Tag: Golden State Warriors

Warriors, without Kevin Durant, win a thriller over the Rockets 106-104

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors broke two streaks Wednesday night as they beat the red-hot Houston Rockets 106-104 in the Toyota Center. The first streak they snapped was the three-game winning streak Houston had over Golden State, and they snapped Houston’s nine-game winning streak. The Warriors had to figure out a way to do it without the services of Kevin Durant, who suffered a bone contusion on his ankle Sunday night in the loss to the Phoenix Suns. Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, inserted Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup to replace Durant. The Warriors needed the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, to be at their best to win. Thompson and Curry did well, and DeMarcus Cousins came through with a season-high 27 points and was able to contain the Rockets’ big man, Clint Capela.

The Warriors needed to get off to a good start in the first quarter. They outscored the Rockets 33-23 as Curry knocked down 13 points in the first 12 minutes. The Warriors had an early 15-7 lead, but the Rockets went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 15. The Warriors responded with a 14-2 run to lead 29-17. Curry and Kevon Looney each made a two-point bucket to increase the lead to 33-23.

The Warriors’ second unit played well early in the second quarter. Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, and Klay Thompson upped the lead to 46-34. The Rockets, at this point in the game, came to life and charged back. They tied the game at 52 before Steph made a basket and the first half ended with Golden State leading 54-52. Thompson led the Warriors with 16. Curry had 15 and Cousins had 7. Boogie also had five boards and six assists. James Harden and Chris Paul led the Houston attack with 16 each. Capela had 8. The W’s bench outscored the Rockets’ bench 11-5.

In the third quarter, DeMarcus Cousins was a force. He, as mentioned earlier, put a lid on Clint Capela’s game. He scored ten points in the period to keep the Warriors ahead. Klay and Steph were on target, too. Kevon Looney was magnificent on defense in the quarter, and he made a key bucket late in the period. The Warriors outscored Houston 31-16 and finished with a seven-point advantage 85-78 after three-quarters of action.

The Warriors used the second unit with Cousins and Thompson to start the fourth quarter. Rockets’ coach, Mike D’Antoni also had his starter, James Harden, resting on the bench. Cousins knocked down another 10 points to give the Warriors the lead 102-89. Harden re-entered the game at this point. Houston refused to cave, and their defense stifled the Warriors as they climbed back into the game. They kept chipping away at the Warrior lead and outscored the Warriors 11-2 to make it 104-100 with 47 seconds left to play.  Houston connected on a three, and now it was a one-point game 104-103. Steph made a bucket to increase the lead to 106-103 with 8 seconds remaining to play. After a timeout, Kerr told his players to make to foul either Harden or Chris Paul and not let them attempt a three-point shot. The Warriors fouled Harden. He made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second in an attempt to get the rebound and make a basket to tie the game. The strategy failed, and the Warriors won 106-104.

Game Notes and Stats: Kevin Durant rested his ankle on Wednesday and the Warriors hope that he will return to action Saturday night when they play the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

With the win, the Warriors improve to 46-21. Houston falls to 42-26. If the teams were to meet in the playoffs, the Warriors would have the home-court advantage unless the teams end the season with the same record. In that case, the Rockets would have home court as they beat the Warriors 3-1 for the season.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 30 points. He made 5 three-point shots in 10 attempts. DeMarcus Cousins excelled on offense with a season-high 27 points. He had 8 rebounds and 7 assists in his best performance with Golden State. Curry had 24 points and connected on 3 threes in nine attempts. The Warriors bench kicked in with 20. James Harden led Houston with 29.  Harden connected on 2 threes in 12 attempts. Chris Paul had 24. Eric Gordon pitched in with 17, and he made 3 threes for the Rockets. Capela had a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards. The Houston bench added 18.

The Warriors shot 49.4% from the floor. The made 12 threes, They were 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. They outrebounded Houston 44-31. The Rockets had 13 more free throws as Harden, and Chris Paul know how to draw fouls as they drive to the basket.

Up Next: The Warriors play the OKC Thunder Saturday night in OKC. Game time is at 5:30 pm. Game three of the four-game road trip will be in San Antonio Monday night, and they finish with a back-to-back set against the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Injuries, players planning not to return, or just plain tired–what’s wrong with Golden State

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Photo credit: @warriors

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors have lost six out of their last ten games. It’s not in their DNA for the last five years to go on a run like that. Has this team finally reached it’s peak and heading downhill?

#2 Warriors head coach Steve Kerr can’t put a finger on it, but he’ll have fast as the Warriors have four big dates on the road, starting with Houston on Wednesday night. Will they recover?

