Russell Beats Wolves At Buzzer

April 9, 2017

D’Angelo Russell hit a game-winning 3-point basket at the buzzer, and the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 110-109 on Sunday night at Staples Center. It was the 4th straight win for the Lake Show.

Russell revealed that he was playing the game with a very heavy heart, after his grandmother, Pamela Russell, had passed away early Sunday morning. Russell even considered sitting out of Sunday night’s game, but elected to play in honor of his grandmother.

“She was a strong woman,” Russell said. “She did a great job raising my dad. Piggybacking off that my dad did a great job raising his sons and his kids in general. Being a great father. That’s what she was put on this Earth for.”

Russell had 16 points on the night, while Tyler Ennis led the way for the Lakers with 20 points. The T-Wolves got 41 points from Andrew Wiggins, and 40 points from Karl-Anthony Towns. It was the first time in T-Wolves franchise history that two players had reached the 40-point mark in the same game.

The Lakers got off to a nice start, but led by only two points at halftime. They trailed by a basket heading into the 4th quarter. That’s when Metta World Peace entered the game.

He played 11 minutes, scoring 8 points, and kept the Lakers in the game. The Lakers trailed by 4 points with 33.8 seconds left. Randle cut the lead to two points, and the Wolves missed an opportunity put the game away on the ensuing possession.

In the final moments, Russell passed the ball to World Peace, who launched a 3-pointer that missed. However, Randle grabbed the rebound, and found Russell for the game-winning shot, which bounced out before bouncing back into the hoop as time expired.

“That’s just God, honestly,” Russell said. “… For me to win the game with a game-winning shot, that’s just God putting the cherry on top. A win would’ve been good enough.”

The win was a missed opportunity for the Lakers to improve their lottery odds though. The Suns defeated the Mavericks, which means they are still 1.5 games worse than the Lakers, with two games remaining for both teams.

The Lakers will take on the Pelicans on Tuesday night at Staples, before closing out the season on Wednesday at Golden State. The Suns final game will be on Tuesday evening at Sacramento.

Clippers Too Much For Spurs

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April 8, 2017

The Clippers got 19 points from Chris Paul and took down the Spurs 98-87 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. LA improved to 3-1 on the season vs San Antonio, and inched closer to 4th place in the West.

The Clips had 6 players in double figures, including all 5 starters. Blake Griffin had 18 points and 8 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan had 17 points to go along with 17 rebounds. They also dominated San Antonio in the paint, outscoring them 48-32 for the game.

Kawhi Leonard had 28 points to lead the Spurs, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18. San Antonio has already secured the #2 seed and will be playing a first round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.

After an even first quarter that saw the Spurs finish the period with a 1 point lead, the Clippers would make their move toward the end of the 1st half. A 13-3 run over the final 4:07 of the half gave the Clippers a 52-43 lead going into the locker room.

The Spurs cut the lead to 82-78 after a jumper by Leonard. However, the Clippers countered with an 8-0 run and pushed the lead to 82-70 heading into the 4th quarter.

Neither team shot well in the 4th quarter. The Spurs wouldn’t get any closer than 92-83 however, and the Clips assured themselves of a 1st round matchup with the Jazz. The only question is who will get home court.

The Clippers will return to action on Monday night against the Rockets. Then they’ll wrap up the regular season on Wednesday vs Sacramento.

Trout Leads Halos Over Mariners

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April 8, 2017

Mike Trout hit a 2-run blast in the 7th inning, and the Angels held on to defeat the Mariners 5-4 at the Big A on Saturday night.

Trout was honored before the game by the Angels, recognizing him for his 2nd AL MVP award in 3 years. Owner Arte Moreno presented Trout with a large commemorative ring. The Angels center fielder was 0-3 in his first three at-bats with 2 strikeouts, before connecting in the 7th inning on what would be the decisive blow to Seattle.

