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Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal Trapped the Bears in Battle of the Bay & ACC Opener, 89-81; 1st conference game for both

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Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes (21) directs his teammates against the Cal Bears at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Dec 7, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

BERKELEY, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (8-2, 1-0 ACC) opened their inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference season with a victory over their Cross-Bay rival California Golden Bears, 89-81, on Saturday Afternoon in the East Bay.

The Cardinal came out aggressively in Bear Territory and carried that all throughout the 40-minute contest. They also achieved the coveted 50/40/90 statline. They shot 53% from the field, 48% from beyond the Arc, and 90% from the charity stripe.

They opened the game on a 7-0 start., in which senior forward Maxime Raynaud had five of them. He hit a three to produce the game’s first points, then added another bucket during their initial run.

Stanford led by as much as 16 points; however, Cal actually tied the game at 29, at the 4;53 mark of the first half. Stanford immediately responded to that with a 9-0 run on three 3-pointers by Jaylen Blakes (2) and Oziyah Sellers (1).

The Cardinal extended that advantage by seven by the end of the first 20 minutes/ At intermission, Stanford led 47-31. The Cardinal defense (tree) forced the Bears to shoot 38% from the field and 0% from Threeland. Cal also had 0 assist in the first segment of the game.

Three Stanford players reached double-figures by recess. Blakes (14), Raynaud (11) and Sellers (10) were the select few to eclipse that plateau. In a bit of irony, Cal’s only player to join the 10+ club, was former Cardinal hooper, Andrej Stojakovic. He transferred across the Bay after one year on the Farm. Coincidentally, his present coach, Mark Madsen, is also a former Stanford Cardinal.

In the second half, Cal scored the first bucket, but Stanin into a single digit deficit.ford was able to balloon the lead all the way to 20 points.late in the second half. The Bears did claw their way back into again in the second 20 minutes. They had a 9-0 run of their own to get them within a single digit (6) deficit. They also outscored the Cardinal by eight in half number two. However, wihen they trailed by 16 at intermission, making up eight points only cuts the gap in half.8-point win.

At the final whistle, Stanford settled for a victory of less than 10 points, but imitated their football brethren (Syracuse) and won their first ACC game ever on the road in a hostile environment.

The Cardinal are 1-0 in the opposite coastal ACC, and also has bragging rights for capturing the first half of the Battle of the Bay, 89-81.

Raynaud produced 20 points and prevented 5 shots with his hands. Blakes pitched in 20 points, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Sellers offered 16 poins, while both Ryan Agarwal (7 rebounds) and Chisom Okpara both gave 11 points to the team.

Stojakovic led all scorers with 25 points against his former school, while Jovan Blacksher Jr. scored 14 and Mady Sissoko tallied 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Stanford will next be in action Tuesday, December 17 at Maples hosting non conference opponent Merrimack Warriors at 7:00 PM PDT on ACC Extra/ESPN+.

Cal; will host the Cornell Big Red on Tuesday, December 10, at 7:00 PM PDT. also on ACC Extra/ESPN+

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal just couldn’t surpass Stanford’s lead in 89-81 loss at UC Berkeley

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Cal Bears forward Rytis Petratis (31) drives on Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes (21) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Dec 7, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stanford Cardinal (8-2) Maxime Raynaud converted almost 50% of his shots leading the Cardinal with 20 points he was getting the open shot quite often today against the Cal Bears (6-3).

#2 The Cardinal pretty much were having their way in the first half outscoring Cal 47-31.

#3 The Cardinal defense held the Cal Bears to single digits the Bears Andrej Stojakovic and and Javon Blacksher were the only two players to get into double figures.

#4 Talk about Stanford’s defense they were able to keep the Bears at arms length for most of the game. The closest that Cal got they tied the game but just couldn’t take the lead at any point in the contest.

#5 Cal hosts the Cornell Big Red (5-3) in their next game here at Haas Pavilion for a 7:00pm PST tip on Tuesday night. Cornell won their last game against Colgate 84-57. Cornell has won three of its last five games. How do you see this match up this Tuesday?

Stephen Ruderman is a Cal Bears beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Giants get the Willys again sign Adames to whopping 7 year, $182 M deal

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Former Milwaukee Brewer Willy Adames signed one of the biggest contracts in San Francisco Giants history seven years for $182 million on Sat Dec 7, 2024 (AP file photo)

#1 The San Francisco Giants who are famous for their players named Willie like in Willie Mays and Willie McCovey made one of their biggest deals signing shortstop Willy Adames to a seven year $182 million deal Saturday afternoon.

