousins. Cousins has shown that he can play, but he has been beaten as teams have been scoring inside on the pick and roll. The Warriors next three opponents know they can beat the Warriors. The Warriors will need to play a better brand of basketball if they hope to make it all the way through the playoffs.

Warriors’ comeback falls short in Miami 126-125

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, as has been their custom, lately, did not get off to a good start against the Miami Heat Wednesday night. The Heat, a team that averages 103 points a game, did everything right in the first half of the game as they poured in 74 points and held the W’s to 59. The 74 points almost tied the heat record of 75. At one point they led the W’s by 24 as they were making threes. The Heat players were driving the lanes and getting fouled. The Heat made nine 3s in 18 attempts. They made 17 free throws in 20 attempts. The Warriors were 5-for-21 from behind the arc. They made six free throws and missed two. The Heat shot 59.5% from the floor in the first quarter, and the Warriors were at 36%. The Heat led 32-22 after the first 12 minutes of play.

It was more of the same in the second quarter. The Heat continued to play well while the Warriors were trying everything to get points on the board. Heat coach Eric Spoelstra sent in his two veteran sharpshooters, Dwayne Wade and Goran Dragic, to generate some offense and they did just that. Dragic was on fire as he knocked down four 3s and scored 20 points in the quarter. He finished the half with 25. Wade added 12, and the Heat led 67-43 before the Warriors woke up. The Warriors had a run late in the half behind Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. Miami, the third-worst scoring team in the NBA, took it to the Warriors in the first half. Klay Thompson’s 21 points kept the Warriors in the game. Kevin Durant had 11, but he could not connect on a 3-point attempt. Curry finished the half with 9 and he, too, had trouble connecting on the shots from downtown. The Heat ended the first half leading 74-59.

The Warriors knew what to do in the second half. The first thing they had to do was stop the Heat’s offense. They did that. The second thing was to get more offense, and they outscored the Heat in the quarter 33-26 to finish the period trailing 100-92.

In the NBA, teams can erase an 8-point deficit without too much trouble. Draymond Green hit a 3 to bring the Warriors within six with 8:20 left to play. Curry followed with a 3 and the Heat’s lead shrunk to 3, 106-103. The Warriors continued to make stops and were able to take a 4-point lead late in the fourth quarter. In the last minute of the game, Durant missed a free throw. Had he mad the free throw, the Warriors would have had 3-point lead 126-123. He didn’t, and the lead was just two points, 125-123, when Dwayne Wade hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 0.1 seconds left on the clock to stun the Warriors and send them down to defeat 126-125.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors gave Demarcus Cousins the night off for rest. The Heat was missing James Johnson and Hassan Whiteside.

With the loss, the Warriors drop to 43-18 and remain 1/2 game ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the Western Conference lead. The Heat snapped a six-game home losing streak and improved to 27-33.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 36 points, Curry finished with 24 points, but was 4-for-14 from 3-point land. Durant had 29 points and made three 3s in 12 attempts. Jordan Bell was the only other Warrior in double figures with 10 points. The Warriors shot 49% from the floor.

The Heat had six players in double figures. Dragic was held to two points in the second half, and ultimately finished with 27 points. Dwayne Wade ended with 25 points. Josh Richardson had 21 points, Kelly Olynyk had 15 points, Justise Winslow had 12 points and Bam Adebayo added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Orlando Magic Thursday night in Orlando, Fla. Game time will be at 4 pm.

Warriors get back on track, defeat Hornets in Charlotte 121-110

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, after losing to the Rockets at Oracle Arena, and not playing well Saturday night, got back on track as they subdued the Hornets 121-110 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. Monday night. Steph Curry returned to his hometown and was hoping to continue to play well in front of his family and friends. The Hornets, with a record of 28-31, are in first place in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference.

The Warriors needed the win to stay in first place in the Western Conference and have home court advantage during the Conference playoffs. They have a way to go as the Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto Raptors have a better record right now, and either team would have homecourt advantage in the NBA Finals. The Warriors went out and won every quarter and, at times, looked like the Warriors of old. At other times in the game, they made turnovers, committed too many fouls, and looked out of sync.