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Suns stun the Warriors 115-111

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Warriors, after beating the Denver Nuggets Friday night, hoped that the game against the young Phoenix Suns would be an easy win. The Suns had other thoughts. Phoenix, under head coach Igor Korkoskov, entered the contest with an abysmal record of 15-52. However, they had won five of the last seven played, and the Warriors knew that they should not be taken lightly. The Warriors had beaten the Suns 18 straight times and had not lost to them since November 9th, 2014. The Suns made a trade earlier in the season when they traded Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards for Kelly Oubre, Jr, and Austin Rivers. Rivers was traded to Houston. Oubre has helped the Suns, and with Devin Booker’s 37 points, they upset the Warriors’ applecart Sunday night at Oracle by a score of 115-111

The Warriors, who have had problems getting started in the first quarter over the last 10 or 12 games, got off to a good start as they finished the quarter with a 29-16 lead. Klay Thompson led the attack with 10 points. They had the offense working and were playing strong defense.

The second quarter was a reversal of fortune for Golden State. With the W’s second unit on the floor, the Suns outplayed the Warriors on both ends of the court. The Suns outscored the W’s 40-28 in the quarter and finished the first half trailing by a single point 57-56. The Warriors were led by Thompson 19 points. Durant 14, Cousins 7, and Steph had 3. The Suns Deandre Ayton paced the team with 12, Oubre 10, and Devin Booker 11. The Suns’ bench outscored the Warrior bench 20-10.

The Warriors got off to a slow start in the third period. They continued to fail to make three-point shots. They scored just 11 points in the first eight-plus minutes in the quarter. The W’s offense came to life as they finished with a 15-6 run to maintain the one-point lead 80-19. In the final period of the night, the W’s extended the lead to 88-83. It was at this point that the momentum shifted to Phoenix. The referees called Shaun Livingston for an offensive foul on Booker. The refs reviewed the play and determined that Shaun committed a flagrant foul. Booker made the two free throws and retained possession. The Suns capitalized and increased the lead to 91-88. It was all part of an 8-0 run for the Suns. Steph Curry hit a three to tie the game at 91. They lead changed hands several times until Phoenix led 99-98. The Suns’ Devin Booker was on fire, and he propelled the Suns to a 109-98 lead. The Warriors closed the gap to three 111-108, but the Suns held on to win 115-111.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors’ Kevin Durant suffered a right ankle contusion with 6:34 left in the game. Durant went to the locker room and did not return. The Warriors are now 45-21 for the season, and Phoenix improved to 16-52. The Suna have won six of the last eight games played and have beaten the Milwaukee Bucks twice and now the Warriors. They are a team that is on the rise with young, talented players and can no longer be taken lightly. The Warriors and Suns do not play again this year.

Klay Thompson led the team with 28, KD had 25, Steph 18. Klay and Steph each made four threes in fifteen attempts. DeMarcus Cousins added 13. Draymond Green had 6 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Warriors bench helped out with 21.

Devin Booker was the start of the night for Phoenix. The third-year player knocked down 37 points and made 13 straight points for Phoenix in the fourth quarter. Kelly Oubre helped out with 22, and the big 7 foot 1-inch center, rookie Deandre Ayton, had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The Warriors embark on a four-game road trip starting Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have won eight in a row and are looking to sweep the season series against the Warriors.  Game time will be at 5:30 pm.

Warriors, behind Thompson’s hot shooting and Cousins’ defense, knock off the Nuggets 122-105

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Photo credit: @warriors

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, facing questions about the play of the team after being trashed by the Boston Celtics Tuesday night, bounced back and beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 at Oracle Arena Friday night. The Warriors entered the game leading the Nuggets by one game for the best record in the Western Conference. The Warriors’ win increased their lead to two with 17 games left to play in the regular season.

The Warriors now lead the Nuggets 2-1 and play once more on April 2nd at Oracle Arena. The task for the Warriors Friday night was to stop the Nuggets’ starting lineup. They needed DeMarcus Cousins to find a way to shackle the Nuggets’ big man Nikola Jokic. Jokic came into the game averaging a triple-double for the season. Wilt Chamberlain was the only other center to be able to do that for an entire season. The Warriors had to find a way to get off to a good start. They had lost five of the last eight games and trailed by more than 10 points at halftime in at least six of the last 10 games played.

Klay Thompson returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two games with a knee injury. Klay helped the Warriors to get off to a good start. His two-game hiatus gave him some needed rest, and he helped propel the Warriors to a 30-20 first quarter. Kevin Durant, Cousins, and Steph Curry all made shots while the Warrior defense kept Denver down. The one drawback in the quarter was the number of fouls the Warriors committed. Those fouls enabled Denver to go on a 12-3 run to close the gap to 10.

The Nuggets tied the game early in the second quarter at 34. From that point, the lead changed hands several times. The Warriors were leading 53-48 when they went on a 14-2 run to finish the first half with a 17-point lead 67-50. Klay made two threes and Curry helped out with one of his own. Denver’s Malik Beasley kept the Nuggets close as he made four threes and led the Nuggets with 14. None of the Denver starters were in double figures. Jokic was held to 8 points and 3 boards. Klay Thompson had 27 in the first 24 minutes. Kevin Durant had 16, Steph Curry 9, and Andre Iguodala had 5 coming off the bench.

The closest the Nuggets came was 79-70 after the Warriors made too many turnovers. The Nuggets capitalized, but the Warriors righted the ship and increased the lead to 15 90-75 at the end of three periods. In the fourth quarter, DeMarcus Cousins, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry increased the lead to 21, 105-84. Klay continued to make threes. Cousins hit a three and raised his hands upward as he had not hit one for several games. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr removed the starters and the second unit players finished the game as the Warriors won 122-105.

Game Notes and Stats: DeMarcus Cousins had his best defensive effort since his return from the devastating Achilles tendon injury he suffered last season when he was a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. He had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. He also had 3 steals and six blocked shots. It was, without question, an All-Star performance. He also held Jokic to just 16 points and handled the Nuggets other big, Mason Plumlee.

Klay Thompson led the team with 39 points. Thompson made nine threes in 11 attempts. Durant had 26, Steph Curry 17, and Kevon Looney had 9 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.

Malik Beasley led the Nuggets with 17. Beasley mad 5 threes, but was held to just 3 points in the second half. Jokic finished with 16. Will Barton had 5, Gary Harris 6, and Jamal Murray 11.

The Warriors are now 45-20 and own a two-game lead of the 43-22 Nuggets for the NBA Western Conference lead.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the very young and, suddenly, improving Phoenix Suns. The Suns upset the Milwaukee Bucks last week and cannot be taken lightly. Game time will be at 5:30 pm Sunday night.

The Warriors then go on the road for four games. They face the Houston Rockets Wednesday night for the fourth time this season.

The Rockets lead the series 3-0. They then go to Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Minnesota.

Celtics blow out the Warriors at Oracle 128-95

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Boston Celtics, a team that has not lived up to expectations this season, came into Oracle Arena Tuesday night and handed the Warriors their worst loss at home in the Steve Kerr era. The Warriors fell behind once again in the first half. In the last 10 games, the Warriors trailed by more than 10 points after the first 24 minutes of action. It was worse Tuesday night as they trailed Boston by 25 73-48 at the intermission.

The Celtics dominated the Warriors on both ends of the court. They made 29 shots from the field while the Warriors made 15. They made 8 threes. The Warriors made 6. The Celtics had 22 rebounds, the Warriors had 17. The Celtics had 23 assists on 29 buckets. The Warriors had 11. The Celtics had six steals, the Warriors 2. The Celtics turned the ball over six times, the Warriors 12. The W’s did not make a field goal in the last 3:53 of the second quarter. Gordon Hayward, coming off the bench and looking like the Gordon Hayward that was an All-Star when he was with the Utah Jazz, knocked down 19. Kyrie Irving had 11, Jayson Tatum 12, and Jalen Brown 9.  Steph Curry led Golden State with 19. Kevin Durant had 10, Draymond Green 5, and the Warrior bench added 12.

The Warriors played a little better in the third quarter. They scored 28 points, but they lost ground as Boston scored 32. The Celtics had a commanding 105-76 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Kerr waved the white flag as he pulled all of his starters except DeMarcus Cousins. The Boston reserves outscored the W’s backup guys 23-19 to win going away 128-95

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors lost for the fifth time in the last eight games. They are 44-20 for the year and are still 1 1/2 games ahead of Denver for first place in the Western Conference. The Warriors face the Nuggets Friday night at Oracle. The Celtics improved to 39-26 and are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Warriors were missing Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney due to injury. Shaun Livingston had the night off. Curry led the W’s with 23. Durant had 18 and Cousins finished with 10. No other Warrior was in double figures. Boston had five players in double-digits. Gordin Hayward had 30. He was the third Celtic player this season to come off the bench and score more than 30 points. Kyrie Irving 19, Jalen Brown, the ex-Cal Bear, had 18, Jayson Tatum 17, And Marcus Morris 10.