#2 The Giants had their sights on signing Adames. With Juan Soto most likely ready to sign with another club Adames was a player the Giants were focused on.

#3 The Giants have to feel fortunate to have signed Adames as other ball clubs were also bidding for his services what attracted Adames most to signing with San Francisco.

#4 Adames had been a huge piece of the Milwaukee Brewers line up the last four years and the Brewers have been a successful ball club was it the money or the idea to come to San Francisco for Adames or both?

#5 Adames hit .251, with 152 hits, 32 home runs, and 112 RBIs could wind up being San Francisco’s clean hitter with those numbers. Talk about how much of a difference he makes as a new addition to the line up?

Stephen Ruderman is a San Francisco Giants analyst at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears game wrap: Stanford beats Cal 89-81 in wild and hectic first all-ACC game between two historic rivals

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Cal Bears forward Lee Dort (31) and guard Jovan Blacksher Jr (10) talk it over as they battle the Stanford Cardinal at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley Sat Dec 7, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Stanford Cardinal 89 (8-2 Overall; 1-0 ACC)

California Golden Bears 81 (6-3 Overall; 0-1 ACC)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–The Bears fell short in a weird and wild game against their hated rivals in their first all-ACC game, as the Stanford Cardinal came to Haas Pavilion to beat Cal 89-81.

It was only fitting that the Bears’ first ACC game would be against their longtime hated rivals, and the only other team that moved over with them from the Pac-12. During his announcement that this was the first all-Atlantic Coast Conference game for the Bears, Public Address Announcer Matt Foley could have made fans aware of the view of the Pacific Ocean from the upper level of Haas Pavilion, but with the smog outside, that would have been meaningless.

Anyway, it was a matchup between two evenly-matched teams that were off to great starts. Cal came into today’s game at 6-2, following a tough 98-93 loss at Missouri on Tuesday night. Stanford is also off to a great start this season, as they came into today at 7-2. As evenly matched as this matchup was, the game would be both evenly matched and far from it.

Stanford just took it to the Bears out of the gate, and Maxime Raynaud hit a three to open the scoring. Oziyah Sellers then slammed one down after intercepting a pass from Jovan Blacksher Jr., and Raynaud hit a jumper.

Just a minute and 20 seconds in, Stanford already held a 7-0 lead. Stanford extended their lead to 14-4 three minutes and 40 seconds in, and they would remain comfortably ahead throughout most of the first half.

However, the Bears suddenly caught fire in the latter part of the first half. Andrej Stojakovic made a pair of layups, and Mady Sissoko dunked one to close the deficit to just four at 27-23.

Raynaud made a jumper to extend Stanford’s lead to 29-23, but Joshua Ola-Joseph hit a jumper and a layup, and Stojakovic made a layup. In just three minutes and 12 seconds, the Bears went on a 12-2 run to suddenly come back and tie the game.

However, in just under two minutes, Jaylen Banks hit a pair of threes, and Sellers hit a three of his own to put Stanford back ahead 38-29. It was a very interesting five-plus minutes to say the least, but Stanford was back in control of the game.

Stanford went into the half up 47-31 after closing out the first half with a remarkable 18-2 run. The Bears started the second half with an 8-2 run, and the raucous crowd at Haas Pavilion was certainly feeling it. However, Stanford remained in command throughout most of the second half.

However, to the Bears’ credit, they never gave up, and fought until the bitter end. Stanford extended their lead to 20 points at 77-57 with 5:37 to go, but Cal made one last charge in the final minutes.

A three by Rytis Petratis closed it to 81-71 with 2:47 to go. 34 seconds later, Ola-Joseph hit a three to make it 81-74. In a game of many dominant scoring drives, the Bears were on a 17-4 run, and in position to pull off a comeback for the ages.

The crowd at Haas Pavilion was on fire and ready to bring the place down. Chisom Okpara was fouled and hit two from the line, but Stojakovic hit a three to make it 83-77 with 1:21 remaining. It was certainly more than enough time for the Bears to tie the game, or even take the lead, considering the crazy drives the two teams went on throughout this game.

