Author: Sports Radio Service

Kings Extend Winning Streak Beating OKC 118-113

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Sacramento Kings forward Chimezie Metu, left, and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort collide under the basket during the first half at Golden 1 in Sacramento on Fri Jan 20, 2023 (AP News photo)

Kings Extend Winning Streak Beating OKC 118-113

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Sacramento Kings (26-18) took on the OKC Thunder (22-24) at Golden 1 Center. The Thunder have been rolling winning their last four games most recently against the Pacers 126-106. The Kings are coming off a win over the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night 116- 111. The Kings picked up their sixth straight win against the Thunder 118-113.

The Kings got a slow start in the first quarter unable to score in the first three minutes. The Thunder had led by as much as nine points in the opening quarter but the Kings fought back and won the first 12 minutes by the slimmest of margins 33-32.

The Thunder finished the first half leading 66-59 after winning the second quarter 34-26. Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter and De’Aaron Fox all had double digits with Fox leading the starters with 13 points. Harrison Barnes had a slow start with only two points and would need to heat up in the second half.

The Kings only had seven turnovers and were shooting at 50% from the field and 54% from downtown. The Thunder were struggling from beyond the arc shooting 21% and the Kings needed to force OKC to shoot long balls.

The Kings came out in the third quarter erasing the deficit to tie up the game at 76 with 5:05 left and led after three quarters 91-88.

Sacramento continued to maintain a minimal lead through the first half of the fourth quarter. With 2:37 left in the game the Kings extended their lead and the entire starting roster had shot in double digits. They had a ten point lead 112-102 with two minutes left in the game. Sacramento held on to finish the game winning it.

Murray finished with the high score 29 points followed by team leader Fox with 23 points. Sacramento had a great defensive effort: Murray had 14 rebounds and Sabonis finished with 13. After the slow start in this game, the Kings kept the pressure on for the remainder of the game.

Sacramento (26-18) will host the Philadelphia 76ers (29-16) on Saturday night in another home game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Warriors Pull Off Upset Over Cleveland 120-114

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Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Fri Jan 20, 2023 (AP News photo)

Warriors Pull Off Upset Over Cleveland 120-114

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Golden State Warriors (23-23) took on the Cleveland Cavaliers (28-19) in the last game of this current road trip. The Warriors were short- handed resting the majority of their starting roster. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins did not take the court tonight. The Cavaliers were a challenge and under the best of circumstances this game was a tough one for the Warriors but they pulled it off with a 120-114 win over the Cavs.

Game recap: Golden State got off to a great start winning the opening quarter 33-28 and leading at the half 64-59 after a 31-31 tie in the second quarter.

This game got very interesting in the third quarter when the Warriors outscored Cleveland 34-27 leading 98-86. A win against the Cavaliers would be a shocker of an upset. The Warriors had hurt themselves with 11 turnovers in the second half, but Golden State had six players in double digits and the Warriors were trying to finish this road trip on a winning note against a very tough Eastern Conference squad.

The Warriors had under four minutes in the fourth quarter to hang onto a 114-106 lead. Cleveland had trailed by twenty points in the second half but was making a run in the closing minutes. The Cavs are an incredible fourth quarter team and this quarter was littered with empty possession after empty possession for Golden State.

They desperately needed some offense in the final two minutes of this game. Ty Jerome found that offense to give the Warriors a 117-110 lead. With 14.6 left on the clock the Warriors picked up a six point win and the Warrior bench had pulled off the best road game of the season in an unlikely upset. The Warriors defense really stepped up and Golden State had their first winning road trip of the season.

Jordan Poole was the high for this game with 32 points and without him this win would not have happened. Ty Jerome had 22 points, Donte DiVincenzo had 17 and Kevon Looney had 17 rebounds in the game. The bench had some great play from Jamychal Green with 13 points and Anthony Lamb with 12.

The Warriors had some beautiful ball movement throughout the game and shots from downtown were on task shooting for 53.5% with 23 shots made from beyond the arc.

The Warriors will enjoy the flight home after this amazing win. They will take on the Brooklyn Nets at Chase on Sunday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Cardinal dropping to No.4 is not that big of deal after being No.2

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Stanford guard Talana Lepolo, right, drives toward the basket as Southern California guard Kayla Williams defends during the first half at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Sun Jan 15, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Cardinal podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel in the loss to the USC Trojans (13-4) 55-46 last Sunday in the Southland it was the Stanford Cardinal (17-2) first loss after wining 12 straight games their last loss coming in overtime to South Carolina back on Nov 20th at Maples Pavilion.

#2 The loss drops Stanford who had been in the No.2 seeded spot for weeks to No.4 the consequence of that loss was that USC was an unranked school coming into that game.

#3 Daniel, defense on behalf of the Trojans in the first quarter of last Sunday’s game made all the difference and the Trojans had a game plan on double teaming and shutting down the Cardinal’s Cameron Brink who did lead Stanford in scoring with 11 points. The Cardinal would only get 4 points in the first quarter.

#4 Daniel, was the loss to USC just taking the Trojans for granted after the Cardinal had that huge win to UCLA on the Friday before or the Trojans just had a game plan and executed.

#5 You can best bet that the Cardinal will review what went wrong against USC regroup and be prepared for their next opponent at Maples Pavilion tonight the No.8 ranked Utah Utes (15-1). The Utes last Friday were supposed to host the ASU Sun Devils but that game was forfeited due to medical issues with the Sun Devils and they couldn’t travel. The Utes in their next game took on Arizona Wildcats and defeated them 80-79 last Sunday. Daniel how do you see this match up for tonight between the Utes and Cardinal?

Join Daniel Dullum for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Stanford Breaks Oregon State’s Teeth and Capture First Pac-12 Victory, 67-46

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Oregon State forward Glenn Taylor Jr., right, drives to the basket while defended by Stanford guard Michael Jones during the first half at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto on Thu Jan 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (6-12, 1-7 Pac-12) made it impossible for the Oregon State Beavers (7-12, 1-7 Pac-12) to chew through their bark and finally obtain a conference win, 67-46.

The Cardinal never trailed the initial 20 minutes of the game. At one point they went on a 9-0 run and led by as much as 17 points, then kept a nine-point advantage at intermission, 31-22.

Stanford senior forward Spencer Jones led all players in scoring at the midway juncture (13) while converting three 3’s.

The second half started off with the industrious rodents biting into the lead, reducing the deficit to one point at the 17:33 mark of the second stanza. Oregon State accomplished this feat by garnering a 16-0 run encompassing the end of the first half and beginning of the second half.

The Cardinal staved off the Beavers attack and pushed the lead up to as high as 24 points on a 17-0 run themselves. They were never threatened again in the contest.

The Jones “Brothers,” Spencer and Michael both led the way for the Cardinal with 18 points apiece and four bombs from beyond the arc, respectively. Sophomore forward Maxime Raynaud gave his squad 12 points and six rebounds, while fellow second year underclassman Harrison Ingram tallied eight points, eight rebounds and six assists for the cause,

Sophomore forward Glenn Taylor Jr. led OSU with 11 points, as their only player in double-figure scoring.

Stanford will host the Oregon Ducks Saturday, January 21, and Oregon State crosses the Bay (Berkeley) to challenge the California Golden Bears Sunday, January 22.

Warriors Fall In Overtime To Celtics 121-118

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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) looks for an opening around Golden State Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo, left, in the first half at TD Garden in Boston on Thu Jan 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

Warriors Fall In Overtime To Celtics 121-118

By Barbara Mason

Fresh off a win over the Washington Wizards on Monday nighT. This would be a battle of the Titans. Boston features Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown facing off against the “Splash Brothers” Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The Celtics also have numerous weapons with Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Robert Williams III. The Warriors just couldn’t overcome the Celtics at the Garden taking a 121-118 overtime loss

The first quarter was close from just about start to finish. The Celtics did have a five point lead at one point in the quarter but when the buzzer ran out on the opening quarter it was Golden State that held the lead 26-25.

The second quarter was more of the same. This was a very close game through two quarters and again Golden State led after two by a single point 55-54. Thompson had a great half with 20 points. With 1.1 left on the clock Curry drained a 46-foot three point jumper.

The Warriors picked up where they left off in the first half and with 7:28 left in the third quarter had a 73-64 lead. Golden State had also protected the ball well so far in this game with only nine turnovers. Draymond Green had ten rebounds and Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole were all in double digits mid-way through the quarter.

The Warriors maintained the lead through the third quarter winning it 34-28 and leading after three 89-82. Curry, Thompson, and Poole had 22 points apiece through three quarters. Kevon Looney and Green had 11 rebounds apiece in a well-balanced game. The challenge now would be to hold off the Celtics in the fourth quarter no easy task.

The Warriors offense began to stumble in the later minutes of the final quarter with too many empty possessions. With 2:19 left in the game the Warriors were clinging to a 102-98 lead. With 18 seconds left on the clock a Curry shot for the win fell short. The Celtics had 0.5 seconds to break the 106 tie and win this game. Boston could not hit the final shot of regulation and this game would go into overtime.

The Celtics got on the board quickly in overtime with two baskets and taking a 110-106 lead. The lead would see-saw in this high caliber game. Boston had struggled for most of the night from downtown but that was not the case in overtime. They started hitting three’s and led 118-113 with 1:02 left. The poor Warrior offense in the final minutes of the fourth quarter as well as the overtime was the straw that broke the camel’s back,

The Warriors are now five and 18 on the road losing a close one. Curry finished with the high 29 points, Thompson (who fouled out in overtime) and Poole both had 24 points.Green had 13 rebounds and Looney had 12.

Golden State will barely have a chance to catch their breath before they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings host Thunder Friday night at Golden 1; Sac coming off win in LA

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Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes (22) dunks against Los Angeles Lakers center Thomas Bryant (31) and LeBron James (6) left during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, the Sacramento Kings (25-18) got a big road win over the Los Angeles Lakers (20-25) on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles 116-111 and they pulled it off without Domantas Sabonis in the line up.

#2 Kings head coach Mike Brown had been talking about the Kings depth and drive all season long and they really showed it keeping the Lakers contained towards the final minutes of Wednesday’s contest to come away with a five point win.

#3 Brown commented that the Kings have guys to step up if someone like Sabonis is out of the line up and DeAaron Fox was that guy leading with 32 points.

#4 LeBron scored 32 points but the Kings held off much of the Lakers offense and the Kings had five starters finish the game in double figures. The Kings Richaun Harris scored 16 points subbing for Sabonis and that made a difference for Sacramento.

#5 The Kings return to Sacramento take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (22-23) Friday night. The Thunder are coming off a 126-106 win over the Indiana Pacers (23-23) in OKC. The Thunder take a four game win steak into Sacramento. Jeremiah let me know your thoughts on how you see this contest.

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

Tigres del Licey win the Dominican title for 23rd time

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Tigres Del Licey shows good form in squaring around to bunt as the Tigres pick up their 23rd title in the Dominican title (photo from Amaury Pi Gonzalez)

Tigres del Licey win the Dominican title for 23rd time

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

The Dominican Republic will have its 2023 team in the Caribbean World Series 2023. They are Los Tigres del Licey who beat the Estrellas Orientales 2-1 with a decisive hit in the seventh inning by Mel Rojas Jr. This is the 23rd title for the Licey club in the history of LIDOM (Liga Dominicana), they are like the NY Yankees of the Dominican Republic, nobody has won more titles.

This was the first title for the Tigers since the 2016-17 season when they beat the Aguilas Cibaeñas under Manny Acta in a nine-game series. Designated Hitter Jorge Alfaro was named MVP, with 18 votes over 15 votes that Mel Rojas Jr received. The Tigres del Licey dominated during the whole season and ended with a record of 34 wins.

The Tigres del Licey will be playing in the Caribbean World Series which takes place this February. They have won the most titles in the Dominican Republic with 23, but also are ‘número uno’ in the Caribbean World Series, which began in 1949, The Tigres have won 10 of them.

Last Caribbean World Series Title went to the Caimanes de Barranquilla, Colombia.

The 65th edition of the Caribbean World Series will take place in Caracas, Venezuela. February 2nd to 10th.

A total of eight teams (the most ever) will participate, representing these countries: Colombia, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, México, Panamá, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. For fans of Fútbol/Soccer, it is similar to the UEFA Champions League, just in a single tournament.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks remarkable comeback to defeat Stars; Sharks open 8 game road trip Saturday

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A look at the San Jose Sharks bench during their game against the Dallas Stars at SAP Arena in San Jose on Wed Jan 18, 2023 (NHL/TNT photo grab)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 No one would have thought it after the San Jose Sharks (14-23-9) who were struggling to pick up a win could come back to win on their home ice and for that matter to come back on the Dallas Stars (26-13-7) for a two goal 5-3 win at SAP Center on Wednesday night.

#2 The Sharks who really needed some offense got some from their defenceman Erik Karlsson who scored a goal and had three assists in the two goal win for San Jose.

#3 Len talk about the second period where the Sharks got three goals from Steven Lorentz, Nick Bonino, and Timo Meier it was a crucial period for the Sharks if they were to prove something to themselves and their confidence.

#4 James Reimer the Sharks goaltender who stopped 32 shots and picked up his 200th career win said he had forgotten all about that and really wanted to get a win after the team had been struggling.

#5 The Columbus Blue Jackets (13-29-2) who are struggling have lost five of their last eight games will host the Sharks who open the first of eight road games on Saturday. How do you see the Sharks faring in Columbus and talk about the length of this long road trip.

Join Len Shapiro for Sharks podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sweet Revenge for Kings Beat Lakers 116-111

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Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles (41) dunks against Los Angeles Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel (35) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wed Jan 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

Sweet Revenge for Kings Beat Lakers 116-111

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night LeBron James and the Lakers (19-25) hosted the Sacramento Kings (25-18) in a Western Conference matchup. The Kings in fourth in the conference and the Lakers sit in 13th place. The Kings came in on a three game win streak.

The last time they lost was at the hands of the Lakers in a two point game 136-134. Sacramento got a little revenge with a 116-111 win to extend their winning streak to four Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Lakers won their last game against the last place Rockets.

The Lakers got off to a quick start leading at one time by 14 points winning the first 12 minutes 39-28. The Kings bounced back in the second quarter winning it 33-21 and leading at halftime 61-60. De’Aaron Fox had 20 points in the first half, the only King in double digits.

Sacramento continued to extend the slim one point lead they had at the half finishing the third quarter leading 90-82. The entire Kings starting roster finished the third quarter in double digits.

The Lakers began to challenge the Kings lead cutting the deficit to four points trailing 90-86 in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. With 7:30 left in the game, the Kings held a one point lead 98-97. The lead that Sacramento had in the third quarter had vanished and the Lakers had taken the lead 101-100 with 6:45 left on the clock.

The two teams began to trade baskets and this would be a close one to the finish. The game was tied with 4:11 left on the clock at 103. With 30 ticks left on the clock the Kings had a 111-108 lead and possession. Sacramento was able to hold on for the win.

Fox finished the game with 31 points the team high and Harrison Barnes had 20 points. LeBron James had 32 points for the Lakers and Los Angeles had some nice work from their bench scoring 59 total points. Friday night, the Kings will take on the Thunder at Golden 1 Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Sharks come back from three goal deficit to beat Dallas 5-3

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Sharks Twitter. Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson celebrate a goal on January 18th against the Dallas Stars.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE – Off of a incredible second period come back the Sharks rode that into a victory over the Dallas Stars by a final of 5-3.

Heading into this game the season series between these two teams was at a draw as both teams had beaten each other once.

This game also involved two of the best penalty killing teams in the league with Dallas ranked fifth and San Jose ranked third in the league.

The Sharks got off to a slow start in this one as they only had one shot in the first six minutes of the period.

On the other hand Dallas moved the puck efficiently and had the Sharks chasing the play.

With the momentum on their side Dallas pushed for a goal and Ty Dellandrea delivered at the 13:17 mark of the period.

Streaking down the right wing boards Dellandrea fired a shot towards the net that beat Reimer on the glove side scoring his fifth goal on the year.

Mario Ferraro took a penalty a little bit later for holding but the PK unit for the Sharks killed it off.

After the kill San Jose gained some momentum and Mikey Eyssimont came close to tying the game as he rang one off the crossbar.

The end of the first definitely ended a lot better for the Sharks than the beginning but they were unable to tie the game heading into the intermission down one.

The shots at the end of the period favored Dallas 10-6.

San Jose did have to start off the second on the PK but Jason Robertson towards the end of the power play took a penalty making it a four-on-four.

Once San Jose did get on the power play they weren’t able to muster any good looks as the Dallas’s PK unit killed off the opportunity.

With the Sharks hemmed in their own end Colin Miller circled the net and fed a pass out front to Jason Robertson who fired it past Reimer to score his 30th goal of the season.

Dallas did not stop the onslaught at the beginning of the second and less than five minutes after Robertson’s goal Radek Faska cashed in as well.

It was a sort of broken play on the Faska’s fourth goal of the season as he tried to feed his teammate but, the the shot instead went in off of a Shark.

The energy was definitely sucked out of the building after the Star’s quick start to the period.

San Jose did not give up though as Noah Gregor after keeping the puck in the Stars end got the puck to Steven Lorentz in the slot who scored.

With the score now 3-1 the Sharks smelt blood in the water and pushed for more.

As the Dallas defense backed up Alexander Barabonov rushed into the zone and wrapped a pass around the net to a waiting Nick Bonino who scored his seventh goal of the campaign.

The crowd was now into it and San Jose drew a penalty putting themselves in the perfect spot to tie the game.

Timo Meier did just that on the opportunity as similar to Faska’s goal he tried to feed it to a teammate but instead got a lucky bounce.

The goal sent the now already fired up crowd into a frenzy and the Sharks responded in kind by keeping the chances up.

That did end up being all the scoring in the period though with the shots still favoring Dallas at 20-18.

The third did get off to a tough start for San Jose as they had to kill off a tripping penalty taken late in the second by them.

The Shark’s PK once again showed why their a top five unit in the league though as they killed off another PP.

After the PK both teams exchanged chances back and forth as both goalies made big saves.

At the 9:19 mark of the third Nick Bonino found Erik Karlsson creeping in backdoor and fead the defenseman. Karlsson then proceeded to make a difficult shot look effortless as he scored his 15th goal of the season.

The lead now 4-3 the Sharks looked to hold on to their lead as they trapped it up.

Dallas pulled their goalie to try to tie it but Logan Couture got the puck and fired it into the empty cage to end the game at 5-3.

The shots at the end of the game favored the Stars at 36-28.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Erik Karlsson 2nd: Nick Bonino 3rd: Miro Heiskanen

With the victory over Dallas Reimer got the 200th win of his NHL career.

“I think we can be really proud of this win tonight and it was a solid effort,” Meier said after the game.

The Sharks next game will on Saturday and also kicks off a long road stand for the team were they will do battle with Columbus.