Author: Sports Radio Service

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Pierce brings positive vibe; Players happy about new changes

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Interim head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders Antonio Pierce has a discussion with an on field official during their contest with the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 Tony, interim head coach Antonio Pierce brought a new prospective and attitude to the Raiders dressing room and the players responded Sunday with a pretty big win over the New York Giants?

#2 Tony, after two long weeks the Las Vegas Raiders (4-5) are back in the win column ending their two game losing streak with a victory over the New York Giants (2-7) at Allegiant Stadium.

#3 The Raiders got some great work from rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell under center going 16-24 for 209 yards.

#4 The Raiders also got some crucial rushing from running back Josh Jacobs who carried 92 yards, 23 times and with two touchdowns.

#5 The Raiders dominated the Giants on defense only allowing New York to get on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. The Giants had been shutout for three quarters.

#6 The New York Jets (4-4) come calling to Vegas next Sun Nov 12th at Allegiant Stadium. The Jets defeated the Giants in their last game on Sun Oct 29 in a narrow field goal difference 13-10. The Jets lost to the Los Angeles Chargers (4-4) on Monday Night Football 27-6 and turn around and head to Allegiant Stadium next Sunday for a short six day week.

Tony Renteria does the Las Vegas Raiders podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal were Bullish Against Visiting Matadors, Pushing through their Cloak and Sword, 88-79

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The Stanford Cardinal guard Jared Bynum (1) and forward Maxime Raynaud (42) both finished in double digits against Cal State Northridge at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (@StanfordMBB photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) Red Attack could not be avoided by the California State University – Northridge Matadors (0-1, 0-0 Big West), as they won a back and forth contest, 88-79.

Stanford got out to an early lead the first couple minutes of the game, but that was short-lived.  CSUN was in front through the bulk of the first half. 

Both teams had eight point leads, while the Matadors managed a 9-0 run and the Cardinal topped that with a 10-0 one of their own.  Although CSUN had the lead three times as long as Stanford, they managed to regain the lead before the end of the first 30 minutes of play.

Stanford senior Brandon Angel and junior Maxime Raynaud both were perfect from the field (4-4) in the first half, scoring 11 and 8 points respectively.  Newcomer and senior guard Jared Bynum also chipped in for his squad, tallying 7 points and 3 assists.

At recess, the home team had a five-point advantage, 43-38.  Stanford had to fight back and overcome the 3:1 ratio of not being the frontrunner, but they managed to take a slightly comfortable lead into the locker room.

Nearly three minutes into the second half, Stanford increased their lead to nine, and was looking to blow the game open.  However, the Matadors still had something under their muleta or cape.

CSUN fought back valiantly twice.  The first occasion they took a 63-62 lead near the midway point (9:43) of the second half.  Approximately four and a half minutes later they climbed the tree again to take a 2-point lead (73-71).

Now with about five minutes left in regulation, the Cardinal had to duplicate their late comeback in the first half leading at the whistle.  Stanford also performed a 13-0 run during the second stanza.

Senior Michael Jones was able to make that process come to fruition a little sooner (2:20) as his deep jumper put them up for good (80-79) and eventually added eight more to win by nine.  After 40 minutes of play, Stanford was the victor on the Farm. 88-79.

The Cardinal had ample contribution from the team.  Raynaud led the way with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks.  The aforementioned Jones had 20 points and Angel blessed the team with 18 points and 7 rebounds.  The new guy Jared Bynum gave 13 points and dropped 7 assists, with 0 turnovers in his Cardinal debut.

Graduate senior De’Sean Allen-Eikens led the Matadors with 22 points and 8 rebounds.

The Cardinal are next in action back at Maples Friday, November 10 (6 pm PDT) hosting Sacramento State.  The Matadors travel to Moscow, Idaho Thursday November 9 (6 pm MST) to take on the Idaho Vandals.

Warriors Back on the Winning Track Beating Pistons 120-109

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Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser (25) tries to get a pass past Golden State guard Gary Payton (0) in first half action at Little Caesars Pizza Arena in Detroit on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (6-2) got back on track beating the Detroit Pistons (2-6) 120-109 after dropping a game to the Cavaliers Sunday night,. This was a nice warm-up for their upcoming meeting with the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets in their biggest challenge so far this season.

