Author: Sports Radio Service

That’s Amaury News and Commentary A’s prospect: Escaped Cuba in 2021 figures in the team’s future

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Oakland A’s future prospect Luis Danys Morales (left) shakes hands with A’s assistant general manager Dan Feinstein during the signing of Morales (photo by the Oakland A’s)

A’s top prospect Escaped Cuba in 2021 figures in the team’s future

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–Luis Danys Morales defected from the Cuban National Sub-23 team in México in 2021. According to MLB, in 2023, the Cuban right-handed pitcher was considered the best young international prospect—the Oakland A’s signed Morales for $3 million.

A few years earlier, when he was 18 years old, Morales was caught by Cuban authorities in Guantanamo in the process of escaping the island, but he finally defected two years ago. Libertad!

Suppose you wonder why all the talented baseball players from Cuba have been defecting for decades to come to the US. They are not treated well, as they make an equivalent of $40 to 200 dollars per month in salary in Cuban pesos.

It is important to remember that because Cuba’s communist government abolished all professional sports in the country in the 1960s, today’s players only play for the pleasure of the country, and the entity that reigns over baseball evaluates “patriotism” as crucial as their baseball skills.

They have to play under the harassment of the government. One Cuban player who defected and who is not in the major leagues told me years ago “if we do not stand for the Cuban National Anthem before the game, in Cuba or abroad, we are in dire trouble.”

Morales is 6’3″and 190 pounds, with a 99 mph fastball and good stuff in his other pitches. Scouts consider he could be a future starter in the major leagues. Born in Antilla, Cuba (in the eastern part of the country) on September 24, 2002.

In 2023, pitched for the Lansing Lug Nuts of the Midwest League High-A affiliate of the Oakland A’s. He pitched 44 innings, struck out 55 in 14 games, 13 games as a starter, and ended with a 2.86 earned run average.

The A’s have a very young and inexperienced pitching staff; they recently signed Trevor Gott for one year and $1.5 million, plus other bonuses, including if he gets traded. Trevor Gott has become the most experienced pitcher on the A’s roster, although others might be signed in the future.

Gott has pitched in the AL West with the Mariners and the Angels and in the NL West with the Giants. “We are looking to add some experience to our pitching staff and our bullpen,” A’s general manager David Forst said to the AP. “Trevor has pitched well in our division and wanted to return to the Bay Area.”“We are looking to add some experience to our pitching staff and our bullpen,” A’s general manager David Forst said to the AP. “Trevor has pitched well in our division and wanted to return to the Bay Area.”

Happy New Year!

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Fall To Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks 132-122

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The Dallas Mavericks Luca Doncic (77) takes a jump shot against the Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins (22) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Dec 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Luca Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks (19-14) scored 39 points and eight rebounds en-route to a win over the Golden State Warriors (15-17) 132-122. Golden State trailed from the beginning and never caught up. Again Warrior guard Stephen Curry got a slow start coming away with yet another disappointing first half. 

Teams are constantly double teaming Curry and the rest of the roster has to step up and they did not. Chris Paul, starting tonight, had a great game scoring 24 points. Klay Thompson continues to struggle taking the “Splash Brothers” out of the equation. Tonight he finished with three points.

Saturday night Chase Center was rocking as the Warriors took on the Mavericks. It was a huge challenge for the Warriors in this game containing Doncic. Double teaming him was the order of the day for Golden State. He had some great support in Dante Exum and Dereck Lively II and off the bench Josh Green is always a threat.

 The Warriors starting roster looked a bit different with the dependable Chris Paul and the red-hot Trayce Jackson-Davis starting tonight. The Warriors couldn’t keep Doncic under wraps that who led Dallas with 39 points towards their victory.

Game recap: The Mavericks took a 34-26 lead to finish the first quarter. Dallas is an outstanding road team and presents all sorts of problems for home teams. The Mavericks would go on to win the second quarter 29-28 in a closely contested quarter. At the half, Dallas held a 63-54 lead. The Warriors continued to hang around in this game and they were hitting nearly half of their points in the paint but just couldn’t get enough going to take the lead. 

