Headline Sports with London Marq: LeBron’s slave owner remarks–how much of an impact will this have going forward?

youtube.com photo: LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers gets a haircut on his HBO show The Shop recently apologized for saying recent remarks made on social media

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 On LeBron James saying in the referring to NFL owners, “They got a bunch of old white men owning teams with a slave mentality.” Although LeBron apologized, some people say they know where he’s coming from.

#2 LeBron said the 21 Savage lyric: “We been getting that Jewish money everything is kosher” on his Instagram post and apologized for what he said on his show The Shop on HBO.

#3 LeBron said this about the mentality of the NFL owners, “This is my team you all do what the hell I tell you to.” What did LeBron mean?

#4 Even after apologizing, does LeBron get a pass for what he said on this subject and that what he said deserves further discussion on what did LeBron really mean? Going forward, will LeBron have problems with the reactions from this?

#5 Does LeBron need to get off social media? On the program Speak for Yourself on FS1, they said when he goes on social media “he’s drunk.” Does LeBron go too far on social media and his show The Shop?

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Lakers outplay the Warriors on both ends of the court for 127-101 blowout

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Los Angeles Laker, a team on the rise with the addition of LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, and Ivaca Zubac, thoroughly outplayed the defending NBA champions, the Golden Stae Warriors, Christmas night at Oracle Arena. The Lakers head coach, Luke Walton who was an assistant under Steve Kerr in 2015 and 2016, had his young and upcoming team outscore, outrebound, and out defense the Warriors. The Warriors, who had a record of 15-3 at Oracle this season lost by 26 points 127-101. All the Warrior losses at Oracle this year have been by more than twenty points. The Warriors need help. General Manager, Bob Myers, has work to do to get the team some players that can come off the bench to, hopefully, ignite the offense. One such player, who is a restricted free agent, is Patrick McCaw. It might be time for the team and the player mend the rift.

The two teams played a close game until late in the first quarter. The Laker went on a 12-2 run to finish the first period leading 32-25.  The Lakers, in the second quarter, continued to pressure Kevin Durant, Steph Curry. and Klay Thompson. They double-teamed the Big Three at every chance and gave opportunities for Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Jonas Jerebko, and Andre Iguodala to pick up the slack. Iguodala responded by knocking down 16 in the first half. The Lakers held KD, Klay, and Steph to a total of 18 for all three. LeBron James and company raced out to a 65-50 halftime lead.  James had a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards in the first 24 minutes of action. The Lakers controlled the boards pulling down 27 while the Warriors total was 17. The Lakers Ivaca Zubac, filling in for former Warrior JaVale McGee, who was sidelined with a bout of pneumonia, proved to be too much to handle as he cleared the boards and added 8 points. The Lakers shot 58% from the floor, and they held the Warriors to 39%. The

The Warriors, who have been so good in the third quarter, failed to slow down the Laker onslaught. The Lakers increased the lead to 16 71-55. The Warrior then started a comeback. With the score 76-62, Steph Curry hit his first three-pointer of the night to make it 76-65. Steph hit another three, and the crowd at Oracle came alive. The Warriors closed the gap to two trailing 78-76. It was around this time the LeBron James suffered what appeared to be a groin injury, and he left the game. That was as close as the Warriors would come as the Lakers finished the quarter leading 91-82.

The Lakers refused to let the Warriors back in the game. The veteran guard, Rajon Rondo, took over the game for the Lakers and they increased the lead to fifteen 100-85 with nine minutes left in the game. The Warriors scored just three points in the first three minutes, and their doom was sealed. Warriors coach Steve Kerr raided the white flag and sent in the scrubs to finish the game.

Game notes and stats. The Warriors are now 23-12 for the year, but many people are worried that the team does not have the depth that they have had in the past. The three big men, Pachulia, McGee, and West, are gone. Kevon Looney’s play has improved, but he can’t do it alone. The Warriors are waiting for Demarcus Cousins to return from an Achilles heel injury suffered last January. Cousins has been working out with the Santa Cruz G-League and practicing in Oakland with the Warriors. The Warriors don’t want to rush him back too soon, but, hopefully, he will be ready soon. It will take a while for him to get back into game shape.

