Category: NBA

Headline Sports with Amaury Pi-Gonzalez for Tony Renteria: US Women’s team set to meet the Netherlands Sunday; Will Angels regroup and battle for a playoff spot?; plus more

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On Headline Sports with Amaury Pi Gonzalez for Tony Renteria:

#1 The US Women’s soccer team will be playing the Netherlands Women’s team on Sunday. The US Team has had a great ride to get into the finals the last game they played they defeated the English Women’s team 2-1.

#2 Megan Rapinoe has been the face of the team politically. She said she won’t go to the White House and would put her hand over her heart during the anthem, and accepted an invitation from NY Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to meet at the House of Representatives after the finals. How much of a influence was Rapinoe for the women’s team during this World Cup?

#3 The LA Angels’ Tommy LaStella fouled a pitch off his right leg breaking his fibula and will be out for six weeks of action and will miss the All-Star break. This came right after the Angels lost pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who died in his sleep on Monday.

#4 The Oakland A’s are coming on after taking three of four from the Angels and winning the first game against the Minnesota Twins 8-6 — one of baseball’s best teams on Tuesday night.

#5 With the departures of Jordan Bell, Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala from the Golden State Warriors, are the Warriors now considered just an average NBA team?

Tony does Headline Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Cousins may leave Golden State, but can he fit in with Lakers?; US Women’s Soccer team could win it all this Sunday; plus more

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On Headline Sports with London:

#1 Critics says that there is no market for DeMarcus Cousins. What would you say the reason are as someone who covered him while he was at Golden State? Too many injuries, didn’t fulfill what the Warriors expected out him, too much baggage.

#2 Would the Lakers consider picking up Cousins? Cousins is reportedly watching if Kawhi Leonard decides to sign with the Lakers and if so would Cousins want to join Leonard in the Southland?

#3 You were there, how impressive were the Earthquakes when they shutout the LA Galaxy 3-0 at Stanford Stadium last Saturday?

#4 Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda said the game was a spectacle and the team is on the right path and has improved.

#5 The US Women’s team got a 2-1 win over England to advance to the Finals, which will be played on Sunday. Talk about how nervous you are for this upcoming match that could win it all.

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

California Classic Day 3 Recap

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By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — Wednesday was the third and final day of the California Classic at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. The four teams participating in the Classic would travel to Las Vegas after the festivities wrapped up on Wednesday afternoon to continue Summer League action.

Two games were on tap for Wednesday: The Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors at 12 PM PST as well as the LA Lakers and Sacramento Kings at 2 PM PST.

Game 1
Game one featured the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors, who got off to a very slow offensive start. The Heat managed to put up a few baskets in the opening minutes, but the Warriors couldn’t muster anything. It wasn’t until 6:01 that the Warriors finally managed to score. Damian Jones was fouled and made both shots. The Warriors managed to regain control of the offense and score 38 in the first half. The Heat, on the other hand, stayed steadily mediocre. They scored 12 in the first quarter and 18 in the second to trail 30-38 at the half.

Damian Jones led the Warriors with 8 points into halftime. Davon Reed had 7 points. The Heat’s leading scorers in the first half were Yante Maten, who dropped 10 points, and Tyler Herro with 7 points.

In the second half, the third quarter looked much like the first. Both teams struggled on offense. Please give credit to good defense from both teams, but the real culprit was bad shooting. When the third was said and done, the Heat scored 15 and the Warriors had 12. The score was 50-45 in favor of the Lakers heading into the final quarter. In the final minutes of the game, the Warriors offense fell sharply and the Heat picked up the slack. The Heat scored 26 fourth quarter points compared to the Warriors’ 14. The Warriors fell to the Heat 73-65.

Kendrick Nunn led the Heat with 21 points. Other notable Heat scorers were Tyler Herro with 20 points and Yante Maten with 16 points. Leading Warriors scorers were Damian Jones with 15 points and Davon Reed with 12 points.