However, it was not meant to be. After the score stagnated for the next 29 seconds, a foul by Ola-Joseph sent Sellers to the line. Sellers made both shots, and that pretty much did it. Stanford won by a final of 89-81.

Cal has now dropped two-straight to fall to 6-3, and they are 0-1 in ACC play. However, as tough of a loss as this was for the Bears, they should hold their heads high. They never gave up, and they believed that they were going to come back and win this game until the bitter end.

Stojakovic led the scoring with 25 points for the Bears, as he was 11-for-25 in field goals, and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Blacksher scored 14; Sissoko scored 11; and Ola-Joseph and Petraitis both scored nine.

Raynaud and Blakes led the scoring for Stanford with 20 points each. Sellers was not too far behind with 16 points.

The Bears will have another non-conference game against the Cornell Big Red at Haas Pavilion on Tuesday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks try and return to winning ways in Florida tonight

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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons (28) tries and get around the San Jose Sharks defenseman Jack Thompson (26) in the second period at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Thu Dec 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks took a bashing in the first period in Tampa Bay at the hand of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday 8-1. The Lightning pretty much put it out of reach in the first period scoring a whopping five goals.

#2 The Lightning had help from Braydon Point who had four assists Brandon Hagel scored twice as the Sharks defense struggled to contain both Point and Hagel.

#3 Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 San Jose Shots. The Sharks Alex Wennberg scored San Jose’s only goal of the game.

#4 The Sharks were on a roll before they got humility in Tampa Bay. The Sharks had a three game win streak before taking a beating by the Lightning on Thursday night. They were on a roll after beating the Seattle Kraken twice and Washington Capitals on Saturday.

#5 The Sharks face off against the Florida Panthers Saturday at 3:00pm PST. The Panthers have won five of the last ten games, the Panthers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 7-5 in their last game Thursday. Panthers are tied for first in the Eastern Conference how tough of opponent will the Panthers be for the Sharks tonight?

Join Mary Lisa for the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Murray Shines As Kings Finish Off Spurs In San Antonio 140-113; Sabonis, Fox, and Monk all score 22 each

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Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) gets fired up against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Fri Dec 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Sacramento Kings (11-13) took on the San Antonio Spurs (11-11) winning the game 140-113 and evening the score after the team had lost to the Spurs last Sunday. The starters had a tremendous effort and Keegan Murray finished the game with 17 points and three rebounds.

It is only one game but Murray has certainly taken a step in the right direction. Sabonis had another double double with 22 points and 16 rebounds. The three musketeers Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk all scored 22 points each.

Game recap: The Spurs got a great start leading 28-19 with three minutes left in the first 12 minutes of play. After a King’s timeout, Sacramento went to work to tie up this game at 33 and we had ourselves a ball game. The Kings made up the deficit in record time and were looking to keep it up going into the second quarter.

The Kings took a 37-33 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter but it dissolved as the Spurs took back the lead. Three minutes into the quarter the score was tied at 40 and this game had all the signs of a real battle as the lead see-sawed back and forth.

The quarter got even more interesting when the Spurs Zach Collins was ejected from the game with a personal foul. With the Spurs down two players, Wembanyama who was out with lower back soreness and then Collins with the ejection Sacramento went on to take a 48-40 lead spurred by a Keon Ellis shot from downtown.

Four King bench players were getting in on the action and had 14 points through 1 1/2 quarters. Sacramento outscored the Spurs in the second quarter 36-26 and led at the half 69-59. The Kings protected the ball well in the first half coming away with six turnovers and were shooting well in the field at 56%. Sabonis was on the edge of another double double with nine rebounds and 13 points. DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk also had double digits in the first half. They would need to play with the same energy in the second half and would be looking to extend their lead.

The Kings did indeed take the momentum from the first half into the third quarter. After three Sacramento had extended their halftime lead to 110-86. Every starter had double digits, Sabonis had his double double and the best of all, Keegan Murray had 12 points.

Sacramento would have to tighten up to finish off the Spurs in the fourth quarter. The Kings only had six turnovers through three quarters which was another plus that could help lead them to a win over San Antonio.

The Kings had a tremendous start in the fourth quarter and held a 20 point lead at 9:23 111-91. Kevin Huerter had been spotless from downtown going 4 of 4. As the clock wore down on the game Sacramento had taken a 130-109 lead. Every starter for the Kings was having a banner game and Sacramento had evened the score after the loss to the Spurs last Sunday 140-113.

