Santa Cruz Warriors game wrap: Warriors Handled Lakers 89-76 inside KPA on Saturday night

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Santa Cruz Warriors forward Jackson Rowe (44) takes aim against the South Bay Lakers at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz on Sat Nov 30, 2024 (photo from Santa Cruz Warriors X)

By Michael Roberson

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Santa Cruz Warriors (4-4) got their own post Black Friday bargain, by defeating the South Bay Lakers (3-5), 89-76, on their home court.

The Warriors got off to an ominous start to the game, by being blindsided by the visitors from Southern California. SBL went on a 9-0 run after the game was tied at 2. The Lakers also scored the first basket of the game.

The Warriors did not let their guests just take over the game immediately. They went on a come back push and cut the deficit all the way to one at quarter’s end. After 12 minutes of play, the Lakers led 25-24.

Santa Cruz took 13 seconds to put themselves in front in the game, after the leading scoring center, Kevin Knox II hit a 3-pointer. That was their first lead of the contest, which they held onto for the rest of the half, including a 12-point margin.

The Warrior led by four at intermission, 52-48. They presented two players with at least 10 points in the first 24. The aforementioned Knox led with 14 points, while forward Blake Hinson contributed 10 points off of the bench.

The Lakers also had two players reach that plateau, Vincent Valerio-Bodon chipped in 11 points, and center Kylor Kelley added ten points and five rebounds.

In the third stanza, the Warriors opened up the lead again to 12 points. Know and Hinson were still the leaders of the Warriors’ charge, Despite the double-digit lead, SBL cut it to five after 36 minutes of basketball action. After three, the Warriors led 68-63.

The final segment of the game, SCW reached their largest advantage, 15 points. Besides improving their gap by 10 points, they managed to win the game by 13. The Sellout crowd was delighted when the final horn sounded, and the Warriors were the victors. When the 48 minutes elapsed, the Warriors won 89-76.

Four Warriors were in double-figures in scoring, with another one point away. Knox II (18), Reece (16), with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Blake Hinson gave the team 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jackson Rowe put in nine points, but had double-digit rebounds (10).

The Lakers had three players with the ten point criteria, Vincent Valerio-Bodon (23), Kylor Kelley (16) and 9 rebounds. Grayson Murphy (13) and nine rebounds., and DaJuan Gordon scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Warriors are next in action December 5 in Tempe, AZ to take on the Valley Suns. The Lakers head up to Oregon December 2 & 4 for two games against Rip City Remix.

Note: The highly anticipated LeBron “Bronny” James appearance in Santa Cruz , did not come to fruition, due to his “Home Games Only” policy during his G-League stint.

San Jose Barracuda sweep the Abbotsford Canucks scoring 12 goals on the weekend

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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 30: The San Jose Barracuda host the Abbotsford Canucks at Tech CU Arena on November 30, 2024 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Andreea Cardani/San Jose Barracuda on X)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE–As Gabriel Carriere gets his first start at home of the season, The San Jose Barracuda sweep the Abbotsford Canucks scoring 12 goals. Carriere making 25 saves on 29 for his first win at Tech CU.

At 3:45 of the 1st, Arshdeep Bains took a two minute penalty for Holding to give the Barracuda an early powerplay opportunity. 32 seconds into the powerplay, Luca Cagnoni scored his sixth goal of the season assisted by Colin Graf and Andrew Poturalski to give the Barracuda an early 1-0 lead. 32 seconds later, Colin White nets hits fifth goal of the season assisted by Donovan Houle and Anthony Vincent to extend San Jose’s lead to two.

Abottsford cut down San Jose’s lead to 1 at 1:11 of the second scored by Tristen Nielsen assisted by Elias Pettersson. They shortly tied it up at 2:19 with Ben Berard scoring his first of the season assisted by John Stevens. At 7:11, Elias Pettersson took a two minute roughing penalty against Anthony Vincent.

43 seconds into the powerplay, San Jose got their second powerplay goal of the night scored by Luca Cagnoni assisted by Collin Graf and Danil Guschin. Abbotsford tied it up again at 10:50 scored unassisted by Danila Klimovich.

With 37.8 seconds left in the two, Andrew Poturalski nets his eighth of the season and third powerplay goal of the game assisted by Collin Graf and… goalie Gabriel Carriere. Right as the buzzer sounds, the Barracuda extend their lead to two on another Colin White goal assisted by Thomas Bordeleau and Donovan Houle to move the score to 5-3.

San Jose extended their lead to three at 3:42 on a Thomas Bordeleau goal, his third of the season, assisted by Justin Bailey. With seconds left on a Filip Bystedt high-stick penalty, San Jose gives up their first shorthanded goal of the game.

Tristen Nielsen scoring his second of the game and fifth of the season assisted by Nils Åman and Kirill Kudryavtsev to make the score 6-4. Justin Bailey secured the win scoring an empty net goal with 03.7 seconds left. Carriere recording his first win at home of the season after being called up.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  1. Luca Cagnoni, 2G

2. Collin Graf, 3A

3. Colin White, 2G 1A

The Barracuda will be back in action on Wednesday December 4th hosting the San Diego Gulls for another midweek matchup. The last time these two teams faced off was on Wednesday November 13th where San Jose won 2-1 on two Thomas Bordeleau goals.

G League basketball: Santa Cruz Warriors podcast with Michael Roberson Lakers-Warriors do battle tonight at Kaiser Permanente Arena

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Santa Cruz Warriors forward Blake Hinson (26) and center Seth Maxwell (98) shakes hands while battling the Salt Lake City Stars in G League action at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Cruz on Fri Nov 29, 2024 (Santa Cruz Warriors X photo)

On the Santa Cruz Warriors podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael wanted to go over some of last night’s highlights as the Santa Cruz Warriors did battle with Salt Lake City Stars grabbing a home victory right here at Kaiser Permanente Arena here in Santa Cruz. In his first start since November 9, rookie two-way guard Reece Beekman led Santa Cruz with 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting while nabbing five steals – a season high for the team. Forward Jackson Rowe finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Gui Santos, on assignment from Golden State, notched 16 points and seven rebounds. The Warriors picked up their third win of the season on Friday night 115-108.

#2  Forward Kevin Knox II recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Forwards Blake Hinson and Javan Johnson contributed 28 points off the bench for the Sea Dubs, scoring 17 points and 11 points, respectively

#3 Two-way center Oscar Tshiebwe led the Stars with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Forward Cody Williams scored 18 points in his first assignment with the Stars, and two-way guard/forward David Jones Garcia logged 20 points and six rebounds off the bench. Guards Max Abmas and Isaiah Wong, who scored a combined 45 points in their last match-up against Santa Cruz, recorded 10 points and 11 points, respectively.

#4 The Stars mounted a late-game 15-4 run to bring the contest within 5 points with under a minute to play, but the Sea Dubs held on to claim a 115-108 victory. 

#5 Michael the Warriors are taking on the South Bay Lakers tonight here at Kaiser. The Lakers are 3-4 and have won their last two games in a row most recently beating Rip City 123-103. Both clubs with identical records the Warriors with the home floor and much to take advantage of just wanted to get a sense of how you see this match up tonight?

Michael Roberson is an G League and NCAA basketball analyst at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SMU Outclasses Cal, Goes 8-0 To Finish First In The ACC

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By Morris Phillips

Cal’s opportunity to end their regular season in a rarified manner fell apart before Saturday’s 12:30p.m. kickoff.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Cal’s offensive catalyst, was ruled out due to an illness. Massive offensive linemen Nick Morrow, Fred Williams, and back Jaivian Thomas couldn’t go either due to injuries. Then, national-title contender SMU appeared as scheduled. And boy, were the Mustangs motivated.

“We wanted to go 8-0,” coach Rhett Lashlee said. “We wanted to win the regular season outright and not share it. And we were playing for a lot because the College Football Playoff still comes out with rankings for two more weeks. … We didn’t need to stumble. Have a setback.”

SMU glided to a 21-0 first half lead and won 38-6, the near-perfect lead-in to their ACC Championship game date with Clemson. The Bears spent more than half the game trying to score their first three points and struggled to run their offense for much of that stretch.

The Mustangs’ offensive line pushed Cal’s front around in their touchdown drives. That activity bought Kevin Jennings time to throw, or the zone blocking scheme opened lanes for Brashard Smith to run. Both had big games, and rarely did SMU run a poor play in the sequence. The home team’s failing was 17 penalties for 137 yards that limited their time of possession but didn’t negatively impact the scoreboard.

“I thought Kevin quietly played one of his better games of the year,” Lashlee said. “I think we scored on three of those first four drives. I know we didn’t score on the first one. We had 21 points pretty quick on their defense.”

Jennings was 20 of 30 for 225 yards passing, and Smith has 134 yards running and receiving. For Cal, the running game had too few explosive plays.

“Not good enough at any position to put points on the board,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “It was an offensive issue today, not just quarterback.”

Chandler Rogers completed 8 of 15 passes for 84 yards, but he left injured in the third quarter. C.J. Harris finished the game for Cal and was 6 of 8 passing. In the first half, Cal gained 45 yards in 20 rushing attempts. The closest thing to success was Derek Morris’ 38-yard field goal miss.

Cal did have its full list of pass catchers, but they weren’t sharp or productive. Nyziah Hunter led with five catches, but he had a key procedural mistake pre-snap when Cal was driving before the break. Seven others caught a pass, but the total passes caught was only 14.

After taking their 21-0 leady early in the second quarter, the Mustangs went more than half the game before scoring again in the fourth. A field goal, a second touchdown pass from Kevin Jennings, and a 40-yard touchdown pass from Preston Stone capped the scoring.

The Bears may wait 10 to 14 days to find out what their bowl destination will be as the 13th of 17 conference teams to reach bowl eligibility.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Gambling is Baseball’s Mortal Sin

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Former Cincinnati Red Pete Rose seen here playing against the Atlanta Braves Aug 2, 1978 at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. Rose who died this year 2024 has a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball for gambling on baseball. (AP file photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

It was in September 1919 that several Chicago White Sox players agreed to receive a $100,000 payment from Arnold Rothstein to underachieve during that year’s World Series. This allowed professional gamblers of that time to make tremendous profits by favoring the underdog Cincinnati Reds.

Movies have depicted this moment in baseball; one of the most famous American movies was Godfather II, where actor Lee Strasberg played Hyman Roth, the fictional character for Arnold Rothstein, but that was just a scene in that movie, unlike the 1988 film Eight Men Out, where the whole film deals with baseball’s biggest scandal.

When Major League Baseball banned Pete Rose in 1989, that story became the most famous in baseball history, as far as gambling, especially for those of us who have seen Mister Charlie Hustle play the game. Ironically, the Cincinnati Reds, the team Rose managed, was involved in the scandal, the same franchise as in the 1919 World Series and one of the oldest franchises in the game.

Going back to 1919, during the “Black Sox Scandal,” the owner of the Chicago team was considered a cheapskate and was involved in bribes with players and all kinds of corruption regarding salaries and money issues.

In today’s game, players and managers gambling on games is very unlikely, and one main reason was 1953. That year, the Major League Baseball Players Association was established, and the MLBPA became a labor union with Marvin Miller as the executive director. Unlike the days of Mr.Comiskey, when the owners controlled the game and players; today it’s a ‘players’ game.

In 2024 the minimum salary for a Major League Baseball player (rookie) is $740,000, increasing to $760,000 next season and $780,000 in 2026.

In 1976, Free agency in Major League Baseball became a reality, and today, baseball players are among the wealthiest athletes in the world.

Before the 2024 season, Japanese mega-star Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and today, Juan Soto of the New York Yankees could soon sign a contract just as rich as Ohtani’s or maybe “just” $100 million short of that.

Note: On June 4, 2024, Shohei’s Ohtani interpreter pleaded guilty to two counts related to the transfer of nearly $17 million from the Dodgers star to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debts. Shohei Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,

Note: 2012 Draft Kings, the company was initially launched, competing principally with the New York-based FanDuel. In May 2018, amid the widening legalization of sports betting in the United States, DraftKings expanded into online and retail sportsbooks to leverage its brand awareness and customer base. Many fans love participating as gamblers, and Major League Baseball even promotes it. Hypocrisy? of course, but in the end, everybody loves money.

Gambling is an addiction, just like drugs and alcohol, and they all could leadto serious consequences. The American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines gambling disorder as a behavioral addiction: A persistent pattern of gambling that causes significant distress or impairment A behavior that leads to problems for the individual, families, and society A behavior that involves an increasing tolerance, requiring more gambling to feel satisfied A behavior that can cause withdrawal and irritability when someone tries to quit.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Kostin goes all out with a fight, a goal, and an assist in Sharks beating of Kraken 8-5

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San Jose Sharks center Klim Kostin is fired up after scoring a first period goal against the Seattle Kraken at SAP Center on Fri Nov 29, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 San Jose Sharks Klim Kostin picked up a Gordie Howe hat trick against the Seattle Kraken on Friday afternoon at SAP Center in San Jose. Kostin brawled with the Seattle Kraken’s Will Borgen during the mid third period.

#2 The Sharks who won 8-5 lit up the lamp with Jake Walman scored twice with Macklin Celebrini, Mikael Granlund, Will Smith, and Timothy Liljegren scored a goal and an assist.

#3 The Sharks Ethan Cardwell scored the go ahead goal in the third period it was Cardwell’s first career goal and gave San Jose a two goal 7-5 win.

#4 Seattle surrendered the most goals in a game for this season with eight. It was pretty much over when San Jose scored with four goals that pretty much put the game out of reach for the Kraken.

#5 Celebrini is tied in the rookie lead for goals with eight and Will Smith has six points in his last three games. After struggling the younger players might have found their stride.

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

ACC Weekly: Smith, Jennings and Lashlee Are SMU’s Horse-Powered Engine

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By Morris Phillips

Coach Rhett Lashlee knew what Brashard Smith could do running and catching passes. Lashlee recruited Smith out of high school and saw his versatility and big play potential.

With Smith in the transfer portal after three, mostly inactive seasons with the Miami Hurricanes, Lashlee didn’t have a spot or a need for a slot receiver. So, for two weeks, the portal became a confusing place for Smith and his services.

Then Lashlee got creative. Call it coach’s intuition… and ingenuity.

“Man, he’s just too explosive of a talent. Let’s see if he can play running back,’” Lashlee said.

Smith, more concerned about being around coaches he could trust than positional fit, said yes to being a Power 4 running back without any experience.

And guess what? The gamble paid off.

Smith has 1,089 yards rushing, 209 yards receiving, and 15 touchdowns while playing in all 11 games this season. The Mustangs coaching staff has managed the undersized Smith beautifully, limiting him to fewer than 20 carries in all but one game in regulation, and four or fewer pass receptions.

Not only has Smith been productive and available, but he’s fumbled just twice despite running with a bruising, physical style that no one, even himself, knew he had. A notion that turns a flyer into an All-ACC skill position player is transformative. For SMU, it’s meant going from an ACC also-ran to a national title contender.

“He just runs with that downhill mentality for a smaller back, can definitely get on the edge, and can really catch the football,” Lashlee said.

Kevin Jennings had two scholarship offers initially, none from a Power 5 school and one from Missouri State, which he nearly accepted. The high school quarterback from Dallas South Oak Cliff, which produced Dennis Rodman, was drawing attention, but for his part in an ensemble cast that would go on to capture the 5A State title in 2021, the first time in 63 years the title had gone to a school from Dallas.

Jennings’ teammates drew more attention than he did from college recruiters, but his play led the Golden Bears to the title. Lashlee came to recruit Jennings’ teammates Jaxson Lavender and Jayden Lawton but left wanting Jennings.

“You couldn’t miss him, just like I think that people that are starting to watch him play now in college, if they do watch him, they go, ‘Woah,'” Lashlee said.

Coming into 2024, Jennings’ sophomore year at SMU, he was still trailing on the depth chart behind starter Preston Stone. But Lashlee committed to playing both quarterbacks, and Jennings eventually won out and hasn’t lost a game in the starting role. SMU sits at 10-1, entering their regular season finale against Cal with a spot in the ACC Championship game already secure.

Jennings has impressed with his ability to extend off-schedule plays using his legs to escape and his arm to deliver the ball. Smith’s provided the perfect compliment with his explosive running. And Lashlee, just 42, as the architect of both players’ development, earned a well-deserved extension that keeps him at SMU through 2030.

Lashlee got his coaching start as an assistant under Auburn’s Gus Malzahn. He replaced Sonny Dykes at SMU in 2022 after Dykes left for TCU.

San Jose Barracuda break Abbotsford Canucks’s win streak in 5-3 win

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San Jose Barracuda Donovan Houle (83) battles with Abbottsford Canucks Akito Hirose (41) for the puck at Tech CU in San Jose on Fri Nov 29, 2024 (photo from San Jose Barracuda X)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE–In a multi goal-night from Lucas Vanroboys, the San Jose Barracuda takes Game 1 of 2 against the Abbotsford Canucks.

This is the first time these two teams have faced off this season. The last matchup was on Saturday February 24th last season where San Jose fell to Abbotsford 5-2. Thomas Bordeleau and Scott Sabourin both registered goals that game.

San Jose got to scoring early with Lucas Vanroboys netting his 3rd of the season assisted by Shakir Mukhamadullin and Jimmy Schuldt at 8:09. Vanroboys struck again at 19:08 assisted by Scott Sabourin to extend the Barracuda’s lead. “I’ve been focusing on shooting more, got a puck inside the dots there and figured I’d throw it on net and good things happened”. The Barracuda dominated the first period outshooting the Canucks 12-6.

San Jose extended their lead to 3 at 6:11 of the 2nd on a Justin Bailey goal, his 3rd of the season; assisted by Filip Bystedt and Lucas Carlsson. After a minute of 3 on 3, Abbotsford got on the board at 9:13 on an Elias Pettersson goal assisted by Dino Kambeitz and Ty Glover. San Jose’s lead was cut down to 1 at 12:14 when Dino Kambeitz scored his second of the season assisted by Nate Smith and Akito Hirose.

After a hit on Shakir Mukhamadullin by Dino Kambetiz, he picked up the puck and tied the game at 3-3 at 4:26 into the third. At 15:24, Scott Sabourin tapped in Shakir Muhkamadullin’s shot to give the Barracuda the lead again with Cptain Jimmy Schuldt getting the primary assist. “They’re so steady out there, you can always trust them and know that they are going to make a good smart play” said Scott Sabourin when asked about the d-pairing. With one minute left in the game, Filip Bystedt secured the win scoring an empty net goal to give the Barracuda the 5-3 win.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  1. Scott Sabourin, GWG, 1A

2. Lucas Vanroboys, 2G

3. Dino Kambeitz, 2G, 1A

The Barracuda will be back in action Saturday night at 6pm for Game 2 of the series against the Canucks at Tech CU in San Jose

Edmonton Bowls Second Period Turkey En Route To Post-Thanksgiving 4-3 Overtime Win Over Utah HC 

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Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent Hopkins (93) passes the puck against Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Fri Nov 29, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Edmonton Oilers scored three unanswered goals in the Second Period on Friday as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl lead Edmonton to victory against Utah 4-3 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

The Utah Hockey Club returned home from a 2-2 road trip through Boston, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Montréal which featured an unscheduled pedestrian journey through Toronto where they had to abandon their bus which was stuck in traffic and walk the rest of the way to Scotiabank Arena for their matchup with the Maple Leafs. On Friday they hosted the Edmonton Oilers at Delta Center as the two teams marked Hockey Fights Cancer Night.

Utah forward Alexander Kerfoot got things going for the home team at 6:17 of the first with his fourth goal of the season, assisted on a well-timed pass near the crease by Kevin Stenlund. Forward Logan Cooley made it 2-0 near the end of the period, putting a rebound off of Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard into the back of the net for his fifth of the season, assisted by Juuso Välimäki and Robert Bortuzzo. Cooley now has points in each of his past four games, tying his career consecutive game scoring mark, and his 18 points through 23 games this season is the most by any player in the NHL 20-years-old or younger.

The ice tilted in Edmonton’s favor in the second period as forward Vasily Podkolzin cut the lead in half midway through the frame, assisted by Leon Draisaitl and Troy Stecher. At 12:59, Olli Määttä committed a holding penalty against Corey Perry which set the stage for Leon Draisaitl to tie things up with his 17th of the season on the ensuing power play, assisted by Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. Moments later, Utah’s Robert Bortuzzo went to the sin bin for tripping against Jeff Skinner which set the table for Oilers center Connor McDavid to give Edmonton a 3-2 lead with his 12th of the season on the power play, assisted by Evan Bouchard and Corey Perry.

Early in the third period, Utah winger Lawson Crouse evened the score with his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Nick Bjugstad and Olli Määttä. The two squads continued to exchange chances without yielding to one another, and then with 3:25 remaining in regulation Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was whistled for interference against Leon Draisaitl. With the game on the line, Karel Vejmelka stood tall during the penalty kill to send the game into overtime.

Just over a minute into the overtime period, Utah lost the puck in their offensive zone and Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins raced the full length of the ice to swat the puck past Vejmelka for the game-winner, giving the Oilers a 4-3 victory. All seven goals in the game were scored into the same net.

After the game, Lawson Crouse was asked about playing against the Western Conference Champs. “We feel pretty good about our game, I feel like we dominated early on. Obviously they have an elite powerplay with the personnel that they have, but we did a good job, we battled back, we stuck through it through overtime. It was just an unlucky bounce and they capitalized, and we have a quick turnaround to get ready for another good hockey game tomorrow.” With regard to his third period goal, Crouse commented, “It felt good. Obviously, it’s been a long time, so it feels really good. It would’ve been much better if the team got the win, but you gotta move on quickly here, we got another big game tomorrow and we want to walk away with those two points.”

Utah Hockey Club head coach André Tourigny, commenting on his team’s play, “I think [the Oilers’] powerplay was really tough to contain, and they wore us down, basically, and they scored their goals. Disappointing, because I thought we were disciplined.” With regard to Crouse breaking out of his goal drought, “That was a big positive point of the game, seeing him and [Maccelli] play against McDavid all night long, so at 5-on-5, they shut them down and he got the big goal to get us a point, so there’s a lot of positives there.”

The one-game homestand is followed by a one-game road trip on Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights before returning to Salt Lake City for yet another one-game homestand on Monday against the Dallas Stars at 7:00pm MST.

Kings Flat Against Portland Losing 115-106

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Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) dribbles on Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) in second half action at the Rose Quarter in Portland on Fri Nov 29, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Sacramento Kings (9-11) suffered a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers (8-12) 115-106 in Portland. It was a really off night for Keegan Murray who came away with three points scored in the final minutes of the game.

Missed shots, 20 turnovers, and no success rebounding offensively led to the terrible showing. DeMar DeRozan was not in the lineup tonight with back issues and it was an off night for the Kings with not much going right. Malik Monk finished with the team high of 29, De’Aaron Fox with 22 and Domantis Sabonis with 21. Sabonis did have another double double with 12 rebounds.

Game recap: The Kings took a slim lead for the first half of the opening quarter. At 3:54 the Blazers took their first lead of the game prompting a Sacramento timeout. The Kings took back the lead 24-18 with under three minutes in the quarter. Domantas Sabonis already had 14 points with under two minutes left in the first 12 minutes of play. As the first quarter came to an end the Kings had established a 30-25 lead.

The Trail Blazers continued to trail but not by much; they remained within striking distance through the first four minutes of the second quarter. With 8:48 left in the quarter the Kings took another timeout hanging onto a 35-33 lead.

Portland was hanging tough and refused to go away. With six minutes left in the half the score was tied at 39. Sacramento already had 11 turnovers and the Trail Blazers went on a run taking a 49-41 lead winning the battle in the paint.

They had a 54-50 lead going into the second half. The Kings had 14 turnovers in the first half and the Trail Blazers were limiting the Kings offensive rebounds.

Sacramento continued to fall further and further behind and with 8:10 left in the third quarter were trailing 55-68 and another Kings timeout. This game was turning into a blowout, the turnovers continued and the Trail Blazers continued to win the battle under the glass.

After three, Portland continued to dictate the pace of the game leading 87-72. Murray remained scoreless, Kevin Huerter came out of the game with injury and the Kings had dug a hole that continued to grow deeper and deeper trailing 72-87.

Going into the fourth quarter nothing much indicated an upswing for Sacramento. They were on the edge of 20 turnovers with 19. Portland had a death grip on their lead and they were not letting go.

The Kings did finish with 20 turnovers and they were pretty flat all night. The Trail Blazers really got the game in their direction in the third quarter outscoring the Kings 33-22 putting this game pretty much on ice. The final score was 115-106.

Game notes: Friday night the Kings took a little trip up north to take on theTrail Blazers at Moda Center. The Kings will again be without DeMar DeRozan who was ruled out for Friday night’s game. Two weeks ago DeRozan missed three consecutive games with lower back soreness and after a three-game return he was sidelined again.

While the Kings missed DeRozan, they did have Malik Monk back on the bench so Sacramento does have the fire-power as Monk scored 29 points. Sacramento’s Keon Ellis was on starting roster in the absence of DeRozan. Ellis scored six points on Friday night.

Sunday evening the Kings will take on the San Antonio Spurs At Golden 1 looking to put out a much improved effort. Hopefully DeMar DeRozan, who is listed to return Sunday, will indeed be able to take the court. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 6:00 PM.