Dallas edged the Warriors as the third quarter came to an end 38-35, still leading 101-89. This game would come down to the fourth quarter and Golden State needed some stops and getting some support for Curry could decide this game. 

The clock was running down and the Warriors were fighting to take the lead trailing 125-119 with 1:31 left in the game. Thompson did not make any impact in this game finishing with three points and two rebounds. As the clock wound down, there would be no run for Golden State, and no win losing this game 132-122. Golden State had their eighth home loss and their third loss in a row.

Every starter with the exception of Thompson scored in double digits. Curry had the team high with 25 points and Paul who started tonight had a terrific game with 24 points. Jackson-Davis finished with 17 points and Jonathan Kuminga also had a nice game with 16 points and was one of three players with nine rebounds. 

Off the bench both Dario Saric and Brandin Podziemski both had nine rebounds also. Golden State did out-rebound the Mavericks.  The Warriors only had 11 turnovers so ball protection was very good. The change in the starting roster was designed to give the team a defensive boost but it did not materialize in this game. 

The Warriors just could not handle Doncic who finished with 39 points and 10 rebounds. Three bench players finished with double digits for Dallas. Josh Green had 18 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 and Grant Williams finished with 10 points so some nice work from the Dallas bench.

The Warriors will continue their home-stand, their longest of the season, next Tuesday. They will be looking to get back on the winning track in 2024 as they take on the Orlando Magic with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.

 

Condors 2-goal third period the difference in 4-2 win over the Barracuda

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San Jose Barracuda forward Thomas Bordeleau battles for the puck against Bakersfield Condor’s center Greg McKegg at Tech CU Arena on Saturday DEC 30, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Bakersfield Condors scored two goals in the third period en route to a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost three out of its last five game. Bakersfield split the series with the win and has points in six consecutive games.

Bakersfield (12-10-1-2) drew first blood early in the first period on an even strength goal. Brad Malone found Carter Savoie on an odd man rush and Savoie beat ‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona with a wrist shot to the short side for his second goal of the season at the 1:52 mark.

San Jose (10-14-4-0) answered back with an even strength goal at the 8:10 mark. Shakir Mukhamadullin found Leon Gawanke down in the right slot. Gawanke skated in before beating Condor’s goalie Jack Campbell with a wrist shot through the five-hole for his seventh goal of the season. The rookie defenseman has scored a goal in back-to-back games.

“That’s what we’re looking for out of him,” said ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy regarding Gawanke’s recent offensive outburst. “He’s (Gawanke) got the big shot. So, we’re looking for him to get that off and get it through. He’s had some success the last couple of games.”

The Barracuda gained its first lead late in the opening frame after Tristen Robins won a faceoff inside the Condor’s zone. Nikolai Knyzhov’s shot from the point sneaked its way through a sea of traffic for his first goal of the season at the 15:19 mark. Danil Gushchin recorded the primary assist on Knyzhov’s first goal since 2020.

The Condors scored the equalizer late in the second period. A slapshot from the left point by Drake Caggiula was redirected past Chrona by Cameron Wright for his sixth goal of the season at the 16:04 mark on what was the Condors fourth shot of the period.

“I liked our first two periods. At the end of the second (period) they kind of got back in the game. In the third (period) they came out with a little push and got us on our heels and never were able to reestablish our game,” McCarthy said.

Bakersfield regained the lead at the 6:20 mark of the third period. Ben Gleason rifled a slapshot from the right point that screamed past a screened Chrona top shelf for his third goal of the season.

Gleason iced the game for Bakersfield with an empty net goal with 44 seconds remaining in the game, his second of the game and fourth of the season.

Campbell (5-6-0-1) finished the game stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced to earn his fifth victory of the season. Chrona (3-7-2-0) made 24 saves on 27 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-4 on the power play. Bakersfield went 0-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Gleason 2) Knyzhov 3) Gawanke.

UP NEXT: San Jose starts the New Year off hosting the Tucson Roadrunners on Wednesday 1/3 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks hope to snap 7 game skid New Years Eve in Colorado

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The San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (72) led the Sharks with the most shots on goal with six is defended by the Edmonton Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak (27) at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Dec 28, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Edmonton Oilers didn’t waste anytime getting on the scoreboard they got a goal and assist each from Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod. The Oilers skated away with a 4-0 first period to pin down the Sharks who had already lost six straight games going into the contest now at seven loses in a row.