Sacramento got some great offense from the King’s starters every one of them shooting double digits. DeRozan had the high for the team with 23 points. Sabonis, Fox and Monk each had 22 points.

Murray broke out of his funk scoring 17 points with six rebounds. It is only one game but it is sure a step in the right direction for Murray. The team only had 11 turnovers and shot 56% from the field. It was a badly needed win for Sacramento. Huerter was perfect from downtown hitting four shots and finished with 16 points off the bench.

Game notes: Western Conference battle last Tuesday evening, the Kings went onto lose to the Memphis Grizzlies 115-110 Thursday night and so it was back to the drawing board. The Kings were struggling dropping seven of their last ten games but managed a big win in San Antonio Friday night.

Something was going terribly wrong with this team but they seemed to have shaken it off on Friday with that outpouring of scoring. The talent on the team is undeniable as they got some answers against the Spurs.

Friday night they played in San Antonio taking on a team that beat them last Sunday 127-125 and got a little payback. They were riding a rocky road before Friday’s game. Along for the ride is Murray who had also struggled but scored 17 points against the Spurs.

Murray has fought through his miserable streak. The Kings had hoped that Murray was potentially a breakout player in this 2024-25 season. Murray had gone five straight games without a free throw in fact he has not gotten to the line in 11 of his last 12 games previous to Friday.

When the Kings signed DeRozan the thought was that DeRozan’s presence would open up some great looks for Murray. At age 24, Murray has gotten looks but his accuracy was not been very good but Friday he finished third in scoring.

Last season Murray had a 15 points per game average which is hardly the case this year he hopes after this game Friday he might have corrected that. He has been on a roll defensively and there is the hope and he was able to play some catch up Friday.

The Kings now return home to Sacramento to take on the Utah Jazz Sunday evening looking to start a string of wins; something they have not seen for awhile now. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Orlando Cepeda Day in Puerto Rico  (Exclusive to Sports Radio Service)

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Orlando Cepeda Day in Puerto Rico on Fri Dec 6, 2024 was an opportunity for the people of Puerto Rico to pay tribute to the former St Louis Cardinal and San Francisco Giant who passed away on Jun 28, 2024 (photo image by Multinacional de Seguros)

Orlando Cepeda Day in Puerto Rico  (Exclusive to Sports Radio Service)

Amaury Pi-González

December 6, 2025 —Orlando Cepeda Day

Hiram Bithorn Stadium San Juan, Puerto Rico

Orlando’s family and friends, and thousands of fans will gather to honor one of the greatest players to ever play in the Major Leagues. Orlando “Peruchín”Cepeda

Orlando Cepeda   “Success is not given to you, it is earned, you have to work very hard to achieve it”.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings tip off against Spurs tonight

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Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (left) and Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson (13) battle for the basketball in second half action at FedEX Arena in Memphis on Thu Dec 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The Memphis Grizzlies Marcus Smart scored 18 points and his last two free throws put it to bed for Memphis 115-110 over the visiting Sacramento Kings.

#2 The Grizzlies Desmond Bane contributed with 18 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama each scored 15 points. Aldama also added 10 rebounds.

#3 DeMar DeRozan led the Kings in scoring with 26 points while Malik Monk had 23 points, DeAaron Fox had 18 and Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 13 rebounds.

#4 Jeremiah anytime you have 20 lead changes and lose it has to be frustrating for the Kings after they had put together a big win against the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston.

#5 The Kings head to San Antonio where they tip off with the Spurs Friday night. The Spurs have lost their last two games and are 8-5 at home. The Kings hope to recoup for their loss against Memphis.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Rangers deal Trouba to Ducks; Blackhawks fire Richardson replace him with Sorenson; Lowry gets game winner for Jets over Sabres 3-2; plus more news

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Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) dukes it out with former New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba (8) at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov 30, 2024. Trouba was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on Fri Nov 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 New York Rangers traded Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Urho Vaakainen. Trouba was held out for a couple game previous to the trade.

#2 The Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson fired head coach Luke Richardson. Richardson had gone 57-118-15 in three years and was 8-16-2 for the last place Blackhawks. Davidson hired interim head coach Anders Sorenson who becomes the first Swedish born head coach in NHL history. Sorenson was the Blackhawks AHL affiliate head coach with the Rockford Ice Hogs.

