That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Gurriel Jr signs 3 yr $42 million deal with Diamondbacks; Ohtani and Acuna win the Hank Aaron Award; plus more news

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Arizona Diamondbacks Lourdes Gurriel Jr joins the Arizona Diamondbacks agreeing to a three year $42 million deal on Sun Dec 17, 2023 (USA Today photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary:

#1 Lourdes Gurriel Jr will be returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks on a $42 million three year deal. Gurriel gets a fourth year option on his three contract. The deal also includes an opt out on the second year of the contract. Gurriel hit .261, with 144 hits and 24 home runs. How much of a good deal is this for Gurriel and the Diamondbacks.

#2 Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna are both racking up trophies. This time they both win the Hank Aaron Award for most offensive performer. Ohtani hit .304, 151 hits, and 44 home runs. Ohtani will not pitch but be the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter for the 2024 season. Acuna hit .337, 217 hits and had 106 RBIs.

#3 Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer who had off season back surgery will not be expected to be back until June or July. Scherzer was suffering back pain and was removed from last season’s World Series. His pain didn’t stop when he got home to Florida and was later diagnosed with a herniated disc.

#4 Over the weekend Amaury, the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox threw their ball caps into the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes joining the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers. Yamamoto has met with the Mets twice. These clubs have each put in a starting bid of $300 million for Yamamoto. The pressure is mounting Amaury which team will it be?

#5 It didn’t take long after being acquired by the Atlanta Braves from the San Diego Padres Matt Carpenter was released after one week. The Braves will lose around $4 million on the deal in 2022 Carpenter hit .305, with 15 home runs and 37 RBIs. Carpenter played for the Yankees from May 26 to Aug 8th. Carpenter he broke his foot on a foul ball and got back into post season on going 1 for 12 with nine strikeouts.

Join Amaury for News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Kalia Davis out with ankle injury; Defense missing a number of tackles

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San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Kalia Davis (93) is out of the line up with an ankle injury he sustained while playing against the Arizona Cardinals on Sun Dec 17, 2023 (Eric Shaw Getty images)

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan says that has been the main issue. Shanahan said fatigue was the main issue but said it’s hurting the team. It was pointed out in last Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals the 49ers missed 16 tackles, nine players missed a tackle, and the defense missed 14 tackles previous to the Cardinals game and 12 in the Cardinals game.

# 2 Shanahan said losing defensive tackle Kalia Davis for several weeks due to a high ankle sprain put pressure at defensive tackle on the depth chart. David, do you feel that led to a number of missed tackles in the game and why Shanahan is so concerned about this area of the 49ers defense?

#3 The 49ers host the Baltimore Ravens (11-3) on Christmas for Monday Night Football at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara. The 49ers (11-3) are coming in on a six game win streak. The Ravens are also on a roll they’ve won four straight coming into this game. Do you see both of these teams evenly matched coming into this one?

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Continue To Roll Beating Washington Wizards 143-131; Sabonis gets another triple double for Sac

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The Washington Wizards center Mike Muscala (35) guards the Sacramento Kings forward Sasha Vezenkov (7) in the first quarter at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Mon Dec 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Monday night the Sacramento Kings (16-9) continued to rock and roll beating the Washington Wizards (4-22) at Golden 1 Center 143-131. De’Aaron Fox was back on the court and finished with 30 points. Domantas Sabonis had his 35th triple double with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. Keegan Murray had another great game with 25 points. Sacramento came away with seven turnovers and this game could not have gone better for Sacramento.

Game recap: The Wizards took the lead after one quarter of basketball 31-27 but the Kings were just getting warmed up. Sacramento powered through the second quarter winning it 39-25. The Kings led at the half 66-56.

Sacramento continued to push in the third quarter extending their lead to 112-91. They won the quarter 46-35. The Kings cooled off in the fourth quarter missing a lot of shots and ended up losing the quarter. The Wizards won the fourth quarter 40-31. Sacramento had a 21 point lead at the end of the third giving up nine points in the fourth quarter but winning the game 143-131.

The Kings now sit in fourth place in the Western Conference. They have won four of their last five games. Fox finished with 30 points and Murray had another terrific game scoring 25 points. Six Kings had scored in double digits in this game. Sabonis had his 35th triple-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. 

The triple-double was his 17th in a King uniform, the most in the franchise’s Sacramento era. The Kings protected the ball well throughout the entire game with only seven turnovers. It was an outstanding evening for the Sacramento Kings.

