Last Week in Las Vegas Sports (Sept 22 - 29)
Las Vegas Aces sweep the Storm, the Raiders book a win, and more. Let's talk last week in Las Vegas sports (Sept 22 - 29).
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Source. Vegas Golden Knights[/caption]
There's finally some good news for Las Vegas Golden Knights fans now that the team is 2-1 in preseason play.
The Golden Knights' preseason began with a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks that really highlighted Isiah Saville and Akira Schmid at the goalie position. Saville finished the game with two goals allowed in 12 shots for a .833% GAA, while Schmid took eight shots and let none of them get past him.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights' offense also shined, with Brett Howden, Tanner Pearson, Tuomas Uronen, and Callahan Burke knocking in goals.
Fast forward to game two, and the Golden Knights took a devasting 3-2 loss to the Kings. Los Angeles hammered on the gas pedal early, knocking in two goals before the end of the first period and another in the second. The Golden Knights got within a point of tying the lead in the third period but were unsuccessful.
This brings us to game three, where the Las Vegas Golden Knights took on the Utah Hockey Club and outscored the expansion 5-2. Things didn't start well, however, after the teams held each other scoreless in the first period. They then traded two goals in the second in an intense contest. That didn't stop the Golden Knights offense from unloading on Utah, though.
Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, Ivan Barbashev, Pavel Doreofeyev, and Keegan Kolestar all unleashed fury and scored goals. The passing game was also on point against Utah, with Eichel contributing two assists in the victory. Pietrangelo, Ben Hutton, and several others recorded assists as well, making Las Vegas look like a well-oiled machine.
Adin Hill took the net for his preseason debut in this game and allowed two of 16 shots to get past him, which earns him a .875% GAA. His performance is also probably the best of any goalie that has started for the Golden Knights so far this offseason.
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New York Liberty[/caption]
WNBA MVP, Aja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces moved on to the semi-finals after topping the Seattle Storm 83-76 on Thursday. The win marks the second straight year that the Aces have swept the first round of the playoffs and puts them one step closer to a third consecutive championship.
Kelsey Plum led the way with 29 points, three assists, and six rebounds. Her scoring played a major role in keeping the game out of reach and was complemented by Aja Wilson’s brilliant play. The reigning WNBA MVP scored 23 points, 13 rebounds, and two assists in the victory.
The Las Vegas Aces are now 0-1 after losing 87-77 to the New York Liberty on Sunday afternoon. New York outscored the Aces by seven points in the first quarter and never looked back. Kelsey Plum led the effort with 24 points, four assists, and two rebounds. Wilson knocked in 21 points, five assists, and six rebounds for her squad but was extremely limited in what she could do. She also gave up two costly turnovers and didn’t have a strong rebounding game.
Las Vegas’ biggest issue was Breanna Stewart, who racked up 34 points, four assists, and five rebounds. Jonquel Jones is another player who went off with 13 points and 12 points. Now they face a must-win game two if they want to shift momentum in their favor. That will take place on Tuesday, October 1.
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Kyle Busch[/caption]
Kyle Busch's record of consectuive seasons with a victory is in jeopardy. The Las Vegas natve came painfully close on Sunday at Kansas Motor Speedway with only a handful of laps to go. Unfortunately, an incident with Harrison Burton and Ross Chaistain sent his car spinning, ending his day prematurely.
Busch looked aboslutely dejected.
"I am sure he was racing to stay on the lead lap with whoever was in front of him there," he said after the race.
"Granted they have a race to run, but back in the old days when you were under 30 to go or whatever it was, lap traffic would kind of lay over and give you a lane and let the leaders race. I just wasn’t getting that, so I tried to force my hand into getting that and get to his outside, and for whatever reason, it just gave all the air in all the wrong places and I spun out. "
Busch's record extends from 2004 to 2023, and he is only seven races from seeing it snapped forever. His last win was at the Enjoy Illinois 400 at World Wide Technology Raceway in June 2023.
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Source. Las Vegas Raiders[/caption]
The Las Vegas Raiders are in the win column again after a strong show over the Cleveland Browns. Gardner Minshew led the team's offense going 14 of 24 for 140 yards and no turnovers in Sunday's game. The Raiders' running game stole the show, however, with multiple big run moments.
For example, DJ Turner and Tre Tucker both managed touchdowns against the Browns to lock up the game. Turner took off for an 18-yard score, while Tucker punched it in from the four-yard line. Another surprise is Brock Bowers, who took off for 11 yards in his single carry on the ground. The run game seems to be the Raiders' strong suit right now.
The Cleveland Browns didn’t allow a single score in the air on Sunday, making it extremely difficult to move the ball. Tre Tucker helped ease this problem with five catches for 41 yards and 8.2 yards a carry. Jakobi Meyers also caught five balls for 49 yards and 9.8 yards.
Las Vegas’ defense also deserves a lot of credit after forcing an interception and sacking Deshauan Watson three times. They also held the Browns to two field goals in the fourth quarter, which is a major improvement for this team.
The Las Vegas Raiders are now 2-2 and in a three-way tie for second in the AFC West. Now, the Raiders move on to a critical week five matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday!