#3 The Winnipeg Jets Adam Lowry scored a game winning goal in the overtime stanza as the Jets defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 at Key Bank Center in Buffalo on Thursday night. The Jets Josh Morrissey hit a rebound towards Lowry who shot it past the right post.

#4Former San Jose Shark and Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan after nine seasons with the Pens will coach his 700th game on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This season is Sullivan’s 21st year as a head coach in the NHL.

#5 The Montreal Canadiens picked up their second straight win defeating the Nashville Predators in a shutout 3-0. The Habs Patrik Laine scored in his second straight game and Habs goaltender Sam Montembeault saved 29 shots for the shutout.

# 6 The Edmonton Oilers Zach Hyman scored twice in his return from the injured list, teammate Connor McDavid got four assists defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3. “It was nice to get ‘Hysey’ back,” McDavid said. “It was nice to create some chances. I thought ‘Nuge’ (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) played well, as well. When you’ve got three guys playing well, it’s fun out there.”

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Stumble In Fourth Quarter – Lose to Grizzlies 115-110

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Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) finished with 23 points but it wasn’t enough to beat the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum in Memphis on Thu Dec 5, 2024 (Sacramento Kings X photo)

The Sacramento Kings (10-13) were tied with the Memphis Grizzlies (15-8) going into the fourth quarter Thursday night 86 apiece. They had slim leads throughout the fourth quarter until the four minute mark. Memphis turned the tables taking slim one or two point leads for the remainder of the game.

With three minutes left in the game the Grizzlies took a five point lead 108-103. Memphis held onto that lead for the rest of the game winning by the score of 115-110. It was another quiet night for Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray. DeMar DeRozan had the high score for the Kings with 26 points followed by Malik Monk with 23 points.

Game recap: Thursday night the Kings took on the Grizzlies at FedExForum. The Kings are coming off an impressive win over the Houston Rockets last Tuesday night winning that contest 120-111. After that terrible losing streak, this win over Houston was hopefully a turning point for the team.

All five starters had double digits along with Kevin Huerter and Isaac Jones off the bench. It was a great win for the team. They were looking to take that confidence into Memphis and celebrate two wins in a row. The Grizzlies come into this game on a losing note dropping their last game to the Mavericks Tuesday night.

As this game unfolded, the opening quarter could not have been closer with the Grizzlies leading after the first 12 minutes of play 33-32. The Grizzlies were looking to win their seventh straight game at home. The second quarter was equally as close with the two teams deadlocked at 30. At the half, Memphis had a one point lead 63-62.

The two teams would finish the third quarter tied at 86 and this was anybody’s game. The game would continue with countless lead changes and ties and so it all came down to the fourth quarter.

The Kings led throughout most of the fourth quarter albeit by only a few points. They led going into the final three minutes and that is when the Grizzlies turned the tables on them. For the remainder of the game the Grizzlies had a slim lead although the Kings got within two points but could not overtake Memphis.

The Grizzlies Marcus Smart hit a couple of free throws with 2.9 seconds left in the game to clinch the win for Memphis. There had been 20 lead changes and 11 ties in this crazy game. The Grizzlies had won their seventh home game in a row. Sacramento came away with a disappointing loss.

Sacramento had a 16-9 edge on offensive rebounds. They got some great offensive effort from DeMar DeRozan who finished with 26 points and Malik Monk who scored 23 points but fell short in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

They needed just a bit more especially since Memphis had 22 turnovers and with 6:45 left in the final quarter Ja Morant was hit with a pair of technicals which earned him an ejection. He was obviously frustrated finishing the game 2 for 13 missing all six of his three-point attempts. This was a tough one for the King who have now lost seven of nine games.

Game notes: Thursday night the Kings took on the Grizzlies at FedExForum. The Kings are coming off an impressive win over the Houston Rockets last Tuesday night winning that contest 120-111. After terrible losing streak, this win over Houston was hopefully a turning point for the team. All five starters had double digits along with Kevin Huerter and Isaac Jones off the bench.

It was a great win for the Kings. They were hoping to take that confidence into Memphis and celebrate two wins in a row but just couldn’t pull it off with a loss. The Grizzlies came into this game on a losing note dropping their last game to the Mavericks Tuesday night.

Friday night, the Sacramento Kings will take on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The Kings lost a close one to San Antonio last Sunday 127-125. Wembanyama scored 34 points in that game and will looking to pin another loss on the Kings Friday night. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 PM.