Category: NBA

Lakers put down Warriors 120-94; 5th straight loss for S.F. team

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photo from sfgate.com: Golden State Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell, right, dribbles around Los Angeles Lakers’ Avery Bradley, center, on a screen from Draymond Green during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 13

By Jerry Feitelberg

The undermanned Golden State Warriors fell to the bigger Los Angeles Lakers in LA on Wednesday night by a score of 120-94. The Warriors, down to nine healthy players due to the injury to Damian Lee’s hand, gave the Lakers a tussle for about the first six minutes of play in the first quarter. The Lakers were too big, and the Warriors could not protect the rim.

The Warriors, still without Steph Curry, Kevon Looney, Alen Smailagic, Are having a painful time scoring points and keeping the opposition from scoring. The Warriors are now 2-10 for the year. The silver lining is that the young players are learning on the job how to play in the NBA.

In the first quarter, with the Warriors trailing 17-15, the Lakers went on a 12-0 run to make it 29-15. They continued to outplay the young Warriors and finished the quarter with a 12-point lead 38-26. The Warriors kept pace with the Lakers in the second quarter. Each team scored 29 points, and the Lakers finished the first half leading by 12 points 67-55. The Warriors’ scoring was led by D’Angelo Russell with 17. Eric Paschall was second with 9, and Willie Cauley-Stein had eight. LeBron James led the Lakers with 19. Kyle Kuzman and Dwight Howard each had 9.

The Lakers went on a 10-2 run early in the third period to increase the lead to nineteen 79-60. The Warriors could not get anything going, and the quarter ended with LA in control 98-82. The Lakers outscored the Warriors 22-12 in the fourth quarter to win by twenty-six 120-94.

Game Notes: The Warriors, as mentioned above, played the game with nine healthy players. The Dubs hade five players in double figures. D’Angelo Russell led the team with 21. Rookie Eric Paschall continued to impress everyone with play as he recorded 15 points and three rebounds. Jordan Poole had 11. Cauley-Stein and Draymond Green each had ten. Alec Burks, coming off the bench, had nine.

The Lakers also had five players in double figures. LeBron James, in 26 minutes of action, knocked down 23 points, 6 boards, and 12 assists. Kyle Kuzma had 22. Former Warrior JaVale McGee also had a big night as he torched his old mates for 18points and 17 rebounds. Big Dwight Howard contributed 15 in helper the Lakers win. Former Warrior Quinn Cook finished with 10.

The stats showed the Warriors shot 40.5% from the floor. They made 36 buckets in 89 tries. The Lakers had the same number of shots, but they made 48. They were 54% from the floor. The Lakers outrebounded the Warriors 51-33.  The Lakers improved to 9-2 for the year.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face another tough opponent, the Boston Celtics, Friday night at the Chase Center. The Celtics have won nine in a row and are 9-1 for the season. The game will be at 7:30 pm

Kings win again, downing Portland 107-99 on Tuesday night

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SAC 11-12

By Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO — On Tuesday night, the Kings played their first game since learning that star point guard De’Aaron Fox was going to be unavailable to the team for an extended period of time. Fox suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain, which usually implies ligament damage, at the end of practice on Monday. Fox is currently on crutches and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. How long Fox will be gone has yet to be determined.

NBA observers immediately predicted “doom and gloom”

The national experts who cover the NBA almost immediately declared that the injury to Fox ended any chance the Kings had of making a playoff run this season. The team had stumbled out of the starting gate losing their first five games but seemed to be putting things together after going 2-1 on their first road trip to the East Coast.

“Those in the know” felt that the team would not be able to overcome the loss of Fox who is their uptempo playmaker. Fox is also a key scorer for the team when they need a boost on the scoreboard.

Tuesday night the Kings had to face the Portland Trail Blazers in their first test without Fox on the floor. Sacramento had lost to the Blazers 122-112 at home in the second of the season.

Portland tried to take control in the first half

The Trail Blazers came out in the first quarter shooting 50% from the floor and 33% from 3-point range. The Kings really struggled as they shot just 34.6% from the field and a miserable 16.7% from downtown. What kept Sacramento in the game was their volume of shots.

