hosts Charlie O Mallonee & Jordan Chapin
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings played great basketball for 36-minutes on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately for the Kings, the 12-minutes they did not play well in the third quarter cost them the game as they lost to LAC 97-95.
The Kings went on a 6-0 run with 1:20 remaining in the game to the tie the score at 95-95 with 15.6-seconds to go on the game clock. The Clippers called a timeout with 14.8-seconds to go to draw up a play.
The Clippers put the ball into the hands of their leading scorer Blake Griffin who made a fadeaway jump shot from the left side of the floor to give his team a two-point lead with 3.7-seconds remaining in the game. LAC head coach Doc Rivers would later say he was not happy because his team took that shot too early leaving the Kings too much time on the clock.
Buddy Hield put up a desperation floating jump shot at the buzzer but it was no good. The Clippers (7-11) won their second game in row downing the Kings (5-14) by just two points.
The 3rd Quarter was a nightmare for Sacramento
The Kings scored only 10 points in the third quarter versus the Clippers after posting 61 points in the first half. LAC came out with a defensive mindset and dominated SAC.
The Kings shot 45.8-percent for the game but shot only 21.1-percent (4-for-19) in the disastrous quarter. They converted 11-of-21 three-point attempts for the game but went 0-for-4 in the third quarter.
Sacramento had one assist while they turned the ball over eight times which resulted in seven points for the Clippers.
Ten Kings players saw action in the third quarter, but only four of them scored points. All 10 players had a minus number on their +/- stat for the quarter.
Blake Griffin and Lou Williams led the scoring for the Clippers with 12 points each. Los Angeles shot 55.6-percent (10-for-18) from the field and hit on 6-of-8 (75-percent) 3-point attempts in the third period.
The Kings outscored the Clippers in every quarter except the third when LAC recorded 29 points to just 10 for SAC.
Dave Joerger was not happy with the loss but he knows it is part of player development
“Buddy Buckets” leads the Kings in scoring
Buddy Hield had an exceptional game for Sacramento coming off the bench scoring 27 points in just under 26-minutes of playing time. The second-year shooting guard hit 10-of-18 shots from the floor. Nine of those shots were taken behind the 3-point line and Hield hit seven of those attempts for 21 of his 27 points. His back-to-back 3-pointers in the last 1:20 of the game put the Kings in a position to possibly win the contest.
One of the criticisms of Hield coming out of Oklahoma was that he would not be able to convert the longer 3-point shot in the NBA. It certainly appears to have proved those critics were wrong. Hield has adjusted just fine to the deeper 3-point zone in “the Association”.
Zach Randolph drew the very tough assignment of matching up with Clippers big, tough center DeAndre Jordan. Not only did Z-Bo play Jordan tough – he held the center to five points. Jordan did haul in a game-high 16 rebounds. Z-Bo put up 17 points shooting 7-for-14 in the game. Randolph also added seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in his 30-plus minutes of playing time.
Bogdan Bogdanovic posted 10-points on Saturday night. He shot 50-percent hitting on 4-of-8 shots from the field. He was 1-for-2 from 3-point land.
George Hill also scored 10 points against the Clippers on Saturday night. He went 4-for-7 shooting from the floor and hit 1-of-2 attempts from 3-point territory. Hill also dished out three assists.
SAC had some impressive team numbers
The Kings shot 33-for-83 (45.8-percent) from the floor versus the Clippers. They shot an impressive 52.4-percent (11-for-21) from downtown. SAC converted 8-of-9 free throw opportunities (88.9-percent). The nine free throw attempts number is too low.
Sacramento recorded 37 rebounds (eight offensive) to go with 19 assists, nine steals and eight blocked shots. The Kings committed 18 turnovers which resulted in 15 Clipper points.
Doc Rivers was happy to see his team pick up its second consecutive win
Blake Griffin played like an All-Star
The veteran forward scored a game-high 33-points in his 38-plus minutes on the floor. Griffin shot 13-for-25 from the field but was just 2-for-7 from behind the 3-point line. He recorded five assists and had four rebounds.
Lou Williams scored 10 of his 18 points in the second-half. He shot 4-for-8 from the floor. All four of his baskets were 3-point buckets. His other six-points came two 2-point baskets and at the free throw line. Williams also posted five assists and had three steals.
Up Next
Sacramento
Life does not get any easier for the Kings as on Monday night they have to travel to the Bay Area to take on the Defending NBA World Champion Golden Warriors (15-5).
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers will also return to action on Monday night when they will host the guys who use the locker room on the other side of the Staples Center – the Los Angeles Lakers.
hosts Vasu Vaddiparty and Charlie O. Mallonee
hosts Lee Leonard and Charlie O. Mallonee
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings traveled to Portland to play the second game of a home and home, back-to-back set on Saturday night. The Kings hoped to make it two in a row over the Trail Blazers after their big win on Friday night. Those hopes would not be fulfilled.
The Blazers took their revenge on the Kings by winning game two 102-90. Portland combined strong defense with high-percentage shooting to prevent the Kings from ever having a real chance of winning the game.
