Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cardinal on 3-game win streak, face Santa Clara Saturday

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gostanford.com file photo: Cardinal and Montana did battle earlier this season. The Cardinal host Santa Clara Saturday.

On the Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Off to one of their best starts, the Stanford Cardinal MBB (3-0) have won three straight games. How much of a surprise is this to club and head coach Jerod Haase?

#2 In their last game against the Long Beach 49ers (1-2), the Cardinal took a convincing win 86-58 at Maples Pavilion.

#3 How advantageous has it got to be for the Cardinal to have their first eight games at home?

#4 The Cardinal’s top scorers Jaiden Delaire, Tyrell Terry, and Oscar de Silva are nailing it on offense.

#5 The Cardinal host Santa Clara this Saturday. Can the Cardinal keep it going?

Jerry Feitelberg does Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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

Carrick’s hat trick leads Gulls over Barracuda 9-3

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photo from sjbarracuda.com

By Marko Ukalovic

If the Anaheim Ducks need any offensive help from their minor league club, they have a strong candidate who has been putting on a show lately. Sam Carrick scored a hat trick in leading the San Diego Gulls to a 9-3 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday evening at Pachenga Arena.

With back-to-back to wins for San Diego, they climb past San Jose into sixth place in the Pacific Division after winning five of their last six game. For the ‘Cuda, they fall into the cellar with their fifth straight loss and continue to be winless in the month of November.

The nine goals given up by San Jose is the most goals they have surrendered in franchise history.

San Diego (5-7-0-0) drew first blood early in the first period. Isac Lunderstrom led Justin Kloos on a breakaway. Kloos beat ‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar for his first of two goals at the 1:12 mark.

San Jose (4-7-0-1) looked like they would change their fortunes when they were scored two goals in 35 seconds part in the opening 20 minutes.

Danil Yurtaykin scored his first goal as a member of the Barracuda when he beat Gulls goalie Anthony Stolarz with a wrist shot at the 8:16 mark. Dalton Prout earned his first point as a member of the ‘Cuda in the second game of his rehab assignment with the primary assist.

Then, Antti Suomela scored the first of his two goals on the evening at the 8:51 mark. Manny Weiderer received the only assist on Suomela’s goal.

San Diego answered San Jose’s goals with three of their own to close out the first period. Alex Broadhurst scored on a breakaway (that would be theme of the game as the ‘Cuda gave up four breakaway goals on five chances) at the 11:25 mark. Blake Pietila and Daniel Sprong were credited with assists.

Carrick scored the next two goals. The first came on the power play at the 12:19 mark when he blasted a rocket of a shot past Korenar. Then five minutes later he got his second one at the 17:29 mark.

The only goal in the second period came from the stick of Suomela when he scored his second of the game at the 7:06 mark. Jeffery Viel and Keaton Middleton received the assists on Suomela’s third goal of the season.

San Jose out shot San Diego 13-9 in the middle frame and looked to take momentum into the second intermission as they were down by one-goal 4-3.

However, a complete collapse in a horrific third period by the ‘Cuda allowed San Diego to break the game wide open and turn the game into a laugher as the Gulls scored five goals, including two short-handed and one on the power play.

Carrick completed the hat trick just 1:43 into the period on the power play after knocking in on his rebound through the five-hole of Korenar. Carrick has tallied six goals in his last four games. Then, less than a minute later, Alex Dostie scored his third goal in four games and fourth of the season at the 2:23 mark.

Kiefer Sherwood scored his breakaway goal and third goal for San Diego in the first five minutes of the final frame at the 5:08 mark.

It was deja vu for Kloos as he scored his second breakaway goal, which looked almost identical to his first, short-handed for his second of the season at the 7:16 mark. Chase De Leo joined the offensive party and completed the scoring with a short-handed goal, his second of the season at the 17:25 mark.

Stolarz made 32 saves on 35 shots to earn his fifth victory of the season. It was a night Korenar would like to forget as he gave up all nine goals on 32 shots in the shellacking.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/3 on the power play. San Diego was 2/5.

The announced attendance was 5,934.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel up to Stockton to take on the Heat on Saturday 11/16 at 6:00 pm at Stockton Arena.

Raiders look for 3rd straight home win with Bengals coming to town

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sfgate.com photo: Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive end Clelin Ferrell during the second half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019.

By Joe Hawkes

SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — With back-to-back wins at home, the Raiders look to finish off their three-game home stand at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with a win over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals as the two teams hook up for action in Week 11. This will be the first matchup between the two clubs since 2015, in a game that the Bengals won convincingly, 33-13 in Oakland.

Cincinnati currently holds a three-game winning streak over Oakland, with the Raiders last defeating the Bengals, 20-17, in Oakland back in 2009.

Kickoff for this battle in the AFC is at 1:25 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS.

