San Jose State to wrap up Bay Area road trip against Saint Mary’s on Saturday

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By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball will wrap up their Bay Area road trip against their final nonconference foe of the season, the Saint Mary’s Gaels, when they travel to Moraga for a 5 pm tipoff. Justin Allegri will have the Spartans’ radio call on KLIV 1590 AM.

Game #12
San Jose State (3-8) at Saint Mary’s (8-6)
Saturday, Dec. 29, 5:00 p.m. (PT)
McKeon Pavilion
Moraga, Calif.

Live stats
Fans can view live stats of all SJSU men’s basketball games, home and away, by accessing the ‘Live Stats” feature at www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the men’s basketball schedule page to follow the action.

A win would mean…
SJSU is looking for their first win over the Gaels since Nov. 26, 2000, which was a 82-68 rout. A win would also be the fourth of the season, tying the team’s 2017-18 total for the whole year.

Oh, so close! 
For the second-straight game, SJSU fell just short in a tight game against a Pac-12 foe. The Spartans led at Cal for all but :02 seconds in the first half, and regained the lead in the second half. However, the Golden Bears went on to take control and prevailed 88-80.

The Spartans’ 80 points were the most against a D1 opponent this season and they shot a season-best 55.8% from the field. Oumar Barry had a career-high 18 points while Noah Baumann added 18 of his own. Michael Steadman tallied his fifth double-double of the season.

Sharpest shooter in the nation
Sophomore Noah Baumann leads the nation in 3-point FG percentage. He is touting a 57.1% clip on 28-of-49 shooting. He is also averaging 2.5 3s per game, which ranks in the top-10 in the Mountain West.

Baumann is averaging 14.0 points per game in the last five games and is touting a gaudy 60% clip from 3-point range (18-30). He is coming off a career-high six 3s at Cal as part of an 18-point performance.

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10″ forward is averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game and ranks fourth in the MW with 9.7 rebounds per game. He also ranks 22nd nationally in rebounds per game and 25th in defensive rebounds per game. He has five double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the MW and has scored in double figures in 10-of-11 games, including nine straight.

Staff shakeup
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason as he brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach and promoted director of operations Ryan Cooper to assistant coach.

Scouting the competition
The Gaels enter Saturday’s game with a 8-6 record. They had a four-game win streak in the first couple weeks of December with wins over Cal (84-71), Bethune-Cookman (93-61), New Mexico (85-60) and Cal State Fullerton (81-66) before falling to LSU, 78-74. The Gaels dropped their last game at Western Kentucky 71-68.

Junior guard Jordan Ford is one of the most dynamic scorers in collegiate basketball, ranking in the top-15 in four different categories: total points (third), total FG made (fourth), total FG attempts (seventh) and points per game (13th), which he leads the conference with 23.2.

Saturday’s meeting is the 82nd installment in the series that has been neck-and-neck throughout the years. The Gaels hold the overall advantage 43-39 and have won the last seven straight dating back to Dec. 4, 2001. The Spartans’ last win in the series was on Nov. 26, 2000 in a 82-68 victory in Moraga.

The Gaels are led by 17th-year head coach Randy Bennett.

Oh my Oumar
Senior center Oumar Barry is playing his best basketball as a Spartan as of late. Versus Bethune-Cookman, he finished with a then-career-high 13 points and 7 rebounds. He followed that up with his most dominating performance at SJSU as he recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds–his first-career game with double digit rebounds. He also blocked two shots and was 7-of-10 at the free throw line to help the Spartans to a victory.

Barry followed up with another double-double against Stanford (15 points, 10 rebounds). After playing 38 career games without recording a double-double, he now has two in the last three games.

Barry’s last outing saw a score of a career-high 18 points before fouling out with 4:36 to play at Cal. In his last five games, he leads the team with 14.8 points per game and is averaging 8.0 rebounds.

Conference play in the immediate future
Saturday’s game is the final nonconference bout for the Spartans before they buckle up for their MW slate. The first of nine conference home games will be played on Wednesday, January 2 as SJSU welcomes rival Fresno State to the Event Center at 7 pm.

Redbox Bowl will be a chance for Oregon, Pac-12 to prove itself

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By: Eric He

SAN FRANCISCO – Sitting in front of the assembled media at the Redbox Bowl press conference on Friday, Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal was asked a question about his incoming recruiting class in 2019, which is ranked sixth nationally by 247Sports.

He mentioned his previous employer, Alabama, where he spent four seasons as an assistant coach under Nick Saban.