#2 The Oilers Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added goals totaling four goals in the first period and one in the second period and that was all the offensive damage the Oilers needed to win it 5-0.

#3 Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner came away with a shutout with 25 saves. Each Sharks opportunity to put it on net failed miserably no matter how hard they tried. William Eklund led San Jose with six shots on goals all stopped by Skinner.

#4 The Sharks started Magnus Chrona in his first appearance for San Jose. Chrona got lit up facing 20 shots and allowing four and later was replaced by Kaapo Kahkonen who wound up giving up a goal on 19 shots.

#5 The Sharks go back to the drawing board as they face the rough and tough Colorado Avalanche. The last time the two teams met was on Sun Dec 17 and the Aves had they’re way with a four goal 6-2 win at the Ball Center in Denver. The Sharks hope to end they’re seven game losing streak on New Years Eve a 5:00pm PT face off once again in Denver.

Mary Lisa is a San Jose Sharks beat writer and covers the Sharks road games at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Scorched Late by Sun Devils, 76-73, in Pac-12 Opener

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The Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) and the Arizona Sun Devils forward Alonzo Gaffney (8) anticipate the rebound in the second half at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto on Fri Dec 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (5-6, 0-1 Pac-12) opened Pacific – 12 play with a disappointing loss inside Maples Pavilion, after the Arizona State Sun Devils (7-5, 1-0 Pac-12), made a blazing comeback inside the last minute of the game, 76-73.

Stanford’s 7-foot Frenchman, Maxime Raynaud opened the game with a basket on a dime of a pass from assist machine Jared Bynum. He scored six of the team’s first eight points, The Cardinal seemed to take control early in the contest.

The Sun Devils managed to tie the game twice (2-2 & 22-22) during the initial 20 minutes of the game; however, they could not get over the hump/stump. Stanford had an answer for both tie situations, including a 10-0 run after it was even at 22. The home team had a nine point advantage at recess, 37-28, with the knowledge that ASU was not going to give up on the cause.

Neither team had a double-digit scorer at the midway point. As a matter of fact, despite the great start by Raynaud, he only managed to score one more point by the midway whistle. He tallied seven points and six rebounds. Brandon Angel led with nine, and Kanaan Carlyle contributed seven off the bench. Junior guard Frankie Collins topped the Sun Devils.

In the second half, Arizona State tried to turn up the heat, but the tree seemed to be fire retardant for most of the greater part of the game. They managed to keep the game in reach, and forcing 13 turnovers and shooting double the amount of free throws of their opponent, was definitely a contributing factor for the dramatic outcome.

Stanford reached leads of ten in the first half and 12 in the second, but Arizona State kept up the fight. Maybe their coach’s personality was rubbing off on them. Bobby Hurley was a feisty point guard for the Duke Blue Devils in the 90’s, winning two national championships.

The Sun Devils scored 48 points in the second half, which was 20 more than the first, while Stanford had one less point. That made a huge difference and made it a close contest at the end. The last three minutes is when it became crunch time.

Just under the 3:00 mark, the Sun Devils got within one point for the first time since the first half. Alonzo Gaffney was on a roll scoring seven consecutive points in nearly 90 seconds. Coach Hurley was impressed: “I’m happy for him because I know he has it inside of him to do it. We trust him.”

Less than a minute later they tied the game again twice, at 71 and 73. After 39 minutes of the battle, Arizona took the lead on a fadeaway jumper by Frankie Collins, which turned out to be the game winner. After that Jamia Neal made a free throw and got the game-sealing block, when Michael Jones tried to tie the game and force overtime.

When all the smoke cleared, the Arizona State Sun Devils remained lit, while Cardinal had ashes surrounding them at home. ASU by three, 76-73!

The Cardinal had four players in double-digit scoring. Angel and Raynaud both 15, but Maxime added 15 rebounds to his total. Bynum and Carlyle both had 12; however, Jerod gave 6 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds.

Arizona State also had four 10+ point scorers: Gaffney (12), Collins (12), Adam Miller (13) and Kamari Lands (13).