Portland hit 9 of 18 shots in the opening period while the Kings put in 9 of 26 attempts from the field. The Blazers held just a 24-21 lead when the first quarter came to a close.

The Kings’ shooting and defense improved in the second quarter, and they matched the Blazers in almost every statistical category. Portland was up by only three points, 49-46, at the half.

Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts said after the game: “Sacramento didn’t shoot the ball particularly well – neither team shot the ball well in the first half. I felt like we should have had a bigger lead at halftime.”

Could the Kings overcome their Third Quarter nemesis?

The Kings have experienced difficulty in the third quarter in the majority of their games so far this season. They have had a tendency to start the period slowly and then watch their opponents put them in a position where they have to play catch up in the fourth quarter.

That did not happen on Tuesday night. Sacramento outscored Portland 35-21 in the third period. They accomplished that by shooting an outstanding 57.9% (11-for-19) overall and sinking 2 of 5 (40%) from long range. They also converted 11 of 13 opportunities from free throw line.

At the end of 36 minutes of play, Sacramento led Portland 81-70.

Portland Head Coach Terry Stotts: “They got off to a good start in the third quarter and built a lead and we really couldn’t recover from that initial burst at the start of the third quarter.”

Portland did not give up in the fourth

The Blazers outscored the Kings 29-26 in the final 12 minutes and cut the Sacramento lead down to five points with 2:51 to go in the game. Bjelica hit a 26-foot, 3-point shot to give his team an eight-point lead. The Kings would go on to win the game 107-99.

The Kings record improves to 4-6 and they have now won 4 of their last 5 games. Portland’s record drops to 4-7 on the young season.

After the game, Luke Walton wanted to talk “D”

“I want to talk about our defense. It’s been what we’ve been preaching about every day since day one of training camp and I’m the first to admit, it needs to get a lot better. But that’s why – not only tonight but I feel like slowly even if our numbers haven’t showed it, guys are starting to understand and really make steps as far as individual defense and team defense. Tonight, we started the game, we couldn’t make anything – great shooters, wide-open shots – and that’s why defense is important.”

Focus on the Kings

  • Bogdan Bogdanovic was the Kings top scorer. He came off the bench to score 25 points and dish out 10 assists. “Bogi” scored 25 of the Kings 36 bench points.
  • Buddy Hield added 20 points in 37 minutes of playing time. Hield did not have a great night shooting just 7-for-21, but he hit big shots when they were needed.
  • Nemanja Bjelica recorded a double-double scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Blazers top performers

  • To no one’s surprise, Damian Lillard scored a game-high 27 points. “Dame” went 13-for-14 from the free throw line. He also played almost 38 minutes. He is truly an incredible player.
  • CJ McCollum added 24 points shooting a very nice 11-for-21 from the floor.
  • Hassan Whiteside had another nice game against the Kings as he put up 17 points and hauled in seven rebounds.

Up next

The Kings will be off until Friday night when they will face the Lakers at Staples Center in LA.

The Blazers head home for the back end of a back-to-back with the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings going for their fourth win in five games tonight in Sacramento

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sacbee.com file photo: The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox drives on the Toronto Raptors defense on Nov 6th game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Fox is out with an ankle injury for unknown amount of time.

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Kings have won three of their last four games, including a win over the Atlanta Hawks 121-109. Were these games a matter of surprise wins for Sacramento or just hard work starting to pay off for the Kings?

#2 The Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield scored 22 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points in the game against the Hawks.

#3 The game was on the Hawks floor, and try as they may, the Hawks could barely keep up with the Kings. The Kings have some very quick players and the Hawks lost by 12

#4 Talk about the Kings defense. They seemed to maintain the Hawks throughout the game and were able to establish winning and their defense worked in the fourth quarter.

#5 The Kings host the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento. You’ve seen them win on this road trip. Could their odds go up a little bit for Tuesday night’s game having the home floor?

