That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Ciudad Deportiva in Havana, Cuba one of the First indoor Stadiums

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Indoor Stadium Havana, Cuba 1958 built before the Astrodome in Houston (photo from the Author)

Ciudad Deportiva in Havana, Cuba one of the first indoor stadiums

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The Ciudad Deportiva in Havana, Cuba, is a major sports complex (built before communism), which was inaugurated in February 1958. The construction of the Ciudad Deportiva, as well as the inauguration, was completed seven years before the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas, the first indoor sports stadium in the US, in 1965.

Baseball, the National Sport of Cuba, was played at the Ciudad Deportiva, as were other sports such as volleyball, basketball, fencing, boxing, and weightlifting; it was also used for exhibitions, conventions, and major national events.

The Ciudad Deportiva, translated as “Sports City,” was a marvel of 1950s architecture. As a kid, I remember visiting with my father, and I remember the Cuban people felt very proud of this achievement. In 2026, this dilapidated complex continues to face the same problems affecting the largest island in the Caribbean, including frequent blackouts, food shortages, severe fuel-related economic challenges, inadequate healthcare, and frequent devastating hurricanes.

Sports in Cuba are suffering today more than ever. The Venezuelan situation is harming the island, as the oil-rich country was its principal ally. Cuba and Venezuela had a symbiotic relationship. Venezuela provided Cuba with cheap oil, and Cuba provided Venezuela with arms and military intelligence that they acquired during the years Cuba was a satellite of the Soviet Union(Russia).

However, as of today, Cuba is no longer a powerful military nation; it is weak, and its government’s collapse is predicted to be more likely today after the demise of Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro. Cuba’s participation in the World Baseball Classic this next March is in doubt, similar issued arose before the 2022 WBC, which was ultimately resolved allowing Cuba to participate, but today it doesn’t look this 2026 situation will be resolved before March.

Sad story for Cuba a country of 11 million people the size of Pennsylvania. Baseball is said to have been introduced in Cuba in 1864 by students returning from the U.S. The first official game on record on the island took place a decade later at Estado Palmar de Junco in Matanzas, considered the oldest active baseball stadium in the world.

Quote: “You don’t walk to get off the island. You hit to get off the island,” -Luis Tiant.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874

From the second you step in the front door, the sounds of Latin America will gently seduce your ears and continue as you relax outdoors with your favorite cocktail enjoying the view. The wonderful flavors and aromas of our cuisine will not disappoint.

We use only the finest, freshest, local ingredients in every dish and every dish is prepared to order. Enjoy live mariachi music weekly and on special occasions, catch balet folklorico dance performances among other live entertainment. Come visit us and have a great time! Enjoy fast, friendly service, fantastic food & cocktails, music and allow us to share our beautiful Mexican heritage with you.

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant at 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874.

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Sharks open up back to back nights with Dallas and Vegas; SJ picks up goaltender Brossoit from Jets

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The San Jose Sharks picked up goaltender Laurent Brossoit from the Winnipeg Jets on Thu Jan 8, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 The San Jose Sharks picked up Laurent Brossoit from the Winnipeg Jets in a trade with the Chciago Blackhawks on Thursday. Brossoit agreed to a $6.6 million contract with the Blackhawks but never played for Chciago. Brossoit was out with a right knee injury last season. Brossoit had been playing this season in the minors after having off season hip surgery.

#2 Macklin Celebrini has been one of San Jose’s top offensive threats this season — how can the Sharks leverage his creativity and scoring touch to break through a strong Dallas Stars defensive structure?

#3 With William Eklund showing his knack for clutch goals and playmaking, what role might he play in generating early momentum for San Jose against Dallas?

#4 Alex Wennberg brings veteran leadership and reliable two-way play — how important will his faceoff performance and defensive zone coverage be in slowing down the Stars’ attack?

#5 On the blue line, Mario Ferraro’s physicality and ability to jump into the play could be key — how might his style impact the Sharks’ ability to limit Dallas shots from dangerous areas?