The Cardinal will next be in action New Year’s Eve Sunday, hosting the #4 Arizona Wildcats at 1 PM PDT, while Arizona State will go across the Bay on the same date to play Cal, at 5 PM PDT.

Cal Shellacked by Arizona in first game of conference play 100-81

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Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (2) takes a shot against the Cal Bears Jalen Cone (left) in first half action at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Dec 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

Friday, Dec. 29, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Arizona Wildcats 100 (10-2)

California Golden Bears 81 (4-8)

By Stephen Ruderman

The California Golden Bears were absolutely routed by the Fourth-Ranked Arizona Wildcats, 100-81, in their first game of Pac-12 play this season.

The Bears, who went an abysmal 3-29 last season, were off to a 4-7 start in non-conference play this season. Their first Pac-12 opponent would be one of the best teams in the country, the number-four Arizona Wildcats. To simplify it, it was over from the get-go.

There was no scoring for the first minute of the game, but afterwards, the Wildcats just unloaded, as they jumped out to a 24-5 lead just eight minutes and 12 seconds in, and eventually a 35-10 lead with 8:50 to go. The Wildcats’ defense also shined, as missed shots and a pair of turnovers burned the Bears in the early going.

The Wildcats kept the ramage up throughout the remainder of the first period. The Bears were simply just omermatched, and Arizona ended up going into the half with a 54-26 lead.

However, the Bears did put up a bit of a fight in the second period, as they started things off with a 17-9 run in just the first three minutes and 36 seconds. The Bears then kept a steady pace with the Wildcats the rest of the way.

The Bears outscored Arizona in the second period, 55-46, and for a team rebounding from an abysmal season last year to have a decent second period against a powerhouse like the Wildcats can be considered a small victory.

Jaylon Tyson led the scoring for the Bears with 22 points. Jale Celestine scored 14 points, and Fardaws Aimaq scored 10. However, the team also missed a lot of shots, as Tyson was 8-for-16.

For the Wildcats, Caleb Love scored 22 points; was 7-for-10 in field goals; and a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Motieju Krivas scored 18 points, and Oumar Ballo scored 17, as both were 6-for-7 in field goals.

The Bears will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils at Haas Pavilion on New Years Eve Sunday evening. Tipoff will be at 5 p.m.

Barracuda erase two-goal hole in 3rd period to defeat Condors 5-4 in shootout win

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Bakersfield Condors forward Raphael Lavoie (#50) makes a move away from San Jose Barracuda center Jacob Peterson at Mechanics Bank Arena on Friday DEC 29, 2023. (Bakersfield Condors)

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda scored three goals in the third period to overcome a two-goal deficit and went on to defeat the Bakersfield Condors 5-4 in a shootout victory on Friday evening at the Mechanics Bank Arena.

San Jose has won two of its past three games in its first shootout of the season. Bakersfield had its two-game winning streak snapped but have points in its past five game (3-0-1-1).

Danil Gushchin and Tristen Robins scored in the shootout for the ‘Cuda and goalie Eetu Makiniemi stopped Mayev Petrov’s attempt to clinch the win as San Jose.

The ‘Cuda welcomed back Oscar Lindblom who hadn’t played in an AHL game since November 5th. due to an injury. Also, Jacob Peterson was back in the lineup after missing the past six games with an undisclosed injury.

Bakersfield (11-10-1-2) drew first blood early in the first period on the man advantage. A shot from the point by Alex Peters hit off the stick of Makiniemi then off the post before finding the back of the net for the second goal of the season at the 4:57 mark. Greg McKegg, who received the secondary assist on Peters’ goal, provided a screen on the play.

San Jose (10-13-4-0) even the scored less than two minutes later with an even strength goal. Shakir Mukhamadullin found Leon Gawanke at the left point. The rookie defenseman blasted a slapshot top self to the far corner past Condors’ goalie Olivier Rodrigue for his sixth goal of the season at the 6:50 mark. Cole Cassels received the secondary assist for his team leading 17th of the season.

