Headline Sports with London Marq: Cardinal tighten up on defense to get big win over UCLA; Raiders will announce Gruden as head coach on Tuesday

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usatoday.com photo: The Stanford Cardinal’s Michael Humphrey tries to stop UCLA scoring with some defense in the Cardinal’s win Thursday night at Maples Pavilion

On the Headlines Podcast with London:

It was a night of the Stanford Cardinal freshman made a come back after two tough loses with Kansas and Cal. Stanford led by some really needed three pointers from Dorian Pickens help get the Cardinal a 107-99. Pickens for Thursday night scored 24 points. We haven’t seen Stanford play like this in a long time. It was a great win it would interesting to see how USC who comes in and coming off a win at Cal on Thursday night to see what they can do when they come to Stanford on Thursday.

The Cardinal have got some nuggets of success in pockets. First of all they hit the jack pot with freshman Issac White whose been a playmaker on or off the bench. The Cardinal also had Kezie Okpala who hit a jump shot in the overtime to tie up the ball game 91-91. Oscar De Silva feed Okpala who dunked and gave Stanford a 93-91 lead.

London Marq will be covering Stanford basketball on Sunday night for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Slow start, turnovers lead to USC rout of Cal in Pac-12 home opener 80-62

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Jonescalbears.com photo: Cal Bears head coach Wyking Jones during recent press conference

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY–The pained look on Coach Wyking Jones’ face said it all. The question regarding repeated slow starts for Jones’ California Golden Bears, especially at Haas Pavilion, was fair given that Cal scored just eight points in the first 10 minutes of Thursday’s disappointing 80-62 loss to USC.

And Jones’ response? As honest and revealing as any Division I basketball coach ever wants to be or has to be when admitting his team was outclassed.

“It’s frustrating, but our guys aren’t trying to do that,” Jones said. “They are trying to do the right thing. They are young, it’s a process, and we have to just focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. These guys who are freshman are going to be sophomores next year, and then juniors and then seniors, and really good. You have to focus on what the light at the end of the tunnel is as opposed to what’s going on right now.”

What’s going on for Cal right now is a youth-laden club without a forceful, ball handling leader is taking its lumps.  USC, a pre-season Top 25 pick that’s dealing with a recruiting scandal and its own shortcomings, may have been the last opponent the Bears wanted to see on the occasion of their Pac-12 home opener. Those lumps Cal’s taking were hand delivered by the Trojans on Thursday.

USC’s zone look with arms and hands everywhere befuddled the Bears to the tune 22 turnovers juxtaposed against just 13 assists on 23 made baskets.  Of those 23 baskets, only eight came in the first half when Cal fell behind by 26 points (38-12 with 1:54 remaining).  The deficit grew to 30 points briefly in the second half as Cal’s issues offensively morphed into defensive indifference.  While the final score was more palatable, this marked the third time this season Cal has lost by 18 or more points at home this season.

If the light at the end of the tunnel that Coach Jones spoke of was to be interpreted literally, it would have been one lit candle at the western most juncture of BART’s Transbay Tube on Thursday.

“We have another game on Saturday against UCLA so we have to move past this and regather tomorrow morning, and prepare for UCLA,” said freshman Justice Sueing, who led the Bears with 15 points.

In fairness to the Bears, the Trojans are the last team a struggling outfit wants to see. Just ask USC’s most recent opponent Washington State.  With the Cougars methodically trying to regain their footing against the Trojans on New Years’ Eve after a first half that was as poor as Cal’s, WSU cut USC’s lead to just eight points. But on the next six possessions, Washington State committed five turnovers and saw their deficit balloon to 18 points in less than the three minutes that elapsed on the game clock.

Against Cal, USC’s zone caused the Bears to be extremely tentative to the point that guards Don Coleman and Darius McNeill became non-factors in the first 25 minutes of the game.  Cal’s normally high scoring guards combined to miss 13 of their 16 shots while committing six turnovers.  While McNeill found a way to extend his impressive streak of hitting at least one three-pointer in 14 of his 15 games as a collegian, his penetration into the paint was almost non-existent.

Marcus Lee had an impressive start offensively with a follow dunk and a couple of other buckets from point blank range, but five turnovers and foul trouble kept the Kentucky transfer from making much of a difference as the game progressed.

The Trojans were led by Nick Rakocevic with 19 points. Bennie Boatwright added 15 points, and Jordan Usher had 14 off the bench for USC.