Charlie O does Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Jazz cruise to a victory over Warriors 122-108

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sfgate.com photo: The Utah Jazz Rudy Gobert takes a shot against the Golden State Warriors defense at Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday night

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The visiting Utah Jazz downed the Warriors 122-108 Monday night at the Chase Center. The Warriors’ All-Star forward, Draymond Green, returned to action after missing several games with an injured left index finger.

The Jazz, coached by Quinn Snyder, owned a record of 6-3 coming into the game. The Jazz revamped their roster as they added guard Michael Conley. Conley was an All-Star in Memphis for many years. Another addition to the roster was Bojan Bogdanovic, who came to Utah after playing for the Indiana Pacers last season.

The Jazz has other players that are All-Stars. Rudy Gobert, the seven-foot one-inch center, is back for another year. Donovan Mitchell continues to sparkle at the guard position, and he had a big night against the Warriors.

The Warriors and Jazz played a very competitive first quarter. The Jazz led early in the period. The W’s D’Angelo Russell knocked down three threes in a row to give the Warriors the lead 19-17. Utah came back and regained the lead briefly. The Warriors went ahead 24-23 on a D’Angelo Russell 2-point bucket. That would be the last time the Warriors had the lead. Russell finished the first period with 18 points.

Utah outscored the Warriors 35-24 in the second period to finish the first half with a 15-point lead 69-54. Utah knocked down 9 threes. The W’s had four. This was one of the reasons the Jazz led by 15. The other reason was the advantage the Jazz had at the free-throw line. Utah outscored the Warriors 16-2 from the charity stripe.

The Warriors outscored the Jazz 31-28 in the third quarter. Jordan Poole, D’Angelo Russell, Alec Burks, Damian Lee, and Eric Paschall all made contributions to help the Warriors win the quarter. They trailed 97-85 at the end of three-quarters of play.

The Warriors, as hard as they played, could not catch the Jazz. With 8:28 left to play, Draymond Green was charged with a double technical foul. Draymond appeared to be run over by a Utah player. He went to the floor but was charged with a reach-in foul. Green objected and was hit with a T.

He continued to question the call, and he was slapped with his second T. He had to leave. The Warriors could not catch the Jazz. They played well on defense, but they did not have enough firepower to get back into the game. The Jazz win 122-108

Game Notes: D’Angelo Russell led the Warrior attack with 33 points. Russell had 8 assists, and he made five threes in nine tries. The other Warriors in double figures were Jordan Poole with 11, Marquis Chriss 11, and Alec Burns 10. Willie Cauley-Stein, Glenn Robinson, Damian Lee, and Eric Paschall each had 8.

Utah had seven players in double figures. Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell tallied 23, and he made 7 threes. Michael Conley tallied 22, and he knocked down six threes. Jeff Green and Bojan Bogdanovic each had 12. Joe Ingles and Emmanuel Mudiay had 11 each.

With the loss, the Warriors are now 2-9. Utah improved to 7-3. They are a power in the Western Conference and will be battling with the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and Denver for the best record in the West.

Utah’s Donovan Mitchell and the Warriors Eric Paschall have been best friends since they were six years old, growing up in Westchester County, New York. Hard to believe that two young men from the same neighborhood would be playing in the NBA. It’s a sweet story.

Up Next: The Warriors are back in action Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center. The game will be on ESPN at 7:00 pm. The Boston Celtics visit the Warriors on Friday.

Thunder holds off injury-riddled Warriors 114-108

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photo from sfgate.com: Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, left, as Golden State Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov 8, 2019, in Minneapolis.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, November 9, 2019

Five Oklahoma City players scored in double-figures on Saturday, as the Thunder defeated a short-handed Golden State squad 114-108 in Oklahoma City. It was the Thunder’s second win over the Warriors this season.

Danilo Gallinari led the Thunder with 19 points, followed by Dennis Schroder with 18 points and six assists. Chris Paul scored 16 points to go with nine assists, Steven Adams netted 13 points, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 12 points.

Oklahoma City has won three of its last four games.

D’Angelo Russell continued his torrid scoring for the Warriors, scoring 17 of his game-high 30 points in the third quarter. His 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer tied the game at 84-all.