“That needs to be the expectation,” Cristobal said. “One of those classes is fine, but you need to put two, three, four together to make the team what you want it to be. At the previous place I worked, people often asked, ‘What’s the secret sauce?’ The secret sauce was stacking six No. 1 classes together.”

Then, unprompted, he talked about the challenge of taking on Michigan State’s top-ranked run defense ahead of Monday’s bowl game at Levi’s Stadium.

Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal and Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio at the Redbox Bowl press conference on Friday (photo by Eric He)

“This is not a top-5 or top-10 defense,” Cristobal said. “This is the No. 1 run stopping defense in America. They’re one of the top defenses in America, period.”

He continued with a breakdown of the Michigan State defense and what makes it so good — the Spartans allow just 81 yards per game on the ground.

“They did it to everybody they played against, whether it be Ohio State or Penn State,” Cristobal said. “We understand that this is certainly a different type of test that we’re facing.”

Offensive lineman Shane Lemieux said Michigan State’s tape lines up with the statistics.

“A couple of weeks ago, I compared [their defensive front] to [Washington] but they’re a lot better,” Lemieux said.

Cristobal and Lemieux may not have said it explicitly, but by namedropping other programs, their statements underscored the importance of how Oregon performs on Monday not just for itself, but also for the sake of the Pac-12. The conference — reeling from a woeful 1-8 record in bowl games in 2017 — is already off to an 0-2 postseason start in 2018, with Arizona State losing in the Las Vegas Bowl and Cal falling in the Cheez-It Bowl. Washington State takes on Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl later Friday.

Ignore the fact that Oregon and Michigan State enter the Redbox Bowl with identical 5-4 conference records, and the Ducks having one more win than the Spartans — Oregon has more to prove in this game.

Sure, bowl games have become increasingly tossed aside as unimportant, with more and more players sitting out as to not risk injury. And the Redbox Bowl hardly qualifies as a bowl game worth gushing over. But bowl games remain one of the few opportunities for cross-conference matchups, to compare and contrast styles of play, to see how one established program from one part of the country fares against another.

In that context, to say the Pac-12 has hurt its brand nationally in postseason play would be an understatement. Last year, USC, the conference’s marquee program, was embarrassed by Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. It did not matter that the Trojans had future NFL lottery pick Sam Darnold at quarterback; the Buckeyes seemed on a completely different level.

This year, USC didn’t even make a bowl game. That, in and of itself, is indicative of the state of the Pac-12.

Meanwhile, Michigan State enters Monday’s game unsatisfied with a 7-5 season. Several players volunteered that they had underachieved.

“Some other teams are excited about getting six wins,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “That’s not really where this program is right now.”

The Spartans finished in the middle of the pack in a conference that includes Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, arguably the toughest division in college football. Finishing above .500 in conference play in the Big Ten is far more impressive than a similar clip in the Pac-12, which did not even come close to placing a team in the College Football Playoff.

If the Pac-12 is to change its perception and reputation, Oregon might be the program to begin the turnaround. The Ducks will be a team to watch next season with its loaded recruiting class and crop of returning veterans, including quarterback Justin Herbert, who was projected to be the top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

“The sky’s the limit for these guys,” said senior safety Ugochukwu Amadi. “I give it 2-3 years, these guys could win the national championship.”

A win over a Big Ten program in the Redbox Bowl would be a strong start toward that end.

Stanford and Pitt set to face off in Sun Bowl on Monday

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By: Ana Kieu

Sure, the playoff semifinals are set for Saturday, but that isn’t the end of the 2018 bowl season. There are two full days of bowl games set for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, respectively. In the Sun Bowl, it’s an ACC and Pac-12 showdown as Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt Panthers meet David Shaw’s Stanford Cardinal at the University of Texas at El Paso on New Year’s Eve.

Here’s what you need to know about the Sun Bowl.

Spread
Stanford -4.5

Over/Under
52

Analyses
Stanford is the clear favorite, while Pitt is the obvious underdog. Pitt started out the season just 3-4 before pulling off four straight conference wins to win a division title and a trip to the ACC Championship Game. The Panthers’ rushing attack was dominant, as Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison combined for over 2,200 yards and 20 touchdowns.  The backs had their fair share of explosive plays, which helped drive an offense that didn’t have quite the passing game it hoped with quarterback Kenny Pickett. The Panthers’ problems came on defense when they were prone to giving up the explosive plays and ranked 106th in Bill Connelly’s Isolated Points Per Play metric with 1.26.

