Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors win sixth straight against Wizards 123-113

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives on the Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) in the first half at Capital One Center in Washington DC on Tue Feb 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 David, is the team your seeing now the real Golden State Warriors (30-27) they have now won six straight games and are the cusp of moving into eight place after their win against the Washington Wizards (9-49) 123-113 on Tuesday night in Washington.

#2 That coming off the bench thing is working for Klay Thompson he once again led the Warriors in scoring with 25 points.

#3 Thursday night the Warriors are at Madison Square Garden to tip off with the New York Knicks. The Knicks have lost seven of their last ten games and are in fourth in the Eastern Conference. How do you see this match up on Thursday night a 4:30pm PT start.

Join David for the Warriors podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors start the four-game road trip with a win over Wizards 123-112

The Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul (3) is defended by the Washington Wizards guard Jared Butler (center) and forward Marvin Bagley III in the first half at the Capital One Center in Washington DC on Tue Feb 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors beat the Washington Wizards 123-112 at the Capital One Center in Washington DC to start a four-game road trip. The Warriors have now won 11 of the last 14 games played. Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, changed his lineup.

Andrew Wiggins had the night off. Kerr inserted Moses Moody into the starting lineup. The Warriors welcomed back point guard Chris Paul. Paul broke his left hand on January 5th in a game against the Detroit Pistons.

The Warriors were favored to beat the Wizards as Washington is having a dismal season. The Wizards traded for Jordan Poole. Poole was removed from the starting lineup as he was not performing the way he did when he was with the Warriors. But, as the fans know, anything can happen in a basketball game. The Warriors had to be careful not to let the Wizards pull off the upset. The Wizards played well in the first half and trailed by two 60-58 at halftime.

In the first quarter, the Wizards got off to a good start. At one point in that quarter, the Wizards led by nine, 25-16. The Warriors Klay Thompson made a couple of buckets to get the Warriors closer to the lead. Washington finished the quarter leading 25-23.

The Warriors outscored the Wizards 37-33 in the second quarter. Moses Moody connected on two three-pointers to help the Warriors get their offense going. Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II also played well during this period. The Warriors finished the half leading by two, 60-58. There was one amazing stat that was hard to believe. Stephen Curry did not score a single point in the first half.

The Warriors won the third quarter 38-17. Curry found his shot. Curry and Klay each made a couple of threes to lead the Warriors to a 23-point lead, 98-75, at the end of the period. The Wizards, to their credit, fought back in the final stanza. The Warriors have blown several big leads in the fourth quarter this year. The Wizards won the quarter 37-25. The 23-point deficit was too much to overcome. Washington closed the gap to ten, 120-110, but time ran out, and the Warriors won 123-112.

Game Notes: The Warriors improved to 30-27 with the win. The Wizards lost their 12th in a row and are 9-49. Thompson paced the Warrior attack with 25 points. Thompson made six threes in nine tries. Stephen Curry, scoreless in the first half, knocked down eighteen in the second.

Curry connected three times from downtown. Moses Moody finished with 12, Brandin Podzienski had seven points, four rebounds, and four assists. Kuminga had a big night with 21 points, six boards, and five assists.

Payton II tallied 13 points, and Chris Paul added nine points and six assists. The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and, as a team, knocked down 21 threes. They had 39 assists on 47 made field goals. The Warriors outrebounded the Wizards 54-45. 

The Wizards had six players in double figures. Kyle Kuzma led Washington with 27. Marvin Bagley III had 20 points and nine rebounds. Corey Kispert had 20, Landry Shamet had 16, and Tyus Jones had 14. Former Warriors Jordan Poole scored 12, coming off the bench.

The Warriors bench outscored the Wizards bench 59-15. That was the difference in the game.

