NBA Playoffs podcast with David Zizmor: Timberwolves-Mavericks tip off for game 1 tonight in Minnesota in round 3

The Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (right) drives on the Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns (32) in the first half of game 7 in the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena in Denver on Sun May 19, 2024

On the NBA Playoffs podccast with David Zizmor:

#1 Dave, the Minnesota Timberwolves came back in the second half from 20 points down to defeat the defending NBA Champions Denver Nuggets 98-90 in game 7 on Sunday to advance to round three of the playoffs. The Wolves over came a 15 point deficit in game 7 which was the largest comeback in an NBA playoff game.

#2 The Timberwolves Anthony Edwards said he just couldn’t get his rhythm but his trust in his teammates and said he had to make the right plays for the rest of the game.

#3 The Timberwolves move onto game 1 of the third round of the NBA Playoffs as they tip off against the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night at 5:30pm PT in Minnesota. The Mavericks in their last game just got by the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-116 in Dallas. How do you see the Timberwolves and Mavericks matching up for this series?

Join David Zizmor for the NBA Post Season podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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NBA Playoffs podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Nuggets turn tables on Timberwolves game 5 tonight with series tied at 2-2 in Denver

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) throws down on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half in game 4 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs on Mon May 13, 2024 at Ball Arena in Denver (AP News photo)

On the NBA Playoffs podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The Denver Nuggets proved that they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon they were down to the Minnesota Timberwolves 0-2 but have come back to tie the series 2-2 with a huge win on Sunday 115-107.

#2 On Sunday Nikola Jokic scored 16 of 35 points in the fourth quarter and Aaron Gordon didn’t miss too much he was 11 for 12 with 27 points as the Nuggets were dominating on offense.

#3 Gordon was amazed by how the Nuggets regrouped and met the challenge of the Timberwolves on saying after the game, “It’s just like a laser-sharp focus,” and “and a surgical execution.”

#4 The Nuggets Jamal Murray fired off 12 of 19 shots in the third quarter. Murray had a buzzer beater to end game 3 on 117-90 on Friday night from half court.

#5 The Timberwolves who were up 2-0 now find their backs to the wall tied 2-2 in Denver for game 5 tonight at Ball Arena where the Nuggets could take the lead 3-2. Jerry how do you see tonight’s match up?

Jerry Feitelberg filled in for Tony Renteria who does the NBA Playoffs podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: San Jose Sharks get No.1 draft pick; Celtics bury Cavs to take game 1; plus more news

NHL overall top draft pick Macklin Celebrini is most likely a top choice for the San Jose Sharks. The NHL announced that the Sharks have the number one choice at the NHL Draft on Jun 28-29th, 2024 which will held at the Sphere in Las Vegas (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly presented the flip card revealing the number one draft pick and the San Jose Sharks who had the league’s worst record at 19-54-9. The Sharks are looking at Macklin Celebrini the first overall draft pick in the NHL draft.

#2 The Boston Celtics went through the Cleveland Cavaliers like butter on Tuesday night in Boston with a 25 point 120-95 win to take game 1 of the NBA second round playoffs. The Celtics got top scoring from Jaylen Brown with 32 points and Derrick White hit seven three pointers.

#3 The WNBA has committed for the next two seasons to spend $58 million for charter for the league travel as opposed to commercial flying. This would be full time charter flight service. With the arrival of Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever as the face of the league the WNBA plans on stepping it up and taking care of it’s players with charter flights that means no more standing in lines at the ticket counter, at security and with other passengers to board a flight. They’ll be treated truly like a professional team.

#4 The frustration of the Denver Nuggets is starting show. The Nuggets who lost the first two games of this second round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets saw team leader Jamal Murray throw a towel and then a heat pack toward an official and ended up getting fined $100,000 and was lucky he didn’t get suspended for a game. The toss came while live action was taking place with 4:41 was remaining in the second quarter.

