Category: Golden State Warriors

Warriors down Rockets 104-99, lead series 3-2

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets continued their epic struggle in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series.

The series has been extraordinarily close, and neither team has been able to blow out their opponent. The first four games were extremely close as exemplified by the fact that the Warriors had outscored the Rockets by just one point in four games played.

Wednesday’s contest was another heat pounding nail-biter. The Warriors won 104-99, but it was not easy. They had a 14-point lead at the end of the first 24 minutes of play. The Rockets wiped out the lead in the third quarter. The teams entered the final period of the game 72-72.

The Warriors lost Kevin Durant to a calf strain late in the third quarter. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to figure out a way to stop the hard-charging Rockets. The Rockets took the lead just once in the period, and the Warriors summoned up the will to not let the guys from Houston beat them at Oracle Arena. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala showed everyone that they have the hearts of champions as they prevailed to take a 3-2 advantage. If they beat the Rockets Friday night, they will advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The first half of Game 5 between the Rockets and Warriors belonged to Golden State. The Warrior defense was outstanding as they held the Rockets to 43 points in the first half. Steph Curry did not score in the first 12 minutes of play. He connected on a three and a deuce in the second quarter to give the Warriors a 52-37 advantage. Kevin Durant paced the Warriors with 20 points, and Klay Thompson was second with 17. James Harden led the Rockets with 14. The Warriors held Eric Gordon to 4 points, and he was) for 5 from the 3-point range. None of the other Rocket starters were in double figures.

The third quarter belonged to the Rockets as they outscored the Warriors by 14 points to finish the period 72-72. The Rockets put the clamps on the Warrior offense, and they caused the Warriors to turn the ball over six times. Kevin Durant left the game late in the quarter with a leg injury. He went to the locker room and was diagnosed with a right calf strain and did not return to the game.

Curry hit a three to put the Warriors ahead 82-79. The Rockets kept coming back, but the Warriors refused to relinquish the lead. The Warriors took a five-point lead after a technical foul was called on Draymond Green. Green’s answer was a three to give Golden State the lead 94-89. The Rockets kept clawing back, but Klay Thompson came up big with another three to extend the lead to eight 97-89. Curry made two free throws and Klay hit a three with 4.1 seconds left to ice the win. The Warriors prevailed 104-99.

Game Notes and Stats: Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 27 points. He made five threes in 10 tries. Curry, after a slow first half, pumped in 20 in the second half to finish with 25. He made three threes in 11 attempts. Kevin Durant had 22. Andre Iguodala finished the night with 11. Draymond Green had another double-double with eight points, 11 assists and 12 boards.

To no one’s surprise, James Harden led the Rockets with 31. Eric Gordon, who was bottled up in the first half, finished the night with 19. He connected on three threes to keep Houston in the game. Defensive whiz, P.J.Tucker also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Paul and Imam Shumpert each had 11.

The Warriors shot 45.3% from the floor. Their defense held the Rockets to 41,8%.

The Warriors made 13 threes, and the Rockets connected 12 times.

The Warriors outrebounded the Rockets 42-39 and had 12 offensive rebounds. The Rockets had eight.

Game 6 will be played in Houston on Friday. Game time will be at 6 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Fiers’ no-hitter was the 300th in MLB history; Cubs looking for fan who made racist gesture; plus more

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Photo credit: @NBCSAuthentic

On the Headline Sports podcast with London Marq:

#1 Oakland A’s pitcher Mike Fiers made history pitching in baseball’s 300th no-hitter on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds at the Oakland Coliseum.

#2 The Chicago Cubs are investigating the fan who flashed a “white power” sign behind Cubs broadcaster Doug Glanville, who is black, on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. The interpretation of the gesture an upside down OK sign is a racist gesture used by white nationalist trolls. The Cubs say once they identify this fan, he will be banned for life from Wrigley Field.

#3 How important is it that former Oakland Raider and San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice be named as NFL Ambassador for the NFL Academy in London with other football greats?

#4 San Francisco Giants Mac Williamson, who suffered a concussion in April 2018, has said that for safety reasons, the Giants should remove the bullpen mounds from the field. Williamson tripped on one of the mounds for the concussion.

#5 The series is all tied up 2-2 between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. Game 5 is at Oracle Arena in Oakland. London sets up the game prediction.

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Decision at Kentucky Derby impacts the event; Warriors-Rockets could be evenly matched teams; plus more

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Photo credit: apnews.com

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 How much of an impact was the decision of the officials at the Kentucky Derby to eliminate and disqualify Maximum Security and allow Country House the winner? The first time a winning horse has ever been disqualified in 145 years.

#2 With the Golden State Warriors, you never know what team is going to show up, They handled the Houston Rockets in first two games with a four-point win in Game 1 and a six-point win in Game 2, but it was Game 3 where they lost to the Rockets by five and lost another one in game 4 on Wednesday night as the series is tied 2-2.