Chimezie Metu was suspended for the first 20 minutes for his actions against Washington State in which cameras caught the 6’10” junior jabbing an opponent in the groin. Metu played 11 minutes in the second half, in which his epic dunk over Lee immediately triggered a SportsCenter alert all the way across the country at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.

The Bears return to the hardwood on Saturday when UCLA visits Haas Pavilion at 3:30pm.

Original Joe’s downtown San Jose podcast Sportstalk for Thu Jan 4, 2018

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yelp.com photo: San Jose Original Joe’s downtown San Jose at 301 First Street since 1956

Welcome back to another edition of Sportstalk podcast on www.sportsradioservice.com with your host Matt Harrington (San Jose Sharks reporter and host of the show), Mary Lisa Walsh (San Jose Sharks weekend reporter), A’s Spanish play by play announcer Amaury Pi Gonzalez, Mahal and Amrita from IND TV, Marko Ukalovic (San Jose Barracuda reporter), Len Shapiro (San Jose Sharks podcaster), and producer Lee Leonard.

We were podcasting from a San Jose tradition Original Joe’s 301 South First Street in downtown San Jose. Our thanks to our hosts at Original Joe’s: the owners and management Matt, Brad and Bob; the Rocca family; and our server and guest on the program Jason. Established in 1956 by the Rocca family, Original Joe’s Restaurant in San Jose, California, has been the cornerstone of an ever-changing downtown and the growth of Silicon Valley. Descended from the first Original Joe’s founded in 1937 in San Francisco, Calif., the San Jose Original Joe’s was the first San Francisco-based restaurant to open in San Jose in the South San Francisco Bay Area now known world wide as the heart of Silicon Valley.

That’s Original Joe’s at 301 South First Street in downtown San Jose.

 

Stanford defeats Pac-12’s #1 UCLA 107-99 in double OT

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Photo: @StanfordMBB

By Alexandra Evans

The Stanford Cardinal Men’s Basketball team (now 7-8) kicked off 2018 with a match against the visiting UCLA Bruins, who went into the match 11-3 (first place in the Pac-12 Conference).

After UCLA took the lead for the first part of the game, Dorian Pickens tied the score 22-22 (with a three-pointer) with six minutes left in the first half, as the shot clock reached zero. Travis then got a layup and a free throw to give the Cardinal the lead once again (25-24), and Dorian Pickens got another three-pointer just after the Bruins’ Jaylen Hands got a jumper, and the Cardinal trailed by only one point.

For the remaining minutes of the match, the Bruins managed to re-tie the score each time the Cardinal took a lead. After Hands’ basket, Michael Humphrey shot for Stanford, then 30 seconds later, UCLA’s Gyorgy Goloman made a three-pointer and tied the score 30-30. Oscar da Silva got a layup, but Aaron Holiday (who leads UCLA in points per game) made both free throws and gave the Bruins a 34-32 lead.

Then, it was Stanford who had to catch up. Kris Wilkes got a layup for UCLA to give them a 36-32 lead. It took two layups from Okpala to tie the score again (36-36). The Bruins clearly weren’t having it, determined to keep their lead. Prince Ali (not to be mistaken with the Disney character Aladdin’s alter ego) got a three-pointer and a layup within 30 seconds of one another. The Bruins led the Cardinal 41-36 at halftime.

The Cardinal, moved to make a comeback against the conference’s first-place team, inch their way up on the scoreboard each time the Bruins took a lead, which the latter team managed to keep. Shots alternated between both teams, beginning with Travis, then UCLA’s Thomas Welsh, a three-pointer from Stanford’s Daejon Davis, two free throws from Holiday, another three-pointer by Pickens, then one from Holiday, a layup from Okpala, and two completed free throws from Holiday which put the Bruins four points ahead at 50-46.

After a time-out just before the five-minute mark, Pickens got his fourth three-pointer of the night, bringing the Cardinal down by only one point. Despite a consistent number of baskets  for the Cardinal at the 30-minute mark of the match (10 minutes into the second period), they remained inferior to the Bruins, who were up by 10 at that point (71-61).

UCLA increased their double-digit lead as soon as Goloman got a three-pointer, and they stayed ahead even after Okpala made two free throws (the Cardinal trailed 74-63). Davis cut Stanford’s trail to single digits (after making a layup and a free throw, and after a dunk from Travis right after Holiday’s layup. Though Ali made a three-pointer and gave the Bruins a 12-point lead, Humphrey got a three pointer followed by a dunk, and the Cardial only trailed by seven, then only by five when Pickens got a layup with four minutes left in the game.