#5 On Tuesday the Texas Rangers didn’t hold back scoring ten runs in the top of the second inning against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum. The Rangers 15-8 win gives them their fourth straight win and the A’s their third straight loss. The Rangers and A’s split both ends of a doubleheader with the A’s taking the front game and

Jessica Kwong does Headline Sports every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Playoffs podcast with Tony Renteria: Edwards 43 pts and Towns 20 pts lead Timberwovles past Nuggets 106-80

The Minnesota Timberwolves center Anthony Edwards (32) tries to play keep away from the Denver Nuggets forwards Michael Porter Jr (left) and Aaron Gordon (right) in game 2 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at the Ball Center in Denver on Mon May 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NBA Playoffs podcast with Tony R:

#1 Tony in game 2 of the second round of the NBA playoffs the Minnesota Timberwolves got some great offensive help from Anthony Edwards who lead with 27 points and Karl Anthony-Towns with 27 points on Monday night as the Wolves go up 2-0 in the series against the Denver Nuggets.

#2 With both Edwards and Towns each scoring 27 a piece it gave the Timberwolves a great tandem when you consider the Denver Nuggets are champs and are already down 0-2 to start the second round.

#3 Facing Edwards and Towns it’s a handful for the Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon did the heavy lifting scoring 20 points and center Nikola Jokic scored 16 points but it was not enough against Minnesota.

#4 The Wolves are going big they are perfect so far in the post season winning 4-0 in the first round and now are up on the Nuggets 2-0 with the series going back to Minnesota.

#5 Game 3 Friday night in Minnesota Target Center, the Nuggets will need to salvage one of the two games or go home. The Nuggets are champs and couldn’t win on their own floor and could be eliminated sooner than they thought.

Tony Renteria is a NBA podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings defeat first place Timberwolves at Target Center

The Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (left) dishes off the basketball past Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (right) in the first half at Ball Arena in Denver on Wed Feb 28, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 After the Sacramento Kings defeated the Denver Nuggets in three previous meetings you had to wonder if the Kings would be able to pull it off a fourth time and doing it at Ball Arena in Denver would be a tall order. The Kings got beat by 11 points as the Nuggets prevented losing to them a fourth time.

#2 The Nuggets got scoring help from Jamal Murray who led with 32 points and Nikola Jokic followed up with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

#3 Jokic is rolling he scored his 19th triple double of the season and Murray hit 13 of 15 shots and made five out six 3 pointers.

#4 The Kings did their homework on the Nuggets in the previous three games including their win at Ball Arena on Feb 14th. This fourth game Murray and Jokic kept the Kings off balance all game long.

#5 The Kings turned things around on Friday night at Ball Arena in Denver when they shutdown the Western Conference first place Minnesota Timberwolves 124-120. The Kings Malik Monk led with 39 points and Domantas Sabonis followed up with 21 points. The Kings head back to Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento to host the Chicago Bulls on Mon Mar 4th for a 7:00pm PT tip.

Join Jeremiah for the Kings podcasts each Friday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Get Blown Out By Denver 117-96

The Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks for someone to pass to against the Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) in the first half at Ball Arena in Denver on Wed Feb 28, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (33-25) came out on fire as they took on the defending champion Denver Nuggets (40-19). After the first quarter they led 35-28. They took a fifteen point lead in the second quarter and then it all fell apart. The Nuggets blew them out of the arena winning 117-96.

The opening quarter was a perfect first 12 minutes of play for the Kings. They had seven triples in the opening quarter and were doing a great job on the offensive glass. The Kings were faced with a huge loss, having to play without De’Aaron Fox missing the game with a left knee contusion.

Domantas Sabonis had the unenviable task of containing Nikola Jokic and was doing a solid job. The Kings led 35-28 after one quarter.

The Kings took as much as a 15 point lead in the second quarter but the Nuggets went on a 12-0 run to pull to within three points 49-46 with 4:57 left in the half. The team was playing against all odds battling Denver without Fox as well as playing on the road.

They needed to go on a run before the half. With 3:15 left in the half, the Nuggets took a four point lead 55-51 and Denver had a real reversal of fortune. Momentum had shifted in this game and the Kings would have to fight to get it back.

After the great start, the Kings began to miss a lot of shots from downtown and the Nuggets led 65-55 at halftime. Denver won the second quarter in a huge turnaround 37-20.

The slow start that Denver had had accelerated in the second quarter as momentum shifted in their favor. Jokic was eyeing another triple double. In the first half he had 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 10 points.

Jamal Murray had 18 points the high for the half and Aaron Gordon had 13. Keegan Murray had 15 points for Sacramento and Malik Monk had 11 points off the bench. After hitting seven triples in the first quarter, the Kings came up empty in the second quarter. They had a lot of work to do in the second half.

Eight minutes into the third quarter the Nuggets took their largest lead of the game 75-57. The Nuggets were on a 43-10 run since 8:08 in the second quarter as the Kings went ice cold.

The ugliness continued as the Kings fell further and further behind trailing 85-62 with 4:50 left in the quarter. Sacramento couldn’t buy a bucket looking at a 72-100 deficit after three quarters. Keegan Murray did not score at all in the third quarter.

The Kings put out a nice effort in the fourth quarter despite being faced with the certainty of a loss. Sacramento wanted to finish this game on a bit of a strong note. Denver’s Jokic did achieve another triple double, his fourth straight, in the quarter.

The Kings did cut into the Nuggets lead but it was close to a done deal going into the final quarter. Chris Duarte had a great effort off the bench with 16 points. Sabonis had his 41st consecutive double double.

The high for the Kings was Murray with 21 points and off the bench Duarte finished with 18. Sacramento did cut the 31 point Nugget lead to 21 points in the losing effort.

Game notes: The Kings came into the second leg of this season with a nice win over the Los Angeles Clippers 123-107 on Sunday and the Spurs 127-122 on Thursday but it has cooled since then. They lost on Monday to the Miami Heat 121-110 on Monday after erasing a 19 point deficit in the fourth quarter.

They needed this win because their schedule gets even tougher this week after defeating the Nuggets in their previous to meetings. They faced a daunting task Wednesday night taking on the defending champion Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver. They have played well on the road and they went all out against the Nuggets. It doesn’t get any easier for Sacramento playing the Minnesota Timberwolves this Friday in Minnesota. The Kings will be heavily tested this week.

After this blow-out the Kings are faced with another giant in the Minnesota Timberwolves this Friday night in another road game at Target Center. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 PM. as the Kings try to bounce back from this loss.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: After winning 9 of 10 it all comes to screeching halt for Golden State in loss to Denver

The Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) takes a shot against the Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) in the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Feb 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The Warriors had really turned things around winning their last 9 of 10 game but that all came to and end last night when they took on the defensing champion Denver Nuggets.

#2 The Warriors had a great opening quarter at one time taking a 15 point lead but the Nuggets fought back tying up the game at halftime 61 apiece. Klay Thompson had an electric first half shooting for 23 points but it was a Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde going silent in the second half.

#3 Another disappointment for Golden State was a poor game for Stephen Curry. He did not hit a three until the third quarter and that would be it for him going 1 of 10 in the game.

#4 Nikola Jokic was outstanding registering his 18th triple double of the season. He was as always an offensive and defensive threat throughout then game and along with Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon they finished off the Warriors in the second half.

#5 The Warriors now head out on the road taking on the 9-48 Washington Wizards.