PORTLAND (9-7)
Portland backcourt comes alive
The Trail Blazers starting guards – Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum – are the focal point of the Portland offense. If the two guards cannot be shutdown, the chances of beating “Rip City” becomes very problematic.
Against the Kings Saturday night, Lillard and McCollum combined to account for 47 of the Blazers 102 points.
McCollum scored a game-high 25 points shooting 9-for-16 overall and 4-for-7 from beyond the 3-point line. He also was a perfect 3-for-3 at the free throw line while dishing out four assists, grabbing four rebounds and making two steals.
Lillard posted 22 points hitting 8-of-18 shots from the field. He did have a rough night from long-range going just 1-for-8 from downtown. Lillard did convert 5-of-6 from the free throw line and recorded six assists.
Nurkic was a different player
Jusuf Nurkic was not factor on Friday night in Sacramento. On Saturday, the big man scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Nurkic was factor under the basket on both ends of the court.
Meyers Leonard was a real pain
A 7-foot-1 center is supposed to be parked down low near the basket – not if you are Meyers Leonard. Leonard is a long-range shooter who really does not have a great deal of skills under the bucket.
Leonard came off the bench to score 11 points for the Blazers. He shot 4-for-8 overall and hit 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point line. Leonard also hauled in seven rebounds.
Rip City was on fire shooting the ball
Portland shot 54.3-percent (38-for-70) from the floor in the game while hitting 10-of-21 (47.6-percent) three-point opportunites. The Blazers took advantage of the free throw line converting 16-of-21 opportunities from the stripe.
SACRAMENTO (4-12)
Cauley-Stein leads the way again
Willie Cauley-Stein came off the bench for the Kings again on Saturday night and for the second game in a row he was the Kings high-scorer. The big man scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds against the Blazers.
Cauley-Stein went 1-for-1 from 3-point land. It was the first 3-point basket for Cauley-Stein of his NBA career.
Z-Bo is back
Big Zach Randolph did not score a point and looked tired on Friday night versus Portland. On Saturday night, he looked energized and ready to play. Randolph scored 17 points and pulled down five rebounds in his 21-plus minutes on the floor.
Randolph shot 6-for-11 overall including one 3-point basket. He went an impressive 4-for-5 from the free throw line.
Four guards scored in double figures
Frank Mason is making the most of his playing time. Saturday night he scored 13 points shooting 50-percent (5-for-10) from the field in his 19-minutes of playing time. Mason also added two assists.
George Hill had another strong game shooting 5-for-11 from the field and scoring 12 points. He converted 2-of-3 three-point opportunities.
Bogdan Bogdanovic showed signs that his shot may be coming back as he went 5-for-13 from the floor and hit 2-of-6 from downtown. His form has been looking good but the ball has just not been going through the hoop.
De’Aaron Fox got the start again as Dave Joerger went with the two point guard look once again. Fox scored 11 points in 27-minutes on the floor. Fox hit 5-of-9 from the floor and dished out two assists to go with two steals.
Almost everyone played
The Kings went with a 12-man bench for this game because Buddy Hield rolled his ankle on Friday night. The good news for Kings fans is that Hield was feeling much better on Saturday but was held out as a precaution. He is expected to be available for the game on Monday against Denver.
Only Justin Jackson did enter the game on Saturday night for the Kings. Jackson did not play on Friday versus the Blazers.
UP NEXT
KINGS
The Kings will return to action Monday night when they will host the Denver Nuggets at home. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm.
PORTLAND
The Trail Blazers head out on the road and will play in Memphis on Monday night.
by Charlie O. Mallonee
SACRAMENTO–After the horrific loss suffered by the Kings in Atlanta on Wednesday night, Dave Joerger knew he had to do something to stop the bleeding (losing) immediately or it could become a way of life for his young team. On Friday night, Joerger shook things up and it worked as the Kings beat the Portland Trail Blazers 86-82.
The loss not only shocked the Blazers but it stopped their two their two-game winning streak. Plus, Portland has to face this same Kings team on Saturday night at home. Which Kings team should they prepare for? Not necessarily the same Kings team they saw on Friday night. Sacramento is in experimental mode, so what happens one night may not be an indicator of what is going to happen in the next game.
Critics have been pointing their fingers at Sacramento saying they cannot win games in the NBA if they scoring in the eighties every game. They scored just 86 on Friday night but they played tenacious defense holding Portland to just 82 points. The infamous Rip City Ballers shot just 37-percent (30-for-81) overall and just 28-percent (7-for-25) from behind the 3-point line. Hard nosed defense was the key to the Kings victory.
Kings head coach Dave Joerger called it an emotional, bounce back win
De’Aaron Fox said defense was a point of emphasis going into the game
Willie Cauley-Stein said he had been waiting for the coaching staff to put Koufos and him together on the floor
The odds are against Sacramento on Saturday night
Road teams in the second games of back-to-back sets lose more often than they win. However, this road game has some advantages. It is only a 90-minute flight away. Portland is in the same time zone, and the Kings are coming off an emotional win that they might be able to ride for another 24 hours.
The game in Portland tips-off at 7 p.m.
The Trail Blazers will be back in Sacramento on February 29, 2018.
with Charlie O and Lee Leonard
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Kings and Wizards met in Sacramento on October 29th. Washington opened the game by going on a 13-0 run and the Wizards never trailed in the game as they went on to win 110-83.
The Kings went with a “youth movement” lineup of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Skal Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox. That may well be the starting lineup next season or two years from now, but it might be a bit premature to expect those five to carry the load of being the starting five right now.
In his postgame comments, Dave Joerger talked about his young players giving up 10 to 30 pounds and 5-7 years of experience to the starters for the Wizards. Enthusiasm and talent usually cannot overcome talent, size and experience.
Joerger also explained that his young starting five became “shell shocked” and a bit disoriented after they fell behind by 13 points in less than five minutes to the Wizards.
What should the Kings do tonight?
In my opinion, Dave Joerger should run the same starting five he used versus the Wizards in Sacramento out on the floor to open the game on Monday night in Washington. My theory is based on learning to ride a bike. The first few times you attempt to ride you fall down. If you stop, you will never learn to ride. If you keep trying, you learn how to ride the bike with confidence.
Bogdanovic, Labissiere, Cauley-Stein, Hield and Fox need to get back up on “the bike” and face the Wizards from the start of the game to show themselves that they can compete with an experienced team. Even if they only play the opening five minutes, showing they can compete with the Wizards could be a real confidence builder for the young guns.
It’s all about player development
The Kings as an organization have not made it a secret that this season is all about player development. When you have team full of young players, that has to be your commitment, but that approach can also demoralize your fan base who only understand wins and loses.
I have said before that the Kings need to go the wins at home and play for development on the road. If a game becomes a runaway on the road, the home team’s crowd will go wild as their stars go into “showtime” mode or the second unit has a chance to come out and make big plays. In the meantime, the Kings can work on developing players.
Handling the development in that manner might not thrill the television and radio people, but it would be considerably easier on the fans.
Big key for the Kings versus the Wizards – Start Fast!
The Kings cannot afford to let Washington go on an opening run like they did in Sacramento. The Wizards simply shoot to well in the paint, from mid-range and beyond the arc to let them grab a quick lead.
It is going to be an uphill battle for the Kings. FiveThirtyEight.com gives Sacramento only a 15-percent chance of beating the Wizards and makes them a 10.5-point underdog for the game. That is not good news for a team that is 1-6 on the road.
This will be the final time the Kings will see the the Wizards this season.
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings two game winning streak came to a sudden end on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City when the Knicks – led by power forward Kristaps Porzingis – blew by the men in purple and white 118-91.
Early on, it looked like the Kings might make it a competitive game. By halftime, the Knicks (7-5) held a 64-49 lead. New York put together two big runs in the first half to establish the 15-point halftime lead.
The Knicks did not back off in the third quarter as they held the Kings under 20-points and extended their lead. In fact, NYK became so comfortable about their lead they sat Prozingis down in the third quarter and he never reentered the contest.
The Kings (3-9) and Knicks second units made the fourth quarter interesting but Sacramento was unable to cut into the big New York lead. When the final buzzer sounded, the Knicks continued to impress the professional basketball world by playing so well without Carmelo Anthony on the team.
Prozingis continues to be “the man”
Second-year player – Kristaps Prozingis scored 34 points in just 26:37 minutes of playing time. He went 11-for-21 from the floor while hitting 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point line. Prozingis converted 8-of-9 opportunities from the free throw line. While accomplishing all of that, he committed zero turnovers.
11 Knicks players contributed to the win over the Kings
Courtney Lee put up 20 points hitting 5-of-6 from 3-point land. He also added three assists and two rebounds.
Enes Kanter posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 boards. He shot 8-for-13 from the floor.
Damyean Dotson scored 14 points and Michael Beasley added 10 points.
Highly touted rookie point guard Frank Ntilkina scored just two points while posting five assists.
Sacramento had just two player score in double figures
Skal Labissiere became a force on offense again for the Kings as he recorded 19-points to lead his team in scoring for the game. The Kentucky product shot 5-for-10 from the field while going just 1-for-9 from behind the 3-point arc. Labissiere converted 9-of-10 free throw opportunities. He also grabbed six rebounds.
Buddy Hield came off the bench to score 17-points in 27-minutes of playing time. He went 6-for-13 shooting overall while hitting 4-of-5 from 3-point land. Hield also hauled in seven rebounds and dished out four assists.
No Sacaramento starter scored in double-figures.
Up next
The Kings will play the second game of their three-game road trip on Monday night in Washington, D.C. The Wizards destroyed the Kings 110-83 in Sacramento on October 29th.
The Knicks will also return to actions on Monday when they will welcome LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to Madison Square Garden. That game will have Eastern Conference Playoff implications.
host Lee Leonard with Charlie O. Mallonee
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