#3 After having two comeback victories against the Cincinnati Reds during their four-game series, the San Francisco Giants split with the Reds, losing Monday. Giants starter Drew Pomeranz got lit up in 1.2 innings, nine hits and seven runs. While striking out two batters, Pomeranz continues to labor in the 12-4 loss.

#4 The LPGA Mediheal Championship was held at Lake Merced in Daly City from April 29th through May 5th. The leaderboard showed Sei Young Kim taking the $270,000 winnings finishing on top with a par 281 on Sunday.

#5 The San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche battled in Game 6. The Avs came away with a 4-3 win to tie the series in overtime 3-3, to force a Game 7, bringing the game back to San Jose.

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast at www,sportsradioservice.com

Rockets hold on to defeat Warriors 112-108, even series 2-2

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

Game 4 of the best-of-seven series between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors was another thriller. The Rockets took control of the game in the second quarter as they outscored the Warriors 36-26 to finish the first half of play with a seven-point lead 61-54. The Warriors, who usually play so well well in the third period, couldn’t outscore the Rockets and fell behind by nine after three periods of play. The Rockets led by 17 in the third, but the Warriors woke up and cut the deficit to nine.

For the second game in a row, the Rockets outplayed the Warriors on both ends of the court for three periods. James Harden and crew were knocking down three-point shots. P.J. Tucker was a force on defense, and he also made a clutch three-pointer. Eric Gordon continued his hot shooting, and the Rockets continued to make rebounds while on offense. Steph Curry, who had 13 points in the first half, could not buy a bucket until late in the third quarter.

The Warriors trailed by 13, 101-88. The Warriors stiffened on defense and the offense came alive, and they clawed their way back to trail by two 110-108 when Curry connected on a three. James Harden made one free throw, and Houston led by three. The Warriors had a chance to tie. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry failed to make a three. Houston made one more free throw and won Game 4 by a final of 112-108 to tie the series at two games apiece.

Game Notes and Stats: The Rockets made 17 threes while the Warriors connected on eight. The 51-24 advantage was more than enough to win the game for Houston. The Warriors made 42 shots and were 46,7% from the floor. The Rockets made 38, and they shot 43.8%. The 27-point advantage from three-point range was the difference.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 24. Curry had 30, but was four for 14 from behind the three-point arc. Klay Thompson had 11, Draymond Green had a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Andre Iguodala knocked down seven and had eight rebounds.

Jame Harden was the man once again for Houston The Beard tallied 38 points and he made six three-point shots in 17 tries. He also had a double-double as he pulled down 10 rebounds. Eric Gordon had 20, and he hit two threes. P. J. Tucker tallied 17, and he had 10 rebounds for another double-double. Chris Paul had 13, and Clint Capela added six. Austin Rivers, coming off the bench, kicked in with 10.

The Rockets outrebounded the Warriors 50-43 and had 13 offensive rebounds. The Warriors had eight.

Game 5 will be played at Oracle Arena Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Sportstalk podcast at Rosa Mexicano in downtown San Francisco Monday May 6, 2019

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photo by Rosa Mexicano Restaurant San Francisco

Cast: Michael Duca (host), David Zizmor, Bill Gould, Morris Phillips, Jeremy Kahn, and Lee Leonard (producer) podcasting from beautiful Rosa Mexicano Restaurant at 30 Mission Street downtown San Francisco. Our special thanks to our hosts at Rosa Mexicano Dan Munteanu (General Manager) and Ornin Gosuwin (Manager) and server Connie.

Some of the items we would recommend when you dine at Rosa Mexicano: Guacamole. Rosa Mexicano has been preparing this special guacamole grinded up in a stone charcoal bowl since 1984. The authentic taste of Rosa Mexicano’s signature appetizer will have you going for more.

Some of the main courses of the house we would like to recommend to you from the dinner menu: Chile Poblano Relleno, Carnitas, Budin de Pollo, Pescado a la Veracruzana, Pollo Pibil, Salmon Poblano, Tampiquena de Carne Asada, and Alambre de Camarones.

On the sports headline discussions: Sharks and Avalanche as well as Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins in the second round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets as well as Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA Playoffs plus San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s.

Warriors fall to Rockets 126-121 in OT, but still lead series 2-1

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

There is nothing like playoff basketball. The Warriors and Rockets played a thriller Saturday night at the Toyota Center.

It was a game the Rockets needed. If they lost, they would have trailed 3-0 and no team in NBA history has come back trailing 3-0. The Warriors came back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter, and the game ended tied 112-112 after 48 minutes of play. The Rockets outscored the Warriors 14-9 in the five-minute overtime period to come away with a 126-121 win. The Warriors still lead the series 2-1.

