Kings Continue Slump Demolished By Rockets 122-97; Houston sweeps two game series

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Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (center) struggles with the basketball with the Sacramento Kings forwards Harrison Barnes (40) Keegan Murray (right) at the Toyota Center on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

There are no words in Webster’s dictionary to describe how terrible this game went for the Sacramento Kings (2-4). It would seem that they are completely helpless without superstar De’Aaron Fox who remains out with the ankle injury.

It would also appear that there are no players that can step up in his absence. That does not bode well for this team. As this game reached the seven minute mark in the fourth quarter it could not have ended quickly enough for these guys. The final score was 122-97 Houston Rockets (3-3) at the Toyota Center in Houston in game 2 of the series.

Monday night the Kings continued to play without superstar De’Aaron Fox taking on the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. He was ruled out hours before tipoff missing his third game in a row. The Kings are missing everything that he brings to the court and are struggling.

The Kings lost to the Rockets on Saturday night, an 18 point loss 107-89, a very embarrassing loss. A big part of the Kings future was thought to be Keegan Murray but he has not shown up so far.

Murray finished the Saturday night game with the Rockets shooting for seven points and going 3-12. His shot is not falling and he is not delivering at all and needs to have more of an impact. Another player not carrying his load is the newly signed Sasha Vezenkov.

The excitement surrounding Vezenkov’s signing has now fallen flat when he scored nada in their last game. While Domantas Sabonis was not awful he was not at his usual best which is roughly 18 points per game.

With Fox still remaining out of action this team has to step up and Sabonis is a huge part of this. Their defense has been stale and they need to add another star to their core. As we have seen early in this season injury can play havoc with a team.

The Kings need Fox who is the heart of their offense. It is early in the season and not the worst time for a team to suffer injury, but that being said, Sacramento does not want to lose a third game in a row.

The opening quarter of Monday night’s game went very poorly for the Kings. They lost the first quarter 32-22. It really went sideways in the second quarter with the Rockets topping the Kings 35-20 taking a 67-42 lead into the locker room at the half. The first half of this game was a disaster for Sacramento but unfortunately the worst was still to come.

After three quarters the writing was pretty much on the wall. It was a horrific showing by the Kings. It could not have been any worse with some lackluster shooting and terrible defense allowing the Rockets to walk all over them.

The starters were MIA for the first three quarters. Harrison Barnes had three points after three quarters, Davion Mitchell had five, Domantas Sabonis with eight points. It was a nightmare. Even the energetic Malik Monk off the bench only managed five points. After three quarters Houston had a 95-60 lead in a monster embarrassment. It was like taking candy from a baby for Houston in this lopsided game.

The fourth quarter was more of the same and early in the final quarter the Rockets had taken a forty point lead 107-67. If you think that Saturday night’s loss was an embarrassment think again. The Kings did win the fourth quarter but this game was a done deal at half time. The Kings came around in the fourth quarter winning the quarter 37-25. The final was 122-97.

Wednesday night the Kings will take on the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center. Hopefully the crowd can get this team energized and an even more importantly get Fox back on the court.

The Kings, of course, does not want to put Fox back on the court until he is completely ready. They cannot afford to risk further injury to Fox’s ankle. This team is going through some discouraging times and they need to pull it all together and come out the other side. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: At long last Barracuda losing streak ends at six games

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The San Jose Barracuda goaltender Gregori Romanov (31) gets in front of a Calgary Wranglers center Cole Schwindt (10) at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (photo from San Jose Barracuda)

On SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 It was a game of firsts as the San Jose Barracuda defeated the Calgary 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

#2 San Jose snapped its six-game losing streak while earning its first road win of the season. Calgary suffered its first regulation loss of the season and first loss at home.

#3 Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf, who was 12-0 against the Barracuda in his career, had his first defeat against the Sharks organization as he also had a win against the Sharks last season when he was on the Calgary Flames.

#4 Barracuda goalie Gregori Romanov (2-0-2) finished with 34 saves on 35 shots to earn his second victory of the season. Wolf (5-1-0) made 14 saves on 17 shots in suffering his first lost of the season.

#5 San Jose returns home to host the Charlotte Checkers for a two-game series on Friday 11/10 at Tech CU Arena.

Join Marko for the Barracuda podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Fresh new start with head coach Mark Madsen

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Cal Bears head coach Mark Madsen, guard Keonte Kennedy, and forward Grant Newell address the press at media day on Oct 11, 2023 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stephen, It’s the first game back for the Cal Bears with a new head coach Mark Madsen. Madsen led Utah Valley last season to the Semi Finals for the 2023 NIT.

#2 Madsen was named the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and led the Wolverines to a pair of conference titles during his four seasons at the helm.

#3 Madsen has been well-recognized for his efforts during the 2022-23 campaign as he was named District Coach of the Year by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

#4  Mark is a person of high character, high energy, high intensity, and he’s done it the right way. He’s intense. He’s passionate. He loves his student-athletes, and he loves competing. 

#5 Coach Madsen wanted to see what his players will do in this first game against St. Thomas tonight at Haas Pavilion. Madsen said when he was first brought on by Cal “I am extremely grateful to Chancellor Carol Christ and Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton for their belief in me, and for the tremendous opportunity to lead Cal’s men’s basketball team back to its winning tradition.”

Join Stephen Ruderman for Cal Basketball commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden Gate Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: After 12 years of waiting the Cavaliers finally beat Warriors

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donavon Mitchell (45) takes a jump shot over Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul at Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The Cleveland Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell led with 31 points as the Cavaliers handed the Golden State Warriors their first road loss 115-104.

#2 The Cavaliers snapped a 16 game losing streak against the Warriors. In your view who was more surprised by the Cavs win over the Warriors the Cavs or the Warriors.

#3 Darius Garlund added 24 points with seven assists for the Cavaliers, Evan Mobley had 13 points and 16 rebounds and Max Strus scored 15 points.

#4 The last time the Cavaliers beat the Warriors was back on Christmas day Dec 25, 2016 which was 12 years ago.

#5 Warriors take on the Detroit Pistons tonight at Little Caesars in Detroit. The Pistons bring a three game losing streak into tonight’s game. How do you see this match up tonight.

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

Warriors Lose First Road Game to Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garlund (10) drives against Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) at Rocket Mortgage Arena Cleveland on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-4) were too much to handle for Golden State (5-2). The Warriors shot just over 35% for much of the game falling by the score of 115-104.

Sunday the Warriors took on the Cavaliers in Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse looking to keep their road record unblemished. Their only loss was their season opener losing to the Phoenix Suns 108-104.

The Warriors did win the opening quarter by a single point 30-29. The Cavaliers were already presenting problems. Cleveland took over the second quarter winning it 28-15 and taking a 57-45 lead into the locker room at halftime. Golden State had offensive problems in the second quarter missing a lot of shots and only shooting at 32% to Cleveland’s 48%.

The Warriors turned it around a bit in the third quarter but continued to shoot around 31% and trail 79-73 with under three minutes left in the quarter. They had cut the Cleveland lead and despite shooting poorly were still hanging around in this game.

The fourth quarter was almost upon the teams and when it comes to fourth quarters and the Golden State Warriors all bets are off. They exceled in finishing off opponents in the fourth quarter despite the score they are facing.

After three quarters the Cavaliers led 86-77 show-casing some effective defense as well as offense. The Warriors won the third quarter 32-29 but had not yet made up the disparity in the second quarter.

The all-important fourth quarter got underway. Warrior guard Stephen Curry was having a great game through three quarters going 7 of 11 from downtown and already shooting for 26 points. Klay Thompson had 15 points and Draymond Green with 12.

The bench was quiet with not a double digit in sight. The Warriors would have to pick it up in the fourth quarter because the Cavaliers were not backing down and it would be up to the Golden State offense.

The Warriors came out with a lot of energy to start the fourth quarter cutting the Cleveland lead to six points. Golden State was struggling from the line going 16 of 25 free throws which was making the difference in this game right now but there was a lot of time left in this one.

The Warriors were having trouble containing Donovan Mitchell who already had 27 points. Every time the Warriors threatened the Cavaliers pushed right back. With Curry, Green, Thompson, Chris Paul and Jonathan Kuminga on the floor, the Warriors would mount their final push-back with under seven minutes left in the game.

They had pulled to within five points but Cleveland always seemed to have the answer. The Warriors would dearly love to have had some of those missed free throws. With five minutes left on the clock the Cavaliers had taken a 104-92 lead and Head Coach Steve Kerr called a time-out.

There was still plenty of time left in the game but they had to slow Cleveland down in some way as well as pick up some of those clutch shots that they are known for. Some untimely turnovers were making things rough for the Warriors. The offense and defense of the Cavaliers was just too much for the Warriors to overcome and the Warriors had lost their first road game of the season 115-104.

The Warriors will have back to back road games Monday taking on the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Las Vegas Raiders, Despite Upheaval, Decimate New York Giants 30-6

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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce watches the first half action against the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Despite everything that the Las Vegas Raiders (4-5) have gone through this past week, they came together as a team in a huge way beating the New York Giants (2-7) 30-6. A lot of credit has to go to interim head coach Antonio Pierce (former linebacker coach with the team) who stepped into a most difficult situation.

Sunday afternoon the Raiders took on the struggling Giants. The unfortunate truth is that both of these teams are struggling. The Raiders are reeling from the firings of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. There has been dissension from not only coaches but players as well. An open floor meeting with players apparently did not go well at all. It got ugly from all sides players to coaches.

McDaniels tenure resulted in an anemic 9-16 record in less than two seasons and his exit was not unexpected considering how disgruntled many players and coaches had been for some time. How they came around in today’s game will spoke volumes as to how committed these players are to each other and it showed in the run game and improved offense and defense.

Game recap: The first quarter saw the return of Giant’s quarterback Daniel Jones after missing three weeks with a neck injury. New York desperately needs a win Sunday if they want to even figure in a possible wild card. The Raiders started rookie Aidan O’Connell at quarterback benching Jimmy Garoppolo. Two teams in total disarray. The first half was a nightmare for Jones who was injured and Tommy DeVito took over under center.

How would these two quarterbacks fare in this game? The answer came in the first half. DeVito threw two interceptions while O’Connell had a great first half. He finished the first two quarters going 9 of 10 with 135 passing yards.

The Raiders took an early lead in the first quarter 7-0. Jakobi Meyers rushed for 17 yards and the first Las Vegas touchdown at 9:45. Going into the second quarter the Raiders really amped things up. The quarter belonged to Raider running back Josh Jacobs who lit up the Las Vegas offense.

He rushed for two yards and a second Raider touchdown at 5:06. Jacobs struck again at 1:55 giving the Raiders a 21-0 lead. Las Vegas kicker Daniel Carlson had successfully kicked three extra points and at 0.04 kicked a 24 yard field goal giving Las Vegas a 24-0 lead going into the locker room. This team had pulled together in an extraordinary and quite unexpected way.

While O’Connell had not thrown any touchdowns, he did set his team up successfully driving deep into Giant’s territory throughout the first half. He continued connecting in the third quarter and mid-way through the quarter had already surpassed over 200 yards. The Raiders extended their lead at 8:23 with a successful Carlson kick for 46 yards and a 27-0 lead. Las Vegas would take that lead into the fourth quarter.

The Giants finally broke through in the fourth quarter scoring their first touchdown of the day. DeVito connected with Wan’Dale Robinson for nine yards and the score. New York attempted a two-point conversion which failed and the Giants came away with the six points trailing 27-6. Mid-way through the quarter Carlson kicked a 41 yards field goal extending the Las Vegas lead 30-6.

The Giants got a nice drive going with 8:24 left on the clock going 48 yards in five plays going into Raider territory threatening on the Las Vegas 34 yard line. The New York drive stalled and they turned the ball back over to Las Vegas.