In Week 10, the Raiders defeated their AFC West rival, the Los Angeles Chargers, 26-24, to improve their record to 5-4. Oakland sealed their second-straight victory at home behind rookie running back Josh Jacobs’ 18-yard touchdown run in the final minute of regulation. Jacobs finished with 71 yards on 16 carries and three catches for 30 yards in the game.

In the process, Jacobs became just the 16th player in NFL history to rush for at least 800 yards in his first nine career games per Elias Sports Bureau. Currently, Jacobs has rushed for 811 yards this season. His seven rushing touchdowns are tied with Arthur Whittington for second-most by a rookie in franchise history.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr recorded his 18th career fourth-quarter comeback, and his 19th career game-winning drive. Carr threw for 218 yards and one touchdown. On the Raiders’ final offensive drive of the game, Carr completed 6-of-8 passes for 57 yards that would setup Jacobs’ go-ahead touchdown.

But the real story of the game was the play of Oakland’s defense, who made life extremely difficult for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.

For the second-straight game, safety Karl Joseph would make the game-sealing play, intercepting Rivers in the final seconds of the game.

Safety Erik Harris recorded two interceptions for Oakland on the night in the first-quarter, which included a 56-yard pick-six that extended the Raiders’ lead to 10-0. It was Harris’ second pick-six of the season.

Oakland registered five sacks on Rivers, with rookie defensive end Clelin Ferrell posting a career-high 2.5 sacks, and 1.5 sacks by defensive end Benson Mayowa. Mayowa now has a career-high seven sacks.

Defensive end Maxx Crosby and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst each logged 0.5 sacks in the game.

Cincinnati (0-9) is coming off a 49-13 thrashing at the hands of their AFC North rival, the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10.

Rookie quarterback Ryan Finley made his debut for Cincinnati and had a game to forget.

Finley, who replaced franchise quarterback Andy Dalton after Dalton was benched during the team’s bye week, completed 16-of-30 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception that was returned 89 yards for a pick-six by Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters that made the score 28-3 midway through the second quarter.

The loss to the Ravens were the Bengals’ 11th-straight loss dating back to the last season, tying the longest two-season losing streak in club history per Elias Sports Bureau. They’re one loss away from matching the worst start in club history.

Following Sunday’s game, Oakland heads east to New York to take on the Jets at MetLife Stadium in Week 12, while the Bengals return home to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda trying to avoid falling into cellar in battle for last place with Gulls tonight in San Diego

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photo from sjbarracuda.com: Jacob Middleton has re-joined the San Jose Barracuda after being reassigned from the San Jose Sharks. Middleton is expected to be in the line up tonight against the San Diego Gulls.

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 The Barracuda have now lost four consecutive games in their last game against tonight’s opponent, the San Diego Gulls. What will head coach Roy Sommer do to try and stop the bleeding?

#2 The Gulls are just one game back of the Barracuda and are in last place, but always give the Barracuda fits each time the clubs meet.

#3 The one thing that’s killing the Barracuda is their getting locked into tie games and being forced into shootouts. The four consecutive loses have all resulted into shootouts.

#4 How concerning is the Barracuda’s power play they were 0-4 last Sunday at SAP against San Diego?

#5 They play the Gulls again tonight. If the Barracuda lose again tonight, they will be in a virtual tie for last place, how concerning does that have to be for coach Sommer?

Listen to Marko each Wednesday for the Barracuda podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SJSU MBB on Pac-12 Network Thursday at #19 Arizona

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball continues the non-conference portion of its 2019-20 schedule with a trip to Tuscon on Thursday against the Arizona Wildcats for a 5 PM PT tip on Pac-12 Networks.

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (1-1, 0-0 MW)
PPG: 68.0 | FG%: 43.5 | 3FG%: 27.1 | FT%: 50.0

Notes: San José State opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road last Wednesday. It was the Spartans’ first road win since 2017, snapping a 21-game road losing streak. The Spartans dropped their home opener, 72-57, against Portland on Sunday. Former Wake Forest guard Richard Washington leads SJSU in scoring at 17.0 points per game with forward Craig LeCesne also in double-figures at 12.5 points per game.

#19 ARIZONA WILDCATS (2-0, 0-0 P12)
PPG: 90.5 | FG%: 54.9 | 3FG%: 41.0 | FT%: 73.8

Series: SJSU trails, 4-9 (2-7 in Tucson)

Last: SJSU lost on the road, 79-44, on Dec. 1, 1984

Notes: Arizona is 2-0 after posting wins against Northern Arizona and Illinois. A trio of freshman, Nico Mannion, Josh Green and Zeke Nnaji combined for 53 points in the blowout win, 90-69, over the Illini. The 6-foot-11 Nnaji is the team’s leading scorer thus far at 19.5 points per game. The Wildcats have 10 different players averaging 10+ minutes per game.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV — Pac-12 Networks with Daron Sutton and Matt Muehlebach announcing.

