Kings make a huge comeback in Milwaukee but lose to Bucks 109-104

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
z-bo vs bucks
Randolph drives on the basket Photo USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee with Jordan Chapin

If you turned off the Kings – Bucks game after watching for just four-minutes and 15-seconds, you know the score was Milwaukee 14 and Sacramento 0. The Kings entire starting lineup had not scored a point and were sent to the bench after just three-minutes and 10-seconds of playing time. So, to see the final score be Milwaukee 109 to 104 for Sacramento must come as a great shock to you.

Even more shocking to you who turned off the game may be the fact the Kings cut the Bucks lead to just one-point with 1:43 to go in the game. The Kings never held the lead in the contest but they had a legitimate chance to win the game with under two minutes remaining to play.

The Game Summary

The Kings starting five did not score a point in the opening quarter of the game. They scored just 16-points in the first-half which is lowest scoring total for a starting five in the NBA since 2014. Buddy Hield scored 13-points for the second-unit and Zach Randolph put up 12-points to help keep the Kings in the game.  Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 19 points, Eric Bledsoe put 16 in the books and  Khris Middleton scored 14 points to lead the Bucks to a 63 – 52 lead at half-time.

The Kings had to start the third quarter without Willie Cauley-Stein who strained his lower back. The injury was not deemed serious but the team wanted to be cautious and sat him on the bench for the second-half.

The Bucks came out in the third-period and caught fire just like they had at the beginning of the game. They opened up a 20-point lead twice in the quarter with eight-points from “the Freak”, five put up by Middleton and five recorded by Brogdon in just over three-minutes on the floor. At the end of three-quarters, the Bucks held an 88-76 lead.

In the final period, it was all about the second-unit for the Kings once again. The Kings were led by Bogdon Bogdanovic who led the Sacramento scoring with nine-points. “Bogi” showed the world he is not afraid to take charge when the pressure is on. Buddy Hield added six-points while Frank Mason III and Z-Bo each put up four-points.

The Kings outscored the Bucks 28-21 in the final quarter but the opening runs by Milwaukee in the first and third periods proved to be too much and the Bucks won the game 109-104.

The Kings made a great comeback but it was not enough for Coach Joerger

Outstanding performers

Kings

Mason vs Bucks
Mason III played strong for the Kings on Saturday night Photo USA Today Sports
  • Zach Randolph led the Kings scoring attack against the Bucks with 22-points. He went 10-for-15 from the floor.
  • Buddy Hield jumped back in the scorebook in a big way with 19-points. He shot 6-for-12 from the field and hit 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point line. Hield also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists.
  • De’Aaron Fox overcame a poor early start to record 14-points. He shot 5-for-10 from the floor while hauling in six rebounds and distributing three assists.
  • Frank Mason III had another amazing game. The second-round draft pick showed again why many thought he would go late in the first-round. He put up 13-points and added three assists in the effort to overcome the Bucks early onslaught.

Bucks

freak to hoop
“The Freak” put up 33-points for the Bucks vs the Kings Photo USA Today Sports
  • “The Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo was the game’s leading scorer with 33-points, 13-rebounds and five assists. The 22-year old is simply amazing.
  • Khris Middleton recorded 25-points hitting 9-of-15 shots from the floor. He went 3-for-5 from 3-point land.
  • Eric Bledsoe – who has found new life in Milwaukee since his trade from Phoenix – scored 19-points while converting 9-of-10 opportunities from the free throw lines.

Team Stats

Sacramento (7-16)

  • SAC hit 37-of-77 attempts from the floor for 48.1-percent field goal shooting (which would usually mean a win)
  • The Kings went 11-for-24 (45.8-percent) from behind the 3-point line. Again that percentage would normally be associated with a win.
  • The team converted 19-of-21 (90.5-percent) chances from the charity stripe. See the Bucks stats to realize why those numbers are not that impressive.
  • The Kings had 20 assists and 15 turnovers. That is far below the desired 2:1 assists to turnover ratio that is the goal in the NBA.

Milwaukee (12-9)

  • The Bucks shot 49.3-percent from the field (34-for-69). They hit just 6-of-19 (31.6-percent) from behind the 3-point line.
  • The Bucks really helped themselves from the free throw line. They hit 35-of-42 chances from the stripe in the game.
  • The Bucks use the Fast Break to perfection as they outscored the Kings 13-2 on the break in the game.

