Warriors lose a close one to Boston Celtics 92-88

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Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown (7) and Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry battle for a loose ball during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

by Jerry Feitelberg

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics won their 14th game in a row Thursday night s they came back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Warriors 92-88 and snapped the Warriors’ seven-game win streak.

The Celtics, who are number one in defense in the NBA, shut down the Warriors vaunted offense and held the Warriors to a season-low 88 points. Two-time MVP, Steph Curry, who missed the last game with a right thigh contusion was held to just nine points. Steph was three-for fourteen from the field and 2-for-9 from the 3-point range. His Splash Brother partner, Klay Thompson, was held to 13 points.

The Warriors looked sharp in the first quarter as they finished the period leading by 10 (28-18). They increased the lead to 17, but the Celtics were able to claw their way back and trailed by five at the end of the first half (47-42).

The Celtics outscored the Warriors 26-21 in the third quarter and won the game in the fourth quarter as they held the Warriors to just 20 points while scoring 24.

Game notes and stats — The Warriors shot 40.2% from the floor and held Boston to just 32.9%. Normally, these numbers would give the Warriors the win. The Celtics won the game as the Warriors were called for 24 fouls and had 38 free throw attempts. The Celtics recorded 33 points from the free throw line while Golden State made just 12 free throws. The 21-point disparity made up the difference and sent Boston to a victory.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 24 points, three assists, and three rebounds. Draymond Green tallied 11 (five assists, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots). The Golden State defense had nine steals and 10 blocks in the game.

Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Most of them came from the charity stripe. The Celtics were led by Jalen Brown. Brown, who played college basketball at Berkeley, scored 22 points and had seven rebounds. Al Horford had a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards.

After the game, Curry had this to say about his performance: “It was just one of those nights…We had control of the game despite how bad we all were shooting. We just didn’t sustain ourselves defensively.”

Curry sat for a long stretch after picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter.

“We kind of fell out of our rotation in the third quarter,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “They were just tougher and smarter than we were tonight.”

The Warriors are now 11-4 while Boston improves to 14-2.

The Warriors play the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night. Game time is at 5 pm.

Sharks See Pair of Goals Overturned, Fall to Panthers 2-0

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – In the battle of mentor vs. student, score one for the student. In the first head-to-head meeting between teams, former assistant coach Bob Boughner and his Florida Panthers scored a 2-0 victory over Peter DeBoer and the San Jose Sharks. Colton Sceviour and Nick Bjugstad scored for the Panthers while DeBoer protégé Boughner challenged not one, but two Sharks goals, proving victorious on both to help give netminder Roberto Luongo the 35-save shutout for career win number 457.

With neither team looking in sync with a number of passes not connecting throughout the game, it was clear if any team was going to score, it wasn’t going to be a highlight reel strike. Colton Sceviour lit the lamp one minute into the second period, using a gritty effort to jam home a wraparound and beat Martin Jones for his fourth goal of the season. Sceviour had circled the cage after taking a Connor Brickley feed, while Vincent Trotcheck added the secondary assist on the game-winner.

Tim Heed appeared to have the answering tally 4:37 into the middle period, plucking a puck off the blue line for a blistering slap shot that beat Luongo to the glove side. Boughner challenged that the puck came out of the offensive zone, risking taking a penalty if the call on the ice was not overturned. The replay officials determined the puck did come out of the zone, wiping out the tying goal for what would have been the Swede’s third marker of the year.

Another defenseman posited the theoretical tie-breaker 5:16 into the 3rd when Marc-Edouard Vlasic jammed a puck off Luongo’s left pad into the net in a goal mouth scramble. Boughner again challenged the play after his goalie jumped up incensed and making a shoveling motion with his stick. The officials agreed with Bobby Lou, saying that his pad was pushed over the goal line illegally. The goal was washed out.

The turnovers finally caught up to the Sharks with 7:37 left in the third after Tim Heed turned the puck over in the offensive end to Radim Vrbata, Vrbata passed the puck to ex-Shark Jamie McGinn who whirled a backhander cross-crease to Nick Bjugstad. Bjugstad had no trouble beating Jones for his fourth goal of the year and a 2-0 Cats lead.

DeBoer tried to create some offense as the game wore on, moving Joonas Donskoi down to the second line and auditioning Timo Meier and Melker Karlsson as the other wing on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Karlsson ultimately stuck, with Kevin Labanc finding himself on the fourth line but the Sharks couldn’t crack the stingy Panthers defense. Neither could the two Sharks power plays where they generated six shots on goal.

The Sharks have the opportunity to bounce back when they welcome the depleted Boston Bruins to the SAP Center Saturday night. The Bruins may be without Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Torey Krug, Anders Bjork, Adam McQuaid and David Backes, who all are nursing injuries.

It may not be Garoppolo’s time yet

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New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garappolo (10) passes during an NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Az. The Patriots won the game, 23-21. (Greg Trott via AP)

By Jeremy Harness

When the 49ers traded for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, it was almost an accepted fact that he would assume the signal-calling duties upon the team’s returning from its bye week.

It may be time to pump the brakes on that talk, at least for one more week.

The 49ers got their first win of the season last Sunday in a 31-21 victory over the New York Giants, and have two full weeks to savor it before getting back on the field. Following the bye week, the 49ers will face the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 26.

C.J Beathard, the team’s current starter, made a serious case for himself against the Giants, completing 19 of his 25 passes for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns, which was good for a passer rating of 123.4.

With that said, the next six games should serve as an evaluation process for both Beathard and Garoppolo, for the team to see who should be their quarterback of the future.

John Lynch, the team’s general manager, recently said that the 49ers “don’t need him right now,” referring to Garoppolo, which means that it is expected that the rookie Beathard will be the starter when the Seahawks visit Levi’s Stadium the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

However, it is also expected that Garoppolo, who will have had a few weeks to digest the team’s playbook, will have plenty of opportunities to get on the field to show the 49ers if he can be the guy.

Stanford Cardinal Podcast with Jerry Fetelberg: Cardinal coming off a huge upset host Cal for the Axe and Big Game Saturday

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Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love (20) tries to break through the Huskies defense, during a NCAA Football game between the Washington Huskies and the Stanford Cardinal at the Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. Valerie Shoaps/CSM (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

By Jerry Feitelberg

PALO ALTO–The win for the Stanford Cardinal in the last game last weekend Saturday was a surprising and huge upset over the Washington Huskies and the Cardinal running back Bryce Love played on all cylinders. The Huskies could have clinched the Pac 12 Tournament with a win. As it stands if Washington should beat Washington State on Saturday November 25th and Stanford beats Cal in the Big Game Stanford would then play for the Pac 12 Championship.

So that’s how big that win was last week for Stanford, Washington had only one loss in the Pac 12 they would have waltzed to the title as the Huskies have their work cut out for them against Wahzoo and the Cardinal have their work cut out for them in the Big Game this Saturday at Stanford Stadium and it should be the biggest game of the season for all four Pac 12 teams.

Love looked like he slowed down in the second half so they took a look at Love in practice this week and they anticipate that he’ll be ready for the Big Game this Saturday. Stanford quarterback KJ Costello had his best games ever as his fourth game as starter and he was very consistent against a very potent Washington defense. The Huskies came in allowing just slightly over 11.5 points a game and Costello led the team down in the end zone and had thrown for 211 yards in the contest for a 30-22 win.

Jerry Feitelberg does the Stanford Cardinal podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Sports Headlines with Tony Renteria: UCLA players most likely won’t be back this season; Raiders not training for Mexico City in high altitude; NFL says Jerry Jones had hand in Papa John’s fiasco

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Flanked by teammates Cody Riley, left, and Jalen Hill, UCLA basketball player LiAngelo Ball reads his statement during a news conference at UCLA Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, in Los Angeles. The three players were detained in Hangzhou following allegations of shoplifting last week before a game against Georgia Tech in Shanghai. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

On the Sports Headlines Podcast with Tony Renteria:

1 UCLA basketball players LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, and Cody Riley seated for Wednesday’s presser having to explain to the media what took place during their China shoplifting of a pair of sunglasses. All three players were placed under house arrest until they were released and were flown back to Los Angeles. The University has suspended all three players indefinitely and that UCLA head coach Steve Alford said all three players have to “earn their way back”.

2 The Oakland Raiders have their net game in Mexico City on Sunday with New England. Tony takes a look at this a must win situation for the Raiders to even have a shot at a playoff birth.

3 The Raiders coach Jack Del Rio says he’s trying to prepare the Raiders for the high altitude in Mexico City buy not preparing them. The Raiders who have been practicing in their Alameda facility did not workout in a high altitude facility like the Patriots did this past week in Colorado Springs. Del Rio says the team won’t notice the altitude difference during the game and it’s some thing they would experience some 48 hours later.

4 How ugly is the feud between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and NFL owners over the debate about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract extension. Jones says Goodell needs to get out because he lacks leadership in the handling of the national anthem crises, the drop sales in one of the NFL bigger sponsors Papa John’s, and TV ratings taking a dive. Some of the NFL owners have warned Jones not to move forward and push the blocking of the Goodell contract extension or they would sanction his draft picks and consider suspending Jones for conduct that is not beneficial to the league.

5. The NFL also is stewing over Jones’ involvement in pushing Papa John’s to say because of a lack of leadership (Goodell) over his handling of the players who continue to take a knee during the national anthem and that Papa John’s is losing fans over the controversy and thus losing sales. The NFL is asking Jones to stop being involved in influencing advertisers to benefit his campaign to get rid of Goodell.

Tony does the Sports Headlines Podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Raiders head to Mexico City following bye week for big showdown against Patriots

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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady practices at Falcon Stadium at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. The Patriots are practicing at Air Force to get acclimated to playing at a higher elevation for Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City. (Doug Brownlie/The Gazette via AP)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — For the second straight year, the Raiders will travel to Mexico City for a “home” game at Estadio Azteca. Last year, the Silver and Black came away with a 27-20 victory over the “visiting” Houston Texans before worldwide audience on Monday Night Football.

This season, Oakland will face a much tougher opponent when they “host” the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots Sunday in a pivotal Week 11 matchup for both teams in the AFC.

Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m. PT.

Oakland (4-5) is coming off a much needed bye week after dispatching the Dolphins 27-24 in Miami in Week 9. Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr played efficiently, passing for 300 yards on 21-of-30 completions with one touchdown and one interception for a quarterback rating of 99.3. For the season, Carr has thrown for 1,954 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a quarterback rating of 91.8.

Offensively, the Raiders rank 22nd overall, but rank 16th in the NFL in points per game (21.6) after ranking in the top-10 last season scoring nearly 28 points per game through 16 games.

Starting running back Marshawn Lynch returned from a one-game suspension to run for 57 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns on the night. The two rushing touchdowns by Lynch were the first scores for Lynch away from home this season.

Tight end Jared Cook had a big night, leading all receivers with eight catches for 127 yards. Wide receiver Johnny Holton scored his second touchdown of the season on the game’s biggest play for the Raiders when Holton reeled in a 44-yard touchdown throw from Carr in the first half. Holton has just two catches this season, both of which have gone for touchdowns of 44 and 64 yards.

Defensively, middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman led the Raiders in tackles for the third straight game with 10. Dating back to his final game with the San Francisco 49ers against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5, Bowman has recorded 10-plus tackles in four straight games this season.

Through nine games this season, the Raiders still have yet to record an interception, which is a very dubious record in the NFL for one team to own especially for the Raiders, who will face a quarterback that has only thrown just two interceptions this season in Tom Brady.

Following a 2-2 start to the season, New England (7-2) has won five straight games and are rounding into form at the right time.

The 40-year-old Brady enters Week 11 leading the NFL in passing yards (2,807), tied with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for the most touchdown passes (19) and second behind Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith in quarterback rating (113.9 to 108.3) this season.

Brady completed 25-of-34 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns in New England’s 41-16 smashing victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football in Week 10. The five-time Super Bowl winning quarterback leads a Patriots offense that is No. 1 in total yards per game (409.6) and fourth in points per game (28.6) this season.

That’s not good news for a Raiders defense that rank 26th in total defense surrendering 361.1 total yards per game to opposing teams this season. Oakland is allowing 23.8 points per game.

Wide receiver Brandon Cooks led New England with six receptions and was tied with tight end Rob Gronkowski for the most receiving yards on the team with 74 against the Broncos.

Starting running back Dion Lewis left his imprint on the game, leading the Patriots with 14 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown but it was his play on special teams that gave New England the upper hand against Denver.

After Denver kicker Brandon McManus made a 39-yard field goal that made the score 7-3 in the first quarter, Lewis returned the ensuing kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown that gave the Patriots a 14-3 lead before the Broncos blinked. Lewis, along with fellow running back James White and fullback Rex Burkhead are Brady’s security blanket when guys like Gronkowski and wide receiver Brandon Cooks are covered.

White leads the team in receptions (46), Cooks in receiving yards (637) and Gronkowski and wide receiver Chris Hogan in receiving touchdowns (5), making the Patriots’ offense a multi-dimensional unit, engineered by Brady.

Defensively, the Patriots will give up a ton of yards per game (408.3) but teams are scoring just 21.7 points per game. Safety Devin McCourty leads the team with 58 tackles (50 solo), while cornerback Malcolm Butler has two of the team’s seven interceptions this season.

Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy and defensive end Trey Flowers lead New England with 3.5 sacks each. Flowers is second on the team with 55 tackles (46 solo).

Following Sunday’s game, Oakland will return to the Coliseum to take on the Broncos, while New England will host the Dolphins in Week 12.

 

 

Barracuda Captain John McCarthy – Profile

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Photo: @sjbarracuda

By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—“When you play hockey for a living, obviously you need to treat it professionally, but also have fun with it, too,” John McCarthy, Captain of the San Jose Barracuda, remarked at practice on Tuesday morning.

McCarthy, 31, hails from just outside Boston. His father played hockey for College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and his older brother played up until high school. The siblings grew up playing hockey together, though John was the only one who went on to play at the college level (for Boston University) and, now, the professional leagues.

McCarthy grew up a Bruins fan, and he particularly looked up to Cam Neely, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. McCarthy did not know it at the time, but in his early 20s, he would be playing alongside a familiar face from watching television and live games at TD Garden: Joe Thornton.

“He was the guy when I was growing up with the Bruins,” McCarthy recalled, also noting that when he was first called up to the NHL eight years ago (2009-2010 season), he roomed with Thornton on his first road trip with the Sharks.

McCarthy attributes his professionalism in the AHL and NHL to his veteran teammates with whom he played his first few seasons in the big league (beginning in 2009-2010).

“[My older teammates] taught me how to approach the game. Come to the rink every day ready to work, get better every day,” he said.

Now, as the Barracuda captain and one of the team’s oldest players, McCarthy has become an influence for his younger teammates, guiding them as they work toward an NHL career.

“[Establishing an NHL career] is about not being overbearing… if [my younger teammates] want my insight on something, they can feel free to ask me. There’s plenty of situations where [questions] come up,” he stated. “In order for us to succeed, we have to outwork the other team. Our team has a completely different landscape than last year.”

McCarthy then referred to Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Carpenter, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier, Tim Heed, and Joakim Ryan, all of whom were called up to the Sharks as regulars this season. Their call-ups impacted the Cuda as, McCarthy noted, they were all key players.

“Our game is more of a working game, more of a forechecking game, more of a ‘playing on the inside’ game. We can’t depend on the power play to get us wins like last year.”

Keeping this mentality through every game, McCarthy said, is one of the keys to success for both the Barracuda as a team and for each of the up-and-coming players individually.

Entering his third year as a Bay Area resident (during the season), McCarthy appreciates the snowless, seldom rainy Northern California weather, the cities surrounding San Jose (San Francisco, Santa Cruz, to name a few), and the staunch, passionate Sharks fans all around.

Kings lose third straight game in 126-80 laugher to Hawks

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Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins (20) has the ball knocked away by Sacramento Kings center Georgios Papagiannis (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

By: Ana Kieu

ATLANTA — The Sacramento Kings suffered a third straight loss in a 126-80 blowout by the Atlanta Hawks at Phillips Arena on Wednesday night.

The Kings were hoping to snap a two-game losing skid while the Hawks were in an even worse situation, losing four of their last five games. Unfortunately, Sacramento unable to achieve the goal they initially had in mind and Atlanta caught them off guard in a 126-80 blowout win on home court.

The Kings suffered a horrible loss, but at least they were savage from start to finish.

The Kings trailed by eight (24-16 Hawks lead) at the end of the first quarter.

Kosta Koufos’ field goal pulled the Kings within five (26-21 Hawks lead) with 10:50 left in the second quarter. But the Hawks offense came alive and that wasn’t an understatement as they finished the quarter with 40 points.

The Kings trailed the Hawks 64-35 at the end of the first half. But you can’t deny the fact the besieged team had some fun on Twitter during halftime.

The Kings’ misery didn’t stop in the second half as they continued to dig themselves into a hole in a 92-61 deficit to the Hawks at the end of the third quarter.

As expected, the Kings dug themselves in a hole and never got back up in what eventually became a 126-80 blowout loss to the Hawks at the end of regulation. Luckily, Sacramento will return home to host the Trail Blazers before a rematch at the Moda Center.

Notes
Kings’ starting lineup
George Hill
Garrett Temple
Willie Cauley-Stein
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Zach Randolph

Hawks’ starting lineup
Dennis Schroeder
Kent Bazemore
Dewayne Dedmon
Taurean Price
Luke Babbitt

Up Next
Kings return home to host the Trail Blazers on Friday, November 17 at 7 pm PST.

Hawks finish their homestand against the Celtics on Saturday, November 18 at 7:30 pm EST.

Kings Press Row Podcast: Week 5 in the NBA or Hard Times on the Road

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

press row podcast

with Charlie O and Lee Leonard

  • What’s scheduled to happen in Week 5 for the NBA?

  • What significant milestones will we celebrate this week?

  • What are the best games that we will be able to watch on national TV?

  • How well did the Kings play in New York & D.C.?

  • What do they have to do to win in the ATL?

  • What’s coming up for the Kings as they come home to Sacramento?

These topics and more on this edition of the Kings Press Row Podcast.

San Jose Barracuda Podcast with Ana Kieu: Barracuda looking to pick up a couple wins Sat and Sun against Ontario

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photo by San Jose Barracuda: San Jose Barracuda forward Marcus Sorenson (20) sets up for the draw as the Barracuda host the Ontario Reign this Saturday and Sunday at SAP Center in San Jose

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Ana:

1. The Barracuda reassigned Colby McAuley to the Allen Americans last Thursday. What are Ana’s thoughts on the team’s decision?

2. Last season, defenseman Jeremy Roy tore his ACL in his left knee, which ended his season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL. He could’ve returned to the QMJHL, but the Sharks decided San Jose was the best place for him to continue his development. How about the Sharks’ judgment?

3. How much of an impact has Kevin Labanc had on the Barracuda after his return to the AHL?

4. The Barracuda played two games against the Manitoba Moose at SAP Center. Rourke Chartier made his season debut in Game 1. Ana tells us more about the first game on Saturday afternoon.

5. The Barracuda continued a back-to-back set against the Moose on Sunday afternoon. Give us a quick recap of Game 2.

6. The Barracuda host the San Antonio Rampage tonight, visit the Ontario Reign Friday night, and return home to host the San Diego Gulls Saturday afternoon. What do they need to do to ensure a successful next three games?

7. Get Ana’s predictions on those three games?

Ana Kieu does the San Jose Barracuda Podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

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