Andrelton Simmons also made an incredible defensive play in the 3rd inning. Jean Segura attempted to advance from first to third base on Mitch Haniger’s grounder. Simmons was covering third, and snagged Jefry Marte’s off-target throw and twisted in midair to apply a behind-the-back tag on Segura. It took video replay, but Segura was ruled out on the play.

J.C. Ramirez recorded the win, and Cam Bedrosian got his 2nd save of the season. He threw 18 pitches in the 8th inning, then struck out the side in the 9th for a five-out save.

“He felt great when he got out of the eighth,” skipper Mike Scoscia said. “He had some gas in his tank. And we’re closer to the day off on Monday.”

The Halos got off to a slow start in this one. Ricky Nolasco surrendered a 2-run homer to Haniger in the 1st. Nolasco pitched 6 innings, yielding those 2 runs on 4 hits, while striking out 3.

RBI singles by Danny Espinosa and Kole Calhoun over the next two innings would tie the game at 2-2. The Halos would then take a 3-2 lead on a solo shot from Yunel Escobar in the 5th inning. The Angels’ shortstop had 3 hits on the night.

Mike Zunino tied things up a 3-3 in the M’s half of the 7th inning with an RBI single. However, Trout came through with his big blast just half an inning later. The Mariners got one back in the 8th on a sacrifice fly from Nelson Cruz, but that’s as close they would come.

Felix Hernandez started for Seattle. King Felix went six innings, giving up 3 runs on 10 hits, and striking out 6. Evan Scribner took the loss for the Mariners, after giving up the home run to Trout.

The Angels will go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim. Matt Shoemaker will be on the hill for Halos, while the M’s will give the ball to Hisashi Iwakuma.

Rockies Get To Kershaw

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April 8, 2017

For the first time in his career, Clayton Kershaw gave up back-to-back home runs as the Rockies defeated the Dodgers 4-2 at Coors Field on Saturday night.

Mark Reynolds and Gerardo Parra hit the back-to-back homers in the 6th inning, extending the Rockies’ lead to 4-1, which the Dodgers would never recover from. Nolan Arenado also homered for Colorado. The three home runs were the most Kershaw had surrendered since 2013.

“I didn’t know that,” Kershaw said. “That was cool, for a little bit, I guess. You never expect to give up home runs.”

Kershaw gave up 8 home runs in 21 starts last year. In his first two starts, he’s already surrendered 4.

The Dodgers meager offensive output continued to be a problem as well on Saturday. Their only offense consisted of a solo home run from Andrew Toles in the 5th inning that tied the game 1-1, and an RBI single from Adrian Gonzales in the 8th inning. After some explosive offensive outputs against the Padres, the Dodgers have just three runs in their last two games.

“It’s not from lack of effort,” skipper Dave Roberts said. “We’re going to hit. We’re going to score runs. I don’t think we’re too concerned over these first two games.”

LA couldn’t get the bats going against Jon Gray, who gave up just 1 run on 4 hits in a little over 5 innings of work. Mike Dunn recorded two outs in the 6th inning to earn the win, and Greg Holland pitched a perfect 9th inning to earn his 4th save of the season.

The Dodgers will try to avoid getting swept on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field. Kenta Maeda will be on the hill for LA, and the Rockies will go with Tyler Anderson.

Kings Win In Bob Miller Home Finale

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April 8, 2017

The Kings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Staples. The win was a nice way to say goodbye to Kings Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Bob Miller, who was calling the final home game of his career.

Drew Doughty scored the game-winning goal 27 seconds into overtime, after redirecting a pass from Jeff Carter past Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford. The goal finished off an exciting 3rd period, which saw the Kings rally twice from one-goal deficits. Dustin Brown and Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Kings. Chicago’s goals came from Jonathan Toews and and Artemi Panarin.

The Blackhawks had a 1-0 lead after Toews wristed a shot that deflected off of Jonathan Quick’s shoulder at the 6:25 mark of the 1st. That lead would stand until the 3rd.

