NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: NJ’s Severson goal come up big against Rangers; Jackets Marchenko’s hat trick does the trick against Canes; plus much more

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson (28) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers at Prudential Center in Newark New Jersey on Sat Jan 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

#1 Damon Severson of the New Jersey Devils scored at 2:17 in overtime to help New Jersey get a 4-3 win in overtime against the New York Rangers at the Prudential Center in Newark. Severson stole the puck away from the Rangers Alex Lafreniere and went two on one with it against Nico Heschier to score the gamer.

#2 Columbus Blue Jackets Kirill Marchenko picked up his first NHL hat trick that help defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in a shootout at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Saturday. Kent Johnson contributed with the game winning goal in the fifth round of the shootout stanza for the win.

#3 On Friday night the Nashville Predators Ryan McDonagh got a first goal of the season after playing in 31 games. McDonagh got a pass from Ryan Johansen and avoided the Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lingren’s left pad with a back handed goal to beat the Caps 4-3.

#4 The Florida Panthers Aaron Ekblad scored two power play goals as the Carolina Panthers defeated the Detroit Red Wings at Little Casers Pizza Arena on Friday 3-2.

#5 In a game that’s coming up on Saturday night at SAP in San Jose the Boston Bruins who are 30-4-4 face off with the San Jose Sharks 12-20-8. The Bruins always show up but can the Sharks play up to the level tonight?

Join Matt Harrington for the NHL podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Lose to Pistons in Final Second of Game 122-119; Green ejected on second technical

Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) shoots against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the second half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wed Jan 4, 2023 (AP News photo)

Warriors Lose to Pistons in Final Second of the Game 122-119

By Barbara Mason

Going for their sixth win in a row, the Golden State Warriors (20-19) took on the young upstart Detroit Pistons (11-30) Wednesday night at Chase Center in San Francisco. Andrew Wiggins was still unable to play tonight as was Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman. The Warriors had a five game winning streak snapped as the Pistons stayed the course against Golden State coming away with a 122-119 victory.

The Warriors got off to a very disconcerting start. Luckily for Golden State they got on track after the first few minutes of the first quarter. The Pistons were shooting a shocking 67%, crazy for a team that is 28th on offense in the league. After the first twelve minutes of play Detroit led 34-26.

Leading after the first quarter gave the Pistons a lot of confidence that they took into the second quarter. Bojan Bogdanovic was leading the Pistons in points with 17. The Pistons finished the first quarter on an 8-0 run and were looking to put an end to the Warriors win streak at Chase.

The Warriors took a brief one point lead in the second quarter 39-38 at 9:17 but it was short-lived. At the half the Pistons continued to hold the lead 60-56.

Jordan Poole had 13 points in the half but it was the bench that came out hot in this game. They accounted for 30 points in the half between Anthony Lamb, Ty Jerome and Moses Moody. They had kept Golden State in this game. The Warriors continued to struggle with turnovers committing nine and they desperately needed to tighten up they’re defense in the second half.

The rhythm and flow that we are used to seeing from Golden State was absent and one wondered if the double overtime Monday night had taken a toll.

The Warriors took another brief lead in the third quarter but couldn’t get on top of Detroit. The Pistons led after three 91-88.

With 7:33 left in the fourth quarter the Warriors had come from ten down to take the lead 99-98. The Warriors could not sink a three to save their life and were 11 of 33. They were climbing uphill the entire evening. With 5:06 left Klay Thompson hit his first three of the night followed by a second three.

The Warriors had 3:45 to turn this game around. The Pistons had 15 shots from downtown to their credit and with 1:24 left in the game had a 117-112. The hoped for sixth win in a row was on shaky ground. It got even worse when Draymond Green was ejected with his second technical.

With 04.2 left on the clock the Warriors had the ball trailing 119-116. Thompson hit from downtown and we had a tie game at 119 with one second left in regulation. Detroit would end the Warriors perfect home stand with a shot from downtown winning it 122-119.

Thompson had the high with 30 followed by Jordan Poole with 24. The bench had a great game with a combined 48 points.

The Detroit Pistons played a great game, a high caliber game. The high for the Pistons was Bojan Bogdanovic with 29.

Saturday night the Warriors will take on the Magic playing their seventh home game in a row. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30.

Kings starters enjoy big night in 122-113 win over Pistons

Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) drives on Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) in the second half at Little Caser’s Pizza Arena in Detroit on Fri Dec 16, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, December 15, 2022

A dominant performance by Sacramento’s starting five, led by center Damontas Sabonis, sparked the Kings to a decisive 122-113 win over Detroit Friday night in The Motor City.

Sabonis scored 23 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, as the Kings’ starters outscored the Pistons’ starters 99-66. The Kings had seven players reach double-figures, including all five starters.