As you can see, that’s not good news against a Cardinal offense that ranked 19th with a similar metric of 1.28. The Cardinal faded away from the limelight following a 4-0 start when they coughed up four losses in a five-game skid. But Shaw’s team finished strong with three straight wins heading into the Sun Bowl. Running back Bryce Love didn’t have the Heisman-caliber season that we had hoped for, but quarterback K.J. Costello stepped up in his absence. Costello threw for 3,435 yards for the third-highest single season total in Stanford history, trailing just Andrew Luck and Steve Stenstrom. Costello must continue that kind of output in the Sun Bowl as Love decided to skip the Sun Bowl to prepare for the 2019 NFL Draft.

Like the Panthers, the Cardinal have weak points of their own. This year, it was their defense. We’re used to seeing stout units from Shaw and company, but this year’s team ranked 51st in S&P+ and struggled against the run and pass. Still, Stanford has a slight edge in record against the spread as they’ve gone 6-3-1 as a favorite this season, while Pitt has gone just 5-4 as an underdog. I think the Panthers’ running game can prevent the Sun Bowl from getting out of hand, but I doubt the Panthers can stop the Cardinal’s passing attack.

Spartans and Ducks to meet on Monday in Redbox Bowl

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By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — With bowl preparations all but done, it is time for the game for the 17th annual Redbox Bowl between the Michigan State Spartans and the Oregon Ducks.

The Spartans, coached by Mark Dantonio are looking to end the 2018 with a two-game winning streak, as they look for their second consecutive win in a bowl game.

It was on this date last year, the Spartans ended their 2017 season on a high note, as they defeated the Washington State Cougars 42-17 in the Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

This is the third time that the Spartans have finished their season in the state of California since the 2013 season.

It was on January 1, 2014 that the Spartans won their first Rose Bowl since 1988, when they came up with a huge defensive stop in defeating the Stanford Cardinal by the final score of 24-20.

Overall, this is the seventh time that the Spartans have made a bowl appearance in the State of California.

The Spartans are a perfect 6-0 in their previous bowl games in the Golden State, as they are 4-0 in the Rose Bowl, 1-0 in the aforementioned Holiday Bowl and 1-0 in the now defunct Silicon Valley Bowl.

In those six games, the Spartans are 4-0 against Pac-12 teams and 1-0 against teams from the Mountain West Conference.

This is the 10th time that the Spartans have played in the Bay Area, and the first since facing the CAL Golden Bears on August 30, 2008, where the Golden Bears defeated the Spartans 38-31 at Memorial Stadium.

The Spartans made their Bay Area debut against the University of San Francisco Dons, and went back to East Lansing with a 14-0 victory on November 27, 1937.

Almost two years later, the Spartans returned to the Bay Area, to face the Santa Clara Broncos; however, the Broncos defeated the Spartans 6- 0 on November 11, 1939.

On October 18, 1941, the Spartans once again faced the Broncos, and once again, the Broncos defeated the Spartans 7-0.

Seven years later, on November 27, 1948, the Spartans faced the Broncos for the final time and the game ended in a 21-21 tie.

Almost eight years later, on September 29, 1956, the 3rd ranked Spartans defeated the 12th ranked Stanford Indians (now Cardinal) 21-7 at Stanford Stadium.

Three hundred seventy-two days later, on October 5, 1957, the second ranked Spartans defeated the CAL Golden Bears 19-0 at Memorial Stadium.

In the next meeting between the Spartans and then Indians, Stanford upset the then sixth-ranked Spartans 16-13 on September 28, 1962.

The Spartans would not return to the Bay Area until they faced the Fresno State Bulldogs in the Silicon Valley Bowl on December 31, 2001 and lost to the Bulldogs 28-21 at Spartan Stadium on the campus of San Jose State University.

In their last trip to the Bay Area, the Golden Bears defeated the Spartans 38-31 under the lights at Memorial Stadium.

This season, the Spartans ended the regular season with a 7-5 record under Dantonio and are coming off a 14-10 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Spartan Stadium on November 24.

Eleven members of the Spartans team earned All-Big Ten honors, including first-team members in Junior Linebacker Joe Bachie, Sophomore Placekicker Matt Coghlin and Junior Defensive End Kenny Willekes.

The Spartans defense under Defensive Coordinator Mark Tressel, are ranked number one in the country in total rush defense, as they allow only 81.3 yards per game on the ground.

