Author: Charlie O. Mallonee
I have been a sports reporter/broadcaster since 1976 which means ... I'm old and I love sports. I have done play-by-play for minor league baseball - including the infamous "Bad News Bees" - San Jose State football and football and high school sports in the Bay Area and on the Monterey Peninsula. I had the great privilege to host a weekly sports talk show on KNRY Radio Monterey/Salinas with my producer the late,great Gary Araki. I also hosted and produced "the Sports Fanatics" talk show on KSAC Radio in Sacramento. For the last 10 years, I have been a beat reporter covering the Oakland Athletics for Sports Radio Service. Three years ago, I became the senior reporter for our Sacramento Kings coverage. My goal is to bring you the news, views, fun and excitement of every event I am assigned to report on for Sports Radio Service.
Embiid goes off as the Sixers beat the Kings 97-91
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings wrapped up their four-game road trip in Philadelphia on Wednesday on a “low note”. The 76ers Joel Embiid exploded for a game-high 33 points and 16 rebounds to lead his team to a 97-91 victory.
Embiid really was in need of a good game after being held scoreless in his team’s loss to the Raptors on Monday night. Embiid said he didn’t feel any pressure to have a “statement game”, but he was happy his team came away with the “W”.
3rd Quarter letdown
After trailing by just one point at halftime, the Kings put themselves in a great position to steal this game on the road. After starting a bit slow in the third period, Sacramento came alive and kept the score close until midway through the quarter.
The Kings went into a 3:04 scoring drought at the end of the third quarter which allowed the Sixers to outscore them 29-19. Philly led 76-65 after 36 minutes of play and the Kings would never be able to catch up.
SAC outscored the 76ers in the final quarter but it was too little too late. The Sixers (12-6) won the game 97-91.
Spotlight on the Kings
Looking at the final box score there is one glaring stat that jumps off the page. The Kings (7-10) went to the free throw line only nine times on Wednesday night and converted just four of those opportunities. An NBA team is not going to win a game going to the charity stripe just nine times.
To give you a comparison, the 76ers went to the line 24 times in the game – a very acceptable number. They went 20-for-24 (83.3%) from the stripe which helped them to win the game.
Ironically, the Kings outscored the Sixers in the paint 40-38 even though they were facing Embiid, Al Horford and Tobias Harris.
The biggest lead for Sacramento in the game for SAC was one point. The 76ers held a 17 point lead in the fourth quarter.
The Kings also had a tough night from “downtown”. They shot just 9-for-34 (26.5%) from beyond the 3-point line.
Sacramento scoring:
- Buddy Hield was the team’s high scorer putting 22 points in the book. He had a tough night shooting going 9-for-24 overall and 3-for-12 from 3-point land.
- Dewayne Dedmon came off the bench to put up 18 points and grab six rebounds.
- Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 points hitting 7 of 15 shots.
- Harrison Barnes scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Focus on the Sixers
The 76ers blocked 10 Kings shots in the game while SAC blocked just three of the Sixers shots.
Philly scoring:
- Matisse Thybulle came off the bench to score 15 points. He went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and hit 3 of 3 from behind the 3-point line.
- Forward Tobias Harris scored 14 points.
- The veteran Al Horford scored 12 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
- Point guard Ben Simmons recorded a double-double putting up 10 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
Up next
The Kings return home and will host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon at the Golden 1 Center.
The Sixers will face the Knicks on Friday night at the Garden.
So close yet so far – the Kings lose to Boston 103-102
By Charlie O. Mallonee
If the Sacramento Kings (7-9) had emailed their performance in on Monday night versus the Boston Celtics (12-4), no one would have criticized them. They were facing the Celtics on the second night of a back-to-back on the road after winning a very tough game over the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
The Kings didn’t just sleepwalk through the game on Monday night. They came out looking for a win which would mean they would sweep the season series with the mighty Celtics. In the end, the Kings would come up one point short, but they put themselves in a position to win the game.
Luke Walton was not unhappy with his team
Luke Walton said in his postgame comments that all you can ask of your team in the second game of a back-to-back on the road is to put themselves in a position to win the game at the end of the fourth quarter. Walton said his team did that but came up just short.
With 5.7 seconds to go in the game, Cory Joseph inbounded the ball to Bogdan Bogdanovic. “Bogi” put up a 3-point shot with 3.0-seconds remaining. The ball hit the back of the rim and one of the Kings in the lane put the rebound back up, but it went over the backboard. Time expired and Boston won the game 103-102.
Record-setting night for Buddy Hield
“Buddy Love” set a franchise record by sinking 11 three-point buckets on Monday night. The previous record was held by Mike Bibby who connected on nine 3-point shots on March 25, 2007, versus Phoenix.
Hield also set a personal record by scoring 41 points in the game. He shot 15-for-26 from the floor and went 11-for-21 from downtown. Hield also had five rebounds and two assists.
Spotlight on the Kings
This game featured 22 lead changes and seven ties. The Kings held the largest lead of the game – 11 points in the second quarter. The Celtics built up a 53-46 lead at halftime. After the game, Luke Walton felt his team’s play in the final six minutes of the first half is where they lost the game.
Individual scoring:
- Harrison Barnes put 20 points in the scorebook. He went 7-for-10 from the free throw line.
- Bogdan Bogdanovic added 13 points but had a tough night shooting. He went 5-for-20 from the field and 2-for-13 from 3-point land. “Bogi” did dish out eight assists.
- No other player on the Kings scored in double figures.
Team numbers:
- Sacramento hit 37 of 78 (46.8%) shots from the floor in Boston.
- The Kings went 18-for-47 (38.3%) from behind the 3-point arc.
- This was the Kings downfall: they only went to the free throw line 15 times. They converted 10 of those opportunities, but that number of attempts should have been at least 25. Sacramento could have won the game at the charity stripe.
- The Kings were destroyed in the paint. The Celtics outscored Sacramento 50-26 down low in the game. That just can not happen.
Focus on Boston
Four of the five Celtics starters scored in double figures:
- Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 24 points.
- Jayson Tatum put up 20 points shooting 7-for-18 from the floor.
- Enes Kanter added 13 points and nine rebounds.
Team stats
- The Celtics hit 20 of 23 (87.0%) attempts from the free throw line. That was the key to their victory.
- Boston shot 44.7% (38/85) from the floor.
- The Celts hit just 7 of 30 (23.3%) from downtown.
Up next
The Kings wrap up their four-game road trip on Wednesday in Philly versus the 76ers.
Boston hosts the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night before they sit down to turkey dinner.
Kings win on the road, beat the Wizards 113-106
By Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings (7-8) jumped back into the win column on Sunday afternoon by defeating the Washington Wizards 113-106 in game two of their four-game road trip. The victory did not come easy, but the Kings never let their concentration wavier which allowed them to win the game.
Sacramento outscored Washington (5-9) in three of the four quarters. They also avoided the dreaded “third quarter letdown”. The Kings outscored the Wizards 33-30 in the third quarter, and then, they outscored the Wizards 33-28 in the fourth quarter. That is another major step forward for the Kings.
Kings starters carried the day
The Sacramento starting five scored 79 of the teams 113 total points. Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 26 points. Richaun Holmes recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Buddy Hield put 18 points in the book. He shot 4-for-14 from the field with 3 of his field goals coming from behind the 3-point line. Hield drove the lane very hard and went to the foul line seven times and was successful on all seven attempts. He also dished out five assists.
Cory Joseph had a big game for the Kings scoring 10 points and distributing five dimes. Joseph hit 5 of 10 shots from the floor.
All of the Kings starters expect Bjelica played well over 30 minutes in the game.
Sacramento bench
The key man off the bench was Bogdan Bogdanovic. “Bogi” scored 21 points shooting 7-for-16 from the floor while hitting 3 of 9 attempts from 3-point land. He also went 4-for-6 from the free throw line while dishing out four assists.
Focus on the Wizards
- Bradley Beal scored a team-high 20 points while distributing eight assists. Beal has been averaging 29.6 points per game this season.
- Thomas Bryant put up 14 points and added eight rebounds
- Former King – Isaiah Thomas – scored 17 points against his old team.
- Mo Wagner recorded a double-double scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
- The Wizards bench outscored the Kings bench 48-37.
Addition to the Kings roster
After having several outstanding games in the G-League with the Stockton Kings, Kyle Guy has been called up to join the Kings NBA roster. He joined the team in Washington but did not play.
Up next
The Kings have the unenviable task of playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road in Boston on Monday night.
The Wizards will travel to Denver to face the Nuggets on Tuesday night.
Podcast: The Fantasy Football Doctors NFL Week 12 – playoffs are coming!
your hosts: Dr. Vasu Vaddiparty and Dr. Charlie O
It’s the final bye week of the season – you have holes in your lineup to fill
Jared Goff is a fantasy bust – who should replace him with?
Is Tom Brady worth a start this Sunday?
Look for the 49ers to rush the ball on Sunday night: start Coleman
Start every Browns player versus Miami
Nick Foles and Ryan Tannehill are worthy of starts
If you don’t start Russell Wilson, we will ban you from Fantasy Football!
Advice to help you win – push play now!!!
Kings come up two points short, lose to the Lakers 99-97
By Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings trailed the LA Lakers 99-97 with 5.5 seconds to go in the game on Friday night at Staples Center. After designing a play during a timeout, most of the crowd expected the ball to go to Bogdan Bogdanovic in order for “Bogi” to attempt a game-winning 3-point shot. Instead, the inbounds pass went to Harrison Barnes who slipped or was tripped on his way to the bucket.
Barnes went up in the air and was met head-on by Anthony Davis who blocked his potential layup. There was a lot of body contact, but because Barnes was out of control from the slip (or trip) no foul was called. Time expired and the Kings (4-7) had lost the game by two points.
I am now going to interject an editorial opinion. If the play had been the other way around with Davis driving on the hoop, slipping and Barnes making contact, a foul would have been called and Davis would have gone to the line to shoot two free throws. That is the inequity of officiating in the NBA. If you are a superstar and playing on your home court, the calls will always go your way. It is a major flaw that needs to be fixed but don’t hold your breath. No changes are coming anytime soon.
Spotlight on the Lakers (10-2)
- LeBron James scored a game-high 29 points and made it a double-double game by dishing out 11 assists. He also played a game-high 38 minutes and 40 seconds. Not bad for an old guy.
- Anthony Davis added 17 points and blocked four shots. His most important blocked shot came at the end of the game.
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 16 points in just over 24 minutes of playing time. He went 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
- Kyle Kuzma came off the bench to put up 13 points and hauling in five rebounds.
- The Lakers outscored the Kings in the paint 42-36.
- LA also won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 15-5.
Focus on the Kings
- Buddy Hield led the Kings scoring attack with 21 points. Hield shot 6-for-15 from the floor. All six of his baskets were 3-pointers.
- Bogdan Bogdanovic played almost 37 minutes on Friday night. He scored 18 points shooting 7-for-13 from the floor.
- Richaun Holmes had a big game on offense and defense. Holmes scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds against the Lakers.
Up Next
The Kings will host the Boston Celtics at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday at 12:30 PM.
The Lakers host the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
Fantasy Football Doctors Podcast: NFL Week 14 – Let’s win this week!
Your hosts: Dr. Vasu Vaddiparty & Dr. Charlie O
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Who are QBs that you should start this week?
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Derek Carr could have a big game versus the Bengals
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Can Josh Allen humble the Dolphins?
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Will veteran Philip Rivers handle the Chiefs?
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Is Jimmy Garoppolo worth a start?
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Tevin Coleman could be the hot RB start this week
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Will Joe Mixon have a good day versus the Raiders?
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Should you sit Sony Michel?
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The Bills’ John Brown may be the best play at WR Sunday
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Oakland’s Tyrell Williams is looking for a big day versus Cincy
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The Niners’ Deebo Samuel maybe a right play this week
The doctors have a wealth of information for you designed to help you win your matchup this week. Push play and win!
Kings win again, downing Portland 107-99 on Tuesday night
By Charlie O. Mallonee
SACRAMENTO — On Tuesday night, the Kings played their first game since learning that star point guard De’Aaron Fox was going to be unavailable to the team for an extended period of time. Fox suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain, which usually implies ligament damage, at the end of practice on Monday. Fox is currently on crutches and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. How long Fox will be gone has yet to be determined.
NBA observers immediately predicted “doom and gloom”
The national experts who cover the NBA almost immediately declared that the injury to Fox ended any chance the Kings had of making a playoff run this season. The team had stumbled out of the starting gate losing their first five games but seemed to be putting things together after going 2-1 on their first road trip to the East Coast.
“Those in the know” felt that the team would not be able to overcome the loss of Fox who is their uptempo playmaker. Fox is also a key scorer for the team when they need a boost on the scoreboard.
Tuesday night the Kings had to face the Portland Trail Blazers in their first test without Fox on the floor. Sacramento had lost to the Blazers 122-112 at home in the second of the season.
Portland tried to take control in the first half
The Trail Blazers came out in the first quarter shooting 50% from the floor and 33% from 3-point range. The Kings really struggled as they shot just 34.6% from the field and a miserable 16.7% from downtown. What kept Sacramento in the game was their volume of shots.