The Celtics made 49 baskets compared to the Warriors’ 34. They were 14-for-34 from three-point range. The Warriors made eight threes in 35 attempts. The Celtics dominated on defense with 12 steals and five blocks and forced the Warriors to commit 21 turnovers.

The Warriors are reported to be interested in signing Andrew Bogut as a backup center. Bogut was the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the Australian League. He has stated that he is interested in returning to the NBA and has to clear up some issues with a visa before he can join the Warriors. He should be here in about 10 days if he decides to accept the Warriors’ offer.

Up Next: for the Warriors will be Friday night when they face the Denver Nuggets at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: What has happened to Golden State?; No stupid move on Phils part getting Harper; As Bumgarner goes so does Giants pitching staff: plus more

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Photo credit: @warriors

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 The Golden State Warriors, who had lost four of their last six games, got a stunning win in Philadelphia against the 76ers 120-117. The Warriors needed the win to stay on top in the Western Conference. They now lead the Denver Nuggets by 1 1/2 games who the Warriors play on Friday. They also struggled against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night and play the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

#2 Was it stupid or did it make sense for the Philadelphia Phillies to sign Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million deal?

#3 How much of a measuring stick will San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner be and how effective will he be for the Giants?

#4 Down to 45 players on the spring roster, the Oakland A’s need to cut 20 more players before the regular season starts. How much confidence do you have Bob Melvin’s selections when the regular season nears?

#5 The A’s haven’t given up on Kyler Murray. They feel he will come back to baseball and it’s their hope he will play ball for them. What are the chances?

Barbara Mason is filling in for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Will Durant go to Boston? Irving and Durant to meet tonight at Oracle

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photo from sfgate.com: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics and Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors greet each other prior to the start of their NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on January 27, 2018 in Oakland, California.

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 David talks to us about his thoughts on the Warriors acquiring Andrew Bogut

#2 It’s the Boston Celtics (38-26) tonight at Oracle Arena and David sets tonight’s game up

David does the Warriors podcast each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors take down the 76ers 120-117

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors beat the Sixers in Philadelphia Saturday night 120-117. The Warriors needed the win to stay in first place in the Western Conference. The Nuggets lost again, and the Warriors are now 1 1/2 games ahead of the Nuggets. The Warriors’ Klay Thompson was unable to play due to soreness in his knee. He suffered the injury in the game against Orlando. Kevon Looney also sat out the game with soreness in his pelvis. The Sixers were without their star center Joel Embiid. Embiid has missed his last five games due to injury. Embiid is averaging a double-double for the season with 27.3 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.

The Warriors, who have not played well in the first half in several of the last 10 games, fell behind early in the first minutes of the first quarter. They righted the ship and finished the quarter trailing 32-31. The teams swapped leads until about halfway through the second period. The Sixers were able to stop the Warriors and outscored them 35-24 to finish the first half with a 12-point lead 67-55.

The Warriors, who were running uphill in the games against Miami and Orlando, regrouped in the third quarter. Also, they had to do it with Steph Curry sitting on the bench. Curry picked up his fourth foul with just 3 minutes and 45 seconds played. Steve Kerr sent in Curry’s brother-in-law, Damian Lee to fill Curry’s shoes. Lee was the right choice as he knocked down four threes and behind the play DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Durant, the Warriors won the third quarter 93-90.

Curry came back in the fourth quarter, and he led the Warriors to the win. He knocked down a three to give the Warriors the lead 111-109. Curry scored six points in the last 2:35 to put the Warriors ahead 120-117. The Sixers had a chance to tie the game, but they lost the ball out of bounds with 1.7 seconds left in the game.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improve to 44-19. The Sixers drop to 40-23.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Cousins had 25 points and 8 boards. Curry finished with 28. Damian Lee had 12, and the rest of the Warrior bench added 15. The Warriors connected on 14 three-pointers.

Ben Simmons had his second straight triple-double with 25 points, 15 boards, and 11 assists. Jimmy Butler had 21, Tobias Harris, the ex-LA Clipper, 20, Jonah Bolden 12. Mike Scott, coming off the bench, had a big night for the Sixers with 22 and T.J>McConnell added 10.

The Warriors split the season series with the Sixers. The Sixers won in Oakland, and the Warriors returned the favor in Philadelphia.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to play the Boston Celtics Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Warriors run out of gas in the fourth quarter, fall to the Magic 103-86 for fourth loss in last six games

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing their fifth game in the last eight days, and the second in the last two nights, blew an 11-point advantage to lose for the 19th time this year. The Warriors also fell out of first place in the Western Conference.