Join Barbara Mason for the Warriors podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Lose Fourth Season Game to the defending champion Nuggets 119-103

Golden State Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and the Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) go for the basketball in the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Feb 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (29-27) lead after the first 12 minutes and tied up this game at the half against the Denver Nuggets (39-19) but they struggled in the second half of play. They lost the third and fourth quarters and subsequently the game to the defending champion Nuggets. The Warriors had trouble defending Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray losing this game 119-103. This was their fourth loss to Denver this season ending their winning streak

Game recap: The first quarter was gangbusters for Golden State. The quarter was close until Klay Thompson took the court scoring 16 points in the opening 12 minutes, his season high for an opening quarter. The Warriors took a 36-30 lead going into the second quarter.

With Jokic starting the second quarter on the bench the Warriors were looking to take full advantage of his absence. Golden State was able to extend their lead to as much as 15 points in the quarter but rest time was over for Jokic and he took the court again and the Nuggets began to chip away at the Golden State lead.

With ten seconds left in the half Denver had tied up this game at 61. They went on a 14-0 run in a frantic, crazy rally to erase the Warriors lead. The Nuggets turned the tables on Golden State. winning the second quarter 31-25. Denver got to the line seven times which was another reason for the Nugget turnaround.

It was a great half for Thompson off the bench scoring 23 points, the only Warrior to hit double digits in the half. He hit five of ten from downtown in an offensive explosion. Golden State needed to contain both Jokic and Jamal Murray who each had 18 points in the first half and they needed a whole lot more offense from their starters in the second half.

They were putting on a defensive show, a great effort but they would have to continue with that effort in the second half against a formidable opponent.

Going into the third quarter, it was a whole new ball game for both teams.Warrior guard Stephen Curry continued to struggle from the field in the third quarter as the Warriors defense was also having some issues.

The Golden State defense continued to bleed as the Nuggets took a 75-65 lead mid-way through the third quarter. Jokic already had registered his 18th triple double of the season with an entire quarter and a half to go.

The Warriors starters continued to struggle and the Nuggets Aaron Gordon began to flex his muscle. With five minutes left in the quarter the Warriors showed a little life cutting the Denver lead to 78-74 forcing the Nuggets to take a time out.

At 3:23 Curry hit his first three of the game cutting the Denver lead to three 82-79. Seconds later the Warriors Lester Quinones hit a three tying up the game at 82. Denver took back the lead after three quarters leading 91-87. It was on to the final 12 minutes of play.

The fourth quarter was a close one but the Warriors continued to trail. They got as close as three points numerous times only to watch the Nuggets push back extending their lead. With 7:55 left in the game, Denver had taken a 97-92 lead.

The Warriors were also dealing with 16 turnovers as Denver took a 105-94 lead with under six minutes left in the game. With under four minutes on the clock the Nuggets took a 109-97 lead. AT 2:10, it was crunch time for Golden State looking for some stops. Those stops did not come and Golden State’s winning streak had come to an end losing.

This was a tough game for the Warriors. The hot first half that Thompson had in the first came to a dead stop in the second half. He did not score a single point in the second half. Curry was 1 of 10 from downtown with 20 points in the game in another disappointing performance. Jonathan Kuminga finished with 19 points and six rebounds. The team now heads out on the road for a stretch on a losing note.

Post game notes: Sunday evening the Warriors took on the defending champion Nuggets at Chase Center. With Nikola Jokic leading the Nuggets, the Warriors were tested and lost this match. Golden State lost their last game with Denver in the final seconds when Jokic hit a three pointer winning that game for Denver 130-127 Jan 4th. The Nuggets have won their previous three meetings with Golden State this season.

Tuesday night the Warriors will travel to Washington to take on the struggling 9-47 Wizards. While Golden State does not take any game for granted, they should have little trouble in this one. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 4:00 PM PT.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Kings playing .500 ball look to moving up in second half of season

The Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles (top) and the Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (bottom) are both not giving up the basketball that easy in the second half Wed Feb 14, 2024 at Ball Arena in Denver (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (31-23) had a tough task going into Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday night and they came away winners in surprising fashion after losing five of their last six games before the game against the Denver Nuggets (36-19) they opened up the offense on the Nuggets.