Up Next

Kings

The team flew home after the game and will head back on the road on Tuesday when they will travel to Cleveland to get ready for a game of Wednesday with the Cavaliers.

Bucks

Milwaukee will return to action on Monday night in Boston versus the Celtics.

One last note

Justin Jackson who is on assignment with the Reno Bighorns of the G-League scored 26-points, grabbed six rebounds and added three assists on Saturday night.

St. Mary’s provides Cal with in-house, Saturday night tutorial session

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California’s Nick Hamilton, right, falls to the floor after being fouled by Saint Mary’s Calvin Hermanson during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Calvin Hermanson, the unabashed scoring threat for the St. Mary’s Gaels certainly doesn’t look the part. From his one-size too big uniform, rec specs, headband and quirky, twitchy mannerisms, Hermanson has neighborhood pickup league written all over him.

On Saturday night, under the bright lights, the inexperienced Cal Bears didn’t know what to do with Hermanson.

In a battle of upper class nerds and fresh-faced freshman, St. Mary’s took Cal to school, winning 74-63 at Haas Pavilion in the first installment of a three-year agreement between the neighboring East Bay schools.

As a series providing entertainment value, this one needs growth as witnessed by the less than sellout crowd and Cal’s disjointed play.

“We looked young out there today,” coach Wyking Jones said of his Bears. “They have to figure it out.”

Hermanson scored 19 of his team-best 22 points before halftime as the Gaels shot 60 percent from the floor and raced to a 44-30 lead. Even with WCC Player of the Year candidate Jock Landale saddled with two fouls and sitting, the Gaels broke a 22-all tie and surged in the half’s final nine minutes.

Only once during the second half did the St. Mary’s lead dip below double digits even as the Gaels’ shooting cooled to 34 percent. But at critical junctures, they got buckets while doing a defensive number on Cal’s backcourt, starting with leading scorer Don Coleman and freshman Darius McNeill coming off his career best in scoring.

“Coleman is a tough cover, and he didn’t have his best night tonight. I think Tanner had something to do with that,” St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett said. “Jordan (Ford) played well — he’s been playing well — and I think he’s just growing as a player into his role, which is a pretty big role for us. We need him to score, and he did a really good job on McNeill, who’s a good player, and had 22 last game. I think Jordan did a super job defending him. I think that was the difference.”

Ford came in averaging seven points a game and finished with 17 points, six rebounds. Like Hermanson, the sophomore guard was a handful for Cal as he transformed from scholarship athlete to Splash Brothers impersonator for several, second half possessions.

Marcus Lee led Cal with 23 points on 10 of 14 shooting, and his size and quickness bothered Landale in the post at both ends, but Lee’s offense didn’t get Cal back in the game, it merely kept them within striking range. Ditto for Nick Hamilton, who was 7 for 7 shooting in 31 minutes off the bench in his best performance as a collegian.

The rest of the Bears that saw action shot 9 for 32 from the floor, and Coleman was hounded into missing 13 of his 16 shot attempts. Jones felt his guys grew too anxious when things didn’t go well early on. Rushed shots, a trio of walking calls and other turnovers ensued which never allowed the Bears to get their crowd involved.

“They clogged the lanes, which made it hard for our guys to have driving lanes,” Jones said. They kept it tight– we could have benefitted from more drive and kick tonight — but it’s always that if this team digs itself into a hole, everybody tries so hard to make that 10-point play, and there’s no such thing as a 10-point play.”

The two schools met for only the second time in the last 12 years, with Cal winning the previous matchup behind Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown in 2015. The Bears will visit Moraga in 2018, and then host the Gaels in 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

Sharks Lose to Lightning 5-2 in Tampa Bay

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San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton (19) is knocked down by Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat (18) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

by M. Walsh

The San Jose Sharks dropped the third game of this road trip to the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 5-2. Two Lightning goals were scored by Tyler Johnson, two more by Nikita Kucherov and another by Cory Conacher. Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 stops in the game. Sharks’ goals were scored by Barclay Goodrow, who had just returned from injury, and Justin Braun. Martin Jones stopped 38 shots for the Sharks.

