Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: Kings keep it rolling now with 7 consecutive wins; face the Bucks on Tuesday

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The Sacramento Kings center Daomantis Sabonis (11) battles for the basketball with the Chicago Bulls Patrick Willis left and Matas Buzells right in the first half at the United Center in Chicago on Sun Jan 12, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis scored 22 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists as the Kings defeated the Chicago Bulls 124-119 for their seventh consecutive win.

 #2 The Kings De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points and Fox pulled down nine rebounds. Fox sat out for three games due to a bruised right glute. Malik Monk scored 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

#3 Former Bull DeMar DeRozan got a nice ovation from the Chicago crowd and scored 21 points for the Kings. DeRozan played for three seasons with the Bulls and was a six time All Star. DeRozan joined the Kings in a three team trade last July.

#4 Sabonis had a good game against the Boston Celtics scoring 23 points and got his season high for rebounds with 28 on Friday. Sabonis helped the Kings get to 7-1. Also head coach Doug Christie since taking over the Kings since former coach Mike Brown was fired helped improve the club.

#5 The Kings tip off against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Tue Jan 13 with a 5:00pm PST tip. The Bucks are sixth in the Eastern Conference and have won five of their last ten games.

Join Barbara Mason for the Sacramento Kings podcast Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Women Thump Florida State 82-70, Improve To An NCAA Tournament-Worthy 16-2

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Now 18 games into a magical season, the Cal Bears are settling in, refining their methods, and embracing the responsibility of publicly voicing their goals.

Beating talented Florida State 82-70–after leading by as much as 34 points–made for a big statement, as did the bigger challenge of limiting Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer. Cal accomplished both by winning their third straight conference game and holding Latson to 13, more than 14 points below her average.

“Our goal is to make the NCAA Tournament, and that means we have to beat some ranked opponents, got to protect the home court, and were doing that,” coach Charmin Smith declared. “The growth for us is making sure that we don’t have any letdowns. We understand there is a target on our back now.”

Right now, Golden Bears’ opponents are struggling to locate a moving target, a metaphor embodied by Cal’s five starters and their balanced offensive attack that is highlighted by superior 3-point shooting. Cal buried seven threes in Sunday’s first half, and those makes were a major reason Cal built an insurmountable 50-25 halftime lead.

“They’re a really good basketball team,” coach Brooke Wyckoff said. “They play well at home, and we let them get out to a hot start, which is what you can’t do against this team. They’re really confident right now.”

Wyckoff explained that Latson’s struggles came from Cal committing several players to keep tabs on her and not letting the Seminoles get their running game unleashed. That last part is simply a battle of wills. If Florida State wanted to run, Cal’s objective was to make shots in part to slow the Seminoles in transition. Mission accomplished as FSU missed 23 of their first 31 shots from the floor, a product of Cal’s early success.

In all 18 games thus far, the Bears have shot the ball terrifically. Their shortcomings have centered around turnovers and defensive lapses. But increasingly, the team has limited its issues in those areas and seen its stock grow. In their next five games, Cal will see its two most prominent opponents in Duke and No. 3 Notre Dame, both on the road. Picked 14th in the ACC pre-season poll, the Bears didn’t figure to impact either team. Now, they might be ready for both, despite both contests being on the road.

“This year, the biggest difference that I see is we’re finishing games. We had some leads against really good teams last year, and we let them slip away. And this year, we’re able to get the wins.”

Kings Win Seventh Game In a Row Beating Bulls 124-119

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Sacramento Kings DeMar DeRozan third from right , goes to take a shot against the Chicago Bulls defenders Lonzo Ball (2), Jalen Smith (7) and Josh Giddy front left in first half action at the United Center in Chicago on Sun Jan 12, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (20-19) are on a mission right now. They just won their seventh game in a row beating the Chicago Bulls (18-21) 124-119 after a win over the Boston Celtics. Every starter in the game posted double digits and Domantas Sabonis had another monster game with 16 rebounds and 22 points.

The team welcomed De’Aaron Fox back on the court after missing three games and he had the team high of 26 points. It was a close game for the Kings but they won the third and fourth quarters that pushed them over the top after trailing at the half.

Game recap: The two teams battled it out in the opening quarter and after the first 12 minutes the Kings had a slight edge over the Bulls leading 32-30. Chicago continued to fight and took a 63-61 lead into the locker room. The second half would reveal which team would dictate the flow of the game and walk away with a win.

Sacramento won both the third and fourth quarters. In the third quarter they outscored the Bulls 36-32 taking a 97-95 lead into the fourth quarter. This game was up for grabs and promised to be a close finish.

The fourth quarter would indeed reveal a close finish but Sacramento outscored Chicago by a slim 27-24 margin. With the Kings winning the third quarter, winning the fourth was the deciding factor with Sacramento the victor 124-119. The Kings had won their seventh game in a row and had surpassed the .500 mark in a remarkable season turnaround.

This was an absolute team effort with every starter finishing the game with double figures. De’Aaron Fox who was back in action after missing a few games had the team high with 26 points and nine rebounds.

DeMar DeRozan finished with 21 points and Keegan Murray had another good showing with 14 points and five rebounds. Malik Monk was also completely on board with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Domantas Sabonis continued his tear finishing with 22 points and 16 rebounds. The defensive effort was another solid one and the fall off defensively in the past appears to be just that, in the past. With only eight turnovers this was another all-around solid game for the Kings. They were great at the line shooting 81%.

As expected, the Bulls Zach LaVine had the high for the game with 36 points and 10 rebounds. The defense on both teams was excellent but Sacramento was just a bit better out-rebounding the Bulls by a few. The Bulls had a better showing off the bench with 30 points to the Kings 23 points but Sacramento’s starting lineup put this game away.

This was the Kings season high for wins in a row. It was a triumphant return forDeRozan who got a nice reception from his former team. Kings Head Coach Doug Christie now has a 7-1 win/loss record after dropping the first game in his new role.

It has been an amazing turnaround considering the struggles they were experiencing just a few weeks ago. The Bulls cut the Kings lead to a single point with 2:28 left in the game but clutch man Fox bumped the leading back hitting two foul shots with 1:29 left on the clock. With 22 seconds left in the game the Bulls got called for a five second violation following a timeout and Sabonis hit a couple of free throws to finish the Bulls off.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon the Kings beat the Bulls 124-119 for their seventh win in a row. The good news for the Kings was that Fox was back on the court for this game after missing three games with a glute contusion.

As this winning streak goes on they got all hands on board to extend it. The thing about winning streaks is that they do sooner or later come to an end and it takes tremendous work to keep it intact. The Kings kept an eye on Zach LaVine who always is a threat as well as Nikola Vucevic.

Tuesday night the Kings continue their road trip taking on the Milwaukee Bucks before returning home to Golden 1 Center in Sacramento for a matchup with the Rockets. Tipoff for the Milwaukee game is scheduled for 5:00 PM as Sacramento will be looking for win number eight.

G League Action: Kings hold onto 113-107 victory; Lakers late come back not enough in Stockton win

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Stockton Kings forward Isaiah Crawford (11) runs the floor against the South Bay Lakers at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Sat Jan 11, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings kept rolling as they hosted the South Bay Lakers on Saturday night. The Kings entered the night 5-1 on the season, while the Lakers were 1-4.

The Kings, led by Mason Jones (23 points), Terry Taylor (23) and Skal Labissiere (20) offensively. Meanwhile, those in attendance didn’t get to see the biggest name playing in South Bay, as Bronny James didn’t travel with the team. Instead, the Lakers saw strong offensive performances from Quincy Olivari and Jordan Goodwin, who both had 22 points on the night.

Jones had a strong night in terms of scoring, but he simply wasn’t afraid to shoot. He had 15 attempts from beyond the arc, going 6-15 from three and 6-18 overall. Every Kings starter was in double-digits for points, an impressive feat in itself but they also got some relief from their second unit.

Isaiah Crawford and new addition Chasson Randle both did a great job disrupting the Lakers defensively, as they had four and three steals respectively on the night.

Turnovers were truly the difference-maker, as the Lakers out rebounded the Kings and were even more efficient. They had five more turnovers than Stockton though, and it ended up being just a six point game. If South Bay had been more careful with their possessions, it could’ve easily been a win for the struggling team.

The Lakers nearly launched a late comeback, outscoring Stockton by 14 points in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late as the Kings walked away with a 113-107 victory against the team from Southern California.

The Kings narrowly avoided a loss to a team that hasn’t had a great start to the season, but for coach Quinton Crawford, a win is a win at this juncture. The Kings find themselves second in the Western Conference, behind only the 5-0 Santa Cruz Warriors. The Kings will now head on the road, as they’ll visit the Salt Lake City Stars on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Headline Sports with Charlie O: All games will not be sell outs in Sacramento; Jays sign Guerrero Jr for $28.5 million for one year; plus more news

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Sutter Health Park the interim home of the Sacramento A’s between 2025-2027 is sold out of season tickets. Each home game is expected to be sold out for 2025 with a capacity of 14,000. (AP file photo)

On Headline Sports with Charlie O:

#1 The incoming Sacramento A’s have announced they have sold out all their season tickets for their first interim year in Sacramento. Sutter Health Field where the Athletics will play is expected to be sold out for every game this season.

#2 When the A’s move to Las Vegas the A’s are hoping that will be the same goal sell outs for every single home game when they move there for their target date 2028.

#3 The Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr have come to an agreement avoiding salary arbitration when Guerrero had agreed on a $28.5 million one year deal. Guerrero hit .323, 199 hits, 30 home runs, and 103 RBIs.

#4 The Houston Astros are relieved to reach a deal with left hand pitcher Framber Valdez in a contract worth $18 million for one season. Valdez was 15-7 with an ERA 2.91 last season. The Astros were hoping to hold onto some of their key pitchers going into the 2025 season.

#5 Major League Baseball has banned the two fans who interfered with Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts when Betts was reaching over into the first base stands at Yankees Stadium for a pop foul. One fan pried open his glove with the ball in it and the other tried to hold onto Betts right hand when he was resisting the two fans trying to get the baseball. For their trouble the two fans Austin Capobianco and John P Hansen have been banned from all MLB events and game indefinitely according to MLB.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Athletics relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Kotsay talks about adjustment and getting to know Sacramento

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Sacramento A’s manager Mark Kotsay addresses the media during Winter Meetings on Tue Dec 10, 2024 in Dallas. Kotsay spoke with the media on Mon Jan 6, 2025 regarding the A’s getting ready to play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the 2025 season (Tom Gutierrez AP file photo)

On the A’s relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Mark Kotsay manager of the A’s met with the media on Mon Jan 6, 2025 at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in downtown Sacramento and said regarding leaving Oakland and starting in Sacramento that change is never easy and that’s its never easy leaving from what your leaving behind that meaning the Oakland fanbase.

#2 Kotsay who spent the day in Sacramento and got a chance to go to the Sacramento Kings game on Monday and getting a chance to see the energy at Golden 1 Center and the support that the Kings get Kotsay said that’s a vision of the A’s future.

#3 Kotsay said that there is a sense of a lot of excitement regarding the A’s moving to Sacramento and brining Major League Baseball to a city that hasn’t had it before.

#4 Kotsay said that it’s important that the baseball is and the A’s are about the Sacramento Community and that any kind of community that the A’s can build and get support in makes it more comforting and life becomes a little bit easier.

#5 Kotsay was real and said that also there is a level of uncomfortability that can challenge you that makes you stronger and that the A’s are fully aware of that and that the Sacramento community is important and being part of the Sacramento community.

Daniel Dullum does the Sacramento A’s relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Islanders Sink Utah HC 2-1 On Late Third Period Goal

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New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech (3) and goalie Marcus Hoberg (50) blocks the goal against the Utah Hockey Club’s center Klayton Keller (9) in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sat Jan 11, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah was unable to hold on to their 1-0 lead in the third period, losing 5 out of their past 6 home games.