#2 Talking about the offense for the Kings in the third quarter they outscored Denver 30-21 it was an impact quarter that helped the outcome of the game.

#3 The Kings guard De’Aaron Fox led with 30 points and Harrison Baines and Domantas Sabonis both finished second in scoring with 20 points.

#4 One of the key players that the Kings kept his numbers was center Nikola Jokic who scored 15 points and the Kings defended him well and sometimes double teaming him.

#5 The Kings return home next Thu Feb 22nd at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento they’ll face the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have suffered under head coach Gregg Poppovich this season. The Spurs are in dead last (15th place) in the NBA Western Conference and have lost eight of the last ten games. In spite of this do you see this being a battle or a landslide for the Kings.

Tony Renteria filled in Jeremiah Salmonson for the Kings podcasts heard Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kevin and Devin show has Kings fall to Suns 130-125; Durant 28 pts, Booker 25 pts offense gets Phoenix win

The Phoenix Suns Kevin Durant (35) is stoked after after hitting a three point first half shot against the Sacramento Kings at Footprint Arena in Phoenix on Tue Feb 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

PHOENIX–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Tuesday night in Phoenix, Arizona. The Kings last played on Sunday when they took on Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings, who had played the Thunder well so far into the season, had high hopes for that game.

Unfortunately, the Kings lost a relatively uncompetitive game by the final of 127-113 on Sunday. The Kings have been a woefully inconsistent team in the 2023-2024 season. They are desperately looking for consistency on the defensive side of the ball and from the urgency department. The Kings would take on the Suns on Tuesday at 8 PM MST. The Kings fell to the Suns 130-125.

In the first quarter, the offense was the name of the game. The Kings and the Suns started hot from the scoring end of the floor. The Kings outscored the Suns 39-38 in the first quarter of action. Domantas Sobonis and De’Aaron Fox got going early, with 13 and 12 points, respectively. It seemed the entire Suns team got in on the scoring in the first quarter, as seven players had scored for them. Obviously, both these teams are offensively gifted. Could either team tighten things up on the defensive side of the ball?

In the second quarter, the intensity level from both teams went to max. The Kings and Suns were caught in a heavy-weight battle in the Valley. As both teams increased the intensity, the offensive output took a dip. The Kings outscored the Suns again in the second quarter by two points, 28-26. It was a thriller of a first half on TNT as both teams were looking to move to the sixth seed in the Western Conference. It would also be the deciding game for the season head-to-head record for the two teams. The Kings would be leading heading into halftime, 67-64.

In the third quarter, the Suns finally broke through and would take the lead on the Kings. Granted, the lead would only be two points as the Suns led 94-92 heading into the fourth quarter. The Kings were outscored by the Suns 30-25 in the third. Fox had 27 points, and Sabonis 25 through three quarters. Eric Gordon was leading the way for the Suns with 20 points. You could feel the energy building as the Suns fans were gearing up for a fourth-quarter run.

In the fourth quarter, the Suns couldn’t miss early. The Suns went on a 9-2 run to open the quarter and force Mike Brown to take a timeout with 10:13 left in the game. An animated Brown, Kevin Huerter, and Harrison Barnes could be seen on the sidelines, obviously frustrated with defensive miscues.

After the timeout, the Kings did their best to withstand the Suns onslaught. The Suns were shooting out of their minds. The Kings would be down 108-100 with 7:00 to go in the game. Could the Kings make a run to win the game? The Kings went on a run to bring the game within a shot.

The game would go back and forth up until the final whistle, but the Kings would fall to the Suns 130-25. The Kings best performance in the loss was from Sabonis, who had 35 points, 18 rebounds, and 12 assists. Fox recorded a 40-piece in the loss. Kevin Durant led the Suns to victory with a 28-point and 10-rebound game.

Sabonis is the first player since Larry Bird to have at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, and five blocks in a game.

Up Next: The Kings travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Wednesday.