The Warriors took on the Pistons Monday night. The Warriors had to do some more productive work in the paint in this game after falling short in Sunday’s game and a little more success at the line would also be a plus.

Game recap: The Warriors jumped on it to start the first quarter taking a 31-26 lead after the first 12 minutes. They kept the pressure on in the second quarter winning it 25-22 and taking a 56-48 lead into the locker room.

The Pistons refused to go away as the third quarter got underway and they won the quarter 34-27 although the Warriors still had the lead, albeit a minuscule one 83-82 as the quarter came to an end. In the early minutes of the fourth quarter the Pistons took the lead 95-90.

With just under eight minutes left in the game the Warriors took back the lead and although the Pistons pulled close numerous times, they were unable to take the lead again in this game.

Curry finished with the high of 34 points. He scored 16 points in the first 7 1/2 minutes of play and finished at the half with 20 points. There is still some concern regarding the play of Andrew Wiggins who did not score a single point in the first half.

He is without doubt involved in the game but his shots are just not falling. He finished the game with an anemic four points. Moses Moody as well had a quiet night off the bench with only four points.

The Warriors, unlike their last game Sunday, dominated the offensive glass. Golden State had 17 rebounds while the Piston only had seven. Klay Thompson and Chris Paul each had 17 points. The outstanding ball protection that Paul brings had been a real plus for this team. This guy makes a huge difference in games without even scoring points so when he hits shots it’s a real bonus.

Wednesday night, the Warriors will travel to Denver taking on the Nuggets in what may be their most challenging game so far this season. Denver is 6-1 and the Warriors will have to contend with Nikola Jokic which will be no easy feat. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Bears barely edge out Tommies in Season Opener 71-66 at Haas Pavilion

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Haas Pavilion home of the Cal Bears who hosted the St Thomas Tommies on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (photo by Stephen Ruderman)

Monday, Nov. 6, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

St. Thomas Tommies 66 (0-1)

California Golden Bears 71 (1–0)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–The California Golden Bears beat the St. Thomas Tommies, in a 71-66 in a nail-biting season opener at Haas Pavilion.

Following a brutal 3-29 2022-2024 Campaign, Cal Basketball got their 2023-2024 Season started with new head coach, Mark Madsen at the helm, as they welcomed in the Tommies for the opener.

This was also the debut game for Freshman Vladimir Pavlovic, who has come with a lot of excitement. Pavlovic, a native of Serbia, played for the 18U Serbian National Team, before playing for Hoosac School in Hoosick New York last year.

“Vladimir’s talent, character and basketball IQ make him a great addition to our roster,” Madsen said over the summer, when Pavlovic committed to play for Cal.

The Bears started the game by committing a backcourt violation, and it was just the first of many turnovers Cal gave away. Meanwhile, the Tommies opened with a pair of three-balls. It seemed they shot a third one at the buzzer to open a 9-3 lead, but the call was overturned upon review, as the ball was fired after the buzzer.

St. Thomas’ lead was back down to 6-3, and a pair of threes gave Cal their first lead of the night at 10-8 with over 14 minutes to go in the first period.

Both teams traded threes early on, as Cal led 17-13 with 10:34 remaining in the first period. The two teams were pretty back and forward throughout the first period, as neither team got off to greater than a five-point lead.

Eventually it was a 29-29 game with 2:30 left, as the Bears had a hard time shaking the Tommies off, and Cal led 35-34 at the half.

The second period opened with the teams trading threes, and the Bears giving more turnovers to the Tommies, as well as some fouls mixed in. Cal missed several opportunities, and the Tommies.

Cal led 51-50 half way through the second, as both teams missed several opportunities to pull away.

Pavlovic missed a crucial three with Cal trailing 58-56 with less than seven minutes left in the second, and the Tommies were immediately gifted two points after Cal center, Fardaws Aimag, was called for goaltending.

The Tommies led 62-61 with 3:40 remaining, as the game came down to the wire. It was 64-64 with 1:30 left when Devin Askew was on the receiving end of an offensive foul by the Tommies, which gave Cal the ball.

Another foul sent Jalen Calestine to the line for Cal, but he missed his only free-throw, giving the Tommies the ball with 1:15 left.

Askew laid one in to give Cal a 66-64 lead with less than a minute remaining, and the Tommies were unable to respond, as a foul sent Jalen Cone to the line, and he nailed both shots to expand Cal’s lead to 68-64.