#6 Goalie Yaroslav Askarov has been tasked with net-minding duties — what adjustments must he make to handle the Stars’ skilled forwards and pace of play throughout 60 minutes?

Len Shapiro does the San Jose Sharks podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings battle Warriors Friday night at Chase Center; Sac looking to end six game losing streak

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Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis tries to hit a shot over the Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Tue Jan 6, 2026 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Zach LaVine has been the Kings’ leading scorer—how do you expect him to attack the Warriors’ perimeter defense and get his looks against a tough backcourt?

#2 With DeMar DeRozan’s experience and mid-range scoring, how can Sacramento use him to control the tempo early and keep Golden State from building a quick lead?

#3 Russell Westbrook brings veteran playmaking—what role will he play in setting the Kings’ pace and facilitating offense against the Warriors’ switching defenses?

#4 Malik Monk has been a scoring spark off the bench this season—how important will his shooting be in keeping the Kings competitive if Sacramento falls behind early?

#5 Keon Ellis provides energy and 3-point shooting—can he help space the floor and make timely shots to relieve pressure on Sacramento’s stars?

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Sacramento Kings podcasts Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Mammoth Defeats Senators 3-1 As NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Reveals Utah To Host 2027 Winter Classic

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The Utah Mammoth will host the 2027 Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the University of Utah Utes football team (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Mammoth got all the offense it would need in the first eight minutes and shut the Ottawa Senators down in the final two periods en route to 3-1 victory in first home game of 2026.

The Utah Mammoth (20-20-3) returned to Delta Center on Wednesday night, following a Big Apple road trip to kick off 2026 where they won two of three, to face the Ottawa Senators (20-16-5) for the first of a season-high seven-game homestand which ties a franchise record.

Earlier in the day, Mammoth owners Ryan and Ashley Smith held a press conference with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to announce that Utah will host the 2027 Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the University of Utah Utes football team. The Mammoth are the only NHL team which has never played an outdoor game. The only other two teams never to host one are the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks.

Prior to the puck drop, Utah recognized its four players who have been selected to represent their respective countries in February’s Winter Olympics: Clayton Keller (USA), JJ Peterka (Germany), Karel Vejmelka (Czechia), and Olli Määttä (Finland)..

Lawson Crouse put the Mammoth on the scoreboard at 3:59 of the first period when Clayton Keller skated the puck behind the net and then out front where he found the stick of Crouse who banged it in for his tenth goal of the season, with the additional assist going to Mikhail Sergachev.

Crouse has six points in his past seven games, and is now two goals shy of his total for the 2024-2025 season as well as two points ahead of last season’s overall total. Utah now has six different players with 10 or more goals which ties them for the most in the NHL.

At 7:20, the captain picked up his second assist of the night, feeding a pass to defenseman John Marino who put the puck past Ottawa netminder Leevi Meriläinen for his 3rd goal of the season and first in front of the home fans, with Nate Schmidt picking up the additional assist on the play.

The Senators would claw one back at 17:41 of the period when Ridly Greig beat Karel Vejmelka for his sixth of the season, assisted by Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson. Utah carried the 2-1 lead to the locker room, with Meriläinen stopping 7 of 9 and Vejmelka turning away 6 of 7.

Ottawa applied a lot more pressure in the second period, peppering Vejmelka with 15 shots to no avail. Utah managed only 5 shots in the frame as the score remained 2-1 after two.

At 5:41 of the third period, the Mammoth regained their two-goal lead as a pile of bodies stacked up in front of the Senators goaltender and somehow forward Daniil But pushed the puck over the line for his 2nd goal of the season, assisted by Jack McBain and Brandon Tanev.

Ottawa challenged the goal citing goaltender interference, but the decision on the ice was upheld upon video review. Utah’s defense proved stingy throughout the final frame and never gave the Senators an opening to close the gap. Vejmelka saved 32 of 33 on the night. With the 3-1 victory, the Mammoth are now 3-1-0 in the new year.