The Warriors won the first quarter 34-30 behind Kevin Durant’s 13 points and Klay Thompson’s 10. The Warriors won the second quarter by the same score to finish with an 8-point lead at the end of the first half. They led by 62-48 before Charlotte went on a 12-3 run to close the trail by 65-60 near the end of the half. The Warriors increased the lead to 8 when Draymond Green made a deuce and a free throw to end the first 24 minutes of play.

The Warriors, who usually dominate the third quarter, played well early in the period. They led 85-73 when Charlotte went an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to four. The Warriors regrouped and finished the period leading 98-88. They committed too many turnovers as they were sloppy handling the ball.

The Warriors had a chance to blow open the game in the fourth quarter. Behind the offensive output of Klay Thompson, and DeMarcus Cousins, the W’s increased the lead to 115-98. It was at this point that Charlotte went on a 10-0 run to get within seven. The Warriors then played defense as Steph Curry made a huge steal and had a 3-on-1 at the other end of the court. Curry fed the ball to Thompson, and he made the layup to give the Warriors the advantage 117-108. The Hornets made a bucket, but Steph finished the scoring as he hit a 3-pointer to give the Warriors the win 121-110.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improve to 43-17. The Hornets drop to 28-32.

The Warriors had all five starters in double figures. DeMarcus Cousins had a season-high 24 points and was second to Klay Thompson, who had 26. The big man also had 11 boards and 3 assists. It was his best game as a Warrior since his return from the Achilles tendon injury. Cousins still doesn’t have a lot of lateral movement, and he was torched by the Hornets’ Cody Zeller. Zeller had a career-high 28 points and missed just one shot in 14 tries. Kevin Durant had 20, and Steph Curry finished with 16. Draymond Green almost had a triple-double. Green, who injured his ankle against the Rockets last Saturday, was listed as probable. Green knocked down 14 points, corralled 8 boards, and dished out 10 assists.

The stats show the Warriors shot over 50% from the floor and made 14 threes. The reason the game was close was due to turnovers and fouls. The Warriors turned the ball over 15 times, and the Hornets were able to put 18 points on the board as a result. The Warriors were 11-for 13 from the charity stripe while the Hornets were 23-for 26. Those two giveaways added up to 30 points, and the game was closer than it should have been.

Up Next: The Warriors face the Heat in Miami Wednesday night. Game time is at 4:30 pm. On Thursday, they play the Magic in Orlando. Game time there is at 4:00 pm

Warriors cannot overcome a slow start, fall to the Rockets 118-112

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors for the third time this season by a score of 118-102. The Rockets were without the services of James Harden, who was out with a cervical strain and a touch of the flu, but thoroughly outplayed the Warriors on both ends of the court Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

In the first quarter, the Rockets went on a 15-0 run that propelled them to a 35-20 lead after the first 12 minutes of play. The Warriors were shooting just 29% from the floor as they were 4 for 14 with 3:21 left in the period. The Rockets’ Kenneth Faried, P.J.Tucker, Eric Gordon, and Chris Paul had no trouble breaking down the Warriors’ defense. The Warriors left too many men open, and the Rockets capitalized on the poor defensive play.

The Rockets led 50-30 midway through the second period. The Warriors woke up from their slumber and were able to cut the deficit to seven 61-54 at the end of the first half. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the charge in the last six minutes of the second period. The Warriors committed eight turnovers in the first period and just one in the second. Cold shooting, poor defense, and turnovers really hurt the team.

The Warriors grabbed their first lead of the game 64-63 early in the third period. The Warriors had an 8-2 run. Durant had five points, and DeMarcus Cousins hit a three to give the Warriors the lead. Houston regained the lead 73-71, but it didn’t last long as the Warriors were behind a bucket by Klay Thompson and a three by Curry regained the lead 76-74. It was the last time in the game that the Warriors would own the advantage. Houston went on an 8-0 run to lead 84-76. The Warriors played catch-up the rest of the way. The Warriors cut the lead to three 89-86 on a three by Andre Iguodala. However, the fans let out a collective groan when the Rockets’ Tucker connected on a three as the buzzer sounded to the third quarter. Houston led 92-86 with 12 minutes left in the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Rockets upped the lead to 14 110-96. The Warriors tried to come back as they went on a 7-0 run to make it a 114-110 game. The Rockets broke the spell with a bucket and were able to run out the clock for a 118-112 win.

Game notes and Stats: The key to the Rockets’ success Saturday night was the ability to stifle the Warriors’ Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry down the stretch. They refused to give the Big Three any open looks and forced the Warriors’ other players to make shots. The strategy worked as Curry was not able to put any points on the board until late in the fourth quarter.

With the loss, the Warriors are now 42-17. They are still in first place in the Western Conference and would have homecourt advantage if the playoffs were to start today. The Rockets improve to 34-25.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 29 points. Steph had 25 points, nine boards, seven assists. He was 5-for-11 from behind the three-point arc. DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Andre Iguodala, coming off the bench, had eight points. The rest of the bench contributed just 13 points.

The Rockets had five players in double figures, and three players had a double-double. Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 25. Chris Paul had a double-double with 23 points and 17 assists. Kenneth Faried tallied 20 points, 10 boards, and made 2 threes. P.J.Tucker hit four threes and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Gerald Green led the Rockets’ bench with 10.

The Warriors committed 17 turnovers, and the Rockets had 13 steals and seven blocked shots on defense. The Warriors’ defense, led by Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson had eight steals and eight blocks. Draymond Green left the game in the fourth quarter. A Rocket player stepped on his foot, and he suffered an ankle sprain. He went to the locker room and did not return.

The Rockets won the first quarter 35-20. The Warriors outscored the Rockets by nine the rest of the way, but it was not enough to overcome the 15-point first-period deficit.

Up Next: The Warriors hit the road and play the next four games in Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, and Philadelphia. The Hornets are in first place in the Southeast Division with a record of 28-31. Game time will be at 4:00 pm.

Warriors outlast Kings to win another thriller 125-123

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, playing the first game in a week due to the All-Star break, had their hands full as they were able to stop the Kings on the last play of the game to win. The Kings, coached by Dave Joerger, are not the Kings of old. They are a good young team of gifted athletes that are on the rise. They have drafted players that are speedy, have size, and can score. They are good inside and have players that can make three-point shots. They took the 6-foot-11 forward Marvin Bagley III in the first round of the draft. Bagley was one and done at Duke, and the 19-year-old rookie is making his presence felt. Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox are young and improving. The Kings traded for the veteran forward Harrison Barnes. They acquired Harry Giles, who is 6-foot-10, and Alec Burks. They signed Corey Brewer to a 10-day contract. These players are making the Kings so much better. However, they were playing the defending the NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors. Thursday night’s game was the fourth and final game between the two teams during the regular season, and it was not easy for the Warriors, but they were able to hold off the Kings to sweep the season series. The Warriors won the game 125-123.

The Warriors won the first quarter 35-30. It was a fast-paced first quarter. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the team to the early first quarter advantage. The Kings turned the tables in the second quarter as they outscored the Warriors 32-25 to finish the first half leading 62-60. The Kings led 54-43 until the Warriors went on a 10-0 run. Steph made two three-pointers in the run to get the Warriors closer to the lead. The Kings increased the lead to six, but Durant and Klay Thompson made key buckets to get the Warriors closer.

Each team tallied 29 points in the third quarter and the score at the end of the quarter was 91-89 in favor of Sacramento. The Kings led for the entire quarter. They led by seven 91-84, but Durant scored the last five points of the period. He made a bucket to make it 91-86 and then hit a three as the buzzer sounded to close the quarter trailing 91-89.