At the two-minute warning the Raiders were looking for more driving down to the New York 35 yard line. This game finished quietly as the Raiders put out a great offensive and defensive effort pushing their season record to 4-5 with the 30-6 final.

The Raiders receiving core had a great game with seven players catching passes for 8.5 yards or better with Tre Tucker finishing with 52 yards on two receptions. Rushing honors went to Jacobs who had 98 yards for the game and two touchdowns.

In Week 10 the Las Vegas Raiders will take on the New York Jets at Allegiant Stadium in another home game for the team. The Jets have yet to play their Week 9 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers looking for their fourth straight win. That game will be aired on Monday Night Football. The Raiders vs Jets game in Week 10 will be played on Sunday Night Football with kickoff scheduled for 5:20 PM on NBC.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez: O’Connell and new coaching staff guide Raiders to win over Giants

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Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson (21) raises a fist in victory over the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Nov 5, 2023 (@Raiders photo)

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez:

#1 Rich, after two long weeks the Las Vegas Raiders (4-5) are back in the win column ending their two game losing streak with a victory over the New York Giants (2-7) at Allegiant Stadium.

#2 The Raiders got some great work from rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell under center going 16-24 for 209 yards.

#3 The Raiders also got some crucial rushing from running back Josh Jacobs who carried 92 yards, 23 times and with two touchdowns.

#4 The Raiders dominated the Giants on defense only allowing New York to get on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. The Giants had been shutout for three quarters.

#5 The New York Jets (4-3) come calling to Vegas next Sun Nov 12th at Allegiant Stadium. The Jets defeated the Giants in their last game on Sun Oct 29 in a narrow field goal difference 13-10. The Jets host the Los Angeles Chargers (3-4) on Monday Night Football and turn around and head to Allegiant Stadium next Sunday for a short six day week.

Join Rich Perez for the Raiders podcasts after each home and away game at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda flip script against Wranglers in 4-1 win to end losing skid

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San Jose Barracuda players celebrate their 4-1 win over the Calgary Wranglers at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday NOV 5, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Mark Ukalovic

Dustin Wolf is human after all.

It was a game of firsts as the San Jose Barracuda defeated the Calgary 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

San Jose snapped its six-game losing streak while earning its first road win of the season. Calgary suffered its first regulation loss of the season and first loss at home.

Wolf, who was 12-0 against the Barracuda in his career, had his first defeat against the Sharks organization as he also had a win against the Sharks last season when he was on the Calgary Flames.

San Jose (2-4-3) drew first blood early in the first period with a four-on-four goal. Henry Thrun was credited with his first career goal. The rookie defenseman’s pass intended for Cole Cassels went off the skate of a Wranglers defenseman at the 6:50 mark. It was the first time the Barracuda have had a lead in the Saddledome since last season.

Calgary (6-1-1) despite outshooting San Jose 9-6 in the opening 20 minutes, weren’t able to capitalize on their power play opportunities when Brandon Coe went off for a double-minor for high sticking at the 6:33 mark.

The Wranglers once again dominated the shot clock in the second period (12-6) but the combo of the ‘Cuda defense and goalie Gregori Romanov kept the home team off the scoreboard in the middle frame. Romanov made a sprawling save on a point-blank chance by Adam Klapka at the 7:51 mark.

San Jose doubled its lead to start the third period with an even strength goal. Jacob Peterson found Danil Gushchin in the neutral zone. Gushchin skated in and beat Wolf top-shelf with a wrist shot for his team-leading fourth goal of the season at th 1:02 mark.

The Barracuda scored its third unanswered goal 58 seconds later. A Ozzy Weisblatt threw a shot toward the middle that was blocked. Tanner Kaspick picked up the loose puck and wired a wrist shot past Wolf for his second goal of the season.

Calgary spoiled Romanov’s first shutout bid when Mitch McClain scored his second goal of the season at the 18:04 mark.

Radim Simek completed the scoring with an empty net goal, his second goal of the season with 23 seconds left.