#4 Golden Knights go 2-1 in preseason play
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Source. Vegas Golden Knights[/caption]There's finally some good news for Las Vegas Golden Knights fans now that the team is 2-1 in preseason play.
Game 1
The Golden Knights' preseason began with a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks that really highlighted Isiah Saville and Akira Schmid at the goalie position. Saville finished the game with two goals allowed in 12 shots for a .833% GAA, while Schmid took eight shots and let none of them get past him.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights' offense also shined, with Brett Howden, Tanner Pearson, Tuomas Uronen, and Callahan Burke knocking in goals.
Game 2
Fast forward to game two, and the Golden Knights took a devasting 3-2 loss to the Kings. Los Angeles hammered on the gas pedal early, knocking in two goals before the end of the first period and another in the second. The Golden Knights got within a point of tying the lead in the third period but were unsuccessful.
Game 3
This brings us to game three, where the Las Vegas Golden Knights took on the Utah Hockey Club and outscored the expansion 5-2. Things didn't start well, however, after the teams held each other scoreless in the first period. They then traded two goals in the second in an intense contest. That didn't stop the Golden Knights offense from unloading on Utah, though.
Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, Ivan Barbashev, Pavel Doreofeyev, and Keegan Kolestar all unleashed fury and scored goals. The passing game was also on point against Utah, with Eichel contributing two assists in the victory. Pietrangelo, Ben Hutton, and several others recorded assists as well, making Las Vegas look like a well-oiled machine.
Adin Hill took the net for his preseason debut in this game and allowed two of 16 shots to get past him, which earns him a .875% GAA. His performance is also probably the best of any goalie that has started for the Golden Knights so far this offseason.
#3 Las Vegas Aces sweep the Seattle Storm, move on to semi-finals
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New York Liberty[/caption]WNBA MVP, Aja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces moved on to the semi-finals after topping the Seattle Storm 83-76 on Thursday. The win marks the second straight year that the Aces have swept the first round of the playoffs and puts them one step closer to a third consecutive championship.
Kelsey Plum led the way with 29 points, three assists, and six rebounds. Her scoring played a major role in keeping the game out of reach and was complemented by Aja Wilson’s brilliant play. The reigning WNBA MVP scored 23 points, 13 rebounds, and two assists in the victory.
Game 1
The Las Vegas Aces are now 0-1 after losing 87-77 to the New York Liberty on Sunday afternoon. New York outscored the Aces by seven points in the first quarter and never looked back. Kelsey Plum led the effort with 24 points, four assists, and two rebounds. Wilson knocked in 21 points, five assists, and six rebounds for her squad but was extremely limited in what she could do. She also gave up two costly turnovers and didn’t have a strong rebounding game.
Las Vegas’ biggest issue was Breanna Stewart, who racked up 34 points, four assists, and five rebounds. Jonquel Jones is another player who went off with 13 points and 12 points. Now they face a must-win game two if they want to shift momentum in their favor. That will take place on Tuesday, October 1.
#2 Kyle Busch almost saves consecutive win streak
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Kyle Busch[/caption]Kyle Busch's record of consectuive seasons with a victory is in jeopardy. The Las Vegas natve came painfully close on Sunday at Kansas Motor Speedway with only a handful of laps to go. Unfortunately, an incident with Harrison Burton and Ross Chaistain sent his car spinning, ending his day prematurely.
Busch looked aboslutely dejected.
"I am sure he was racing to stay on the lead lap with whoever was in front of him there," he said after the race.
"Granted they have a race to run, but back in the old days when you were under 30 to go or whatever it was, lap traffic would kind of lay over and give you a lane and let the leaders race. I just wasn’t getting that, so I tried to force my hand into getting that and get to his outside, and for whatever reason, it just gave all the air in all the wrong places and I spun out. "
Busch's record extends from 2004 to 2023, and he is only seven races from seeing it snapped forever. His last win was at the Enjoy Illinois 400 at World Wide Technology Raceway in June 2023.
#1 Las Vegas Raiders defeat Cleveland
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Source. Las Vegas Raiders[/caption]The Las Vegas Raiders are in the win column again after a strong show over the Cleveland Browns. Gardner Minshew led the team's offense going 14 of 24 for 140 yards and no turnovers in Sunday's game. The Raiders' running game stole the show, however, with multiple big run moments.
For example, DJ Turner and Tre Tucker both managed touchdowns against the Browns to lock up the game. Turner took off for an 18-yard score, while Tucker punched it in from the four-yard line. Another surprise is Brock Bowers, who took off for 11 yards in his single carry on the ground. The run game seems to be the Raiders' strong suit right now.
The Cleveland Browns didn’t allow a single score in the air on Sunday, making it extremely difficult to move the ball. Tre Tucker helped ease this problem with five catches for 41 yards and 8.2 yards a carry. Jakobi Meyers also caught five balls for 49 yards and 9.8 yards.
Las Vegas’ defense also deserves a lot of credit after forcing an interception and sacking Deshauan Watson three times. They also held the Browns to two field goals in the fourth quarter, which is a major improvement for this team.
The Las Vegas Raiders are now 2-2 and in a three-way tie for second in the AFC West. Now, the Raiders move on to a critical week five matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday!