Warriors come from behind stun Lakers 115-113

The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) has company defending him the Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James (23) and Dennis Schroder (17) on Mon Jan 18, 2021 at Staples Center in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors tipped off against the defending NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, at the Staples Center Monday night. The Warriors had lost their last two games against the Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets. Their game against the Phoenix Suns  Friday night was postponed due to Phoenix not putting eight men on the roster. The Warriors just edged the Lakers on Monday night with a 115-113 two point win. 

Thet did not have an enviable task. They had to beat the Lakers on their court in LA. With LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, and Kyle Kuzma, the Lakers felt they would put another win on the board. The Lakers jumped out to a 34-22 lead at the end of the first quarter. They led 34-15 until late in the quarter when the Warriors scored the last seven points to trail 34-22. 

The Warriors played better in the second period. Kelly Oubre, Jr. played well. He led the club in scoring with 16 points in the first half. Eric Paschall, coming off the bench, added nine. The Warriors cut the deficit to five 42-37. The Lakers responded by going on an 18-7 run to finish the first half leading 64-48. 

The Warriors won the third quarter 33-28 to trail by eleven 92-81 with just one quarter left to play. The Warriors climbed back into the game when they went on a 17-2 run. Andrew Wiggins made three consecutive three-point shots. Kevon Looney made a corner three, and Steph Curry followed with another three. They trailed 70-68 at this point in the game. The Lakers refused to wilt. They finished the quarter on a 13-2 run.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors played like the five-year run team that saw them win three championships and play in five consecutive NBA finals. They played well on both ends of the court. The defense made the Lakers work to get open.

They forced turnovers. The offense came to life. Eric Paschall was a force on both ends of the court. The Lakers were leading 108-101 when Curry knocked down a deuce and was fouled on the play. He made the free throw to make it 108-104.

On the Warriors next possession, the Lakers fouled Curry again. He made both free throws to make it 108-16. When the Lakers tried to inbound the ball, Kelly Oubre caused the Lakers to commit a turnover. The Warriors tied the game on Oubre’s bucket.

The Warriors went ahead 110-108 with 2:38 left to play. It was the first Warrior lead of the night. The referees called traveling on LeBron James to give the ball back to the Warriors. They scored to make it 112-108.

The Lakers’ Anthony Davis got two back. Curry answered with a three to give the Warriors the lead 115-110 with 1:02. James made two free throws, Dennis Shroder one to make two it  turned out to be a 115-113 thriller. 

Game Notes and Stats: Eric Paschall and Kelly Oubre had season-highs in scoring. Oubre played his best game as a Warriors. Kelly finished with 23 points and four rebounds. He was a force on defense and caused the Lakers to commit several turnovers.

Paschall finished with 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Curry was double-teamed all night, came to life in the second half and recorded 26 points and seven assists. He connected on three threes in 12 tries.

Andrew Wiggins played well on both ends of the court. He knocked down 18 points and made three threes in a row in the third quarter. Draymond Green made two big buckets in the fourth quarter that helped secure the victory. Green’s line was seven points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. 

Dennis Shroder led LA with 25 points. LeBron had 19, Anthony Davis had a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and eight boards. Kyle Kuzma had a double-double with 15 points and ten rebounds.

The Warriors had their motion offense working well Monday night as they recorded 31 assists. The Warriors shot 50.6% from the floor, and they made twelve threes.

The Warriors improved to 7-6 for the year. The Lakers dropped to 11-4.

The Warriors return home to face the improved New York Knicks Wednesday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

Sharks drop first game to Blues in 5-4 loss

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Ana Kieu

The San Jose Sharks began a two-game series against the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center on Monday night. The Sharks desperately tried to avoid a two-game losing streak, but ultimately fell short to the Blues, 5-4.

The Sharks took an early lead in the first period. Kevin Labanc drew first blood with a goal at the 11:38 mark, giving the Sharks a 1-0 lead. The goal was Labanc’s first of the season, snapping a two-game scoreless drought. Logan Couture scored a power-play goal at the 14:18 mark, giving the Sharks a 2-0 lead. The Sharks held firm with a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.

