Author: Sports Radio Service

Haliburton’s 24 pt effort for not as Warriors defeat Kings 113-98

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Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) takes it to the Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Dec 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Monday, December 20, 2021 Unofficially, it was Stephen Curry Night at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the longtime Golden State star didn’t disappoint. Curry set the NBA record for career 3-pointers last week against the New York Knicks, and, upon the Warriors return home, was honored with a video tribute in the first half of the Warriors’ 113-98 win over visiting Sacramento.

Curry, who broke Ray Allen’s previous mark of 2,973 treys, finished with 30 points and four assists. Draymond Green added 16 points, 11 rebounds and ten assists for Golden State (25-6), giving the veteran his 31st career triple-double.

Damion Lee was seven of eight from the field and finished with 18 points. Tyrese Haliburton led the Kings (13-19) with 24 points and 11 assists, and Harrison Barnes scored 19 points. The game was competitive until the Warriors took over in the fourth quarter.

After Buddy Hield hit a go-ahead three with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter, Gary Payton II tallied five straight points, and the Warriors took an 84-79 lead into the fourth quarter. Both teams were affected by COVID-19 protocols.

The Warriors were without Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins, while Sacramento was hit much harder, as the Kings were down to six players. De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III, Terence Davis, Louis King, Alex Len and Davion Mitchell were all held out of the contest due to COVID guidelines, along with interim head coach Alvin Gentry.

Assistant coach Doug Christie ran the Kings in Gentry’s absence. The Kings’ Richaun Holmes missed his seventh straight game with a right eye injury. Sacramento hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, and Golden State hosts the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.

Warriors manhandle Kings in fourth quarter for 113-98 win

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Sacramento Kings forward Tristian Thompson (13) gets shot blocked by Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) at Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Dec 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Manhandle Kings in the Fourth Quarter

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (13-19) really came to play against Golden State (25-6) and actually led by three points in the third quarter but could not maintain the lead. The Warriors came alive in the fourth quarter to take over the game winning 113-98.

Monday night the Warriors took on the Kings at Chase Center after a five game road trip.

After Saturdays game against the Raptors we did not know when we would see Jonathan Kuminga again. Fast forward and in the first quarter he played six minutes scoring twp points. Head Coach Steve Kerr turned to the bench and got some great work from Andre Iguodala with seven points and Otto Porter Jr with five.

The Warriors led 58-46 at halftime with guard Stephen Curry leading the shooting with 13 points. Draymond Green and Damien Lee both had ten points. Lee was spectacular in the first half playing 18 minutes. Golden State had eight steals and had the Kings back on their heels.

The Kings came storming out of the locker room in the third quarter playing some very competitive basketball. The Kings were still without Alvin Gentry and De’Aaron Fox while the Warriors were missing Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole all of them sidelined in covid protocol.

Curry sat out the entire third quarter. The 15 point lead that the Warriors had was trimmed down to two points with the Kings tying up the game with two minutes left in the quarter. The Kings briefly took the lead in the final minute of the third but could not sustain that effort in the final quarter of the game.

Going into the fourth quarter the Warriors led 84-79. Much of the lead was courtesy of Damian Lee who shot 18 points in this game. Green had a triple double in yet another brilliant performance and Curry finished with 30 points. The Kings put up a valiant effort with all of their starters scoring in double digits. It was just not enough and Golden State came away with the win 113-98.

Golden State will have a few days off before they take on the tough Memphis Grizzlies Thursday night at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Kotsay named new A’s manager; Formerly coached at third base and bench coach

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Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay in file photo was hired as the new manager of the club on Mon Dec 20, 2021 replacing former A’s manager Bob Melvin (AP News file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s have decided on Mark Kotsay 46 to manage the A’s. Kotsay was the A’s third base coach and was the A’s bench coach. Kotsay replaces former A’s manager Bob Melvin who is now managing the San Diego Padres.

Kotsay who played on seven different big league clubs including the A’s was an outfielder hitting a career 127 home runs, 720 RBIs, and hit for .276. The A’s have been a money ball team getting close or getting to the post season but not close enough to get to the World Series in various seasons under Melvin on a small payroll budget.

Last season under Melvin the A’s were just short of making the post season. Melvin managed the 2021 A’s to a record of ten games over .500 at 86-76 behind the first place Houston Astros. There was talk about the A’s hiring former third base coach and former Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington who is now third base coach of the World Champion Atlanta Braves. Washington wasn’t considered and Kotsay was mentioned as the heavy favorite for the job soon after Melvin left the club.

The A’s were mentioned as preparing to not sign a large number of their key players from last season which would change the face and success of the club. The A’s moved outfielder Mark Canha and Starling Marte to the New York Mets and some thought that would be the beginning of the unloading of the team but since the departure of Canha and Marte no significant moves have not been made.

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

It was close Raiders pull it off against Browns 16-14 in Cleveland; Carlson boots game winner

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With time running on the clock in the fourth quarter Las Vegas Raider kicker Daniel Carlson got the game winning boot against the Cleveland Browns defense at FirstEnergy Field in Cleveland on Mon Dec 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Rich Perez

The Las Vegas Raiders (7-7) just squeaked by the Cleveland Browns (7-7) 16-14 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Raiders in a must win situation against just got by in the fourth quarter thanks to kicker Daniel Carlson who kicked a 48 yard field goal.

The win helped the Raiders snap a two game losing streak and kept Las Vegas’ playoffs hope alive. The Raiders earlier in the game fell a point behind 14-13 when Browns third string quarterback Nick Mullens threw for a six yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Harrison Bryant with just under four minutes left at 3:45 in the game.

Mullens got the call in his first appearance all season after starter Baker Mayfield and second stringer Case Keenum both tested positive for Covid 19 along with eight other teammates. The lack of help helped the Raiders just get by the Browns in the latter stages of the game.

This game was originally scheduled for Saturday but got the Monday afternoon 3 PM PST or 6PM EST start after the Browns were in Covid protocols. With just 2:47 left in the game Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw a pass intended for wide receiver Zay Jones that was intercepted by Browns cornerback Greedy Williams which the Browns and their fans figured they Browns would wind the clock down and hand the Raiders another L.

It was not to be for the Browns, Browns running back Nick Chubb couldn’t get much daylight against the Raiders defense. Chubb took three carries against the Raiders defense only to be held to seven yards.

With 1:50 left in the game the Raiders got another chance and the ball back and Carr under center wanted Las Vegas to get into good field position to come back and score. After Browns kicker Dustin Colquitt punted the Raiders got the ball on their own 30 and Carr went to work.

Carr threw three yard pass to Foster Moreau, then Jones for 12 yards, Raider running back Josh Jacobs carried for nine yards, Moreau caught a 12 yard pass and got the ball to the 30 yard line in the Browns zone.

The Thanksgiving Day hero Carlson would get another chance to boot another game winner. Carlson hit a game winning field goal to hand the Raiders a 36-33 win on Thanksgiving day. Fast forward to Monday and Carlson lined it up and hit the ball for a 48 yarder to get the Raiders a two point win. Carlson has now booted 31 successful field goals out of 34 attempts.

The next game for the Raiders, they will host the Denver Broncos Sun Dec 26th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas at 1:25 pm PST. The Broncos lost a tough one to the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday 15-10. Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was relieved by back up Drew Lock after receiving a concussion. Bridgewater was released from the hospital on Monday.

Rich Perez is a Las Vegas Raiders beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors prepare for struggling Kings tonight at Chase Center

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Toronto Raptors’ OG Anunoby (3) drives at Golden State Warriors’ Damion Lee, center, and Moses Moody (4) on Sat Dec 18, 2021 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto (Canadian Press via AP photo)

On the Warrior podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara, one of the things that head coach Steve Kerr wanted to do for his key players Stephen Curry (rest), Draymond Green (right hip), Andre Iguodala (right knee), Otto Porter Jr. (left foot) and Andrew Wiggins (left knee) was get them some rest from Saturday night’s game in Toronto and had them fly back from Boston after last Friday’s game.

#2 One of the other things that Kerr wanted is to have the starters not to have to go through possible Covid 19 exposure and possible quarantine in Toronto Canada which would be two weeks.

#3 Barbara talk about Jonathan Kuminga he got lots of minutes and scored a career high of 26 points you had a chance to mention in your post game recap after Saturday night’s game what was your impression Kuminga.

#4 Kerr said after the game that he felt the second half was better than the first half using G league players and developmental players and gave Kerr a chance to see who they have in the minor league system.

#5 The Warriors take on the Sacramento Kings tonight at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Kings are struggling they’ve lost four of their last five games. They lost a frustrating home game at Golden One Center on Friday night to the Memphis Grizzlies 124-105 and their head coach Alvin Gentry and star player De’Aaron Fox were both out because of Covid 19 protocols. Barbara how do you see the Kings and Warriors match up this afternoon at 3pm?

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

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal now 2 games over .500 take on Pacific Wednesday night at Haas

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Cal Bears Jordan Shepherd drives against the Dartmouth Big Green Sun Dec 19, 2021 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (photo by Cal Bears Athletics)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris talk about the injury to the Cal Bears’ (7-5) Makale Foreman who had a reoccurrence of a previous injury when he fell in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Dartmouth Big Green (3-7). I knew you said the injury was indefinite any update to how long he will be out?

#2 Cal got an edge with their first lead with 4:23 remaining before the half and lead at the break by four points.

#3 In the second half Cal grew a 12 point lead over Dartmouth but didn’t fare much better than the Big Green in shooting at 42 percent and 26 percent from the three point line.

#4 Morris, when Foreman was felled that really put the pressure on Jalen Celestine, Sam Alajiki and Jared Hyder, and Jordan Shepherd’s minutes spiked which caused concern.

#5 The Bears host the Pacific Tigers (5-9) on Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion, Pacific has struggled losing five of their last six games and an 11 point affair to the UC Davis Aggies 77-67 on Sunday. How do you see Pacific and Cal matching up on Wednesday?

Join Morris for the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No. 17 Longhorns hold off Cardinal 60-53 in Vegas

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Texas forward Tre Mitchell (33) jumps to pass while Stanford guard Michael O’Connell, left, defends with Stanford forwards Maxime Raynaud (42) and Jaiden Delaire (11) at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas during the Pac 12 Coast to Coast Challenge on Sun Dec 19, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Sunday, December 19, 2021

Texas used a big run to open the second half against Stanford Sunday, and the 17th ranked-Longhorns defeated Stanford 60-53 in men’s basketball as part of the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge, held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Longhorns (8-2) opened the second half with a 13-0 run, sparking their seventh win in their last eight games. In the process, Texas, which forced 23 Stanford turnovers, held the Cardinal (6-4) to their second-lowest point total of the season.

Texas held on to win despite going nearly seven minutes without scoring in the last part of the second half. Earlier, Stanford led briefly in the first half before the Longhorns took a 34-27 halftime lead.

Andrew Jones led Texas with 13 points, followed by Timmy Allen and Dylan Disu with 11 points each. Harrison Ingram tallied 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Cardinal.

Stanford, one of the better rebounding teams in the nation, out-boarded the Longhorns 33-29. Maxime Raynaud also had seven rebounds for Stanford.

The Cardinal’s next game is against Wyoming on Wednesday in the Diamond Head Classic at Honolulu.

49ers shoot down Falcons 31-13; Niners pick up fifth win in six games

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) throws against the Atlanta Falcons defense in second half action on Sun Dec 18, 2021 at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — These are the games you’re supposed to win if you want to be playoff contender.

The San Francisco 49ers took care of business in a 31-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons (6-8) on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco has won two games in a row as they continue their playoff push for in the NFC playoff race. They are currently the sixth seed in the NFC and in the second wild card position. Atlanta has lost two of its past three games.

It was a start JaMycal Hasty would soon like to forget as he fumbled the opening kickoff that was recovered by the Falcons at the 49ers 14-yard line.

San Francisco’s (8-6) stout defense let Hasty off the hook as they made a goal line stand on a fourth and goal from their own one-yard line when Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan threw incomplete to Kyle Pitts.

“I thought our defense played really well in the first half,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanhan. “The two drives before our final drive, I think we went three and out on both. We needed to stay on the field and finish them right there. (Our) D came up huge with those four down stops which made us survive it.”

After a 48-yard field goal by Yonghoe Koo the 49ers offense revved up the engine on their second offensive possession. They drove down 79 yards on 11 plays which resulted in a 30-yard field goal by Robbie Gould. The drive was set up with receptions of 25 and 28 yards to tight end George Kittle from Jimmy Garoppolo.

San Francisco went up 10-3 on its third possession. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk rumbled in for a six-yard touchdown run to complete an eight play 77-yard drive. Brandon Aiyuk contributed a 36-yard reception and Jeff Wilson Jr. had a 17-yard rush to help set up Juszczyk’s first rushing TD of the season.

Atlanta (6-8) responded with an eight play 65-yard drive of their own capped off with a 20-yard touchdown from Ryan to wide receiver Russell Gage who leaped high up in the air over Aubrey Thomas for the reception. The drive was aided on a controversial roughing the passer penalty on Arden Key, who had sacked Ryan one play earlier.

Garoppolo marched the 49ers down the field on just six plays and 75 yards in 3:27 that resulted in a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Deebo Samuel to close out the half. Samuel had a 30-yard reception to open the drive.

Samuel now has seven rushing touchdowns on the season, compared to his five receiving touchdowns.

“I just saw it on the install,” Samuel said regarding his new hybrid role on offense. “He (Shanahan) knows my mindset when it comes to just playing the game. I’m never going to shy away from any contact or shy away from anything that they ask me to do.”

San Francisco made the second half a living nightmare for Ryan and the Falcons offense.

Ryan was sacked in back-to-back plays in their opening drive of the second half. The second sack resulted in a fumble by Ryan with Fred Warner recovering for the 49ers.

“Our pass rush is coming alive and they’re coming alive when we needed them to,” said 49ers linebacker Fred Warner. “They’re the ones who start it, penetrating on first and second down so they can earn the right to rush on third down.”

San Francisco only needed four plays to make the Falcons pay for their miscue as Wilson Jr. rushed for a five-yard touchdown to increase the Niners lead to 24-10.

“Our guys were locked in today,” Garoppolo said. “It was a big game. NFC opponent, playoff picture and everything like that. It’s December football. We knew what we were in for.”

It was Wilson’s first rushing touchdown of the season as he made his second consecutive start for the injured Elijah Mitchell.

Atlanta drove 71 yards on nine plays capped off with a 22-yard field goal by Koo.

The 49ers put the game away with another quick drive. They went 75 yards on five plays when Garoppolo completed a four-yard touchdown reception to Jauan Jennings with 5:11 remaining in the third quarter.

San Francisco’s defense held the fort late in the fourth quarter as they stopped back-to-back drives by Atlanta’s offense forcing the Falcons to turn the ball over downs icing the game for the 49ers.

Ryan, who was under duress for the majority of the game, finished 19 of 32 for 236 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions with a QB rating of 92.7. Gage led Atlanta in receiving with eight catches for 91 yards and one touchdown.

San Francisco rushed for 162 yards while holding Atlanta to just 62 yards as both the offensive and defensive lines for the 49ers dominated the trenches on both sides of the ball.

Atlanta’s playoff push took a severe blow, but the team is not ready to concede their season with three games left in the season.

“We know nothing is set in stone,” Gage said. “You know we have three games left, anything can happen. The season has been crazy as we’ve all seen. So we’re gonna go out here and try to find a way to win these last three (games).”

Garoppolo finished 18 of 23 for 235 yards with one touchdown, no interceptions and a QB rating of 126.1. Wilson Jr. led all rushers with 110 yards on 21 carries. Kittle led the 49ers in receiving with six catches for 93 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 6-for-11 on third down conversions. Atlanta was 5-for-13.

UP NEXT: San Francisco travels out to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football 11/23 at 5:20pm at Nissan Stadium

Shorthanded Kings beat Spurs by seven 121-114 at Golden One

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San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) guards against Sacramento Kings center Tristan Thompson (13) Sun Dec 18, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento in the first half of NBA action. (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (13-18) were back in action on Sunday afternoon as they welcomed in the San Antonio Spurs (11-18) to Golden One Center. The Kings, fresh off an awful short-handed loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, were looking to clean up their effort.

However, it would be a tall task for the Kings as they remained understaffed, with the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell still on the COVID list. The Kings managed to pull out the victory in a tough-fought matchup with the Spurs 121-114.

The Kings were off to a good start against the Spurs in the first quarter. The Kings offense was firing on all cylinders. The Kings put up a solid 37 points in the first quarter as the Spurs lack of defense was on full display. On the other hand, the Spurs were only able to score 27 points in the first to dig themselves an early deficit against the Kings.

The Spurs managed to flip the script in the second quarter. The Kings offense cooled, and the defense couldn’t step up. The Spurs scored 29 points in the second quarter as the Kings offense could only add 26 to their total.

Neither team played much defense in the first half as the Kings would go into halftime with a 63-56 lead. Damian Jones led the way in the first half for the Kings putting up a surprising 14 points. Tyrese Haliburton added 12 points in the first half. Lonnie Walker led the Spurs in the first half scoring 16 points.

In the third quarter, it appeared the Kings meltdown woes were coming back to bite them yet again. However, the Kings managed to get the game back under control before it got out of hand. The Spurs outscored the Kings in the third quarter, but it was only by one point, 29-28.

The Kings managed to stop the bleeding and not fall behind their opponent as they did on Friday night. The Kings would need to tighten up the defensive end in the final quarter if they wanted to get out of town with a win.

The Kings managed to do what they needed to win the game 121-114. The Kings received a significant contribution from Buddy Hield in the final quarter as the Kingd managed to outscore the Spurs. The last 12 minutes saw the Kings score 30 points compared with the Spurs 29.

Neither team shined on the defensive end of the floor all night. The Kings allowed at least 27 points in each quarter to the Spurs and scored at least 26 in each quarter themselves. The Kings were led in victory by impressive performances from Buddy Hield (29 points), Tyrese Haliburton (27 points), and Damian Jones (23 points).

The Spurs most significant contributors were Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker, who had 25 and 19 points, respectively. It was an excellent win for the short-handed Kings, who improved to 13-18 on the season. The Spurs fell to 11-18 on the year.

Up Next: The Kings have a quick 15-minute flight over to the Bay Area as they take on the Golden State Warriors on Monday at 7 PM PST at Chase Center.

NCAAF podcast with Michelle Richardson: Bidding war for top college prospects; West Kentucky QB Zappe sets NCAA passing record; plus more

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Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe seen here throwing against UTSA on Fri Dec 3, 2021. Set the NCAA passing record passing on Sat Dec 18, 2021. Former Texas Tech quarterback BJ Symons set the record in 2003. (AP file photo)

On the NCAAF podcast with Michelle:

#1 Lane Kiffin head coach at the University of Mississippi said that college players will head to where they’ll get the opportunity to get paid the most. It will be a bidding war between universities for example Travis Hunter selected Jackson State over Florida State, Georgia and Auburn.

#2 Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe set the all time NCAAF record for passing yards that was set by Texas Tech quarterback BJ Symons in 2003 at 5,833 yards. Zappe broke the record on Sat Dec 18th’s game when he threw for a 44 yard pass to wide receiver Jerreth Sterns in the second quarter against the Appalachian State Mountaineers.

#3 Fifth year quarterback Myles Brennan said he’s exiting the transfer portal and will remain at LSU the announcement was made before LSU starting quarterback Max Johnson said he was transferring. Brennan said “there’s no place like home” and “lets go Tiger nation” upon announcing that he’s staying.

Michelle’s Final Thoughts

Join Michelle for the NCAA podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com