On Friday, Russell scored 52 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Alec Burk added 23 points for Golden State (2-8), and Glenn Robinson III added 18 for a Warriors team that has five players inactive due to injury, including Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

Early in the fourth quarter, Willie Cauley-Stein’s jumper put the Warriors ahead 88-86. OKC (4-5) responded with a 9-0 run, sparked by four points from Paul. A jumper by Hamidou Diallo gave the Thunder a 14-point lead with 5:01 remaining.

Though Golden State cut its deficit to 112-108 with 17.7 seconds to play, they could get no closer.

The Warriors were 17 of 17 on free throws. Oklahoma City’s 43 baskets had 30 assists, and the Thunder outrebounded Golden State 42-35.

Golden State returns home on Monday night to host the Utah Jazz at 7:30 p.m.

Kings end their road trip with a 121-109 win in Atlanta

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Hawks score
Graphic: @SacramentoKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

There are three things you need to remember about the Kings victory over the Hawks on Friday night:

  1. Sacramento just finished a three-game road swing to the Eastern time zone and finished with a 2-1 record. That is something this team – that experienced a “stutter-start” to the 2019-20 season – can build on to turn fortunes around quickly.
  2. The Kings reached the 3 wins mark before the Golden State Warriors (2-7).
  3. Harry Giles III returned to action for the first time this season and H20 could play a key role for the Kings while they wait for Marvin Bagley III to heal.

It was a “nail-biter” in the 4th quarter

The Kings dominated the first half. They held a 63-47 lead at halftime, but no one thought that the Hawks would just roll over and play dead in the second half.

Atlanta served notice in the third period that they still thought that they could win the game by outscoring the Kings 36-28. Trae Young led the charge for the Hawks scoring 16 points and dishing out four assists. Young was on fire and the rest of his team followed his lead. Sacramento held a 91-83 lead after 36 minutes of play.

The Hawks continued their assault until they cut the Kings lead down to just one point with 9:03 left to play in the game. Bogdan Bogdanovic turned it around for SAC. “Bogi” hit a 26-foot, 3-point jump shot to give the Kings a 4-point lead and the momentum that had them build up a lead as large as 18 points down the stretch.

The Kings won the 4th quarter 30-26 with Bogdanovic scoring 11 points for Sacramento. The Kings went 7-for-9 from 3-point range and were a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the final period. That is how games are won.

Let’s hear for the SAC bench

The Sacramento starting five scored 70 points on Friday night. The Atlanta starters also scored 70 points. The difference in this game was the scoring of the players off the bench.

The Kings bench outscored the Hawks second unit 51-39. The Kings used five players off their bench:

  • Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points hitting 6 of his 9 shots from the floor. Five of his field goals were 3-point baskets.
  • Trevor Ariza was also on fire from behind the arc. He went 5-for-7 from the field and four of his buckets were 3-pointers.
  • Harry Giles III played just over seven minutes, but the important thing is that he played. Giles scored four points, grabbed a rebound and had one block shot. You could see the enthusiasm on his face at being able to be on the court and in the middle of the action.

The Hawks (3-5) are young and dangerous 

The Hawks may well be where the Kings were two years ago. They are amassing talent and preparing to build a team that will be a force for five to seven seasons to come. Their current stars are:

  • Trae Young who scored a game-high 30 points and made it a double-double night by dishing out 12 “dimes”. He is the real deal.
  • Jabari Parker – who is in his first year with the Hawks – scored 25 points and added eight rebounds.
  • Kevin Huerter was the key man off the bench for Atlanta by putting up 17 points in almost 30 minutes on the floor.

Up next

The Kings have a nice break as they will be off until Tuesday night when they will host the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Hawks will hit the road and will face the Trail Blazers in Portland on Sunday night.

Warriors lose to the Timberwolves 125-119 in OT

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors gave the Minnesota Timberwolves all they could handle Friday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis. D’Angelo Russell returned to action after missing three games with an ankle injury. Russell paced the Warriors’ offense with a career-high 52 points. It was not enough as the T-Wolves prevailed in overtime 125-119.