Toffoli blasted a one-timer by Corey Crawford on the power play at 4:52 of the 3rd period. That tied the game, but the Hawks would strike back 9 minutes later, when Panarin scored his 31st of the season. Panarin took a cross-ice pass from Patrick Kane, which Quick had no chance to stop. However, Brown tied it up again with 55 seconds left in the game, after sneaking backdoor and putting a backhander by Crawford.

That set the stage for Doughty’s heroics in overtime. Quick made 25 saves as well for the Kings, who will miss the playoffs for the 2nd time in the last 3 seasons.

Miller has spent 44 years as the voice of the Kings. Saturday afternoon’s game featured a number of tributes to him, which including the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Barry Melrose, Vin Scully, and many others.

Miller will call the final game of his career on Sunday night in Anaheim, against the Ducks.

Lakers Make It 3 In A Row With Win Against Kings

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April 7, 2017

The Lakers made in 3 straight wins by beating the Kings 98-94 on Friday night at Staples Center. Once again, the win hurt the Lakers chances in the lottery, but helped the development of their current young players.

“I know my guys around me we don’t believe in going out there and trying to lose games,” Julius Randle said. “The basketball gods come back, I believe in that, it’ll come back and haunt you. So you don’t do that. You gotta treat the game with respect.”

Randle led the Lakers with 25 points and 6 rebounds. Brandon Ingram contributed 14 points as well. The win kept the Lakers 1.5 games better than the Phoenix Suns in the West. Phoenix, who has the 2nd worst record in the NBA, defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. The Lakers first round pick needs to land in the top 3 this year, or else they will have to trade it away to Philadelphia to satisfy the Steve Nash trade.

Skal Labissiere led Sacramento with 19 points. The Kings also have some incentive to improve their chances in the lottery, and rested three healthy players of their own: Kosta Koufus, Ty Lawson, and Garrett Temple.

The Lakers led 93-92 with 5 seconds remaining in the game, and Larry Nance Jr. at the foul line for two shots. Nance Jr. missed the first free throw, and made the second, which gave LA a two point lead. Corey Brewer stole in the inbounds pass from Buddy Heild on the next possession, and Brewer made two free throws to secure the win for the Lakers.

“We’re getting team effort really from everybody right now,” Laker coach Luke Walton said. “Everybody’s kind of rising to the challenge as far as the way they’re playing, competing mainly on the defensive end. … They’re having fun and competing. When we were playing well early in the year that’s what we were doing. Losing took that from us. We found it again in the last couple games.”

The Lakers have three games left on the season. Sunday night they’ll host Minnesota at Staples Center, followed by games against the Pelicans and Warriors. If the Lakers finish with the 3rd worst record in the NBA, they will have a 47% chance of keeping this years draft pick.

Rockies Edge Dodgers

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April 7, 2017

The Dodger struggles against left-handed pitching continued on Friday in Colorado. This time it was Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland leading Colorado to a 2-1 win at Coors Field.

Freeland pitched six strong innings, and gave up just one run on four hits. Colorado also got a solo homer from Dustin Garneau in the 5th off of Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Ryu only went 4 2/3 innings but had an encouraging start after sitting out much of the last two seasons with injury. Ryu gave up two runs on six hits and struck out five, while throwing 77 pitches.

The Dodgers only run of the game came on an RBI ground out from Kike Hernandez in the fourth inning. Nolan Arenado gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double off Ryu.

Both bullpens, as expected, were effective. Ross Stripling, Josh Fields, and Grant Dayton retired all 10 batters they faced.

The Rockies bullpen got three scoreless innings of their own, with Jake McGee pitching a scoreless ninth for the save, his first of the year.

The Dodgers stacked the lineup with 7 right-handed hitters and switch-hitting Yasmani Grandal. It didn’t help though, as the Dodgers were 0-5 with runners in scoring position.

Before the game, LA placed Rich Hill on the 10-day DL with another pitching blister.

Game 2 of the series will be tomorrow night. Clayton Kershaw gets the ball for LA, and he’ll go up against Jon Gray.