Stream — Pac-12.com with a cable login

Radio — Justin Allegri on the call through TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app. Search for “San Jose St. Basketball”.

ARIZONA SERIES HISTORY
– Arizona leads the all-time series at 4-9

– The Wildcats hold a 7-2 edge at home

– Last meeting was a 79-44 loss in Tucson on Dec. 1, 1984.

– The Spartans won three of the first five meetings.

– Arizona has won six straight games in the series.

MARRION KNOWS HOW TO WIN IN TUCSON
– SJSU assistant coach Tim Marrion spent last year on former Washington State head coach Ernie Kent’s staff.

– The Cougars defeated Arizona at the McKale Center, 69-55, behind 31 points and seven three-pointers from forward Robert Franks. Guard CJ Elleby added 18 points.

– WSU held Arizona to just 26.1% shooting from three.

SJSU AGAINST THE TOP-25
– SJSU’s last win against a top-25 team was on Dec. 27, 1996. The Spartans topped No. 19 ranked Alabama, 60-59 in overtime.

– The Spartans have four wins overall against top-25 teams.

– SJSU’s last game against a top-25 team was a 92-53 loss to No. 10 Nevada last season.

TURNOVER IMPROVEMENT
– A goal this year for head coach Jean Prioleau was to cut down on his team’s turnovers. The Spartans averaged 15.6 turnovers per game last season.

– This year, the Spartans are averaging 12.0 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 85 in the NCAA.

SJSU STUNS HOFSTRA IN SEASON OPENER
– SJSU opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road, 79-71.

– Hofstra won 27 games last year, SJSU lost 27 games.

– In his Spartan debut, JC transfer and former Wake Forest guard, Richard Washington, posted a team-high 23 points off the bench on 8-of-13 shooting. He scored 12 of his 23 points in the final four minutes, including a stretch of three straight three-pointers to put the game away.

– Senior forward Craig LeCesne had his first career double-double with a career-high 19 points plus 11 rebounds.

– It was SJSU’s first win in a road opener since 2010-11 when the Spartans topped Eastern Washington, 67-60.

– The Spartans snapped a 21-game road losing streak dating back to the 2017-18 campaign.

– SJSU won on the East Coast for the first time since 2001-02, when the Spartans defeated Fairleigh Dickinson at the BCA Tournament hosted by NC State in Raleigh, N.C.

LOTS OF STARTERS 
– The Spartans return seven players who started at least one game a season ago.

– Guard Seneca Knight is the most experienced, as the sophomore started 17 games, including the final 12, of his rookie season.

– Point guard Brea Ivey was just behind Knight, as the former junior college transfer started 16 games last season.

– Forward Craig LeCesne and guard Zach Chappell both started 15 games last year.

– Forward Christian Anigwe, guard Isaiah Nichols and walk-on guard Trey Smith each started one game.

SIX NEW FACES
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau will have the help of six newcomers on the roster in 2019-20.

– The Spartans have three new junior college transfers in Richard Washington (Tallahassee CC), Eduardo Lane (Marshalltown CC) and Ralph Agee (East LA College). Washington started his collegiate career at Wake Forest, where he played eight games as a freshman before an injury caused him to miss the entire 2017-18 season.

– Another Wake Forest transfer will join the Spartans on the floor this season, as center Samuel Japhet-Mathias will be eligible after a redshirt season last year. The former four-star recruit appeared in 17 games off the bench at Wake Forest as a freshman in 2016-17. He posted six points and four rebounds at No. 17 Xavier.

– Prioleau added two freshmen this season in guard Omari Moore and walk-on center Harminder Dhaliwal.

SJSU TV SCHEDULE
– SJSU will play 10 games on TV this season, including three at home.

– SJSU hosts an ESPN networks game this year for the first time since 2010-11, when either ESPN2 or ESPNU will carry the SJSU tip against Utah State on Dec. 4. SJSU will also be on ESPN2 or ESPNU when visiting Utah State on Feb. 26.

– SJSU will have four non-conference games on TV, all against Pac-12 competition. The Spartans will be on CBS Sports Network when hosting Stanford at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Dec. 14. SJSU will battle both UCLA and Arizona on Pac-12 Networks and meet Oregon State on FS1 for a neutral site matchup in Las Vegas.

– The Spartans will also have four Mountain West contests on AT&T SportsNet this season — Jan. 15 at UNLV, Jan. 21 at New Mexico, Feb. 8 at Nevada and Feb. 29 vs. UNLV.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks better prepared, playing sharper game as things fall into place

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photo from sfgate.com: San Jose Sharks’ Evander Kane (9) shoots against Edmonton Oilers’ Mike Smith during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, in San Jose, Calif

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks are in a four-game win streak. They have defeated Minnesota, Nashville, Edmonton, and Winnipeg after their dreadful road trip. What has been the difference?

#2 In game with the Predators, it was a 2-1 shootout. It seems like the Sharks are more focused in finding the back end of the net in shootout situations.

#3 One player who has been quite focused in the shootouts is the Sharks’ Timo Meier. Meier scored the game-winning goal in the shootout against the Predators for the 2-1 win and Meier did it in the seventh round.

#4 Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer has really put together a game plan — now with four straight wins and a big win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night, everything is falling into place.

#5 The Sharks host the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers two times this month. Talk about seeing a team twice in the same month. There could very well be advantages to that.

San Jose Sharks podcasts with Len Shapiro are heard each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal routs Long Beach for third win 86-58

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photo from gostanford.com: Jaiden Delaire (11) for the Stanford Cardinal took possession of the ball against Long Beach State defender Romelle Mansel (13) during Tuesday night’s contest at Maples Pavillion in Palo Alto

By Daniel Dullum

Stanford men’s basketball is off to its best start in three years. The Cardinal won their third game to open the season on Tuesday, defeating Long Beach State 86-58 at Maples Pavilion.

Sophomore Jaiden Delaire led a balanced Stanford attack with a career-high 14 points. Freshman Tyrell Terry also had 14 points for the Cardinal, and Oscar da Silva contributed 12 points and seven rebounds.

Max De Geest was the 49ers’ top scorer with 13 points, followed by Jordan Griffin with 12.

The Cardinal (3-0) began pulling away after a media timeout in the first half, and built a 21-point lead at 4:43 of the half. Terry’s layup 17 seconds before halftime put Stanford up 47-22, taking advantage of 12 49er turnovers.

Stanford outscored LBSU 30-8 in the paint. Lukas Kisunas grabbed seven boards in 10 minutes as the Cardinal held a 38-30 rebounding edge. Overall, Stanford shot 54 percent (35 of 65 total, 10 of 23 3-point).

A Terry dunk at 14:00 of the second half gave the Cardinal a 38-point cushion. Griffin’s 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 run for the Beach (1-1), but Stanford had the game all but put away.

In attendance on the media side was Mike Montgomery, who served as color analyst for the Pac-12 Network telecast. Montgomery played for Long Beach State in the 1960s and coached Stanford for 18 seasons. He’s in the Athletic Hall of Fame for both schools.

Stanford hosts Santa Clara on Saturday night, then plays its first road game of the season at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City on Nov. 25.

Bouncy Bears: Cal gets the jump on UNLV down the stretch, wins 79-75 in overtime

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — Down nine points with less than eight minutes remaining, the Cal Bears needed a few elements in their game on Tuesday against UNLV.

Composure. Togetherness. Defense.

“I said the first team that starts playing defense is going to win,” California coach Mark Fox said. “I didn’t think either team particularly was great defensively in the first half. But in the second half, both teams decided to start playing defense so I think what the difference in the game was, was the turnovers. In the second half, they had 12, we had five. I thought that was really what was the deciding factor. We just kept battling, we just kept playing hard and found a way to win.”

“I think we just picked it up,” said guard Kareem South, one of four Bears in double figures with 14 points. “When it was the moment of truth, we locked it in and got stops.”

Through 30 minutes, the meeting of Rebels and Bears couldn’t have been any more even. UNLV led by two at the half (40-38) and there were 20 lead changes in the game. The teams even appeared similar in dimensions: both teams relied heavily on their guards attacking the paint against smallish, front lines.

But the game turned in the final minutes for the home team. The Bears created offense from their defense, and rode a 16-2 run spanning the end of regulation and the beginning of overtime for a 79-75 victory. After consecutive 20-loss seasons, and a coaching change, Cal is 2-0.

Donnie Tillman led UNLV with 17 points, Elijah Mitrou-Long added 16, but the Rebels couldn’t maintain their 59 percent shooting from the first half. The turnovers and missed shots down the stretch may have partially been the product of fatigue and the Rebels’ lack of depth. Four of their five starters played more than 40 minutes, Mitrou-Long and reserve Nick Blair fouled out.

“In the second half, our defense kicked in but then we had too many turnovers,” UNLV coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We have talked a lot about it–for us to be successful we need to do those things night in and night out.”

Matt Bradley led Cal with 23 points after he scored 25 in the opener against Pepperdine. Joel Brown added 12, and Paris Austin 10 points as the Bears relied heavily on dribble penetration, shooting 21 for 36 inside the 3-point arc.

Juhwan Harris-Dyson made his season debut playing 20 minutes, contributing five points and two rebounds. His defense and veteran presence will be critical for a young team that has so little veteran experience.

The Bears next play California Baptist Friday night in the opener of the 2K Empire Classic, a series of games against scheduled opponents that will see Cal play four games in eight days, including a matchup with Duke in Madison Square Garden in New York on November 21.

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.