The Warriors finished the first quarter with a 31-29 advantage. Russell led the offense, and the Warriors played sound defense. They finished the first half leading 61-60.

The Warriors continued to play well in the third quarter. They outscored the T-Wolves by five to lead 86-80. The Warriors were able to maintain the lead until late in the fourth quarter. They led 110-106 with less than a minute to play. The T-Wolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns was fouled, and he knocked down the two free throws to make it a two-point game 110-108. T-Wolves’ coach, Ryan Saunders had his team put on a full-court press as the Warriors tried to get the ball into the forecourt. The T-Wolves’ Robert Covington was able to tie up Alec Burks to force a jump ball. Covington won the jump, and the T-Wolves gave the ball to Andrew Wiggins, who would make a layup to tie the game with 5.6 seconds left. The Warriors failed to score, and the game went to overtime.

The Warriors continued to stay close to the lead behind D’Angelo Russell’s hot hand. They stayed close as they trailed 120-119. The T-Wolves made a three to lead 123-119. The Warriors would not score again. Minnesota added to more points to ice the 125-119 overtime win.

Game Notes: The Warriors’ record dropped to 2-7. It was the first time since 2004-05 season. Minnesota improved to 5-3.

D’Angelo Russell finished the night with 52 points. He scored 21 of the last 23 points scored by the Warriors. Alec Burks, coming off the bench, had 18. Rookie Eric Paschall had 12. No other Warrior was in double figures.

Minnesota was led by Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins scored 40 to help his team to the win. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Robert Covington had 17, Jake Layman, 14, and Josh Okogie also had 14.

Up Next: The Warriors face the Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday night in OKC. The game will start at 5 pm PT.

Rockets knock off the young Warriors 129-112

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors started a three-game road trip at the Toyota Center against the Houston Rockets Wednesday night.

The Warriors, still short-handed and inexperienced, started the five players that upset the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night. The Rockets, lusting for blood after being eliminated by the Warriors in the playoffs last year, showed the five new players they have a long way to go. The Rockets easily won 129-112.

The Warriors gave the Rockets a tussle in the first quarter. They finished the period trailing 30-29. They tied the game at 36 early in the second quarter. The Rockets started to pull away and finished the first half leading 63-52. The Warriors shot just 38.8% from the floor.

The Rockets stopped the Warriors’ attack in the third period. The Rockets built up the lead to 23. The Warriors played better but ended the period trailing by 15. The Rockets kept the pressure on, and the Warriors fell 129-112.

The Warriors lost for the sixth time in eight games. The Rockets improved to 5-3.

The Warriors’ leading scorer was Alec Burks with 28. Burks did not start, but he played well. He made three threes in 8 tries and had 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Eric Paschall continued to play well for Golden State. Eric led the starters with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Glenn Robinson had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Damian Lee and Omari Spellman were in double figures with 13 each. Jordan Poole and Ky Bowman each had 8.

The Rockets had six players in double figures. Harden had 36. Danuel House, Jr, had 17, Clint Capela had 19 points and 16 boards, Russell Westbrook, 18, and Austin Rivers, coming off the bench had 12. Rivers made four threes in four tries.

Draymond Green did not accompany the team on the road trip. He is recovering from an injury to his index finger on his left hand. D’Angelo Russell is with the team and may play in the next game or two. Kevon Looney will be out at least another two weeks with a nerve condition. He will be evaluated at that time. Alen Smailagic is also recovering from an ankle issue, and he may be back soon.

The Warriors travel to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night. The game time is at 4:30 pm PT.

Kings come up just short in their battle with the Raptors on Wednesday night, 124-120

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TOR score
Graphic: @NBCS

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings (2-6) went from having to play the worst team in the NBA East on Sunday night in the New York Knicks to having to face the defending NBA World Champion Toronto Raptors (5-2) on Wednesday night. While it is true the Raptors no longer have Kawhi, they still have a very competitive team that will go to the playoffs.