The Wizard’s Jordan Poole matched his career high with eight 3 pointers scoring 28 points in total. Kyle Kuzma added 27 points. Washington is really struggling right now having lost 17 of their last 19 games. They did tie up this game in the second quarter 40 apiece but that was as close as they would get for the rest of the game.

Post game notes: Monday night the Kings took on the Wizards at Golden 1 Center. Fox was back on the court after missing the last game against the Utah Jazz. The Kings were still basking in the glow of the amazing game that Murray had last Saturday. Watching Murray hit 12 three’s and finishing with a career-high 47 points is a memory that will go down in the 2023-24 season. He is really coming into his own. The Kings were able to contain Jordan Poole (28 pts) who always poses a threat and Kyle Kuzma (27 pts) always makes an impact. The Kings are on a roll right now and have continued down that path in this game.

Wednesday night, the Sacramento Kings take on the Boston Celtics at Golden 1 Center. The Celtics are in first place in the Eastern Conference. This will be a great matchup for Sacramento. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Can Raiders keep the offense going against Chiefs in KC on Christmas day?

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Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White (35) scores against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on Thu Dec 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria:

On the Raiders podcast with Tony R:

#1 Tony, after the Raiders got shutout last Sunday 3-0 on Thursday Night Football it was a smorgasbord of scoring for the Raiders in the first half where Las Vegas scored three touchdowns in each of the first and second quarters.

#2 Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce never one to give up and never give up on quarterback Aidan O’Connell who was pretty much able to throw all night against a virtual non existent Los Angeles Charger defense.

#3 O’Connell had four touchdowns on his portfolio before the third quarter even ended. O’Connell was well over 200 yards in passing at 241 and was 19-32 and had command of his offense all night long a stark contrast from last Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings where he just couldn’t get anything going.

#4 Tony, Raiders wide receiver Devante Adams who was grumbling about not getting enough touches this season got seven receptions by the third quarter, 94 yards and one touchdown. He was besides himself as the Raiders picked up their victory since Nov 12th and snapped their three game losing streak.

#5 The Raiders head to Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs on Mon Dec 25th on Christmas day. The Chiefs are coming off a win over the New England Patriots 27-17 after getting going on a two game losing streak. The Chiefs are trying to regroup how do you see this contest on Christmas Day on Monday?

Join Tony for the Raiders podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda get two game sweep over Wranglers

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San Jose Barracuda fans participate in the Teddy Bear Toss after the Barracuda scored it’s first goal against the visiting Calgary Wranglers on Sat Dec 16, 2023 at Tech CU in San Jose (San Jose Barracuda photo)

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 San Jose scored twice on the power play in route to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Wranglers at Tech CU Arena on Saturday evening.

#2 San Jose swept the two-game series with its third win a row as they won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Calgary has lost three games in a row.

#3 Ethan Cardwell’s goal sent the Tech CU Arena crowd into a throwing frenzy as it was the annual ‘Cuda Teddy Bear Toss Night where 3,126 fans throw stuffed animals from the stands for charity after the home team scores its first goal of the contest.

#4 The Barracuda scored an insurance goal with an even strength goal at the 12:36 mark. Radim Simek led a two-on-one odd man rush along with Nathan Todd. Simek set up Todd with a pass down the middle of the ice and Todd beat Murphy top-shelf with a wrist shot for his sixth goal of the season. Todd extended his point streak to seven games.

#5 San Jose concludes its three-game homestand against the Tucson Roadrunners on Wednesday 12/20 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Marko Ukalovic is a San Jose Barracuda beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s Work of Art

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Photo of art gallery containing Donald Fisher and Doris Fisher’s art collection who are the parents of Oakland A’s owner John Fisher (photo from Artsy)

A’s Work of Art

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Las Vegas most famous museums are The Mob Museum, The Neon Museum, the Atomic Museum, and the Discovery Children’s Museum. Now, the Oakland Athletics, planning to be the Las Vegas A’s in 2028, have a museum in mind for their new 30,000-seat stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

According to the Las Vegas Business Journal, Athletics owner John Fisher plans to display a selection from his family’s acclaimed collection at the A’s stadium on the strip. For months, multiple sources familiar with Fisher’s design plan have included talks about developing an art program in Las Vegas.

The museum will display the art at the team’s new home at the Tropicana Hotel-Casino site. The A’s owner plans to exhibit these pieces of art in the team’s new house at the Tropicana Hotel-Casino site.

The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, parents of John Fisher, is among the world’s most significant collections of contemporary art. This is according to SFMOMA website. The founders of the Gap apparel company began buying art pieces in 1969 in San Francisco after they opened their first big store.

Later, it was located in Burlingame, 20 miles south of San Francisco. Allan Schwartzman, a veteran Manhattan curator, told the New York Times the Fishers Collection is one of the great collections assembled in our time.

This A’s Art has nothing to do with Art Howe who managed the Oakland A’s from 1996 to 2002.

Amuary Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Squeak Past Portland 118-114

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The Portland Trail Blazers forward Tourmani Camara (33) is sandwiched between Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (left) and Brandon Podziemski (right) in Portland on Sun Dec 17, 2023 (AP News file)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday night the Golden State Warriors (12-14) closed out another tight game, the second in a row beating the Portland Trail Blazers (6-19) 118-114. They set the pace in the first half but Portland battled back tying the game a number of times in the second half but never taking the lead. Klay Thompson was the high for the team with 28 points.

After beating the Brooklyn Nets last night at Chase Center, the Warriors took on the Trail Blazers at Moda Center Sunday night. The Trail Blazers have been struggling this season but they come into this game full strength. They are a young team and have a lot of growing to do. The Warriors on the other hand are filling in their starting roster and have that to contend with. After pulling Saturday night’s game out, the Warriors were able to string two wins together Sunday night. 

Game recap: The Warriors had a good start leading 27-23 after the opening quarter. They were more aggressive than the Trail Blazers in this game and really got going in the second quarter. They led at the half 65-49 after winning the second quarter 38-26. 

Stephen Curry only had four points in the first half but the rest of the team stepped up big time giving the Warriors the lead at the half. Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis all put together a great first half giving Golden State a sizable lead.

Despite being down by 16 points at the half Portland continued to fight. In the third quarter, the Warriors extended their lead to 22 points only to have the Trail Blazers cut their lead to 11. Golden State had cooled off considerably in the third quarter and Portland was coming up with some great defense.

With five minutes left in the quarter the Trail Blazers trailed by six points. At 2:12 this game was tied at 82 and it was a brand new ball game. Portland had taken control of this game in a real turnaround and the 22 point Warrior lead was gone. 

The Trail Blazers offense cooled off a bit as the third quarter came to an end and the Golden State’s offense had a surge to end the quarter. The Warriors had pushed their lead to 89-84 with one quarter left in this game.

With ten minutes left in the game the Trail Blazers refused to go away trailing by two points 91-89. Portland had not led once the entire game but at 8:08 this game was tied again at 93 as the Trail Blazers fought to take the lead.

Curry checked back into the game as the team was looking for some more Curry magic in the fourth quarter. Golden State pushed their lead back to nine 102-93 with five minutes left in the game as the Warriors were looking to end their road game losing streak. 

Playing off the bench really lit a fire under Andrew Wiggins; he was having a terrific game. Last night Curry carried the team and tonight it was the team that took the pressure off Curry bringing this win home. 

It was a tight finish with the Warriors holding a two point lead when the veteran experience of Chris Paul stepped in draining a three giving Golden State a 115-111 lead with 20.9 left on the clock. 

The Trail Blazers got to within one point 115-114 but fouled Curry who made one shot and missed the second. Portland fouled Brandin Podziemski who made both free throws and that was the game 118-114. The Warriors had broken a seven road game losing streak.

Thompson had a huge night with 28 points and off the bench Wiggins was lights out with 25 points and seven rebounds. It was a quiet night for Curry who finished with seven points and not a single three. 

Despite only seven points for Curry, his teammates filled in the gaps with some excellent play from Thompson, Wiggins, Kuminga, Podziemski and Tracyce Jackson-Davis. It was a complete team effort in this game tonight bringing home this win against a stubborn Trail Blazer team.

The Warriors head home to Chase to take on the Boston Celtics Tuesday night. The Celtics have a 20-5 record and sit in first place in the Eastern Conference. The Warriors will need all hands on deck from top to bottom in this game. Golden State will be looking for a third win in a row. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

  

Sharks Buried by Avalanche 6-2 in Denver, Studnicka Makes Sharks Debut

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Colorado Avalanche Nathan MacKinnon gets congratulated by the Avalanche bench after scoring in the second period against the San Jose Sharks at Ball Arena in Denver on Sun Dec 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were defeated 6-2 by the Colorado Avalanche Sunday. Colorado goals came from Valeri Nichushkin, Mikko Rantanen, Miles Wood, Ryan Johansen, and two from Nathan MacKinnon. Alexander Georgiev made 27 saves for the win. Tomas Hertl scored twice for the Sharks and Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves in the loss.