Game 2
Unlike the first game of the day, the Kings offense got going early in this game. The Kings jumped to an early lead over the Lakers with quick points from Hollis Thompson. However, the Lakers began to roll offensively about halfway through the first and made it close at the end of the first quarter. The score was 23-22 in favor of Sacramento after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings and Lakers traded baskets without much separation coming between the two teams in the early minutes. Then, the Lakers offense slowed down as they were only able to put 17 points. Wenyen Gabriel led the Kings to a first half lead with 11 points. Hollis Thompson scored 10 points, and Kyle Guy had 10 points. The Kings took a 47-39 lead into the second half.

In the second half, the Kings kept the offensive pressure on the Lakers by scoring 28 in the third. That would be better than the Lakers’ 24 in the third. Sacramento was in the driver’s set 75-63 going into the fourth quarter.

However, in the fourth, the Lakers made it interesting. They outscored the Kings 36-22, and in miraculous fashion, won 99-97. The main reason the Lakers pulled this one out was because of Jordan Howard. Howard, who came into the fourth quarter with 8 points, dropped 17 points to lead the Lakers with 25 points. Other notable Lakers scorers were Nick Perkins with 20 points and Devontae Cacok with 13 points.

The Kings were also on the receiving end of many good performances from their young players, but were sadly downed by the Lakers. The most notable Kings performance came from first-year guard Kyle Guy, who scored 14 points on the night. Wenyen Gabriel added 16 points to his California Classic resume. Semaj Christon had 13 points.

All four teams now head to Vegas to continue their NBA Summer League Slate.

California Classic Day 2 Recap

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — Tuesday was day two of the California Classic at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. On tap for Tuesday was the first game of the evening between the Golden State Warriors and LA Lakers at 6 PM PST. The second game was at 8 PM PST featured the hometown Sacramento Kings against the Miami Heat.

Game 1
The Warriors and Lakers were first up on the schedule Tuesday night.

The first half was pretty balanced with both teams putting together good offensive stretches. The first quarter quarter went back and forth with the Warriors edging the Lakers 25-24. In the second quarter, the Lakers took advantage of sloppy defense and outscored the Warriors 24-15. Leading the way in the first half was Lakers forward Zach Norvell Jr., who managed to put up 10 on 4-5 shooting. Leading the way for the Warriors was forward Malachi Richardson, who dropped 9 points for the Warriors in just over 7 minutes in the first half.

The second half featured the Lakers continuing to hold their lead and eventually win the game. The Golden State Warriors had moments where they pulled closer, but it was the Lakers’ scoring that ultimately propelled them to a victory. Halftime scoring leader Zach Norvell Jr. would put up another 10 points (20 points for the game) in the second to lead the Lakers to a 100-90 victory over the Warriors. Other Lakers who put up good numbers were Devontae Cacok (16 points), Joe Young (13 points), and Marcus Allen (10 points).

Leading the way for the losing Warriors was Eric Paschall (18 points), followed by Jacob Evans (13 points), and Damian Jones, Jordan Poole, Alen Smailagic–all with 10 points.

Game 2
The second game of the night was set with the Kings and Heat ready to take the floor.

In the first half, both teams got off to a slow start with the first points coming by the heat at the 8:10 mark of the first. The Kings immediately took a timeout to regroup before continuing the first half. The Heat played exceptional defense early on in this game keeping the Kings from open looks. The Kings’ first points of the night came at 7:41 with Kyle Guy hitting a three from the right start. From there, the Kings offense seemed to click. At the end of the second half, they scored 45 points and led the Heat 45-36.

Leading the way for the Kings in the first half was Kyle Guy (11 points), Semaj Christon (10 points), and Hollis Thompson (7 points).

Leading the way for the Heat was Yante Maten (8 points), and Kendrick Nunn (7 points).