The Kings could have easily phoned this game in and saved their energy for the final game of the road trip in Atlanta. They chose not to do that. Luke Walton’s team showed up and played hard. They kept the outcome of the game in question until the final seconds of the contest. When the final buzzer sounded, the Raptors won the game 124-120, but they knew that Kings came very close to stealing this game on the road.

The Kings made it rain

Sacramento tied a franchise record by hitting 20 3-point baskets on Wednesday night. The Kings went 20-for-44 from “downtown” (45.5%). It was almost like the Raptors were daring them to shoot from behind the arc.

Buddy Hield just missed a 3-point shot with just seconds left that might have become a four-point opportunity that potentially could have tied the game. Hield went 5-for-7 from long range in the game.

Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Kings in 3-point scoring connecting on 6 of 11 attempts from behind the 3-point line.

Sluggish start

The Kings had a slow start in the game as they allowed the Raptors to outscore them 36-23 in the first quarter. Toronto shot 77.8% (14-for-18) from the floor including six 3-point buckets in the opening 12 minutes.

That slow start meant the Kings had to expel a lot of energy to get themselves back into the game in the second quarter. That was energy they would not have late in the game to help them overcome the Raptors lead.

Battle for points in the paint

While the Kings won the 3-point shooting battle, the Raptors owned the scoring down low in the paint. Toronto outscored the Sacramento 52-32 in the paint.

By being able to score in the paint, the Raptors were able to take high-percentage shots. They finished the game shooting 55.1% from the field (43-for-78) with 26 of those baskets being hit in the paint.

Pascal Siakam (23 pts), Serge Ibaka (21 pts), OG Anunoby (18 pts) and Marc Gasol (12 pts) were just too much of a force for the Kings defense to overcome. Siakam made it a double-double night by adding 13 rebounds.

Battle of the boards

Sacramento outrebounded the Toronto 43-37. Twelve of the Kings rebounds came on offense which allowed them to win the battle for 2nd chance points 13-2.

Richaun Holmes and Buddy Hield led the Kings rebounding efforts with eight each.

Focus on the Kings

Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 26 points on Tuesday night. He shot 7-for-15 in the game including four 3-point baskets and converting 8 of 10 from the free throw line.

Supporting cast

  • Bogdan Bogdanovic put 22 points in the scorebook by hitting 7 of 14 field goal attempts.
  • Buddy Hield connected on 7 of 16 shots (5 3-point baskets) for a 21 point night.
  • De’Aaron Fox had a 21 point, nine assists and seven-rebound night. He did have to battle foul trouble early in the game.

Up next

The Kings wrap up their three-game road trip on Friday night in Atlanta (3-4)

The Raptors begin what their radio crew called a “murderous” five-game road on Friday night in New Orleans.

 

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Can Raiders get by Chargers on Thursday Night?; 49ers distributing momentum going into Monday Night at Levi’s; plus more

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Photo credit: forbes.com

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The Oakland Raiders just got by the Detroit Lions Sunday 31-24 at the Oakland Coliseum. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns. One of the big throws for Carr was his pass to Hunter Renfrow that gave the Raiders a go-ahead lead and eventual win.

#2 What a Thursday Night Football it was for the San Francisco 49ers in their win over the Arizona Cardinals 28-25, a narrow win, but it kept them undefeated at 8-0. Seeing that that was a close game, could their contest coming up in Santa Clara against the Seattle Seahawks be a close one, too, on Monday Night Football?

#3 The Sacramento Kings won their second straight game on Sunday night against the New York Knicks 113-92 at Madison Square Garden. It was a much-needed win for the Kings after suffering a five-game losing streak before their first two wins.

#4 The announcement came in October about the MLS coming to Sacramento in 2022 and the partners of the Sacramento Republic are excited to bring Major League Soccer to the state capital, which could bring a new rivalry between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Republic.

#5 The San Jose Sharks star player Evander Kane is being sued by the Cosmopolitan Casino in Las Vegas for $500,000, a gambling debt that goes back to the NHL playoffs when the Sharks were in Vegas back in April. Will the publicity of the debt create a disruption for the Sharks going forward?

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