The Sharks’ newest player, Jack Studnicka, made his debut Sunday. Studnicka was acquired Friday from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Nick Cicek and a 2024 sixth-round pick. Sunday he had one shot, three hits and won 4 of 16 faceoffs in 12:18 time on the ice.

After the game, he described his performance as “Just okay. I didn’t really have my legs, it’s kind of been a whirlwind. That’s no excuse but it’s been a lot of travel recently. Some ok moments, some good moments, some moments I’ve got to work on.”

Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said, of Studnicka’s first game: “Tough game to be thrown into, you know, I’m sure he’s just glad it’s over with. Didn’t really think he had a lot of pop in his skating tonight which usually he does. So it’s a tough situation to be put into but I thought he was fine.”

Less than three minutes into the game, Sharks defenseman Jacob MacDonald was called for boarding Sam Malinski. Malinski seemed to catch his skate and was off-balance before MacDonald hit him. Malinski was injured and bleeding. He missed a substantial amount of time in the first period, but returned to play before the period ended. MacDonald, however, was given a game misconduct.

During the ensuing five minute penalty, Colorado scored once. The Sharks penalty kill held the Avalanche off for 4:30. In the final seconds, Jonathan Drouin found Valeri Nichushkin next to the net for a tap-in goal. Assists went to Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon.

The Sharks were back on the penalty kill at 10:37, and Colorado scored at 12:15. Mikko Rantanen deflected a shot from MacKinnon, again late in the power play. Assists went to MacKinnon and Devon Toews.

Miles Wood made it 3-0 with a sharp angle shot at 18:20. Assists went to Ross Colton and Jonathan Drouin. Nathan MacKinnon made it 4-0 at 3:44 of the second period with an unassisted goal.

Tomas Hertl scored on the power play to make it 4-1 at 9:01 of the second. Hertl deflected a shot from the blue line by Mikael Granlund. The secondary assist went to Alexander Barabanov.

Ryan Johansen made it 5-1 at 9:01 of the third period. A rebound off of a Caleb Jones shot went right to Johansen with an open net in front of him. Assists went to Jones and Andrew Cogliano.

Hertl scored his second of the night, again on the power play. Right in front of ther net, Hertl gathered up a rebound after William Eklund took a shot. Assists went to Eklund and Granlund.

Nathan MacKinnon scored his second of the night at 15:11, into an empty net. The Sharks pulled their goaltender with five minutes left in the game.

The Sharks did well in shot count for the game, just one behind Colorado’s 29. In the face-off circle, the Sharks struggled again, winning only 38.2% of the draws.

The Sharks started the game missing several veteran players. Apart from the injured players, Anthony Duclair was a healthy scratch. After the game, David Quinn declined to share details about that decision and said only that Duclair would be back.

Sharks next play on Tuesday back in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT against the Los Angeles Kings.

Cardinal Prevented any VANDALism by Idaho on the Farm, as they won 82-64

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Stanford Cardinal guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) goes up for a lay up against the Idaho Vandals at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sun Dec 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif — The Stanford Cardinal (5-4. 0-0 Pac-12) subdued the Idaho Vandals (6-5, 0-0 Big Sky) 82-64 on a rainy Sunday in the Bay, without Spencer Jones..

Senior forward Spencer Joneswas out with a leg injury, but it didn’t prevent his fellow Cardinal from performing a dominant win inside Maples Pavilion. They not only picked up the slack, but freshman Kanaan Carlyle gave a great contribution in his Stanford debut.

Despite Idaho scoring the first two points of the game, the Cardinal led threat of the way, after taking a 4-2 lead. During that time frame they went on a 9-0 run and led by as much as 19 points.

The team ended the first 20 minutes with the 19-point lead, shot 63% from the field grabbed 22 rebounds and dished 11 assists. The Cardinal defense was steller too, as they forced the Vandals to shoot a putrid 27% from the floor, and 19% from threeland.

Neither team had a player in double-digits at the half, although Stanford’s junior forward Maxime Raynaud offered eight points and five rebounds and freshman guard Andrej Stojakovic also chipped in 8 points. The aforementioned Carlyle dropped seven points himself. Idaho’s redshirt-freshman Tyler topped his team with five points.

At intermission, Stanford 41-22, and was seemingly in total control of the game. The half ended with the vandals only leading for 23 seconds, while the Cardinal had the advantage for more than 18 minutes.

In the second half, despite many comeback attempts (6-0 run) by Idaho, Stanford had extended the lead as much as 23 points and never looked back

To the Vandals’ credit, they did shoot 53% in the second half, in addition to scoring 20 more points (42) than the previous half of play. Stanford on the other hand, scored the exact amount of points (41) in both halves.

When it was all said and done, the major damage was executed in the first half, and turned out to be enough to complete the mission/win. Stanford led a total of 38:22 and shot 56.4% overall for the game. This dominance led to the 18-point victory, 82-64.

The Cardinal had four players reach double-digits, and Jared Bynum was close, with 9 points and 6 assists. Raynaud (12) and 13 rebounds, Stojakovic (17), Michael Jones (14) and Carlyle (11).

Idaho produced three players with more than 10 points: Linhardt (16), senior guard D’Angelo Minnis (12) and junior guard Quinn Denker (13).

Stanford will next be in action in Southern California Thursday, December 21 at 6 PM PDT, as they take on the San Diego State Aztecs. Idaho also heads south in California on the same date, to take on the University of California – Riverside Highlanders at 5 PM PDT.

49ers route Cardinals 45-29 to clinch NFC West title

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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffery celebrates a rushing touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday DEC 17, 2023. (Terrell Lloyd-San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

No trap game to speak of down in the desert.

The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Arizona Cardinals in a 45-29 convincing victory on Sunday afternoon State Farm Stadium.

San Francisco clinched the NFC West Division for the second consecutive season with its sixth win in a row as they currently sit atop of the conference as the number one seed with three games left in the regular season. Arizona has lost three out of its last four games as they anchor the division.

49ers running back Christian McCaffery showcased his latest argument to be the league’s MVP as he was the focal point of San Francisco’s offense throughout the game. He led all rushers with 115 yards on 18 carries. He also led the 49ers receivers with five receptions on 72 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

McCaffery has 20 total touchdowns, 13 on the ground and seven through the air, through 14 games and is only four touchdowns away from breaking Jerry Rice’s 49er franchise record of 23 he set in 1987.

Arizona (3-11) drew first blood on its seven play 75-yard opening drive led by quarterback Kyler Murray. Running back James Connor finished off the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown.

San Francisco (11-3) answered back on its opening drive led by quarterback Brock Purdy. The second year QB found a wide open Deebo Samuel along the sidelines for a 12-yard touchdown reception that was just the start of a big day for Purdy.

Chavarius Ward intercepted Murray on the Cardinals next drive and returned it to the house for a 66-yard return for a touchdown as the 49ers defense set the tone for the rest of the day.

Arizona received two field goals from Matt Prater a 58-yarder and a 43-yarder in the second quarter to make it a one point deficit with 6:14 remaining in the second quarter.

It was a nice homecoming for Purdy, who is from an hour outside of Phoenix, as he connected with McCaffery on a five-yard touchdown just before halftime to give the 49ers a 21-13 lead.

San Francisco came out with a quick strike to start the second half. Purdy rolled out to left before finding McCaffery down the field all alone. The All-Pro running back backpedaled as he caught the ball and fell down. He was able to get up and run into the endzone for his seventh receiving touchdown on the season.

McCaffery powered his way in for his 13th rushing touchdown on the season, a one-yarder off tackle with 1:08 remaining in the third quarter that gave the 40ers a commanding 35-16 lead.

Emari Demercado rushed for a 49-yard touchdown on Arizona’s next drive, but the two-point conversion attempt failed.

Samuel scored his second receiving touchdown when Purdy found him with a back shoulder throw along the left sidelines for a 19-yard reception to complete the scoring for San Francisco with 7:09 left in the fourth quarter.

Murray connected with Elijah Higgins for a eight-yard touchdown reception with 47 seconds remaining in the game in a garbage time touchdown.

Purdy finished the game going 16 of 25 for 242 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Samuel had four receptions for 48 yards to go along with his two touchdowns. Tight end George Kittle chipped in with two catches for 54 yards.

Murray went 26 of 39 for 211 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, both by Ward. Connor led Arizona in rushing with 86 yards on 14 carries. Tight end Trey McBride led the Cardinals in receiving with 10 catches for 102 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 4-for-7 on third down conversions. Arizona was 7-for-16.

UP NEXT: San Francisco hosts the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football on Christmas Day 12/25 at 5:20pm at Levi’s Stadium.