The numbers show the dominance of the Lakers. They had seven players in double figure. Zubac had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Rondo knocked down 15, and he recorded 10 assists. LeBron finished with 17 points and 13 boards. Kyle Kuzma had 19, Brandon Ingram 14, Josh Hart 12, and Lance Stephenson 11. The Lakers improved to 20-14.

Andre Iguodala had a season-high 23 points to lead the club in scoring. KD finished with 21, Steph had 15, and Klay, who is mired in a shooting slump, had a season-low 5 points.

The Lakers shot 55% from the floor. They made 13 three is 33 attempts. They outrebounded the Warriors 49-37. The Warriors shot 39% from the floor and made nine three in 36 attempts.

The Warriors face another tough opponent when they play the Portland Trailblazers at Oracle Arens Thursday night at 7:30 pm.

 

Raiders take down Broncos 27-14 in potential last game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif. — In what may or may not have been the final game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Raiders provided Raider Nation some much needed joy on Christmas Eve with a 27-14 win over their AFC West rival Denver Broncos on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

Oakland (4-11) picked up their first division win of the season, the last team to win a game within their division. Additionally, the win snaps Oakland’s seven-game home losing streak on Monday Night Football, dating back to the 2002 season.

The Raiders are set to play in Las Vegas starting in 2020, but have no lease signed to play at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum for the 2019 season. The city of Oakland filed a lawsuit against the franchise contesting the move two weeks ago. The Silver and Black are looking into options for next season, including playing at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

The NFL wants to have a resolution to the situation by early February, at the latest.

The franchise has called the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum home from 1966 through 1981, then in 1995 through now after spending 13 seasons in Los Angeles.Raiders quarterback Derek Carr finished 19-of-26 for 167 yards and most importantly, no interceptions in his last 325 passing attempts. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the third longest streak in NFL history by a quarterback.

Carr hasn’t thrown an interception in 10 games, dating back to Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Carr threw his eighth interception at the time into the waiting hands of linebacker Melvin Ingram in the end zone.

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.

The Raiders jumped on the board early and gave their fans something to cheer about, after punt returner Dwayne Harris returned a punt 99 yards for the game’s first score. The Broncos failed to down the football at the 1-yard line and Harris alertly picked up the football, juked a few defenders and raced down the Broncos’ sideline for the score.

The 99-yard punt return for the touchdown, was the second-longest in NFL history according to the Elias Sports Bureau, tied with Patrick Peterson’s 99-yarder in 2011, and trailing Robert Bailey’s 103-yarder in 1994.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Harris ran 157.5 yards on his touchdown return, the longest distance covered by any ball carrier in the past three seasons.

With Oakland native Marshawn Lynch lighting up the Al Davis Torch before the game, fellow running back Doug Martin ran all over the Broncos on Monday night, rushing for 107 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.

Martin, who was born in Oakland, scored untouched on a 24-yard run before throwing up an “O” before Raider Nation to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.Oakland added a 43-yard field goal from rookie kicker Daniel Carlson to give the Raiders a 17-0 lead heading into halftime. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the 17-first-half points were the most by the Raiders since scoring 21 points in the first-half against the New York Jets in Week 2 of the 2017 season.

When watching the first-half, it felt like Oakland was playing more inspired football than Denver, who appeared to be ready for Christmas morning rather than a football game against one of their greatest rivals.

In six first-half drives, the Broncos punted five times and missed a 58-yard field goal from kicker Brandon McManus as time expired for halftime. Denver’s offense was nonexistent for the majority of the contest as penalties crippled them throughout the night as the Broncos were called for 11 penalties racking up 91 yards.

That’s not a recipe for success in the NFL.The Broncos didn’t get on the board until midway in the third quarter when quarterback Case Keenum threw a pair of touchdowns to rookie wide receivers DaeSean Hamilton and Courtland Sutton.

Oakland would quickly respond, thanks to a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Jalen Richard, but Keenum’s two fourth quarter interceptions to Marcus Gilchrist and Erik Harris sealed the victory for the Raiders.

Keenum completed 23-of-37 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. Now at 6-9, the Broncos are assured of back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1971-72 which has put head coach Vance Joseph squarely on the hot seat.

Denver finished 5-11 last year in Joseph’s first season and entered this season with playoff aspirations, but have stumbled in 2018 and now have lost three-straight games following a 6-6 record.

Last week’s 17-16 loss at home to the Cleveland Browns eliminated the Broncos from postseason contention. Tonight’s performance by Denver could’ve possibly sealed Joseph’s fate, who is rumored to be fired at season’s end. The Broncos finish up the regular season against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17 in Denver.

Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the first half, joining Dominic Rhodes and LaGarrette Blount as the only undrafted rookies to rush for 1,000 yards in the Super Bowl era per the Elias Sports Bureau. Lindsay rushed for 46 yards before leaving the game with a right wrist injury and didn’t return.

With 1,037 rushing yards on the season, Lindsay needs just 68 yards to break Rhodes’ record (1,104) that was set in 2001 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

If this was the last game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for the Raiders, it was a fitting send off.

Not only did the Raiders defeat one of its biggest rivals in the Broncos, who came into the game with the most victories (22) by a visiting team per the Elias Sports Bureau, but Oakland made the game feel like a celebration rather than a funeral as some suggested.

The Raiders will wrap up the 2018 regular season in Kansas City against the Chiefs where Derek Carr will try to earn his first win at Arrowhead Stadium where he’s 0-4 lifetime.

Plenty of good news for San Jose State this holiday season

Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State football and men’s basketball may not garner as much attention as they’d like from the general public, but these are still two NCAA and Mountain West programs that still need to be covered, so here we go…

First off, SJSU men’s basketball is set to return to action on Saturday, Dec. 29 against Saint Mary’s. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 pm.

Secondly, SJSU football is receiving its fair share of good news, which is great to say the least.

Senior kicker Bryce Crawford, who was the Spartans’ No. 1 placekicker and punter in the 2018 season, tweeted on Dec. 21 that he was excited to sign with Off Tackle Sports. Congratulations to the Wuerffel Trophy Semifinalist! Oh yeah, and good luck on the potential Wuerffel Trophy victory! Bring the Wuerffel Trophy to San Jose, Calif. to show the Bay Area that underrated FBS players can excel in athletics, academics and community service!

This name may sound unfamiliar, but freshman wide receiver Leki Nunn celebrated his birthday on Christmas Eve. Nunn, a San Mateo, Calif. native, attended Serra High School, where he became one of the top all-around players in Northern California. In 2016, Nunn was the starting quarterback for Serra H.S. when the Padres advanced to the CIF Division 2A State Championship Game under head football coach Patrick Walsh.

Lastly, both the men’s and women’s student-athletes celebrated Christmas Eve in a positive way. The student-athletes gave back to the local community by dropping off all the Spartan Athletics’ teams’ toy donations from their respective home games to Rubenstein Supply Co. and Toys for Tots. God bless these student-athletes.

Merry Christmas, Spartan Nation! Catch my SJSU podcast on Thursday and SJSU men’s basketball coverage on Saturday. Feel free to give me a follow on Twitter @AnaKieu if you haven’t already done so.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Late hit by 49ers’ Harris sparks brawl at game’s end; Bears come back with 2 TD’s and shutout 49ers in second half

photo still from sbnation.com: The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears scrum after a late hit by 49ers safety Marcell Harris on Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the closing minutes of Sunday’s contest at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 San Francisco 49ers (4-11) safety Marcell Harris said his late hit on Chicago Bears (11-4) 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.

#2 The Bears are noted to being one of the NFC’s best, a first-place team in the NFC North Division and heavy favorites to be beat the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday. They did that 14-9, but they had to be concerned in the first half as the 49ers captured the lead going into halftime by two points 9-7.

#3 The Bears scored two touchdowns, shutting out the 49ers in the second half. The key touchdown for Chicago came in the third quarter with 4:14 left in the quarter when the Bears’ Jordan Howard carried for a two-yard touchdown to get the Bears over the top for good.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal (5-6) will take on Seattle (11-3)–tall order game for Bears

bearinsider.com photo: Darius McNeil of the Cal Bears brings the ball up court against the San Jose State Spartans last Friday night at Haas Pavilion in a eight point win for Cal

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Cal (5-6) got a 88-80 eight-point win over the visiting San Jose Spartans (3-8) on Friday night at Haas Pavilion. Is this a measuring stick for both teams that they’re rebuilding and both have improved?

#2 The Bears’ Darius McNeil led with 22 points. It was his season-high. Morris talks about the kind of season that he’s having.

#3 Andre Kelly finished second in scoring with 21 points and 10 assists. Morris talks about his efforts this season.

#4 The Bears certainly didn’t want to lose again after coming off a loss to Fresno State 95-73 (9-2) and the Spartans were coming off a loss to Stanford (6-5) 78-73.

#5 Cal’s next game is at Haas Pavilion against the Seattle Redhawks (11-3) in Berkeley at 5 pm on December 29th. Morris tells us a little of this up and coming game.

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

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings make an 11-point comeback on Pelicans for 122-117 win Sunday

sacbee.com photo: The Sacramento Kings’ Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) takes aim against the New Orleans Pelicans Darius Miller (21) Sunday night at Golden 1 Center.

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Sacramento Kings’ Willie Cauley Stein loves the deuces, scoring 22 points, 17 rebounds and getting a double double in the Kings’ win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday 122-117.

#2 Bobby Hield continues to lead the Kings with 28 points. He’s been a huge impact player in the Kings’ success.

#3 What does that say about the Kings to overcome an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and come away with a five-point win? The Kings were down at one time 19 points.

#4 The Kings’ Anthony Davis with 26 points and D’Aaron Fox with 19 points. Both these players are big contributors each night.

#5 The Kings travel to LA to play the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday. Charlie sets this one up. Also, join reporter London Marq for exclusive coverage.

Charlie O does the Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardiac Kings do it again with a fourth quarter, come-from-behind 122-117 win over the Pelicans

pels giles
Harry Giles III tips the ball back into the basket Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings won their second consecutive come from behind in the fourth quarter game on Sunday night as they defeated Anthony “the Brow” Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans 122-117. The Kings trailed the Pelicans by as many as 19 points in the contest, and frankly, it did not appear that the home team would have enough momentum to overcome the New Orleans lead.

The Kings had trouble putting the ball in the basket right from the beginning of the game. At one point in the first quarter, Sacramento was shooting just 25-percent from the field while New Orleans was hitting more than 50-percent of their shots. The Pels dominated the paint and were converting high percentage shots. The Kings were not taking bad shots, but their shots were not dropping.

The Kings shooting improved in the second quarter (48.1-percent) and they were able to match the Pelicans point for point. Each team scored 33 points in the second period. Buddy Hield led the scoring attack for SAC with nine points. New Orleans was paced by Jrue Holiday who hit 7-of-9 shots for 14 points.

At the half, New Orleans held a 69-58 lead over Sacramento.

The third quarter was dominated by a former Wildcat and Sooner. New Orleans center Anthony Davis scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds for his team as they scored 27 points in the period. Buddy Hield led the charge for Sacramento scoring 11 points in the third. He went for 4-for-4 shooting (3-for-3 from 3-point land). The Kings won the quarter 28-27. At the end of 36 minutes, the Pelicans held a 96-86 lead over the Kings.

pels jump ball
Koufos and Miller jump ball in 4th quarter Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings went on a comeback run that saw them outscore the Pelicans 36-21 in the final quarter. Sacramento was paced by De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic who each scored nine points in the period. Buddy Hield stayed hot as he recorded eight points. Willie Cauley-Stein hauled in nine of his career-high 17 rebounds in the final 12-minutes. The Kings went on a mission in the final quarter and they were not going to be denied. When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings (18-15) had defeated the Pelicans (15-19) 122-117.

Willie Cauley-Stein had a monster game

The Kings center played just over 35-minutes in his team’s victory. He scored 22 points and made it a double-double as he pulled down a career-high 17 (four offensive) rebounds. WCS shot 10-for-19 from the floor and went 2-for-4 from behind the 3-point line. The big man also made three steals in the game.

 

 

 

 

De’Aaron Fox posted a double-double

The Kings versatile point guard made it a double-double game in the win over the Pelicans on Sunday night. He scored 19 points and dished out 11 assists. Fox also added two steals. He did all of this while still nursing a sore shoulder injured in the game on Friday with Memphis.

“Buddy Buckets” was amazing again

Buddy Hield was the leading scorer in the game on Sunday. He put 28 points in the book in 36-plus minutes of playing time. Hield shot 11-for-16 from the field and hit 6-of-11 from behind the 3-point arc. He also pulled in six rebounds.

pels buddy
Buddy Hield lets it fly from 3-point land Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Bogi comes up Big

Bogdan Bogdanovic is finding his legs and really getting into the flow of the game. On Sunday afternoon, he scored 24 points shooting 7-for-16 from the floor. Bogdanovic hit 2-of-5 from long range and converted 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. He also dished out seven dimes.

pels bogi
Bogi sinks one from the free throw line Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Coach Joerger summarizes the game

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pelicans numbers

Pels logo

  • Leading scorer Jrue Holiday with 27 points, seven rebounds, and six assists
  • Anthony Davis scored 26 points pulled down 17 rebounds (double-double) plus four assists and four blocked shots
  • Julius Randle put up 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds

The Pelicans were extremely frustrated after the loss to the Kings. Giving up a 19 point lead and losing by five points will make you walk the aisle of the plane all the way back to the “Big Easy” out of frustration.

Up next

The Kings next game will be on Wednesday, December 26 at the Staples Center versus the Los Angeles Clippers. The Kings lost to the Clippers at the Golden 1 Center on November 29, 133-121.

The Pelicans next game will be in Dallas on December 26. New Orleans beat the Mavs on December 5th, 132-105.

49ers Lose to the Bears in the Red Zone 14-9

Photo credit: @49ers

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers will finish their 2018 home record at 4-4 this year, as they dropped the home finale 14-9 to the Chicago Bears at Levi’s Stadium Sunday. The Bears remain hopeful for a first-round bye with the must-win victory.

Inability to score in the red zone and a few late mistakes cost the 49ers from upsetting the NFC North champs. San Francisco finished 0-for-3 in the red zone, as Robbie Gould scored all nine points with field goals inside the 30-yard line.

Nick Mullens made two costly errors down the stretch that prevented them from taking a late lead. With under eight minutes to go and marching, he threw a pick at the 14-yard line. After being lead a little too much, it tipped off the hands of Marquise Goodwin and right to Bears’ linebacker, Danny Trevathan.

Despite the pick, San Francisco won the turnover battle against the top team in the NFL, forcing two fumbles. DeForest Buckner recovered the first and Greg Mabin recovered one with 1:52 left giving San Francisco one final chance.

The 49ers recovered at their own 24 and began to move past midfield to the Chicago 45. After two consecutive incomplete passes, SF faced a fourth-and-four. Mullens was given great protection by the line and scrambled out to his right. With nothing but open field in front of him and enough room to easily pick up a first down, he went for the home run ball and threw it a few yards out of bounds.

Mullens admitted to his mistake, while Shanahan said, “he was just trying to make a big play.”

The attempt at the big play ended the drive and gave the Bears the win.

Mullens finished the day 22-of-38 for 241 yards. His primary target was George Kittle, catching seven passes for 74 yards. Kittle stands three receptions shy of the franchise record for tight end receptions in a season.

The 49ers continued to battle and lost as a brotherhood. Richard Sherman was ejected with under six minutes remaining after a fight broke out following a late hit on Mitch Trubisky near the Bears’ bench. Shanahan, Mullens, and George Kittle all appreciated the actions of sticking up for your teammates.

It remains to be seen if Sherman will be eligible for next week’s season finale in LA. The Rams can clinch the first-round bye with a victory, giving the 49ers a final chance at spoiler.