Angels Win Home Opener Against Mariners

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April 7, 2017

The Angels got home runs from Cameron Maybin and Kole Calhoun in their home opener, and beat the Mariners 5-1 at the Big A on Friday night.

Jesse Chavez gave up only 4 hits and 1 run in 5 2/3rd innings of work, as the Halos improved to 3-2 on the season.

“We played a good game,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We didn’t play a perfect game, but we played really good defense early. We scratched out a couple runs and we kept going.”

Mike Trout started the scoring for the Angels with a sacrifice fly in the 1st inning. Albert Pujols made it 2-0 in the 3rd after Kyle Seager bobbled a grounder that would have been an inning-ending double play with the based loaded.

In the 6th, Chavez ran into some trouble. Mitch Haniger, Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz all singled in a span of seven pitches, making it 2-1. However, Jose Alvarez got the Angels out of the inning. Bud Norris, Andrew Bailey, and Blake Parker shut down the Mariners in each of the next 3 innings to secure the victory.

Maybin’s solo blast in the bottom of the 6th inning made it 3-1. It was his first home run as an Angel, which sailed into the right field stands. Calhoun would extend the lead to 5-1 on his 2-run bomb in the 7th.

Prior to the game, the Angels put Garrett Richards on the 10-Day DL after he suffered from a cramp in his bicep on Wednesday night. An MRI showed that there was no structural damage to the elbow that gave him trouble last season.

Game 2 of the series will be Saturday night at the Big A. Ricky Nolasco will go for the Angels, and he’ll go up against Mariners’ ace Felix Hernandez.

Ducks Clinch Home Ice

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April 6, 2017

John Gibson made 37 saves and earned his 12th career shutout as the Ducks blanked the Blackhawks 4-0 on Thursday night in Anaheim. The win clinched home ice advantage for the Ducks in the 1st round of the playoffs.

Corey Perry scored a power-play goal, while Rickard Rakell had a goal and an assist. Chris Wagner and Ryan Kesler also scored for Anaheim.

The Ducks played without the injured Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, and Nate Thompson.

The Blackhawks also played without many of their key players, opting to rest them with their playoff position secure. Chicago rested stars Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, and did not have Niklas Hjarlmarsson because of a family matter.

“We’re playing well,” Gibson said. “At this time of the year, you want to be playing well to carry the momentum into the playoffs.”

Corey Perry also liked what he’s seeing from the Ducks heading toward the postseason.

“I think we’re playing the right way and everybody’s starting to play as a unit,” Perry said. “Everybody’s starting to fit into their role. We’re rolling four lines, and it’s creating havoc on the other end.”

The Ducks will finish the regular season on Sunday evening at the Honda Center against the Kings. A win will give Anaheim it’s 5th consecutive Pacific division title.

Flames Burn Kings

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April 6, 2016

The Flames got 3 second period goals on Thursday night and took down the Kings 4-1 at Staples Center.

Jon Gillies made 27 saves in his first career start, and Dennis Wideman, Freddie Hamilton and Alex Chiasson scored during the 3 goal blitz in a game that meant nothing to the Kings in the standings. The Flames on the other hand are trying to earn the top wild card spot in the West.

The Kings lone goal on the night came from Trevor Lewis, just over 6 minutes into the game. That tied the game at 1-1 after Sam Bennett gave the Flames a 1-0 lead at the 4:57 mark of the 1st.

Ben Bishop made 20 saves for the Kings, and has lost 5 of his 7 starts since being acquired just before the trade deadline.

“We don’t match up in our division very well, and we certainly did not tonight and it’s clear,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.

The Flames can now assure themselves a first-round matchup against the top team in the Pacific Division with a win against San Jose or a Nashville loss at Winnipeg on Saturday.

The Kings have two games remaining in their season. They’ll face the Blackhawks on Saturday at Staples, and finish the season on Sunday at the Ducks. Those will be the final two games that Hall of Fame Kings broadcaster Bob Miller will call for his storied career.