The Utah Hockey Club welcomed the New York Islanders to Delta Center on Saturday night for the third game of a 7-game homestand. The last time the two squads faced off in New York, Utah bested the Islanders 5-4 in overtime. Utah split the previous two home matchups this week with a loss to the Florida Panthers and a victory over the San Jose Sharks.

Connor Ingram returned to the Utah net for the first time since November 18. The 2024 Masterton Trophy winner had been sidelined with an upper-body injury followed by a leave of absence while caring for his mother who passed away from cancer in December. Ingram stood tall in the opening frame, turning away 14 Islanders shots, while his counterpart Markus Hogberg stopped five.

Utah forward Nick Schmaltz put Utah on the board at 1:13 of the second period with his 8th goal of the season, assisted by Michael Kesselring and Logan Cooley, just 34 seconds after killing off the remainder of a first period penalty to Barrett Hayton for tripping. Ingram turned away New York’s five shots during the period which ended with a 1-0 home team lead.

At 3:36 of the third period, Islanders center Brock Nelson tied things up with his 12th goal of the season, assisted by linemates Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal. With time running out in the period, the Islanders swarmed the Utah net and Barzal put the puck past Ingram for his 4th of the season, assisted by Lee and Nelson, to give New York a 2-1 lead and the eventual victory.

After the game, Connor Ingram was asked how it felt to be back out on the ice. “It felt good. It was a long couple months off there. It felt good to be back out there. Lucky for me, I got a chance in Tucson during the week. So I got a little bit in game shape. It felt good.” Asked about the support of his team upon his return, Ingram said, “It’s been good. I can’t ask for anything else. The guys have been great, the team has been great, management has been great. I have no complaints.”

Head coach André Tourigny addressed Ingram’s performance in his first game back. “He was really, really, good. All game long, he was solid (and) made key saves. He was, for sure, one of the bright sides of the game. (Jack McBain) had big blocked shots a few times in the game; paid a price a few times on the PK. Those are the highlights for me.” Describing the goal which cost Utah the game, Tourigny said, “Turnover in the neutral zone to get into our zone. We’re gapped out because of our puck decision in the neutral zone. Then from there, it’s a broken play; dirty puck. That’s the way you score in a tight game. It was tough for us to create clean chances, it was tough for them to create clean chances. I think they scored on one clean chance and the other they went for the broken play. I think we had a few clean chances as well; we hit the post twice. We could not bury our chances.”

Next up for Utah is a Tuesday tilt against the Montreal Canadiens.

Sharks Fall 3-1 Against Minnesota Mark Andre Fleury’s Final Dance at SAP Center.

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San Jose Sharks hosted Minnesota Wild on Pride Night Festivities at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Jan 11. 2025 (Sharks Media)

By: Fernando Abarca (San Jose Sharks Beat Writer)

After losing in Utah on Friday night, Our Teal had to get back on their feet quickly as they hosted the Minnesota Wild at home for Saturday action. This game was fueled by physicality, toughness, and experience. Minnesota comes into this game with five wins of their last six, knew they had control of the momentum while the Sharks made it a third loss in a row.

Despite the Sharks’ strong game, Marc Andre Fleury was the star player who recorded 36 shot saves, a milestone for the future Hall of Famer.

Minnesota got the first point when a defensive error by William Eklund gave the puck away for Minnesota. San Jose defensively failed to stop, leaving Askarov vulnerable and Marco Rossi would score the visitors’ first go-ahead point of the night.

Despite the Sharks’ good game, Marc Andre Fleury was the star player who recorded 36 shot saves, a milestone for the future Hall of Famer.

Minnesota got the first goal when a defensive error by William Eklund gave the puck away for Minnesota. San Jose defensively failed to stop leaving Askarov vulnerable and Marco Rossi would score the first go-ahead goal of the night for the visitors.

Matt Boldy then went into the neutral zone with a powerful wrist shot to make it 2-0 in the second period. Despite this 2-0 lead, the Sharks tried to close the gap with a goal by William Eklund in the final minutes of the second period assisted by Walman and Celebrini.

The goal tried to give some breathing room, but it just wouldn’t be enough.

In the late third, a turnover on Celebrini sealed the 3-1 lead with an empty netter by Mats Zucarrello to close out the series of games they had at home since late December.

Once again, poor decisions, carelessness, and technical errors cost the game, but it must be stressed that the Sharks played and tried to get the result but it just wasn’t their night.

Now, the Sharks will be on the road for a long time starting the trip in Detroit this coming Tuesday night.

Barracuda fall to Condors in overtime, splitting the series

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Connor Carrick (58) celebrating after scoring a goal during their game on Saturday January 11th at Mechanics Bank Arena (via Condors/x)

By Madison Montez

The Barracuda kept their energy from last night with Brandon Coe scoring at 18:32 of the first. This was Coe’s first goal with San Jose after leaving for the Spengler Cup. Joey Keane and Lucas Carlsson registering the assists.

The Condors tied it early in the second at 5:07. Jayden Grubbe scored his 2nd goal of the season with Cameron Wright registering the lone assist.

San Jose retook their lead at 11:02 when Anthony Vincent scored his 4th goal of the season, unassisted. 42 seconds later, San Jose extended their lead to 2 when Scott Sabourin scored his 5th goal of the season, assisted by Jimmy Schuldt.

5 minutes later at 16:20, Ethan Cardwell extended San Jose’s lead to 4-1 when he scored his 3rd of the season, assisted by Tristen Robins. Bakersfield cut into the lead at 19:35 when Connor Carrick scored his 5th goal of the season assisted by Cameron Wright and James Hablin.

The third period was all Condors. They cut into the lead again at 6:32 when Cameron Wright scored his 7th of the season assisted by Ronnie Attard. They tied the game at 7:28 when Drake Caggiula scored his 8th goal of the season assisted by Connor Carrick and James Hablin.

Regulation wasn’t enough as these two teams had to go to overtime. The Condors walked away with the win when Connor Carrick scored his 6th of the season and 2nd of the night at 2:45 into overtime.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  • 1. Connor Carrick
  • 2. Cameron Wright
  • 3. Jayden Grubbe

The Barracuda will be back in action next Saturday the 18th when they will travel to Abbotsford to take on the Canucks. The last time these two teams faced off was back in November when San Jose outscored Abbotsford 12-6 in a 2 game series.

Cal’s second-half comeback falls short in 71-68 loss to Hokies

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Cal Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic guard (2) goes for the throw down against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Haas Pavilion on Sat Jan 11, 2025 (Cal Bears photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Despite a valiant Comeback, California came up short in its men’s basketball game against Virginia Tech, as the Hokies earned a 71-68 Atlantic Coast Conference victory at Haas Pavilion.

It was Cal’s sixth loss in its last eight games.

The Golden Bears (8-8 overall, 1-4 ACC) were down 22 points in the second half. Cal’s Andrej Stojakovic scored 22 of his game-high 24 points to spark the Golden Bears late rally. Stojakovic’s 3-point attempt rimmed out as time expired.

Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 14 points for Cal, including 11 in the second half. Stojakovic and Wilkinson combined to score 30 of the Golden Bears’ last 31 points of the game.

Jayden Young was the top scorer for Virginia Tech with 14 points, while Tyler Johnson turned in a double-double (11 points and 12 rebounds) for the Hokies (7-9 overall, 2-3 ACC).

The Golden Bears missed their first 13 shots of the game, trailing 15-4 early, eventually trailing 42-33 at halftime. Cal was trailing by 21 seven minutes into the second half when it used a 26-7 run, and tied the game at 58-58 with 6:03 remaining. Virginia Tech reeled off a 9-0 run to maintain the lead for good.

Next weekend, the Golden Bears travel to Tobacco Road for ACC games against North Carolina on Wednesday (4 p.m.) and North Carolina State on Saturday (3 p.m.).