Bay Area Buzz 12/15: Warriors Win, 49ers Lose, Kings Fire Michael Malone
Bay Area Topics
Warriors Win 16th Straight
"The Warriors won their 16th consecutive game on Sunday, and at no time during this streak have they felt more seriously threatened.Rallying late in the fourth quarter to force overtime, the Warriors owned the extra period and finally pulled out a 128-122 overtime win over the Pelicans at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.Stephen Curry essentially carried the Warriors to victory in a game they very nearly lost. He finished with a game-high 34 points, 8 of which came in OT.Five other Warriors finished in double figures, led by Klay Thompson’s 26 points. Andre Iguodala put in 20, Shaun Livingston finished with 12, Draymond Green with 11 and Marreese Speights added 10.The Warriors (21-2) closed regulation with a 12-4 rally, tying the game 111-111 to force OT. They then outscored New Orleans 17-11 in the five-minute extra period.The Warriors had invited defeat in regulation, committing 20 turnovers, off which the Pelicans scored 23 points.The Pelicans (11-12), playing without star forward Anthony Davis, for crying out loud, were led by shooting guard Tyreke Evans, who poured in 34 points, while fellow guard Jrue Holiday added 30."
49ers Eliminated from Playoff Contention
"After back-to-back disheartening losses, the 49ers showed Sunday they still had some fight left in them.Faced with the possibility of being eliminated from the NFC playoff picture, the 49ers put together a determined effort against the Seattle Seahawks, one of the league’s hottest teams.Despite being decimated by injuries, the 49ers did not go down easily in a 17-7 loss to the surging Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.The 49ers (7-7) were officially eliminated from playoff contention with the Detroit Lions’ 16-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. It was the first time coach Jim Harbaugh has not advanced the 49ers to the postseason in his four seasons with the club.In a season in which very little went right for the 49ers, Sunday proved to be the perfect microcosm for their season. They battled injury problems throughout the game and had a controversial call go against them at a critical moment."
Kings Fire Michael Malone
"The Kings fired head coach Michael Malone late Sunday night, according to multiple reports.Sacramento opened the season winning nine of its first 14 games, but the Kings are just 2-8 over their last 10 contests.Star center DeMarcus Cousins has missed the past nine games with viral meningitis.He was averaging 23.5 points and 12.6 rebounds per game.Malone went 28-54 last year, his first as the franchise’s head coach.According to Yahoo Sports, assistant Ty Corbin will take over on an interim basis."