De’Aaron Fox had 24 points and nine assists for Sacramento, with Keegan Murray next with 20 points, Harrison Barnes had 19 points and Kevin huerter had 13. Malik Monk had 11 points and six assists off the Kings bench, and Terence Davis scored 10 points in 17 minutes.

The Kings’ starters outscored Detroit’s 35-8 in the third quarter.

Bojan Bogdanovic was the top scorer for Detroit with 22 points, followed by Jalen Duran with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Pistons (8-23) also had 14 points from Saddiq Bey and a 13-ooint effort from Marvin Bagley III.

Sacramento led 93-86 after three quarters. The Pistons pulled to within 106-100 midway through the fourth quarter, but Harrison Barnes stepped up with a 3-pointer, stripped Bogdanovic and converted a layup to put the Kings up by 11 points with 5:46 to play.

BROWN FINED BY NBA
The NBA announced on Friday that Kings head coach Mike Brown was fined $25,000 by the league for what was termed “an explosive ejection” in the Kings’ 124-123 win in Toronto on Wednesday. The NBA said in a statement that Brown was fined for “aggressively pursuing and directing profane language toward a game official.”

Brown was assessed two technical fouls and ejected with 9:09 remaining in the third quarter of Sacramento’s win over the Raptors.

The Kings (16-12) host Charlotte on Monday night.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Loss in Detroit is Golden State’s fourth in six games

The Detroit Pistons Cade Cunningham (2) gets a pass off under the double coverage of Golden State Warriors Kevon Looney (5) and Jordan Poole (3) at Little Cesar’s Palace in Detroit on Sun Oct 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

On Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara the Detroit Pistons had some offense going for them on Sunday as Saddiq Bey scored 28 points and Cade Cunningham fell one assist short of getting a triple double in their victory over the Golden State Warriors at Little Caser’s Palace in Detroit.

#2 How surprising was it for the Pistons who had lost five straight games to defeat a team like the Warriors who lost on a second straight night.

#3 Barbara, what would you say is one of the top reasons why the Warriors have lost four of their last six games and have fallen off in the last week like they have?

#4 Warriors Stephen Curry scored 32 and Jordan Poole had 30 points but no matter how hard the effort on Sunday in Detroit they just fell short and the Pistons offense pulled away led by Bey and Cunningham.

#5 The Warriors next opponent the Miami Heat have had just gone through the same grinder, for the Heat coming off four loses of their last six games have the home floor Tuesday night and after losing to the Warriors last Thursday the Heat with top scorers Jimmy Butler and Bam Adedayo look for an opportunity to even the score with Golden State.

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

Warriors Drop Another Road Game to Detroit 128-114; Pistons snap 5 game loss streak

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr points the direction the Warriors should be shooting against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caser’s Palace in Detroit on Sun Oct 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

After losing an overtime game to the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors (3-4) took on the Detroit Pistons (2-5) Sunday. The Hornets spent much of the game at the line Saturday night which in some part was the reason the Warriors did not win this game in regulation. In Detroit it was not much different as the Warriors lose to the Pistons 128-114 at Little Cesar’s Palace in Detroit.

Against the Pistons the Warriors will need to clean that up against one of the best teams in the league getting to the line. This will be one of only two games in which these two teams will meet.

Game recap: Unlike Sunday night the Warriors went on a 12 to 2 run in the first quarter and led 19-11 before the Pistons cut that lead to two points 19-17. The Warriors had some good looks but failed to capitalize. The main threat for Detroit was of course Bojan Bogdanovic who already had two shots from downtown.

The Pistons hung around after trailing by as much as ten points and tied up the game at 41 going on to take the lead 44-41 with six minutes left in the second quarter. Draymond Green already had three personals at halftime. The Warriors were shooting 37% to the Pistons 48%.

Detroit has a starting roster made up of some up and coming youngsters that will be amazing players down the road in fact making an impact in the first two quarters of this game. At the half the Warriors had some work to do trailing 63-55. The second quarter was a killer with the Pistons outscoring Golden State 34-18.

Two minutes into the third quarter the Warriors were trailing 74-57. The Pistons had lost five in a row and were looking to break that losing streak. Detroit continued to extend their lead at one time ahead 79-60 but Golden State came roaring back courtesy of Jordan Poole hitting four shots from downtown in the quarter.

The Warriors continued to trail deep into the fourth quarter. With three minutes left this was an eight point game in favor of Detroit. The young Piston roster was having a banner game. The Warriors were staring down another loss. They were fouling far to often and the Pistons were hitting those free throws. The final was 128-114 and Detroit had broken their losing streak.

Every starter for Detroit scored in double digits. They ran the Warriors off the three point line attacking in the second half and it paid off. Even when Jordan Poole went off in the second half, the young Detroit roster did not fold. This team doesn’t typically make three’s but they sure did Sunday with 14.

Stephen Curry had the high score with 32 points and Jordan Poole followed that up with 30 points. The bottom line is that the Warriors have a bull’s eye on their backs, they are the hunted.

This is exactly why it is so very difficult to repeat. . “It looks like a pick-up game out there,” said Steve Kerry after the game. “We’ve got to stop fouling, 38 more free throws tonight. We’re putting ourselves in some tough spots offensively and that translates into the defense,” said Kerr after the game.

Tuesday the Warriors will take on the Miami Heat after having a day off. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 PM. The Warriors cannot continue to fall behind by double digits on the road. They have s lot to clean up before Tuesday night.

Kings lose third in a row to Bucks 133-127

Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton, right, takes a shot against Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Sat Jan 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

Kings Lose Third In A Row To Bucks 133-127

By Barbara Mason

Flashback Wednesday: After losing a very disappointing game Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons, the Sacramento Kings (18-30) traveled to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks (30-19). The Kings led in the Piston game by nine points with 2:34 left on the clock.

In the NBA two and a half minutes is a lot of time however the Kings did not score a single point for the rest of the game and the Pistons took full advantage. The Kings had two turnovers, three missed shots and a foul in those final two minutes. They needed to finish the game and they were unable too. This has been a problem for the Kings this year, finishing games.

Saturday night in Milwaukee: On Saturday night the Kings face a huge challenge taking on the fourth place Bucks at Fiserv Forum. They will have Tyrese Haliburton back on the court for this game a plus for Sacramento. There is bad news as well because De’Aaron Fox has been ruled out with an ankle injury. This is a tough loss for Sacramento, losing their leading scorer.

The Kings had a nice start winning the first quarter 35-27. Their lead did not last very long and mid-way through the second quarter the Bucks heated up taking the lead. At the half the Bucks led 62-54. Harrison Barnes led the shooting for the Kings with 14 points in the first half. He was the only King in double digits so far in the game.

The Bucks took their second quarter momentum into the third quarter extending their lead by as much as 15 points. The Kings would cut that deficit in half trailing after three quarters 94-86. Milwaukee’s Chris Middleton and Jrue Holiday led the Bucks in scoring, Middleton with 20 and Holiday with 18.

The Kings continued to hang around and got to within three points with under two minutes left in the game. That was as close as Sacramento would get losing their third game in a row 133-127.

The Kings got some great play from their starters. Harrison Barnes finished with 29 point, Tyrese Haliburton with 24, and Terence Davis had 22. All of their starters had double digits.

Tuesday the Kings will be playing the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM PT.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings start five game road trip Saturday in Milwaukee

Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) is fouled by Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Jan 19, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson :

#1 The Sacramento Kings (18-29) just simply melted down in their 133-131 loss to the Detroit Pistons (11-33) on Wednesday night. The Pistons Corey Joseph shot a game winning shot with 25.9 seconds left as the Pistons topped an 11-0 comeback win.

#2 Joseph who formerly played for the Kings at the guard position who dealt to the Pistons at the trade deadline last season scored 19 points and had nine assists on Wednesday night.

#3 Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said the Pistons show resilience saying these are the dog days before the All Star break and the team has be ready to go and that they found a way to defeat the Kings.

#4 The Kings Terrance Davis led Sacramento with 35 against the Pistons and scored 14 of them in the fourth quarter. The Kings De’Aaron Fox followed up with 27 points, eight assists, and six rebounds.

#5 The Kings now face the Milwaukee Bucks (28-19) who have been on a slight struggle losing six of their last nine games. The Kings have lost eight of their last 11 games and start this five game road trip Saturday.

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

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Kings latest loss close but not good enough to beat Detroit

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives past Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) at Golden One Center on Wed Jan 19, 2022 the Kings play the Milwaukee Bucks on Sat Jan 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Tony R:

#1 Tony, the Sacramento Kings (19-28) played a close game against the Detroit Pistons (10-34) on Wednesday night at Golden One but just couldn’t get past them for the loss 133-131.

#2 The Pistons who have one of the worse offenses in the league had five players in double figures and Saddiq Bey led the way with 30 points.

#3 The Kings were favored to win against the Pistons but lacked just enough depth to finish it. The Kings were certainly missing Tyrese Haliburton who was out of the line up as of three days ago with Covid 19 protocols.

#4 The win for Detroit was their tenth win of the season and they’re just getting into double figures for the win column but were able to off set the Kings and win by just two points.

#5 The Kings take on the mighty Milwaukee Bucks (28-19) on Sat Jan 22 in Milwaukee and if the Kings had a handful against the Pistons the Bucks should win this one by ten or more. Tony what’s your take on this Saturday’s game in Milwaukee.