In the second half, the Kings appeared to be on their way to another victory. They kept pace with the Heat in the third and carried a 71-63 lead into the final quarter, but things didn’t go the Kings way in the final 12 minutes. The Heat outscored the Kings 26-17 in the fourth to win the game at the buzzer 89-88. Leading the Heat to victory was Kendrick Nunn, who scored 27 points on 9-20 shooting. Also, another good Heat performance was by Yante Maten, who dropped 21 points.

Even in defeat, the Kings had some positive takeaways from day two of the California Classic. Hollis Thompson was the leading scorer for Sacramento with 18 points. Kyle Guy and Eric Mika both scored 13 points while Semaj Christon and Marcus Derrickson dropped 10 for Sac.

Up Next: Wednesday the California Classic wraps up with the Heat and Warriors playing at 12 PM PST and the Kings and Lakers squaring off at 2 PM PST.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Warriors Trying to Appease Their Fans

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The Golden State Warriors were ready to become the next Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls dynasty. But now, that is all, but a memory — a wish for their fans. Kevin Durant made a brief stop with the Warriors, and in a flash, it was all just a dream for their fans — one of those dreams you do not want to wake up from.

The truth remains that in this era of huge salaries and free agency, it is very difficult to keep a championship group together in the NBA. Mega stars like LeBron James play with a team, win a couple of titles and then just move on. With the departure of Durant to Brooklyn and Andre Iguodala to Memphis, the Warriors have a totally different look.

Now the Warriors organization is saying that no Warriors player will ever wear #35 again, that of Kevin Durant, who left for Brooklyn to join his 2016 Olympic buddies Kyrie Irvin and DeAndre Jordan and leaving millions on dollars on the table, which was offered by the Warriors.

“As long as I am co-chairman of this team, no player will ever wear #35 for the Warriors again,” Joe Lacob said in a statement.

OK, Warriors fans, calm down. The organization still wants to please you and continue to win. They are going to be moving this winter to Chase Arena in San Francisco. That will be the biggest attraction, a beautiful brand-new home. As far as winning, well nothing lasts forever. The LA Lakers will probably be the favorite to win in their division, but the Warriors should still be very competitive. Well, let’s hope so.

The Beatles also broke up in 1969 John Lennon informed the other Beatles he was leaving. Later in 1970, Paul McCartney also said goodbye to his fellow band members. The Beatles had a dynasty of music in the 60’s — like the Boston Celtics’ dynasty — they also became free agents who went their separate ways. John, George, and Ringo went solo, while Paul formed the famous band Wings.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Skaggs’ death a tragedy, waiting for autopsy results; Nets aren’t just banking on KD when he gets back

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On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died on Monday at a Texas hotel. Amaury had a chance to work with and interview Skaggs when Amaury was doing Spanish play-by-play on Angels TV. He was a good kid and his mother, although her last name wasn’t Spanish, she was Mexican American.

He spoke Spanish. His dad’s last name was Skaggs. He was 27 years old. Amaury had a chance to speak with him during his time broadcasting Angels baseball. He was a nice young man always available to speak to with the media.

The Southland Police said they do not suspect foul play and it has not been determined if Skaggs passed away due to natural causes. Officers found Skaggs unresponsive at the hotel and was deceased at the scene.

Amaury also talks about how the moves at the Golden State Warriors and how the Kevin Durant move will impact the team as he moves to the Brooklyn Nets and Andre Iguodala was rumored to go to the Memphis Grizzlies so Golden State can shed that salary. Iguodala could end up at the Lakers. DeAngelo Russell comes to the Warriors from the Nets and will probably be the point guard on the second unit.

Amaury is the Oakland A’s Spanish play-by-play radio talent on KIQI 1010 San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

California Classic Day 1 Recap

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By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — Golden One Center was ready on Monday night to welcome in the California Classic for the second time. Kings, Warriors, Heat, and Lakers fans began to descend upon the arena when the gates opened at 5 PM local time in Sacramento. On the slate for Monday evenings action was the first game of the Miami Heat facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers at 6 PM PST. On tap for the 8 PM game was the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors.

