NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Yotes roll hottest team in Pacific Division; Sens fire coach Boucher; Fast like a Lightning Bolt to 50 wins; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from yahoosports.com: The Detroit Red Wings Andreas Athanasiou (72) skates in front of the Arizona Coyotes Mario Kempe (29) Saturday night in Glendale

NHL with Daniel Dullum:

1 Coyotes win eighth straight game, in thick of West Wild Card race

2 Basement-dwelling Senators fire Boucher as coach

3 Lightning match NHL record for fewest games to 50 wins

4 Flames raise Jarome Iginla’s No. 12 to the rafters

5 Knights’ Fleury gets NHL-best seventh shutout this season against Ducks

Join Daniel for the NHL podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Confident Cal makes it two in a row, dumps WSU

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — It’s never too late to reinvent yourselves. In fact, doing so prior to the Pac-12 tournament might be a stroke of genius.

The Cal Bears made it two straight wins–after 16 losses–by putting the clamps on Washington State Saturday at Haas Pavilion, 76-69. The resurgent Bears now have the opportunity to enter the conference tournament on a roll, pending their regular season-ending clash at Stanford on Thursday.

“We’re going to keep it rolling,” said Justice Sueing, one of four Cal starters to score in double figures. “We got a lot of momentum, and we’re going to continue to stick together no matter what. Like I said, we’ve been through a rough patch, we finally got over it as Darius said. We’re going to keep moving and see where it can take us.”

During the losing streak, Cal’s defense was never credible enough for 40 minutes to win at the Pac-12 level. On Thursday, when they pulled the major upset of conference-leading Washington, the Bears shot their way to victory with 51 percent shooting from the floor. But on Saturday, the Bears were credible at both ends with balanced scoring offensively while forcing the Cougars into a season-high 20 turnovers defensively.

“It felt like any time that they made a run or a got it within under 10 to make us a little nervous, it felt like we made a defensive play,” coach Wyking Jones said. “Us having 13  steals and forcing 20 turnovers is what saved us tonight. It’s what got us the win. Thirty points off the turnovers was the key tonight.”

While the turnovers made the game seem ragged for stretches, it all transpired with the Bears leading, and, at least at key points, them showing patience while methodically wearing down the visitors. When the jump shots weren’t falling, the Bears got to the basket where the Cougars’ defense was especially vulnerable.

Darius McNeill led Cal in that regard with a team-best 17 points, and only three of those from beyond the arc. Instead, McNeill got to the basket where WSU was without key contributors Carter Skaggs, Viont’e Daniels and Jeff Pollard, all scratched due to concussion protocol. The WSU defens was especially vulnerable early as the Bears built their first double-digit lead with 7:19 remaining before halftime.

“When I saw my first 3 wasn’t falling I decided to get to the rim and do whatever I can to help the team win,” McNeill said. “That’s what I was doing.”

Still McNeill could be pigeonholed. With WSU on a run, the shooting guard came up with a big three with 5:46 remaining that kept Cal in control, leading 65-56.

Paris Austin and Connor Vanover were Cal’s other starters to score in double figures. Matt Bradley and Juwan Harris-Dyson had nine each, and both were instrumental in slowing Robert Franks, WSU’s top scorer. Frank’s finished with 18 points but missed nine of his 15 shots.

The Bears travel to Palo Alto for the regular-season finale on Thursday at 8 pm.

Warriors take down the 76ers 120-117

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors beat the Sixers in Philadelphia Saturday night 120-117. The Warriors needed the win to stay in first place in the Western Conference. The Nuggets lost again, and the Warriors are now 1 1/2 games ahead of the Nuggets. The Warriors’ Klay Thompson was unable to play due to soreness in his knee. He suffered the injury in the game against Orlando. Kevon Looney also sat out the game with soreness in his pelvis. The Sixers were without their star center Joel Embiid. Embiid has missed his last five games due to injury. Embiid is averaging a double-double for the season with 27.3 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.

The Warriors, who have not played well in the first half in several of the last 10 games, fell behind early in the first minutes of the first quarter. They righted the ship and finished the quarter trailing 32-31. The teams swapped leads until about halfway through the second period. The Sixers were able to stop the Warriors and outscored them 35-24 to finish the first half with a 12-point lead 67-55.

The Warriors, who were running uphill in the games against Miami and Orlando, regrouped in the third quarter. Also, they had to do it with Steph Curry sitting on the bench. Curry picked up his fourth foul with just 3 minutes and 45 seconds played. Steve Kerr sent in Curry’s brother-in-law, Damian Lee to fill Curry’s shoes. Lee was the right choice as he knocked down four threes and behind the play DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Durant, the Warriors won the third quarter 93-90.

Curry came back in the fourth quarter, and he led the Warriors to the win. He knocked down a three to give the Warriors the lead 111-109. Curry scored six points in the last 2:35 to put the Warriors ahead 120-117. The Sixers had a chance to tie the game, but they lost the ball out of bounds with 1.7 seconds left in the game.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improve to 44-19. The Sixers drop to 40-23.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Cousins had 25 points and 8 boards. Curry finished with 28. Damian Lee had 12, and the rest of the Warrior bench added 15. The Warriors connected on 14 three-pointers.

Ben Simmons had his second straight triple-double with 25 points, 15 boards, and 11 assists. Jimmy Butler had 21, Tobias Harris, the ex-LA Clipper, 20, Jonah Bolden 12. Mike Scott, coming off the bench, had a big night for the Sixers with 22 and T.J>McConnell added 10.

The Warriors split the season series with the Sixers. The Sixers won in Oakland, and the Warriors returned the favor in Philadelphia.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to play the Boston Celtics Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Condors power past Barracuda in 5-2 win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

by Marko Ukalovic

It was a rough weekend for the San Jose Barracuda on the road. After giving up eight goals the night before, they went to the sin bin early on and were burned by the Bakersfield Condors in a 5-2 loss on Friday evening at Rabobank Arena. San Jose had lost their last three games to Bakersfield.

Bakersfield (34-16-2-1) took advantage of their first two power play opportunities early in the first period. Cooper Marody received a pass from Tyler Bensen and buried the puck past Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (19-6-1) for his 13th goal of the season at the 1:51 mark.

Then Kailer Yamamoto scored his ninth goal of the season at the 5:09 mark. Benson and Marody received assists on the goal.

The Condors put the game away with two goals in the second period. Cameron Hebig received a pass from William Lagesson and shot the puck past Korenar for his 11th goal of the season at the 5:48 mark. Mitch Callahan picked up the secondary assist.

Luke Esposito extended the lead to 4-0 when he scored his third goal of the season at the 12:36 mark. Ethan Bear and Patrick Russell received assists on the goal.

San Jose’s (30-16-2-4) power play was their Achilles’ heel during the game. They had a five-on-three opportunity early on in the third period, but were not able to capitalize and remained frustrated with the man advantage.

Joe Gambardella completed the scoring for Bakersfield in the third period. Bear set up Gambardella for his team leading 26th goal of the season at the 8:33 mark. Esposito was credited with the secondary assist.

Jeremy Roy finally got the Cuda on the board late in the final frame when his shot from the right point beat Condor goalie Shane Starrett (21-4-3) for his sixth goal of the season at the 18:25 mark. Dylan Gambrell and Jonathan Dahlen picked up assists. For Dahlen, that was his third point in two games for San Jose.

Cuda captain John McCarthy tapped in a loose puck in the crease past Starrett for his ninth goal of the season at the 19:12 mark, but was too little too late for San Jose. Kyle Wood and Jon Martin were credited with assists.

Starrett stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced to pick up his 21st win on the season. Korenar made 21 saves on 26 shots in suffering the tough loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/5 on the power play. Bakersfield was 2/4.

The announced attendance was 6,004.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return home to host the Condors on Wednesday 3/6 at 7:00 pm at SAP Center.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks have the date circled ready to battle the Blackhawks Sunday

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the Sharks podcast with Matt:

#1 The San Jose Sharks’ Marcus Sorenson scored twice on Saturday night as the Sharks and Joe Pavelski scored his 36th goal of the season.

#2 Sorenson was out for the last two game of the Sharks last road trip due to taking a puck in the face, but returned on Friday.

#3 Evander Kane has been getting banged up. In the game against the Boston Bruins on the last road trip, Kane got into a fight with the B’s Zdeno Charo, but Kane is battling.

#4 Erik Karlsson has been suffering with a groin injury. How’s his progress and also talk about Gustav Nyquist and what his acquisition has meant to the team.

#5 The Sharks host the Chicago Blackhawks Sunday and Patrick Kane has been playing lights out and Corey Crawford has been in the nets and some nights standing on his head.

Matt does the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Earthquakes drop 2-1 decision to Impact

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes opened up the 2019 MLS season versus the Montreal Impact at Avaya Stadium Saturday evening. Prior to the kickoff, the Quakes gave a warm welcome to new head coach Matias Almeyda and the San Jose Sharks wished the home team the best of luck this season.

The Quakes’ starting lineup featured Daniel Vega, Marcos Lopez, Harold Cummings, Guram Kashia, Nick Lima, Anibal Godoy, Judson, Vako, Magnus Eriksson, Cristian Espinoza and Chris Wondolowski.

It wasn’t long before the Quakes got on the board. Magnus Eriksson scored his first goal of the season for an early 1-0 lead at the 11th minute.

But it also wasn’t long before the Impact tied the score. Ignacio Piatti scored his first goal of the season to make it 1-1 at the 30th minute.

The Quakes looked disappointed just minutes before the first half came to an end. Saphir Taider scored his first goal of the season to give the Impact a 2-1 lead at the 44th minute.

The Quakes had a lot of work to do in the second half. Moreover, San Jose was down 2-1 at halftime, but they weren’t out of it just yet.

The Quakes made their first substitution of the match at the 62nd minute as they allowed Tommy Thompson to enter and Lima to exit. Thompson received a yellow card at the 73rd minute.

The Quakes made their second substitution at the 69th minute as they allowed Jackson Yueill to enter and Eriksson to exit.

The Quakes made their third and final substitution at the 74th minute as they allowed Danny Hoesen to enter and Cummings to exit. Judson received a yellow card at the 77th minute.

The Quakes trailed 2-1 at the end of the second half. The officials added five minutes of stoppage time to the clock, so there was an opportunity or two, but the Quakes were unable to capitalize on those opportunities. San Jose (0-0-1) dropped a 2-1 decision to Montreal (1-0-0) in full-time.

The Quakes host the Minnesota United on Saturday, March 9th at 5:00 pm PST.

San Jose State routed by San Diego State 84-56

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball faced another conference foe, the San Diego State Aztecs, in Viejas Arena Saturday night. SJSU previously held on for a 89-82 win over the New Mexico Lobos in the Event Center Tuesday night.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau announced a starting lineup featuring Zach Chappell, Noah Baumann, Seneca Knight, Michael Steadman and Ashtin Chastain.

As expected, Steadman was in full force, giving the Spartans a 2-0 lead just 43 seconds into the first half. The Aztecs got on the board, courtesy of Jalen McDaniels, who hit a 3-pointer to put the Aztecs up 3-2 at the 18:58 mark. SJSU responded with Knight’s 3 for a 5-3 lead at the 18:29 mark. SDSU countered with McDaniel’s jumper in the paint at the 18:08 mark, but Steadman made a layup in the paint to lift SJSU to a 7-5 lead at the 17:48 mark.

However, SJSU cooled off and SDSU heated up. The Spartans trailed 13-9 at the first media timeout. Then, the Aztecs used a 14-2 run to rise up 22-11 at the 12:19 mark.

The Spartans tightened up the score, 22-18, thanks to Knight’s 3 along with Chappell’s jumper and a pair of free throws by the time the scoreboard showed there was 9:35 left. Still, the Aztecs looked to extend their lead as Matt Mitchell made a pair of free throws for a 24-18 lead with 9:09 left. SJSU trailed 24-18 at the second media timeout.
Moreover, Baumann drew a foul and shot 2 of the timeout.

The Spartans trailed 39-26 at the final media timeout. Nathan Mensah made a layup in the paint with four seconds left. SJSU shrugged it off as they headed to their locker room, trailing 41-29 at halftime. Steadman led both categories with 10 points and 6 rebounds at halftime.

Devin Watson’s 3 extended the Aztecs’ lead 44-29 just 29 seconds into the second half. Though, back to back 3s by Chappell and Baumann at the 19:07 and 18:10 marks brought the Spartans within 9, 44-35.

The Aztecs shot 50% and hit 10 3s to keep the Spartans down by 20, 63-43, at the 11:10 mark. SJSU continued to score as Brae Ivey made a fastbreak layup in the paint and Baumann made a pair of free throws before Watson prevented the Spartans from using a run to catch up to the Aztecs.

Fast forward to the final timeout with 3:40 left. SJSU trailed 73-50, which was pretty darn bad. The Aztecs’ offense was stout, but that was sort of a given considering all the success their men’s basketball program has achieved in the past few years or so.

Michael Sohikish hit a 3 with 2:52 left, and just seconds after the 2-minute mark, Sohikish knocked down a jumper to extend the Aztecs’ lead 78-51 with 1:53 left. Ed Chang made a free throw and missed the other before he hit a fastbreak 3 to extend the Aztecs’ lead 82-51 with 1:11 left. Mensah closed out the Aztecs’ scoring with a jumper in the paint, while Chappell hit a 3 to call it a night for the Spartans.

SJSU (4-24, 1-15 MW) lost to SDSU (19-10, 11-5 MW) by a final score of 84-56 on the road.

SJSU returns home to host the Wyoming Cowboys Wednesday, March 6th at 7:00 pm PT.

NCAAB podcast with Michelle Richardson: Duke anxious to get Williamson back; Knight’s health in decline; Could Howard be effective in postseason?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @theScore

On the NCAAB podcast with Michelle:

#1 Just getting an update from Michelle on the Duke Blue Devils’ Zion Williamson, who is out with a mild right knee sprain. Williamson has missed three games since his shoe exploded on him last week. Duke lost to Virginia Tech and beat Syracuse since Williamson has been out.

#2 Former Indiana head coach 78-year-old Bobby Knight is reportedly declining and he’s suffering from a cognitive disorder. He fears his memory is fading on him.

#3 The Howard Bison are a near .500 team. They have won four out of their last six games and have two games left in the season. What do you look for in the Bison going into the postseason?

Michelle does the NCAAB podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings fall short, lose 116-109 to Clippers

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: London Marq

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With the 7th seeded Los Angeles Clippers headed into town, Sacramento would have a chance to help their own cause, trying to move up from the No. 9 spot in the West. Tension is high. The playoffs are in sight and the young Sacramento Kings are feeling the pressure. Having played and lost 3 games, the Clippers already made this game feel all the more important. A win would bring them closer to the 8th seed and the added confidence of overcoming a challenge.

The Kings had trouble scoring in the beginning of the game. Willie Cauley-Stein, Harrison Barnes, and Bogdan Bogdanovic — all of whom only scored 6 points between them in the first. De’Aaron Fox scored on a lone free throw before picking up two early fouls and being forced to sit. Los Angeles would lead by 10 at one point but as the quarter closed the Kings would make a push. Behind 8 first quarter points from Buddy Hield, the Clippers only held a 3-point advantage going into the second quarter.

Staying hot to start the second, the Kings would regain the lead with 8:43 left in the third. Harry Giles had strong night off the bench, working around the rim for 6 points in the second giving him 10 points at halftime. Giles finished the night with 15 points. Foul trouble continued to plague Sacramento as they committed 6 fouls in the second, allowing LA to keep the game close with free throws. However, Fox made up for his absence in the first with exceptional playmaking. He had some sweet dimes, racking up 6 assists in the second quarter alone. He finished with a 12-point, 12 assist double-double.

The Kings began the second half with a four-point 56-52 lead, but allowed 35 points in the third quarter as LA went on a run to retake the lead. From that point on in the game the Clippers were in control. Leading by as much as 13 points, LA played a tough brand of basketball that Sacramento had trouble coping with. Montrezl Harrell gave Sacramento the trouble he has all season with his high-energy brand of play. Harrell was a beast around the rim and ended the game with 15 points. After the game, Kings coach Dave Joerger described the Clippers as more physical and more experienced. It showed as the Kings were outrebounded 42-38, committed 25 fouls and allowed LA to score 24 points from the line.

The final score was 116-109 as the Kings fell to the LA Clippers. It was a tough blow for the Kings as a team trying to make the playoffs. They still have a chance to obtain the elusive 8-seed and Harry Giles knows it. Stoic after a loss, but staying focused on the schedule ahead of the team, saying, “We need to make sure we win. Win, win, win.”

Coach Joerger said this loss hurt, but when thinking about the big picture, he felt positive about the future. Whether he’s talking about next season or their playoff prospects, he’s right the Kings have a lot of positives ahead of them despite this loss.

The Kings are playing with house money — no one expected them to be in this position at this point in the season. They are playing close, competitive games against tough opponents. The Kings will try to get back on track with some significant and favorable matchups ahead of them, including playing the Knicks twice over the next seven days and road trip to the eastern conference. If the Kings want to make the playoffs, they need to capitalize now. They don’t have time to lose.

FINAL: Clippers defeated the Kings 116-109.

UP NEXT: Kings host the New York Knicks on Monday, March 4th at 7:00 pm PST.

San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer in physical confrontation with wife

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: tmz.com

by Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer on Thursday was recorded by bystanders in a physical altercation with his wife Pam. Baer was arguing with his wife while trying to grab her phone out of her hand. In the ensuing action, Pam fell to the ground in the chair she was sitting in.

Pam shouted “Oh my God!” and was calling for help. Baer was heard telling his wife “Stop Pam stop!” and was seen in the video walking away as witnesses were telling Baer’s wife to stay away from him. Baer and his wife have released a statement regarding the incident apologizing and trying to put a good face on the incident saying,”Regrettably today, we had a heated argument in public over a family matter. We are deeply embarrassed by the situation and have resolved the issue.”

Baer said that he was truly sorry for the embarrassment that he caused his children and his family and to the Giants organization. Baer said that he assured everyone involved that this would not happen again going forward. Pam said that she fell backwards to the ground and lost her balance and that Larry did not push her to the ground, “Ha…An unfortunate public marital argument. I grabbed his phone and I fell back. I love Larry more than anything.”

San Francisco Police are involved and are investigating at the location of the incident and studying the video recording, according to Officer Joseph Tomlinson, who is no relation to San Francisco Giants infielder Kelby Tomlinson. Major League Baseball has established rules about domestic violence to its teams and its employees, which includes players and team executives. MLB is also studying the video and trying to determine if discipline on Baer is called for. New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman and Colorado Rockies infielder Jose Reyes had been suspended in the past for domestic violence.

Morris Phillips is a San Francisco Giants beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com