DeMarcus Cousins scored four points to start the fourth quarter and put Golden State ahead 93-91. Cousins made two free throws and a bucket.  The Kings came back to tie the score at 96. Draymond Green made a three, but the Kings countered with a three of their own to tie at 99. The lead changed hands a couple of time and tied at 104. Curry made a three and Thompson followed with a two-point bucket to give the Warriors a 109-104 advantage. They went up by six when Curry hit another three to lead 117-111. The Kings’ Buddy Hield knocked down a three. Thompson responded with a three of his own, and the Warriors led 120-114 with 1:11 left to play. On the next play, it appeared that Green stripped Bagley driving to the basket. The referee tagged Green with a foul. Green couldn’t believe the call and he sprinted to the other end of the court to avoid being charged with a technical foul. His histrionics didn’t help him as he was charged with a technical. Bagley made all three free throws, and the Kings were still alive. Thompson made a mid-range jumper to increase the lead to five. Buddy Hield knocked down another three to make it 123-120. Hield then fouled Curry in the backcourt. Curry made both free throws. The Kings came back with another three to rail by two with 7.4 seconds left. The Warriors almost turned the ball over as Curry had trouble handling the ball on the inbound pass. Somehow, he was able to get the ball to Andre Iguodala. Iguodala was fouled attempting a reverse layup and was awarded two free throws. If Iguodala made both free throws, the game would have been over. He missed both and Sacramento took time out with 6.5 seconds to play. Their strategy was to inbound the ball to Buddy Hield and have him take a three-point shot for the win. The Kings got the ball to Hield, who was open. He did not take the shot, but opted to drive to the basket and make a mid-range jumper to tie the score and send the game to overtime. The Warriors defense rose to the challenge and the best Hield could do was shoot an airball that landed in Kevin Durant’s hands. The Warriors escaped with a thrilling 125-123 win over the Kings.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improve to 42-16. The Kings drop to 30-28. The Kings are in a race with the LA Clippers and LA Lakers for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs. If the Kings finish eighth and the Warriors first, the two teams will meet in the opening round of the playoffs. The Warriors outscored the Kings by just 12 points to win all four games. The Warriors would have their hands full if that were to occur.

All five Warrior starters were in double figures. Curry led the team with 36 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Curry made 10 three-point shots. It was the 14th time in his career that he made 10 or more three-point shots in a game and the fifth time this season. Durant had 28 points, 8 boards, 4 assists, and a tied a career-high with seven blocked shots. Cousins had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Thompson had a tough night as he was 4 for 12 until late in the game. He finished with 18 and made two clutch threes down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Green had 12 points, 6 boards, 8 assists, and knocked down three threes in five tries.

The Kings had seven players in double figure. Marvin Bagley, coming off the bench, led Sacramento with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Buddy Hield had 19, Harrison Barnes 13, De’Aaron Fox 18, Willie Cauley-Stein 10, Bogdan Bogdanovic 14. Veteran forward Corey Brewer had 11, and he made three threes to keep Sacramento in the game.

The Warriors defense held the Kings to 43.4% from the floor. The Warriors had 6 steals and blocked 12 shots. The Warriors committed 11 turnovers in the first half and that cost them 14 points. They focused on protecting the ball in the second half and were able to limit the turnovers to four.

Up Next: The Warriors face the Houston Rockets Saturday night at Oracle Arena. The Rockets lost to the Lakers Thursday night. Game time will be at 5:30 pm.

A’s get flagship stations KTRB 860 and KHTK 1140

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg and Oakland A’s press release

OAKLAND — The long wait is over. The A’s announced on Friday that they have reached an agreement with radio station KTRB 860 AM in San Francisco and KHTK-AM 1140 in Sacramento to broadcast the entire 2019 season. In addition, 17 other stations will join the A’s to form the largest radio network in team history. The A’s press release follows below.

The Oakland A’s today announced a new radio broadcast agreement with KTRB 860 AM and an expanded partnership with KHTK–AM 1140 in Sacramento. The dual stations, along with 17 additional radio network affiliates, will provide the largest coverage map ever for A’s baseball.

The Club also announced a partnership with TuneIn, the leading global live audio streaming service. In addition to free live streaming of all A’s games in-territory, TuneIn will launch a 24/7 A’s channel. The A’s TuneIn channel will air exclusive team content, including special programming and podcasts.

“Our new partnerships with KTRB 860, KHTK-AM 1140, and TuneIn significantly amplify our coverage and reach, ensuring that every Spring Training and regular season game will be available throughout Northern California. These partnerships will allow us to reach A’s fans from as far north as Butte and Mendocino Counties across the Bay Area and down to Fresno and Monterey, with both terrestrial and free streaming broadcasts,” said A’s COO Chris Giles. “We are also thrilled to launch a 24/7 A’s channel on TuneIn and deliver exclusive content and unprecedented coverage throughout the season.”