Warriors outlast the Clippers in a heart-pounding thriller 129-127

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors had their hands full as the Los Angeles Clippers made 13-of-16 3-point shots in the first half and 18-for-23 in the game. The 13 3s in the first half were a franchise (and NBA) record for the Clippers. The Clippers were raining down 3s on the Warriors, and the team had to find a way to play defense. The Warriors were facing a club that loves to run and were able to find men open to attempt the 3-point bombs.

The Clippers this year bear no resemblance to the Clipper teams of the past five years. All-Stars Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan are playing elsewhere. The Clipper offense now features Danilo Gallinari, Tobias Harris, Montrezl Harrell, and Lou Williams. Williams’ eyes light up when he plays the Warriors. The last time he played at Oracle Arena, he torched the Warriors for 51 points. The last time the Warriors played the Clippers in LA, they lost 121-116 in overtime. The Warriors wanted to even the score Sunday night. The Warriors did just that as they won a thriller 129-127.

The first half was a fast-paced affair. As mentioned earlier, the Clippers were raining down threes. The connected at a record pace as they made an NBA 13-in-16 attempts. The Warriors attempted 16 3s, but connected on five. What kept the Warriors in the first half was their ability to go to the free throw line. The Warriors did not miss a free throw, and they outscored the Clips 24-10 from the charity stripe. The game was tied at 48 when the Clips went on a 9-2 run to take a 7-point lead. The Clips increased the lead to 11 71-60. The Warriors went on a 7-0 run to finish the first half trailing 71-67.

The scoring leaders for LA were Gallinari with 14. He was 2-for-2 from three-point range. Tobias Harris knocked down 19, and he was 5-for-5 in 3-point attempts. Lou Williams, coming off the bench tallied 11, and he made one 3-pointer. The Clippers shot 52.2% from the floor and an astounding 81.2% from 3-point land.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 22. Kevin Durant had 14, Draymond Green had 11 and Klay Thompson added 7.

In the third quarter, as they have done so many times, the Warriors got their offense going, and their defense shut down the Clipper offense as they outscored them 36-23 to finish the third quarter leading 103-94.

The Clippers started the fourth quarter on an 8-0 to cut the deficit to 1. The fans were squirming in their seats as the Clippers appeared to have found the key to success.  The Warriors were able to match the Clippers until LA made a bucket to grab the lead 117-116. Durant hit a shot to put the Warriors ahead 118-117. Curry made a 3 and was fouled. He made the free throw to complete a 4-point play. Durant followed with a 3, and the Warriors led 125-117 with time running down. However, the Clippers would not capitulate. They came back to tie the game at 127. The clock was running out, and the Warriors had the ball for the last shot. The Warriors brought the ball down for the final shot. Curry drove down the lane and mad the layup with just 0.5 seconds left in the game. The Clipper called a timeout so that they could take the ball in the forecourt. They needed someone to make a catch and shoot. They tried, but their attempt failed, and the Warriors finished with the win 129-127.

Game Notes and Stats: Steph Curry led the team with 40 points. Kevin Durant had another double-double with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. Draymond Green finished with 14. Klay Thompson, mired in a mini-slump, added 14. Kevon Looney tallied 10 coming off the bench. Jonas Jerebko started in place of Looney and scored 7 points.

The Clippers were led by Tobias Harris’ 32 points and 9 boards. He made six 3s in seven attempts. Danilo Gallinari put in 25 and had 11 rebounds. He hit five 3s in five attempts. Lou Williams had 25, Avery Bradley had 12, Montrezl Harrel had 13, and Patrick Beverley added 10.

The Warriors shot 45.2% from the floor and made 14 threes in 40 attempts. The Warriors, on defense, made 9 steals and blocked 8 shots. They committed 7 turnovers compared to the Clippers’ 15. The Clippers shot 53.7% from the floor and made 18 3s in 23 attempts good for an amazing 78.3%

The Warriors improved to 23-11, and the Clippers fell to 19-14.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Lakers on Christmas Day at 5:00 pm. It will be the first meeting of the season for the Warriors and the rebuilt Lakers.

The Lakers’ all-star forward, LeBron James, has had this date circled on the calendar ever since he signed with the after the end of last season.