The loss was a modest improvement over their previous loss to Tampa Bay, a 5-1 loss in San Jose on November 8, but it ended a four-game winning streak for San Jose in Tampa Bay. The Lightning continue to dominate in the NHL standings, maintaining a slim lead over the Winnipeg Jets. Entering Saturday’s game, they had a record of 17-6-2. On the other hand, half of those losses came in their last four games.

Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer saw few bright spots in his team’s game. DeBoer said: “The good news was that our goalie was outstanding, he was by far our best player. He gave a us a chance going into the third to get some points tonight. But we didn’t have enough contributions. We would have needed 20 guys tonight plus Jonesy’s effort. They’re a desperate team and rested, and we didn’t help ourselves.”

Beyond that, DeBoer seemed willing to put the loss behind him and move on. DeBoer said: “We’re not going to be down here in a back-to-back with half our team out again so we don’t have to worry about that.”

Sharks forward Logan Couture expressed disappointment with the loss. Couture said: “They out played us again. You know, you can say we’re on a back-to-back and all, I know that but still got to show up and put forth a better effort than we did tonight.”

Later, Couture acknowledged that the team really is in a tough spot with injuries. Couture said: “You know, we’ve been playing good hockey. This is back-to-back, we got a bunch of guys go down within a few game period. It’s tough. You miss three forwards who usually play in your top nine, so other guys gotta step up and gotta find a way to be competitive.”

The Sharks’ injury list changed overnight between Florida games. Goodrow returned from injured reserve and Jones was ready to start. Joonas Donskoi and Tim Heed were placed on injured reserve, while Marcus Sorensen was called up from the AHL’s Barracuda. Sorensen did not play Saturday, but will be available Monday.

Both Heed and Donskoi’s IR status was retroactive to the last game they played. For Heed, that was November 25, and for Donskoi it was November 28.

Additionally, Melker Karlsson was not available after being injured Friday. Kevin Labanc was back in the lineup and got credit for four shots on goal, more than any other Shark Saturday.

San Jose did hang in there for the first two periods, but in the third, the Lightning took the Sharks apart. The Sharks scored first, the only goal of the first period. With just over three minutes left in the period, Ryan Carpenter made a cross-ice pass to Daniel O’Regan as he skated down the right side. O’Regan took the shot and the rebound went right to Goodrow on the left side. He had an open net from that angle and he put it away. Assists went to Carpenter and O’Regan.

The Sharks went into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, but had been outshot 15-8 by Tampa Bay.

The Lightning’s first period effort paid off early in the second period, as Nikita Kucherov tied the game up just 27 seconds in. Ondrej Palat carried the puck in and the Sharks defense set up to prevent a cross-ice pass to Kucherov. In doing so, they left their goaltender to handle any shot from Palat. Instead of shooting, Palat took the pass and it made it through three defenders to Kucherov, who had Martin Jones moving across and not quite ready to stop his shot. Assists went to Palat and Brayden Point.

The Lightning again outshot the Sharks in the second period, this time 16-8.

Joe Thornton was called for high sticking Tyler Johnson at the end of the second period. The Lightning started the third period with 1:56 of power play time. At 1:39 of the third, Johnson scored a power play goal to give the Lightning the 2-1 lead. Palat shot the puck into the zone so that it came off the back boards while Johnson skated in and caught it right in front of Jones. Assists went to Palat and Mikhail Sergachev.

Johnson scored again after Victor Hedman got a breakaway and would have scored had Brenden Dillon not caught the puck on the goal line. As he cleared it from the crease, Johnson was coming in fast and the puck came right to him. He put it back in over Jones.

Cory Conacher scored at 11:01, after a shoot in from Dan Girardi caught Justin Braun inside the knee. Seeing the defenseman drop to the ice, Conacher skated by him and caught a cross-ice pass from Alex Killorn. His shot went over Jones’ left shoulder as the goaltender came across to follow the puck. Assists went to Killorn and Yanni Gourde.

Braun did not stay down for long, and returned to stop the bleeding at 13:37. Braun caught the puck after an offensive zone faceoff. His blue line shot went cleanly through five skaters to beat Vasilevski on the glove side. An assist went to O’Regan.

Nikita Kucherov came back with a fifth goal at 15:37 off a breakaway after Logan Couture tried to shoot the puck in from the blue line and it his Kucherov instead. The bounce gave Kucherov the head start he needed.

The Sharks next play on Monday in Washington DC against the Capitals at 4 pm PT.

Stanford Cardinal Podcast with Matt Harrington: Stanford could get Alamo, Holiday, or Foster Farms Bowl but no frills after loss Friday

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USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) scrambles in the endzone to get a pass down field for a 1st down during the PAC-12 Championship game between the USC Trojans and the Stanford Cardinals on Friday, December 01, 2017 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Matt Harrington:

The game between Stanford and USC in which USC won 31-28 was a battle and it was the only game going in the Bay Area last Friday. It was really a great battle between the two teams and you saw a little bit of everything. Stanford head coach David Shaw tried to get them over the goal line towards the end of the game. There was USC quarterback Sam Darnold who threw for over 500 yards he’s a promising future start that will be going to the NFL.

The Cardinal came into the contest with a lot on the line and they ran out of octane and the team with the better record on paper came out with the victory. The Trojans were right in the Cardinal’s grasp with a late goal line stop from USC that was after a great 54 yard pass by Darnold for a touchdown. The Pac 12 Championship had a little of everything and there was certainly some drama. For the Cardinal now they will see how things unfold as they wait to see what bowl they will be in either the Alamo, Holiday or Foster Farms bowl.

Matt Harrington does the Stanford Cardinal football podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Giancarlo Stanton prefers the Dodgers but could be a Giant

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AP File Photo: Giancarlo Stanton just might sign on with the San Francisco Giants but as of late is leaning towards the Los Angeles Dodgers

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO–The National League MVP Marlins Giancarlo Stanton is from Southern California, the Marlins want to unload his $295 million remaining in his contract and so far the San Francisco Giants and St Louis Cardinals have shown interest in the slugger. This week both teams representatives have met with Marlins reprsentatives trying to convince Stanton to come aboard. In the case of the Giants they have shown the most interest. It is very unusual for a team seeking a specific player to send their top brass to meet and try to convince a player why he should “come along” and that is what the Giants did, as Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Brian Sabean, General Manager Bobby Evans and Manager Bruce Bochy traveled to Stanton’s land, Los Angeles trying to lure him to wear the Orange and Black.

2017 was a monster season for Giancarlo, 59 home runs and 132 runs batted in. AT&T Park is not a home run park, but with this guy, he could hit it out of SFO International airport. During  batting practice with the Marlins, prior to a game at AT&T, he hit the Coke botle in left center field, yes, it is batting practice, but not everybody could do that.

No secret why Giants are strongly pursuing the 2017 NL MVP who led baseball with 59 home runs and 132 runs batted in. In 2016 111 players in baseball hit 20 or more home runs, the Giants have none. This past season there were 108 players who hit 20 or more home runs, the Giants again, had none. This 2017 season a new home run record was established in Major League Baseball with 6,105 total. The Giants did not contribute much to that total,they were the last #30 among all teams in both leagues with 128 home runs. Before you said, home runs do not win games, which is true, the fact is baseball today is much more about home runs than ever before. In case we already all forgot the World Champion Houston Astros led all of baseball with 234 home runs.

It looks like the Giants might be dangling $250 million on Stanton’s remaining $295 million contract,plus offering second baseman Joe Panik and two of their top prospects. In return it is said the Giants would get Stanton and second baseman Dee Gordon. The Giants need more than Stanton to be a serious contender in 2018 after finishing last this past season. Third base is still an unknown (I love Pablo Sandoval but still have many doubts how much he has left) The Giants are still short of another major league established outfielder, even if they get Stanton.

The National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers are going to be the favorites again to win the NL West, but this division is now stronger with Arizona and Colorado, specially, looking to 2018 for at least a wild card berth. Actually it would be scary if Stanton signs with the Dodgers and you insert him in that lineup with Bellinger and company…wow.

Giancarlo Stanton was born in Panorama City, went to school in Sherman Oaks, he was a Dodger fan as a young kid and obviously his preference is to play with the Dodgers, who will be favorites again. The St Louis Cardinals are looking for that great slugger since the days of Albert Pujols, now with the Angels, and in my book St Louis is the best baseball town in America. The Giants do not have time to re-build, not with over 3 millions costumers paying each year to go to AT&T Park, and in the Bay Area the best promotion is keep winning, if you want the best example, take a look at the football SF 49ers today.