Ken Korach will return for his 24th season with the A’s and his 14th as the team’s lead radio announcer, pairing with Vince Cotroneo, who will begin his 14th season with the Club. Ray Fosse will also make special appearances in the booth throughout the season. The team will debut expanded pre and postgame shows – A’s Total Access and A’s Clubhouse – hosted by Chris Townsend.

KIQI (1010 AM, San Francisco) and KATD (990 AM, Pittsburg) will serve as the Spanish-language home of Oakland A’s baseball, broadcasting 72 games. Amaury Pi-González, will return for his 26th season with the A’s and 36th season overall in MLB. González will be joined by Manolo Hernández-Douen, who will begin his 11th season as an A’s analyst.

KTRB 860 AM will air every A’s game, and KHTK-AM will air every game, minus Sacramento Kings game conflicts. The A’s TuneIn channel can be accessed at tunein.com/athletics.com.

In addition, the A’s announced that all 162 regular season games will be televised. 147 games will be shown on NBC Sports California, and the other 15 on the MLB Network, Fox Sports 1, and ESPN.

The TV broadcasts will feature the Emmy award team of Glen Kuiper doing play-by-play, and Ray Fosse as the color analyst. Former A’s pitcher Dallas Braden will be featured on select broadcasts as a color commentator and a field analyst. Kara Tsuboi will be a sideline reporter for select home games. The A’s Pregame Live and A’s Postgame Live will be anchored by Brody Brazil and will have analysis from Braden, Dave Stewart, Bip Roberts, and Shooty Babbitt.

Jerry Feitelberg is a Oakland A’s beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors run out of gas in fourth quarter, lose to Trail Blazers 129-107

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, playing their fifth game in eight days and the second in a row, fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 129-107 at the Moda Center in Portland. The Warriors were without the services of Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and DeMarcus Cousins.

For three quarters, it was a very entertaining game as neither team could pull away. The biggest lead the Blazers had was six points, and the best the W’s could do was five points. The Warriors finished the first quarter leading 33-31. Kevin Durant led the Warrior attack with 16 points. Oakland native Damien Lillard paced the Blazers with 13. The Blazers won the second quarter 33-28 and led by three 64-61 at the end of the first half. Durant led the Warriors with 20 in the first half. Steph Curry had 14. Draymond Green added 9, and Klay Thompson had 7. Lillard led the Blazers with 15. CJ McCollum had 9, Jusuf Nurkic 9 and Evan Turner 8.

The third quarter was more of the same. Neither team would give an inch. The Warriors managed to outscore the Blazers 34-30 and led by one point 95-94 heading into the fateful fourth quarter. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr sent out Quinn Cook, Jonas Jerebko, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney, and Alfonzo McKinnie to start and that enabled Curry and Durant get some rest. The Portland bench had other ideas as they played well on defense and were able to increase the lead to nine 110-101. Jonas Jerebko made a bucket to make it 110-103. It was at this point in the contest that things went south for the Warriors. Draymond Green was called for a flagrant foul on forward Zach Collins. There was no question that it was a hard foul. However, to this observer, it was a long way from a flagrant foul. Steve Kerr went ballistic and went after the refs as he felt the call was not appropriate. There were three technicals called on Golden State. Two were on Kerr, and he had to leave the arena. Lillard made all three for Portland. Collins made his two, and the ball went back to Portland. The Blazers made a three, and they expanded the lead to 118-103. The Warriors were toast at this point. The Warriors removed the Big Three from the game, and the Blazers coasted to a 129-107 win.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors’ 11-game road winning streak came to an end. They lost for the second time in the last 18 and finished 41-16 at the break for the All-Star game. Portland improved to 34-23.

Curry and Durant finished with 32 each. No other Warrior was in double figures. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green had 9. Thompson scored two in the second half, and Green did not score at all. The Warrior bench was outscored 52-23.

The Blazers had 8 players in double figure. Lillard led the club with 29. Jake Layman, coming off the bench, had 17 for Portland. Steph’s brother, Seth, added 11 to help his Blazer team beat his brother’s Warriors.

Up Next: The Warriors are off until February 21st. They face the Sacramento Kings at Oracle. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.