The second period featured a lot of back-and-forth action between the two teams. Justin Faulk beat Sharks goaltender Devan Dubnyk glove side, cutting the lead in half, 2-1, just 2:36 into the second. Mike Hoffman redirected a pass, tying the game 2-2 at the 4:09 mark. The Sharks weren’t ready to give up, but the Blues had other plans. Brent Burns scored a power-play goal, putting the Sharks up 3-2 at the 12:06 mark. The Blues tied the game once again, 3-3, at the 14:17 mark, as Jaden Schwartz found the loose puck after Dubnyk made the initial save. The Blues took a 4-3 lead with Faulk’s second goal of the game at the 19-minute mark. The Sharks trailed 4-3 after 40 minutes of play.

Things got interesting in the third period as defense was optional and physicality skyrocketed. Logan Couture scored his second goal of the game, tying the game, 4-4, just 4:17 into the third. Jordan Kyrou scored a between-the-legs goal that gave the Blues a 5-3 lead at the 10:28 mark. The Sharks pulled the goaltender for an extra attacker late in the third, but were unable to score the equalizer and force overtime, as Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped the shots thrown his way. The Sharks lost 5-4 at the end of regulation.

The Sharks fell to 1-2-0, while the Blues improved to 2-1-0.

The two teams face each other off again on Wednesday, January 20 at 6 pm PT.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal’s 50 point second half difference maker in winning at Utah

The Cal Bears Kuany Kuany is thrilled that Cal played some solid second half offense to come back and win over the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City Sat Jan 16, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris how big was this for Cal (7-8) to get a win in Utah (5-6) 72-63 which had been a tough place to play for Cal in past years.

#2 In the first half Cal looked like they were going to go down again as the Utes took a 34-22 lead at half time.

#3 Cal was right back in it in the second half scoring 50 and holding the Utes to just 29 points.

#4 Talk about some of Cal’s high scorers Grant Anticevich is back leading the Bears with 14 points, Makale Forman followed up with 12 points, Jerod Hyder and Andre Kelly both scored 11 points.

#5 The UCLA Bruins (11-2) head to Haas Pavilion for Thu Jan 21st’s game. The Bruins defeated the Washington Huskies (1-11) on Saturday 81-76 completing their sixth straight win and Jules Bernard lead UCLA in scoring 20 points. How do you see this match up on Thursday.

Morris Phillips does the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kings fall to Pelicans 128-123 behind Fox’s 43 points

Photo credit: @clutchsources

By Ana Kieu

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings ended their seven-game homestand by seeing a close game go up in smoke as they ended up losing 128-123 to the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center on Sunday night.

The Kings used the same starting lineup in their seventh straight home game. De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, and Richaun Holmes took the court. Also, the Kings honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Kings wasted no time getting on the board. In a span of 42 seconds, De’Aaron Fox made a pullup jump shot and Buddy Hield hit a 3-pointer for an early 5-0 lead. The Pelicans responded with a dunk by Steven Adams to pull within three, 5-2, at 10:45. The Pelicans continued to pour in the points, JJ Redick hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and the Kings trailed 34-25 at the end of the first quarter.

The Pelicans continued their strong play, but the Kings kept it a close game in the second half. The Kings made it a 10-point game, 37-27, when Cory Joseph hit a 2-pointer at 11:05. De’Aaron Fox hit a 2-pointer to make it a 9-point game, 67-58, with 1:37 left. The Kings trailed 67-58 at halftime.

The Kings came out to play in the second half. De’Aaron Fox opened the third quarter with a pullup jump shot and a 3-pointer in a span of 40 seconds. Fox added a step back jump shot with 28,3 seconds left. Harrison Barnes hit a 3-pointer to pull within three, 97-94, with 1.2 seconds left. The Kings trailed 97-94 through three quarters.

Despite a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Kings kept the lead in single digits. After JJ Reddick hit an early 3-pointer, but Richaun Holmes made a pair of free throws to pull within four, 100-96, at 11:13. Buddy Hield hit a 3-pointer to pull within five, 115-110, with 5:43 left. De’Aaron Fox made a driving dunk to make it a 1-point game, 116-115, with 3:18 left.