Join Tony R for the Kings podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Unable to Finish off Pistons Losing 133-131

Detroit Pistons guard Cory Joseph (18) dribbles past Sacramento Kings guard Terence Davis (3) at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Jan 19, 2022 (AP News photo)

Kings Unable to Finish Off Pistons Losing 133-131

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the Sacramento Kings (19-28) took on the Detroit Pistons (10-34) at Golden 1 Center. The Pistons have one of the worst offenses in the league and a loss to Detroit would be a huge disappointment for the Kings.

Sacramento is favored in this game but they would be missing Tyrese Haliburton who is on Covid 19 protocol as of two days ago. Haliburton is now the 12th King player to enter the protocol and he will be missed.

After one quarter the Pistons had grabbed the lead 33-26. Despite fouling all over the place Detroit had managed to outplay the Kings in the quarter.

The Pistons led by as many as nine points in the second quarter. Mid-way through the quarter the Pistons already had 14 fouls giving the Kings 23 free throws scoring on 17 of them. Neither team had played all that well through the first quarter and into the second quarter. Midway through the quarter, the Kings were able to take the lead 43-41. At the half, the Kings held a slim lead 71-66, winning the second quarter convincingly 45-33.

De’Aaron Fox was the high score leader in the half for the Kings with 18 points closely followed by Terence Davis with 17. Saddiq Bey was the only Piston in double digits with 17. In the later minutes of the half, the Kings finally got something going offensively to catch the Pistons and take the lead.

In the third quarter the Kings extended their half time five point lead to a ten point advantage. The Pistons would not go away and they chipped away in the later minutes of the quarter trailing by a single point 95-94 with 2:54 left on the clock. As the third quarter came to an end the Pistons had taken the lead 105-103.

The Kings took back the lead in the fourth quarter after trailing by a couple of points to end the third quarter. Detroit just kept on threatening and the Kings would have to pull out all the stops to win this one. Harrison Barnes and Marvin Bagley III started hitting shots giving Sacramento a 130-120 lead with 2:47 left in the game. This game was going down to the wire.

With a minute and a half left in the game the Kings had a nine point lead that they just could not maintain. Missed shots, turnovers and fouls lost this game for Sacramento in a sloppy finish. The final was 133-131 in favor of the Pistons.

The high score for the Pistons was Saddiq Bey with 30 points. The Kings had six players with double digits, the high from Terence Davis with 35 points.

The Kings will have a major challenge coming up when they play the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Warriors Back On Track With Win Over Pistons 102-86

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) goes for the jump shot against the Detroit Pistons guard Corey Joseph (18) at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Jan 18, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Back On Track With Win Over Pistons 102-86

By Barbara Mason

After a most discouraging four game road trip, the Golden State Warriors (32-12) are back home for a seven game home stand. The Warriors lost three of the four games they played on this road trip. They lost to the Timberwolves, the Bucks and the Grizzlies: the only win being a punishing victory over the Bulls 138-96. Well they got another win punishing the Detroit Pistons (10-33) on Tuesday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco 102-86.

There is a lot of good news for the Warriors in tonight’s game. Of course being home is a plus, but the team will also have not only Stephen Curry back on the court but also Gary Payton II.

Payton’s status was upgraded from questionable to probable. He shared duties off the bench with Jordan Poole for extended minutes. The prediction for this game gives the Pistons less than a ten percent chance to win the game.

In the absence of Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga got the chance to start in this game tonight. He has earned it and will now get the experience of starting with Curry and Klay Thompson. He needed to continue to run the floor and keep it simple. He has been playing at a very high level and hopes to continue at the same pace against the Pistons.

After one quarter the Warriors had established a nice lead 33-22. They were shooting at 52% and had knocked down 6 of 10 from downtown. Andrew Wiggins had 9 points and Kevon Looney already had 8 rebounds in 9 minutes of play.

At the the half the Warriors led 66-38. The splash brothers had combined for 31 points, 21 of them from downtown. Thompson had a new high in a half with 17 points since returning to action. The Pistons Isaiah Stewart shot for 14 shots but his team just could not keep up with the Warriors. The ball movement, the three’s, the efficiency, and ball control were all working for Golden State.

Although the Pistons made a move in the second half it was too little too late. This game was all but finished at half time. The Warriors had built a tremendous lead that was insurmountable. The final was 102-86. The Warriors had won their 19th home game of the season.

Kuminga had his first double double of his career in this game. He finished with 10 rebounds and 12 points. Thompson had his best game yet since his return finishing with 21 points. Thompson certainly looks nothing like a player that has missed two plus years of basketball. It is nothing short of amazing. It was great to see the splash brothers back in action again. All in all the entire roster had a nice game after a tough stretch last week.

Thursday night the Warriors will play the Indiana Pacers in their only meeting at Chase. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM