Kings beat the Heat 123-118 in double OT for fifth straight win; Christie has turned Sac’s tide as head coach

Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) drives the lane on the Miami Heat guard Tony Rozier (2) in double overtime at Golden 1 Center on Mon Jan 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Monday night, coming into the game with strong momentum, riding a four-game winning streak. The Kings were on the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, 129-99.

On the other hand, the Miami Heat entered the game as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 17-16 record. This week, the Heat had been dealing with the Jimmy Butler drama, an undoubtedly unwelcome distraction for the team.

Jimmy Butler was suspended last week by Heat President Pat Riley for conduct detrimental to the team. The Kings and Heat tipped off at 7 PM PST inside the Golden 1 Center. The Kings defeated the Heat 123-118 on Monday night.

In other news, the newly relocated Oakland Athletics were in attendance at the game on Monday night. A’s manager Mark Kotsay, along with players Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, JP Sears, and Lawrence Butler, were all courtside for the affair.

In the first half, neither the Kings nor the Heat seemed to find their rhythm. Both teams struggled to establish a comfort zone on the offensive end of the floor. The Heat shot 40.5% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc, scoring 47 points in the first half.

On the other hand, the Kings committed eight turnovers, resulting in 11 points for the Heat. The Kings shot 40.8% from the field and just 18.8% from deep, managing to score 50 points in the half and taking a narrow three-point lead, 50-47, into the break. Tyler Herro led the Heat in the first half with 17 points, while Malik Monk paced the Kings with 15.

In the second half, the Kings displayed resilience to force overtime. Despite leading at halftime, the Kings lost their edge and trailed by as many as 17 points. However, they battled back to tie the game at 102, sending it into overtime. In the first overtime period, both teams scored ten points, leading to a second overtime.

In the second extra period, the Kings outscored the Heat 11-6, powered by nine points from DeMar DeRozan, ultimately securing a 123-118 victory. DeRozan was the Kings’ leading scorer with 30 points. Tyler Herro led the Heat with 26 points but notably did not score in either overtime period.

Postgame, Doug Christie commented on the victory, stating, “Big time – these guys continue to fight in a way that I hope makes our city proud. It makes me incredibly proud.”

Up Next The Kings will travel to Boston to face the Celtics at 4:30 PM PST at the Garden.

G League action: Kings rip Rip City for second night in a row 129-105

Stockton Kings forward Colby Jones drives the ball against the Rip City Remix at the Moda Center in Portland in G League action on Mon Jan 6, 2024 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings visited Portland, OR once again to take on the Rip City Remix in the second half of a back-to-back series. The Kings remain undefeated with a 129-105 win over the Remix on Monday night at Moda Center.

Entering the game, the Kings found themselves tied with the Santa Cruz Warriors for first place in the Western Conference. Both teams were 4-0, and Stockton wanted to extend their winning streak to five games. Meanwhile, Rip City wanted to stay above .500 as they entered the night 1-1.

A win would have major implications for both teams, and given their previous meeting was decided by just seven points, it seemed obvious this would be a hard-fought battle.

The Kings got out to a quick 10-0 lead less than three minutes into the night. While the Kings maintained a lead for the rest of the first quarter, Rip City was able to make it closer as it progressed. After 12 minutes, Stockton’s lead was reduced to just four points as it was 29-25 in their favor.

In the second quarter though, the Kings extended their lead back into double-digits as they led 50-33 at the midway-point of the frame. That number would only continue to grow, as Stockton had a substantial 62-38 lead heading into halftime. They had a massive lead, and now all they needed to do was keep their foot on the gas if the Kings wanted to move to 5-0 to start the regular season.

Stockton maintained pressure to start the third quarter. They kept their lead to 20 or more points for the majority of the quarter and all the way through to the end of it. It seemed that things were heading in their favor and the Kings just needed to close it out.

Rip City started bringing it back a little in the fourth quarter, but they still had a massive hill to climb. Despite the Remix’s push, the Kings weren’t slipping either. Both teams were getting short bursts of momentum, but the gap wasn’t wildly changing.

The Kings ultimately walked away with a 129-105 win. They were led by Colby Jones’ 32 points, while Jon Elmore had a very respectable 24 of his own. James Bouknight led the Remix in scoring with 28 points in the losing effort.

After two hard-fought games the Kings ended up sweeping their trip to Oregon, as they improved to 5-0 on the season and Rip City fell to 1-2.

Sportstalk/Original Joes at San Jose podcast remote Mon Jan 6, 2025

Original Joe’s San Jose podcast cast: left going up Daisy Amaya (advertising) Kelli Duca (advertising), Michael Roberson (Stanford Cardinal beat writer) Lee Leonard (producer) right going down Michael Duca (Cal Bears basketball analyst/host) Marko Ukalovic (San Jose Barracuda beat writer), Tony Tiger Hayes (SF Giants He was a Giant? feature writer) and Jessica Hayes (advertising) (Photo by Jamie server Original Joes San Jose)

Sportstalk is honored to do our podcast at Original Joes 301 South First Street in downtown San Jose. We thank our hosts and Original Joe’s owners Brad Rocca, Michelle Rocca, Matt Rocca, and manager Greg Bardakos. Original Joes welcomes our panel Michael Duca (host and Cal Bears analyst), Marko Ukalovic (San Jose Barracuda beat reporter), Tony the Tiger Hayes (He was a Giant? feature writer), and Michael Roberson (Stanford Cardinal beat reporter).

On May 24, 1956 Louis J. Rocca, Louis J. Rocca, Jr. (Babe), Arthur Tortore (Otto) and Anthony Caramagno (Nino) opened “Original Joe’s” in San Jose. The four partners wanted to bring an authentic San Francisco restaurant to the South Bay. They were convinced that if they could keep it authentic, they could serve the community by producing their traditional home-style Italian American Cuisine. Their desire was so great that they actually transported San Francisco French Bread via Greyhound Bus everyday for the first two years of operation.
 In the early 1970’s downtown San Jose started to flounder. Businesses were relocating to the outskirts of town. Original Joe’s became one of the cornerstones for an ever changing downtown. As the genres of food have changed over the years, Original Joe’s maintains its traditional roots. Still owned and operated by the Rocca Family, Original Joe’s continues to strive to replicate the dining experience that people have enjoyed for over half of a century.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda host Bakersfield Condors in AHL action at Tech CU this Friday night

San Jose Barracuda center Filip Bystedt (18) and right winger Ethan Cardwell (56) defend against the Colorado Eagles defenseman Wyatt Aamodt (5) near the boards at Tech CU on Sun Jan 5, 2025 (San Jose Barracuda Flickr photo)

On the San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 What was impressive about Sunday’s 4-3 win for the San Jose Barracuda over the Colorado Eagles was they were able to score three unanswered goals to open up the game for a 3-0 lead?

#2 Marko, reviewing the three players who scored for the Barracuda in that first period Justin Bailey goal number six of the season at 8:30, Lucas Vanroboys scoring his eighth goal of the season at 11:37, and Thomas Bordeleau scored his seventh at 12:47 for a 3-0 lead.

#3 the Eagles came right back to start the second period with a goal from Maros Jedlicka scored his second goal of the season at 3:15 putting Colorado on the scoreboard making it 3-1. The Eagles yet struck again cutting San Jose’s lead to 3-1 when Jakc Ahcan scored his third of the season making it 3-2 at 7:26. The Barracuda came right back at 13:12 when Donavon Houle scored his seventh of the season making it 4-2. The Eagles had the last word in the third period when Jacob MacDonald scored his ninth goal of the season at 19:38 to make it 4-3.

#4 Marko talk about the third period a little both the Eagles and Barracuda couldn’t score and the Barracuda wound up with the one goal win 4-3. Barracuda goaltender Georgie Romanov allowed three goals saving 36 and Eagles goaltender Kevin Mandolese allowed four goals and saved 35.

#5 The Barracuda face off this Fri Jan 10th against the eighth place Bakersfield Condors for a 7:30pm PST face off at Tech CU. The Condors have won six of their last ten games and the second place Barracuda have now won four of their last ten games. How do you see this match up this Friday night Jan 10th in San Jose?

Join Marko for the San Jose Barracuda podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: Kings clobber Warriors at Chase Center 129-99 for fourth straight win

Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter (22) who just recently joined the big club from the G League’s Stockton Kings goes for the high percentage shot against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Jan 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast:

#1 Sacramento Kings Malik Monk scored 26 points and 12 assists and the Kings also got help from Domantas Sobonis with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in a huge win over the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Sunday 129-99.

#2 The win marks interim head coach Doug Christie’s fourth straight win against one loss and there is little doubt that he has this team fired up since taking over the reigns after former Kings head coach Mike Brown was fired after losing five straight games.

#3 What was amazing about Sunday’s win against Golden State was the Kings did it without DeAaron Fox whose been the Kings lead scorer and has been the focus of trade rumors.

#4 The Kings never were behind the Warriors through the Sunday contest and led at the half by a whopping score of 75-51. The Kings in this game looked every bit like a playoff contender despite occupying 11th in the Western Conference.

#5 It’s right back to work at Golden 1 Center as the Kings match up against the Miami Heat who are sixth in the Eastern Conference Monday night. The Heat have won four of their last six and lost two games in a row. They are having internal issues with their star player Jimmy Butler wanting to be traded and said he wants out of Miami. Its been reported that Butler does not get along with Heat executive Pat Riley. Butler’s argument is Riley has not put together a competitive team and Riley has suspended Butler for seven games for conduct detrimental of the team. It should be noted Butler had issues with other NBA teams in Chicago, Philadelphia and Minnesota before leaving those clubs as well. So who will want to pick him up is a big question. Golden State said they will take a pass on Butler after looking into Butler.

Join Barbara for the Kings podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Mustang Must: Cal Women rebound with 81-66 win at SMU

Cal Bears forward Marta Suarez led with 19 points against the SMU Mustangs in Dallas on Sun Jan 5, 2025 (Cal Bears photo)

By Morris Phillips

There’s nothing like weekend travel in the ACC. The Golden Bears know that after experiencing 48 hours of idled frustration following an unanticipated loss at Clemson. In this case, a rough Friday and Saturday prior to a triumphant Sunday afternoon at SMU in Dallas.

It wasn’t easy excursion, but it was productive.

The Bears relied on great shooting, including 10 made threes to get past Clemson. Five of those threes fell in the third quarter when Cal extended a four-point halftime lead to 64-51 after three quarters. Marta Suarez was the most aggressive shooter with 19 points on 9 of 12 from the floor.

“That’s a really good team,” SMU coach Toyelle Wilson said of Cal. “They’re Top 20 for a reason. They can shoot the ball, they can get downhill. They’re physical. Charmin has done a great job with that program. 

“But it wasn’t our day, and the girls know: we’re going to have to take some bumps and bruises to get through this ACC conference. Today was a good day for us to learn a lot.”

Cal returned to physical play with 40 rebounds and a healthy edge on the glass, along with 36 points in the paint. The referees weren’t all plussed, and they assessed fouls to Michelle Onyiah and Suarez that limited both players’ minutes.

Kayla Williams impressed legendary North Carolina All-American point guard Ivory Latta, who said, “she’s so poised. She really controls that offense.”

Williams killed with efficiency. She had 17 points, seven assists, and five assists. The visitors followed Williams’ lead: after squandering a pair of second quarter leads, the Bears led the entire second half, briefly by as many as 19 points.

Nya Robertson led the Mustangs with 22 points, but she needed 20 shots to get there. Chantae Embry had 12 points, and Ella Brow added 10.

The Bears (14-2, 3-1) return to Berkeley on Thursday to meet ranked opponent North Carolina State at Haas Pavilion.

Kings deal Warriors a 129-99 drubbing at Chase Center

The Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter (22) drives on the Golden State Warriors forward Lindy Waters III (left) in first half action at the Chase Center in San Francisco Sun Jan 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SAN FRANCISCO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Sunday night. On Sunday, the Kings traveled west to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors. Neither the Warriors nor the Kings have had the best of seasons so far this year. Entering Sunday, the Warriors held an 18-16 record and were eighth in the Western Conference.

After a strong start to the season with a 12-3 record in their first 15 games, the Warriors have since struggled, going 6-13—a stark contrast for a team with championship aspirations, especially as Stephen Curry, now 36 years old, continues to lead the squad. Conversely, the Kings didn’t enjoy a hot start like the Warriors; they’ve hovered around or below .500 all season, entering Sunday’s game with a 16-19 record.

On Sunday, the Warriors were shorthanded, missing Jonathan Kuminga due to a sprained ankle. This marked a significant loss for the Warriors, who are reportedly exploring potential trades involving the young player.

On the other side, the Kings were without De’Aaron Fox, sidelined by a right glute contusion sustained during a hard foul on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. The game tipped off at 5:30 PM PST at Chase Center as the Kings ultimately defeated the Golden State Warriors on the road with a commanding 129-99 victory.

Game recap: In the first half, the Kings came out firing on all cylinders offensively. They scored an impressive 75 points in the first half compared to the Warriors’ 51. The Kings’ offense was dynamic, with excellent ball movement that consistently left the Warriors’ defense scrambling in rotation.

Sacramento shot an impressive 66.7% from two-point range and 47.8% from beyond the arc in the first half. According to Kings PR via Basketball Reference, this marked the first time in franchise history that the Kings scored 75 or more points in consecutive first halves (The Kings scored 78 in the first half against the Grizzlies on Friday night).

On the other hand, the Warriors weren’t entirely ineffective, shooting 44% from both the floor and from deep in the first half. However, turnovers proved costly as the Warriors committed 13 turnovers, which the Kings capitalized on by scoring 20 points off those mistakes.

In the second half, the Kings maintained their dominance. The Warriors made a few small runs early in the half but couldn’t match Sacramento’s offensive output. The Kings added 54 points in the second half, while the Warriors managed 48, sealing the 129-99 victory.

Malik Monk stepped up significantly for the Kings in Fox’s absence, contributing 26 points and 12 assists. Domantas Sabonis added a 22-point double-double, while Devin Carter scored his first NBA points, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds. For Golden State, Curry led the way with 26 points and seven rebounds.

Postgame Reflections The Kings improved to 17-19, while the Warriors dropped to 18-17 and continued to struggle. The Kings’ victory marked their fourth consecutive win.

When asked about the team’s turnaround, DeMar DeRozan said, “We are just going out there, playing freely with joy and for one another.” Head Coach Doug Christie added, “The guys played with a high level of competition and competitive nature.”

When I asked about the team’s preparations for upcoming games against Miami and Boston, Christie humorously replied, “You do know I just got this job, right?” Fair enough, Doug.

Up Next The Kings return home to face the Miami Heat on Monday at 7 PM PST at Golden 1 Center. The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler, who has been suspended for seven games for conduct detrimental to the team. Additionally, he was fined $532,000 per game by Heat President Pat Riley.

San Francisco On the Losing End of Season Finale Against the Cardinals 47-24

San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Joshua Dobbs (5) looks to pass against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half at State Farm Stadium in Glendale AZ on Sun Jan 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The final game of the season finished in much the same way as the San Francisco 49ers (6-11) season went. It was another in a long list of disappointments this season for San Francisco losing to the Arizona Cardinals (8-9) 47-24.

Going from playing in last year’s Super Bowl to being a Super Bowl contender at the start of the season to self-destructing throughout was a shock to many. The litany of injuries this season was crazy. Today’s loss was a rough way to go into the off-season.

Game recap: The first quarter was a tight one with only a field goal apiece for each teams. After the first fifteen minutes of play the score was knotted up 3-3. San Francisco was first up on the board with a successful 51 yard field goal kick from Jake Moody for the early 3-0 lead.

Moody has struggled significantly in the latter games of the season and the successful kick was a welcome sight. The Cardinals tied up the game with 56 seconds left in the quarter. Chad Ryland also kicked a 51 yard field goal tying the game 3-3 going into the second quarter.

The second quarter was productive for both teams. Greg Dortch caught a 23 yard pass from Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, the first of two touchdowns he threw in the second quarter. The strike gave Arizona a 10-3 lead in the early play of the quarter.

The Cardinals continued to lead throuout most of the quarter. At 5:43 San Francisco scored their first touchdown of the game. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs rushed for one yard and with the successful Moody PAT this game was all tied up 10-10.

The final two minutes of the half turned out to be a scoring frenzy. With 1:51 left in the half Kyler Murray connected with Trey McBride for two yards and the touchdown taking a 17-10 lead.

San Francisco marched downfield scoring: a Joshua Dobbs to Ricky Pearsall 6 yard pass tying up this game at 17. With 16 seconds left in the half this game would more than likely be tied going into the locker room.

The Cardinals thought otherwise and were able to drive to within field goal range to take back the lead at halftime 20-17. Arizona’s Chad Ryland kicked a 49 yard field goal in a wild two minutes of this first half.

Going into the third quarter, this was anybody’s game in a hotly contested affair. The way these two teams were playing one would think there was something at stake more than merely pride. Kyler Murray connected with Greg Dortch for two yards and his third touchdown of the day at 8:28.

The two-point conversion failed as the Cardinals extended their lead to 26-17. With under five minutes left in the quarter San Francisco’s Joshua Dobbs connected with Ricky Pearsall for six yards. Trailing 24-26 San Francisco was still very much in this game going into the fourth quarter.

The final quarter of this game was all Arizona. They would go on to score three times in the fourth quarter with Kyler Murray throwing his fourth touchdown of the game. San Francisco would come up empty in the quarter.

The Cardinals Michael Carter rushed for four yards to open the quarter giving the Cardinals a 33-24 lead. Kyler Murray passed to Marvin Harrison Jr. for 12 yards and a 40-24 Arizona lead. They would finish off San Francisco with 1:47 left in the game. Tony Jones got open and romped for 46 yards. Arizona had scored their sixth touchdown of the game, the final 47-24.

San Francisco’s Joshua Dobbs finished the game with 326 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Ricky Pearsall had another solid game with six receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown. Rushing honors for the 49ers went to Patrick Tayler Jr. with 109 yards.

Arizona had a killer fourth quarter. Quarterback Kyler Murray finished the game with some amazing stats. He had 242 passing yards, 22 rushing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Cardinals receiving core was solid with Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., Greg Dortch and Zay Jones all contributing to the win.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon the 49ers traveled to Arizona taking on the Arizona Cardinals. At the start of this season, the 49ers were thought of as Super Bowl contenders. It hardly went that way. The injuries began to rear their ugly head early in the season. One key player would return from injury when another would go down.

This had to be so frustrating for the Niners. The injuries continued throughout the entire season; there was no end to the misery. The Cardinals have had a rough season as well with injuries and disappointing play.

The game Sunday was be played in pleasant temperatures with the roof open at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Both teams were looking to close out their season on a winning note. San Francisco did not play a lot of their starters with Brock Purdy being the most notable with Joshua Dobbs starting in his place.

Both of these teams will now go into the off season with a lot to contemplate. San Francisco has a lot of questions to answer as they now look ahead to the 2025 season. It would appear that Head Coach Kyle Shanahan will remain with the team according to reports.

This is good news for San Francisco. Much of what went wrong this season had little to do with the coaching and much to do with the multitude of injuries they suffered all year. It will be a long off-season for the team as they look ahead to a new start this fall 2025.

Barracuda score early then hold on for 4-3 win over Eagles, split series

The San Jose Barracuda celebrate Thomas Bordeleau’s first period goal during their 4-3 win over the Colorado Eagles at Tech CU Arena on Sunday JAN 5, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda jumped out to an early lead and then held on for dear life as they defeated the Colorado Eagles 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose split the weekend series and has won two of its past three games. Colorado has lost for just the second time in their past seven games with the split.

San Jose (19-11-0-2-40 points) drew first blood in a three-goal first period. ‘Cuda captain Andrew Poturalski led a counterattack up the ice. Tristen Robin skated inside the Eagles zone where he found a trailing Justin Bailey in the middle of ice and Bailey beat Eagles goaltender Kevin Mandolese with a one-timer for his sixth goal of the season at the 8:30 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead just over three minutes later with an even strength goal. A shot from the point by Jimmy Schuldt was initially saved by Mandolese but Lucas Vanroboys, who crashed the net, cleaned up the rebound for his eighth goal of the season at the 11:37 mark.

70 seconds later, Thomas Bordeleau made a great individual effort to score the Barracuda’s third unanswered goal of the opening frame. Bordeleau pick pocketed the puck off of Jayson Megna at the Eagles blue line. Bordeleau skated down the left wing and blasted a slap shot to the far corner for an unassisted goal, his seventh of the season at the 12:47 mark.

Colorado (17-10-1-2-37 points) cut into San Jose’s lead early in the second period. A shot from the point by John Ludvig pinballed around in front of the crease. Maros Jedlicka poked home the rebound with a backhander past ‘Cuda goalie Georgi Romanov for his second goal of the season at the 3:15 mark.

The Eagles made it 3-2 with a four-on-four goal. Matthew Phillips skated down the right wing and centered a pass from behind the ‘Cuda net out to Jack Ahcan who buried a one-timer past Romanov for his third goal of the season at the 7:26 mark.

San Jose stole one back off a lucky bounce to regain its two-goal lead. Scott Sabourin sent a puck into the Eagles zone. Donovan Houle tried to center a pass out in front from behind the Eagles net. The puck deflected off the skate of Mark Seden and past Mandolese on the far side for Houle’s seventh goal of the season at the 13:21 mark. Jack Thompson was credited with the secondary assist.

“I saw I was actually just kind of trying to pass the puck to Sab (Scott Sabourin). So, I saw him driving to the net, tried to give him a pass, but (when you) gets pucks to the net good things happen. I got lucky there,” Houle said.

Colorado once again made it a one goal game with 22 seconds left in a wild middle frame. The Eagles had pressure inside the ‘Cuda zone when Ahcan fed a cross-ice pass over to Jacob MacDonald who slammed home a one-timer past Romanov for his ninth goal of the season.

San Jose were more focused and more disciplined on this afternoon staying out of the sin bin and limited Colorado’s opportunities both with the man advantage and even strength.

“I thought we did a nice job with the referees and staying off of them and letting them do their job. We also checked pretty well. We checked with our legs, we didn’t get ourselves, our sticks in a lot of feet. I think those two things put together equals, well we had a short penalty kill,” ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy said.

The Eagles pulled Mandolese with just under three minutes remaining in the game for an extra attacker. However, Romanov and the ‘Cuda defense held down the fort and kept Colorado from scoring the equalizer as they escaped with two points on the afternoon.

Romanov (8-5-1) stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced to earn his eighth win of the season. Mandolese (9-7-2) made 31 saves on 35 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-4 on the power play. Colorado went 0-for-1.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Houle 2) MacDonald 3) Bordeleau.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts the Bakersfield Condors on Friday 1/10 at 7:30pm at Tech CU Arena.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez: Coach Pierce’s job in question after Sunday’s loss to Chargers 22-10

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce looks on as the Raiders warm up in preparation of their game against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Jan 5, 2025 (Las Vegas Review -Journal photo))

On the Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez:

#1 Rich in the first half the Raiders had some defense and looked like they were prepared to challenge the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. They took a 7-3lead 45 seconds into the first quarter when Alexander Mattison caught a 31 yard pass from quarterback Gardner Minshew.

#2 The Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker hit a 25 yard field goal 26 seconds into the second quarter to cut the Raiders lead by one 7-6 at the half.

#3 Third quarter at 9:08 Dicker hit another field goal 24 yards as the Chargers took the lead 9-7.

#4 The Raiders defense who played well up until the fourth quarter saw the Chargers open the flood gates with running back JK Robbins who scored at 14:55 for a 16-7 lead. The Chargers up 16-10 at 3:40 scored another touchdown on a ten yard Lloyd McConkey catch and the Chargers came away with a 22-10 win.

#5 As the Chargers are headed to the post season the Raiders are folding it up for the season and the question remains will Raiders coach Antonio Pierce remain with the club? Pierce coached the Raiders to ten straight loses and then recovered winning two in a row before losing today’s game to the Chargers?

Rich Perez did the Raiders podcasts after every home and away game for the 2024-25 Raiders season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com