Category: Uncategorized

Wranglers roll past Barracuda 4-1, in first place in Pacific

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Calgary Wranglers celebrated one of their four goals on the evening at Tech CU Arena on Friday FEB 10, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The Calgary Wranglers dominated the San Jose Barracuda in 4-1 victory on Friday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost four games in a row in its first game since the All-Star break. Calgary has won two games in a row and regained first place in the Pacific Division with Coachella Valley’s loss to San Diego.

Calgary (32-11-2-0) drew first blood early in the first period with an even strength goal. ‘Cuda goalie Aaron Dell made a save on Ben Jones’ breakaway attempt, but Matthew Phillips tapped home the rebound into an open net for his league-leading 25th goal of the season at the 5:37 mark.

San Jose (18-25-0-3), despite having two power plays in the opening frame, weren’t able to figure out Wranglers’ goalie Dustin Wolf, who stopped all 17 shots he faced.

The Wranglers doubled its lead near the halfway mark of the second period. Phillips won a battle behind the net where the puck found its way onto the stick of Jones who blasted a one-timer past Dell for his 11th goal of the season at the 8:02 mark.

Calgary scored its third unanswered goal late in the middle frame. A great individual effort by Jeremie Poirier where he skated in from right to left, regained his own rebound and wired a wrist shot past Dell for his fifth goal of the season at the 15:22 mark. Kevin Rooney and Colton Poolman were credited with helpers on the goal.

Radim Zohorna made it 4-0 Wranglers early in the third period. Phillips skated into the ‘Cuda zone and fed a pass over to Zohorna who one-timed a point blank shot past Dell for his eighth goal of the season at the 2:01 mark.

Thomas Bordeleau spoiled Wolf’s shutout bid when he scored his team leading 19th goal of the season with 2:20 remaining in the game. Daniel Gushchin set up Bordeleau, who snapped a five-game goal-less skid, along the right slot and the rookie sniper buried a one-timer past Wolf to the short side.

Gilroy native, Wolf stopped 42 of the 43 shots he faced to earn his league leading 27th victory of the season. Dell (7-11-1) made 26 saves on 30 shots in the losing effort, his third straight loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-5 on the power play. Calgary went 0-for-4.

Calgary has outscored San Jose 16-3 in their three wins this season against the ‘Cuda.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Wolf 2) Jones 3) Phillips

UP NEXT: San Jose and Calgary conclude its two-game series on Saturday at 6:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Pro Bowl podcast with Rich Perez: NFL All Star featuring flag football format on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas site of the Pro Bowl as seen here on Sun Feb 6, 2022 is the site of the Pro Bowl game on Sun Feb 5, 2023. (AP News file)

On the Pro Bowl podcast with Rich Perez:

#1 The Pro Bowl is in Las Vegas for the second consecutive year and once again they’re expecting large crowds for the game on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

#2 Rich talk about Derrick Carr ex-Raider quarterback coming back as an AFC quarterback and what it will mean to Raiders fans to see the former Raider appear in Vegas for the Pro Bowl?

#3 Carr participated in the passing skill competition and lead all quarterbacks with 31 points.

#4 This year’s Pro Bowl will have former NFL quarterbacks Eli Manning and Peyton Manning as NFC and AFC coaches.

#5 Rich this year’s Pro Bowl saw different skills competition and flag football games. Talk a little about the different format of this year’s Pro Bowl.

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

Canucks three goal second period edge Barracuda 3-2, sweep series

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Abbottsford Canucks celebrate a goal against the San Jose Barracuda at Tech CU Arena on Saturday FEB 4, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Abbotsford Canucks scored three goals in the second period as the defeated the San Jose Barracuda 3-2 to sweep the weekend series on Saturday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose heads into the All-Star break with having lost three of its past four games. Abbotsford has won three games in a row.

San Jose (18-24-0-3) drew first blood on the power play early in the first period. Danil Gushchin fed a pass back to the point over to Derrick Pouliot who skated in a wired a wrist shot past Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs for his second goal of the season at the 7:23 mark.