After a lengthy final minute in which the Tommies tried every trick they had, the Bears held on to win 71-66.

Cal has won their season opener for the first time in four years, as they are 1-0, and they will welcome the University of Pacific Tigers for an 8:00 tipoff Friday night.

Kings Continue Slump Demolished By Rockets 122-97; Houston sweeps two game series

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Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (center) struggles with the basketball with the Sacramento Kings forwards Harrison Barnes (40) Keegan Murray (right) at the Toyota Center on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

There are no words in Webster’s dictionary to describe how terrible this game went for the Sacramento Kings (2-4). It would seem that they are completely helpless without superstar De’Aaron Fox who remains out with the ankle injury.

It would also appear that there are no players that can step up in his absence. That does not bode well for this team. As this game reached the seven minute mark in the fourth quarter it could not have ended quickly enough for these guys. The final score was 122-97 Houston Rockets (3-3) at the Toyota Center in Houston in game 2 of the series.

Monday night the Kings continued to play without superstar De’Aaron Fox taking on the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. He was ruled out hours before tipoff missing his third game in a row. The Kings are missing everything that he brings to the court and are struggling.

The Kings lost to the Rockets on Saturday night, an 18 point loss 107-89, a very embarrassing loss. A big part of the Kings future was thought to be Keegan Murray but he has not shown up so far.

Murray finished the Saturday night game with the Rockets shooting for seven points and going 3-12. His shot is not falling and he is not delivering at all and needs to have more of an impact. Another player not carrying his load is the newly signed Sasha Vezenkov.

The excitement surrounding Vezenkov’s signing has now fallen flat when he scored nada in their last game. While Domantas Sabonis was not awful he was not at his usual best which is roughly 18 points per game.

With Fox still remaining out of action this team has to step up and Sabonis is a huge part of this. Their defense has been stale and they need to add another star to their core. As we have seen early in this season injury can play havoc with a team.

The Kings need Fox who is the heart of their offense. It is early in the season and not the worst time for a team to suffer injury, but that being said, Sacramento does not want to lose a third game in a row.

The opening quarter of Monday night’s game went very poorly for the Kings. They lost the first quarter 32-22. It really went sideways in the second quarter with the Rockets topping the Kings 35-20 taking a 67-42 lead into the locker room at the half. The first half of this game was a disaster for Sacramento but unfortunately the worst was still to come.

After three quarters the writing was pretty much on the wall. It was a horrific showing by the Kings. It could not have been any worse with some lackluster shooting and terrible defense allowing the Rockets to walk all over them.

The starters were MIA for the first three quarters. Harrison Barnes had three points after three quarters, Davion Mitchell had five, Domantas Sabonis with eight points. It was a nightmare. Even the energetic Malik Monk off the bench only managed five points. After three quarters Houston had a 95-60 lead in a monster embarrassment. It was like taking candy from a baby for Houston in this lopsided game.

The fourth quarter was more of the same and early in the final quarter the Rockets had taken a forty point lead 107-67. If you think that Saturday night’s loss was an embarrassment think again. The Kings did win the fourth quarter but this game was a done deal at half time. The Kings came around in the fourth quarter winning the quarter 37-25. The final was 122-97.

Wednesday night the Kings will take on the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center. Hopefully the crowd can get this team energized and an even more importantly get Fox back on the court.

The Kings, of course, does not want to put Fox back on the court until he is completely ready. They cannot afford to risk further injury to Fox’s ankle. This team is going through some discouraging times and they need to pull it all together and come out the other side. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: At long last Barracuda losing streak ends at six games

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The San Jose Barracuda goaltender Gregori Romanov (31) gets in front of a Calgary Wranglers center Cole Schwindt (10) at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (photo from San Jose Barracuda)

On SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 It was a game of firsts as the San Jose Barracuda defeated the Calgary 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

#2 San Jose snapped its six-game losing streak while earning its first road win of the season. Calgary suffered its first regulation loss of the season and first loss at home.

#3 Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf, who was 12-0 against the Barracuda in his career, had his first defeat against the Sharks organization as he also had a win against the Sharks last season when he was on the Calgary Flames.

#4 Barracuda goalie Gregori Romanov (2-0-2) finished with 34 saves on 35 shots to earn his second victory of the season. Wolf (5-1-0) made 14 saves on 17 shots in suffering his first lost of the season.