Brian Lewerke leads the Spartans offense, as the quarterback played in 10 games this season, as the redshirt Junior went 162-for-299 for 1,868 yards passing and also threw eight touchdowns, while he was picked off 10 times.

Senior Running back L.J. Scott will be playing in his final game for the Spartans, as he played in just four games and carried the ball 55 times for 180 yards.

Lewerke’s top target at wide receiver was Junior Wide Receiver Darrell Stewart, who hauled in 39 catches on the season. Cody White picked up the most yards thru the air, as he gained 491 yards.

Bachie was the team leader in tackles, as he picked up 94 tackles on the season and also intercepted one pass. Andrew Dowell was not far behind Bachie, as he ended the season with 90 tackles. Willekes led the Spartans in sacks, as he picked up 8.5 sacks in 12 games.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: 49ers to end season in L.A. against a successful Rams team

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On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami:

#1 The 49ers were able to hold a 9-7 lead at half time against one of the best teams in the NFC last Sunday the Chicago Bears (11-4). Do you view this as progress after the 49ers had won Denver and Seattle in previous weeks at Levis’s Stadium?

#2 Going into a game like that, where the Bears know how to protect both sides of the ball, the 49ers to play a game like that head coach Kyle Shanahan really had to have had a great game plan.

#3 The Bears did shutout the 49ers in the second half of that game last Sunday. Did it appear to you that quarterback Nick Mullens and the offense did everything they can to get some head way on offense?

#4 San Francisco 49ers (4-11) safety Marcell Harris said his late hit on Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was not intentional. The hit drew an unnecessary roughness and sparked a brawl that saw 49ers’ cornerback Richard Sherman getting ejected from the game plus two other players.

#5 The 49ers end their season against the Los Angeles Rams (12-3) at the LA Coliseum this Sunday. The Rams are another team having a glory season. Can the 49ers play spoiler again?

This is the final 49ers podcast for the season. Join Joe Lami for the NHL podcast each Friday at  http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Can Raiders end this season with a win over the Chiefs in KC this Sunday?

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On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon:

#1 Last Monday Night was the last game at the Oakland Coliseum for the Oakland Raiders. How bittersweet is that for the fans, the city of Oakland and the Raiders organization?

#2 The game was special for the players. Did it seem like with the knowledge that this is the last home game of the season and possibly the last game ever at the Coliseum for the Raiders, did they came out pushing hard to win this one?

#3 The Raiders are in a big legal battle with the city of Oakland, and although an offer is on the table for the Raiders to stay in Oakland is on the table, the Raiders are looking to shop elsewhere and one those places is AT&T Park. Can you see them playing in the city next season?

#4 Joe, it’s like you wrote in your game recap regarding Raiders quarterback Derek Carr: For the season, Carr has thrown 3,864 yards with 19 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. Carr needs just 136 yards in Oakland’s season finale against the Chiefs in Kansas City for his first 4,000-yard season.

#5 Sunday is the last game of the season for the Raiders in Kansas City to conclude a weird, strange trip that it has been. From the letting go of several key players, to their team GM Reggie McKenzie and how the team scratched and clawed out a win against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football for a 27-14 win. Joe sums up the season for us.

Joe covered the Raiders each week during the 2018 season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors lose to the Trail Blazers 110-109 in overtime

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By: Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors played well enough on defense to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The Warrior offense, however, did not take advantage of the many opportunities they had to put the game away, and they fell to the Trail Blazers 110-109.

The Warriors defense held the Blazers to 36% from the floor, but they lost. The Warriors, when they make 11 or more 3s in a game usually win. Until late in the fourth quarter, they were shooting 8-for-34 from the 3-point range. The Warriors literally gave the game to the Blazers as they missed eight free throws in 14 attempts. Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant all missed key free throws.

Both teams played a competitive first period. The Warriors finished the quarter with the lead 28-27. The Warriors were ahead 38-35 when Portland went on a 15-5 run to lead 50-43. Andre Iguodala connected on a 3 to bring the Warriors a bit closer. The Blazers scored the last two points of the half to finished with a six-point advantage, 52-46. They outscored the Warriors 25-18 in the quarter.

The Warriors cut the deficit to two at the end of the third period. They had ample opportunities to get ahead as Portland’s offense was non-existent at times. The Warriors couldn’t make 3s or free throws, and Portland was able to finish leading 75-71.

The Blazers’ Seth Curry made three 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter. The Warriors trailed by nine 83-74, and things looked dire. The Warriors tried to come back, but Portland was able to increase the lead to 10 96-86. The Warriors then went on a 16-6 run to tie the game. Curry made two 3-point shots, and Kevin Durant tied it with a 3.

In overtime, the Warriors took an early 106-102 lead. Portland turned the ball over three times, but the Warriors failed to capitalize. Portland went ahead 107-106 with 1:05 left to play. Draymond Green made a 3 from the corner to put the Warriors ahead for the last time 109-107. The Warriors had the ball with time running down. The Warriors inbounded the ball to Curry, who was double-teamed by the Blazers. Curry’s attempt to pass the ball went awry, and the ball went over to Portland, who made the Warriors pay as Oakland native Damian Lillard drained a 3 with 5.2 seconds left. The Warriors gave the ball to Kevin Durant for the last shot, but his shot bounced off the rim, and the Warriors were toast 110-109.

Game Notes and Stats: The Blazers had five players in double figures. They were led by Jusuf Nurkic. He was a force on offense and a monster on the boards. He scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds. CJ McCollum finished with 24, Lillard 21, Maurice Harkless 11, and Seth Curry 11.

The Warriors were led by Steph Curry’s 29. Steph was 6-for-15 from 3-point land. Durant had a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Draymond Green finished the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds for a double-double.

The Warriors drop to 23-23 while Portland improves to 30-15.

Up Next: The two teams play again in Portland Saturday night at 7:00 pm PST.

Sharks take down Ducks 4-2; Burns scores game-winner

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — On the night where Brent Burns played his 1000th NHL game (including 428 in a row), it was only fitting the defenseman would follow script and score the game-winning goal as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Thursday evening at SAP Center.

Burns’ fifth goal of the season came while the Sharks had sustained pressure inside the Ducks’ defensive zone. Burns received the puck at the point from Brendon Dillon and fired a slap shot off the left post into the back of the net with 9:39 remaining in the third period.

Anaheim (19-15-5) drew first blood on their second power play of the game. Josh Mahura slapped in a shot from the point that hit off Nick Ritchie. Jacob Silfverberg collected the rebound and was able to tap home the puck past Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (15-8-4) behind the goal line for his 10th goal of the season at the 10:33 mark.

San Jose (20-12-7) came back to tie it up late in the period on a cycle play by their fourth line. Barclay Goodrow sent the puck around the boards behind the net to Joonas Donskoi who backhanded the puck right in front of the crease, where Melker Karlsson beat Carter Rowney to the puck and slid it past Ducks goaltender John Gibson (15-12-4) for his fourth goal of the season at the 18:05 mark.

If not for Gibson, the Sharks would have had the lead at the end of the first 20 minutes. Joe Thornton had an empty net to shoot at off a rebound and Gibson robbed him with his stick half way through the first period. Justin Braun and Lukas Radil had point-blank chances earlier on, only to come up with what the bird left on the rock.

Gibson was replaced in the net by backup goalie Chad Johnson to start the second period as he was injured in a collision with Sorensen earlier in the first period.

San Jose grabbed the lead early in the second period, thanks to another cycle play this time by their top line. A shot from the point by Joakim Ryan was deflected onto captain Joe Pavelski’s stick and he tried jamming home the puck repeatedly on Johnson. Marcus Sorensen crashed the net and cleaned up the rebound into the net for his seventh goal of the season at the 5:44 mark.

Evander Kane had a short-handed breakaway with just over 10 minutes remaining for the Sharks, but his attempt to slide the puck between Johnson’s five-hole was denied.

Speaking of great saves, Jones made a fantastic save on Silfverberg, who was all alone to the right of the crease, and his shot was stoned by a diving Jones with 2:25 left in the middle frame.

Jones almost shot the puck into his own on the next shift when he was attempting to clear the puck behind the net. It hit the right post and caromed out in front of the net where Rowney had a chance at an empty net only to have Jones recover and make the save.

Anaheim received a power play toward the end of the period and put a flurry of shots on net including Jones fighting a shot from the point off of his shoulder that hit the cross bar, but stayed out of the net as the Sharks survived the final minute to head into the intermission up by a goal.

The Ducks tied it back up early in the third period. A battle along the right board was won by Josh Manson. Rowney then centered a pass over to Kifer Sherwood, who gathered possession of the puck between the face off circles and snapped a wrist shot that trickled past Jones for his fifth goal of the season at the 3:53 mark.

Tomas Hertl sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 22 seconds left in the game as Anaheim had pulled Johnson for an extra attacker with a minute left in the game. Goodrow would get his third assist on the evening.