Unfortunately, the Pelicans continued their scoring surge at the Kings’ expense. Zion Williamson went on a tear with 30 points at one point. Steven Adams made a pair of free throws to give the Pelicans a 124-119 lead with 17.9 seconds left. De’Aaron Fox hit a 2-pointer to pull within three, 126-123, with 6.6 seconds left. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added a pair of free throws to seal the 128-123 victory.

The Kings fell to 5-9. De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 43 points, 13 assists, and 4 rebounds.

The Pelicans improved to 5-7. Zion Williamson led all scorers with 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.

The Kings head to Los Angeles to take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, January 20 at 7 pm PT.

NFL Playoffs podcast with Barbara Mason: Final Four teams in fight for a shot at Super Bowl LV

The Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers (12) gets in for a one yard keeper just getting away from Los Angeles Rams defender John Johnson (43) in the first half of the NFC title game on Sat Jan 16, 2021 in Green Bay (AP News photo)

On the NFL Playoffs podcast with Barabara:

#1 The Los Angeles Rams got into Green Bay on Saturday and played in 30 plus degree weather at the Frozen Tundra at Lambeau Field how much of a difference did that make in their game which turned out to be a 32-18 loss.

#2 The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens played a relatively low scoring game by playoff standards and the Bills came away the winner 17-3 and are headed to the AFC Championship. The Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for 206 yards and a touchdown he’s been having a terrific post season.

#3 The Kansas City Chiefs defense kept the pressure up on the Cleveland Browns as the Browns could only muster a field goal in the first quarter and a touchdown in each of the third and fourth quarters. Meanwhile Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes threw for 255 yards and one touchdown for the 22-17 win.

#4 It looked like the Saints might have made things interesting to start their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scoring six in the first quarter and seven in the second quarter but the Bucs in the second quarter came back and scored 13, seven in the second and ten in the third to get a ten point win over the Saints 30-20. The Bucs quarterback Tom Brady threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Could the Bucs be on the road to the Super Bowl?

Join Barbara for the NFL Championship podcast next Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Headline Sports podcast with Daniel Dullum: MLB taking steps to stop political donations from Giants and D-Back owners; plus much more

San Francisco Giants majority owner Charles B Johnson said he didn’t know he was donating to a QAnon supporter Rep  Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo (file photo from Franklin Templeton Investments)

On Headline Sports with Daniel:

1 Report: Giants, Diamondbacks owners made max political donations to QAnon supporter; MLB suspends all political donations

2 NFL’s Divisional Playoff Weekend

3 CBC report: Why playing arena hockey can be risky during the pandemic

4 James Harden lands in Brooklyn as part of four-team blockbuster; triple-double in first game with Nets

5 Joe Thornton scores his first goal for Toronto

Catch Daniel for Headline Sports on Sunday night’s at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Devils edge Bruins 2-1 in OT; Sharks Meier scores hat trick but Coyotes win 5-3; plus more

New Jersey Devils Yegor Sharangovich (17) celebrates his overtime goal with teammates Kyle Palmer (21) and P.K. Subban (76) for the overtime win against the Boston Bruins on Sat Jan 16, 2021 at New Jersey (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len:

#1 The New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins played to a 2-1 overtime with New Jersey coming out the winner. New Jersey got on the board first when Miles Woods scored at 16:15 in the first period. The Bruins Patrice Bergeron tied the game in the second period at 17:16 with his second goal of the year. Jersey’s Yegor Sharangovich scored the overtime goal for the win at 4:58.

#2 The Arizona Coyotes after losing to the San Jose Sharks on opening night Thursday got a 5-3 win on Saturday despite the Sharks Timo Meier who scored a hat trick and all of San Jose’s goals. The Yotes Phil Kessel scored twice in the three goal win for Arizona.

#3 The Montreal Canadiens got a huge four goal win over the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on Saturday night. The Habs got scoring from Jeff Petry and Tomas Tatar who both scored twice. Jake Evan scored a short handed goal.

#4 The New York Rangers got a 5-0 shutout over the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The Rangers got scoring help from Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin who scored twice and Kappo Kakko scored one goal for the win. Ranger goaltender Alexandar Georgiev faced 23 shots for the shutout.

#5 The Detroit Red Wings got a two goal win against the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. The Wings got scoring from Dylan Larkin who scored twice, Bobby Ryan, and Robby Fabbri score a goal each.