The Dodgers is where Giancarlo Stanton prefers to play, but do not be surprised if he is wearing Orange and Black in 2018.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

USC outlasts Stanford 31-28 to become Pac-12 champs for the first time since 2008

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Southern California quarterback Sam Darnold (14) and teammates celebrate after defeating Stanford 31-28 in the Pac-12 Conference championship NCAA college football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Morris Phillips

SANTA CLARA, CA–Tense, close and littered with pivotal plays, the Pac-12 Championship Game was, for once, a whale of a ballgame.

USC kept Stanford from gaining its first lead with a fourth quarter, goal line stand and went on to capture the conference title, winning 31-28. The Trojans became Pac-12 Champs for the first time since 2008, ending a period lowlighted by NCAA sanctions, coaching changes and for their tastes, too many losses to Stanford.

“We knew it would be a fourth quarter game,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “It would be four quarters. Credit to these guys, you go all the way through the season, how they finish games is amazing to me. They’re the best finishing bunch I’ve been associated with in my 23 years of college coaching.”

The Trojans preserved their 24-21 lead with eight minutes remaining by stuffing Cameron Scarlett on consecutive plays at the goal line. But peril wasn’t far removed until quarterback Sam Darnold got USC moving with a 54-yard pass and run to Michael Pittman that got the Trojans off the goal line and into what would be their game-winning drive. Five times on the eight-play drive, back Ronald Jones II would handle the ball culminating with his eight-yard touchdown run with 4:22 remaining.

While Jones finished with 140 yards rushing on 30 carries, Stanford standout Bryce Love settled for 125 yards on 22 carries. The difference? Jones had something left in his tank off two weeks rest, and was around for the Trojans’ final scoring drive. Love, the Heisman candidate, was still hampered by his nagging, ankle injury only six days after a bruising game against Notre Dame. Consequently, when Stanford threatened to take the lead, Scarlett spelled Love and was stuffed twice at the goal line.

“We made enough plays to keep it close but not enough plays to win,” coach David Shaw explained. “The sequence of fourth-and-1 to take the lead in the Pac-12 championship game, there’s no hesitation at all. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Love was questioned later about the condition of his ankle, but said very little other than that it felt fine at the game’s beginning. Other areas of concern given injuries and players’ availability–along both Stanford’s offensive and defensive lines–were met with disdain by Coach Shaw. The Cardinal made no excuses regarding injuries–or their short week of preparation–given that some many reserves stepped up and played well.

“The word you’ll keep hearing me say which I said in our locker room is character,” Shaw said. “And Devery (Hamilton, Stanford’s starting offensive tackle) like a lot of guys late in the year, guys are banged up. He went out there, battled, got hurt. We take him back to re-evaluate him. We throw guys in there. And Brandon Fanaika plays well.”

If Stanford could have done anything differently, it may have been to turn quarterback K.J. Costello loose earlier. Heading into the final drive of the game, Costello had attempted just 15 passes, completing seven. But with Stanford trailing by 10 late, Costello completed three big passes, the last to Kaden Smith for a 28-yard touchdown with two mintes left.

Costello finished 10 of 22 for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Darnold was 17 of 24 for 325 yards and two scores. The Trojans racked up 501 yards in total offense and held a pair of 10-point leads. The game’s only turnover–a Stephen Carr fumble–was minimized when USC responded with their goal line stand.

USC became the first team from the Pac-12 South to win the championship game and will play in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s.

Warriors kick it up a notch as they rout the Magic 133-112

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is fouled by Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton, left, while driving to the basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors probably played their best game of the year as they were firing on all cylinders as they beat the Orlando Magic 133-112 at the Amway Center Friday night. The Warriors led from start to finish. Even though they committed 19 turnovers, they recorded an astounding 46 assists on 55 field goals.

Four of the Warriors’ starters were in double figures and rookie Jordan Bell, who played 16 minutes, kicked in with 16 points. Bell had four rebounds and blocked three shots as he impressed the coaches with his performance. Curry had this to say about the amazing number of assists: “That’s what we pride ourselves on, ball movement, getting everyone involved,” “Everybody gets touches, and we help each other in that way because we are all threats.” Two of the Warriors finished the night with a double-double. Curry scored 23 points and had 10 assists. Draymond Green finished the night with 12 points and also had 10 assists.

Curry and Durant scored the first 10 points of the game for the Warriors. Each player made a three-point shot, and each made a two-pointer. That set the stage for the Dubs as they outscored the Magic 41-34 at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors kept it going as they increased the lead to 15 (78-63) at the end of the first half.