Abbotsford (25-15-2-2) evened the score 30 seconds into the second period. A shot from the point pinballed off traffic in the middle over to Tristen Nielsen who deposited the puck into an open net for his ninth goal of the season.

The Barracuda regained the lead exactly five minutes later with an even strength goal. Kyle Criscuolo cleaned up the rebound on a shot by Max Veronneau, who earned his first point in a ‘Cuda uniform, for his ninth goal of the season at the 5:30 mark.

The Canucks scored the equalizer less than three minutes later. Chase Wouters made a wraparound move from behind the net and a trailing Linus Karlsson banged home the puck past ‘Cuda goalie Strauss Mann for his 15th goal of the season at the 8:05 mark.

Abbotsford gained its first lead, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, late in the middle frame. Matt Alfaro centered a pass through the crease where Vincent Arseneau scored his fourth goal of the season from point blank range.

There was no scoring in the final frame despite the ‘Cuda pulling Mann for an extra attacker late in the game.

Silovs stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced to earn the victory. Mann made 30 saves on 33 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-6 on the power play. Abbotsford went 0-for-5.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Arseneau 2) Pouliot 3) Karlsson

Abbotsford is 5-1 against San Jose this season.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts the Calgary Wranglers for a two-game series starting on Friday 2/10 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Canucks get late goal in third period for 3-2 comeback win over Barracuda

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose’s Kyle Criscuolo fires a shot on Abbotsford’s Jake Kupsky at Tech CU Arena on Friday FEB 3, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Abbotsford Canucks scored two goals in the third period for a 3-2 comeback victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Friday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has won two out of its past three games/have lost three out of its last four games. Abbotsford has lost four out of its last five games/have won two in a row after losing three games a in a row.

San Jose (18-22-0-3) drew first blood early in the first period with an even strength goal. Martin Kaut sent a rink wide pass from along the left boards over to an unmarked Andrew Agozzino who one-timed the puck past Canuck’s goalie Jake Kupsky for his 15th goal of the season at the 6:24 mark.

Kaut, who was acquired by the San Jose Sharks back on January 25th from the Colorado Avalanche, has three points in his three games with the ‘Cuda.

The former 2018 first round draft pick said he is glad to have a fresh start with a clean slate in San Jose after five tumultuous years in the Rocky Mountains.

“Honestly it’s been my dream to play for the Sharks. “I have to play every game good, play hard. Hopefully the chance will come soon, if not..I believe it will come if I play the way I am able to,” Kaut said.

Abbotsford (24-15-2-2) answered back with an even strength goal just under three minutes later. Nils Hoglander found a trailing Christian Wolanin who deposited the puck into an open net for his fifth goal of the season at the 9:18 mark.

Wolanin has scored in back-to-back games after not scoring in 24 consecutive games.

It didn’t take long for the Barracuda to regain the lead thanks to its fourth line. Jeffery Viel led a rush up the ice and found Adam Raska on the left wing. Raska beat Kupsky with a wrist shot to the far side for his third goal of the season at the 11:03 mark. ‘Cuda goalie Aaron Dell received the secondary assist, his first point of the season.

Raska has three goals in his last two games. However, Raska did not finish the game as he left due to an illness.

Kupsky suffered an apparent lower body injury at the 6:07 mark of the second period when he awkwardly fell inside his crease and injured himself. He was replaced by Arturs Silovs. Kupsky finished with 17 saves on 19 shots.

Abbotsford dominated the rest of the game from the halfway point of the middle frame till the end as they capitalized on San Jose’s mistakes.


“We gave it away, we gave it away,” said ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy on how disappointed he was with his team’s performance. “Turnovers. I didn’t like our start. They (Abbotsford) took it to us probably the first six or seven minutes (of the game). In the second, I think we generated some momentum, played pretty well. Then it in the third, (it was the) same old story. Penalties, not hard enough on loose pucks. We gave two points away.”