After a free throw from UCLA’s Alex Olesinski and two from Davis, Stanford trailed only by four. Wilkes was fouled for the Bruins, giving Davis two free throw opportunities. He made only one, after which the Cardinal were only a three-pointer away from tying the Bruins.

Da Silva got a layup assisted by Pickens with 46 seconds left in the game, and then the Cardinal were only a basket away from exceeding the Bruins. However, a layup from Holiday allowed the Bruins to keep their lead. Humphrey was fouled with 18 seconds left, but Ali missed both free throws for UCLA. Miraculously, Pickens got another three-pointer, his fifth of the night, with six seconds left to tie the score 85-85.

In overtime, Humphrey made two free throws to give the Cardinal their first lead since the opening minutes of the first half, but the Bruins quickly came back when Thomas Welsh made a layup and a free throw. Davis got a layup and gave Stanford a one-point lead (89-88), but after Goloman made a free throw, the score was tied again, and then the Bruins regained their lead after a jumper from Holiday (91-89).

Okpala tied the score with two and a half minutes left (91-91), and then it was up to the Cardinal’s defense to ensure the Bruins would not surpass them yet again, which they managed to do. And then, with only half a minute left, da Silva dunked and gave the Cardinal the lead. After a successful free throw from Okpala, they were ahead 94-91 until Holiday made a buzzer-beating three-pointer. The score was tied once again (94-94), sending the match into a second overtime period.

It was all defense for the Cardinal as the Bruins had possession of the ball when the second OT period began. Okpala was fouled, and then Ali made two free throws to give the Bruins a two point lead. Josh Sharma got a layup for the Cardinal and tied the score 96-96, but then he was fouled. Ali made one free throw and the Bruins were only one point ahead. There was hope for the Cardinal, until Sharma was fouled again, giving Ali two more free throw opportunities. He made both, and the Bruins led the Cardinal 99-96.

Pickens made two free throws after Holiday was fouled, cutting the Bruins’ lead to only one point. Sharma was fouled again for Stanford, after which Hands failed to make both free throw opportunities. Goloman was fouled for UCLA, giving Isaac white two free throw opportunities, which he missed. Pickens made his sixth free throw of the evening, and the Cardinal were in the lead again (101-99).

Davis saved the day (or, rather, the evening) when he got a layup with half a minute remaining to give the Cardinal a four point lead (103-99). White again received two free throw opportunities when Hands was fouled, both of which he made. Pickens also made two free throws, and the Cardinal took home a 107-99 victory.

Pickens and Davis led the team in points with 26 and 22 points, respectively, and Travis (who had 18 points) led the team in rebounds with 11.

Next, Stanford will face the USC Trojans (10-5) on Sunday, January 7 at home.

Joe Thornton loses beard, Kevin Labanc gets shootout goal, but Leafs edge Sharks 3-2 in shootout

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Photo credit: @JonnyRoot_

By Pearl Allison Lo

The San Jose Sharks’ Joe Thornton lost a piece of his beard to kick off the game and the Toronto Maple Leafs ended the shootout in the sixth round to win, 3-2.  

Thornton and Nazem Kadri got feisty right from the start, dropping the gloves just two seconds into the game. Kadri pulled out a piece of Thornton’s beard, which was a sight to see on the ice and in Sharks goalie Aaron Dell’s glove.

Toronto’s Auston Matthews scored in the beginning of the shootout, Kevin Labanc tied it at two in the third round and Tyler Bozak went up high to score the game-winner in the shootout.

Both goalies were stellar. Martin Jones stopped 26 shots for the Sharks and Frederik Andersen made 33 in a losing effort for the Leafs. The fact that Andersen’s final stop of the game was against Chris Tierney was the cherry on top, as Andersen had previously turned over the puck to Tierney in the second, resulting in a goal.  

The Sharks were more known for their penalty kill, but the Maple Leafs’ continued to look top-shelf, shutting out their last three opponents: 0-for-3, 0-for-3, and 0-for-5, respectively.

Toronto not only ended their three-game losing streak, but a 10-game one against the Sharks.

Though, not as swift as the beard fight, the two first-period goals also occurred in quick fashion at the end of the period.

Matthews scored his team-leading 18th goal at 18:37, redirecting Connor Carrick’s point shot. William Nylander got the second assist.

Brenden Dillon scored his first of the year 31 seconds later off a faceoff win. Brent Burns and Timo Meier set up Dillon’s play.

Toronto’s special teams worked on both ends. Despite the Sharks drawing three straight penalties, Kadri scored the first and only special teams goal of the night at 12:40 of the second during a four-minute high-sticking minor against Burns. It was Kadri’s first goal since November 30. He had also just missed two games prior to his return last game. Mitchell Marner and Morgan Rielly contributed to the goal.

San Jose re-tied the game when Tierney, a Keswick, Ontario native, was gifted the puck. After a faceoff, the puck went straight to Andersen, with Tierney hearing straight down the slot as well. It was a well-timed push as Andersen’s second touch went away from him and then Tierney scored to Andersen’s left.

One of Andersen’s saves included a point blank save versus Joe Pavelski on the tail end of a bit of a 2-on-1 with Thornton in the third.

Jones made three saves within 22 seconds, two of them just five seconds apart with less than five minutes left.

The last regulation shot came from the Maple Leafs’ Jake Gardiner with three seconds left on the clock.

In overtime, Marner’s high stick on Tierney ramped up the intensity as the Sharks got a four-minute power play of their own at 3:10. Pavelski, Burns and Logan Couture each had overtime shots on goal with Pavelski taking a wide shot as well.

In the shootout, after Matthews, the turns went to Burns, Couture, Marner, Pavelski, Labanc, Nylander, Joonas Donskoi, James van Riemsdyk and former Shark Patrick Marleau. Like Bozak, Tierney also shot up high, but his puck hit the crossbar.

Game notes: San Jose had five games in December that went beyond regulation.

The Sharks won faceoffs (52%-49%), hits (30-16), blocks (13-12) and giveaways (8-17).

Up next: San Jose will try to get full points when they face the Ottawa Senators Friday at 4:30 pm PT.

Draymond Green gets triple-double, Warriors rout Rockets 124-114

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors traveled from North Texas to South Texas to take on the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center Thursday night. The Warriors, who are No. 1 in the Western Conference, competed against the Rockets, who are No. 2. As you should already know, the Rockets fired away last year with a 14-game win streak that was eventually snapped by Kyle Kuzma and the Los Angeles Lakers.

A familiar face made the first free throw of the game and for a good reason. The Rockets’ new “First Shot” ceremony gives a featured celebrity or a local public figure a chance to earn $5,000 for the charity of his or her choice. Tonight’s lucky guest was Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa.

Both teams had their game faces on for an action-packed Western Conference matchup. The Warriors took an early 7-2 lead on Klay Thompson’s three at the 10:06 mark of the first quarter.

But let’s not forget that Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon was on fire, leading all scorers with 13 points in the first. The Rockets’ Twitter proceeded to remind fans to vote for Gordon for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.

Nick Young hit a three with four seconds left on the clock, but the Warriors trailed the Rockets by four (37-33) at the end of the first. A four-point deficit is a deficient number, but there was still lots of basketball left.

Both teams continued to battle it out in the second quarter. Before the media timeout, the Warriors led the Rockets by one (59-58) with 4:27 left in the second. After the timeout, the Warriors went on a nice 10-2 run in a span of 1:10, but continued to trail the Rockets by one (63-62) at the half.

Here are the Warriors’ stats at the half:

Steph Curry got things going in the second half as he finished a layup at the rim to pull the Warriors within one (65-64) at the 11:04 mark of the third quarter. Zaza Pachulia provided the assist on Curry’s layup.

The score was tied at 68 with 7:33 left in the third. Draymond Green made a pair of free throws to put the Warriors up 70-68, but the Golden State lead was short-lived, as Gerard Green hit a three to put the Rockets back on top 71-70.

The score was tied up again at 74 with 5:40 left in the third. Many people were expecting Curry to put on a shooting show–which he did–but the Rockets’ Gerard Green hit just as many threes in an attempt to redeem himself.

Curry then hit a three. Green missed his three at the buzzer. The Warriors were up by three (93-90) at the end of the third.

Draymond Green was doing his thing on the court. Most notably, David West made a sweet pass to set up Green’s dunk at the 10:30 mark of the fourth quarter. West also made some dunks of his own.

Curry continued to make quality shots late in the half. In addition, Draymond Green notched a triple-double with an assist.

The Warriors beat the Rockets 124-114 for their third straight win.

Here are the Warriors’ final stats:

Notes
Warriors’ starting lineup: Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.

Warriors’ injury report: Kevin Durant (right calf strain) is out. Omri Casspi (mid back strain) is questionable.

Rockets’ starting lineup: Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson, Clint Capela, Eric Gordon and Chris Paul.

The Reliant Energy Power Player of December is Rockets’ Capela Clint, who averaged 14.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and shot 70.7% during the month.

Up Next 
The Warriors take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, January 6 at 12:30 pm PT.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame at Oakland A’s FanFest on January 27

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Photo credit: @70sBaseball

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame will be at the Oakland Athletics’ FanFest this January 27 at Jack London Square in Oakland. The HHBM HOF is celebrating its 20-year anniversary, since it was founded in San Francisco in 1998 by Mr. Gabriel “Tito” Avila Jr., who’s currently the president of this non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Beginning in 2018, the HHMB HOF have 67 inductees from 1999 to 2017. One of those inductees is Ted Williams, and many have asked me: “How come, is he a Latino player?” Williams’ mother was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Her name is Maria Hernandez-Benzor. Therefore, Teddy Ballgame classifies as a player with Hispanic heritage.

When the museum attends the A’s FanFest this next 27th, they will also celebrate the great history of the A’s list of Latino players, including Dagoberto Blanco “Campy” Campaneris, (shortstop), Diego Segui (pitcher) and second-baseman Rigoberto
“Tito” Fuentes, who played with the A’s as well as the Giants. All three HHBM HOF inductees were born in Cuba.

The museum doesn’t merely induct players because of their statistics, but also their historical relevance, good sportsmanship and community involvement. It doesn’t necessarily means that to be inducted into the HHBM HOF, you also have to be in Cooperstown. Best example is Campaneris, who is arguaby the best ever shortstop in A’s history. He’s a three-time World Champion who also played all nine positions in one game on September 8, 1965.

Mr. Avila is the president and founder of the museum. He founded the HHBM in the Mission District in San Francisco, California, on October 24, 1998, and Incorporated as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization on June 23, 1999 in Sacramento, California.

Gabriel “Tito” Avila, Jr. is a former semi-pro, Sandlot, high school, college player and a Vietnam Era Veteran from New York City. He’s a San Francisco resident who wanted to honor the greatest Hispanic Baseball position players of all-time.

The HHBMHOF is International and dedicated to recognizing the contributions made to baseball by Hispanic players. Since its inception, the HHBMHOF has inducted (65) players, coaches, broadcasters, Negro Leagues Hispanic players, MLB scorers, and Pioneer Executives. Founding members include Orlando Cepeda and Tito Fuentes.

Avila told me how he felt after 20 years of founding the museum and Hall of Fame: “The HHBM HOF to date has inducted into its HOF 67 inductees and 21 pioneers. We have also recognized Hispanics and non-Hispanics with numerous awards. As we are a National Traveling Museum Hall of Fame, and I am very proud of the work we have done, with our Board of Directors and the help of two local baseball stars, in Orlando Cepeda and Tito 23 Fuentes.”

Also, Mr. Avila Jr. said: “We are elated to be associated with the Athletics and I want to take this time on behalf of the HHBM to congratulate the A’s for their 50th Anniversary, which they are celebrating this year.”

This 2018, the A’s will celebrate their 50th Anniversary at Oakland, since they moved from Kansas City in 1968, winning four World Series in Oakland. The A’s will play a totally free game for their fans against the Chicago White Sox on April 17, a date that marks 50 years to the day after the team’s first game at the Coliseum in 1968. Fans can sign up for tickets to this 50th anniversary game beginning at 8 a.m. PT on Jan. 10 by visiting athletics.com/50.

NOTES: Daktronics of South Dakota is installing 14 LED displays at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. The focal point will be a 9,500 square-foot video display inright field, the third largest in Major League Baseball behind Cleveland and Seattle. The 9,500 square-foot scoreboard will be equal to the size of 890 60 inch television and be ready for the 2018 season.

Big Papi’s new show: David Ortiz’s new television show is called “Big Papi Needs a Job”which will debut January 31 on Fusion.

Giants: At the beginning of the 2018 season, the San Francisco Giants have the oldest roster in the National League, with an average of 28 years old per player, which doesn’t seem that old, but in today’s game many teams have superstars in their mid 20’s. Yankees: With their winning 2017 season they have a 25 consecutive years ending with winning records.

Numbers: Giancarlo Stanton wore #27 with the Marlins, this year (his first with the Marlins) he will also wear #27 in pinstripes, and by the way the Yankees have won 27 World Series to date, most in history.

Puerto Rico: The Winter League is set to begin January 5, after Hurricane Maria, it will only be an abbreviated season four teams and total of 18 games.Puerto Rico was in very bad shape prior to the Hurricane, they had declared bankruptcy, after years of political corruption and mismanagement.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish radio play by play announcer talent for the Oakland Athletics radio KIQI 1010AM/990AM San Francisco/Oakland,and the play by play talent for the Los Angeles Angels on Fox Sports West TV in Los Angeles and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com.

Stanford Cardinal Podcast with Alexandra Evans: Pickens returns from foot injury; Okpala’s defense good looking forward to tuning up on offense

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Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

On the Stanford Men’s Basketball Podcast with Alexandra:

Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase has expressed his concerns about the defense particularly after dropping a home game against Cal on their home floor at Maples Pavilion last weekend. The Cardinal held a 17-point only to see it dissolve in 7.5 minutes of the first half. Haase was also concerned about their 6-8 record and how to pull out of it but laying defense as a big factor.

The return of Dorian Pickens is key for the Cardinal, Pickens was out after missing seven weeks due to a foot injury, and Kezie Okpala, who missed the first 12 games of the season due to improving his academics and made his first appearance at Sacramento for the neutral site game against the Kansas Jayhawks. It was a game that Okpala remembered with mostly Jayhawks fans, but Okpala–despite losing the game by 21–pushed hard throughout the game.

Alexandra Evans is Stanford Cardinal beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Are opposing teams close to decoding Warriors?; Kings still snake bitten on home floor; Tiger four short of major record; plus more

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Photo credit: @jacknicklaus

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

1 The Warriors who lost to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday and just got by the Mavericks on Wednesday. We ask Tony if opposing teams are decoding the Warriors and can they finally break through in figuring out how this team keeps winning each night?

2 The Sacramento Kings, who faced a Charlotte Hornets team who beat the Warriors Friday, got laid out 131-111. The Kings continue to struggle at home and now are 12-25 for the season

3 Tiger Woods, who’s had his personal struggles and worries, is making his return January 26th in the Bahamas for a major. Woods, who played well in another tournament last month, is just four short of the all-time record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus for majors won.

4 Is the Rooney rule a sham? Tony comments on the Oakland Raiders almost certain hiring of Jon Gruden as they will go through the motions of interviewing a minority coach and then give the job to Gruden.

5  Also, after leaving the Raiders the last time in 2001, the situation is totally different with Gruden coming back in 2018

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Warriors edge Mavericks 125-122 for second straight win

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors kicked off 2018 with a road game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center Wednesday night.

Steph Curry and Kevin Durant appeared to be cool in the first quarter as they made quite a few jumpers and buckets. Curry also proved that he was a good shooter.

The Warriors led the Mavericks 35-26 at the end of the first quarter.

Klay Thompson opened the second quarter with a couple of jumpers. David West headed to the line and jumped back into the game. In addition, Curry beat the quarter buzzer with a three-pointer with just three seconds left in the second.

The Warriors carried a 67-61 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half.

Here are the halftime stats:

Draymond Green opened the second half with a three. Durant put the Warriors back in front with a three of his own. Not only that, Patrick McCaw beat the buzzer to end the third quarter.

It was a close game at the end of the third quarter as the Warriors barely led the Mavs by two (91-89).

Green hit another three in the fourth quarter. Also, Durant threw down some more dunks.

Thompson gave the Warriors a two-point lead with less than a minute remaining in the fourth, and Golden State went on to edge Dallas 125-123 for their second straight win.

Here are the final stats:

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Draymond Green (sprained left ankle) and Zaza Pachulia (illness) are available to play in tonight’s game.

Warriors’ starting lineup: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.

Kevin Durant has his seventh 20-point and 10-rebound game of the season with 23 points and 10 boards, while Draymond Green has his sixth point/rebound double-double with 18 points and 10 boards.

Dirk Nowitzski became just the 98th player in NBA history to play in 1,000 games when he did so for the Mavs on Jan. 4, 2012 against the Suns.

Up Next
The Warriors head to the Toyota Center to take on the Rockets Thursday night at 7 pm CT.