The Warriors gave Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala the night off. The Warriors were hoping to bounce back from the shocking loss to the Miami Heat Wednesday night. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr selected Alfonzo McKinnie to take Durant’s spot, and he inserted Demarcus Cousins back in the lineup at center. The Warriors wanted Cousins, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson to carry the offensive load Thursday night. The Warriors also wanted to get off to a good start in the first quarter. The Warriors played poorly against the Miami Heat Wednesday night, and they did not play well in the first quarter against the Magic on Thursday. In fact. The Warriors never had the lead at all in the first half.

The Magic, who had lost 11 straight games to the Warriors, went right after Cousins as they drove the lane and were making layups. The Warriors were attempting threes and had little success. The Warriors shot just 34% from the floor and ended the first period trailing 28-22.  The Magic increased the lead to 41-31 before Thompson, McKinnie, and Curry made shots and the Warriors cut the deficit to four 43-39. The Magic regrouped and finished the first half leading by eight 59-51. The Magic shot 51% from the floor, and the best the Warriors could do was 39%. The Warriors were 4-for-21 from three-point range. The Warrior bench contributed just two points. Curry had 19, Thompson had 15, and Cousins had 11.  The Magic’s Aaron Gordon had 10, Nikola Vucevic had 7, and D.J. Augustin had 10.

The Warriors woke up and played Warrior basketball in the third quarter. They started the quarter on a 25-7 run and won the period 30-11 to lead 81-71 after three periods of action. The 11 points scored by the Magic was the lowest point total of any opponent in any quarter this season.

The fourth quarter, however, was a reversal of fortune. With the score 85-72. The Magic went on an 8-0 run to trail by five. The Magic tied the score at 89, and it looked as if the Warriors had run out of gas. Shots were clanging off the front of the rim. The W’s continued to miss three-pointers. The Magic took the lead for good 95-94 when they hit a three. They increased the lead to five 101-96 late in the game. The Warriors did not score again. The Magic added two points and won 103-96.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors, with the loss, dropped to 43-19 and are now in second place in the Western Conference. The Magic improved to 29-34, and they are tied for the eighth seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Curry led the Warriors with 33 points. Thompson had 21, Cousins had 21 and 11 rebounds. Draymond Green had five, and McKinnie four. The Warrior bench added just 12 points. Four of the Magic starters were in double figures. Aaron Gordon led the team with 22. Jonathan Isaac and Nikola Vecevic had 12 each. Augustin finished with 14. The Magic bench put 41 points on the board.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers Saturday night at 5:30 pm. The Sixers with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, and Jimmy Butler easily handled the Warriors when they played in Oakland. Hopefully, the Warrior defense, with Cousins in the middle, will be able to stop the Sixer offense. The Warriors then return to Oracle to face the Boston Celtics on March 5th and the Denver Nuggets on March 8th.

The Warriors will have work to do if they want to repeat as NBA champions. They have to play better in the first half. They have to contain the opposing offenses and not play as if they are running uphill. They have to get better play from the bench. They do not have anyone right now that is giving them instant offense. They do not have a Goran Dragic or a Lou Williams. Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell have to be able to play defense and put some points on the board so that the Warriors can rest Cousins. Cousins has shown that he can play, but he has been beaten as teams have been scoring inside on the pick and roll. The Warriors next three opponents know they can beat the Warriors. The Warriors will need to play a better brand of basketball if they hope to make it all the way through the playoffs.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Will this second meeting with Harper mean he’ll become a Giant?; Johnny Football is out of football again; Will Green and Durant leave Warriors after this season?; plus more

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Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 The San Francisco Giants had a second meeting with free agent superstar Bryce Harper. Does that look like an indication that Harper likes what the Giants organization is all about and what they have to offer?

#2 Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was released by the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes for violations of his contract. The Alouettes further informed the other eight teams in the CFL of Manziel’s release. The Alouettes did not give a reason why he was being released. But sources say Manziel violated his confidentiality agreement. It was reported that the CFL ordered his release.

#3 The Golden State Warriors have lost three of their last four games and have showed signs of tiring. They trailed the Miami Heat in Wednesday night’s game and talk has it that besides Kevin Durant who could go shopping after this season Draymond Green could announce for free agency after next season as well.

#4 The Sacramento Kings are coming off a tough loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night and hosted the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night and lost 141-140. The Kings–even when they lose–still make it interesting right until the end of the game.

#5 How concerned should the Oakland A’s be about their starting rotation now that pitchers Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk are returning from surgery from last season? Can the A’s rotation stay healthy this season?

Join Tony each Thursday for Headline Sports at http://www.sportsradioservice.com