Warriors outlast the Wizards to win their ninth in a row, 126-118

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors won their ninth game in a row and their eighth straight on the road as they defeated the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena Thursday night in Washington. The Warriors are now 34-14 for the season. The Wizards gave the Warriors a tussle even though they are missing three important players. John Wall, Dwight Howard, and Markieff Morris were not available due to injury. The Wizards still fought the Warriors until late in the game, but Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and company were too much for the Wizards as the Warriors prevailed 126-118.

The Wizards stayed in the game as they made 15 three-point shots in forty-two tries. The Warriors connected seven times in 20 attempts, but they, with DeMarcus Cousins clogging up the middle, were able to score 70 points in the paint. Cousins, in 24 minutes of action, scored 17 points along with six boards and three assists. Cousins also connected on a 3-pointer.

The first quarter was quite competitive as the Wizards were able to lead 22-17. The Warriors, however, went on a 20-6 run to finish the quarter leading 37-28. The Wizards won the second quarter 31-30, but they could only cut one-point off the Warrior advantage. The first half ended with Golden State ahead 67-59. The Warriors were led by Steph Curry’s 21 points. Kevin Durant had 12, and DeMarcus Cousins was third with nine. The Wizards were led by former Houston Rocket Trevor Ariza’s 14 points. Bradley Beal had 13, and Tomas Satoransky, who is from the Czech Republic, added 13.

The Warriors played another terrific third quarter. Curry, Durant, and Klay Thomas upped the lead to 12 at the end of three periods of play. The Wizards tried to hang with the Warriors but the closest they came in the third quarter was trailing 71-67. The Warriors appeared to be in command but 12 minutes remained to be played.

The Wizards went on an 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter With the score 106-103, Cousins scored to put the Warriors ahead 108-103. The Wizards’ Chasson Randle, who starred for the Stanford Cardinal during his college days, connected on a three to close the gap to two 108-16. The Warriors’ bench, led by Shaun Livingston. Andre Iguodala and Alfonzo McKinnie went on a 9-0 run to make it a 117-106 score. Curry and Durant entered the game, and the Warriors went ahead 126-111. The Wizards scored the last seven points of the game, but it was too little, too late. The Warriors win 126-118

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors’ Steph Curry led the team with 38 points. It was the 19th time this season that Steph has scored 30 or more points in a game. Curry was 14 for 24 from the floor and made but two threes in 8 tries. Kevin Durant had 21, Draymond Green 7 to go with 15 rebounds and 7 assists. Klay Thompson scored just 9. Cousins finished with 17. The Warriors’ bench was led by Andre Iguodala’s 11 points. McKinnie and Kevon Looney each had 8 and Shaun Livingston added 7.

Trevor Ariza led the Wizards with 27 points. Beal had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Satoransky also had a double-double with 20 points and 10 assists.

The Warriors shot 56.8% from the floor and held the Wizards to 46.3%. The Warriors recorded 34 assists, and it was the 20th game of the year with 30 or more assists. They outrebounded the Wizards 5-36. On defense, the Warriors had five steals and 6 blocks.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Saturday at the TD Garden. Game time will be at 5:30 pm.

The Celtics, under coach Brad Stevens, have fought the Warriors tooth and nail. The Celtics have a formidable lineup featuring Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Hayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Terry Rozier.

Utes outlast Cardinal 70-66 in crucial Pac-12 matchup

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Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

By: Eric Epstein

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team hosted the Utah Utes on Thursday night in a crucial Pac-12 matchup. The Cardinal ended up falling to the Utes in Palo Alto for the first time since 1971, with a final score of 70-66.

Utah gained some separation in the crowded Pac-12 with their win as they move up to join the Arizona State Sun Devils for third in the conference. Stanford slides to 2-5 in conference play, where they now occupy the ninth spot in the conference standings.

The first half was played at a blistering pace, with a total of two free throws attempted in the half and with each team attempting close to 30 field goals. Stanford missed their first 5 three-point attempts and finished the half 1-6 from deep. On the other end, Utah closed out the first half with a three-point barrage en route to an incredibly efficient 5-7 clip from downtown. Utah went 7-9 for their last 9 field goal attempts of the half, and freshman forward Timmy Allen’s last-second layup stretched the Utes’ lead to 5 at the half.

Sophomore forward KZ Okpala opened the half off right for the Cardinal, slamming down a thunderous dunk on Stanford’s first second-half possession.

Despite Utah’s hot first-half shooting, they did not attempt a three-point shot until halfway through the second half.

After sophomore guard Daejon Davis hit a mid-range floater with 16:08 left in the game to give Stanford a 1-point lead, the Cardinal held the lead until senior Utah guard Sedrick Barefield got an extremely fortunate bounce on his 3-point attempt to give the Utes the lead with 2:12 remaining. The next possession, Okpala responded with a three-point basket of his own to even the score.

Senior Utah guard Parker Van Dyke finished a tough layup around senior center Josh Sharma to give Utah a 2-point lead with less than a minute left. After that basket, the Cardinal had to play the foul game in attempt to catch up with the Utes. However, Barefield cooly hit all 4 of his free throws down the stretch and Stanford could not make up the deficit.

Okpala led the game in scoring with 22 points on 7-15 shooting, but with a shaky 7-11 free throw performance. Davis, who started the game 0-6 on field goals, turned his night around in the second half and finished with 17 points on 7-16 shooting along with 4 assists and only 2 turnovers.

Sharma, who is very susceptible to getting in foul trouble, did not get into serious foul trouble until the final minute of the game. He ended up seeing the court for 34 minutes and finished with 12 rebounds and 9 points on 3-6 shooting.

Sophomore forward Oscar da Silva, who started the game, did not record a single point on 3 field goal attempts, despite seeing 28 minutes of playing time. Freshman forward Jaden Delaire picked up the offensive slack dropped by da Silva by scoring 7 points on 3-4 shooting.

Utah had three double-digit scorers in Barefield (18), Van Dyke (10), and sophomore forward Donnie Tillman (11). The Utes finished with a very impressive 64.3% of their 3-point shots falling and a respectable 47% general field goal percentage.

Stanford finished with more offensive and defensive rebounds, assists, fast break points, and points in the paint. The Cardinal also blocked Utah 10 times, where Utah did not record a single blocked shot all night. However, Utah’s more efficient scoring made the difference and helped hand the Cardinal their fifth Pac-12 loss of the season.

The Stanford will shift their focus to their eighth Pac-12 game where they will host the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 5:00 PM PST.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks glad to get the win before hosting the NHL All-Star Game Saturday

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On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks played to a victory just before the NHL All-Star break this Saturday with a win over the Washington Capitals 7-6 on Tuesday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.

#2 The Sharks didn’t want to host the NHL All-Star game in San Jose with a fourgame losing streak. That could have been another incentive to take it to the Caps in the overtime win.

#3 Lots of goals in for a 7-6 game, lots of offense, as the Sharks’ Logan Couture got the game-winning goal in overtime.

#4 There’s nothing like hosting an NHL-All Star game in your own rink. This has to be something special for the Sharks.

#5 It’s the skill competition Friday night and the NHL All-Star game Saturday night. Mary Lisa is covering both events and talks about how special this one will be.

Mary Lisa does the San Jose Sharks podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Super Bowl LIII podcast with Tony Renteria: The whole world will be watching, will the refs get it right this time?

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On the Super Bowl LIII podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The NFL is considering expanding the replay rule especially after what happened in the NFL Championship games.

#2 New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, the Saints players, and fans still are talking about the non-pass interference call.

#3 New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said when it comes to blocking, receiving, and whatever plays are called you’ve got to go out and do your job.

#4 The Rams defense gave up 1,075 yards to opponents tight ends this season. Will that give the Patriots some daylight in the Super Bowl?

#5 Tony talks about how he sees the match ups between the Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Goff and the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady.

Join Tony Renteria for the Super Bowl LIII podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State TE Josh Oliver shares Senior Bowl experience

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By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University tight end Josh Oliver will be playing in the 2019 Senior Bowl on Saturday, January 26. The game will be televised by the NFL Network from Mobile, Ala., 1:30 pm CT/11:30 am PT. The game will also be available to DirecTV subscribers on Channel 212 and to DISH Network subscribers on Channel 154.

For Oliver, the next step in his dream to play in the NFL is at the Senior Bowl, the week of January 20-26.   The 2018 first-team All-Mountain West selection arrived in Mobile, the site of the Senior Bowl, on January 20 and has been constantly on the move between learning a playbook, practices, classroom sessions with league personnel, interviews with teams and the media, and signing autographs for those fortunate fans getting to see him up close in person.

Here’s the Q&A that Oliver recently had.