Orlando won the third quarter 28-24 to shave four points off the lead, but the Warriors were not fazed and outscored the Magic by 10 in the fourth quarter to win by 21 (133-112).

Game notes and stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 17-6 for the season, and the Magic fall to 9-14.

Scoring leaders for Golden State were Klay Thompson with 27. Curry had 23, 10 assists, six rebounds, and three steals. Durant knocked down 25 points, seven assists, two rebounds, and four blocked shots. Durant was ejected from the game for arguing with the referees with 4:52 left to play. Durant had this to say about the team’s play and the 46 assists: “That’s amazing…Everybody came and made plays tonight. We moved well without the ball and kept clicking on all cylinders.”

The Warriors bench outscored the Magic bench 40-23. Jordan Bell had 16 and Patrick McCaw had eight. Scoring leaders for Orlando were Aaron Gordon 29, Evan Fournier 22, Jonathan Simmons 22, Elfrid Payton 10, and D.J.Augustin 12.

The Warriors played an amazing game as they were in total control from start to finish. What they did in Orlando certainly impressed the Magic’s coach Frank Vogel. “Golden State definitely impresses you with everything they do,” Vogel said. “Their passing, their cutting, their ability to play off each other and their shot-making facilitates all of that stuff.”

Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr said this about the team’s effort on Friday: “I think the guys were embarrassed by the last two games,” Kerr said, referring to an overtime win over the Lakers and a loss to the Kings. “If we can just play with that kind of energy, a little better judgment, and a little better defense, we’re on to something. This is a good step in the right direction.”

The Warriors played pretty well on defense. They outrebounded the Magic 42-35. They made nine steals and had 11 blocks. On offense, they shot 62.5% from the floor and made 11 of 24 three-point shots and held Orlando to just 45.8% from the floor.

The Warriors travel to Miami to face the Heat. Their coach, Eric Spoelstra, loves to slow down the pace of the game, and the Heat gave the Warriors all they could handle when they played in Oakland. The Heat will have Dion Waiters back, and Waiters destroyed the Dubs last year when the Heat beat them in Miami. The Warriors and Steve Kerr will have their work cut out for them. Game time is at 4 pm.

San Francisco 49ers Podcast with Joe Lami: Garoppolo gets ready for Chicago this weekend; Shanahan says he looks ready in practice

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Photo credit: @insidethe49

On the 49ers podcast with Joe Lami:

1 The talk about when the 49ers’ Jimmy Garopollo will get in ends this Sunday in Chicago when Garoppolo gets his first start of the season is highly anticipated.

2 Garoppolo came in the closing moments last Sunday to throw a touchdown after quarterback C.J. Beathard left due to an injury.

3 Garoppolo has been practicing with the team. Head coach Kyle Shanahan says Garoppolo looks game ready since joining the team almost four weeks ago.

4 Garoppolo will throw against the Bears’ defense if he can get enough time in protection. He could do some damage.

5 So it’s Garoppolo and the 49ers in Chicago this Sunday. Joe tells us who he likes in this one.

Joe Lami does the 49ers podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Sharks Win 2-1, Pavelski Scores 300

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

by M. Walsh

San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski scored his 300th career NHL goal Friday, in a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. Goaltender Aaron Dell won his second in a row with 39 saves, and Chris Tierney scored his seventh of the year with the game winner. For the Panthers, Colton Sceviour scored the only goal in the first period, and goaltender Roberto Luongo made 30 saves on 32 shots in a losing effort for Florida.

Joe Pavelski’s goal was his first since November 1st, after an eleven game dry spell. That 300th tally proved elusive for the Sharks captain. Of the milestone, Pavelksi said: “Guess I’m proud of that number, a lot of hard work. But we’ve seen so many great milestones recently, last year too, with Patty and Jumbo. It’s one of those things, it’s a good number but I believe there’s, you know, so much more hockey out there and I’ll keep trying to score some goals.”

Pavelski’s goal was challenged by Florida coach Bob Boughner, the first challenge that went the Sharks way for the first time in a while. The second Sharks goal was also subjected to review, after being called no goal on the ice. Ironically, the last time the Sharks played the Panthers, on November 16 at SAP Center, the Sharks had two goals called back on review, and they lost that game 2-0. It may be that the Sharks’ streak of bad luck with goal reviews has ended.

Of finally having a challenge go their way, Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer said: “Well, yeah, first one of this year, at least it feels like it. You know, I think, we felt it was a goal, so glad to get it. We’ve had enough of those go the other way, and it’s cost us some points. So it all evens out.”

The Sharks went into the game without Joonas Donskoi, injured in Monday’s game in Philadelphia. Donskoi joined the list of injured players that currently includes forwards Tim Heed and Barclay Goodrow, and defenseman veteran Paul Martin. Melker Karlsson was back in the lineup after missing time due to injury, and he left Friday’s game during the third period. Goaltender Martin Jones was dressed as the backup after missing Monday’s game, indicating that he may be ready to play Saturday.

Of the team’s spate of injuries, DeBoer said: “We’re asking other guys to jump in. You know, Tierns makes a play, the big guys are scoring some goals for us lately, Jumbo and Pav, you know Couture’s line’s been good all year. Every injury, every guy that goes down, obviously it’s testing your depth and we don’t have a lot of margin of error. There are a lot of two-on-one games, but we’re getting comfortable in those games so that’s a good thing.”

The Sharks started the game a little slowly, but picked up the pace by the middle of the first period. Nevertheless, they still gave up the first goal in the final two minutes of the period. Dell made the first save, but juggled the puck when it came back on the rebound. The goal initially was given to Panthers captain Derek MacKenzie, but would up being Colton Sceviour’s. Assists went to Alex Petrovic and Micheal Haley.

Joe Pavelski’s tying goal came 11:20 into the second period. Joe Thornton’s pass from behind the net went off of Florida’s Aleksander Barkov and reversed direction. It went right to Pavelski, where he was set up at the corner of the net. As he gained control of the puck, his skate made contact with Luongo’s skate, which was the basis of the coach’s challenge. Luongo was looking in the other direction, which makes sense since Thornton had passed the puck in that direction. Assists on the goal went to Thornton and Timo Meier.

The game winner came 7:13 into the third period. Melker Karlsson’s backhand shot went off of Luongo and to Chris Tierney below the goal line. Tierney shot it back in, bouncing it off of Luongo’s back and into the net. The goal was initially not called as such, but after video review, the NHL made the correction. Assists went to Karlsson and Brent Burns. It was Tierney’s third goal in his last four games.

The Sharks did not get a chance on the power play, but their penalty kill went 2-0 in the game.  Marc-Edouard Vlasic led the team in shots on goal with four.

The Sharks next play on Saturday, against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 4 pm PT.

Randolph shines, leading Kings to 107-106 victory over Bulls

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Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph (50) shoots between Chicago Bulls forward Paul Zipser (16) and center Robin Lopez (42) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes)

By: Peter Elliott

CHICAGO, IL. — It was the Zach Randolph show on Friday night at the United Center.

The 36-year-old veteran big man yet again proved his worth, leading the Sacramento Kings (7-15) to a 107-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls (3-18). Randolph earned his first double-double of the season, as he notched a season-high in points with 25 while grabbing 13 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

Although Randolph’s star shined the brightest, the Kings also received important contributions from role players like Bogdan Bogdanović, Garrett Temple, and Willie Cauley-Stein, who combined for 42 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds.

Bogdanović, a first-year shooting guard from Serbia also achieved his season-high in points with 19 on 6-12 shooting from the field and six made free throws in 30 minutes, the most action he has seen so far this season.

Buddy Hield struggled once more in his seven minutes of playing time, as the second-year shooting guard failed to connect on his two shots and played lackluster defense, good for a plus-minus differential of -8.

Neither of the teams that took the floor at the United Center on Friday night appear poised to contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy this summer. However, both teams made it competitive throughout, with the biggest point margin being just seven points in the third quarter.

The Bulls, who are now losers of 13 of their last 14 games turned in a solid showing for a three-win team, but it was their bench that shined. Sacramento had trouble shutting down a seat-warming trio of Paul Zipser, Cristiano Felicio, and Jerian Grant, who combined for a whopping 55 points, four more than the starters’ total of 51.

What’s Next: The Kings will head north into Milwaukee on Saturday night, seeking revenge for 112-87 blowout loss at the hands of the Bucks just a mere four days ago. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 PT/7:30 CT p.m. on NBC Sports California.