Bakersfield regained the lead near the halfway mark off the second on a fluky goal. Xavier Bourgault sent from the left boards hit off the skate of Ty Tullio and the puck sneaked underneath the pads of Makiniemi for his third goal of the season at the 8:33 mark.

The Condors took advantage of a double-minor penalty by Gushchin for high sticking. Former Barracuda forward Lane Peterson cleaned up the rebound off a Raphael Lavoie by tucking the puck inside the left post for his sixth goal of the season for a power play goal at the 9:19 mark.

San Jose cut the deficit to a one goal game on a delayed goal early in the third period. Gushchin intercepted a pass off of Xavier Bernard at center ice. Gushchin skated into the Condors zone before ripping a wrist shot top shelf past Rodrigue. However, the officials waved it off initially as play went on for another minute and half. After review, Gushchin was awarded the goal, his co-leading ninth goal of the season officially at the 2:28 mark.

Scott Sabourin scored the equalizer just under three minutes later. Sabourin used his skate to pick the puck away from Pederson just in front of the crease. Sabourin made one move to the right before beating Rodrigue top shelf to the far side for his sixth goal of the season at the 5:03 mark.

As it did earlier in the game, Bakersfield took advantage of the ‘Cuda’s misconduct to regain the lead. Lavoie scored a 5-on-3 power play goal when he lasered in a wrist shot top shelf for the Condors third power play goal of the game at the 9:29 mark. Lavoie’s 10th goal of the season was also his team-leading fifth power play goal.

The Barracuda scored the equalizer with Makiniemi pulled for an extra attacker with 1:24 remaining in the period. Kyle Rau found Cassels with a rink wide pass along the right flank. Cassles buried a wrist shot past Rodrigue to the far side for his third goal of the season.

San Jose had a chance to end the game in overtime when they had a power play when Max Wanner went into the sin bin with 2:32 left in the extra session. However, the ‘Cuda didn’t register a shot on the power play as the game went to the shootout.

Makiniemi (4-3-0-1) stopped 33 of the 37 shots he faced and two of the three shots in the shootout to earn his fourth victory. Rodrigue (5-2-2-1) made 24 saves on 28 shots and was 1-2 in the shootout in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-4 on the power play. Bakersfield went 3-for-7.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Cassels 2) Gawanke 3) Peters.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Bakersfield conclude their home and home series on Saturday 12/30 at 6:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Oakland A’s relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: No renderings ready yet; Construction details still being worked out ; Vegas residents face taxes going up with A’s stadium

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The implosion of the two towers are in the making at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to make room for an Las Vegas A’s ballpark at the corner of Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd. Construction is set for Apr 2025. The A’s, Bally’s, and the Tropicana will be working with the City and State on getting the construction details worked out. (AP News photo)

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 The Tropicana Hotel and Casino the future site of the Las Vegas A’s have reached a five year deal with the Culinary Union 226 which covers 300 employees. The deal may not reach the full five years. The Culinary union is one of the strongest unions in Las Vegas if not the strongest. It was one of the unions who stood behind the State Legislative drive to publicly fund the A’s new ball park.

#2 The A’s are scheduled to break ground April 2025, the construction plans are still being drawn up and insiders say renderings are either partially ready but not completed to present to the public yet. Vegas residents have expressed concerns about more taxes as a result of the A’s new park. Some are not excited about the A’s coming to Sin City.

#3 As of Dec 28 the A’s nor the Tropicana have provided renderings of the ballpark and how A’s owner John Fisher is suppose to pay his share of the $1.1 billion for the ballpark in Vegas and Fisher and the A’s have been pretty hush hush on both issues.

#4 The new contract with the Culinary union allows the union to organize hiring employees to work at the new Tropicana ball park. The workers will be food service, cashiers, cooks, restaurant service, just to name a few positions.

#5 The A’s were going to unveil their renderings at the beginning of this month but that was postponed because of two Nevada State Highway Patrol officers were killed and out of respect for the families the unveiling was postponed.

#6 The A’s, MLB, the Tropicana are also waiting for approval from Federal Aviation Administration, development plans, finalization of bonding, a lease agreement, construction timelines, which should take most of the 2024 calendar to finalize these issues.