Game 1: Miami Heat vs. LA Lakers at 6 PM
In the first game the Heat and Lakers showcased their young talent. Even though the score doesn’t particularly matter in summer league action, the Heat drubbed the Lakers. The Lakers appeared to get off to a fast start in the first quarter, but fell behind in the later minutes and the Heat took the lead.

The Heat then began to pour it on in the next two quarters as the Lakers couldn’t muster anything on defense. At the end of the third the Lakers trailed the Heat 86-54. You could guess what happened the rest of the way. The Heat continued to put up points and down the Lakers 106-79.

However, if you’re reading this, you probably care more about which players put up the best numbers than what the score was. The Heat’s leading scorers were Tyler Herro (18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists), Duncan Robinson (17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), and Charles Cooke (15 points, 2 rebounds).

The leading scorers for the Lakers were Rosco Allen (13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assists), and Zack Norwell Jr. (11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists).

Game 2: Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors at 8 PM
In the second game, it was time for the Kings and heat to see what their young talent and newly drafted players could do.

The first half would prove to be an up and down battle between both teams. The Warriors outscored the Kings in the first quarter 23-18, but then the Kings came back and outscored the Warriors 23-9 in the second quarter to take a lead into halftime. Leading scorers for the Kings in the first half were Wenyen Gabriel (11 points), and Hollis Thompson (8 points). Leading the way for the Warriors were Jimmer Fredette and Damian Jones, both with 7 points.

In the second half, it remained a close game with the Kings and Warriors trading baskets. The Kings were outscored by the Warriors 21-19 in the third. Going into the fourth, the Kings would still have the lead 60-53.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings faltered a bit to the Warriors. They allowed them to come back and take the lead midway through the quarter. However, Sacramento was able to battle back and secure the win 81 to 77 over the Warriors. The Kings’ notable scorers were Wenyen Gabriel (22 points), Hollis Thompson (11 points), and Semaj Christon (13 points). The Warriors’ notable scorers were Jacob Evans (18 Points), Damian Jones (14 Points), and Jimmer Fredette (14 points).

The Kings’ newly drafted prospects Kyle Guy and Justin James also logged good minutes. Guy scored 10 points and James scored 7 points in their Sacramento debuts.

Notes: Kings regulars De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley, Harry Giles and Bogdan Bogdanovic were all in attendance for the Kings game. Also in attendance was Kings legend Chris Webber.

Next Up: The California Classic continues on Tuesday with the Lakers facing the Warriors at 6 PM PST and the Heat facing the Kings at 8 PM PST.

Kevin Durant signs four-year $164 million deal to play with the Brooklyn Nets

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file photo from sfgate.com: Former Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant #35 gets help off the floor in his last hurrah for Golden State with the injured Achilles tendon in the first half of game 5 against the Toronto Raptors.

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Golden State Warriors lost a key player to free agency on Sunday. Superstar forward Kevin Durant decided to leave the Warriors, a team that he won two championships with, to play for the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets were active Sunday signing point guard Kyrie Irving and center DeAndre Jordan. They will have to wait a year for Durant to play for them as he will be recovering from an Achilles tendon injury that will sideline him for the entire 2019-2020 season.

The big question is, why did Durant decide to leave the Warriors. Golden State offered him a five-year deal worth $ 221 Million. The answer has to be that he was unhappy here with the Warriors. He had a massive dustup with Draymond Green early in the season. The two players didn’t speak for a while, and that may have been a factor even though Green apologized to Durant. Another factor may have been the injury that he sustained in Game Five of the NBA Finals with Toronto. Durant had suffered a calf injury in the series with the Houston Rockets. The team may have asked him to return to action before that injury was healed. No one knows what the Warriors’ doctors told him about the possibility that he might make it worse if he played.

The Warriors did agree to terms with a five -year $190 million contract with Klay Thompson. Klay will be out for at least nine months as he recovers from surgery to fix a torn ACL in his left knee. The Warriors want to re-sign Kevon Looney.  Looney is being courted by the Houston Rockets. Looney proved his worth as he played inspired basketball in the Finals after suffering an injury to his collarbone. The Warriors may try to get DeMarcus Cousins back. The most the can offer Cousins is about 6.3 million. Cousins could help fill the gap left by Durant’s departure. Cousins may stay to get a better deal a year from now. Shaun Livingston may retire, and that is another hole that the W’s will have to fill.

The Warriors should be competitive next year with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala still on the roster. Players such as Damian Jones, Jordan Bell, Alonzo McKinnie, and Quinn Cook will have to step up if the Warriors are to be successful next season. The fans are hoping the GM Bob Myers might have something rolled up in his sleeves to help make the team better. It will be a very different season for the Warriors as they start to play next year at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Durant and Leonard could be signed with a new team by next week; Baseball epidemic, nets needed to protect fans; plus more

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On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant and the Toronto Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard are going free agency to see if they can get the maximum for their buck.

#2 Some of the teams that most likely will show interest in Durant and Leonard are the LA Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks. It’s very likely everyone should learn either by Sunday night or Monday morning where they’ll be going.

#3 The Houston Rockets are shopping center Clint Capela, guard Eric Gordon, and forward PJ Tucker in their bid to get Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler. The Rockets are to trying to solidify themselves after failing to make the NBA Finals in the last two seasons.

#4 In the game of baseball, fans come many sit as close to the action as they can. After some serious injuries to fans last season, the MLB thought they got it covered with all the netting they possibly muster up to protect the fans. Last Sunday, a young girl was hit in the eye with a bullet hit by the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger, and on May 29th, a two-year-old girl was hit by a foul ball hit by the Chicago Cubs’ Albert Almora Jr. that fractured her skull at Houston’s Minute Maid Park leaving her with injuries that she will have to battle with for years to come. The Dodgers, Nationals, and White Sox have said during the All-Star Break, they’ll be netting their entire stadiums from foul pole to foul pole.

#5 The San Francisco Giants’ lineup has been noted for having the worst offense in baseball and possibly the worst in their franchise history. The Giants do not have a batter hitting over .300 in their lineup and have lost nine of their last 12 games.

Tony does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: Will Kawhi say goodbye to Toronto?; Giants’ Pomeranz throws heat, strikes out 11 Rockies Monday night; plus more

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On Headline Sports podcast with Barbara:

#1 Will Kawhi Leonard bolt from the Toronto Raptors? It looks like Leonard will decline the $21.3 million player option and will consider becoming a free agent. There is talk that Leonard is considering signing on with the Raptors and Leonard said he love playing in Toronto so much last season why ruin an opportunity and re-up with the Raptors again.

#2 San Francisco Giant starter Drew Pomeranz, who had some very rough outings this season, has also had some successful games. Monday night against the Colorado Rockies was one of them throwing for 11 strikeouts at Oracle Park after throwing 93 pitches was lifted in the bottom of the fifth inning.

#3 The New York Mets are going through some rough times. There is talk that the Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen has been making in game moves and over ruling Mets manager Mickey Callaway. What’s so bizarre about it is Callaway has followed Van Wagenen’s decisions resulting in the Mets finding themselves nine games out of first fourth in the NL East.

#4 The biggest baseball name was Aaron like in Hank Aaron famous for the home run, then there is the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, who had a lights out season last season, then there’s the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks, whose home run on Monday night help extend and tie the Major League mark for the most consecutive home runs by a team at 27.

#5 After a young girl Katlin Salazar was hit in the face by a Cody Bellinger bullet, the Los Angeles Dodgers have decided to extend the netting from the dugouts to the foul poles at Dodger Stadium. The bullet hit the girl who was seated four rows just up from the dugout. She had to leave some 15 minutes after being hit and was also paid a visit by Bellinger between innings.

Barbara does Headline Sports each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com