Following the game, Utah forward Lawson Crouse said, “It took a lot of grind” to win tonight’s game. “That pressure kept coming from them,” he said, “and we did a good job. We found a way to close it out and that’s what’s important. … There were ups and downs throughout the game, just like there’s gonna be in any game, but like I said earlier, we found a way to close it out and get a big point.” Crouse praised the contributions of Utah defensemen Sergachev, Marino, and Schmidt who each found the scoresheet. “It’s huge. We wouldn’t be here without our D and they contribute all over the ice, defensively and offensively. It’s great to see Johnny get one. He’s obviously a great guy and really good with the puck, and makes some solid plays. It’s nice to see him get rewarded.” Talking about Daniil But’s performance, Crouse added, “He’s got a lot of chances, and I think he had a few more tonight that probably could have gone in and it’s just weird, that’s the one that goes in. But credit to that line, they go to the net hard. It’s nice to see them get rewarded.”

Mammoth defenseman John Marino spoke of the team’s effort in the win. “We got those first two goals early, and we had a big push there in the first. They played well, and they out worked us at times, probably overall in the whole game but we snuck away with that one. I think the way we were able to sustain pressure, at least, and just limit their grade A chances.”

Marino credited Olympian Karel Vejmelka’s performance as well. “Yeah, he’s been great for us all year making those big saves. He definitely bailed us out so many times today. We want to help him out more, but when he plays like that we are a tough team to play against.”

Head Coach André Tourigny began his postgame remarks by saying, “First of all, they’re a good team. They play hard, tough to play against, and I give them a lot of credit. Second, we played very hard, especially at the end of the game.

Even when we took the lead early on, there was a little bit of an adjustment for us in the third. I really think when the game is on the line, when push comes to shove, we really raise our game. We raised our urgency, were really stingy, and we had composure. So, I like the way we closed out the game. When it was 2-1, there was no panic, no stress in our game, just urgency and focus.”

When asked his thoughts about the Winter Classic announcement, Tourigny said, “For the entire organization, [for] the fans, to have the opportunity to experience that – for us coaches and players and our families – to have that opportunity to be in that environment will be absolutely special and will be magical. I think that’s unbelievable. I think for you, for our fans, for everybody, I think that’s a unique opportunity. I’ve never had the opportunity in the NHL. … It’s a huge privilege, as much as you can watch on TV – there’s a few every year – but there’s 32 teams in the league. Not everybody has that opportunity so I think we’re fortunate. I really appreciate the league giving us that opportunity, and that’s a testimony for me to the confidence they have in Ryan and Ashley Smith – the job that they did here with SEG since the team arrived – so I’m grateful for all of it.”

The Mammoth (21-20-3) will face the St. Louis Blues (17-19-8) on Friday for the second contest of their seven-game homestand.

Sharks Beat Kings 4-3 In OT, 3 Point Game for Celebrini

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) puts the stop on a puck shot by the Los Angeles Kings in the second period at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wed Jan 7, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday. Tyler Toffoli, Adam Gaudette, Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves for the win. Alex Turcotte, Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere scored for the Kings. Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves in the loss. The game was the last between the teams for the regular season.

After the game, Macklin Celebrini talked about how the team is feeling:

“You have a feeling in our group, we’re confident in those situations when we’re down 3-2 or tied 2-2 going in late against a really relly good team, a playoff team, so I th8nk it’s a different kind of swagger and feeling in our group.”

After a scoreless first period, the teams were tied or close in almost all respects: shots were 8-6 Kings, the Sharks had one penalty and the Kings none, and the teams were even in faceoff wins.

On their first power play of the game, the Sharks took a 1-0 lead. Tyler Toffoli scored with a wrist shot at 4:10 of the second period. Assists went to Alexander Wennberg and Macklin Celebrini.

The Sharks held that lead for a bit but Alex Turcotte tied the game at 11:34. His wrist shot got through a scrum in front of the net on a second rebound after Askarov made two saves but came out too far. An assist went to Kevin Fiala.

The second period shots were 13-10 Sharks, the penalties were three for Los Angeles and two for San Jose.

Adam Gaudette gave the Sharks another lead by tipping a shot from Timothy Liljegren for a power play goal at 5:38 of the third. Assists went to Liljegren and Jeff Skinner.

Kevin Fiala tied the game back up with a wrist shot about a minute later. Assists went to Turcotte and Joel Edmundson.

Edmundsson was briefly credited with a goal at 12:09. After a review, the goal was called back as Edmundson had knocked the puck into the net with his glove.

The Kings did take the lead at 17:50 with a shot from the blue line tipped by Alex Laferriere. Assists went to Joel Edmunson and Cody Ceci.

Macklin Celebrini tied it up again with a dazzling skill show at 18:53.

The Sharks won with a goal in overtime from William Eklund off a pass from Celebrini.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at home at 1:00 pm PT against the Dallas Stars.

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong: Kraken on four game win streak; Isles leave it all out on the ice with 9-0 win; plus more news

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Seattle Kraken Berkly Catton flicks the puck against the Boston Bruins in the third period at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Tue Jan 6, 2026 (AP News photo)

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong:

Can the Seattle Kraken keep rolling after Berkly Catton’s first NHL goals and a nine-game point streak? — Catton scored his first two NHL goals in a 7-4 win over the Bruins, extending Seattle’s four game win streak.

Will the New York Islanders’ dominant 9–0 win and Ilya Sorokin’s franchise shutout record spark a bigger surge in the Metropolitan Division? — Sorokin set the Islanders’ shutout mark in the rout of the Devils.

What’s the latest from the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of their next matchup? — Penguins news and practice updates were released as they prepare for Thursday’s game.

How will the Olympic selections impact the NHL as Akira Schmid is named to Switzerland’s Winter Games roster? — Golden Knights goaltender Schmid earned an Olympic spot.

What do NHL power players say about the league’s growth and fan engagement following the 2026 Winter Classic? — Young ambassadors are sharing insights after the event.

Jessica Kwong does the NHL podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda win 3-2 in 7 round shootout

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San Diego Gulls vs San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday January 7th at Pechanga Arena (via sdgulls/flickr)

By Madison Montez

Scoring:

The San Jose Barracuda got a narrow win over the San Diego Gulls 3-2 in a seven round shootout in San Diego on Wednesday night. Colin White opened up the scoring to give the Barracuda an early 1-0 lead. White now has goals in back to back games, scoring his second powerplay goal of the season. Yegor Sidorov tied the game at 1-1 four minutes into the second period. With four minutes left of the game, Colin White scored his second of the night to extend the San Jose lead to 2-1. Picking up a loose recocheted puck, Matthew Philips tied the game at 2-2 with 53 seconds left in the game. After a scoreless overtime period and a seven round shootout, Cam Lund was the hero scoring the shootout.

SOG:

After the first period, although San Jose had the lead, both teams had ten shots each. After the second period, San Diego, who tied the game in the second period, outshot San Jose twelve to seven. After the third period and to end the game, San Jose outshot San Diego nine to five.

Penalties:

Both teams were able to show their special teams in tonight’s game. Coming into tonight’s game, San Jose went 1 for 2 with Colin White scoring his second of the season. For San Diego, they went 0 for 3, one of those being a five minute powerplay that San Jose was able to kill off. Stastically, San Jose came into the game second on the powerplay and ninth on the penalty kill. For San Diego, they came into the game ninth on the powerplay and first on the penalty kill.

Goalies:

Jakub Skarek got the start for San Jose while Calle Clang got the start for San Diego. Jakub Skarek, who made 26 saves on 28 shots, recorded the win. His record now moves to 10-5-0-1. Calle Clang, who made 28 saves on 30 shots, recorded the loss. His record now moves to 5-1-2-1.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  1. Jakub Skarek
  2. Matthew Phillips
  3. Yegor Sidorov

The Barracuda will be in action on Saturday January 10th against the Bakersfield Condors at 7pm. This will be their first home game of 2026.