Jones made 25 saves on 27 shots to earn his 15th victory. Gibson only played the first period and suffered the loss, stopping 14 of the 15 shots he faced. Johnson made 20 saves on 23 shots in relief.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/3 on the power play. Anaheim was 1/4.

This was the second game of Erik Karlsson’s two-game suspension that resulted from a hit on Los Angeles Kings’ Austin Wagner.

Joakim Ryan returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the last 11 games.

Burns is the 4th ever Shark to score a goal on his 1000th game. The others were Gary Suter, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.

UP NEXT: The Sharks head out on the road to take on the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, December 29 at 1:00 pm.

Kings stun the Lakers 117-116

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By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings would play a team from Los Angeles for the second time in as many days on Thursday evening at Golden One Center. Yesterday, the day after Christmas, the Kings squared off against the LA Clippers and the Kings would ultimately lose the game 127-118 in LA. Looking for redemption the Kings were set to face the very injured LA Lakers. Notably not available for the Lakers was Lebron James, Rajon Rondo, and Javale McGee. Needless to say, the Kings were feeling good about the matchup.

In the first quarter, the Kings would jump ahead early, thanks to Willie Cauley-Stein and company. With only a minute 1:30 gone in the game, Cauley-Stein already had six points. From about that point until the final whistle in the first, the game was not pretty for the Kings. The Lakers would go on a terror, aided by Lonzo Ball and his 11 points to lead the Lakers to a 34-32 score after the first.

In the second quarter, the pace of the game balanced out a little bit. The two teams traded shot for shot. However, during the final few minutes of the quarter, the Lakers would create a little separation going into the half. When it was all said and done, the Kings would be down 67-61. Leading scorers for the Kings in the first half included Willie Cauley-Stein (11 points), Nemenja Bjelica (9 points), and Iman Shumpert (9 points). Leading the Lakers was Kyle Kuzma (23 points), Brandon Ingram (16 points), and Lonzo Ball (9 points).

Going into the second half, the Kings knew that had to play better defense. Unfortunately for Kings fans, they weren’t able to do so. Nearly through the third quarter, the Kings trailed the Lakers 78-92. At this point, a loud “Let’s go Lakers” chant rained down on Golden One Center. It’s safe to say the game was not going as planned for the Kings. The Kings were able to go on a 6-3 run in the final minute and go into the final quarter down 95-84.

The Kings would need 12 more points than the Lakers in the fourth at a minimum to pull off the win. Halfway through the fourth, the Kings didn’t appear as if they could pull it off. However, after a 3-pointer from Iman Shumpert and a timeout from Dave Joerger, the Kings appeared to have some life. Apparently, the Kings’ bench was able to hear me from press row. I said they showed life and life is what they showed. With 1:42 left in the game, the Kings cut the deficit to 110-107. This game got more exciting going down to the end for the backdrop. The Kings were down 116-114 with 4.3 seconds to go. The Kings inbound and Bogdan Bogdanovic threw up a step back three from near the Golden One Center logo and he hit it at the buzzer. The Kings won 117-116.

The Kings and Lakers travel to L.A. to face each other again on Sunday, December 30 at 6:30 pm PST.

49ers hope to end the 2018 season on a positive note

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Photo credit: ninersnation.com

By: Jeremy Harness

The San Francisco 49ers are looking to rebuild. The Los Angeles Rams are just looking to keep building.

The 49ers will look to make a positive imprint going forward into the 2019 season, like they did toward the end of last season. They will go down to Los Angeles to face the playoff-bound Rams on Sunday for their final game of the 2018 year.

One of the differences here is that the anointed quarterback of the future in on the bench while nursing a significant knee injury.

The other difference is that the Rams have something to play for this time around, as opposed to the season finale of 2017, when their playoff spot was set in stone with nowhere to go. With a win Sunday, the Rams can clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye.

For that reason, the Rams are all but assured to play most of – if not all – their starters to ensure that all-important No. 2 spot. The New Orleans Saints locked up the No. 1 seed in the conference and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with their win over Pittsburgh last Sunday.

The 49ers, on the other hand, currently sit with a 4-11 record and have secured their fourth straight losing season, one that started with a load of promise and optimism but has since been riddled with injuries at every key position.

The good news is that Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be back in action by the time training camp starts next July, and they have two quarterbacks in Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard that have playing experience and are expected to have a heated battle to be Garoppolo’s backup.