#7 Schools over Stadiums and Oakland A’s fans have announced they will host a Fan Fest. Joining the Fan Fest are the Oakland 68s, Oakland Ballers, Oakland Roots, Oakland Soul, Oaklandish, and the Last Dive Bar. Most likely this will be a FanFest to push raising monies for legal funds and a campaign money for the Schools over Stadiums drive to put an initiative on the ballot to stop the use of public funds for the Las Vegas ballpark and put the funds for use for schools for the Nov 2024 election in Nevada. The FanFest is scheduled for Sat Feb 24th at Jack London Square in Oakland.

Join Daniel on the Oakland A’s Relocation podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

After Trailing Most of the Game Kings Pull Out Win Over Hawks 117-110

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The Sacramento Kings (forward) Domantas Sabonis (10) drives on the Atlanta Hawks forward Omekya Okungwu (17) in the first half at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Fri Dec 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (18-12) trailed for most of their game against the Atlanta Hawks (12-19) and did not take the lead until the final 3:27 of the game. They trailed big in the first half, by as much as 20 points. Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter had very quiet games but Murray hit a huge shot in the closing minutes of the game. Trey Lyles and Malik Monk had an exceptional game off the bench in the win 117-110. 

Friday night the Kings traveled to Atlanta to take on the Hawks at State Farm Arena. They came into this game after a lackluster performance against the Portland Trail Blazers losing 130-113 Tuesday night. 

Prior to that they lost one to the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-98. The Kings did beat the Suns pretty convincingly 120-105 last Friday night. They have had some significant losses this time they bounced back Friday night so after two losses in a row and turned things around with the win over the Hawks. The Hawks lost Tuesday night to the Chicago Bulls 118-113 and once again couldn’t pick up the win Friday against the Kings.

Game recap: The Kings had a terrible start dropping the first quarter 36-23. The Hawks had outshot them from the field by a landslide. They did not hit a single three in the opening quarter. 

They only had two turnovers in the first quarter, they just could not hit a basket to save their lives. They had a more successful second quarter in fact, at 6:28 in the second they had pulled to within five points 48-43 after trailing by as much as 20 points in the first quarter. They let it all slide away losing the second quarter 35-30 and trailing at the half 71-53. 

Sacramento pulled to within seven points with six minutes left in the third quarter but again let it start to slip away.   After trailing by ten points, the Kings made a run pulling to within five points 91-86 as the third quarter came to an end. 

They won the third quarter 33-20 and this game hung on the fourth quarter. Sacramento had taken over the pace of the game but desperately needed Murray who had played 29 minutes and come away with only seven points. Barnes played minimal minutes with minimal success.

The Hawks extended their lead in the fourth quarter and the Kings couldn’t put a stop to their offense. The Kings had outshot them from the field, but the Hawks topped them from downtown and had 43 rebounds to Sacramento’s 31. 

With less than six minutes left in the game the Kings took their first lead 106-105. With 4:20 left in the game it was all tied up at 110 in a real nail-biter. Murray did not have a great night of shooting but he made a critical shot when it counted most with 49.1 left on the clock . The final was 117-110 in favor of the Kings.

On New Year’s Eve, the Kings will travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies at FedExForum. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 PM.  

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings looking to rebound off their two game loss streak face Hawks tonight

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The Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) tries to get in range to take a shot against the Portland Trail Blazers center Moses Brown (10) at the Moda Center in Portland on Tue Dec 26, 2023 (AP News)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings are coming off a two game loss streak after taking a convincingly 130-113 loss on Tuesday to the Portland Trail Blazers.

#2 The Trail Blazers Anfernee Simons led with 29 points, the Kings just were having troubles trying to defend Simons and he had his way with both his inside and outside game.

#3 Duop Reath followed up Simons in scoring with a career 25 points and nine rebounds, doing it off the bench for the Trail Blazers.

#4 Try as hard as they can the Kings De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 43 points and Domantas Sabonis followed up with 34 points but it wasn’t enough as the Kings lost by 17 points at the Moda Center in Portland.

#5 The Atlanta Hawks will host the Kings tonight at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The Hawks have had their share of struggles losing three in a row and seven of their last ten games. This maybe the Kings best chance to get back in the win column.

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