Wennberg’s three point night lifts Sharks into last wild card spot in the West with 5-2 win over Columbus

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Pavol Regenda forward (84) for the San Jose Sharks is thrilled with the Sharks taking the lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Jan 6, 2026 (San Jose Sharks X photo)

By Lincoln Juarez 

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Alex Wennberg notched three points including a goal in his first game since signing a three-year contract extension. Zach Ostapchuk was rewarded with the game-winning goal in a vibrant 5–2Tuesday night victory at the Shark Tank.  

Tuesday night hockey at SAP Center brought the Columbus Blue Jackets (18-16-7) to town holding the worst record in the Eastern conference while tallying as many points as the Sharks(43), who entered the game just two points out of the final Western conference wild card spot.

The Sharks were coming off a bitter loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday afternoon where Pavol Regenda scored his first career hat trick in the 7-3 loss. With the Ducks loss to the Flyers in Philadelphia, that second wild card spot was up for grabs with a Sharks win. 

Regenda kept his torch of a stick on fire, making the difference in the first period of Tuesday’s game with the lone goal between the two teams. Displaying his sweet set of mitts, he roofed one above the glove of Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves. It was Regenda’s sixth goal in just his fifth game with the Sharks this season with Alex Wennberg picking up the primary assist in his first game since signing a three-year contract extension with San Jose. 

In the Sharks crease, Alex Nedeljkovic stood strong turning away all 12 shots he faced including some point-blank scoring chances. Nedeljkovic has made some big saves to keep the Sharks in games as of late with the recent inconsistent play of Yaroslav Askarov. 

The pace the Sharks lacked on Saturday was in full force in the second period Tuesday night. Outshooting the Blue Jackets 17-5 in the middle period, San Jose dominated time on attack and offensive pressure. The Sharks drew four penalties, one of which came on a trip to forward Ty Dellandrea, sending him legs-first into the goal post and to the locker room for the rest of the game.

 The Sharks were only able to capitalize on one power play. Alex Wennberg backhanded one into the net to put the Sharks ahead by two goals with his eighth of the season, getting in on both of the Sharks goals through the first two periods.

Columbus finally had an answer with Zach Werenski’s 16th goal of the season to get back within a goal. 

The second period had a little bit of everything, including a heavy-weight tilt between Mathieu Olivier and Ryan Reaves at center ice, keeping the energy high in the Shark Tank as the second period came to an end with San Jose in front 2-1. 

An energetic third period saw both teams attacking with the Blue Jackets throwing 18 shots at Alex Nedeljkovic while the Sharks had nine shots on goal. Neither side prevailed until Zach Ostapchuk, “the fastest man in the world” according to Ryan Reaves, broke free from everybody and scored a sweet goal to extend the Sharks lead back to two with 4:44 left in regulation. “He’s been playing some good hockey, happy for him to get rewarded with a goal tonight” said head coach Ryan Warsofsky on Zach Ostapchuk’s play of late. 

Luckily the Sharks got some insurance because Sean Monohan brought the Blue Jackets back within one less than a minute later with his sixth goal of the campaign. 

San Jose went on to score two empty-net goals from Mario Ferraro and Macklin Celebrini to secure a 5-2 win and swap places with the Anaheim Ducks for the second wild card spot in the West following their loss in Philadelphia earlier in the night. 

Team teal will be right back in action Wednesday night in downtown LA when the puck drops at 7:30pm in the second game of back-to-backs against the Los Angeles Kings.

Kings’ Offensive Struggles on Full Display in Narrow 100-98 Loss to Mavericks

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Demar Derozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings complains about a call during their game against the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center on January 06, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks. However, the game itself seemed like the secondary story of the night.

The Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks are two teams with very recent falls from grace. There are a lot of similarities to draw between the two franchises, to go along with some stark differences. In this one the Kings fell from grace on Tuesday night 100-98 in razor close contest.

Both the Kings and Mavericks were playoff teams as recently as 2023 and 2024, respectively. Yet, neither team has any hopes of making the playoffs this season after major roster blowups were enacted by the teams’ front offices.

Last season, the Kings fired the first coach to take them to the playoffs since Rick Adelman in 2006, Mike Brown. Along with the Mike Brown firing came the departure of De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, which marked the end of the “beam team” era for the Kings.

On the other side of the court, the Dallas Mavericks — and since-fired GM Nico Harrison — traded their All-Star and young star Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in what was one of the more puzzling moves in NBA history. Harrison has since been fired, and the Mavericks have moved on to a new group to lead the team.

Two teams with unforced errors now find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference. As of Tuesday, the Kings sit at 14th in the conference with only eight wins on the year. The Mavericks are a 13-win team and sit at 12th in the West. The two franchises share a lot of similarities in their situations near the bottom of the standings. The main difference is that the Mavericks were fortunate enough to land the No. 1 pick in last year’s NBA Draft and selected Cooper Flagg, whom they now look to as their future.

On the other hand, the Kings have no first-round pick as part of their future and have a roster full of misfit veteran players with very little size or defensive ability.

These issues were on full display on Tuesday during the loss to the Mavericks.

The Kings lost to the Dallas Mavericks in fitting fashion, as the game came down to a botched play with less than 30 seconds left that led to isolation basketball for the veteran players on the team. Fittingly, the Kings were unable to convert, falling to the Mavericks 100-98.

The Kings did a good job holding the Mavericks to just 100 points, but the offense, which is ranked near the bottom of the league, failed them in the second half of the game.

Maxime Raynaud, who fouled out, was confident after the game that the Kings’ offense would turn it around given the level of talent on the roster.

“Everything kind of comes up given where we are at right now, but I do believe we have some extremely talented offensive players,” Raynaud said. “I mean, Russ is the highest-scoring point guard of all time. Zach has been a 50-40-90 player all his life. Deebo is probably one of the best closers in the NBA. So in that sense, we probably just have to find more collective solutions and not only rely on them carrying us every single game. We’ve got to give them some help.”

Help may not be what the Kings need. From the viewer’s perspective, the offense simply seems broken and stagnant — a recipe for disaster in the modern NBA.

“Just being more organized, understanding what we could get instead of trying to rely on a one-leg 30-footer to go in,” DeMar DeRozan said of the late offensive woes after the game. “Just got to give ourselves a better chance.”

The Kings have lacked organization and rhythm on the offensive side of the ball all year, and Tuesday was no different. The offensive stagnation has been an issue since the Kings blew up the roster last season before the trade deadline. Unlike the Mavericks, the Kings have no clear path forward to improve the team or their chances at another playoff appearance in the near future.

Up next, the Kings will travel to San Francisco on Friday to take on the Golden State Warriors at 7 p.m. inside Chase Center. 

Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson: Stanford opens two game road trip at Virginia Tech Wednesday

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Benny Gealer guard (5) and the Stanford Cardinal get ready for the Virginia Tech Hokies on Wed Jan 7, 2026 at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg VA (Stanford Cardinal photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson:

#1 Stanford Cardinal (12-3) freshman guard Ebuka Okorie leads the Cardinal in scoring (over 21 points per game) and will be a key offensive focal point against Virginia Tech Hokies (12-3) defense.

#2 With his size and rebounding ability, Chisom Okpara presence in the paint could be crucial in deciding whether Stanford controls the boards.

#3 Which backcourt combo — Okorie and Ryan Agarwal — will have more success penetrating Virginia Tech’s defense?

#4 Can Okpara’s experience help Stanford sustain consistency across four quarters?

#5 Will Stanford’s perimeter shooting under pressure be enough to offset Virginia Tech’s athletic defenders?

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com