Q: What did you do to prepare for this week at the Senior Bowl?

Oliver: Over time, working hard, working on my craft in the off-season, working for the goal of getting to the NFL, ultimately. I think that’s what helped me get a spot here to compete with this level of competition.

Q: Describe your daily schedule so far?

Oliver: I flew in about 6:00 pm on Sunday, had dinner and had multiple texts from (team) scouts asking for interviews. I did interviews until about 11:00 pm

Woke up Monday at 6:30 am and did weigh-ins. There were position meetings to get a playbook installation, practice, psychological testing from 8:00 to 11:00 pm.

Had kind of the same schedule the next day (Tuesday). We had formal NFL interviews that night.

Today (Wednesday) was pretty similar.

Q: There are more media reports surfacing about your NFL draft status. How are you dealing with what these reports are saying?

Oliver: No one really knows who is going to pick whom in what round. Only the scouts, the GMs and the owners essentially know that and they aren’t going to let that information out to the public. People are just talking and stuff. You just have to take it with a grain of salt.

Q: Describe what it is like to coached by a NFL team and specifically the San Francisco 49ers’ coaching staff – one that paved the way for tight end George Kittle to earn All-Pro status in just two seasons?

Oliver: It is an awesome experience. It’s an offense that definitely feeds the tight end. Seeing their plays, their route concepts, their blocking schemes, it’s just really cool to have this opportunity. Watching film on George Kittle and everything he’s done there is a great opportunity to see how to be successful in the NFL as a tight end. Their scheme gives you a chance to do that.

Q: Is there anything about the week so far that either has been a surprise to you or something you will remember for a long time?

Oliver: The level of passion the people in Mobile have for the game. You walk around and everybody knows you are here for the Senior Bowl. They’re talking to you about it. They’re asking for autographs. It’s been a surreal experience.

Q: What do hope to accomplish the rest of the week and on game day?

Oliver: I hope to come out and compete with the best of them–the Power 5 programs. To show that I am from a Mountain West school and that I can compete with the best of them. In the game, I want to come out and compete.

San Jose State loses 59-46 to Wyoming to drop ninth straight

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball looked to notch their first conference win of the season, but the Wyoming Cowboys sort of gave them a hard time Wednesday night at the Arena-Auditorium.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau set a starting lineup, featuring Trey Smith, Noah Baumann, Zach Chappell, Michael Steadman, and Ashtin Chastain.

SJSU won the tip and the conference game went underway in Laramie, Wyo. The Spartans were unable to get off to a good start, which might’ve been a good thing considering the fact that they tend to blow leads, but they opened the game 0-6 from the field, which was downright awful. Wyoming led 7-0 at the first media timeout.

SJSU mustered just four points and trailed 13-4 at the second media timeout. But things slowly came into place as Baumann hit a 3-pointer for the 16th straight game for the Spartans, who went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead 20-14 with 6:45 left in the first half. The Spartans proceeded to cut the lead even more with what became a 10-0 run to cut the lead 20-18 with 4:51 left in the half.

The tables turned when Chastain converted his second free throw to tie the game 22-22 with 1:20 left in the half. The Spartans used a 16-4 run in the final 7:44 to tie the game 24-24 at halftime. Isaiah Nichols recorded excellent minutes off the bench with 14 minutes, 7 points, 3 assists, and no turnovers.

The Spartans held onto a 1-point lead, 28-27, but that changed when the Cowboys’ Justin James wanted a dunk in transition, but ended up making a steal and hitting a 3 to take regain the lead, 30-28, at the 17:46 mark of the second half.

The Cowboys went on a 11-0 run for a 35-28 lead at the 11:37 mark of the half. The Cowboys didn’t stop there as they took advantage of the Spartans, who went cold all of a sudden, and made it a 18-2 run for a 42-30 lead with 8:42 left in the half.

The Spartans got just what the doctor ordered, but it was too little, too late. Both Baumann and Ivey sanked a pair of 3s and SJSU chipped their way back into the lead, but continued to trail 47-38 with 4:40 left in the half. The Spartans (3-15, 0-6 MW) eventually took a 59-46 loss for their ninth consecutive loss. The Cowboys (5-14, 1-5 MW) picked up their first conference win of the season.

SJSU returns home to host the Air Force Falcons this Saturday at 6:00 pm PT.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: A’s Fanfest at Jack London Square This Saturday

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Baseball fans will be delighted when the Oakland Athletics’ Fanfest takes place this Saturday, January 26 at Oakland’s Jack London Square.

The Fiesta begins at 9:30 in the morning and ends at 2:30 in the afternoon. A’s players will sign autographs. There will be questions and answer sessions, giveaways, fun for the kids and the whole family as this event is the first to celebrate the return of the baseball season. In less than a month, the managers, coaches and players will report to Spring Training in Mesa, Arizona.

The weather is expected to be spectacular for this Fanfest (not far from where the A’S are planning to build their new ballpark). All kinds of foods will be available and live music for all to enjoy. After the off-season, fans are ready to return and support the A’s fter a very successful 2018 season.

Super Bowl LIII podcast with London Marq: Expect Super Bowl LIII to be entertaining and full of surprises

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On Super Bowl LIII podcast with London:

#1 After watching two close NFL Championships how close of a Super Bowl LIII will this one be between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots

#2 Rams quarterback Jared Goff has amazed and the NFC Championship was no exception throwing for 25/40 equating to 297 yards, one touchdown and one pick he stayed in this close game.

#3 New England quarterback Tom Brady a player who appreciates the opportunity to play in another Super Bowl, the face of the Patriots and a player who appreciates London Marq wearing an authentic Patriots jersey from time to time. What does Brady bring to Super Bowl LIII.

#4 Do you see experience being the rule of the day for the big game especially all the things that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been through to get to these Super Bowls?

#5 London sets up his favorite in Super Bowl LIII and why

London Marq does Headlines Sports and is a Sacramento Kings beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Barry Bonds Snubbed by Cooperstown Again

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO–In case anybody has forgotten, Barry Bonds still holds the record for the all-time home run leader with 762 over his career. Since he arrived from Pittsburgh in the early 1990’s, I traveled on the road with the Giants and Bonds under manager Dusty Baker and I called many of his home runs specially at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) by the McCovey Cove in San Francisco. The reason he is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame is not because of his on-the field performance. Similar to pitcher Roger Clemens, who also had the same results this time.

Barry Bonds received 59.1 percent of the vote. You need 75% to get in. So the question is: Will he ever be inducted, and if so, when? I really cannot answer those questions because humans vote, and where there are committees and humans vote for these things, we never know what’s going to happen.

What we know is that in 2015 players were no longer on the Hall of Fame ballot for a maximum of 15 years. Now, it’s 10 years. So my educated prediction would be that he will make it during the next three years, and if not then it is up to the Veterans Committee. A player of Bonds’ caliber you would think is not looking forward to that committee, but maybe that is the best he could do. Giants great Orlando Cepeda was inducted by the vote of a Veterans Committee.

In baseball, like in politics and many other things, everybody has an opinion. As a player, Bonds belongs in Cooperstown. His accusations of steroids use obviously is keeping him out, there is nothing else stopping him from Cooperstown. When he went to court in San Francisco, all the public heard was Balco Laboratories and all the terminology for the steroids he allegedly used. He and the Giants didn’t enjoy very good publicity during that ordeal. And it was a circus as other players and even Mike Murphy, the longtime Giants equipment manager, had to testify that the size of his head got bigger through the years.

In conclusion, to get elected to any Hall of Fame, you need friends. And, to be honest, Bonds has a shortage of those, as of today; but like anything in life, things can change.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Back-and-forth battle in Barracuda’s one-goal loss vs. Bakersfield at home

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On the San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 The Barracuda have been running hot as one of the hottest teams in the AHL, but when you’re running hot, everybody is out to beat you and that’s what the Bakersfield Condors did with a 6-5 victory on Monday night at SAP Center.

#2 Bakersfield All-Star Joe Gambardella drove to the net from the half-boards and beat Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (9-5-4) with a wrist shot top-shelf for his 16th goal of the season at the 1:55 mark of the overtime for the game-winner.

#3 The Condors wasted no time getting on the board to open the game in the first period at 13:38 when David Gust’s shot deflected off a Cuda defender for the game’s first goal.

#4 The Condors had control of the game with a two-goal lead twice and came back from behind after the Cuda scored twice to take the lead. There is little doubt the Condors studied the Cuda film carefully and came into this game well-prepared.

#5 The Cuda will shake this one off and open a two-game set, starting Friday night in Grand Rapids. The puck drops at 4:00 pm.

Marko Ukalovic is a San Jose Barracuda beat writer and does the Barracuda podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com