Abbotsford scored the equalizer early in the third period. Nils Aman received a pass up in the neutral zone from Noah Juulsen. Aman skated in a roofed a backhander over the shoulder of Dell and off the crossbar for his fourth goal of the season at the 5:15 mark.

The Canucks earned its first lead with a power play goal late in the third period. With Luke Johnson in the sinbin for tripping, Hoglander redirected a shot from the point by Wolanin past Dell for his sixth goal of the season at the 14:24 mark.

Silovs was a perfect 12-for-12 coming in relief to earn the victory. Dell made 22 saves on 25 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-3 on the power play. Abbotsford went 1-for-3.

The Canucks are 4-1 vs Cuda this season. They scored a power play goal in every game against San Jose this season.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Wolanin 2) Hoglander 3) Agozzino

UP NEXT: San Jose and Abbotsford conclude their two-game series on Saturday 2/4 at 2:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

49ers can’t overcome Purdy’s injury and penalties as Eagles cruise to NFC Championship 31-7

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffery runs past Philadelphia Eagles defenders at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday JAN 29, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

It was the matchup we wanted, but it wasn’t the game we deserved to watch.

San Francisco 49ers Brock Purdy was injured on the team’s first offensive possession as the Philadelphia Eagles defense set the tone and the home team took advantage of every mistake the visiting team made in a 31-7 victory to win the NFC Championship on Sunday evening at Lincoln FinancialField.

Philadelphia advanced to Super Bowl LVII to take on the winner of the AFC Championship in Glendale, Arizona. San Francisco’s magical run of a 12-game win streak was snapped in a game that went wrong in every way possible.

“Guys are pretty down in there. We were really excited for the game, and we really wanted an opportunity to play that team. They (Philadelphia) played great,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The Eagle marched down the field on its first possession. On a 4th and 3 from the 49ers 35-yard line, Davonta Smith made an acrobatic, yet controversial, one-handed catch for 29 yards to the six-yard line. It set up Miles Sanders six-yard rushing touchdown.

Purdy was injured when Haason Reddick knocked the ball out of Purdy’s right arm while he was making a pass attempt. The play was initially called an incomplete pass, but the Eagles challenged the play, and it was overturned to a fumble that was also recovered by Riddick. Purdy’s elbow was injured and limited him the rest of the game.

I feel like my arm stretched out, felt like there were a lot of shocks all over from my elbow down to my wrist, front and back. Just pain all over,” Purdy said about how his injury felt.

San Francisco used good field position to set up their first scoring drive. Backup quarterback Josh Johnson marched the 49ers down the field as running back Christian McCaffery was the catalyst as he touched the ball on six plays that finished off with a 23-yard rushing touchdown where he broke two tackles to scamper in for the equalizing touchdown.

Philadelphia answered back just before the end of the first half. Sanders recorded his second rushing touchdown with a 13-yarder with 1:36 remaining in the second quarter to complete a 14 play 75-yard drive. Three penalties by San Francisco’s defense on the drive allowed the Eagles to keep marching down the field to set up Sanders untouched run to the end zone.

On the ensuring drive, Johnson fumbled a snap on a 1st and 10 at his own 36-yard line. Reddick recovered the ball at the 30-yard line.

The Eagles cashed in the turnover with a Boston Scott 10-yard rushing touchdown with :16 left in the second quarter to give Philadelphia a two-score lead.

“A lot of things didn’t go our way. We had self-inflicted wounds on the defense all the way through. However, you want to draw it up or talk about it, it just wasn’t our day,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said.

Johnson was injured on the 49ers first drive of the second half when Ndamukong Suh knocked Johnson down hard to the grass and Johnson’s head hit down on the ground suffering a concussion. Purdy came back in but handled the ball off to McCaffery for a short gain making San Francisco punt the ball.

