Raiders Stick it to Chargers with historic 63-21 win
Las Vegas dominated from the start Thursday night and scored a franchise-record 63 points in routing the Los Angeles Chargers.
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1. Raiders Stick it to Chargers with historic 63-21 win
Las Vegas dominated from the start Thursday night and scored a franchise-record 63 points in routing the Los Angeles Chargers, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp.
From zero to 63 in 96 hours.
That’s how fast things changed for the Raiders as they set a franchise record for most points in a game Thursday in a 63-21 demolition of the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium.
No team in NFL history had gone from being shut out in one week to scoring more than 60 the following week. But the Raiders had a lot of pent up frustration following last Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Vikings and they took it out on the Chargers.
“We just scored zero,” Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce said. “I ain’t going to stop the boys from scoring. Davante (Adams) said after the last game we were on the wrong side of history. Tonight, we were on the right side of history.”
2. Spotlight is on Chargers ownership after embarrassment
The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez what what will Chargers ownership do after embarrassing loss on national stage?
The Chargers were overpowered and overmatched in the 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. It wasn’t a typical loss. It was a beat down.
They came out flat with no spark or juice.
“I didn't do anything well enough to get us ready to play,” Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said following the game.
There have been questions surrounding the future of Staley and general manager Tom Telesco since the debacle in Jacksonville last January.
They became even louder on Thursday night.
3. Shohei Ohtani is finally a Dodger
The biggest free agent in baseball history chooses the Dodgers, signing the biggest contract in North American sports history, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Grant Mona.
t is what Dodger fans have been waiting to hear for what seems to be months now: Shohei Ohtani is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a disappointing end to the 2023 season, the front office did exactly what they set out to do around this time in 2022, and got the biggest free agent in the history of baseball.
A 10 year, $700 million contract makes this the biggest contract in North American sports history, with what many are calling “unprecedented” salary deferments. Essentially, Ohtani and his camp wanted to allow the Dodgers to maintain salary flexibility and remain active in free agency for years to come. This is a remarkable gesture from the biggest star in baseball, even with the $700 million deal guaranteed.
So, what does this mean for the city of Los Angeles, the Dodgers and the rest of the league?
4. Clippers claim sixth straight with win over Warriors
James Harden scores 28 points to lift the Clippers past Golden State, 121-113, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Marisa Flores.
After suffering a six-game slide with an altered roster in early November, the Los Angeles Clippers have found their footing on a new six-game win streak.
The Clippers managed to hold off the Warriors, including eight threes from Klay Thompson to advance to 14-10. The team still remains seventh in the West, but have found themselves half a game behind Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers,
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard combined for 55 points to contribute to the Clippers 121-113 victory over Golden State.
5. Kings lose third straight game, fall to the Jets, 5-2
The Kings have lost three games in a row, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia.
The Los Angeles Kings can not stop the skid. They entered Wednesday on a two-game losing streak after a road trip in New York, hoping to get back to their winning ways. However, they dropped their third game in a row, losing to the Winnipeg Jets, 5-2.
The Kings started quickly by scoring two goals in the first period. But they were overpowered due to a three-goal second period by the Jets.
“We played the second period lackadaisical,” McLellan said. “Not focused. Not driven. Played with a lot of hope in our game. Played in pieces.”
6. Lakers escape San Antonio with narrow win, 122-119
A 37 point performance by Anthony Davis lifts Lakers to close win over struggling Spurs, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Grant Mona.
Without Lebron James out of the lineup due to rest on a back-to-back, the Lakers were short-handed against a Spurs team that had lost 17 in a row. Even though the Lakers had control through the first three quarters, things got dicey. In the fourth quarter, the Spurs went on a 41-23 run to cut the deficit down to one with under a minute remaining, but the Lakers ultimately got a few stops and closed this one out.
After Anthony Davis rolled his ankle in the first 30 seconds of the game, it looked like the Lakers were going to be without their two best players the rest of the way, but the team responded big. Davis miraculously came back into the game shortly after going down and absolutely dominated the Spurs in the first half, scoring 24 points on his own in that timeframe.
Even though he was hobbled, Davis ended the game with 37 points and 10 rebounds, while Taurean Prince was the secondary scorer with 17 points. The whole starting five was in double digits, and Rui Hachimura had the highest +/- on the team at +15.
The Lakers are now 15-10 and 5th in the Western Conference.
7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports
Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:
8. Ticket Time presented by Golden Gate
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
7:00 p.m. – Sabres at Golden Knights – $65
9. On the Air presented by The D Las Vegas
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
4:00 p.m. – Ducks at Rangers – Bally Sports SoCal
4:30 p.m. – Lakers at Spurs – ESPN
7:00 p.m. – Sabres at Golden Knights – ESPN+
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. You can also watch every Friday on BLEAV on FuboTV.
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That’s it for today. Talk to you on Monday!