The game saw the Rockets grab the lead in the second period. The Warriors scored just one point in a little over four minutes to start the second period. The Rockets, who trailed by nine in the first period, ended the second period with a nine-point lead. Houston’s Eric Gordon killed the Warriors as he was making 3-point shots that put the Rockets in the lead. The Rockets made six 3-pointers in the first half, and the Warriors made just three 3s. The Rockets led 58-49 at the halfway point.

The Rockets increased the lead to 83-70 late in the third quarter. The Warriors Kevin Durant took control of the game with the help from Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson. The Warriors went on a 24-10 run to take a 94-93 lead after Durant knocked down a three. The two teams swapped the lead several times in the final stanza. Thompson kicked in with 10 points to keep the Warriors in the game. The Warriors led by two 112-110, but the Rockets scored the last two points of the quarter to force overtime. The Rockets had a chance to win, but Thompson forced a jump ball when he stopped Chris Paul’s drive to the basket with just 1.5 seconds left.

The Rockets scored the first basket in overtime, and the Warriors were never able to take the lead. With Houston leading 114-113, Eric Gordon hit a three. Andre Iguodala knocked down a three to make it 117-116. Houston increased the lead to 121-118. The Warriors failed to score, and Houston’s James Harden buried a three to put the Rockets up by six. Durant was fouled attempting a three, and made all three free throws to bring the Warriors close 124-121. Harden made the final bucket of the night.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors’ starting five scored 114 points, and their bench contributed only seven points in the loss. Kevin Durant led the team with 46 points. Draymond Green had another outstanding game as he finished with a triple-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Andre Iguodala finished with 16 points and knocked down three threes. Steph Curry had 17 and Klay Thompson had 16.

James Harden led the Rockets with 41. He hit five threes. Eric Gordon was second on the Rockets with 30. He made seven threes. Chris Paul had 13. Clint Capela had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. P.J.Tucker was outstanding on defense and scored seven points late in the game to help Houston win.

The Warriors shot 44.2% from the floor. They were 14 for 33 from three-point range. The Rockets shot 48.4% from the floor and made 18 threes in 43 tries. The Rockets outrebounded the Warriors 55-35. They had 17 offensive rebounds, and the Warriors made seven. The Warriors protected the ball well as they committed only eight turnovers. The Rockets turned the ball over 13 times.

Game 4 will be in Houston Monday night. Play will start at 6:30 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Raiders’ Crowell injured in team practice, out for season; Kentucky Derby coming up, will dying horses spell an end for industry?; plus more

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photo bleacherreport.com: 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. The Kentucky Derby kicks off this Saturday.

On the Headlines Sports podcast with London Marq:

#1 The Oakland Raiders’ running back Isaiah Crowell, during a team workout, suffered a season-ending injury, tearing his Achilles. Crowell is a five-year NFL veteran and played with the New York Jets last season. He was signed on with the Raiders for this season for $2.5 million.

#2 With the Kentucky Derby coming up this Saturday, all the talk has been about horses dying at Santa Anita in just seven months. Looking at the year between 2017-18, a reported 37 deaths have been reported, and the New York Times reported since 2018 to the present, the deaths have not subsided. The questions raised were why? Was it that the horses are physically driven to exhaustion on race days, was it the medications the injury-masking painkillers? Is the sport due to die out because of these horse deaths?

#3 If it wasn’t for the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees could very well be the top team in the AL East. The Yankees are just 2.5 games behind first place Tampa have won eight of their last 10 and also swept the San Francisco Giants and beat the Arizona Diamondbacks behind CC Sabathia’s 3,000 career strikeout. The Yanks lost the game, but Sabathia went down in the record books.

#4 The Oakland A’s are really off track. The club has lost six straight games. They’re coming off getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox and have three more road games with the Pittsburgh Pirates starting on Friday night at PNC Park.

#5 Could the Golden State Warriors put the Houston Rockets away? It even looks a lot easier for Golden State than it did last postseason last year when they played the Rockets. Kevin Durant (29), Klay Thompson (20), and Stephen Curry (19) were the top three scorers for Golden State in Game 3. The Warriors lead the series 2-0.

London Marq does the Headlines Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors defeat the Rockets 115-109 to lead the series 2-0

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, using the Hampton’s Five lineup for the second game in a row, held on to beat the Houston Rockets 115-109.

The Warriors led from start to finish. They caused the Rockets to commit 13 turnovers in the first half, and they put 20 points on the board as a result. The Rockets, to their credit, stayed close as they made 10 three-pointers in the first half. The Warriors made just four.