San Francisco’s special teams kept another drive alive for Philadelphia. Jordan Mason was called for roughing the kicker when he ran into punter Brett Kern. The Eagles made the 49ers pay six plays later with Jalen Hurts one-yard rushing touchdown to give the Eagles a commanding 28-7 lead.

Despite Purdy returning to the game, he was not able to throw the ball down the field and San Francisco’s offense became one-dimensional the rest of the game as Philadelphia’s defense did not allow San Francisco to score another point.

Things turned ugly with four minutes left in the game when a big skirmish in the middle of the field led to ejections of 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams and Eagles K’Von Wallace.

Riddick, who was the defensive MVP for Philadelphia, finished with two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery & a tackle for loss.

Hurts finished 15 of 25 for 121 yards with no passing touchdowns and no interceptions to go along with his one rushing touchdown. Kenneth Gainwell led Philadelphia in rushing with 48 yards on 14 carries. Sanders chipped in 42 yards on 11 carries to go along with his two touchdowns.

Purdy went 4 of 4 for just 23 yards. Jonhson finished 7 of 13 for 74 yards before his injury knocked him out of the game. McCaffery, despite playing with a calf contusion for the second consecutive week, was the lone bright spot for San Francisco with 84 rushing yards on 15 carries. He also chipped in four receptions on 22 yards.

“It just didn’t turn out our way. We got beat. Wish we had another shot at it with everybody. But that’s life, that’s the way it goes,” McCaffery said.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished just 2-for-8 on third down conversions. Philadelphia went 5-for-15.

Philadelphia out gained San Francisco 269-164 in total net yards.

San Francisco still leads the over series with Philadelphia 20-15-1.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: After Purdy injury it was all over for 49ers; Niners crushed by Eagles 31-7

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick, right, causes a fumble by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy during the first quarter, Purdy’s elbow was injured on this play and was out for the rest of the first half returning in the second half at Lincoln Financial Stadium in Philadelphia on Sun Jan 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

On San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 After the first seven minutes of the game it was over. In the first two minutes San Francisco 49ers Brock Purdy got the elbow injury and the offense for the rest of game was three and out.

#2 With 49ers back up quarterback Josh Johnson there is a reason why he’s been with multiple teams he fumbled and he couldn’t get the 49ers down field and the Philadelphia Eagles defense were daring Johnson to throw the ball.

#3 Looking back on the season the 49ers before Sunday’s NFC Championship loss to the Eagles, the miracle of Purdy getting the 49ers here after 12 straight wins and ten straight wins under Purdy no one would have expected Purdy to get this far.

David Zizmor did the San Francisco 49ers podcasts Wednesdays and Joe Hawkes Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Beat Wizards In Nation’s Capitol 127-118

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija (9) goes up for a rebound against Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb (40) and guard Ty Jerome (10) during the first half at the Capital One Center in Washington DC on Mon Jan 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

Warriors Beat Wizards In Nation’s Capitol 127-118

By Barbara Mason

Monday afternoon the Golden State Warriors (22-22) took on the Washington Wizards (18-26) at Capital One Arena in Washington DC. The fact that the Warriors struggled on the road is no secret and opposing teams have been taking full advantage.

After losing against the Bulls Sunday in an absolutely lackluster game, the Warriors got a win Monday 127-118 defeating the Wizards. Stephen Curry has a great history in Washington and the team got a repeat of that history in a collective effort.

The Warriors had a far different start to this game compared to the game in Chicago. Curry had 17 points in the opening quarter. They did a far better job defensively and only had two turnovers in the first quarter. They led after the first 12 minutes 35-33.

Curry had an outstanding first quarter and in the second quarter Jordan Poole stepped up to the plate shooting for 23 points. He finished the half with 26 points and Curry had 21. The Warriors had four turnovers in the second quarter and won the quarter 34-31 leading at halftime 69-64. The Warriors needed to continue protecting the ball and limit the fouls in the second half.

As expected Kristaps Portzingis presented the greatest challenge in this game. He finished the first half with 25 points.

The third quarter was a bit of a let-down for Golden State. The shots from downtown were not dropping going 13 of 36. They had three turnovers and after three quarters this game was tied at 93.

The Warriors made up a seven point deficit to lead 112-108 with four minutes left in the game. The Warriors had contained Portzingis who had five points in the second half with 2:24 left on the clock.

It was the Washington bench that was keeping them in the game. With under two minutes left in the game the Warriors led 123-114 and Curry was approaching 40 plus points. In the final minutes Curry hit a three followed by Poole who shot a three and the Warriors were rolling.

The Wizards played a very good game and had this game in hand through three plus quarters before Draymond Green got his squad going and there was no looking back.

This was the Warriors fifth road win and they really needed this game. Curry finished with 41 points and Poole had 32. The team had a very efficient game with only 12 turnovers a far cry from Sunday’s game total of 23 turnovers.

Next up for the Warriors will be a matchup with Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM.

Barracuda edge Canucks 3-2 to split series and snap losing streak

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau celebrate Eklund’s goal against the Canucks at Tech CU Arena on Sunday JAN 15, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Derrick Pouliot picked a great time to score his first goal of the season.

Pouliot’s goal early in the third period gave the San Jose Barracuda an insurance goal as they held on to beat the Abbotsford Canucks 3-2 on Sunday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose split the two games series with Abbotsford and snapped its three-game losing streak. Abbotsford had its three-game winning streak end.

Pouliot knocked down a pass from Tristan Robins and skated down the left wing before he deposited a wrist shot top shelf to the short side past Canucks goalie Jake Kupsky at the 5:20 mark. Pouliot’s first goal of the season was also the Barracuda’s third power play goal of the game.

San Jose (16-21-0-2-34 points) drew first blood on the power play early in the opening frame. Robins set up William Eklund in the right slot and Eklund blasted a one-timer past Kusky for his 11th goal of the season at the 6:09 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead 65 seconds into the second period with its second power play goal. This time it was Thomas Bordeleau setting up Eklund’s second goal on the man advantage. Eklund once again was at the right place at the right time and beat Kupsky with another one-timer from the right slot for his 12th goal of the season.

Abbotsford (22-11-1-1-46 points) cut the ‘Cuda lead in half with a power play goal late in the middle frame. Phil Di Guiseppe beat ‘Cuda goalie Eetu Makiniemi with a one-time from the right slot for his ninth goal of the season at the 14:05 mark.

Vasily Podkolzin gathered in a loose puck and snapped home a wrist shot past Makiniemi for his fourth goal of the season two minutes after Pouliot’s goal.

Makiniemi finished the game stopping 32 of the 34 shots to earn the victory and snapped a six-game losing skid. Kupsky made 20 saves on 23 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 3-for-6 on the power play. Abbotsford was 1-for-5.

Robins finished with two assists.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Eklund 2) Bordeleau 3) Pouliot.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts the San Diego Gull on Friday 1/20 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Canucks second period blitz take down Barracuda 5-1

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose’s Patrick Holway and Abbotsford’s Marc Gatcomb battle with one another at Tech CU Arena on Saturday JAN 14, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Abbotsford Canucks scored three goals in less than five minutes in the second period to defeat the San Jose Barracuda 5-1 on Saturday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has three games in a row and 11 of their past 13. Abbotsford have won three games in a row and four out of its last five.

Abbotsford (22-10-1-1) drew first blood early in the first period with an even strength goal.

San Jose (15-21-0-2) Wyatt Kalynuk’s shot from the point was tipped in by Kyle Rau past ‘Cuda goalie Aaron Dell for his eighth goal of the season at the 6:24 mark.

Despite out shooting the Canucks nine to seven in the opening frame, the Barracuda weren’t able to get a puck past Canucks goalie Artus Silovs.

The Barracuda evened the score at the 8:00 minute mark of the second period with an even strength goal. Luke Johnson won a faceoff out to Jeffery Viel and the veteran forward beat Silovs with a wrist shot to the far side of the net for his seventh goal of the season.

Abbotsford scored a pair of power play goals 64 seconds apart near the halfway mark of the middle frame. The Canucks scored on a 5-on-3 power play when Linus Karlsson finished off a tic-tac-toe play into an empty net for his 11th goal of the season at the 8:45 mark.

The Canucks scored its second power play goal when Christian Wolanin set up Phil Di Guiseppe’s one-timer that beat Dell for his eighth goal of the season at the 9:49 mark.

Abbotsford scored its third unanswered goal of the period at the 13:02 mark when Danila Klimovich tapped home a pass from Arshdeep Bains for Klimovich’s eighth goal of the season.

Bains finished off the scoring for the Canucks at the 18:55 mark of the third period with an empty net goal, his fourth of the season.

Silovs stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced to earn the victory. Dell made 24 saves on 28 saves in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-6 on the power play. Abbotsford went 2-for-4.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Wolanin 2) Silovs 3) Viel

San Jose is 0-18-0-1 when they have given up four or more goals in games.

Karlsson was given a 10-minute game misconduct for abuse of officials at the 16:41 mark of the third period.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Abbotsford conclude their two-games series on Sunday 1/15 at 1:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Kings take out Rockets in 20 point win in first of two game series

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By Jeremiah Salmonson

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason, center, and forward Bruno Fernando (20) defend against Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk during the first half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Wed Jan 11, 2023 (AP News photo)

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (22-18) were back in action on Wednesday at home. The Kings last game was Monday, where they took on the Orlando Magic. The Kings were able to handle the Magic with ease in the blowout win 136-111.

On Wednesday, the Kings welcomed the Houston Rockets (18-31) to Sacramento. The Rockets were in town for a two-game series with games to be played on Wednesday and Friday nights. The Rockets came in 10-30 on the season, as the Kings were 21-18. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST in Sacramento. GAME RESULT The Kings took the first of the two game set with a 20 point win 135-115 at Golden 1 Center.

In the first quarter, the Rockets started strong. They scored the first eight points of the game to put the Kings on notice. However, that would be short-lived. The Kings would turn up the heat on the Rockets and score 31 points in the first quarter. Granted, that was only good for a four-point lead as the Rockets scored 27 themselves. The Kings would have a first-quarter lead and look to expand that in the second quarter.

The Kings built on the lead early in the second quarter and then lost it. The Kings scored 36 points in the second quarter. That was a good number, but the defense suffered. The Kings Kryptonite all year has been defense; Wednesday was no exception to this rule. The Rockets scored 35 points in the second quarter to keep pace with the Kings. However, the Kings would take a five-point 67-62 lead into halftime. De’Aaron Fox led the way in the first half with 12 points, as Jalen Green led the way for the Rockets with 18.

In the third quarter, the Kings did not play well. Not only did the Kings defense not show up the offense wasn’t able to pick them up. The Rockets outscored the Kings 33-27 in the third quarter to come back and take the lead from the Kings. The Rockets would head into the final quarter with a one-point lead over the Kings. The Kings would need someone to step up in the fourth quarter if they wanted to win the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings do what good teams do against a poor opponent; the Kings took over. The Kings offense and defense simultaneously exploded in the fourth quarter as the Kings outscored the Rockets 41-20. It was a massive quarter for the Kings and a welcome sight, given so many close games late this season.

Trey Lyles was the hero of the quarter, scoring 15 of his 20 points in the fourth to lead the Kings to a 20 point win over the Rockets. Leading the way for the Kings was Domantas Sabonis, who was an assist shy of a triple-double. The Rockets best performance came from Alperen Sengun, who had a 10, 10, and 10 triple-double in the loss. The Kings improved to 22-18 as the Rockets fell to 10-31.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Houston Rockets in the second game of the series on Friday at 7 PM PST.