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

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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.

Sharks fall to the Coyotes in a shootout 4-3

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks had lost two straight game before Sunday’s tilt versus the Arizona Coyotes at the SAP Center. In case you missed, San Jose lost to Los Angeles 3-2 in overtime at the SAP Center Saturday.

Prior to the faceoff, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer made a swap of the Swedes. Tim Heed was in for Erik Karlsson. Karlsson was suspended for two games for an illegal hit to Austin Wagner’s head Saturday. When it comes to starting goaltenders, the Sharks’ Aaron Dell got the nod, while the Coyotes’ Darcy Kuemper was in net.

The opening period was an action-packed, back-and-forth affair between the two teams.

The Sharks went on the power play after Oliver Ekman-Larsson elbowed Kevin Labanc with 6:27 left in the opening period. Tim Heed scored on the power play for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 lead with 4:49 left. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joe Thornton received the assists. With the assist, Thornton moved into the 10th spot on the NHL’s all-time assists leaders list with 1,041.

But the Sharks’ lead was short-lived as the Coyotes quickly tied up the score 1-1. Just 20 seconds later, Alex Galyenchuk scored the equalizer for his fourth goal of the season. Clayton Keller received the lone assist.

The score was tied 1-1 at the end of the first. Shots were 11-10 in favor of the Coyotes. The Sharks, however, played fairly consistent defense that helped them stand their ground.

Of course, a Pacific Division matchup wouldn’t be possible without a bitter fight, and that was exactly what happened in the second period. Both teams dropped the gloves, and as a result, the officials handed out penalties to Brenden Dillon and Niklas Hjalmarsson for roughing and Conor Garland for hooking.

Joe Pavelski was called for slashing Ekman-Larsson with 9:55 left in the second. The Coyotes went on the power play and Galchenyuk scored for his second goal of the game (and fifth goal of the season) on a 5-on-3 to give his team a 2-1 lead with 7:39 left in the second. Keller and Nick Schmaltz received the assists.

The Sharks trailed the Coyotes 2-1 at the end of the second. Shots were 21-16 in favor of Arizona. San Jose’s lackluster effort affected them and that’s why they fell behind in the stanza.

The Sharks tied the game 2-2 just 4:17 into the final period. Tomas Hertl unleashed his Hertl power for his 11th goal of the season. Vlasic and Justin Braun received the assists.

But the Sharks’ lead disappeared in the blink of an eye. Just 1:49 later, Conor Garland scored his second goal of the season to help the Coyotes to a 3-2 lead. Richard Panik and Jakob Chychrun received the assists.

Hertl, however, tied the game 3-3 with his second goal of the game (and 12th goal of the season) with 6:07 left in the third. Braun and Evander Kane received the assists.

The score remained in a 3-3 deadlock at the end of regulation, so the tilt went into overtime to determine a winner.

The Sharks were on the power play after Garland served a Coyotes penalty for too many men on the ice, but they were unable to capitalize with the man advantage, so the game went to down to the wire in the form of a shootout. In the first round, Galchenyuk fired, while Pavelski missed. In the second round, neither team succeeded. And, frankly, the third time wasn’t a charm as Logan Couture missed and the Sharks fell to the Coyotes 4-3 in a shootout. San Jose lost its third game in a row. Dell made 23 saves on 26 shots in a losing effort for the Sharks.

Kuemper made 35 saves on 38 shots en route to a Coyotes victory.

The Sharks return to action on Thursday, Dec. 27 at the Honda Center against the Ducks. Faceoff set for 7:30 pm PT on NSCA and PRIT.

NCAA podcast with Daniel Dullum: Hoops shocker ASU tops No. 13 Kansas; USF continues to roll with win over Stanford; Minnesota women now 11-0; plus more

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stlouisdispatch.com photo: Arizona State guard Rob Edwards (left) knocks the ball out of the hands of Kansas guard Quentin Grimes Saturday night at ASU

On the NCAA podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Men’s Hoops: No. 18 Arizona State stuns No. 1 Kansas

2 USF handles Stanford

3 Women’s Hoops: No. 13 Minnesota 11-0 under new coach Lindsay Whalen

4 No. 1 UConn holds off challenge from Cal

5 Congrats to Stanford on women’s volleyball national championship

Daniel Dullum is filling in for Michelle Richardson for the NCAA report heard each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Durant, Jerebko lead the Warriors to a 120-116 win over the Mavericks

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Photo credit:@warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, humbled by the Utah Jazz Wednesday night in Salt Lake City as they made a season-low 18 assists, found their mojo Saturday night as Kevin Durant, Jonas Jerebko, and Steph Curry all played well as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 120-116 at Oracle Arena. The Warriors trailed 61-58 at the end of the first half, but they put their game into gear in the third quarter behind a sterling effort from Jerebko. The Warriors finished the third quarter on a 17-6 run to lead 94-87.

The Warriors went on a 10-2 run to start the fourth quarter. They led 111-93 after Jerebko scored his 23rd point of the night and it looked as if the game was over. However, this is the NBA, and the Mavs refused to quit. With the score 113-102, the Mavs started to cut into the deficit as they went on a 13-2 run. The Warriors led by one point, 117-116, when Kevin Durant hit a 3-pointer with 14.2 seconds left in the game. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr was yelling to his team to get the ball to Durant. Durant responded with the big bucket, and the Warriors escaped with the win.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors improve to 22-11 for the season, and Dallas falls to 15-16. Dallas has been unbeatable at home this season but has only two road wins. The Warriors were led by Wesley Matthews 25 points. Matthews made 7 3-point shots to keep his team in the game. 19-year-old phenom Luka Doncic tallied 19 points, and he made three treys in six attempts. Former LA Clipper DeAndre Jordan kicked in with 12 points, but he was a monster off the boards as he pulled down 23 rebounds. J.J.Barea, Jalen Brunson, and Dorian Finney-Smith finished in double figures.

The Warriors had five players in double figures. Kevin Durant finished with a double-double. He scored 29 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Durant connected on three 3-pointers in 5 attempts. Draymond Green also had a double-double with 14 points, 10 boards, and 5 assists. Curry had 22, Thompson had 14, and Jonas Jerebko had a career-high 23 points and six rebounds. He made two 2-pointers and was all over the court making plays in the third and fourth quarters. He gave the Warriors a huge lift coming off the bench.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the LA Clippers Sunday afternoon at Oracle Arena at 5:30 pm.

Dons continue hot start with 74-65 win over Cardinal

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, December 22, 2018

San Francisco continued its best start in 19 years on Saturday with a 74-65 men’s basketball win over Stanford before a sellout crowd of 3,005.

The Dons (12-1) were led by Charles Minlend with 19 points, and Frankie Ferrari with 17. Jimbo Lull, USF’s 7-foot junior, hit double figures in rebounds for the first time in his career with 15; he also scored 11 points. Matt McCarthy added 10 points for the Dons.

Daejon led the Cardinal (6-5) with 19 points, followed by Oscar da Silva with 13 points, KZ Okpala with 11 and Bryce Wills with 10.

Da Silva hit a 3-pointer to cut USF’s lead to 60-52 with 1:36 to play, and, after Stanford pulled to within 64-60 in the final minute, Minlend responded with a three-point play.

USF led by double-digits through most of the second half after taking a 30-19 halftime lead, as Stanford endured one of its worst shooting games of the season. Stanford shot 23 percent from the field in the first half while committing 11 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

It was the Cardinal’s first game at USF in 23 years, the first game on the USF campus since 1987, and the 68th meeting between the schools. Stanford leads the series 46-22.

Next Saturday, the Cardinal host Long Beach State, while the Dons visit UC Santa Barbara.

Roadrunners’ late goal edges Barracuda 4-3 for series split

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jordan Gross might want to pencil in a vacation to Silicon Valley during the off-season as he had a weekend to remember. He scored the game-winning goal with under two minutes remaining in the game to help the Tucson Roadrunners defeat the San Jose Barracuda 4-3 on Saturday evening at SAP Center.

Gross rifled a shot from the right point for the game-winner at the 18:06 mark of the third period that beat Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (6-4-3) over his left shoulder for his fourth goal of the season. It was his second goal of the night and third in the two-game series. Before this weekend, Gross hadn’t scored a goal in 17 straight games.

San Jose (17-5-1-3) drew first blood early in the first period. Jeffery Truchon-Viel sent in  shot from the left-wing and Evan Weinger cleaned up the rebound, putting the puck past Roadrunners goalie Merrick Madsen (5-3-0) for his sixth goal of the season at the 2:48 mark.

Tucson (16-8-3-1) tied it up just under two minutes later when Jordon Gross scored the first of his two goals. He was able to beat Bibeau from the right corner of the point after Lane Pedersen won a face-off draw. Gross’ third goal of the season came at the 4:43 mark. Brayden Burke also received an assist on the goal.

Dylan Gambrell regained the lead for San Jose halfway through the opening frame when he was set up by captain John McCarthy and Rourke Chartier. He moved into the slot and wristed one past Madsen for his eighth goal of the season came at the 10:37 mark.

Tucson continued the see-saw battle once again getting the tying goal two minutes later when Kyle Capobianco scored his fourth goal of the season when his shot beat a screened Bibeau at the 12:38 mark. Laurence Dauphin received the assist.

In the second period, Tucson gained their first lead of the game when Trevor Cheek scored his fourth goal of the season at the 3:20 mark. Keaton Middleton coughed up the puck in his own zone which resulted in a breakaway for Cheek whose shot was poked checked away by Bibeau, but it deflected off his back and into the net. Robbie Russo and Capobianco received assists.

A key moment in the game came half way through the middle frame when the Cuda were able to kill off a double-minor penalty for high-sticking to Maxim Letunov.

Pederson then went off to the sin bin for holding and San Jose were able to take advantage. Truchon-Viel scored the equalizer seconds after the power play expired on the rebound. The rookie forward’s sixth goal of the season came at the 11:23 mark. Alex True and Thomas Gregoire received assists.

Madsen made 29 saves on 32 shots to earn his fifth win. Bibeau make 33 saves, including three breakaway attempts (two of those were short-handed), on 37 shots in the tough luck loss.

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

San Jose suffered its first regulation home loss since mid-October. They’re record is now 10-2-0-1 at the Shark Tank.

The announced attendance was 4,609.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return to action on Thursday, Dec. 27 as they host the Colorado Eagles in a matinée match up at 1:15 pm at SAP Center.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Bruins, despite injuries, win 5-2 over Preds; CBJs get a 4-3 OT win against Philly; Habs-Knights games turning into a rivalry; plus more

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@NHLBruins: The Boston Bruins had plenty to celebrate as Patrice Bergeron (37) scored twice once in the first and another in the third period to help the B’s get a two goal 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 The Boston Bruins (20-12-4) took care of business with a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators (22-13-2), First period goal from the Bruins Patrice Bergeron (10) and a third period goal–number 11 for the season.

#2 Columbus Blue Jackets (20-12-3) got a 4-3 win past the Philadelphia Flyers (14-16-4) Zach Werenski gets his sixth goal and Cam Atkinson gets his 21st and 22nd in the one-goal win for the CBJs.

#3 Florida Panthers (14-14-6) get a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings (15-17-5). The Panthers got a first period goal from Mike Hoffman (16) at 3:09 and Evgenii Dadonov (17) at 17:21.

#4 The Montreal Canadiens (19-13-5) got a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights (20-15-3). For the Habs’ Phillip Danault got goals three, four and five for a hat trick.

#5  The last place Los Angeles Kings (13-20-2) picked up an overtime win over the San Jose Sharks (19-12-6). For the Sharks, it was their second straight loss after winning five straight. The Kings’ IIya Kovalchuk scored his seventh goal for the overtime winner.

Join Matt each Saturday for the NHL podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Protecting Mullens Key to a 49ers’ Victory

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Photo credit: @NBCS49ers

By: Joe Lami

The final home game of the season is here for the 49ers and their chance of a three-game winning streak is on the line. Unfortunately, they’ll have an extremely tall task in front of them with the NFC North champs in town.

Chicago rolls into Levi’s on Sunday with a 10-4 record, already owning a playoff spot and must win to keep up with LA or New Orleans for a first-round bye.

Their breakout season is powered by their defense, which ranks top-five in nearly every statistical category. After the acquisition of Khalil Mack, they’ve turned into a powerhouse that can compete for the Lombardi Trophy come February.

Mack will return to the Bay Area and face the team that tried to trade for him at the beginning of the year, currently sixth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks. His pass rush leads to a bunch of forced turnovers, as the Bears lead the NFL with 35 takeaways on the year and a +13 differential.

The Niners are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to turnovers. The red and gold defense has just five takeaways all season and is competing with the 1982 Houston Oilers for the least amount of takeaways ever.

Forcing second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky to make an error or two can help the Niners offense that has been decent of late. Trubisky has thrown 12 picks on the year, seventh most in the NFL. The 49ers secondary needs to step up and finish a play.

Nick Mullens is coming off back-to-back 100+ QB rating games. Protecting him is a must, as the Bears pass defense is allowing 227 yards per game, 10th in the NFL and their greatest weakness.

His main target, George Kittle, is continuing a career year. After being the first Niners’ tight end to break the 1,000-yard receiving plateau, he currently stands 10th in the NFL in yards and has earned his Pro Bowl bid.

Sharks Fall to Kings 3-2 in OT; Kovalchuk Scores 2 Goals

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks lost 3-2 in overtime to the visiting Los Angeles Kings Saturday. Ilya Kovalchuk, just returned from a 10-game absence, scored twice for Los Angeles, including the overtime game-winner. Alex Iafallo also scored for the Kings, while goaltender Jonathan Quick made 29 saves in the win. For the Sharks, goals came from Lukas Radil and Joe Pavelski, and goaltender Martin Jones made 28 saves in the loss.

The Sharks’ special teams were both defeated by the Kings, though each team only had one power play in the game. The faceoffs were fairly even through the game at 51% to 49% for the Sharks. It is worth noting that the Kings blocked 29 shots to the Sharks’ 11.

The first goal for Los Angeles came on a power play at 4:28 of the first from Ilya Kovalchuk. Timo Meier was in the box for hooking Jake Muzzin when Brendan Leipsic carried the puck behind the Sharks net to send it back up to Alex Iafallo at the point. His pass found Jake Muzzin in the slot, but he didn’t have a clear shot. So he passed it to Kovalchuk at the bottom of the faceoff circle, and his shot beat Jones on the short side. It was Kovalchuk’s sixth of the season, with assists going to Muzzin and Iafallo.

The Kings led the Sharks in shots in the first period, 15-8.

At 8:09 of the second period, Oscar Fantenberg had a goal taken away for goaltender interference by Dustin Brown. Brown was in the blue paint, behind the Sharks’ Brenden Dillon. He could have argued that Dillon kept him in the paint, crowding Jones, but he got into that paint on his own.

The Sharks had a power play opportunity near the end of the second period, but did not score. The Los Angeles penalty kill did an excellent job of controlling the puck and play in general.

The Sharks did outshoot the Kings during the second period, 13-6, but still trailed 1-0 to Los Angeles.

The Kings started the third period mostly playing keep away from the Sharks, to good effect. For good measure, they scored a second goal at 5:15. Dustin Brown carried the puck below the goal line, then sent it to Iafallo for a perfect shot over Martin Jones. It was Iafallo’s eighth of the season, with assists to Brown and Nate Thompson.

The Sharks finally got one by Jonathan Quick at 10:18 of the third period. Lukas Radil, skating across the goal mouth, deflected Timo Meier’s shot from the boards. The puck went over Quick’s shoulder and off the crossbar for Radil’s third goal of the season. Assists went to Meier and Erik Karlsson.

San Jose left the tying goal until the final minute. With the Sharks net empty, Erik Karlsson passed the puck to Brent Burns, waiting just below the blue line. He sent the puck to the net, where Joe Pavelski was waiting to deflect it in. It was Pavelski’s 23rd goal of the season, with assists to Burns and Karlsson.

The overtime period lasted 2:29, at which point Kovalchuck put the puck behind Jones to end the game.

Erik Karlsson could possibly hear from the Department of Player Safety regarding a hit he made on Austin Wagner during the second period. Wagner did not return to the game after that hit.

That question will be answered before the Sharks next play, on Sunday at 5:00 PM PT, when they will host the Arizona Coyotes.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: After winning five straight, were Sharks tired or just slipped up against Jets?

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (19-12-5) came into SAP Center with a five-game win streak, but took a 5-3 two-goal loss to the Winnipeg Jets (23-10-2) on Thursday night.

#2 The Jets’ Nikojai Ehlers got a hat trick and scored the tie-breaking goal to help the Jets get a road win in one of the toughest places to play in the NHL, San Jose.

#3 The Sharks’ Evander Kane said after the game Thursday that the Sharks made a couple of mistakes that they would like to take back.

#4 San Jose outshot Winnipeg 34-13 and the Sharks outshot the Jets in the  period 14-4, but still the Sharks couldn’t figure out the Jets goaltender Conner Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 of 44 shots in the 5-3 Jets win.

#5 The Sharks have a matinee at SAP Center with the Los Angeles Kings (12-20-3), a 1 PM start. The Sharks will be coming off a tough loss and will battle to get back in the win column.

Len Shapiro does the SJ Sharks podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com