Join Len each Sunday night for a look at the weekend’s NHL action at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bears catch fire after halftime, win at Utah 72-63

By Morris Phillips

Without Matt Bradley, and after a lackluster first half, the Bears shocked Utah with a 50-point second half in their surprising 72-63 road win.

The Bears overcame a 15-point deficit and won for only the third time on an opponent’s home floor in the last three seasons. And they did it by sharing the ball, shooting from distance, and defending, three things they haven’t done well all season.

The Bears trailed 15-5 and 24-9 in the first half before exploding with 58 percent shooting after the break.

Grant Anticevich led the comeback with 10 of his 14 points durind a critical stretch that gave Cal a decisive advantage. All 10 came within three minutes in which Cal went from up two to leading 60-50 with 7:33 remaining.

“It was really uplifting for our entire team to see him make a few, and I think it took the pressure off of everybody,” said coach Mark Fox of Anticevich.

Utah got as close as down 69-63 with 2:04 remaining, but Cal held them scoreless the rest of the way. The Utes missed 11 of their 12 3-point attempts after the break while Cal buried six from distance, including consecutive threes from Anticevich.

Makale Foreman scored 12 points, Andre Kelly and Jarred Hyder had 11, and Ryan Betley nine in Cal’s balanced attack. Timmy Allen led Utah with a game-high 26.

The Cal women were also in Salt Lake City on Saturday awaiting their Sunday afternoon game against Utah when they announced that COVID issues within their team came to light in their most recent round of tests. The cancellation of their game created confusion that manifested itself with 20 text messages received by Coach Fox with people wondering if the men’s game had been postponed.

The Bears (7-8, 2-6) return home for a Thursday night meeting with first-place UCLA at 6pm.

 

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings loses mounting drop seventh in nine games

The Los Angeles Clippers Paul George drives on the Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox on Fri Jan 15, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacraemento (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah the Clippers showed off their offensive prowess but it was the lack of offensive in the third and fourth quarters from the Kings that hurt the most in this most recent loss for Sacramento 138-100.

#2 When a team is getting crushed in the third and fourth quarters like that does head coach Luke Walton have to go into changing up the defensive strategy?

#3 The Clippers were just loaded with talent coming into the game with that usual tandem of Kahwi Leonard and Paul George.

#4 It seemed that no matter what the Kings did on offense the Clippers would consistently pull away with a 20 point lead after losing seven of their last nine games how frustrating has that got to be for the Kings.

#5 The Kings give it another try this time they’ll face the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night at Golden One. The Pelicans bring a five game loss streak into Sacramento. The Pelicans lost in LA on Friday to the Lakers and the last time they won a game was against the Toronto Raptors on Sat Jan 2.

Join Jeremiah for the Kings podcasts each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Saturday night’s action saw some great offense for opening weekend

The Philadelphia Flyers Travis Konecny (11) scores his third goal for a hat trick behind Pittsburgh Penguins Marcus Pettersson (28) and goalie Casey DeSmith (1) on Fri Jan 15, 2021 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia  (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 The Philadelphia Flyers got a three goal win over the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. The Flyers got scoring help from Travis Konecny who scored twice in the first period and got the hat trick in the third period at 17:53.

#2  Good back and forth hockey from the Washington Capitals and the Buffalo Sabers in a 2-1 win for the Caps. Washington got goal scoring help from Jakub Vrana his second of the year at 1:34 in the second period. The second Caps goal came from Tom Wilson who scored his first goal of the season at 7:47 in third period.

#3 The Tampa Bay Lighting got a three goal win over the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2. Tampa Bay got goals from five different Bolts, Ondrej Palot, Alex Killorn and Blake Coleman scored in the second period. In the third period Yanni Gourde and Steven Stamkos each had a goal.

#4 The Toronto Maple Leafs were no match for the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night for Hockey Night in Canada. The Sens got goal scoring help in their 5-3 win from Thomas Chabot, Brody Tkachuk, Austin Watson, and Derek Stepan. Leafs goalie Frederik Anderson stopped 19 shots and allowed five goals.

#5 Talk about the NHL Champs St Louis Blues who got blown out by the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night 8-0. Talk about St Louis goaltender Ville Husso who saw a lot shots in net last night.

Matt takes a look at Friday NHL action each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com