#5 San Jose returns home to host the Charlotte Checkers for a two-game series on Friday 11/10 at Tech CU Arena.

Join Marko for the Barracuda podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Fresh new start with head coach Mark Madsen

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Cal Bears head coach Mark Madsen, guard Keonte Kennedy, and forward Grant Newell address the press at media day on Oct 11, 2023 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stephen, It’s the first game back for the Cal Bears with a new head coach Mark Madsen. Madsen led Utah Valley last season to the Semi Finals for the 2023 NIT.

#2 Madsen was named the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and led the Wolverines to a pair of conference titles during his four seasons at the helm.

#3 Madsen has been well-recognized for his efforts during the 2022-23 campaign as he was named District Coach of the Year by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

#4  Mark is a person of high character, high energy, high intensity, and he’s done it the right way. He’s intense. He’s passionate. He loves his student-athletes, and he loves competing. 

#5 Coach Madsen wanted to see what his players will do in this first game against St. Thomas tonight at Haas Pavilion. Madsen said when he was first brought on by Cal “I am extremely grateful to Chancellor Carol Christ and Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton for their belief in me, and for the tremendous opportunity to lead Cal’s men’s basketball team back to its winning tradition.”

Join Stephen Ruderman for Cal Basketball commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden Gate Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: After 12 years of waiting the Cavaliers finally beat Warriors

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donavon Mitchell (45) takes a jump shot over Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul at Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The Cleveland Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell led with 31 points as the Cavaliers handed the Golden State Warriors their first road loss 115-104.

#2 The Cavaliers snapped a 16 game losing streak against the Warriors. In your view who was more surprised by the Cavs win over the Warriors the Cavs or the Warriors.

#3 Darius Garlund added 24 points with seven assists for the Cavaliers, Evan Mobley had 13 points and 16 rebounds and Max Strus scored 15 points.

#4 The last time the Cavaliers beat the Warriors was back on Christmas day Dec 25, 2016 which was 12 years ago.

#5 Warriors take on the Detroit Pistons tonight at Little Caesars in Detroit. The Pistons bring a three game losing streak into tonight’s game. How do you see this match up tonight.

Join Barbara for the Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Lose First Road Game to Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garlund (10) drives against Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) at Rocket Mortgage Arena Cleveland on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-4) were too much to handle for Golden State (5-2). The Warriors shot just over 35% for much of the game falling by the score of 115-104.

Sunday the Warriors took on the Cavaliers in Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse looking to keep their road record unblemished. Their only loss was their season opener losing to the Phoenix Suns 108-104.

The Warriors did win the opening quarter by a single point 30-29. The Cavaliers were already presenting problems. Cleveland took over the second quarter winning it 28-15 and taking a 57-45 lead into the locker room at halftime. Golden State had offensive problems in the second quarter missing a lot of shots and only shooting at 32% to Cleveland’s 48%.

The Warriors turned it around a bit in the third quarter but continued to shoot around 31% and trail 79-73 with under three minutes left in the quarter. They had cut the Cleveland lead and despite shooting poorly were still hanging around in this game.

The fourth quarter was almost upon the teams and when it comes to fourth quarters and the Golden State Warriors all bets are off. They exceled in finishing off opponents in the fourth quarter despite the score they are facing.

After three quarters the Cavaliers led 86-77 show-casing some effective defense as well as offense. The Warriors won the third quarter 32-29 but had not yet made up the disparity in the second quarter.

The all-important fourth quarter got underway. Warrior guard Stephen Curry was having a great game through three quarters going 7 of 11 from downtown and already shooting for 26 points. Klay Thompson had 15 points and Draymond Green with 12.

The bench was quiet with not a double digit in sight. The Warriors would have to pick it up in the fourth quarter because the Cavaliers were not backing down and it would be up to the Golden State offense.

The Warriors came out with a lot of energy to start the fourth quarter cutting the Cleveland lead to six points. Golden State was struggling from the line going 16 of 25 free throws which was making the difference in this game right now but there was a lot of time left in this one.

The Warriors were having trouble containing Donovan Mitchell who already had 27 points. Every time the Warriors threatened the Cavaliers pushed right back. With Curry, Green, Thompson, Chris Paul and Jonathan Kuminga on the floor, the Warriors would mount their final push-back with under seven minutes left in the game.

They had pulled to within five points but Cleveland always seemed to have the answer. The Warriors would dearly love to have had some of those missed free throws. With five minutes left on the clock the Cavaliers had taken a 104-92 lead and Head Coach Steve Kerr called a time-out.

There was still plenty of time left in the game but they had to slow Cleveland down in some way as well as pick up some of those clutch shots that they are known for. Some untimely turnovers were making things rough for the Warriors. The offense and defense of the Cavaliers was just too much for the Warriors to overcome and the Warriors had lost their first road game of the season 115-104.

The Warriors will have back to back road games Monday taking on the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Las Vegas Raiders, Despite Upheaval, Decimate New York Giants 30-6

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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce watches the first half action against the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Despite everything that the Las Vegas Raiders (4-5) have gone through this past week, they came together as a team in a huge way beating the New York Giants (2-7) 30-6. A lot of credit has to go to interim head coach Antonio Pierce (former linebacker coach with the team) who stepped into a most difficult situation.

Sunday afternoon the Raiders took on the struggling Giants. The unfortunate truth is that both of these teams are struggling. The Raiders are reeling from the firings of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. There has been dissension from not only coaches but players as well. An open floor meeting with players apparently did not go well at all. It got ugly from all sides players to coaches.

McDaniels tenure resulted in an anemic 9-16 record in less than two seasons and his exit was not unexpected considering how disgruntled many players and coaches had been for some time. How they came around in today’s game will spoke volumes as to how committed these players are to each other and it showed in the run game and improved offense and defense.

Game recap: The first quarter saw the return of Giant’s quarterback Daniel Jones after missing three weeks with a neck injury. New York desperately needs a win Sunday if they want to even figure in a possible wild card. The Raiders started rookie Aidan O’Connell at quarterback benching Jimmy Garoppolo. Two teams in total disarray. The first half was a nightmare for Jones who was injured and Tommy DeVito took over under center.

How would these two quarterbacks fare in this game? The answer came in the first half. DeVito threw two interceptions while O’Connell had a great first half. He finished the first two quarters going 9 of 10 with 135 passing yards.

The Raiders took an early lead in the first quarter 7-0. Jakobi Meyers rushed for 17 yards and the first Las Vegas touchdown at 9:45. Going into the second quarter the Raiders really amped things up. The quarter belonged to Raider running back Josh Jacobs who lit up the Las Vegas offense.

He rushed for two yards and a second Raider touchdown at 5:06. Jacobs struck again at 1:55 giving the Raiders a 21-0 lead. Las Vegas kicker Daniel Carlson had successfully kicked three extra points and at 0.04 kicked a 24 yard field goal giving Las Vegas a 24-0 lead going into the locker room. This team had pulled together in an extraordinary and quite unexpected way.

While O’Connell had not thrown any touchdowns, he did set his team up successfully driving deep into Giant’s territory throughout the first half. He continued connecting in the third quarter and mid-way through the quarter had already surpassed over 200 yards. The Raiders extended their lead at 8:23 with a successful Carlson kick for 46 yards and a 27-0 lead. Las Vegas would take that lead into the fourth quarter.

The Giants finally broke through in the fourth quarter scoring their first touchdown of the day. DeVito connected with Wan’Dale Robinson for nine yards and the score. New York attempted a two-point conversion which failed and the Giants came away with the six points trailing 27-6. Mid-way through the quarter Carlson kicked a 41 yards field goal extending the Las Vegas lead 30-6.

The Giants got a nice drive going with 8:24 left on the clock going 48 yards in five plays going into Raider territory threatening on the Las Vegas 34 yard line. The New York drive stalled and they turned the ball back over to Las Vegas.

At the two-minute warning the Raiders were looking for more driving down to the New York 35 yard line. This game finished quietly as the Raiders put out a great offensive and defensive effort pushing their season record to 4-5 with the 30-6 final.

The Raiders receiving core had a great game with seven players catching passes for 8.5 yards or better with Tre Tucker finishing with 52 yards on two receptions. Rushing honors went to Jacobs who had 98 yards for the game and two touchdowns.

In Week 10 the Las Vegas Raiders will take on the New York Jets at Allegiant Stadium in another home game for the team. The Jets have yet to play their Week 9 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers looking for their fourth straight win. That game will be aired on Monday Night Football. The Raiders vs Jets game in Week 10 will be played on Sunday Night Football with kickoff scheduled for 5:20 PM on NBC.