Steph Curry had to leave the game in the second quarter when he injured his left hand trying to swat a shot attempt by Clint Capela. Curry went to the locker room for an x-ray and treatment. Nothing was broken, but he dislocated his middle finger on his left hand. Curry returned to action but appeared to be having trouble shooting the basketball as two fingers on his left hand were taped. James Harden also went to the locker room for treatment. Harden was struck in his left eye by Draymond Green. There was no foul on the play, and Draymond talked to Harden telling him that it was not intentional. Harden returned later after having some difficulty with his vision.

The Warriors won the first quarter 29-20. They were playing defense, and the offense was percolating. The Rockets played the Warriors even in the second quarter. Austin Rivers, filling in for Harden, kept the Rockets in the game as he knocked down three threes and finished the first half with 11. Clint Capela played much better Tuesday night. He ended the first half with seven points and seven rebounds.

The Warriors led by nine 58-49 at the end of the first half. The Rockets made 10 threes good for 30 points and kept themselves in the game.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 13 points. Kevin Durant had 12 points, Draymond Green had seven points and seven boards, Steph Curry had 10 points, and Andre Iguodala had 10 points.

James Harden led the Rockets with 12 points. Chris Paul had eight points, P.J. Tucker had six points, and Eric Gordon, who scored 27 on Sunday, was held to two points.

In the third quarter, the Rockets outscored the Warriorss 26-24 to finish the quarter trailing by seven 82-75. The Rockets trailed by 15 until they went on an 8-0 run at the end of the period. The Rockets cut the lead to four 84-80, but Shaun Livingston came through with two clutch baskets and the Warriors led 88-80.

The Rockets kept coming back. They trailed 93-90, but Steph Curry hit a three and Andre Iguodala followed with a bucket. Klay Thompson also hit a deuce, and the Warriors led 100-90 with 4:45 left to play. The Warriorss increased the lead to 12 104-92 as they went on an 11-2 run. James Harden refused to quit. Harden’s eye was bothering him all night long, but he kept attacking. He continued to drive the lane, and when he was bottled up, he tried to make a three-point shot. The Warriors were able to hang on to beat the Rockets by a final of 115-109.

Game Notes: All five Warrior starters were in double figures. Draymond Green had a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. Kevin Durant led the team with 29. Durant made three threes in seven tries. Klay Thompson had 21. Thompson also made three threes. Thompson made two threes in a row in the third quarter that helped the Warriors maintain their lead. Steph Curry finished with 20. Curry also made three threes and was 3 for 13 in that department. Andre Iguodala tallied 16 and helped out with two threes.

James Harden led the Rockets with 29 points. Chris Paul had 18 points, Eric Gordon had 15 points, Clint Capela had 14 points and P.J.Tucker had 13 points. The Rockets committed four turnovers in the second half.

The team stats looked like this: The Rockets were 36 for 77 from the floor. The Warriors took 14 more shots and were 42 for 91. The Rockets made 17 threes. The Warriors made 11. The Warriors outrebounded the Rockets 46-41 and had 18 offensive boards while Houston’s total was 10. The Warriors had 10 steals and five blocked shots.

The referees did an outstanding job Tuesday night, and neither team appeared to criticize the crew that worked Game 2 of the series.

Up Next: Game 3 of the best of seven series will be played in Houston on Saturday. Game time will be at 5:30 pm. The three-day layoff will give the players a chance to get some rest after the grueling first two games of the series.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s waterfront ballpark no longer just a dream

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Photo credit: sf.curbed.com

Barbara Mason filling in for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez on That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 How important is it for the Oakland A’s to have received Legislative approval on two bills SB293 and AB1191 to build at Jack London Square’s Howard Terminal?

#2 The park will be privately financed, which will have affordable housing, commercial properties and retail. This is a moment that A’s president David Kaval and the A’s have longed for.

#3 The A’s will be the only remaining team left in Oakland after the Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders move. Everything after last week’s legislative meetings regarding the A’s new ballpark had fallen in place, and after the meetings, it looks much better than before for the A’s to start their move to Howard Terminal.

#4 How much would you agree that it’s almost like four on one when the Houston Rockets play the Golden State Warriors particularly during the postseason? It’s the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green vs. the Rockets’ James Harden.

#5 The San Jose Sharks are in a 1-1 series tie with the Colorado Avalanche. The Sharks opened the series with a 5-2 win and dropped game two 4-3. In all, the Sharks have battled in each of the games and did it without their team captain Joe Pavelski, whose recovery from being knocked out in round one, Game 7 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Is this series about four guys vs. one guy? Is Harden going to do all the heavy lifting?

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bleacherreport.com photo: “Who me?” James Harden of the Houston Rockets protests a foul call during Game 1 of the Rockets and Golden State Warriors matchup at Oracle Arena on Sunday night.

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Is this going to be another series where it’s four or five guys against one guy were talking about the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson against the Houston Rockets’ James Harden?

#2 Warriors up 1-0 in the series. Did that first game represent an indicator of who the Warriors are and could this series be a walk in the park for Golden State?

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com