The Warriors travel to New York City to play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden Thursday night. The game will start at 4 pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Heat beat Kings one handed; Suspensions and injuries couldn’t stop Miami

The Miami Heat’s forward Jamie Jaquez Jr (11) tries to defend against the Sacramento Kings Harrison Barnes (right) in the first quarter at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Mon Feb 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Miami Heat’s (32-26) Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic and Thomas Bryant sat out the game in Sacramento on Monday night after being suspended for fighting on Friday with the New Orleans Pelicans. Meanwhile the Heat had four players out due to injuries Tyler Herro (left knee), Terry Rozier (right knee), Josh Richardson (right shoulder) and Orlando Robinson (back) and they still were able to beat the Sacramento Kings (33-24) 121-110.

#2 Try as hard as they did the Kings Domantas Sabonis once again scored another triple double with 14 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds leading the NBA with 21 triple doubles.

#3 Sabonis is something of a Superman becoming the tenth player in NBA history to have 40 straight double doubles.

#4 The Kings Keegan Murray had 28 points and De’Aaron Fox had 27 points despite their hard effort and working the Heat they needed more points and help than that.

#5 The Kings will try their luck again they’ll take on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night at Ball Arena in Denver. The Kings have defeated the Nuggets in their last two meetings Feb 9 135-106 and Feb 14 102-98. Can the Kings take a third game from the NBA Champion Nuggets tonight?

Join Tony Renteria for the Sacramento Kings podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings game wrap: With 3 players suspended, 4 out with an injury the Heat still beat Kings 121-110

The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (left) and Domantas Sabonis (right) chest bump after being fired up during pre game introductions at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Mon Feb 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Monday night. The Kings were fresh off the first night of a back-to-back that saw them defeat the LA Clippers. The Kings beat the Clippers on Sunday night 123-107 at the Crypto.com arena.

The real test for the Kings would be on the second night of the back-to-back. Monday night, the Kings were set to welcome in the Miami Heat. The Heat came into the game winners of three straight games. The Kings had won their previous two games. On Monday night, the Heat defeated the Kings 121-110.

In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a quick start. The Kings outscored the Heat in the first quarter 33-32. The Kings would look to tighten up the defensive side of the ball in the second quarter to increase the advantage. Keegan Murray got started early with 12 points in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings faltered a bit. The Heat were able to erase the Kings one-point lead in the first quarter to take their own lead. The Heat would outscore the Kings 33-29 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a three-point lead.

You could feel the momentum shift to the Heat to end the half as the Kings were looking for defensive answers. It was a very up-and-down half. At one point, the Kings led by double figures. However, they would go into halftime trailing 65-62.

In the third quarter, the Heat exploded for 36 points. On the other hand, the Kings could only score 19 points of their own. The Kings dug themselves a big hole heading into the fourth quarter, trailing 101-81. The game looked all but over as the Heat outscored the Kings by 17 points in the quarter. However, the Kings still had some run left in them.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings made a big push to win the game, going on a run that saw them cut the lead to four points. However, the Heat bounced back to stop the bleeding and ultimately win the game 121-110. The Kings did outscore the heat 29-20 in the fourth, but it was too little too late. It was a tough loss for the Kings playing a Heat team with many of its key players down.

Post game notes: The Heat’s Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic, and Thomas Bryant were out with suspensions for their fight with the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday and four Miami players were out with injuries Tyler Herro (left knee), Terry Rozier (right knee), Josh Richardson (right shoulder) and Orlando Robinson (back).

Domantas Sabonis did what has become normal this season, scoring his league-leading 20th triple-double. Sabonis has 40 consecutive double-doubles, the longest streak since 2011 Kevin Love. De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Kings in scoring with 27 points. Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 28 points.

Up Next: The Kings will travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets at 6 PM PST on Wednesday night.

Sportstalk podcast at Sushi Confidential downtown San Jose Feb26, 2024

Sushi Confidential at 26 San Pedro Square, downtown San Jose (photo by Sushi Confidential)

Marko Ukalovic (host and San Jose Barracuda beat writer), Titus Wilkinson (San Jose Sharks and San Jose Barracuda beat writer), Troy Ewers (San Jose State Spartans and SJ Sharks beat writer) and Chiranbir Mahal (INDTV USA) with our host owner of Sushi Confidential Restaurant Randy Musterer.