Romanov (2-0-2) finished with 34 saves on 35 shots to earn his second victory of the season. Wolf (5-1-0) made 14 saves on 17 shots in suffering his first lost of the season.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for 3 on the power play. Calgary was 0-for-6.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Romanov 2) Thrun 3) Kaspick.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host the Charlote Checkers for a two-game series on Friday 11/10 at Tech CU Arena.

Oakland A’s relocation podcast: Mayor to present resolution on Howard Terminal at Tuesday press conference; Could it change owners vote for A’s relocation?

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has called for a press conference for Tue Nov 7, 2023 to present a resolution in an attempt to keep the A’s in Oakland. This presentation is in hopes that MLB owners would change their A’s relocation vote to a no vote on Nov 14-16 in Arlington. (Las Vegas Review Journal file photo)

On the A’s relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Former Oakland A’s executive Andy Dolich wrote his own commentary in the Mercury News telling MLB owners to vote no on the A’s move to Las Vegas and keep them in the sixth largest market in Oakland and go back and finish negotiating with the Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and the city of Oakland.

#2 Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, the Oakland City Council, and the Port of Oakland are holding a press conference on Tue Nov 7 at Oakland City Hall regarding a proposal to keep the A’s in Oakland. Although a deal and a plan is already worked out to relocate the A’s upon the MLB owner vote Nov 14-16th in Arlington. The City of Oakland could use litigation to stop MLB and the Oakland A’s from relocating the team if the City can get a deal to build a Howard Terminal ballpark and show they can produce financing to keep the team in Oakland.

Join Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Dismantled By Rockets 107-89; Sacramento and Houston match up for game 2 Monday night at the Toyota Center

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The Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (left) drives on the Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (right) at the Toyota Center in Houston in game 1 of the two game series on Sat Nov 4, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings had an opportunity in the second and third quarters of Saturday nights game despite the absence of De’Aaron Fox still out with an ankle injury. In fact they were down by three points mid-way through the fourth quarter. They were unable to contain the Rockets Dillon Brooks, in the later minutes of the final quarter, who sailed through the fourth quarter scoring 12 points beating the Kings 107-89.

Saturday night the Sacramento Kings (2-3) took on the Houston Rockets (2-3) at Toyota Center. The Kings played without their star Fox who was ruled out for a second game in a row with a moderate right ankle sprain. The injury occurred in the overtime win last Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers. It doesn’t stop there, the Kings is also without Trey Lyles. Lyles has not yet made his regular season debut after suffering a left calf strain in the preseason.

Playing without Fox made it difficult and the starting lineup had to step up in his absence. They certainly did exactly that in their last game against the Golden State Warriors losing in the final 0.2 seconds of the game by a single point 102-101.

Game recap: The Rockets smothered the Kings in the first 12 minutes of play 33-19. Sacramento did win the second quarter but still trailed at the half 59-53. The Kings did cut their deficit but still had some ground to make up.

Sacramento continued their bid in the third quarter winning it 15-12 and only trailed by three points going into the fourth quarter 71-68. The Rockets Dillon Brooks had an amazing fourth quarter as Houston beat the Kings badly in the final quarter 36-21 winning the game 107-89.

This was a real disappointment for Sacramento. They have had a very lukewarm start this season. They had a lot of trouble containing Brooks in this game who finished with 26 points, 12 of them coming in the fourth quarter. The Kings did pull to within three points with 8 1/2 minutes remaining when Malik Monk hit a shot from downtown. It was at this point that the Rockets went on a 10-2 run and they never looked back.

Monk finished with the high for the team with 18 points off the bench. The only starters who had double digits were Domantas Sabonis who had a double double with 11 points and 15 rebounds and Harrison Barnes who finished with 13 points. Keegan Murray, Davion Mitchell and Kevin Huerter had a very quiet night.

The Kings will get another shot at the Rockets hoping to even the score on Monday night with tipoff scheduled for 5:00 PM PST at the Toyota Center in Houston. This will be game 2 of this two game series.