Portland hit 9 of 18 shots in the opening period while the Kings put in 9 of 26 attempts from the field. The Blazers held just a 24-21 lead when the first quarter came to a close.
The Kings’ shooting and defense improved in the second quarter, and they matched the Blazers in almost every statistical category. Portland was up by only three points, 49-46, at the half.
Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts said after the game: “Sacramento didn’t shoot the ball particularly well – neither team shot the ball well in the first half. I felt like we should have had a bigger lead at halftime.”
Could the Kings overcome their Third Quarter nemesis?
The Kings have experienced difficulty in the third quarter in the majority of their games so far this season. They have had a tendency to start the period slowly and then watch their opponents put them in a position where they have to play catch up in the fourth quarter.
That did not happen on Tuesday night. Sacramento outscored Portland 35-21 in the third period. They accomplished that by shooting an outstanding 57.9% (11-for-19) overall and sinking 2 of 5 (40%) from long range. They also converted 11 of 13 opportunities from free throw line.
At the end of 36 minutes of play, Sacramento led Portland 81-70.
Portland Head Coach Terry Stotts: “They got off to a good start in the third quarter and built a lead and we really couldn’t recover from that initial burst at the start of the third quarter.”
Portland did not give up in the fourth
The Blazers outscored the Kings 29-26 in the final 12 minutes and cut the Sacramento lead down to five points with 2:51 to go in the game. Bjelica hit a 26-foot, 3-point shot to give his team an eight-point lead. The Kings would go on to win the game 107-99.
The Kings record improves to 4-6 and they have now won 4 of their last 5 games. Portland’s record drops to 4-7 on the young season.
After the game, Luke Walton wanted to talk “D”
“I want to talk about our defense. It’s been what we’ve been preaching about every day since day one of training camp and I’m the first to admit, it needs to get a lot better. But that’s why – not only tonight but I feel like slowly even if our numbers haven’t showed it, guys are starting to understand and really make steps as far as individual defense and team defense. Tonight, we started the game, we couldn’t make anything – great shooters, wide-open shots – and that’s why defense is important.”
Focus on the Kings
- Bogdan Bogdanovic was the Kings top scorer. He came off the bench to score 25 points and dish out 10 assists. “Bogi” scored 25 of the Kings 36 bench points.
- Buddy Hield added 20 points in 37 minutes of playing time. Hield did not have a great night shooting just 7-for-21, but he hit big shots when they were needed.
- Nemanja Bjelica recorded a double-double scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Blazers top performers
- To no one’s surprise, Damian Lillard scored a game-high 27 points. “Dame” went 13-for-14 from the free throw line. He also played almost 38 minutes. He is truly an incredible player.
- CJ McCollum added 24 points shooting a very nice 11-for-21 from the floor.
- Hassan Whiteside had another nice game against the Kings as he put up 17 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
Up next
The Kings will be off until Friday night when they will face the Lakers at Staples Center in LA.
The Blazers head home for the back end of a back-to-back with the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
Kings end their road trip with a 121-109 win in Atlanta
By Charlie O. Mallonee
There are three things you need to remember about the Kings victory over the Hawks on Friday night:
- Sacramento just finished a three-game road swing to the Eastern time zone and finished with a 2-1 record. That is something this team – that experienced a “stutter-start” to the 2019-20 season – can build on to turn fortunes around quickly.
- The Kings reached the 3 wins mark before the Golden State Warriors (2-7).
- Harry Giles III returned to action for the first time this season and H20 could play a key role for the Kings while they wait for Marvin Bagley III to heal.
It was a “nail-biter” in the 4th quarter
The Kings dominated the first half. They held a 63-47 lead at halftime, but no one thought that the Hawks would just roll over and play dead in the second half.
Atlanta served notice in the third period that they still thought that they could win the game by outscoring the Kings 36-28. Trae Young led the charge for the Hawks scoring 16 points and dishing out four assists. Young was on fire and the rest of his team followed his lead. Sacramento held a 91-83 lead after 36 minutes of play.
The Hawks continued their assault until they cut the Kings lead down to just one point with 9:03 left to play in the game. Bogdan Bogdanovic turned it around for SAC. “Bogi” hit a 26-foot, 3-point jump shot to give the Kings a 4-point lead and the momentum that had them build up a lead as large as 18 points down the stretch.
The Kings won the 4th quarter 30-26 with Bogdanovic scoring 11 points for Sacramento. The Kings went 7-for-9 from 3-point range and were a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the final period. That is how games are won.