Were podcasting from the Sushi Confidential San Pedro Square location at 26 San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose. There are three Sushi Confidential locations here in the South Bay to serve you 247 East Campbell Avenue in downtown Campbell, 17340 Monterey Road Morgan Hill and right here at San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose.

Sushi Confidential serves sustainable wild caught California Halibut caught off the coast of Santa Cruz. This is as fresh as it gets. Sushi Confidential offers a full menu made to order of Nigiri Sushi, special rolls, and try a favorite the sticky pork bao buns from the starter menu.

There is so much to choose from hot entrees, salads, ramen, a kids menu, to the eight piece Sushi Confidential rolls. Sushi Confidential with three South Bay locations in Campbell, Morgan Hill and downtown San Jose.

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

Kings Outlast Red-Hot Clippers 123-107

Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron (5) drives the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward PJ Tucker during the first half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Sun Feb 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (33-22) took on the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers (37-19) Sunday night. They led for most of the game and did not back down when the Clippers threatened in the second half. This game got uncomfortably close in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter but some timely shots from downtown nailed down the win for Sacramento 123-107. De’Aaron Fox had the high for the team with 33 points.

The Kings took on the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena Sunday night. The Kings are coming off a win over the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night 127-122 and the Clippers are also coming off a win over the Memphis Grizzlies 101-95.

The Kings are barely hanging onto seventh place tied with the Mavericks while the Clippers are holding down third place in the Western Conference. Every team around the Kings in the standings are playing very well so in order to keep pace they have to get their defense going as well as their offense. Sacramento has to get hot as well.

At the end of the opening quarter the Clippers held a 28-25 lead over Sacramento in a close contest. Sacramento was only shooting at 40% while the Clippers were solid at 50%. The Kings did have 18 rebounds to the Clippers 11 but were unable to cash in. Both teams struggled from downtown, the Kings with two and the Clippers with only one.

The Kings led mid-way through the second quarter but this game was a close one. Sacramento had a real challenge trying to defend the veteran James Harden. With 4:38 left in the first half the Kings had a seven point advantage 46-39.

Domantas Sabonis was not shooting particularly well but he did have nine rebounds setting up shots for his offense. At the half, the Sacramento Kings had a 58-51 lead. Domantas Sabonis had begun to heat up with 11 points and 9 rebounds.

De’Aaron Fox had the high for the Kings in the half with 16 points and Harrison Barnes finished the first two quarters with 10 points. They would have to dig deep to get past Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Ivica Zubac and this Clipper team. The Kings were protecting the ball well with only 5 turnovers.

The Kings came out hot in the third quarter taking an 18 point lead mid-way through the quarter but the Clippers cut that lead in half as the third came to an end 89-80. Sacramento took some ill-advised three’s that missed and coupled with some ugly turnovers they opened the door for a Clipper comeback.

Sacramento stubbornly hung onto a double digit lead for most of the first four minutes of the fourth quarter but the Clippers fought back getting to within five points. With under six minutes left in the game the Kings pushed their lead back to 108-98 in a dogfight. The Kings began to extend their lead with under four minutes left on the clock 114-100.

With under two minutes Sacramento still had a double digit lead 118-105. De’Aaron Fox nailed the coffin shut with a two-point shot giving the Kings a 120-105 lead with 1:25 left in the game closing it out for Sacramento. The final was 123-107.

This was an amazing night for the Sacramento Kings. They played a solid game offensively and defensively. The ever reliable Domantas Sabonis clocked his 20th triple double of the season with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assist punishing the Clippers from inside over and over.

De’Aaron Fox had the team high with 33 points. Harrison Barnes finished with 22 points. The team only had ten turnovers in the game and this win moved them into fifth place in the Western Conference.

Sacramento will now head back home to Golden 1 Center to take on Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat Monday night in an Eastern Western Conference showdown. The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

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.

It was ugly but Warriors hold on beat Hornets 97-84; Golden State coach Kerr signs for 2 more yrs at $35 million

The Charlotte Hornets guard Vasilije Micic (left) passes the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Feb 23, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (29-26) welcomed the Charlotte Hornets (14-42) to the Chase Center Friday night. The Hornets entered the game with a record of 14-41. Yet, the Hornets had won four straight. Charlotte’s star point guard, LaMelo Ball, was sidelined with an injury and would not play.

Everyone thought the Warriors would win in a cakewalk. The Hornets, coached by Steve Clifford, had other thoughts. The players knew they had to find a way to disrupt the Warriors’ game plan. Both teams played poorly in the first half.

The Warriors scored just 43 points in the first 24 minutes of play. The Warriors turned the ball over 14 times. The Warriors defense put the clamps on the Hornet offense. Charlotte tallied 29 points in the half. The Warriors got the offense going in the third quarter and held on to win, 97-84.

As mentioned above, the first two-quarters of the game were ugly. Neither team could get into a rhythm. The leading scorer for the Warriors was Gary Payton II. GP2 had eight points to lead the team. Stephen Curry had seven, and Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Jonathan Kuminga each had six. Miles Bridges had ten for the Hornets in the first half. 

The Warriors offense came to life in the third quarter. They won the quarter30-23 and finished the period with the lead, 73-52. The Warriors led by 20, 80-60 after Thompson hit a three. The Warriors refused to let the Hornets get too close.

Curry hit a three to put the Warriors up 89-71. Head coach Steve Kerr took his regulars out of the game. The Hornets offense closed the gap to ten, 92-82. The time left in the game was a minute and 42 seconds. There was a remote possibility that the Hornets could make up the ten-point deficit.

That didn’t happen, as Moses Moody made a three with 1:05 left. Lester Quinones set off tempers when he made a basket with 12 seconds left. The Hornets’ Miles Bridges and Grant Williams were furious that Quinones took the shot.

The Warriors were going to win. The unwritten rule was to run out the clock. Quinones was hit with two technical fouls and was ejected from the game. Bridges and Williams each had a technical foul called on them. Williams was ejected. There was no scoring in the final few seconds of the game after the altercation.

Game Notes: It was an ugly win, but it is still a win. The Warriors improved to 29-26. Golden State has won ten of the last 12 games played. The Hornets fell to 14-42. 

The Warriors had five players in double figures. Curry led the club with 15 points. Curry made three threes in eight tries. Wiggins had 14, Thompson and Brandin Podziemski each had 13, and Payton II added 12. The Warriors shot 42% from the floor and made 13 threes.

The Hornets also had five players with double-figures. Bridges led Charlotte with 19 points and 11 boards. Nick Richards and Brandon Miller each had 11. Tre Mann and Grant Williams had ten.

Kerr signed a two year extension worth $35 million, the contract is listed as a record annual value for a head coach. Kerr is in his tenth year with Golden State as his current contract expires at the end of this season. Kerr is breathing some relief as he was focused on this season but now that the contract issues have been completed he can focus on coaching and not on his future with the team.

The Warriors finish the homestand against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at 4 pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings get five point win over Spurs 127-122; Sabonis scores 19th triple double

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) is guarded by the Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (1) first half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Feb 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis picked up his 19th triple double with 22 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds. He can do it all the Kings win over the San Antonio Spurs at Golden 1 on Thursday night.

#2 Sabonis almost sat this one out he was put in as a game time decision and was not feeling well but you would have never known it he wound up picking up his fourth triple double in five games.

#3 Sabonis has a double double in 38 consecutive games. Kings teammate De’Aaron Fox said that you don’t want to become numb of what Sabonis is doing that what he’s doing has been done just a few times in basketball.

#4 Fox said that at this point of the season you want wins and to get them any way you can and the Kings were able to execute down the stretch and it was a big win for Sacramento.

#5 The Kings are in Los Angeles to tip off against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena Sun Feb 25th at 6:30pm PT. The Clippers are third in the Western Conference and have won six of their last ten games. They can be a handful.

Join Jeremiah for the Sacramento Kings podcast Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com