Let’s hear for the SAC bench
The Sacramento starting five scored 70 points on Friday night. The Atlanta starters also scored 70 points. The difference in this game was the scoring of the players off the bench.
The Kings bench outscored the Hawks second unit 51-39. The Kings used five players off their bench:
- Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points hitting 6 of his 9 shots from the floor. Five of his field goals were 3-point baskets.
- Trevor Ariza was also on fire from behind the arc. He went 5-for-7 from the field and four of his buckets were 3-pointers.
- Harry Giles III played just over seven minutes, but the important thing is that he played. Giles scored four points, grabbed a rebound and had one block shot. You could see the enthusiasm on his face at being able to be on the court and in the middle of the action.
The Hawks (3-5) are young and dangerous
The Hawks may well be where the Kings were two years ago. They are amassing talent and preparing to build a team that will be a force for five to seven seasons to come. Their current stars are:
- Trae Young who scored a game-high 30 points and made it a double-double night by dishing out 12 “dimes”. He is the real deal.
- Jabari Parker – who is in his first year with the Hawks – scored 25 points and added eight rebounds.
- Kevin Huerter was the key man off the bench for Atlanta by putting up 17 points in almost 30 minutes on the floor.
Up next
The Kings have a nice break as they will be off until Tuesday night when they will host the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Hawks will hit the road and will face the Trail Blazers in Portland on Sunday night.
Kings come up just short in their battle with the Raptors on Wednesday night, 124-120
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings (2-6) went from having to play the worst team in the NBA East on Sunday night in the New York Knicks to having to face the defending NBA World Champion Toronto Raptors (5-2) on Wednesday night. While it is true the Raptors no longer have Kawhi, they still have a very competitive team that will go to the playoffs.
The Kings could have easily phoned this game in and saved their energy for the final game of the road trip in Atlanta. They chose not to do that. Luke Walton’s team showed up and played hard. They kept the outcome of the game in question until the final seconds of the contest. When the final buzzer sounded, the Raptors won the game 124-120, but they knew that Kings came very close to stealing this game on the road.
The Kings made it rain
Sacramento tied a franchise record by hitting 20 3-point baskets on Wednesday night. The Kings went 20-for-44 from “downtown” (45.5%). It was almost like the Raptors were daring them to shoot from behind the arc.
Buddy Hield just missed a 3-point shot with just seconds left that might have become a four-point opportunity that potentially could have tied the game. Hield went 5-for-7 from long range in the game.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Kings in 3-point scoring connecting on 6 of 11 attempts from behind the 3-point line.
Sluggish start
The Kings had a slow start in the game as they allowed the Raptors to outscore them 36-23 in the first quarter. Toronto shot 77.8% (14-for-18) from the floor including six 3-point buckets in the opening 12 minutes.
That slow start meant the Kings had to expel a lot of energy to get themselves back into the game in the second quarter. That was energy they would not have late in the game to help them overcome the Raptors lead.
Battle for points in the paint
While the Kings won the 3-point shooting battle, the Raptors owned the scoring down low in the paint. Toronto outscored the Sacramento 52-32 in the paint.
By being able to score in the paint, the Raptors were able to take high-percentage shots. They finished the game shooting 55.1% from the field (43-for-78) with 26 of those baskets being hit in the paint.
Pascal Siakam (23 pts), Serge Ibaka (21 pts), OG Anunoby (18 pts) and Marc Gasol (12 pts) were just too much of a force for the Kings defense to overcome. Siakam made it a double-double night by adding 13 rebounds.
Battle of the boards
Sacramento outrebounded the Toronto 43-37. Twelve of the Kings rebounds came on offense which allowed them to win the battle for 2nd chance points 13-2.
Richaun Holmes and Buddy Hield led the Kings rebounding efforts with eight each.
Focus on the Kings
Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 26 points on Tuesday night. He shot 7-for-15 in the game including four 3-point baskets and converting 8 of 10 from the free throw line.
Supporting cast
- Bogdan Bogdanovic put 22 points in the scorebook by hitting 7 of 14 field goal attempts.
- Buddy Hield connected on 7 of 16 shots (5 3-point baskets) for a 21 point night.
- De’Aaron Fox had a 21 point, nine assists and seven-rebound night. He did have to battle foul trouble early in the game.
Up next
The Kings wrap up their three-game road trip on Friday night in Atlanta (3-4)
The Raptors begin what their radio crew called a “murderous” five-game road on Friday night in New Orleans.
Sports Radio Service 